Home Archive by category "iPhone"

Category: iPhone

Write It… And Toss It

Saw this Calvin and Hobbes and it reminded me of some GREAT advice my dad once gave me… but first, enjoy the cartoon: Ever gotten so upset about something you sat down and HACKED OUT A LETTER? I have! There were many a letter I wrote that after showing to my dad for his input, he quietly read and then said, “It’s a great letter! Well written! Excellent points! Well organized and presented! Perfect arguments. Now throw it out.” Throw it out?! How could he compliment it so highly, and then tell me to throw my masterpiece out? He was helping me not make a bad situation worse since my letter would only pour gasoline on the fire. So was my letter a waste of time? No! My dad explained that “hot letters” are still good to write because they help you organize your thoughts… process your emotions and sort out the details of what happened. Then, after you toss your flaming masterpiece,  you’ll be better prepared to write the more diplomatic letter that will get results. OR, better yet, pick up the phone if you can’t meet in person. E-mail and text messages have kinda ruined the pace of…

Continue reading

Your iPhone’s SECRET Button!

Did you know your iPhone has a SECRET BUTTON? That cool logo on the back, you thought that was just a logo, eh? It is actually a SECRET BUTTON that you can use to do tasks that otherwise would take more time or more fingers to do! It’s so cool I just had to share it. How would like to just double-tap the back of your phone with your finger to activate Siri? Or take a screen shot? Maybe quickly lock your screen or even find your keys? Well, if you have iOS14 installed, you can! Here is how to do it: 1. GO TO SETTINGS 2. GO TO ACCESSIBILITY 3.  GO TO TOUCH 4.  SCROLL DOWN TO “BACK TAP” 5.  CHOOSE WHICH YOU WANT TO SET, Double Tap or Triple Tap. These are the only two options. Unfortunately, there is no option for 8 or 17 taps! 6.  THEN CHOOSE WHAT YOUR DOUBLE-TAP OR TRIPLE-TAP WILL DO! I choose Siri for Double Tap and Screen Shot for Triple Tap since those are two commands I use a lot! HAVE FUN! Let me know if it worked for you, and what commands you chose for your SECRET BUTTON on the…

Continue reading

Connecting Digitally with Your Kids

For Father’s Day my son cracked me up when he wrote in my card, “I love you more than the games on my ipad! :)” So touching. But the reality is, my son is growing up in an age where he plays on an ipad as much as he does with physical toys and games. I’m delighted that Lego still captures his imagination as much as Minecraft, and that he’d still rather play outside than on his X-box, but at the same time I have a love-hate relationship with iPad games. There are times I wish he didn’t have one – but I also realize that touch-tablet technology is the world he is growing up in. While he can use the family iMac with ease, it is very likely that by the time he is a teenager, the computers we use will be the technological dinosaurs of a past age. I enjoyed growing up using the very first personal computers and leaping on each advancement as they came out. Even waiting in line for a new Apple OS to be released instead of the free downloads of today. But this ‘Old Dog’ has to recognize that both the reality of…

Continue reading

Check-in Without Lines?

Imagine computer check-in without computers! Imagine secure check-in without lines. Sound impossible? Not any more. Thanks to the always innovating geniuses at KidCheck, secure check-in is getting even easier. As you can tell by the related links below, I’ve been an avid supporter and promoter of KidCheck for years. I love how they are always innovating to make child security easier and more effective each year. While other systems provide the basics – KidCheck continues to add features and benefits that not only provide a pick-up label, but improve communication between parents, volunteers, and leaders. AND NOW… (wait for it) … They have introduced Express Check-in. That means parents can check-in on their smart phone in the parking lot or while walking it, come to your check-in area, hit “PRINT” and be on their way to dropping off their kiddos without every standing in line or typing into a computer. Learn all about KidCheck Express Check-in Here. As I mentioned on my podcast today, the safety of kids is of the utmost importance to parents. When you have a secure check-in area, you score points with parents who want to have the peace of mind that their child is not…

Continue reading

Making Lessons Relational with Green Screen

Kids learn best when there is a personal connection with those tho teach them. (So do adults, for that matter. It’s no mystery why the #1 reason people leave a church is that they don’t like the pastor.) If we don’t connect with our kids relationally, we reduce our impact. There are lots of way to be a relational teacher. The Kidology Handbook is the book on the topic, but there are many fun ways to do it as well, by personalizing the little things you do every week. Next week we conclude our Armor of God Series – it’s been a LOT of fun. The kids have really enjoyed our Roman Soldier we’ve been bringing through time to learn. (Watch videos of these lessons here.) The kids really enjoy Micah – he is a nut – and willing to do anything to engage the hearts and minds of our kids. (See Capturing Kids Imagination When You Teach.) So when I needed to create an activity for small groups next week, I decided to incorporate Micah into the activity. During the first week of this series, Micah showed up at church in his pajamas – and we ended up talking about…

Continue reading