Happy Birthday Blackbar!

The guys are joined by guest co-host JP Dorsey, previous President of North Point Bible College GR and pastor at Grand Rapids First, to discuss whether or not social media us truly a good or bad thing for society at large. They also discuss OpenAI's newest video software called Sora and how churches can practically and ethically integrate AI systems into their workflow.  

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Nick & Caleb are joined by guest co-host Dan Desrosiers (S1 Episodes 6, 7, & 85) to discuss how churches can best leverage media to connect with and grow their communities in 2024. They also discuss how to approach the nuanced conversation of upgrading your gear to your pastor and leadership team. 

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Nick and Caleb talk with Mike Soroka, IT and networking guru, about why churches should care about modern cybersecurity, and they share some easy first steps every organization should take to protect their data. They also discuss Disney's expired copyright of the Steamboat Willie character, and how important it is for creatives to understand copyright and public domain.

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The guys share about what they learned from the 2024 Passion Conference team on how to gather the most effective and impactful sermon clips for your church. They also talk about the new podcast format alongside their newest Q&A style segment called Blackout!

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On the last episode of 2023, the guys share some thoughts from a church creative's perspective about Carey Nieuwhof's recent blog post on declining church attendance. They also discuss the implications of the conclusion of the SAG-AFTRA strikes as well as Instagram's most recent algorithm changes.

Read Carey Nieuwhof's full blog post "5 Church Attendance Statistics Every Church Leader Needs to Understand in 2024" here:
https://careynieuwhof.com/church-attendance-statistics/

Episode Timestamps: 

• 2:59 SAG-AFTRA Strike Resolution
• 25:47 Instagram Updated Its Algorithm... Again
• 37:55 Why Church Attendance Is Declining & What Can We Do About It?  

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In the church and ministry creative field, last minute changes are as frequent as Sunday service, so on this episode the guys wanted to share some practical tips on how to navigate the unpredictable in a healthy way. They also share some predictions about the potential of Unreal Engine's Project Avalanche software, and they take a look at what can be learned about church photography from the advanced features of Sony's A9 III camera.

Episode Timestamps:

• 5:00 Could Unreal Engine's Project Avalanche Dethrone After Effects?
• 27:36 What Can Sony's New A9 III Teach Us About Photography?
• 44:18 How To Be Creative When The Plan Changes Last Minute

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The guys welcome guest co-host Alex Lyons as they discuss how to approach AI with faith and wisdom. They also kick off the episode analyzing and learning from the new Eddie Bower logo redesign. 

Episode Timestamps:

• 3:20 Eddie Bauer Logo Redesign
• 28:40 Beyond Fear: Embracing AI with Faith and Wisdom

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With the success of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour movie, the guys discuss how experiences like this could impact the ways that we both approach and engage in worship within our faith communities. They also get back into the Mac vs. PC debate on the heels of Apple's newest M3 Chip showcase.

Episode Timestamps:
2:42 Mac vs. PC in 2023
23:48 Could Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Affect Our Church Services?

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The guys lose their minds over the exciting new Adobe software features showcased at this year's Adobe Max event! They also circle back to last week's conversation to tie in how Meta's new social personality AI can impact the way we create social content, and they break down how the technology used for the recent Toy Story Funday Football broadcast could help churches approach children's ministry in a new way.  

Episode Timestamps:

• 3:31 - Meta's New personality AI
• 28:33 - Toy Story Meets Football?!
• 50:00 - First Impressions of Adobe Max 2023

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Caleb & Nick welcome guest co-host Garrett Vandenberg as they discuss the ethics, theology, practical application, and potential future of Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and AI generated music all within creative, faith-based spaces. 

Episode Timestamps:

• 4:53 - The Ethics and Theology of AI Generated Music
• 45:31 - The Future of AR/VR Church

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