I am fast to say that there are aspects of mobile/web/connected technologies that make sense towards engaging and being transformed by the Bible or other texts. But, the experience is always layered. There’s the device… the moment… the software… the text/audio… what window can I engage it in at that given that that will enable me to put my entire being in that Joshua 1:8 state?

And then I looked at this and smiled:

Now, this is a video demonstrating various technologies available and in use right now (XBox Kinect, Microsoft Surface, Windows 7 on a tablet, Windows Phone 7, email, IM, SMS, optical recognition technologies, etc.). But, it gets me excited because its not beyond anything that many of us have in our homes in whole or in part towards taking that “get in the Bible” experience and pushing it a bit more.

Let’s reframe the video a bit see what I mean:

• You see in the beginning that small group IM/SMS session that’s going on? That could very easily be your small (cell) group and a conversation that’s happening amongst them.
• The blueprint you see overlaid could be the entire Bible, or more specifically the sermon outline with some identifiers to Bible, commentaries, Wikipedia/Britannica, and web search entries that further expand the central them (the room being a theme, the rooms being the explorations of those themes)
• Now, the key here is that there’s not a layer to the communication aspects. Some might be in the same room using an XBox Kinect to “see” the same experience, but others might be using voice only, mobiles, tablets, or some combination to engage the discussion.
• Love that part where “Bill” takes us into the master bedroom. Can that be the “taking us into a tour of the temple?” Going a bit further than Glo Bible (a well done app experience I might add) of showing pictures, but we get a virtual room of the building and the people in that context.
• That end result, changing the door handle and adding a lamp, what happens when we are in a room (world) and we add a door or light to the environment?

Several weeks ago, my aunt and I were talking about an iPad and I shifted the discussion to what she would think of as the perfect Bible app. She responded to something like this video and our reframing – a visual and audio tour through the world of the Bible, but it connects to the physical world so that you could get a literal learning of the text and more readily apply the lesson.

If you are a pastor or lesson leader, could you get along with merging things like this? If so, do you think some of this is possible right now with what you have on your desk, in your pocket, or even, in your family room?

video via istartedsomething

Of the many things that you can do on a mobile that will lead to an edifying lifestyle, putting on music that is made by other believers ranks pretty high on my list. That said, I’m not on a PC, I don’t therefore use iTunes (though if I can hijack a PC, I do use Amazon Music) to download music to my mobile. So, I’ve got to find some alternative means of getting music onto my device legally.

A method that I had forgotten about but was refreshed about when fellowhsipping with LJ before the holiday weekend was to check out music review/download sites like Holy Culture Radio and Sphere of Hip Hop. With both of those sites (and similar sites) they occasionally leak singles or even full albums from artists that you’d not usually hear in mainstream channels, but would be just as good (many times much better).

Now, checking out those sites is good. But, again, I’m on a mobile. Downloading files has to be efficient and just kind of flow with how I am on my mobile. Here’s a method that I use on my Nokia N8:

• Go to the website in question (for this example, Sphere of Hip Hop’s Daily Download Page using my mobile’s browser
• Then I click on the link for the Dailyh Download RSS feed
• I then get a prompt from my mobile asking if I want to add the RSS feed for Sphere of Hip Hop’s Daily Download RSS feed; I say yes.
• I then click to refresh the feed and can see that there are different artists who have been profiled over the past 15 or so days; I click on those I’m interested in and get a small page talking about the artist and the project.
• I can then click through to download the file or share the the link with a friend or two who might be interested in the project
• and that’s it

Now, when I am looking at those web feeds that update daily or weekly on my mobile, I am able to download from their available library of content music directly to my mobile. What’s nice and simple about this is that I can (and do) put this in effect for multiple music sites.

So, I’m not only getting music, but am constantly refreshing my ears and library with artists whom I might not be more familiar with. In many cases, I’m impressed enough at the snippet that I’m getting that I’ll search for the artist’s website so that I can learn more about them, how faith influences their music, and purchase from them full or previous/future projects.

Sounds a bit less put together, but again, this is putting my mobile device’s abilities to work in a way that might not usually be thought about to get around something that seems simple (downloading music to my mobile) with other devices or systems.

Now, do you have a means of getting content onto your mobile for reflection or sharing that might not be the conventional means? Let’s hear from you in the comments.

Coming off an extended holiday weekend (for those of us in the USA), its great to have a video like this one from Bobby Gruenwald (LifeChurch.TV) at Q to help reset our perceptions towards the interesection of faith and technology and what our response to life and environment (context) can look around it.

Note: I’ll embed this in when I’m able to get the direct link to the video; Q doesn’t give me a direct URL to embed here.

Yesterday, I tweeted that I’d been in four cities and spent more than five hours driving between them, not to mention the work happening in each. I didn’t say it to advance anything except to give something of a picture of how much we live and breathe this mobile technology. Believe me, our way of doing life, work, and ministry is not normal.

For example, there are several times when we are doing a Skype (voice) conference call while in transit from one venue to another. This isn’t because of lack of planning, but because of what is possible with a mobile device, data connection, and handsfree controls.

Other times, it could simply be the manner in which we seem to be in several states (USA) in a month. I try to not be too crazy with it, but when your friend’s and family preface SMS and calls with “hi, what state are you in,” it can be pretty fun. Logistically, we do about 12-15 days a month of traveling. And that could be for connections, speaking, trainings, or consulting. In terms of distance, well, let’s just say we go far.

MMM is funded by those activities though. And so, when there is some extended break in projects, there can be a bit of a hard time. I’d like to say that it is easy, but the past year plus has been a constant devotional of learning to trust God and not my wallet. Seems like an easy lesson, but in this, I can see where the disciples had questions about Jesus’ practicality, not his divinity.

Beyond those moments, there is a good bit of attention to quiet and resting times. I let go of this site and it’s efforts every Saturday. I need that break. On the other days, I try to engage in biking or some other activity that puts me in front of God for devoted conversation and refilling. In a very real sense, those moments are the mountains away from the work.

But, then it’s back to work. Whether we are in a coffee shop writing (like right now) or leading a client towards mobile and communications moments, the hope is that this effort helps to relate the love of Christ in such a way that people don’t just point to our activity and say we serve Christ, but the also get a chance to build relationships that are genuine expressions of it.

Do we have a relationship with you? Can the insights here help you or your organization move into mobile? If so, drop us a hello either via the contact page or on Twitter (@mobileminmag). We are always up for traveling and connecting.

We talked a few weeks ago about the John Dyer’s book, From the Garden to the City and now we’d like to let you know of a blog tour that’s going on featuring several blogs – including this one.

Sparked and led by Church Mag, for the next few months, several sites will be taking a look at the individual chapters of From the Garden to the City and offering comments about the book and how it intersects with their efforts in ministry and/or technology.

The first post – the Introduction – comes from Church Mag. Following posts will be posted according to the blog tour schedule.

We’re glad that MMM can be a part of talking about John’s exciting new book and hope that you would also look into following along as we and others take an in-depth look at how we respond to this intersection of faith and technology.

Came across this article recently which chose to look at technology as something different than simply the capacity of it’s end-parts. Here’s a snippet:

…We understand materials not by reading about them, or assuming what they can do, but by exploring them, playing with them, sketching with them. Ideally, that sketching happens in the final material, but perhaps, like a sculptor sketching on paper, it happens in abstractions such as paper-prototyping. What matters is that you find a way. Sketching is not just about building towards a final work; it’s about building familiarity with a medium itself, working it into one’s practice.

As creators, we must feel our materials – even if we are not the ones using them in the end.

The sculpture analogy is again useful. For centuries, sculptors have worked with the aid of others in their studios and workshops, to produce large works. But despite drawing on the expertise of others, they must be skilled in their chosen mediums themselves…

Read the entire article at Infovore.

Tech isn’t just the hardware, software, or services, but the process and behaviors that we take into those elements. Can mobile, when it intersects with faith, derive a different or more God-affirming activity because it mimic God’s creative intents?

There are several ways to look at mobile as a veichle for pursuing ministry goals. However, things look very different for mobile when the conversation turns to those media companies (speaking of print, radio, and tv) who have long cultivated audiences, methods, and have begun hitting a stride when it comes to the Internet. In a very real sense, mobile is *yet another layer* that’s isn’t exactly welcome but won’t be ignored.

The key for these groups is to dial down the layers of all of the existing (in-use) communication channels to some base elements:

• What is the intended response someone should have after receiving your message (no matter what channel you are using)?
• How does your existing audience relate to you (what is their association to your brand, message, and activity)?
• What are the issues with understanding, responding to, increasing, or limiting the effectiveness of your message?
• Where are you spending your energy towards resource management?

Mobile, like any other communication channel, has it’s advantages and it’s limitations. However, when viewed as a layer separate from these kinds of questions, mobile becomes another “project” or “activity” on top of current projects and activities instead of being embedded into the very DNA of your mission or focus.

So then, instead of mobile being looked at another activity, or even in that Google-quotable “mobile first” mentality, mobile becomes an agent of behaviorial transformation. Transformation in respect to the priority of messages versus channel versus results versus relationships. And then transformation in respect to valuing what actually worked in previous channels towards meeting goals, versus activities that seemed profitable, but were really high-profile activities with higher overall costs.

Overhearing a recent conversation about media, I listened to the disconnect – in a good way – between relationships and publishing when we start talking about mobile (in) ministry.

There are many people who minister to others by meeting some physical, emotional, or economic need. If you will, their focuses lie on building relationships and behaviors which foster literal demonstrations of Christ’s love between one another. Then we have others who facilitate the activites of ministry by publishing or serving in areas which support those end behaviors.

Now, what happens between believers is a lot of times, we see this disconnect as a negative. Publishers and relationship builders see the need for one another, but they rarely agree with one another’s methods. What’s been very interesting about mobile is that this disconnect tends to be where you find the most positive and willing opportunities.

I described it to my friend like this: 

When we talk about the Great Commission, we look at three connected but separate-functioning elements: go, teach, and disciple. In these applications of living with the gospel, there are aspects in it which we build the relationships that lead to a life that looks like Christ. Sometimes that’s a direct relationship with someone and other times that’s propping up the efforts of another. Both work towards the same Gospel and shouldn’t be dismissed. And neither is more important than the other. What happens in the Body is that we sometimes aren’t mature in that dealing with one another when our perspectives are on one side and another’s is on the other. While it’s hard to do so, we should seek that connection point where those relationships or support activities pour into fruitful expressions of life in Christ. And when we see that, we can esteem one another, rather than leaving one another in a state where we are discounting the ability of the Spirit to knit himself into our lives.

Mobile is special. It’s got a boatload of unique qualities, and it’s levels of application can be wide and deep or short and impactful. There is a disconnect between mobile activities that peruse relationships and mobile activities which support or publish those items that support or enrich those relationships. That disconnect is healthy. But the knitting of the Spirit between those is where our focus and fruit of these activities need to lie. 

A few days ago on Twitter, I came across Jeremiah Fyffe and a tweet that he posted:

PLEASE RETWEET :: I’m having a BOOK SALE to fund my church planting mobile office :: fyffe.me/booksale

That one caught my eye because it wasn’t just someone looking to get their book into more hands, but for the purpose of them getting rid of the office attachment so that they could be more active in their local community. Here’s his response when I asked if he meant the tech or a literal change in work-location/perspective:

@mobileminmag Basically jettison the traditional pastor’s office for technology enabling work anywhere and especially in the community… Will enjoy being closer to the people I want to meet.

This short tweet conversation set me to smile for several hours. Not only was this a person taking advantage of the technology at hand, but utilizing it in such a way that would allow them to pastor more effectively. And while I’m quite aware that this isn’t a shift that many pastors can do, to see someone take the jump like this – and be self-funded by selling their book – makes me fell that we’ve got some company in another aspect of mobile ministry.

I’d encourage you to check out Jeremiah Fyffe (website, @JeremiahFyffe) and to purchase his book. He is using the funds from his book sales to purchase the tech tools that he believes he’ll need to work best within this mobile office context .

If you have been thinking about going this route (a mobile office) or are already acting within your mobile office (whether successfully or not), let us know some of your experiences in the comments.

One of my favorite verses of Scripture is found in the Old Testament/Hebrew Scriptures (Joshua 1:8 KJV):

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

There’s something direct and simple about that command that the Lord gave to Joshua. And it also happens to be effective to us in these days as well. Many people have the behavior of reading the Bible (I won’t get into statistics about this), but we don’t always hear as much outside of those whom are published what it looks like to meditate – contemplate, consider, debate within ourselves – the meaning of Scripture. 

This is something we’d hear from time to time with those in the pastorate. But, to hear the same from a layperson – someone not with some kind of official capacity to be teaching one or more people – is a bit different than what we are used to. Looking at this verse though, it would seem that its not just meant for the newly established leader, but for those who walk alongside that leader (even if not in a noted capacity) as well.

This past weekend, I had two experiences that brought to my forefront this idea of contemplation with Scripture, and there was an interesting intersection with mobile tech in both cases. In the first, I was speaking with a former pastor of mine (I visited my old church in Philadelphia) and spoke about what it is I’ve been doing with MMM. One of the questions that I asked him was, “how do you use your smartphone besides calls, texts, and an occasional game?” His mention was that he doesn’t do much at this time and my responses was something to the effect of, “have you considered using your smartphone as a means to share your sermon outline before you teach?” I gave him an example of how he could upload all of those sermons to Google Docs, and then simply text the members in attendance right before he gets up to preach the URL for that outline.

The second moment came later on in the same day. My mother had seen my notes in Evernote (especially the handwritten ones, via Tactilis) and remarked that she’d like to try that app on her Nook Color if that were available. So, I took her Nook Color, and showed her how to search for the app then download it. She then got a message noting she needed a memory card. So I took an 8GB memory card that I’d been using as an archive of my previous mobile, copied its contents to my 32GB USB memory key using just my Nokia N8 (the N8 can connect to a USB memory key and also has a microSD card slot), and formatted the card so that she could use it in her Nook Color. After doing that, I walked with her through the setup process of her Evernote account and she was ready to start writing her notes in Evernote. I had also added the Evernote app to her Windows laptop so that she’d have her notes in both places ready to access as needed. 

In both cases, the central point was notes. How do we utilize this mobile and web technology to endear us towards contemplative moments in faith? I think that both situations give us two ways to approach it. We can play the role of a pastor-teacher and have some kind of outline or memory points ready to share that are simply shared directly to a mobile using SMS or MMS. And then we have the second where a person should be able to leverage their computing devices, network-services, and various methods of writing notes (pictures, typed text, etc.) to record and retrieve those notes.

One of the things my mother liked in my use of Evernote was that I had the ability to search across all of my notes from any device I was on. My pastor mentioned that he has over a half decade of sermons typed up, but they are simply sitting on his computer not shared with anyone unless he directly sends it to them. What can we realize in this life of faith when we take both of those matters and put ourselves towards utilizing the tools we have to be in that position ot meditate on the text everyday? Could you imagine the kinds of walls that would be ready to come down in our lives if that were to happen?