Check out the awesome video below, created by Josh Franer, featuring the song “Stay” by Robbie Seay Band and available on iTunes. You’ll see a few individuals labeled with Given Names the world has handed to them. Kary’s book and a test that will be available on the website will help each of us look into scripture and recognize our Given Names, and discover who God has created us to be. See you online on March 15th! There will be giveaways and online events happening throughout the entire day. This book is already touching lives, and it hasn’t even been released yet. Great job Kary!

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you are free on March 26-27, I would definitely recommend checking out BibleTech 2010 in San Jose. Last years conference allowed me to meet some really neat and talented individuals, and I am really looking forward to sharing at the conference for the second year. I’ll be discussing what it’s been like to see God start moving through the Digital Disciples network we’ve started here in Columbus, OH (and now in three other cities – and counting).

It’s been a huge blessing to be given the opportunities to share at various conferences the past few years for sure. The timing of the trip is a little odd, since that is the week I will be starting my new job at 104.9 The River. But I’m not complaining one bit, since it’s obvious God is at the center of both and had all of these things planned for quite some time, LOL. How has God been working in your life? I’d love to hear ways you have seen him work, and what you thought of His timing?

With the economy the way it is, it really shocked me to sense God’s love at the right time. I constantly reminded myself through the process that there are many out there today without a job – and to be offered one when you weren’t hunting for it shows God was moving even more to me. He was allowing us to get by as I worked at home as a freelance web designer (and part-time at our church), but it was getting pretty chaotic after 3-4 years. I tried maybe too hard to keep my fees affordable for ministries, while also not being too interested in bringing in a second hand to assist in completing projects as quickly as I’d like.

A few things God showed me through the process include: In the middle of the process I asked a pastor / friend of mine to pray, and he was quick to let me know that there couldn’t be a better job title for me. Another friend came up to me just last week (without knowing I had just applied), and let me know he heard the job opportunity ad playing on the radio and that I should strongly consider it. What excites me is to work with a group of individuals that sense the reality that God wants to use technology to improve the way they spread / connect His message to the community. To see how the coming generations use different technologies to communicate than the previous, and that God wants to speak to them where they are at.

I’ll share more details after I start (two weeks from today), but I thought I’d just give a small attempt at glorifying and praising God for His provision and guidance. His watch was obviously ticking – I don’t wear one.

The word inglorious (shameful / disgraceful) actually sums up Hollywood to me. I know it was used in the title of a film (I haven’t seen yet), but Hollywood has it all backwards. While spending just a minute watching the post-Oscars feed last night I saw a young woman refer to the night as “glorious”. Are you kidding me? Sure, humans are talented. Talented at acting, sports, creativity, and the list goes on. But glorious? Can humans get together in any room on the face of the earth (large or small) and do anything that can be defined as glorious? Maybe they should check out John 5:41-44?

Glory is only for God. Our culture is blind. Believing that what we create (moments of time or objects) deserves to be admired. Should be a bit obvious when one of the most popular teen words is “EPIC”. No wonder people struggle with just being themselves. And you and I still struggle with that after knowing the Christ is enough? Wasn’t the second level of the tower of Babel too high?

I remembered hearing about a “dollar theater” maybe twenty minutes away. Just so happens to turn into a “two dollar theater” on the weekend. The $8 was well worth The Princess and the Frog, holding our 4 year-old on my lap the entire movie so she could see, and learning a big lesson. Like most other adults, I really do believe silence is golden. Loudness usually annoys me, unless I’m at a Skillet, Red, or TFK concert.

But you don’t have a choice when you’re walking into a theater full of dozens of young children. You’ll be lucky to observe an entire minute of the movie without noise. The phrase “oh – to be young again” sometimes really does make lots of sense. What’s with us adults? All up-tight and self-centered. Expecting not to have to deal with the rest of the world when we enter a few hours of leisure after a long week? Blind to the fact that places like theaters are public and not by invitation only, LOL. Another Captain Me Planet lesson I guess! After a few minutes I realized the evening was going to be much more enjoyable if I thanked God for giving me a few hours to spend with my three little princesses.

Apparently God doesn’t stop with these $8 lessons until we get the hint? Have you found one that costs $7? If so, I’m there!

She’s had four books published (by a “real” publisher). This was her first shot at fiction, so it’s a pretty safe and humble move not to think it’s ready for the press. But it was definitely ready for an impressive community that follows her blog, and readers of her books that she has been personally in touch with. Our first thought was to make it an e-book. There’s lots of buzz going on in the past year or so about the Amazon Kindle – and the near launch of the Apple iPad. There are also readers that are interested in just downloading a PDF document and reading it on their computer.

I looked into the process of creating a book for Amazon’s Kindle (Digital Text Platform), and while it’s not difficult, you only receive 35% of the proceeds of the price you choose to list the book for. I was close to submitting the book through to Amazon when Marla let me know that she knows quite a few people that take their own PDF documents and transfer them over to the Kindle.

Now knowing that was possible, I was able to find a service called PayLoadz that lets you upload media (documents, etc.) into an account and you only pay a monthly fee based on the number of items you sell. Here’s how the process works:

• Create an account on PayLoadz and connect it with your PayPal account. Your first $50 of sales is free. The next level would be $100 of sales, which requires a $5 monthly payment. After reaching that level it looks like PayLoadz is only keeping just over 50 cents of each $8 purchase.
• Create your first product (enter simple book details, upload PDF document and a product cover image you create)
• PayLoadz produces a purchase link you can share with your readers via your website, blog, email, etc.
• Money is deposited directly into your PayPal following a purchase
• Each consumer receives a unique and encrypted link to download the document immediately via email

By doing this, you’re avoiding handing 65% of your profit over to Amazon while readers are still able to read your book on a Kindle. Marla also chose to launch a WordPress site over at WorldsApartProject.com, where she will be sharing the actual book for free via frequent blog posts (with the option to buy it for $8 and not wait to read it over 10+ months).

I was excited to design a new site for my mother’s ministry. She is a Christian speaker, and has traveled twice recently to Africa (Kenya) – where hundreds have come to know Christ through the message He has had her share. Occasionally I’ll design a site that I am pretty proud of (aesthetics and functionality). This is one of them!
PLATFORM: WordPress

My wife completed a 50,000 word novel as part of the 2009 NaNoWriMo challenge (write a novel in 1 month). Her site for the project will deliver the book through blog format by listing entries every day or so until the end of the story (10 month story). If you’d like you can purchase the book for $8 (PDF document) and not wait it out. 1/2 the proceeds go directly toward missions.
PLATFORM: WordPress

Speaking at BibleTech and Apple Headquarters
I’ll be returning to BibleTech again next month (this time in San Jose, CA) and sharing what God is doing through the Digital Disciples network. An employee at Apple Headquarters in Cupertino, CA (in the San Jose area) and I have connected online a few times. There’s a good chance I’ll be stopping by and sharing about God’s Mac and Digital Disciples with Christ-followers within the organization – and anyone else who shows up. Their group is called Apple Christian Fellowship. Must be fun to be a part of that group!

Restructured presence on the web
I’ve previously had two personal sites, my personal blog here and my design portfolio. You might not have noticed (hopefully), but I have moved most of my newest projects in the portfolio onto the blog here. Hopefully confusing people less about what I do, and letting you get a glimpse of my personal life via the regular blog posts – as well as the “professional” side of things with the design blog posts. All in one location. Easier to manage, and allowing you to see more of what God is doing through me. That’s why I’ve done it really. What I do isn’t separate from who I am.

I’ve transitioned the Twitter account to my personal @GabeTaviano account, and the previous @GodsMac account is used for the podcast now.

Shortened / More frequent podcast
Enjoy technology or creativity? Love to hear how God is moving in the lives of people across the globe? Confused at times, like many are, with how God wants us to be using technology? Our podcast has been around for over 3 years now, including 54 episodes that most ran over an hour in length. It wasn’t acceptable, so we’ve changed it up. To be more fair to each person or topic that is a part of each episode, we are now providing episodes that are easy to listen to. Yesterday we just aired a second episode in the new format, an interview with the 2000 Olympic gold medalist, Laura Wilkinson. You may receive the podcast in iTunes, alerts via email – RSS – Twitter – Facebook (and easily listen to the episodes using the audio player on the site).

Enjoying photography
I haven’t missed a day yet. 55 days in a row of taking 1 Photo Per day. It’s been a new project that’s had my eyes peeled and always looking for a subject / object to capture.

Our podcast, God’s Mac, has been around since August 26, 2006 and we’ve launched 54 episodes. It was time for a shorter podcast format and a new interactive site, powered by WordPress. We’re really looking forward to releasing much shorter episodes more frequently, and interacting more with listeners.
PLATFORM: WordPress