Published June 1st, 2007
in Prayer Pipeline.
Ever heard the question “Please pray for me?”
When someone is in a bind, there’s no better idea than to elicit as much prayer as possible. Prayer works.
Sometimes a person is in need and there is no one to turn to. Sometimes the need is too embarrassing to share with someone else. (Who hasn’t been there?) The instant access and anonymity of the internet answers both of those needs.
Prayer Pipeline will stay open 24 hours a day, seven days a week (even holidays!) It will be a place where anyone can post a prayer request. The pipeline will allow for anonymous requests; or if a person wants to hear from those praying, they can include their email address. Best of all, the prayer pipeline will also give the people who are praying feedback on the requests (with emails). I can’t wait to use it myself!
At the risk of sounding like an infomercial: Wait, there’s more! The prayer pipeline will also be a place were intercessors can rally together and pray as a team. I know there are plenty of people with a heart to pray for others, but they’re too busy to make it to scheduled prayer events. There are stay-at-home parents, who want to have a point of ministry, but they can’t get a babysitter. Existing prayer ministries will have a full plate when they add requests from people all over the internet, all around the world. The pipeline meets needs on both sides of the prayer equation.
The internet may be the coolest gadget ever, and the prayer pipeline is another reason why.
PrayerPipeline.net is being developed right now. You can enter your email and get notifications on our progress here.
Published May 31st, 2007
in Uncategorized.
I’m not going to try to convince you that social networking is a good idea. Just google “good idea” + “social networking” and you’ll find 4 trillion results. Trust me, it’s big. (Besides, Mike already covered it well here)
This lil post is to let you in on the next round of internet hoopla: Online Gated Community. Well, I’m not promising that it’ll be the next big thing, but I have a few ideas about it, and I’ll share below:
- Privacy. Most social networks out there are wide open to the public. That means your good friend Jimmy can find you on your favorite social network and post a goofy photo of you from your last reunion. Which is good (for the most part). What gets a little shady is when a future employer gets to see the color of your nose hairs. I won’t even mention the unbalanced people out there who use the internet for no good. Once something is posted to the open internet, there is no telling where it will end up. Google spends it’s days keeping a record of everything (they’re not the only ones). I’m all for using the internet to make a cyber scrapbook of my life, so I can remember that funny picture Jimmy took at the reunion, but I don’t want it to be part of the public record.
- Genuine Community. Ok buddy, you have 4000 friends on MySpace? You invite them all over for tea? I’m as impressed as the next guy at how popular you are, but networking with CrazyGurl_492 isn’t exactly a relationship to write home about. I think there’s a huge difference between keeping in contact with your favorite people and amassing a list of everyone you’ve ever met (or hope to meet).
- Exclusivity. I think it’s cool how someone can leave little messages for their friends, for everyone on earth to see. But I think the novelty will wear off, I’m guessing people will grow tired of being lumped in with 100 million others. Everyone loves going out and mixing it up in a crowd, but there will always be a need to get away from it all and enjoy some quality time with friends.
We’re in the earliest days of the internet and world-wide connection will become an indispensable tool. Think cell phones. When those babies first came out, I thought to myself “Why not just wait to get where you’re going and then make the call?” Times have changed. Right now, the internet is just like one of those enormous cell phones with the carry-it-with-you battery. And online social networks are new and hip, but they come with a lot of extra baggage.
I’m not the only one who thinks the church lags behind the rest of the world when it comes to innovation. Maybe if we were the ones innovating, the world would have someone to follow?
Published May 10th, 2007
in General.
Hello indeed.
This is our long-overdue development blog. There is plenty to talk about, and we’re excited to do so. We’re glad to have you here.
(We’ll have other topics in here, besides Simon Solutions stuff, to keep it interesting.)
Onward and upward!
Charity Tracker
Oikos Community Console