Me next to "Cloud Gate"

This is me next to Anish Kapoor's sculpture "Cloud Gate." Chicagoans call it "The Bean."

Chicago Trip March 2007

We had a wonderful time in Chicago this week. The occasion that brought us to Chicago was a concert that our daughter Faith was involved in. She auditioned and was selected for the Children’s Choir of the Organization of American Kodaly Educators. Now that’s a mouthful. Anyway, the concert was wonderful. And while Faith was in rehearsals, Leslie and I did some sightseeing and shopping. That's Faith eating a "Chicago-style" deep dish pizza! Justin chose not to go with us on this trip. He stayed with a friend back home.

While in Chicago, we stayed at the Palmer House Hotel, now owned by Hilton. It was breathtaking! Built in 1871, it burned down in the great Chicago fire just a few weeks after opening. Within a year it was rebuilt. This hotel is one of those in the grand style. The ceiling in the main room has been called the “Sistine Chapel of Chicago.” Famous personalities entertained in the hotel’s Empire Room during the mid to late twentieth century. These included Phyllis Diller, Carol Channing, and Sonny and Cher. President Bill Clinton was one its famous guests. Our room was small, but very nice; we relaxed there in the mornings and evenings.

It was weird looking out over Lake Michigan and not seeing land on the other side. It’s just a lake, after all! The 2^nd day was about the only sunny day we enjoyed. All other days were cloudy, rainy, and foggy. But this didn’t dampen our spirits. We were exploring new territory.

On Thursday we visited the Museum of Science and Industry where we saw the Zephyr diesel train. This was very futuristic looking for its time. It ran from the 30s to the early 60s, I think. But when it first started running, it seemed everyone wanted to ride the train! This museum also had one of the coolest HO Scale train set ups. It took up almost an entire room, showing the city of Chicago and surrounding country side. The same room had a Boeing 737 inside.

Body Worlds 2 was the visiting exhibit. On display were actual bodies, stripped down to muscle and tissue, in most cases. They had all been plasticized, which is a very involved process that takes anywhere from weeks to months. After plasticization, they are shaped in various poses which are supposed to make them look natural: There’s a soccer player, a ballerina, and a figure skater, just to name a few. I’m glad Faith wasn’t with us. It might have creeped her out!

In the evening we visited the Chicago Art Institute. You know that American painting of the farmer and his wife—the one where he’s holding a pitchfork? It’s there. It's Grant Wood's "American Gothic" and was completed in 1930. And so is Georges Seurat's pointillistic painting "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" from the 1880s. It’s by a French artist. There are also many other recognizable works of art.

Later in the evening, we visited the 2^nd tallest skyscraper, the Hancock Center. We didn’t want to go to the top of the Sears Tower, because we heard the view wasn’t as great. It was just Leslie and I who visited the sky lounge on the 94^th floor of that building! We both enjoyed drinks and a beautiful view. It was beautiful seeing Chicago, and then looking out over the blackness that was Lake Michigan. “Wow” is all I can say! By the way, the drinks we enjoyed were diet cokes!

The next day we visited the Robey House, an early creation of famed architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. The house was built about 1908, and was far ahead of its time, as was everything that this American architect put his mind to. The Robey House is next to the University of Chicago and is representative of his “Prairie Style” period. It’s a very spacious house, with flat roofs. Wright even designed the furniture in the house. My personal favorite of his work is the residence in Pennsylvania, “Falling Water,” which is built over a water fall. I think my next favorite would be the Guggenheim Modern Art Museum in NY City. Some time during this same day, I remember visiting the main branch of the Chicago Public Library. It’s all of 10 stories high! They say it’s the largest public library in the U.S.

On Saturday morning I visited the Chicago Cultural Institute and the Museum of History. On the bus ride I saw a very famous statue by Picasso, who, by the way, has many works displayed at the Art Institute. When I arrived at the History Museum, I rode a stationary bike, but it was the late 19^th century style bike, with a tall front wheel, and a very short back wheel. I also learned more about the Chicago fire. Back then the weather conditions were extremely dry, and most buildings and sidewalks were constructed of wood. Add to that the hay that was stored for animals, the usage of kerosene lamps, and you had a recipe for disaster. The fire was finally put out after 3 days.

In the afternoon, Leslie and I went to Faith’s concert, the culminating event of our trip. It was wonderful. She is seen here with her friend Caitlin, who was also in the choir. The choir sang 6 or 7 pieces; Following the children’s choirs were two other groups, basically a choir made up of middle school aged students, and the other of high school aged students. This concert was held in Chicago’s Symphony Hall, which is the venue for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

One of the things we enjoyed as a family was the public transportation. I’ve always been a fan of public transportation and ride on it often when visiting a large city away from home. You always meet interesting people on these public vehicles. One of the coolest things was riding Chicago’s famous “L” train to and from the Midway Airport. It was a 30 minute ride one way. It’s also called the “el” which is short for “elevated” train. These trains built in Chicago appeared in the 1890s. They were privately owned until the Chicago Transit Authority took them over in the 1960s.

Finally, the architecture of this great city is worth noting. Downtown is a mixture of old and modern. Millennium Park is and example of the modern. It’s most interesting part is its “bean” sculpture, for lack of a better phrase. This “bean” is a huge mirror, in which is reflected yourself and the skyline of the city. It really defies any other description. On the other hand, when you stroll past the old buildings of the city, just a few blocks away from Millennium Park, you can’t help but sense that a lot of history has taken place around you. Chicago is definitely a place I’d like to visit again some day, but probably in the summer!

Speaker Control on a PC

Here's an interesting problem that comes up every now and then. I use the recording program called Soundforge on my computer at work. Occasionally, it doesn't work because the speaker configuration on Windows gets changed. I do not change it manually. It just seems to do it by itself. Well, Mark Y., a good friend, told me how to fix this. So here it is, for anyone that needs it:

Click the Speaker icon at the bottom of your screen.

For the Volume Control, click Properties.

-Select Line-In.

For the Playback, make sure the following options are checked:

-Master Volume
-Wave
-SW Synth
-CD Audio
-Line In
-PC Speaker

For Recording, make sure the following is checked:

-Line In

So there you have it. I hope this was helpful.

Lifelong Friends

This is Dan Castro and myself at a banquet that was at our church. My friend Dan spoke that evening on his book Critical Choices: How Heroes Turn Tragedy Into Triumph. Incidentally, I blogged about this book a while ago. Look it up.

Some Fine People I Work With

Somehow, my daughter was able to get the four of us together for this shot. Besides me, there's our pastor, Mark Bryant, our student minister, Craig Yates, and our Children's Director, Vicky Mitschke.

Music and Worship - Some New Thoughts on the Subject

I wrote the following letter in response to some concerns over the music at one of our church's worship services:

About the Music in the 10:30 Service

People sometimes complain about the music in our 10:30 service. The reason is that it’s not traditional enough for their tastes. I don’t mind that people have opinions about music. This is natural. I have opinions too. But let’s recognize that music tastes are highly subjective. People will sometimes express their dislike at some of the more modern songs that are sung. Usually they say, “a lot of people feel just like me.”

The problem is that I don't hear a consensus of opinion at all. There seems to be just as many people who like the modern songs being sung and played in the 10:30 service. So some of our congregation is critical of the music. Others support the music and tell me not to change a thing. Therefore, I must pray that the Holy Spirit guides me in the selection of music for any given worship service.

Some in our congregation told me a while back that the 10:30 service was beginning to feel too traditional for them. They go to Sunday school at 9:00 because they really like their particular class. But since they don’t like a totally traditional service, I’ve tried to introduce some new music in the worship service. In doing so, however, I’ve been very careful to introduce what I consider singable music. In other words, I value their opinions as much as I value those who like a more traditional style. And remember that what is "traditional" to some is not the same to others. One of the ways I’ve addressed this concern is by incorporating fresh new musical arrangements of some of the grand hymns of our faith.

I occasionally add a very old hymn from our Baptist hymnal into our 10:30 service, but it’s a new one to our congregation. In response, there are some who complain because they don’t recognize it. Now that’s a tough situation. It’s an old hymn, but they don’t like it because it’s not familiar. On the other hand, a steady diet of only the music I personally like would probably not be very healthy for our church. So I recognize that I can't only pick the music I like; I must seek a balance. Therefore, I sincerely pray that I find just the right music and lyrics that will cause a worshipful response from people, whether I personally like the hymn/chorus or not.

So when we sing a song you don’t like, try to focus on the words, and see if your heart draws close to God, regardless of the music. Remember that just because the music doesn’t appeal to you, it might be just the song that another person needs to hear that day. I’m not asking you to change your music preferences, just to show understanding that these new songs are ministering to others. On any given Sunday my aim is that the 10:30 congregation will recognize at least 80 percent of the songs. Of course, that means we will be learning some new music, but music whose lyrics are God-honoring and easily learned by most, if not all.

On another note, when we first put up the screen and projected lyrics onto it, it bothered a few people. One of the members of our church suggested I put the hymn number on the screen, so they could pick up a hymnal. That was a great idea, I thought. And so you now see the hymn numbers. Anyone who wants to pick up a hymnal is welcome to do so. I love it when our congregation sings the harmonies found in the hymnal!

I never want to take the great hymns of our faith away from our traditional service; but I also don't want to be restricted to using only the music in our hymnal. I've received a reasonably good response from people who enjoy the way things are going, as far as content is concerned. I don't know percentages of who likes this or that; but I sincerely pray that God will continue to guide me as I continue to select music to be sung and played for His glory!

Sincerely,
Dan Stephens
Minister of Music and Senior Adults
FBC Wimberley