To celebrate the 4th of July, my church held a large event at a nearby college (similar to last year).  The community was invited, and everything was free – including food, drinks, games, and inflatables.  In the middle of the event, we held a worship service, and we concluded the evening with a fireworks show.

Some of the highlights:

1. Approximately 9,000 people attended the event.
2. Many people responded to the message by making commitments of their lives to Jesus.
3. 36 people were baptized (I got to baptize about 30 of these).

During the course of the evening I met several people who are a part of my online small group face-to-face for the first time.  I also met up with several individuals who normally attend online and got to baptize one of them.

Volunteer Teams setting up one of the Drink Stations

Baptisms

Keri, her mom, and the kids

More photos on Facebook

1) Screen Resolution

The high-res screen really is amazing.  The images below are screen captures from the iPhone, so you’ll have to imagine these images being squashed down to 1/4th of the size they are on the screen here.

It’s a little bit difficult to explain why this is such a big deal except to show you the clarity of text both when you’re zoomed in close or looking at the full site (I had to crop the image down just to get it to fit on the blog here).

2) Facetime

I realize that video chat is already readily available via webcam and Skype, but by making this available on the phone and matching it up with phone calls, brings a whole new level of usability.  It’s something that even my four year old can easily understand, and it works amazingly well.  Even the audio quality over the speaker phone is crisp and clear.

3) New Design

Even though the flat back of the phone makes it feel thicker, it’s actually significantly thinner than the previous iPhones, and it fits in my pocket much more comfortably.

I do kind of wonder if the hard angles of the phone are going to wear into people’s jeans and leave marks kind of like dip or snuff cans do in people’s back pockets.

4) Battery Life

For me, the verdict is still out on the battery life.  Sometimes I think I’m getting just the same amount of life as my previous iPhone, but sometimes I think it’s much better.  Time will tell.

5) Speed

My old 3G was a turtle compared to this thing.

Overview

Apple has once again rolled new features into their new phone without compromising in usability.  From this one device I can call, email, text, check the web, run a ton of great apps, shoot video, take photos, and read books.  Batman never had it this good.

UPDATE 6/30/10:

Today, I took a look at the Places feature of the Photo App.  Amazing to see all of my photos taken on the phone located on a world map with links back to the photos.  Here’s a close up of what I’m talking about:

I have to admit that I’m a little bit excited about iPhone 4 being released this Thursday.  From everything I’ve seen, it’s going to be an amazing phone.

There’s no doubt that it has a great set of features and awesome specs, but our hearts so easily forget that it’s just a phone.  Without even trying, we can be duped into thinking that this phone will quench some longing in our souls.

If that happens to describe you, and you happened to stumble across this post, I want to let you know that a greater joy is available.

Tonight, I ventured into a new realm of online ministry as Keri and I kicked off an online small group.  We already attend a local group each week, but I wanted to begin providing more connections to those who worship online on our Internet Campus.

Here are a few benefits to meeting online:

• We can meet later in the evening – after the kids have gone to bed.
• You only have to clean the part of your house that will be in the webcam window.
• People outside of Knoxville and Tennesee can meet with us.

Things that were confirmed in just one meeting:

• Meaningful connections can happen online.
• Having the video feed of the other people in the group makes it much easier to connect.
• Tokbox is a fantastic free way to get multiple people in the same room together.
• It’s challenging to get all the webcam microphones working without feedback.  A simpler solution is to use a free conference call line.

Thinking about starting an online group?  Here’s some extra info.

We’re planning to relaunch our Internet Campus this weekend.  We worked with a fantastic design company to improve our interface and arrange things so that people will have an easier time finding their way around the features.  Like normal, my good friend, Brad Roberts built out the site, and we’ve both been amazed to see the project come together.

Some of the new features include:

• Greater emphasis on the chat room, built from scratch so that it will include all the features we’ve wanted for a while.  Most importantly, it no longer requires the Java plugin to work.
• A map that shows all the connections.
• Easier access to the sharing/invite buttons.
• And some really cool transitions – opening and closing the chat window as well as “turning down the lights”.

Our biggest hope is that these changes will help more people discover the truth of Jesus and connect to the growing community of Faith Promise Church.

I’m currently near the end of a week-long vacation with my wife and kids at Fripp Island, off the coast of South Carolina.  We visited here last Christmas, and from that visit we hoped to come back and try out the beach in the summertime.  It’s been a fantastic vacation – the island is a nature preserve, and we’ve frequently seen deer, racoons, and even alligators (one was over 6 feet long) in close proximity to the house where we’re staying.

Yesterday we decided to rent a 17′ Carolina Skiff to navigate the marshes and make our way out to an uninhabited island to look for shells.  This was pretty adventurous for us, since I’ve never driven a motorized boat by myself, our destination was an hour away from the marina at full throttle, and Keri and my shared lack of navigational sense.  There was a sense of anticipation and excitement – even from the kids.

Without a doubt, the boat ride was a highlight of the trip, especially since we came across several groups of dolphins swimming near our boat.  It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.

Then, in the middle of our beautiful and adventurous day, I did a very silly thing.  I put my iPhone into my swimsuit pocket to have it ready for taking photos.  I knew when I did it that it was a bad idea, but I did it anyway.

Just for the record, you should never put a cell phone in your swimsuit pocket.  The odds are against you.

When we found the island beach we were looking for, I jumped out of the boat to carry the kids to shore and keep the boat pushed out far enough that it didn’t get stuck with the falling tide.  It wasn’t till about 20 minutes later, when we were all back in the boat, that I reached for my iPhone and realized that I had created a very expensive paperweight and an even more expensive boat ride.

Concluding Thoughts:

1. Even with the submersion and death of my iPhone, it was still worth the great memory my family created on the ocean yesterday.  There was much more to the story, including Keri having to drive the boat at a moment’s notice two different times and my 4-year-old daughter simultaneously screaming at her that she couldn’t do it.
2. Just before the boat ride, I emailed a few photos to my email account so that I’d have them for a blog post.  Otherwise, I would have lost most of our photos from the trip.
3. I miss my iPhone tremendously.  It’s been less than 24 hours, but any time I think about needing a map, checking email, or taking a photo, my heart is stabbed with grief.
4. Rumor has it that the new iPhone will be announced in just a few days.  Perfect timing!

The behind the scenes video below is pretty interesting.  It shows the team making some videos to demonstrate the speed of the browser, and it includes a potato gun.  Very nice!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Updated: Here’s the finished video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Early tomorrow morning (Wednesday), my mom will take the next step in her colon cancer treatment and will have the first of two surgeries.  I’m heading to Houston tomorrow morning to spend a few days with her, Dad, my brother Phil, and his wife Emily.

We would all appreciate your prayers for her – that the surgery will go well and that God will give her a quick recovery afterwards.

About two weeks ago, during our staff retreat at the Cove in Asheville, God impacted my heart in a huge way. I can’t exactly put my finger on what is happeneing in my soul, but I feel a new work of God happening in my heart.

I feel a new sense of urgency in prayer and an increased passion for the ministry He has called me to.  At the same time, I have a clearer understanding of my my brutally selfish nature.  In opposition to it, I’m asking God to expand my capacity for service without recognition.

Some of what I’ve seen in my heart bothers me, but other parts give me great hope in the future. As I battle against my flesh, I’m praying that God will use this time to draw me even nearer to Himself.  I’m praying that He will work through me in a way that earns glory only for Himself.