Google is the most popular search engine, followed by Yahoo and MSN, and usually these are just fine for general searching. But sometimes, though, your search needs may be more unique, or you yearn for something other than pages of text to wade through. Here are some of the many other great options which might come in handy from time to time.

Computerizing your church library is easier than you might think, and several software solutions exist for doing so (a review of a few of them is coming soon.) The process basically involves adding books to a database and adding barcodes to the books. The result is a library that has greater search capabilities, can process books more quickly, and feels more "up to date" overall. But is it worth it in your congregation? Take time to consider these questions...

In last Tuesday's edition of The Daily Voice, I talked about various text messaging services you might consider using for reaching your congregation. This week, I'll briefly introduce you to the one which is certainly the most popular: Twitter.

Twitter is a free online service for sending short, 140-character text messages ("Tweets") to "followers." Signing up for a Twitter account is very simple, and then you just encourage your friends, congregation members, family members, and coworkers to subscribe to your Tweets. These messages can be sent or received both from a cell phone and via the Internet, making it possible for huge numbers of people to get your messages. Avid Twitterers post updates about...well, anything and everything, actually—with messages both utterly inane and highly useful.

In a future week, I plan to post some reflections about the Twitter phenomenon, and how the ability to instantly communicate with others is changing the shape of ministry. Lots of guides to Twitter are available online, but one certainly worth considering is the ebook, Twitter for Churches.

In my community, a large billboard for a new church features the church's website (a .tv address!), a tag line ("never church as usual") and an invitation to send a text message to a certain number to receive more information. This new congregation is clearly targeting younger generations, and while little on the church's website made me really believe their core message wasn't "church as usual," their approach for reaching out is instructive. Text messaging is becoming more and more popular every day, and for many youth it has entirely replaced email as the preferred way of communicating. 

So, if you'd like to get the word out to your youth group, teachers, team members, or whole congregation, many group text/SMS services are ready to help you do just that. Whichever one you use, some features you may wish to look for are:

If you are unfamiliar with sexting—sending, receiving, and forwarding cell phone photos of a sexual nature—then I strongly recommend reading this article in Newsweek and/or another version of the same article in Slate. (Even if you are familiar with the concept, the article raises some questions worth considering if you have or work with teens.)

I believe youth leaders should have open conversations with teens about this practice. Many youth may not feel comfortable discussing the issue with a parent, but a youth group can provide a safe setting for opening a conversation about this growing trend. Here are seven key things to discuss—not in a preachy, "thou shalt not" way that will turn off youth, but in the midst of an open dialogue about healthy behavior and the practice of spirituality.

"A day away acts as a spring tonic. It can dispel rancor, transform indecision, and renew the spirit." —Maya Angelou , in Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now

Facebook. Email. Documents. Amazon. iTunes. YouTube. Games. These are but a few of the likely ways that digital media consume your time—and make you feel like you have information overload. Those in Christian education and youth ministry often spend a lot of time in front of a computer—more time, some will admit—than they spend with friends, colleagues, family, youth, and others in person. And no wonder! Emails and IMs can reach you just about anywhere, at any time, beckoning you to respond NOW. If this is true of you, perhaps it's time to institute a data fast in your life or among your church staff.

For those of you who are surprised to find me writing the email on “Technology Tuesday” – don’t panic! We promise that on upcoming Tuesdays Tim will continue to share his wealth of knowledge on technology issues. To give Tim an occasional Tuesday break, we’ve decided that I will periodically review a website of interest on Technology Day.

Let's face it...technology can be a challenge to implement if you aren't blessed with the spiritual gift of knowing how to manipulate electrons!  I have heard many a Christian educator say that they are not comfortable with setting up and using many contemporary technology tools, particularly when there are lots of wires to hook up and buttons to push. There have been many times when I've had to help university professors—who do PowerPoint presentations all the time—make their computer work with the projector in my church. And yes, I too struggle from time to time when it comes to technology (though my struggles tend to be with HTML, ASP, and other computer languages!)

In the Dummies series of books that have been written on just about every topic imaginable (I'm reading two of them currently) the emphasis is upon simplicity and straightforward approaches to solutions. If you're among the large group of Christian educators who struggle to get the cables connected to the correct In and Out connectors, here's my (bookless) "Dummies guide to video projection."

The environmental costs of the electronic gadgetry in our lives is enormous. Here is but a sampling of our current reality...

1. Video games and other devices are well known for being "vampire devices," wasting a lot of power when they are not being actively used.
   
2. Computers require a tremendous amount of heavy metals and other substances which are highly toxic. Those who are involved in the mining process (frequently in developing countries) are often negatively affected, and coltan—a critical element in today's cell phones—is linked to tremendous violence in the Congo. 
   
3. Millions of pounds of trash are created each year because these devices have a limited life span. (Of course, many are upgraded long before they truly need to be, just because consumers want the latest and best stuff.)
   

There are many things you can do to educate your congregation about environmental stewardship and environmental ministry as it relates to technology. Here are a few of my personal favorites...

A blogging friend shared this video yesterday on his site. Although it was created for those interested in marketing their products, it is in many ways equally applicable to the marketing of ideas, beliefs, messages, and values.

Scholz & Friends: "Dramatic shift in marketing reality from Michael Reissinger on Vimeo.

Assuming you just watched it, my hunch is you feel a bit overwhelmed and even inadequate at the moment. Clearly, technology has complicated our lives to the nth degree and filled our environment with options, noise, and distraction from both the inner life and the outer world. It seems harder than ever to communicate our message.