Luther Seminary Library

Help! I'm Preaching...

These resources were compiled to help you with sermon preparation. They cover many aspects of the process: learning more about the text, understanding themes in the text, and how to shape the message you will proclaim.

Are You Using the Lectionary?

Revised Common Lectionary texts can be found in several places.

• The Revised Common Lectionary (permanent desk reserve)
• Evangelical Lutheran Worship (permanent desk reserve, reference and stacks)
• Sundays and Seasons BX8067.3 .S96 2007-1012pt;">(permanent desk reserve)
• Vanderbilt Divinity Library http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edues links to related artwork in their database: Art in the Christian Tradition
• ELCA http://www.elca.org/Growing-In-Faith/Worship/Lectionary/Year-C.aspx
• www.workingpreacher.orgWell-known preachers and academic scholars offer help for many aspects of preaching. Features a weekly podcast,Sermon Brainwave and a weekly video, Preaching Moment. Attractive, easy to navigate, with sections on "Culture & Context" and "The Craft of Preaching."

Text Analysis

You’ll get the best results with sophisticated software like Bibleworks or Accordance. There are websites out there for Greek, Hebrew and parallel text analysis. Let us know if you find some really good ones!

• http://www.utoronto.ca/religion/synopsis/ (RSV, parallel texts)

•  http://bible.johndyer.name/ (Greek & Hebrew word analysis of texts)

Commentaries

Commentaries vary widely in quality. Ask your professors who they recommend for different scripture texts. Does your theology agree or disagree with their point of view?

•   Interpretation Series (call number location varies, do a search for Interpretation + Luke)

• The New Interpreter's Bible (Reference Collection, Book Stacks, BS491.2.N84)
• Word Biblical Commentary (Reference Collection, Book Stacks, BS491.2.W67)

• iPreach Online Commentaries include Interpretation & The New Interpreter's Bible series (Library Home Page -> Resources -> Electronic Texts)

Search the Library of Congress Subject Headings

To find books try these Subject searches in our online catalog

         Funeral Sermons or Wedding Sermons

         Lectionary preaching

         Lutheran preaching (and sub-categories)

         Preaching (look at sub-categories, Preaching—History, or Preaching—Biblical teaching, Preaching to Children)

Highlighted Works

The New Interpreter’s Handbook of Preaching, Paul Scott Wilson, general editor. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2008.  BV4211.3 .N48 (Book Stacks, Reference)

Articles like the “Preacher’s Creative Process,” “Preacher’s Week,” and “Preaching out of the Overflow” provide many insights into the complexities and nuances of the preaching life.

ATLA Religion Database

Look for appropriate subject headings. A keyword search for “preaching” brings up articles with subject headings that may help you search more effectively.

• Easter sermons
• Funeral sermons
• Lectionaries
• Lent
• Preaching, Catholic
• Preaching, Islamic
• Preaching—Biblical teaching

Try Keyword searches: good + sermon; preaching + your choice. Browse the Indexes (Subject) if you don't get good results.

Journals

Search the A-Z list for Preaching. Change the drop-down menu to “Title contains all words.” These are just a few of the available titles: Currents in Theology & Mission (has a “Preaching Helps” section), Homiletics, Journal for Preachers, Lectionary Homiletics, Preaching, Word & World.

Online Resources

• iPreachThis electronic text offers online access to several commentaries (Interpretation, The New Interpreter's Bible series) and dozens of other great resources. Access: Library Home Page -> Resources -> Electronic Texts-> iPreach.
• http://www.TextWeek.com Focus on the Lectionary, Scripture Study, Worship Links and Resources. Ambitious, well-done site. Not all links are up to date.
• http://www.ELCA.org/hunger/sermon-starters.asp “Ideas and thought-provoking reflections to help you formulate a sermon or devotion on world hunger.”
• http://www.ELCA.org/stewardship/sermon.asp
• http://www.elca.org/Growing-In-Faith/Worship/Leadership/Presiders-and-Preachers.aspx

Explore these great resources. Let us know if you find online (free) preaching aids that we can share with others.

B—     —Jennie Bartholomew, electronic services librarian. Download LSL_PreachingAids

Keys to the Kingdoms

Searching a database for journal articles or essays can be a frustrating experience.  Many searches yield only meager results, none of which seem to be about the topic one was hoping to find, while others turn up hundreds of citations, so many that it is hard to spot the gems, if they exist, amid the clutter.  The all-too-common reaction is to give up -- either assuming that there is nothing written on the topic, or being unwilling to spend precious time sorting through screens of citations that don’t look promising to begin with.  Is this just the way it is?  Is there nothing to be done but suffer through, or try one’s luck with an internet search?

Arise, discouraged searchers, and take heart!  You are not left without options.  In many instances the search software of the database you are using has the ability to refine a search in several ways in order to eliminate the dross from search results, leaving you the gold.  What are these refining features?  They vary by database, but generally fall into several categories.  Here, briefly, are a few possibilities.

• Subject headings:  For those databases that have indexer assigned subject headings, first scan the records retrieved from your initial search to find headings that look particularly relevant, then redirect the search using those headings.

• Limiters:  For a search that retrieves a large number of citations, consider limiting by date, language, or publication type (essay, book, review, etc.) to eliminate records of little use or interest

• Relevance:  Re-arrange your results by relevance to bring records where your search terms appear in titles or subject headings (presumed most relevant) to the top of the list.

Shown here is the standard search interface for EBSCO databases.  Our library subscribes to several, including the ATLA Religion Database.  A close look at the functions and features of the EBSCO interface will be the subject of our first noon forum this semester on Wednesday, April 21, in GH103.  We hope you can attend, but most importantly, when you next find yourself doing a database search, consider ways that the search interface can work in your favor to drill to the best information while saving you time in the process – the keys to the kingdoms (of information) in my book.
B. Eldevik, Reference Librarian

Finding (and Using) Free Images

Images are powerful. They can pep up a presentation, enhance a website or blog post, and make a newsletter or brochure more interesting. With careful attention to copyright and licensing issues you can find many free images from sources on the Web. We recommend that you start with our Art & Images page which offers several excellent image databases and sites with stock photographs.

Google and Flickr both offer an image search interface that allows you to filter each search. The example below from the Google Image Advanced Search shows how you can select an option that is labeled for reuse. Many images have a Creative Commons License. There are several types. The most unrestricted is the Attribution. This allows you to reuse an image as long as you give the creator full credit.

Some images may not have a license but will have copyright information. Finding an image that you can download does not give you the right to use it. The U.S. copyright laws are complex and fair-use can be tricky. It is easier to find an image that has an attribution license.

Once you find an image, consider the file size that you will need. Many sites will offer more than one. Determine whether you need a small file (thumbnail size for a web page) or a large file (suited to the requirements for printing). If you are working with a printer they will recommend project specifications for images you will use.

This picture of a Holy Week tradition comes from a database "designed for scholars, students, pastors, and religious educators, all of the images may be used for educational and/or religious non-profit purposes."

Citation: Christ Washing Peter's Feet, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=42446 [retrieved April 1, 2010].

Explore how you can enhance your work with images and don't forget to consider your purpose, consider the source, and include a citation.

—J. Bartholomew, e-services librarian

The Dead Sea Scrolls at the Science Museum of Minnesota -- a Luther Seminary Connection

Around the Twin Cities, and no less here at Luther Seminary, anticipation has been running high

for the opening of the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota.  Now that the exhibit is underway, you may be interested to know that the library and the archives each contributed an item from our collections to the exhibition.  No, it wasn’t a fragment of the scrolls themselves, although there are a few owned by several seminaries in the U.S. (See related news release by one of these institutions). Rather, along with the Scrolls, the Science Museum is interested in displaying examples of Christian, Jewish, and Islamic sacred texts that share roots in these ancient scrolls from the Judean desert.

For the library’s part, our donation consists of a notable example of an 18^th century Bible – a Baskerville Bible, so named from its printer, John Baskerville.  Baskerville made his reputation as an exceptionally talented printer, first with exquisite editions of the works of Virgil and Milton, and then, in 1763, of the Bible itself, which has been called one of the finest English Bibles ever produced.  The library’s copy is a later edition from 1772, printed in Birmingham, with 10 copper engraved plates, bound in morocco leather, with gilt spine and borders.  Baskerville was also a typographer and his name has been given to a family of typefaces he created characterized by their bold style.

 

So, when you go to the exhibit (and we hope you have plans to), in addition to the scrolls and the artifacts from the caves by the Dead Sea, be on the lookout for the Baskerville Bible.  We’re happy to share it on the occasion of this fascinating look into a past that continues to shape our present.

BE

Concept Mapping — Use both sides of the brain!

When you are faced with a challenge how do you do your best thinking? Are you logical and analytical, or more abstract and random? Are you a Right Brain Thinker (intuitive, synthesizing, subjective, random, holistic)? Or a Left Brain Thinker (logical, sequential, rational, analytical, objective)?

Do you consciously try to balance your approach to a problem or question? Concept Mapping (also known as Mind Mapping) is a tool that helps you think through complex problems, summarize information, or plan projects in a more visual way. It can help you to step away from a one-sided approach and take a look at another way to organize your thoughts, or a project.

The following example of a concept map comes from Mike Wazowski's blog Learner-Shaped Technology. Mike used concept mapping software (Cmap Tools) to give us a closer look at Superheroes and the issues they deal with.

According to Joseph Novak, emeritus professor at Cornell, "concept maps are graphical tools for organizing and representing knowledge." Novak is well known for his work on concept mapping. A technical report on his ideas and methodology is available here: download. In the corporate world Tony Buzan is the developer of what he calls "Mind Maps." Check out his site to see colorful, graphic-laden examples.

The Web Center for Social Research Methods describes concept mapping as a "structured process, focused on a topic or construct of interest, involving input from one or more participants that produces an interpretable pictorial view (concept map) of their ideas and concepts and how these are interrelated." They go on to say that concept mapping helps people to manage the complexity of their ideas without trivializing them or losing detail.

Reasons to use Concept Mapping

• Learning Tool
• Evaluation Tool (products, processes)
• Consolidate information from multiple sources
• Summarize information
• Reveal hidden patterns, connections between elements
• Think through complex problems
• Change the way people think about data
• Remember complex information
• They are fun!

How to Create a Concept Map

Hal White's site proposes that you use the following as a way to create and organize your concept map. Check out his site for more details.

1. Brainstorm: Identify facts, terms, ideas. Put each one on a Post-it Note.
2. Organize your concept terms into groups and sub-groups, create hierarchies
3. Layout: create a layout that reflects your understanding of relationships and connections
4. Link the concepts, define relationships
5. Finalize: add images and color

You can keep it simple. Use Post-it Notes with a big tablet of paper to create your concept map. If you prefer to use software there are many programs available. Ryan Torma (Director of Learning Design and Technology) has used Xmind for website development. A few other sites are listed below. There are many free, open source options for concept mapping software.

Websites about Concept Mapping

http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/mapping/mapping.htm

http://www.studygs.net/mapping/

http://webworkerdaily.com/2007/03/08/three-web-based-mind-mapping-tools-reviewed/

Concept Mapping Software

http://www.xmind.net/

http://cmap.ihmc.us/conceptmap.html

Watch the recorded video from the Tech Talk on Concept Mapping

-J Bartholomew, electronic services

Elementary, my dear young theologian, elementary

                We’re back from a blogging hiatus over January term.  I hope your J-term was productive -- or not, depending on your need.  Some of yours, I’m sure, were more ambulatory than others, involving walks (or perhaps jogs) through airports on the way to some far-flung locations, and then more walking once you got there.  Even those of us who stayed here, however, found walking on the ice covered sidewalks and streets of St. Paul to carry its own brand of excitement and adventure.

                There was not a break from reading, however.  In Minnesota, January and reading are made for each other and last month I came across a book I would highly recommend for those who have even a passing interest in knowing more about the impact that the doctrine of predestination has had in American church history.  The book is Predestination: the American Career of a Contentious Doctrine (Oxford University Press, 2009).  Its author is Peter J. Thuesen, a church historian who teaches at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis.  Thuesen writes that predestination has been “one of the most important but unacknowledged sources of discord in churches across the denominational spectrum.”  Calling his work an “intellectual history,” Thuesen examines how struggles to understand and teach a doctrine of predestination led to numerous feats of interpretive gymnastics which, in turn, precipitated arguments, divisions, and general rancor in their wake, leaving few parts of American Christianity untouched.

            In particular, I found fascinating the chapter discussing how North American Lutherans agonized over predestination.  The rifts that came about during the decade of the 1880s when the controversy reached its peak altered the future course of Lutheran denominations and institutions.  One example of the mind-numbing nature of attempts to reconcile predestination with other biblical teaching came in an 1881 colloquy held in Milwaukee.  Disputing factions within the Synodical Conference met to debate all the key passages on predestination, but after 10 sessions they had hardly moved beyond Romans 8:29, (“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined . . .”).  As Thuesen relates, “the correct sense of the verb ‘foreknow’ prompted days of disagreement.”

            Thuesen has written a first-class work of church history, telling in an engaging way the story of how a doctrine marched across and changed the landscape of Christianity in America.  To browse our library's holdings of this and other books on  predestination, the following heading will provide a good list -- BE

	Predestination --History of doctrines

The Last Post

 This blog post is being composed a long ways from Luther (I'm spending the Christmas vacation with extended family in a suburb of Vancouver, Canada), but that doesn't mean Luther is not on my mind.

An unusual New Years' Eve, in several respects: a long way from home, and today marks not only the last day of 2009 but my final day as an employee of Luther Seminary - I officially begin my new position at Bethel University this next Tuesday. A good time to look back in gratitude at exactly five and a half years as Director of Library Services. What will I remember most fondly?

1. a superb library staff: Judy, Mary Ann, Jennie, Paula, Judy, Bruce, Karen and Trisha are all that any library director could ask for in a group of colleagues. Talented, resourceful, collegial, and always a pleasure to work with.                                                                     
2. a beautiful library to work in: okay, I didn't say a library that was uniformly beautiful, but Luther's has some of the most attractive and pleasant spaces (the Reading Room, the Rare Books Room, etc.) I've ever seen. And while we are on the subject, I will miss my office with its leafy view of the Gullixson/Bockman part of the campus, and the birdfeeder on my window with its varied clientele.
3. A community that values (in vastly different and always changing ways) its library.

Don't get me wrong - I'm both eager and enthused about the challenges of my new position, but Luther has been a good place, in which I have grown in my work, and I will always think of my time here with respect and gratitude.

So, as 2009 comes to an end (in the words of that old New Years' standby) Auld Lang Syne (whose author, Robert Burns, is pictured above), "there's a hand, my trusty friend(s)" and God's best to all of you in days to come.

Cheers,

David Stewart

Among the Giants

There is a book listed on Amazon called "1000 Places to See Before You Die."

Looks interesting, but in a slightly less morbid vein, let me suggest at least one of the places to see in the library before you graduate: the Group Study Room just adjacent to the computer workstations in the public services area of the library.

It's a great place to study – maybe one of the quietest and best-lit in the library – but along the wall to your right as you enter is the best part of the library's oversize/art books.

Amazing stuff, but a bit obscure in its location, and definitely on the hefty side.

Some sample titles: Icons, Art of Florence, Treasures of Prehistoric Arts, The Plan of St. Gall (a renowned Benedictine monastery in Switzerland), Carved Splendor: Late Gothic Altar Pieces (see cover photo to the left), and The Complete Work of Raphael (surely one of the heaviest books in the library's collection).

At a time of the semester that places many demands on the mind, here's a perfect opportunity to feast your eyes on some timeless treasures.

DRS

GusDay 10

Last week, several seminary staff members (the Learning Design and Technology team: Kris Payne, Dan Ruth, and Ryan Torma; Jana Ratkovich and Nunu Vongsouvan from Computer Services; our webmeister, Jim Dudley, and I) spent a day at Carleton College, attending GusDay 10. This is an annual event “designed for the technology staff from the Minnesota Private Colleges and other like-minded institutions to gather and share successes, challenges, strategies, and friendships.” The Carleton staff, all decked out in colorful shirts to go with a Hawaiian conference theme, provided warm hospitality, good food, and door prizes. Kris Payne continues to be the lucky winner at GusDay. Last year she won an iPod, this year she took home a reconditioned laptop.

There were a number of interesting sessions on topics ranging from Windows 7, project and software management, cloud computing, and web design. Kris, Dan, and Ryan presented on “Creating Engaging Online Courses.” The Learning Design and Technology group has created lots of excellent content to support online classes at Luther and their session was one of the few that is addressing this need in the region. http://www.luthersem.edu/orientation/default.aspx?im=171

One of the nice things about Gus Day is the chance to visit other campuses and see what resources their tech staff are supporting and what the priorities are for their campus culture. It’s also a great chance to network. New ideas and ways to collaborate are increasingly important in these times of budget challenges. A highlight of the Carleton campus tour was our visit to the server room where our host waxed eloquent on the server racks, the fiber-optic cabling, the voltage, and other details that make “his baby” unique. We saw first-hand how providing uninterrupted access to the computer side of learning and communicating requires knowledge, resources, and creativity.

 
This is true at Luther Seminary. Our team of tech experts is doing a great job, working with the challenge of reduced budgets and competition for resources. Thanks be to God for all the men and women who work hard to make our access to technical resources seem easy.

— Jennie Bartholomew, e-services librarian

Giving Thanks for "Giving Thanks"

One of the reasons I have come to like Thanksgiving Day more through the years is my increasing enjoyment of the radio program “Giving Thanks.”  The program is expertly hosted by John Birge and can be heard on public radio stations around the country every Thanksgiving (check your local listings).  Each year the broadcast follows the same simple format: reflections on, as the program is subtitled, “fall, food, and gratitude” by noted authors and poets, interspersed with delightfully rich seasonal music, both choral and instrumental.  Previous guests have included poet Rita Dove, Rabbi Harold Kushner, and writer and food critic Calvin Trillin, who presented his case why spaghetti carbonara, instead of turkey, really should be our official meal at Thanksgiving.

However, my favorite part of the broadcast, a segment repeated every year, features a recording of actor Charles Laughton narrating the experience of his first trip to Chartres cathedral as a young man, followed by a return visit many years later.  The two visits are connected by an encounter, each time, with the same local guide, who, Laughton came to realize, had had a profound influence on him, extending far beyond their first meeting of only a few hours.  The dramatic rise and fall of Laughton’s voice, his theatrically trained narrative skill as he tells his story, is a pure delight.  For me, it isn’t Thanksgiving without listening to a least a portion of this exquisite program.  Busy on Thanksgiving?  Here’s an additional something to be thankful for, the program is archived on the American Public Media website.  Happy Thanksgiving!

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