Every year in January people make New Year’s Resolutions, and often break them by the end of the month. Still we do it.
Our team made some resolutions for our technology lives in the areas of general tech, church and Bible tech. We shared them in this week’s episode of the Theotek Podcast. Watch it below and please consider clicking on the YouTube link and subscribing to our YouTube channel.
Here are the tech resolutions we made and shared in this video.
Wes Allen’s Resolutions
Wes decided to switch his Bible reading app from the YouVersion Bible app back to Olive Tree’s Bible Reader. He likes it better and enjoys not getting a bunch of unnecessary notifications like who started or finished what reading plan. He could just turn off the Bible app notifications, but he also likes the way Bible Reader handles devotional readings.
The Adobe Capture CC app lets Wes capture an image and then turn it into a black and white image, which he then turns into clip art using his Apple Pencil to colorize or touch it up. So this year he’s going to share them on OpenClipart.org to share with others. You can find his uploads at the site.
For churches, Wes suggests they know their limitations and not try to do too much. Just because the big mega church uses the most expensive church database software or worship representation tool doesn’t mean we have to in our small churches.
LaRosa Johnson’s Resolutions
We all talked about curbing the amount of tech we have in our lives. Since LaRosa just replaced his computer, tablet and watch with Apple products, he’s going to put the brakes on buying new expensive tech this year. His resolution is to made do with what he has and learn to use it more efficiently.
Our group suggested ways to meet this goal. Here’s out list of tips for remaining satisfied with what you have and avoiding shattering the tenth commandment:
- Ask “What are you going to use it for” before buying new tech.
- Does it improve your life in a real way that you can define?
- If you can’t answer these two questions definitively, then definitively say no to new tech.
- Another question to ask: Do I have something that will do this and if so why do I need this new item?
- Have a friend who can say no to your buying to keep you accountable.
The second part of his is to figure out how to get most out of what you already have. Again, here’s a list of suggestions:
- What are ways I can make better use of what I have?
- Push to make them more useful by doing more with what you have.
- Use software and apps you own and become more proficient with them, like the Scrivenor app in LaRosa’s case.
Third, LaRosa wants to also help others do more with their tech and software, specifically using Scrivener in his writing workflow.
LaRosa wanted to suggest that churches take inventory of their online presence. He said something like this: if you’re church website looks like it did in the 90s, then get it updated. Wes chimed in suggesting that people use free or low-cost services that can help them make their site look more up to date, like WordPress.com or SquareSpace.com.
LaRosa then ended with the suggestion to share your sermons online using sites like YouTube or SoundCloud.
Antoine Wright’s Resolutions
Antoine doesn’t make resolutions, but thinks people need to just change behavior when they see need or learn to use new tools and skills as soon as they acquire them. However, some may like resolving to improve their lives at this time of year, so he still suggested some things we can do.
Like LaRosa, Antoine wants to emphasize helping others in two specific areas:
- Remind people to change their passwords due to all hacking of site like Yahoo.
- Keep your eyes on what’s coming in tech so you are ready for big shifts.
He also suggested that the people in the church branch out and get to know the rest of the body of Christ. We’re very parochial in our local congregations, in our denominations and connecting with other members of the body can help you grow in your appreciate for the whole church and for God’s people. As it relates to tech, we talked about using tech to experience new traditions even if we can’t leave our churches to worship with other believers on Sunday or Wednesdays.
Kevin Purcell’s Resolutions
I agreed with LaRosa about becoming more proficient with tech. I’m focusing on my Bible study software and other tools I already own. Lynda.com is one tool to help become more proficient with technology software and services.
My second commitment is to get organized and de-clutter my life by organizing and getting rid of gadgets I don’t use or need.
Related to the above notion of changing your password, which Antoine suggested, I talked about doing a tech security audit. Make sure your Wi-Fi passwords are good and secure and change them often. Protect your computers and especially your church’s membership data.
Rick Mansfield’s Resolutions
Rick joined us late since he was traveling home with his roller scooter after the holidays, but he reiterated the security suggestions and also plans to pare down his tech and simplify in the new year.
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