Tech and Small Groups Plus Pixel XL: Theotek Podcast 083

How can technology help in your small group ministry? We examined some ways that tech can help you with a more dynamic small group discipleship ministry. This focused on three areas, content, organization and the small group meeting time.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxKvql_dS0wIn our discussion of using tech in small groups ministry, we got the following recommendations:

• Consider using digital study materials since they are easier to distribute and in the case of free resources easy to share using something like an online storage or sharing tool.
• A flipped classroom approach where the group members watch a lecture or video at home and then come together to discuss it focuses more on discussion and relationships instead of putting one person at the center of the group.
• Shared calendars help keep everyone together for meeting times and reminders about tasks they're asked to do before meetings or after meetings.
• Use some sort of community builder software especially if your church small group has access to a Church Management System.
• Facebook Groups or Slack Chat can help with communication among the group.
• Use a service like Call Them All to get word to group members quickly, if you don't use the previous things on this list.
• Set up reminders in iOS or Android for daily devotions or other regular activities that group members need to do.
• You could even use Google Hangouts to host the group online like we do with the Theotek Podcast.

We also took a look at the Google Pixel XL Phone. I shared my early review after a week's uses.The things that set this phone apart include the following:

• Great battery with longer than all-day life
• A nice AMOLED screen
• Excellent camera (see image below)
• Fast Snapdragon 821 processor
• Excellent build quality
• USB Type-C charging
• Android Nougat 7.1

In Our Favorite Things, we got recommendations from Antoine and LaRosa. Here's what they offered.

OURA Smart Ring

The OURA Smart Ring focuses on health over communication. In fact it doesn't offer notifications. Instead the sensors in the ring track your health using things like sleep, activity, heart rate, body temp, and your movement. The companion app will give you recommendations based on what it finds.The OURA Smart Ring isn't cheap at $300. It comes in three styles. Antoine Wright loves his and recommends it despite the cost.

Moxiware Apple Pencil Magnet

LaRosa's a recent Apple iPad Pro buyer and so he recommended something to help him hold his Apple Pencil. The Moxiware Apple Pencil Magnet is like a sleeve that slides on to the Apple Pencil and magnetically grabs hold of the iPad Pro, kind of like the Surface Pen with Microsoft's Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book line and their new Surface Studio desktop they just announced. The Magnet's not that expensive at only $16.95.

Internet Rumors and the Truth About Burning Galaxy Note 7: Theotek Podcast #082

Recently I recommended the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 as a favorite thing, but now Samsung's pulling the phone after the replacement phones are now burning up. A few replacement models seemed to have burned up now in the US.We talked about the Samsung recall for the first third of the show. Then we got to an interesting discussion about how to find the truth about Internet rumors using online truth sites. Some of the most popular sites like this include Snopes.com, Urban Legends and Truth or Fiction. For political rumors there's Fact Check.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUc1f40hQpcWe record the Theotek Podcast every Tuesday at 9:00 p.m.. The best way to get a notification when we go live is to subscribe to our YouTube Channel or our Twitter Feed. You can also just come to this site. Below you'll find the audio version. The podcast link above shows where to download the audio version or how to subscribe using iTunes or Stitcher Radio. Soon we'll be included in the Google Play Store's Podcasting section.

Google Machine Announces Pixel Phone and More: Theotek Podcast #081

Google announced their new hardware in an event held on October 4. During the event they announced Pixel phones, Google Home, Google Wi-Fi and a new Google Chromecast. The Theotek team talked about the new devices and shared our opinions. Are they desirable for people wanting a new phone or other gadgets? Watch the podcast below or listen to it at the end of this post. Below the podcast is a list of what they offered with a few details and links to their store to order them.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNqBQg-ZCfQ

Pixel and Pixel XL Phones

These two phones will run Android 7.1 operating system. That makes them the most up-to-date Android phones on the market. They hold 5 or 5.5-inch screens powered by the newest Snapdragon 821 processor. Throw in 32GB or 128GB or storage.The announcement event also included the new Google Assistant, a form of their Google Now service akin to Apple's Siri. It's a chatbot essentially and helps people find things, control their phone with voice and look up pertinent information like movie times, directions, appointments and more. It's pretty nifty looking.The 12MP camera on the back got the highest rating from DXOMark, a camera rating service. The company will give users free unlimited Photo storage for the full resolution photos and 4K video the phone can shoot.They look drool-worthy and I've seriously considered picking up the Google Pixel. Right now they're backordered and buyers can't get one till some time in November if they order directly from the company's device store. Verizon customers might get one sooner, but they'll also likely get a phone riddled with Verizon apps they can't get rid of and they won't get OS updates as soon as the unlocked versions sold the device store.

Google Home

Next up we talked about Google Home ($129). This Amazon Echo or Amazon Alexa replacement works like a voice activated search appliance and speaker. I wrote a post comparing the Amazon Alexa and the Home over at GottaBeMobile.The Google Home connects to the Internet over Wi-Fi and listens for the user to say "Ok Google" like they would on their Android phone or with the Chrome browser on a computer. Search for things like weather, news, local sports scores, nearby movie times, restaurants and more. Also interact with your their services like your Calendar or To Do list. Play music or send videos to your Chromecast connected to a TV.The speaker on the Google Home looks nice and the mic that listens for your voice should work really well. There's a mute button to turn off the listening anytime you want.

Google Wi-Fi

Our host Wes Allen got excited about Google Wi-Fi because it's a Wi-Fi router that hooks up to your Internet router and then sends the signal throughout your house or office. Get one for $129 or three for $300. If you get three you can set them up as a mesh network which helps offer a strong Wi-Fi connection in larger homes or buildings. That's why Wes got interested. He's been looking for a good Mesh network.

Google Chromecast Ultra

The Google Chromecast was one of the most popular "set-top" streaming devices when it showed up a few years ago. I think it had more to do with the $35 price than the functionality. However, taking advantage of that popularity, they're testing the market by upping the price to $69 on their new Chromecast Ultra while adding 4K and HDR support. It still plugs in to and HDMI port. Get's power from the USB port on a TV or you can plug it in via an AC adapter. This time around they added an Ethernet port to help with the 4K and HDR streaming bandwidth.

Daydream View

Google Cardboard started almost as a joke or more likely an experiment. However, it took off and helped kick off the VR craze today. The search company announced a competitor to the Samsung VR for $20 less. The Daydream View ($79) holds your Google Pixel phone, the only one that works with it for now, and lets the user enjoy VR content like 360-degree videos or images and games. The device comes with a motion sensing remote to help with gaming controls and video controls.This kind of device offers some interesting possibilities for believers. Imagine 360-degree views of the temple or Jerusalem. A church could give a 360-degree tour of their facilities or stream their worship in 360-degree video so viewers can not only see what's going on up on the platform, but also see the audience. 

The Value of Free Stuff: Theotek Podcast #080

Sometimes churches or believers can't afford the high-end or expensive option in many categories like Bible software or web services, so we've got some of the best free stuff or free alternatives for you. We shared our favorite freebies that churches, pastors, and believers can use to help build the kingdom of God in their context without wrecking their wallet or bank account balance.Below the video you'll see the list of freebies starting with the Bible Software free stuff and then a simple list of the other free stuff we talked about in this episode of the Theotek Podcast.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7KWo7eQkLo

Bible Study Free Stuff

e-Sword is the best free Bible study app available. They make both PC version and a Mac version, that's not free but really inexpensive.Sticking with Bible study Rick Mansfield showed off the free Accordance Mobile app, which people can download on their iPhone or iPad and get a ton of free content, especially if you sign up for a free user account with Accordance. Rick showed off the great ESV interlinear Bible available in the app.Antoine showed us his favorite Bible app called Verse3. We had the developer of Verse3 on show #044. It's not free, but only costs $5.Olive Tree offers a free version of their Bible app for almost every platform you could want. Download the app on your computer or mobile device, get some free content and then, if you prefer, add some premium content later as needed.I showed off some free online Bible study sites that I wrote about a while ago in a two-part series. Here's part two.Finally, LaRosa also reminded us that WORDsearch, his former employer, offers what used to be called Bible Explorer. It's now called WORDsearch Basic and it's now their free option.

The Other Free Stuff

Here's our list of other Free Stuff to help you do your work for free or almost free.

• WordPress website management system also called a content management system or CMS. You can set up a free website and even buy a domain from a company like Hover that will forward that domain to your free WordPress site.‘
• YouTube for video hosting and for playing videos. Find tons of content from entertainment to music to educational content all on YouTube. Of course we use it to stream our Theotek Podcast.
• Microsoft Sway is a great presentation app that lets users share images and pictures. Think of it as a PowerPoint or Keynote alternative for online presentations.
• Facebook Live lets you record and host live video which people can then find later in recorded form on your Facebook wall.
• Libre Office offers a full free office suite with alternatives for Word, Excel, PowerPoint and more.
• Google gives away tons of free tools, including free office software like Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Forms.

iPhone 7

We ended the show discussing the new iPhone 7, which Rick and I both had our hands on. I did an unboxing of the wrong phone. Watch me get totally disappointed because T-Mobile screwed up and sent me an iPhone 7 instead of the iPhone 7 Plus I actually ordered. Watch the above video to hear what Rick thinks of his iPhone 7 Plus.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkI6psZCfdA 

Sia Later iPhone 7 Headphone Jack: Theotek Podcast #079

Apple announced the new iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 2 on September 7. We talked about it because we can't help ourselves when it comes to Apple News.We also debated the value of removing the headphone jack in the iPhone 7. I'm certain Apple did it for one reason, profit. The others seem a little more favorable of the idea, and that's okay. What do you think? Post a comment below, on the video at YouTube or hit us up on Twitter.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btVvsFdPaUQSome of the highlights of Apple's accounement include...

• Updates to iWork suite for collaboration
• A new camera on the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus with a 2nd lens on the 7 Plus that does zoom and adds narrow depth of field like a DSLR
• No more headphone jack
• Faster processor
• Higher storage levels for the same prices starting at 32 instead of 16GB and now a 256GB offering

The Theotek Podcast covers technology for the church and Christians. We do it normally every Tuesday night at 9pm Eastern. Follow us @TheotekPodcast for more information and please subscribe on Youtube.

Our Favorite Things Fest: Theotek Podcast #078

Every once in a while we dispense with the news about church and Bible technology and don't talk about Bible software and only deal with what we call Our Favorite Things. These are recommendations of a tool, accessory, gadget, software, app, service or really anything that we enjoy using in our lives. They come from our ministries in church and Bible tech, church life, family, entertainment or hobbies. We'll each shared some of our favorite things in this edition of the Theotek Podcast.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFQ89N-T2x8Here's everyone's list of recommendations with links.

Wes Allen's Our Favorite Things

Wes talked about using a tablet for note taking purposes and recommended the app Notes Plus for iPad. You can write in your own handwriting and take advantage of Apple Pencil support.It's great for recording the meeting and for adding images, drawings and text as well.Second, Wes recommended Adobe Spark, one of the great Adobe mobile apps. Spark puts together your images and videos into a nice presentation on the web or on mobile devices. See more about the Adobe Mobile apps over at GottaBeMobile where I wrote a full article about the most useful of the Adobe Mobile apps.

LaRosa Johnson's Our Favorite Things

LaRosa recommended two great alternatives to Adobe Photoshop and Indesign from a company called Serif. Affinity Photo Editor is a great cheaper alternative to Photoshop with layered photo editing tools without the expensive subscription. Get it for $49.99 in the Mac App Store or download the free trial available at their website.We also learned about Affinity Designer, a pro-level graphic design tool. Both of these tools work with Adobe file formats making it easy to work with others who also use Adobe products. Get a free trial or buy it on the Mac App Store for $49.99 also.LaRosa's last recommendation is the iPhone app Over, another graphic tool. It lets users create nice slides with images and text. He uses this to make some nice images for his website devos.hiphop which will launch soon. Get Over on iPhone for free.

Rick Mansfield's Our Favorite Things

Rick shared a couple of tools. First, he likes his 4TB Seagate Backup Plus Fast drive. It's an external hard drive that costs $179.99 and connects via USB 3.o and runs at 220MB/s.

Sonny Software's Bookends software helps students with their research. The software helps you keep tabs on your reference works for writing projects.

Finally, Rick doesn't recommend Verizon Wireless, but he talked about why he and his wife returned to the service. As a tip he said make sure to ask if you can get a discount based on your job. For example, my wife works for the local school district and that means she gets a discount on all the major wireless carriers.

Kevin Purcell's Our Favorite Things

I focused on apps for my recommendations. This started with some not taking apps. The first is MyScript Nebo for Surface Pro or Surface Book and iPad. It takes advantage of the Surface Pen or the Apple Pencil. Write in your own handwriting and quickly convert it to text. Add drawings and diagrams. Draw complex math equations and then tap to have the problem solved. The app's free now for a limited time and $8.99 later.

Another note taking app works on Android. DioNote also writes in your own handwriting. Add drawings and diagrams. It's simple and free.

I recommended a program called Noteburner, which strips iTunes DRM so you can use the movies and videos you've purchased through Apple and watch them on any other device or platform. It's not cheap at $69.99, but there's a free trial version.

Logos 7 Arrives: Theotek Podcast #077

Faithlife shipped Logos 7. The update comes with a lot of new features for users of Logos 6. Logos Now users will feel like it's a pretty minor update.We covered the major new features in Logos 7 and talked about how users can upgrade or subscribe to Logos Now.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkjflAmUXyM

What's New in Logos 7

Logos 7 incorporates a bunch of new features including the QuickStart Layouts accessible from the Layouts menu. You'll find it on the toolbar towards the right next to the question mark icon. A box pops up and along the left inside that box you'll see a list of layouts. The top section shows your QuickStart Layouts. Think of them as predefined layouts ready for your use. Logos lets users arrange all the books on their desk the way they prefer and then save the layout. See the Saved Layouts in the bottom of the left hand list in the screenshot above. The QuickStart Layouts are layouts made by Logos designers.The Sermon Editor, accessed from the Sermon item in the Documents menu, gives users a sermon creation tool inside Logos 7. The sermons become searchable and show up when the user creates a Passage Guide search on a passage that includes a Sermon made in Sermon Editor.Inside the Sermon Editor users can instantly add the text of Bible verses by typing the reference. It will replace the reference with the text of that passage.The editor also makes slides instantly out of Headings, Bible passages and more. The user can export these slides to Faithlife's Proclaim presentation service or PowerPoint and others.The Courses Tool takes advantage of the Mobile Education feature introduced in earlier versions of Logos. The Courses quickly takes content from a user's library and creates a course. This feature will eventually make it possible for a person to make a course on their own or for teachers and professors to create their own courses for use in Sunday school classes, small groups or formal education settings. Until that happens in a future version, the user must use some of the courses already included in their library. It comes with some and users can buy more.Select from the list along the left of the tool's box that shows up when you open it from the Tools menu. Click a course and it offers to set it up on for a specific number of days or you can customize how fast you want to move through the course.There's a long list of new features with links to explanations of what the new features are in the Logos forums.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

After looking at Logos 7, I showed off my new Samsung Galaxy Note 7. The Note 7 is a great Android phone with an active Stylus and now includes a USB Type-C connector. It has a great screen and camera. I love this phone.

In Scrivener We Trust: Theotek Podcast #076

Our crew talked about a great tool for writing long form documents and projects called Scrivener. It's now out on both Mac and iOS. Windows users can also get it. It helps you organize your writing and research all in one place and then export it to multiple formats.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YOMJq12HdEWe shared how to use Scrivener in writing ministry and church life as we talk Church and Bible Tech with Theotek. Tuesday Nights via YouTube Live Stream now. After that we talked about some of our favorite things.

Apple iPad Pro 9 Months Later: Theotek Podcast #075

Our crew talked about our experiences in the last 9 months using the iPad Pro for our Bible study, preaching, and general work/play. Then we looked at Our Favorite Things. We planned to talk about Scrivener, a great writing tool that a few of our team members use. However, we went long talking about the iPad, so we'll save that discussion for next week.In the meantime, watch or listen below to our thoughts on using the iPad Pro.

• What's it great for?
• How could Apple improve it?
• How does it compare to Surface Pro 4?
• How are we using ours?
• What does Wes think just hours into owning one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBgBqB8jomUFor Our Favorite Things this week, I talked quickly about SideClick, a little remote attachment for streaming set-top boxes, like Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Roku. Check it out at their website.

Windows 10 Anniversary Update & Samsung Galaxy Note 7: Theotek Podcast #074

Microsoft released the Windows 10 Anniversary Update with a few cool new features for Windows 10 fans. Also Samsung tried to steal the thunder by announcing the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. We'll talk about both stories and discuss our favorite things.

Windows 10 Anniversary Update

While most of our Theotek team runs on Mac most of the time, Kevin and Rick often use Windows. The update to Windows 10 Anniversary Update brings some interesting new features for those of us who use it with a PC that includes pen support. For example, the new Windows Ink technology baked in will improve inking performance in many places, including Office 2016 apps and in a new Windows Ink tool that shows up behind a pen icon in the system tray.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

The new specialized Samsung Galaxy Note 7 from Samsung isn't a big update compared to the Note 5, last year's model. They added some water proof protection, an iris scanner for security and gave it a fine tip on the Note Pen. Other than that it looks like a slightly bigger Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, thanks to the 5.7-inch screen.

Our Favorite Things

In this week's edition of Our Favorite Things, we get an iPhone case, a new phone andAntoine likes his new phone, the Jolla C Smartphone. It's not readily available in the US, runs Sailfish OS and seems like a novelty, but he loves it.LaRosa likes his new iPhone case from Baseballism. It's made of real baseball leather with stitching like a baseball. We all wanted him to get some grass stains on it to prove to use it's really the same material. I don't think he'll run out soon and do that for us.Rick recommends the new Bellboy Bluetooth headphones. They look like and fit like the iPhone ear buds.Wes bought an Apple Watch! 

Pokémon Go Home: Theotek Podcast #073

Does Pokémon Go matter to the church? It can and in some places should, but not in the traditional way that churches get all commercial with the latest crazes.Pokémon Go is the latest rage and everyone's using it as link bait to draw traffic to their sites, so we decided to join in the fun. Actually we talked about the craze, describing what it is and the basics of how to play. An expert joined us this week - my 18 year-old son Daniel, a Pokémon Go player.

How One Pastor Showed Love to Pokémon Go PlayersAs part of our podcast Wes Allen talked about how he started sitting outside his church in the Philadelphia area during the hot afternoons to pass out water to the Pokémon Go players that came by his church, a PokeStop.If you want to read more about this phenomena, then head over to the site I write for - GottaBeMobile. They 're covering the craze with some interesting articles.

Our Favorite Things

We shared our favorite things again. Mine was the Brother ADS-1500W scanner. I'm scanning things like workbooks or paperbacks I don't care about cutting the binders off of. I also have reduced office clutter by scanning receipts and billing statements. Rick Mansfield does this with a Fujitsu scanner.A couple of our hosts, LaRosa Johnson and Wes Allen, picked Scrivener's new iPad app. It's a serious app for authors who like to write long form documents like books. Although, Wes bragged about posting to his blog with the app.Rick just got back from his world wind tour of Asia where he did some Accordance Bible Software training and took a lot of photos. We followed them as he posted them from the different countries. He used the same Canon camera he boasted getting before he left.Antoine likes his new NFC Ring, a ring that you wear like any other. However, this ring has an NFC chip built into it. You can program it to unlock a tablet or smart phone, unlock doors if you have the right kind of door locks, transfer information like business card details and more.Finally, Wes and I recommended Adobe Lightroom for iPad. It's a photo organizer and editor that works along with the Adobe Creative Cloud of applications. Import your photos and create collections. They sync to the cloud where you can then get them using the desktop version of Lightroom. You can also access them in an online version. It's free, but to get the most use out of it, get a Creative Cloud subscription starting as low as $10/month or $100/year.

Bible Apps on ChromeOS and More: Theotek Podcast #072

We have a few topic for this week's Theotek Podcast. We'll see how well Android Bible apps run on a Chromebook with the new Android Apps on ChromeOS on the ASUS Chromebook Flip.Olive Tree Bible Study 6 for Mac came out this week so LaRosa Johnson will show that off. Finally, Rick Mansfield comes to us live from Asia where he's training for Accordance. We'll learn about the perils and pleasures of traveling internationally.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mia5KPRHDH0Check out the end for our Favorite Things too.

Sermon Prep Part 5: Theotek Podcast #069

We're in the home stretch in our series on writing your sermons and Bible studies using digital tools like Bible study software or online Bible sites. This episode covers tips and trips for actually writing the sermon outline or manuscript. How can digital BIble study tools help in forming your notes and outline?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akZN22Rls6YSome of this can be done on an iPad. The new iPad Pro plus the Microsoft Word iPad app makes it easier than ever. See below.

Sermon Prep Part 4: Theotek Podcast #068

We talked about using Digital study tools to do word studies. Specifically we looked at Accordance Bible Software, Logos Bible Software and Bible Reader from Olive Tree.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-v8fk3uhhMWe focused on studying the Bible in English using the tools built into Bible software that help users find the Greek or Hebrew words behind our English translations. Good language study tools focused on Greek and Hebrew tagging using Strong's numbers helps users get at the Biblical meaning of each word and words in context. Regardless of which software you use, start with a text that includes Strong's tagging. Usually they will let you right-click or double-click or even triple-click the word you want to study.Start this process by searching for a word and read it in context in the different places it's used in the Bible. Then use your software's built-in word study tools. For example both Accordance and Logos show you how the author uses words with graphs and charts that show how many times a word gets used in each book of the Bible or how many times the original word gets translated one way versus another.The next step, after searching the word, is to look up the word in Greek or Hebrew Lexicons. Most Bible software tools include some in base packages. Users can buy more advanced tools.Finally, if you still need some help, look up the word in an English Bible dictionary. Start with exegetical dictionaries like the Holman Treasury of Key Words or the AMG Complete Word Study Dictionary of the Greek or Hebrew.

Our Favorite Things

This week in "Our Favorite Things" we got some interesting recommendations. First, Antoine recommended the 29 Watt Apple USB-C charger to charge your iPad Pro. It charges the iPad in about an hour, but costs $49. It also requires a USB-C to Lightning cable which adds $35. He still loves the speed of the charging and wished Apple included this charger with the iPad Pro.Rick recommended a similar device, the PowerCore+ 26800 & PowerPort+ 1 charger. It includes QuickCharge technology and with 2.4amp USB ports. It's got 3 ports and can even charge the MacBook or other USB-C devices that need a lot of power. The 26,800mAh battery handles almost anything you can throw at it.I showed off a new feature in the latest Developer Preview version of Windows 10. Microsoft has what they call the fast ring and slow ring for beta testers of their operating system. The fast ring version added a new feature that shows up in the system tray. The icon for this feature looks like a pen with a drawn line. Tap or click on it and a new pen-focused menu pops up with a few options as follows:

• Sticky notes
• Sketchpad - a white board
• Screen sketch - the ability to do a screenshot that opens into an editor with pen/pencil drawing on the screen shot
• Recently used - a few of the most recently opened Windows 10 Universal apps
• Suggested - pen/stylus focused apps from the Windows store
• Connect your pen - a link to the Settings where you can connect your Bluetooth Surface Pen or other stylus

Microsoft calls this the Windows Ink Workspace.In the "Least Favorite Things" folder, I talked about Vufine. This was originally a Kickstarter project that I mistakenly backed. They call it an HD wearable display that fastens to your glasses and shows a tiny screen inside the little device that sits just off the front of your glasses. It comes with a cheap, flimsy pair of plastic glasses if you don't wear glasses regularly.The problem is the Vufine is to tiny it's nearly useless for anything. Some use it connected to a GoPro to see what the GoPro sees. But using at an actual display is nearly impossible since text is so small.

Sermon Prep Part 3: Theotek Podcast

In part 3 of the Sermon Prep series on Theotek, we covered digital reference books. Each member of the team recommends our favorite tools like Bible dictionaries, lexicons, and more.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rsSX2N-shQFor review we covered the first steps of sermon prep in part one of our series. Then inWe started out with English Bible dictionaries. Here's a list of what we recommended.

• Anchor Bible Dictionary
• IVP Bible Dictionary
• Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary
• Biblical Archaeology Review
• Hermeneia
• Bible Illustration from Holman
• Accordance Photo Guide
• Wikipedia
• CCEL
• Harper's Bible Dictionary
• Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs

Here's a couple of Bible Background sources we prefer. These help you get at the cultural information that tells us more about the world of the Biblical writers.

• Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary
• Accordance Atlas - one of the best digital atlas resources in Bible software

Next we look at Bible commentaries. The series that we each picked included...

• Word Biblical Commentary
• Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary
• New American Commentary
• Ancient Christian Commentary
• IVP Bible Background Commentary
• JPS Commentary

To find the best sources, we all agree that just one series isn't the best approach to building a good library of commentaries. Instead check out Best Commentaries on the web. It lists the commentaries by book of the Bible and rates the best options available. They update it when new works come out.

Our Favorite Things

I recommend Visual Theology, a work that Olive Tree released recently.Antoine recommended the Google Cardboard, their inexpensive Virtual Reality tool that the user can put their phone into to get a VR experience. There are other VR options like Samsung Gear VR, which I don't recommend. The children's version comes from Mattel and uses the old View Master idea.Rick went the opposite direction and shared one of his least favorite things. He doesn't like the 12-inch MacBook. The screen's nice but the keyboard doesn't feel very good and performance suffers when doing more than word processing or surfing the web.

Sermon Prep Part Two: Theotek Podcast #066

It's part two of our sermon prep series using Bible software to help us write a message. This week just Rick Mansfield and I tackle a little used tool - the passage outline. We show how to do so in a few BIble software packages and talk about doing it in the Notes tool of any program.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1fzw6BndZ4&list=PL1-Xf_HZquDEcTTK8MLMMdmwvB--o1ShY&index=1We looked at the outlining features of both Accordance Bible Software and Logos. You can also do one of these in the notes tool of any Bible software that includes one. Just copy and past the text into the note and use the space or tab keys and the return button to arrange the text on-screen in way that shows the relationship of the ideas.For a good book on how to do good Bible passage outlines in English, see The 12 Essential Skills of Great Preaching by Dr. Wayne McDill, my preaching professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Digital Sermon Prep Part 1: Theotek Podcast #065

We started a series in this week's Theotek Podcast on doing digital sermon prep. Our team will take you through our steps of sermon prep using Bible software and digital tools.In this first step we focused on choosing a passage. Software packages come with tools to help you figure out what verses to include in your passage, or as the scholars call it, pericope. Then we look at other aspects of sermon prep. Watch the video below or listen to the audio version at the end of this post.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb3ljTSXL3g&list=PL1-Xf_HZquDEcTTK8MLMMdmwvB--o1ShY&index=2We didn't have any recommendations in Our Favorite Things this week.

Church Photo and Video: Theotek Podcast #064

Do you use a camera at your church? If so, then you'll want to either watch or listen to the Theotek Podcast as we talk about church photo and video tools and tips. We welcomed a great church video expert, Matt Fridg from Church Video Coach. He knows a ton about church video solutions, from streaming your worship services online to creating video sermon illustrations or church videos to promote events or share your church's story to members, visitors or potential attendees.Matt wrote the following article about using DSLR cameras in church. He talked about the article and then gave some recommendations for better alternatives.http://churchtechtoday.com/2016/04/13/dslr-cameras-church-service-video/ To do your live streaming, Matt mentioned ChurchStreaming.tv as one solution. It's priced a little higher than smaller churches might feel comfortable using. There's also a few free options like Ustream, Livestream and now Facebook Live Video.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqZ_ECcrffYHe's more of a video expert than a church photo expert, but they're closely related.Our team also talked about our uses of church photo tools for worship images used in sermon illustrations or for promoting groups/events. We also like to use church photo albums in digital form for remembering big events in our churches.

Our Favorite Things

Rick talked about the new point-and-shoot camera he's getting for his coming trip to China and the far east.Matt recommended a great photography blog by photographer Chase Jarvis.Wes and I both love the Christian satire and comedy blog, Babylon Bee. 

Bible Mark Up App Presents Bible: Theotek Podcast #063

I’m always looking for some cool ways to present God’s word in my preaching and teaching ministry like the app Bible Mark Up. When I started watching John Piper’s Look at the Book video series on YouTube, I loved the simple and elegant black background with white Bible text that he uses in these videos. He draws on the text and screen using colorful marking pens. I investigated and discovered that Piper’s using something that inspired the developer of the app Bible Mark Up. The developer liked the videos and wanted a mobile version and so he created Bible Mark Up for Android and then ported Bible Mark Up over to iOS. We talked to Ernie Lail of Maranatha Technologies on this week's Theotek Podcast seen below. The audio is at the bottom of the page.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tZ2Y32OPzQ

Bible Mark Up App

This free iPad or Android app inserts the Bible text from one of a number of translations on a black background. The teacher or Bible student uses the 9 colors to draw on the screen in Bible Mark Up. Watch John Piper to use a tool similar to Bible Mark Up, which inspired the app, in his "Look at the Book" video series on YouTube (seen below).https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBOKt8IVNJc&index=1&list=PLAcB0f-21Xj0MTWuh7NKKploqNgpbJsY2Logos Bible Software users can also buy these videos along with a nice study guide that goes with the videos. The free video series puts the videos and the study guide right inside Logos Bible Software.Piper draws circles and lines and underlines the text showing relationships between ideas and words. He uses colors to connect one part of the text with another. It’s simple but skillful. I’ve begun using it in my teaching ministry and plan to do more.The app includes some cool features. It’s got a lot of international translations in addition to the ESV, NASB and KJV. Sadly, they don’t offer my preferred HCSB translation. For teachers who use original languages it includes Greek Textus Receptus and Hebrew Aleppo Codex.We also get access to some public domain works like Strong’s, Lexicons and some Commentaries all online. I haven’t used anything but the English Bible texts, since I don’t plan to do my study in the app. I just use it to present.Ernie Lail, the developer of Bible Mark Up, told us that he created primarily as a study tool. He wanted something that lets him mark up the text like Piper does in his videos.Here’s the workflow. The opening screen asks the user to type in a Bible reference (see above). It will then copy the text to the black screen in portrait orientation at first. Tap on the end of the line to change the line breaks. At the bottom of the screen there’s a button that reads Modify Breaks. Tap it to move the next line up to the current line that you tapped. Repeat this till the lines all show up the way you want. Then tap on Scale & Move at the bottom and pinch to zoom or shrink the text. Remember to keep the text large enough so people in the back of the room can read the text.When you’re ready, turn the tablet into landscape mode and tap on Draw. Use the colored inking and markup buttons to draw when you wish. I will often underline or circle key words, put parenthesis around a phrase I’m discussing or draw lines to show relationship between words or phrases. Use multiple colors. For example, if a text is discussing one topic but has some sub topics, circle or underline all the words related to one of the subtopics in one color. Then use another color to visually link the next sub topic. Use lines to connect pronouns with the proper noun they represent.The app could use an update and here’s what I’d include?

1. An erase button that removes all the markups in a single tap. Ernie told us he may add that soon.
2. I’d like the ability to pay extra for other modern translations or reference works. I understand the app developer can’t make it free if he adds paid content, but I’d love to pay to get that kind of content.
3. Add shapes like lines, ovals, boxes and more.
4. Change from black to white background.
5. If you change the background color then you need to change the text color. It’d be great if I could highlight a word or words and change just the color of those words.

Even if the developer never adds the above features, it’s still a worthwhile tool to install on your iPad or Android tablet.

Our Favorite Things

This week we actually started off with the first recommendation.

Ricoh Theta S 360-degree Camera

Watch as a I demo the Ricoh Theta S camera at the top of the podcast. It's a nice little 360-degree camera that uses two ultra wide-angle fish eye lenses to take a complete 360-degree photo at the tap of the button. It also shoots HD video. Users can post the photos and video online to the company's website made just for their shots or to YouTube in the case of video. Use the editing app to trim video or another one to create interesting images using the shots taken with the camera. Check out the examples below:The shot above shows the interesting results you can get with the Ricoh Theta S and the image editor on iOS.

The front of High Peak Baptist Church #theta360 - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

I haven't posted any videos I'd want anyone else to see. Here's one from the online gallery at theta360.com.

Passing the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

I love my camera, but it's not cheap. Get it on Amazon for a couple bucks less than at Ricoh's online store. It's $350.

Dark Sky for iOS

Rick showed off the great weather app called Dark Sky. They call it "hyperlocal" weather. It's incredibly accurate even nailing the start and stop times for rain. There's an Apple Watch extension built into the app.

iPhone SE

LaRosa John chose to highlight the new iPhone SE. It's an iPhone 5s with the power and guts of an iPhone 6s without the 3D Touch screen. Apple sells it for a little less than they sell their flagship phones. He likes the smaller size and wants to pick on up.

Technolust! Save Money When You WANT to Spend: Theotek Podcast #062

Do you experience Technolust? It's the feeling you get when you just want some new gadget or software and can't really afford it. You've maybe got the money or room on a credit card and the desire is strong. But you know you don't need it and it might even be damaging to your finances if you buy it anyway. We'll share some thoughts on how to avoid getting in a hole or going into debt unnecessarily. We've got the cure for Technolust.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hpg0bTzohxkThe Bible tells us that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. (1 Timothy 6:10) It also tells us not to covet. However, it's so easy to fall into the trap. How do you avoid the trap of covetousness in the area of tech, what we call Technolust?

Avoiding Technolust

Here's a list of our tips for avoiding technolust...

• Stay accountable - make sure your spouse or a friend is checking on you so you don't spend when you can't afford it or don't need it.
• Set limits - don't bring your credit card with you shopping or put extra funds in an account you can't easily access.
• Find relief before the longing hits you - don't shop when you don't need anything or avoid websites or magazines that promote technolust.
• Satisfy the hunger with something far less cheaper - buy an app or some software or upgrade a computer with some memory or with an accessory.

What to do when you regret a purchase? Plenty of people experience buyers remorse. We talked about why that is, so make sure you watch or listen to the podcast. Here's what we do.

• Return it! Don't buy from places where you can't return things.
• Give it away. Someone else may need it to be productive or to replace something they've lost due to failure, theft or just losing something.
• Make sure you can buy. Walk away from the purchase and think hard about it before forking over the cash or plastic.
• Sell it. Craigslist, eBay and Amazon allow you to sell things and if it's barely used you may even get close to full price.
• Repent. If you're giving into covetousness, then you need to repent by returning it, selling it at a slight loss or giving it away.

Our Favorite Things

I talked about my Samsung Gear VR, which T-Mobile gave me as part of a promotion that's no longer available. Check it my article about it at GottaBeMobile.You can also use the Google Cardboard devices which work like Gear VR. Here's a cheap one at Amazon.Speaking of Amazon, I also showed off my new Amazon Tap. It's a voice controlled mobile speaker that does so much more. It's like the computer in Star Wars with a limited set of tools like playing music, sharing sports scores, weather updates and even ordering pizza at Dominos.