Microsoft has included a nifty feature in the most recent versions of PowerPoint that automatically saves a copy of your presentation at user definable intervals. If your computer crashes or the program stops responding (I realize how unlikely either scenario sounds), you should be able to recover the majority of your lost work. This feature can be accessed by going to tools and options, and selecting the save tab.

One of the great things about computers is that file folders are free and you don't have to drive to the office supply store to get them. All of your presentations should be saved in a PowerPoint folder located in the "My Documents" folder. However if you simply save them in the PowerPoint folder you will waste valuable time scrolling down through hundreds of files looking for that specific file you need right now. To simplify your search set up several new folders under PowerPoint. What you ultimately decide to name your folders is a personal decision but at a minimum you should have individual folders for your sermons, services, announcements and songs. Other folders can be added based on your needs. It's also handy to have an archived folder in which you can keep older sermon files in the infinitely remote chance that you decide to preach a message a second time. Gasp!

(As an aside, one of my professors at Bible College once told me if a sermon isn't good enough to preach twice it isn't good enough to preach once.)

I would not be responsible if I didn't speak to the topic of backing up your work. Two things that should be noted. The first is, anyone who doesn't back up their files deserves to lose them. The second is, I've lost more files through the years then I can count. Sermons, PowerPoint presentations, Spreadsheets... you name it, I've lost it. But I am trying to save my work more. (The key word in that sentence being "trying.") With the technology that is now available on computers, there is no reason why you can't back-up your documents every week or at least once a month. Drop a rewritable CD into you CD writer and you can back up 600 meg while you go for coffee. No excuses. But if you are not a back-up kind of person, you still won't do it often enough. That is your choice, but do the rest of us a favor: when you lose your work don't whine about it.

(Article © Denn Guptill / PowerPoint4Preaching.com, used with permission)