Ministry-Friendly Software... Pt. 2 AUDIO

Yesterday I began my series on ministry-friendly software with a series of recommendations for working with video. You may have noticed that I didn't include any software that actually edits software. Here's why: I don't have my own Mac. Therefore I don't have access to Apple's free iMovie. I've seen great stuff done with it, but I can't tell you anything about it. I've used Windows Movie Maker on every platform and the best one is Vista's version of WMM, but it still pales in comparison to iMovie. If you have a suggestion for free video editing that doesn't involve piracy post it in the comments section.

Audio.
Diving into the second part of this series, we'll be answering a few basic questions.
"How do I make a compilation CD that lets people sample what we talk about in our services?"
"How do I edit a recording so my sermon sounds good and trim the parts before and after I spoke?"
"How do I podcast my messages?"

I'm currently using a Tascam DR-07 to record services, but I could just as easily switch my iPhone to airplane mode and use a line cable from the soundboard to the Voice Notes app. Some people use the Tascam CD recorders and that's okay, but it means you'll be buying a lot of CDs and you'll have to rip it before you can work with it. That's fine, but I'm a proponent of digital recording for its portability, eco-friendliness, and time saving.

1. Power Sound Editor Free
   So you want to record your message and edit out all the extra stuff around it. You want Power Sound Editor Free and you will want nothing else for projects like this. PSE allows you to work with one file at a time, so be advised you won't be doing multi-track editing or non-linear editing, but it's exceptionally powerful. Highlights include shortcuts for trimming everything before the marker and simplified fade-out-trim where the selection will fade and everything after will be deleted. It's also pretty easy to clean up audio if you want to remove a stutter, a cough, or polish up any other parts. http://www.free-sound-editor.com/features.html
2. Audacity
   Remember how Power Sound Editor doesn't do multi-track, non-linear editing? Audacity comes to the rescue. It's not intuitive for the kind of editing you'll do with PSE, but if you want to crossfade a few things together this will do the job. I've used Final Cut Pro, Soundtrack Pro, and Premiere 6.5-Pro but I didn't find it horribly disappointing to step down to this when I lost my editing computer. This is what I used to compile a 10-minute CD showcasing the various speakers we've had in the Man Cave, including fades, background music, and the ability to keep and edit the project file. http://audacity.sourceforge.net
3. Pandora vs 8tracks
   Do you want to play music before service starts to set the mood but don't have a CD library full of the latest and greatest albums that all your other pastor friends are into? You've probably heard of Pandora by now, and I've used Pandora for church for a while, but the problem is the free version has both a time limit and ads. Then I stumbled onto 8tracks.com with my StumbleUpon account and discovered a world of playlist driven, ad-free music. It won't play indefinitely like Pandora, but you don't have to worry about Pearl Jam suddenly interrupting your prayer meeting. http://www.8tracks.com
4. Podcasting
   So you want to podcast? It took me a while to figure out how to do it because of some misconceptions I had about the process. Let's clear that up first. A podcast is an audio file that you make available for download to an audience through the internet, typically using iTunes. iTunes is like a library that will make your book available for free, so there's no cost to podcasting, but you provide the shelves to store it on and that could mean you have to buy hosting space. That's where PortableSermons.com comes into the picture--they give you shelves for free as long as you only post once per week. If you want more than that you need to upgrade to a paid account which gives you unlimited space. They also guide you through the process of getting setup on iTunes. The guy who runs this, Brook Drumm, is incredibly nice and quick to respond if you have any problems. Use iTunes to convert your sound file into an mp3 under 40mb and then upload to PortableSermons.com
   Check out http://www.mancaveonline.com if you want to see it in action.

Remember, it's not all about being heard or having your sermon downloaded more than that other guy's down the block. Use your time and money to help people, not polishing your podcast to eliminate every stammer or sneeze. These tools will help you engage the ears of your audience, but remember the words of James 1:22, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." With the resources you save by using free software, make sure you pour it back into ministry that changes lives. That's why the church exists, right?

Check back soon. The next installment will address all of your graphics needs and stimulate your creativity as you find new ways to show people what you're talking about!

Ministry-Friendly Software... Pt. 1 VIDEO

This new series is for all of you who are trying to present the message of Jesus and wondering how to afford it all. I've been where you are and I want to help you out by offering my proven free software solutions. This is what I like to call "Ministry-Friendly Software."

As a church staff member, I frequently come to an impasse where new software or equipment is readily available to solve my problem for a fee. But I've decided to use as little resources as possible on solving things like video clips, Times New Roman, and digital storage. We live in the digital age, where almost everything we need is accessible through the "cloud" and many free options exist if you're willing to learn how to use them. Do you want to know how to be more successful in your mission? I think there are two things we can do right now to make a lasting change in your ministry.
(1) Use less of Jesus' money on things that don't directly help people come to know him.
(2) Be willing to get creative, both in doing your work and getting other people involved.

Video.

The first category I want to address is the area of video, especially video clips that you want to use to illustrate an idea. These are really effective for people in our world because movies are the new world's novels. So you want to show a clip from that XYZ movie? Chances are it's been uploaded to YouTube because someone else likes it too. Here are your best tools for the job that won't cost you a dime or more than 5 minutes of your time.

1. Firefox add-ons
   Mozilla Firefox is a powerful web browser with a lot of add-ons available. Video DownloadHelper is a good tool, as are Easy YouTube Video Downloader and DownThemAll. However, stay away from 1-Click YouTube Video Download because it always downloads blank files for me.
2. Free FLV Converter
   This program will let you paste in the link to any YouTube video and download it for you if you prefer not to use Firefox. It also gives you the added benefit of converting the video into any format you need. Go to http://www.koyotesoft.com/indexEn.html to download it.
3. Free Video Converter
   This is the sister program to Free FLV Converter, but it supports file conversion from formats other than FLV into any format. No built-in YouTube downloader on this program because it's a workhorse for conversion, including audio file conversions. Find it at http://www.koyotesoft.com/indexEn.html
4. VLC Media Player
   I hate Windows Media Player. I also hate iTunes. They're just too heavy on the system resources and are prone to slow down your computer. And if you're in ministry you probably aren't running the latest and greatest so light software like this that handles more formats than either Windows Media or iTunes is great. Get it at http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

These are video tools I've been using quite successfully for the last 18 months of working at my church, so trust me when I say you don't need to buy a DVD recorder, Matrox capture card, full-featured editing suite, or a costly video editing computer. If you have any questions, please comment and I'll be happy to answer. Look for more software coming as we cover audio files, presentations, graphics, composition, storage and computer maintenance!

Time

Between the morning coffee run and rushing up a flight of stairs to another church meeting for another event, I realized that we have become a busy people— a busy Christianity. Between the meetings to attend, issues to debate, donors to ‘make face’ with, programs to implement, and services to lead, there is little time left in the day for being a Christian. We have become so accustomed to the overbooked-church-schedule that a day with no more than two programs looks malnourished and in desperate need of an over promoted event. There is the rare occasion that we find ourselves with more hours than we have use for; but for the most part, we feel flung through space and time—distracted and unable to notice the details of life—or perhaps even the voice of God. We move and act so quickly that we forget to question whether what we are doing and saying is worth doing and saying. Rather than pause to question the cookbook formula for a perfect ministry, we accept our interpretation of the scriptures as an accurate translation of the Gospels.

We claim that our mission is not to conform to the pattern of this world, but our addiction to business seems to fall outside this philosophy. We have convinced ourselves that the size of our calendar correlates to our worth of self and calling. And so, our lives and ministry become rewarded with the rewards of business.

Thomas Merton noted that we “…have what we seek, it is there all the time, and if we give it time, it will make itself known to us.” If it is the Trinity we seek, if it is the love of Christ we seek, than our use of time must reflect these aspirations. We must ask ourselves whether we truly give the Father our time, or if it is rather our insecurities that consume our attentions? Perhaps it can even be said that our ministries have become a reflection, not of God’s direction, but of our own need to climb the ranks of church position and reputation. Before scheduling an event, a staff meeting, or even another coffee date, ask yourself whether you are scheduling the arrangement for the sake of mankind or for the sake of one’s own amour-propre.

This week take a moment to pause and reflect on the ways in which your time is used, the ways your church uses its time, and the ways in which time is valued by yourself, your church’s staff, and by the congregation. We say constantly that time is precious; and so, we must treat it as such.

Let there be time to be Christian.

Grace and peace

The Counter Insurgent Church

Recently I was listening to a christian radio station and a segment came on about what the church's role is. The speaker spoke about a friend who is the military as part of the counter insurgent team. Basically his role is to make friends with the Afghanistan citizens. He goes into more detail by explaining that 5% of the citizens there are pro American and democracy, 5% are anti American and pro Taliban, and 90% don't care or haven't picked a side. As part of the counter insurgency team, his job is to make friends with the undecided 90% to gain support for democracy.

This then lead to the discussion of this idea being applied to the church. We could think of the world's population being broken down in the same way: 5% of the population is Christian (or at least believes in Jesus and/or God), 5% being anti-christian, and the other 90% being neither.

This is an interesting and basic way of looking at the church. This may seem like an extreme analogy and that is not what is intended. The church isn't some militant group, but it's role is not indifferent from the role of the counter insurgent team.

The church's job is to spread the word of God, to witness to as many as possible. Their are going to be those who, despite the efforts of the church, will not turn from their evil ways. However, there is a greater amount of people that do not know about God or have ever had Christianity explained to them. Maybe they have had negative run ins with christians or specific church's that have left them scared but not completely turned them against.

In the book of Acts, Jesus calls on the church (at the time it was just the disciples) to be witnesses to the ends of the earth. That is the role of the church. That 90% is out there... waiting. Maybe you, the one reading this right now, is part of that 90% and want better understand this whole Christianity thing. Or maybe you are part of the 5% that are considered to Christians to some degree, but are unclear of the role of the church.

This analogy is bold, it's edgy, and possibly controversial. But it doesn't have to be. It doesn't mean any harm and it's not meant to give a militant structure to the church. That needs to be clear. However, if the church approached their role, their outreach, in the same manner as the counter insurgency team over seas, maybe more Christians and non-Christians alike will better understand the role of the church, rather than relying on the stigmas and expectations that have been created.

Grace

Grace. It's a funny word. Or should I say a funny concept. You can be graceful, ungraceful, full of grace and give grace. You can receive grace, show grace, and even be named Grace. You can have the title of Grace (His or Her Grace), and you can have a period of grace. You can say grace and ask for grace.
The word is used in a variety of different ways. Models must walk gracefully on the runway, for instance. Having grace seems to mean that you keep your cool, you aren't clumsy, you walk with your head high, a feeling of elegance. When we show grace, or give grace, we forgive others of their mistakes or actions against us.
The origin comes from middle English, old French and from the Latin word gratia, from gratus meaning 'pleasing, thankful'.
The Bible uses the word in about two main ways: asking for God's grace for oneself or others and showing grace towards others. It teaches us to be graceful or grant grace, in that when someone does harm towards us or makes a mistake that affects us we do not react in a negative way but forgive them, whether they ask for it or not.
Do we do this? Do we show grace towards the crazy driver that cuts us off in rush hour on the freeway? Or the person that bumps into us in the crowded mall? Do we exhibit a pleasing or thankful manner about us in our daily lives?
This isn't about pointing fingers or assigning blame; coming up with excuses or getting defensive. This is simply an awakening for us. For all, not specific for any group, race, sex, or religion. This is for all humanity. Grace is universal and can be shown by anyone to anyone.

A Yes Face (By Kyle Reynolds)

I read a fun story about Thomas Jefferson a few months ago.  The story goes that President Jefferson was riding with a group horseback when they came upon a flooded river.  There at the rivers edge was a wayfarer.  The wayfarer watched as some of Jefferson’s company rode by forging the river on their horses until the President came along.  The wayfarer asked the President for a ride across and Jefferson agreed.  On the other side of the river, one of Jefferson’s men asked the wayfarer why he chose the President for a ride across the river to which he responded,

“The President?  I didn’t know he was the President.  I just know that on certain men’s faces is written the word, ‘No.’ and on others is the word, ‘Yes.’  His was a Yes face.”

Isn’t that so true?  Have you ever wondered why you tell certain people your junk and others you just smile and nod?  I’m not talking about the safe, politically correct mistakes like swearing after stubbing our toe.  I’m speaking of those dark, ugly, “it’s all my fault” kind of mistakes. What specifically do we see in those that cause us to feel safe, accepted, and understood?  What does a “Yes face” look like?  What makes a person approachable?

What’s your reputation?

I’m realizing every human interaction I have moves me closer to or further from becoming an approachable person.  What you think is just a meaningless interaction could be the very thing that sticks out in the mind of a friend that is considering sharing with you.  Even the jokes we make about homosexuals, mormon’s, and mentally handicapped people are subtle ways we communicate our level of acceptance. 

This is why I first approached Jesus.  His reputation is irrefutable.  I kept reading story after beautiful story of how he touched a leper or forgave a prostitute.  These stories began building hope in my young search. 

“If you treated those people with such acceptance and love, maybe, just maybe Jesus, you will accept me as well?” 

So what’s your reputation?  How do you treat the woman who made your coffee or the friend that cheated on his wife?  What’s your response to the young man who bagged your groceries or the woman that’s coming out of the closet?  Because, like it or not, you’re building a reputation.

Humility

Last year, my wife and I hosted a couples group that met at our house.  It was a diverse group of couples with a variety of different spiritual beliefs and backgrounds.  My favorite couple were the Baxter’s.  The husband, Tom was an agnostic / Buddhist that remained very skeptical to Christianity.  Throughout the months we met, I was continually inspired and encouraged by the Baxter’s marriage.  They are really good at creating hobbies and friend groups they both enjoy.  This happened to be the very same thing my wife and I have always struggled with so we were able to learn from them.  Looking back, I think this humility to point out the good in their lives rather than slapping the “non-Christian” label on them was paramount to the Baxter’s coming to a faith in Jesus.  It tore down the “me vs. you” dynamic and leveled the playing field.  Instead of being disregarded, they were validated.  The dividing line between pastor and parishioner was blurred.  We became just people with our own individual weaknesses and strengths discovering God together. 

I notice this same humility in the story Jesus tells of the Good Samaritan.  Three people pass by an injured man but only the Samaritan stops to help.  Jesus purposely chose the Samaritan because in that culture this kind of person represented the outcast, marginalized, and even evil.  Yet, we know this story as the “Good Samaritan”.  Jesus does not seem bothered to point out the good in others different from us.  Jesus was unthreatened by the differences in others. Instead, he encouraged that which was true and right in the people around him.  It was stories just like this that spread grace to those uncertain seekers listening in.  A “yes face” broke through loud and clear.  Who are those around you with different beliefs or lifestyles you can point out the good in?  Perhaps the gay couple you disagree with has elements of their relationship healthier than yours?  What if the Muslim coworker in your life can teach you a stronger work ethic?  Recognizing the good takes humility.  It requires we stop staring at the line dividing our beliefs from theirs and put to rest our religious territorialism. 

Divine Distractions

We wear busyness like a badge of honor so I realize this might be a tough one.  Making margin in our lives can be a constant struggle.  However, I just can’t get past the fact that most of Jesus’ miracles did not come in the form of prearranged appointments, or strategically planned events.  Most of Jesus’ miracles came from distractions, interruptions, and even annoyances.  Instead of looking for those in need, most of them came running to His feet.  The needy must have known he wasn’t too busy for them.  They must have heard a rumor that this man would make time for even me.   

Listen, I know we all desperately want to be important and needed but what if our ambition has accidentally communicated the message, “I’m too busy for you.”  Who have you sent that message to lately?  When we talk to people, do they get our undivided attention or are we looking over their shoulder?  Do we get annoyed easily?  Are there people in our lives we treat like inconveniences?  We become more approachable as we allow God to divinely distract us.

Final Thoughts

I worry what kind of message the church is sending when pastors are treated like rock stars and we watch them on monitors from satellite campuses.  It seems as if some of us want our teachers to be untouchable.  But that is not Jesus.  He is wonderfully approachable.  He walked with friends for years.  He developed inside jokes and had dirt under his nails.  They watched him cry, get lonely, and lose his temper.  God didn’t just communicate the truth to this world, His Son became the truth and lived among us.  Finally, he spread his arms wide on a cross so that you and I could approach God and receive grace.  Jesus lived as a model of what an abundant life really looks like.  And I want that.  I want to live a full, rich life of meaningful relationships.  I want friends to see an active, under construction kind of faith.  I want to enter conversations teachable.  I want a reputation of grace.  I want to share a God that allowed even me to approach Him and be loved.  Care to join me?

The Chestnut Tree

A friend recently gave me a copy of a Hermann Hesse novel that deals with the conflict between spirit and flesh. I won't comment on it very much since I am still just starting it, but I found it fascinating that he would talk about a tree for the first two pages of introducing this storyline of a monk and a--for lack of a better term--hedonist, whose pursuits of life and salvation are so contrasted. In literature we have all kinds of terms and ideas of how to group, classify, describe, and merit different works. My own method is primarily thematic and drawn more from art. Degas said we should not paint what we see, but what we want others to see. Thus, in literature, we write not what we see or feel, but what we want our readers to experience. The whole point of art and literature is to be see, read, heard, and experienced; so why does Hesse want me to experience an old chestnut tree that was brought from Italy to this cloister? Why does he want me to understand it's conspicuous presence among the indigenous plants? What is it about this tree that is so vital to understanding the rest of the novel that it deserves the foremost position in the book? I think you can answer that question for yourself as you realize the themes of salvation and living through either the flesh or the spirit are framed by the brevity of human life.



"For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more."

Psalm 103:14-16



The chestnut tree is not the point of the story, but a witness. You might say the tree is telling the story as one who has seen people come and go, and has seen this theme so strongly in these particular characters that it must speak and tell what it has observed. I'm not saying Hesse is approaching this from a biblical Christian viewpoint. He was, like all men, on a spiritual journey throughout his entire life as he navigated the turbulence of trials and tribulations; and he was constantly trying to find a bit of enlightenment that could help him through whatever challenge he was facing. His work endures because he targets not one group of people, but all people, and I cannot understand his wisdom except through my own lens.



We can all relate to the themes of tension between the flesh and the spirit. Paul talks openly about this in Romans 7, where he shares his own frustration in not being able to fulfill the desires of the spirit for want of overcoming the desires of the flesh. I'm not satisfied in my own ability to manage this tension, which is why I chose to write about it. Whatever lust, anger, or depression you're feeling isn't unique to you. Every single person you've been comparing yourself to with shame and disappointment is enduring the same struggle you are. Some of us are at different phases of the battle, either at the point of guilt in the face of breaching our own ethical convictions, or at the point of succumbing to the force of somatic chemistry and blind emotion that wakes us up in the middle of the night with a hangover of restless regret.



"He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him."

Psalm 103:10-13



Look out your window and find a tree. It may have been planted when you were a child, or last week, or it was planted long before your parents or grandparents. That tree doesn't get to experience the joys of life and the delight of God the way we do. Neither does it struggle between the whims of its branches and the commandments of God. But it sits there quietly as you choose each day which path you will take. Don't just make the right decisions or do the right deeds, but wrestle. Fight for your ethics within yourself so it's not just a reflection of obeying someone else's decisions, but your own decisions to serve a God who wants you to love him from your heart and not someone else's. And in that journey, help other people to make God's will their own as well.



"For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."

Psalm 51:16-17