Accepting Forgiveness

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Imagine a man standing in the terminal with a ticket in his hand, refusing to enter the plane because he feels unworthy to fly! Such an attitude would prove that he doesn't understand the basis for his admittance to the plane. He would probably end up a nervous wreck and never get off the ground. He doesn't understand that his worthiness or unworthiness is not the issue; the ticket is what counts.

Think of the implications. If God (whose standards are far higher than ours) has completely forgiven and accepted us, why can we not accept ourselves? Why can we not believe His verdict in the matter and accept ourselves as He accepts us? If we have received the ticket, which Christ paid for on the cross, we have no need to feel unacceptable.

Edward Lutzer,  Failure: The Back Door to Success

The Game is only half over

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On New Year’s Day, 1929, a University of California football player named Roy Riegels made Rose Bowl history. He was playing defense when an opposing Georgia Tech player dropped eh ball. Roy grabbed the fumble and took off on a gallop for the end zone. The wrong end zone. For a moment, all the other players froze. Then, one of Roy’s own teammates, Benny Lom, took off in pursuit. After a spectacular fumble return of 65 yards, Lom caught and downed the confused Riegels just before he scored for his opponents. Cal took over the ball with their backs to their own goal line. Tech’s defense refused to give and California had to punt. But Georgia Tech blocked the kick in the end zone and scored a two-point safety (which was the ultimate margin of victory). That wrong-way run came shortly before the end of the second quarter. And as the teams left the field at halftime, everyone watching the Rose Bowl that day was wondering the same thing: “What will California Coach, Nibbs Price, do with Roy Riegels in the second half?”

The California players silently filed into the dressing room and found places to sit, on benches and floors. All of them except Riegels. He wrapped a blanket around his shoulders, sagged to the floor in the corner, put his face in his hands and cried like a baby. Football coaches usually have a great deal to say to their teams during halftime. But that day Coach Price was quiet. No doubt he was trying to decide what to do with Riegels. Finally, the timekeeper stuck his head in the dressing room and announced: “Three minutes till playing time.” Coach Price looked at his team, glanced over at Riegels and said simply, “Men, the same team that played the first half will start the second.”

The players stood and moved quickly for the door. All but Riegels. He didn’t budge. The coach looked back and called to him again: “Riegels.” Still he didn’t move. Coach Price walked slowly over to the corner, looked down and asked softly, “Roy, didn’t you hear me? I said, ‘The same team that played the first half will start the second.” Roy Riegels lifted his head. His eyes were red, his cheeks wet. “Coach,” he said, “I can’t do it. I’ve ruined you. I’ve ruined the University of California. I’ve ruined myself. I couldn’t face that crowd in the stadium to save my life.” Coach Price reached out, put his hand on the player’s shoulder and said to him, “Roy, get up and go on back; the game is only half over.” Roy Riegels went back out on that field. And the Georgia Tech players said afterward that they’d never seen anyone play as hard as Roy Riegels played that second half.

When I think of this story, I think “What a coach!” And then I think about all the big mistakes I’ve made in my life and how God is willing to forgive me and let me try again. I take the ball and run the wrong direction. I stumble and fall and am so ashamed of myself that I never want to show my face again. But God comes to me and bends over me in the person of his son Jesus Christ, and he says, “Get up and go back; the game is only half over.” This is the gospel of the second chance. Of the third chance. Of the hundredth chance. And when I think of that, I have to say, “What a God!”

author unknown

16 Video Recording/Streaming Options

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BeastCam
Video and photography capture app for iPhone users. Adjust focus, exposure, zoom, and white balance within the app. It recognizes external microphones.. More info here. $4.99.

Camtasia
Screen-recording application that’s adequate for its intended purpose: eLearning videos. Easy to use for quick videos but limited. Can be used for podcasting. Mac & PC. $249. 

Filmic pro* 
Powerful app for videography and photography. Lots of bells and whistles such as in-app stabilization. Possibly too much for the average person. Video explanation here. $14.99.

Hippo Video 
This Chrome extension is a screen recorder with some advanced features such as changing the resolution, aspect ratio, etc. Free.

IBM Cloud Video* (formerly Ustream) 
Desktop broadcasting of live video to the world from a computer or iPhone (or watch thousands of shows).  30 day free trial, then monthly plans from $99 to $999 for pros, top subscription $2k and up.

Loom
This Chrome extension is a screen recorder with some advanced options. No limit on the number of videos you can make. Free. 

Narrative
Wearable camera that takes a photo or video every minute and creates a video at the end of the day (without using the repetitive shots). No work for the wearer. $199.

Nimbus
This Chrome extension is a screen recorder which also allows users to shoot a video with a webcam or take screenshots. Free. 

Quicktime
Use to record video from your webcam and Skype interviews. 

Rock Content (formally Scribble Live)
Live-streaming. Create, curate and publish content to provide real time coverage and storytelling. Fee.

Skyflow
A professional time-lapse video camera app for iOS that lets you pick the playback speed. Choose video resolution and format, motion blur, light trail effects, HDR, etc. Here is a tutorial. Free. 

Skype 
An advantage to using Skype for video conferencing is the ability to record video interviews. Afterward, you open Skype on a desktop and download your video as an .MP4 file. If you just want the audio you can extract it by importing the file into software like Adobe Premiere Pro or the free editing program Audacity.

TechSmith (formally Jing)
A free, easy-to-use screen capture application. Snap a screenshot or record a video, save and share. capture a presentation, lecture, or event. 

TiltShift Video 
Create the tilt-shift effect for photos and video. No in-app camera to shoot video and no sharing options. $3.99.

Webex
Cisco’s video conferencing software. Easy-to-use, nothing to download. Several pricing plans-but not cheap.

More video tools

Reasonable Evil

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A couple of old-time Baptist deacons approached me after seeing a performance of an Easter drama that I had written about Judas Iscariot. I expected complaints. The focus was on what might have caused the disciple to turn against Jesus. One of them said, "What Judas did really made sense. It was the reasonable thing to do."

They got it. The bad guy doesn't always wear a black hat, yell at old ladies, or steal treats from little children. Judas might have done what seemed reasonable to him. Perhaps he thought giving Jesus a little shove would force the reluctant king into taking his rightful place. What seemed like the right thing to do could have been completely wrong.

Evil doesn’t always show up in outrageous clothing. An obvious temptation is not nearly as difficult to brush aside as an evil that approaches us clothed in common sense.

Stephen Goforth

Tuesday Tech Tools: 47 Video Editing Options

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Adobe Premiere Rush
Video editing app using a range of Adobe’s editing software from cropping to creative overlays with animation overlay options. Works with multiple videos. Set the aspect ratio for your video so you can post on any platform. Add thumbnails, schedule postings. Free versions for for Android and iOS. Extra features with paid version. 

Adobe Spark*
See Creative Cloud Express. 

Clipchimp*
Makes simple video with a multi-track timeline. Works within a Chrome browser—which provides some privacy protection. A flexible product for both personal and professional users with many templates, stock audio and video, and sound effects. Not as difficult to learn as professional editing software but there is still a learning curve. It could work as first step toward programs like Adobe Premiere. Extras like picture-in-picture video a plus for educational videos. Free version or $9 a month for more options.

Clips*
This Apple app lets you quickly create social videos. Easily add text, filters, emojis, music, speech-to-text captions, and opaque transition cards to your photos or videos. Intended to be fun, though the menu layout is not entirely intuitive and it does take some time to create. User’s guidehere. Free.

Creative Cloud Express*
A single template-focused Adobe app (replacing Adobe Spark) that combines some of the best features from the Creative Cloud Suite for mobile and web. Quickly create everything from social media posts to promotional posters and videos with the easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface. There are soundtracks, themes, and many free photos and fonts. Assets from Photoshop and Illustrator can be utilized. Convert videos to GIFs and documents to PDFs. Great for non-professionals with little video editing experience, but not if you’re a pro looking for a full-featured video editor. Free version or $9.99 a month for more templates, photos and fonts.

Cute Cut*
Easy-to-use and powerful video editor. Add text, voiceover, music and logo. Their YouTube tutorials here. Free.

Disco Videos 
A way to add cool effects like music and filters to your videos. $3.99. 

DesignLab
Basic video editing tool for social media posts with many templates. Three-day free trial then $9.49 a month. 

Filmmaker Pro - Video Editor*
Video editing program for filmmakers. 19 transition options and 30 filters. Many fonts and animation stickers. Sound effects and a robust number of tools. Free. 

FlexClip
Simple but well-designed presentation-style social media video editor. Good for making quickly produced marketing. A lot like PowerPoint or Movie Maker in design. Stock audio and video with some editing options (like splitting video into two clips) not found in similar apps though videos are limited to 5 minutes. Free. More options with a $9.99 plan.

Final Cut Pro
Apple’s desktop video editing program for Macs. A big step up from iMovie (which is similar) but not the industry standard for professionals that Adobe Premiere has become but still used by many pros. Not compatible with Windows. $300. 

Flixtime (no longer available)
Upload video, pictures and audio for a quick video.

GoPro Quik*
Video editor by GoPro. Easy-to-use. Templated themes, useful filters, royalty-free music, and the ability to add titles and captions. Add up to 200 photos and video clips. Includes square, portrait and landscape settings. Users’ guide here and a dedicated YouTube channel here. Free but some features added with premium account.

Hyperlapse 
Instagram’s timelapse video. No audio option.

iMovie*
One of the best video-making apps, it offers two tracks of video and audio for editing on your phone or laptop. Filters and templates. Exports at 30fps only. There is a tutorial here. Free.

Inshot
Video & image editing app. Simple-to-use & all-in-one with basic functions: Crop, trim, change the speed, rotate your videos 360°, add filters and music, and more. Free version with intrusive ads $2.99 to remove them and the watermark. 

Kapwing
A browser-based video editor (online only-primarily for social media editing) that gives users the tools to splice combine, trim and cut video clips. Add text, images, subtitles, etc. Missing some basic options like transitions. Easy to get started but some features are hard to find. Download quality good for online, not broadcast. Free version with limitations (but no watermarks) or pro version for $17 a month. 

KineMaster 
Multi-track video editing app for iOS and Android. Lots of powerful tools: Add captions, titles, logos, edit audio and record audio to add video, filters, etc. Easy to get started with a simple interface. Free account with watermark. More info here. $4.99 a month.

Kizoa
A video editing app with outdated looks and design. One-time fee for the features you want. Free version or paid with more features starting about $30. 

LumaFusion*
Advanced multi-track video editor that mimics professional desktop software with 3 video/audio tracks for photos, videos, titles, and graphics. Key-framing, colour adjustment, and support for branded fonts and graphics. iOS only. Tutorials on the YouTube channel. $29.99.

Lumen5
An easy-to-use video creation platform that attempts to turn a limited number of photos and text into video for you. Free.

Magisto
Load your video clips or images, pick a style, then the AI software automatically edits them into a video. Not a video editor that you control (except for a paid plan) but great if you have a bunch of clips you don’t want to edit yourself. You give up editing control for speed. It really depends on whether you like their templates. There’s a free version but $60 a year gets you everything though there is no free trial for the paid version—which it needs. 

Mojo*
A great easy-to-use app for making professional vertical social stories to go on Instagram Stories, Facebook Stories, and Snapchat. Templates and fonts. More info here. Free. Pro version $9.99 a month.

Movavi
Video editing for casual users. Easy-to-use interface. Limited effects. $39.95.

Movie Maker Online
A poorly designed video editor. Free but still not worth it. 

MoviePro*
Video recording app that lets you listen live to your sound, includes manual controls for exposure, focus, and white balance. Shoot stills while recording. Has a built-in single-track video editor. Includes a wide range of video resolutions and aspect ratios, adjustable video quality, $9.99.

Online Video Cutter
Video editing tool that can trim videos, crop them, and rotate them. And nothing else. But what it does, it does well. Free or $5 a month for more features. 

PowerDirector 365 
Perhaps the best Android video editor app with special effects. Similar to iMovie in ease of use. Free but $4.33 a month to get professional features such as custom transitions and to remove the watermark. There is a YouTube channel here.

Placeit
Easy-to-use video editing tool with pre-designed video templates. Add music, graphics, animations. There is a cost to downloading the final design. Pay as you go ($9.95) or subscription ($14.95 a month). 

PicPlayPost (Mixcord) 
Video editor that lets users create slideshows, split screens, video collages, etc. adding music, voice, gifs. Best for short videos. Free but the best features come with a subscription such as playing two videos side by side. $6.99 a month.

Preceden (formally Time Glider)
Create web-based timelines using images & videos.

Premiere Pro*
An Adobe professional-level product that has become the industry standard. Easy-to-use interface. Support for 360 VR and other features, but some techniques require additional applications (such as After Effects). $19.99 a month. 

Quik (see GoPro Quick)

Renderforest
A suite of products with many templates. Limited functionality and control. While you can add your own text, photos, and video clips, you can’t easily add clips with just text, No start from scratch option. Free version or $6.99 a month. 

Reduct
Edit the video by editing the text. For instance, you can upload a long interview and the site (using machine learning) will transcribe the speech and tag each word to a visual frame allowing you to quickly generate a highlight reel or other edited videos.

Reel Director
Creates movies and lets you edit on phone similar to iMovie. $2.99.

Rocketium Online Video Creation Suite
Multiple video-related tools including a video editor designed to prep material for social media distribution: Upload clips, add text export. Lots of templates, stock images, fonts, and motion graphics. Easy to import articles and make videos based on the images, headlines, and subheadings. Limited functionality in the free version and videos are limited to three minutes. Paid version starts at $9 and includes transitions and animations but videos limited to 10 minutes. Discounts for students and teachers. 

Spark Camera*
Video filming and editing app. Add captions, titles, music and a voiceover. Easy to get started. Aimed at social media influencers. More info here and user guide here. iPhone only. Free.

SpliceApp (no longer available)
A video editing app that works with music, photos, text or video clips. $3.99.

Steller*
Create photo and video stories on an iPhone with an emphasis on mobile design. Create collections and share on social networks. Free. Sample.

Stroome (no longer available)
Browser-based video editing. 

Unfold*
App for iOS or Android for creating vertical montages of videos and photos. 25 free templates, dozens more as in-app purchases. A product of SquareSpace. More info here. 

Veed
Easy to use templated video editing options for creating social media posts. Use to add captions. Free watermarked version available. $20 monthly.

Video Leap 
An iPhone app with a wide range of high-end functions (such as masking and blending, key framing and chroma key compositing) for creating videos from images, video and text. Tutorials here.

Video Toolbox
Make quick edits to videos. Convert video formats, make thumbnails, add subtitles, add audio, a watermark, or merge video files. Outdated interface and not user-friendly. Lacking preview options. Other apps are likely better options. 
App for easy photo and video editing on your iPhone. Sort of a stripped-down version of iMovie to make videos with narration and music. Filters, too. Free.

VideoShop 
Excellent for making simple edits, add music and subtitles. More info here. Free. 

Vlogit
Editing two-track video, add voiceover. More info here. Free.

Voddio (no longer available) 
Formally 1st video, this editor app gives you two tracks of video and up to four tracks of audio. No lower-thirds option. Free.

VSCO*
Great start-to-finish photo/video app. Easy to use filters and helpful tutorials. Manual controls like focus lock, exposure lock, and white balance. Edit images and share them on social media. IOS. Here is a tutorial. Free version or $19.99 a year for 170 presets. 

Wave.Video
Basic video editor for social media posts with many templates including free music, stock photos, and video extras. Intuitive interface and easy to move into social media. Limited text options. Free version doesn’t allow downloads and videos of no more than 15 seconds. To get more than one minute it’s a whopping $48 a month.

WeVideo*
Semi-professional video editing with a real timeline with precise controls. A great app to help you learn simple video editing. Lots of templates, stock audio and video as well as text-based motion graphics templates. Record your webcam, or screen—or both at the same time (helpful for making tutorial videos). Both iOS and Android. A learning curve that’s not too steep. The free plan is really a demo with a watermark. Best options is unlimited plan ($6.39 a month).

Wondershare
Video editing app. Easy-to-use with standard effects though not the more advanced effects. $59.99.

More video tools

The Benefits of letting your mind wander

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Allowing our minds to wander can also give us opportunities to process emotions, Elisabeth Netherton, a psychiatrist and regional medical director with Houston-based Mindpath Health, said. Some of her patients keep their brains busy to avoid certain feelings, which then come flooding out when their minds slow down. Providing some time for introspection during the day can help manage those emotions and reduce anxiety. Although mind-wandering has been linked to increased anxiety and depression, the results of a 2019 study suggest that intentional mind-wandering can mitigate anxiety, depression and stress.

Counterintuitively, mind-wandering may also help us get more done. Although we’d never expect our bodies to run all day long, Olga Mecking, author of “Niksen: Embracing the Dutch Art of Doing Nothing,” said, “we somehow expect our brains to be on 24/7.”  The high value society places on productivity means we often keep working, even when we notice ourselves slowing down or making mistakes. But by preventing such issues, taking breaks might make us more productive. Meanwhile, Dane points out that, if our minds never strayed from the current task, we wouldn’t remember the other tasks we need to complete. Research shows a link between mind-wandering and the fulfillment of goals.

Pam Moore writing in the Washington Post

It’s not time management, it’s attention management

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In his book “When,” Dan Pink writes about evidence that your circadian rhythm can help you figure out the right time to do your productive and creative work. If you’re a morning person, you should do your analytical work early when you’re at peak alertness; your routine tasks around lunchtime in your trough; and your creative work in the late afternoon or evening when you’re more likely to do nonlinear thinking. If you’re more of a night owl, you might be better off flipping creative projects to your fuzzy mornings and analytical tasks to your clearest-eyed late afternoon and evening moments. It’s not time management, because you might spend the same amount of time on the tasks even after you rearrange your schedule. It’s attention management: You’re noticing the order of tasks that works for you and adjusting accordingly.

Adam Grant, writing in the New York Times

4 Free Media Webinars in the next week

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Wed., April 6 - Changing an Industry: Women in Television, Film, & Media

What: A behind-the-scenes discussion of female careers, diversifying the entertainment industry, and the importance of female mentorship.

Who: Nina Jacobson –As a film executive, she shepherded The Sixth Sense, Remember the Titans, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Hunger Games franchise, Crazy Rich Asians.

Soledad O'Brien – Former CNN anchor who founded her own production company while anchoring and producing a Heart TV political podcast (among other ventures).

Angela Robinson – Filmmaker who executive produced Passing and is adapting a Marvel character to TV among other projects. 

When: 5 pm Central

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Brown University

More info and to register

Thu., April 7 – How Social Media Changed the Way We Report

What: A breakdown of the evolving role of social media in the news business—both as a helpful reporting tool and a treacherous place to communicate.

Who: Adriana Lacy - audience engagement editor for the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University

Kim Stephens - news anchor at KMPH and author of Broadcast News in the Digital Age: A Guide to reporting, producing and anchoring online and on TV   

Emily Stone - vice president of digital content operations at FOX Television Stations   

Javier Panzar - audience engagement editor at the LA Times   

Samantha Nuñez, director of marketing and social media at LA Taco Just Doing My Job: Protecting The Executives vs The Public Interest

When: 8pm Central

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Society of Professional Journalists, LA Chapter

Register by Thursday, April 7 at 4pm

 

Thu., April 7 - How to ethically cover violence

What: How can we accurately narrate violence without sensationalizing it?  

Who: Kathy Corcoran, former Mexico and Central America bureau chief for the Associated Press

When: 7 pm Central

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Arizona State University

More info

 

Tue., April 12 - Inside the Minds of Conspiracy Theorists: What Journalists Should Know

Who: Kaleigh Rogers of FiveThirtyEight and Joseph Uscinski, author of Conspiracy Theories: A Primer, moderated by Anna Rothschild.

When: 5:30 pm Central

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: NYU 

More info

A Common Prediction Mistake

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Suppose you’re told that a man named John is extremely well-educated, smokes a pipe, and wears tweed jackets with patches on the sleeve—is he more likely to be a particle physicist or a janitor? A physicist, you immediately think. But you’d likely be wrong, because janitors are common and particle physicists rare. The chances that you’d happen upon a very well-educated, tweed wearing, pipe-smoking janitor are higher than those that you’d meet a physicist who meets the same profile.

Laurie Abraham writing in Slate

Watch a Flower

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Some years ago, a few close friends were (at the home of a friend who had survived cancer that should have killed him decades ago), eating and drinking out in his garden. It was dusk, and he asked us to gather around a plant with small, closed flowers. “Watch a flower,” he instructed. We did so, for about 10 minutes, in silence. All at once, the flowers popped open, which we learned that they did every evening. We gasped in amazement. It was a moment of intense satisfaction.

But here’s the thing I still can’t get over: Unlike most of the junk on my old bucket list, that satisfaction endured. That memory still brings me joy—more so than many of my life’s earthly “accomplishments”—not because it was the culmination of a large goal, but because it was an unexpected gift, a tiny miracle.

Arthur C. Brooks, From Strength to Strength