Software Help Needed

     Computers have made our work much easier; and as the technology has improved so has our ministry potential. Thus, in general, it was a great blessing to recently upgrade our computer hardware and software. This included a huge jump up from version 3.1 to version 8.1 of QuarkXPress. What a difference this has made in our page layout ability for our Bible study texts! Likewise, our blog is now possible because of recent upgrades. Not everything has been easy, however.

      I love to write using database software that I customize myself. Thus, for example, most of my extensive work on Psalm 119 is in a custom database, material that would require over 1,000 pages if it were all in printed form. But since it is instead in a database program I can search it easily to find just what I want, whenever I want. 

     Over the years, I became an expert using an old Mac only database program, Helix Express. This, however, does not work well on our new system. Thus, I am switching to Filemaker Pro Advanced version 10. This is a great program that will eventually allow me to do more work and even produce material that others can use on both Mac's and PC's. However, since this is a new program to me, it is hard work adjusting. Whereas I was an expert with Helix yesterday, today, I am just a beginner with Filemaker. 

      It is important that I get up to speed as quickly as possible, to move forward with projects large and small. Putting our mailing list into Filemaker should be easy, though time consuming, as there are templets readily available. However, creating a custom database for topical studies on all the questions in the Bible will be much more difficult. Even so, having such a database is the key to not being "hit and miss" in our great "In Quest Bible Studies" series, for theme studies on evangelistic questions, messianic questions, youth questions, and many other topics.

     I have a couple Filemaker "how-to" books. But personal, hands-on  instruction from an expert, would be far better. Also, I would love to have a like-minded, Christian programmer to work with long-term on this and other projects.  Does anyone have any suggestions?