WordLive

I just starting trying out a new service that Scripture Union offer, WordLive. It's an online Bible study for the Web 2.0 generation (basically all the internet addicted people like myself).
It's offers a multipart, multimedia Bible teaching devotional everyday.

I was already pretty excited about the format before I started, and it's got the substance to back up the packaging. It takes you through the backround infomation, reflection and even offers a chance to hear the scripture read out loud.

Today, it was talking about Judas and what the difference is between his remorse for betraying Jesus and repentance.
It states it better then I could here in my fly-by blog post, so if you have the time check it out.

April Fools

Well, yesterday was officially an event day. It may not be as celebrated as next Sunday (Easter) will be or is be as significant in any way, but it's still there.

I was quite surprised at how few people seemed to use the opportunity to mess around with no guilt. I taught a class of pre-teens completely oblivious to the power of this day. What? No pranks? For this one day, you could tell anyone anything, however inappropiate a joke it may be, and then get off completely scott-free simply by uttering the immortal words, "April's Fool". Just sit and let that soak in. No guilt.

Even if we, mere mortals, waste this opportunity, it's good to see that the internet giants fully embrace it. Google for instance, have chosen today to announce their new wireless internet service, which operates through any regular household toilet.

Even Gmail got in on the act: Gmail Paper promises to deliver any e-mail messages direct to your door free of charge - putting the mail back in Gmail.

Google have a long and fascinating history with April Fools Day. They used to launch such fake services as Google Gulp, a soft drink and Google Romance, a search engine for those who want results in more then just infomation.

Bizarrely, they've also used the day to launch real services including Gmail inself and the increasing size of Gmail's inbox. The idea was that the joke got people talking about it then everonewho was pleasantly surprised to discover that the service is infact real. Here's hoping that Gmail Paper actually happens. How cool would that be!

Here's Bebo contribution to this most foolish of days:

Yes, the Bebo logo is missing its trademark ears. Ok, not that funny.

Possibly, my favourite story comes from digitalspy.co.uk, is that Gromit (of Wallace and Gromit) is replace the dog in the HMV logo.

Strangely this turned out to be true.

A New Hope (for sitcoms)

This clip sums up in ninety seconds, all ten seasons of Friends, the undisputed sticom king of the nineties. Sure, it had it faults: not least of all, its disregard of anyone other then liberal, white Americans. However, at the bottom line, Friends was funny.

However, a darkness is rising off the plain of US sitcoms. It’s not quite there yet, but within a year, we could be devoid of any decent US sitcoms.

• Friends – over after ten seasons
• Will & Grace – over
• Fraiser – Over
• Joey – put out of his misery
• Stacked – dead before it had a chance
• Everybody Love Raymond – nobody likes Raymond
• The War at Home – characters aren’t likeable
• Scrubs – season 6 is rumoured to be the end for Sacred Heart

This brings me to the new kids on the block: Will and Gareth (those in the above clip).
These guys are the main character of Scrub’s creator, Bill’s Lawrence’s latest project. Nobody’s Watching is the story of two guys (fraternal lovers in the vein of Turk and J.D.) who love sitcoms and given the chance from WB to create their own sitcom while WB record their own show about the making of the sitcom. So, basically a very easy premise.

In an evil twist of fate, NBC (in reality) cancelled the show after the pilot. In a good twist of fate, the pilot made it onto YouTube and international interest was raised in the show. Now, Nobody’s Watching has started an internet campaign to get it’s show from NBC (ironically, the opposite of in the pilot). I watched these guys, they’re good, very good. Here’s the link to their site. Go there. Watch It. Tell your friends.


I want this show to make it to air. We need a light in sitcom land.

Only Quality Music (no not Phantom FM)

While Phantom FM did finally give us good radio, the web's done one better.

Pandora is a website that creates dynamic individual radio stations based on your taste of music. Just enter in a song or artist (or many) and Pandora creates a playlist based on musical properties. It even tells you precisely why it selected each song (all way over my head but still nice to have).

A negative though is that it doesn't base its lists on lyrical content. So, while I like heavy stuff, I only like songs with deep lyrics and Pandora is offering some not-so-good ones.

No problem though; you can give music a thumbs up or down so Pandora gradually gets used to your taste. The music genuinely gets better the more you use it.

I think Pandora is just example of the new phonomenen know as Web 2.0, a emerging web with more user control and communication spearhead by such net giants as YouTube, Wikipedia and Bebo.

Thanks to Mike Kingsley for making me aware of Pandora. You done good.

No Risk Tithing

8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. 12 "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.

I used to hear these words from Malachi 3 every week in my old Pentecostal church and cringe. Every meeting, rather it be a small group or Sunday morning, included a 5 -10 minute sermon on this same passage and encouraging if not quite demand giving. This drilling rather unsurprisingly has put me off the whole concept of tithes. I far from believe that they are a central part of the New Testament church and I definitely depised the fact that promises of financial gain were used as a motive.

However, one chuch is taking this challenge literally and inviting people or test God on tithes or get their money back.

http://www.lifechurch.tv/p/465/Default.aspx

LifeChurch is challenging people to give for three months and if they're not satisfied that God has moved to bless them, they can ask for their money back.

Will I tithe in light of this promise? I believe that God doesn't ask for a tithe anymore but for complete surrender to his will. So, as for me, I will try to be a steward of every cent I have and every hour I watch go by. The link is above so do as you will.