Examples of giving

Our Daily Bread
I have been fortunate to have known many folks over the years.  One of the highest compliments I heard when I was growing up was "He would give you the shirt off his back".  Now that is a loving giver!

The devotional had a different twist on the gift that came down at Christmas.  Not only did God give the earth the gift of His Son, the devotional talks about the gift that Jesus gave God --"a holy and blameless" people.  Wow!  I never thought about that.  What examples of giving!  There is so much we can learn from that!  During this season of giving, let us remember the gifts that God and Jesus gave each other and us!

Lord, thank you very much for teaching us how to give.  Thank you Jesus for teaching us how to live.

Technology Thursday
5 Ways to Take Better Videos with Your Smartphone
I saw this article on Yahoo (click on the title for the article) and decided to share it with you since you might be using your phone for some videos over the holidays.  I have been experimenting with this as well for videoing my voice lessons.  Here are some good tips.


1. Keep your smartphone steady
While zero shutter lag is helping to eliminate camera shake on still shots, this isn't going to help us with video. Make sure you grip the smartphone firmly with two hands. Turning the camera sideways to shoot in landscape mode will help with this task. Avoid sudden movements. Take a firm stance and anchor your arms to your chest for additional stability. If you are moving the smartphone to capture off-screen activity or panoramic views, turn your whole body and not just your arms.

For a much steadier video clip, use a tripod. Although few phones currently come with a tripod socket, it's relatively easy to manufacture one by inserting a small screw through the edge of a smartphone case. After that, you can attach the screw to a regular tripod or any other device that will give you the desired stability.

2. Try to regulate the amount of light
Too much or too little light can dramatically impact the quality of a smartphone video. If possible, shoot outside on a cloudy day, so you have natural light but not too much glare. Indoor conditions can be far trickier, with artificial light impacting both the color and sharpness of the video images.

Newer smartphones like the iPhone 4S have a larger aperture to let in more light and tools like auto white balance to make colors more accurate, but they can still be overwhelmed by too much light or a dramatic change in light from one frame to the next. Consistency is the key. If you are shooting something more formal like a wedding video, then try out a few locations and angles to make sure you optimize whatever light is available.

3. Follow the basic rules of photo composition
Although video gives you much more license, you should still follow the basic rules of good photography to make your video more interesting. Divide the picture frame into a 3×3 grid and position the main subject somewhere other than the center. If a person is facing left, then position him on the right of the frame. Anticipate your subjects' actions and give them room to move.

Also, be careful with the audio. Countless kids' sports videos has been spoiled by the videographer chiming in with his or her comments or encouragement, totaling overwhelming the background audio. Let the scene speak for itself.

4. Use editing tools
Even if your smartphone video isn't quite what you had in mind at first glance, it's amazing what can be done with a little bit of editing. Again, some of the newer smartphones come with a suite of built-in editing tools, which will allow you to cut out certain scenes or add some limited special effects. But for a proper makeover, you will need to upload the video to a PC or Mac and use an editing tool like Windows Movie Maker or iMovie.

With these professional-style tools, you can enhance the color, eliminate unnecessary footage, blend the video with stills or slideshows, add full-blown special effects, and even add dramatic or background music.

5. Publish your video
OK - your video is now ready for an audience. Get it out of your smartphone (or off your PC if you have been using editing tools) and post it somewhere it can be seen. Most smartphones now allow you to post your video directly to Facebook, YouTube or other sharing sites. If you find yourself taking more and more video and are pleased with the results, then it might be worth starting your own YouTube channel so friends and family can subscribe.


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Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” John 11:40