Big Is The New Small

I am an Apple fan, for too many reasons to name and not enough reasons to complain.  My entire family has the iPhone including my Wife, 11yo and 7yo.  My 7yo.’s is an iPod touch for all intents and purposes, because it’s not activated.  I have a MacBook Pro, which definitely thinks like I think.

I debated for weeks and tried to talk myself into getting the latest addition to the Forbidden Fruit Family, the iPad.  I was getting close to talking myself into it, when my amazing wife and children surprised me with an iPad on Father’s Day.  They also got me the wireless keyboard and a Dodo Case. I have come to really like my iPad and I will share 10 brief reasons why.

10 Reasons I Like My iPad

• 1.  It looks and feels amazing.
• 2.  The Internet processing is really fast.
• 3.  The apps are more robust and quite enlarged.
• 4.  My kids think its cool and playing Angry Birds for them is twice the fun.
• 5.  It is combining my computer, phone, moleskin, doodling paper, sticky notes… into 1 place.
• 6.  I can do my writing with a good sized virtual keyboard and transfer word documents w/ Pages app.
• 7.  I can record the audio of any meeting and take random typewritten notes.  I can later go back and click that typewritten portion of the notes and it will take me to that audio portion of the meeting with the SoundPaper app.
• 8.  I can use it for preaching, weddings, leadership talks etc.
• 9.  Dodo Case makes it look professional and like I’m carrying a moleskin notebook. (see pic above)
• 10.  The ebook reader is amazing, the iPad is quick and handy, it’s replacing me carrying around my laptop, it’s cool, it’s practical, it’s a conversation starter, reading the Bible is awesome, the games are better…  I could go on and on!

What are the reasons you like your iPad?  If you don’t have one are you debating getting one?  Do you simply say, I’d never get one.

The local church is such a beacon of hope for every local community, It doesn’t get much better than being connected to your local church.  The local church has tremendous responsibility and I believe Pastor Bill Hybels says it best when he said this, “The local church is the hope of the world and it’s future primarily rests in the hands of its leaders.”  That is such a true statement and it also demands a great deal of responsibility for the local church.

Ministry leaders must understand that The LifeLine Of The Church is engaging the people and the entire family.  By engaging the entire family, the church can ensure that generations of Christ follower will continue to be raised up.  The church can also ensure the church will be a growing thriving place of hope for the lost and the community at-large.

Ministry leaders not only have the responsibility of leading, discipleing, shepherding, teaching and developing their congregants, they must also put the proper systems in place to steward the people and financial resources that God has placed in their care.

For church leaders to adequately serve the families and individuals that call their church home they need an accurate and complete picture of the people and their involvement in the church. If the information is incomplete, inaccurate, or stored in several different systems, it makes it nearly impossible to customize your care based on their needs.

A comprehensive church management system like Fellowship One provides a comprehensive, 360 degree view of the families and individuals involved in your church. You will have up-to-date information just one click away including their name, age, and contact details; the names and ages of their children; the latest notes and communications between them and the church; a graphical view of their involvement as a participant or volunteer in the church’s activities; and with the proper security, their donation history.

As a Ministry Leader, I personally love having Fellowship One not only available on my computer but also on my iPad and iPhone.  Fellowship One is the foundational system that helps us to stay connected with our volunteers, small groups, children, students and attenders.  It’s a simple solution that just makes sense.  My boys have even learned to appreciate the system, last time we went on vacation in Florida, we attended another church that also used Fellowship One.  My youngest son said, “Dad, their check-in system is just like the one at home.  Look, they even have the same name tag stickers.”

You are called to serve the people, it doesn’t matter whether you are a church plant or a church with a huge congregation, Fellowship One has a comprehensive management system for you.  The People and The Families are The LifeLine Of The Church… Ministry Leaders have a responsibility to manage them.

Share your thoughts and experiences with Fellowship One and the importance of a church management system.

I am still in the debate on whether or not I should get the iPhone 4.  My family all have the iPhone 3G’s on T-Mobile. I can’t seem to get myself to move to AT&T with everyone that I talk to complaining about dropped calls.  On the other hand, I’m an Apple fan and having the latest greatest face-time device has tempted me to make the switch.

As I was pondering my wait, I saw video that my man @chaselayman shared.  This is basically a little mini short film that was all sot and edited on the iPhone 4.  If this phone can create a finished video product like the one featured above, it’s a no-brainer.  This just minimized me having to roll out my Flip or Creative Vado video cameras.

If you have an iPhone 4, this video will inspire you to maximize it’s video potential.  I you don’t have an iPhone 4, This Will Convince You To Get An iPhone 4.  Now if we can just get the no contracts, e-bay, craigslist prices to drop.

Share your thoughts on the video, your iPhone 4 experience and your decision whether or not to get one.

This is by far the easiest solution and application to Read The Bible In A Year via iPhone.  YouVersion has updated the app to reflect the new changes and offers many daily reading solutions.  Start the year off right!

Do you use your iPhone for your daily Bible reading? If so, What do you like best about the app? If not, Will you this year?

This past weekend I was about this close to preaching entirely from my iPhone.  In case you are wondering how close “This Close” is; put your index finger and your thumb about 1/2 inch from each other and that’s how close I was.

There are many different methods that pastors use when preaching a sermon, as it relates to their notes and Bibles.  The various methods that Pastors use include, but are not limited to the following: notes in a notebook with the sermon fairly written out, mind-map style notes on a single piece of paper and Bible, moleskin notebook with written notes and Bible, notes placed inside of the Bible, no notes at all and the Bible and the list goes on and on.

Again I was considering using my handy dandy YouVersion Bible App for the iPhone as my preaching Bible and have my Sermon Notes as a document attachment; in other words going completely iPhone for the entire sermon.  I decided not to experiment for this particular sermon; however I think I definitely will do so in the future.  I’m old-school and new-school at the same time; I kinda like having my hardbound “Preaching Bible” in my hand.

What are your thoughts on The iPhone Preacher?  Would this go over well with you and your church?  Is this too new-school?  Is this any different than the standard notebook and hardbound Bible?  Has your Pastor preached from his/her iPhone? Questions, Questions, Questions?

10 Years from now this will be a non-issue; however I’d love to get your thoughts today… Chime In!