Slide
Programs
by
Pastor Jack Vanden Heuvel
I have been
making slide programs since 1965. These programs combine color slide
photography with music
and narration. I am a nature nut. Photographing nature gives me a way to share
with you the exciting things I see! I also like beautiful music, so it is fun to
put the two together. Combining beautiful pictures with beautiful music
enhances both and is aesthetically exciting! The photography varies from
wide angle scenic
shots, to telephoto, to close ups, to abstracts,to people. Abundant themes are
woven through these programs that serve as
a catalyst for meditation and worship.
Length is usually 40-45 minutes.
1. THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH: THE PRAIRIE AND THE WOODLANDS
(2005)
God created a beautiful world for us to live in! From pasch flowers coming
up after a prairie burn, to porcupine grass growing on virgin prairie, the
Rockford Prairie, children’s faces, to autumn along a Lake Superior
beach near Paradise in Upper Michigan, come and see the beauty of the earth!
God makes things beautiful and tantalizes our aesthetic sense. Music includes
Breathe by Hungry, Forever by Chris Tomlin, and Abba
I Belong to You by Peder
Eide.
2. IMAGES FROM ISAIAH: THE ARIZONA DESERT AND ISRAEL (2005)
The book of Isaiah is filled with powerful images. I look at images like
God giving us a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair, and the
suffering servant images of Isaiah 53, closing with a picture of shalom.
While talking with a Jewish professor, he noted the similarities of the Arizona
desert with the Negev of Israel. Photography includes scenes of saguaro cacti
and desert birds like the Gila woodpecker, to Israel scenes of the Sea of
Galilee, Jerusalem and the Western Wall of the temple mount, the desert,
and the Mediterranean Sea. Songs vary from Garments of Praise by Revival
in Belfast, Jesus Lover of My Soul by Hillsong, The Wonderful Cross, and
some black style Sacred Steel.
3. THE ROCKY
PLACES (2005)
The American West is full of Rocky Places. I begin in the Colorado Rocky
mountains near Ouray at Yankee Boy Basin in July, considered by many to be
the best in the world for wildflowers. See prairie smoke flowers on the top
of Grand Mesa. I also go to Arches National Park, Monument Valley, a brief
stop at Canyon lands, and then Yosemite in Springtime. Music includes How
Great Thou Art, Here I Am to Worship, and Shout to the Lord.
4. FROM THE PRAIRIE TO THE PACIFIC
(2005)
I begin with bird photography, then show the beauty of many prairie flowers,
and scenes from the Konza prairie in Kansas. Then we move briefly through the
Great Sand Dunes of Colorado and some of the rocky places, and spend time on
the beaches of the Pacific Ocean around Los Angeles, especially Dana Point, Laguna
Beach, and Santa Barbra. Music includes Darlene Zschech singing Amazing Grace,
The Love of God by Mercy, Sheila Walsh doing Here Is Love Vast as the Ocean,
and All for Jesus by Revival in Belfast.
5. THE MOUNTAINS ARE CALLING (2002)
The eccentric naturalist John Muir said, "The mountains are calling,
and I must go!" I have always felt like that too. It was exciting for
me to make this program! It includes photography of Yellowstone National
Park, the Grand Tetons, and the Colorado Rockies. It also has people photography
in it. Contemporary music includes Come, Now is the Time to Worship, You
Are a Holy God, Everywhere I Go, and Shout to the North and the South. The
mountains show the power and majesty of God, and it is a great atmosphere
for worship and joy.
6. PRAIRIE PONDERINGS (2002)
I have become increasingly appreciative of the prairie. This program focuses
on these grasslands, especially Iowa. I also have a whole section on Spring
wildflowers, and specifically identify various kinds. For variety, I also
throw in a section on a trip I made to Belarus, where I taught Bible to
some young church leaders for a couple weeks at an Academy. There is some
beautiful music including Child of God by Hungry, and Lord You Have My
Heart, by Delirious, and the great nature and symphony background music
of Dan Gibson with the narration.
7. THE OCEANS OF OREGON
(2002)
The photography in this program centers on the ocean.
The Oregon coast line is astounding, mainly because of
the unique rocky shoreline and the stacks of rocks in the breaking surf.
Most of the pictures were taken from
Bandon south. Harris Beach was our favorite area, and
here my wife and I camped. Ocean waves often sound during the narration,
and there are many lighthouses
shown, including the famous Haceta Head. I also include a series on the Big
Trees, the Redwood forests of Northern California Coastline. Music includes
Be the Center, and I Surrender by Hungry, and closes with my favorite, Shout
to the Lord!
8. HOLY GROUND (2) (1999)
This program is like Holy Ground (1) in that it uses quotations from the
Psalms. Worship, prayer, stillness,
and solitude characterize the themes. A variety of photography in the midwest
includes some shots along the Mississippi River in summer, and Galena. There
are also pictures of Florida wading birds, and the Rocky Mountains. Music
includes classical, Amy Grant, and ends with a personal favorite song of
praise, "Shout to the Lord."
9. THANKSGIVING AND JOY! (1999)
Themes and stories of thanksgiving in the context of mountains and grizzly
make this especially appropriate for October and November, though anytime
of the year is fine. There is also a section on the four seasons, on beaches,
and closes with a focus on joy and heaven with "When the Roll is Called
Up Yonder," by Twila Paris. Mountain and autumn photography predominate,
with the last song on the beaches of Florida. Includes music by Michael
Card and Hillsong.
10. DARKNESS TO LIGHT (1999)
Though there is much darkness in life, there is also light, and we must always
seek to see, what for me is a symbol of hope--the color purple, symbolized
here by the cosmos flower. We ask the Lord to shine on us with his warmth,
love, and grace. Part of the way he does this is through friends. My eclectic
musical tastes become obvious here when I include electric guitar, a unique
a cappella rendition of "Kum Ba Ya" by Cynthia Clawson, a country
song cut by a friend and I, Leann Rimes doing "Amazing Grace," and
Kathy Tricolli with the closing "Hold Out Your Candle!" Photography
varies widely from autumn leaves to people, cosmos flowers, and ocean beaches.
45 minutes
11. NEW ENGLAND IN AUTUMN (1996)
My wife Karen and I took a camping trip in autumn to the New England states
in celebration of our 25th wedding anniversary. We had both wanted to tour
this area all our life, but never had. We went from upstate New York to
Acadia National park on the ocean in Maine, and then dipped to Boston and
Cape Cod. The photography was all done in early October of 1995. Music
and narration include the themes of the faithfulness of God and being thankful.
12. THE GREAT SPIRIT (1996)
The opening of this program is rooted in a love for the earth, and reflections
on what it would have been like to experience the land as the Native Americans
experienced it. Unique to this program is a section on Christmas, when
the Spirit of God became flesh and lived among us. I also take a little
fun time to talk about what I think heaven will be like. Music varies from
native American flute music to Chicago style blues by Glenn Kaiser. Photography
includes the Leelanau Peninsula of Michigan, and the Colorado Rockies.
13. THOUGHTS, POEMS, AND SONGS (1996)
This program features a section on prairie flowers. Meditative thoughts include
a quotation about the value of goose music from the famous A Sand County
Almanac by Aldo Leopold, and the line by George MacDonald, What idea could
we have of God without the sky? Music is contemporary. Photography includes
the Colorado Rockies, autumn color along Lake Michigan, a red headed woodpecker,
the sound of a fog horn, and bull elk locking antlers high on the Continental
Divide.
14. THE HUMAN SONG (1993)
A 50 minute program, it goes fast. The program starts out with music that
stands on its own two feet with no photography, just beautiful music of regular
humans like Enya, Cowboy Junkies and Bob Dylan, dealing with the beauty of
good music, and then thematically shifts toward the theme of home. I am reminded
of the prayer of St. Augustine, Lord, you have made us for yourself, and
our hearts are restless til they rest in you. I include a story about old
Charley, the bee man. Other music includes Kenny G. and Michael W. Smith,
and ends with the Edwin Hawkins Singers. The photography is exciting, ranging
from flower photography to mystic autumn shots along the Mississippi River,
a horseback ride in Montana mountains, and the ocean. It is a personal favorite.
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