The Brady Bunch was a classic TV show. Whether your favorite was Greg, Marcia or even Alice there’s something that all ministry leaders can learn from the Brady Bunch show. And all you have to do is watch the first couple of minutes of the show literally. The opening sequence with the 9 talking heads on one screen is the key.

These days, there’s a new generation that’s reaching out across the web to meet online in multi-user video chat to collaborate in real time: meet the Tokbox Bunch.

www.Tokbox.com allows anyone to jump into a video conference chat with NO software downloads or installations. It works across all platforms so all those Mac and PC people can actually make friends.

What you get is a screen of webcam headshots – and you can control each one. Enlarge any one if you’d like to see them better. Mute or hide any participant. You can even shuffle around the order/placement of the boxes on your screen. Text chat is right there in the same window as well.

The best part is that it’s free and it works.

Dave Ingland, a church planter from the left coast recently tweeted a meet-up in a Tokbox room and instantly half a dozen of us joined the conversation. We ended up discussing some of the recent developments with online worship communities such as Andy Stanley’s church and how they are embracing online small group Bible studies. We heard some other online church’s experiences for using video conferencing in their own ministries as well. You always learn something when talking with other peers and leaders in your own field. That’s the point.

The conversations are real. The video allows you to have full expression. It’s live and real-time. One real big upside is that you can easily tweet, call, text, or grab someone and tell them to get in the room by simply visiting the tokbox link. DONE.

www.Tinychat.com is another multi-user video chat service that has taken off as well. Both harness technology for what it’s good for – removing friction of offline problems (physical distance) in an elegant way.

BONUS TIP: And note that the service is perfect for group meetings, but works just as well if you have only 2 people involved. So think of it as Skype without the software or account hassles. You can suddenly make long distance video calls internationally for free.

Have you tried Tinychat.com or Tokbox.com video conferences? What’s your experience?

It’s the Christmas edition of Twitteratti Tuesday at Godvertiser.com!

Check out this week’s installment of free Chrsitian Twitter Graphic Backgrounds series.

You’ll notice that all three of them are Christmas themed! With just 2 weeks to go before the big birthday party, we listened to your requests for Xmas Twitter backgrounds — so that you have your chance to help spread the Good News Twitteratti-style.

How to upload a custom background to your Twitter account:

1. Log in
2. In top navigation bar, click Settings (or go to http://twitter.com/account/settings)
3. Click the last settings tab, Design
4. Select a template, change your text and background colors, or upload your background image
5. Save your changes

We welcome your participation in helping to “fill the Twitterverse with the Bible and teaching of Christ!” If you are a designer and want to contribute a Christian-themed background for Twitter users, use the contact form and we’ll arrange to display + share your work with our brothers and sisters on the digital highway!

Over the last couple of months I’ve been working on a little web-app to help me look up Bible references quickly.

I used to have to figure out which site had the translation I’d like to look-up; then go to that site; then input the Scripture reference; then use the drop downs to find the translations, and finally submit.

If I wanted to send the link to a friend via email, facebook, twitter, or even in live worship chat during church online, I’d have to take some additional steps – open up TinyURL.com, bit.ly or some other favorite URL shortcut services out there. Copy the long URL from the Bible site, paste it into the shortcut generator. Submit. Copy the short-cut url, and viola. FINALLY, I had something I could pass on.

This just didn’t seem efficient. I simply thought that there must be a better way.

I couldn’t find anything much better, so I decided to just create it.

So here I am introducing the “BETA” version of www.wordof.gd/_____ No more searching, waiting, submitting, copy/pasting, etc. whenever you are looking up Bible verses online.

This new web app is a 1-Step Bible Look-Up Web App. Basically, find the Scripture reference you want in the translation you want IN ONE LINE — straight from the URL.

Here’s how it works:

Just add ANY Scripture after the main url:

• http://WordOf.GD/+BibleVerseHere and you’re done.

Just TRY IT to understand how this works. Try clicking on some of these:

• http://WordOf.GD/John3:16
• http://WordOf.GD/John3:16-21
• http://WordOf.GD/John3:16ESV
• http://WordOf.GD/John3:16WEB
• http://WordOf.GD/John3:16NASB

If you want a specific Bible translation see how all you have to do is add the abbreviation after the verse? Over 30 different popular translations are supported right now and more to come.

Speaking of abbreviations, it will accomodate most common abbreviations for books of the Bible too. ie. Matt, Mk, Lk, Jn, Gen, Rev, 1cor, 2cor, etc.

One you get the Bible verse, you’ll notice in the header bar, an EMAIL LINK, TWITTER LINK, (and FACEBOOK LINK to come). In addition, a short-cut URL is automatically generated for the specific verse ranges and translations you just looked-up if you want to copy/paste for any other use.

This has been pretty useful for mobile web browsing since connections are not as zippy as on a desktop usually and you want to minimize as many steps as possible.

NOTE: This *IS* a beta version – we’re continuing to update it as we go along and there might be some glitches while we polish it up. If you come across any issue, please leave a comment here or send me a tweet (http://www.twitter.com/kkcoolj) with the details.

Let me know what you think! Please leave a comment below with your thoughts.

Twitter offers 12 free background templates which you can use to customize your Twitter page.

It’s a good idea, although the actual options Twitter gives are not the best way to go.

Why is it a good idea? Well, for starters, it legitimizes your Twitter profile. By installing an individualized Twitter background graphic, it signals creativity and leadership. It shows you are familiar with the environment. You are choosing to express your own identity, not letting Twitter define your identity.

When you use a custom Twitter background graphic, you also have the opportunity to show specific facets of your identity. Here is your chance to witness to the world of your faith.

Every Tuesday, we’ve been releasing a free background design for you to download and use with your own Twitter profiles. Some are explicitly Christian, others with subtle themes, and still others with Bible anchor verses integrated into it. Twitteratti Tuesdays at Godvertiser.com wants you to have a Twitter Facelift today.

This week’s design comes from Dave Ingland from the “left coast” who is currently planting a church in Sacramento, CA. He’s a husband, father, activist, agent for change, advocate for the arts, and lead revolutionary of Revolution Church Sacramento.

You’ll find that this Twitter background is different than most — it plays with the ability to use images with transparency. So after you upload this background design, you can set the page’s background color to your liking by clicking on the CHANGE DESIGN COLORS link in the design settings section.

You’ll see that I chose a nice deep red for my background. You can make it yellow or blue or green or anything else you want! Thanks Dave for such a neat little feature.

FREE CHRISTIAN TWITTER BACKGROUND
DOWNLOAD LINK

How to upload a custom background to your Twitter account:

1. Log in
2. In top navigation bar, click Settings (or go to http://twitter.com/account/settings)
3. Click the last settings tab, Design
   
4. Select a template, change your text and background colors, or upload your background image
5. Save your changes
6. CHANGE DESIGN COLORS next on this same settings page if you want to adjust the page background colors.

Are you regularly introducing new people into your groups? (If not, you have to question yourself, why not?!) A sign of healthy groups are one that invite new people into the mix regularly. Whether just visiting, as a mixer or formally bringing someone into the fold, having visitors should be happening more regularly that you already do, right?

In any case, ministry leaders and pastors should be always thinking about how to reduce the friction of getting to know one another in your groups.

Otherwise, your groups will probably stay compartmentalized into several sub-groups. It might be by age, ethnic background, etc. But it happens.

Whether you agree or not, part of your job is to help people get to know each other. Whenever a new person comes into your group, it is a great time to use some icebreakers.

If you don’t have a bunch of simple icebreaker activities for your youth group already, there are plenty of resources out there to find some good ones. Books like Ice Breakers Ahead compile some of the better interactive ice breaker games.

What ice breakers have you used successfully in your ministry? Please share with us in the comments section below!

You’re either in or out. Excited or confused. Optimistic or a party-pooper.

People always ask me why I use Twitter. Without getting into the usual “no, it’s not about broadcasting the flavor of my toothpaste, or any other mundane details of my daily living” conversation, here’s one concrete example that hopefully helps give a better picture for the power of Twitter.

While I know that we’re not to make idols of men (or pastors of really big and successful books for that matter), but to illustrate the point, I’m sharing with you that I recently received a Tweet from none other than . . .

Yup, it was Pastor Rick Warren himself tweeting me about one of my latest web projects (more on that in other post soon, I promise!).

Twitter, and social media in general, has collapsed the 6 degrees of separation into 1.

You are now able to connect and collaborate with almost anyone else imaginable that’s relevant. It’s not that I tweeted back and forth with this person in particular. It’s the fact that just a couple of years ago, being able to connect, exchange, collaborate with someone like Rick Warren directly would take a lot of energy. Even if he tried to be as accessible as can be to people outside of his network (i.e. people he’s never met before), getting to him when I’m on the east coast, and he’s on the left coast (or somewhere else in the world) just isn’t that practical or easily done. I’ve emailed his “rick@purposedrivenlife.com” email address listed in his books and website before. I’ve been to Saddleback worship services several times before. I’ve called the PDL team when our church launched our own 40 Days campaign before. I’ve gotten what I’vee needed from his ministry organization each time, but getting a chance to interact with Rick Warren directly himself wasn’t really feasible.

Today, with social media, things have completely changed: The friction of access and connection is infinitely reduced because of social media. If you are proactive, purposeful and pleasant (don’t discount that last one!), the possibilities are plentiful.

It’s not just Rick Warren. Whether it’s Leonard Sweet or David Pogue of the NY Times, or even YOU that I’ve tweeted with . . . the fact of the matter is that 6 degrees of separation has become 1.

That’s why I use twitter. What about you?

When the web started entering into everyone’s vocabulary, churches began to feel the pressure of getting on the web. Today, the web has become part of daily living, and it is a critical touchpoint to reach people before they physically enter your church doors.

It’s just a fact of life now: more people will visit your website first before they first visit your church.

But something new and old is happening. In one sense, it feels so familiar — just like the seismic shift we saw with the mass adoption of the web itself. But now it’s about something different — every church feels like they should be figuring out what to do with. . . Facebook and Twitter.

For those still sitting on the fence, it’s sometimes helpful to hear what others are doing. Some church tech companies are starting to share case studies and tutorials for how to approach the new social media platforms. Here’s one video webinar that you may want to watch: CLICK TO WATCH.

This presentation is aimed at medium-to-large churches, but it’s a good glossary intro for any sized church on why your church should be considering reaching out to those on the social media platforms.

Logos Bible Study Software is supposedly the best selling software on the market. It’s available on multiple platforms and is capable of doing tons of things – it’s not your father’s bible study anymore.

In a way, it’s much like the recently launched Glo Bible which is tauted as the hipped something-2.0 Bible. I guess it better be because Glo Bible is $50, some people pay $1,600 for Logos. If you take a look at the overview video of Logos software, you’ll a lot of the things Glo thinks is its differentiator.

But whether you go for the $164 version or the $1,600+ version of Logos for the desktop computer, there’s one version that you should know about. And the best part about this one is that it’s free.

Logos 4 has been pushed to the iPhone and it’s free to download. There’s a bunch of neat things you can do with Logos 4 for iPhone. Don’t pay a dime to look-up text in one of 30 different bibles. If you do have the desktop version of Logos, you can add your iPhone to the sync list of devices and computers Logos will synchronize with updated notes, etc from others in your account.

But even without a desktop running Logos software, the Logos 4 for iPhone seems like a very hand dandy tool by itself.

And if you don’t have an iPhone or iPod Touch, don’t worry, you can enjoy all the features and more with what you have now – your desktop. The best part about getting a hold of Logos 4 Bible Study Software for your computer?

There’s a Logos Discount Promo Code: PASTOR (get 25% off base packages)

Tuesdays are fundays here at Godvertiser.com. We’re releasing yet another free Christian Twitter background design for you to grab and use.

It’s part of our weekly Twitteratti Tuesday series helping to share a little digital Gospel across the Twitterverse.

We’ve had a request for Christmas themed versions, so they’ll be coming up soon. But in the meantime, check out this neat-o Christian Twitter design. We find the sign of the fish everywhere, magnets, bumper stickers, etc. Now you post the Sign of the Twish on your profile page.

FREE CHRISTIAN TWITTER BACKGROUND
DOWNLOAD LINK

How to upload a custom background to your Twitter account:

1. Log in
2. In top navigation bar, click Settings (or go to http://twitter.com/account/settings)
3. Click the last settings tab, Design
   
4. Select a template, change your text and background colors, or upload your background image
5. Save your changes

One my favorite affordable webhosting companies to refer friends and business associates to is Dreamhost. (If you want a nice discount, use promo code “godvertiser” at http://www.dreamhost.com )

But if you are a 501c3 org or a church with the designation letter from the IRS, then this the tip of the year for you.

It seems that according to our friendly neighborhood church media super hero, DreamHost offers non-profits a fully free webhosting account [HT: Thanks John!]

While you’re jumping for joy, take a look at the deets from DH’s website in their own words:

DreamHost proudly offers free web hosting to non-profit, 501(c)(3) charitable organizations registered in the United States.

Non-profit organizations have dedicated themselves to making the world a better place – all without expecting anything (like a profit) in return! DreamHost recognizes their noble sacrifice and is happy to provide cost-free hosting to these groups which do so much with so little for so many!

This discount applies to a single hosting plan per non-profit, hosted within only one account, for US-based 501(c)(3) organizations. Domain registrations (other than any included with the plan) are not eligible for any discounts.

Now you really don’t have an excuse to get your organization on the web with a hip website.

If you’re a non-profit that going to try and take advantage of this offer, leave a comment below with the website URL you’ll use with the free non-profit hosting account at Dreamhost.