Thank God for These Websites #Gratituesday

Attitude is everything.  An attitude of gratitude changes everything.

It’s so easy to complain about what we don’t have, to get frustrated when our expectations are not met, and just see the glass as half empty.  But when we take stock of how blessed we are, the disappointments and frustrations really pale in comparison and we can truly live each day with a joyful heart.

My friend Deana Kistner (aka Organized Artist) started the #Gratituesday Twitter hashtag a few weeks ago after deciding she was going to designate Tuesday each week to blog about something she’s thankful for.  With November being Give Thanks Month at OurChurch.Com we’re going to follow her lead.  Each Tuesday we’re going to post about something we’re thankful for and invite you to join the conversation.  Future Gratituesday posts will be less techy, but today here are…

9 Websites I’m Thankful For

1) Google – With Google the world is at my finger tips.  Whether I need a book, a plumber, the correct spelling of a word, lyrics to a song, the author of a quote, I can find almost anything using Google.

2) Facebook – If you’re not on Facebook, you’re not my friend.  Just kidding.  But it is the communications center for the vast majority of my friendships.  It’s how I keep in touch with friends who live out of town, how I share pics and vids with family.

3) Gmail – Earlier this year Outlook crash on me.  I started using Gmail and I never looked back.

4) Twitter – It’s hard to believe I’ve been using Twitter less than 6 months.  It’s become an indispensable tool for building relationships with people who share my interests in ministry, technology, leadership, and the church.  It’s also one of the main ways I get news and articles.

5) Google Docs – About a year ago our staff at OurChurch.Com started sharing docs on Google Docs.  We put all our internal policies and procedures there.  We keep metrics spreadsheets there.  It beats emailing attachments to all the staff and then worrying about whether everyone is using the right version.  If you’re not using Google Docs at your workplace, you should try it out.

6) Snopes – You know those emails your friends forward to you that you’re not quite sure whether you can believe them or not?  Is Microsoft or AOL really giving away $ to everyone who forwards the email? Can talking on a cell phone at a gas station cause an explosion?  Look them up on snopes to find out if they’re real or just an urban legend.

7) YouVersion – With YouVersion you an read the Bible online in pretty much any translation you like.  You can tag, bookmark, and comment on the passages you read.  If you like you can also make your comments available to other people on the site and read their insights.

8 ) iStockPhoto – Need a good photo for a website or brochure but don’t want to spend a mint?  iStockPhoto has a great selection of images at reasonable prices.

9) Flickr – Speaking of images, they’re great for spicing up your blog articles.  We post at least one with every article.  If you want to add free image to your blog, check out Flickr and search for images that use the Creative Commons license.  Those images can be used for free as long as you link back to the photographer.

There are tons of other sites I’m grateful for. In particular, I’m grateful for the other bloggers who challenge and inspire me with their writing, but there are way to many to start listing.

What websites are you thankful for?