For one reason or another, I’ve avoided being a fan of Steve Jobs from Apple Comuters. Maybe it’s my Georgia Tech education in the late 1990′s when Macs were toys, not machines. Or maybe it’s because I’m a defiant designer that is tired of others telling me that “Macs are great for graphics.” But more than anything, I don’t like to be an evangelist for worldly things. I like NPR for news, Hondas for driving, and Andy Warhol for art, but none of that will save my soul. I am an evangelist for Jesus.

In being a professional evangelist for Jesus, I’m always looking for ways that people have succeeded in my trade. I know that last sentence was a reckless mix of divine and worldly words, but I don’t know if there’s a better way to write it. Quite simply, I want to believe there is a more effective way to do youth ministry. There has to be something more than hokey youth conferences and youth group meetings. Since there aren’t many people within youth ministry doing anything new, I look to the secular world for examples of success. Who knows? Maybe the secular world has a lot to teach us.

One success story that is hard not to admire is the story of Apple Computers since Steve Jobs took over the company again in 1999. They’ve just done one thing right after the next. As an Industrial Designer, it’s hard not to love what Apple accomplishes. I don’t sit in their executive meetings, but it seems from the outside that their biggest priority is to make cool looking, easy-to-use products. The iPod is a success story of Industrial Design matched with effective marketing.

From that amazing iPod, Steve Jobs introduced iTunes and legitimized the business nightmare of people downloading free MP3s. Not only did he help save the music industry, he went a step further and gave TV networks a chance to sell their television shows. Now through Podcasting and Video Podcasting, everyone has a chance to develop their own media mini-empire. It’s amazing. He pulled the whole thing off!

Now it looks like Disney is going to acquire Pixar. Yet another chapter in the story of Steve Jobs. I think Pixar is the most talented group of innovators and Disney as a nostalgic but stale brand. Nobody cares about Disney anymore. Maybe Steve Jobs can turn Disney around too.

I want to be like Steve Jobs. I want to do amazing things that makes an impact on culture. I want