Posts Tagged ‘Apple’
The iPad 2 and Ministry
Western Hills surprised/embarrassed me pretty good last week. I never like being surprised, especially on Sundays but they got me good. I had no clue what was coming. Completely and totally surprised. And a little miffed…until I saw the gifts. Then I felt like crying and crawling under the front pew. But that’s another story for another time…
I’ve had a couple of guys bug me about why the iPad is so much better than a normal laptop so this is my apologetic for it.
There are some things that no one should really try on a iPad.
1. Eat.
2. Edit a movie clip.
3. Dance.
That’s pretty much all I can think of right now. But there are some killer apps on the iPad that are pretty much going to render my time on a laptop small. Especially if you add a bluetooth keyboard.
Here is the screen shot of my front page of apps for the iPad2. Let me walk through a couple of MUST have apps for those in ministry.
Logos Bible – Logos 4 is expensive. BUT…for a teacher/communicator – worth every penny. This app lets me access ALL my resources as long as I can get internet. If I need a specific one or two — download them.
Evernote – great for travel logs, blogs, pics, video. Online, PC counterparts as well.
Pages – $10 in the app store. Worth it. It’s basically Microsoft Word on your tablet but better. Doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that the laptop app has. The glaring missing component is the export/share feature.
Dropbox + iBooks = how to teach/preach from your iPad. Put your sermon or message in a PDF form and upload it to Dropbox. When you open it in Dropbox, it will ask what app to use to open it. Pick iBooks. Now you can page turn through your notes without the keyboard popping.
By the way – if you are going to teach with the iPad —-
1. Turn off autolock.
2. Lock the orientation.
3. Put in airplane mode.
Bible (YouVersion) – great, quick, easy Bible. Be sure to download a couple of versions so that if you don’t have internet – you’ve still got the Word.
WordPress – It’s okay. It’s better than nothing if you have a wordpress blog – as I do both personally and the church’s website. So I can add a post from here if I want. I wish it had a bit more power with it.
Hootsuite – let’s you do Twitter and Facebook at same time. I used to think this was the best app for Twitter…and it is still the #2 app for that. What’s #1.
Flipboard – This is like a trip to Disney for apps. Twitter, Facebook, Google Reader, LinkedIn, and anything else you can imagine. It’s got a magazine layout, so I can ‘turn the page’ and quickly see a ton of information. I can point to where and go there OR just swipe by. I can’t even describe how incredible this app is if you are an avid reader of blogs, magazines, and the like.
I’m actually going to try to teach from my iPad this weekend. We will see how it goes.
Why I’ll never ship with DHL
I order some software from Apple and they shipped it with DHL. It’s hard for me to say anything negative about Apple in general because they are so awesome. But this is one of those times.
I’ve been tracking the package via DHL’s online tracking system. It hit Topeka today and I was trying to work out with the courier a time to meet them since our office is closed. Here’s where the trouble began. I entered my tracking number and the package was gone. Not gone as in – we’ve already delivered it – but gone as in – it doesn’t exist.
I call. They only do international shipments, not domestic. The domestic service doesn’t take phone calls, only emails. The international only takes phone calls. Think about this for a moment and you will see the ridiculousness of this policy.
The email ‘service’ will respond within 24 hours.
That is so helpful. NOT.
So I get online to use the helpful chat service. They can’t find the package. Doesn’t exist. It does, I’m looking at the screen right now, how can you not see it? Let me send you the email with the screen shot AND the email I have from Apple. They can’t take email or phone calls – just the chat.
Then they ask if I would take a customer service survey. And I took said survey. They didn’t have numbers low enough.It just angers me deeply. I need help. I need their help, have paid for their help and then they act like it’s my fault that I’m not getting the help I need.
I thought about the church and this situation as well. How many times has that same mentality been communicated? A guest walks in not knowing where to go, where to take the kids, where to sit, where to get coffee and 15 people pass them before offering to help, offering to walk with them. Churches so set in their system of doing things, they now exist to serve themselves instead of the ‘customer.’
Last night, Stephen and I changed up the seating in our worship center/auditorium/theater/coffee shop place. We did it at first to be a bit more creative in our series but then as I walked around I realized our guests are probably going to like the new set up better than the old. Not because it’s different but because it’s more cozy, less formal, less threatening. It feels more akin to a theater in the round than just straight rows of chairs. I started thinking of the places I sit in straight rows of chairs…funeral homes, weddings, school board meetings…I’m sensing a pattern, here.
So the next time I meet a new church goer…I’m going to be the ANTI-DHL.
Test Driving My iPhone
I am writing this from my iPhone trying out the WordPress app. It really is a pain to type on the phone for a long blog but for a short one it would work.
Any one else out there blog from their phone?
Favorite iPhones Apps
I love my iPhone. Absolutely love it. Too many cool features of the phone itself to list although the visual voicemail is worth the price of the phone by itself.
The coolest thing are the apps. Here’s my favorite list so far. If you’ve got an iPhone – slap your favorites in the comments.
vlingo – speak it and it happens. Search, call, map, update facebook. The ultimate hands free app.
google – the reader is awesome but you can hit all things google from this single app.
aroundme – looking for a gas station, coffee shop, diner, or a vet? Slap on location services and off you go. Absolutely astonishing and amazing. We’re using this alot in Topeka so far.
shazam – What’s the song they’re playing? Now you know. Hold iPhone up to hear it, it will find it for you on iTunes.
SnapTell – find a book, CD, DVD on Amazon just by taking a picture of it’s cover.
OneTap – want to know what’s showing and where and see the trailer? This is the app for you.
USAToday – it’s the best of the news/sports apps out there. And by best I mean most stable. ESPN and others should steal this app and use it instead of the ones they are currently using.
facebook – if you’ve got facebook, you pretty much have to use this but it’s glitchy. It’s on the list because it’s the best I’ve seen so far but…it’s not stable and I resist using it. I use vlingo to update.
Got any you want to add?
The Mac Is Back
Ahhhhhhh……..there is nothing quite as pleasing as the feel of a Mac on your fingertips.
Okay…that didn’t come out exactly like I wanted it to. In fact, I can name a couple of things that are more pleasing than my Mac.
We had some friends that would bring over this chocolate cake covered with fudge and caramel and they would call it “Better Than Sex” cake – which after tasting it, Amy stood up and shouted as loud as she could – “NOT HARDLY!!”
Okay…she really didn’t do that but she ask me after they went home if I was concerned about their marriage because while the cake was good…it wasn’t that good. If you know what I mean…
And neither is a Mac. I mean, c’mon.
Which reminds of one funniest moments in a Life Group history. My high school guys were talking about sex and one of them said to me…”Grant, I really wish you wouldn’t teach about this because it’s disturbing to think of you know….older people….you know….like that. Especially my youth pastor.”
“Dude, who do you think God made sex for? Us older, married folks or you?”
The room froze for a second. I just couldn’t stop myself…
“The next time you think about sex – which should be in about 5 seconds – think about this: You’ve got to worry about when, where, who, cleaning up, disappointment, pregnancy, disease, guilt, and one day telling the girl you married you didn’t love her enough to wait on her and all the emotional baggage that carries with it.”
“When I get home tonight…all I got to worry about is not falling off the bed.”
You can imagine the roar.
And I suspect those guys thought about that answer every time they thought about sex.
I think I’ll go back to finishing my sermon…