I’ll never forget the first time I heard the word “blog.” It sounded like my friend burped. And the concept sounded about as stupid. That was years ago, and—well, it is self-evident that the concept caught on, not only for me but for millions of others. We live in a day when everybody and their…
A friend emailed this to me today and I thought it worth sharing. It’s a ten minute video about cell phone usage and text messaging while driving—sharing real stories. I will definitely make sure my kids watch it! If you have teens or a youth group, you might consider passing it along.
Have you ever wondered who you are ministering to well, and who you are missing? Whether it’s a class, a group, or a church family, it’s easy to minister to many but miss some—especially those who are quiet. Some years ago, as our youth group grew larger, we became burdened about who we might be…
Perhaps you’ve come across this blog in the past 12 months. If so, this post is for you. Over the past few years, I’ve written a number of articles about creating an annual planner for life and ministry and about personal productivity. I thought it might be helpful to re-post these with titles, summaries, and…
(This one’s just for fun…) When iPad was introduced, nearly every blog and media outlet had an article about it. Some were sceptical, some critical, some more analytical, and some prophetic. Six months into using an iPad, and a couple years for the iPhone, I wanted to share how these devices have impacted my ministry…
Two months ago, we launched a new website—Ministry127.com. It has had a wonderful start. Friends and co-laborers from all over the world have written and expressed appreciation for the site and the resources it contains. Contributors have continually sent in submissions that are practical and helpful. The site has been overwhelmingly received and used in…
To TV or not to TV? Many Christians wrestle with this question. Many choose to not have a TV at all. Others choose to have limited TV and tight controls. Yet others open the floodgates completely. Regardless of where you are on the TV decision, this experience was too powerful not to share. For several years…
Several days ago the LA Times reported on a Kaiser Family Foundation study that showed kids are now averaging 53 hours per week in digital media, including TV, video games, cell phone, computer, etc. This does not include when kids are multitasking—perhaps using their phone and watching TV at the same time. When factoring those…
This fourth and final post on an annual planner is just for ideas. Please contexualize this series properly—I’m certainly not the expert on this stuff. Like you, I just enjoy comparing notes with others and gleaning helpful ideas. Thank you for the positive feedback. If you’re coming in late to the series, previous articles are…
The “final article” on the new year planner has become two. First—let’s discuss putting it into practice. In the next article—thoughts on developing an organizational system that works. (Click to read the first and second articles in this series.) So you’ve spent several hours or days mapping out vision, goals, projects, events, calendar, details, and…
Do you have a Kindle? Good news! Striving Together Publications is committed to entering and supporting the digital publishing realm. We are now offering resources for the Kindle digital reader. I’ve been asked several times just today—hence this post. (We are working on the website announcement and links.) Presently, you can find the following books…
Beginning October 1st (tomorrow), the daily radio ministry of Dr. Paul Chappell will begin airing on the CSN radio network. This means that Daily in the Word is now heard on over 450 radio stations across America and in some foreign countries. Daily in the Word is a 26 minute daily radio program featuring solid…
USAToday published an interesting article today about the impact of the internet and social networking. Here are a few of the statistics they shared: How social-networking services affect the everyday behavior of millions of Americans: An Ohio State University study links Facebook to lower grades. According to a survey of 219 students, published in April,…
Have you ever received an email that, at first sight, completely sent your brain into a revolt? Funny. Regardless of the message or your affection for the sender, your brain just wants to immediately hit “delete”! Why? Perhaps some basic things made the email appear to be a huge mental hurdle—long lines, huge paragraphs, and…
Media will eat your family alive unless you tell it not to! In part one we uncovered five challenges that modern media brings into our lives and homes. To beat the challenges, tame this monster, and prepare your children to have discernment and wisdom, may I make the following suggestions: 1. Build healthy relationships committed…
Introducing Our Ministry Podcasts and How to Use Them When it comes to technology and helpful tools, I’ve decided to quit making assumptions. After all, there was a day when I asked this same question—what in the world is a podcast?? (If you are already familiar with the concept, you might want to skip down…
One of my primary goals in maintaining this blog is to share two types of resources—those that I found helpful personally, and those that we are laboring to provide for others through our ministry. This is one of the latter, so at the risk of sounding like a commercial, I hope you will use and…
Seems like kids are getting cell phones younger and younger these days! This post is one I’m only doing because of requests. Several years ago, as our boys became teens, we decided to get cell phones for them—primarily so we could get a hold of them in relation to school and youth group outings. It…
Both TIME magazine and the San Francisco Chronicle recently reported on some dangers surfacing behind the many hours that teens are spending in social networking. Here are a few quotes from the San Francisco Chronicle article that relayed the results of a poll of 1,000 teens and 1,000 parents: “From behind their bedroom doors, more…
I have written a couple of posts about twitter—why I decided to use it and things I’ve learned from the experience. Overall, twitter has been a positive experience, but not entirely. Here is a short list of the best and worst ways to use twitter: The Best Uses of Twitter: Encouraging Connections—Twitter is a great…
