All posts tagged technology

Thoughts On Blogging…

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 brother has a blog. And like every other form of media or communication—blogging has its positives and negatives in contributing to daily life on earth. Some people blog for business reasons. Some blog for family. Some blog for gossip and criticism. Some blog for platform…

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Developing a LifeTouch Database

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 missing in our regular week to week ministry. It occurred to us that we had no reliable way of tracking who was being visited, called, written, or given personal time in ministry. And our heart in ministry is personal relationships—making sure that every student has…

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A Collection of Posts About Annual Planning

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 links to the original articles. The planner articles also offered a sample planner, which I will be happy to email you. Just shoot me an email and let me know you would like to have a copy.

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iPad, iPhone, Apps, and Ideas…

(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 and life. Just as I benefit from the ideas of others in these areas, perhaps these ideas will prove helpful to you. Here’s why the iPad and iPhone have been worth the investment:

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Why Ministry127.com?

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 just these first two months. And this is just the beginning! To me, it’s one of the most exciting projects I’ve ever had a part in, and I wanted to share with you the “why.” Why would Pastor Paul Chappell invest the time, the staff, and…

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To TV or Not To TV?

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 we’ve had cable TV’s most basic set of channels—primarily to occasionally watch sports or news, and that with heavy blocks, controls, and caution. The only other things we watched were Andy Griffith or a parentally supervised kid’s show. A few weeks ago, one of my…

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New Data about Kids and Media

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 numbers, the usage jumps to about 75 hours per week—an astounding number. The most interesting fact presented was the impact of parental oversight. When parents engage, set boundaries, and train their children, those same kids averaged 3 hours less per day—21 hours less in a…

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7 Ideas for Your Personal Planner System

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 as follows: Thoughts on Planning a New Year Contents of a New Year Planner More on Developing a New Year Planner You might also find these articles helpful to this topic: Three Huge Principles for Personal Productivity Three More Huge Principles for Personal Productivity Throughout…

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Implementing Your New Year Plan

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 tasks—now what? Do you hit “save” and close the file, sending it into “Neverland?” Do you print it, bind it, and place it on your bookshelf to collect dust for the next twelve months? What brings the plan into a functioning reality? What will prevent…

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Christian Books for the Kindle

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 (from Striving Together) on Amazon for the Kindle. This link shows you all of them at once. A Glorious Church by Mike Gass Church Still Works by Paul Chappell and Clayton Reed Grace for Godly Living by Paul Chappell Hook, Line, & Sinker by Cary…

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14 Encouragers to Follow On Twitter

The following is a list of people that represent some great reasons to use twitter—even if you’d rather not post anything! They are wonderful, genuine servants of God. These are lives worth emulating! If you use twitter, you would benefit and be encouraged by following these leaders: @PaulChappell – Dr. Paul Chappell, Pastor of Lancaster Baptist Church, a great pastor, great leader, and a genuinely godly man. It’s a blessing to serve the Lord under his leadership. @wcbcdrr – Dr. Mark Rasmussen, Vice President of West Coast Baptist College, one of the most encouraging, faithful, knowledgeable, and fruitful men I’ve ever…

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Daily in the Word Now on 450 Stations!

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 Bible teaching and preaching. In addition, www.dailyintheword.org has also been completely redesigned and will go live on October 1. This site provides information on broadcast times and stations, as well as a link to recent broadcasts and the free podcast. If you don’t live in…

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Do Social Networks Change Behavior?

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, those who said they use Facebook had grade-point averages of 3.0 to 3.5, and studied one to five hours a week. Non-Facebook users had GPAs of 3.5 to 4.0 and studied 11 hours or more a week. Nearly 80% of Facebook users said they believe…

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How to Write Readable Emails

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 a buried main point. On top of this, more emails are begging to be read, so you just want to move on. Our eyes really don’t like swimming through a sea of alphabet soup! If you would like to make life easier on your recipients,…

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Defeating the Media Monster-Part 2

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 to purity and godliness—this is the foundation. Teach your children biblical principles of holiness and honorable living, and engage their hearts with real and abundant time together.

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What’s a Podcast?

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 to the descriptions of our present podcasts.) If you’re new to the word, then keep reading—this is really cool! First—What’s a Podcast? A podcast is a broadcast that can be downloaded to your computer and music player (iPod, phone, etc.) and listened to at your…

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A Great New Resource — www.thebaptistvoice.com

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 enjoy  www.thebaptistvoice.com. Here’s the story  behind it:

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Suggested Family Cell Phone Guidelines

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 was a good decision, but a scary one too! Aside from triple checking that the phones couldn’t access internet, picture mail, and other features—we also had a family meeting on that first night. With my computer open, we sat together and hammered out some family…

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New Research on Social Networking

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 than 1 out of every 10 teenagers has posted a nude or seminude picture of themselves or others online—a “digital tattoo” that could haunt them for the rest of their lives. A quarter of the young people polled had posted something they later regretted, made…

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