Mobile Ministry Magazine

I have jumped onto the smartphone train by getting a Treo 600. Though I really want a 650, I found a great price on the 600, and this would give me some time to look at the device in detail before getting a 650 or something better. I will be detailing my use in an upcoming article to BargainPDA, so keep your eyes there for that one (I will place a mirror link to the artcle here). With some Scripture in hand, and my phone in the same device, I am ready to see what all the hoopla is about.

I just wanted to post a message to pray for all who have been in the path of Hurrican Katrina. Even as a weaking storm, the extra wind and rain may cause an issue for a lot of people. If anything, use your technological resources to maintain saftey, keep communication lines open, and bless those who may be traveling with no place to go back to.

Apologies still for the hosting issues. Apparently, blogger.com isnt liking that I have moved to another host and am using their assigned name. That will hopefully be fixed as soon as tonight so that MMM can be back online and rolling. Nonetheless, I am still going to post as items come my way.

While reading the comments to some postings at PalmSolo's website, I saw a link to some bible software for the Sony Ericcson P910 smartphone. I have seen this smartphone in person, and although it is way out of my price range, it is quite a capable device (now if someone sends one to me for free, I'll gladly walk in that blessing [smile]).

It's not clear from the Symbianware website about what versions are offered for use, but I am sure that one could find that out via downloading the program and going into the README.txt file. Check it out if you, or someone you know, with a P900 or P910 needs to carry the Word along with them.

Hello all and welcome to the new week. Things are going well over here. This weekend I went to a retreat and had an interesting time with some other blessed brothers. They had me thinking more of how MMM can be a successful ministry outreach in and outside of the Body. So things may happen there.

I do want to put out there that MMM is now looking for Associate Writers. If writing one or more times a week an article that is based on technology and faith is something that can move you, send MMM an email and lets get you on board. I'd like to get a team of writers so that there is more than one voice coming from here in terms of experiences.

Finally for the morning, there is a really neat article on a Zire 31 at My Palm Life. Sometimes, hearing about technology, we hear about those devices out of teh range of many people's pockets. The Zire 31 is quite affordable and makes for a very light and versatile device. That being said, there is also a Zire 31 availiable from MMM. If that article and the Zire 31 interests you (and there is a need but no fiances for a PDA), send MMM an email and that is something we can get to you.

Peace and blessings and welcome to the new week.

As promised before I left for vacation last week, there would be some changes coming, and the first phase is just about complete. MMM has been moved to a hosting service, Da Butler Did It. They are a Christian website hosting and computer repair company based in Atlanta, GA. The company and site owner is a close friend of mine, and hopefully, we are using our arrangement to increase visibility for both MMM and Da Butler Did It; and future ministry opportunities.

Being that things moved to a different host (rather than Blogger's) some of the items on the left have changed. You will now notice the top right is called MMM Quick Links. The addresses to the files there have also changed, so please update any bookmarks that you have. The site feed also has a new name and that would need to be updated on your end as well.

Coming really soon is the domain name change and new site design. I am working on a similar layout to what we have now, but wanting to make sure that the ability to post and comment remains.

Thanks and blessings for sticking around. More things on the way for MMM makes the weekend a nice event to go into right :)

EDIT: Seems there may be some server issues, so if a post disappears, it will be fixed soon.

“ For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. ” (Romans 12:4-5)

This is today's scritpure from BibleGateWay, and it really speaks to MMM as it relates to other tech and Christian websites. There are different capacities that are needed for a body to function. Some are legs and arms, others heart and brain-matter. There also our lesser parts that are just as important, even though we may regard them little, such as our gall bladder and lymph nodes. But each part of our body has its function, and when it doesnt its job, the body moves, grows, matures, and becomes servicable to others.

In the same way, I look at MMM as having a definied role for upholding and encouraging CHristians who are into technology. Not just like a joint or the spine; but even as far as being a ligament that allows for movement, but not movement that will disgrace the body. Articles and reflections on tech as idols, or how to use tech in a non-techie setting only help to further that aim.

MMM isnt here to even persecute those who arent a part of this Body. But it does serve, like the exposed achilies of a beach goer, that a Body is here and its moving. And regardless of what the other parts may be doing or not doing, MMM is here to serve and supportive of others who walk, talk, touch, and build towards God's Kingdom in the hearts of all men and women.

Sorry for there being nothing posted yesterday. There was nothing that really motivated me towards posting anything news-worthy.

Today, however, gives a new news item, first spoken about at PocketPC Thoughts:
Laridian releases New Bible Reference books for use with PocketBible. Four leading reference titles from InterVarsity Press are now available for use with PocketBible: New Bible Commentary (4th Ed), New Bible Dictionary (3rd Ed), New Dictionary of Theology and New Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Read more.

Something that I have been wondering for a while, and even more than that I am asked, is about how many people visit MMM's website. I dont really care too much about the numbers, as I understand that some days visits may be more than others. But, in trying to direct content, I am always thinking of where people who read MMM come from, or what they do on a regular basis.

So I want to pose this question, in part to get to know YOU a bit more personally; but also to try to focus content towards your particular jobs, ministries, nations. What do you do? And feel free to be as descriptive as possible :)

Though this was originally posted on Tuesday, August 16, 2005, I wanted to repost it so that it would appear higher on the page, and also give others who might have missed this topic, a chance to contribute.

Ok, a new wave is sweeping the net, and its again Google related. Google Talk Beta has been released as Googles IM/Chat client. I have just downloaded it and find it quite fast and simple to set up. So, if you are online and want to give a holler (at least while I am on) via a.r.j.wright at gmail dot com (replace the at with '@').

This is the time of the year when many stores are offering Fall and back to school deals on just about everything. The computer industry is of no exception either. Notebook Review has a good article on processor types used in notebooks (and many TabletPCs) that should help many who are looking at purchasing a new notebook in this late summer shopping season.

CNet also has a collection of prices for PDAs, mobile phones, and notebooks (and everything else electornic) if you are in the market.

Probably one of the hardest things to find when one is overseas, or across states, besides a clean bathroom, is a church. GMPSoft hopes to minimize that search with their Palm and PocketPC PDA Church List software. With a listing of over 14,000 churches over 43 denominations, one is sure to find a church that will feed them on vacation, or after a recent move.

Over the past weeks, there has been a concerted effort to infom users and IT personel on the security risks of PDAs. Here is a good collection of articles and documents on the subjet.

I also want to highlight an article I wrote, published at BargainPDA last week, also on the subject of PDAs and security. If you are looking to deploy PDAs in your church or business, this is a must read.

Was reading over at Palm Addict this morning and saw a post about a bible map atlas now availiable via Olive Tree and their Bible Reader. So being the investigative person that I am, I went to Olive Tree's webstie and checked out the new offering.

Basically, what it Olive Tree's Bible Atlas is a Bible and a large map and the two are hyperlinked. Probably the koolest part is that you can view the scripture and the map location on one screen. This would make for some interesting study.

I would suggest downloading and using this as a trial before putting down the $20 for the software. It is still in beta, and there may be some compatiblity issues with some older devices.

Pardon my excitement, but this is really kool. I have been waiting to see this done on a PDA for a while (mainly because I love looking at maps). I'll be downloading this in the near future and give some impressions of Olive Tree's implementation of maps, and who knows, maybe other bible readers will follow.

One thing that happened to me last week, was that I received a TabletPC from work with which to play with as a development machine. Me and my gadget side gets excited to play with this, and after some time configuring items, I took it on my trip this weekend.

Unfortunately, I did not have a wired or wireless network with which to do things online. That did however, afford me time to get acquainted with the more tablet-like features, such as the size of teh device and its handwriting.

I used the built in Microsoft Journal to be a weekend journal and it worked better than I thought. I forgot how nice it felt to be writing in my natural handwriting, after doing a ton with the Graffiti on my Palm for the past many years. It has taken me a while to do things like double clicking and right clicking with the pen, but I manage. The battery life isnt that bad either, though if I were online, I'd notice it more.

Overall, I had a good time with it, and think that its an interesting (and bloated) platform. I wish that it would perform better in simple operations like starting programs, and starting up. But I do like the idea and think that a cross between my Palm T5 and this TabletPC would be great. I keep wondering if I would be able to do something kool like do my website, completly hand-drawn and in Flash.

I got the idea for writing about this experience after reading this article. The author makes a good point that the hardware and software need to be better executed before the TabletPC can really take off. I think its almost there, but it has some large mountains to climb.

Hello all;
I am now back home and working after a good weekend in SC with my ladi and her family. Funny part was that I only had email, and still felt disconnected with a digi cable. Something about the interactive nature of the Internet that hits a need just a bit more than passive media.

But since I am back, I thought to get things started with some news and notes, and then back to normal from there.

PocketPC Thoughts has an interesting article on Intel's plans to use Windows Vista (the new operating system from Microsoft) on handhelds. If you are looking for a mobile computer solution without comproise, mini-notebooks, tabletPCs and handheld PCs are usually your options. Here is INtel wanting to make it happen sooner, not later.

Mobile Read has quite a few nice news bits. One article that caught my eye was this story about the future of computing being handhelds and not notebooks. Interesting to say the least. But I think that specailzation of handhelds, notebooks, and tabletPCs will be where there market goes. Other than those, I dont see anything not name a cell phone that isnt more mobile.

Seeing that I was pulled over this weekend for the first time, and handhelds werent used, this story is a least somewhat interesting for us faster folks :)

BargainPDA is always a great source of news, and one cannot take for granted that they do a great job in debunking rumors :)

Thanks to all for staying tuned to MMM. Make sure that you take a read towards Issue 2, if you havent already. I hope to have Issue three our before the holidays. There will also be some site changes (the design and colors stay) that will make it a bit easier to grow and to be found. There is a Palm Zire 31 and data connect cable availaible for whomever needs them. And if things get brighter soon, we will have a give away or two. And with that, I will go back to my day at work. Thanks for visiting and many blessings to all :)

Apologies to all of you for the short notice, but I will be taking a small vacation from posting to MMM until late Monday/early Tuesday as I will be away to SC with my ladi. I have taken the time away from work and will [try] to do the same with MMM.

However, if you do have submissions or want to drop a line via email, please do so. I will still check mail, and provided I can steal some time away, I will use my T5 to post articles or other info that you submit.

I want to thank all of you for visiting MMM, and just want to say that this has been a great blessing to me. I find some fulfillment in doing this, and hope that it can be more than just a website and a magazine, but a movement that can help to change this world towards God's standard of living.

[there may be another change or two when I return as well, so keep your eye out]

Thanks and many blessings to you all.

Was over at Engadget and saw something that should make a nice dent in making sure that purified water is accessible. The Life Straw is a $2 straw that purifies water. Simple, yet effective. This is my idea of technology that changes the world.

Got a tip from a visitor that MMM has been quoted a few places at Olive Tree. Many thanks to those over there who have been visiting MMM. If there is anything that we can do to help you get news out, then just drop us a line (same with GMPSoft and Laridian).

In other news from Olive Tree, the Benchmark of Jewish Religious Scholarship is ffered by Olive Tree Bible Software (view the press release here). Here is some text from that release:

In cooperation with the Jewish Publishing Society, Olive Tree Bible Software offers handheld users the highly acclaimed JPS Tanakh. Regarded throughout the world as the gold standard English translation of the Holy Scriptures from the Hebrew text, this version is the result of a 30-year collaboration of eminent Jewish Bible scholars representing the three largest branches of organized Judaism in the United States. The JPS Tanakh has won the universal approval and acceptance of scholars, rabbis, lay leaders, Jews and Christians.

This is some great news for your studious types out there. As for me, I need to learn some Hebrew and get with it ;)

Good day to all. Again, I find myself going thru the web and looking for items of value to help you contribute to making your tech tool work best for you. The latest item of note is an interview that I read about Larry Pierce, the author of the Online Bible software in use all over the world today. The interview goes into talking about the reach of the Online Bible, as well as some future pursuits towards it. It seems somewhat dated, but for any of you wondering where the drive for online and mobile bibles came from, this is a great place to start.

Of course, I cannot be bothered with one link, without checking out all the other pages linked to it. I managed to find my way to the Online Bible Website and was greeted with some good software for nearly all operating systems. This would be a great resource for your computer toting missionary, or even a person with a PDA who is in need of some materials. Check it out, and I hope that it can move you, or someone you know to being more active in sharing the Gospel and preaching repentance.

BargainPDA posts a very interesting article today on the religiocity (its a word) of Apple Newton users and their devotion to the long ago abandoned platform. I am in the process of reading this (a nice sized PDF), but have to say that so far, its a compelling study and can make for an interesting case across many fields people are involved in.

What are your thoughts on this article? And as a whole, can technology really become a religion?

Welcome all to anohter week. I can say that I didnt get all the rest that I wanted to this weekend, but the time spent with my ladi had been much needed for the both of us. As a small prayer request, I ask that you keep us both in your prayers; especially her as she is entering a new school basically all by herself.

Outside of the personal thingys on my end; there were some really neat stories here at MMM last week that you should check out if you get the chance. A discussion on developer's using their programs to evangleize was talked about here; while on Wed, the dangers of tech gluttonly was expounded upon. I personally had a good time meditating on the article 'Fashioning Idols or Temples' this weekend as I like to curb covetousness and pride before they become an issue. There was also a small survey asking what are your top three uses of mobile technology?

All in all, it was a quite week. Most of the mobile web talking about Windows Mobile appearing on Treos and spam. Stay tuned to MMM though. There are always some interesting thigns going on here.

Finally speaking: I still have those two Verizon phones availiable. I dont have chargers for them (just noticed that this weekend of all times), but they are still availiable for whomever needs them. I also have some newer (slightly used) stuff that I will be adding to the list in the coming days. Stay tuned and stay blessed.

Here's some great news from PalmSolo (himself a quality person with a quality site):
"Laridian releases iPocketBible for iPods and other MP3 players...The entire audio Bible takes up 3GB of space and the text portion takes up only 5MB of space on your iPod. The text appears in the Notes utility on iPods..."

This is an excellent development for anyone who has an iPod or other MP3 player and wants the Word to read along with it (think listing to audio bible while reading along as another neat item). Click here to read more about Laridan's newset program.

Side Note: its so interesting how just mentioning 'bible' anywhere online (or here for example) just gets folks riled up. Its like speaking of the Bible just causes the innermost feelings of man to want to come out and play. Some appreciate the Word, others slander it; some accept it, other just tolerate it. It truely is amazing to see what can happen.

Here's a great question sent in by Stephen J.:
What are your top three uses of mobile technology? Emailing, calendaring, gaming, etc.? Respond in the Comments below.

Just noticed a few minutes ago that most of the right side column went missing. I took a look into Blogger, and MMM was missing a good chunk of code. Seeing that my last backup of the template was some months ago, I do not have some links. Thankfully, nothing else was lost. I now have a more recent backup, but getting the links back may take some time as I will have to look for them in the past posts.

And now back to your reguraly scheduled MMM site :)

Probably one of the nice points of the Bible+ community, is the amount of development that goes into other programs that plug into Bible+. For example, the Liddle Scott unabridged Greek dictionary has been produced for the Road Lingua dictionary reader. Its only available from the person who created it, but questions remain concerning copyright and availablity on other websites. Check out the forum thread for more information.

When I looked at the latest review of the Dell Inspiron XPS2 at NotebookReview.com, one of the things that interested me was the perspective of the person that reviewed the laptop. They were a person who had grown to like the idea of building their computer to their specifications and style, and then tweaking and sitting back and enjoying their creation. It got me thinking about tech tools, and if with them and the basic idea of customization, that we are fashioning idols to worship (or for others to worship us), or if we are making these tools enablers for those to get into the Temple (in our case to get to repentance and salvation through Jesus Christ).

I looked up the word 'tool' in my Strongs (the big book one and not the one on my PDA) and found only four instances of the word appearing (in the KJV at least). In three of the four cases there was a command to make sure that no tool was seen or heard in or near the altar. Kool, I can dig it. And in the other, Deut 27:5, it said to build an altar of stones, but not to use a tool. I was kinda taken back; how can one make an altar without tools? But as I read, i realized the siginfiance of realizing the way that God puts us together, the way stones fit together, and how the process of getting them to be acceptable places of sacrifice (both a stone altar and our lives) for His glory and not our own.

And so I thought, if tools were needed, why wernt they allow to be so close to the altar? I reflected back on Pat's article (I tend to quote that a lot dont I) and how he talked about making sure that the PDA was used, but was not a hindrance to those that might not be versed, or as knowledgable with the technology. And so it hit me (again), technology should have its place, but not placed in view over that which it was trying to build.

And so now I think back to that review, and what was it that he was trying to build when he had those computers. What is it that he would be building now that he has a laptop that he could customize? And does that take away from the purpose for having that tool? I think that for those of us who are technology-enabled, that we have to be careful that while making sure that we get the most out of our tech toys, that we do not allow for signifiance to be placed more on them, than on the God we are serving. To do so would disgrace His altar (our hearts), and make us to be idol worshippers.

NOTE: I am not saying that people who build and customize computers are idol worshippers, it was just an example used to get to a point. Apoligies if that manner of speaking offended anyone.

I just want to remind you all that Mobile Ministry Magazine is more than a blog and magazine, there is also going to be different giveaways (not necessarly contests) for different items along the course of the way. For this month, there are two Verizon phones that I have availiable. Now, I have not heard much back in terms of any who might need a phone, or know of one who is in need, but the offer is out there for anyone who needs a phone for their ministry to ask so they shall receive.

There will be some other products added to the list in the coming weeks. Until you see those, know that I am looking to get a few low cost PDAs and some notebook and PDA accessories to give away. Software is always a good thing, so if you are a software company who helps to spread the Gospel and have some software that you would be willing to doante for a Mobile Ministry Magazine giveaway, send me an email and we can make those arrangements happen.

One of the reasons why Mobile Ministry Magazine gives away tech tools is because for those that see the usefulness of such items, they can add to one's ministry endavors. I do urge you to read Pat Horne's The Paperless Pulpit, as that was/is an excellent articles and gives some great wisdom bits on how to manage using technology versus its presentation to others. Articles and tools are what this is about. If we cannot encourage each other to take a step towards spreading the glorious name of Jesus, then we are basically spinning our wheels with things that look good, but have no purpose. So think about it, and if you have any leads to things on some online classified ads (Craigslist is becoming a favorite of mine), let me know and we can get some progress in computing besides higher clock speeds (how about a higher definition of godliness).

Via Palm Addict;
A neat Spanish-written site, Canal PDA, has a round up of blogging tools on symbian, PalmOS and Windows Mobile devices. I am more the French guy, but after passing this thru AltaVista, it reads nice enough to get a good idea of what's out there.

I've read many reports about kids in K thru 5th grades (6-11 years old) being given PDAs for classwork and other assignments for their schools. And to some extent, I think that it is a great idea. But should computers be taught to people that young before they have a handle on the basics of math, handwriting, and research (yea I did research projects in 3 and 4th grade for some weird reasons)? What are your opinions on this? And where does this leave the parent that may/may not have the means necessary to foster these skills at home?

I was speaking with some friends of mine a while back about eating and the curch community, and one of their observations was that there were a lot of overweight church members. And even beyond that, every fellowship included eating in some kind of way. Almost as if eating a lot was a great thing.

In the same fashion, I look at being connected as something that if not checked, can lead to some dire consequences. Check out this story about a person who died basically because they spent too much time (continuosly) at playing a video game. In some way or form, this person lost all sense of their wellness and decided that the game was more important than his own well being.

I find that for myself, that I need to mandate those times when I am not online. I spend a great deal of my workday online, and so when I get home I try to make sure that I am online as little as possible. Aside from MMM, Bible+, and Holy Culture Radio, my time online at home is spent checking and replying to email (two hours to those tasks max). I do realize that ministry has graned me this online arena, but if I dont develop offline, then I risk gluttonly at the hands of the net.

Just a little something to think about on this Hump-day. Gotta get over the hump by putting down those things that could drag us backwards over the wrong edge right?

One of the many formats for carrying books and other articles on your PDA and notebook, has been engaged by Mobile Read into an interesting discussion. At teh crux of things, there is a look at PDF as a good enough format for mobile viewing. Another aspect of that is Acrobat Reader and other PDF viewers; some do a great job, while others do not. If you are a person who likes to carry journals and other reference materials in formats other than some of the format specific readers (plucker, iSilo, etc.), check out this discussion and see what might be a solution to a most definite issue amongst mobile computer users.

One of my favorite albums is Fred Hammond's Purpose by Design. Besides being a collection of just some well produced music (he really has a Psalms of David feel about him), everything that he sang about on that CD really spoke towards having a vision, but being purposed in his heart to get to where God is always exhalted in what he does.

Concerning MMM, I have found that I have wanted to be more purposeful in posting, creating the magazine, and even with learning more about the effects of internet communities. Even last night, I went to the Engadget Reader Meetup last night and it kinda struck me at how a well desiged and well focused site can infulence a genre of computer users and news watchers. There is something that is very powerful about the net, even in countries that arent connected, that should be tapped...

It is my purpose for MMM that it would become a station of equipping for Christians who are avid mobile technology users. I'd like your help to making sure that MMM stays on the map, and mindset of those that make tech decsions in our churches, youth groups, bible camps, missions, etc. Where do you see the place for mobile tech in teh scheme of things? And could it be used to not only spread the Gospel, but educate those who previously did not have the means to be [complely, fully, non-censored] educated? Something to chew on I am sure, but I am interested in hearing your opinions.

Another interesting posting at PDA 24/7 (again - they are really full of good stuff over there) has a user not quite happy at a software developer for inculding a Scripture reference within the software (thanks BobR). Now, while the developer for New Yanoff did chime in and explain why there is a need for that particular field to have information (else the program doesnt work) and that it is recommended to be changed; the user makes a point that they did not, and should not have to, be subjected to Christian beliefs just to use a program that they are using. I'll leave you all to read and then chime in with your comments. I believe that placing this discussion here will give a somewhat different feel that it is getting at PDA 24/7 (not worse, just different) and should go a way to figuring out some walking wisdom.

EDIT: Apologies for not adding the product link for the developer of New Yanoff; journalistically speaking, one should always do that.

Edit2: Here is a link to the further posting by the original poster towards New Yanoff's developer. I think that this too needs to be as much a part of the discussion as any other aspects.

Happy new week to you all. Hopefully, you all did more resting than I this weekend. I am honestly quite tired from the weekend, and so it may take a few days to get back on the pine concerning MMM matters.

Just a few things to highlight:
If you can, make sure to read last week's article "The Paperless Pulpit" submitted by Pat Horne. This was an excellent article, and brings to light many of the conceptions that we may have about using mobile technology around those who might not be so techie. There is also some good instruction on presentation and preparation of doing a sermon with one's PDA that makes this an excellent article. Read part 1, part 2, part 3, or the whole thing in one piece (easy to convert for downloading too).

There have also been other nice pieces here such as the Word Watch review, Building a Techie Youth in Wisdom, and We're Blessed So Pass It On. More articles are to come, and if you have something that you'd want posted here, just send it in an email, and it will be posted (pending a review of course).

Finally for this morning, I wanted to share a nicely inspiring article written by a high school student. I wont spill the beans, but I will say that this is an excellent article, and one that should probably be share with teen and young adult ministries everywhere.

That's all for right now. MMM will be back later in the day with some more updates, views, and maybe the impromptu gift in waiting. May the Lord richly bless you.

And here is part 3 of The Paperless Pulpit. I hope that this has been an excellent series for you. It has been a really good one for me. I thank Pat H. for sending this in. I hope that he would do other excellent articles in the future :) And if any of you have something that you would like to share with the MMM audience, send it in a email to MMM and we will get that published for you.

The Paperless Pulpit
(or how to preach with your PDA; part III)

Conclusion
While paperless preaching is best done from memory and Holy Spirit inspiration, we all know that the scripted sermon has an important place and power. By carefully planning, practicing and keeping your trusty paper backup handy, the minister of God can use technology for greater effectiveness. Below are some technical helps that may be able to help improve your transition. I hope this guide will help you launch out into the paperless pulpit, if you so desire.

Please feel free to mail me any questions you might have about making this work. I am doing this on one platform, device and software, but if I can help then I would be glad to do so.

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Pat Horne
www.ChurchOfLivingFaith.com
PastorPat at churchoflivingfaith.com

More Tips for BibleReader:

• Maximize screen real estate and text viewing by choosing the “Kalamata - 1” desktop
• Use a small, but readable font to get a large amount of text on the screen
• Get rid of the scroll bars to give more text

Tips for Word to Go (via Documents to Go)

• For the T3, upgrade the bundled 6.002 version to the 6.008 for free.You’ll be glad you did.

Performance improving apps for the Palm Tungsten T3:

• PXAClocker or equivalent: Extends battery life by underclocking fast devices or improves crispness for sluggish apps at a cost to battery life.
• FullPower by Mobile Stream: Allows lowering battery warning thresholds to extend battery life. Keep in a safe range for your particular device. I lower my voltage threshold from 375 to 352, which gives my T3 at least 20 minutes extra battery life. 350 or less is getting into dangerous territory experts say, so I stay above that area a bit. This app also allows near complete control of LCD backlight to conserve power too. This is an awesome and simple application.
• AutoOff: Allows you to set screen auto off settings to as long or short as needed. A longer time setting allows less powering on during your message, but make sure you’ve got the battery life to go the distance.
• Single Button Launcher: Allows programming of all hard buttons to up to five programs each. This is handy for preaching because it allows access to many apps with hard keys. This way your button layout stays the same all the time allowing more accuracy. Without this I would want to change the button layout back and forth after each message.

As promised, here is the complete The Paperless Pulpit article, in raw HTML form. One can save the page and then export it to any format one needs. Enjoy.

Just an update on the mobile version of MMM:
I am praying towards getting the domain name and some hosting for MMM, so that it can have its own space (but keeping the Blogger front end). When that happens, there will be a slight change to the site to allow for the complete site to be mobile-accessible (without the .mobi domain too). The main issue there will be making sure that the CSS accounts for all screen sizes, not just the meta tag-reading browsers. So its going to happen. There will also be some surveys and other downloadable features to keep you up to date with what can best work for your ministry.

Now, if you are not in the mood for waiting for the redesign, there is a neat site called IYHY that is able to take nearly any website and make it mobile. This is what MMM looks like parsed thru their site (link). I will place the link to the left as a temporary link to a mobile version for all those who would like to bookmark MMM for this mobile devices.

(Thannks to Mike Davidson's website for the link to IYHY).

This is part 2 of The Paperless Pulpit series started earlier today. I hope that you are enjoying it thus far. If you need to catch up with things, check out part 1 here, and then come back to part 2. The final, part 3, will come towards the end of the day. There will also be a full page version of this series availiable for those that would want to download this to their PDA or save it to their computer for a more convenient reference.

The Paperless Pulpit
(or how to preach with your PDA; part II)

Have your Outline Ready at a Glance
Just like putting together paper notes or outlines, paperless preaching requires solid planning. After your “outline” is prepared, formatting it for mobile use on the handheld can be done in the following way:

#1 Have your outline or notes formatted using Docs2Go with clear headings,fonts, colors, highlights, indentions, bullets, and / or numbering etc.

Whatever scheme allows you to find your place and flow from one point to the next the easiest. Take care to put your notes in an order and separation so that each tap of the directional button gives a complete list of each section of information. In other words, when a sentence or note continues from one screen to the next, it cannot be seen at a glance and will require scrolling. Stylus usage is distracting and sluggish. For example, an ideal situation would be to have four points and be able to see each one in an entire screen by 4 simple taps of the d-pad. Finally, Docs2Go allows different view settings from tiny to large, so find the one that is the best balance of viewing and content for you.

Pictures (will open in new window)
Sermon notes originating page in landscape
Sermon notes page 2 with one press of d-pad

#2 Have your Scriptures Ready at a Glance (Two options)
The first option is to cut the Scriptures needed from the Bible and paste them into your notes for instant access. This keeps you from having to swap to another program. This works well for short passages, but can be difficult and limiting if reading a longer set of Scriptures because it can go across multiple screens. Also, if you want to read a passage on the fly that occurs before or after your planned text, then you’ll not have it readily available. Flexibility is very important, so don’t let the PDA become a limit to you.

The second more powerful option is to use bookmarks and highlighting in BibleReader to easily access your texts. All programs used should have a hard button programmed on your PDA so that they are instantly available with one handed use. Assign each Scripture to a bookmark in BibleReader. Assign one of your hard buttons to “bookmarks” within BibleReader. I personally use the Voice Recorder button on my T3. This button assignment only functions within BibleReader, so when I leave this program, everything returns as normal. This way you can simply tap the hard button (Voice recorder or other) and a menu list drops down with all your bookmarked Scriptures. Use the D-pad to scroll to the Scripture desired, and tap the select button. Bingo! You are there before the thin pages in the crowd stop turning. While they are searching, you are still preaching. For each successive text simply repeat the steps above. To return to your notes, simply tap the button assigned to Word2Go and you are there. Both Word2Go and Bible Reader return to their “last point” so it seems that both programs are running the whole time even though they are not. Most Palm devices running Garnet should be very quick in this regard.

Another help with Scriptures is to highlight the exact verses that you want to read with a color in BibleReader. This way if you plan to read two or more Scriptures beginning at the bookmark point, they will already be highlighted for you, so you’ll know where to start and stop without even looking at verse numbers. Since you have the Bible open to the desired location, you can read farther or read before what you originally prepared, if led to do so. This offers flexibility.

Pictures (will open in new window):
First: highlighted texts upon opening of BibleReader
Second: highlighted texts selected by bookmark

Whenever you get your note or read from a text and you need to preach or teach a point that you have simply drop your PDA into your pocket and you are totally free. If you need the next point, text or quote, then your PDA is right with you for instant reference.

Note: BibleReader does not yet allow one handed operation of Scripture lookup. So if you are led to go to a text that was not prepared beforehand, then the stylus must come out. Although not desirable, this can be done by announcing the Scripture and while the people go there, you can use the on-screen menu to find it quickly and return the stylus.

In posting that last piece from Pat H., it really made sense to ask all of you:

1. What software application do you use that makes you effective in minstering with technology?
   (That can be MSWord on your laptop, or some specalized application on your PDA, or something like that)
2. What kind of software would you liked to see developed, or pushed more, so that you and others can get more out of the technological resources that you have?
3. And finally, what kind of mobile device works best for you:
   PDA (PalmOS, PocketPC/Windows Mobile/Linux/other)
   TabletPC
   Notebook (Windows/Mac/Linux/Other)

Respond in the comments area and lets start some discussion that could lead to some neat things happening at MMM and in mobile technology 8^)

This is part one of a three part series that will be unfolded thoughout the next 24 hours. It was submitted by Pat H. and has had me wowing how well written it is. I think that you all might enjoy it as well.

The Paperless Pulpit
(or how to preach with your PDA; part I)

For a few years now I've had fleeting thoughts of preaching completely digitally with a PDA. After all, I can carry the Bible and notes there without a problem. Several months ago I took a leap of digital faith and decided to preach a sermon completely with a handheld device. The main advantages for going paperless are to:

• Free up my mobility by not being tied to the pulpit/lectern
• Free up both hands for expression instead of lugging leather and paper around
• Be able to avoid the PC, desktop and printer altogether.
  

I am a mover when I preach or teach, so I may be on stage or among the crowd etc. Were I constantly linked to the pulpit, much of this would be unnecessary.

Being an ex-programmer / analyst I knew better than to go live in a “production” environment without good testing and a solid backup. Therefore, I tried it out in the office function by function and worked out the kinks. Then when the time came to go live, I kept my trusty leather bound Bible and printed notes right their on the pulpit, just in case of the ever possible system crash!

The following is a how to guide for those of you who are interested in taking the power of the Gospel into the digital age. I will describe the hardware and software that I use to do this. Yours may be different, but with the advancement of the PDA, you should be able to find similar solutions on varying platforms.

Two important goals for me were to make sure that I never had to pull out the stylus or to allow the PDA to become the focal point instead of the Gospel. Nothing frustrates me like seeing a mouse pointer or Windows menu system during a ministry or business screen presentation. It is a huge distraction from the message. The hearer's eternal destiny is on the line here, so I wanted to make certain that the message got delivered whether my geek factor got shown off or not.

My Particular System
PDA Hardware:

• Palm Tungsten | T3, running Palm OS Garnet v5.2.1
• Lexar 1GB SD memory card
• Clarivue brand screen protector
  

Software applications:

• Word Processing: Documents To Go v6.008 (Word to Go)
• OliveTree BibleReader v3.52 F377
  

Newer hardware and software exists, but this configuration has more than enough power to get the job done. Features of the T3 such as stability, tiny size, lightening speed, large HVGA display and 5-way directional pad are very desirable. Older devices can still be capable, but a 5-way directional pad may be the most important feature of all.

Getting Started
Formulate your sermon on your PC or PDA in the Word processor and get it into the PDA. Determine the outline, quotes and Scripture references to use as you normally would. Even though technology is raging ahead, I know of no software to replace the leading of the wonderful Holy Spirit! :-)

Visualize and even chart the manner in which you will access your notes and references. Of course, if we all had photographic memories with endless limits, then notes and Bibles would not be needed at all. Some initial hardware tips are as follows:

• Pre-determine whether you will use landscape or portrait mode. Landscape reads better, but portrait handles better for one-handed use.
• Make sure you have a full battery charge, especially for underpowered devices like my T3
• Full display brightness is desired, because your presentation area is often brighter than most others
• Disable hacks, add-ins or clocking programs etc, which cause possible instability. Sticking a stylus into the back of your PDA and your “blue screen of death” look will shut down the anointing in a nanosecond!
• Turn off, or set to vibrate, alarms because sure enough right during prayer … :-(

Thats the end of part one. You will have to come back for part 2; and it gets really good there too.

PalmInsider, one of the newer PDA news sites out there, has posted a review of a Windows Mobile smartphone, the Qtek 100. Check it out, as well as the other great content at Palm Insider.

PocketPC Thoughts links two reivews of some neat smartphone devices, the iMate Jam Limited Edition and the HP iPaq h6515. If you are in the market for a new Windows Mobile device, there are two at the top of many lists.

Notebook Review has a well written review about the Toshiba Portege S100. Also check out the Notebook and Tech Deals, as many back to school promotions are in full swing.

Thanks to PDA24/7 for this one:

SplashID, from SpalshData, is free (probably only for the day) at handango.com. If you are looking for an easy way to secure information on your PDA, as well as a place to put all of your kept close info, this is a great program and a heck of a great offer. Get it while you can.

EDIT: The free is only for the PalmOS and PocketPC versions, the desktop part of it you will still have to pay for.

I know that I have made my angst known about web browsing on mobile devices, and to the Christian who wants to get the best experience from their connected PDA/smartphone, they too will want to know what issues and compromises would be had with browsing on a smaller screen.

It seems that Mobile Read also has the same idea, as they highlight this forum thread from PocketPC Thoughts that goes into a nice discussion about browsing on PocketPC/Windows Mobile devices. If you are looking at browsing for your PDA, or looking to make content availiable for mobile devices, this makes for a great read.