2007 June archive at isaac downing

Archive for June, 2007

28JunMaterial World.

I’m feeling some major conviction after reading this post from Josh & Brin Pflederer, friends of mine who are serving as missionaries in Altamira, Brazil with the Xingu Mission.

“I remember seeing a photography exhibit called â€œMaterial Worldâ€ by Peter Menzel that showed families from several different countries with all of their possessions in their front yard. It was meant to be a snapshot of the different living standards throughout the world. The families were selected because they represented an average family from their nation…” (emphasis mine)

Here are some pictures fron Peter Menzel’s photo exhibit:

Mali

Samoa

Thailand

And finally… America

Read the post here: Between Here & There

in Culture. 2 Comments

27JunGoogle Worship, Part 2.

Almost on cue after yesterday’s post, Google has totally revamped their Google Docs system with a major face-lift.

As Terry Storch said, “if you don’t use Google Docs, what are you waiting for?”

[ht: Google Docs, Terry Storch]

in Web/Tech and Worship. 0 Comments

26JunGoogle Worship.

I’ve been a Google evangelist for a couple of years now, but this week, I realized that they can actually make a church’s worship ministry run more efficiently, too!

This is so simple that I could slap myself for not figuring it out sooner. And I would be really surprised if other worship leaders aren’t already doing some version of this already, but to my knowledge no one has blogged about it yet, so…

Here is my Getting Things Done post on Google Docs & Worship.

Problem #1: Too many computers.

I use my desktop computer at home (PC #1). When I’m away, like at Panera or Kade’s, I use a laptop (PC #2). Then when I’m at work, I have another desktop computer (PC #3).

In the past, I used a flash drive to store all of my documents and spreadsheets, but if I decided to work on worship stuff and forgot to bring it with me â€” I was sunk…

It’s happened to me. It’ll happen to you.

Problem #2: Too much paper.

My system of selecting songs for worship literally involved flipping through a file full of papers (chord charts, sheet music, lyric printouts, etc.) and pulling out whatever songs seemed right.

Obviously, this was not very efficient.

Adding to that frustration was anytime I forgot to put a chord chart back after a Sunday service, it was gone. Forever.

the Solution? (big surprise here) …Google Docs!

The word processor lets me create new files, upload existing files, and even create new files via email. Granted, it doesn’t have all of the bells and whistles of Word or even Open Office, but I can still do all the basic things like change font size and type, and insert tables and pictures.

The old accordion file system is gone. Now, all of my worship files/songs are stored online.

It also uses tags the same way Gmail uses them to organize your messages. So, after I created/uploaded the files, I just gave them tags like “Chord Chart”, “Slow Tempo”, “Fast Tempo”, “Key of E”, etc.

So, now when I pick out songs for Sunday worship and I need an upbeat song in the key of G, I just pull up my Fast Tempo tag with the Key of G tag and voilÃ ! All the matching files are instantly before me for the choosing.

Absolutely brilliant. and absolutely free.

How does Google make your life easier?

(Digg this.)

in Web/Tech and Worship. 1 Comment

25JunTim Hughes.

I had seen the name ‘Tim Hughes‘ on the bottom of chord charts during worship, but had never really thought much about who was behind the songs like “Here I Am to Worship” or “Consuming Fire.” So, last year when I watched a DVD that briefly had him on it, my first thought was “…he’s just a kid!”

…not that I’m any older. I’m actually 4 yrs younger (I think he’s 29)

But having grown up in a church where all of the songwriters were either deceased or very nearly deceased, I was completely stunned that someone in my generation was producing such great music for worship. And beyond that, I’ve been encouraged and inspired by his heart for worship and his humility and have actually started writing songs again myself.

Tim has written loads of great songs, released three albums, is the worship director at Holy Trinity Brompton (or HTB), has a wife (with a kid on the way), and he still has time to produce high-quality resources for worship leaders.

He’s kind of like a younger, British version of Paul Baloche. For those that know me, this is a pretty major compliment, since Paul is pretty much my worship-leading-guitar-hero.

So, if you haven’t yet, visit these links to get started…