BabuLife

Lessons Learned at Planet Comicon Kansas City

I took my daughters to Kansas City Planet Comicon '09 to meet Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca of Star Wars fame) and Tom Kane (voice of Yoda of Clone Wars Cartoon fame).  We had a blast walking the floor of the convention meeting costumed fans and perusing old toys and comics.  As we went through the whole convention process, there were a few things I learned that I felt I should share with you...it's never wise to upset a wookie.

• Don't assume a picture taken with a film star is free. Found that out when I ended up having to pay an extra $5 after I snapped a pic of my girls with Peter Mayhew. I think it's worth the cash. Shoulda charged Peter...they make him look good. :)
• Don't assume any autograph is free. If they are sitting behind a table as a guest, this is their livelihood.
• Don't be aggressive with the stars. I noticed some people were just a little gruff/pushy with the stars as if they haven't been sitting there for hours already signing autographs.
• Autographs are pricey. Seriously. $20 for a signed pic. I suppose it depends on your perspective. If it's a star you really want, it's worth it.  I had three girls who wanted their own Peter Mayhew autograph. Wasn't going to happen. I was able to get them to accept the fact that we were going to get one autographed pic and it was going in my collection as "ours". They know where it's at and they can show their friends anytime they want. There were a wide array of nice glossy pics to choose from...which was very cool...just made it very difficult to choose. All in all...Peter Mayhew will be leaving KC with $27 from the Abu Saada family. We got a $5 picture (as seen above), a nice $20 glossy from OfficialPix signed by Mr Mayhew and a $2 plastic cover for the glossy. Oh...and the memory of meeting someone we've been watching for years and years to come.  I think my daughters will remember our time together fondly.
• Pricing is on the tables. Make sure you look around on the tables to see how much the artist is charging for an autograph. I think it makes them uncomfortable to have to ask for the money.
• Costumed fans are great. We took several pics with fans dressed as Darth Vader, Stormtroopers, Superheroes and an R2D2.  Each person was extremely friendly. You could tell this was their time to shine. You don't have to be afraid to ask for a pic...they'll do it and will be very happy to.
• Avoid the "Adult Star" table. I asked someone tending a booth if I could see a layout of the convention floor.  Identifying where the adult models were signing autographs as priority for me. Not to visit them...but to steer clear. We came close at one point and I happily noticed nobody was in line to meet them.  I wish they'd just cancel this section of Planet ComicCon.
• Bartering. I had a person tell me that their stuff is open to "negotiation" on price. Didn't know that...now I know. It's really like a giant garage sale.
• Tom Kane is extremely pleasant. The man who does the voiceover work for Yoda (among other characters) in the Clone Wars cartoon was so nice to the kids.  We walked up to him and said hi. We told him how much we enjoyed watching the show every week and he replied to the girls in his Yoda voice "The show you watch weekly Hmmm?" AMAZING! To see the grin on the faces of all my daughters at that moment was fantastic! Side note...he actually lives here in Overland Park, KS.  He does much of his work from his studio in his house. Each of my girls got an individually signed card from him...they love it!

If you get a chance to go, check it out. Planet Comicon is Saturday, March 28 thru Sunday, March 29.

All About Worship Podcast - Troy Kennedy & Charity Marquis Interviews

This week on the AllAboutWorship Podcast, Ben and Wisdom have a face to face interview with Troy Kennedy who is a Worship Pastor from Westside Family Church in Lenexa, KS.  Troy breaks down their audition process and shares a worship leader tool. You’ll hear how their team implements click tracks within their worship services.

Also on this weeks podcast, Wisdom interviews Charity Marquis from Night Light Ministries. You’ll hear how Night Light works to fight human trafficking as well as Charity’s personal journey that brought her to become an advocate for women trapped in human trafficking underground.   Don’t forget to sign up for our songwriting tele-seminar with Darrell Evans.  All proceeds go to Night Light Ministries.

We’re still taking entries for this month’s giveaway. It’s a book written by Ben’s dad, Tass Saada, called “Once an Arafat Man”. All you have to do is send us an email. See the links below.

Show Links

• Troy Kennedy. Learn more about Troy Kennedy from Westside Family Church by visiting his blog here.

• Reason. Learn more about the software Troy mentioned that his worship team uses for sequencing during their worship services here.

• WorshipTogether Live Conference. Westside Family Church is hosting this conference April 1. Register at iTickets.com or on the Westside site  here.

• Night Light Ministries. Visit the ministry website here.

• Darrell Evans Songwriting Tele-seminar. Monday, May 4, 8pm CST. Join Darrell Evans live phone seminar on songwriting. A discounted rate thru April 15 of $22 covers you and anyone else you’d like to invite. All proceeds go to NightLight Ministries to fight Human Trafficking. Learn more & register online.

• Giveaway Winner. Congratulations to Kit Palmer from South Carolina. He wins the book by Ben’s dad called “Once an Arafat Man“

• Darrell Evans Podcasts. [email protected] Send your questions for Darrell’s monthly podcasts.

• Elman Authment. Our song this week is by AAWP listener and worship artist Elman Authment. The song is called “Glorious Song”.

• Contact us. Visit Wisdom’s blog here. Visit Ben’s blog here.  Email the podcast at [email protected] or call us and leave a voicemail at 206.984.2441.

You can listen to this episode of the podcast online here. Or go subscribe here. And even better…subscribe on iTunes here .

How Far Will You Go?

Sometimes you just have to let it go. When everyone can see that your product won't work...it just might be time to quit selling it.  I honor the efforts of the salesman in this video who continues selling even while laying on the floor and the camera has cut away.  But really...let it go.  How far will you go to convince people of a failing product?  Enjoy the video:

Friday Randomness March 20, 2009: Quiet, All About Worship, Easter & Junk

Wow. It's been over 10 days since I've posted something here on BabuLife. A far cry from my first year of blogging when I felt a day without a post was an utter failure. There's a lot going on in my life personally, spiritually and at Grace.  So many things in fact that by the time I've been able to sit down and blog about them...the moment has passed.  So here's a quick look at some things spinning around my head and heart:

• Unplugged. Monday I did it. I woke up, sent a note on Twitter & Facebook that I was unplugging for the day. No phone calls. No email. No online communication at all until the kids were in bed.  I have to say....it was AWESOME.  I think I am going to make it an intentional goal each Monday on my weekly day off to unplug.  I didn't even carry my phone with me. Even though there were doubters, I still made it happen.  I have determined that I will be making this a priority.
• Quiet. It's been quiet here on the BabuLife blog lately. Trying to figure out what to do here.  Might be making some changes in the near future...or pulling the plug for a season.
• All About Worship. My friend Wisdom and I have been able to talk to some very gifted songwriters, performers and worship leaders lately on the AAW Podcast.  I'm excited about what's coming up in the near future on the cast.  I think God ripped my heart out of my chest last Monday night while interviewing Tommy Walker for an upcoming show.  He knows the heart and struggles worship leaders deal with and he was a personal encouragement to me.  I think you'll enjoy it in a few weeks. I recently spoke with Bethany Dillon about her life as a musician and her personal story. She's one of my faves.  If it all works out...I might have a chance to talk with Christy Nockels of Watermark fame.  Her story has been a personal encouragement to my wife and I. I feel extremely blessed to be a part of it!
• Easter. It's coming. Can you feel it? The spring crunch is on! 
• Self Discovery. It's been an interesting couple of weeks for me. I've spent some time evaluating myself.  Looking at the personal goals set for myself at the start of the year along with some relationship evaluation.  Still spinning on this one. I've discovered how important friends are a little more during this time.  Still listening for God's voice and direction.
• Twitter. So if you miss catching up with me here on the blog, be sure to check out my Twitter feed.  I'm still updating that at least...periodically. Follow me!
• Facebook. Holy cow! Has anyone noticed how this little online tool has exploded in the past six months? Be my friend here and check out the Grace Church group page here.
• Worship Team Planning. Spent an entire day away from the office praying and planning. I want to take our Weekend Service Team to the next level. It's going to take some guts and commitment to excellence from each of our team members.  Anxious to see what God does.
• PinkHairedGirl. Last week I visited Westside Family Church out in Lenexa, KS to talk Communications with a fellow blogging/Twitter/Facebook friend, Crystal Renaud. She was extremely kind and gracious in letting me ask all sorts of questions about their Communications processes.  I'm always impressed to find that the person on the other side of the computer screen meets every expectation when you see them in person.  Thanks Crystal!
• Clone Wars. Final episode of the first season tonight! It's going to be a good one!
• Battlestar Galactica. Final series episode is tonight! Sad to see this show leave. But happy to see it leaving on a high note. My Friday eves will now be free with no Clone Wars or BSG.

Have a great weekend!  What's happening in your world?

Worship Recap 3/8/09

Here's the worship setlist:

• Let God Arise (B) by Chris Tomlin
• Happy Day (C) by Tim Hughes
• Jesus Messiah (B) by Chris Tomlin
• God of This City (Db) by BlueTree
• Shine (G) by Matt Redman

Had a great worship time with my church family.  Next week the choir joins us onstage!