These are so cool.
Not sure if they're selling prints or whatever, but you should go check these out.
The hardest job of a youth minister, I have learned, is discipling teenagers.
Notice I didn’t say “converting teenagers.” I even think that is relatively easy as you get a teenager involved, socially connected, and then plant opportunities for them to serve and connect and they will most likely make a decision. Yet, like you, I am seeing more and more Christians who are still attending services but could be described as nominal Christians at best. They really, if they were to be brutally honest, have no need for God because their lives do not call for the God of Scripture. Maybe the god of America but not the God of Scripture.
Excellent post this morning from Robbie Mackenzie at Missional Youth Ministry.
Last Summer I had the honor of being asked to be in the first iteration of Hashtag, the Hashtag video series. It was a series of 12 topics with 12 different speakers all magnifying Jesus. It allowed me to tie in with people I would have never otherwise met and opened up a new opportunity for the Church.
Now that has developed into Hashtag Media, an online resource for content to help you deliver great lessons to your ministries.
Hashtag Media is coming right along and is steadily growing. They're offering new content every month, and they already have a great number of resources available.
The content, for the most part, isn't free though. Hashtag has to be supported somehow. The congregation I work for recently purchased a $200 subscription for 2013, meaning we got four resources and will get every resource released in 2013. It's a great deal.
This is a great work for the Church, and you cannot ignore the need that we have for good, Biblical and solid content to teach. This content is basically grab-and-go, meaning you can literally grab it and teach it just like that.
Take a look at what Hashtag Media has to offer. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Below is what I am actually currently using for gear and apps. I hope to have other guests that highlight their gear and apps for everyday use as well.
Gear
+ Thule Gauntlet bag, $50 // This bag is amazing. It's solid, it protects my Macbook and iPad mini, and it's wonderful to carry around. They sell them at the Apple Store, so go check them out and then go home and buy it on Amazon for cheaper.
+ Griffin Survivor Case for iPhone and iPad mini, $35 / $60 // These cases are extremely rugged, and while they clash with my minimalistic outlook on life in general, they save me money because they have saved my devices many times. Military-spec tested.
+ Aviiq Thincase for iPhone 5, $20 // When I'm not travelling or at one of our camps or retreats, I use this case as minimal protection for my iPhone 5. And when they say Thincase, they mean thin.
+ Evernote Smart Notebook, $15-25 // I use this to write down ideas and everyday notes at my desk, and I can take a picture of it with the Evernote app and have access to all my handwritten notes on the go.
+ Apple Remote, $19 // I teach 2-3 classes per week, and this remote is nice and small and fulfills my needs with presenting from Keynote or Prezi (via iRed Lite).
+ Pigma Micron Archival Ink Pen, $3-10, amazon.com // For marking in my Bible. Don't use a regular pen to markup a Bible...I have a Bible from 15 years ago that I did that in and it yellowed a bunch of the pages. Use archival ink only.
+ Uni Kuru Toga Mechanical Pencil, $17 // Greatest mechanical pencil that I've ever used.
+ ESV Thinline Calfskin Bible, $104 // My everyday Bible. Some nerd will shun me for not going all digital, but I love the old school feel of a Bible (and other books) in my hands.
Apps
+ Mailbox for iPhone, Free // Currently my go-to Mail app for iPhone. It's new, it's free, and it's wonderful. They're currently accepting reservations.
+ Tweetbot for iOS, $2.99 // Best Twitter client for iPhone. And iPad. And the Mac.
+ Instacast for iOS, $4.99 // Lots of people like Downcast, but I like Instacast. The UI is wonderful, I can download podcasts for offline listening, and it has custom playlists for my podcasts. Wonderful app.
+ Drafts for iOS, $2.99 // Recently discovered this app. I make lots of quick notes every day, and I used to rely on the excellent Squarespace Note for that. Now I rely on Drafts. It allows me to make quick notes, and even append them to Dropbox.
+ Pocket for iOS, Free // Lots of nerds will get onto me for not using Instapaper, but Pocket is my go-to Read-It-Later service right now. Nothing wrong with Instapaper (I own it as well), I just prefer Pocket right now.
+ Elements for iOS, $4.99 // Elements is an excellent plain text editor for iPhone and iPad. I use it on both. You can edit and created text documents and save them to your Dropbox. You can sync between iPhone, iPad, and Mac. I write everything in plain text, so when I have class notes, I pull them up in Elements and teach from my iPad.
+ TaskAgent for iOS, $5.99 // A little pricey (I bought it when it was $2.99) but it syncs plain text to-do lists to Dropbox. I do everything else in plain text, so why not my to-do lists?
+ Cheddar for iOS/Android, Free // Simple to-do lists. Free apps for Android, Mac, iOS.
+ Sunrise, Free // My new calendar app of choice. Very nice and very free.
+ Cloudier for iOS, $2.99 // App for Cloudapp, my URL, image, and text sharing service. Comes in handy with a menubar button and extensions for Chrome and Safari.
So there you have it - what I'm using right now. Have something to add? Let's hear about it.
I'm very happy to announce my new eBook: 25 Questions Every Youth Minister Should Ask. It's an in-depth look at some of the questions that youth ministers (as well as other ministers) should ask of their churches but sometimes don't. It doesn't cover all the bases and doesn't answer all the questions, but I think it's a good starting point for new ministers and a reminder to some of us who have "been in the biz" for a while. Download it and let me know what you think. I welcome any feedback (positive or negative) you might have.
The book is available in PDF, iBooks, and Kindle format.
[Download PDF]
Unfortunately, Amazon does not allow you to sell self-published works for free, otherwise I would have done so. The PDF and iBooks versions will always remain free, and the Kindle version is priced at $0.99 for your convenience.