You would think that in real life I would be hipster-chic with this blog and working in youth ministries, but if you know me, you know my jeans are not girl jeans (not that there’s anything wrong with that) and I don’t have anything Apple makes at all.
Well, until now. No, the jeans are still the same, but I did get an iPhone 3G 8gig. And the obsession has already started.
So, to spread this obsession to other pastor-types, here’s what free and cheap-o apps I’ve found to be very useful and why:
- YouVersion Bible. Online bible app and you can download specific translations for offline reading (takes a while but worth it). I do increasingly get frustrated with the NCC for not making the NRSV more easily accessible…it’s not available here. Free
- Evernote. Keeps all your notes available, sermon illustrations, bible studies. It’s Evernote and you must have it. Free (paid version allows for offline notebooks)
- Air Video: if you show videos in staff meetings or bible studies on your church network, you can stream them from your computer to your iPhone. It’s less intrusive than a laptop but also less usable…but the ubiquitous factor with youth is oddly effective, and I can watch Nooma vidz on the iPhone without paying $4 each. Free
- GorillaCam: helpful app with the camera on the iPhone that makes it easier to take pictures, like timers and such. Useful for taking pics of altar arrangements or new member photos or storing notes more clearly to Evernote. Free.
- Stanza has lots of books and free John Wesley notes/sermons for ease of reading. Free
Quick unlinked apps that work very well:
- WordPress lets me update my future snazzy blog on the fly. Oh, did I say future blog? Whoops.
- K-Love or Pandora for Christian music while at work, also NPR for when I want to feel elitist.
- Social networking tools like Twitterrific for updating Twitter on the go and Facebook for keeping in touch with my teens.
- Gashog ($1) helps me out with calculating the Prius mileage (Shucks, I do have a Prius, that is a +3 hipster point! Augh!)
So what are your favorite apps for people in ministry? No advertisements please, just recommendations!
Hope the list above is helpful and you find new ways to be effective in your context.
Leave a Reply