Its always helpful when thinking about mobile to consider that there’s more than just the technology or the communications medium as key to understanding it and making it work. Forbes has taken note of this with a recent article looking at five points about the future of mobile that could easily be termed five points about the present of mobile. Here are the points:

1. Understand the person not the technology
2. Your phone is more important than your tablet
3. Small businesses should not get their heads turned
4. Large businesses need a targeted mobile strategy
5. The rise of face-to-face

Read the entire article – 5 Things You Should Know About the Future of Mobile – which includes explanations on these points, at Forbes

Forbes is a business-oriented magazine. MMM is a faith-oriented one. Could you see these points in a similar, but differently worded, light.

1. Understand the person and their spirit (orientation, maturity, strengths, weaknesses, etc.) – see 1 Cor 2:6 – 3:23
2. Your communication is more important than your display – Matt 15:1-20
3. Producers and creators should not turn their heads – Habakkuk 2:18-20
4. Leaders and organizations need a specific strategy infused with God’s wisdom and direction – 2 Chronicles 2-6:11
5. All actions should encourage one to be face-to-face with God often – Joshua 1:8

I don’t think that its all that hard to see how God wants to direct us in this space. At the same time, we have to have to understand that mobile, whether we are talking devices, services, or the overall experience, is merely a channel, the character of the community leading into mobile needs to be consistent with what people will recognize not just as mobile, but also as a witness of the gospel (John 17:20-26). The teachings of the past is the lesson of both the present and the future.