Absolutely Amazing!

Amazing weekend.
Totally exhausted.

Great weather outside. Rained inside. Nearly 1600 people at Orchard services. Fantastic music and message. Great celebration!

20,000 eggs at Helicopter Easter Egg drop. Transformer-style outdoor stage. 2-3 thousand parents and kids gathering eggs! Made ABC and Beacon news.

Going to sleep. More pics and follow up later this week.

Happy Easter!
Peace.

20K!!!

20,000!!!

Looks like mikejonesblog.com hit 20,000 viewers this last week! Not much for most of you guys who have that much readership in a week but for me that is pretty cool.

Thank you all for your comments and for those of you lurking around here - thanks for checking the blog out.

Here's to more posts and insight into Mike Jones... kind of freaky.
Peace.

1 Week and Counting...

It's been a very busy couple of weeks but the good thing is I'm feeling good heading into Easter weekend. For us at The Orchard, Easter weekend is one of our biggest - though outside of a few creative items, we prepare a 'regular' weekend for our guests.

We know that there are many people who will come to check out the Orchard on Easter that may not come any time of the year. We want them to be able to experience what a weekend at the Orchard is always like.

Yes, we do add a few extra lights and even an Easter Egg drop with thousands of eggs falling from a helicopter. For us this is an opportunity to wow our guests with something they would not expect. We still have a great message, fantastic music and irresistible environments.

Pictures and the follow up to come.
Peace.

I Am Legend

My wife and I got an opportunity to go to the dollar theater here in town (which is actually $2 a ticket but still a great deal) this last week. I talked her into seeing the movie I Am Legend as neither of us had seen it yet.

I have to say it was probably one of the best movies I've seen in a while, especially at the theater. We love suspense movies that actually make you jump and that also have a storyline to them. This movie did not disappoint.

I didn't know much about the premise of the film going into it so I wasn't sure what to expect. This movie has some very creative elements to it. I'd even say it has some very biblical undertones to it without being an over the top 'Christian' type movie.

I don't want to say too much and ruin it for those of you who have not seen it. I will say the suspense level kept me on edge the whole time once it hit. I also feel like I need to own a German Shepherd and a Bob Marley CD.

If you have not seen this movie yet, I highly recommend it (especially if you can see it on the big screen).

Once you've seen it (or if you have already), what did you think about it?
Peace.

Caption Please...

You know Spring is in on it's way to Northern Illinois when you can see the ground and most of the snow is gone.

However, I can honestly say I didn't expect to see THIS while I was out driving the other day.

I need a good caption for this - who's got one?

Peace.

The Votes Are In!

You voted.

I listened.

The crowder stays... for a while.

At least my chin stays warm!
Peace.

Breathe, man!

A friend of mine sent this to me last night... a beat-boxing flautist playing a medley of inspector Gadget and XLF.

I love when you can take something that has one feel, mix it with another art form and make it something that would appeal to a different/broader group of people.

This guy is good, though I found myself having to take breaths just watching it. He has a few other tunes he's done like this as well.

What did you think?
Peace.

Weenie Whistle

We took this on Friday this last week.

I think my wife was more excited about seeing the Oscar Mayer Weiner Mobile than the boys were - they didn't really understand the whole thing.

They were not disappointed, however, to each receive the infamous weenie whistle.

Life has not been the same since.
Peace.

Happy Leap Day

Once every four years this day comes along.

Hope you did something special today. Hope you made a memory today that you will reflect on for years to come.

I had the opportunity to go out with my wife and a couple from our church. Had a great evening!

How was your day?
Peace.

The Week in Review

Finished up our message series, Deal or No Deal last weekend and we're gearing up for the start of another 3-part series this weekend called The Other Side.

If you attend The Orchard or are in the area, this will be a series you will want to check out and invite your friends to. If you just can't be here, I'm glad to tell you that we do have a weekly podcast you can check out.


What else happened this week...

• Started a new workout routine with my wife. I just plain need to get in better shape and I also have as a goal to lose 18 pounds.

• Our staff went to Chicago for our annual staff outing. We had brunch/lunch at Fogo De Chao, which is a really good Brazilian steak house (for those who aren't familiar, you are continually served various cuts of beef/chicken/pork/lamb until you tell them to stop brining it). I might have picked the wrong week to start working out (or the right one, depending on how you look at it). We also went to Wicked, the off-Broadway play. I won't say more about that yet :)
  

• Had our normal weekend rehearsals, lighting setup and pre-production review. We always prepare and make every weekend count, because every weekend is someone's first time at The Orchard. Every weekend has eternal significance, and we take time to make sure everything is lined up and ready to go for our services. Yes, we still mess up but we review after every service to see if there are things we can improve going into the next service. We value excellence and believe that everything we do at The Orchard should be done well.

All that and it's only Thursday :)

Tomorrow is my day to recharge before the weekend and my date night with my wife.

Peace.