Sometimes God puts the right people directly in your path. Or in my case the big blue and white Ford Expedition SUV with the Fishmouse.com logo pasted on its body.

Earlier this week, while sitting at the Hope Cafe in Raleigh, NC, I looked up and saw the truck. No, the heavens did not open up nor did a dove descend, but my interest was piqued nonetheless.

Social Media

Immediately, I headed over to Fishmouse.com website to see what it was all about. I also kept my eye on the truck to see who its driver was and located his Twitter account (getFishmouse) to send a tweet and join up.

Within the hour I met Glenn Steers, the “brains” behind Fishmouse and asked him about his website. I learned that Fishmouse is being touted as a way for Christian small groups to stay connected. Perfect! My Monday morning men’s group could use it to keep track of our studies, share prayer requests and other related matters.

Special Invitation

Soon, I received an invite from Glenn and began to check out the site which is in alpha testing at the moment. In August 2010 Fishmouse will be open for public beta and will likely remain in that mode throughout 2011. New features will be added over time, current features tweaked, but you’ll be able to use Fishmouse just as you would Facebook.

FYI, Fishmouse isn’t trying to be the Christian version of Facebook — thank God! Your privacy will be protected and your small group will be limited to 30 members. In addition, you can only join five groups, thus the emphasis is on small group connectivity.

Interview Forthcoming

I’ve barely touched on all of the details because I’m just beginning to use the site myself. Glenn has promised to give WordJourney an interview, therefore I’ll save the meaty matters for that time.

In the meantime, enjoy the video supplied by Fishmouse and get ready to join what could be a blessing for the church universal.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Spiritual warfare and the college experience.

Millions of college-bound freshmen will be leaving for school in August and September, with many marking their very first extended time away from home. High school is over and the college years beckon, but are students really prepared for college and all that this setting has to offer?

Quitting College

That question is being asked by educators, parents and students alike, as the drop out rate for college freshmen hits 25 percent. That means one in four college bound freshmen may soon decide that pursuing higher education isn’t for them, leaving school and taking their chances in a weak job market.

Teaching pastor and national speaker John Bryson believes that this upward trend of dropping out of college can be reversed and is teaming up with Men’s Fraternity founder Robert Lewis in a bid to help students leave for college prepared.

College Prep

Specifically, Bryson and Lewis have launched a six-week study aimed at helping high school seniors and college freshmen make the most of their college experience. The two men have developed College Ready, a six-week program with study videos and a student guide based on six key principles:

• Acquiring vision
• Empowering friendships
• Excelling academically
• Dating right
• Having fun
• Growing spiritually

According to Bryson and Lewis, the program is adaptable to a variety of group settings and is ideal for youth pastors, teachers, homeschool groups and college freshman group leaders.

Family Life

College Ready is part of a much larger initiative of FamilyLife called Life Ready, a biblical strategy for churches to provide proactive marriage and family training through video resources. FamilyLife is focused on the mission of using biblical principles to build healthier marriages and families.

I am not endorsing this program as I have not reviewed the materials. That being said, I believe that adequately preparing students as they head off to college is essential and can go a long way toward reversing the drop out trend.  Therefore, a program such as College Ready seems to provide the tools needed to equip college-bound students.

Popularity: 2% [?]