* * T H E  P R E A C H E R ' S  S T U D Y  E Z I N E * *
"Energize Your Preaching!"
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http://preacherstudy.com
First Tuesday of August, 2000

Subscribe free on the web at:
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Published on the first and third Tuesday of each month.

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Editor's note: The material in this Ezine is copyrighted. Reprint by author's permission only. You may forward it in its entirety to friends and associates. Please do not cut the articles out and paste them into other documents or publications.
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IN THIS ISSUE:

[1] Greetings from the editor

[2] Featured Article: MINISTRY IN YOUR POCKET: Part 2 (final)

[3] Preacher’s Study Website Updates

[4] Contact Info

[5] Subscribe to this Ezine

[6] Copyright Info

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[1] *=*Greetings from the Editor

Greetings everyone. A special welcome to new subscribers.

For many of us, the summer months mean camps, retreats, and special gatherings, in addition to the regular load.

My hope and prayer is that God will give you much fruit in all your endeavors, along with the zeal and consistency necessary to complete your course for Him.

In this issue I'll finish what I started in the last edition, that is, brief you (from my perspective) on the usefulness of the handheld  computer, as it relates to the preaching ministry. Keep in mind that this isn't a techno-journal, and I claim no extensive knowledge of computers, so the info I pass on should be viewed through a thick lens of grace, understanding, and compassion. Thanks.

God bless.

Dave Redick

[2] *=*Featured Article

MINISTRY IN YOUR POCKET: Part 2 (final)

(Attention: If URLs below "wrap," they won't work by clicking. You must cut and paste them, in their entirety, into your browser.)

In the last issue, I brought to your attention the usefulness of the (relatively) new handheld or "palm top" computers in ministry. I spoke specifically of the model I use, the Handspring Visor Deluxe with 16 megs of RAM (since it is the only one I've had any experience with.) I left you with some URLs for additional exploring on your own. You may view the last issue by going to:

http://preacherstudy.com/ezine20.htm

In this edition I want to share some of the applications I have found so far that make this a useful ministry machine. I'll deal here with add-ons, additional freeware, shareware, and commercial programs that can enhance the Visor's (or other Palm OS machine)usefulness. Thus I'll not discuss the standard, onboard apps like Address, Datebook, Memo Pad, and To Do List. I would love to hear and learn from your experiences with these machines and how they relate to the preaching ministry. Drop me a line at:

editor@preacherstudy.com

**Where's That Passage?

The most useful application I have found for my Visor to date is the completely searchable "My Bible" program. I use the New American Standard Version. Though I'm still quite "paper" oriented, I'm finding more and more that, when I need just a quick look-up in a one-on-one setting, or need to consult some passage myself, I reach for the Visor. I mentioned Laridian Software, publishers of "My Bible" last time. Their program is excellent and they have several English translations available including:

King James Version (KJV)
New American Standard Bible (NASB - 95 edition)
New International Version (NIV)
New King James Version (NKJV)
New Living Translation (NLT)
Revised Standard Version (RSV)

The basic engine for "My Bible" costs $10.00. Each translation runs from $19:99 to $29.99. They offer a free trial version for downloading.

If this were the only thing on my Visor, I would still consider it a worthwhile investment.

You'll find the Laridian website at:

http://www.laridian.com

**Get that Note, Before it Gets Away!

o "Can you come to our house next Thursday for dinner?"

o "What was your phone number again?"

o "That website was www.what?"

Quick notes for me have been yellow for a long time. I refer to the ubiquitous "sticky-note" type sheets that adhere to my computer, desk, wallet, pocket, windows, front door, refrigerator, etc. Quick. Tidy. Efficient. Who could ever improve on the humble sticky note? Palm programmer Mitch Blevins has, in my opinion, topped the sticky-note. I refer to his freeware program, Diddlebug. It's sticky notes with an alarm - or maybe sticky notes in a searchable binder. There are at least two drawbacks with paper sticky-notes. First, they must be placed in a noticeable spot or you'll forget them. Second, they have a nasty habit of getting lost or unintentionally thrown away. (I used to dread sneezing in front of my computer because it set off a yellow blizzard.) Mitch's Diddlebug is always there with you. Just whip out your palm top, punch the Diddlebug icon, and write on the screen with your stylus in your own personal scrawl. There it is, and you won't lose it unless you lose your palm or your batteries go dead. Click the "alarm" button and set a reminder and you won't forget it. Or, when things settle down for you, just transfer the hand written notes to a more permanent spot on the machine and delete the corresponding diddle, er, note. Diddlebug is FREEWARE. For a closer look, or to download it yourself, go to:


http://palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?
sid=77249320000727094252&prodID=3457

**Sermon in Your Palm

I produce all of my sermons (and most other documents) using Microsoft Word 97. Nearly every document I have is in Word's native format. Some of these items would be handy to have with me on the Visor, but getting them there can be a hassle. You must convert them to an ASCII text file (losing most of the formatting in the process) then use a special program to convert them to the native format of the Palm OS. Documents to Go, a program produced by DataViz, removes the hassle. Just drag and drop any MS Word document into the Documents to Go window and it is automatically converted to the format recognized by the handheld the next time you hotsync. It maintains formatting like Bold, Italic, etc. It preserves tables. Excel spreadsheet documents can also be converted. These cannot be edited once they are on the Visor, but every time you edit one of them on your desktop computer, it will be automatically updated on the handheld the next time you hotsync. I've been reading the book of Jeremiah for personal enrichment recently. Using Docs to Go, I placed an outline, synopsis of the book, and historical context document on the Visor for reference when I read. I also have several sermons written by others on the Visor, awaiting my attention in a spare moment. One's imagination is the only limit here, since you can carry with you any document you have in Word or Excel format. Its a little steeper in price than most programs written for the Palm OS ($39.00) but it's so close to all I do, I felt it worth the money. The Docs to Go home page is at:

http://www.dataviz.com

Or, you'll find a good review at:

http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200007/docs2go001.html

**I Once Was Lost, but Now I'm Found

A freeware program called Mapopolis promises to be a help when I get lost or need the location of some street I've never heard of. (I say it promises to be because I haven't been lost lately, so as to try it.) It comes with a basic engine and downloadable maps for every county in the USA. Enter the name of a street and if you have the proper county map loaded on your handheld, it will appear on the screen. You can then zoom in or out, seeing cross streets and some landmarks. A couple of weeks ago I headed for Portland, Oregon. Just before leaving I hotsynced one of the three county maps onto my visor that contained the area of the city I was going to be in. I ended up disappointed, though. I never got lost, so I couldn't test my program! The web address for Mapopolis is:

http://www.mapopolis.com

**Yes Sir. It's a Red Ford Ranger Pickup. Have Your Seen It...?

Ever lost your car in a parking garage? It has only happened to me once, but it wasn't much fun. On my way to see a critical care patient in the hospital, I parked, got out, and jumped on the elevator. An hour later I realized that I hadn't noted the level on which I had parked. What an absent-minded embarrassment! Next time I'm prepared with Parker, a little freeware program that helps you keep track of your faithful auto so you won't have to spend the night at the parking garage. (Yes, you can write the garage level and position on the palm of your hand with an ink pen, but this is more fun.) You'll find it at:

http://www.palmgear.com/handspring/product.cfm?prodID=8049&SID=

**For One Million Dollars, Can You Give Me the Definition of...?

I love words. I love to use and shape and craft them. I use a dictionary many times during a typical week. Carrying around even a paperback dictionary is bulky. Paper bulk is not a problem with the freeware dictionary for the Palm OS called "Noah Lite." It's a big program, a little over five megs, so need a lot of RAM on your machine. Noah contains definitions of 122,679 words. It's handy, searchable, and quick. The only drawback is that it lacks pronunciations and etymologies, but then I guess you can't get a fully unabridged dictionary on a palm machine without adding a hundred megs of RAM! I now use a dictionary even more, because it's right there in my pocket. Besides the free version, there is a "Pro" version of Noah Lite that you can purchase, or you can just stick with the Lite version, which I have done so far. If you have space, download it for yourself at:

http://www.arslexis.com

**For One Million Dollars, Can Your Give Me a Synonym for...?"

While you're taking a look at the Noah Lite dictionary at the above website, consider downloading their thesaurus, called ArsLexus. Based on Roget's Thesaurus, it's only $10.00, and it works very well. I use mine often.

http://www.arslexis.com

If you’re a serious thesaurus user, you might want to read a comparison between several available products at:

http://www.palmguru.com/reviews/review70700.php

**A Shopping Machine and More...

At first you might wonder why I would mention a program called "Handy Shopper" to a bunch of ministers, especially when it is just that - a program that organizes your trips to the various markets and stores you frequent. Well, preacher's shop too, if even once a year for new neckties and books. This program will help organize shopping for anything, including price comparisons and keeping track of what isle you found a certain item on. Keep your wish list of books on this program. Then when your Great Aunt Matilda gives you $25 for your birthday, you'll remember what it was you've been wanting for the last six months. You can keep your impulse buy items here, too. Whenever you see something you think you can't live without, put it into Handy Shopper on an "Impulse" list you create and date it. The rule is that you can't buy anything on this list for three weeks. When the three weeks is up, if you still can't live without it, and can afford it, go get it. But I'm really not talking about shopping. Handy Shopper is just a list organizer with filters. You can use it in your ministry even if someone else does all the shopping. Let's say your congregation is divided up into manageable shepherding groups and you have one you are responsible for. Put their names into Handy Shopper, under a "Store" named "My Group" or whatever. When you have a little time to visit someone, look at this list and click on a couple of the names. This will move them from the "All" list to the "Need" list. Then go visit each one you have chosen. Once you are done, check off each name and it will be moved back to the "All" list. It keeps each individual need before your eyes for consideration. No one falls through the cracks.

There are other possible ministry applications for this program, including perhaps, planning your year of preaching, though I'm still working on the details of that one. If you come up with a good application, write me. In the meantime, get Handy Shopper for free at:

http://www.handango.com/palm-software-product.shtml?
sectionId=0&productId=472&catalog=1&homePath=HANDANGO