I’ve clicked through a significant number of the random questions in this new App. They are creative, interesting, funny and would certainly be great conversation starters. I have a ridiculous number of apps on my phone. This one is probably the simplest! It does what it says it will do.
Want a free copy? I have 3 to give away. The first 3 people to say “ICE BREAK ME” in the comments of this blog post… it’s yours. If you miss out – it only costs 99c. Get on it!
I also have 2 free copies of Group Games App. First 2 people to say “GROUP GAMES” in the comments… it’s yours. (You can’t enter both competitions).
James chapter one shows the importance of HEARING and HEEDING the word of God. Verse 21 says to “humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.” And verse 22 challenges us to do something with what we hear, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
During my recent sermon on James 1 (you can listen to it here) I gave 5 websites/apps that can help you turn your smart phone from a distraction into a device that helps you listen to the Word of God.
Here are the 5 websites/apps I mentioned in the sermon: Continue Reading…
The Green Door is a youth group news that we’ve produced 4 times during the past term at Soulies Youth Community. See them all here. Watch the latest one below:
Here are 5 reasons they are good to do in your youth ministry:
It’s using a visual medium. Like it or hate it, young punks watch screens. Here’s a way to use a medium they know
You can be much more concise with your announcements.
People who miss a week of youth group can catch up with the news online.
Production is cheap. With more money and resources we could do much better videos. BUT armed with a decent smart phone and some basic software anyone can produce ‘good enough’ quality vids.
Production time is minimal. The video above took 50 minutes to produce. 10 mins to script. 10 mins to film. 30 minutes to edit and export.
Two Ways To Live is my favourite gospel outline. Learning it as an 18 year old was helpful for my own understanding of the good news of Jesus. Likewise, it has been an amazing tool that has given me a framework for explaining to others the ‘two ways to live’. Matthias Media have recently released two fantastic apps: Two Ways To Live (for iPhone and iPad) and Two Ways To Live Plus (for iPad only).
Both of them are fantastic tools for Christians to have in their pockets/backpacks and there is the option to gift it to someone else.
The basic app comes with the two ways to live outline, with the option to read it or listen to it explained. The plus app includes the outline and some extra video content. There are 13 answers to common questions about Christianity and a few people sharing their own story of becoming a Christian.
Studio Neat are producing some great iPhone + iPad accessories. I recently picked up the Glif, Serif, and Ligature – it’s a mount so that you can attach an iPhone to a tripod. We’ve been producing lots of vids for Soulies using our phones, so it should come in really handy. Likewise, the Cosmonaut (wide-grip stylus for tablet devices) seems to be really useful. Finally, Frameographer is a cheap app that makes some great time-lapse and stop motion movies on your phone in HD. Here’s a quick test I did with the app + glif:
Postage was really quick. Check them out (read about their fresh approach to consumer products here). Have a rad weekend :)
“A ‘Digital Native’ is someone who has grown up in a digital and web-connected world. How do we effectively minister to ‘Digital Natives’? The Internet brings with it great dangers as well as incredible opportunities. How can we teach our young people to avoid the harmful while leveraging it for good? This seminar will not just raise the questions; it will give you an achievable strategy for developing an effective web presence for your youth ministry. This includes creating a website, using social media and protecting children online.”
The above is a blurb for a 3 hour workshop I ran today at National Youth Ministry Convention (NYMC). Did I deliver? You might need to ask someone else! But it seemed to be a useful time for people with plenty of good interaction. I really appreciate the collective wisdom that can be gleaned from that type of forum. My prayer is that youth ministries would unleash the internet for good that Jesus would be made famous and God glorified
Steve Jobs, co-founder of technology giant Apple, died today aged 56. Jobs had an extraordinary impact upon our world. The internet (well, at least twitter) was almost in meltdown following the death of this godlike figure. I’m sure tributes will continue to flow.
My bible reading has taken a bit of a hit lately. Is it because of our expanding family? Not really. I’ve had plenty of time, I’ve simply been lazy and ill-disciplined. It’s time for me to enforce “No Bible No Blog”. I find I’m often distracted by blogs, twitter, facebook, SBS World News app (it’s amazing!) and the like. I need to make sure that before hearing what other people think, I kick off the day hearing what God thinks.
I’ve heard of others that have operated with “No Bible No Breakfast”. You might be easily distracted like me. Maybe you need some self-control in a wired-world, or something else. Whatever it is, prioritise time with God before anything else. Not because God accepts you based on your bible reading performance, but because the Word of God is gooood, what better way to start the day!!
Great article on the life and death of the Apple iPod in the SMH. Some really interesting comments on the iPod as the “first cultural icon of the 21st century”. Here’s a snippet:
Apple has changed the way we think about technology and design, the way we shop, the way we consume media and the way we interact with each other. Via the iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad it has opened up doors for other methods of technology to come into our lives. None of that would have happened without the iPod. “It was the first cultural icon of the 21st century,” says Dr Michael Bull, a lecturer in media and film at the University Of Sussex, south-east England, where his studies on the sociology around the MP3 player have earned him the sobriquet “Professor iPod”. “It was the first MP3 player that really worked. With the earlier ones you had to get down on your knees and pray to get a bit of music out of them. And it became symbolic of the way people like to move around in cities. It fitted the desire for a technological freedom, whereby you moved to your own soundscape. Roland Barthes argued that, in medieval society, cathedrals were the iconic form. Then by the 1950s it had become the car – the Citroen DS. I argue that 50 years later it was the iPod, this technology that let you fit your whole world in your pocket. It was representative of a key moment in the social world of the 21st century.”
Check out this recent interview with Carlos Whittaker (from ragamuffinsoul). He discusses the power of social media and how authentic community can be created through it.
One of the things I love about Los is the way he takes opportunities to point people to Jesus. In the above video, he is able to speak about Jesus being the way, the truth and the life. That’s cool.
Mid-year exams rock my Winter. We’re currently on StuVac at the moment. Next week it’s game time. So Moore College crew get your exam prep tweets on with this hashtag: #MooreExamFest. I figured the World Cup (pray for it) is on, lots of festivities, let’s make a festival of exam study!! (Probably the single most nerd thing I’ve ever typed!)
There were quite a few peeps who got in the action for #MTCexamcram09. It was good. Here are the 3 reasons from last year:
I’m motivated to study because I see others studying
There are gems among the quotes, reflections and bible verses being shared
It’s a fun and maybe (?) useful way to use social media
Follow the action in the widget above or by clicking here.
If you are a young punk or a leader of young punks – you need to check out this website: FERVR.NET. It has fresh content everyday: articles, reviews & videos.
Scott Petty and Nicky Baker are my favourite Youth Pastors. They’re doing great work with Christ Church Youth in St Ives, Sydney. The current series they are teaching is from 1 Corinthians, Don’t Want to be a Corinthian Idiot. Check out the intro video below:
Check out the podcast. Subscribe in iTunes. Check out their archives. These are some of the best youth sermons that you will find online.
Interested in podcasting your own youth group sermons? 4 tips:
Record them. Use an mp3 player or an iPhone or a laptop or a sound desk.
Set up a free podcasting account at podomatic.com – it’s simple to use.
Tell your youth group to check out the website and subscribe to new talks.
If you answered “yes”, you must go and check out the new 8Bit Network. I’ve been a long time fan of John Saddington and his site ChurchCrunch. ChurchCrunch has now been massively beefed up into a whole network of sites aiming to “resource the church with timely, relevant, practical, and exceptionally valuable content.” It includes ChurchCrunch, ChurchIT, ChurchCreate and ChurchDrop. See below for deets…
ChurchCrunch focuses its coverage on web apps/services/technology, blogging, strategy, business/entrepreneurship, and community development.
ChurchIT focuses its coverage on all types of geekery, like software, hardware, networking, and other assorted technologies.
ChurchCreate focuses its coverage on art/design, environment production and development, video/audio engineering, and assorted technologies.
ChurchDrop focuses its coverage on mobile devices, software, web apps, services, and technology.
Best of 2009 round 1: Albums. Round 2: iPhone Apps. I’ve had an iPhone for about 4 months. It really has been a handy productivity tool, and it also makes phone calls! The following are Applications that I use most days.
Trip View Lite - super smart and super useful train (and bus + ferry) timetable. The paid version enables you to save your favourite trips. Triperrific.
Dictionary.com - the best thing about this app is that you don’t need to be connected to the internet to use it. Also has a thesaurus. Wordelicious.
Cash Trails - we enter spending into this app and then email it weekly as a spreadsheet. Good for keeping an eye on spending and budgeting. Cashtastic.
Ultimate To Do - there are a billion ‘to-do’ apps. This one syncs with toodledo and follows the principles from David Allen and the GTDcult system. Just do it.
ABC News + Media - good up-to-date news and other media from different ABC websites. ABC are leading the way in Oz in embracing new media. Sexy news.
Check out this post from May. It links to some great resources available via iTunes U. In particular there is a course on Reformation Church History – MP3′s and full manuscript.
If you happen to be studying for an exam for tomorrow they could be worth a look. To maximise your time, play them back at twice the normal speed. Two ways to do this:
If you have an iPhone – there is a double/half playback feature when listening to Podcasts. Double it up!!
VLC player. It’s the bomb. Download it. Install it. Then once you’ve opened the file click on “playback” in the menu and you can make it go as fast as your ears can handle!! (VLC is available for MAC and PC)
Warm fuzzy for the name of the English Reformer (above) martyred in 1556.
It’s exam time. Last year I wrote a stack of posts as part of my prep. This year, I’m not sure if you’ll see any blog posts (other than this one) or not! However, yesterday I tried a little experiment on twitter. Here’s where it started: Yo #MTC Moore college peeps. Tweet what ur studying 2day & how ur encouraged by it. Use this hashtag thing: #MTCexamcram09 (from here). Check out the live feed below:
Here’s what I like about the experiment:
I’m motivated to study because I see others studying
There are gems among the quotes, reflections and bible verses being shared
It’s a fun and maybe (?) useful way to use social media
Go join in if you’re using twitter and/or follow the live feed above – or here on twitter
