Tech Talk

Modern technology has afforded the urban youth worker with the greatest arsenal ever known to youth ministry.  Just five years ago everyone was dreaming about the ability to be world-wide with their own website.  Now it’s so common that you’re almost taken as a joke if you don’t have any ‘connect-ability’ online.  I’m here to point out a few new hot items that you should be looking at or at least should be aware of, as well as stir you to actively use the most important tool that will never become outdated.  So lets begin with some new connecting tools that are out there. 

Tools and Toys

You Tube!  If you don’t have an account, get one as soon as you finish this article!  One of my youth pastor homies enlightened me of a cool trick that he uses with You Tube.  Ever want to find out where kids minds are at?  I know you can do what we all try and that’s simply ask them and wait for the ever-so-carefully filtered answer.  However if you’ve gotten tired of the patent answers and would like to throw some fuel on the fire of the "what’s goin’ on" conversation, then use You Tube! This site isn’t just for finding the stupidest dance or latest joke but you can hit on the most discussed folder to find out where teens minds are at.

Ning is another great site if you’re interested in building a great bible study community for FREE!  Just check out Ning, sign up and start a great bible study community or online small group or whatever.  Think of Ning as a MySpace without all of the overkill of so many extra bells and whistles that drown you in the sea of technology!  Speaking of simple online community sites that don’t have the bells and whistles, make sure you check out some of the great places like Facebook and Twitter to connect w/ teens and youth workers world wide.  One last great tool that I’ve been examining, it’s used as a fan-based community site, and it’s a very cool tool.  It’s called: Say Now and it’s an internet/phone service where callers can use their cell phone to call and leave messages, listen to a special message (great place to drop 45 second devotionals) or give shout outs that you can post on the web for others to either go online and listen to or call and listen to over their phone. This is incredible because we’re talking about integrating the phone & web seamlessly into your advantage and it’s for FREE! Just go to Say Now to get more information.

All of these along with many others are going to surely be great tools for keeping connected with our youth today but in my closing let me remind you of the greatest tool that you have that far outshines any of the competition.  Your ability to simply listen. This is a powerful tool that will never grow old. 

Over two thousand years ago Cicero said, “There is an art in silence, and there is an eloquence in it too.”  Listening has become a forgotten art.  With all of the great modern day tools that we have, make sure you always have ready the art to listen.  It’s a great gift that if used properly will yield eternal dividends.  So make sure you sharpen up your skill to listen and go…listen to your students today.

Here’s a fun top ten list from my friend Jonathan McKee.  Give yourself a test and see if 'they' are listening to you.

Top 10 Ways You Know Your Kids Do Not Want to Listen to You Give a Talk!

10. Three minutes into your talk, someone stands up and shouts... “Time to break into small groups!”
9. They are listening to Rob Bell’s podcast on their iPods during your talk.
8. The kid in the front row is piecing together a craft of some sort out of fingernail clippings, hair, and carpet fibers.
7. When you start speaking, the kids start chanting ‘Bring Back Mable,’ the guest speaker from last week who used flannel graph.
6. At least 17 kids spontaneously need to leave for the bathroom when you are introduced (which is really weird, because there are only 14 kids there).
5. As you begin your talk a student stands up and asks, “In the next 30 minutes are you going to be saying anything important?”
4. You hear loud snoring in the back row... and it’s your spouse!
3. When you ask everyone to close their eyes for prayer, you notice that the request was unnecessary.
2. You hear that several of the ADHD kids are using your podcasts as tools to help them go to sleep at night.
1. In the middle of your talk the janitor takes out the garbage in the back of the room, and three people accept Christ.
For more information from Jonathan McKee, go to his TIGHT site: www.thesource4ym.com

Until next time…STAY REAL

FREDDIE FREEBIE: This month for the Freddie Freebie I’d like to invite you to go to my website and download 3 free interactive bible studies from my new book: The Script!  Just visit: www.peopleofthebook.ning.com

Sharing the gospel from ‘Street to Street’

Fred D. Lynch III
GodStyle Productions

Fred Lynch is the founder of GodStyle Productions. A ministry committed to changing youth culture. For more information on Fred, go to www.godstyle.com or check out his latest project The Script (the gospel of John translated into rap) at: www.gettheepic.com