I've told you before about the usefulness of the social networking phenomena called Facebook. I still believe that it is a useful tool and serves to give people more of a sense of connectedness. However, there are hazards you need to be aware of when using this software.
First, being connected is good, but master the art of using security and privacy settings. Another post will go into more detail about the mechanics of this, but the understanding the reasons for doing so are important. If you have been using Facebook for long you will know that your list of 'friends' can grow quite long. One associate of mine has over 400 'friends'. These can be immediate family, close relatives, work associates, church people and people who know people whom you know (AKA strangers!). You do not necessarily want everyone in each of these groups knowing everything about your life. Learn how to handle the privacy settings to limit access to your information.
Second, when dealing with church people (and sometimes family, too) you might find out a lot about other people's lives. Sometimes you don't want to know that much. Recently I have been dealing with some people who I found were leading double lives, one as pious church-goers, and the second as full-on party people with an offensive sense of humor. Some of the things they were getting into made it onto my 'Wall', which caused questions about the company I was keeping. When confronted about it, they grew hostile. Sometimes it is better to distance yourself from such people.
In another instance I joined a legitimate group on Facebook dealing with ministry. However, the kind of ministry this group was involved in offended the sensibilities of someone else I knew. I was told I was "obviously backsliding" because no real Christian would be involved in such a ministry.
Third, Facebook and other social networking sites can take up large amounts of time better spent in other activities. They can suck up your day and leave you wondering what you did. Limit your time to something reasonable and stick to it.
The lesson here is that social networking sites are tools. Like any tool they can be used for good or ill. Be aware of the pitfalls and avoid them as best you can.
.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Review: Holiness Data Ministries
Title: Holiness Data Ministries
Format: Website, DVD
Website: http://www.icehouse.net/hdm/
Hard to find classic publications in the Holiness tradition, scanned into electronic format. Also Powerpoint slides of various materials including hymns and songs.
PROS
Huge collection of hard-to-find works.
Available via 'free will' offering.
CONS
Currently available only via DVD
SUMMARY
Need to find a rare text from Samuel Logan Brengle, William Booth or Phineas Bresee? Check here first!
Dorothea and Duane Maxey have been doing this ministry as a work of love since the early 1990's, recognizing that many classic works in the holiness tradition needed to be converted into electronic format in order to be disseminated and saved from disappearance. Currently, they have over 5,000 works available on their DVD. They used to offer their scanned materials on their website, but with the collection growing so large it is available only on DVD now. The Maxeys will send a particular work via email if requested. All services are offered on a 'free will' basis.
It's hard to beat this one! 9.5 out of 10!
.
Review: Tiger Census Data Mapper
Title: Tiger Census Data Mapper
Format: Website
Website: http://tiger.census.gov/cgi-bin/mapbrowse-tbl/
Interactive site allowing customized demographic mapping of communities in the USA.
PROS
Extensive mapping capability.
Allows customized overlays.
Freely available to anyone.
CONS
Demographic data is based on the 1990 Decenniel census and 1998 Tiger Line data, so it is a bit outdated, but it is still useful if combined with other sources.
SUMMARY
This site offers some very exciting tools for the churchplanter or pastor. Maps of any area can be generated and modified using custom overlays for various factors, both physical and demographic. The biggest problem is the age of the data, which can still be useful when showing trends in combination with other data sources.
Only because of the age of the data, this site ranks 4 out of 10.
.
Format: Website
Website: http://tiger.census.gov/cgi-bin/mapbrowse-tbl/
Interactive site allowing customized demographic mapping of communities in the USA.
PROS
Extensive mapping capability.
Allows customized overlays.
Freely available to anyone.
CONS
Demographic data is based on the 1990 Decenniel census and 1998 Tiger Line data, so it is a bit outdated, but it is still useful if combined with other sources.
SUMMARY
This site offers some very exciting tools for the churchplanter or pastor. Maps of any area can be generated and modified using custom overlays for various factors, both physical and demographic. The biggest problem is the age of the data, which can still be useful when showing trends in combination with other data sources.
Only because of the age of the data, this site ranks 4 out of 10.
.
Review: Community Demographics Report site
Title: Community Demographics Report
Format: Website
Website: http://map.nazarene.org
Interactive site allowing research on demographics of communities in the continental US.
PROS
Fairly extensive reporting.
Allows download into MS Excel sheets for offline research.
Freely available to anyone.
CONS
Only covers the continental USA.
Most stats only available for communities with existing Nazarene churches.
Demographic data based on 2000 census, so it is a bit dated, but still useful.
SUMMARY
This site allows research of demographics in communities with Nazarene churches in the continental USA. The research is based on the 2000 Census, so some of it may be a bit outdated. However, the data is still useful and can show some significant trends, especially when combined with other sources, such as state census data (usually conducted every 10 years at mid-decade). The controls are a little awkward. For a churchplanter looking for data in a new area this is useless, but for a pastor looking in the area of an existing Nazarene church it can be a goldmine.
I give this one a 6 out of 10.
.
Review: OpenOffice.org productivity suite
Title: "OpenOffice.org 3.1"
Author: Sun Microsystems
Format; Electronic download
Website: http://www.OpenOffice.Org
PROS
Download is free and unlimited
No license fees
Easy to use
Various languages and operating systems are available
CONS
Some (very) small learning curve for users of other suites.
SUMMARY
Originally called StarOffice and acquired by Sun Microsystems in 1999, OpenOffice is a suite of software products which includes a word processor (Writer), a spreadsheet program (Calc), a presentation program (Impress), a graphics program (Draw) and a database program (Base). It is known 'on the street' as "OpenOffice", but the official name is "OpenOffice.Org" since "OpenOffice" is held as a trademark in the Netherlands by another product.
The suite is "open source", which means that it is maintained and improved by volunteer programmers. The program is available for free download for various operating systems, including Windows and Linux. Best of all it is completely compatible with other large productivity suites, such as Microsoft Office., so you can share files with other users easily. There are no license fees, installation can be on as many machines as you want. The programs were written to be as easy to learn and use as possible, so it bears a great deal of resemblance to other mainstream packages. A user of Microsoft Office will have very little difficulty moving between the two applications.
I have no difficulty in giving this suite of programs a 9.5 out of 10. Looking for a viable way to save your church money? This is a way to save hundreds of dollars and not sacrifice anything in terms of functionality.
Author: Sun Microsystems
Format; Electronic download
Website: http://www.OpenOffice.Org
PROS
Download is free and unlimited
No license fees
Easy to use
Various languages and operating systems are available
CONS
Some (very) small learning curve for users of other suites.
SUMMARY
Originally called StarOffice and acquired by Sun Microsystems in 1999, OpenOffice is a suite of software products which includes a word processor (Writer), a spreadsheet program (Calc), a presentation program (Impress), a graphics program (Draw) and a database program (Base). It is known 'on the street' as "OpenOffice", but the official name is "OpenOffice.Org" since "OpenOffice" is held as a trademark in the Netherlands by another product.
The suite is "open source", which means that it is maintained and improved by volunteer programmers. The program is available for free download for various operating systems, including Windows and Linux. Best of all it is completely compatible with other large productivity suites, such as Microsoft Office., so you can share files with other users easily. There are no license fees, installation can be on as many machines as you want. The programs were written to be as easy to learn and use as possible, so it bears a great deal of resemblance to other mainstream packages. A user of Microsoft Office will have very little difficulty moving between the two applications.
I have no difficulty in giving this suite of programs a 9.5 out of 10. Looking for a viable way to save your church money? This is a way to save hundreds of dollars and not sacrifice anything in terms of functionality.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Article: Beware the Banner!
My wife said I had to write this, and she is (of course) correct!
We as pastors and techies in the church are always trying to get things for cheap or free. There is nothing wrong with that and it is a form of good stewardship. Why pay for it if someone is giving it away? Well, the answer for that question is, "There is no such thing as a free lunch". Simply put, there is always a cost. Someone is always trying to entice you to do something and get money from you, one way or another even if it is not immediately obvious. In the world of the Web, this often translates to advertising dollars.
"Pay-per-click" is one such scheme. Every time you see an ad on the web and click on it, someone makes a quick half-penny or so. Add up all those fractions of a penny, and someone just made a nice paycheck. Not so bad, right? Just keep an eye on 'em!
In our first church I set up our website with a free service provider. The site looked good and was a good place to send people who wanted to know more. The site started with an 'enhanced' account with no banner ads for 3 months, which I promptly forgot about. After the three months, with no payments, it reverted to the 'free, banner-supported' format. One day I got a call from one of our church members who went on the website and wanted to know why we were running banners for casinos and gambling! I have heard even worse stories, from people who ended up running a website with banner ads for porn sites. Not the kind of image you want to portray.
Check your free website provider and see how they determine what banner ads might be run on your site. It might be worth the $3 a month to buy the 'banner-free' option.
Just a word to the wise....
.
We as pastors and techies in the church are always trying to get things for cheap or free. There is nothing wrong with that and it is a form of good stewardship. Why pay for it if someone is giving it away? Well, the answer for that question is, "There is no such thing as a free lunch". Simply put, there is always a cost. Someone is always trying to entice you to do something and get money from you, one way or another even if it is not immediately obvious. In the world of the Web, this often translates to advertising dollars.
"Pay-per-click" is one such scheme. Every time you see an ad on the web and click on it, someone makes a quick half-penny or so. Add up all those fractions of a penny, and someone just made a nice paycheck. Not so bad, right? Just keep an eye on 'em!
In our first church I set up our website with a free service provider. The site looked good and was a good place to send people who wanted to know more. The site started with an 'enhanced' account with no banner ads for 3 months, which I promptly forgot about. After the three months, with no payments, it reverted to the 'free, banner-supported' format. One day I got a call from one of our church members who went on the website and wanted to know why we were running banners for casinos and gambling! I have heard even worse stories, from people who ended up running a website with banner ads for porn sites. Not the kind of image you want to portray.
Check your free website provider and see how they determine what banner ads might be run on your site. It might be worth the $3 a month to buy the 'banner-free' option.
Just a word to the wise....
.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Article: Using "Groups" software effectively
Groups? Groups! What is a Group, anyway, and why should I use one?
Simply speaking, a Group is an online software product that allows people with a common interest to communicate and coordinate activities of one kind or another. What kind of activities? Anything from disease management (colitis and crohns at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/colitiscrohns/), freecycling (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Franklin_County_Freecycle/), sports (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Red_Sox_Chat) or church events (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smallchurches/). You'll notice that each of the groups I've highlighted here comes from the Yahoo!Groups site. There are others, notably Google, but this is the one I choose most often to use.
The benefits to the group using this software is quite extensive. Here are some of the features that you can utilize.
Another easy project would be to use the email distribution capability to send out eNewsletters for your church members with email. The obvious limitation here is that anyone participating MUST have an email address. So even though you might send out newsletters via a Group, you'll probably still send some out in paper format.
A missions trip could connect all the participants with deadlines noted on the calendar and reminders sent out, along with needed paperwork stored on the Yahoo server. That way no one would lose the information needed and be hunting for it at the last minute. A centralized repository would eliminate all of that.
How much does it cost? (I can hear you asking this one.) Obviously, most churches can't afford alot of extra outlay. The good news is that many of these providers cover their costs through on-site banner ads, so there is no cost to the user. All you have to do to be able to use Yahoo!Groups is to sign up for a Yahoo account. This opens up the whole suite of software to you. The people who join your group do NOT have to have a Yahoo ID, just a valid email address.
So what are you waiting for? Give it a try!
.
Simply speaking, a Group is an online software product that allows people with a common interest to communicate and coordinate activities of one kind or another. What kind of activities? Anything from disease management (colitis and crohns at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/colitiscrohns/), freecycling (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Franklin_County_Freecycle/), sports (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Red_Sox_Chat) or church events (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smallchurches/). You'll notice that each of the groups I've highlighted here comes from the Yahoo!Groups site. There are others, notably Google, but this is the one I choose most often to use.
The benefits to the group using this software is quite extensive. Here are some of the features that you can utilize.
- Calendar function with email reminders
- Archived discussion threads
- Ability to post photo albums
- Email distribution list management (mail one note to the site, which then distributes it to all members)
- Simple flat file database capability...maintain address books, etc.
- Ability to store useful files and documents
- Generate polls and surveys
Another easy project would be to use the email distribution capability to send out eNewsletters for your church members with email. The obvious limitation here is that anyone participating MUST have an email address. So even though you might send out newsletters via a Group, you'll probably still send some out in paper format.
A missions trip could connect all the participants with deadlines noted on the calendar and reminders sent out, along with needed paperwork stored on the Yahoo server. That way no one would lose the information needed and be hunting for it at the last minute. A centralized repository would eliminate all of that.
How much does it cost? (I can hear you asking this one.) Obviously, most churches can't afford alot of extra outlay. The good news is that many of these providers cover their costs through on-site banner ads, so there is no cost to the user. All you have to do to be able to use Yahoo!Groups is to sign up for a Yahoo account. This opens up the whole suite of software to you. The people who join your group do NOT have to have a Yahoo ID, just a valid email address.
So what are you waiting for? Give it a try!
.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Article: The Virtual Office
“Virtual Office”? What’s that? A new game or maybe a competing product for Microsoft’s Office? No, but it is a technology concept many pastors are becoming more familiar with.
It used to be that a pastor had an office at the church and was able to arrange appointments and meetings by having people drop in. Nowadays, especially with the prevalence of the bivocational pastor and shared spaces, pastors find that they must be able to work in some unusual locations. Perhaps they are meeting with someone at the local McDonalds, or in StarBucks. Maybe there is a public library close at hand or even a rest stop along a highway. So they have to carry their offices around with them, so to speak.
The first time I really remember encountering this concept was in the late 1990’s at a conference in New Hampshire. The guest speaker was Rev. Ralph Moore, of Hope Chapel in Hawaii, a prominent authority in Churchplanting. I had the privilege of sitting with him at lunch and he explained to us that he was never absent from his pulpit on Sunday, but that he used a PDA to write his sermons while on the road. He would email the completed text to his secretary in Hawaii, who would print it out for him, When he arrived back in his office a the end of the week it was sitting on his desk waiting for him.
What does it take to do ministry today? What tools do you need? How much space does it take up and how difficult is it to set up and take down? In my situation I have an old AST soft-sided laptop case which has the following items in it.
My PDA, a Palm Tungsten. The Infrared Wireless Keyboard for the PDA. Extra AA batteries and device chargers. My cell phone and Bluetooth earphone . A hymnal and my Bible. A notepad, business cards, pencils and a pen. A small selection of cards, envelopes and stamps. There you have it. An office which weighs under 5 pounds, fits in a small laptop case, is quick to set up and quick to take down.
The typical tools a pastor might use are growing smaller and more convenient. This has ‘saved my bacon’ more than once. On one particular occasion I was bringing our teens on a Saturday to a Bible Quizzing Tournament about 45 minutes away, and was intending to swing by home and work on finalizing arrangements for Sunday, then coming back to pick them up. Upon reaching our destination we literally had a blizzard, and I knew that my plans were not going to work. I had my virtual office with me and all my files loaded, so I found a quiet corner and got to work. By the time our tournament was done, all my work was completed and I just had to go home and print off a few documents.
Some of the newer tools are becoming even more useful and more powerful. Netbooks are increasing in popularity (more on these later), allowing easy connection to the internet through WiFi, a built-in keyboard and more laptop-like power and speed. Laptops themselves are smaller and more powerful. All-in-one handheld devices like the Blackberry are evolving into more useful platforms. WiFi hotspots are, in some areas, almost universally available to allow easy connections.
Do you have a ‘virtual office’? What do you see as being necessary to life on the road?
It used to be that a pastor had an office at the church and was able to arrange appointments and meetings by having people drop in. Nowadays, especially with the prevalence of the bivocational pastor and shared spaces, pastors find that they must be able to work in some unusual locations. Perhaps they are meeting with someone at the local McDonalds, or in StarBucks. Maybe there is a public library close at hand or even a rest stop along a highway. So they have to carry their offices around with them, so to speak.
The first time I really remember encountering this concept was in the late 1990’s at a conference in New Hampshire. The guest speaker was Rev. Ralph Moore, of Hope Chapel in Hawaii, a prominent authority in Churchplanting. I had the privilege of sitting with him at lunch and he explained to us that he was never absent from his pulpit on Sunday, but that he used a PDA to write his sermons while on the road. He would email the completed text to his secretary in Hawaii, who would print it out for him, When he arrived back in his office a the end of the week it was sitting on his desk waiting for him.
What does it take to do ministry today? What tools do you need? How much space does it take up and how difficult is it to set up and take down? In my situation I have an old AST soft-sided laptop case which has the following items in it.
My PDA, a Palm Tungsten. The Infrared Wireless Keyboard for the PDA. Extra AA batteries and device chargers. My cell phone and Bluetooth earphone . A hymnal and my Bible. A notepad, business cards, pencils and a pen. A small selection of cards, envelopes and stamps. There you have it. An office which weighs under 5 pounds, fits in a small laptop case, is quick to set up and quick to take down.
The typical tools a pastor might use are growing smaller and more convenient. This has ‘saved my bacon’ more than once. On one particular occasion I was bringing our teens on a Saturday to a Bible Quizzing Tournament about 45 minutes away, and was intending to swing by home and work on finalizing arrangements for Sunday, then coming back to pick them up. Upon reaching our destination we literally had a blizzard, and I knew that my plans were not going to work. I had my virtual office with me and all my files loaded, so I found a quiet corner and got to work. By the time our tournament was done, all my work was completed and I just had to go home and print off a few documents.
Some of the newer tools are becoming even more useful and more powerful. Netbooks are increasing in popularity (more on these later), allowing easy connection to the internet through WiFi, a built-in keyboard and more laptop-like power and speed. Laptops themselves are smaller and more powerful. All-in-one handheld devices like the Blackberry are evolving into more useful platforms. WiFi hotspots are, in some areas, almost universally available to allow easy connections.
Do you have a ‘virtual office’? What do you see as being necessary to life on the road?
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Review: "www.Handheldministry.org"
Title: "www.Handheldministry.org"
Format: Website
Website: http://www.handheldministry.org/index.html
Site offering tips, tricks and ideas for using a handheld device in ministry.
PROS
In-depth reviews for what is available.
Good tips, tricks and ideas.
CONS
Website appears to be badly out of date. Most information is rather old.
SUMMARY
I would give this one an 5.0 out of 10.0. There are alot of great tips and ideas here which are applicable despite the age of the material. However, the site is out of date and no new reviews appear to be forthcoming. Visit this site, glean what you can from it and move on.
.
Format: Website
Website: http://www.handheldministry.org/index.html
Site offering tips, tricks and ideas for using a handheld device in ministry.
PROS
In-depth reviews for what is available.
Good tips, tricks and ideas.
CONS
Website appears to be badly out of date. Most information is rather old.
SUMMARY
I would give this one an 5.0 out of 10.0. There are alot of great tips and ideas here which are applicable despite the age of the material. However, the site is out of date and no new reviews appear to be forthcoming. Visit this site, glean what you can from it and move on.
.
Review: www.Olivetree.Com
Title: "Olive Tree"
Format: Website
Website: http://www.olivetree.com/
Commercial site offering downloads for Mobile Devices, with many free downloads available.
PROS
Extensive offering including Bible versions, commentaries, study tools and eBooks.
Many free downloads.
Easy navigation to find software compatible with your device.
Wesleyan materials are available as well as Calvinist.
CONS
Some items are for purchase only (to be expected...this is not a non-profit company!)
SUMMARY
I would give this one an 9.0 out of 10.0. In the words of their website, "With Olive Tree's trademark BibleReader software, which comes free with any Bible download, all of these translations are fully searchable. You won't need a concordance since you can look up every occurrence of a word or phrase of Scripture in seconds. With the Palm, Pocket PC, or Smartphone BibleReader, you can create bookmarks, take notes on a verse, and quickly and easily customize your screen layout to best suit your needs."
This is a great tool for the pastor on-the-go. Some of the translations are available only as purchase (such as the NIV for $24.95 or the NCV for $16.00)
This website should be your first stop when looking for Bible software for your mobile device.
Format: Website
Website: http://www.olivetree.com/
Commercial site offering downloads for Mobile Devices, with many free downloads available.
PROS
Extensive offering including Bible versions, commentaries, study tools and eBooks.
Many free downloads.
Easy navigation to find software compatible with your device.
Wesleyan materials are available as well as Calvinist.
CONS
Some items are for purchase only (to be expected...this is not a non-profit company!)
SUMMARY
I would give this one an 9.0 out of 10.0. In the words of their website, "With Olive Tree's trademark BibleReader software, which comes free with any Bible download, all of these translations are fully searchable. You won't need a concordance since you can look up every occurrence of a word or phrase of Scripture in seconds. With the Palm, Pocket PC, or Smartphone BibleReader, you can create bookmarks, take notes on a verse, and quickly and easily customize your screen layout to best suit your needs."
This is a great tool for the pastor on-the-go. Some of the translations are available only as purchase (such as the NIV for $24.95 or the NCV for $16.00)
This website should be your first stop when looking for Bible software for your mobile device.
Review: "Bible Reader" for PalmOS
Title: "Bible Reader"
Author: AsaiSoft Limited
Format; Electronic download
Website: http://www.AsaiSoft.com
PDA Bible version for PalmOS
PROS
Download is free
Easy to use
Various commentaries and translations are available
CONS
Hard to find; company website has disappeared.
SUMMARY
I would give this one an 8.5 out of 10.0. As one person said, just having the capability of carrying your Bible on an SD card or in active memory on a PDA is almost worth the cost of the PDA! This is an excellent Bible program, the main disadvantage is that it is now a hard-to-find commodity.
.
Author: AsaiSoft Limited
Format; Electronic download
Website: http://www.AsaiSoft.com
PDA Bible version for PalmOS
PROS
Download is free
Easy to use
Various commentaries and translations are available
CONS
Hard to find; company website has disappeared.
SUMMARY
I would give this one an 8.5 out of 10.0. As one person said, just having the capability of carrying your Bible on an SD card or in active memory on a PDA is almost worth the cost of the PDA! This is an excellent Bible program, the main disadvantage is that it is now a hard-to-find commodity.
.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Review: "Facebook for Pastors"
Title: "Facebook for Pastors"
Author: Chris Forbes
Format; Electronic download, PDF
Website: http://ministrymarketingcoach.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/facebook-for-pastors-by-chris-forbes.pdf
Chris Forbes has written a 31-page electronic book on how to use the social networking tool "Facebook" to market the local church. He discusses such things as branding your ministry, using Facebook to 'touch' your congregation, make your connection to people more immediate and personal, how to best use the Profile page and how to use Facebook to promote church events.
PROS
CONS
SUMMARY
I would give this one an 9.0 out of 10.0, a truly hearty recommendation for any pastor to read and profit by Chris Forbes experience and wonderful writing. This is especially useful for the bivocational pastor who has to make the best possible use of time, and who is not free to physically drop everything and talk to or see their parishioners.
.
Author: Chris Forbes
Format; Electronic download, PDF
Website: http://ministrymarketingcoach.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/facebook-for-pastors-by-chris-forbes.pdf
Chris Forbes has written a 31-page electronic book on how to use the social networking tool "Facebook" to market the local church. He discusses such things as branding your ministry, using Facebook to 'touch' your congregation, make your connection to people more immediate and personal, how to best use the Profile page and how to use Facebook to promote church events.
PROS
- Download is free
- Content is very relevant and timely
- Author writes well and the eBook is well done
- Associated Facebook account, http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=18403101472
CONS
- Some of the newer features of Facebook are not covered as yet. Hopefully an update will be coming soon.
SUMMARY
I would give this one an 9.0 out of 10.0, a truly hearty recommendation for any pastor to read and profit by Chris Forbes experience and wonderful writing. This is especially useful for the bivocational pastor who has to make the best possible use of time, and who is not free to physically drop everything and talk to or see their parishioners.
.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Review: www.biblegateway.com
Web Address: http://www.biblegateway.com/
"Biblegateway.com" is a web-based Bible study tool.
PROS:
CONS
Summary
This is an excellent tool for pastors who have internet access available when preparing a sermon or lesson. It is, of course, not available when out of contact with the web, so a PC based application is needed in this case. Also, the lack of ability to limit searches to a specific area of the Bible is a handicap. Nevertheless, this is definitely a good site to bookmark and use when possible!
.
"Biblegateway.com" is a web-based Bible study tool.
PROS:
- There are many versions of the Bible here, including the NIV, KJV and The Message, as well as various other language versions.
- Search is possible on boolean operators for words as well as for specific passages.
- Access is free
- Available wherever web access is present
- Copy and Paste into clipboard is available
- Various other study helps are included, such as Nave's Topical Bible.
CONS
- Not a PC-hosted application. Web access is needed (can't use it if no access is available).
- Boolean searches can turn up too many entries in some cases to easily go through.
- Searches cannot be limited to certain areas of the Bible (NT, OT, Gospels, Epistles...)
Summary
This is an excellent tool for pastors who have internet access available when preparing a sermon or lesson. It is, of course, not available when out of contact with the web, so a PC based application is needed in this case. Also, the lack of ability to limit searches to a specific area of the Bible is a handicap. Nevertheless, this is definitely a good site to bookmark and use when possible!
.
Review: www.ChildrensBulletins.Com
Web Address - http://www.childrensbulletins.com/
"ChildrensBulletins.com" is a web-based service that provides the busy pastor with a way to generate activity bulletins for their young parishioners with a minimum of effort. The site allows for customization of bulletins with date, a blurb about the church and even upload a logo. Pre-made bulletins are available for two age groups, 3-6 years old and 7-12 years old. Bulletins can be generated via a lectionary lookup or by scripture passage.
PROS
Summary
ChildrensBulletins.Com offers a cost-effective way to provide for the children in your service. For the busy pastor, this service is a time and work saver.
"ChildrensBulletins.com" is a web-based service that provides the busy pastor with a way to generate activity bulletins for their young parishioners with a minimum of effort. The site allows for customization of bulletins with date, a blurb about the church and even upload a logo. Pre-made bulletins are available for two age groups, 3-6 years old and 7-12 years old. Bulletins can be generated via a lectionary lookup or by scripture passage.
PROS
- Royalty-free copy rights.
- Fast and easy generation process.
- Unlimited generation of bulletins during subscription period.
- Professional looking and personalized.
- Electronic delivery or delivery quarterly by mail
- Reasonable cost ($16.40 per quarter when delivered electronically)
- Available in color or black and white versions.
- Free samples are available as well as a risk-free introduction.
CONS
- Not all scripture passages are covered by pre-made bulletins.
- Some passages may be 'out-of-sync' with a particular sermon.
Summary
ChildrensBulletins.Com offers a cost-effective way to provide for the children in your service. For the busy pastor, this service is a time and work saver.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Review: Palm Tungsten E2 PDA
Manufacturer: Palm
Operating System: PALM OS
Price: US$170-US$210
The Palm Tungsten series of PDA's is a mid-priced device which has a set of features fulfilling most common uses. The E series has been around for several years now and has had most of the kinks worked out.
SUMMARY
Overall, the E2 is a reliable and efficient workhorse. There are a few disadvantages with lack of space, and some of the niceties of the higher-end models are missing, but I would not hesitate to recommend this to anyone looking to buy a PDA.
Operating System: PALM OS
Price: US$170-US$210
The Palm Tungsten series of PDA's is a mid-priced device which has a set of features fulfilling most common uses. The E series has been around for several years now and has had most of the kinks worked out.
PROS
- The E2 is equipped with BlueTooth, allowing it to connect with other BlueTooth devices.
- It comes with the useful Palm Desktop software for backing up calendars, contact lists and other vital info to a PC. The included "Documents To Go" software supports native MSWord and MSExcel files so transition between PDA and PC is seamless.
- Battery life during typical use is 2-3 hours. With 'touch and go' use, typically a once a day charge is sufficient.
- Screen size is large enough to be useful and is color, so it is pleasant on the eyes.
- There is a large library of software available which is supported by this device, so there are generally few problems finding something to help you with whatever tasks you are trying to perform.
CONS
- The E2 can reliably support only a 1gb SD card, so space can be limited.
- The power cord supplied in the original Tungsten E was a mini-USB, while the newer E2 comes with a different jack. Replacement of the power cord is a problem...
SUMMARY
Overall, the E2 is a reliable and efficient workhorse. There are a few disadvantages with lack of space, and some of the niceties of the higher-end models are missing, but I would not hesitate to recommend this to anyone looking to buy a PDA.
Article: Media and Communication
Imagine a church where the pastor can keep up with the daily lives of his or her people without ever leaving their desk or talking on the phone. Where a sick church member can hear the sermon from the last service without the time and expense of cutting and delivering a tape or CD for them. Where the pastor can send a birthday greeting or note of encouragement to someone without using a postage stamp or having a three day lag in delivery. Where a person searching for a church can find information on service times and ministries before ever walking through your door, and you can make an announcement to the entire church or to the prayer chain by sending out a single message! Sound like science fiction? It was until a few years ago.
Realize that there is likely to be inertia in your church and on your board. You can take one of several approaches. The first is to wait on initiating anything until you get approval. The best way is to talk it up until they think it was their idea in the first place. The second way is to simply go ahead and get something simple started and wait until people notice. Or third, you can do nothing and find yourself increasingly handicapped.
When I started the Facebook account for my own church I wasn’t sure of the reaction I was going to get. Within a week I had 8 people listed as members of the group. Not bad, considering we are a small church running in the 20’s. I also noticed another interesting thing…fully 75% of those people were under 30 and most were under 25. This is the demographic our church needs to reach, and I bet your church does too. Now, realize that each of those individuals have literally scores of Facebook ‘Friends’ who therefore can access your group and find out about your church.
There are many new means of communication out there, and one author has suggested that this is just the beginning. So, if you want to be a pastor and lead a church, then please do lead the way and take the good news of the Gospel to new frontiers!
Happy Podcasting!
.
Talk to any preacher and they will tell you that their primary job is communication. Our job is simply to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ in such a manner that the hearer can understand and assimilate the message, which will then be used by the Holy Spirit to change that person’s life through repentance and acceptance of Jesus as their personal Savior. Other jobs within the church also involve communication. Teaching a Sunday School class, one-on-one discipleship, running a board meeting, facilitating communication in counseling, writing copy for ads or newsletters. The pastor is a communicator.
Seeing all the emphasis on communication within the church and specifically within the job description of the pastor, we have to ask ourselves “how can we best communicate to our audience”? The first thing we need to recognize is that our audience is changing. Along with that change comes a shift in the methods of communication our audience prefers. We are accustomed to communicating with our people through the sermon, through the printed word and face-to-face or by phone. But now we can add to the mix several other methods. Television and radio are two familiar technological tools. But how about a church web site, texting, IM services, eGreeting cards, Facebook and other social networking sites, streaming audio and video, church ‘listserv’, YouTube and the classic podcast? It is the rare church that makes full use of even a few of these methods. The irony is that our people, and the people we so desperately want to reach, use these communications media daily.
The church has an unfortunately well-deserved reputation for being ten years behind everyone else on technology issues. We may not be able to affect the whole church, but we can affect the place we serve. We can use the gifts God has given us to reach people through these means.
Here are a few tips:
- If you don’t know what one of those terms used above means, do a search on the web and find out! (Google it!)
- You don’t have to use all of these communication techniques, but picking and using two or three should be enough to get you started.
- It is not necessary to be fancy, spend lots of money or be flashy, just informative and professional. Many of these are actually free or included with other services you already use. A big bang for your budget buck!
- If you want to get started but don’t know how…find a responsible teenager and ask them to help. They'll be thrilled!
- Involve various people in your church in administering these ministries…it helps to assimilate people and relieves pressure on you. Do NOT relinquish final authority on any of these media, however.
Realize that there is likely to be inertia in your church and on your board. You can take one of several approaches. The first is to wait on initiating anything until you get approval. The best way is to talk it up until they think it was their idea in the first place. The second way is to simply go ahead and get something simple started and wait until people notice. Or third, you can do nothing and find yourself increasingly handicapped.
When I started the Facebook account for my own church I wasn’t sure of the reaction I was going to get. Within a week I had 8 people listed as members of the group. Not bad, considering we are a small church running in the 20’s. I also noticed another interesting thing…fully 75% of those people were under 30 and most were under 25. This is the demographic our church needs to reach, and I bet your church does too. Now, realize that each of those individuals have literally scores of Facebook ‘Friends’ who therefore can access your group and find out about your church.
There are many new means of communication out there, and one author has suggested that this is just the beginning. So, if you want to be a pastor and lead a church, then please do lead the way and take the good news of the Gospel to new frontiers!
Happy Podcasting!
.
Article: EMail
When you think of the Internet the image that normally comes to mind is that of the graphics and flash of the World Wide Web. The WWW, though, is only one piece of a larger whole which we call the Internet. One of the very first elements of the Internet is Email. Broadly defined “E-mail (electronic mail) is the exchange of computer-stored messages by telecommunication” (source: http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci212051,00.html) . At it’s most basic an email message is a text letter sent from one person to another.
Am email message has several advantages over its hard-copy ancestor. First, it is faster. The typical ‘snail mail’ message takes between one and three days to be delivered, while an email message is typically delivered within minutes if not seconds.
Second, it is available anywhere you can get to an internet connection. If you are using a web-based email system (even AOL has a web interface) then you can access your messages or send a message from virtually anywhere in the world you can access the web. Snail mail can be sent from anywhere, but you can only receive it at designated locations. In other words, you can send someone a birthday card from any mailbox, but you can only get your incoming mail at your mailbox.
Third, email is paperless and most systems will allow you to ‘attach’ documents of various kinds. You can send someone a multi-page spreadsheet or document by the push of a button.
Fourth, email is (or can be) free, while snail mail requires paper, envelopes and stamps. With a significant amount of mail going out even the paid services become economically feasible.
Another feature of email that enhances it usefulness is the Distribution List. This is a way of designating a group of people who will receive a single email. For a mailing sent to every member of the church, for instance, in snail mail you would have to print a letter to each, fold them, stick them in envelopes and stamp them. To do the same thing with email you would write a single email message, enter the name of the distribution list (‘All Church Members’ or some other easily remembered name) and hit the ‘send’ button.
One last advantage of the email address. Since the world has moved inexorably into the “Age of Communication” more and more people have come to expect to be able to contact others in this way. Placing your email address on your corporate literature tells the world that you are not stuck in the past and that you are opening the doors. Psychologically it is a wise move, and it shows marketing savvy as well.
.
Am email message has several advantages over its hard-copy ancestor. First, it is faster. The typical ‘snail mail’ message takes between one and three days to be delivered, while an email message is typically delivered within minutes if not seconds.
Second, it is available anywhere you can get to an internet connection. If you are using a web-based email system (even AOL has a web interface) then you can access your messages or send a message from virtually anywhere in the world you can access the web. Snail mail can be sent from anywhere, but you can only receive it at designated locations. In other words, you can send someone a birthday card from any mailbox, but you can only get your incoming mail at your mailbox.
Third, email is paperless and most systems will allow you to ‘attach’ documents of various kinds. You can send someone a multi-page spreadsheet or document by the push of a button.
Fourth, email is (or can be) free, while snail mail requires paper, envelopes and stamps. With a significant amount of mail going out even the paid services become economically feasible.
Another feature of email that enhances it usefulness is the Distribution List. This is a way of designating a group of people who will receive a single email. For a mailing sent to every member of the church, for instance, in snail mail you would have to print a letter to each, fold them, stick them in envelopes and stamp them. To do the same thing with email you would write a single email message, enter the name of the distribution list (‘All Church Members’ or some other easily remembered name) and hit the ‘send’ button.
One last advantage of the email address. Since the world has moved inexorably into the “Age of Communication” more and more people have come to expect to be able to contact others in this way. Placing your email address on your corporate literature tells the world that you are not stuck in the past and that you are opening the doors. Psychologically it is a wise move, and it shows marketing savvy as well.
.
Article: Technology Overload
The term ‘Technology Overload’ is a strange one to western ears. Technology is always supposed to be 'good', isn't it? How can you have too many gadgets? That seems to run contrary to our culture. But this is a matter which ministers must pay close attention to in order to actually perform ministry.
The key question here is, “What does this technology do for me and is it worth the effort?” Each gadget or technology which we decide to use should have a specific task or set of tasks which it handles. The end result must save enough time, money and effort for ministry purposes to make the effort productive. If it does not, then the technology actually hinders ministry.
A simple example would be as follows. A minister decides to use a calendar software package on his laptop to keep track of events because it has a nice graphical interface. However, the package does not support imports from his current software on his PDA. Each event is going to have to be entered by hand into the new package. After entering, the new package requires the user to perform a series of steps when trying to print a comprehensive list, and a further set of steps if the user wants to break events into categories (Birthdays, Church events, Personal events…). In this case the nice interface is costing the pastor much time and effort. This translates into more time spent in front of a computer monitor than in ministry and therefore is not worth the effort.
Another example of a positive experience might go like this: The pastor needs to send birthday and anniversary cards out to a number of people. He knows that these people are technologically savvy and check their email frequently. He goes onto the Internet to a favorite site and selects an Electronic Greeting card for each of them, spending about 3 minutes each. Not only does he do this in the same time it would take to write the cards by hand, he saves the cost of the card, the cost of the postage and the card is delivered nearly instantaneously. As long as the recipients regard an e-card in the same way they regard a physical card, he has found a way to leverage technology to his advantage.
When considering new technology, ask yourself these questions:- Is it going to save me more money than it costs (including labor time)?
- Is it going to save me time over what I am doing now?
- Is it going to open new possibilities for me?
- Is it going to save me effort?
- Is it going to be more accurate, and does that matter to me?
Remember, technology is supposed to help you do a job. If it doesn’t do that, then it is failing to give you what you need.
.
Article: The Ministers PDA
Society is becoming increasingly mobile and hectic. Demographics prove this out, but all we really have to do is look at our schedules. The typical pastor may spend his or her day between several different locations, the church office, the hospital, a meeting at McDonalds and a conference at the District office. In between all of that the pastor is expected to find time to study to pray, to prepare a sermon, to put together a program for Sunday morning, do a Sunday School lesson and a devotional for the Wednesday night Study. How do you keep it all straight, never mind accomplish it all?
One of the best tools you can use to accomplish these tasks and make life easier is the humble PDA, or “Personal Digital Assistant”. Typical models range anywhere from US$100 to US$500 in 2008. The most useful for the money tend to be in the range of US$200-US$300, with my personal favorite the Palm Tungsten E2 being US$200.
Those unfamiliar with PDA’s assume they are fancy electronic calendars and not much more. If that were so I would still recommend them, because of the many features the calendars employ. The typical PDA calendar application, such as Palm Desktop, will allow you to keep track of events and set reminders for them. But it will also allow you to sort and categorize entries, displaying only what you need. It will also allow you to synchronize with the Palm Desktop calendar application on your office PC, or with MS Outlook should you prefer. But their usefulness only begins with the calendar.
Scenario – you have taken a group of teens on Saturday to a District Bible Quizzing meet. It is over an hour away from home. It has begun snowing quite heavily and you know that it is not worth going home and coming back, even though you have a Sunday program and a sermon to complete. Solution - You are not worried, because you had the foresight to upload your sermon and the bulletin outline to your PDA. You go upstairs and grab a Hymnal, find a quiet corner to set up your Infrared Keyboard and within three hours it is all done. When the quizzers are finished you drive them home, go to your office and upload the documents to your PC to print them.
Just exactly this happened to me about three years ago. If it had not been for my PDA, I would have had a very hard time finishing everything without putting in a very long night. I attended a seminar with the well-known churchplanter Rev. Ralph Moore of Hope Chapel in Kaneohe, Hawaii about 8 years ago. The seminar was conducted in Nashua, New Hampshire. While having lunch he told us that normally he was traveling for several days out of the week. He would compose his sermons and notes on his PDA, then on Friday he would connect to the Internet to send the documents to his office where his secretary would print them. By the time he got home his sermon and other materials were on his desk waiting for him.
What did I use to edit my documents? Believe it or not I used Microsoft Word, through an application called DocumentsToGo. My PDA writes to native Word format, and I can even keep track of church statistics on-the-fly with a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. These applications come bundled with the PDA. Keeping track of expenses is just as easy with the PalmSource “Expense” application. Simply set up your categories and start entering information.Another very useful application is the “Contact” database, also included with the PDA. This interfaces with your Calendar application and displays items like birthdays on the calendar. Email is easy to compose and you can send it when you next connect to the Internet, either through your desktop PC or by WiFi (if so equipped).
Need inspiration or relaxation while out and about? Use your PDA along with a set of earbuds and listen to the MP3’s you have stored on your PDA or memory card. For an even better experience when traveling you can use your PDA hooked up to your car stereo using a CD-to-Tape converter (US$10-US$20). Play a game of chess using OpenChess for Palm.
One of the blessings you will find right away is the speed and stability of the operating system. The Palm OS is extremely stable, and is nearly instant when turning on. Setup is easy and quick, and is very intuitive. Writing with a stylus should you choose to do so can be quick but takes a little getting used to.
There are many different ways to use your PDA effectively for ministry, and many different add-ons, but it can be life-transforming right out of the box. All of this from a small device that will slip easily into a suit jacket pocket.
.
One of the best tools you can use to accomplish these tasks and make life easier is the humble PDA, or “Personal Digital Assistant”. Typical models range anywhere from US$100 to US$500 in 2008. The most useful for the money tend to be in the range of US$200-US$300, with my personal favorite the Palm Tungsten E2 being US$200.
Those unfamiliar with PDA’s assume they are fancy electronic calendars and not much more. If that were so I would still recommend them, because of the many features the calendars employ. The typical PDA calendar application, such as Palm Desktop, will allow you to keep track of events and set reminders for them. But it will also allow you to sort and categorize entries, displaying only what you need. It will also allow you to synchronize with the Palm Desktop calendar application on your office PC, or with MS Outlook should you prefer. But their usefulness only begins with the calendar.
Scenario – you have taken a group of teens on Saturday to a District Bible Quizzing meet. It is over an hour away from home. It has begun snowing quite heavily and you know that it is not worth going home and coming back, even though you have a Sunday program and a sermon to complete. Solution - You are not worried, because you had the foresight to upload your sermon and the bulletin outline to your PDA. You go upstairs and grab a Hymnal, find a quiet corner to set up your Infrared Keyboard and within three hours it is all done. When the quizzers are finished you drive them home, go to your office and upload the documents to your PC to print them.
Just exactly this happened to me about three years ago. If it had not been for my PDA, I would have had a very hard time finishing everything without putting in a very long night. I attended a seminar with the well-known churchplanter Rev. Ralph Moore of Hope Chapel in Kaneohe, Hawaii about 8 years ago. The seminar was conducted in Nashua, New Hampshire. While having lunch he told us that normally he was traveling for several days out of the week. He would compose his sermons and notes on his PDA, then on Friday he would connect to the Internet to send the documents to his office where his secretary would print them. By the time he got home his sermon and other materials were on his desk waiting for him.
What did I use to edit my documents? Believe it or not I used Microsoft Word, through an application called DocumentsToGo. My PDA writes to native Word format, and I can even keep track of church statistics on-the-fly with a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. These applications come bundled with the PDA. Keeping track of expenses is just as easy with the PalmSource “Expense” application. Simply set up your categories and start entering information.Another very useful application is the “Contact” database, also included with the PDA. This interfaces with your Calendar application and displays items like birthdays on the calendar. Email is easy to compose and you can send it when you next connect to the Internet, either through your desktop PC or by WiFi (if so equipped).
Need inspiration or relaxation while out and about? Use your PDA along with a set of earbuds and listen to the MP3’s you have stored on your PDA or memory card. For an even better experience when traveling you can use your PDA hooked up to your car stereo using a CD-to-Tape converter (US$10-US$20). Play a game of chess using OpenChess for Palm.
One of the blessings you will find right away is the speed and stability of the operating system. The Palm OS is extremely stable, and is nearly instant when turning on. Setup is easy and quick, and is very intuitive. Writing with a stylus should you choose to do so can be quick but takes a little getting used to.
There are many different ways to use your PDA effectively for ministry, and many different add-ons, but it can be life-transforming right out of the box. All of this from a small device that will slip easily into a suit jacket pocket.
.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
