The Pianist (2002) Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Pianist (2002) - Movie Review Example In order to determine the film’s value, analysis will be focused on three of the film’s pivotal elements: directing, acting and music. It is through these elements wherein one will find that the film is a work of Polanski above all. It reflected his style, his genius, faults and failures and everything in between in his attempt to recreate the life and the sensibility of a martyred musician. The movie itself, its treatment of the story and the actor’s portrayal, presented the director’s interpretation of Wladyslaw’s experience in surviving the holocaust. Everytime he faced death, Szpilman survived because he was assimilated to the Polish society, he had friends, he had help, and he had his talents. The Jewish Police pushed him off the vehicle because he was a genius. Then the Nazi soldier towards the end of the film helped him live because he was talented. The case would have been otherwise, had the Pianist been an ordinary Jewish who is not assimilated in the Polish society. For instance, the set design for the film was entrusted to Allan Starski and Anna Sheppard, set design and costume designer, respectively. Both of them worked for Steven Spielberg’s opus, Schindler’s List, of the same theme: the Jewish experience under the Nazi atrocities. These two designers was able to reconstruct an era in their design that enabled the desired effect – the progression of horror in such peaceful city. The sequencing of streets, the film color tones, costumes, they highlighted the threats, the establishment of the ghetto, the indiscriminate killing, mass deportation and systematic extermination of Jews. With the help of these designers, Polanski was able to superbly recreate not only the period but the accuracy of the systematic deterioration of the Jewish plight in Poland during the Nazi occupation: from the building of the

Summary of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Essay Example for Free

Summary of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Essay Stephen Covey’s book â€Å"The 7 habits of highly effective people† will help me in a number of different ways in the year to come. Not only with being effective in my career, but also my personal life and graduate school. Covey talks about character and personality traits, and uses a great example of being in Chicago and having excellent map and reference skills, but if you have a map of Detroit you will not be able to find your way around no matter how good your secondary skills are. This is a great example of how it is necessary to possess the primary elements, before your secondary skills can be used effectively. Covey goes on to talk about the 7 habits of highly effective people in his book, and continues to talk about the difference in relying on personality vs. character ethics. Covey feels that if you rely on personality ethics and the underlying paradigms are the same, simply changing outward behavior is not effective. He also talks about how people view things not the way they are, but how they are conditioned to see thing. He uses an example of two groups of people being shown two different pictures of a young and old woman. Then the groups are shown an abstract containing characteristics of both the old and young woman. Each group saw the image of the picture they were shown within the abstract. The book presents the 7 habits in an inside-out approach centering around principles and character. The key points that I got out of reading this book was to approach the way that I look at the world differently. Once I can realize my past conditioning, I can then change the way that I see things in order to be more effective. All 7 habits will be helpful to me in my future growth, success, and effectiveness. The first is to be proactive. By being proactive, this means to assess a situation and developing a positive response for it, as opposed to reporting it to someone and sitting back and waiting for them to come up with a response. The other key points I took from the 7 habits of highly effective people, is to develop a personal mission statement and to spend time doing what fits into my personal mission. By this I need to identify the key roles I take on in life, and make time for each of these key roles. Another key point is to look for win/win agreements and relationships. This means to look for relationships and agreements that are beneficial to both parties, and in the event that there is not the possibility for a win/win to be comfortable to say â€Å"no deal†. The last three habits I found extremely beneficial to me. What I got from these is to first look to understand the other person, and then seek to be understood. Secondly try and solve conflict and find a better solution to a problem through mutual trust and understanding. Finally, to try and maintain a balance between production and production capacity, by looking at the physical, mental, social/emotional, and spiritual dimensions. The 7 habits of highly effective people, has been beneficial to me in a number of different ways. It has helped me look at how I perceive things, versus the way that I need to be approaching things. It has also helped me develop a mission statement for myself and to prioritize things based on that personal statement. It has also helped me look at my production and production capacity, and helped me try and understand people before seeking to be understood. I would have to give this book a 9 out of 10.

Discovery And Invention Of Some Areas Of Knowledge

Discovery And Invention Of Some Areas Of Knowledge Discovery and invention are two separate edges to a discussion. It is complicated to show the interrelation between the two because they do not have the same meaning. It can be said that something that exists from past but not being uncovered is a discovery. But when something new is been created to meet certain requirements are known as an invention. Reflecting back on the question my focus is to discuss the claim that some areas of knowledge such as natural science, ethics and mathematics are discovered and others are invented. By working on this claim will give me an opportunity to attempt and try exploring the world from a different prospective. In order to demonstrate the vision which claims that some areas of knowledge are discovered and others are invented can be processed by showing relevant evidence. This can be acknowledged by focusing on different areas of knowledge and creating a bond between them. This can be shown by illustrating different examples from different areas of knowledge. I am aiming to look at this essay through the lens of natural science, ethics and mathematics knowing that this claim would be well supported in two of the three areas of knowledge. There is a probability that one might not come to a final conclusion in some one statements below. Natural Science, an area of knowledge that is more discovered then invented. With time there have been many discoveries and to sustain such phenomena there have been inventions. This can be illustrated with the discovery and invention of the periodic table. According to me being a Chemistry HL student have a strong claim that natural science is almost discovered but on the contrary one can state that in todays world its all about inventions making life faster. When looking at the formation of periodic table I think, all the elements existed always and still there are many elements that are existing but are not discovered yet. As a result the elements, compounds and the properties are all being discovered with experiments and tests. Although looking at the inventions, all the 2D and 3D models created using graphic programmers and other high technology are major inventions. To explain this situation it can be stated that. These inventions of models have made the understanding of the mo lecules easier and even thought they do not exist still this can be used as a beneficial visual technique. It is much easier to visual the concept in this it can be stated that sense perception comes in role. This is how ones understanding is impacted. However in the world of science there are always exceptions, somehow there are lines drawn when a certain existence cannot be classified as a discovery or invention. For example, a hypothesis can be said as phenomenon created by the human body according to the information they were aware of, it is an imagination and creativity from a scientists brain. But theories with no proof cannot directly be considered inventions or a discovery. But my personal view is that one should not attain a biased view, rather look at the theories existing as either a discovery or invention. I hold a balance view for the rules stating that with natural science it is not that easy to group this area of knowledge being either completely about discoveries or inventions. Also looking at gravity, for example gravitation was when Newton thought of what made the apple fall on the ground. The thoughts as that gravity existed since this world, therefore this could just be considered as an discovery of gravity and the invention here was conversely the formula stating F= m x g. this is said to be an inventions which was created though many other phenomenons being involved in the understanding of the concept. According to me natural science can be associated more with discovery compare to invention. With natural science on the other extreme we have the ethics as an area of knowledge. Ethics is unique in itself. This is because I believe that ethics can be considered both discovery as well as invention at the same moment. This depends on the justification of the person and how he or she looks forward to the actual scenario. Ethics is a way to justify whether something is considered to be right or wrong. In order to balance my judgment can be influenced by many factors such as religious belief, use of laws and being ethical by following standards of behavior existing in our society. Of writing down or codifying things that most people agree are principles of good behavior. This cannot be evaluated whether or not is ethics considered to be either invention or discovery. Like, natural sciences even in this the same phenomenon comes in place. As stated above, that ethics as well is discovered more than invented. This is because when assessed it is a way in which certain things are de signed to be done, to maintain some order in the world and have peace. Personally I consider that ethics are invented. This is because we people living in the community knowing the situations make decisions considering them right or wrong. For example, some ethical values are considered to be invented, for example business ethics, people created this in order to make the community well controlled and attain certain standards. I believe ethics and moral values are created my human. But there is a counter argument to this claim. This is because, there is some evidence that ethics exists within us. This is not any concept to be invented but this is an area of knowledge that one person discovers with their personal experience or because of their parents. It has been in our life since we are born. Looking into a situation as we are told that stealing is wrong and this was discovered by us as children, when our parents scolded us for the first time we did this. This made us be aware of th e consequences and ethical implications. Our parents play an important role making us understand the importance and ethical values. We are been taught since we are young. Ethics are being built within us tenaciously. Hence this makes it a discovery. This is because the values existed and differed in different cultures but were later achieved with time. Therefore to conclude ethics one can realize that like natural science there are some inventions made such as having various ethics to follow at different situations. Also I strongly believe that Ethics is more a discovery then invention but depending on the personal reflection. Lastly mathematics is an area of knowledge with many inventions to help support the discoveries made with all the theories and formulas. Final correlation is shown between natural science, ethics and mathematics. These are three different extremes in areas of knowledge. It has been debated for a long time whether or not math is discovered or invented and according to me I believe its both to a certain extent. It can exclaimed that mathematics is a discovery and all the formulas existed they were just needed to be discovered. Or it can be articulated as simple inventions by great mathematicians putting their soul into the argument. This is a question of reflects both sides of the spectrum. Because people can either believe that mathematical truth is pure discovery with time or invention with requirements and need. I believe some laws in moths are universal facts which remain the same forever. But even if maths is considered as pure discovery there are some areas which are invented. Fo r example, if we take at a look at complex numbers. They are divided into real numbers and imagery numbers. It is said that invents are made to make the discoveries easier and self explanatory. Therefore the mathematician invented a term called imagery numbers. For example, It is been said that the square roots of negative numbers was invented by Heron of Alexandria whereas there formulas of roots or third degree polynomials were discovered by Niccole Fontana Tartaglia (cite). Then was soon realized that real solutions did exist but as certain calculations it was required to manipulate square roots of negative numbers increasing their cause of invention leading to another discovery. This again has the same link as shown above. Even maths can be considered highly a discovery but to support the understanding they needed to invent some theories which made the understanding and the concepts much organized and better and to an extent more reliable. To conclude this is a wide topic with many different ideas this does not depend on how subject to knowledge are invented or discovered but the purpose behind this holds much more of an importance.

Cloning Essay -- Biology, Stem Cells, Asexual Reproduction

Abstract: The rate of using cloning is rapidly increasing. Cloning of different species is a beneficial process, but also has limitations as it can be hazardous and harmful to our society. Cloning is the process in which multiple identical copies of an entire entity are made. An example is the cloning of stem cells which provide identical replicas that can be used to help an injured human. This study compares the favourable and negative outcomes of cloning different organisms, from a scientific perspective without getting into the ethics and religious views. As well, this paper discusses whether or not cloning is considered suitable for society and under what circumstances that this pertains. Through scientific research and background knowledge, many facts are produced about the affects of cloning plants, animals and people. After weighing out both sides of this process in each circumstance, it can be concluded that the cloning of plants, animals, and humans can be beneficial, but it needs to be kept to a minimum to limit the chance of having a uniform society. Cloning of different species is a beneficial process, yet it has its limitations as it can be hazardous and harmful to society. Cloning is the process of asexual reproduction of an entire entity, in which multiple, identical genetic copies are created. According to Webster`s Online Dictionary, â€Å"cloning is the process of producing a clone†, and a clone is â€Å"a cell, cell product, or organism that is genetically identical to the unit or individual from which it was derived.† While one may take an ethical approach to determine whether or not cloning should be allowed, this study is based solely on scientific facts and evidence. Cloning can be done on plants, animals and hum... ...ning and experimenting. The benefits and problems of cloning tend to make a cycle. For example, if scientists continue to genetically clone species that help in the medicinal field, then this would cause people to live unnaturally long. The issue of extreme overcrowding would arise, and scientists would have to clone or grow more crops to provide an adequate amount of food for everyone, thus leading to more possible environmental damage. Cloning has been proven to be useful to society; however there are many risks that come with it. This process needs to be analyzed in more depth in each circumstance, to determine the long term effects, before moving forward with the use of cloning on a global scale. Cloning is a beneficial process to our society; however certain forms of human cloning are unacceptable at this time, due to our inability to predict consequences.

Liberty Theological Seminary Essay

Since church planting is a work that is mandated by the Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament to His first disciples, Christian workers or those who do the work of church planting nowadays must follow the same directives that the Lord has given which, in turn, His apostles had passed on to their disciples. Where can one find these directives and pattern for starting a local church but in the Gospels (biographical account of Jesus’ missionary work), book of Acts (a record of Jesus’ first disciples missionary endeavors), and Epistles of the apostles? Although there are many non-biblical books available on church planting in the bookstores, all of them are just â€Å"expansions† or personal applications of the authors of those books of the Biblical strategies. Because many things have changed in the passing of time in these two millennia – like means of transportation, advances in knowledge, high-technology gadgets, etc. – Christian workers/missionaries of today are being pressured by these â€Å"changes,† and as a result, instead of simply adapting to the times, many are tempted to â€Å"bend† or adjust even the essential biblical truths and strategies. A quick comparison of two New Testament passages might help the modern-day Bible student to see and understand how to preserve essential biblical strategies in the midst of the fast-changing times. From the time of Jesus’ ascension to the writing of Paul’s first letter to Timothy, a span of roughly more than 30 years have lapsed. But looking at the inspired record of the Scriptures, one will find that as Apostle Paul was giving His last and final instructions to Timothy on how to spread the gospel message and multiply disciples, there was no bending of the â€Å"essentials. † Before Jesus ascended to heaven, the commission He gave to His disciples was, â€Å"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age† . More than thirty years after the Ascension, Paul’s words to Timothy were, â€Å"And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also† . The gist of the Great Commission was preserved in Paul’s instruction to Timothy. There still had to be a â€Å"making of disciples† and the â€Å"commissioning act. † The biblical substance of church planting is maintained. Today, as Christians and missionaries continue to uphold this church’s mandate to multiply disciples, it is of great importance that as Christians adapt to the times and employ modern-day gadgets and methods in spreading the gospel, the biblicality or the nature of the churches being formed is preserved. There has to be no compromise or slight adjustments of the biblical truths, or else, the vital character of the church will be altered in the process of time and lose its distinctives as church. Church planters must bear in mind while doing their work that the looming danger is always the losing of the church’s true identity as secular influences are ever-present. For one thing, too much adoption of secular methods will eventually get the church assimilated into the current culture rendering it ineffective while trying to be effective. It is indeed a great challenge to be relevant and biblical at the same time. This paper deals mainly with the Biblical principles of church planting. Questions dealing with the definition and nature of the church will be discussed, and also biblical principles that are still applicable until today. Discussion It’s important in dealing with anything about the church to start with its definition. The strategies and their application which is the actual work will become a lot easier when understanding of the church’s make-up is achieved. DEFINITION Although the idea of church is latent in the Old Testament, it is nevertheless there. It is even way way back before time began. â€Å"He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love† . In short, the church is God’s idea. It’s not something that was originally concocted by human mind, nor was it an apostolic modification. Because the nation of Israel was called out of Egypt, and therefore an â€Å"assembly† of God’s â€Å"called out† people, in this sense, they are called â€Å"the church in the wilderness† . In the New Testament, the idea of the church is clearly made known. One Greek word which has become very common is EKKLESIA, a compound of two Greek words (ek and kaleo) meaning â€Å"to call out from† . It is used several times in the New Testament, and at times, in a secular sense as in Acts 19:39, which imply an ordinary gathering or meeting of people as they discuss things. When applied to the gathering of believers in Christ , the idea shifts from ordinary to a special gathering/assembly of people; a people â€Å"called out† by God to be separated for Him . Another Greek word which is equally important and expands the idea of the saints’ being â€Å"called out† is KURIAKON; it means, â€Å"That which belongs to the Lord† . There are certain things in the Bible which are expressed as being of the Lord like â€Å"the Lord’s supper† , and â€Å"the Lord’s day† . In other passages, the picture given is â€Å"that over which the Lord has dominion and authority† as in Luke 22:25 and Romans 14:8-9. To state it succinctly, therefore, the church comprises people who believe in the Lord Jesus as their Redeemer who took them out of the life of darkness into God’s marvellous light, and who are now under the rule and authority of Jesus Christ. NATURE OF THE CHURCH As suggested at the introduction of this paper, it is imperative of those working as church planters that they fully grasp the nature of the thing which they endeavour to form and establish. Since church is very much unlike any earthly organizations, the tendency to pattern it to the way successful worldly institutions are run is wrong. Here is where most of church strategies being advocated today are terribly amiss, and this is enough reason that when church planting is discussed a clear distinction is drawn, so that at the very outset of the work (church planting), the very character of the church that the worker is trying to form would be in his full view – thus securing in its foundational stage, its true nature. What then is the nature of the true church? Considering its definition, and putting it in most simple terms, we can think of the church in two ways: 1. ) the church universal, and 2. ) the church local. The church universal is composed of people who are saved by virtue of Christ’s atoning death and physical resurrection, both alive and deceased. This universal nature of the church encompasses every believer in Christ since the New Testament times until He comes again at the Second Coming. The local church, however, is a body of believers/Christians (saved people) located in a specific area who do the work of God in that particular locality and worship together as one congregation in the same place. Contrary to the universal church which includes already dead believers and those who will be saved in time yet future, a local church is composed only of believers who are still alive physically . What church planting is trying to achieve is the establishment of a local congregation in an identifiable geographical position. The church is described in many meaningful ways in the Bible. It is called the â€Å"body of Christ,† â€Å"household of God,† â€Å"the temple of God,† â€Å"the kingdom of Christ,† and â€Å"the bride of Christ. † BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES OF CHURCH PLANTING The best and sure way to start a church is to follow the methods laid down in the Scriptures. There are certain principles that must guide every church planting effort. Since the very nature of the work is primarily spiritual and addresses the most fundamental need of man, the procedure must be done bearing in mind first and foremost this need. 1. ) Preach the pure Gospel. When Jesus gave the Great Commission to His disciples, He said â€Å"Go and preach the gospel. † If there is someone who knew perfectly man’s deepest need, it was Jesus. He was God in the flesh who practiced what He believed to be true. But more than this, He did not just live His life trying very hard to obey the Father in certain occasions while struggling with some feelings of uncertainty regarding what might be the best tool in securing the salvation of people. He perfectly knew everyone. Apostle John said, â€Å"He had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man. † The point is, if missionaries and Christian workers are to become effective and fruitful in reaching souls for the kingdom of God, there’s no better way than to follow Christ’s instruction to the Apostles. Twenty centuries have already passed, and yet the most effective tool in saving the lost is still the pure gospel which tells about God’s salvation in Christ. The gospel must not be changed as it was first delivered in Jesus’ time and as He outlined and modeled it to be in the first generation of disciples and believers. Just as it was, so it must be for the current and the succeeding generations, even when the pressures around seem so overwhelming that compromises as to the â€Å"tools† of evangelism are becoming widespread in the church. Despite modern breakthroughs, the pace of life in the fast lane, the complexities of life that make it more confusing, the barrage of stimuli all around the individuals’ physical senses, as well as the latest inventions that inundate people’s relationships, work and hobbies, all these have not changed the nature of man and the bible’s clear declaration of who he is and what he is like apart from the saving grace and dominion of God in his life. As elaborated by David Fisher in his seminal book The 21st Century Pastor, for as long as the church exists in its earthly setting, there will always be the pull between the â€Å"human and the spiritual. † It is in this context that the pastor and/or worker must bore through his soul, so that the very struggle that he recognizes as the negative pull that tries very hard to make him compromise or bend/adjust a little certain truths to mitigate too much pressure, might be confronted and dealt with every time it resurfaces. This had become the major problem of the Christians in Galatia. Some of them have already given in to the pressures exerted by the Judaizers of their day. And so Paul had to remind them of the necessity of sustaining the purity of the gospel even under extreme and relentless attacks. Today, probably the forms and methods of assault may have been modified, yet the aim is still the same for the church – for it to dilute and water down the gospel message. 2. ) Send the right people for the job. Another biblical principle in church planting which is uncompromisingly true today is the need for the â€Å"right man. † Along with the increasing speed nowadays in terms of doing things is the impatient attitude that it is leaving behind in everybody’s sub-consciousness. This is one of the causes in some of the major blunders in church planting. Existing problems in many established churches could actually be traced back to its beginning days. Pastors and elders are coping with much difficulty with problems which, if only dealt with early, i. e. in the church’s formation stage, would not be present in the otherwise flourishing church. If the wrong person is sent to the mission field and tasked to start a church, without the necessary knowledge on Ecclesiology and the possession of spiritual maturity, the ramifications which could have been underestimated at the time would be devastating to the church’s future. For example, one problem could be the appointment of local spiritual leaders who are actually not yet converted or have not fully grasped yet their stature and specific call in Christ and therefore not fit for the particular job of leadership. Another possible negative consequence is the employment of unbiblical methods. Because discernment comes only to people who have spent considerable time in applying fundamental truths in their lives, a newly converted missionary (which is an oxymoron in the Christian church), for lack of discernment could easily give in to the lures and temptations of adopting worldly methods – methods that are deemed effective by a worldly or secular mind. 3. ) The sending Church must be prepared for the task. While there are exceptions to this, the assumption is church planters are sent by a church who understands its mission. There are many who have proven themselves through time and by the kind of fruit that their work has yielded that they were called to church planting work. Inspite of the fact that there was no sending church or no group who sent them, these people appear to have a very keen and accurate sense that they were called to the task. And indeed, as they have gone to the respective places where they felt God had called to go, supernatural provisions were made available, thus enabling them to continue until an indigenous church is established and able to run on its own. This third principle is made clear in certain passages of the New Testament. One example is the church of Antioch who sent Barnabas and Paul for a missionary work to Seleucia, the Island of Cyprus, and around Asia Minor. Missionary work is not a cheap â€Å"enterprise. † It needs adequate financial support; no successful missionary work has ever succeeded with the support of its sending church. Crucial and prerequisite to church planting is a group of believers who believe in the urgency of the task of reaching the lost. When there is no sense of confidence that a church planter is exuding because he is sent by a group who believes in him in the first place, and regards his work to be that important to the extent that they invest financially for the cause that he is pursuing, it would become difficult for that missionary to convince anybody else. Although the endeavor of anybody who preaches the gospel for the sole sake of saving souls will definitely yield positive spiritual result, the would-be church planter who tries to do the work alone on his own will, in all likelihood, come to a halt along the way. Those whom he has reached will eventually find a more capable and stable church to fellowship in for spiritual growth. 4. ) Aim for biblical goals. As people get converted, their hunger for spiritual food increases as a consequent result. This stage is crucial as it creates more momentum on the work. The work of discipleship has to be immediately put in place teaching the newly converted ones the ABC’s of the faith, making them in turn workers in that area that will effectively reinforce the work which the missionary has started. If the worker lingers and waits instead for a more favorable time, the work’s spiritual momentum subsides, and when the awaited occasion comes for the worker, it will be too late as the time when these converts were ripe, when they had that spiritual hunger to absorb spiritual teachings had lapsed; the appropriate time for them to be discipled has expired already. Unfortunately, rudimentary work has to be done all over again. They had to be taught and preached at once again with evangelistic messages as though it is the first time they will be hearing those kind of messages. It’s not, in any way, suggested that the basics of Christianity such as teachings that deal with redemption of humankind, salvation by grace alone through faith alone, and all the foundational lessons of Christianity, are not beneficial at all to mature Christians. The point that is being emphasized, is that, all the times that were spent by the supposed church planter in laying the foundational work of salvation for the people in the mission field, were almost wasted so to speak, if the church planter would not proceed to implementation of the biblical goals to which the worker had been trained and equipped for. So, in the work of establishing the church, there has to be no room for loitering, nor hesitation. In church planting, the complete work of the Great Commission must be implemented if the work must succeed. After laying the foundational teachings of salvation clearly to the new believers, the missionary must proceed quickly to the work of discipleship. 5. ) Sustain the work with dynamic prayer and fellowship. One of the most beautiful aspects of the early church’s life is the way they are portrayed in the New Testament. The record says, â€Å"They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. † Actually, these are the features which the modern-day church has difficulty imitating. While many of the churches today have the appearance of possessing those qualities, they are yet to be realized, at least, in the dynamic sense that they were practiced by believers in the early days of the church. Some churches these days refer to fellowship as Shared Life. The rising trend on mentoring is the outcome of this missing dynamic in relationship between pastors and their parishioners. Mentoring’s emphasis is on the relationship aspect of discipleship. Because, they said, the pastoral work does not start and end in teaching and preaching alone, it is therefore expected that an open relationship be established between the mentor (pastor) and his mentee (disciple/pupil) where they not only learn from the Scriptures through Bible Study, but pray together and take time out together on a regular basis. Though, the gist of mentoring can be found in some aspects of Jesus’ style of training His twelve disciples, today’s mentoring and its origin (the word â€Å"mentor†) is unashamedly claimed by leaders who advocate it to have come from Greek mythology. Ulysses entrusted his son Telemachus to the care of a man whose name was Mentor, before he set himself on a long journey which is recorded for us in Homer’s classic story â€Å"Odyssey. † According to the story, Mentor was such a wise and trusted counselor and a tutor to Telemachus. † Being a true teacher to his newly harvested spiritual fruits, is definitely one of the emphases of church planting. â€Å"Make disciples† and â€Å"teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you† are exact words derived from the Great Commission. Conclusion In conclusion, I would admit that to truly emphasize the Biblical Principles of church planting these days (i. e. the actual methods that Jesus and the Apostles utilized and taught), is a kind of setting one’s self in for a lot of complaints and murmuring from the very people who want to be â€Å"Biblical. † If the pastor’s or the church planter’s approach or method in reaching lost souls is primarily to present them the pure gospel which according to Apostle Paul is â€Å"the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes,† many from within the ranks of those who call themselves believers will not agree that the means being used is enough to secure a large harvest of souls. The reason for this disagreement is the mind set of many Christians that believe â€Å"numbers† are what truly count in the Kingdom of God. This is a misconception of true conversion. In the eyes of God, to whom everything that we do must be measured, number is not of value. Scripture say that â€Å"wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it† and â€Å"narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. † Number is actually deceptive. That’s why, in the first part of this paper, emphasis is given to understanding the nature of the church. Unless one understands clearly what kind of people are those who comprise the church, that person is not ready for church planting. The reason why effective church planters are fruitful in the work of planting churches is mainly because they what kind of people they are dealing with. The Bible says that the people to be reached with the gospel in the mission field are to be rescued â€Å"from darkness to light. † They are not naturally inclined to spiritual things nor are easily attracted to the Word of God. Given these Biblical profiles of non-believers, the knowledgeable worker of the church is prepared for any rejection coming from these potential converts. He knows full well that the odds in church planting are that greater number of people will be resistant to the presentation of the gospel message. Nevertheless, trust in the power of God to touch those lives is what continually grips his heart. It keeps him praying and praying till his preaching of the gospel yield the fruit of genuinely converted souls. His mind is not absorbed in numbers, for quantity is misleading; instead, he is after the birth of Christ in the hearts of those whom he is seeking to win. The provision of God is with those who have answered the call to form His church in whatever geographical location, may it be in a bustling city, or the remotest region elsewhere. The most important thing in church planting is the employment of Biblical principles as revealed and preserved for us in the Scriptures. It is a sure sign that the missionary believes the prescribed weaponry and methods that our Lord has spoken two thousand years ago. Bibliography Arrington, French L. Full Life Bible Commentary to the New Testament. Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan. (Acts 13:1-3). pp. 597-599. (1999). Fisher, David. The 21st Century Pastor. Zondervan Publishing House. Grand Rapids, Michigan. Pp. 177-179. (1996) Evans, Williams. Great Doctrines of the Bible. The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago. p. 141. 1974) Nickols, Fred. Mentor, Mentors and Mentoring. 2002. Accessed June 22, 2007 < http://home. att. net/~nickols/mentor. htm> Spurgeon, Charles. The Soul Winner. Whitaker House: New Kensington, PA. pp. 11. (1995). The New King James Bible. PC Bible CD 2002.

Technologies are important and helpful in everyone’s life Essay

Computers help people to do such things or tasks easily and faster. Technology has a systematic and organized way of keeping data records, computing numbers, accomplishing a lot of transactions and reports. A system of a library is made to have a fast process of transactions for searching book titles, borrowing books, returning books, computing penalties and generating an accurate report. Aguilar Catholic School, High school department is located at Poblacion Aguilar, Pangasinan. It is a religious school and the religion of all the students and staffs is Roman Catholic and their library is open for them. It has a collection of books, magazines, journals, dictionaries, encyclopedias and other reading materials. The library is still using a card catalogues in searching books and the librarian is still using manual transaction for borrowing, returning and generating reports. Using a manual process is a hard work and because of it the librarian is having a problem to serve each students and faculties who wish to use the library. Aguilar Catholic School is using a record book to track borrowed books from the library. The librarian will write down the book being borrowed, borrower, book information, date borrowed and the date returned. A penalty is given to the borrower if he/she loses the book; the due date of returning of the book has ended. The penalty for losing a book depends on the amount of the book and if the borrower returned the book after its due date the penalty is 10 pesos. The proponent observed a lot of errors occurring in their manual system. The librarian is having difficulty working in the library and the borrowers are having difficulty in searching the book. General Objective The general objective of this project is to develop and implement a LAN base library system with barcode for Aguilar Catholic School to improve their processes and operations that will make transactions and the generation of reports accurate, fast and easy. Specific Objectives The specific objectives of the project are the following: * To design a prototype that will be easy to navigate interface * To develop a library system that will encourage students to use the library as the main source of information. * To develop a system that will be secured by applying user ID and password so that authorized persons can only access the important tasks. * To develop a system that will make use of barcode scanner, thus remove the filling up of different forms, for more rapidly borrowing and returning transactions. * To develop a system that will make cataloguing simpler. * To develop a system that will make searching of the available books and other reference materials in the library easy for the students. * To make a system that will make inventory of books and other reference materials reduce time consuming. * To develop a system that will produce accurate annual and quarterly statistical reports fast. * To test and evaluate the acceptability of the system in terms of functionality, reliability, usability and so on by gathering feedback from prospective users and technical experts. * Scope of the Project Since Aguilar Catholic School doesn’t have any computerized system, the scope of the project will include the system will make use of the barcode technology so the students and employees will only have to use their IDs when making a transaction, which is more convenient. The project include; the following features: Easy to navigate Interface; capability to search for the available title, author and subject of the book; compute the fine of the book when it is overdue; Inventory of books and other reference materials; and the generation of reports that they are making which are annual and quarterly statistical reports. The project will include student, employee’s alumni ledger, which will list all the reference materials that they borrowed. The report for the list of unreturned books will also be included in the project. For the students to search about the availability of books and other reference materials inside the library the researchers will include a LAN-based Public Access Catalog. All information covered within the system is in accordance with the existing book references within the library of the school. The system will only be implemented in the secondary library of Aguilar Catholic School. The system is LAN-based; it can only be accessed inside the campus. * List of Deliverables * User Manual It contains guide and associated images in how program should look like document intended to give assistance to people using a particular system, the proponents will provide a booklet that can guide them in how the system works. * Training Plan Training Plan is to define the strategies, tasks, and methods that will be used to meet the training requirements, the proponents will train the users and explain to them how the system works. The proponents will also observe and gather data while the users are using the new system. * Deployment Plan. Deployment Plan defines how software will be implemented into the organization that will access deployed applications, the proponents will make sure that the system will work properly and it will satisfy the company before letting them to use it, In the deployment plan the proponents will have to use SQL server for the database, cables for connection, barcode scanner, printer and computers for the LAN-based Public Access Catalog and for the workstations of the librarian. * Maintenance Plan It is plan that defines rate and scope of corrective and preventative maintenance for applications or software. Corrective maintenance is a reactive modification of a software product performed after delivery to correct discovered problems, Maintenance Plans are also sometimes known as Standard Operating Procedures. The procedures the proponents will be doing are Recovery Plan and Backup, Recovery plans contain detailed instructions for returning services to a working state. Backup plan or the process of backing up refers to making copies of data so that these additional copies may be used to bring back the original after a data loss event that may be due to failure or unintentionally deleted or corrupted file. CHAPTER II. ANALYSIS OF EXISTING SYSTEM Review of Existing System 0 Manual Library System Of Aguilar Catholic School Borrower Borrower Borrowers Info Book Borrowed Library card Library card Book Info Returned Book Fine info Librarian Newly acquired Books Librarian Penalty Info Reports Figure 1 Context Diagram of Existing System Figure 1 shows the general flow of the existing system within the Library of Roosevelt College. It includes different entities namely: Borrower and Librarian. An also It includes different inputs and outputs. Input are Borrowers info, library card, book info returned book, newly acquired books. Outputs are borrowed book, library card fine info, penalty info, reports. Figure 2. Diagram 0 of Existing System Figure 2 show the detail data process of existing system. First transaction begins with the borrower. Strengths * Manual system can still function without electricity. * A lesser amount of electrical equipment * Users are more familiar with the manual system Weaknesses * time-consuming transactions * Inaccurate information of students and books * Space occupied by the card catalog cabinet and steel drawers. Opportunities * Increase number of enrollees * Increase number that utilized library. * Make faster and accurate transaction using computerized system Threats * Users are not familiar with the computerized system * Computerized system cannot function without electricity * Increase in expenditures, especially in electricity * Files can be corrupted by malware and viruses REVIEW OF RELATED SYSTEMS The UE Library System is a network of eleven libraries, with the Main Library in the Manila Campus as the biggest. There are separate libraries for the Graduate School, CPA Review School, the Colleges of Law, Dentistry and Engineering, the Laboratory Schools and the Archives, as well as special rooms for audiovisual services. There are two libraries in the Caloocan campus, the main library which is the Benjamin G. Chua Jr. Library and one for the College of Engineering. The Main Library in Manila is the hub of the entire system of libraries in the campus. It is the largest among the libraries in the system. It has sections for Circulation, Reserve, CCSS Library, Acquisitions, Cataloging, Reference, Filipiniana, and Periodicals, which are housed on the second, third and fourth floors of the POD-CIT Building. Bibliographic access to the library collections is through the Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) terminals available in all the libraries. An Online Public Access Catalog or OPAC is an online database of materials held by a library or group of libraries. Users search a library catalog principally to locate books and other material physically located at a library. Users can search by inputting keywords and filter by subject, title, author and sometimes publisher and ISBN number. Additional filter may be according to the type of material, for example if it is a book, journal, magazine, thesis, newspaper, etc. Another filter is by location, if the library system is composed of several libraries like in University of the East. In the proposed system, the proponents will adopt the features similar to OPAC, but it will just be LAN-based. The student’s employees and alumni may search for the information and availability of the book according to the subject, title author, etc. and may choose to filter it by selecting the type of resource material. They may see if the book is on-shelf or not. Students and other borrowers may also use it for easy reference in making bibliography for their researches. University of San Carlos has a computerized library system. The main function of their library system is to correct information. Fast transaction and process in borrowing library materials, the services responsive to the needs of all university sectors relative curriculum and research. They are using barcode technology and swiping I. D in such an easy way to borrow and return book. Their library system has an easy to navigate feature and provide accurate reports such as user statistical report, inventory of book, list of book borrowed, penalty for the month, year, list of book per section etc. In the proposed system, the proponents will adopt the features similar to barcode technology and easy to navigate interface and can give accurate reports and eliminating human errors. Operational Definition of Terms Access Code * A sequence of letters or numbers that has to be read in to the allowed somebody to access to something such a building or telephone notebook. Accession Number * Usually auto number, it is a number assigned by the chief librarian to individual books they have in the library. Barcode Reader * It is an input device used to capture and read information contained in a bar code. Cataloguing * Is the process of preparing a catalog, or of preparing bibliographic records that will become entries in a catalog. Circulation * It engages transaction related to the circulation of periodical, books etc. and book check in and checks out. Computer Network * It is an interconnection of group of computers. Context Diagram * It illustrates the input and output between the systems. Database * Is an application that manages data and allows past storage and retrieval of data Data flow diagram * A process-modeling tool that depicts the flow of data through a system and the work or processing performed by the specific system. Keyword Searching * Allows you to retrieve information in a database by looking for the word or combination of words. Keywords can be used in general or specific, such as title or$ subject Library Card * It serves as a pass to the use of the library and its resources Librarian * Is a person who assists and helps the users in using the library services and manages all the library resources. Library * place where all books, newspaper and other reading materials were placed and a place where students can effectively study and gather information they need. Library card  * A paper card that contains student’s information together with his/ her picture that serves as their pass to borrow a book in the library. Library System * Is a library that comprises of the interrelated, computerized parts such as catalog and circulates that works together to effectively serve the users. Manual System * Processing used amount of transaction without the use of computers Shelf * It is a piece of furniture used to store books and other material which is using in a research Student Number * It is a unique identification of each student in school. SWOT  * Is a tool for auditing an organization and its environment. It is the first stage of planning and helps marketers to focus on key issues. SWOT stands for strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Strength and weaknesses are internal factor. Opportunities and threats are external factor. CHAPTER III SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGY Requirements specification Software Design & coding Integration Testing Deployment Maintenance Figure Modified Waterfall Model The proponents chose to use the modified waterfall model for the development of the software because it is simple and easy to follow. Another reason is that modified waterfall model is suitable when the specification and requirements are clearly stated and static and the project is smaller in size. Since Library systems have the same requirement s as those of any other library systems, it is the ideal model to use. Modified waterfall model also has advantage to go back to previous stage if there are mistakes done in any phase. Requirements Specification One of the most important tasks in the development of is gathering and defining the requirements for the project. Software requirements specification means that researchers should have a basic understanding of what is going to be developed. The proponents conducted several interviews with the company to understand and identify the problems with their existing system and to specify what features they want the proposed system to have. The researchers also did studies about the related systems in order to know the real transactions and to have an idea on how to design the proposed system. Software design & coding Determines the system’s framework to meet the specified requirements. The design defines the major components and the interaction of those components, but the design does not define the structure of each component. The proponents will do major coding in this phase. The proponents will divide the system into subsystems so that coding will be done by small parts and will later be integrated as a whole system. Integration Is the bringing together of the component subsystems into one system and ensuring that the subsystems function together as a system. It is also the process of linking together different computing systems and software applications physically or functionally. The proponents in this phase will now connect together the subsystems into one system. Testing Determines whether the software meets the specified requirements and finds any errors present in the code before deploying it. The proponents will test wither the system is working properly as one system and to detect errors before presenting it to Aguilar Catholic School. Deployment This is the phase of the project where the developed software will be installed, documentation will be delivered, and client training will occur. In this phase, the proponents will now deploy the equipment and the software in the library. They will have to connect the workstation of librarian and LAN base public access catalogue by the use of cables. Maintenance After the project is deployed, unexpected events can happen. This is why the proponents will continue maintenance and support as part of the software development process. This support will become an evolving process and is essential in making sure that the software continues to perform as expected. Figure 4. System Framework of Proposed System Figure 4 shows the details of the system, all its input and outputs which will be part of the system processes. Figure 5. Context Diagram of Proposed System Figure 6. Diagram 0 of Proposed System Testing and Evaluation Procedure After developing the system, the next step is to test and evaluate its acceptability. This section discusses how testing and evaluation is done. Evaluation Instrument The following were criteria of the evaluation instrument which will serve as the basis of the acceptable level of the system. Numerical Rating| Range| Descriptive Equivalent| 5| 4. 51 – 5. 00| Highly Acceptable| 4| 3. 51 – 4. 50| Acceptable| 3| 2. 51 – 3. 50| Moderately Acceptable| 2| 1. 51 – 2. 50| Slightly Acceptable| 1| 1. 00 – 1. 50| Not Acceptable| Content It will test the accuracy of the proposed prototype as well as its up to date contents. Functionality It includes comprehensively the ease from worries or problems in operation, provision for comfort and convenience and easy to understand by the end – users. Reliability In compliance to desire result, accuracy of performance, the system should be able to give the desired result to the possible end-user of the system. Availability The system will be able to perform operations according to the specifications, provision for security requirements and having all the required by the system. Maintainability It includes the testability of the system, ease of being maintained, provision for diagnostic tools and procedure, and provision enhancement. Statistical Treatment of Data In this section the results gathered from testing and evaluation was being interpreted using appropriate statistical tools. The proponents will set a criterion that specifically address to the end users and technical experts. 1 means Not Acceptable; 2 means Slightly Acceptable; 3 is for Moderately Acceptable; 4 is for Acceptable; and 5 Highly Acceptable. The accomplished testing and evaluation forms will be collected for interpreting its result. To compute the mean, Mean (M) = F (x1 + x2 + xn) / n Where F = Frequency of number of time that the given number(x) was chosen by the respondents as rating for a given criterion x1 , x2 , xn = represent any of the numerical rating 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. To compute the weighted mean, WM = ? F (x1 + x2 + xn) / n Where ? F (x1 + x2 + xn) / n = represents the sum of all means (M) of each criteria. n = is the total number of criteria of evaluation.