I get asked the same question a lot.  “How do you come up with all your ideas.”  I usually proceed to tell them that I get ideas everywhere and anywhere.  Next, I usually show them is a large filing cabinet in my office.  The top large drawer is filled with brochures, mailers, postcards, magazines, advertisement, and a lot of other junk.  At least others may think of it as junk, but I view it as an invaluable resource.  My wife sometimes laughs at me, because everywhere we go I am picking up new brochures and stopping to ... Read More

I have enjoyed every year that God has allowed me to go the mission field, but I must say, this was the greatest year yet. God really touched my heart this year. We visited churches, talked to amazing people, preached in public schools, stayed in a rural home in the mountains, and were heartbroken at the leper hospital.  If you would like to view pictures I took from the trip, visit the North Valley Baptist Church Philippines Missions Page. You can also watch the video we made for our Missions Conference entitled, Making a Difference. I ... Read More

Here is some of the gear that I bring on the Missions Trip. I have the awesome opportunity to go with our church on the annual missions trip.  I document the whole trip with pictures, a blog and video.  (Check out the Missions trip website – real content will be available on October 6)  It has been an annual trip for me, and I love it!  It is truly a highlight of my year.  I covet your prayers. During the trip, I will take thousands of photos, hours of video, work on daily blog posts for nvbc.org, and have the privilege to preach ... Read More

In a week and a half, I leave on the annual Missions Trip to the Philippines.  It is always a highlight of my year.  I have the privilege to document the work being done by our missionaries. Every year I take thousands of photos and hours of video.  I post pictures and a description of the days events online every night. (view photos and videos of previous years) Usually, when we return, I have about 2 weeks to complete a 10 minute video.  The way the dates fall this year, I will only have about 3 days before the conference begins and ... Read More

View the screencast on your iPhone. Photoshop actions save a great deal of time, if you have multiple images to work on.  This screencast shows you how to create a Photoshop action of an image reflection.  It also explains how to run the action on a whole folder of images using Batch in Photoshop.  You can create a Photoshop action for anything that you have to do repeatedly. For instance, if you need to resize multiple photos, or if you have hundreds of photos that you want to make black and white, actions are the way to go.   I would ... Read More

Create a realistic bordered photo effect using this Photoshop action.  Watch the screencast and download the action. Download the Photoshop action here. You will need to unzip the action, then follow the screencast. I would recommend watching the screencast in HD for better viewing. Watch the screencast on your iPhone. Michael ... Read More

People love to see photos, and we try to put photos of our main events online immediately after the event.  This increases our traffic and creates buzz about our website.  It is also good “advertisement” for those who did not attend the event.  The problem I find is displaying the images in a unique and fun way.  Here are some flash slideshows that you can easily add to your website.  Most of these don’t require any knowledge of Flash. 1.  Polaroid Gallery v.1.01 Flash Slideshow - Polaroid Gallery - YC Historical ... Read More

One thing that has been a huge help driving traffic to our ministry websites, is the Email Newsletter.  We have over 12,000 people we email on a monthly basis. We send the emails to our members, students, visitors, and those who have communicated to us through our websites. (nvbc.org, gsbc.edu, and nvpublications.net)  Emails are a great way to keep your church members informed.  They are also an effective and free way to advertise special events or new content on your website.  Every time we send out an email newsletter we get a huge ... Read More