tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61170401874000705392024-03-12T19:49:40.252-04:00Updates in the life of----->Josh Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163128350715475261noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117040187400070539.post-90513428166666022532010-03-20T16:59:00.000-04:002010-03-20T16:59:27.948-04:00iPod Nano Giveaway Extended!<b> </b><span style="font-size: small;">Well, due to popular demand the iPod Nano contest has been extended until Wednesday, March 24. For those of you who do not know, I am giving away an iPod Nano. You can read all about why, and how <a href="http://updatesme.blogspot.com/2010/03/support-school-win-ipod-nano.html">here in this previous post</a>. But here is an update on the numbers:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">We only need 37 more sponsors until I will giveaway the iPod Nano.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdA1BRppR5PSpV5ZV3IfupabEPoGuiWofM7T_wDh_GzCtP6k2vKC1CVVuw6T8kexRpmNd6ZecjP0zGw7EOIrYcv9-l5M8_fPMBi32y7tfjCE1S9cCOJYH_Mr1ugslLJkK7RcROQ2QRIlA/s1600-h/apple-ipod-nano-4g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdA1BRppR5PSpV5ZV3IfupabEPoGuiWofM7T_wDh_GzCtP6k2vKC1CVVuw6T8kexRpmNd6ZecjP0zGw7EOIrYcv9-l5M8_fPMBi32y7tfjCE1S9cCOJYH_Mr1ugslLJkK7RcROQ2QRIlA/s320/apple-ipod-nano-4g.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Here are all the rules, and how you can win the iPod Nano.</span><br />
<br />
<b>The Rules:</b><br />
<b><i>(Read Carefully!!!)</i></b><br />
<ol><li>I will not give away the iPod until at least 50 people have sponsored my sister (Molly) for $10.00 or more.</li>
<li>After 50 people have sponsored Molly then those 50 people and every sponsor after that will be entered into a raffle for the iPod Nano.</li>
<li>For each increment given by one person that person will receive another entry into the raffle. The increments are $10, $25, $50, $100, or more. So if you give $25 you will be entered twice for the raffle. If you give $50 you will be entered 3 times, $100 = 4 entries, etc.</li>
</ol><b>So here is what you do:</b><br />
<ol><li>Firstly, this contest ends at 2AM EST on Wednesday March 24. So all of the following steps need to be completed by this time. (I know, short notice, but I'm hoping we can raise a bunch of money).</li>
<li>Go to this <a href="http://www.calvarychristianky.org/HP/bowlarama10.htm">link</a> (<a href="http://www.calvarychristianky.org/HP/bowlarama10.htm">http://www.calvarychristianky.org/HP/bowlarama10.htm</a>) and click the "Donate" button and give an amount of $10.00 or more.</li>
<li>You will receive a payment confirmation email from PayPal. Forward this email to me at <a href="mailto:jkburns@gmail.com">jkburns@gmail.com</a> (This is just to prove that you actually gave money. Don't worry there is no information in the email that is harmful)</li>
<li>Tweet this: <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=I%20just%20entered%20to%20win%20a%20iPod%20Nano%20and%20supported%20a%20school%20simultaneously.%20Follow%20instructions%20and%20RT%20to%20enter:%20http://bit.ly/dAtBqJ">I just entered to win a iPod Nano & supported a school simultaneously. Follow instructions & RT to enter: http://bit.ly/dAtBqJ</a></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Or if you don't have twitter then share it on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http://bit.ly/dAtBqJ">I just entered to win a iPod Nano & supported a school simultaneously. Follow instructions & Share to enter: http://bit.ly/dAtBqJ</a> </span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Comment below with your twitter name, or <a href="http://facebook.com/jburns">add me as a friend on facebook</a> <a href="http://facebook.com/jburns">http://facebook.com/jburns</a> so that I can confirm that you completed step #4. </span></span></li>
</ol><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">And that is it. You are done. And when I have confirmed that at least 50 people have sponsored then I will enter everyone who sponsors into the raffle for the 8GB iPod Nano. So remember to share this on your facebook, and with all your friends because the more people that sponsor the quicker I will giveaway the iPod. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">So how do you know this is legitimate? If you are still having doubts just go to this link <a href="http://www.calvarychristianky.org/HP/bowlarama10.htm">Bowl-A-Rama</a> and read about the fundraising event. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">So this is not just about the iPod, although it would be nice to win, it is also about supporting a school, and giving these students, including my sister, a great education.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>Remember, this ends at 2AM on Wednesday morning March 24.</i></span></span></span></div>Josh Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163128350715475261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117040187400070539.post-68874056838127676522010-03-13T01:50:00.006-05:002010-03-20T17:00:37.018-04:00Support A School & Win A iPod Nano<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Yes, I am really giving away a new 8GB iPod Nano, keep reading to find out why and how...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlvKBdz53BlGWQaMmyoGl6gL878OBpGIODia5CnFaAYj-uckmfzgDScS8lC88cRERWkyRzJwd1PDEKw4eIcBoL39sc7jxhc-ZLiqKjQ_o9u_el1m56zcs7drj_PgQVNGRqdqMNTeWsDY/s1600-h/apple-ipod-nano-video.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlvKBdz53BlGWQaMmyoGl6gL878OBpGIODia5CnFaAYj-uckmfzgDScS8lC88cRERWkyRzJwd1PDEKw4eIcBoL39sc7jxhc-ZLiqKjQ_o9u_el1m56zcs7drj_PgQVNGRqdqMNTeWsDY/s320/apple-ipod-nano-video.jpg" /></a></div>I attended and graduated from a christian school (<a href="http://calvarychristianky.org/">Calvary Christian School</a>) here in Covington, KY. I enjoyed my education, and am very thankful for what I learned in school, and more importantly the relationships that were built in school, with fellow classmates as well as teachers. I really felt like my teachers genuinely cared for me and my spiritual walk with God. I think this is what made my education unique and special.<br />
<br />
I even enjoy coming back home from college and spending time at my school, watching basketball games, and visiting with my former teachers. Keeping up with those relationships is always refreshing, and a blessing.<br />
<br />
But sometimes the downside to running a private school is the lack of money. Recently this has become a problem, so the school has started doing several fundraisers throughout the year.<br />
<br />
The reason I am writing about this is to tell you about a fundraiser that my high school is hosting this weekend. It is called the "Bowl-A-Rama" and the students have been asked to recruit sponsors for this event. A sponsor can give $10, $25, $50, $100, or more if one wishes. All of the money that is given goes straight to Calvary Christian School and their <i>Bridge The Difference</i> campaign. Their goal is to raise $40,000 for this campaign, so that the school can just break even for this year.<br />
<br />
But the question still remains, why am I writing about this? I am not even a student at the school anymore.<br />
<br />
Well, my younger sister, Molly is a 7th grader at Calvary and she is trying to gain sponsors for this event. The grand prize for the most money raised by one student is a new Apple iPad. So I told her I would help her out, with hopes that she can win the iPad and maybe she'll let me use it if I'm lucky.<br />
<br />
So here's the deal. I am giving away a brand spanking new <a href="http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipod/family/ipod_nano">Apple 8GB iPod Nano</a> (Yes, this is the one that has a camera that records video) to a random sponsor. The winner can choose the color of the iPod and if you want anything engraved on the back.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinyH2aql6Ee4QROn9Eb25xfxyh2WR6Q8eW9DLG1uozMwhLGY6XNrWh2stPNq2oRJmVwRQrfrKfMGRJM0sdLH1RuFa3f_YgPwAMnRvsFVYxFsF7JUKneto4f-bJcbNeTkkVzTOKAI-jMyw/s1600-h/ipod-nano-video.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinyH2aql6Ee4QROn9Eb25xfxyh2WR6Q8eW9DLG1uozMwhLGY6XNrWh2stPNq2oRJmVwRQrfrKfMGRJM0sdLH1RuFa3f_YgPwAMnRvsFVYxFsF7JUKneto4f-bJcbNeTkkVzTOKAI-jMyw/s320/ipod-nano-video.jpg" /></a></div><b>The Rules:</b><br />
<b><i>(Read Carefully!!!)</i></b><br />
<ol><li>I will not give away the iPod until at least 50 people have sponsored my sister (Molly) for $10.00 or more.</li>
<li>After 50 people have sponsored Molly then those 50 people and every sponsor after that will be entered into a raffle for the iPod Nano.</li>
<li>For each increment given by one person that person will receive another entry into the raffle. The increments are $10, $25, $50, $100, or more. So if you give $25 you will be entered twice for the raffle. If you give $50 you will be entered 3 times, $100 = 4 entries, etc.</li>
</ol><b>So here is what you do:</b><br />
<ol><li>Firstly, this contest ends at 2AM EST on Wednesday March 24. So all of the following steps need to be completed by this time. (I know, short notice, but I'm hoping we can raise a bunch of money).</li>
<li>Go to this <a href="http://www.calvarychristianky.org/HP/bowlarama10.htm">link</a> (<a href="http://www.calvarychristianky.org/HP/bowlarama10.htm">http://www.calvarychristianky.org/HP/bowlarama10.htm</a>) and click the "Donate" button and give an amount of $10.00 or more.</li>
<li>You will receive a payment confirmation email from PayPal. Forward this email to me at <a href="mailto:jkburns@gmail.com">jkburns@gmail.com</a> (This is just to prove that you actually gave money. Don't worry there is no information in the email that is harmful)</li>
<li>Tweet this: <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=I%20just%20entered%20to%20win%20a%20iPod%20Nano%20and%20supported%20a%20school%20simultaneously.%20Follow%20instructions%20and%20RT%20to%20enter:%20http://bit.ly/dAtBqJ">I just entered to win a iPod Nano & supported a school simultaneously. Follow instructions & RT to enter: http://bit.ly/dAtBqJ</a></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Or if you don't have twitter then share it on facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http://bit.ly/dAtBqJ">I just entered to win a iPod Nano & supported a school simultaneously. Follow instructions & Share to enter: http://bit.ly/dAtBqJ</a> </span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Comment below with your twitter name, or <a href="http://facebook.com/jburns">add me as a friend on facebook</a> <a href="http://facebook.com/jburns">http://facebook.com/jburns</a> so that I can confirm that you completed step #4. </span></span></li>
</ol><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">And that is it. You are done. And when I have confirmed that at least 50 people have sponsored then I will enter everyone who sponsors into the raffle for the 8GB iPod Nano. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">So how do you know this is legitimate? If you are still having doubts just go to this link <a href="http://www.calvarychristianky.org/HP/bowlarama10.htm">Bowl-A-Rama</a> and read about the fundraising event. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">So this is not just about the iPod, although it would be nice to win, it is also about supporting a school, and giving these students, including my sister, a great education.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>Remember, this ends at 2AM on Wednesday morning March 24.</i></span></span></span></div>Josh Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163128350715475261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117040187400070539.post-30050135553027355432009-12-31T15:21:00.000-05:002009-12-31T15:21:01.673-05:00A Look Back On The DecadeThis year has contained many personal changes in my own life as you can see my <a href="http://updatesme.blogspot.com/2009/12/2009-change-no-not-obama.html">previous post</a>. But I just wanted to highlight a few more changes that have taken place, not only in this past year, but also in this decade. So fasten your seat belts...<br />
<br />
I will start out with stuff that has happened in this decade in my life, and then move to things in 2009.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWi7Nn2KKJK8rmG5dTJIqPO3Ar6xav3kZJikGr12DCauXSpGzxILIXLrzkituYWPg5qq-a-dB9sJ8piwKS56cNUmRl_rytWrC8mJLOGzyS_9RJajQ-ICxr-a9B-TQv39QhybRUzH6ViyY/s1600-h/decade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWi7Nn2KKJK8rmG5dTJIqPO3Ar6xav3kZJikGr12DCauXSpGzxILIXLrzkituYWPg5qq-a-dB9sJ8piwKS56cNUmRl_rytWrC8mJLOGzyS_9RJajQ-ICxr-a9B-TQv39QhybRUzH6ViyY/s320/decade.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>(O yeah, and that picture has nothing to do with post, I just thought it was funny)<br />
<br />
Well I started high school in 2002 at Calvary Christian School. High school was an interesting experience overall, but a very positive one I think. Now that I think of it, I made alot of crucial decisions in high school.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul><li>I kind of decided to change the people I spent the most time with. I realized that my friends in middle school did not exactly have the best influence on me, and that I needed to surround myself with friends who could help me grow spiritually. </li>
<li><br />
</li>
<li>My freshman year was when I really started to get involved in the church, and I realized the importance of that. </li>
<li><br />
</li>
<li>My sophomore year I made the decision that I was going to go to a Bible College. And for those of you who know my plans after college, I absolutely do not regret this college decision. I have learned alot at Moody Bible Institute and if I had not chosen to go there then God would not have led me to where I am today and my plans after college. </li>
<li>In 2006 I graduated from Calvary Christian School. </li>
</ul>The past 3 years since then I have consisted of my college career at Moody Bible Institute, and alot has happened in those 3 years.<br />
<br />
<ul><li>In fall 2006 I started my degree of Sports Ministry at Moody Bible Institute. I was sure that God had called me to the foreign mission field full-time. </li>
<li>In 2008 my passion and burden for church media began rising within me. </li>
<li>In spring 2009 I got accepted to do my sports ministry internship with On Goal soccer camps. </li>
<li>Also in spring 2009 I wrote a proposal and outline of things that needed to change in my home church's media department. On June 3 I met with my Pastor to discuss this proposal and future changes. That same day he offered me a job for the summer as the church's media consultant. This was also the day before I was supposed to start my internship with the soccer camp. </li>
<li>Thankfully it all worked out and I ended taking the job at my church for the summer. Through this I learned a ton about the church, and alot that happens behind the scenes, and this helped to confirm that I believe that God is calling me into full-time church media work. </li>
<li>Now I am about to begin my last semester of my college career and I will be embarking on finding a job, and living life on my own. I'm looking forward to graduating that is for sure. </li>
</ul>So just in case you all aren't bored yet with reading about me, I was going to go through some personal changes that have happened in 2009, but I think this is enough.<br />
O yeah, one other sidenote, I have been single for almost a year and a half, and I have also learned alot through that experience.<br />
<br />
So I hope that you all have had a great decade and a great year. And I hope that you have enjoyed reading this blog. There will be lots more to come in the next year and in the next ten years.<br />
<br />
<b>What changes have taken place in your life this year and this decade?</b>Josh Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163128350715475261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117040187400070539.post-77791447065643264972009-12-22T11:38:00.001-05:002009-12-22T11:39:24.323-05:002009 = Change (No Not Obama)2009 has been a year of change in my personal life, and no, Obama has not been the cause of this change.<br />
<br />
In a year's time I have changed the career direction in my life from doing sports ministry to doing church media.<br />
<br />
More after the jump...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzE4yc7mJM61SYbwRR7n8X1aRtfvDbuDqwFFJnZ0Epvy3Xny0aPTQFY-Dqj3Q7KxlWtM5wVwVT9lgGcRhrDDDyY32hYR5KdQt0NPZyQs93CcIRfjssIGEjZxmzeNRiFsKLGWaDQ7c0wg/s1600-h/2009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzE4yc7mJM61SYbwRR7n8X1aRtfvDbuDqwFFJnZ0Epvy3Xny0aPTQFY-Dqj3Q7KxlWtM5wVwVT9lgGcRhrDDDyY32hYR5KdQt0NPZyQs93CcIRfjssIGEjZxmzeNRiFsKLGWaDQ7c0wg/s320/2009.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>No longer am I planning on doing sports as a full-time vocation in ministry. Of course the keyword in that sentence is "planning." As I have found out this past year, God can change His plans whenever He wants and sometimes those plans may not be our plans.<br />
<br />
Another change in my life in 2009 has been the act of reading.<br />
Up until the beginning of this year I have loathed reading books. In fact, I would go so far as to say that before this year I hadn't read a whole book since sophomore year of high school (yes you heard me right, it has been about 5 years).<br />
<br />
Then one of my friends made a bet with me, that I couldn't read a whole book in one month. There were no stipulations behind the bet, so I don't know why I took it so seriously, but I did nonetheless. Believe it or not, I finished the book "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan in the month of January, and since that time I have read 4 books in their entirety. A feat that I never thought I would complete in my lifetime. You can find the whole list of books I have read here: <a href="http://goodreads.com/jburno">http://goodreads.com/jburno</a><br />
<br />
As a consequence, I have actually come to like reading books, and I have learned so much from the books I have read (imagine that).<br />
<br />
I don't want to overwhelm you with the length of this post, so I think I'll split it up into multiple parts.<br />
<br />
Look for more changes in the coming posts.<br />
<br />
What changes have taken place in your life in 2009?Josh Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163128350715475261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117040187400070539.post-51721499924193320302009-12-21T18:24:00.000-05:002009-12-21T18:24:27.389-05:00It's A Rant...But Read Anyway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixY5infcoPKTeXLGyPgPskWFyYRHOM2S4rqzghDQ0Yhz-0-vWWMmHE7M5Tfk9or3BJoaYLfwAWrYlrnPNbDCi0DDQ3E-wYWvM5bxyEyrCRf3XKAtvYc_xw89e2PDyVJSDvF9QYeVbpGRY/s1600-h/rant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixY5infcoPKTeXLGyPgPskWFyYRHOM2S4rqzghDQ0Yhz-0-vWWMmHE7M5Tfk9or3BJoaYLfwAWrYlrnPNbDCi0DDQ3E-wYWvM5bxyEyrCRf3XKAtvYc_xw89e2PDyVJSDvF9QYeVbpGRY/s320/rant.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
I'm getting somewhat tired of people asking me what I'm going to do with my life. I guess there is nothing I can do about that, but it has become the default question whenever I am talking to someone. After they find out that I am a senior in college, the very next thing out of people's mouths is, "What are you going to do after graduation?" I usually answer with, "I don't know" and then follow that with what direction I am going in. I have a preset answer in my mind. But it just gets repetitive after the 500th time.<br />
<br />
Again, it is not anyone's fault. I guess it is the natural question to ask a senior in college, and I understand that. I am just ranting for the sake of ranting. I do that every-once and a while.<br />
<br />
So no offense to you if you have asked me this question in the past, again this is just a rant.<br />
Plus, I have been accused of neglecting my blog for the past week, so I thought I'd better write something to satisfy the masses.<br />
<br />
Also, if you'd like to see the direction I'm headed in life check out <a href="http://updatesme.blogspot.com/2009/06/fun-job.html">this post</a> as well as some of my other previous posts. Just a hint, it relates to media in church.<br />
<br />
Don't worry, there will be more posts to come in the next week before the new year.<br />
<br />
P.S. I'm home until January 8th, so if anyone wants to grab coffee and catch up just give me a call, shoot me an email (jkburns@gmail.com) or facebook me (<a href="http://facebook.com/jburns">http://facebook.com/jburns</a>).Josh Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163128350715475261noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117040187400070539.post-25675816337889091252009-12-13T12:00:00.002-05:002009-12-14T10:08:27.217-05:00Doubts Are Good?Do you ever have doubts?<br />
Doubts about what you are doing?<br />
Doubts about what you are planning on doing in the future?<br />
Doubts that what you are doing is actually making a difference?<br />
Doubts that what you are doing is actually having an impact on someone's life?<br />
<br />
More after the jump...<br />
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</div>Sometimes I have these doubts.<br />
Some of you may know that I have decided to pursue a different career field than what I had originally planned on when I started college. I have been evaluating that decision to make sure that my motives are pure, and that it is what God wants me to do. I have been asking myself these questions, and it has been really beneficial.<br />
Sometimes one just assumes that doubting has a negative connotation, but sometimes it is the exact opposite. Doubting in this situation has actually caused me to somewhat solidify my decision, and for right now I do believe that what I have chosen to do has the capability of making a difference. Now I must examine it even further to ensure that it is making a difference, and if it isn't then how can I cause it to make a difference? These are the next questions that I will be thinking about.<br />
<br />
So a word of encouragement, if you are having doubts about something, don't let them affect you in a negative way. Instead seek to answer the questions that you are asking, and chances are your doubts will be erased, hopefully for the positive.Josh Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163128350715475261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117040187400070539.post-30964812825017967682009-11-18T22:01:00.000-05:002009-11-18T22:01:38.608-05:00Microsoft Might be Growing UpIn the past I have been less than impressed with Microsoft's advertisements and marketing strategies. In fact I was so disgusted with one video they put out that I wrote <a href="http://updatesme.blogspot.com/2009/09/microsofts-marketing-still-sucks.html">a post about it</a>. While at the same time Apple has been putting out awesome and hilarious ads. I guess I am biased because I am a Machead, but nonetheless it is difficult for anyone to deny that Microsoft's marketing has sucked in the past.<br />
<br />
Well tonight I saw an ad that might indicate a change in Microsoft's strategies. No longer are they trying to counterattack Apple with their I'm a PC ads, but now with the release of Windows 7 they have started these 7 second demo ads. Each ad takes 7 seconds to demo a feature in Windows 7. But it is not this concept that is revolutionary for Microsoft, but the features that they demo are actually somewhat cool. Instead of trying to again counterattack Apple by trying to demo how easy it is to create a picture slideshow, they are now demoing features like "one-click side-by-side snap windows," "one window shake function," and "one-click universal search." Some of these may sound confusing, so I'll just let you watch one of their ads to better understand the features.<br />
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More after the jump...<br />
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<br />
So all in all, what I am saying is that I think Microsoft is finally making some headway with Windows 7. I actually didn't know why it was better than Vista until I saw those 7 second demo ads. And I think Microsoft is finally figuring out that all they need to do to make a good ad is showcase some practical features within Windows 7 instead of always trying to compete with and counterattack Apple.<br />
<br />
OS X is still the superior operating system and...<br />
If you ask me though, I'll still tell you to buy a Mac.<br />
:)Josh Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163128350715475261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117040187400070539.post-23832335147917953402009-11-09T12:39:00.000-05:002009-11-09T12:39:06.764-05:00Money is Not Equal to ValueThere is a difference between "valuing church media" and "spending lots of money on church media." Just because a church spends loads of money on a bunch of media equipment, does not mean that church values media. A church can spend as much money as they want on equipment, but if they don't know how to use it effectively to communicate the gospel, then they are back at square one.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqrMMfQOlcAxC2lV1FFqcU0FBKbfI8SghDY-dXcK21REMGZu5CsT2kyB4_u83SH9QdftFzupYWLtqntxQ9aZHYoOxuRUQRrNxxSTprfVG5gJcak99Cim6nvY3ypRMKNLmPpOgd_rzJ-dQ/s1600-h/money2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqrMMfQOlcAxC2lV1FFqcU0FBKbfI8SghDY-dXcK21REMGZu5CsT2kyB4_u83SH9QdftFzupYWLtqntxQ9aZHYoOxuRUQRrNxxSTprfVG5gJcak99Cim6nvY3ypRMKNLmPpOgd_rzJ-dQ/s320/money2.png" width="320" /></a><br />
</div>Hiring a full-time Media Arts Director is crucial for a church nowadays. It doesn't even have to be a media arts director, just someone who is paid to commit time to communicating the gospel effectively through media.<br />
<br />
Yes, a church can say that their volunteers are great, and that they can run the show, but having a staff of volunteers doesn't always translate into effective communication.<br />
<br />
All I'm saying is, if a church is willing to spend money on media, that is not equal to a church valuing media. Instead of a church wasting $60,000.00 on 2 video routers, and an AMX remote panel, why don't they use that money to hire someone to actually create good content. After all, isn't the content that we produce and communicate more important than the medium that we use to communicate it?Josh Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163128350715475261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117040187400070539.post-40322693222810250582009-11-05T19:11:00.000-05:002009-11-05T19:11:48.567-05:00IdentityWell for the past 3 months my life has absolutely been consumed by soccer. Actually for the past 4 years my life has been consumed with soccer.<br />
<br />
For those of you who don't know, I play soccer for Moody Bible Institute. This past weekend was our regional tournament. Moody hasn't won the regional tournament since 2001, and this year was the best chance we had of winning it. We went 13-5 on the regular season, and we were very confident that we were going to go to the national tournament in Florida. That was our goal for the whole season.<br />
<br />
The accomplishing of that goal came down to one game against Northland International University in the regional championship game. It was a hard fought game, but we ended up losing 1-0. When the game ended I could do nothing but cry. It was hard to believe that my college soccer career had come to an end, and we still hadn't gone to nationals.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTdw0mhDqEDsxUAtcygFe8YBEL1jCZsB2XR0z32j25l2q2nIDgHiYQlIAeAWtxRt9wIg49msTvtsY_cyxF7J2DTobL2PRNkLgXIsTaCIhFaWfgYV_rslNO3DtPZUuUa5mxxWCb0MmqxmM/s1600-h/soccer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTdw0mhDqEDsxUAtcygFe8YBEL1jCZsB2XR0z32j25l2q2nIDgHiYQlIAeAWtxRt9wIg49msTvtsY_cyxF7J2DTobL2PRNkLgXIsTaCIhFaWfgYV_rslNO3DtPZUuUa5mxxWCb0MmqxmM/s200/soccer.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Since then I have thought alot about my time on the team. The craziest thing to think about is that I am done. My soccer career is over as I know it. In previous years I had something to work toward after the season was over, because I always looked forward to the next season, but not this time. This time it is all over. There is no next season, and I can hardly wrap my mind around it.<br />
<br />
This has led me to question myself. How much of my identity is really wrapped up in soccer, or being on a team? Evidently more than I thought. I didn't think it was going to be this hard.<br />
<br />
This is just a great reminder that my identity should constantly be found in Christ, and nothing else. It seems that I have somewhat lost sight of that.<br />
<br />
But what does it mean to find my identity in Christ?<br />
<br />
It means that He is my motivation for everything I do. I thought this was completely true for soccer, but I don't think it was (Notice I said it was not <i>completely true</i>, because it was partially true).<br />
<br />
I guess it is hard to really know where your identity lies until it is taken away.<br />
<br />
Where is your identity found?<br />
<br />
Its a good thing to really think aboutJosh Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163128350715475261noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117040187400070539.post-87579435404386424752009-10-25T16:10:00.000-04:002009-10-25T16:10:23.125-04:00Biblical CommunityI was given a great reminder today by <a href="http://twitter.com/jrkerr">J.R. Kerr</a> at <a href="http://parkcommunitychurch.org/">Park Community Church</a> today. First of all, I am so thankful that I am able to attend a church where I am challenged and convicted by the Word of God that is brought before me each week.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuNZ3Y4lgoNVsfwVklV6v842znpRZzRQxOju4oYg3lgZnHEZyqNuUvRb9l-j85Hvc7HiU7f3nEjsm9Jo4Ow9TG9-xzylDWyMh55UNQW9DoashMAmSQ86UV3KhToOnpaXKbm4m0deLNu3M/s1600-h/community.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuNZ3Y4lgoNVsfwVklV6v842znpRZzRQxOju4oYg3lgZnHEZyqNuUvRb9l-j85Hvc7HiU7f3nEjsm9Jo4Ow9TG9-xzylDWyMh55UNQW9DoashMAmSQ86UV3KhToOnpaXKbm4m0deLNu3M/s320/community.png" /></a><br />
</div>Today J.R. talked about the idea of community (and no I'm not talking about the new show on NBC starring Chevy Chase above), specifically Biblical community. Many times we only go to church to have our needs met. The needs of music, lighting, video, a good sunday school for my kids, etc. These things are ok, but when we start making them our drive and purpose for attending a church then it becomes sin. Today was a reminder that church and Biblical community is not about me.<br />
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<br />
J.R. also talked about the aspect of investing into other people's lives in community. This builds off of the idea that is not about me. If we take the focus off of ourselves, then we will get close to one or two other believers and encourage them in their walk with Christ, as well as gain insight, and perspective about our own lives.<br />
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This point really convicted me. My time here at Moody Bible Institute has been great, but it has been a time that has not exactly been intentionally filled with one-on-one accountability. For the first 2 years here I met with 3 other guys once-a-week who kept me accountable, and we just shared life together. But then one of those guys transferred to another school, and another guy became very close with his girlfriend and is now engaged (I'm not saying those things are bad, I understand life happens). And myself and the other guy became roommates, which has been great, and we have grown closer and kept each other accountable for things, but that once-a-week meeting never happened again.<br />
<br />
<br />
Today I have been convicted to disciple and invest in someone else's life. To begin a relationship with someone, grow close to them, disciple them, and keep them accountable. I guess this builds off of the <a href="http://updatesme.blogspot.com/2009/10/selfishness.html">selfishness post</a> I wrote a couple weeks ago. I have become so selfish in my own life, and I have not really taken the time to get to know someone new, and really help someone through life.<br />
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<b>How are you doing Biblical community? </b>Josh Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163128350715475261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117040187400070539.post-82027621540938575162009-10-15T23:37:00.000-04:002009-10-15T23:37:31.326-04:00Money & Business in Missions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3JJJY_VLvj0bnPGZgc2l88In8YrlAqqwcO3Fy2wDUlByxS_LDQLcRQq2dsEN8zxgNpqPmq8OuQ2g-DXGJWUFSDjq_KGffnqn9sRs5tyq8y-tmQSzO04Ns7RR-Js1euk-lEk9gUFC8n9Y/s1600-h/money.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3JJJY_VLvj0bnPGZgc2l88In8YrlAqqwcO3Fy2wDUlByxS_LDQLcRQq2dsEN8zxgNpqPmq8OuQ2g-DXGJWUFSDjq_KGffnqn9sRs5tyq8y-tmQSzO04Ns7RR-Js1euk-lEk9gUFC8n9Y/s320/money.png" /></a><br />
</div><br />
The classroom session that I went to today was called<br />
"Money & Business: The Challenge Ahead of Your Generation"<br />
Here are my notes from that session.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Money and Business</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Trends</span><br />
<br />
<ul><li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Internationalization of governments</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Wealth redistribution</span></li>
<ul><li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">95% of the worlds resources are used by America</span></li>
</ul><li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The growing non-American church ("<a href="http://updatesme.blogspot.com/2009/10/changing-face-of-christianity.html">The Changing Face of Christianity</a>")</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Increasing marginalizing of Christian organization in the USA and abroad</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Growth of Islam - ("<a href="http://updatesme.blogspot.com/2009/10/impacting-world-for-islam.html">Impacting the World for Islam</a>") (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-3X5hIFXYU">Islam demographic video</a>)</span></li>
</ul><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The challenge for your generation</span></div><div><ul><li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">How to work in places that will not permit religious visas</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">How to integrate your background, training, and passion with your profession/business or platform</span></li>
</ul><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Implications</span></div><div><ul><li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Fewer platforms for you to perform your passions</span></li>
</ul><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My thoughts:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I felt like the presenter knew alot of helpful information, but it could've been presented in a better way. He didn't really use his time wisely, and at the beginning of the session he showed a video (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiNBmNl88Pk">A Thousand Questions</a>) which we had already seen two nights ago in the opening seminar. Don't get me wrong, I love the video, and I don't mind seeing it twice or more, but I feel like it wasn't necessary for that session. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So with those thoughts aside, I thought it was helpful to get at least some information in using a platform on the mission field. And again we see this issue of the growth of Islam, which seems to be a overarching trend that is being highlighted throughout this year's Missions Conference. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I think one of the biggest challenges he presented us with was the difficulty of entering countries that do not permit religious visas. The solution he gave was to use a platform to enter the country. Enter the country with a work visa and use that as your platform to do ministry. While it may not be formal ministry, a job can be the best form of ministry. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>What do you think about this method of entering closed countries with a work visa? </b></span></div></div></div>Josh Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163128350715475261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117040187400070539.post-5533774629535611632009-10-15T23:04:00.000-04:002009-10-15T23:04:33.515-04:00The Changing Face of Christianity<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><div>I've got some more Missions Conference love for you all.</div><div><br />
</div>During last night's session Dr. Soong-Chan Rah of North Park Seminary spoke. He talked about how the church is becoming more African and Asian and less American in its population. I haven't quite processed everything that he talked about yet, but here are my notes on what he talked about.</span><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"The Next Evangelicalism"</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Dr. Soong-Chan Rah</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Acts 15</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><ul><li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jerusalem Council</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Animosity towards Gentiles</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Changing demographics</span></li>
</ul><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Changing Face of Christianity</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">By the year 2050 the church will be:</span></div><div><ul><li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Africa - 29%</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Asia - 20%</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Europe - 16%</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lat. Am. - 22%</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">N. Am. - 12%</span></li>
</ul><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Those are the end of his notes, and now here are my thoughts.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">He also threw out some other crazy stats that made it clear that Christianity is becoming more and more minority in population in America, and less white American. What does that mean for us as Christians?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It means we may need change our strategy a bit. Maybe be a bit more sensitive to the African and Asian culture in our churches. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">He also talked about how he thinks the church in North America today are conforming to culture in their structure and formats, and especially in their buildings. He made an illustration by comparing an older colonial church with a church of today. This illustration seemed like a bit of a stretch to me, but if you take a picture of a ceiling in an older church and turn it upside-down it looks similar to the shape of an ark, and he made a play on words by saying "ark-itecture." But now today we build our churches to look more like shopping malls, or entertainment venues. His point was that in early history they did not build their churches to conform to culture, but today we want to appeal to the culture so much that we are conforming to it. The "ark-itecture" illustration was a bit of a stretch for me. But I somewhat understand what he's saying. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">More thoughts on this later. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Do you agree with these thoughts? </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Do you think the American church today has conformed too much to culture?</b></span></div></div><div><br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br />
</span></span></div></div>Josh Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163128350715475261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117040187400070539.post-43849108240423411732009-10-14T00:48:00.000-04:002009-10-14T00:48:36.570-04:00Missions Conference KickoffWell Missions Conference has officially kicked off here at <a href="http://moody.edu/">Moody Bible Institute</a>, and it proves to be a good week. Probably not as good as last year, as the keynote speaker last year was Steve Saint. Last year was the best Missions Conference in my time here at Moody. (Read my two posts from last year: <a href="http://updatesme.blogspot.com/2008/10/juntos-no-more.html">Juntos No More</a> and <a href="http://updatesme.blogspot.com/2008/10/call.html">The Call</a>)<br />
<br />
For those of you who don't know, Missions Conference is a week when many, many missionaries from all over the world come into our school and teach different sessions throughout the week on various different aspects of missions. It is always a great week, and I actually find the workshop sessions more beneficial than the keynote sessions. This week also gives students alot of time to meet and talk to different missionaries and missions agencies, and get a good feel for the opportunities that are out there after graduation.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiapPgSqVfKqxYKvw4hdjQkImWtWic-CK57jsFbLsCsfWuJC47QLe8WctDFBFj34cDawaCoQVTUpJorIetIlrEWHg79Tj2i1PYFhGCJzfy4RueNDQfSRAAWaAWnCwEtC2uGDWpDqZiX6O4/s1600-h/missions.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiapPgSqVfKqxYKvw4hdjQkImWtWic-CK57jsFbLsCsfWuJC47QLe8WctDFBFj34cDawaCoQVTUpJorIetIlrEWHg79Tj2i1PYFhGCJzfy4RueNDQfSRAAWaAWnCwEtC2uGDWpDqZiX6O4/s320/missions.png" /></a><br />
</div>So tonight was kicked off by a professor from <a href="http://wheaton.edu/">Wheaton College</a>, Dr. Jerry Root, who spoke on being intentional about loving others around you, and reproducing the life of Christ. The main point of his message was that there are people all around us, and God loves them, and God wants us to show them His love. He told many stories about started relationships with people by just doing simple things like starting conversations with his garbage man, or mail man, and those conversations turned into showing God's love to them.<br />
<br />
I'll be honest, I wasn't impressed with the message. It was a good reminder that we need to be intentional about building relationships with others around us, but as my roommate point out (<a href="http://twitter.com/natenearpass">@natenearpass</a>) he stopped his stories at the point of the people being saved. He didn't really say much about follow up with them, or if they reproduced the life of Christ in other people.<br />
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So it was a good reminder, but I'm hoping for something better as the week goes on.<br />
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So you can expect to read some summaries and reactions to this week's sessions here on my blog. So feel free to give your feedback and opinions on missions conference this week.<br />
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Also, for all you Moody students who are tweeting this week, the official hashtag for missions conference is <a href="http://twitter.com/#search?q=mbiMC">#mbiMC</a> so anytime you send a tweet about missions conference just make sure to include that hashtag at the end of your tweet, that way it will be easy to look back on all the tweets from missions conference.<br />
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<b>What did you think of the first session tonight? </b><br />
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</b><br />
<b>If you weren't there, what did you think of the summary I have written?</b>Josh Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163128350715475261noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117040187400070539.post-17239706280221750462009-10-05T21:11:00.005-04:002009-10-05T21:29:21.112-04:00Selfishness<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv3i332x6HCg5a1xmNVbMp_lbvJqlz4qwHDWIos0XZ7FilD61kCFcBiO4_rvMyJrfq5jbX02iyth5FNpuYkmRr-b5adN5WWkqdkbzTbsQ3F1pUzVMFBHfm3ZaKho2qtZ1JD0O1LmqMjwk/s1600-h/myself.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 314px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv3i332x6HCg5a1xmNVbMp_lbvJqlz4qwHDWIos0XZ7FilD61kCFcBiO4_rvMyJrfq5jbX02iyth5FNpuYkmRr-b5adN5WWkqdkbzTbsQ3F1pUzVMFBHfm3ZaKho2qtZ1JD0O1LmqMjwk/s400/myself.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389292647123614962" /></a><br />I am a selfish creature.<br />If I really think about it, a ton of things that I do everyday, I do to benefit myself.<br />This in itself is not necessarily wrong, but when I start to put myself before others then it is a problem.<br />I don't want to speak for everyone, but I think that if we all think about this concept, and think about the things that we do everyday, then I'm sure that all of us can think of something that we do to solely benefit ourself, and many times we put ourselves before others, or at least I do this alot. <br /><br />I know this is a very simple concept, but I was just reminded of it the other day, and it shook me to my core.<br />It was kinda intense. <br /><br />We need to be aware and thinking about this constantly.<br /><br />And take the picture above any way you like, I just thought it was an interesting painting.Josh Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163128350715475261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117040187400070539.post-86855203740247492082009-09-28T10:53:00.004-04:002009-09-28T11:12:11.556-04:00Bathroom Stalls & Ministry SignsSo I spent most of my time yesterday at my church here in Chicago,<a href="http://parkcommunitychurch.org"> Park Community Church</a> because I was volunteering on the tech team and I worked for all 3 services. <br /><br />So I was sitting in one of the bathroom stalls at Park doing my business and I hung my hoodie on the coat hook and sat down. When I looked up I saw a 8 1/2x11 sign for a ministry at Park for people who are just starting out in their faith journey, and I thought to myself "Hmm, thats a good idea, to put up signs about different ministries." But not only is it a good idea, but they were very intentional about it. So intentional that they moved the coat hook to the right side of the door so that they could put a sign directly in the middle. Most coat hooks on stall doors are directly in the middle, but people at Park had planned on putting those signs up so they moved the coat hooks.<br /><br />Here is a nice little picture I took, cause I knew I was going to write a blog post about this as soon as I saw it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZxezviR1K49u7Elq13VCGK3Ar9VPK7Zf_y58EvoEbTm14vdT7xjH1P4FoQVsfIJGDbUTxVARpYbwlVrhTHVs8kTwIVooeHLs6uRBBVreRKYVvYsx2BQ-we2lOirf8g4VyOuvV2T_Hqw/s1600-h/photo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZxezviR1K49u7Elq13VCGK3Ar9VPK7Zf_y58EvoEbTm14vdT7xjH1P4FoQVsfIJGDbUTxVARpYbwlVrhTHVs8kTwIVooeHLs6uRBBVreRKYVvYsx2BQ-we2lOirf8g4VyOuvV2T_Hqw/s400/photo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386535567739309314" /></a><br />I know you are probably thinking that this is a ridiculous thing to be writing about, but if you think about it, it is the small things that just put something over the top. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that we should choose a church based on its convenience, or cultural relevance, or branding, but it is a small thing like that that makes people realize how intentional a church is about investing into people's lives and transforming their lives with its ministries. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Maybe you think I'm completely off on this one, but I don't think I am.<br /><br />If you think I am, let me know. </span>Josh Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163128350715475261noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117040187400070539.post-52425636848998267262009-09-25T11:08:00.003-04:002009-09-25T11:19:27.744-04:00Microsoft's Marketing Still SucksWell Microsoft still sucks at marketing. In fact, they suck more than ever. <br /><br />Some of you might know that Microsoft is launching their new operating system, Windows 7, in the next couple weeks, so to try to get people to buy it they have hired a company that markets "house parties." So their marketing strategy for Windows 7 is to try to get people to have "house parties" for Windows 7. I'm not exactly clear on what a house party is, but it sounds like a less geeky LAN Party (Local Area Network Party). Basically where everyone brings their computers to someone's house and plays with them. <br /><br />I'm not bashing the idea of a house party as a marketing strategy, but the actual video they made to promote this is absolutely horrible. The acting is horrendous and makes me laugh every time I watch it. <br /><br />So without further ado, here is Microsoft's Windows 7 house party video, Enjoy!<br /><object width="420" height="232"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1cX4t5-YpHQ&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1cX4t5-YpHQ&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="420" height="232"></embed></object>Josh Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163128350715475261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117040187400070539.post-1054441411979931852009-09-21T23:38:00.007-04:002009-09-22T10:38:27.742-04:00Uplifting and EncouragingIf you asked me today how my weekend was, you probably got a response like "It was the most bum weekend ever!" which means that I did absolutely nothing, and I laid around the room all weekend, except to go to church. <br /><br />To be completely honest I was a bit depressed this weekend. Well...maybe "depressed" is a strong word, but usually a lazy weekend is a great weekend, but not this weekend. This time "lazy" was equivalent to being very unmotivated to do any work whatsoever. This led to me being in a state of almost depression. (Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything rash)<br /><br />So anyways, that was my weekend, but now let me get to the meat of this post. <br /><br />So my weekend was not the greatest, but God knew that I needed some encouraging and lifting up, especially because I had a class at 7:30am on Monday morning and Lord knows I did not want to go to that class with everything that was within me. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1LCHtODpSokntK8OSsl0w1yN1dxyfsIbFv_LO7NdfkqTziZNhuES7bxO335qrcJtDyoMhPTTnytj2QInr4R_qzT61v3yFIsLwmRubQJjcjWa7Gky1xy_JjTKlpUqMM1Eo1NwmQY9BX8/s1600-h/hands.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 249px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1LCHtODpSokntK8OSsl0w1yN1dxyfsIbFv_LO7NdfkqTziZNhuES7bxO335qrcJtDyoMhPTTnytj2QInr4R_qzT61v3yFIsLwmRubQJjcjWa7Gky1xy_JjTKlpUqMM1Eo1NwmQY9BX8/s400/hands.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384138635272133922" /></a><br />So here's what happened:<br /><br />I ran into my good friend and neighbor Josh Jalandoon on my way to breakfast which was great. <br />My good friend Josh Puckett was at breakfast when I got there, so I got to eat breakfast with him, which was great. <br />On my way to class I ran into again my good friend Josh Jalandoon, which was great. <br />After class on my way to my room once again I ran into my good friend Josh Jalandoon...which was great. <br /><br />To sum up my morning, it was great, except for the fact that I had class, but everything else outweighed the tiredness of class.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Moral of the story is...</span>God cares for you and knows what you need at all times, whether or not you feel like He cares.Josh Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163128350715475261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117040187400070539.post-12791373330055767622009-09-21T11:08:00.006-04:002009-09-21T11:32:52.659-04:00facebook fail<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJS-n_2ouBiPtE-2-YS2AOG8i0iKSa2-lK_QbWLZjicWHmBPVicwsS_a-7ptKCBtNrH5Mh2ji7DN4MRMIjGT1A5qNcWAHn9mLggo7uUEmpa22xENkFdA8dHmjKJx-kn_PcXNAeC9NsGJs/s1600-h/Picture+2.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 76px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJS-n_2ouBiPtE-2-YS2AOG8i0iKSa2-lK_QbWLZjicWHmBPVicwsS_a-7ptKCBtNrH5Mh2ji7DN4MRMIjGT1A5qNcWAHn9mLggo7uUEmpa22xENkFdA8dHmjKJx-kn_PcXNAeC9NsGJs/s400/Picture+2.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383943788868766338" /></a><br />I don't know how many of you have been experiencing problems with <a href="http://facebook.com">facebook</a> today, but I have not been able to login at all, whatsoever. I know I may be acting a little overdramatic, but this is not good when I conduct some of my business over facebook. <br />(Ok, so I don't conduct all my business over facebook, actually most of it is over email, but the principle I'm about to discuss still applies)<br /><br />It's crazy how much we (and when I say we I'm more speaking to myself, but I know it applies to others as well) depend on the internet today. And not just the internet but specific services on the internet...facebook, email (<a href="http://gmail.com">gmail</a> my personal preference), <a href="http://twitter.com">twitter</a>, <a href="http://blackboard.edu">blackboard</a>, etc.<br /><br />You don't really realize how much you depend on it until one of those services goes down, or your network as a whole goes down. Just imagine if your email client (gmail, yahoo, hotmail, or your own personal server) were to cease to exist. And by cease to exist I mean that all of your emails were gone, you had no way of sending or receiving emails at all. Just imagine what it would be like. <br /><br />Ok, so we would be fine as far as communication goes, we would still have our phones, and texting, etc. but sending files or attachments would be difficult, sending a link to that portfolio or video would be difficult. <br /><br />And the same principle applies to facebook or twitter. Although I don't think they are as essential as email might be, but they are essential for bloggers. For me at least, facebook and twitter are my two biggest ways to generate traffic to my blog. So of course when one of those services is down it kind of throws a wrench in my traffic. Thankfully I don't monetize my blog. If I did then facebook and twitter certainly wouldn't be my main sources of traffic. LOL. <br /><br />So I'm not offering a certain solution to this idea, all I have to say is that we need to always be careful how much we depend on the internet. Have your emails backed up, and maybe have multiple email addresses registered with different services. Don't put too much stock in different social media such as facebook or twitter because they are not flawless unfortunately, and they will be down periodically. <br /><br />Just a simple reminder from your friendly neighborhood blogger Josh Burns. <br /><br />Have a Happy Monday!Josh Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163128350715475261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117040187400070539.post-28776012718616155492009-09-19T21:04:00.006-04:002009-09-19T21:40:20.254-04:00facebook status mentions<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCswQ-BtOl9REboPIwrWfaF7yU3G7kybJpxq5xkVAfQi2CwN5ZY9Gr_0hP7ppqMkqjmH9IrfF9zol86zVBsVdqKwTMrhgpBOeOrURmt8wpTFIDmiAm3D24uLkn5wNwG1nf42wZcKKwa7k/s1600-h/Picture+2.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 78px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCswQ-BtOl9REboPIwrWfaF7yU3G7kybJpxq5xkVAfQi2CwN5ZY9Gr_0hP7ppqMkqjmH9IrfF9zol86zVBsVdqKwTMrhgpBOeOrURmt8wpTFIDmiAm3D24uLkn5wNwG1nf42wZcKKwa7k/s400/Picture+2.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383357156363375266" /></a><br />As you all know, and as it says in my profile, I am a social media enthusiast. Therefore I enjoy using social media and analyzing different social media strategies and what social media organizations are doing. <br /><br />You may or may not have noticed that this past week <a href="http://facebook.com">facebook</a> released a new feature within their status update. You can now "mention" a friend within your status and it will turn that friend's name into a link to their profile. <br /><br />For those of you paying attention, they took this idea directly from <a href="http://twitter.com">twitter</a>, which has included this functionality since it's inception 3 years ago in 2006. So for those of you who are on twitter this may look extremely familiar. And believe it or not you implement the functionality in the exact same way as well. Just as on twitter, on facebook you can now "@" a friend and it will mention that friend in your status. So it is pretty obvious that facebook has taken this idea directly from twitter. <br /><br />Just for the record, about a year ago when facebook began to do a major overhaul of their design and user interface, it was me who said that they were going directly after twitter. I said this because they changed the home page from the old newsfeed to a single feed that contains everything, and again it looked extremely similar to the UI of twitter. And now they have gone and done something like this. <br /><br />So let me just ask this question...who the heck cares that facebook has now implemented the "mention" functionality into their status updates? I'll be the first to say that I don't care, and I'm sure there are many others who couldn't care less. In fact let me beg a second question...who the heck even knows about this new "mention" feature? <br />For many of you this may be your first time hearing about the feature. Let's face it, facebook didn't exactly do a great job of publicizing this new feature, and chances are that when people found out about this feature they probably asked the question, so what? <br /><br />That brings me to my third question...so what? <br />So what if I can now mention a friend in my status update? If someone is not already friends with that person then it is not like twitter where you can just follow someone without going through an approval process. Whereas facebook is much more private. Becoming someone's "friend" on facebook means alot more than it does to "follow" someone on twitter. So if I see someone mentioned in my friend's status but I don't know them, the chances of me clicking on that their name and "friending" them is not good. <br /><br />Let's be honest, since this new feature has been released I have literally seen one status that has "mentioned" someone else. Again, I think there are two reasons for this, 1. people have no clue that the feature exists, and 2. people don't see any purpose in this feature. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_MgtjUPZW2J1UuqpeQVsoQVbJKdOl3I-uSlYP7zIc-2Isy_JXLC1w6N4F8jEu9QCKFvn3f8l-kF1fNWO0kKxYsltvgvfxWZ2SRjQHaNv0EwYLpMTimNAI3Jgx6DsF1eTQoWj9nRqOYqs/s1600-h/Picture+4.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 69px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_MgtjUPZW2J1UuqpeQVsoQVbJKdOl3I-uSlYP7zIc-2Isy_JXLC1w6N4F8jEu9QCKFvn3f8l-kF1fNWO0kKxYsltvgvfxWZ2SRjQHaNv0EwYLpMTimNAI3Jgx6DsF1eTQoWj9nRqOYqs/s400/Picture+4.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383357500596949602" /></a><br />The truth is, facebook and twitter are two completely different things, and I hate to come out and say it publicly but facebook needs to stop trying to be like twitter. You don't see twitter stealing ideas from facebook and implementing them, in fact the two most recent revisions to facebook's UI have been ideas that have been taken from twitter. <br /><br />It has been said that twitter is the future of social networking. While, yes, that may be true, at the same time I think facebook is also the future of social networking, but not if they continue to take ideas from twitter. <br /><br />Regardless, I will still continue to use facebook and twitter for distinctly different purposes, and yes, I will probably use the new "mention" feature on facebook every once and a while, just because it is available, but I honestly don't see this as a revolutionary feature for facebook. They need to stick to what they know and that is private social networking. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Do you use this new "mention" facebook feature? <br /><br />Why or why not? </span>Josh Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163128350715475261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117040187400070539.post-50986801520165432012009-09-19T16:45:00.007-04:002009-09-19T17:02:13.165-04:00Weekend Update 9/19It's quite obvious, but I haven't written a post in a couple months. Part of that is just craziness of life, the other part is that whenever I think about writing a post I just question the value of what I have to say. Is it really necessary to write a blog post about whatever I am thinking? Sometimes I think not, but most of the time I think it is necessary, I just need to dedicate the time to doing it. <br /><br />So here I sit. <br /><br />So since the title of this whole blog is "Updates in the life of...Josh" I thought I would give you some updates in my life. <br /><br />I had a great summer where I worked as the "Media Consultant" at my church back home in Covington, Kentucky, <a href="http://calvarybaptistky.org">Calvary Baptist Church</a>. I absolutely loved that, and learned a ton about many different ares in life. Media, Print Design, administration, decision making, among other things. So it proved to be a profitable summer. <br /><br />Now I am back at school at <a href="http://moody.edu">Moody Bible Institute</a> in Chicago, IL. The bad part about that statement is the part about school. The good part of that statement is that means that I am back at college. I've said this several times but college would be awesome if it weren't for the school part. So as you can tell, I'm not a big fan of school. But it has been awesome to back with friends, and playing soccer again. <br /><br />Speaking of soccer, we now have a 6-2 record, which is the best record that we've had in my 4 years here, so it poses to be an exciting season for our team. <br /><br />Also, me and my roommate Nate and our neighbor Alan are back in action with producing "<a href="http://thewheelseat.com">Wheel Seat</a>" episodes. We have put out 3 more episodes since being back at school and they are all great, especially the most recent episode entitled "'I Am T-Pain' - Taylor Swift" where we address some recent happenings in the entertainment world, and we have some fun with autotune. So you all should check it out below. <br /><br />And be assured that I will begin to post more frequently. Enjoy!<br /><object width="420" height="232" ><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.facebook.com/v/1258254975511" /><embed src="http://www.facebook.com/v/1258254975511" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="420" height="232"></embed></object>Josh Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163128350715475261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117040187400070539.post-1705111478519187992009-07-20T16:10:00.001-04:002009-07-20T16:10:13.236-04:00<div class="pp_items"><div class="pp_item" align="center"><img src="http://static.pixelpipe.com/84ceac25-472d-40ac-90b8-3b2508271346_m.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" /></div></div>Josh Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163128350715475261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117040187400070539.post-67550500388920890802009-07-15T15:26:00.005-04:002009-07-15T15:44:31.921-04:00There's an App for That...Even Church?So it turns out that when you have a job that requires you to mostly sit behind a computer all day then you don't really feel like sitting behind a computer when you go home. Imagine that. So that is one reason my blog has been sparse lately. But I'm back with another fun-filled post. <br /><br />Today I've been in the office working on an intro video for our Pastor's new live internet TV show that we are launching. My office is connected to our Youth Pastor's office, so we get to interact and talk alot during the day. He asked me what I was working on and I told him about Pastor's new show which he thought was really cool. He then proceeded to tell me about an iPhone app that he saw a commercial for last night from Nationwide Insurance. Apparently if you get in a car wreck then you can use the app to fill out a form, take pictures of the car and send it to your insurance company all in a matter of minutes. He was amazed by this. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk2ps-RO7JvRHhwfJnZTpq-2MNRaGLPIoWhF2sf1EP3amP3UqY-KDavxUgMHl3v4cdm7ow4D53-yjAgJi9-tXPSBuWxoR4Pszxes8msz1LB2GH_SiEcH7Q_4cTZhWcLOIVXz9_Btj2014/s1600-h/iphone-apps.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 350px; height: 281px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk2ps-RO7JvRHhwfJnZTpq-2MNRaGLPIoWhF2sf1EP3amP3UqY-KDavxUgMHl3v4cdm7ow4D53-yjAgJi9-tXPSBuWxoR4Pszxes8msz1LB2GH_SiEcH7Q_4cTZhWcLOIVXz9_Btj2014/s400/iphone-apps.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358774676259757010" /></a><br />He then asked me a very stimulating question. What is something that the church can do that no one else has done before? Something that is very simple and easy to use, but is very effective in helping people. It doesn't have to be an iPhone app, although the iPhone is the future, but anything that is very easy to use, and very effective. <br /><br />This is interesting to think about. There are almost endless possibilities with the power of the iPhone so I think that writing an app for that would be a good place to start. But what else can be done? I think interactive text messaging is one of those things. <br /><br />We also must think about our target audience. Obviously something like this is going to be targeted at the younger generation. Anyone age 60 and above probably isn't going to understand the purpose of these type of things, and might even end up getting upset over it. <br /><br />Here at Calvary we must be very aware of this. It is definitely not right for people to get upset over such things, because they are definitely effective tools, but we must be able to reach out to all age groups. But sometimes we just need to forget about the people who might get upset and continue to use the tool, whatever it is. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What does your church do that is unique? <br /><br />Do they use any effective tools that implement interesting technology?</span>Josh Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163128350715475261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117040187400070539.post-1375034421524590742009-07-02T19:16:00.009-04:002009-07-02T19:39:31.761-04:00There are some things I just Don't GetThere are some things that I just don't get. <br /><br />I just don't get how you can move on from one person to the next and it doesn't even phase you. <br /><br />I just don't get how you can be so close to a person for a large portion of time in your life and then all of the sudden drop them.<br /><br />I just don't get how you can grow so close to someone and then replace them with someone else in your life in such a short amount of time. <br /><br />People have value!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO5CnuKxW7B72fzmyVFQy2ZrRkUJoiEbqQuQ6N-uL0keOl5dmifPNcTzil0XJb85vS7fOhg5kYC8eFgTerdO5n9Qot9kiwsx-OWjww-JHqQeBD8tiSjreHl5NR4wdPiCZNbPfPOqG8HXE/s1600-h/question_mark2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 328px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO5CnuKxW7B72fzmyVFQy2ZrRkUJoiEbqQuQ6N-uL0keOl5dmifPNcTzil0XJb85vS7fOhg5kYC8eFgTerdO5n9Qot9kiwsx-OWjww-JHqQeBD8tiSjreHl5NR4wdPiCZNbPfPOqG8HXE/s400/question_mark2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354010002290380082" /></a><br /><br />It seems ridiculous to me. But then again, I think I was doing the same thing about 2 years ago, so I guess I have should have some understanding of how you do it.<br /><br />This post comes somewhat out of loneliness, somewhat out of frustration, somewhat out of sitting in an office all day, and somewhat out of just complete surprise and awe at the actions of different people.<br /><br />This is one of those posts that no one will know what I'm talking about, but thats ok, because I know what I'm talking about. Sometimes that is all that matters.Josh Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163128350715475261noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117040187400070539.post-59389890764288268592009-07-01T17:05:00.007-04:002009-07-01T19:37:18.633-04:00My 100th Post: My iPhone 3GS Review<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivgAn0bfVV06Jz4itcwTrjjIxW8n2L_r6bBK5JEPfnX6cTs0FpsHzN4VkhdnTuYiT7OEFTA0snlnXCKf8s9NaU2-J0a2w_REeItnz8tKhvvjf2rVuPZZVpFPPUkVidjRnMNcO4dQONYJc/s1600-h/100posts.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 280px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivgAn0bfVV06Jz4itcwTrjjIxW8n2L_r6bBK5JEPfnX6cTs0FpsHzN4VkhdnTuYiT7OEFTA0snlnXCKf8s9NaU2-J0a2w_REeItnz8tKhvvjf2rVuPZZVpFPPUkVidjRnMNcO4dQONYJc/s400/100posts.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353639586484203010" /></a><br />For those of you keeping track (i.e. No one) this is my 100th post on my blog. I started this blog just a little over 9 months ago, and it has slowly taken shape into what could be a successful blog. I've learned alot about different aspects of blogging. Writing, layout, keywords, titles, etc. I originally started this blog just to give me an outlet, a place to share my thoughts and emotions, but at first I didn't want to tell anyone about the blog. And I didn't tell anyone for literally months. I just posted updates in my life, mostly just for my own personal goals. But eventually I did start to tell people about, and promote it more, and I started to write about stuff that people might be interested in, rather than just redundant updates in my own life. <br /><br />So that is where my blog has come from. And now I have the privilege of writing my 100th post, and o what a time to do it, because this post is going to be a short review of the <a href="http://apple.com/iphone">iPhone 3GS</a>. Now you may be asking, "Josh, how can you give a review of an iPhone 3GS? Do you even have one?" And the answer is yes. I have gotten an iPhone, and it is amazing. <br /><br />I got the Black 32gig iPhone 3GS. I wanted a white one but all they had in stock was black so thats what I went with. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtA3GTzKcTXdcAwvvf9HqRdIPMY83sa_aVkFKi5hKA05Ea8bnw5Wv4fN9iCck8G4owEPs-cdWnTI3OvVYuVSZY-6d8a3YQH-p8hWat5fEFQKHNAONzA3m0sHnfQPO-vgYNalYSalwsyA/s1600-h/iphone3g-4678.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 385px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtA3GTzKcTXdcAwvvf9HqRdIPMY83sa_aVkFKi5hKA05Ea8bnw5Wv4fN9iCck8G4owEPs-cdWnTI3OvVYuVSZY-6d8a3YQH-p8hWat5fEFQKHNAONzA3m0sHnfQPO-vgYNalYSalwsyA/s400/iphone3g-4678.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353639002319580018" /></a><br />Yesterday was my first full day with the iPhone and it felt like the battery was dying pretty quick during the day, so whenever I was in my office I just kept it plugged in and charging, and it lasted me all day, with about 50% left at the end of the day. <br /><br />Today, I decided to test the battery going on a full day without charging and see how it does. I am 3/4 of the way through the day and it is down to 57% so far. Not too bad for shooting and emailing a video, texting, and IMing. So, so far so good on the battery life. <br /><br />The camera is absolutely amazing. The video is awesome quality, if you wanna see a good example check out this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saDguIg9CIE">music video</a> shot completely with the iPhone, its pretty crazy. <br /><br />I'm going crazy with <a href="http://twitpic.com">twitpic</a> now since before I wasn't able to upload and tweet images from my phone, so now I can do that as much as I want. <br /><br />So that is as much as I'm going to review right now. This is only part 1 of I don't know how many parts of my iPhone 3GS review. Keep coming back to see more review updates.Josh Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163128350715475261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117040187400070539.post-47914505891526211692009-06-22T11:13:00.005-04:002009-06-22T11:44:47.086-04:00Some Blogging TipsSo I'm quickly realizing that my blogging for the summer may be more sparse than I had originally anticipated. My new job is consuming much of my time, but hopefully sparseness just means richer content. <br /><br />That leads me to today's post. <br /><br />This past weekend <a href="http://followjosh.com">Josh Puckett</a> and I attended <a href="http://podcampohio.com">Podcamp Ohio2</a> in Columbus, Ohio. So we dragged ourselves out of bed on Saturday morning and began our 2 hour trek up to Columbus, OH. <br /><br />The day consisted of 6 sessions from 10AM-5PM. The sessions were focused mostly around podcasting and blogging. There were also some sessions on digital marketing, and of course almost all of these sessions involved twitter (what doesn't involve twitter these days). <br /><br />Probably one of the biggest things I took away from the day was some helpful blogging tips. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWXaZdP6-pvR_3uF36SuszN3nA6KlRXSvnG6j6bsSGFQNsxfog94GaPpX1iw3g36nEKgGLldei1hiis2Qo7ONGuEk7q6MPbQDiZ-xeVoJrE09lL_NFe3nZiSyI_6GFX37cJIur8GkiJ4/s1600-h/Success+Way.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 330px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWXaZdP6-pvR_3uF36SuszN3nA6KlRXSvnG6j6bsSGFQNsxfog94GaPpX1iw3g36nEKgGLldei1hiis2Qo7ONGuEk7q6MPbQDiZ-xeVoJrE09lL_NFe3nZiSyI_6GFX37cJIur8GkiJ4/s400/Success+Way.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350178217943182274" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1. "Content is King"</span> - Keep your blog's content very rich and engaging. If you don't have good content then it doesn't matter how good the design is, or how much you market it, it is never going to take off. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2. To-the-point </span>- Keep your posts succinct and to the point. This may depend on your audience, but under all circumstances you don't want to post a book each time. I struggle with this, sometimes I just find myself rambling on about unnecessary things. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3. Adapt to your audience</span> - Use google analytics to discover what keywords are being hit the most and what days you get the most readers. Google analytics are invaluable to you as a blogger. <br /><br />Those are the main things that I took away. I also went to a very good session with <a href="http://gabetaviano.com">Gabe Taviano</a> called "Digital Disciples". I will post more on this session later. <br /><br />For now, take those tips and go blog. <br /><br />Do you practice any of the tips that I mentioned?Josh Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163128350715475261noreply@blogger.com1