Ben Stewart

I have launched a new business with my good friend Kurt Aschliman. If you are interested in website development, design, or consultation please find us over at LOUDERmedia.com.

Anne Jackson, blogger and author, just launched a book site for her new book Permission to Speak Freely. A few days before launch she posted a plea for some WordPress coding help on Twitter to which I happily responded. I helped tweak her site theme a bit to (1) accomplish some of her specific needs for this book site and (2) make it match the book’s cover artwork.

The concept of this book (and website) is really interesting as it serves as a place for anonymous confessions. Why is that helpful? Too often people hide their struggles because we think that we are the only ones who struggle with those issues. We have to look perfect because we think that the people around us are perfect… or something like that. A book/site like this is good–if for no other reason–because it helps us realize that we are not alone in our struggles.

So check out Permission to Speak Freely and leave a comment. Maybe you will find the confessions of others helpful, too.

The EDGE is a set of Christian conferences designed for students (middle school & high school) and youth workers. They happen each winter in North Carolina and Tennessee and are sponsored by Inlightened Ministries. If your church group is looking for a conference that offers Biblical teaching and exciting worship for an affordable price then you should check out The EDGE.

If you live in the Roanoke Valley and you are looking a community of people who want to serve each other and the people around them then you should check out Genesis Community Church. GCC is a new church plant started by my good friend Craig Tackett along with a talented group of young people who genuinely want to serve the Lord by serving their community. I am thankful to be a part of their journey by setting up this online presence for the church. Check out GenesisRoanoke.com.

It’s that time again… the time when I can’t help but feel a little jealous that I’m not headed overseas with the Compassion Bloggers. Next week a group of bloggers are heading to El Salvador to see Compassion International’s work first-hand. I work with Compassion on a regular basis but I have yet to get an opportunity to visit a community where Compassion is fighting poverty. Hence the mild jealousy. So, while I pray for my own shortcomings we can all join in prayer for the bloggers, the people they will encounter in El Salvador, and especially for all of us who will be living vicariously through them via their blog posts, images, and videos.

I pray that we will spend more time listening to God than talking over Him so that we might hear His call to action in our lives next week.

Nooma has a great new video in partnership with Compassion International and featuring Rob Bell. It’s definitely worth a watch:

(Link opens Nooma’s website.)

I just (finally) upgraded my iPhone OS to the new 3.0 and thought this might be a good opportunity to go over some of the apps that I keep on my iPhone’s home screen. I won’t deal with the native iPhone apps, just the third-party gems that I can’t function without.

(All application links go to the iTunes store.)

1. SaiSuke. This is my preferred calendar app because it syncs beautifully with Google Calendars. You can read my full calendar sync setup here. There is a limited free version but I use the paid $9.99 version.
2. Things. One of the best task management (to-do list) applications around. It also syncs via WiFi with the desktop version. You can read more about my task management setup here. The iPhone app is $9.99 and the desktop app is $49.99.
3. Flashlight. Because you never know when you might need a little extra light (or a crazy, rave-ready party light machine). Flashlight is free.
4. Facebook. Everyone is on Facebook and the native iPhone app is the best way to access those crucial updates on the go. Facebook is free.
5. Tweetie. Tweetie for iPhone and Tweetie for Mac are both beautiful Twitter applications. I’m not saying they are right for everyone, but so far they are both my choice. I can’t wait until they start syncing with each other… please! Tweetie for iPhone is $2.99 and Tweetie for Mac is either free (ad supported) or $19.95. (I use the free version of the desktop app.)
6. Byline. For a long time I have been a happy NetNewsWire user. NNW is a free RSS reader for both Mac and iPhone. With a free Newsgator account both versions even stay in sync. However, I recently tried out Byline which is an iPhone app that syncs and caches feeds from a Google Reader account. I think I have officially made the switch. Byline works really well and looks great. Plus, with Fluid I can setup a separate “app” for Google Reader on my Mac. Google Reader is free and Byline is $4.99.
7. Instapaper. Instapaper is a free online service that allows you to store the contents of web pages for later reading. You simply click a bookmarklet in any browser and the contents of the current web page gets stored in your Instapaper account. The iPhone app downloads all stored pages in your account so you can read them offline on your iPhone. This is perfect for reading long articles on an airplane. The web service is free and you have a choice between a free version of the iPhone app or a “pro” version which costs $4.99. (I use the free version.)
8. The Weather Channel®. I like this app over the native Weather app. Honestly I don’t even remember what features pushed it above the other, but I do like it and it’s free (although there is a “Max” version for $3.99).
9. Evernote. I like Evernote a lot! Evernote is a web application that allows a user to import stuff that gets synced to other places. I posted one example of how I used it here. Basically imaging copying stuff from your browser on your Mac (like a recipe) and being able to view it later on your iPhone, or taking a picture on your iPhone and being able to view it later on your friend’s PC, or any number of other things. Evernote works via their web interface but they also have free apps for your desktop or iPhone so you can access your stuff more easily. It is a free service but you can also upgrade to a premium account to gain more bandwidth and other features.

That’s my home screen and a few of the iPhone apps I use on a regular basis. What apps do you keep up front on your iPhone?

This is an amazingly well crafted video explaining the history and purpose of Compassion International.

Compassion International just celebrated its 1 millionth child sponsored. That is what I call making a difference in the world.