A greeting and a hug of gratitude!


Gracias por haber estado con nosotros en los proyectos de este año.
El 2010 fue productivo, retador, edificante! 
El 2011 nos deparara más proyectos nuevos, ahora en la apertura 
de nuestra operación comercial en Maryland EEUU.
Ahora con un sitio web renovado, seguiremos poniendo nuestro empeño y talento en hacer que sus seguidores y clientes estén bien informados, activos y comprometidos con Su misión. Nuestras fuerzas están renovadas para seguir aportando un granito de oro y para seguir haciendo que las cosas pasen!

¡Un saludo y abrazo de gratitud!

ANDRES HENAO
www.GospelMarketing.org

http://www.gospelmarketing.blogspot.com/
http://www.andresfelipehenao.blogspot.com/
Skype: andres_henao

Our wishes for this Christmas are...

Thank you for being with us in the draft this year.
The year 2010 was productive, challenging, uplifting!
The 2011 will bring more new projects, now at the opening of our 
U.S. commercial operations in Maryland.

Now with a revamped website, we will continue our efforts and talent to make your fans and customers are well informed, active and committed to your mission. Our forces are renewed to continue to provide a grain of gold and to keep making things happen!

A greeting and a hug of gratitude!

Curso de Entrenamiento en Israel: El Empresarismo– Un Medio de Empoderamiento para las Mujeres

Hola buen dia y felices fiestas:
(Esta informacion es util para ustedes, sus colegas y sus estudiantes)...
Curso de Entrenamiento en Israel:
Este curso-taller tiene por objetivo capacitar a profesionales que asuman el papel
de "facilitadores empresariales" que estimulen y preparen a mujeres hacia la
 independencia económica, mediante la formación de micro y pequeñas empresas.

Fechas del Curso: 7 al 24 de marzo de 2011
Instituto: Centro Internacional de Capacitación Golda Meir Monte Carmel
Idioma: Español
La Beca Incluye: Alojamiento, alimentación, capacitación y visitas turísticas
No incluye: Tiquetes Aéreos

El curso/taller está diseñado para 26 a 30 participantes, representantes de
instituciones gubernamentales y organismos de apoyo a PYMEs, ONGs dedicadas al
avance de la mujer, asociaciones de mujeres empresarias en pequeña escala.
Se requieren estudios universitarios o equivalentes en economía, administración
de empresas, planificación regional, la gestión industrial, trabajo social u
otros títulos afines al tema del taller. Experiencia mínima: 5 años.

Las personas que tengan el perfil para este programa y estén interesados en
participar en la convocatoria, favor enviar el formulario descargable (ver abajo)
 y la documentación allí solicitada, a la embajada de Israel en su país, a mas
tardar el 29 de diciembre de 2010.


Nota: También pueden aplicar personas del género masculino.

Gaming for God

One reason for the mobile phone's popularity worldwide has been the addition of games onto the phone.  When someone has a few free moments they can always pull out the phone and whittle the time away playing Tetris, Angry Birds, etc.. 
In social media like Facebook we’ve seen the amazing popularity of Farmville and Mafia Wars.  The combination of mobile, social media and gaming is now being "monetized" by companies like Foursquare so that you game and socialize your way into parting with your hard earned money at stores they contract with. This gaming trend isn’t all bad, though. Some people, like Seth Priebatsch, believe that the combination of social media and games can be a powerful force for good (seen in this TED video presentation).

 One growing voice on the potential of games for positive impact is the embattled field of journalism. The news media has begun growing in awareness of the power of games to communicate the news in a fuller way while also fostering deeper interactions between them and their audience.  In a recent article in the Atlantic profesor Ian Bogost or Georgia Tech shared about the concept of digital "newsgames". 

Dr. Bogost described several genres of newsgames:
 1) Editorial Games- games that replace the editorial or comic strip and seek to persuade the player to adopt a certain position (he illustrates this using September 12th, a game created to address the "war on terror").  
 2) Current Events Games- these games help the player to interact in a more detailed way with a current event which then allows them to understand more fully the dynamics that have created the event.  An example of this was Wired's reporting on the Somali pirate crisis.  Wired included a free game Cutthroat Capitalism in which the player acted out the part of the pirate.  Playing the game helped Wired's audience to more fully understand the economic realities faced by Somalis and the draw that piracy had for them.  
 3) Infographic Games- these allow the player to interact with information in a visual format.  Depending on how the player moves different information is exposed, expanded upon, etc. in a visual, rather than textual, way (Cutthroat Capitalism also uses the infographic game paradigm).
 4) Documentary Games- "titles that engage broader historical and current events in a manner similar to documentary photography, cinema, and investigative reporting. Usually larger in scale and scope, these games offer experiences of newsworthy events, something impossible to capture in print or broadcast news. In the case of past events, they recreate times, spaces, and systems that one can otherwise only understand from archival film footage or imagination."
 5) Puzzle Games- games which require the reader to either discover the answer or get quizzed on a subject
 6) Literacy Games- games which can train journalists in the skills of their trade
 7) Community games- games which can create, nurture or direct community

Dr. Bogost goes on to imagine how newsgames could be used to transform the news:

what if a news organization released a documentary game "yearbook" about
the changes in a local community? What if Yoshi the dinosaur from Super
Mario World needed health care, and he had to buy insurance at the going
rates? What if the dynamics of New York City racketeering laws could be
operationalized in Grand Theft Auto?

These possibilities suggest how journalists might think about what they do in
new ways, instead of simply translating old media for digital distribution

In closing, Dr. Bogost says "Newsgames are not a charmed salve that will cure the ills of news organizations overnight. But they do represent a real and viable opportunity to help citizens form beliefs and make decisions."

Can we step back and imagine how games might help the unreached form a new mindset about the Lord Jesus Christ?  How they could assist in their making decisions to follow Him?  Mobiles can provide the screen but here’s a way to take mobile content to a whole new level! Don’t think this is just pie in the sky ideas- this is not a pipe dream as you can see in this two minute ABC World News video webcast showing how educators in India are using games on mobiles to teach English to children there.

Take a few minutes to go down the list of games types Dr. Bogost described and imagine games that could be developed which might bring the good news to the unreached, develop church pastors, disciple new believers, teach the Bible to children, etc. etc.!  Perhaps you could even go and play one of the games mentioned above just to see what the experience is like as you think the possibilities through.

Please don't keep your ideas to yourself- share them via the comment tab or Forum and let’s work together to see if we can't move even just one of these from concept to reality!!!


Further Resources:
Newsgames Blog at Georgia Tech
http://jag.lcc.gatech.edu/blog/
  
Book: Newsgames- Journalism at Play (Ian Bogost)
http://www.amazon.com/Newsgames-Journalism-Play-Ian-Bogost/dp/0262014874

Open Learning's List of the Top 100 Learning Game Web Resources
http://www.upsidelearning.com/blog/index.php/2009/06/24/top-100-learning-game-resources/

Mobile and Immersive Learning for Literacy in Emerging Economies (mobile game learning in India)

http://www.millee.org/          
Research Papers:
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mattkam/publications/CHI2009.pdf
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mattkam/publications/DIS2008.pdf
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mattkam/publications/CHI2010a.pdf
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mattkam/publications/CHI2010b.pdf

Mobile Advance is a ministry of WEC International

9-bloggers-im-thankful-for

Continuing our theme of gratitude in the run up to holydays, I'd like to express my gratitude to 9 bloggers I'm thankful for.  9  people whose blogs I recommend you read if you don't already.
  • Michael Hyatt – Thanks for being a great example as CEO, blogger, and social media .  I aspire to lead people within my company and influence those outside of it the way you do.
  • Steve Fogg – Thanks for your passion for church communications and for raising the bar through your blog.
  • Tim Schraeder – Thanks for all you do to help other church communicators through your blog, Outspoken, Cultivate, and more.
  • Mike Ellis – Thanks for pushing the envelope and challenging me and others to love people that most tend to ignore – the poor, homeless, alcoholics, people who have messed up, people who think different that I do.
  • Brandon Cox – Thanks for being a pastor of pastors.  And thanks for being an exceptional example and advocate for pastors leading through blogging and social media.
  • John Saddington – Thanks for raising the bar in the church/tech niche of the blogosphere.  I learn a ton from you and am a better blogger because of your blogging.
  • Dan King – Thanks for working with me on the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog, for the awesome job you did tweeting from Haiti, and for all you do with The High Calling.
  • Phill Gibb – Thanks for engaging with me on Christian Web Trends and in social media.  You've been one of the most frequent commenters and retweets for a long time, and have contributed a lot of insight here over the years.
  • Ron Edmonson – Thanks for heart you have for developing leaders and for the way you challenge and encourage leaders through your blog.
Of course, there are lots of other bloggers who I appreciate but just don't have the space to thank here.
What bloggers are you thankful for?
http://gospelmarketing.blogspot.com/2010/11/changing-paradigms.html
http://blog.ourchurch.com/2010/11/16/9-bloggers-im-thankful-for/

The impact of Facebook on The Church

The impact of Facebook is far reaching, even surpassing the developers expectations, it has infiltrated the social media scene like a storm. When Facebook launched in 2004 it was strictly for college students to connect with each other and share information with friends. Facebook went public, but hardly anyone knew about it and it was... 

About the author of this post: http://www.inspiks.com/
"I am a Graphic Designer from Miami and I love experimenting with design concepts and applications. I believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and He inspires the work that I do, View my Portfolio"


Facebook went public, but hardly anyone knew about it and it was competing heavily with other social networks like Myspace, today many people are connecting and meeting up with friends and family. Businesses are now using Facebook as a means to increase exposure with target advertising, increase traffic to their websites and develop credibility between customers and their brands.
So how has Facebook impacted the Church? First we must clarify what “the Church” is. Most people understand the Church as a building but, the word “Church” comes from the Greek word ekklesia which is defined as “an assembly” or “called-out ones.” The root meaning of “Church” is not that of a building, but of people, basically the community of God’s people.
Facebook has impacted the Church in many positive ways, not only is it effective, but the fact that so many people are already using it, gives the Church a great opportunity to spread the Gospel. Many Church’s have caught on to the idea of making a Facebook page, this enables them to have a main contact point for their congregation to share news, photos, send invitations and be more visible.
Some Christians use Facebook as a place to spread the Word of God, by sharing Bible verses, having online Bible studies, ministry fan pages, sharing articles and getting to know other people around the world. See this interesting article by Frank Chipperino “10 Reasons Your Church Should be On Facebook”.
In a culture where our virtual and real lives overlap constantly, It’s great to have a place to connect with people and share the Gospel of Christ. In a 2007 article by Church Marketing Sucks, Kevin D. Hendricks asked the question “Where’s the Church on Facebook?“. He had the insight to encourage Christians to test out Facebook.
“With any new tech development it’s always a question of whether it’s going to live up to the hype. This may very well be another move that fizzles. But who knows? It could explode. Sometimes you just have to play with it and see what happens. – Kevin D. Hendricks
Facebook has become a major part of our communication lifeline and continues to impact the world in various ways. In 2007, 24 million people were already on Facebook, today the number is 500 million and growing. The harvest is plentiful and the Church should continue to seek opportunities to reach the masses where they are meeting. Yesterday it was Myspace but, today it is Facebook, so the Church has another place to fulfill the great commission in Matthew 28:19
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” Matthew 28:19
Facebook reflects greatly on our interest and how we interact with people online, so we should be careful how we use these types of communication tools.  It should not be a replacement for face to face interactions, but  it can be a great compliment to the task of reaching and connecting. How are you using Facebook to let others know about Christ? Share your experience with us.

Fracture mechanics and how it relates to our sinful nature

Fracture mechanics is the science of studying sudden-failure phenomenon. Materials have a yield strength (the stress under which they will yield) but in many cases materials fail at applied stresses below their yield strength. We Christians have also a spiritual yield strength—a spiritual potential–but in many cases fail to reach that potential because we fail at spiritual levels way below what we are capable of. The Bible is full of such examples, such as: the sin of King David with Bathsheba; King Saul; and of course Samson. Why do structures fail at applied stresses lower than the known yield strength of their material? That’s because all structures contain small flaws (cracks) determined by their material and processing. We, Christians, all have small flaws determined by two things. First, our natural spiritual strengths and weakness. It is a fact that some people are naturally servants, or preachers, etc; and others naturally feel weaker towards alcohol, or pornography. Second, our response to God’s work in our lives (the process of the Christian life). Some people feel bitter when their love is rejected, while others pray for the one who rejected them. Some grow up being bad parents because they never had good parents, others become good parents and make sure their children won’t go through what they went through.
“…every structure contains small flaws whose size and distribution are dependent upon the material and its processing.”  - Dolan
It is important here to remember that ALL of us have flaws, may be small flaws may be big ones but we all have them. Anyone who thinks he is spiritually complete is deceived. We should never underestimate our capacity to sin. I once read on the Internet a conversation between two Christian men:
First man: I will never be tempted with a sexual sin.
Second man:
WOW! So you are godlier than David, wiser than Solomon, and stronger than Samson!
There are two interesting facts about cracks in materials:
First, it is the flaws that are on the surface that will cause the failure—not the interior ones. Same principle applies to us as Christians. Let’s say you are angry with someone on the inside, but it won’t be a problem if you deal with the temptation. It is only a problem when you lose your self-control and express that anger towards the person. Or if you are being sexually tempted toward someone, again, it won’t be a problem if you deal with the temptation. It is only a problem if you act upon your lust. We all have weaknesses on the inside, but through prayer, self-control and accountability we can prevent them from surfacing and damaging our lives and witness.
Second, the effectiveness of the damage that flaws causes, depends on the loading of the structure. Imagine you have a pen in your hand and you are bending it downward into the shape of an arc. If the crack is on the top edge of the pen (the crack being stretched open) then it will accelerate the pen’s failure. If the crack is on the bottom edge of the pen (the crack is being pressed together) then it will make little to no difference. So even if the crack exists, and as we saw we all have flaws, it will only cause a damage to your spiritual life if your actions put you in a situation where you are tempted. For example, if you have a natural weakness toward alcohol addiction and you go to the bar then it will be very likely you will end up drinking and getting drunk. So we should not be dismayed just because we all have flaws. We should not throw our hands up in the air and say, “Ok then since I have flaws I might as well go along with my weaknesses!” No, depending on how you live, how you load your spiritual life, you can be victorious or defeated.
So what do cracks really do? They act as stress concentrations. And that’s what our spiritual weaknesses do to us: they act as footholds for Satan to gain ground in our spiritual lives to defeat us. When the stress reaches a certain level, the crack will propagate suddenly to failure. The velocities of some crack propagation reach as high as 1 mile/sec! So don’t be deceived playing around sin by lingering on temptation, thinking, “Hmmm…just this once. I think I can handle the situation.” Doesn’t this remind us of King David? When you read his story it is like three parts:

First part is long: obedience–rewarding/full of God’s blessings,
Second part is very short:
disobedience/sin,
Third part is long:
consequences of sin–full of personal disasters.

What are your spiritual flaws? Are they natural or did you acquire them through your life journey? Did you let God process you to deal with them? If not, what are they costing you?

Tks to http://www.inspiks.com for this interesting article...  
This post was written by Fadi who has written 25 posts on INSPIKS.
My name is Fadi, I am a Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Toronto. Photography is my hobby. I believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and that the Bible is God's perfect word. Connect with me on Flickr

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En el primer siglo,por el año 30, empezó un movimientohecho por un grupo de judíos que insistían en que su rabino,un hombre llamado Jesús,de la región de Galilea en lsrael, había resucitadodespués de haber sido crucificadopor el lmperio Romano... 

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