Organize Your Personal Library

Awhile back I purchased some software for my computer called "Book Collection" which does everything I would need it to do and more. I found the process to be somewhat tedious in entering books (even though it does connect to the internet and download the information off of the ISBN#). However, a friend showed me an online Collection- It's Called Library Thing. YOu can see and search my personal library on the left column of my Blog. Although Book Collection lets you download multiple books at once, Library Thing is very quick and I have found it to be much more sutible for my needs. It is Free upto 200 books. Since my library is quite a bit larger than that I will probably purchase the life membership. The book information can be exported out to other databases, but I'm not sure that I will ever need to do that. The one feature that it does lack, which I have not come across yet, is the abiltity to "check out" books from your personal library.
Overall, I am very pleased with Library THing. Here I can access my personal library form anywhere. It also compares my library with other people who have simliar libaries.
Check it out!

Wilderness Ministry

I firmly believe in the effectiveness of using the wilderness as a classroom. Many people (myself included) love to just be outdoors and have a good time. Clearly, there is a differnce between going out into the wilderness to just "enjoy nature" and going out into the wilderness to get away from the the pressures of the culture to spend time in God's Word and search your heart.

It is truly an amazing, yet humbling, and thrilling experience. God will use His Word, the cirucmstance of "life in the wilderness" and the environment of people around you to cause some friction and prod your heart to respond to His grace and will for you life. I STRONGLY encourage you to learn from the Bible-centred philosophy of this organization. Why not work on a degree while you learn something practical?
Here is their link.

Listen to the philosophy. This is great stuff!

"The wilderness is a prime environment for experiential education, particularly as it relates to interacting with the core competencies taught within PER's Wilderness Institute for Leadership Development... learning theory, leadership skills and mentoring skills.

Why? In short, the wilderness strips away the cultural "noise" that permeates our lives and allows us to interact more purely with the components of our being that motivate us to act. It is potently valuable to pursue such weighty topics as learning and leadership within the wilderness environment, particularly when actual competency is desired in a short period of time. The physical intensity of the environment (not necessarily defined as physical strain) coupled with the psychological intensity that is generated by lack of environmental familiarity combine to erase the noise of "real life" and to focus on very real interaction with self and with the community of the individuals around them. The student begins to need answers to the pertinent questions of learning (self) and leadership (interacting with the group)."

Meet with Approval

Their website explains it pretty well:

"Arrange a meeting or event. Work out which day is good for everyone & Keep track of who is coming.
'Meet With Approval' could not be simpler. Fill out the form which creates a meeting page. Your friends or colleagues are notified of the event. They visit the meeting page and help decide a good date. When you are all happy, 'Meet With Approval' confirms the arrangement and you all meet up. Best of all it's FREE!"

Go to the site and check it out!

Bible Map

This is Great! Here is a screen shot (above).

It's called Bible Map. It is an interactive satellite map of the Holy Land. As you read the Bible you can follow along on the satellite imagery map.

I could see this as very valuable in teaching, or in my personal Bible study. Give it a try!

The Peacemaker

In my vocational ministry there is a resource that keeps coming back to teach me. Usually not more than a few months go by and my attention is drawn to the biblical principles of conflict resolution. In fact, I recall many of the princples every Tuesday afternoon as I teach a Treatment program in the Todd county jail. The principles are complied in a book called "The Peacemaker" by Ken Sande. Here is a quote from the preface to whet your appetite.

"When people lock horns in a courtroom, a congregational meeting, the bedroom, or the workplace, relationships are often severly damaged. Conflicts rob us of immeasurable time, energy, money, and opportunities in minstry or business. Worst of all, it can destry our Christian witness. When belieers are bitterly embroiled in disagreement or coldly estranged from one another, few people will pay attention when we try to talk with them about the reconciling love of Jesus Christ. But the opposite is also true. When Christians learn to be peacemakers, they can turn conflict into an opportunity to strengthen relationships, preserve valuable resources, and make their lives a testimony to the love and power of Christ."

Here are some really good principles. The articles found on this side are the foundational teachings of The Peacemaker. Since they are rooted in the Scriptures and God is in the business of reconciliation, you should know and practice these concepts.

Do You Del.icio.us?

Online storage is where it's at! Even for your online bookmarks. I tend to operate at several different computers and I don't like to Re-search for sources I have already found helpful in the past. Del.icio.us allows you to complie your bookmarks online, search them, categorize them, and even search other people's bookmarks for additional valuable sources. Why Re-search for something when somebody else has already done it? I don't even use my "favorites" on my computer anymore!

Here is a link to my Del.icio.us:
http://del.icio.us/bracman

Sign up for you own and save time! Its free.