Tag: FREE

13 great starter apps for Android

After more than two years with a BlackBerry in my pocket, I’ve made the switch to an Android phone last month.

I’ve been eying Android since it was released and after my BlackBerry took a nose dive a good friend gave me his used TMobile G1 (aka HTC Dream) — which is great since I’ve also been avoiding a full touchscreen phone and this one is touchscreen + a physical keyboard.

It took about a week but we were able to unlock the phone from TMobile (for FREE) and I’ve been using it on AT&T ever since.

And no doubt about it — I’m loving Android.
Continue reading 13 great starter apps for Android

redemption stories – FREE e-book

redemption stories e-book

over at the podcast, we’ve just released a FREE e-book, redemption stories.

(I say “we” but Stewart did most of the hard work in bringing it all together and doing the layout.)

The e-book includes stories, pictures and verse, but all of them tell a story — a redemption story.

We received great input from Adele Sakler, Ben & Joy Thomas, Laura Bridge, Jason Duke, Adam Howie, Christine McIntosh, Trent Yaconelli, Emma Boyd, Angus S. Mathie, Paula Spur, Avril Cutler, Emma Boyd and Rob Griggs-Taylor.

Every submission was wonderful but these few paragraphs from Ben Thomas really grab me…

John Wesley said, “catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn”. This reminds me of Jim and Patty. Ten years ago, their neighbors wanted their boat. Today, they are a inspiration to hundreds of others in our community of what God can do when you allow Him unrestricted access to your life and resources. Our lives may become less predictable, but as our desires slowly start melting away and blending into God’s desires, our hearts become oddly comforted by the uncomfortable.

I think being a fixer means being okay with these messy, imperfect situations. Doctors mustn’t be squeamish, mechanics mustn’t be afraid to get oil on their pants. Being fixers with Jesus means we’ll encounter questions we can’t fully answer and pain that can’t be explained away by pat answers and bumper stickers. Often, the fix is simply our presence, reassuring the broken world around us that “no, God has not forgotten about you”.

Its hard-wired in us all to fix something. If you want a neat and tidy situation to fix, you should probably stick to fixing up your kitchen. If you’re up for something a bit more adventurous and long lasting, consider following this Jesus character, who invites us into a Fixers’ Collective called the Kingdom of God, where we’re invited to enter into the broken mess and tell a story about a God who loves the unloveable, reassuring them that “it’s okay” because “you’ll get better soon”.

I hope you’ll take some time to download the book, read it, chew on it and then share it with friends.

Thanks again to everyone who took part!

Free copy of St. Peter’s Brewery

Still waiting to get a copy of St. Peter’s Brewery? Not sure you want to fork over $15 for a hard copy? Understood!

Since it’s my birthday today — and it’s far better to give than to receive — I’m sending out a PDF copy of the book to all the subscribers of my e-mail newsletter (The Insurgency of Love)!

Of course, once you read the book in PDF format, I’m sure you’ll want to buy your own hard copy, as well as copies for all your friends… 🙂

But until then, simply sign up for my e-mail newsletter and you’ll get a copy of the book e-mailed to you first thing tomorrow morning.

It’s as easy as that!

Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy both the book and the newsletter.

What is the Insurgency of Love?

The Insurgency of Love is a monthly (sometimes twice monthly) e-mail newsletter hoping to
A.) Give real examples and ideas of how we can all be Insurgents of Love (i.e. your stories!)
B.) Give some added insight/updates into some of the projects I’m involved in.

Subscribe now.

Notes from #thenines

#thenines logo

Tomorrow I’ll be sharing another video from #thenines — from author Sky Jethani.

Pure greatness! Be sure and look for it and watch it. It’s worth all nine minutes.

But in the meantime, I thought I’d share my notes from the event — in their raw form.

I thought about cleaning them up some but instead, I just made a quick PDF and decided to share them as-is, with no warranties or guarantees implied.

Download the notes (PDF)

View my Twitter stream from the event.

Helping those in need – for FREE

homeless

I think its safe to say that we’d all like to be able to help a friend in need. It’s probably even safe to say that many of us would be willing to help a stranger if it didn’t take too much out of our own wallet or time or energy.

I personally wish I was less selfish myself and more giving — even when it stretches my wallet or time.

But perhaps we can all re-think a corporation’s generosity (aka marketing) to help those who are hurting and in need.

This week @sgalloway re-tweeted an idea that while many were jumping on Oprah’s FREE KFC coupon offer for themselves — perhaps the better idea would be to print out the coupons and give some free food to the homeless or others in need. (unfortunately you can no longer print off the coupons – but if you’ve printed the coupons off – they’re still good for a week or so.)

I had ignored the e-mails I had seen up until that point, but after seeing the idea, I quickly jumped on it and printed out my 4 coupons to buy a meal for someone else.

Today I saw another freebie from Sonic :: FREE CroisSONICâ„¢ Breakfast Sandwich with purchase of a large drink.

I’m not sure what the normal price of this CroisSonic is but I’d bet you’re saving $3-$4 with the coupon.

So you buy a drink for yourself and get a FREE breakfast sandwich to give to someone in need. Or better yet, spend a buck or two and get a sandwich and a drink for someone else in need.

I bet there are promotions like this popping up all over the place. Perhaps we can re-think these promotions and rather than scoring a great deal for ourselves – we can better help someone else in need.

What promotions have you seen recently? Anyone else put this into practice?

Photo from strandloper

WIN :: For Couples Only

I received a copy of the new For Couples Only Box set just before setting out on our cruise. Waterbrook Press has been gracious to send me the books to give to one lucky reader of my blog. The newly released box set includes a copy of For Men Only and For Women Only by Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn.

Laurie and I’ve read both books and I think we’d both say they’ve been super helpful. Brian also uses them a lot in his marriage counseling.

These aren’t the “how-to” or DIY type of dating books. Like the other books in the series, the books are really about debunking the common misconceptions guys (including myself) and women have about that “mysterious other sex.”

Something I found helpful while reviewing For Young Men Only (another book in the series) was to simply ask Laurie about the things the Feldhahn’s reported in the book.

Because after all, no two women (or men) are exactly alike. Even if the Feldhahn’s surveys reported one thing, it was helpful to talk with Laurie about it to see exactly how she felt about the question/scenario. Sometimes she agreed with the majority, sometimes she didn’t and sometimes her response was a mixture of the two.

And of course this would make a great set for you and your spouse — especially just in time for Valentines Day (keep reading to find out how you can win a copy).

I mean really, what better way to tell your spouse you love them, than by telling them that you’re committed to learning more about them and sharing more about yourself? And not only that – but proving it by following up and using the books as some great conversation starters.

Diamonds-smymonds. Chocolate-bocolate.

Pass on the typical Valentines Day gifts and spend some time with your spouse over the next month or so really getting to know one another and I think you’ll see which one is the better investment.

For Couples Only Box Set:

Since their debut, these revolutionary guides have sold well over a million copies, been translated into fifteen languages, and sparked much fascinating water-cooler conversation around the country. Now together in the For Couples Only boxed set, these books provide the perfect resource to help you understand what you never knew about the woman or man in your life.

Each volume is based on input from more than a thousand members of the opposite sex—including an unprecedented nationwide survey and hundreds of personal interviews. This innovative approach yields candid and surprising answers about everything you don’t “get” about your significant other—even what that person deeply wishes you knew. It also produces simple but groundbreaking awareness of how you can best love and support the one who is most important to you.

So whether you are newly dating or have been married fifty years, get ready to know each other in a whole new way. The adventure is just beginning!

Author Bio:

Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn hold graduate degrees from Harvard University and are popular national speakers, authors, and entrepreneurs. They are also active church members and the parents of two young children, and they enjoy every minute of living life at warp speed.

How to enter/win:

Of course, if you really want to be the star this Valentines Day, go out and pick up a copy of the book for your Valentines sweet right now (you can even order it on Amazon via the link above). But as a way of saying thanks to folks who read this blog, follow me on Twitter and/or listen to the something beautiful podcast, I’ll pick a random person on Friday, Feb. 13th to send a copy of the box set to. Yes, Friday the 13th could actually turn out to be your lucky day.

To enter, simply tell the world via Twitter why your spouse is the best of the best. And just to be sure that I can track your entry, be sure and add #SSLwin as a hashtag at the end of your Tweet. If you don’t use the hashtag – I won’t find your “entry.”

If you’re not on Twitter, you should be, but I’ll also accept your entry if you post your comment below.

Finally, if you want to be extra certain I see your Twitter message, feel free to copy the message and the url link to your Tweet into the comments below.

I think that does it! If you have any questions about the contest let me know. And good luck!