The Spirit and Obedience | The Ordinary

Posted by Todd Engstrom in austin stone, college ministry on April 16, 2009

Want to be encouraged by how God is moving in some college students’ lives?  Read the excerpt below, and then follow the link:

Im not making this Spirit junk up, and I didn’t do anything but surrender and admit that Im worthless and somehow yearn to be obedient. But I promise, I’ve never believed that God can move more than I have right now. And I really believe that with a little obedience and a lot of prayer our generation can be the one that God uses to restore this country. It must be unless we want to live in a post-Christian society. The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Pray for workers, pray that the workers would be obedient.

via The Ordinary: The Spirit and Obedience.

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Web Tools I Use

Posted by Todd Engstrom in christianity on April 15, 2009

Although I’m definitely not a tech guru, I’ve found a number of tools that help me keep moving throughout my day that many people didn’t know existed.  Below is a short list of some things that I use frequently:

  • Firefox – This is the anchor to a cuztomized web experience.  Wouldn’t use any other browser..
    • IE Tab – Useful when things are native to IE, but you don’t want to leave Firefox (we have a few tools that are native to Microsoft, and don’t have full functionality in Firefox)
    • Ctrl-Tab – Makes switching tabs in Firefox a lot more fun and visual (for those of you that didn’t know, pressing Ctrl + Tab will switch tabs…).
    • XMarks – If you use multiple computers, you need this add-on.  It will sync your bookmarks across browsers and across machines.
    • Make sure you utilize Add-ons.  They will make your life easier, and your browsing experience better.
  • Google Tools
    • Gmail – I manage all personal email from here.
      • By simply adding a period anywhere into your email address, you can create an entirely new address which is delivered to the same inbox, enabling you to filter incoming email (for example: t.engstrom@gmail.com versus tengstrom@gmail.com)
    • Google Reader – There are tons of feed readers out there, but this works just fine for me.
    • Google Notebook – Great for webclips and keeping an online journal.
    • Google Books – Ever want an online library of the books you own? I’d recommend using this to catalog, write short reviews, and keep a few notes for easy access.  My library is here.
    • Google Alerts – Best way to keep up with specific searches you want to track (I use it for Blogs and Twitter), and put the RSS feed into my Google Reader.
  • Greasemonkey and Userscripts – Customization to individual pages
    • Google Multi-login Script – If you’re like me, you’ve got a few different google accounts that need to be accessed.  This does the job nicely.
    • Google Reader Widescreen – Makes text run the full width of a widescreen…much better experience.
    • Better Gmail – A whole host of features for Gmail…basically packaged Greasemonkey scripts.
  • Twitter
    • Power Twitter – Soups up the web-based Twitter experience quite a bit
    • Tweetdeck (Desktop app) – A great way to manage the people you follow by breaking them into groups
    • Tweetie (for iPhone) – Great user interface, but I’m considering a switch to TweetStack once it’s a tad more proven because it integrates with Tweetdeck.
    • Twitterfeed – An easy way to update your Twitter status when you post a new blog.
  • Helpful Tools
    • Bit.ly – An excellent way to shorten web links, and also track their traffic.
    • Doodle – Ever get tired of scheduling with larger groups of people.  Try this, it will save you a lot of email.
    • Del.icio.us – A great way to save bookmarks and share them online.  My username is tengstrom.
  • Helpful Websites
    • Lifehacker – Always has great information on using technology effectively.
    • Mashable – Great way to stay informed on Social Media.

If you’d like to see more of how I journal/study Scripture online, go here.

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Cardboard Stories | Easter @ The Austin Stone

Posted by Todd Engstrom in austin stone on April 13, 2009

Easter Sunday was powerful yesterday at The Austin Stone, and I’d recommend watching this video.  They are testimonies of things that God has done in our body over the last year.

Cardboard Stories on Vimeo

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Wearing Many Hats

Posted by Todd Engstrom in assimilation, austin stone, college ministry, leadership on April 13, 2009

Through the last few years, I am becoming infinitely more aware of the necessity of adaptation and flexibility in whatever environment I am working. No matter how much I desire to have things under control, or how much I want to have the requisite skill set completely mastered for a job, I continue to find myself needing to grow and change to obey God and succeed in what He has called me to.

I think a few years ago this would have left me completely frustrated and feeling out of control. More recently, I think God has been teaching me that it is the natural course of walking in obedience to Him. Quite simply, my lack of control generally means that God is moving. Adaptability is simply the fruit of obedience and sensitivity to where God is taking me.

When I get frustrated about having to adapt or grow in my skills, it is nothing but simple ignorance to how God is shaping me more onto His image, and pruning me to bear more fruit in His kingdom. I must repent when this idolatry of comfort takes hold.

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Malatya Film

Posted by Todd Engstrom in christianity on April 11, 2009

malatyafilmFor those of you in Austin, I would highly recommend carving out some time next Saturday to view Malatya.  Malatya is a documentary about the first martyrs of the Turkish Church. On April 18th, 2007, Necati Aydin, Uğur Yüksel, and Tillmann Geske were brutally killed in Malatya, Turkey for proclaiming that Jesus Christ is the King of kings and Lord of lords. Necati and Uğur are the first known modern Turkish converts from Islam to Christianity to be killed for their faith.

Austin Screening Information

Where: Galaxy Highland Theater
When: Showings at 1,2, and 3pm on Saturday, April 18, 2009
Tickets: Tickets must be purchased in advance, and are available here.

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