There are plenty of gadgets that are useful for Christian educators, youth directors, and others in faith formation ministries to have. I use digital voice recorders regularly, and would not want to go anywhere without my smart phone. These days, though, one of the handiest tools to have in your technical toolkit is a Flip camcorder.

The Flip series of camcorders have been around for about two years now, and they are incredibly versatile little tools. Little is certainly a key word, as the approximately 4" x 2" x 1" size makes it easy to put in a pocket or purse. The sharp, 1.5" or 2" diagonal screen is large enough to frame up a shot, and actually the small size can help you to remember to get closer to the action in order to get a good-sized image. They hold either 60 or 120 minutes of video, and the built-in USB connector and minimal controls make using the camera as simple as can be. I recommend getting one of the Flip UltraHD models for the best picture resolution and storage size, but if you gotta have a fun color or even a custom-designed Flip, then go with the Flip MinoHD.

Just about everywhere you look online these days, someone is asking you to rate your experience. Whether it's a video you viewed online or the restaurant you had dinner at, opportunities abound to "vote" and give your rating. Those comments then are often picked up by dozens of other similar sites.

Put simply, since many people will likely learn about your congregation from search engines, first impressions are critical. This is true even if your congregation still doesn't have a website! What are people saying about your congregation? If you're not sure, it's time for you to find out...and then do a bit of work to get some positive reviews out there.

What would the world be like if every person found one cause that they were passionate about and adopted that as their ministry area? I find this an interesting question that I am especially drawn to when I am feeling pulled in many directions. Barbara Wendland’s passion for reading and writing about church-related topics and for encouraging others to ask thinking questions led her to writing a monthly newsletter, Connections.

Many congregations--especially small and mid-sized churches--go about their website design in one of two ways. Some have a tech-savvy person in the congregation with some basic web development skills create a site for them. Others call up whatever company is listed in the phone book and have them do it for them. Both approaches can work great in certain circumstances, but there are other options worth considering.

One of the methods I recommend to churches is to hire a Project Manager (PM) rather than a web designer. A good PM will be able to "speak geek" and communicate to the non-technical members of the staff. The PM's primary roles are: gathering clear information from the client (the church); interpreting the needs of the congregation to the developers (who typically include graphic designers and coders, plus other specialists depending on the circumstances); thoroughly testing the site; and training clients to update the site on their own when that is possible. Many PMs work with individuals all over the world who have very reasonable rates, which can save you 50 percent or more on the development cost.

In the first edition of this series, I named 5 of my favorite places to go for downloadable videos for youth ministry and Christian education settings. Here are six others I would suggest checking out...

SermonSpice is chock full of video clips appropriate for sermons and talks; unfortunately, it's also got plenty of clips with less-than-desirable theology, so be prepared to search a while. Most clips cost $10-20.

WingClips offers clips from Hollywood movies that can be used in any church setting, even if your church does not have a CVLI license. The free subscription just gives you a very small video; to get the bigger sizes, you'll have to pay $139 a year. Still, if you use a lot of video clips in worship or CE settings, it could be a bargain and very convenient.

Summer is an ideal time to look at the toys in your church nursery or other classrooms and to evaluate if it's time for them to stay or go. You'll obviously want to dispose of any toys that are broken, unsafe (e.g. potentially made with lead paint), or used for play violence (e.g. toy guns). Additionally, it's a great time to clean and wash all of the toys (though we're sure you're already doing this regularly!)

However, another thing to look for is whether or not a toy is open-ended or closed-ended. An open-ended toy is one that is open to a child's imagination. Blocks are great for making a castle, creating obstacles for toy trucks, or even learning some basics of mathematics through counting games. Soft and squishy balls can become food items, game accessories, or pet turtles. Art supplies (at least those that don't come in a 'make an item that looks like this' kit) are tremendously versatile. Open-ended toys make imaginative and purposeful play more possible.

Bloggers around the world have been weighing in on a common theme, "The Inconvenience of Change," sponsored by a great Gen-Y blog called "Life Without Pants." To help encourage people to take part, the great folks at Cool People Care are giving away copies of their book, New Day Revolution. It's not too late for you to take part! After you read my thoughts, write your own blog entry on this topic. Join the conversation, encourage your congregants to do so too...and be a creative force for change!   ~ Tim

Unless you read a lot of tech blogs, you likely missed this nugget a couple of weeks ago: Microsoft is discontinuing its Encarta product. Encarta was the first computer encyclopedia produced for a mass audience, but it's about to go the way of cassette tapes and station wagons. Encarta never quite took off as expected (I'll admit that a copy of Encarta I got with a new laptop was not used even once) and now Google and Wikipedia are the first stops a student makes when working on a research paper. According to Tom Corddry, a former senior manager at Microsoft, "The ["Encarta"] editors overestimated the way students would say, 'This has been carefully edited! And is very authoritative!' "

Once a month we give our “blogger-in-chief” a Tuesday off and for our weekly Technology offering I recommend a website. I recently discovered the site The Story of Stuff. I often receive good-natured kidding from my family because I did not get the “shopping” gene. It’s true; I do not like to shop (much to the dismay of my teenage daughter). Yet, even with my reluctance to be a consumer, I manage to accumulate quite a bit of “stuff”.

Today's email could be a bit risky for us. I'm going to help you think thru your email subscriptions, and that could lead to some people unsubscribing. But the truth is, while we're very grateful you read our daily words of wisdom, we know you likely get an email inbox full of stuff. Here's a process to sort thru and deal with that digital clutter.

1. Decide - First, give a little thought to your current email habits. Do you file ezines away without ever reading them? Do you read everything that comes in, delete everything, then wish you had kept certain items for use later? Do you feel overwhelmed with the amount of email you get? Once you are clear about your ezine usage, decide on how much time you are willing to devote each day or week to reading your subscriptions.

Even if you are a total tech geek, it's easy to start losing control of all of the cables, power cords, and remote controls in your midst. This is especially true when you work or serve in a church, because often those various tech-bits are handled by many people. Here are 10 steps to getting those wires and remotes organized.

Supplies needed: Electronic labeler (if available); some sort of attachable cable label (I like to use something similar to these, but if you have any of those old dot matrix labels lying around, they'll work OK); thin-tipped permanent black marker; rolling cart; clipboard with paper/pen; two cardboard boxes; cable ties (or garbage bag twist ties); technically-minded teenager or two. (Even if you are a gadget guru, it's a great way for a teen to share his or her knowledge with the church.)