In recent days we have seen the absolute power of media at work. The current financial crisis has provided television and web media a feeding frenzy of fear mongering and half truths! I have sat in amazement at my computer and looked at news outlets placing pictures of the 1930's Great Depression on their posts! The talk and noise is endless and has paralyzed many people and numbed others, creating either a spirit of fear or a sense of helplessness. I recently completed a second read of a book by Shane Hipps, The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture. It is a good read. Shane's premises on the power of electronic media are more significant today than when he first penned the book in 2005. If you are interested in the power of media over our thinking, I would highly recommend you take the time to read it. I appreciate his focus: the Message Is the Medium! Still to this day publishing is first about the message then about the medium used to deliver that message. The blessing of today is that we have so many more options to communicate the message. Publishing is about the message not the medium! Christian publishing is about The Message of Christ to change and transform our lives.

NavPress is well known for producing Bible studies. Literally millions of believers have used these resources in many settings: college campuses, small groups, personal study time, military institutions, churches. I am excited to announce a breakthrough Bible study series called Connect. These new Bible studies use the latest in image-based interactive learning for the user. I have talked about NavPress working on new resources that take into consideration the learning styles and preferences of Millennials. As a result of more than 10 years of research with Navigator staff in studies around the world, Connect was developed. These studies are non sequential in nature. You can start with any of the studies. They can be used individually, but the best results come when they are used in group settings. The studies are designed around community and relationships that enhance the the group experience. The results from our field studies using these resources included significant life change.  Spiritual transformation is a priority for NavPress. Take a look at these ground breaking resources. I believe that Connect will have a long lasting impact on those who use them. Today we live in a world where images are powerful communication tools. Through meaningful and emotive images, the Connect studies provide a foundational study format for lifelong character transformation. I've read this series and found them to be deeply biblical, rooted in Scripture, and relevant to real life issues and questions. What I really appreciated about the studies is that you can use them no matter where you are at on your faith journey. http://navpress.com/landing/connect.aspx

It is the second year for the Fantasy Fiction Tour, a Christian fiction book tour to several cities in the U.S, with the goal of encouraging young people to read! I am proud to say that one of our own authors is heavily involved in the venture! Sharon, thanks for your hard work on this project! I have attached Motiv8's website--you need to check this out! As a publisher I want to congratulate Motiv8. NavPress shares your goal of helping engage young people to grow spiritually through reading! I have mentioned in an earlier post that we face serious reading issues in the U.S. These kinds of efforts help to increase awareness for parents about the importance of getting kids turning book pages rather than switching the remote! I give this project 5 stars for creative thinking. it is a wonderful example of partnership among publishers in order to advance the Kingdom and make the world a better place. My prayer is that this book tour will challenge others to rise up and follow the lead of these wonderful authors. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTyXj7wg3xQ]

Is it possible to conceive of business strategy without recognizing the power of social networks as a part of the answer? Perhaps you are new to all this fancy talk about social networks?  Social networks consist of  individuals and organizations which are tied together in interdependency.  Business is about connecting individuals with organizations in an interdependent way in order to provide them with goods and services. As a result of interpendence business success takes places So why the fuss concerning social networks?  Simply because as I lead NavPress I am struck by the fact that I must set our business strategy knowing that social networks now drive most business decisions. 1. I cannot set strategy without recognizing the interdependence between the author and the publisher. 2. I cannot set strategy without accepting an interdependence between the retailer and the publisher. 3. Strategy must consist of integrated networks of individuals and organizations, IF NavPress is going to be competitive and effective as a publisher. So it's not whether your organization is business casual, but business social!

It's back to the future! The book mobile is back!  Are you old enough to remember the days when you would go to the book mobile for your books? I guess I am showing my age but it was a very special treat in our family. Going to the book Mobile was the place where I acquired my love for books and reading! However, things have changed in the type of books you can find on the book mobile! The Book Mobile has gone digital!

Now you can download your digital resources from the book mobile! What a diffence that is to the old days when you checked the book out and then brought it back to the book mobile! Libraries are learning that unless digital resources are made available many of the new generation will not read a book from the shelf! I have been talking about reading patterns in many of my past blogs. The facts are clear that in the 21st century those involved in the production and distribution of content must deliver content in multiple forms and combination's. So the days of physical and digital content are here! Even the library gets it! I just hope that publishers can understand this trend!

It looks like there is a new competitor for Kindle! I am sure that this will not be the only new tool to come to the market to provide consumers with the ability to take their content with them on a wireless device. These tools are here to stay! I want to make a point that is sometimes lost in all the hype that comes with a new device. These days we are so enamored by the device we miss the purpose. It is not the device but the text that is important in this conversation. Too many people get caught up in the device and miss the text. It is the message not the medium that is important.  Lets take the a look at this new tool in the E TEXT battle. In reality we are dealing with ETEXT not the tool! Plastic Logic is launching what they call their enewspaper reader! This new device is sleek, slender and flexible like a newspaper.  The features are very interesting. It will be interesting to see the response to this new tool. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwld9lGKSz4&NR=1]

I attended a conference not long ago sponsored by NavPress. There were leaders gathered from all across the country to discuss the change in learning styles and reading preferences of Millennial's. I must tell you, I was shocked by what I learned!  We discussed issues related to Orality.  If you are not up on this movement you need to do some study on this subject. We also discussed what has been termed "secondary orality." These sound like heavy intellectual issues but they are huge issues for ministry and businesses as we move further into the 21st century. Research indicates that the amount of books read by U.S. adult population is quite small! It is not that they lack the skills to read but they prefer not to read! The natural question is how do they get their information?  One of our NavPress employees explained to me that his preschool child is learning in a new way in his pre K school. The resources are web based images and oral stories! Text is taking a back seat in the process of learning for these children! I sense that a major shift is taking place in our world in the ways that people learn. Have you seen evidence of this in your part of the world? Video is king. I was one of the founders of the first social network website for Christians  www.godtube.com.  I discovered as we built the site that people are drawn by the power of images to hear and listen to a message about God.  We cannot underestimate the power of image in seeking to share the truth of the Scriptures! So here is the new formula for learning in the 21st century.  Hearing x Image > text.  What do you think? Am I over exaggerating this change? NavPress is seeking to understand this trend and begin to consider the development of materials that will start with people based on their preferred style of learning.

Do you still enjoy going to the mail box to see what kind of surprises you've received from the postman? There is a new application called, Earth Class Mail. Now you can set up an online post office box and have your postal mail sent to you via the internet! So that means that my mail box might become another casualty of technology!  Perhaps my mail box could become a decorative piece of yard art for my house! But seriously, this technology could have a significant impact for direct marketers in the future! Currently, mailers are something that people get in their mail box and hold in their hands. Catalogs, brochures come to your home and you can simply thumb the pages searching for the items that you want to purchase. I grew up in a time prior to the computer when we looked forward to getting catalogs in the mail! But if people opt into this new application, then the days of direct mail pieces coming to the home could come to an end, or at least there could be a significant drop in direct mail pieces ending up on the kitchen table.  More email less snail mail! Is this is a good thing? Or is this another threat to direct mail marketing effectiveness? So whether you serve in a church or ministry based business the implications are significant. Might be worth checking out Earth Class Mail. Start decorating those mail boxes!

I hope you will check out the new look for the NavPress web site! There are so many great resources available for individuals and church's to help them with their ministry resource needs. NavPress is very excited about the new resources that are being developed for our customers. The entire NavPress team desires to be partners with our customers and help them with the kind of resources that assist them with their spiritual formation and leadership development needs.  We have over thirty years of experience in producing quality discipleship materials. So I hope that you find some helpful resources on our new site! Please let us know how we can better serve you. If you have used our materials in the past, thank you for your partenrship with us.  If you have never tried our products I hope you will find something that will meet your needs. Enjoy the site!

They have discovered the oldest computer! The Greeks did it again! They have not only excelled in literature, philosophy, civics, and architecture but they also are the first to have designed a computer! The human mind's ability to think, reason, and resolve complex problems is another reason to celebrate God's wonderful creative power! Who would have believed that we could connect to people worldwide with the technology that we now enjoy and take for granted! The Greeks illustrate for us the ability to accomplish great things. If we can think it many times it can be accomplished! No matter how great the advances in technology are, let's remember someone used his or her brain to develop the tool!