If you’re in the same boat, even we who are slightly tech saavy have tried Saisuke, GCalendars, iCal and many other little apps to make seeing all our Calendars at once work.

For sure, the following works with accounts that have been created through Google.com/a – as we have a business world using that. I do not know if the same works for normal Gmail accounts. Please comment below if it does.

How To See All Your Google Calendars At Once.

1. Go on to your iPhone (not your laptop/desktop), and type: http://www.google.com/a

2. Sign in to your Google Apps account using your username and password.

3. Once in your Mail, click Calendars.

4. A small box will appear at the bottom saying, “Do you want to download the Google Calendar App?”

5. Say “yes.” For goodness sake’s man, say “yes.”

6. Go in via the App after it downloads, and click settings.

7. Select the Calendars you want to see.

Bam. You’re done.

Instead of running from challenging ideas, when we run to them we find great discoveries waiting for us that inspire worship and gratefulness for such an elegant cosmos.

Thanks, friends at Calvin.

Calvin Institute of Christian Worship – Science and Faith in Harmony: Positive ways to include science in worship.

It is a rare thing indeed to watch God do 90% of the work to fulfill a thing, while we, astonished, look on.

God speaks, we hear, and we act in Christlike character in accord with that invitation. A vision given is a welcoming to move forward toward a promise, not a promise that God is somehow obligated to fulfill without yours or my concerted participation.

Our creative and obedient response to God’s invitations – this is the artful life.

However, even the best actions must be motivated and founded on the art of listening – listening well to God, our own hearts and the voices of others.

In my journey, I have experienced seasons of great action that felt significant, but in the end may not have been.

Conversely, I have experienced moments of great action that felt as though they were founded on a whisper or shout from God. It is to the fruits of those actions I turn when I wonder if I am in the middle of God’s will.

Learn the art of listening well to God, and responding. By constant practice, we can begin to become the kind of obedient (from the Latin “to hear”) followers of Jesus we are designed to be.

I’m hoping this app gives me a bit more flexibility as a newbie ‘one-fingered blogger.’

I will now hit Save on my iPhone, and see just how ‘wired’ I know have become.

Truth is, blogging moments often occur when I’m not near my laptop. For example, right now my wife and I are spending 1.5 hours wrestling over mobile phone plans.

They are almost as complex as using a PC – somebody fix that!

Rejoice in simple things today.

MOMENTS IN TIME: A MORNING WALK

This morning, I took a one hour walk around our town, primarily for the sake of exercise.

As I glided along the muddy roadsides and cracking sidewalks, I

* Took in an mp3, one hour course on European history and its cultures, identities and hopes in the 19th-20th centuries,

* Walked across the rubble of a construction site of a new highway going around our town,

* Waved to 23 truck drivers, who all waved back,

* Shared morning greetings with three friends who happen to be mentally handicapped,

* Joked with the catholic priest who both cares for them, and serves with godly passion on our university board,

* Greeted the father of one of my middle daughter’s friends,

* Smiled at the town council member to whom my son delivers newspapers,

* Created a concept for a new series of songs related to the soul’s progress through a lifetime, and

* Came home to a house silent with late, summer vacation sleep.

1. Become A Great Reader

Worship songwriters must be come great readers. Books without pictures – steal ourselves away from constant “film only” learning.

As creatives, someone would think of electricity, democracy, worship, etc.

Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman told him the story of John Quincy Adams (PBS Miniseries) – eloquent writer.

2. Listen to new music.

Expand your boundaries. Symphony concert, jazz concert, new genre. The composers wrote for the church and for the culture. There is something to be done in the listening.

Classical music now often exists in an academic ghetto. Listen widely.

3. Learn new words.

He’s writing with Derek Webb (controversial but fantastic writer) – ten songs a year, then stops, comes out with a record.

Social networking creates an instant culture; songwriting takes time to linger in.

Careful you don’t contribute to an epidemic of “sameness” in writing.

4. Avoid stale approaches.

We turn to stock things – sounds, etc. that we’ve seen work. A G chord played with the Open The Eyes Of My Heart strumming pattern.

You could set the bar, but usually after learning what others have done. Have integrity in what you write.

If not, we adopt the horrible part of culture – the disposable. We’ll run out of cliche. Take a philosophy that says “we won’t be disposable; we’ll be accountable to do things with creative integrity.”

5. Use different instruments.

Comfortable on guitar – not so comfortable on keyboard? Try the thing that’s more challenging, or pushes you a different direction.

6. Use rhythm tracks.

Much of today’s music is more rhythm-driven. Use the loops in Garage Band.

Just for exercise. Go to iTunes, buy the backup tracks for a great song, and try to create something new over it (don’t actually use it – that’s plagiarism) – but practice that way. It’ll wake you up.

7. Find ways to show, and not tell.

We are proclamation driven. But biblically, proclamation was after 30 years living out a revelation to folks, then proclaiming the point.

I.e. Reveal God first, as opposed to proclaiming God first. Show faith before you tell it. Show ideas before you tell them. Point to truth, with compelling ideas.

Writing with Derek Webb; sat for 10 minutes in co-writing session. He just sat there looking at Matt. “Are we stuck?” Then, he had an idea. Derek works it out in his head; Matt works it out verbally.

8. Co-write.

We’re a church for a reason, sent out in two’s for a reason. Empowered to do the things we’re supposed to do. A musical extension of life in community. Come with an idea. In the process of holding it loosely, you say I’m willing for this person to tear it apart for something greater.

It’s an exercise in humility. You actually may not be the only one with great ideas. God is Trinity; consider this communal creative expression.

When artists come together, we’re experiencing (maybe) a small taste of what the Trinity is like. Co-crafting.

Other Notes:

Don’t write melodies above E over middle C for congregations – tough for them).

Think singability when writing for corporate settings.

If you write 50 songs, and 4 are congregational, great.

Records ideas in phone. Uses “iRecorder.”

Lyric idea confront melody idea? Let one of them hack up the other if needed.

With insights and direction from the book Making Movies Work: Thinking Like A Filmaker.

Here are my notes:

1. Voyeuristic (head)
Peering into the lives of others; does this feel real, true to my experience; recreating a time and a place; extensive research; a believable world; attention to detail; lighting, costumes, production design, invested in online and physical building; appeal to mind’s eye; would I like to spend time there.

Look, Set Design

2. Vicarious (heart)
We enter into the emotional experience of the character; rooted in believable performances, music, lighting, closeups, appeal to the heart; relate to characters; rooting for them; suffer with them; “is this the way people behave?” Do others root for you as a leader?

Emotion, Script Performance

3.  Visceral (gut)
Thrills, chills, spills; rollercoaster ride, grabs you; holds you tight; paces; expert editing; barrage of images and sound; an experience; is it exciting? Visceral churches? Stunning; altering; hit you in the gut.

Thrill, Pace Editing

What Makes A Classic?
All 3 elements together = a classic. Lord Of The Rings is the new Star Wars. Tolkien’s imagination was about 50 years beyond Hollywood’s ability to recreate it.

Why do movies move us?
The kind of movies we like reflect the aspects of God with which we are most comfortable. Interesting idea.

Movies at their best are “trinitarian.”

What does this have to do with the church?
Head – Creator, Designer – Father (type of church? 3 point sermons, mainline, reformed)
Heart – Suffering, Compassion – Son (altar calls, evangelicals, baptists)
Gut – Thrilling, Surprising – Spirit (spiritual gifts, pentecostal, charismatic)

Holistic worship experiences are the key to growth as a worship community. Sacraments each week mean that quiet reflection is vital.

The church is not meant to “outdo” Hollywood; but rather to give God room to act in your service.

Not bigger, louder, faster. Don’t want your money back – we want our time back.

Add depth to what you do: Smaller, quieter, slower is the key.

We want depth, not fast food. The whisper must be as loud as the earth, wind and fire.

Iron Man vs Bruce Lee from Patrick Boivin on Vimeo.