Well, I asked my loyal readers/followers/friends what would make youversion.com better and neither of you had a single idea…or you think YouVersion is perfect just the way it is. Actually, Darren tried to leave a comment, but alas, comment part of my blog went belly up; that one’s on me. (By the way, the mission critical parts of the blog are working, but there are some cosmetic things I’m still working through.) I even provided an idea to prime the pump, “Out-Google Google/Youtube; make on-line sermons, (youtube, vimeo, tokbox, podcasts, etc.) searchable and cross-referenced via search terms, Twitter hashtags, etc.” But, I got nothin’ from you, so I guess I’m on my own.
As visionary as my prime-the-pump suggestion was I realized that it’s an awfully selfish suggestion. Ultimately it’s born of a desire to make my life easier. Oh, and it’s also trying to show-off; to show how outside the box I can think…well, maybe not that far outside of the box.
All of my other ideas were self-serving as well: syncing bookmarks between platforms, i.e. Firefox and iPhone; downloadable reading plans; off-line reading; live chat with friends…on and on ad nauseum.
So, here’s an idea that really doesn’t help me at all. It’s what one of my best friends would call a “Kingdom Idea.” And, yeh, I’m intentionally trying to get out of the box.
With that said, I’m offering an open letter to youversion.com; let’s think of it as a challenge. That’s right, I’m throwing down and talkin’ smack! Let’s see what you got, playahs!
My idea starts with a client for the One Laptop Per Child initiative [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/The_OLPC_Wiki] notebook called the “XO”. An open-source Linux client for Sugar should be easy. How about an Adobe Air app for the Microsoft XP “lite” OS that runs some XOs? Another possibility is a Java client. Porting the existing smart phone Java client for youversion over to the XO shouldn’t be too difficult.
Rwanda is getting ready to distribute 100,000 XOs to their children [http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1997940,00.html?xid=rss-mostpopular] and then follow up with a distribution to at least half of their 2.5 million remaining school children. What if each of those had a copy of the Bible, or even just the New Testament, in Kinya-rwanda, French and English on it? That would rock like a hurricane!
Peru and Argentina plan on distributing 260,000 and 60,000 respectively. A Spanish translation on each one? Dude!
I realize there are a ton of “politically incorrect landmines” to this plan of installing Bibles on PCs distributed by governments. I don’t know Mr. Negroponte, chairman of the OLPC idea, personally and I don’t know his spiritual disposition, but there probably will be some substantial hurdles to overcome the “proselytizing” aspect of this.
So, why not develop, build and distribute our own $100 PC? We can call it the “tO!” Get it? The “t” looks like a cross. Oh, well, marketing isn’t my thing.
But really, it can be done. We’ve spent $250 billion in American churches over the last decade or so. We can certainly can poney-up $181 per notebook (yep, that’s what the XO costs) to equip missionaries to build relationships through education and technology. Yeh, I know that there are technophobes who think that technology is inherently evil, but once upon a time the Guttenberg press was cutting edge and look where that got us.
We don’t need to start “over-there”, either. We could start right here with at-risk kids in our cities or on Native American reservations. There’s no shortage of beta-testers.
And, the money is out there, too. I’ve worked a telethon for CBN, c’mon Patty Rob. Or, how about the Salvation Army? They’re still working through that cool $1 billion from the Kroc’s (the brains behind McDonald’s). I know that the Kroc donation is intended for Kroc Centers, but think about each kid that comes to a Kroc Center with their own PC with the youversion app on it. S. Truett Cathy? I’d give up my profit eating Chik-fil-a coupons to free up some funds for this project. I don’t know Mr. Cathy, but I bet he’d be all about this. Hey, Southern Baptists…how about throwing some of your Great Commission Resurgence money behind this?
Yep, the money is there. Besides, God’s plan done God’s way never lacks God’s supply. He owns the cattle on a thousand hillsides. If He needs to raise some capital He can sell some burgers.
Anyway, there’s my idea. Do with it what you like, but please don’t waste it. And, if you need someone to head up this project, then I’m available. Hmmm, I guess this idea was a bit self-serving after all.
Oh, one more idea…how about a cooler mobile app icon? Really, is that brown thing really representative of the most progressive, visionary Christian on-line presence in the world?
We’re having some technical difficulties with the site…duh! That’s why the pictures at the top don’t match at all the menu selections you’re used to. Also, none of the permalinks are working. Can you believe it? Just when I need this site to show my social networking savvy it goes kablooey!
The fine technical people at my hosting service are looking into it. The good news? Just like Jesus, I save. Well, not exactly like Jesus…OK, not at all like Jesus, but still my data is safe.
We’ll return you to your normally schedule RealWords as soon as possible.
*For those of you attempting to help me by adding comments to my post about YouVersion.com, the link for comments isn’t working, either. Please visit my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bassett.joe and leave comments there.
OK, here’s the deal. YouVersion.com (you know, the online Bible thing that all the 20 somethings claim they’re bringing up on their iPhones when the pastor says, “lets’s stand in honor of reading God’s word,” but instead they’re checking Loopt to see where everyone is going for lunch?)…anyway, they’re looking to hire a Zealot; um, someone to work with and recruit partners and to tout the obvious virtues of silicon-based Bible materials over carbon-based ones. Well, that might not be exactly how they would put it, but you get the idea.
I’ve applied for this position. Those of you who know me will probably picture a name plate outside of my office that says, “Joe Bassett – Zealot” and say, “duh.” Well, they’ve asked me to submit several writing samples, one of which is a blog post to the YouVersion Team with “some ideas on how you think YouVersion could be better, offering suggestions and recommendations. So, I thought, “Hey! I’ve gotta blog already and I can use it to demonstrate what a ‘social-media maven’ I am and how much I get the democratic incubator that is the internet!”
Here’s where you come in. Chances are that you followed a link from one of my tweets, or Facebook, Linked-in, etc. posts (see, I’m entirewebs savvy) that asked for help. Please help me write my blog post by leaving comments on how YouVersion could be better…sure, as if (shameless sucking up to YouVersion Team).
Just so that no one can say I didn’t come up with anything on my own I’ll make the first suggestion: “Out-Google Google; make on-line sermons, (youtube, vimeo, tokbox, podcasts, etc.) searchable and cross-referenced via search terms, Twitter hashtags, etc.”
OK, I’ve done my part, now how about helping a brother out? Lines are now open…
Here’s some streaming video from my amateur radio shack. You might catch me checking into an EmComm (emergency communications) net such as SATERN or ARES, a travel and information group or working a contest. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to hear my end, but you will be able to hear transmissions from far off and wonderful places around the globe.
“When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.” John 21:9
If you go back and read this story from the beginning you see that they (the Disciples) had been fishing all night. The picture in my mind is of a few of them hanging out the day before. The sting of Jesus’ crucifixion had been washed away by the surprise and joy of seeing Him while they were hiding from the Jewish leaders (see 20:19); now they’re basking in the glow of knowing the risen Savior. It must have felt something like the soldiers who had just survived Bastogne or the 1980 US Olympic Hockey team-mates who had just won the impossible victory. Just a short time earlier they were cowering behind locked doors trembling with the fear of uncertainty. They had invested everything to be a part of a new kingdom; watched it all vanish on a cross; then watched with incredulity as the object of their affection revealed Himself.
So, at the end of what must have been a very good day I picture them sitting around a fire spinning yarns and memories of the previous three years. I imagine there was a lot of laughter; the kind of laughter that brings a tear to your eyes; laughter that is relaxed and content with life.
Eventually the laughter gives way to quiet reflection; a silence that comes with serenity and peace as each mind relaxes in its own pleasant recollection of moments passed. Each of the disciples gazes with gratification at the flickering coals of the fire. Each face is framed in the warm glow of the fading embers.
One of them, Peter, says, “Ya, know…the last three years has been a blast, and I wouldn’t trade a moment of it, but I really miss what I used to do…fishing. I think I’m gonna go drown some worms.” (Yes, I know that there are a ton of problems with the hermeneutics and exegesis of my paraphrase, but just work with me.)
Anyway, some of the others say, “Hey, that sounds nice. We’ll come with ya’.”
And, being fisherman they fish, all night. They catch…nothing. “Well, I guess the good times are over,” they must have thought to themselves.
Then some “yahoo” walking along the shore suggests throwing the nets out of the other side of the boat. It must have seemed like a joke, and I sense that it was with a certain amount of sarcasm that they gave it a try.
It’s at this moment, as the nets start to rip, that Peter’s head must have snapped around to look again at the shore. I suspect that what He saw was a familiar silhouette crouched over a fire coaxing the embers from the previous night’s fire back to flame. I suspect that in the profile of that silhouette Peter saw a wry smile. I imagine a playful twinkle in Jesus’ eye as He thought, “That’s my boy, The Rock. A little slow on the uptake, but quick to action once he catches on.”
And, as if on cue, Peter jumps out of the boat and rushes to shore. The others’ follow in short order and this is where I think the fun really starts.
Jesus had just delivered fish into their nets beyond any of the Disciples own efforts. He blessed them beyond measure. That would have been enough, don’t you think? But, that’s not how the Savior rolls. The Disciples are dead tired from riding an emotional rollercoaster, being awake all night and then dragging nets bulging with fish to shore. They probably figured that it was good enough that they had been blessed with a good catch. Cooking their own breakfast would just be part of the routine.
But, really, Jesus doesn’t do just enough. He doesn’t just meet our need, He supersedes it. He provides for it before we have a clue that we have a need. It’s like He was saying, “you thought you needed raw fish, but what you really need is some cooked fish… and some bread, too.” Also, I don’t think it’s a stretch to assume that Jesus has some skills with the spatula and frying pan. It’s unlikely that He had simply slapped some mayonnaise and Chicken of the Sea onto some Wonderbread. No, it’s easy to imagine some macadamia crusted orange roughy with a citrus infused horseradish sauce served with lightly toasted artisan bread rubbed with roasted garlic.
Then He really gets to the point, “Hey, bring some of your fish, too.” Did He really need them to bring some of the fish that they had just caught? No, I’m quite certain that He was more than capable of feeding all of them. Jesus’ point is that it’s more fun when we all get to share what we have. Yeh, He provided the fish that He asked them to bring, but that’s His point. It would be enough that He gives us stuff. It would be enough for Him to provide even after His provision.
What Jesus does that “floors” me is that He wants me to know what it’s like to bless others. He blesses me so that I can bless others. And, not just so that the “other” can be blessed, but so that I can get to experience just a small bit of what it’s like to be a “blesser”.
…blessing me to be a blessing. That’s just the way Jesus rolls.
