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Resources for Music Ministers

I’ve been a church music minister/worship leader for going on 20 years now, most of my adult life. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how to make my job better and easier over the years. I’ve done it professionally for a good part of those years, but always in smaller churches. I like the dynamics and flexibility of smaller churches, and I wouldn’t want my music to come down to “do this, it’s what we pay you for.”

The downside to this is that small churches don’t have the budget to do all the cool new slick presentation stuff like you see on TV. I’m not going to debate whether or not those things are useful- in the right hands, they can be- but most churches can’t do them anyway because of the cost involved.

That’s where I come in. I’ve also been a computer tech for close to 20 years, and I know a lot about getting the most out of old computer hardware and software. Businesses are usually locked into using expensive software suites, but churches don’t have to spend big money to get useful tools. Still interested? Read on!

It adds up. For instance, upgrading old office computers to Windows 7 costs from $150 to $300. Replacing them is even more expensive, especially if you go with Macs. Microsoft Office can set you back $150 per computer or more, and if you use projectors in your service, the price of presentation software is astounding.

Granted, if you can afford to buy the best tools, so much the better. Most of us can’t, though, so we’re forced to either do without, or get creative! For geeks like me, the second option was always better.

I’ll deal with some of these problems in upcoming posts, but the first one I want to share with you is the foundation for reducing costs in computers. I highly recommend Ubuntu Linux, and more specifically, Ubuntu Studio for worship leaders. They are great operating systems for upgrading older computers that won’t run Windows 7. Why spend $500 on a new computer when you can get a modern, useful upgrade for the old one- and it’s 100% free!

Here’s a quick video explaining how to install Ubuntu on a computer!

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The Circle Series by Ted Dekker

Circle Series 4-in-1 (The Circle, #1-4)Circle Series 4-in-1 by Ted Dekker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Very good realization and imagery, bringing spiritual struggles into stark physical reality. Extremely creative and colorful writing. The books were written in a cyclical path, this particular collection starts with Black, but contains an alternate ending to Green if you wanted to start there. Overall, the series started off slowly, but the intensity ramps up continually until the ending/beginning. Overall, a great read, and a great twist on a timeless tale of redemption.

View all my reviews

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Consumer-Driven Writing

So, I’ve been thinking about the popularity of my few posts on computer-y stuff. I’ve been a computer tech/geek for 20 years, and have been using Linux since 2001. I guess over the years I’ve learned a lot about how to use computers, and I suppose I should write more on that! As much as I like posting pics of my bikes, or interesting music things, I really spend most of my time (up until 2 months ago) working with computers.

What are some topics you’d like to see? What’s a cool trick on computers you’ve always wanted to learn? Want to learn to compile your own Linux kernel? Custom device drivers? Want to know how to customize Ubuntu, or compile certain programs? I can do that! Maybe a virtual machine server, or domain/file/print servers for free, using old hardware? I can do that too!

Hmmm. I’ll have to see what I can whip up for the hungry public. Everybody loves free stuff!

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New WordPress Theme

You know, when I got into web design back in the early 90’s, it was nothing like it is now. You had to learn HTML because there wasn’t anything else. Now, we have downloadable customizable themes, and instead of being easier, I have to now modify something I didn’t design to make it look like I want.

Yeah, I know, whine, whine, whine. I’ll live. Meanwhile, here’s a cool live looping performer.

[youtube_sc url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3joWYIUIAY&list=PL1C51681802E51D0A&index=14″ width=”800″ height=”600″]

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Book Review: Stalking The Story

I picked up a copy of the e-book Stalking The Story the other day after reading through “Everything You Need To Write Great Essays You Can Learn From Watching Movies” (we were looking at it as curriculum for our homeschooled high-schooler!) . I was impressed with the author’s style, and after reading a bit about him, I understood why… needless to say, it’s catchy, and I like catchy.

Anyway, since I’ve been having a bit of trouble hammering out the actual story for a few of my ongoing projects, I decided I needed some help with the plot. Stalking The Story looked like it would be just the ticket. (Plus, I’m a big fan of the detective show Monk and the foreword is by one of the show’s producers!)

The book basically gives you step-by-step guides to outline the major points of a story, under the assumption that finding the story is a mystery, and you’re the detective. Every good detective looks for clues, interviews people of interest, documents anything relevant, etc. and hopefully by the end, you can solve the mystery and find your missing story.

The Breakdown: I really like Jay Douglas’ style. It’s informal, slightly tongue-in-cheek, and very easy to read. There’s plenty of references to fictional detectives and their methods, and even worksheets for hammering out the details of your characters and how they fit into the plot. It’s a virtual “Plot EMT” and just going through the chapters can very quickly make you realize that your plot is dead, and needs reviving.

Does it work? Well, yes. If you have a corkboard full of scene snippets, colorful characters, cool ideas, but no story, then this book is exactly what you need. It will guide you through pulling the pieces together and drawing out an actual story from nothing more than your characters’ idiosyncrasies.

The Lowdown: If you’re looking for a miracle, well, this book won’t write your story for you. However, I used it, and it opened up a lot of possibilities for story sources (right there in my own character’s head!) that I hadn’t thought of. Brainstorming, writing it down, thinking it through, and then putting the pieces back together is what happens.

I recommend this book for people with writer’s block. It helps you think outside the box, and look for clues to a story where you couldn’t see one before.

Check it out!