two of the easiest creativity tools ever
How often have you been putting together a presentation, handout, or promo piece and you wanted a cool graphic? If you are like me, you want a cool graphic, but you don’t always have time to create one, the talent to create one, or the money to pay someone else to create one. So…when I come across a tool that creates cool graphics – and it’s free! – I get pretty excited.
Yesterday I was listening to Matt Guevara (@mattguevara) talk about teaching digital learners. Toward the end, he just listed out a bunch of what he called “random Lego pieces” that anyone could use. Websites. Apps. Books.
Two that were fascinating to me were Wordle and Tagxedo. As you can see from the picture above, they are “wordcloud” creators. You input anything – words, Twitter name, blog article, etc. – and hit “submit.” It is literally that easy. Wordle is the more basic of the two. Less options…but also very clean and very cool. Tagxedo is, as Matt said, “Wordle on steriods". Want to change the shape? No problem. Want to change the color scheme? Got ya covered. Want to get rid of one of the words? Easy as pie. Want to save it, print it, or share it on Facebook/Twitter/etc.? Just a click away.
For the record, the above wordcloud was created using Tagxedo in about three minutes by simply typing in my twitter handle (@keithferrin), selecting a different color scheme, and changing the shape. I could see so many uses for this.
Oh…and did I mention they are both free? Enjoy.
How are you going to use Wordle and Tagxedo? What other free creativity tools have you found?
one of the coolest–and shortest–presentations of the gospel I have ever seen
This weekend I spoke at a church in Puyallup, WA. The service started out with this video.
I love spoken word. I love creativity. I love video. And I love the gospel. Marry those four together and you get five minutes that you will be glad you took.
one of my favorite audiences
Last Wednesday I had the chance to speak to college students. I love college students. So many decisions about who they are, what they want to do, who they want to be, and how they will live are made during the college years. Anytime I am asked to speak at a college, I jump at the chance.
This particular chapel was just for the students at Wheaton Graduate School, just outside of Chicago. An intimate gathering of about 70 students. In talking with the chaplain, we landed on the Sermon on the Mount. Since this wasn’t for the whole student body, they didn’t use the main chapel (seats a couple thousand people). Instead, they met in one of the TV studios on campus. And since the stuff is there, they record them and post them online.
They just sent me an email with the link. So…if you’re interested in seeing and hearing the Sermon on the Mount…here you go. (Just a one-camera shoot, but hey, they’re giving it to you for free.)
Be encouraged. Be challenged. Be reminded the you and I are called to so much more than we would ever call ourselves to.
And if you know any college chaplains out there, let them know I am ready and waiting.
what if reading could change your life in four months?
In 2010, I started the year with one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Several of us spent January through April reading through the Bible – Genesis to Revelation. (Yes…in 4 months!) I can say that – without exception – each person found it more enjoyable, more beneficial, and easier than we ever hoped. So…we’re doing it again! And I want you to join me.
The parameters are very simple:
1. Commit to reading the whole Bible by May 6th.
2. Read with a pen in your hand – either underlining or taking notes in a journal.
3. Find people to meet with. This is crucial. Commit to getting together every week to share what you’ve underlined and what "conversations" you’ve had with God about His Word. (If you live in the Seattle area, let me know and you can join us.)
That’s it. This is not a prayer time (though prayer is good). This is not a Bible study per se (though Bible Study is good
You will be changed. It’s hard to guarantee something like that, but here’s what I am willing to do. If you take – and complete – the challenge and it does NOT significantly impact your life and faith, let me know and I will send you any three of my products for free.
FYI: There are about 130 days between now and May 6th. That’s about 9-10 chapters a day. Reading out loud (which I highly recommend) at a normal pace, it’ll take you about 40-50 minutes a day. Tough? Yes. Doable. Definitely. Valuable? Absolutely! It would be a good idea to simply set a goal for the amount of time to spend each day, as opposed to having your goal be to read 10 chapters. It will seem much less like a chore and more like "sitting down to read a good book." (Which it is, by the way!)
Have you ever read the Bible – all the way through? What was your experience?
you can get everything I’ve got…for $50
As you know…Last week we had every download on sale. But some people like to hold physical books, play real DVDs, and own the actual CD. If you are one of those people…have I got a deal for you. (…he said with a cheesy grin…)
The Full Meal Deal is every one of our physical products in one package:
2 Books: Falling in Love with God’s Word and Like Ice Cream
1 DVD: Sermon on the Mount
6 CDs: The Gospel of John, Romans, Galatians & Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians, I & II Peter, I & II Timothy
Purchased Individually = $96!
Normal Full Meal Deal Price = $70!
This week = Only $50! (We’ll also throw in Free Shipping if you use coupon: "freeship")
- Guaranteed delivery by Christmas! (If ordered by Friday.)
- No limit!
- Just click the picture above! (or this link)
all TYMK downloads on sale
Maybe there is a “better” way to do this, but I like simple.
So…instead of putting a different product on sale every day or two, I thought I would simply put all of my downloads on sale at the same time for a full week (through next Monday). Click here to visit the download page.
Scripture Presentations = $3.00 $.99!
- The Gospel of John
- Romans
- Galatians
- Ephesians
- Philippians
- Colossians
- I & II Timothy (one download)
- I & II Peter (one download)
Both of my eBooks = $5.00 $1.99!
- Falling in Love with God’s Word: Discovering What God Always Intended Bible Study to Be
- Like Ice Cream: The Scoop On Helping the Next Generation Fall in Love with God’s Word
do you know who you are?
My good friend, Mark, took this picture of me yesterday at our home church. My kids – and several of their buddies – had a great time running up to people at church, asking for their nametags, slapping them on my back, and heading out for more nametags. People laughed every time they saw me and several asked, “So, who are you?” Outwardly, I threw out something about “feeling very Sybil today, ” but inwardly I was thinking, “How many of us ask don’t really know the answer to that question?” Ironically, our guest speaker
The issue of identity has been rolling around in my mind ever since writing a chapter about it in my last book: Like Ice Cream: The Scoop on Helping the Next Generation Fall in Love with God’s Word
“If we live out our faith from a place of identity instead of a place of morality everything would change.”
Daily God has been asking me if I am living the way I am living and doing what I am doing because it is the natural result of who I am or because I think I am “supposed to.” He has been showing me that the most important thing I can teach my kids is not just a sense of right and wrong, but who they are. If they are clear on who they are, the decisions they make will more frequently be in line with that truth. They will live generous lives because it is who they are, not just because generosity is a good thing or something the Bible says to do. They will tell the truth because they are honest kids, not because lying is wrong.
As I was pondering identity several months ago, my mind wandered back to the decade of my childhood that was spent on a soccer field. I loved soccer. I played. I practiced. I said “no” to other things so that I could say “yes” to soccer. At the end of the school day, when I put on my shorts, laced up my cleats and headed out to the fields, I guess you could technically say that I chose to turn left toward the soccer field instead of right toward the baseball field, but it certainly didn’t feel like a difficult choice. I was a soccer player – not a baseball player. I had been a baseball player at one time, but I wasn’t any longer.
The decisions to play in the games (which I loved), attend every practice (which was mostly fun), and run sprints (which I hated) were simply the natural outcome of knowing that I was a soccer player. Were those the right decisions? Of course. Did I make those decisions because they were the right ones? Not at all. I made them because I was a soccer player.
What if you and I lived our lives truly believing these words:
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” I Peter 2:9
Let this sink in: You are chosen. You are cherished. You are forgiven. You are created to declare His praise. You are not alone. You are a child of the King. You are beautifully and wonderfully made. You are not forgotten. You are worth dying for.
So, let me ask you: Do you know who you are?
christmas from a “different” perspective
About eight years ago, I was sitting in a coffee shop (where ALL good ideas are born!) and a pastor/buddy and I were trying to come up with a creative way to tell the Christmas story at his church. We started laughing as we thought about the bodyguard for the Three Wisemen, a really bad shepherd, and a CPA for a Bible-times construction company.
Three weeks later, I became those characters on the stage at his church. I truly thought this would be a silly, 1-time thing. Little did I know that I eight years later I would have done it about 40 times all over the country – and even once in Hong Kong!
Take a look…and give me a call if you want to have me do it at your church or university.
book review: Everyday Greatness
There are two reasons you should read Everyday Greatness by Stephen Covey. The first is if you are simply looking for something encouraging, inspirational, and thought-provoking (in a positive way) to read when you get up in the morning or when you lay down at night. (The latter is when I read it.) Pick it up, read a few of the devotional-esque stories, lay down, and drift off while thinking about how you can be “more like that guy.”
The second reason is it’s filled with terrific material if you speak or write a lot. The stories are well-told, mostly short, and always tied to a specific character trait (like courage, integrity, or humility). There is certainly an abundance of material (over 400 pages) – organized in a way that is easy to find, use, and cite. (You always cite your sources, right?!?)
If you are looking for encouragement or stories for your next speaking engagement or written piece – pick it up.
What other resources have you found for great stories, illustrations, and analogies? (No need to mention the Chicken Soup stuff. Yea…I know those ones…)
When was the last time you saw a PowerPoint presentation that you liked? (Been that long, eh?) And when was the last time you saw a PowerPoint presentation that actually improved your next presentation. Well…it recently happened to me.
I first saw this presentation on Michael Hyatt’s blog. I immediately watched it several times. I had a huge presentation I was working on that week, so I had an immediate way to put it into practice. I have already applied these principles to a couple presentations. Great stuff. Thanks Jesse for creating it. Thanks Michael for sharing it.
Take a look…then use it!
