Powerpoint

I think Powerpoint is a wonderful thing, useful for both classrooms and lectures. Using it in sermons, however, has both its benefits and disadvantages.

Powerpoint can become a crutch, and you can have people become dependent on the pictures and words on the screen. My biggest concern is the fact that folks will leave their Bibles at home. Why bring a Bible when the verses are up on the screen? Add this to the fact that powerpoints take up a good amount of time (added to normal sermon preperation), and the question might arise - why use them at all?

First of all, I use them because of the cultural mix in my church. Many people who attend church know English as a second language, and it helps them considerably to see the verses and major points on the screen. It's one thing to simply hear English, it's another to both hear and read it at the same time. While this may discourage some from bringing Bibles to church - the advantage of having God's Word easily read by all is one that I cannot ignore.

Secondly, it's not just the Koreans who can use the powerpoints - showing the verses and points on the screen help everyone to focus on what the Bible is saying, rather than what I, as the pastor, am saying. I want people to be swayed and moved by the power of the word of God, not by the power and emotion of my words. Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

Thirdly, powerpoint is interesting. It allows you to show video, to insert diagrams, and pictures. I am completely convinced that Jesus would use powerpoint, as He used the typical illustrative manner of his day (telling stories) to get His points across. Let's face it, having a small picture up on the screen can help keep people's attention in this day and age. I know, there is going to be a small group of men who will grumble about how they didn't need no stinkin' pictures to stay awake in their churches when they were kids in 1904. But God has given us this technology, and I believe that we should use it for His glory.

Of course, every new preacher (myself included) attempts to use every feature of powerpoint when they start. Look, a pointless Youtube video with flashing graphics, and moving people, combined with some animated text! This simply isn't worth it - as it will not only consume your time and energy, but it will serve as a distraction - rather than a help.

My biggest problem is finding suitable backgrounds for the sermons. I tried out a few pay-for-use Christian websites that offered powerpoint backgrounds, but I just can't justify spending that kind of money. So I usually look for free ones, or use odd pictures (like the pie above) to put in the background. Anyone know where you can find good pictures?

The point is, as with all technology, one must be careful how they use it. When I'm done preaching, I don't want people to remember the powerpoint. I don't want them to remember the funny story I told halfway through. I want them to remember the Word of God, and what it says.

Top Ten Musical Instruments

Violet sure seems to blow that harmonica like she knows what she's doing, but the noise that comes out is akin to the death wheezes of an aging bagpipe. Still, it's hilarious to watch, and she takes it extremely seriously.

If you get to know me, you'll know that I love making top ten lists, about anything and everything. So I figured I would post them here in this blog at various points. Let's start with my top ten favorite instruments.

10.) Timpani Drums - Okay, this is an odd choice of instruments, but this is the instrument that MAKES the symphony orchestra for me. When you hear the booming of them in the beginning of a piece, it brings such majesty, such power - that I immediately stop and listen.

9.) Xylophone - Yes, "x" is for xylophone - that's my ESL teaching coming out. (and I've always been irritated that this is the example they use). Anyway, I actually prefer duel xylophones, with people banging away on them like crazy. Too bad the instruments are bulky and difficult to move around - I've always wanted to learn how to play them.

8.) Trombone - A brass band needs the trombone, and hearing them do the slide brings shivers when I hear it. Oddly, I'm not as enthused about them when played solo, but I do enjoy them in a group - trumpets alone do not have enough oomph in bands.

7.) Fiddle - Yeah, I said fiddle instead of violin. Are they different? Wikipedia says they're basically the same - and I mean the style of music. A good violinist can make you cry. A good fiddler can make the most stoic of men dance. Crying is good sometimes, but I rather tap my foot, thank you.

6.) French Horn - Such a mellow, rich sound - I wish bands and orchestras give them more solos. When backed up by strings, it's something I can close my eyes and just listen with enjoyment.

5.) Clarinet - I love Dixie music, and a good clarinet player will make me stop and listen - even in the most exciting amusement park in the world (why is that the only place I run into Dixie bands?). The trumpet is louder, and brasher. But the clarinet is the instrument that brings the true melody to the group.

4.) Trumpet - Brash, loud, blaring. Without them, I couldn't stand brass bands. I wouldn't be able to smile as much as I do when I hear Bugler's Holiday by Leroy Anderson. The trumpet IS the orchestra. The leader, the best - and hearing them in God is Good All the Time brings me joy every time.

3.) Accordion - Yeah, I said it. I'm tired of the accordion being associated with polka. Yes, it is the mainstay of that brand of music, but a master of the accordion - and they certainly are rare - is amazing to listen to. Add an accordion to a band, and someone who knows how to wield it, and you have increased it's likeability by 100%.

2.) Piano - The only instrument I know how to play (okay, I know how to play the trumpet - we just haven't worked out any of the kings yet). Still, the pianist is the master of the orchestra, the leader - they don't need anyone else to sound good. And the variety of styles are amazing - from honky tonk to ballads.

1.) Theater Organ - I love the grandeur of the pipe organ, but the theater organ is still my favorite. When I was a kid, I went to an organ maker (forget the name now), and an old man sat down at the organ and played several pieces for us. I was transfixed, and I've never forgotten it. Yes, silent films are dead and gone - and theater organs have been mostly relegated to recordings at ice rinks - but it's still my favorite instrument. Perhaps modern keyboards have replaced them to some degree, but it just isn't the same.

Okay, those are my favorite instruments - the Definitive List of Best Musical Instruments. What's yours?

Time to read.

As a child, I loved to read. I read every book I could find, no matter the subject. I read science books, biographies - but I kept coming back to fiction. I still love to read a good yarn, although I am getting pickier and pickier.

I am glad to see that this reading gene has passed on to Melody. Here she is, with a set of books that Grandma and Grandpa gave her - a set of the classics. Now, they are watered down - which in some cases is good, in other cases I think I might prefer the original book. But either way, I'm glad she is being exposed to them.

She walks around with her nose in a book, manages to get one read in a day, reads at night when she thinks I'm not watching, and loses herself in books.

Now, this can get someone into trouble - I was almost hit by a car while walking and reading at one point - but I still heavily encourage this. TV and movies are everywhere - but there's nothing like a good book. Reading is a tremendous skill, and I want all my kids to do it. Holly pretends to read, Amy reads simple books - I want to see the whole family squashed up on a couch, reading books.

Books - in English - aren't too easy to find here. I finally found a used bookstore in Seoul, but the books are still about $5 each, a far cry from the 25 cent books I can find while in America. But I sill manage to find them, and I keep many bookshelves stocked with them at home.

I can't wait to introduce Melody to Redwall, Little House on the Prairie, and more. The only thing holding us back is time. So many books, so little time.

Now I need something good to read myself. I've run out of books in my own library. Maybe I'll read Melody's.

Welcome - and how to game with all these kids!

Welcome to the blog! I don't plan to make this a place where I give great soliloquies about anything, it may be that this is simply a place to post pictures and videos of my family. I am a pastor in Korea, which occupies a good amount of my time, and I also have a large family, which occupies most of my time.

And in my spare time, I like to play board games. For those of you who don't know, I have a video podcast in which I talk about board games, a hobby I enjoy quite a bit. I'm going to post videos here from that series when they pertain to my family. So here's the latest one - explaining how I work gaming in with all these kids!