To Read, To Listen, To Tap
Oct 4, 2011 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
Last weekend at Riv, I promised to hook you guys up with a bunch of stuff you can read / listen to online to help you grow up spiritually. The links I am providing here are from people that I trust. I may not agree with them all 100% of the time, but I trust their commitment to Jesus and I jive with what they say the majority of the time. Hopefully, you will find a few new voices that can help point you to Jesus.
My goal here is not to present an exhaustive list (which is easy to ignore), but a short helpful list.
To Read – blogs and other online resources
GotQuestions.org – This is the best online resource I am aware of for answering common questions about Christianity. To date, they have nearly 300,000 questions in a searchable database. You can also subscribe to a weekly email.
The Resurgence - Affiliated with Acts29 (a church planting organization Riv partners with), this site is one of the richest resources for training “the head, heart, and hands of leaders.”
The Old Guys – This is a blog with a simple focus: connecting readers to the writings of Old Dead Christian Dudes. Don’t worry about wading through lots of pages of Olde English, these guys pull out short paragraphs with big meanings.
Tullian Tchividjian – The grandson of Billy Graham, this guy has serious theological chops and is a simple communicator of profound truths.
To Listen – sermon podcasts
Acts29 Network Sermons – Messages from events and churches affiliated with Acts29.
Mark Driscoll - Mark is a pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle and a friend.
Darrin Patrick – Darrin is a pastor Journey Church in St. Louis and a friend.
Theology Unplugged – If you want to take it to another level, this podcast discusses various theological ideas from varying perspectives.
To Download – iPhone and other device apps
Bible.is - This app does one thing very well – it reads the Bible to you. I listen to it when I mow the lawn.
The Theology Program - 60 hours of theological training on your phone. From the same guys as the Theology Podcast listed above.
YouVersion – The most downloaded Bible software that lets you set up your own reading plan and links to Riv’s weekend services as well.
The Nines
Sep 8, 2010 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
I have been super excited about The Nines (a free online conference coming up tomorrow), and not just because I am one of the speakers. :)
Last year, I spent the day watching as many of the 9 minute clips on church leadership as I could. Some of the ideas I resonated with, some I hated, but they were all worth wading through. This year it’s even better because they chopped it down to 6 minutes (and I actually did my segment in 5 minutes…holla).
Then I looked at my calendar and realized I was travelling all day. I am going to be in 3 airports tomorrow and when I travel, I don’t bring my laptop with me. I thought I was hosed.
Not so fast, buckaroo.
I have it on good authority that there will be a special page set aside for people watching via iPad, iPhone, or iPod. Yeah, buddy.
My plan is to pay for the WiFi on the plane and spend my flights participating in The Nines from 30,000 feet via my iPad. Gotta love technology.
Oh, if you are planning on taking part in The Nines, make sure you pre-register, otherwise you’ll be left out in the cold where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Tags: apple, leadership
Why I’m not getting an iPhone4…yet.
Jun 24, 2010 Apple
The iPhone 4 officially hits stores today and I’ve been getting the same question a lot lately:
Are you getting the new iPhone?
I figured I’d just go ahead and throw my answer up here. No, I’m not getting it…yet. Now I know this may kill my reputation as an Apple Fanboy, but here are the reasons I am waiting:
I need to combat materialism in my life. If I were to upgrade to the iPhone 4, it would be purely because I want a new toy. Now that’s not all bad, but for me right now it would be. Between my iPhone and my iPad, I have all the technology I need. Any more would be ridiculous. This week, materialism and idolatry has a face and that face has a Retina Display.
I’m still amazed everyday with my iPhone 3g. Note I said “iPhone 3g” – I didn’t upgrade to the 3gS either. The only reason I upgraded from the original iPhone to the 3g was the GPS functionality. That, for me, was huge. Last week the dock connector died on my phone and the temptation was strong to buy a new one, but I found the part online for $13. If I’m able to get the phone working, I plan on using it for quite awhile longer. It serves my needs and then some. (Check out this great article that essentially says the same thing.) Of course, if the part doesn’t work, the “yet” part of this post kicks in.
Changes are looming. Although I haven’t had too many problems with AT&T, I am interested to see if other carriers are going to be carrying the iPhone soon. There seem to be a lot of indicators pointing in that direction, and since I am not currently in a contract I am not interested in tying myself to AT&T for another two years.
Well, there ya go. I’m not getting an iPhone 4…yet. But if you get one, make sure you let me play with it a bit. You might change my mind.
Tags: apple, iphone, materialism
