FaithEngineer

Are you a fan or a follower?

Mike — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:23:45 +0000

Last year, one of the books I read that had the biggest effect on me was the book Not a Fan, by Kyle Idleman. When I read it, I knew it was something I wanted to share with our church. So this week, we are starting a six week series based on the book. I am really excited about this study, because I know it has the power to start a movement. A movement of people who are not content with simply being fans of Jesus, but who are committed to follow Jesus no matter the cost.

Two of our LifeGroups will also be going through the corresponding small group material, and we will show the Not a Fan movie on Saturday night, February 11th. Details are on our church website. If you haven’t read the book, we have copies available for purchase at the church. I want to encourage you to invite others to join us for this six week challenge.

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My Other Site

Mike — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:26:14 +0000

Over the years I have noticed that many churches and smaller organizations want to embrace and use technology, but they simply don’t know where to start. One of my passions is helping those people by sharing what I have learned along the way. I have been meeting with local churches for several years now, helping them with audio/video questions and with developing a web strategy. I have been designing and hosting websites for people who need help, and it is just a small way I can help.

As a pastor, I do have limited time to work on side projects. But this is a way I can be more Kingdom focused, by helping other churches understand and implement new technology. I have a second website dedicated to sharing more about my design and consulting work, so if you want to find out more, please visit FEDesign.net for more information. I offer competitive pricing and support for WordPress Hosting, and I also offer a custom CMS platform that is incredibly easy to use and update for churches. Visit the website for a view of my portfolio.

The Dignity of Human Life

Mike — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:08:10 +0000

January 22 is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. Every life has worth, so let me challenge you to be a voice for those that don’t have a voice.

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed.
Proverbs 31:8 NLT

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My New Android

Mike — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:54:28 +0000

I’ve been watching the new android phones and waiting for the next round of great phones. I was fine with my old HTC Desire(similar to the Google Nexus One) and I wasn’t in any hurry to change things up. Unfortunately, the USB port on my Desire died yesterday so I decided to go ahead and make the plunge. I checked with Verizon, but their data plans are just too expensive compared to what I have on US Cellular, so I ended up with a new Motorola Electrify.

I’m impressed so far, and I’m not easily impressed. This thing is a beast. It’s a dual-core processor, 4.3″ screen, with 16Gig of Internal memory. It has both a front facing and a rear facing camera with HD Video. It even has a hdmi connection so you can hook it up directly to a tv or projector and a SIM card slot for use out of the country. I spent a good part of the evening setting up all my apps and transferring everything over from my old phone. I don’t even think I need to root this phone since it has everything built in.

Technology can be both good and bad, and new phones are no exception. It’s hard not being over-connected and distracted, but there are several great apps that really help me in my ministry. I’m using all the Google apps, and here are some of my other favorites

Evernote (for Note Taking)
ADWLauncher EX (for the User Interface)
Logos Bible Software (for Bible Study)
YouVersion Bible (for Bible Reading)
Wunderlist (for my To-do List)
Amazon Kindle (for all my reading)
Dropbox (for sharing files)
WordPress (for updating my blog)

I did a quick search on YouTube and found the following review of the phone. Motorola phones get great reception and this phone has a much better battery life than before. It’s not 4G, but it will probably be a while before US Cellular gets 4G in our area.

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App Review: Notability

Mike — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:50:53 +0000

I’ve been at a workshop the last few days, so I’ve been experimenting with my iPad to find the best way to take notes. I’ve tried three main apps, Evernote, Penultimate, and Notability. For text, Evernote works fine, but it’s unable to take advantage of the touchscreen of the iPad for drawing or handwriting. Penultimate is a nice program with good integration with other services, but when using a stylus, it’s hard to fit everything on screen. Notability combines the best features of all three programs, so it’s my favorite by far. Here’s why.

Notability gives you the power to combine drawings, audio, typed text, and pictures all in one document. But the killer feature it offers is the ability to write or draw in a zoomed in window, similar to the old palm pilots or pocket pc’s. This lets you use a stylus to take detailed notes.

It also let’s you import pictures or PDF files. Yo can take notes directly on PDF files, which works great for handouts. You can also record the audio of the lecture or talk while you take notes, so this app really has a lot of power. I also use my keyboard with it to type up notes. Notability has good text tools built in, so you can format and markup your text.

When you are done, you can sync your notes to Dropbox, or email them as rtf or PDF files. I email the PDF file to my Evernote account so I can keep all my notes in one place. This is really a great example of a full featured iPad ap, and it’s only $0.99 in the app store. Watch the video below to get a better understanding of how it works.

A Bluegrass Christmas

Mike — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:47:59 +0000

Here is a video of two of our students from Cornerstone leading a little bluegrass/worshipgrass at the Liberty University Coffeehouse. I love it!! Here’s a link to the facebook page for their band Dogwood & Holly.

Growing in Faith

Mike — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:09:00 +0000

Many times I feel like the father in Mark 9:24 who says, ““I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” A lack of faith is usually directly related to a high need for control. For me, I like having a plan, and I struggle when the plan doesn’t work out as I have anticipated. But God continually amazes me as He stretches my faith in every area of my life. And I’m learning that God’s plan is always better than my own.

On Christmas day at Cornerstone, we took up a love offering for our local Free Medical Clinic. As a church, we wanted to match the gift, so we encouraged everyone for several weeks that we would be collecting this on Christmas day. Honestly, I didn’t expect it to be very much. There were lots of reasons why I was anxious about the gift. We didn’t know how many people would come to church on Christmas morning, our love offerings have historically been low, and our area has been hit hard by job loss over the past few years. What happened next simply amazed me.

After we counted everything that was collected and mailed in, we ended up with a $10,000 gift, far beyond my wildest expectations. On top of that, as a church, we found a way to match the gift from our Missions Fund so that the Free Clinic received a total amount of $20,000! They have been struggling financially, so this was a huge gift for them. I am beyond excited about the generosity of our church, and I am happy that we are able to help support such a great local ministry.

The embarrassing part is that I really had no expectations that we would receive an offering this large, or even that we could match it. But God worked everything out perfectly. And here’s the really amazing part, our regular offering at church on Christmas was the highest one day offering in our history. My faith is being stretched and I am learning to trust God completely. I stand amazed!

The Importance of Reading Your Bible

Mike — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 00:48:28 +0000

It’s that time of year when everyone starts thinking about goals and plans for the new year. I want to challenge you to make Bible reading a priority in your life. Regular, systematic Bible reading is the best way to jump start your spiritual growth. When you read the Bible, you are allowing the God of the universe to speak directly into your life.

Many of you have gotten new mobile devices this Christmas. From iPads to smartphones to android tablets, YouVersion has you covered. It’s a great Bible app for your mobile device that allows you to have access to the Bible from anywhere. I use it on my phone and on my iPad to read the Bible. YouVersion also has a great assortment of Bible reading plans and devotions to guide you.

I just started a chronological reading plan to help me as I read through the Bible this year. Why don’t you join me and start reading today! Don’t want til January 1st. Start now and start unpacking the incredible truth of God’s Word. If you want to download the app for your mobile device visit www.mycornerstone.org/bible to find out how.

One of the big new features that YouVersion has added this year is the ability to email your Bible reading to you each day. On your computer, login to the youversion site and view your reading plan. On the settings tab, choose email delivery and you’re all set. Here are a few suggested reading plans and devotions for you to consider this year (there are over 200 in all!)

The Chronological Reading Plan – Reading God’s Story - this is the one I’m doing this year
The Essential 100 – 100 days to take you through the key passages of the Bible
The One Year Bible
New Thru 30 – the New Testament in 30 days
First Steps Reading Plan
Josh McDowell’s Youth Devotions
Life Application Devotional
Rick Warren’s Daily Devotional

If you don’t like reading on your computer or mobile device, we have some Bible reading plans that you can download and print out on our church website. Click here to see the plans we have available.

When we open up the Bible, we’re inviting the creator of the universe to speak directly to us. It’s our connection to His truth—the story of His love for us since the beginning of time. And it’s meant to be woven throughout our lives, giving us new wisdom with each season we experience.

For us to know and understand God’s Will for our lives, we must invest time in reading and learning His Word. It is His divine love letter that reveals to us how we can be reconciled to God.

True Hokie

Mike — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 05:51:13 +0000

Our family spent the day in Blacksburg and Christiansburg finishing up our Christmas shopping and visiting Jennifer’s sister Sara and her family. I took the picture above while walking across the campus with our kids. Virginia Tech is really a special place for me. I spent four great years there, and I fell in love with the campus and the people.

Growing up I was a fan of the Hokies, so when I decided in 10th grade that I wanted to be an engineer, everything just started falling into place. Duke was the only other school that I applied to, but My heart wasn’t in it. I applied early and chose to attend Tech and I became a true Hokie. This great engineering school is just an hour away from my hometown where I now live.

It was at Tech where I really started growing in my faith. I got involved with the local Baptist Student Union and was surrounded by some great friends who helped teach and encourage me. Many of my friends eventually found their way into full time ministry, so when we visit the campus it’s a constant reminder of what God has done in my life. God has always put the right people into my life at the right time. I would have never have guessed that I would end up as a pastor, but God was working out the plan every step of the way.

We still are able to visit the campus often, but it’s been over 16 years since I graduated. I’m troubled by the violence that has rocked the Hokie Nation and I still can’t understand why it has happened in Blacksburg of all places. This small, beautiful mountain town has a slower pace of life, one that is peaceful and quiet. But the people of Tech have pulled together. I love the mountains of Virginia and I’m so thankful that God has me here.

And finally, all I can say is Go Hokies!!! Let’s beat Michigan in the Sugar Bowl!

Blogging from my iPad

Mike — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:20:32 +0000

I just picked up a blogging app called Blogsy for my iPad. I’ve been a little slow on blogging lately because I’ve been too busy and I just had to pull back from a few things. I’m in my last week of classes this semester for seminary, so I will be back to my normal crazy self for a few weeks. I’m still finding apps on my iPad and this one is a great find. I’m using my iPad more and more each week for ministry, reading, and relaxation.

Blogsy is a great app that lets you pull in pictures, videos, and format everything just the way you want. It can pull in pictures from your iPad, Picasa (which works great at pulling in pictures from my android phone automatically uploaded with Google+), Flickr, and the web. It can also grab videos from youtube. Everything in this post was done with Blogsy, so I think I’ll be using it when I’m on the go.

It works with WordPress.org or WordPress.com blogs, blogger, and with Posterous.

I love the Mountains

Mike — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:44:53 +0000

I took this picture from the car a couple of weeks ago. I’m thankful to live in a place where we can see God’s beauty everywhere.

How can anyone deny the existence of God with a sunset like this?

ChurchOnline.org is launching in January

Mike — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:46:20 +0000

On January 9th, the new Church Online platform will be launching from LifeChurch.tv. This will be another free offering from the tech guys at LifeChurch. It allows your church to provide online church services, including video, chatting, and prayer and response times. If you are interested in doing ministry online, then you’ll want to check this out. For more details about how this will work, you can check out the LifeChurch Blog.

As for our church, I’m still a little hesitant to jump into online services. We provide the audio and video of our sermons through our website and through our podcast, but I’m not sure if we would have enough interest to justify the time required to kick off a full online ministry.

A Night of Worship

Mike — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:08:11 +0000

Tonight at Cornerstone, we will be having a special Night of Worship. On the First Wednesday of every month, we have a special service. A few months ago, we switched our format around and started doing things a little differently. When we started First Wednesdays, we had a meal before, then went into our service with music, updates, teaching, ministry group meetings, and a time of communion. We always felt rushed because we were doing too many things, so we decided to simplify.

Now, each month we have a different focus. We have one month focused on leadership and discipleship, followed by a fellowship meal with church updates and vision sharing the next month, and then we have a night of worship. By switching the focus of the meeting each month, we are able to do a better job communicating and a better job celebrating what God is doing at Cornerstone.

Tonight is our first Night of Worship celebration. We’ll be starting at 7pm, and we plan on arriving early and staying late to enjoy our time together. We’re asking everyone to bring some snack food if you are able, and we’ll provide coffee and drinks. We also plan on recording the worship for use on an upcoming Cornerstone Live Worship CD.

We hope you can join us tonight at our church in downtown Galax for this special service. We have so many talented musicians at Cornerstone, and we are truly blessed to be able to worship each and every week with passion and excellence.

Invite your friends and join us!

Twelve Days of Free Videos from WorshipHouse Media

Mike — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 04:48:30 +0000

Here’s a quick way to build up your library of sermon illustration videos. Check out the Christmas special from WorshipHouse Media. They are offering twelve free videos, so you’ll have to check their site to find out which days they are available. WorshipHouse Media is one of the more popular online stores for videos, so be sure to see what they are offering.

Skype and Mission Work

Mike — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 04:17:33 +0000

This week is a new experience for me. While I’m at home with our two boys, ages 7 and 11, my wife and 13 year old daughter are on a mission trip in Nicaragua. This is such a great opportunity for both of them. I’ve been two times over the past two years, but I wanted them to experience it first hand. I’m busy doing my Mr. Mom impersonation doing laundry, cooking and cleaning, and being a homeschool teacher for our boys, and my girls are over 1500 miles away serving in remote Nicaraguan villages. But even though they are far away, I get to experience a little of what is going on each day and even hear their voices through technology.

They are posting pictures on Facebook, sharing updates through the Because We Care Ministries website, and calling home using Skype. We gathered around our computer and just chatted tonight about everything they are experiencing. And the amazing thing is that it’s completely free when you call skype to skype. We both have skype installed on our phones, I have it on my laptop, and I even have it on my iPad. They are in a small town in Nicaragua with a slow internet connection, and yet we can just talk back and forth like a normal phone call.

We live in amazing times, and the world is getting much smaller. We simply cannot overlook the Great Commission. We have no excuses.

A Great Way to Create Video Intros

Mike — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 14:00:46 +0000

I stumbled on this web service and I think it has a lot of promise for churches and youth ministries. The next time you are working on a video intro for a sermon series or a quick youtube video, check out Flixpress.com. This would also work for short photo galleries or digital signage. You can upload your text and images, and they will incorporate them into cool 3D animations. The cost is under $5, and you get really good looking results. Check out the video below and then go to their website and look through the samples. They also have several free templates for you to try out.

Physical Discipline

Mike — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 03:02:21 +0000

Have you ever looked down at the scale and wondered how the number got that high? For me, I finally took a long hard look and realized that I need to make a few changes. It’s not that I’m extremely overweight, but I am definitely heavier than I should be. I can rationalize it by saying that I’m still in decent shape. I can play basketball, go run a few miles, ride my bike, and I’m still relatively healthy. But the truth is that I have been undisciplined in my physical life. This summer, I was at the heaviest weight of my life. Since then, I’ve dropped about 10 pounds, but it was a wake up call to me.

I feel like I’m a critical point in my life, and I don’t want the demands of ministry to turn me into a fat and frustrated preacher. Since I want to be healthy and be around for my family for a long time, here are some changes I’m making.

Losing weight – I’ve already lost 5 pounds over the past week. I started Weight Watchers online for some accountability and it’s helping me really think about what I eat. I would like to drop about 20 more pounds. It’s been good motivation for me.
Exercise More – I’m going to schedule regular exercise times. This is tough in the winter, but I don’t have any excuses. Exercise really helps me clear my head and deal with stress and worry.
Regular Physicals – I’m 38 years old and I think the last physical I had was in high school. I’ve been to the local Urgent Care a few times, but I haven’t had a regular Family Physician since the mid 90′s. I’ve never even had my cholesterol checked. That changed this week. I’m going to take advantage of my health insurance and start building a relationship with a physician. My family has history of diabetes, high blood pressure, and many other health problems, so I’m going to keep watch over my physical health.
Fasting – This may seem out of place to some of you, but I am going to start regularly fasting. Not for weight loss, but to help my discipline. I am spending these fasting days praying for our church and praying for my family. This is something I’ve been reading and studying about for a while, but I have never really incorporated it into everyday life. I’m getting more intentional about seeking God guidance for my life. This is just one way to help that.
Laugh and Play – Finally, this one is huge for me. I tend to be a pretty serious guy. I am going to be much more intentional about laughing and playing with my kids and wife. Life is too short to not enjoy it!

Let me challenge you to think about your health. Are you living a disciplined life?

Running, Pain, & Discipline

Cornerstone is Awesome

Mike — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 22:55:07 +0000

Our church really surprised me a couple of weeks ago for Pastor Appreciation month. They had secretly collected money and bought me a brand new iPad 2, keyboard, and case. Not only that, they compiled a notebook full of letters that people had sent in. Ministry can be discouraging at times, but all it takes is one look through that notebook full of letters to realize that I am a blessed man.

I feel like a new kid in a candy store. I’m already finding more and more uses for the iPad in my ministry. My wife has had one for a while now, and she uses it all the time as her main internet device. She had let me use it to preach from, but that was about the only time I got to play around with it. I can finally set mine up like I want to and use it even more. Here’s what they surprised me with

A 32Gig wifi iPad 2
The Griffin Survivor Case – this thing is crazy tough. It’s got a kick stand to use to prop the iPad up that I’m using a lot. It’s also an extreme duty case that is shock resistant and water resistant.
A bluetooth keyboard when I need to type in a lot of notes
An incredible notebook full of personal letters to me and my family. Notes of thanks, notes of appreciation, and notes of encouragement. Let’s just say there were many tears shed as I read through the letters.

So far, my most used apps seem to be YouVersion, Evernote, Logos 4, Kindle, iBooks, Air Display, Wunderlist, Dropbox, Pages, Twitter, and Facebook. It’s also really helped in my studying and note taking for my seminary classes. What other apps help in ministry? Any recommendations?

Thanks to all my Cornerstone family! You guys are awesome. I am so excited to see how God is working in and through the people of Cornerstone, and I know we are just seeing the beginning of an incredible move of God. You have been a blessing to my family, and I am honored to serve as your pastor! Greater things are yet to come!

Where to Find It: Images and Stock Photos

Mike — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 17:18:23 +0000

If you are needing images for your bulletin, website, or video screens, there are a number of places you find them on the internet. Please don’t use cheesy clipart!!! Clipart was really never in style, so please refrain from using what you will find in Microsoft Office or Publisher. Here are some of the sites I frequently use. Sometimes you can find great images for free, but occasionally you will need to purchase the graphics you need.

Free Stock Photos

Stock.xchang - Good site, but not a lot of church specific images
CreationSwap – Great Christian content
StockVault

Paid Services

(there are a lot of stock photography sites out there, these are just the ones that I have used)

iStockPhotos - This is the one I use the most because of their incredible selection.
PhotoXpress
BigStockPhoto
VectorStock
PhotoMission
PhotoDune

Google Images and Flickr

One word of caution: Just because you can find a great image using Google Image search or Flickr photo search, doesn’t mean that you can use it for your church. If in doubt, be sure and request permission from the content creator or find an image that uses creative commons licensing.

for Flickr, you can use the advanced image search, and click search only creative commons licensed content
for Google Images, use the advanced image search and click search only images labeled for reuse

Only144.com – Good Resources at a Cheap Price

Mike — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:04:28 +0000

If you’re looking for some great resources in church media, then check out only144.com. They have almost $1200 of church videos, images, and graphics available at a cost of less than $100. The only catch, it’s only good for 144 hours. Here’s what they have to say

WHAT YOU GET

You will receive a 5-disc data DVD set with all the files, over 15 gigabytes! Each disc is neatly organized according to producer and includes worship videos, loops, countdowns, graphics, announcement slides, PowerPoint games, sermon videos, sermon series plans, and so much more.

WHY IT’S A GREAT DEAL

The stars have literally lined up! Thirteen of the best worship media producers in the country have pitched in to bless the socks off of churches with this deal. Worship media can be expensive, and this is a great opportunity to get enough media to last your church many years to come. Maybe your church needs some good worship loops, or countdowns, or some great sermon illustration videos. Whatever you need to spruce things up…BAM! It’s in this collection. There hasn’t been a deal offered like this ever before, so don’t miss it. It only lasts 144 hours.

FaithEngineer

Are you a fan or a follower?

My Other Site

The Dignity of Human Life

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Proverbs 31:8 NLT

My New Android

App Review: Notability

A Bluegrass Christmas

Growing in Faith

The Importance of Reading Your Bible

True Hokie

Blogging from my iPad

I love the Mountains

How can anyone deny the existence of God with a sunset like this?

ChurchOnline.org is launching in January

A Night of Worship

Twelve Days of Free Videos from WorshipHouse Media

Skype and Mission Work

A Great Way to Create Video Intros

Physical Discipline

Cornerstone is Awesome

Where to Find It: Images and Stock Photos

Free Stock Photos

Paid Services

Google Images and Flickr

Only144.com – Good Resources at a Cheap Price

WHAT YOU GET

WHY IT’S A GREAT DEAL

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed.
Proverbs 31:8 NLT