Mobile Ministry Magazine

One of many great reads from the past weeks comes from the Vodaphone Receiver. In this piece titled The Lamp Posts on Brick Lane, author Carl Honore (In Praise of Slow) talks about some of the implications of mobile technology (some of which were covered in the MMM BibleTech Presentation) and what we can do about it. Here's a snippet:

...Overdosing on mobile communication can also mess up the relationship we have with ourselves. Human beings need moments of silence and solitude: to rest and recharge, to think deeply and creatively, to look inside and confront the big questions, ΄Who am I? How do I fit into the world? What is the meaning of life?΄.

That isn't likely to happen when your mind is constantly wondering if you have new email or if it's time for a fresh tweet.

So where do we go from here? Are we doomed to a future of falling IQs, superficial relationships and walking into lamp posts? I hope not. Whenever a new technology comes along, it takes time to work out the cultural rules and protocols to get the most from it. Mobile communication is no exception: it is neither good nor bad, what matters is how we use it...

Read the rest of this piece at the Vodaphone Receiver. Then, find yourself a place of quiet reflection.

Labels: contentment, Mental health, mobility, stewardship

Great guy I met at BibleTech (Gave Taviano) published part four in a series called WWJD With Technology. This piece is called Contentment, and while its something that we've spoken about a few times here, its great to hear it said a bit differently. Here's a snippet:

...We're not really familiar with making do with what we have. At all times there's at least one things we DON'T have. The idea of just needing necessities is foreign to us. Paul gives us a dose of advice in 1 Timothy 6:6-8, reminding us that all we really need is food and a place of shelter. No matter what circumstances we are in, like Paul in Philippians 4:11-13, we usually have more than we need...

Read the rest at Gave Taviano's blog.

Other items in this series include: Piracy, Popularity, Social, and Pornography. All great topics, and some solid wisdom being passed along here. Definitely should be bookmarked for memory and lessons.

Labels: contentment, education, piracy, pornography, tech

Some months ago, we posted about the subject of contentment in Christ being a key area to understand and grow into as we engage our lives with digital devices and connected services. To that end I want to just open the conversation on this item again and ask how you've been doing in this area, and if there's something that you'd like to see MMM do more of to encourage you towards contentment in this area?

Labels: accountability, contentment, devotion, Devotions

One of the more difficult conversations to have with people about MMM follows along the tagline:

To educate and edify at the intersection of faith and technology

Within addressing that tag line, I'll get questions from people from several walks of life about how to best integrate mobile technology into ministry and life. And while I don't sit in the areas that many of these people sit in, there are some general aspects towards integrating this technology that can be shared in all areas:

• Christ has to be the center of your use: not meaning that you have to have a Bible trinket or cross on it, but that you are modeling your use after Christ in the same way you would your car, business, or lifestyle.
• The technology has to meet a need, not an itch: easier said that done with the focus of marketing being so pointed at purchasing this or that; but this is another area where once you make a purchase, seek to be content and get the most value out of that piece of hardware/software or service.
• Do not be afraid to challenge yourself: you will be surprised at what you are able to do with many devices and services that might be directly stated in the marketing materials and user manual; refine your basic usage, and then see where aspects of using mobile tech might be a benefit to other areas of your life.
• Finally, be honest about your limitations: if your need says something other than your budget does, walk with your needs; if your use says only 10% of what that device or service does, step down with the device or service to something more fitting. Be aware that many times, 3rd party software, or competing services might offer something simpler and at a better targeted need, even if they aren't what you just read about in a major publication.

The key at integrating anything into one's life is to understand contentment. Sure, its hard to know when to want and when to step back, but this is what we as believers are encouraged to do (Phil 4:11-13). It is by this example that we show that even with the changing technological and economic landscape, that Christ is Lord over this. Then, as in at all intersections, having seeing all the traffic coming and going around us, we can move forward and take others with us.

Labels: contentment, devotion, education, mobile, mobility

Proverbs 15:16
Better is a little with the fear of the Lord Than great treasure and turmoil with it.

Luke 3:14
Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, "And what about us, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages."

1 Corinthians 7:24
Brethren, each one is to remain with God in that condition in which he was called.

Philippians 2:14
Do all things without grumbling or disputing;

Philippians 4:11
Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

1 Timothy 6:6-8
⁶ But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. ⁷ For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. ⁸ If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.

Hebrews 13:5
Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,"

Labels: contentment