Experience Reflected

I have just completed the Community Analysis course at Moody Graduate School. This course is designed to provide research and analysis experience relating to understanding a local context and making strategic ministry decisions. With my completion of this course, only three courses remain to complete my Master of Ministry program for which I anticipate graduating in May 2010.

A very interesting feature of the class was Dr. John Fuder's dissertation he did in training urban ministry students in field work. His book, Training Students for Urban Ministry: An Experiential Approach, is engaging and convicting. A penetrating analysis of the emotional one takes when experiencing first-hand the tragedy of extreme urban need, the journey from an inward self-absorption to motivated compassion and conviction is palpable. He takes various experiential learning models and customizes it with the ministry training that so often lacks the down-and-dirty.

The process itself incorporates classroom theory and presentation and then moves out of the classroom to enter the street-level reality of urban life. This experience jolts the learner and creates a myriad of emotional responses, which are largely dependent on prior experience and the predisposition of the student. God himself enters the process at various points to draw from the experience a powerful, affective learning response. Extending far beyond theoretical knowledge is the possibility of wisdom and conviction that can be seasoned with the spices of compassion. From this learning experience, the student is now positioned to make conscience decisions to take the Good News of Jesus Christ to a receptive and broken world.

I feel my role as an associate pastor is to help comfortably middle-class believers take a few steps in the journey. With my current educational career in its final stages, I foresee many years of the journey in my current context in Chicago to inculcate a motivated compassion for the lost--a journey centered on the biblical gospel. I know that my own feeble efforts will yield little. I pray God takes this seed and waters it with the Holy Spirit and produce much fruit.

Pastor Jared

My Review of Onkyo 7.1 Channel Home Theater Black Receiver

Abt Electronics

Onkyo 7.1 Channel Home Theater Black Receiver - TXSR876B/ 140W x 7/ HDMI v1.3/ THX Ultra2 Plus Certification/ All Discrete Circuitry/ Optimum Gain Volume/ Audyssey Dynamic EQ/ Dolby Digital Plus Dolby TrueHD DTS-HD Master Audio Decoder/ HDMI Deep Color Capable (36bit)/ 1080p Upscaling Via HDMI/ Ana...

Onkyo 7.1 Channel Home Theater Black Receiver

Strong contender

Jared Tremper Chicago, IL 1/30/2009

 

5 5

Pros: Accurate Controls, Easy To Set Up, Good Power, Durable, Clean Sound

Best Uses: Home Theater, Larger Rooms, Smaller Rooms

Describe Yourself: Musically Inclined, Practical, Tech Savvy

While I was not in a position to compare against other units in this class, I believe anyone looking to build a new or improve existing home theater setup should have this on the top 3. For the price it stands on its own as solid mix of power and ease of use. CD music has new life, with an array of surround remix options. High definition audio sources are given every option to do its thing. The built-in HD radio tuner is a very nice extra; HD radio restores enjoyment to over-the-air music playback. As with other features in this unit, it is a compelling future-proofing capability.

The unit itself is beefy, both in weight and physical size. Do not underestimate this; ideally you should have 2 people to physically setup the unit. Some reviews remark on heat generation, and there is some to be sure. I recommend you install it to allow good air movement to radiate the heat.

Simply put, after upgrading from a sub-$300 4+ year old unit, the Onkyo 876 series is an outstanding centerpiece to home theater configurations well worthy of your consideration. I strongly recommend that a home theater configuration not go cheap on the receiver, and this unit gives plenty of bang for the buck!

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