http://blog.plaidfile.com Read by innovative ministry teams Wed, 24 Oct 2007 15:03:58 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Plaid is giving a way a Flip Video camcorder ($129USD) to someone who completes our survey on how they use the web to get things done for ministry. The survey closes at midnight November 18. I will post the results the next day. Feel free to spread the word. http://blog.plaidfile.com/tags/press-release/take-a-survey-to-win-a-flip-video/ I was reading Willow Creek Repents (which I think is an unfair title) and was fascinated by the findings issued by a new book from Willow Creek. This lead me to watch the video by Greg Hawkins where he explains the point of the book. At the end of the video, ... http://blog.plaidfile.com/tags/tips/how-plaid-answers-the-challenge-issued-by-the-new-book-from-greg-hawkins-and-cally-parkinson-of-willow-creek/ At your events, there are many ways to aquire contact information from new people and visitors. It usually results in a stack of handwritten cards. Even with well-intentioned ministry teams, entering this information into some kind of database falls through the cracks or is not completed in a timely manner. Plaid ... http://blog.plaidfile.com/tags/tips/easily-add-new-contacts-1-of-100-ways-plaid-gets-stuff-done/ I use Google Calendar with Gmail to organize my life and work. I do not carry a paper calendar and usually just scribble notes (in pencil) on whatever scrap of paper is nearby. I have tried all the Daytimers and Hipster PDAs, but I am just not a paper person. You ... http://blog.plaidfile.com/tags/tips/are-you-always-late-use-google-calendar-to-text-reminders/ As a web designer, you would think that I spend most of my time in Photoshop designing web pages. Well, you would be wrong. I spend lots of time managing projects. When I pastored, I never thought in terms of project management. And that was my mistake. I had projects ... http://blog.plaidfile.com/tags/tips/feel-productive-how-to-manage-projects-for-ministry/ Marc Andreessen, the man who co-created the first web browser and co-founded of Netscape, started blogging only five weeks ago. He recently summarized eleven lessons he learned about starting to blog for the first time, Eleventh and last, the most common reaction that I got from starting my blog that I ... http://blog.plaidfile.com/tags/lists/most-people-who-have-interesting-things-to-say-are-not-yet-blogging/ Without irony, I present the Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen board game [via ysmarko], Your Best Life Now: The Game is an entertaining and educational way to take inventory of yourself and accountability of your actions." It is for 2 or more players, ages 16 and up. The ... http://blog.plaidfile.com/tags/ministry/your-best-life-now-by-joel-osteen-is-a-board-game/ Apple announced that Google Maps will be one of the 12 widgets that launch on the new Apple iPhone. Well if you want your church to appear on Google Maps on the iPhone, get your ministry listed on Google Local Business. If you have problems getting your church listing working, ... http://blog.plaidfile.com/tags/tips/get-your-church-listed-on-the-apple-iphone/ DaySpring allows you to send free Flash cards to people. You can find: Birthday Prayer Sympathy There are dozens of others. This is a simple way to keep in touch between ministry events. http://blog.plaidfile.com/tags/tips/send-free-e-cards-for-your-ministry/ Ministry is hectic. Most people serving in ministry have other things in their lives going on besides church. It is hard enough to carve out time to actually be at the ministry event and find the time to prepare for it. If we are honest, our time for spiritual disciplines ... http://blog.plaidfile.com/tags/tips/one-easy-way-to-create-more-time-for-solitude-meditation-and-prayer/