This was forwarded to us and asked if it is an example of who and how people and groups associated with mobile ministry (#mobmin) should approach the context of their activities. Much like Alex Oswald, there is a surprise to some at the level (and simplicity) of how mobile is being used in daily affairs.

A (Small) Critique
Despite what’s talked about on the video, an acknowledgment solutions that are obvious and should be applied in better economies, nothing much is being said about the strategies that went creating and implementing them. Solutions like these talk very much towards being associated towards mobile as living with people, not just pushing a platform or a message. Unfortunately, there’s too much of a reluctance, even with those of us who work within this mobile ministry space, to be so invested into using the technology/communications, that we can see where this makes sense in our spheres. In an observed sense, people want to develop towards the mobile audience, but not be the mobile audience they are developing for. We see after another’s implementation that its obvious, but don’t live with it close enough to discover our own.

For as long as this person was in mobile, to be surprised at M-Pesa said a lot about a general blindness to the Mobile past than about opportunities not seen. 10 yrs ago there were 1 billion mobile phone users, we were looking at the second generation of smartphones from Nokia, Palm, and a few others, seeing the fall of the PDA genre coming to pass, and some of the first positive steps in mobile web areas. Weird to me that he was surprised if that’s when he started.

Still, this is good for the mobile ministry space as many haven’t heard about what he’s seen, or might be working on similar and need the encouragement. When in and around mobile, you’ve got to keep your eyes open not just to what you want to see, but also what others have seen.

If there’s anything that mobile has revealed, its that we all enjoy getting information and being involved with something or someone at the point of thought. Perhaps part of that speaks to a stroking of our ego (if the message is coming near me, then I am important and valued enough to receive it). But, we also end up walking this line where at some point that all of these streams don’t just consume us, but change us in ways that we’d not figured before.

Two articles in the past week speak to this change, and the challenge that we all end up having at some point because of the persuasivness of mobile. The first worth taking into your contempletive moments comes from James Whately – The Pressure of Immediacy:

…These two notes are what, to my mind at least, drive the ill-perceived pressure of immediacy. As in, just because we can look up just about anything on the glass screens in our pockets doesn’t necessarily mean that we should. The pressure to know something immediately is balderdash. It is fallacy, claptrap, and poppycock. It is a make-believe blanket of self-made suffocation that we have placed upon our own social and professional situations that really has no need to exist at all…

The second comes from Brian Feld – My Smartphone Is No Longer Working for Me:

I spent two weeks without my iPhone. I was completely off the grid for the first week but then spent the second week online, on my MacBook Air and Kindle, but no iPhone. I got home on Sunday and have had my iPhone turned on the past few days. I’ve used it as a phone, but I’ve largely stayed off of the web, email, and twitter with it. Instead, I’m only done this when I’m in front of my computer. I played around a little with the new Gmail iPhone app (which I like) but I’ve been limiting my email to “intentional time” – early in the morning, late at night, and when I have catch up time in between things…

In both of these pieces you see a resetting of expectations towards mobile and connected technologies. These are the kinds of things that should and shouldn’t have to happen though. I don’t think one needs a period of fasting from social networks in order to maintain a healthy perspective of them – I think that the engagement towards social media starts before you even get onto the service with the question “what kind of time/value will I assign to these kinds of connections, and is it worth what I’m assigning to it?”

I do think that we need smarter settings and tools within mobile devices in order to better utilize the attention spans we do have. I’ve spoken before about using Situations and similar apps on my Nokia N8 to turn the mobile off, ignore calls w/a friendly auto-message, etc. so that I can concentrate my eyes and ears on who/what’s near me, rather than what’s on the screen. Similar applications are available for Android and Blackberry devices (I’ve not seen similar for Windows Phone; to do apps like this on iOS you need to jailbreak your device). I also believe that at the network level, more intelligence needs to be added into services so that smarter actions can happen. I once wrote on what this could look like, and still wait for something like it to show up – but not be tied to a provider when it does (Google Now does something like this).

At the end of the day, what we do with this technology speaks to our value judgments. If we value time on the screen, that’s where we’d spend the time. If we value time face-to-face, then that’s where we spend our time. As ministries also walk this line into creating applications and services that make sense in the context of using mobile, we also have the responsibility that we are not designing away the ability for people to make intelligent and life-giving decisions about how this tech is being used. True, there’s something immediate about getting to someone your content that has a note of the saving grace of God; but its also important that they rely on God once they’ve gotten that message, not the beep of your application, calling them to a screen that they might not be strong enough to turn away from.

A few weeks back, DJ Chuang of Social Media Church got in contact with us wanting for an interview for their weekly podcast on church and tech. That interview has gone live as of a few days ago. It goes about 30min, and you’ll hear a lot more about how MMM got started, what keeps it going, and some areas that this magazine will continue to push into.

Social Media Church, Episode 26 – Interview w/Antoine from Mobile Ministry Magazine

Bible Bloom is a new Bible app for iPhone (and iPad, but will get to that later) devices. As with many Bible applications, there’s the ability to read and keep track of reading. However, Bible Bloom seems to go about things a bit differently. Differently enough to get a look from us. Let’s take a look at things and see what’s growing in this app.

Impressions
One of the things that you notice with Bible Bloom is that it really is designed to be a pretty-to-engage application. There’s not the usual chrome (re: design elements) that look similar to other Bible apps, or even other iOS apps for that matter. The landing page is a series of tiles (Read, Bookmark, Prayer Packs, Store, and Reminders).

Even though I wanted to skip it, I first went into the Read section to see if there was anything differently done there than with any other Bible apps in the past. Not so much. Moving on.

Bookmarks came across similar. Though, it makes sense that you would eventually use this section if you came into Bible Bloom from another direction. A little more on that later.

Prayer Packs are like these little pocket devotionals that sit inside the app. Really neat idea here, and one that if the folks at Bible Bloom worked with a group (for example The Pocket Testament League, or even had some kind of SDK for local churches to use) would come in handy for Scripture-relevant information.

Store. Nothing more than the means to do in-app purchases of Prayer Packs (and possibly other Bibles in the future???). Still, makes sense to be able to go here rather than need to go back to the app store, or even iBooks/Amazon for this.

Reminders is a notification-based system where you are given encouragement based on the last time that you came into the Bible Bloom app. You can set it up so that your encouragement note comes on after 24hrs, 48hrs, 1 week, 1 month, or a custom time period. You can choose multiple items here just in case you realize that your reading and meditating of Scripture doesn’t follow as consistent a patter as you want to.

Critique
I wasn’t sure of what to think about Bible Bloom. Because of its design, it comes off as just another Bible app. I think though that there is some benefit though to it if Bible Bloom is framed more as a meditation helper. For example, when you get the encouraging note, to be able to tap and see the associated scripture and be encouraged to bookmark it for later or even share it, would make for a very nice workflow. Bible Bloom isn’t exactly designed like that. Its something that actually grows out of *not* being in the app everyday, but then having the app remind you and take you through a behavior of thinking on Scripture. Which is kind of how I found that example workflow. From a design perspective, its certainly pleasant, but the prayer packs don’t stand out until you get into the app some.

Still, if you are looking for something a bit different than the YouVersion/OliveTree/Logos end of things, Bible Bloom makes for a decent choice. Its a free app, but I would encourage you to support their efforts and purchase a prayer pack or two (they are $0.99USD).

For more information and to download, visit the Bible Bloom website.

[Media Release] The Eurasia Media & Distribution Consultation (EMDC) is a multi-agency consultation that now meets on an annual basis (one year in Asia, the next in Europe).

Minority language workers, in the greater Eurasia region, meet with media specialists (radio, TV, internet, mobile, social media), IT technicians, recording specialists, graphic artists, digital publishers, and specialists in Orality and Ethnomusicology/ Ethno-Arts (arts, drama, dance).

EMDC 2013 (in Asia, 08-11 April) expects around 250 people from 80 organizations. EMDC will have over 40 workshops. Prior to EMDC are four additional (optional) days of pre-EMDC training in nine tracks: (Video 1 & 2, Audio 1 & 2, Website development, Orality/ Storying, EthnoArts, Mobile Production, Mobile Apps).

For access to our password-protected website, write to info@emdcon.org.

For similar events to these, view the #mobmin Event Calendar (details on how to get updates automatically here); if you event needs to be added to this calendar, please use this form to submit the relevant information.

Sometime last week, while browsing Twitter, someone on my timeline remarked about the Nokia Asha 311 having USB On-the-Go functionality. For those who might not be familiar with the term, USB OTG enables a mobile device (like a phone) to be able to connect to USB memory keys, mice, keyboards, and other types of accessories, that are usually more common found connected to laptops and PCs. In the case of the Asha 311, such a feature has a second interesting benefit, two Asha 311 devices can be connected to each other via USB and then files would be transferred between them. Faster than Bluetooth, with some potential huge ramifications for folks that do SD card evangelism (for example, Kiosk Evangelism, Digital Bible Society, and others).

That seems to be a feature for mobiles that’s somewhat weird, and not always on the list of reasons why people would purchase a mobile. Still, its one of those features that when you do have it and use it, its pretty easy to see why it makes sense to have. Of course, that got me thinking of other features that mobiles have which might not get all of the greatest recognition, but might end up being useful in some isolated moments:

• Many mobiles have the ability to listen to local FM radio stations when you have a wired headset plugged in
• A few mobiles have the ability to transmit FM radio signals to other devices
• Some mobiles have the ability to play music that’s stored on the device, or streamed, through the ear-speaker (not just the loudspeaker)
• Some mobiles have the ability to use the LED for the camera as a flashlight/torch
• Only two come to mind, but there have been mobile devices with a built-in projector
• There was that sneaker company that had a mobile phone with a built-in solar panel for charging
• And then there are watch phones – which are more than just a cellular-enabled calculator

What about obscure mobile features that you might have seen? Do any come to mind? Do you use any? Do you wish there was a feature your mobile had that it doesn’t?

As part of one of the resolutions that we’ve set forth this year, it was to be involved with and keep an eye towards events that would be relevant to mobile ministry (#mobmin) activities. Whether or not we attended them wasn’t the concern. We wanted to make sure that there was some kind of public listing of events, that you could easily subscribe to (RSS, email updates, mobile, etc.) and be informed as to what is going on. So we created and released the Mobile Ministry Event calendar, and its been one of the more popular links on the site for just getting heads wrapped around what’s happening in this space.

Well, 2013 is almost here and there are a ton of events that have not yet made it to the calendar. Part of that is on our end of getting lots of emails towards items and not sitting down to add them here. The other part of that is that there are just a lot of events we don’t know about and so what might be relevant isn’t heard about until the last minute, or even after the event has happened. So to help things along, I’m asking for your help towards getting this listing updated before the year turns. And in part, if you’ve got an event, this is a great way to get some additional visibility to those events.

All you need to do is send us a note about the event including as much detail that can be copy/pasted into the Google Calendar listing and we’ll get it added. That’s it.

Subscribing to Updates from the Calendar

For those of you who don’t have an event to add, but definitely want to follow along, here are some instructions on how to do so (bullet point per method of keeping up with the listing):

The other week, I attended the Mobile Ministry Forum and had the opportunity to present on one of the projects for Mobile Ministry Magazine. Of the things that I get to do with presentations, its to take different attempts towards getting information across. Last year, I took a chance on things and posted the deck online and had the audience access it and follow along while I talked. This year, I went a small step further. And it was kind of fun.

I get into the details of how fun it is over on my personal website. Check it out, and if you were there and had insights or feedback to that kind of presentation style, add your comments here or there.

For the past few weeks, we’ve been talking about the Mobile Ministry Webinar being put on by Symbiota. There’s one more on deck before the holidays roll around. The last one of these is on Dec 17th. All you have to do is sign up and show up. Just showing up gives you a chance to win some great prizes. Here’s an overview of what will be talked about in the webinar:

Visitors are increasingly using mobile devices to search for churches information, listen to sermons, and pay tithes and offerings. Your church members are mobile, how about your church? On this webinar we will be helping churches understand how to get their message through, on the most important method of communication today: Mobile Phones.

What you will learn on this webinar:

• 3 Major myths about cell phone usage that are not true.
• Dissecting the noise about mobile websites and mobile apps.
• Tips on using mobile to increase donations & giving.
• Why your church cannot afford to not be ready for mobile.
• How to not to miss up to 50% of people searching for your church.
• Connecting members to small groups using text messages
• Keys to integrating Twitter and Facebook with mobile.

Sign up for this webinar and learn more about the services Symbiota offers at their website.

Tis the season for taking a tree from the forest, bringing it into one’s home, then dressing it with lights, bells, angels, and other decorations. In reflecting on the season, I wonder if there is something similar that happens with us when it comes to looking at the things that we carry today to display the various seasons of our faith?

Such a thought came about when reading Fast Co Design’s article When Pixels Dominate Design, Your Hardware is the Brand. Besides the look back at how we have always used artifacts, or hardware, to be a placeholder for things of signifiance, there was also this look at the companies of today (Amazon, Apple, Google, etc.), which are making moves with their hardware, but doing so with a nod to design and symbolism that isn’t too much different than some of the discussions that the early church had towards iconagraphy and sacramentals:

…Those with an understanding of history will know that the power of symbolic objects is not new. Complex ideas such as religion, nationhood, and even love are often expressed through the use of objects to help make complicated and abstract ideas simpler to relate to. A cross stands for Christianity, a flag conveys national identity, and a wedding band represents a marriage.

Similarly, as tangible, real-world experiences increasingly become digital and virtual, industrial design, through the embodiment of meaning in concrete form, has reemerged as a critical component of a company’s success. Companies with vast digital ecosystems need simple, straightforward ways to express their brands, and it just so happens that physical devices, which serve both a functional and symbolic purpose, perform this task exceptionally well…

I wonder what happens when we begin realizing that we start associating more envoked emotions and appeals to objects than to the events or people who sparked them? Forget wondering, why not just look at the past thoughts of others?

…God prohibits an idol as much to be made as to be worshipped. In so far as the making what may be worshipped is the prior act, so far is the prohibition tomake (if the worship is unlawful) the prior prohibition. For this cause—the eradicating, namely, of the material of idolatry—the divine law proclaims, “Thou shalt make no idol;”¹⁷⁹ and by conjoining, “Nor a similitude of the things which are in the heaven, and which are in the earth, and which are in the sea,” has interdicted the servants of God from acts of that kind all the universe over. Enoch had preceded, predicting that “the demons, and the spirits of the angelic apostates,¹⁸⁰ would turn into idolatry⁶³ all the elements, all the garniture of the universe, all things contained in the heaven, in the sea, in the earth, that they might be consecrated as God, in opposition to God.” All things, therefore, does human error worship, except the Founder of all Himself.  The images of those things are idols; the consecration of the images is idolatry…

Or maybe such reflection isn’t all that needed at all. It has been very rare for me since leaving some of my faith roots in Roman Catholism to hear lengthy, and repentance-causing, discussions on the matter. I wonder what it would be for us to sit upon this intersection of faith and mobile – especially this season when we are so ready to gift, decorate, and admonish one another’s holiday dressings – and talk around what makes this life so wonderful, and if we are doing more to create our own than to enjoy the Creator’s.