God's Promise in the sky...

Yesterday, I was on my home from the church and saw this beautiful rainbow. I cannot recall every in my lifetime seeing a full rainbow like this. Fortunately, I had my Panasonic DMC-F27 6 MP camera with me and I was able to capture the rainbow. Minutes after my first pictures, the rainbow disaapeared. However, the moment I saw it I immediately remember what God said in Genesis 9:13, "I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth." God is so good to us!

From Mobile Ministry Magazine: Scheduling the Agendus way.

I read this post over at Mobile Ministry Magazine and I liked what Tre said, "To be effective ministers-on-the-go, to do His work, we have to find a way to produce material fast - and that usually starts with keeping effective contact information. Then, you have to be able to coordinate a hectic schedule that usually involves those contacts." Tre looks at Agendus, a popular do-it-all data organizer app for your Palm PDA, and points out several benefits he experienced from Agendus.

"One of the biggest challenges in this day and age is simply keeping in touch. The internet has truly made the world smaller; here I am at MMM, in fellowship with people I readily refer to as brothers, who I pray for daily, but have not even met physically yet. Such is the 21st century.

How do we manage all the latent data? To be effective ministers-on-the-go, to do His work, we have to find a way to produce material fast - and that usually starts with keeping effective contact information. Then, you have to be able to coordinate a hectic schedule that usually involves those contacts."

READ MORE.

My review of Scripture Memory System Advanced v6.4 for Palm

This morning I'm looking at a Palm PDA program that will help you organize your memory verses, prayer requests, acts as a journal, keeps sermon notes, and has a daily reader that works with Bible+. This freeware app is called Scripture Memory System Advanced v6.4. It hasn't been updated in over a year, but it works just fine on my Lifedrive and I haven't had any negative effects from running the program.

First off the main purpose for Scripture Memory System Advanced is its ability to help you memorize Scripture. When you first start the program, you will open to a menu screen like this one to the left. At the top right you will see 3 buttons, main, edit, and view. Main acts as a home button and takes you back to the home screen. Edit allows you to add more verses to the verses database. View allows you to view them so you can easily and quickly review them.

Below the title bar with those buttons, you will see Review Tools. These tools help with your memorizing of your verses. The review mode allows you to see all your categories of verses or just one particular category. From here, you can choose which verse you want to review and work on. Flash Verse picks a random verse for you to work on from your different categories (series). The Flash Review is probably the most helpful part of this application. It is here you would “quiz” yourself and see how well you know that verse. The program chooses a verse by random and gives you the reference. You then say it to yourself and tap show to see how well you did. If you need help, you can tap hint and the program will reveal the first part of the verse. To me, this is quite helpful as the program works with you as you memorize these verses. Since you can add more categories and verses, the program itself would prove to be a keeper over time.

While its main strength is helping you memorize verses, you can also keep track of your Bible reading, prayer requests, sermons, and journal notes. A couple interesting points about journal notes. The notes can be export to the memo or doc format. You can also backup or restore the journal notes to or from your SD card. You are also able to set a password for journal notes as well as prayer requests and sermons. The Prayers is really cool. I can list all my requests and add more details for each request and then when the prayer request is answered I can check it. This part has been very useful to me.

Overall I really like Scripture Memory System Advanced as it’s the perfect tool for any Christian seeking to memorize the Word of God. With its extras like Prayers, journal, Bible reading, sermons, you can stay organize and on top of your spiritual life with this program. If you own a Palm device, check out Scripture Memory System Advanced. There is a desktop companion that is available for $19.95. I haven’t tried that yet, but I will probably do that later this weekend. The PDA version though is free and can be downloaded here.

Ubuntu: Christian Edition

I came across this website called whatwouldjesusdownload.com. The reason I found it is I'm working on a review of Scripture Memory System Advanced and they are the owners of it. So as I looked thru their site, I noticed that they had a Christian edition of Ubuntu. Ubuntu is a free operating system based on Ubuntu Linux. What these folks have done is taken Ubuntu and added useful Christian software to it (i.e. Bible program, web Content Parental Controls, etc.). What other kind of software? Read on...

"The goal of Ubuntu Christian Edition is to bring the power and security of Ubuntu to Christians. Ubuntu Christian Edition is suitable for both desktop and server use. The current Ubuntu Christian Edition release supports PC (Intel x86).

Ubuntu Christian Edition includes more than 16,000 pieces of software, but the core desktop installation fits on a single CD. Ubuntu Christian Edition covers every standard desktop application from word processing and spreadsheet applications to web server software and programming tools.

Along with the standard Ubuntu applications, Ubuntu Christian Edition includes the best available Christian software. The latest release contains GnomeSword, a top of the line Bible study program for Linux based on the Sword Project. There are several modules installed with GnomeSword including Bibles, Commentaries, and Dictionaries.

Ubuntu Christian Edition also includes fully integrated web content parental controls powered by Dansguardian. A graphical tool to adjust the parental control settings has also been developed specifically for Ubuntu Christian Edition. These features are truly what sets Ubuntu Christian Edition apart.

Want to see the Ubuntu Christian Edition features list?
Click Here

Want to see Ubuntu Christian Edition in action?
Click Here"

Download Ubuntu Christian Edition.

MS Zune is coming and its prices are set.

Microsoft has announced the pricing of their new mp3 player, the Zune. The price of the wifi mp3 player will be $249 and the price of a song will be $.99. This should make it quite competitive with Apples iPods. Here is an article from Reuters on this announcement.

"SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. said on Thursday its new Zune music player will be sold at a price matching Apple Computer Inc.'s market-leading iPod and, as a result, lose money this holiday season. Microsoft's 30-gigabyte Zune will retail for $249.99 -- 99 cents higher than the iPod with the same amount of storage -- when it goes on sale November 14. Songs available for download at the Zune Marketplace service will cost about 99 cents a song, on par with prices at Apple's iTunes, Microsoft said. The world's largest software maker faces an uphill climb in trying to topple the popular iPod after conceding a five-year head start to Apple's media player. The Zune aims to compete on features, not price, said an analyst. "They're not getting into a pricing war," said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at technology and media research firm JupiterKagan Inc. "It will be a competition of features versus features, form factor versus form factor, winning the hearts and minds of consumers with something other than price," Gartenberg said. Microsoft said it needed to put a comparable price on Zune, even if it meant that the company will suffer a loss from the device's sales this holiday season. (READ MORE)"

Need help tracking your goals?

A long time ago, I reviewed Traxitall for Palm Addict. Traxitall is a program for your Palm PDA which helps you to track your goals and motivate you to reach them. Its an amazing program and one that I think we as pastors could implement in our ministries and be more productive. Let me explain.
Suppose you wanted to set a goal of passing out 5 tracts a day. You could setup in Traxitall a goal of 5 tracts a day and then you can log each day how many tracks you handed out. At the end of the week you can review your progress and see if you accomplished your goal. You can also see a monthly, qaurterly, and yearly report of your tracts. You could also use this to tract how many miles you ran in a week, your weight, how many chapters of the Bible read, etc. The goal tracking is endless.
So if you are a goal-oriented person or need to accomplish more of your goals, take a look at Traxitall and see if this could be the program that helps you get it done.

Traxitall is available at the Traxitall home page for $17.

How to make your Windows PC look like a Mac

This tip from Engadget covers several applications that can make your Windows PC look like a Mac. Why? Well, Macs have a lot of color graphic enhancements. Apple looks at the details. So, over the past few days, I've been trying several programs that give my Windows a Mac look and feel. Yzdock was the first app I installed and it works rather well giving the Mac Launcher bar on my Windows. My wife is annoyed by it, but it looks good to me.

If you've had a hankering for a Mac computer, like me, try Engadget's tip first. You might like what you find!

Microsoft offers Explorer patch ahead of schedule

Microsoft has a patch for a recent security flaw found in Internet Explorer. I for one highly recommend FireFox over IE as FireFox seems to have less issues in this area. Here is part of the article on that patch from Reuters.

"LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday released a security patch to fix a "critical" hole in its Internet Explorer Web browser that the world's biggest software maker said could allow an attacker to take control of a user's computer. The patch was released two weeks ahead of a regularly scheduled monthly security update after Microsoft said it became aware of a "public attack utilizing the vulnerability." The company added that the impact on customers was "limited." Read More

A jacket that carries all your gadgets!

As fall and winter approaches here in Western New York, more people will be wearing jackets and sweaters. So as a gadget pastor what do I recommend? ScotteVests. The ScotteVests have up to 42 hidden pockets that you can store your gadgets in and they come in fleece pullovers, jackets, vests, ties, hats, t-shirts, and more. At one time, they even had a sport coat with a bunch of pockets. So if you are looking for a new jacket for this fall/winter season and you want to try to carry more of your gadgets wihtout looking like a geek you might consider getting a Scottevest.


"SCOTTEVEST (SeV) allows users to discretely carry multiple electronic devices in the concealed, ergonomically designed pocket system, as well as connect gadgets with the patented Personal Area Network (PAN) licensed by TECHNOLOGY ENABLED CLOTHING® (TEC®). The PAN consists of hidden channels that allow users to connect devices without any visible wires. In addition to connectivity, special pockets are designed to accommodate digital cameras, portable keyboards, GPS devices, small laptop computers, two-way radios, bottled water, airplane tickets, magazines, wallets, keys, and much more. In cities and areas requiring hands-free devices while driving, the PAN is the ideal solution.

SeVs have more great features designed to make life easier. To name just a few: Magnet Closures used instead of snaps/Velcro® for those who forget to zip up, interior CreditCarry and MyMemory pockets to keep credit and memory cards safe, an extendable and removable key tether so keys never have to be detached, and a clever AllAccess system which provides full reach to the back of the SCOTTEVEST (SeV)® without having to remove the garment."

Keep the kids away from the computer or this might happen to you!

Reading this was scary, because my 4 year-old son can already navigate thru my wife's z22 and can find his own websites thru the favorites menu in Firefox. Needless to say we keep a close eye on him and thankfully nothing like this story has happened to us... yet.

"LONDON (Reuters) - Jack Neal briefly became the proud owner of a pink convertible car after he managed to buy it for 9,000 pounds ($17,000) on the Internet despite being only three years old. Jack's mother told the BBC she had left her password for the eBay auction site in her computer and her son used the "buy it now" option to complete the purchase. (Read more)"

"I can't remember my passwords?!"

Over the years, I have registered at many websites from forums to Pepsi to email to online bill centers. All these sites have different passwords, user names, and make it really hard to remember them all. So what do you do? Well, writing them down on paper is never a good idea as that would be a convenient way for someone to get all your passwords. A program on your PC or Mac would be a smart idea so that you can use just one password to unlock all your passwords. However, what if you are on the go, away from your PC/Mac and you need that password/username. What do you do then?
Well, for me I turn to SplashID from SplashData. This program provides you with a desktop companion and a version to go on your Palm OS/Treo, Pocket PC, Windows Mobile Smartphone, Symbian UIQ, Series 60, and BlackBerry. The desktop companion is also compatible with Windows or Mac.
SplashID gives you several templates to start off with and you can easily add your own or edit the current ones. I have close to a hundred passwords stored in SplashID. That's way to me for me to remember on my own. I'm sure some of you are wondering how secure SplashID and the answer is 256 bit Blowfish encryption. What does that mean? Check out this link for more information on it, as all I can say is you are very secure.
Here is the software description from the website developers:

"Organize and protect all of your user names, passwords, credit cards, PINs, and more. SplashID lets you store everything securely on your smartphone or PDA as well as your PC, so you have access to your critical information at home, at work, or on the go. SplashID has been the #1 best-selling password manager worldwide for over 5 years straight.

Key Features:

• #1 best-selling password manager for smartphones, PDAs, and PCs
• Unlimited number of customizable record types and categories for storing all kinds of confidential information (usernames, passwords, bank accounts, credit cards, registrations, insurance, perscriptions, and more)
• Synchronize data between your handheld or phone and your desktop PC using the included desktop software
• Password protection, using 256-bit Blowfish encryption, keeps your data safe and secure
• Automatic password generator - for generating passwords based on user criteria
• Customizable list view supports color and icons
• Share records with other SplashID users
• Custom icon support
• Field masking (for sensitive data like passwords)
• Customizable field labels
• Enhanced security options
• Category support
• Backup and restore feature"

So if you have the need to have a convenient way to store your passwords and such and have them readily available while on the go, give SplashID a try and see what you think!

A new audio program for you to try...

Today I needed to convert some wav files to wma files and the computer I had didn't have any software to do that on my work PC (windows media encoder is way slow for PC). Well, I went to one of my favorite download sites: C-NET. I found a freeware program to do just that and it worked great for my task. The program is called Free Mp3 Wma Converter 1.4. They also include a CD ripper as well. During install, you do need to download some extra files to be able to convert to wma files, so that makes the entire program with those extra files around 9 mb. Here is a brief description from C-NET:

"Free Mp3 Wma Converter can convert all your mp3, Wma, Ogg, AAC, M4A, APE, Wav files. The following conversions are supported: Mp3 to Ogg, Mp3 to Wma, Mp3 to AAC, Mp3 to Wav, Mp3 to Ape, M4A to Mp3, M4a to Wma, M4a to ogg, M4a to wav, Wav to Mp3, Wav to Ogg, Wav to AAC, Wav to Wma, Wav to Ape, Wma to Mp3, Wma to Ogg, Wma to AAC, Wma to Wav, Wma to Ape, Ogg to Mp3, Ogg to Wma, Ogg to AAC, Ogg to Wav, Ogg to Ape, AAC to Mp3, AAC to Wma, AAC to Ogg, AAC to Wav, AAC to Ape, Ape to Wav, Ape to Mp3, Ape to Wma, Ape to AAC, Ape to Ogg. This download also Includes Tag Editor (V1 and V2), CD Audio Ripper with CDDB support. You will be able to convert you Itunes music library (m4a format) to mp3, wma, ogg. Version 1.4 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, and bug fixes."

If you'd like, C-NET has an editors review of Free MP3 WMA Converter. It's short, but does point out the program's strength. BTW, I've added this program to my list of audio apps.

Campus Crusade Sites and Files for PDAs

Campus Crusade has several sites and files available that you can download or view on your PDA. If you decide to download some of these files, you will need the Olive Tree Bible reader for Palm or PPC. Some also have a PDF version which you might be able to use with Metaviewsoft's Palm PDF. I'm sure Plucker would be a option here to if you want.
I think it is great to find places like this that have software and other items available for your PDA. For me it's very helpful as my PDA is just about always with me.

A comprehensive guide to Palm software for Christians available at Palmsource

I stumbled upon this comprehensive list of software from Palmsource over the weekend. (Its actually a part of their expect guides in using your Palm PDA in your profession or area of interest.) The guide includings many programs that would be useful for pastors, too.
Among the guide, you will find programs that for reading the Bible, setting up a Bible reading plan, ministry tools, prayer list programs, and other study resources. One program I downloaded and will review in the days to come, came with a Tithe calculator. I thought that was interesting and helpful as well.
Overall, I think the list is the perfect resource for any Christian and it might be worth you bookmarking it as I'm sure you will find a need for it again in the future.

FYI: Posts on Sundays

I have decided that I will not be posting to The Gadget Pastor on Sundays as like most of you Sunday is my busiest day. Monday morning I'll be at it again, so don't worry. I may occasionally post about a praise or prayer request, but I think for the most part no new posting on Sundays. I sure hope you all understand. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read TGP.

Looking to remove antivirus software? Consider this tech tip when you do!

I saw this article at the New York Times Technology section about removing a specific antivirus program. Here was the question: "Antivirus Software Q. How do I fully remove the Trend Micro PC-cillin antivirus program?"
The answer was really specific to the software, however, many times it does take a bit more work to remove software from your computer. When I struggle with a program, I usually turn to Google to provide me with help. Its amaze what Google can find for you on the web. So consider this my tech tip for the day! It may seem like a no brainer for some, but for others it opens up a whole new line of tech support.

News Report: Researchers: Homes have more TVs than people

This is interesting:

"The average American home now has more television sets than people. That threshold was crossed within the past two years, according to Nielsen Media Research. There are 2.73 TV sets in the typical home and 2.55 people, the researchers said. With televisions now on buses, elevators and in airport lobbies, that development may have as much to do with TV's ubiquity as an appliance as it does conspicuous consumption. The popularity of flat-screen TVs now make it easy to put sets where they haven't been before. (READ MORE)"
If only this was true about the Bible. All it means is we still have much work left to do.

How do you store your messages?

Recently, I've been working on a series of messages that cover the names of God. I'm preaching this for our school chapel each Monday. Now, I've been using my Lifedrive and my PC to create my messages and then I will print them out as I need them. When I was in college, I worked my summers in different local churches so I could learn the ropes so to speak. One pastor showed mes that he stored his sermons (most were hand written) in a huge file cabinet and had a complicated paper filing system, but it worked for him. I have chosen to keep all my messages on my PC and sync them to my Lifedrive as well. I have a folder in My Documents that I organize my messages in. They get organized by where I have preached them (i.e. church, Sunday School, school, etc.). Then I organize them by content. Having them on my Lifedrive is very helpful as I'll always have my messages with me wherever I go. Now the hard part that I have found is trying to preach from my PDA. Its a lot harder then I thought. I tried several times to do this, but in the end I found it much easier for me to just preach from paper rather then PDA.

My question to the rest of you is do you prefer to preach from your PDA, PC, or paper? And do you store your messages in a folder on your computer or in a folder in your filing cabinet? Just use the comments link below.

Apps That Make Me Work Smarter on My Treo

Antoine from Mobile Ministry Magazine sent this in to Palm Addicts on how his Treo smartphone makes him work smarter. PDAs, like my Lifedrive, and smartphones can really help in making someone more productive and effective. Just read Antoine's comments about his Treo and you'll see why.

"Greetings all; I have to in part say that I apologize for being up and writing this because I am so excited while I am writing it. The reason for my excitement is that I have downloaded and installed Stand Alone's beta release of Type Right and it honestly has been quite excited to use my Treo again. As a website designer (think user interface and accessibility person), I like those applications that help me to do things simply and efficiently, and Type Right does just that. And so I happily rolled out of my bed to get out and email to Stand Alone for this new and most excellent program. "

Read more.

PC & Mac Commercials

What do you think of them? I love those commercials. They are smart, creative, and clearly show the contrast qaulities of a PC and a Mac. I saw another one tonite and PC was trying to hide from spyware. Very funny! Apple has them on their website if you'd like to watch some of them.

A new Treo smartphone is on its way from Palm

Well, this has been picked up by Gadgets on the Go, PDA 247, and Palm Addicts that Palm has confirmed that in the coming weeks it will be releasing a new low-end Treo device, most likely the rumored Treo 680. The rumored specs are 64 mb of memory, VGA camera, and no infra-red port. I'm very much interested in this device as it is rumored to be priced around $200. If so, I might upgrade my current cell phone, a Motorola v557, for the Treo. I think it might be quite helpful for me as I've traveled quite a bit this past year and I'm running The Gadget Pastor. I've done a lot of thinking on this line and I'll probably go Treo soon, but I'm not likely to give up my Lifedrive right away.

So with all this, I wonder how many of you use a smartphone be it a Pocket PC or Palm device or whatever? Let us know in the comments!

USB rechargeable AA batteries.

How do people come up with stuff like this?! I think these USB rechargeable batteries are a really good idea for the regular traveler. Saw this mentioned over at PDA Live. "Moixa Energy has come up with a brand new approach to rechargeable batteries.

Instead of using a traditional combo, consisting of a recharging device and a pair of NiMH cells, the company is offering a new battery that can charge from any USB port without the need for additional hardware. All you have to do is to pop the lid to reveal a built in connector and charger, and plug the battery into a USB port on your desktop, laptop, keyboard, etc.

The USBCELL can be used exactly like a normal battery. Currently available in the AA format, a unit packs 1300 mAh of juice."

Read more.

Plugged In Online: A useful website for all

The main reason I wanted to start The Gadget Pastor was to share with others technology tips for ministry that I have learned or that others are willing to share with the TGP community. Along with that, I wanted to share websites that I have found to be helpful in my ministry as well. Plugged In Online is one of them. Plugged In Online is a website ran by Focus on the Family that reviews current movies (in theaters and new release DVDs), television shows, and music. From a personal stand point, I have found it to be quite helpful, but from a youth pastor's stand point I have found it extremely useful. Sometimes I hear my teens mention groups, movies, TV shows and I honestly don't know who or what they are. Using Pluggedin Online, I stay informed and able to help my young people discern what is best when it comes to these areas of their life. Its an excellent resource for any Christian or pastor.

Being Effective on Church Visitation.

Living in Buffalo, NY has its advantages. Lots of stores, lots of people, lots of things to do, and lots of ways to get lost. When I first arrived here in Buffalo, I carried a large spiral bound, 8" x 10" map book of Buffalo. When I had to pick up our seniors for their Thursday luncheon or make a bus call to some street I didn't now, I would refer to my map book and figure the best way to my destination. Many times the seniors themselves would tell me how to get to my next stop or what street to turn down. I may have been driving, but they were doing the directing. (There's gotta be a sermon in there somewhere!) Now I must admit it wasn't easy to look at my map book, but it only cost me about $10 bucks for the map and it had proven to be an ok way to find my way. Do you want to know where that map book is now? It sits inside a compartment in my mini van. I don't use it anymore. Why? Well its not because I've learned every street in Buffalo. I've gotten better knowing my way around, but still from time to time I need a little bit of help. In comes my Lifedrive and a mapping program called Mapopolis. This mapping program allows me to download maps by county. I've loaded Erie County on my Lifedrive and now I can easily find my way around Buffalo without a hitch. No more folder a map or pulling out a map book looking in the index finding the map code and page number and then finding that map code on that page number. Now, I have door to door directions to my location via my Lifedrive.
While I would love GPS, I just can't justify the cost of such a gadget right now. Using my PDA is the perfect alternative to being more effective when making visitation calls. I find the places I need to go quickly and easily using Mapopolis. Most importantly I don't get lost and waste my time. Quite often on visitation, I am looking up an addresses for myself or someone else with my PDA. It feels great knowing that I won't need to pull over and look at my map book. It always amazes me how much my PDA can help with making me a more effective pastor.

If you would like a cheaper GPS option you could look at Mapopolis's GPS Bundle or a Garmin iQue PDA.

A nice etract.

I came across this the other day and thought I'd share it here. It is a nice etract that you could send to someone who is unsaved by email.

Bible Software: What do you use?

Being an effective user of time can be a difficult task. As pastors, missionaries, and others serving the Lord in ministry, we have to manage our time carefully. I know for many the biggest part of their time is usually spent studying for their sermons. So with that in mind, I wanted to share some Bible programs I have used to help me study more effectively.

Power Bible - This is probably one of the easiest Bible software programs to use. "The Power Bible CD-ROM includes 22 Bible translations, six Bible dictionaries, 11 topical references, 20 commentaries, and over 700,000 cross-references, all for only $19.00*, including postage!" What I like best about Power Bible is being able to have the original languagues interlined with the English translations. Power Bible will also give you a preview of a verse or Hebrew/Greek word if you rest your mouse on it. A bubble window pops open with a mini preview of what that verse is or the meaning of the word you are looking at. That helps you be more effective as you don't have to click to go to that passage or reference book and come back to where you were.

Online Bible - I used this program a lot when I was a student in college and seminary. The main reason why is because it was free! And it still is. Their Basic package contains:

- the Online Bible Edition 2.00.04

- King James Authorized Version Bible

- Easton's Dictionary

- Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

- Greek and Hebrew Lexicons

- OLB Theme Index

- Morning and Evening Devotional.

Nelson's eBible - I just recently purchased this software and from all that I have done with it so far, it may replace Power Bible for me. One feature that I really like about this software is it has the student in mind. When you copy and paste information from it, eBible will automatically include a footnote for your paper or message. It has several different formats like Turabian, etc. The nice part about this is you can also add more books and reference materials to it. Meaning it may cost more, but you do save space on your bookshelf.

Why use a Bible program? I think the main reason that I have used a Bible program is it decreases my time searching thru reference books like Strongs, Vines, etc. With these programs that kind of flipping pages searching is over. What could take several minutes now only takes a few seconds. This so it makes me a better manager of my time and more effective as a pastor.

I realize their are more Bible programs out there (i.e. Quickverse, e-sword, swordsearcher, etc.), but these are the ones I have used and can speak with some knowledge. I definitely recommend looking at the ones I mentioned and search for others as well. I never payed more then $20 for the above software I mentioned. However, with some demo-ing and testing I'm sure you will find a program that will suit your needs. It would also be great for you to share your Bible program with us. You can tell us in the comments below.

Some more Monday thoughts...

I want to say thanks to Sammy at Palm Addict and Antoine over at Mobile Ministry Magazine for their welcomes on their websites. I really appreciate that and it was quite kind of them to do so. Thanks guys! Both sites are worth checking out and I have them on my Google homepage already.

Well, today was quite interesting as I had a computer not want to start up for some odd reason that I never figured out completely, but I finally managed to get it back running again and our school was given a computer from another school and this person had left some of their contact information from their PDA on the computer. It had a list of names and phone numbers of probably about 20 contacts. Now I went ahead and erased them, so no one could retrieve that information again, but it still makes me wonder how many people erase their information from their gadgets and computers. Honestly, I have a couple cellphones that still have numbers on them that I need to delete that information.

Thinking of this made me realize we all need to be careful when it comes to giving away our gadgets or computers. There are lots of programs out their for erasing data from computers. For my PCs, I have used Hard Disk Scrubber 2.0. Its freeware and it can for a price securely erase to military standards. Also check out this article from PC World. Its got some good thoughts on the subject. So the next time you get ready to pass on that computer or other gadget- make sure you clear all the data securely.

ADD ON--

Here is a link I found about securely erasing data on PDAs and smartphones.

Jesus's humor...

One thing I miss in my college days where the many jokes the preachers would tell to help break the ice with us college students. I think most folks enjoy some humor before and during the preaching. Well, this morning I was reading Matthew 8:12-13 and Jesus was speaking to the Parisees because they questioned him eating with the publicans and sinners. Jesus said to them, "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." I had never noticed that phrase "but go ye and learn what that meaneth". It was a bit of a rebuke for them, but nonetheless, it brought a smile to my face this morning and a thought that I too need to remember there are many things I still need to learn about Jesus.



Technology can help us to be more productive.

This morning as I was getting ready for the day, I was listening to my local newstalk radio station. During the news cast, the reporter mentioned that the technology stocks were up because more companies had been spending their money on them so they could increase their productivity. I happen to agree with that technology can make a company more productive in their business or a church more productive with their ministry. Though I must admit that technology does occasionally consume more of my time then I would like, I still think it is good and helpful.
Our school and church uses technology all the time. We design our school's yearbook on our computers, students build power point presentations to show during class, they learn about digital photography, type their papers out on computers, and more.
Our church website allows you to visit one of our services live every Sunday and Wednesday (barring no glitches!). We started this as a means to allow some of our church members who couldn't get out a way to be apart of the church service. Our bulletin is also available to them online so they can print it off or view it on their computer.
I know many missionaries we have in use DVDs now to display their mission reports or tell us about their passion and missionfield. I think it works a lot better then the days of the slides. All though its not as fun as with slides you would get an occassional picture upside down or something. ;)
Overall, I think a church can use technology very successfully and will see positive results from it. If you would like to share how technology has helped your pastorate, church, or ministry please email us by clicking on the Gadget Pastor logo to the top right.

This is funny...

I love reading the After Eden cartoons by Dan Lietha (Answers In Genesis). Here is this weeks which I found funny!

SermonAudio - A great online website for sermons and other resources

Listening to messages via my Lifedrive or my Zen Nano Plus mp3 player is another great use to my gadgets. Many times I will load up a message from a preacher I know or I will listen to one that is recommended to me. Sermonaudio.com is another great online resource to download sermons in the mp3 format. I have loaded a good number of messages from this site and they have a good variety of old time preachers and modern preachers. You can search by topic or by preachers name and there are thousands of sermons to download. Once downloaded you can easily add them to your iPod, PDA, or other mp3 player. There is also a place to upload your messages if you would like. It might be nice for family and friends.

If you haven't booked mark this site, I would highly recommend that you do and also that you sign up for their newsletter.

Send us your feedback!

The Gadget Pastor Blog is meant to be a help to your minsitry and a place where every one of us can share their ministry tips and tricks with techonology. I firmly believe that this site can be a great resource and help to others as we work to minister towards others. Just click on . Thanks for feedback and we will do our best to help meet your needs!

How my PDA helps me study for sermons!

The other night I was preparing for my youth Sunday School class and I needed to look up some words on the passage I was studying. Now normally, I would go and get one of my books from my bookshelf like my Strongs or Matthew Henry Commentary and then look up the word I wanted. And doing that while on the go or having to lug books around was not fun! However, I have learned to use my PDA (Palm Lifedrive) to hold several commentaries and Bible versions on my handheld. I use two different Bible programs for my PDA. Bible+ and eBible for the Palm OS. Bible+ is free and has lots of extras you can download. I like eBible because it has some of the newer Bible helps and commentaries available, but Bible+ can be faster and its a whole lot cheaper.
So with my PDA I was able to quickly look up the word I needed and without losing my thought pattern. Its a big help to me as I tend to get distracted easily when I'm working on my messages. Its also quite helpful when you are travelling or don't want to take a lot of books with you to your home or office.
So if you own a Palm PDA or a Pocket PC, you might want to check out the many Bible programs out there for you PDA. It could prove to be quite useful in your ministry as it has been in mine.

Tech Tip for overflowing services.

About two years ago our church developed a problem with seating in our auditorium: we had none. Not yet having the funds to begin a new building, we often found ourselves grabbing chairs from downstairs or wherever we can find them to seat people. Obviously, this isn't a good way to introduce guests to a church service. Our answer to this problem was to incorporate a closed circuit television for our teenagers downstairs. We have your basic VHS camcorder hooked up to a projector and we added two speakers that run off the main sound board for the sound downstairs. By doing this, we have been able to add enough seating, for now. Grant it it isn't the high-tech fix, but it's a solution that most anyone can do themselves.

All you need is a camcorder (we use an old VHS), projector (we use an infocus X1), speakers from the sound board, and a cable to connector the camcorder and projector (we use a coax cable with adapters on both ends for RCA jacks).

So if you are running out of space and don't want to start building a new building yet, this is a good alternative.

Palm Introduces the Treo 700wx Smartphone Available on the Sprint Power Vision Network

I'm a little late on this Palm news.

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Sep 05, 2006 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Building on the Treo(TM) 700 family, Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq:PALM) today announced the availability of the Palm(R) Treo 700wx smartphone running Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Phone Edition, adding another Palm EvDO product to Sprint's (NYSE:S) product offerings.

The Treo 700wx combines a great mobile phone, comprising all the functionality and ease of use for which Treo smartphones are known, with the power and security of Windows Mobile favored by many businesses. Today's announcement marks the availability of Sprint's first Windows Mobile Treo smartphone on the Sprint Power Vision(SM) Network, giving its customer base more choices and complementing the Treo 700p smartphone running on the Palm OS(R) platform.

"Palm's goal is to give our customers more choices to satisfy the growing demands of the mobile work force," said Tim Roper, vice president, U.S. region, for Palm, Inc. "The Palm user experience combined with ready access to Microsoft's as well as Good Technology's world-class email solutions gives mobile professionals a true competitive edge and helps to extend Palm's reach into the enterprise market."

"Treo smart devices continue to provide customers with innovation, ease of use and functionality in a stylish form factor," said Danny Bowman, vice president of product marketing for Sprint. "For customers who prefer to have Microsoft's Windows operating system applied across all their corporate computing assets, the new Treo 700wx gives users a convenient way to access their business-critical and Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents at broadbandlike download speeds to make just about anyplace a work place."

My challenge for the day...

I was reading today the monthly newsletter from Answers in Genesis. In it, Ken Ham shares his struggles because of the creation museum AIG is building. Many people, specifically, atheists have vehemently opposed this project. I find it amazing that people who preach tolerance are so intolerant towards Christians. Its really ironic. However, it is important that you and I keep to our job and purpose on earth: evangelizing and discipling. We must more than ever pursue this as passionately as we would our gadgets. I think its just an important remind for all of us. Even though we may spend time reading websites, posting to blogs, responding to email, and chatting online, we still need to remember our mission. To help out with that mission, I want to recommend a website to you. It's called God's Simple Plan. On their site is a tract that I have used many times over to witness to folks and it's good. You should definitely check it out and their prices are quite reasonable as well. I hope today is the day you are able to share the Gospel with someone.

My best tool while on vacation

Its always refreshing to be away for a vacation. Its a time of spiritual recharge as well as physical refreshment. Sometimes though problems can arise and things may not go as smoothly as one would like. Well, one gadget that helped make my vacation go smoothly and being as much fun as possible was my Palm Lifedrive. I used it to help remind me what I wanted and needed to pack. The days leading up to my vacation I made list using the Memos app of things I would be taking on vacation. As I thought of something I would add to my list. Now this worked great for me because I carry my Lifedrive with me everywhere. I use to use a piece of paper for this, but many times I would lose it or it would go thru the wash.
One of the biggest advantages to having my Lifedrive with me was I transfered pictures from my in-laws camera to my Lifedrive. My Lifedrive comes with an app called Camera Companion which allows me to transfer pictures from an SD card and store them on my Lifedrive. With a 4 GB harddrive that can be a lot of pictures. Again this is a huge help as many times I would want this pictures, but didn't have a CD or a flashdrive with me to get them. Now with the Lifedrive its a simple process.
Gadgets can be a help even on vacations. Maybe a PDA could help you out and make your vacations much more enjoyable!