Tag Archive - Technology

Posterous

July 8, 2009 in features, Technology with 1 Comment

I’ve been playing around with posterous.com, a site that allows you to easily post pretty much everything and then decide where it goes from there. So far, I like it a lot.

After you set it up, all you do is send an email to posterous.com, and using different addresses, you tell it where it should post to besides your posterous account. Everything you post goes to your posterous stream, too.

I like it because I can post pictures and video to different places just by attaching them to an email and sending it off. Usually within a minute it is posted to both my posterous account and my flickr account. If I want, I can also post it to my facebook or twitter accounts. I’ve given my posterous account the name: Life and Other Things…Everything I can think about right now, because that is exactly how I use it. It’s a way to share experiences and what I’m thinking.

It’s just simply an easy way to get content out there. I’m excited about the possibilities. I can even post to this blog by sending an email to posterous. How cool is that?

Baseball on the iPhone

June 23, 2009 in Baseball, Technology with 1 Comment


If you follow me on twitter or know me personally, you probably already know I have grown to be quite a baseball fan, especially the Tampa Bay Rays. We’ve watched them since they were born and have been through some rough years. All that changed last year with their first ever World Series appearance and this year with 3 Rays on the verge of making the All-Star team. Then along comes this.

You can now watch MLB baseball on your iPhone or iPod touch. I haven’t bought the app because you only get 2 games per day and I’m not sure I want to shell out $10 for it. But, it’s great to see major sports league using technology to improve the fan experience. Go Rays!!

Check out the MLB iPhone app TV commercial here.

Open Source Church

April 24, 2009 in Church, Technology with 0 Comments

I’ve already said that I’m a big fan of free ministry resources. One of the biggest providers of free resources for churches is LifeChurch.tv. In this video, their pastor, Craig Groeschel tells a little about their church and the resources they offer.

Let’s not be afraid to share resources in the church.

You can read the transcript here.

What your pastor REALLY thinks of your blackberry

April 17, 2009 in Culture, Technology, Youth Ministry with 0 Comments

I’ve noticed that more and more people are using cell phone technology in more places, and I’ve begun to deal with it in the classroom setting as well. It’s not uncommon for one of my students to check their cell phone for messages during class.

I’ll have to admit, sometimes it irritates me, although it doesn’t phase them. A recent survey says that baby boomers and Gen Y see the use of cell phones during meetings in different ways. I would have to agree.

Even 57 percent of Gen Y respondents think that it is “impolite” (compared to 67 percent of Baby Boomers). But the Gen Y workers surveyed can deal with it better. Only 49 percent find such behavior “distracting,” while 68 percent of Baby Boomers did. And so it goes, younger workers also tend to find such multi-tasking during meetings more productive (Gen Y: 35% versus Boomers: 20%) and efficient (Gen Y: 35%; Boomers: 17%). While Gen Xers find them to be the most unavoidable (29% versus 21% for Gen Y and 17% for Boomers).

When I whip out my iPhone during a meeting (or church service – which I’ve been known to do), I should probably consider who is with me in the meeting. If I’m with a group of my students, they won’t see it as distracting (49%) as my baby boomer friends do (68%)

So think twice the next time you’re in a meeting and you get buzzed by your phone. Will you take it out or not?

See the whole survey here: Survey Says Baby Boomers Think Playing With Your Blackberry During A Meeting Is Rude

(Image by: Marvin Kuo on flickr)

10 Books for Youth Workers

March 9, 2009 in Technology, Youth Ministry with 0 Comments

Last week, Amazon released the Kindle App for the iPhone. I love the fact that I can download newer books online and read them on my iphone regardless of where I am.

Since I can’t go to the bookstore and pick up the latest books, having the ability to buy ebooks from Amazon is very appealing to me.

Here are ten books that I’d love to read on my iPhone. All these books would be great for youth workers. Which books from the Kindle Store would you recommend?

  1. When Church Kids Go Bad
  2. Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture
  3. Youth Ministry Survival Guide: How to Thrive and Last for the Long Haul
  4. 101 Ideas for Making Disciples in Your Youth Group
  5. The New Breed: Understanding and Equipping the 21st Century Volunteer
  6. Getting Fired for the Glory of God: Collected Words of Mike Yaconelli for Youth Workers
  7. Youth Ministry 3.0
  8. The Pirate’s Dilemma: How Youth Culture Is Reinventing Capitalism
  9. Comparative Youth Culture
  10. Communicating for a Change: Seven Keys to Irresistible Communication

I’m looking forward to reading some of these on my iphone. What do you think of the new Kindle app?

Check out my post on using my iphone to improve my spiritual life.

Using My iPhone to Improve My Spiritual Life

November 26, 2008 in features, Personal Growth, Technology with 2 Comments

I recently purchased a used 1st generation iPhone, and since then it has become an extension of my arm. In fact, I think I might be addicted. But I could stop using it anytime I want. Really, I could. I’m not addicted.

Seriously, though, I have learned to use my iPhone to help me in my spiritual life. Here are 5 ways I’m using it to improve my walk with God:

  1. Note taking: I take notes in church and in chapel on my iPhone. Everyone thinks I’m just text messaging someone (or twittering), but the truth is I really have been taking notes. Then I email my notes to myself and file them in a folder listed “sermon notes” in my gmail. Since gmail is easily searchable, I can always look for a certain topic or passage.

    I also use it to take notes in my personal Bible study time. Then I email it and file it away.

  2. Devotion alarm: The Calendar application is set to remind me everyday that it is time to do my devotions. That’s pretty easy to do on any cell phone, but it helps me to actually DO IT if I schedule it.

    I’m also thinking about setting an alarm to beep every hour to remember to pray for certain missionaries. I haven’t done this yet, but it might help me specifically pray for certain friends of mine who are serving in other countries.

  3. Praying for my contacts: I’ve begun to go through the contact list that is in my iphone (synced with my google contacts with nuevasync). I pray for a letter a day, and by the end of the month, I’ve prayed for everyone that is in my contact list.

    I also use the facebook app to pray for my facebook friends alphabetically.

  4. Youversion: I read and bookmark Bible verses in Youversion. Although I like to use the full Youversion website even more than the mobile version, it helps me as I can scroll through various versions of the Bible.
  5. Worship: The iphone is also an iPod, so I use it to listen to worship music during my time with God. Mark Batterson talks about having a worship playlist to help you wake up. It’s a great idea.

Bonus: You can also listen to podcasts and view sermons on the iphone. I haven’t tried this yet due to lack of time to actually listen to or watch anything, but I can see how this would help improve your spiritual life.

Any other ideas for using your iPhone or iPod touch to improve your spiritual health?

Oh…by the way, you can get a free iPhone here. My friend has signed up and gotten TONS of free stuff from this site. Check it out.

iPod turns seven

October 29, 2008 in features, Personal Growth, Technology with 0 Comments

Last week, Apple celebrated the seventh birthday of the iPod. You can check out a visual journey of the iPod’s evolution here).

Before I had an iPod, I had a little MP3 player (a Diamond Rio) that held about 32MB of songs. I thought it was so cool. Then, I bought a Dell Jukebox, which was a great product with a better price than an iPod.

Finally, a few years ago, I delved into the dark world of Apple and begged allowed my wonderful wife to buy me a “video iPod.” She even got it engraved. I recently purchased a used 1st gen iPhone (which I love). Technology has certainly come a long way in 7 years.

I say all of that to say how much changes in 7 years. Technology surely changes, but also our lives, relationships, and ministries.

Seven years ago, I was a youth pastor at a local church in Florida. Now, I live in a completely different country and have a different job description. Now, I have two sons and a lot of different relationships all over Latin America.

I guess, my question is, “What’s going to happen in 7 more years?” Imagine what the iPod/iPhone will be like in 7 years. Imagine what your life will look like in seven years. I’m hoping that, like technology, my ministry and life continue to advance and get better throughout the years.

(Photo by happylandfill on flickr)

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