Archive for March, 2010
Best Free Software Site
Posted by Peter in Cool Stuff on March 26, 2010
I don’t think I’ve written about Gizmo’s Freeware (aka techsupportalert.com) before here, but I should have. It is my favorite (and, in my opinion, the best) free software site out there. If you’ve never visited it, you should. If you have, you know what I’m talking about.
It is not a megasite with every freeware program known to man, so you don’t have to sift through pages and pages of junk. It is simply a repository of the best freeware available categorized, reviewed and culled to the top free programs in each category.
I have yet to try this completely (primarily because of my dependence on WordPerfect and PowerPoint), but I am convinced you could survive without ever paying for software again by simply relying on this site. And the pickers, choosers and reviewers know what they are talking about.
I have found numerous gems that I use regularly. I found my screen capture utility, pdf reader/editor and writer, photo editor, anti-virus software, cleanup utilities, and much, much more. And now that there is a free Bible study software category, I feel compelled to recommend this site. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Note: About the only thing I did not find here was free or open source Church multi-media software, but I do now know of such a program if you happen to need one.
Break Through to Clarity and WIN Contest!
Posted by Peter in Bible, Christianity, Giveaways on March 23, 2010
The New Living Translation Break Through to Clarity Bible Contest and Giveaway
Visit www.facebook.com/NewLivingTranslation and click on the tab that says “Sweepstakes”
Fill out a simple form, take a quick Bible clarity survey, invite your friends to join and you’ll be entered to win one of our exciting prizes.
With each fan number milestone a new prize will be given away.
- Grand Prize – Apple iPad 64G and a Life Application Study Bible
Awarded when the NLT Fan Page hits the fifth milestone.
Retail Value: $829.00 - 2nd Prize – Already awarded – 32G iPod Touch and a Life Application Study Bible – Awarded when the NLT Fan Page hits the fourth milestone.
Retail Value: $300.00 - 3rd Prize – Will be awarded when fan count hits: 3500 – Kindle DX and a Life Application Study Bible – Awarded when the NLT Fan Page hits the third milestone.
Retail Value: $489.00 - 4th Prize – Will be awarded when fan count hits: TBD – Apple iPad 16G and a Life Application Study Bible – Awarded when the New Living Translation Fan Page hits the second milestone.
Retail Value: $499.00 - 5th Prize – Will be awarded when fan count hits: TBD – Apple iPad 32G and a Life Application Study Bible – Awarded when the NLT Fan Page hits the first milestone.
Retail Value: $599.00
Prize Eligibility – Recently updated to include more countries
Sweepstakes participants and winner(s) can be U.S. residents of the 50 United States, or residents of any country that is NOT embargoed by the United States, but cannot be residents of Belgium, Norway, Sweden, or India. In addition, participants and winner(s) must be at least 18 years old, as determined by the Company.
Sweepstakes Starts – March 17, 2010 @ 10:24 am (PDT)
Sweepstakes Ends – April 30, 2010 @ 10:24 am (PDT)
Wait, there’s more!
Visit http://biblecontest.newlivingtranslation.com/index.php for a chance to win a trip for two to Hawaii!
Here are the details:
Choose one of six passages of Scripture from the New Living Translation and consider:
- How do these verses encourage you to know God better?
- What is God teaching you in this passage?
- How does this passage apply to your life?
Submit your answer and you’ll be entered to win.
Just for signing up: Everybody Wins! Win a Free .mp3 download from the NLT’s new Red Letters Project. It’s the dynamic, new presentation of the sung and narrated words of the Gospel of Matthew. You win the download just for entering! Or choose to download the NLT Philippians Bible Study, complete with the Book of Philippians in the NLT.
Every day, one person will win the best-selling Life Application Study Bible!
The grand prize: One person will win a fantastic trip for two to the crystal clear waters of the Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu’s North Shore in beautiful Hawaii.
View from the Cross
Posted by Peter in Christianity, Jesus, Photos on March 23, 2010
One of my favorite things about the church we attend is that worship in a variety of forms is not only allowed, it is encouraged.
I was/am a part of a writer’s circle which produced a devotional, Fresh Focus, the print version of which the church gave as a Christmas gift to the members a couple of Christmases ago. And there are others.
But, one of my favorite forms of worship to observe is our prophetic art team. Each Sunday, one of the artists will paint during the worship service. The results are quite remarkable. During our monthly Nights of Worship, the team will rotate through each other’s art every 10-15 minutes and add their own take to the product – they call it “art fusion.” It really is something to watch unfold. Admittedly, the sum and substance of my art education comes entirely from Iain Pears novels and my own infrequently used pencil and sketch pad.
This Sunday’s product, coinciding with a sermon and drama series entitled “The View from the Cross” (Pilate’s Wife, Three Crosses =Three Mothers, and others to come through Easter Sunday) is shown below. The photo doesn’t do it justice, but you get the idea. There are prints of the original art works available for purchase, the proceeds go to missions teams.
iPhone App-KJV Bible Audiobook
Posted by Peter in Bible, Bible Translations, Christianity on March 23, 2010
This past weekend I downloaded an iPhone app that I love. It is the KJV Bible Audiobook.
I am unfamiliar with the developer (iTourSoftware) or the church affiliation, but the app is first rate. It is much more than an audiobook. It is really a KJV Bible application with the option to listen. The user interface, search function, bookmarks and notes features are simple to use and more than adequate for their purpose.
This app won’t replace a Bible study app like Logos, but the audio function definitely makes this app worth having. I have downloaded, tried and erased several iPhone Bible apps, but this one is a keeper.
And best of all it’s free. You can donate, of course, and the proceeds support a good cause as best I can tell. I haven’t found where the app is available for other smartphones, so sorry non-iPhone users.
Note: since the app contains the entire audio KJV Bible, it will take a while to download on wifi (it took me almost an hour), or you can transfer from iTunes. But, the app loads and runs fast and I have not noticed any side effects from the file size. Enjoy!
Review: What’s in the Bible? Episodes 1 and 2
Posted by Peter in Bible, Book Reviews, Children, Christianity, Genesis, God, Movies/Films, New Testament, Old Testament on March 16, 2010
Thanks to the good folks over at Tyndale House and Phil Vischer (creator of VeggieTales) for the advance review copy of What’s in the Bible? Episodes 1 & 2.
The What’s in the Bible? website describes this new video series as follows:
What’s in the Bible? is a new DVD series from VeggieTales creator Phil Vischer designed to walk kids and families through the entire Bible.
As you can imagine, I was excited to be included among those asked to review the first two episodes in this series, especially since my 20-month old daughter (The Libster) and I are VeggieTales-aholics.
So, here goes. First, What’s in the Bible? with Buck Denver (and friends), is a puppet-human collaboration in the tradition of Sesame Street. The hosts are Phil Vischer (human) and Buck Denver, Man of News, (puppet). The cast of puppet characters includes the gray-haired Sunday School Lady, the piano playing Pastor Paul, explorers Clive & Ian, and other memorable characters. There is also an entertaining meta-character, Michael, who is a puppet child traveling in the backseat of a vehicle that appears at the beginning and between segments asking his mother to change DVDs. He’s quite amusing, really.
Second, each episode, which consists of two half-hour programs, begins with a “Big Question” such as, “What is the Bible?” “Who wrote the Bible?” and “Who picked the books to be in the Bible?” There are also “new words” where Biblical and theological terms and concepts are explained.
Each episode is filled with song, self-deprecating humor, sarcasm, and, of course, Bible stuff. The first episode, “In the Beginning,” explains “What is the Bible?” in the first segment and takes the viewers through the first eleven chapters of Genesis in the second segment. The second episode, “Let My People Go,” takes the viewer from Abraham to Moses and through Exodus.
The theology appears to be traditional Protestant/Evangelical. The humor ranges from slapstick to high-brow and everything in between. The concepts covered are considerably more complex than what can be found in Christian cartoons and Bible-story programs. This is because What’s in the Bible? aims at teaching the Bible and not just Bible stories. It’s a bold move, but one I expect to pay off.
The downside, if there is one, is that the audience might be limited to children over a certain age. On the Libby test, What’s in the Bible? struggled to hold the attention of a 20-month old. She liked the music and the children interviews, but she has yet to make it through a 30 minute segment after three or four attempts (as opposed to similar length VeggieTales episodes, which she can watch and still want more). I doubt, however, the audience is intended to be so young.
I do appreciate the working assumption: that children are capable of learning and appreciating more than simple Bible stories. Buck Denver and his crew take on concepts such as “redemption,” “salvation,” and the Christian “canon,” and they do so quite well. I suspect there are many adults as well who need refresher courses in these concepts.
In short, if you are looking for VeggieTales retold, look elsewhere. What’s in the Bible? is a more grown-up kids series. It is, however, a great way to introduce kids to more complicated Biblical ideas and to go beyond Bible stories. I would recommend for parents and children to watch together if possible. I would also recommend this series for Sunday school classes, vacation Bible school curricula, even as a supplement to grade school and possibly junior high age lessons.
I think you will be surprised by how easily complex matters are handled and explained. Enjoy!
Buy What’s in the Bible from Amazon?
- Buy What’s in the Bible? Episode 1-In the Beginning from Amazon
- Buy What’s in the Bible? Episode 2-Let My People Go from Amazon
Related Websites:
And the winners are…
Posted by Peter in Bible, Children, Christianity, Giveaways, Humor, Movies/Films, New Testament, Old Testament on March 15, 2010
The winners of the What’s in the Bible? Giveaway are:
Chris Rodgers (Disc 1) and Jaci (Disc 2).
Hooray for Chris & Jaci!
Your gift certificates will be on their way directly. A bit of advice (from previous winners), you will have better luck presenting the gift certificates at a Christian bookstore (such as Mardel, for example).
Thanks to everyone who participated.
Stay tuned for my reviews.
Top 5 Silly Songs with Larry-No. 1: I Love My Lips
Posted by Peter in Bible, Children, Christianity, Giveaways, Humor, Movies/Films on March 13, 2010
In honor of my What’s in the Bible? Giveaway, I am counting down the Top 5 Silly Songs with Larry of all time.
- Number 5: Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything
- Number 4: School House Polka
- Number 3: The Hairbrush Song
- Number 2: Dance of the Cucumber
And the Number 1 Silly Song of all time is: I Love My Lips.
Top 5 Silly Songs with Larry-No. 2: Dance of the Cucumber
Posted by Peter in Bible, Children, Christianity, Giveaways, Humor, Movies/Films on March 12, 2010
In honor of my What’s in the Bible? Giveaway, I am counting down the Top 5 Silly Songs with Larry of all time.
Number 2: Dance of the Cucumber.
Top 5 Silly Songs with Larry-No. 3: The Hairbrush Song
Posted by Peter in Bible, Children, Christianity, Giveaways, Humor, Movies/Films on March 11, 2010
In honor of my What’s in the Bible? Giveaway, I am counting down the Top 5 Silly Songs with Larry of all time.
Number 3: The Hairbrush Song.
Top 5 Silly Songs with Larry-No. 4: School House Polka
Posted by Peter in Bible, Children, Christianity, Giveaways, Humor, Movies/Films on March 10, 2010
In honor of my What’s in the Bible? Giveaway, I am counting down the Top 5 Silly Songs with Larry of all time.
Number 4: School House Polka.
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