I don’t think that it is a fad, I think it is an evolution. No matter what device you choose to carry, the reality is, everything is going digital. I have had my iPhone for 4 years and my iPad for 2. I love everything about them. I have all the information I need right at my fingertips.

I want to share the top 10 apps I have on my devices that help me do what I do.

1. Youversion - This by far is the best bible app out there. The guys over at Lifechurch.tv are constantly updating it to make it easier to use and to give better content. This is a must have for all pastors. The best part about this one is that it is FREE!
2. Evernote – I wrote about this one in a recent post called 6 Things Pastors Can Use Evernote. I have been more and more impressed with this app the more I use it. I use it for just about everything. Check out the post for more information.
3. Pages – This is a great app. If you use a Mac for your laptop or desktop, you need this app on your device. With the recent iOS update, you can now save all of you documents right to iCloud. This makes them easily accessible from anywhere. I use Pages to write my sermons. On Sundays this is what I use to preach from. Very easy to read. This is a great buy for $9.99. You could also pick up the entire iWorks suite for $30.00.
4. Dropbox – This is a cloud document storage app that lets you store pictures & documents. This easily syncs with all of your devices and allows you to share files with staff, volunteers, or anyone else you need to. The free version gives you 5GB of space and allows you to invite others to get more. Other options are Google Drive & Skydrive.
5. Kindle - Nothing takes the place of a good book in print, but the ability to have all of your books with you everywhere is nice. The Kindle app allows you to sync your Amazon.com book purchases with all of your devices. If you are reading on your iPad and then go to your iPhone, it will take you to the last page you read.
6. Flipboard – This is a customizable news feed magazine. You pick the topics and it delivers the news. This is a great way to keep caught up on the news.
7. Facebook & Facebook Pages - Everything is going to social media. If you don’t have a facebook page then you are definitely behind. If your church doesn’t have one, then that is your next stop on the web. Your church needs a web presence and these apps help you keep that.
8. Twitter - Again see #7.
9. Pandora – This is a free online music stream. You can pick the artist you like and create your own station. I love this app, because I am able to get the style of music that I want at the right time. If I am in the middle of sermon prep and want some worship in the background, I click on my Jesus Culture station and off I go. This one is also free (ad driven).
10. MileBug – This is the only other paid app I put on the list. For $2.99, this app is definitely worth the purchase. For all of the miles I drive for the church, I need to have a place to keep track. MileBug is the best app I have found. The best thing about this app is that at the end of the year I can generate a report and have it ready for tax time. It does all of the work for me.

So, I hope you find one or more of these apps helpful for you in the ministry  I would love to hear about the apps you are using to help you be more effective in leadership. Feel free to comment and let me know.

What we are wanting to see over the next 30 days are peoples lives supercharged spiritually, and an intense hunger to God’s Word.

If you would like to join us at Relevant in this challenge, feel free. We have all of the resources on our website.

First, I want to give some tips on using Evernote.

1) Tagging – This is an important feature in Evernote. You will want to give each of your notes some continutiy, and ability to be searched very quickly. What good is it if you write something down and can’t find it when you need it. Tagging notes gives you the ability to find things quickly.

Now I would not recommend having hundereds of differnt tags you use. Rather, I would develop a system of 10-20 tags you want to use. You can look at all the tags you have placed on notes if needed.

2) Notebooks – Makes sure you notebook titles have some resemblance of what is in there. Think of it like a filing cabinet. You want to open the drawer and find what you are looking for fast. It does not matter how many notebooks you have, just make sure they all make sense to you.

Now on to the final 3 things I use Evernote for.

4) Book Notes:

I read a ton of books. I love to read about leadership, church planting, and spiritual development  With that being said, I want to be able to recall some of the great things I have found when I am reading. So I have set up a notebook stack called “Book Notes” and under this stack I have notebooks with the titles of the each book. Once I am done reading a book, I will go back to put some notes in. If I am reading through the Kindle, I will copy and paste quote from the book right into the notebook.

5) Blogs:

Evernote is a great way to gather your thoughts. Here I create a notebook called Blogs and use this to capture future blog ideas. Once I have blogged the idea, I can mark it completed and move to a different notebook, or delete it. I use my iPhone alot for this. You never know when an idea will hit, and I always have my phone with me. I just type in what is on my mind and then come back to it later. Here is where tagging comes in handy. I tag the note with the topic of the blog for future reference.

6) Pastor Items:

I have to say that this one is not my idea. I got this idea from another blog I came across here. I do have to say that this is one of my new favorite uses. Here is where I place prayer requests that I receive from the people in the church, and also new visitors. I set this up like contacts in my phone. Each church member, or new visitor is set up as s new notebook and my notes go in there. This is a great way to keep up with all of the prayer requests from the people, as well as praise reports. It looks something like this:

So there you have it. 6 uses for Evernote and ministry. I would love to hear how you use Evernote for ministry.

I was looking around on the web and found some amazing ideas that I could use Evernote.

First of all, if you are not familiar with Evernote, let me give you a quick overview. This is an online, cloud based system that allows you to capture pretty much anything you want and to organize, thoughts, ideas, pictures, and other things for quick recall. So no matter what your application is, whether it is business, school, art, or ministry, Evernote could help.

For my purpose, I am using this for ministry. I am a full time pastor, and also work bi-vocationally full time, so my brain is all over the place. The one thing I like about Evernote is that I can sync this between all my devices. iPhone, iPad, computer, and even get it from the web.

So now to some of the ways I am using Evernote.

1) Journaling:

I love to journal when I read the Bible. I have my Moleskine with me wherever I go, and many times I am writing in that. But I do like to transfer my thought to a digital form to have with me at all times. This is a great way to recall past journal notes. Especially if you tag them. (I’ll talk about tagging in a minute). One thing that Moleskine notebooks have recently come out with is a notebook that is Evernote friendly. The pages are designed to be photographed and inserted into Evernote. Check out the notebook here.

2) Sermon Planning:

This is a great tool to plan sermons. I use Evernote to clip web articles (using Webclipper for Chrome) and separate them into different notebooks. In Evernote, you can create “Stacks” and have multiple notebooks under one “Stack”. I simply create a new notebook for different topics and drop the web clippings into the appropriate notebook.

3) Conference Notes:

I don’t attend a ton of conferences, but those that I do, I take notes in Evernote. I have a Notebook Stack titled “Conference Notes” and under those I have the different conferences I attend. I make a note for each session or speaker. One of the great tools is that there is a recording option in Evernote, so if you are in a small enough environment, you could also have an audio recording of the session.

Here is a screen shot of how I have my notebooks set up (click on picture to enlarge). This may help you get started on your Evernote journey.

Check back for part 2.

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord , I will be joyful in God my Savior. (Habakkuk 3:17, 18 NIV)

Have you ever been at a place where you wondered if God was there? Have you ever thought that God has left you out in the cold?

The prophet Habakkuk gives us a great scripture to think about. He tells us that even though the things that he would normally see happen don’t happen, he will continue to praise Him.

We are created to worship God. No matter the circumstances, we need to praise Him. Most of us in our American culture want to think of God as our go to when we need something. We use him as a resource instead of seeing Him as “OUR SOURCE”.

Through thick and thin we are created to praise. Rejoice in Him when it is great and rejoice when it looks bleak.

In the last verse of this passage, Habakkuk states that the Lord is his strength. Our strength comes from him in all things.

Praise Him continually.