Motorcycle Blogger

Did you know that the Ottawa Citizen has a columnist on staff who writes with a motorcycle focus? I had a good chat with her today over the phone. She’s doing an article about Bikers Church and the Info Day/Swap Meet this weekend.

She also has a blog. And it’s good. I think you should read it. Why? Because I think anytime someone in the Ottawa media blogs about motorcycling in Ottawa, we should support it. We need more of it.

So read it. Or else.

Oh, her name is Lynn. And here’s a link to her blog.

Salem Christian Storehouse

I just got home for a nice ride on my bike. Aaahh, the weather is awesome! Perfect day (week) for riding!

Anyway, I headed across town to pick up a few books from Salem (too see what I bought, check out the list on the left side of this page). To go to Salem, I pass by a number of big book stores. I’m guessing that one or more of the books I picked up would be available there. And, I have no problem with buying a book at a big book store.

But there’s something about Salem that just seems, well, right. The staff are all awesome. They truly see themselves as a partner in ministry. They go out of their way to make you feel a part of things when you go inside the store. 

I just like them. I like buying books there. And I want to give them a shout out. So there.

Interactive & Online

Sometimes I wonder if the energy I spend trying to connect to people online is a good use of my time. I design and update our website. I am on Facebook (including a Bikers’ Church group). I do this blog. I have the daily email devotional. And yet, we have heard from many who tell me how much the online stuff has helped them in their own journey.

It encourages me when I read an article like this one from Digital & Leadership Network.

Is Your Church Leadership Interactive?

One of the most predominant characteristics of the New Media is it’s interactivity.  Regardless of what specific application you’re using, web-based media, in general, provide more user-to-user interactivity than any other form of mediated communication in history.  Additionally, interactivity between user and information is what marks the shift from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0.  The “one-to-many” model of traditional mass communication is being replaced with a “many-to-many” web of interactive communication. 

Since the New Media alters traditional models of mass communication, we must radically review the ways we interact and communicate with others.  The Church, as a primary vehicle for communicating theGood News, stands to amplify it’s voice by using the interactive attributes found in the new media.

The image below represents a New Media mindset rather than a string of specific apps.  Whether youblog or podcast, whether you facebook or MySpace, whether you Twitter or Jaiku, the significance of your web presence (whether individual or corporate) is greatly diminished if you are not providing ways for your users to easily hear and access you.

Let’s remember, the congregation is not just listening.  They’re also talking.

Image attribution: Wayne Sutton

– Cynthia Ware, The Digital Sanctuary