Code for the Kingdom in Austin

October 18, 2013 — Leave a comment

Austin

I’m so excited to be participating in this exciting event in Austin, TX next weekend and would love for you to join me as well!  Here are the details:

Who: Developers, designers, entrepreneurs, creative individuals from all disciplines, investors, non-profits, and churches

What: Code for the Kingdom is a weekend Hackathon where global issues are tackled with a Christian perspective. Join us as we battle the challenges confronting children all over the world.

*** $10,000 in prizes will be rewarded

When: Friday, October 25th at 6pm – Sunday, October 27th at 5:30pm

Where: Acton School of Business in Austin, TX

How Much: $20

*** registration fee will be refunded to all who participate on a team who presents on Sunday

Why: To connect with marketplace and ministry leaders, angel investors, and hi-tech accelerators at the hackathon to meet and mentor you. Build relationships that might go beyond the hackathon, to help you continue working on your projects and build partnerships to bring your ideas to your users.

For more information go to http://codeforthekingdom.com.

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Join me at the eConnect Conference

October 4, 2013 — Leave a comment

Group

I would love for you to join me at the eConnect Conference on January 29-31, 2014 in beautiful Loveland, CO.  Group is hosting this event where we will be discussing how to use online tools for greater ministry impact.  I’m also very excited to be joined by my good friend Jason Caston, author of the iChurch Method v. 1 & 2 and soon to be good friend, Brian Abbott.

At this event we will discuss social media, websites, mobile apps, and how all of these things translate to becoming effective ministry tools.  I can’t wait for the conversations that will be had and hope you will be a part.  Click here for more information and to register for this exciting event!

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The Future of the Computer in our Pocket

July 10, 2013 — 2 Comments

When I was 16 (17 years ago now) I got my first cell phone.  I still had a beeper which was my primary form of communication and my cell phone was for emergencies only.  It had about an hour batter life and that included just being turned on (not talking the phone).  Then in college I got a color screen flip phone with a camera and color touch screen PDA.  I was high tech and even saved up enough money to buy a 1 GB flash card to store files/photos on my Palm Pilot.  I remember thinking how cool it would be if these devices could become one.  Then they did and we now have smart phones or what I better describe as computers in our pocket.  I actually think it’s kind of funny that we call them phones as voice to voice communication is in no way the primary use of the device.

I started with a Blackjack (before the first iPhone came out) and then quickly jumped to the iPhone as soon as I was able.  The device blew me away at the time and continues to today.  When they came out it was cool that we could take pictures, browse the internet, and talk on the phone from the same device.  Little did we know all that they would become and little do we still know all that has still yet to be developed.

My guess is that the devices themselves will not change dramatically, but we will begin to see more secondary devices that connect to them become more prevalent   I think the primary improvement that we will continue to see in the devices themselves is in battery life as the need for the phone to function all of the time will only increase.

I do envision seeing more secondary devices such as watches, glasses, headphones, cameras, etc. that seamlessly connect with the device on the go.  I will discuss this further in another post to come.

Now, it’s in the apps that I get most excited.  When you look at the last 5 years the devices themselves really haven’t changed significantly, it is the development of apps that continues to enhance the device and will continue to.  Here’s a quick list of some of what I do on my iPhone in any given week:

  • Check and reply to Email
  • Phone calls and SMS texting
  • Calendar/Scheduling
  • Pictures & Video –  taking and sharing
  • Bible
  • Social Networking – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Google +
  • Banking – checking balances, depositing checks, transferring money
  • Web Browsing
  • Travel – booking and monitoring travel arrangements
  • News – reading news apps and blog feeds
  • Entertainment – music, games and videos
  • Maps/GPS
  • Alarm Clock
  • Shopping/Couponing
  • Home Management – controlling home AC and DVR
I suppose this list could go on and on.  It’s hard to imagine life without my iPhone now as I use it constantly throughout every day. I can’t imagine that becoming less, but honestly only more.  Here are some of the things that I see coming to mobile apps:
  • Wallet Replacement – I think we will use our apps not just for coupons (Groupons), but also forms of payment, insurance and identification information, event tickets and passes, etc.
  • Remote Control – I think apps will be created to control our cars (not just remote start), security systems, home appliances, and much more.
  • Seamless Integration – I think we will begin to see seamless integration between various apps and devices such as the Facebook App and Amazon App working together and the phone and computer integration being seamless without our having to even think about it.
  • Experiential development – I expect to see physical environments creating interactive experiences with the device and the user.  For instance a grocery store taking your shopping list and giving you the best path through the store or a sporting event giving you personalized directions from the parking lot to your seats and recommended refreshment options throughout the game.  
To be honest these are so hard to predict as so much has already been created, but every year even more is developed that we could have never imagined in the past.  This is scary for some, but exciting for most.
So what does this mean for the church?  Well, from my perspective it means we have a great opportunity.  The Bible App is about to reach 100 million downloads in just 5 years of existence!  Subsplash has created an affordable church app that hundreds of churches use to connect with millions of people from all over the world.  The reality is though, the church is years behind where it should be with mobile technology.  Consider some of these needs and how an app might help:
  • Kids checkin
  • First Time Guest experience
  • Bulletin costs
  • Small Group finder
  • Bible study resources
  • Online Giving
This list could go on and we won’t solve all of these needs immediately, but the technology is there to do much more  than is currently being done.  I hope to be a part of meeting these needs and I don’t plan to do it alone.  I hope to lock arms  with sharper minds than mine (which isn’t hard to find) and see how we together can create technologies to meet the needs of the Church universal and not just our local church.
I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas.  What have I missed or what opportunities do you see?
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The Future of TV

July 9, 2013 — Leave a comment

A lot has happened in the world of the television in the past 10 years. Consider these advancements:

  • The Television Itself – we’ve gone from projection TVs to Plasma, then LCD, and now LED.  Look at how inexpensive they have become as well.
  • Connections – we used to connect devices to the TV through Coax and RCA,  then Composite, and now HDMI.  
  • High Definition – we were introduced to HDTV and now many levels of High Definition. 
  • Devices – the devices have dramatically changed from VCRs to DVDs, to Blue Ray and now Connected TV Devices (Roku, Apple TV, etc.) steaming video from the cloud
  • DVR – remember when we recorded shows on VCRs or actually watched live TV?  Now we just DVR and fast forward through commercials watching whenever we want.  I can actually now record a show from my iPhone when I’m not home.
  • On-Demand –  I think this might be the biggest game changer with cable offering On-Demand along with subscription services like Hulu and Netflix being able to watch whatever you want whenever you want.
All of these advancements are incredible and I think bringing more clarity to the future of TV.  I think what we are seeing is that our TV is transitioning from what used to be a completely different experience from our computer to a universal one.  Our TV is essentially becoming a large computer monitor for us to engage with.
Think about it this way: you cell phone is now a computer in your pocket, your laptop or desktop is a device you use when sitting down at a desk or table and your TV is a screen that you watch while sitting on a couch or in a living room.  When you think from this perspective your computer in your pocket (smart phone) is useful for quick messages and interactions, your laptop or desktop is good for focused productive work, and your television is for consuming longer form video content often with others.
So what does this mean and how does this change things?
  1. Our television becomes a computer.  This is where Apple TV, Roku, X-Box come in connecting our TVs to the internet.  I think we will see more of these devices just built into the TV units themselves. There will also be no need for wires as they will connect to the internet through wireless internet.  Connecting to the internet allows us to not only bring in content, but also send out content (game changer).
  2. Our smart phones become a remote/controller.  They actually do this already, but I think you will see this become more of a commonplace rather than something that just nerds do.  Gaming will also be a big part of this and I also envision our phones often serving as the game controllers.  Think about 10 people gathering in a living room to play a game and they all have an interactive controller in their hands.
  3. Our tablets become a second monitor.  If you’re like most people you’re already using Social Media at the same time you watch TV.  Tablets offer the screen size to not just serve as a viewing screen but create a very interactive social experience alongside your video viewing experience on your TV.
So what happens to cable?
Nothing.  Time Warner actually integrates already with Roku and we’ll see the same thing begin to develop with other cable providers and connected TV devices.  Cable subscriptions will function as an app so that we can still stream live programs and events.  So no more old cable boxes to deal with!
What does this mean for the church?
Ever thought your church should be on TV?  Now every church can be!  You will only need a camera and an internet connection.  I think you should invest in a lot more, but the reality is that every church will be able to stream easily to living rooms around the world instantaneously.  The opportunity already exists, but will become much easier and available very soon!
One of the exciting developments that I see developing is an opportunity for a combined home church/ multi-site movement.  I see churches creating multi-site experiences designed more for the living room with 15-20 people gathered than the 150-200 seat venue.
So what do you think about the future of the TV?  Do you agree or disagree with me?
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The Future of Books

July 8, 2013 — 2 Comments

I love to predict the future when it comes to technology.  I’m not always right, but I love the conversations and dreaming of what’s possible.  With the speed of technology we no longer have to wait decades for these new technologies by often only a couple of years or maybe months.  Over the next few days I will look at several areas affected by technology and share my predictions and would love to hear yours.  Know that these are only my opinions and predictions and not fact.

Let’s start with books.  Since I just released my first book, I’ve been studying this quite a bit recently.  So what’s my prediction?  Here you go: I think they’re going digital.  Okay, I’m joking as this HUGE shift has already taken place and will continue to grow and expand.  Paper books will never go away, but will continue to diminish at a fast rate as more and more readers adjust to reading books digitally.  It’s simply cheaper and faster making it more appealing to a greater mass.

The shift to digital continues to open up exciting opportunities to new authors in writing a book.  You no longer have to use a publisher to release a book or spend great amounts of money to print it.  You simply upload it to Amazon and the book is available to millions.  This shift is dramatically changing the publishing industry as your online platform to reach an audience as a publisher becomes far more important than your equipment to print in mass quality.

The next major shift that comes from books going digital is the opportunity for them to become social.  I love BookShout and the experience they have created allowing users to add friends and as they read books they can see the notes and highlights from their friends.  It’s a digital book club and adds community to the reading experience.  I expect Amazon and others to catch on to this soon and create a similar experience on the Kindle and other reading applications.

What do you think?  Do you agree or disagree?  What do you see ahead for the future of books?

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Congratulations Rockbridge Seminary

July 7, 2013 — 21 Comments

rockbridge (1)

I have shared many times here that I love my seminary!  Not only do I love Rockbridge Seminary, but I’m extremely proud of my seminary as they have recently become officially accredited.  It was only a matter of time before this became official as it is overseen by an incredible team of leaders that continue to make this great seminary even better.

If you’re considering a seminary education, I can’t recommend Rockbridge enough.  I was in a great ministry role and didn’t feel that I should leave to get trained to more effectively do what I was already doing.  I didn’t have to.  Rockbridge came right alongside me right where I was and invested in me as a ministry leader.

For those who say it’s just not personal enough, you really need to experience it.  Online education isn’t for everyone, but it is for more than you think.  I grew closer to my online classmates who were all over the world than I ever did with the ones who sat next to me in my undergraduate program.  Give it a try and I think you will like what you experience!

Congrats Rockbridge Seminary and Rock’rs everywhere!

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I Got Hacked

July 6, 2013 — 2 Comments

So I Got Hacked.  I’m not sure how and honestly do not yet have the issue resolved.  Everything appears fine on the site, but for those who subscribe via email (which is most of my readers) you will also see prescription ads that are not from me.  I have disabled Feedburner for now until I get this resolved.  If there are any smart folks out there that want to help me out, I would love your support in getting this resolved.  Until then I will continue to blog without email updates.

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It’s Okay to Rest

June 14, 2013 — 3 Comments

I thought I would follow my recent post titled “It’s Okay to Hustle” with this one.  I believe passionately in hard work, but I believe even more in the critical importance of rest.  We see this demonstrated throughout the Bible and historically we see how many bad decisions are made when leaders are exhausted.

I like many of you say things like “I’ll rest once I get through this project or milestone.”  The problem with this idea is that there are often 2-3 new critical projects that follow this one and the hoped for rest period never arrives.

I have learned that in order to effectively rest I must schedule it like everything else.  Sometimes that is months in advance and sometimes it’s only hours in advance.  I know that in order to be most effective and healthy I must schedule both short and long periods of rest to relax and refresh.  This is not easy to do and I do not sit still very well, but it must be done.

With that said I will be taking a 10 day break from blogging.  Generally I schedule posts out weeks in advance, but I’ve decided not to do that this time.  I will simply be taking a break from blogging for a few days to focus on rest, relaxation, and my family.  I look forward to returning from this time as I know that this time of disconnection will also lead to fresh thoughts and a renewed passion in everything that I do.

Have you scheduled rest recently?  If not, I hope you will take a look at your calendar and commit to it today.

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It’s Okay to Hustle

June 10, 2013 — 4 Comments

Can I touch on a tension among ministry leaders that I sense?  I see many ministry leaders that are workaholics (and I’ll admit that I border this at times).  I hear it all of the time at conferences that we need to slow down and find a healthy balance.  I don’t disagree with this need for many leaders.  On the other side of this tension I see a lot of ministry leaders who show up late, leave early, and drink a lot coffee in between.

In the midst of this tension can I suggest that it’s okay to hustle?  Actually, I believe that hustle is not just okay, but essential for effective ministry.  Hard work is biblical, isn’t it?

Please don’t hear me wrong.  I believe in balance between ministry/work and home/personal time.  I believe that casual coffee talk is valuable ministry time.  I also believe in passionate, focused, and just plain hard work when it comes to ministry efforts.  I believe in coming in early at times, working through lunch, and staying after hours (on occasion).  Ministry work has eternal impact and deserves our best effort.

People have often asked me what the secret to success has been for Online Church.  In asking this question they are asking me for a shortcut and I try to give them every possible one that I can.  The reality though of this ministry success is the favor of God and a lot of hard work (not just me, but dozens of passionate leaders).  Ministries have tried to impersonate the ministry, but they honestly weren’t willing to give the same effort and in turn have seen very different results.

I expect to get negative feedback on this post and I understand that.  I believe in both sides of the tension in that I see too many ministry leaders working too hard and burning out.  The message to slow down definitely needs to be communicated to many.  It is also my belief that the other side of this conversation needs to be communicated as well as there are many ministry leaders that need a fire lit under them to simply hustle.

Please share your thoughts, I really do want to hear them.

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Resource the Resourcers

June 7, 2013 — Leave a comment

I must confess that I’m cheap.  I like free and discounted things and I’m often looking for a good deal.  I have found through my stinginess that little value in these discounted items and the most valuable things almost always come at a significant cost.

Churches are often the worst at looking for the discount or freebie as we are functioning on ministry budgets.  I get it!  I do it.  I regret it.

I’ve learned more recently about church resources such as curriculum and technology resources.  Our churches rely heavily on these resources and if we’re honest they save us a ton of time and money.  Imagine if you had to create your entire curriculum in house or manage your church database and finances on Excel.  These are valuable resources that we need to expand with more curriculums to be created and new technologies to be developed.

I understand being a good steward and before trying to negotiate a better price, consider how much time or money you are saving by using the resource in comparison to not using it.  In my experience I have yet to find anyone getting rich creating resources for the Church.  Even if someone does I will praise God for him or her as I’m guessing they’ve created a pretty incredible resource for the Church.

Here’s the reality to church resources: they need our resources so that they can create more and better resources.  It’s really pretty simple.

Here’s what I want to encourage you to do: next time you are signing up for a new account or purchasing a set of curriculum instead of negotiating a lower price simply thank them for creating the resource and ask them how you can help them get better.  When they get better, WE get better!  That’s far more valuable than saving $50/month.

In Books
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