Thomas Umstattd Jr.

Anouncing: New Media Mondays

One difference between Martin Luther and the reformers who came before him is that Luther used a new technology to spread his message. He also broke from the tradition of writing only in Latin and talked straight to the people. Technology helped Luther change the world. As Christians it is important for us to do the same. We must embrace new technologies to help spread the Good News. Learning new tech...

5 Steps to Master Any Skill

If perfectionism is not the answer what is? Skill. A man skilled in his work will stand before kings. Here are the 5 steps to master any skill. 5 Steps to Skill: 1. Study/Train Excellent people read everything they can about the task at hand. They listen to advice and ask questions. They take every opportunity to practice even if it means working without pay. They submit to the scoldings of a master....

4 Problems with Perfectionism

Why are skillful people rare? Because most of us fall pray to perfectionism. “Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.” -Proverbs 22:29 Every time I read this verse I think of Benjamin Franklin. In his autobiography he attests to the truth of this verse stating that he had stood before many kings and even had dinner with the king...

The Sin of Sarcasm?

Why is lying wrong? Because it hurts people or because God said not to do it? Here are seven reasons why I think sarcasm is unhealthy and wrong. I would love to hear what you think by leaving a comment . 1. Sarcasm is a lie and not the language of the Kingdom. When I make a sarcastic comment I lie, assuming my listener knows my words to be untrue. What a trick of the devil to put lies in the mouths...

How to process twice the email in half the time – Part 2

If you haven’t checked out Part 1 look it over. This post will make more sense if you read that post first. They go into more detail on each point. Here is the cliff notes of a recent Lifehacker article. Their advice is bold My comments are not “Batch” email at set times. This is huge. I process my inbox to zero and then when I get a chance I batch reply to the emails in the “Need...

How to process twice the email in half the time – Part 1

After years of digital coaching I have realized that most people stink at email. Here are the two people I most often encounter: Person A: This person spends hours checking email each week sending and receiving dozens of emails every day. Yet, Person A seems to be always behind in email regardless of how much time he or she invests in it. If you work a white collar job you probably can relate to...

5 Tips to Avoid Boring PowerPoint Presentations

When I gave a talk at a Rotary Club I could just see everyone cringe as I pulled out my projector. As soon as a presenter shows their first slide riddled with text we know we are in for a long boring talk. But PowerPoint does not need to be boring. A guy named Cliff Atkinson author of the book Beyond Bullet Points opened my eyes to a radical new way to present using Power Point. I used his approach...

How a Podcast Works (Video)

This short 4 minute video explains podcasting better than anything else I have ever seen.

What is a RSS Feed and how do I use it?

We have all seen this orange icon and likely just ignored it. But this little icon can transform your internet experience. Clicking this icon causes good things to happen. To explain those good things I have found a short 2 minute YoouTube video. RSS in Plain English Using Google Reader (Tutorial) I use google reader. For me its the easiest to use since I use gmail. If you are a yahoo person you...