Acts 1:8 and the Post-Christian World

Posted on October 31, 2012 by jim0211

Today’s western world is a post-Christian society. Many people have already heard about Jesus, and may have encountered Christian ideas, perhaps even the Gospel itself. For many, this is a neutral or even positive experience. But for some, the things they have encountered turned them away from the Christian religion. Not necessarily from the Gospel, for they may not have heard it or may not have heard it in a way that speaks to them. For them, how do you go about sharing the Gospel in the right way? Continue reading →

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Seeking Wisdom

Posted on October 16, 2012 by jim0211

Some time ago, the Lord led me to provide reflections for our church council. One of them had to so with seeking the Lord’s wisdom. Reflecting on the process, I was led from James to Solomon:

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5 NASB)

But what does it look like to ask for, and receive, God’s wisdom? Solomon is a great example to consider, and gives us an idea in one of his proverbs:

For if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding; if you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:3‐5 NASB) Continue reading →

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Mic Mixing for Worship Versus Performance

Posted on October 7, 2012 by jim0211

In any given worship situation, whether in a church, concert, or small group, the intent of the music is generally decided by the musicians and ministers in charge. Hopefully they have sought the Lord about the group’s intention and how best to glorify Him. The audio mix plays a part in implementing those intentions, but over the years I’ve come to believe that not everyone understands its impact, and may not be thinking deliberately about it’s effect on worship. For the audio mix, I believe there is a big difference between mixing for performance and mixing for worship, but I’m not sure this difference is always considered. In this post, I’d like to compare the two styles and reflect on how the congregation is impacted by them. Continue reading →

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VR Photography as Metaphor (take 2)

Posted on September 16, 2012 by jim0211

I wrote a short piece describing the idea of using VR photography as a metaphor about recognizing spiritual reality. The first version of it was posted here, intended for believers. I tweaked it to point to the Gospel, and posted it on Eternal Perspectives and VR Photography, and also below.

Virtual reality photography has been around a while, but is becoming more widely known as new ways emerge of experiencing media. In particular, people expect rich ways of exploring remote locations, and the emergence of touch-sensitive displays makes VR pictures very compelling. In addition to photographic value, they offer an intriguing metaphor for seeing things in the real world — for understanding our whole reality.

VR photographs are viewed interactively. They are images that show all fields of view available from a given location. Three hundred sixty degrees around, and one hundred eighty degrees vertically, the viewer is essentially inside a sphere with the ability to look in any direction and often to zoom in for greater detail.

What can this tell us about the nature of reality? Continue reading →

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Mount St. Helens

Posted on September 11, 2012 by jim0211

Years ago, I took a VR near Mount St. Helens. A co-worker recently went there, and was interested in seeing the picture. It’s only a cylindrical VR, but I posted it here, on Whole Reality Photography.

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Of Causality and Love, Faith and Eternity

Posted on September 3, 2012 by jim0211

Here is an essay posted on Eternal Perspectives. It started as a reflection on some odd things in physics, and how they point to matters of faith. It ended up being more about love as a comparison to faith. I think that angle needs further development.

The world is a mysterious place, and part of human nature is to try to understand it. This is the role of science and rationality; we look to them to help us make sense of things. To an large extent they are very successful, and have improved our ability to manipulate the world more and more. And yet, there are things about the deeper underpinnings of reality that give us pause. Continue reading →

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How an EQ Can Help Stabilize Your Audio System

Posted on August 26, 2012 by jim0211

It seems to be common for small churches to suffer from instability in the audio system design. I think it has to do with older buildings not having been designed for modern sound reinforcement technologies. So problems can occur when those technologies are introduced, such as sensitivity to feedback. A good 30-band equalizer can help stabilize such venues, as well as provide other benefits. Continue reading →

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Defeating Discipleship

Posted on August 19, 2012 by jim0211

In an earlier post, I proposed a definition of discipleship based on the truth that we should be hearing and obeying God. A corollary to this was the responsibility of leaders in the church to encourage this among everyone in the fellowship. This led to the concern of how easy it is to take a different path when leadership forgets this and places a singular focus on what they hear from God, resulting in the fellowship becoming spiritually slack. In talking this over with a brother, he pointed out some Scripture passages that developed this idea further. Continue reading →

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Church Technology

Posted on August 15, 2012 by jim0211

Over the years, I’ve handled a lot of different technologies in church, striving to use the talents the Lord has given me for His purpose and glory. In the course of all these projects, I’ve picked up a lot of pointers and helpful observations. Some may be most useful for small churches, but others are generally applicable. It seems good to share these. Continue reading →

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A Choice of Trials

Posted on July 29, 2012 by jim0211

The American promise is one of self-gratification and self-realization. More and more, it promises a problem-free life, where we can live as we want if we just buy, ingest, or apply the right solution. Everyone knows this is a fake promise, but we often choose to ignore that in a quest for comfort. The Christian life makes no such promise. Yet even while recognizing the nature of life in the flesh, it does promise victory, both for today and eternity. But the victory of abundant life today involves making a choice. Continue reading →

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