All posts written by Chris

YouVersion Online Bible


YouVersion

YouVersion.com calls itself a revolutionary online Bible, and I it definitely lives up to the claim. It’s part social network and part online Bible. At the base of it, it’s an online Bible that allows you to post your own notes and thoughts on a passage. You can use this to organize your own study notes or even links and pictures, but the real power is you can share it others. This is where the social part comes in. You can have “friends” that you can share your thoughts and notes with. I haven’t really gotten into this yet, but it’s really cool. (My user name is crd55 if you want to be my friend)

The other power in YouVersion is the mobile version they have. It really gives you a useable Bible where ever you are. Most services out there either have great functionality or great content. But YouVersion has both. to use, and has translations that I really want to use (I’m a TNIV and Message guy myself, and both are there). It easy I’ve used it on a windows mobile phone and an iPhone and it’s great. In fact they even have a iPhone app you can install. This is probably what I like best about it.

Also did I mention that it’s free?

It’s definitely worth taking a look.

Here’s their video demo of their iPhone app:

YouVersion iPhone Bible App from YouVersion on Vimeo.

Links:
YouVersion.com
YouVersion Mobile
YouVersion iPhone App
YouVersion blog for the latest news

Youth Ministry Geek Authors Wanted

Are you a Youth Ministry Geek? Do you have something you’d like to share with other geeks? Are you looking for an outlet for your geekiness? We are looking for a couple of more geeks who would like to be contributors to this site. If you are interested, please email me, [email protected] Put “I’m a Geek” in the subject line. Tell me a little about yourself, and why you’d like to write for YMGeek. Also include a sample post for us to read over.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Chris

WingClips.com

It’s summer and movie going season is in full swing. I’ve had some great conversations with students about some of the popular movies. I have been thinking about all the different angles you could take on a lesson about The Dark Knight, but one of the hard things about using a movie illustration in your talk is find the movie clip. Sure if it’s out on DVD you could always rent it and just show it off the DVD, but often times I want to use a clip from a film that not out on DVD yet. That’s where WingClips comes in. They have a ton of movie clips that you can download and use. The do offer subscriptions that give you higher quality clips and outlines, but I’ve used the free level and it’s been great. They also have a great search tool if you are looking for something on a specific topic. As a Youth Worker I’ve found it to be a great resource.

A bonus for me, they are featuring a few clips from The Dark Knight now, I just might have to use them.

Has anyone else used it? What are your thoughts?

USB Popcorn Popper

I realize that this is probably a fake video, but I still tempted to try it out with the guys that run our youth room sound. They could make popcorn while they run the songs on Wed nights.

Stop Camp Kissing

OK, this doesn’t have much to do with technology, but it is summer many of you still have summer camp or mission trips ahead of you. So I thought I would share a post I read at Stuff Christians Like. It’s “Making Purple: 11 Ways to Stop Camp Kissing.”

Here are some of my favorites:

2. Encourage bad breath
In the eighth grade I used to date a girl named Sue. After every school dance, during which boys sat sweatily on one side and girls on the other while listening to Ace of Bass, we would walk to a local pizza joint. It used to kill me when Sue would eat Cool Ranch Doritos. Those may taste great, but it makes your breath smell like warm garbage. And Smartfood white cheddar popcorn has the same effect. It tastes good but makes your fingers and your mouth smell like throw up. So instead of having a well-stocked snack table or snack booth at camp, only offer bad breath items after 5PM. Call it the “garlic pickle rule.” Don’t sell gum or mints or other things that are going to make kids’ mouths like Alpine ski resorts of freshness. Focus on things like Swiss cheese, beef jerky and other unpleasantly-flavored delights.

3. Know your enemy.
Weeks before camp or a retreat begins, go over the roster of people that will be attending with your staff. Put a check by the name of everyone you think is likely to at one point kiss someone. Go ahead and put a check by any of the pastor’s kids. Don’t be fooled by the dorks either. You might think the kids playing world of warcraft 82 hours a day aren’t going to make out, but they will. As Sun Tzu says, “if you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt.”

5. Get an informant.
You need an inside man. Someone that can feed you information, like when someone is sneaking out or where the sneak out spot is. You’ll be tempted to play this role yourself, but don’t. Teens can spot a youth minister trying to act cool a mile away. Instead, find someone that will do the job for you if you give them an important sounding title like “assistant to the regional manager of no kissing.”

It’s a really funny post, I encourage you to ahead over and rest the rest. And for those with summer camp, trips, or retreats still ahead of you, now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

Billy Graham on Faith and Technology

Here’s another TED video that came across my twitter feed this morning. It’s 10 years old, but it was fascinating to listen to his thoughts about technology, faith, and human short comings.

Or download it Here.

Encouraging Creativity

It has always been a passion of mine to encourage creativity in the students I work with. I love engaging a student in writing, painting, music, video, or what ever their gifts might be. Some parents have been grateful, and others just don’t get it. Sometimes in the busyness it’s difficult to take the time to do it. This talk from the TED conference was a great reminder to me about taking the time and encourage their God given gifts. Also for me as their teacher, to be willing to try to do things differently, and not rely on the same techniques I might have had success with over the years.

The talk is about the education sytem, but it’s totally transferable to the church. It’s definitely worth the 20 minutes to watch it, but if you don’t want to take the time now, you can download it here.

Take some time this summer and spend some time cultivating creativity in your students.

iPhone, Yes or No

Live Simply Youth Ministry Podcast Today

If you haven’t watched the Simply Youth Ministry Podcast before I highly recommend you take some time to check it out. It’s like sitting in a room of your best friends talking about youth ministry. Watch it live here at 2:30 PM PST today.
Streaming Video by Ustream.TV

iPhone Week

It’s no secret that Apple’s new iPhone 3G will be available this Friday around the world. And I’m still trying to decide if I’m going to get one. There are a lot of factors to consider, but this post isn’t about my personal gadget journey. Even though I’m not in the iPhone club, I do have an iPod Touch, so I can pretend, but I know a lot of youth pastors that do have iPhones so I thought it would be good to highlight some of the iPhone friendly sites that I use most or think are helpful:

1. Hahlo.com – a really nice twitter client

2. Facebook.com – I think the Facebook iPhone interface is better than the real thing. You don’t get everything, but it gives the basics in a really usable way.

3. YouVersion.com – I think this is best online bible for iPhone. A great mix of translations, and access to the notes that others have made on the passages. Plus, they are planning an app for the iPhone as well.

4. Evernote.com – I’ve been using Evernote for a few weeks to organize and capture little bits on information. It really deserves it’s own post, but their iPhone version is really nice.

5. YouthMinistryGeek.com – That’s right, this very site is iPhone friendly. Maybe you are enjoying that feature right now.

What are your favorites?

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