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How to Use www.batchgeocode.com

Geocoding is the term used for converting a street address to a latitude and longitude value. Once you have these values for an address you can plot the information on maps.

One tool for doing this is www.batchgeocode.com. Following their instructions you can use an exported set of addresses from Nspire to create a map that shows multiple addresses mapped together. What follows are instructions for using www.batchgeocode.com to create a map showing where all your households are located.

Note: There is a limit to the number of addresses you can geocode per day. The current maximum is 5000 per day per ip address. The site recommends that you not do more than 500 at a time. We have done more in testing but it does take time. Expect to take about 10min per 500 addresses or so. Time may also depend on your internet speed.

Step #1 – Create an export file containing the addresses you want to map.

Open Nspire and go to View Households. In the Household window you can use a query to limit your list of addresses. Next you need to click the Print button in the top right corner of the screen. In the Reports window Click the Export button to create a text file containing the addresses.

In the Export Template window, click the insert button to create a new export template.

In the update window we will create a new export file template for our geocode file.

Name: Name the template Batchgeocode

Description: Whatever you want here. You can leave it blank.

Check the Use Header record check box so you can identify your columns on the geocode web site

Next you need to select your tokens. Click the Modify List button.

In the Find control type Address. Select the Household Home Address in the list. Then in the Token Format list, you can double click Address, City, State, and Zip Code tokens. Your list should look like the one above. After you have your tokens, click the Ok button.

Now we are ready to export. Click the export button and chose to save your file to your desktop. If you take the defaults, the file should be named export.csv. You can change this if you want.

Step #2 – Get you data into the www.batchgeocode.com website

Next you need to open your file in Excel. If you have Windows Excel installed, the export file should already be associated with Excel. All you have to do is double click the export.csv file located on your desktop to open the file in Excel.

Once you have opened the file, select the first cell and click Ctrl-A. Just hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard then click “A”. This will make Excel select your entire data set. Next click Ctrl-C to copy the data to your clipboard.

Now, point your web browser to http://www.batchgeocode.com.

Under step #2, click the text field and then click ctrl-a to highlight all the data already in the text control. Next press Ctrl-V to paste your data into the text control. Once your data is in the text control click the validate source button to test your data.

You should see information about the number of columns and rows you have in your list.

Step #3 – Select your columns and create your Map

Under Step 4 on the batchgeocode.com web site you need to match your columns up to the correct fields. In Address, select your address column, then set your City, State, and Zip code. The other fields can be used to create more descriptive maps if you choose to import more data.

Under step 5 on the web site, click the Run Geocoder button. A processing message will appear as you step through your records. Once complete your map will appear in Step 6.

You can save a link to your map that you can share. However, note that it will save your address data on their site and it is visible on the page with the map.

There you go. You have now created a map that shows where all your households are located.

Have fun making your own.

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God wanted the Israelites to remember who and where they were too. After they had left Egypt, God instructed Moses to tell the people..

You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Ex. 19:4-6 NIV

Like the Israelites we too have been carried on eagles’ wings our of our bondage to sin. Adopted by God. Now as adopted children, we obey and are blessed. He has made us into a holy priesthood and treasured possessions.

We like those before us need to be reminded of the eagles’ wings. They change everything.

- Learn more about Nspire church software by going to www.nspiresoftware.com -

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I don’t know about you but I am sensitive to the old phrase, "Just like the good old days." I use it and I know you do too. I am always thinking about some time in the past that I think was better than today.

I know you understand…

• Back in grade school on the playground.
• High school football games.
• Hanging out at Krystal for those midnight college snacks.
• The time BM (before marriage) when you could do as you pleased.
• After marriage, the time BK (before kids) when you dated every weekend.
• The time of innocence with your children.
• The time before the kids knew about money.
• and the list goes on.

You and I both know, there is no time in our past that was truly perfect. I can remember many terrorizing moments on the grade school playground and we did not always win our high school football games. I often wish I had the time to spend doing what I want when I get home from work just like before my children were born. However, coming home to the open arms of my children excited to see daddy is priceless. It just does not get any better.

I think what we fear is change. Here at Nspire software, things are always changing. To show you some change, take a look at these splash screens. You can see some of the transformation we have gone through. We are always working to make our church software better. Very rarely do we ever look back and wish we could go back to an earlier version. We add new features and update the software often. That is the nature of software development. It would not be fun if there was no change or new things to learn.  Where would we be if we were not trying to improve our ministries.

I do not know where we will be in the future. We are working hard to get the next update finished. I am certain my children will teach me a new trick any day now. It will not be long before they are gone. I know you are working hard to innovate and begin new ministry projects at your churches. Things are always changing.

I am sure the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Teachers of the Law wished for the good old days after the crucified Jesus had risen from the grave. Little did they know that in just a few years Jerusalem would be burning and the temple destroyed by the Romans. What time in their history would they have wished to visit or relive.

Jesus changed everything. The culmination of all God’s planning. The final sacrifice for sin. Isn’t it wonderful some things do not change!

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As an older brother I really struggle with the heart. It is so important to get right. I spend so much of my time trying to do everything right I neglect heart matters. The problem with this is, what ever is in our hearts is what comes out in our lives. Just listen to Jesus.

The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45 (NIV)

What is stored up in your heart? Work, hobbies, stuff, sin or love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Think about it. Join me as I continuously try to retrain a hard heart.

Isn’t grace great!

Original Post at http://theolderbrother.wordpress.com/2006/10/01/from-the-heart/

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How’s this: success is largely about keeping your promises.

Seth’s Blog: Successful?

We all want to be successful, first, biggest, MEGA. So often we are willing to do anything it takes including sacrifice our integrity.

Whether you are the CEO of a company, the Lead Pastor, or the youth intern, we need to do what we say.

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I AM STEAMING!

I spent an afternoon with a Church recently who are desperately trying to replace a big name church data base system they have probably spent $50 – 60 thousand dollars with over the last 10 years. The software is hard to use, clunky, DOS like, and just not written from a ministry perspective. And the Church wants a change. I thought, "Why aren’t you yelling at the CEO of this other company?"

THE LIGHTNING BOLT!

I realized it would make no difference because so many software companies writing software today are too large, too dependent on clunky systems that isolate developers from the real world, and have probably lost sight of what they do for churches. The software they produce is not their spiritual act of worship. It is their job. Paul wrote..

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Rom 12:1

Nspire software comes from our heart. It comes from our personal experiences in ministry. I pray you can see the difference in our software, our support, and our language.

I ASK

Is the work you do just your Job?

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At a recent Youth Ministry conference, I spoke with a Youth Minister who explained how he was using Nspire’s Outreach feature and a little personal flair to reach out to the new people coming into his group. In Nspire, he would schedule first time letters for new visitors in the outreach area. Then at the end of his Wednesday night service, he would print the list of visitors with first time letters due for the next week.

On his wall, were several sample letters and the youth would take the list and hand write letters to the kids. They would use the samples as templates. This way each new visitor received a hand written letter thanking them for their visit.

It took work and I am sure some of the youth complained.

He said it made a difference in their ministry. I bet it did!

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I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,  and his incomparably great power for us who believe. 1:18-19 (NIV)

When we are down in the trenches of work/ministry, it is very hard to see past the next task, person, or obstacle. We view the world from a physical perspective. Paul understood that and continuously prayed for the Ephesian Christians to see the reality of their position in Christ. Seeing life with my spiritual eyes gives me a whole new perspective on my cloudy days.

Prayer: God, open the eyes of my heart. Enlighten me so I can fully understand the hope you give, how rich I am being your child, and how to unleash the power you have for me. Let me see my day through spiritual eyes. Amen.

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1. “That will never work.”
2. “Can you show me another Church that is already doing this?”
3. "I don’t think our members will go for that, and without them…”
4. “It’s fantastic, but the secretary/pastor/whoever won’t like it.”
5. “Well, this might work for other Congregations, but I think we’ll stick with what we’ve got.”
6. “Maybe after we get the new budget.”
7. “It’s never been done before.”

There are technologies and software available to day to help us do ministry better. N-Spire being one. Sometimes emplementing something new will require change. What is your Church/leadership using as an excuse to defend the status quo. Check out Seth’s Blog for his full list of his Top ways to defend the status quo.

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1 Cor. 13 4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

John tells us in 1 John 4:8, "…God is love." So taking a little liberty with the text… God is patient, God is kind. He does not envy, He does not boast, He is not proud. God is not rude, He is not self-seeking, He is not easily angered, He keeps no record of wrongs. God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. God is an awsome God. Now if you want a real challenge. Read the verse again but instead substitute your name. God bless The speaker was Keith Parker from the Hendersonville Church of Christ. Scripture Taken from BibleGateway.com: Search for a Bible passage in over 35 languages and 50 versions.

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