outside is better

5 Tools for the Seminarian: Part 3

We have had a really busy week around Asbury with Holiness Week and the Move conference, so I apologize for missing yesterdays post and being so late today.  Perhaps I should add a sub-tip on learning to juggle a schedule.

But today's tip is one of the more important things to both my academic and devotional/pastoral work.

Get good software and learn how to use it

I use Accordance Bible and I would by lying if I didn't tell you that's what you should buy.  But I realize not everyone that reads this will go out and drop two bills (minimum) on Accordance. The other major options are Bible Works and Logos, but I think Accordance really is the way to go.

I use my software pretty intentionally, because it really expedites any sort of research or preparation.  I will talk about efficiency in sermon and teaching prep not because the time spent in the word isn't deserving of time, but to be able to spend larger amounts of time with specific things that change from project to project (more word studies, or more structural work or theological interpretation).  Correctly setting up my software helps me with this.  I use Highlights for various things, and I keep them permanently color coded.  I also take full advantage of User Notes and have around 15 different files.  These allow me to systematically make notes in the text, as well as link to other resources besides scripture that I have in my software.

I wrote Monday that I have a file of all my reading notes, and I keep this organized in Accordance as well, because it is the easiest to update as well as search.  I just type in the new entries as soon as I finish books.

Accordance also allows me to save workspaces (the various windows and tools I use for a specific project), so if I come back to a topic often, I save the workspace so it can be recalled.  In any software you have, take full advantage of the user functions that are customizable.

I also spent the money to get alot of research resources (such as bible dictionaries, etc) in my software, so I have them right at my finger tips.  This makes writing papers ALOT easier.  The money has to be spent-but I am building a system and library that I will always have with me.  In 10 years if I need to come back to something I wrote a paper on in seminary, I can get back to the work and thought in under a minute.

I think that I can actually do back-end research in about 35% of the time it takes some of my other friends that I have to rely on the library or rarely use their software.  For me, time is worth money.  I also learned this lesson when I was a local pastor and I would routinely find out I was preaching in 8 hrs. It was nice to be able to prepare in a way that was mindful of the time that I had available to me.

 

+++EDIT
Go read my friend Greg's comment.  I will add a subtip here....GET TO KNOW THE LIBRARIANS. These folk can make your life so much easier.  Thanks Greg

5 Tools for the Seminarian: Part 2

While the rest of this series will be "big" in scope...todays tip is really exact.

Dropbox.com

Cloud based storage has changed my seminary writing.  When my aging powerbook started scaring me around 18 months ago, I decided after looking at finances that I really couldn't afford a new laptop.  I have been using Apple products for almost a decade, and I can't imagine working with a PC.  I also started thinking about the logic of carrying $2000 item with me everywhere, and trusting my entire life to be in it. 

I bought a Mac Mini, but decided to still use my old laptop, since it was still working good enough to take notes with (and still is...typing on it right now).  By using Dropbox, I am able to sync all my documents between multiple computers and have access to them through any computer that is online.

Dropbox functions between my computers (laptop, desktop and my computer at work) essentially as a secondary "documents" folder on my hard drive.  I just have to make sure the file is saved, and I can instantly jump to another machine.  It is also nice to have my education backed up.  I had an external hard drive crash this summer, and on it was the first 3 years of my seminary education.  I don't have to worry about that with Dropbox.

Dropbox.com is a really simple free tool that I can't imagine living without now.

5 Tools for the Seminarian

Last week I started my final full semester at Asbury Seminary. It has been a great time, and I don't think I would trade it for anything.  I am taking one class that has never fit well into my schedule, and it is full of first years.  I think back to that time and I sometime wish I could have had a better primer for how to handle school, so this is my attempt to add to the various posts around the interwebs on the subject.  These are the tools that I look back on and realize how much they have saved my life.

This week I will post 5 tools that I have found very helpful in my education. On with the first....

1. A System
You are entering into graduate school combined within a tradition of spiritual formation that has been part of a theological education for centuries.  On one hand, it will be hard and get very complicated.  On the other, if you choose to not take advantage of the deep formational opportunities you will be missing a big part of your education.

With all that said-You need a system. A system that is designed around future memory.  If you get 20 years in the future and realize you have forgotten much of your education and the time around it, you will have wasted untold hours, ideas and money.  This isn't about continuing to study Hebrew participles, but how to categorize everything so it can be recalled.

I write down EVERYTHING, and I primarily think visually..so I keep several notebooks. I have blogged before about how I am addicted to Moleskine notebooks. Lately I have been using the Moleskine Ruled Notebook Soft Cover XLarge for everything work/idea/planning related.  They have a really nice softcover and fit in well in a variety of situations (I think I even mind mapped a sermon and preached from it once). I also use the Moleskine Ruled Cahier Journal Kraft Large for my reading notes. They are the perfect size to slip in a book.  When I fill them up I save them to archive.

Whenever a notebook is full, I take an hour or two and compile an index for it.  That way I have a small record of what is in the book.  I have filled almost 6 notebooks since I started seminary, and every week I have to go back to one to find an idea, since I tend to hash things out on paper first and I usually make lists and charts for many things that don't fit in a word processor easily.

I spend the money on the moleskines because I want them to hold up.  If something is going to live in my backpack or be in constant reach for months I don't want it to self-destruct on me.

I archive everything (especially reading notes) in a single file that I can search.  I am careful to tag things when I am reading, as well as take notes in a manner that will be easily searched.  Since I have been doing this for 5 years, I have learned to take notes for the archive specifically.  Instead of the type of notes you would need for writing a paper, I direct them towards searching...that way I can recall things quickly. I used to have a word doc for this, but I have since imported them into Accordance (which will come up later this week) because I have all of my other research in there.

Since I have a system, I have even noticed that I can recall information and prepare things more efficiently than many of my classmates.  I keep real busy with work, so it is worthwhile for me to have an easy way to get at my information.  I don't do this to cheapen what I am preparing for, but to use my time the best in areas that deserve it.

See you tomorrow

What has to be learned by the American Church...not just evangelicals

I have been in the process of writing my follow up to my last post regarding communal doctrine.  I want to make sure it is really sweet, but in the process I came up with this list, which I am imagining to be a work in progess.  Feel free to push back or add to this.

What has to be learned by the American Church:

Fundamentalists:

• Issues regarding authority need be re-thought.  You simply make claims about biblical issues that just can't be substantiated with the History of Judeo-Christian tradition. (Read Craig D. Allert;s "A high view of scripture?")
• Speaking of traditon, it should be recognized more.  How do you think Christianity was transmitted pre-text? D. H. Williams is a great starting place.
• Proper Trinitarian Thoughts, an emphasis on all three members and teaching on how they properly interact with one another.

Traditional/Liturgical

• The difference between issues of justice and evangelism needs to be fleshed out.  While the justice piece has been important in the Mainline Protestant churches,  it is not thought of as an evangelical practice with kingdom/gospel dimensions.
• The Holy Spirit and His place within the sphere of worship.  It is evident in the words of your liturgies, but it needs to be put in practice.
• Cultural adaptation needs to happen, this means that things change in order to keep things refreshed.  This won't destroy the richness that is a positive trait, but will allow it to continue to be what it has always been, but in a way that translates to the non or de-churched.

Again, these are just working lists.  I want to think about an Evangelical list and a Pentecostal/Charismatic list.  I really see these not as destructive, but as ways that the church can hopefully grow in the 21st century.  For those that minister in "Non-Sexy" churches, and are searching for re-vitalization, I think these are points that have to be thought of.  The more people I meet on the street that consider themselves "religious" have no denominational or traditional loyalty, they just want to see a Church that functions like Jesus lived.

Viva la Resistance!

I have gone underground for the last couple of weeks and I am glad I have.  I check the email at night and I have not charged the laptop for at least a two weeks or so save the time it spent plugged up in houston in order to charge my ipod for the trip home.  I kinda like it.

But here is what I have been doing.

1. Building Mere a bookshelf with my new tools I bought with Christmas money.
2. Reading for a class on Revelations I am taking in January.  Its call number is NT666.  You have to say it in a real evil voice.  Isn't it cool though?
3. Thinking about Art, Theology, and the act of Creation.  I guess it is a throwback to a couple of years ago.
4. Reading to many back-issues of Mother Earth News.  Thanks to the coolest father-in-law that had some of them stashed away.
5. Getting Cabin fever.

Tomorrow Justin and Charis arrive...i think..

from this point on I can easily say that a new chapter is being written

In the Summer Time...

Well I am pretty sure I have settled into my summer routine.  It consists of getting into work around 9 or so and doing that until 4.  I go home and make dinner for Meredith and spend the evening with her.  I usually end up working again for a couple of hours at night.

There are two things that I want to get done over the summer.  For those of you that have seen my lists before know that hardly any of them end being fully completed.  So I have made a small list.  Only 2 things.

1. Read alot.
2. Get myself back in the creative mindset.

I want to read so I can stay up on somethings, and also to learn to be a better student.

I want to learn to create again.  That is something that was really important to me last year and I have almost completely neglected it this year.  I can tell that it has seriously held me back in a lot of ways.

I will have the podcast back up in a day or so.  Thanks to those who called out for it.

EDIT+++++++++++(from later in the day)

I have decided that I want to make a collage every day.  I don't want to get to picky (but I have found some sweet ephemera that I am saving for certain things), because I want this to be an exercise in functional creativity.  It's like forcing myself to do it until I beat it into my own brain.  Once I have a few days under my belt I will start a Flickr set and post the link.

I think this summer list will allow me to grow as a worshiper and a person who thinks about worship.

Podcasting?

Some of you may or may not know that this website is podcast enabled, but I don't really do them anymore.  I do want to point out a great podcast/website a few friends of mine have up.

Popular Crackpot is a great site that offers a Podcast dealing with Crackpot Conspiracy Theory.  They do a resource page so you can do some checking up on what you read.  It is done by some great friends of mine and I have had to pull off the road several times due to what I hear on their podcast.  It really has been something I look forward too over the last few weeks.  Go check it out.

Time Freeze

Here is another dual post with between Anna and I.

If you could freeze time for 8 hours what would you do........

I would go to Kansas City and eat BBQ