There are stars whose radiance is visible on earth
though they have long been extinct.
There are people whose brilliance continues to light the world
though they are no longer among the living.
These lights are particularly bright when the night is dark.
They light the way for mankind. – Hannah Senesh
March 12, 2009
The Words of Hannah Senesh
March 10, 2009
The Great Sandbox of Technology – are your friends playing nice or throwing sand?
I recently used this blog to help me get all technically ready since I decided to ditch Entourage and opt for GMail full time. I had to make sure my GMail and my Blackberry would play “nice” in the sandbox of technology. Thank you Kathy for making technology easy to understand in my highly active administrative mind.
I like my Twitter application that links to my Facebook page, too. I’ve learned not to get too personal with my Tweets as the whole sandbox knows my dirt so to speak. Twitter is a great tool, especially in ministry or if you want to turn your business “inside out”. I’m looking forward to applying this new social media to our business ministry model as we launch our new website very soon!
March 5, 2009
Words to Live By For Brian … Getting Married Saturday
NINE WORDS WOMEN USE
(1) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.
(2) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.
(3) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This mean s something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.
(4) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don’t Do It!
(5) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)
(6) That’s Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That’s okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.
(7)Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you’re welcome. (I want to add in a clause here – This is true, unless she says, ‘Thanks a lot’ – that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say ‘you’re welcome’… that will bring on a ‘whatever’).
(8) Whatever: Is a woman’s way of saying… Go to H…
(9) Don’t worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking, ‘What’s wrong?’ For the woman’s response refer to #3.
February 26, 2009
We’re rubber, you’re glue
I help ministries define who they are and who they are not. I’m on websites all day long, looking at collateral (bulletins, marketing pieces, advertisements) trying to evaluate the message. Christians are stereotyped every day, just like everybody else, but Christians do not seem to know how to respond to criticism – I thought this was brilliant.
Crossroads Community Church, Cincinnati, OH (www.crossroads.net)
FAQ: Is this place a cult?
Great question. After all, it’s full of people singing songs and drinking the same beloved liquid (in this case, great coffee). Plus, numerous guitars and people dressed comfortably. But seriously. No. Cults tell you what to believe, take away your freedoms and forbid you to leave. Here, you’re welcome no matter what you believe, and we want you to experience freedom (including the freedom to leave whenever you want). If that still isn’t enough for you, then the answer is “Fine, we’re a cult.” But we’re rubber and you’re glue.
February 22, 2009
Fish
A good friend of mine and I were talking about how so many Christians turn non-Christians off. Honestly, a lot of Christians are unrelatible. He gave me what I think is the best analogy I’ve ever heard. He said that Jesus told his followers to be “Fishers of Men” and to love them, but he never said it was our responsibility to “gut the fish.” You can’t put a gut fish back together, you have basically dissected the fish and cut all its guts out. Let the Holy Spirit do the work, don’t take out a big freakin knife and try to “fix them”. Listen to them, love them, resource them, guide them, be their friend – no strings attached.
January 11, 2009
My Favorites for 2008
My Favs for 08:
1.Zenni Optical The best low cost option in eyewear!
2. Angel Food Ministry – A wonderful resource that also supports your local community!
3. Facebook – even “old people” like me (to quote a 25 year old who said, “you’re on FB?) enjoy reconnecting on FB.
4. Jeni\’s Ice Cream The best ice cream I’ve ever had – try the Salted Carmel (a close 2nd is Salted Carmel Hot Chocolate at Starbucks)
5. Homemade Pizza Dough This is a simple recipe for pizza dough that my family loves
January 7, 2009
Baseball, Cotton Candy & The Lord › Tools — WordPress
January 7, 2009
Humble Athlete
I was pondering Matt 23:11-12 today ” The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Since I love baseball I was thinking about how some teams or individual players often exalt themselves above the other team, trying to psyche them out or even try to be the “star” and they don’t play as a true team member … often they really are humbled with miss plays or strike outs. Even though Manny R who played for the Sox or the Dodgers is a fabulous talent, often we see him humbled due to constantly trying to exalt himself. How many players who have less talent could be exalted if they would not take their cues from Manny but from other more humble players. Isn’t that what is the true lesson from the 2008 World Series. Even though the Devil Rays did not win, I see that each player and the team were ultimately exalted due to humbling themselves and playing as a team.
December 31, 2008
Be Faithful with your witness!
How God Can Use Your Faithful Witness!
There was an old lady in our neighboring village in East Germany who faithfully, every week, rain or shine, went to the house of an atheist couple to give them a small Christian newspaper so they might come to know Jesus Christ. The couple would always take it and put it in the closet. They told the old lady not to bother, they were not interested and didn’t need religion. Yet for years, she would come, week after week, trying to reach them with the word of God. The couple took the papers, put them in the closet and never looked at them.
One day the visits of this old lady stopped. She had died. By now the couple had hundreds of Christian newspapers piled in the closet and had never read a single one of them. One day they decided to sell the house and move somewhere else. To get a better price, they started to renovate the rooms. Materials were hard to get in East Germany, and so they remembered the piles of Christian papers in the closet. They would work just fine as insulation material. So they did. The word of God had now disappeared forever under the new wallpaper. At least so it seemed…
The house was bought by a Communist official. He didn’t like the style of the new wallpaper and decided to renovate the rooms again himself. He tore down all of the new wallpaper and, appearing from underneath it, he found himself gazing at walls of Christian messages all over the house! He was appalled, but curious to find out what the people he persecuted secretly read. Since his superiors couldn’t see him, he started to read as well. He was sitting on his ladder reading, sitting on the floor reading and, sitting on his painting bucket reading. A little later, he was on his knees, and in tears gave his life to Jesus Christ.
The old woman never knew. Yet, it was her faithful witness and prayers for others throughout so many years that brought that Communist official to Jesus Christ and forever changed his life, and the lives of those living under his rule. God used her faithfulness so someone would be saved and lives would be impacted.
Even when we do not see immediate results or God’s answer seems far away, He calls us to be faithful in our witness and prayers. He can use us and those we pray for in ways we might never know. A small spark of fire can set a whole forest aflame!
Reprinted with permission from Michael Furchert – Challenger Music
