Was reading some good news the other week from our friends in Egypt who were talking about a book fair they were having, and it indeed is a good thing to have these. Besides a moment of being able to swap, share, and purchase books across authors and subjects you might have normally come across, its another aspect of sharing something that God’s given you with someone who might not have had access to the same materials.

Of course, that got me thinking on the lines of electronic books, ebooks, and how we’d probably not hear too much about book fairs where people are swaping, sharing, and purchasing these. The model for ebooks doesn’t seem to make something like this happen easily. Then again, there is the lending feature that some ebook services offer, and that does point to something that could be done here.

I thought a bit further, and my thoughts asked about my experiences and the testimonies with the Kiosk Evangelism Project, Door43, and Open Church. These are all projects which aim to make available some of the depth of locally- and globally-produced text, audio, and video material using technologies developed in and around the Internet. What if these kinds of projects could be extended to the idea of a eBook book fair? What could that look like?

First, there’d have to be some kind of library of content. If I’m thinking like the Kiosk Evangelism Project, then that should definitely be a few Seagate GoFlex Satellites configured in a room, with numbered SSIDs (for example [book fair name] a-d #1, [book fair name] e-j #2, etc.). This would enable those participating to at least be able to identify from their connected devices that content is available. I’d also have some kind of moderator there with a central laptop (?) that has all of the content on that device which would be used to transfer content to those persons who have devices which aren’t able to connect to the GoFlex units. I’d probably opt to have them organized by subject, rather than author, with that central laptop admin being the “librarian” – helping with searches, connecting to the LAN, etc.

Second, I’d have the GoFlex units labeled on a table with chairs and snacks around them. I’d probably do something fun like a scavenger hunt or something like a “speed dating” effect where people only sit in a space for a little bit of time. I’d encourage them to talk with each other about what they are downloading, what they like, and what they don’t. Probably having some kind of survey to be filled out afterwards (low tech with paper, high tech via SMS).

Lastly, I’d turn it into something of a traveling book fair and connect with the local worship centers and schools asking them to have prepared resources they’d like for people to be able to download and read. From the main laptop, I’d want to provision the libraries with that material before the book fair gets started. And (if possible) give them some kind of report (EpiSurveyor) towards what people downloaded and if there were any reported problems with that content (low tech paper, or high tech SMS again).

Thinking about this more, one could actually skip the LAN server piece, and just hand out memory cards with random selections to each table of people, do a once-over on how to share the content via Bluetooth or card swapping, and make a ebook fair happen on the level of each table. But, then ask people to remember a marker that was on their card and move to another table after a certain amount of time. At the end of the session, the memory card they have in hand is what they get to keep and they are just asked to do the same kind of sharing with friends/family/co-workers.

It feels like this would be a good way to show that our mobile/connected devices can be included within these kinds of social situations. We’d also see something of a different conversation when some people might decide to download some books but request others in print. In this way we can serve two kinds of readers, while electronically having the audio and video files that speak to those who might prefer something less textual.

What are your thoughts? Any reason why this wouldn’t be a good idea? Or, would anyone be interested in trying to make this happen (connect with us and let’s see what can happen)?

The other week, I gandered into the tweet streem of @dlature where he was asking the (very relevant) question and a few other statements:

Wow. It seems church is STILL caught up in issues of self-preservation and self-promotion so as to effectively ignore #OWS #occupychurch

Isn’t it a logical place (home page) for a church website to give a flavor re: what it considers important? Economic justice not on radar?

This why so many of these movem’ts R “secular”; spirituality of most folks sees church ignore this & so is deemed irrelevant #occupytheology

As w/ Obama, Churches may see #OWS as “politically incorrect” and steer clear; do its own #OWS involved members lose respect for church?

That got me into looking a bit more at his website Theological as I was sure that given that question, there’d be some other insights about the things we discuss or not within our faith communities. What I stumbled upon was an article that asked the question about this idea of a social graph (the online services and conversations that can be indentified as coming from a single person/brand across all of the internet) and what its theological context might be.

…What has bothered me for years,  before I even knew of “Social Graph”,  which came into usage with the nae given it by Facebook,  is how the technological community in the church has stopped thinking theologically when it comes to technology.  In their embrace and efforts to be relevant and resist the accusations that the church is anti-technological,  they (we) have adopted not only technology,  but the vision for it from the world outside the church,  which has kept us from realizing so much of the potential for a rich experience of relational data to connect us spiritually and theologically.  If we could only come to the realization that Facebook did,  and grasp some seemingly simple notions of how people develop their face to face networks,  we could greatly enhance the extent of the reality of a Body of Christ,  by taking our face to face community experience and shared stories,  and find ways of extending those connections into the wider Web-o-sphere…

Read the rest of The Social Graph in a Theological Context at Theoblogical

After reading this piece, I had the additional question to contemplate, “what’s the message in your messages?” As @dlature and I conversed on Twitter, there is a place on social media streams to talk about and engage in unfiltered discussions about economic, social, justice, and other issues. But, if this is missing on our church/denomination’s websites (no forums, blogs, or links to social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, Pininterest, etc.), then are these discussions even happening within the midst of these instutitions. Worse, there are many who are present on within these media channels, but don’t bother to converse. What do you think that conveys to others about what you/your org is passionate about?People do pay attention.

As I mentioned in that twitter-convo, there’s a sense of control that institutions feel and do lose when conversations get into media streams such as Facebook and Twitter, and there’s a genuine fear that when the conversation isn’t controlled, that the purpose of that website (marketing a specific image and perception of that church/org/denomination to an interested public) is lost. I had this explained to me in detail in a former church when I (often) commented about the posted sermon or other notes on the church’s website. Anything that I said that was in any way slightly contentious was not approved/deleted. In no way was there to be a marring of the pristine image of that church. And my response to them was simple, “you don’t want a blog, you want a soapbox where ‘church’ means you control the conversation, not mature the participants of it.” Suffice to say, I’m no longer a member of that church, and this is the point that @dlature was speaking to.

Are we present outside of the pews – outside of the environments that we created specificaly for the purpose of growing and maturing one another to be a demonstration of this faith in our world(s)? Or, are we just interested in insular conversations, ignoring the actions of the world outside of our walls until it comes in (and we can sweep it under a carpet, or into something that makes us look like we were talking this conversation all along)?

What mobile and social technologies enable is a conversation and living out of our faith beyond that “bubble.” I’d urge you to be more consistent in getting out of the bubble, or at least opening the window to the conversations the world has which will effect how you plan to survive.

People often ask, “how does this magazine bring in income?” Its honestly not a difficult question to answer. It is a challenging approach though. Many of the insights shared here over the years don’t come from direct mobile or ministry perspectives. They come as a result of connecting the dots between mobile or ministry with the needs and challenges present within other concerns that people, organizations, or industries might have. Sometimes, this takes us so far off the beaten path, that in order to see the connect, the dots that connect become the insights shared.

This connecting the dots happened recently when I attended a Meetup group which focused on the energy industry and its economic impacts sponsored by Action Learning. Now, you might be like the person who chaired the meeting, “what is the connection between the economic impacts of energy poilicies, behaviors, etc. and mobile as it relates to ministry efforts?” As with him and the group, I’ll just smile and take you on the trip towards the connection.

Charlotte (where this meeting was held) is in the midst of a major transformation into an major energy center. So much so that the primary energy provider for the SE USA, Duke Energy, is actually on the verge of an acquisition which will make it the largest generator and provider of energy in the energy industry’s history. As many of us figure out all of the time, our mobile devices require power. Many times, this power is coming from grid-based sources, such as a Duke Energy. Anything they are doing to improve or optimize their energy service offerings eventually has an effect on how we use our mobile devices (amongst other energy needs).

Now, one of the things that we understand from this region as well is that between indusry and residential users, the former is the larger consumer of energy needs. Industry consumers include everything from parking lots, schools, business parks, city infrastructure, and religious facilities. When looking at the economic impacts of energy industry transformation (regulation, on and off-grid generation, competition, and sustainability), we wouldn’t be too wrong to make the reach that its possible that at some point, some of our campus/multi-campus religious insitutions would have to enact measures to be more efficient in their use of energy. When that regulation comes from the energy provider to the insititution, there’s some kind of change/challenge that now those that administrate that campus have to change towards.

This change, at its most basic, asks those who choose to work on that campus to change their behaviors. In order to save power, a campus might be asked something like to invest in a smarter circuit breaker, which connects to sensor driven lights/power outlets. If there is no one in the room, then the entire circuit to the room is shut off. Those people who are used to leeching power to charge their devices might be effected as they can’t put their mobiles into another room to charge it (while keeping it on and it not being a distraction). If the mobile can’t last all day, they will look for a mobile that does last the duration of their working day on that campus. This might mean fewer smartphones (how many can last the entire day and keep up productive throughout). Or, it might mean that some people invest in innovative charging solutions like hand-crank or solar chargers.

All of that is simply paying attention to the potential challenges to mobility as a result of the larger industry (energy) that spokes from it. The conversation eneded up being very good for helping me to better visualize the challenges (real and potential) that energy changes around the world will cause. Some of these might not happen for some time, others are right on the horizion (imagine how Japan’s energy policy changed in a matter of days after the tsumani and its effects to the nuclear power and policies they were working towards; if power is even more expensive to manage/make, how do communications providers best provide tools/solutions which don’t transfer all of that cost, but some of that behavior change, to its customers).

I don’t write this to say that every insight gained will have to come by looking outside of the conventional ministry or mobile boxes. But, in terms of best building knowledge and understanding, you’ve got to be as adept in looking outside of the box as you are inside of it. We do that constantly here. And its challenging for both making ends meet, as well as making sure that insights are relevant (technology is only relevant when its personal remember). Other groups involved within mobile ministry will have their own ways of coming to conclusions and approaches. All are benficial as they are needed. That insight is more valuable than a product I believe (an app is not a strategy). The opportunities that it opens sheds the kinds of light on implications of change that need to best be expressed in mobile ministry and beyond.

It has been an interesting and fulfilling trip doing this All Books Project. Besides seeing first hand some of the issues related to user interface design, application optimization, content availability, and general usability (UX), I’m just enjoying some of the impressions that come from those I’m able to speak with about this trip towards a different (better?) approach to Biblical literacy.

For example, a few weeks ago while connecting with a brother, I mentioned the All Books Project as one of the new things happening since he and I last sat together. I pulled out my mobile to show him what it was and he was genuinely impressed. I explained to him that building this is challenging me to take just having a Bible on my mobile beyond simply having the text with me to being able to make it relevant. So then questions and discussion about design decisions, the amount of books, and even the choice of translation became part of the “reading” experience that I’m cultivating in this. It got me thinking a bit more about that point made a few times about Biblical literacy being this ability to not just read the Bible, but create it.

A mobile Bible reading application motivating you to create the Bible, not just read it? Yup. Let me dive a bit more.

Its already understood by all of us that when we read, listen to, or watch something that we are engaging within this process of consuming it. But here’s the rub when it comes to the Bible and the general function of faith-texts, we’ve got to expel something. Now, hopefully, its a good thing we are putting out there, but sometimes the case is that no matter what we are putting in, what comes out doesn’t look/sound/taste so great (Matthew 15:11).

So, we get out communities to this place now with mobile where they are eating on the right things. We’ve got them with Bibles on their devices, and some of us have even pushed to using small group or community reading plans to encourage some deeper reading behaviors (contemplation, discussion, etc.). But then what? What’s next after they have read it? How do we broach that piece about understanding and wisdom (Proverbs 4:7)? And even more than understanding, what does it look like when what’s being read, contemplated, and discussed becomes relevant?

Thing is, I can answer those if I’m looking at faith and faith development through our familiar cultural lenses (faith produces works which validate faith, preaches a Gospel that saves, entreats a Gospel that advocates justice and mercy, etc). But, when I’m sitting with my friend, and he’s asking a similar question, how he can take what it is that he’s most passionate about and turn that into a “version of the Bible?” I’m sometimes sitting looking at this mobile and say – “is consumption of this all that this tool is able to do?”

There’s probably a “no” to that. I mean really, we can look at John 4:1-42 and say that its more than simply having a behavior and tools that makes faith demonstrated equal to faith lived. But, with mobile (mobile ministry), where to we start to see faith lived as being the validation to this channel, window, magic wand, opportunity? Or, is it only worth for being a channel to be broadcast to then consumed.

Which would be a shame if you think about it. Just because you eat three meals a day doesn’t mean that you eat healthy. Can mobile ministry be more than a meal substitute? Does it provoke digestion and nutrition beyond simply taking it in?

Providing this week’s suite of mobile writing, the Carnival of the Mobilists is being hosted at Tego Interactive this week. There’s a diverse group of submissions presented this week, including one from us. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy the 262nd Carnival of the Mobilists.

Am contributing to a discussion happening over at Forum Oxford asking if tablets (and therefore laptops or desktops) can serve as remote phone controllers. Neat idea, and one which could have some implications for many of the mobile projects we’ve touched on (hint, hint). Here’s a snippet of the discussion:

Where is your phone when you use a tablet?

Not too far away? In your pocket?
Then…

Why couldn’t a ‘tablet’ just be an ‘external display’ for a phone?

1.Everything that is displayed on the phone screen is seen on the tablet.

2.Touch, swipe, tap, type: on the tablet screen to control the phone.

I’m wondering if anyone knows of or has seen something in the pipeline that might fit this scenario.

Do you think there could be a market for a ‘dumb’ terminal type device that connects to a phone for that purpose and that purpose only?

How?

A/V senders and/or Bluetooth 3.0+ and/or WiFi and/or other?

Serious power issues?
In-vehicle use?

Read the rest of the discussion at Forum Oxford. To contribute, you will need an account.

For some of you looking to learn more about mobile ministry so that you skillfully apply some of the approaches and perspectives put forth here, you might want to look into enrolling into the Mobile Ministry Training Course offered by Cybermissions. This 4-week course is designed to introduce you to the uses of mobile technology platforms for Christian ministry. Here’s what the four weeks of courses look like:

Week 1: Overview
Theory: Overview of Mobile Ministry & Its Potential
Practical: Student is introduced to the various main types of mobile phones, and mobile delivery platforms, and their potential for sharing the gospel in various nations.

Week 2: Evangelism
Theory: Mobile Evangelism and Follow-Up
Practice: SMS gateways, use of “text”, mobile messaging, bible apps, evangelistic uses, blended uses e.g using mobile to follow-up after a crusade evangelism event.

Week 3: Training & Discipleship (Low Bandwidth)
Theory: Oral Learners, Storying and Mobile, Reaching The Last The Least and the Lost
Practice: Audio & Video for Mobiles, parameters, file conversion, creating audio and video content, repositories, how to upload, how to distribute audio & video content and how to use these technologies in training situations.

Week 4: Training & Discipleship (High Bandwidth)
Theory: Various kinds of apps and operating systems and application development frameworks, constraints for small .Mobi websites, learn about tablets, e-readers and format conversion software
Practice: Create an Android app and a small .Mobi website to host it. Learn how to convert some content for e-readers.

With that kind of schedule, it makes for a comprehensive and fuller understanding of mobile ministry and it’s various spokes.

For more information, including course pricing and schedule, visit the Cybermissions Mobile Ministry Training Course website.

Earlier in the week Antoine posted asking about some of the apps pastors use, and asked for the kinds of apps you might use. Around the same time, I started a series looking at productivity apps on the iPad that I use and what I liked/didn’t like about them. What resulted was a Mobile Suite showdown, and the first installment looking at the editor layout of some popular office apps on the iPad (and similar tablets).

Productivity apps on the iPad continue to be one of the top selling points for the device. It’s no surprise, then, that there are several office suites available in the App Store. This post is going to explore the three main “all in one” suites which are available on the iPad – Documents to Go, Quick Office, and Office2 HD. Apple’s iWork is also available in the App store, but the “separate app” nature of the suite sets it outside the scope of this comparison.

Each suite will be explored for file management, editor layout, editing features, and importing/exporting. We’ll primarily look at the word-processing features of each suite, but will also compare the spreadsheet and presentations modules for each app. Today we’ll be looking at the second comparison – editor layout.

Read the rest of the Mobile Suite Showdown – Editor Layout at Painfully Hopeful.

Two contexts here. The night before writing this, I was at a Bible study where we went over the story of Zaccehaeus in Luke 12. My notes were… different. Then there was this post from our friends at Church Tech Today talking about apps which you can use on your smartphone for Bible studies. Good stuff right? Well, let’s just push this a bit. Let’s actually study the text and speak towards those with different types of learning styles at the same time – with mobile and tablets in the midst of the solution.

Things started when we got the assignment beforehand to read Luke 19:1-12 and have something ready to talk about during the study. Had the thought to draw the text, not just write notes. So, that’s what I did:

• Adobe Ideas
• Penultimate
• All Books

All Books is the Bible reader that I’m using these days on my Nokia N8. Having that open, I drew three of the four scenes happening in that section of the Gospel on my iPad. Once I was finished drawing, I imported the image into Penultimate. I then started scribbling notes about the text in subsequent pages on a Penultimate notebook dedicated to just this study.

Thing was, I started thinking and writing a ton. I needed more than just the notes from the NET Bible that I was using. So, I fired up the web browser and went to Wikipedia. Learning more about the text meant that I needed to learn more about Jericho. That’s where I went next.

• NET Bible (open licensed Biblical texts)
• Wikipedia (Safari Mobile or any web browser)

My notes became more and more about the sketch and scribbles. But, there was also the study to be had. How does such this approach with a mobile, tablet, sketches, a browser, and a collection of info into a ink-based notebook work out once I get into a group setting?

Pretty well actually. Because I had this nice mix of linear facts and scribbles, I was able to keep with the various points of the discussion, and even added a few more pages to the Penultimate notebook noting some additional facts, comments, and questions stated throughout. As I listened and scribbled, I noticed something, one of the younger participants in the study was more interested in my scribbling than in what was being talked about. It seemed (later confirmed) that she understood the pictures moreso than the amount of words we were spouting out. That got me thinking about mobiles and learning styles.

You see. We are really used to sprinting towards some aspect of literacy and comprehension. Don’t sell this point short, our sermons, lectures, and studies all start from the point that people want to read and have the capacity to understand the text and the resulting discussions. But, what I saw in that small exchange with that younger study participant was something different. She was enamored with the fact that I was doing more than listening, I was drawing what I understood. 

Remember the statistic about literacy we quoted from the Orality Network some time back. 60% of the world is or chooses to be non-verbal. We do a great job in making sure that people can read a Bible, or even share the textual understandings we get. But, with mobile we can do more. Reimagine the Scriptures by taking account of what mobile environments can do. Go beyond linking text resources to text resources. Heck, go beyond just reading. 

No, everyone isn’t an artist. Some people might take this and run with creating video snippets using their mobile and want to learn how to stitch those together. Some folks just might need smaller snippets of text. I’ve got this statement that’s been sticking around for a number of weeks now:

Shouldn’t biblical literacy also mean that we can build our own bibles

Not just building your own bibles. Understanding and being able to teach that wisdom to someone else. Going mobile with your Bible studies, lectures, and sermons can go further than just lookups, collections, and reading plans. That’s not to say these aren’t good enough, but that we can do more. This is how I’m pressing the pedal. Do you push things the same in your communities, or, are you just getting around to the apps that do things the same way you’ve always done them?

We’ve recently added a new resource to our Case Studies/Resources page titled Evangelism in the Digital Age: Media Case Studies Vol. 1 (Dan Henrich, 2012). Here’s a small snippet of what to expect from this resource:

This is a series of case studies that will help novice and professional alike learn how to use all forms of media in the evangelism process. These case studies come from Africa, Asia and Latin America and most have discussion questions to help the reader grasp the key parts of these examples from radio, television/film, mobile/Internet media.

To download this resource, including information on upcoming versions, visit Dan Henrich’s website.