In predictions for 2009 I said that I thought Twitter would catch on and finally become popular with "the kids". What I mean is that non-geeks will begin seeing it for the incredible tool that it is. Later when listening to the Buzz Out Loud prediction show, I heard Tom Merritt make the same prediction. I know a lot of my regular readers read my twitters (they are supposed to be called tweets, but that is just so stupid that I refuse to) because I can see when you click on the links from my feed in the sidebar. So my goal today is to get you to try out Twitter, and explain what it is exactly. Next week I will post about different ways of using it, cool apps and stats, and some ways not to use it.
Twitter is microblogging, for lack of a better term. You get 140 characters to say whatever you want. Here's how it works. You sign up, choose people to follow, then participate. Your page will automatically show you all the updates of the people you follow. Likewise, everyone who follows you will see all your updates.
You can update it from the web or by text message. You can also post pics to twitter using twitpic.com. It allows people to see into the lives of those you follow. And in turn your followers can see what you are up to. You can use it for prayer requests, to send out information or to keep up with old friends. I follow people I know from college and from seminary. And if you sign up, let me know and I'll follow you as well.
You can keep track of your twitter feed on the twitter.com website, but the best way to use twitter on your computer is http://www.twhirl.org/ Twhirl works with Mac & PC and is a very handy tool. (You will also need to install adobe air)
Here's a list of a few cool people to follow to get you started. (I don't follow the last few)
me - https://twitter.com/jmmath Ed Stetzer - https://twitter.com/edstetzer Mark Hall (from Casting Crowns) - https://twitter.com/markhallCC Tom Rainer (Pres. of Lifeway) - https://twitter.com/ThomRainer Alvin Reid - https://twitter.com/docreid7 Darth Vader - https://twitter.com/darthvader Natalie Grant - https://twitter.com/NatalieGrant MC Hammer (Can't touch this) - https://twitter.com/mchammer Shaquille O'Neil - http://twitter.com/THE_REAL_SHAQ Greg Grunberg (Weiss from Alias) - http://twitter.com/greggrunberg
You can always just sign up and try it out. Let me know how you feel about it in the comments.
- Alex & Brett Harris. This was the best book I read this year. I reviewed it 
- Phillip Johnson. Excellent book. It is slightly outdated and it isn't as good as 
. But it is definitely worth your time.
- Erwin Raphael McManus. I reviewed this book 
- Cary Schmidt. This is really a long-form religious tract. But it is really great. I may give it out in the future.
- Douglas Groothuis. A good book offering context to the gospel.
- Russ Bush. I read this because 
- Chuck Colson. Nothing special here. But not bad
- Philip Yancey. Yancey wrote one of my top 10 books ever so I find myself reading him regularly. But I honestly cannot even remember what this book was about. Though it was better than the next book on this list, it was nothing special.
- Philip Yancey. See above.
- Mark Batterson. I reviewed this book 
- G.K. Chesterton. Nobody in the history of literature has been more clever than Chesterton. This is a good book but a bit inaccessible.
- Jeff Gorsuch. We read this for a small group Bible study at my church. It's pretty good for that purpose.
- Bill Hull. My official review...meh
- Alvin Reid. This book was good, but not as good as 
- Ken Connor. I got this book free at the SBC. It was interesting but I did not buy into its thesis. If you want to know more, ask me in the comments.
- Francis Schaeffer. Usually Schaeffer ages well, but this book felt oddly dated.
- Elie Wiesel. I read this in high school. It is haunting, fascinating and great. Read it in one afternoon.
- William Goldman. Another reread, this book is laugh-out-loud hilarious. better than the movie which is also great.
- Aldous Huxley. I read this because it is a cliché. It is similar to 
- C.S. Lewis. I read this when I heard the movie was coming out. it took 2 hours 15 minutes to read, the movie was 2:36 or something.--->Here through 27 are freebies I read to get through my bookcase<---
- Johnny Hunt. this is a free book I got during my seminary days. I read a bunch of those this year. Hunt's testimony is entertaining. Otherwise the book was pretty dull.
- OS Hawkins
- O.S. Hawkins----->These are not in the picture<---
- David Kinnaman. This is the second best book I read this year. It should be at the left of the photo above but I loaned it out. For a further review ask me in the comments. Seriously an excellent book.
- Rick Joyner. I borrowed and read this book because every charismatic person I know thinks this book is excellent. I did not really like it, but it wasn't terrible. The problem is that it was sort of boring, but it was meant as a devotional.
- Max Lucado. Like every other Lucado book...fluffy, devotional, and interesting.
Last week I read 
A little over a week ago, I was hit with this Kreativ Blogger Award from my regular reader