http://www.reachingtheonlinegeneration.com/2010/01/28/growing-closer-to-god-through-facebook-prayer/

Prayer is a critical element of ministry and of movements. Whether you minister – paid or unpaid – online or offline, you need a net work of people who pray for you regularly. You need their prayers to help you resist temptation. You need their prayers to help you grow in your relationship with God. You need their prayers to help you proclaim and live the Gospel boldly and with grace.

But, just as important, prayer must be part of your life as well. You need to have a relationship with God. Prayer isn’t an animistic process of saying the right words to get what we want from God. Instead, prayer is conversation and knowing God better is the goal of prayer.

I’ve talked before about how we can get to know God better by engaging the lost. In the last few weeks God has taught me something new – we can get to know God better by praying for others.

Facebook makes praying for others simpler than ever. Here’s how:

(See rest of article…

http://www.reachingtheonlinegeneration.com/2010/01/28/growing-closer-to-god-through-facebook-prayer/ )

I knew a couple of people with GPSs, and the youth group from one supporting church had three. A couple of student brought their own. (The ones designed for cars did not work well for this event – they were not accurate enough)

My steps for the event
1. Determine the location of the event and get permission.

2. Scout the area and find the places to hide the caches. I setup 18 plus an example cache. The park I chose also had a registered geocache.
a. Photograph each spot
b. mark and record the coordinates
c. decide what type of cache container you will use at that spot
d. create a name, description, and hint for each spot

3. prepare your cache containers.
I used several types and sizes—magnetic key holder, camping match holder, sprinkler head, fake rock key holder, disposable food container bowl (like tupperware – which I spray painted dull green), 1 foot long 2″ PVC pipes with one end glued on (and spray painted). I got just about all of them at Home Depot.

4. print a log sheet and geocache document sheet for each cache container and place them in the container.

5. Divide the caches into courses.
I created 3 courses out of the 18 caches. Each course had 6 caches to find. This allowed me to start 3 teams at one time, each headed in a different direction. Then I could start 3 more teams 10 minutes later and they wouldn’t easily run into each other. I included the registered geocache on each course so that they could look at this later online.

6. Create a sheet for each course that can be given to the teams. Each cache on the sheet should have the coordinates, size, name, description and hint (cover it with masking tape, so they can pull it off and use it if needed).
a. create a seperate sheet for the example cache

7. Create a master sheet for each course, that you keep – this one has pictures and what the container is.

8. Day of the Event
a. Explain Geocaching and show them the official website
and the registered geocache on the course. You may
have to do this where you can have internet access.
a. Divide into teams–have them pick team names.
b. explain how the game will work
c. do a sample cache together
I created a sample cache in the parking lot
and gave everyone a sample course sheet
with the sample cache data. We all used our
GPSs to find the cache. I used a small cache
hidden under flowers, so that they understood
that the cache could be hard to find. This
also made sure each team could use their GPS.
d. start the first teams – log the time
e. I stayed at the start/finish and teams could call me
for additional help.
f. Log the time when a teams returns.

Let me take one step back… Many of you are asking, “What is a Netbook and how is it different than a laptop?” Honestly, the industry is trying to figure that very question out too but simply, a Netbook is “a very small portable laptop computer desined for wireless communication and access to the internet.”(Wikipedia) These computers started off as small machines designed for web-browsing and e-mailing and usually depend on the internet for its storage/application needs (cloud computing e.g. using google docs to do document stuff). Generally, these diminutive devices (read purse/Franklin planner/Ryrie Bible size) are 2-3 pounds, have wireless capability built in, have screens from 5-10 inches and are extremely inexpensive. Most of the early ones did not have a hard drive (the first “official” one, the ASUS EeePC, first had only a flash drive) and ran Linux but today there are some that have moderately sized hard drive (120-160GB) and run using Windows XP (Vista requires too much processor and memory for these machines). They usually take a low power, lower speed processor(ATOM, ARM, etc.) and a small amount of memory (512-1032M). Battery life is also a high value in these devices. If you get a three cell models, the battery lasts around 2-3 hours but with the more expensive 6 cell, you can get as much as 6-8 hours.

I bought one, an Acer Aspire One A150-1126(9.8″ screen, 160 GB HD, 1G RAM, Windows XP, Six Cell, was $389, now $279) about six months ago for my son to use for his virtual home school and ended up letting him use my more powerful “huge” 14 inch diameter laptop (bought for its “small” size) and taking his Acer Aspire One around with me on campus. For THIS ROLE, this computer is just perfect. In the past, my laptop was just too heavy to lug around campus and so I didn’t have it most of the time and so I could not get access to my files, I could not show the perfect “illustration” YouTube video, check my calendar, etc. And how many times have you had an appointment or Bible study scheduled with a student and they were either extremely late or don’t even show up. You are stuck on campus until your next appointment because you don’t want to lose your precious parking spot. In the past, your options were pray, read your Bible (both awesome choices) or get some coffee. Now because I have a computer the size of a “classic” planner, I usually carry it with me all the time (and no more planner and in a pinch even no more Bible as it is on the laptop). While I am waiting, I can check e-mail, work on my PowerPoint document (Yes office can run on the Windows version as can most other windows programs), update my calendar, collaborate with a colleague, skype a student from Thailand, and check my facebook (oops… What is the student I am supposed to meet doing on there?).  The six hour battery is great too when I can’t find a open plug (e.g. when on an airplane).

Here is a few negatives, the diminutive specs limit the number, size and power of the software you can run. At best, you can only run maybe 5-6 main applications at a time. If it is a Netbook that runs on the Linux operating system (not Windows), you cannot use Windows based software (though there may be a free equivalent). Though the original idea of Netbooks is to run everything on the web using a browser, web applications are almost but not quite as good as the professional apps residing on your computer (e.g. MS Office) and so many netbooks are starting to come preloaded with Windows.  Netbooks do not come with a CD or DVD drive so you are dependent on the internet, external drives or Flash Drives to move data. For many the game breaker is that the screen is very small (hard to see for many) and the touchpad and keyboard are small(though surprisingly easier to use than I originally thought). I would play with one at a store before purchasing one to see if you can handle these items.

In summary, let me answer the question, “Would I replace my computer with one?”

• IF the replacement computer will be my only or primary computer, I would say DEFINITELY NOT. This is not designed to be a primary computer. There is so much you cannot run on it, it is debilitating as a primary computer.
• On the other hand, IF this new computer is my secondary computer and I use it as an “extension” of my main computer so I could edit files, do e-mail, etc. when I am at a place where taking my main computer is not practical. I would say, MOST CERTAINLY YES. I use my home or office computer when I need to do heavy processing (video editing, graphic design) or need to do time consuming tasks… (easier on the eyes and hands) but there is nothing like a Netbook when you need to do work out on the field.

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• Howcast gives video tutorials on how to do many different types of things. Recently, I had to replace a toilet in my home with now clue on how to do it, and with my handyman father in California, I had few people to ask how to do it quickly and easily. I went to my Howcast app on my iphone (in addition to a website, they have a iPhone application) and I watched a video from Home Depot on how to do it. It was great being able to actually watch someone do it. Also because they have a mobile app, you can bring it with you to the place where you are doing whatever you want to do. Topics include technology, home, religion (I don’t know what this is about), crafts and hobbies, etc. A similar site is Expert Village, the first video how-to site I was exposed to when looking to learn how to do certain things on my computer. It boasts over 130,000 videos on just about every subject.
• eHow uses a different format to teach you how to do things, they use a format where it gives you a step-by-step list to complete the task. Their list of topics is HUGE. They are a 2008 Open Web Awards Blogger’s Choice award winner. I seem to recall using this site to learn how to step by step cook an apple cobbler using a dutch oven for one of our campouts.
• PCWorld: How to Section – has a wonderful selection of how-to articles related to PC’s and computers in general. PC world is my “go to” source for computer information and this is one of the reasons. If you are looking to buy technology stuff (computers included), one of the best sites is CNET’s. The have incredible product guides, reviews on just about everything from mobile phones, to laptops to, Auto electronics (GPS, stereos) etc. In terms of learning about Web 2.0 and sites related to them, Mashable is a great site to stay on top of what you need to know.

• One last site of note is lifehacker which is ”an award-winning daily blog that features tips, shortcuts, and downloads that help you get things done smarter and more efficiently.” It “covers tips and tricks for streamlining your life with computers (and sometimes without). Updated several times daily, Lifehacker points out software downloads, web sites, do-it-yourself projects, howto’s, tutorials, shortcuts and tips for going beyond the default settings and getting things done in the most clever, unexpected and efficient ways. Think of Lifehacker as self-help for power users.” It is designed as a guide to make your life easier and more efficient.

Maybe someday, there will be a way to download “how to” information directly into our brains (like in The Matrix) but until then, this is a great way to learn how to do a lot of things quickly and easily.

Is Twitter a website? Not exactly. It can be accessed using the web and many people access it that way, but it can also be accessed using e-mail, text messaging, desktop applications, smart phone applications, web widgets, etc.

“Is twitter the same as an instant messenger?” No, Twitter is not an instant messenger, though you can send and receive messages to people and more importantly groups of people in real time.

“Is twitter text messaging?” No. You and send and receive 140 charater limited tweets (as twitter messages are called) using text messaging but it is not, nor is it designed to be as private.

“Is twitter blogging?”No. While twitter self-describes itself as microblogging, it limites it updates to only 140 characters and most people don’t use it as the columnistic tool that blogs are. It is more designed for short update statements, quick questions for answer by friends, etc.

“Is twitter an e-mail blast?” No. What is posted on Twitter is publicly shown to anyone who goes on your twitter page which is publically accessable to everyone though people can subscribe to your changes as they come to be listed on their twitter page.

“Is twitter the same as Facebook? “ No. Not exactly. While the updates in Facebook are very similar to twitter, facebook is so much more and so so much more cluttered and big. Twitter only focuses on the quick messages and shares them with people who are following you but they are publicly available so other interested people can see it too.

So what is twitter? Here is Wikipedia’s take,

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read other users’ updates known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length which are displayed on the user’s profile page and delivered to other users who have subscribed to them (known as followers). Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow anybody to access them. Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, Short Message Service (SMS) or external applications. The service is free to use over the Internet, but using SMS may incur phone service provider fees.

Maybe that makes things more clear, maybe not. In general, twitter is a kind of a “push to talk” system to send information, questions, status updates, your latest recipies, whatever to a group of friends instantly who can then access it using many different ways and then either act on it or ignore it.

So why is this relevant to me?

• Well, twitter is becoming an important communication tool for many people. In the period between December 2008 and May 2009, people who send monthly twitter messages skyrocketed from 1.2 million to nearly 24 million.
• Twitter is a great way to communicate quick information to a large number of people instantly. Lets say all your students are on Twitter, you can let them know of quick changes to plans with one quick message rather than many text messages, e-mails or calls.
• Twitter is a great way to share ideas, solicit for advice, etc. from colleagues. e.g. If you want to know how many Chinese are in Dallas as you prepare for a meeting but you don’t have internet access, just send a tweet to your colleagues and someone might know off the top of their head or might be able to look it up.
• Like free push to talk, Twitter is a great way to coordinate with colleagues, volunteers, students, etc. at a large event that you are either attending, organizing, etc. (e.g. deciding on the fly what workshops to divide on conquer on at a conference or creating reaction to a talk at conferenc while it happens or planning ad hoc meetings at a conference on the fly, or using twitter as a way to get questions from the audience during a presentation that the speaker can answer – like the old index cards)
• Like Facebook, Twitter is another way to keep a pulse on what is going on with your students and what questions they are pondering and what life issues they are facing.
• You can get raw data updates about disasters, weather, news, etc. as it happens. When the earthquake hit ChengDu in 2008, the news hit Twitter before it hit CNN. In addition, when there are disasters, many agencies are using twitter as a way to let people know what is going on, where to go, what to do, how to contact friends, family, etc.
• If you need more private communication, especially within your ministry organization… a push to talk for your team,  there are parallel services like yammer.com. Yammer.com connects you only to people with the same e-mail domain name (e.g. all the people with e-mail ending with isiwebnet.net) This presumably makes all your messages available to people only in your organization or company. This allows you to ask question, share ideas, etc. with your whole ministry, local team, ad-hoc teams, etc. This greases the skids for cross-talk and dialogue and it can be instantaneous or delayed depending on how often a staff member gets updates. We have used it extensively for our Dallas ISI team which is geographically spread out but coordinates much on many things.

Anyway, as I said, Twitter (or Yammer) is hard to understand unless you use it and find a bunch of followers and friends. Play with it, and try it out. Go to twitter.com. I’d be willing to be your friend. My twitter page is, http://twitter.com/rmyabuki. Follow me and give me a tweet.

Here is another great article about Twitter and its uses in Ministry. Little dated but great way to get more ideas on how to use twitter in ministry, some of the specific applications, advice, etc.

Here is a list of other articles related to twitter from this page…

See discussion on the potential of Twitter from Christians or other users:

• The Digital Sanctuary [http://thedigitalsanctuary.org/how-micro-blogging-will-win-converts]
• Leadership Network. [http://digital.leadnet.org/2008/04/how-to-use-twit.html]
• Michael Hyatt [www.michaelhyatt.com/fromwhereisit/2008/05/12-reasons-to-s.html]&
• Rhett Smith [www.rhettsmith.com/?p=1439]
• Guy Kawasaki [http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2008/11/looking-for-m-1.html]
• 11 Innovative Uses for Twitter [http://www.sitepronews.com/archives/2009/jan/2.html]
• The Reason Your Church Must Twitter.

Other useful Twitter related posts and pages…

• Newbies Guide to Twitter
• Top twittering pastors (on twitter)
• A Twitter Ministry Strategy: Listening
• Twitter for Ministry and Church: A Business Perspective

Last week I had the honor of sharing on a conference call sponsored by ISI’s training department about leveraging technology in international student ministry. In chatting with our local staff in Dallas, who are not tech experts by any means but they use whatever helps their ministry, it was felt that two subjects that needed to be talked about in order of least importance were using ISI’s e-mail outlook exchange system and using facebook to augment ministry.

The presence of facebook has truly changed the way we all do ministry today. In the past, the only way to connect with students outside of planned meetings and one on one appointments was through wandering around campus. I remember days when if one cruised around the library, one was sure to meet up with several students to informally reconnect and introduce you to their friends. With the advent of computers, it then became the computer room. There were always students there. Now, as more and more students spend more time online, doing their research, connecting with people back home, the need for a way to connect online has become more and more important.

In response for this need to connect was met by the social networking sites like Facebook. According to Groundswell, the leading research firm specializing in the social web, nearly 75% of all people 18-24 in the United States are a part of some sort of participative web medium including social networking sites like Facebook. Their findings are quite similar for other countries as well. If you talk to any international student who has been here for more than a few months, most of them will have a facebook account, using it to share pictures, stay in touch… connect. Many of the don’t ever turn their facebook off so they can keep up with what is going on with their friends. Not unlike when we used to walk around the library 10 years ago and computer rooms 5 years ago, this is the way to informally stay in touch with students.

If you want to learn more about how to use facebook in ministry. One very important resource is a free electronic book produced by Chris Forbes called Facebook for Pastors. It begins with the rationale for using facebook but it doesn’t end there. It goes into the “how to’s” of using facebook. Finally, it finishes with testimonies by actual ministers and ministries explaining how they have creatively used facebook to strengthen their ministry. That section alone is worth its weight in gold as some people have been really creative in their use of facebook to build community. As he puts it…

How to build relationships and connect with people using the most popular social network on the Internet. This 31 page e-book will help Pastors and other ministry leaders make the most of this great networking tool.

• How to make the most of your profile information
• Tips for Networking with People in Facebook
• All about groups, messages, poking, etc
• Brand Your Ministry
• Meet prospects for your church
• Learn more about the members in your church
• Fine tune your communication skills
• Testimonies from Pastors who use Facebook
• and much more!

Get the e-book here free

http://ministrymarketingcoach.com/free-e-books/

While he does not specifically address international student ministries, what he says is truly relevant to what we do… This is a must read for international student campus ministers young and old. (my 82 year old dad just got on facebook to stay up with us…)

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