Innovations

I subscribe to this monthly newsletter from Trendwatching.com. It focuses on a particular theme each month and shows upcoming trends and issues happening in the world right now. I found this month's theme to be particularly interesting, as it focuses on innovations, featuring 67 innovations of various businesses and companies worldwide.

Some are humorously creative such as these rain boots from Britain that will charge your mobile phone using the heat generated from your feet. I'm guessing that these would not be as effective to the Alaskan market?

Some are creating a whole new way to do something that's been around for thousands of years, such as this little microchip tablet that can be attached to your tombstone, allowing users to learn more about you through a cell phone app. Can you imagine what Egyptian Pharoahs would have done with this?

My favorite, though, are those that have creatively thought how to improve and help the lives of others at little extra cost or effort to those involved. This company has created ATMs that give $1 of the $2 banking fee to a charity of the user's choice. And this group has sought to improve the slums of Rio by teaching and paying locals to paint these homes in an entirely new way.

Creatively thinking of "same old things" in new ways is an incredible gift and one for which I have tremendous respect. Should we be thinking of some new innovations about the way in which we do church?