Connect to others

Connect to others: Social Summer

Connect to others: Social Summer

grillIn the third article in this series, we are going to take all our connections outside. Yes, you have heard this right. Summer is here and the weather is nice. So, just as you like to be outside, so do your friends and neighbors. Beautiful weather is a great opportunity to get to know new people or build on existing relationships. I am sure you are aware of that. So, where does technology come in and why am I writing about this?

To be honest, you might know all this and you might be a master at doing this right. But not everybody is. And Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and many other social networks are great tools to reach out and get to meet others. For instance, I like my barbecue. I am not the ultimate barbecue pit master, but I can do a nice pulled pork, ribs and do some great cooking of other grilled foods. I am usually quite happy with the outcome, which means that it comes easy to me to shoot a quick picture and share it online. The good part comes when that picture hits the net. Very often, it reaches people who live just around the corner. I often get comments saying “I would like a piece of that” or “When can I come over”? Which both are great openers to have people over. Or, if you have a couple in your street, you can say “lets just organize a street party together”. It does not need much preparation, it just needs getting up and doing it.

There are many activities you do every day, that might appeal to others. Or you might have a hobby that others like as well. Why don’t you share that online. Take a quick picture of what you are up to and help it look a bit attractive. If you do, you have a fair chance that people will see it and comment on it. And if you are connected to people outside your church or outside of your organization, this is a great chance to get to know them better. Invite them over and do your thing together. Or go out to the park and do it there. Very few things are as relaxing as heading out to the park with a good group to just hang out, play some games and have some food. Most people are always up to that. And the effect will be there. You will get talking, you will hear stories and you might have a chance to share some of yours. But the most important thing here is to just be there, be yourself and build that relationship. There will be a time when you can share the goals of your organization or your faith. But take it easy. Don’t avoid the subject, but don’t push it either.

About Connect to others
Reaching out to others can be challenging. Which is why Techpastors is running this “connect to others” series. Because we believe that it is easier to share your faith with others, when you get to know each other. Technology gives us a lot of new opportunities to get to know people and to share with people what you are up to. Remember, this is not about sneaking up on people and hitting them over the head with a bible. This is about building a relationship with people based on something that you and them love doing. And that will allow you to show them your personal relationship with Jesus over time.

Connect to others: location check-in apps

Connect to others: location check-in apps

Foursquare-screenshotIn the second article in this series, I would like to take a look at location check-in apps. So, what is a location check-in app and what does it do? These are apps like Foursquare and Facebook’s Places option. They allow you to tell the world where you are and then share that across your social networks. Often they add a gaming element to it. In Foursquare you can become the major of a location, when you are the one that has checked into that location the most. They also run a score list to compare how often you have checked in to the checkin’s of your friends. But for this article, those games are not that important.

So, why on earth would you want to share with the world where you are at any given time? There are a number of reasons why you might want to do that. For me personally, if I check in somewhere, it is because I want others to know that I am available. Some people check into their supermarket and the local railroad crossing (seriously). However, I believe in using location checkins to show that I am at a place where I would be happy to talk to others. So, if you see me check in to a local bar or restaurant, come up and say hi. I appreciate it.
Another reason to check in is that I want you to know I am there. That is why I check into church on Sundays. And I make a point of checking into another church if I am there on that Sunday. It shows people where I am, but it also shows them I attend church, that I am a Christian and that I care about my church. But I also check into my favorite retailers to show that I shop there.

Obviously, checking into church does not reach people as such. But when combined with other checkins and other things you share online, people will get to know that you are a believer and that you take it seriously. And when you check in to your local gym, you might find that a neighbor goes there as well. And that might be a chance to share a ride to the gym and back and get to know each other better. The same goes for other locations. You might have found someones favorite restaurant and you can ask them what they think is the best thing to eat there. Or their favorite beach hangout. The opportunities are endless. Connect to your friends and their friends. Connect to people in your neighborhood and see what you and they like. That is an easy way to start a conversation. Which in turn might start a friendship.

Lets go out and connect! Tell me what your favorite spots are to meet people in the comments and how you would want to meet people there.

About Connect to others
Reaching out to others can be challenging. Which is why Techpastors is running this “connect to others” series. Because we believe that it is easier to share your faith with others, when you get to know each other. Technology gives us a lot of new opportunities to get to know people and to share with people what you are up to. Remember, this is not about sneaking up on people and hitting them over the head with a bible. This is about building a relationship with people based on something that you and them love doing. And that will allow you to show them your personal relationship with Jesus over time.

Connect to others: fitness apps

Connect to others: fitness apps

endomondo-sports-tracker-iphone-android-symbian-blackberry-logo_0Reaching out to others can be challenging. You might find it incredibly easy to talk to others about your hobbies, but when it comes to your faith, you would rather stay silent. Most of the time, this is because we believe that people will judge us when we openly proclaim to follow Jesus or to go to church. In my personal experience, sharing is a lot easier when you get to know each other. Which is why Techpastors will be running a “connect to others” series. In each of the articles, we will look at how you can easily connect to others to get to know them, to enjoy their company and to open up opportunities to talk to people. Remember, this is not about covert ops and then sneaking up on them and hitting them over the head with the bible. This is about growing a community of people doing something that you and they love. It is about being in a comfortable place to not mumble when they ask you about Sunday morning, but to be able to speak up and just say you went to church. Jesus shared with people over meals, during walks and when he met people wherever they were. Apps can help you hang out with people that you might otherwise not have met. It will allow you to build a community around a subject and perhaps that will allow you to share your hearts desires at some point. In this article, we will be looking at fitness apps.

Fitness apps on mobile devices are able to do several things. The reason why they were developed is simple. They help you get fit. They might help you while you run, cycle, kayak, jog, walk, lift weight, do pushups or any other sports. They can track where you are, your speed, your route, your distance and all kinds of averages. And that is great. But there are some sports apps that will allow you to do something else. They allow you to connect to others. For instance, sports apps like Runkeeper, Endomondo or even Teemo will allow you to get fit and do that with your friends. Or with people in your neighborhood.

Lets look at Endomondo for a minute. On the Endomondo website, you can connect to your friends through social networks. But you can also look at the routes that people have plotted in your area. That way you can find people in your area that are running and you can pick the ones that fit your fitness best. You can then connect to the people that have set up these routes and see whether they want to run with you. Easy as that. Send out a message, pick a time and date and start running, cycling, kayaking etc. together.

If you feel a bit uneasy, try to gather a group from your church to back you up and just organize a local 5K run for instance. Set a great route, turn it into an event at Endomondo and invite your friends to join you. If you are trying to get in touch with your local community of runners, please keep the following things in mind:
You might not want to call the run after your church
You might not want to have the run leave from the church and lead to the church
These people come in to sport. If they come to run, talk to them about running, don’t hit them over the head with the bible
This is not a covert op, remember? You are here to do sports together. Enjoy it. Be as competitive as they are. But keep it clean and make that part of your testimony.

And most importantly, have fun. Don’t feel like halfway the run you ought to witness on how you found God. If someone asks during that first run, that is great. But it might not happen. That might take three or eight events. Nevertheless, you are building relationships with others and pray that those will allow others to be touched by God. And not necessarily by you.