Shot this video at youth group for our pastor's "Bridging the Generation Gap" teaching series.  If you'd like a copy of it to use, comment this post and I'll send you a download link!

- Tim B.

Awesome song, awesome video!

It's a busy Thursday, so I don't have a lot of time to post, but here's one of my favorite videos.  Scary how right they got it.  :)

- Tim B.

In the last Easy Videos post we talked about a quick and easy way to share your own testimony.

Now, let's talk about student testimonies.  I can tell you, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that one of, if not THE, most powerful and effective things I've done in YM is give students opportunities to share their stories from the front.  There is nothing quite like a teenager hearing the Gospel and how God is working in a life from one of their peers.  There's something validating in hearing this from someone who they can so easily identify with.

The "problem" with doing live student testimonies (and really live testimonies from ANY age) is the - and I hate to use this word - "control" factor.  Once someone steps in front of a mic, they forget that they were only supposed to talk for 5 minutes, or only focus on what God is doing in their life.  I have heard so many 5 minute stories of how a person came to know Christ turn in to 20 minute narratives of everything that's happened in their life since the 3rd grade.

That's why using video as an outlet for your students' testimonies is such a no-brainer!  Don't get me wrong - I still use students up front a lot, but those are usually in more informal ways or after they've been heavily coached.

All you need, really, is a decent digital video camera (again, I love my Flip HD), a student who is willing to share, and a basic video editing program like Windows Movie Maker.

I like to sit with a student and ask a lot of questions - how did you come to know Christ; how has your life changed, how do you connect with God regularly; what is God doing in your life right now; what do you still struggle with; etc.  I'll then take 15-20 minutes of talking and edit it down to 3-5 minutes of solid content, throw some instrumental music in the background, and a title screen with the student's name, and that's that!

I shot the video above to go with a series we did called "What do you believe?"  The response was awesome, and it was a great experience for the students who were involved in making the videos as well!

Student testimonies are awesome - you should try this if you aren't already doing it!

- Tim B.

I thought I would do a series of posts this week called "Easy Videos".  I LOVE using videos in our youth gatherings, and it really doesn't take much to pull it off.  In my low/no-budget situation, we've used an almost-20-year-old big screen TV and a modest laptop running Powerpoint for years.  Couple that with the great amount of free or cheap content out there (www.bluefishtv.com), and you can really add a new dimension to your time with students that can enhance your teaching/speaking/theme.

This week I want to focus on what you can do with an entry-level laptop, Windows Movie Maker, and a handheld digital video camera (I have a Flip HD I got for Christmas a few years ago).

The first video, above, is one I made to go along with a teaching series called "What's Your Story" that guided students through the process of developing both the desire and the skill to share their faith with others.  Rather than stand up front and give a 5-10 minute testimony, I mounted the Flip on a tripod on its tallest setting and pointed it over my shoulder as I sat at my desk.  I then took a blank legal pad and a sharpie and just started writing out my story, one little bit at a time on each page.

I uploaded the footage into Media Player (Flips are super easy to upload), sped the footage up, and dropped some music in from www.freeplaymusic.com (royalty free music you can download for... you guessed it - FREE!).

This would be super-easy for you to duplicate and would be a great alternative for you or a guest speaker to quickly share your story as an introduction or illustration.

Let me know if you try it out!

- Tim B.

Found some free hiphop/spoken word videos like the one above over at Humble Beast that you might find useful in your student ministry!  Check them out here.

- Tim B.

I'm speaking at a youth retreat in March, and today the church's student minister showed me this video for Tenth Avenue North's song "You Are More" that's going to tie in to the theme "Remade".  Beautiful!

- Tim B.

I know I do, and it often makes me feel terrible about my ministry or myself.  That's why I love the reminder this video gives me!  Plus it's hilarious.  BONUS.

- Tim B.

Good stuff!