Tag: technology

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ICEBREAKER QUESTIONS // App Giveaway

My friend Calum Henderson has followed up his killer GROUP GAMES iPhone App with another solid Youth Ministry tool. Calum’s latest release in his Group Games Network is the ICEBREAKER QUESTIONS iPhone App. Check out the short intro vid:

Here’s the official blurb:

Have you ever led a small group and needed a quick question to find out a little something about others?

Have you ever interviewed someone and wanted a non-standard question to get to know a bit more about who they really are?

Have you ever been in an awkward conversation and needed something to kickstart things?

Then this App is for you!

I regularly use Group Games and I’m sure that IceBreaker Questions will likewise be useful in our kids and youth ministry at St Faith’s.

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).

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10 WEBSITES/APPS TO HELP YOU HEAR THE WORD OF GOD

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.”

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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 “10 WEBSITES/APPS TO HELP YOU HEAR THE WORD OF GOD”

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5 Reasons to do Video News at Youth Group

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:

  1. 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
  2. You can be much more concise with your announcements.
  3. People who miss a week of youth group can catch up with the news online.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

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Two Ways To Live // On iPhone and iPad

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.

Click here for more info.

Not a Christian? Check out the outline for free online. Read here about the King who Saves and Rules. Contact me if you’re keen to chat further.

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Time-Lapse + Stop Motion // Frameographer

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 :)

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Online Youth Ministry – Resources

“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

HERE ARE MY SLIDES FROM THE WORKSHOP

Here are websites I referred to that aren’t on the slides:

Talks will be available for download from the NYMC website.

If there’s anything else I said that I’d put on line that I haven’t… let me know!

If you’ve got any questions, feel free to contact me, or if they might be helpful for other people – leave them in the comments below.

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