Some one recently told me they want to put a video camera in my office for a week to see what tools I use for ministry. Since they were not from my congregation I figured I was safe, and they were not asking the questions “What do you do all week?”

While I did not go for the camera idea I thought I would try and run through a couple of “typical days” as I do ministry and a few of the tools that I use. As for the basics that I use on a daily basis the “Big tools” are my iPad (1st generation 16G wi-fi) my iPhone (iPhone 4 – 8G Sprint network) my desktop computer (A Dell 19″ laptop running Windows 7)

My morning begins at home checking my overnight personal email on my iPhone. I use the standard mail app that comes with the iPhone, I use a gmail account but prefer the apple app over the gmail app at the time being. This often leads me to my next most tech tool which is Evernote. I became hooked onEvernote about 1 year ago, and I don’t know what I have done without it. It is genuinly helping me to move toward a more paperless office. Lets face it paper is here to stay, but I can reduce it with this amazing tool. If I come across an email I want to save either short term or long term, I forward it to my evernote account via a single email address. Now I can delete it and rest easy that its contents are safe. (Available on all most any platform know to man)

Ocassionaly from my email a task for my day or week will surface. No problem here, I just open my Wunderlist and add it to whatever task list it fits. If it demands attention today I “star it” and move on. Wunderlist is loaded on my office pc, my iPhone and my iPad. They also are available for Android, and Blackberry.

With my quick mail check over I moved on the my health and I enter my current weight and exercise for the day, along with my food log in the iPhone app LoseIt. This app helps me track my weight loss goals, as well as my food intake and exercise on a day to day basis. This program sends me text reminders 3 times a day to record my food, and a morning reminder of the day before. Yea, well we Lutheran’s love our guilt.

While enjoying breakfast I often catch up with my RSS and Twitter feeds through Flipboard on my iPad. This app alone sold me on the ipad. I can breeze through a great deal of information in a quick magazine like feel. My twitter feed on flipboard is my twitter account with just select follows, so the information I am working through is good stuff!

Now I am heading to the office. I have a 25-45 minute drive to the office depending on weather and traffic. Time to move plug my iPhone into the car and flip to my Downcast app. Through Downcast I get several podcast feeds pulled into my phone, for me to listen to as I spend time in my car. I enjoy “Walk in The Word” with James McDonnald, as well as “iPad Today” from Twit TV, “Car Talk” from NPR, and “Wait Wait don’t tell me” also from NPR. New episodes are marked for me and waiting me to either download them for later use or stream them as I drive. (They will only download over wifi)

Well it is about time to arrive at the office,  come back for part two as we look at a morning in the office.

<>< Craig

Truth be told, they are often much the same. As the president gets up and share his view of the largest issues facing our nation, and proposes grandiose plans to solve them, if only congress would work with him. There solutions always seem so simple, a few billion dollars here, a few billion dollars there and we will be the envy of all the other nations on the block.

It also has surprised me that each year more and more of the transcript of the speech are shared by the media prior to the event. Some times I wonder why people tune in, since the content is all out of the bag before the speech ever begins. I’m sure however, while I have never read one, that reading the transcript does not pack the same punch as hearing it live.

But enough about the world of US Politics. Time for this GodPonder to take a turn toward connecting faith to life. I realized this morning as I was taking some time to read Scripture that I have in my hand God’s State of the Union Address. In this amazing book he points out His view of the largest issues facing me and my world. And he proposes grandiose plans to solve them. But the “plans” he shares to solve and conquer our issues, does not depend on us working with Him. All the heavy lifting, all the hard work has been done.

The problem was addressed early in the book, in the opening chapters infact. Man, that’s you and me, did not trust God’s plan for our lives, we broke relationship and walked out own path. We sinned. Even as we began to try a rewrite of the story, He was unfolding the rest of His plan written completly before the first word was spoken.

He left us a complete transcript which outlines; the struggles and issues, the plan for rescue that will make us the envy of everyone on the block, and the solutions to bring others along with us. But this transcript does not carry the same issues that the presidents transcripts does, for when you read these pages, you are hearing it live, from the very lips of God.

For the word of God is living and active. Hebrews 4:12 a
All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Spend some time today with God’s State of the Union.

<>< Craig

Happy Epiphany!

¹ After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem
² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”
³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
⁴ When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.
⁵ “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
⁶ “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’”
⁷ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.
⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.
¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.
¹² And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Matthew 2:1-12

<>< Craig

The green image to the right is just a part of this years full page ad.  Click the image to see the whole ad.

From my humble corner of the stable, I want to say thanks to Hobby Lobby for lifting up the message of Jesus Christ to a world in need.  Visit their collection of Ministry Ads at: http://hobbylobby.com/holiday_messages/holiday_messages.cfm

Well Done! <>< Craig

My rhythm is off this year, in the weeks leading up to the big day, we wait and watch through Advent. I ease Christmas music into my life, I ease Christmas decor into my home, I prepare for the dig day. This year I heard that more than 50% of the largest churches in America did not even have a Christmas Day service this year. HELLO – Christmas was on a SUNDAY! What are Christmas and Easter Christians going to do? Do we need to start a new category of Christmas Eve and Easter Christians?

The day after Christmas brought a mega fight to the mega Mall of America.  Peace and good will didn’t seem to last very long!

Today I was listening to some new Christmas music on Spotify, and I came across a new favorite song. Matthew West from his “Heart of Christmas” CD records a simple song, that he places as the last track on the CD; “Day After Christmas”.

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Rejoice in the Truth of Christ and be bold enough to KEEP wishing people a Merry Christmas!

<>< Craig

A COUPLE FAVORITE SITES

My newest favorite site is a subscription site: SHAREFAITH  Between their Sermon Power Points, Video Loops, and print templates it is a subscription I have kept for 2 years now.  You can check it all out for free (They have 10 free samples)  - they let you look all you want!  They even have it on sale between now and December 28 with 20% off with coupon code CHRISTMAS.

If you are looking for some nice FREE Graphics that other churches have developed and used here is a site where all the sharing we learned in kindergarten come to life online.  VINTAGE CHURCH For me this is a great source of ideas and inspiration. Many times they have video clips, theme graphics, title slides, etc.  These often include the Photo Shop files.  Don’t worry if you don’t have Photo Shop.  I have a FREE solution for you. (wild applause)

A COUPLE OF FAVORITE PROGRAMS

This program has been on my desktop for many years.  While the program continues to change and update it’s simplicity remains it’s strong suite.  THE LOGO CREATOR from LaughingBird Software is a must have for the office of every Youth Worker.  With it you can design simple and quick graphics and logos for event fliers, websites, and more.  I use this program about once a week.  So see one of the uses I have for this program visit my youth ministry site http://www.splatyouth.net and notice the rotating images on the front page of upcoming events.  these graphics were all done quickly and simply with The Logo Creator.   -They even have an ipad app for just $1.99.

One last program for those who do not have Photoshop (that would be me) but still want to work with Photoshop files and design great layered graphics.  GIMP  So what can I tell you… it does what Photoshop does, for the most part, for FREE.  While it take a little learning, there are many great sites with helps to help you learn this great program.

So go on and be creative!  The Gospel was never meant to be dull!  (Just make sure the graphics don’t get in the way of  THE Message!)

<>< Craig

Luke Skywalker was an impetuous fellow who wanted to act NOW. Yea, yea a little training was a good idea, but he was not so convinced that it deserved much of his time. Once he figured out the basics, he was good to go, or so he thought. In this way I must admin there is a little Skywalker in me as well. I often figure out just enough to get started with some new skill or device, ad figure I am smart enough to figure the rest out as we go. I wont tell you how long it took for me to figure out the apostrophe on the ipad. ‘nuf said!

St. Luke however operates much differently from the good Jedi Luke. In the opening verses of Luke’s Gospel we find a little more about the good Doctor Luke.

1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. (Luke 1:1-4)

Did you notice verse 3? “I myself have carefully investigated everything” luke writes as he begins this account written to the “most excellent Theophilus”. Luke Skywalker and so many others of us just jump in, often without doing our homework. How about matters of faith do you simple take whatever is taught you as “Gospel” or do you investigate it? Do you take time to dig into the Word of God and from that digging gain a perspective and understanding about your faith that can not come any other way.

What if we commit to be more investigative about matters of faith, lets not just use those smart phones to search for the best price on the latest gadget, lets use the search function of those mini computers we carry with us to dig into the Bible. Lets follow Luke’s example and investigate through personal interview and time in the Word what we hold to be true from God.

Many of these fonts may find their way into your all time favorites. I know some of these fonts have be come favorites of mine.

So there is not much more I need to say but – FREE Fun Festive Fonts!

Enjoy

<>< Craig

Kindle Deals

The 1000+ (non-public domain) books include everything from cookbooks to commentaries.  Lots of great fiction and even a good cookbook or two. There are even some good children’s picture books for all you kindle fire or ipad kindle readers!

Stop Pouting!

BUT I DON”T HAVE A KINDLE!  Stop Pouting!  Well if you are reading this you have everything you need to get a Kindle ebook and enjoy it!  Check out my archive post  Grab your phone and curl up with a good book.   Kindles also have come way down in price and you can pick one up from amazon for as little as $79.00.

Happy Reading!

<>< Craig

http://amzn.to/decembermusic
<>< Craig