* His greatest sermon can be read in eight minutes (Matthew 5-7)
* He summarized prayer in five phrases (Matthew 6:9-13).
* He silenced accusers with one challenge (John 8:7).
* He rescued a soul with one sentence (Luke 23:43).
* He summarized the Law in three verses (Mark 12:29-31)
* He reduced all his teaching to one command (John 15:12)

He made his point and went home.

Kerianna on the other hand – now age 9 going on 10 soon enough, (ok so maybe its really 30 in her mind)  has come to the realization that hugs can be fast…

Is this something we passed on to her?   I hope not.

Since they have been in NJ now for a few weeks (Since June 4th) I have been missing them quite a bit… and It dawned on me how much I just crave their hugs and yes even the fighting.

Parenting Technique: "Hug Your Kids Until They Let Go"

I am for now on however refusing to be the one to give up when we hug… That’s right.  They will need to let go.

this might be a bit of a struggle for my aspergers diagnosed son – Ben – as he might just never let go – none-the-less they need to know that We – as parents are their rock.   I want my children to realize that we – my wife and I are a rich source for the assurance and comfort they need in life.

I wonder if this will work with my wife as well. . .   Time will tell.

Anyone want to join in with me on this new venture not to be the one that lets go?

I think this is Biblical -  God does not work by rushing us, bugging us, begging us…  so why should we do the same with the hugs – & God never lets go.

Perhaps this can be a great but simple example we as fathers (and parents) can give to our children and our spouses…

Why am I not successful at the many different things that I attempt,
Why am I not where I think I should be in my life – my faith, my marriage, my (fill in the blank)…

It has dawned on me however – When Jesus Christ said come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden – He already knew that we would become discouraged along the way.   We will grow weary – saddened, disheartened…

Christ knew that the pain – physical, emotional – be it a loss of a friendship, loneliness, a weary body – etc…   He knew that this pain would take everything out of our walk in faith – that our prayers at times would seem like they were not answered,  that we would feel comfortless at times…

Hebrews 4:15-16 we are told that we should have no fear in approaching the throne of Grace to receive mercy – and to find Grace when we are in need of help.    Why ?   Because the high priest Himself has been put to the test in the same way that we have been.

Grace tells us that we are accepted exactly like we are – Broken, torn, weary and heavily burdened. BUT – none of this matters to God.   He simply calls us to Love Him and each other.   How amazing is it that we are simply accepted by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords… and all we need to do is simply believe, repent and Love.

There is Grace when we are torn down,
There is Grace to help when we are in trouble,
There is Grace that allows us to forgive ourselves – because WE ARE ALREADY FORGIVEN

This is the Grace of Hebrews 4:15-16

1. Pray:   Let’s think about it…  God created the platypus, the kangaroo – the Rocky Mountains,  the Grand Canyon, the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico…  stop me when you get the point that God is a God of Creativity…  The North Pole, the eagle, ….
2. Take a Shower:   I know it sounds crazy but some of the better ideas I have had come to me as the warm water drums into the skull.
3. Work Out:  Some of the better ideas I have had lately have come while on the rowing machine @ the YMCA in Washington Court House OH
4. BRAINSTORM:   Just mention a topic – ask a question and then write everything down that someone comes up with in the meeting… Awesome method -  groups of people will feed off each other and give awesome answers and feed off of each other until the ultimate idea comes up…. keep writing… some of those ideas will work for later
5. Listen.  God speaks through many people – listening to others will only help your creativity.   I have an idea for an entire sermon series … all from something a child said the other day.
6. REST -  when your tired – your not on your A Game… thats a given – but your ability to be creative is diminished as well.   the saying No Rest for the weary is better said No Creativity for the Weary… in this regard.
7. Conferences -    Go to different conferences and learn.   If you don’t learn while there don’t go back… its a waste of time… find those that you do and stretch yourself.
8. Get out of the office:   You can’t be creative behind your desk… (even if your a cartoonist…)   You need to get out and about – see what is happening around the world – around the church and outside of the church…

What do you do to help with creativity?

Palm Monday….

The donkey awakened, his mind still savoring the afterglow of the most exciting day of his life. Never before had he felt such a rush of pleasure and pride.

He walked into town and found a group of people by the well. “I’ll show myself to them,” he thought.

But they didn’t notice him. They went on drawing their water and paid him no mind.

“Throw your garments down,” he said crossly. “Don’t you know who I am?” They just looked at him in amazement.

Someone slapped him across the tail and ordered him to move. “Miserable heathens!” he muttered to himself. “I’ll just go to the market where the good people are. They will remember me.”

But the same thing happened. No one paid any attention to the donkey as he strutted down the main street in front of the marketplace.

“The palm branches! Where are the palm branches!” he shouted. “Yesterday, you threw palm branches!”

Hurt and confused, the donkey returned home to his mother.

“Foolish child,” she said gently. “Don’t you realize that without him, you are just an ordinary donkey?”

— Author Unknown

What concerns me is the answer to this question:

Has there been a religious medical institution that simply walks away from the debtors and forgives them their debts?

• Catholic Hospitals?
• Methodist Hospitals?
• Presbyterian Hospitals?
• _________state the denomination here ____ hospitals?

Sadly – the Church has simply forgotten its job – which is to be the hands and Feet of the Living God.

I personally believe this so called health care bill is the death of Freedom.   Many churches believe that the compromise of these freedoms is the answer to fixing health care…

Galatians 5:   Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faith(fullness), Meekness, Self Control…

1Tim 6:11:  Faithfulness, Meekness, Righteousness, Godliness, Endurance

II Tim 2:22 – Love, Peace, Faith(fullness) and Righteousness

These are what – if followed, the Church should exude… and If we did Health Care would not be an issue because the church would be to busy being the hands and Feet of the Living, Breathing, All Powerful God – Creator of the Heavens and the Earth – Who is and Who was and Who will always be…

Who came into the world not to condemn it – but to save it – and to allow those in it to live a life more abundantly.

When the church forgot its role – Satan is only to happy to step in as a wolf in sheeps clothing…

Truth is – Doctrine should Guide Life as well as the protection of Life.

This compromise is far from acceptable.   If the Sanctity of Life had been stood up for – and real meaningful reform had been done – We could say Well done our Good and Faithful servant to those whom we have elected…

Right now – many are turning away saying I never knew you…

Bottom line really for me is this.

No system that is based on the foundation other than Christian Morals and principles will provide what is best for all involved.

We simply traded lifes of those who are “living longer” for those who have not had the chance.

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This is a copy of his blog posting:

The AP news just published the results of a new poll (pdf) conducted by the PCUSA saying  that one in three members of the nation’s largest Presbyterian denomination believe that Jesus Christ is not the only way to get into heaven. (AP)

To learn where this belief comes from, you need only look at their pastors. Their numbers are even lower. Only 35 percent of surveyed pastors agreed with the statement that “only followers of Jesus Christ can be saved.” So, almost two-thirds of the pastors in the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States seem to believe that there are ways to heaven apart from  Jesus Christ.

These numbers have been the same in PCUSA internal polling since 1996, so they have reflected the Presbyterian (USA) experience for awhile. On July 29, 2000, the Rev. Dirk Ficca, keynote speaker at a Presbyterian Church (USA) peacemaking conference, declared that much of the discord that fractures humanity is fomented by groups that hold exclusive religious convictions. His solution was to declare an equivalency among many faiths.

“If God is at work in our lives, whether we’re Christian or not, what’s the big deal about Jesus?” Rev. Dirk Ficca

The Presbyterian Layman reported that, after a lengthy debate, the best the 2001 General Assembly, the denomination’s highest governing body, could say about the exclusivity of Jesus Christ was that He was “unique.”

Other recent PCUSA internal polling data has shown that, among members, only 43 percent disagree or strongly disagree that “all the world’s religions are equally good ways of helping a person find ultimate truth.” The majority of members (60 percent), elders (68 percent), and pastors (66 percent) at least agree that “the only absolute truth for humankind is in Jesus Christ.”

Forty-six percent of members and 61 percent of pastors say the Bible is the word of God, to be interpreted in the light of its historical and cultural context. Around one in three lay people and pastors say the Bible is the word of God, to be interpreted in the light of its historical context and Church teachings.

At this point it would be really easy to jump all over the Presbyterians, but the truth is that these beliefs are common in many Christian denominations. In fact, a different survey taken last year by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life found that 57 percent of evangelical Christians in the U.S. believe that “many religions can lead to eternal life.”

How far have we gotten from the basics of the Christian faith? In John 14:6, Jesus told us the following….

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

There is no other way to salvation. Just think about it for a minute. If there was any other way for our sins to be forgiven, then why did Jesus need to die on the cross? Jesus could have simply come down to earth, pointed out a bunch of other ways to get to heaven, and then could have gone back up to heaven without ever having to deal with the cross.

The truth is that there was no other way for our sins to be paid for…(Solus Christus) Jesus Christ is our only Savior, who mediates the rupture our rebellion (sin) has placed within us, between us, and which has separated us from God. Through his life, death, and resurrection, God reveals divine love to us and upholds divine justice for us, removing our guilt, and saving us from spiritual death. Christ’s mediation frees us to be reconciled to God, to each other, and within ourselves.  All other religions reject this, and most of them involve jumping through “hoops” and doing good works of some kind or another in order to try to obtain the favor of a deity. But, the reality is this, without the sacrifice of Jesus Christ there is no way into heaven. Without Jesus to pay for our sins we are all still guilty. The truth is that the church in America is struggling.

2 Timothy 4:3 tells us this…..for the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine, instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

Thankfully, traditional Christian beliefs are still around.

God is God.

God is Good

…



To God Be the Glory.

I pray this may be used to both challenge and encourage you!

The answer to these important and relevant questions must be vetted by the Word of God.

Note the following characteristics of God’s Preacher…

• The faithful preacher is identified as being with Christ: Mark 3:14
• The faithful preacher battles against the need for self-preservation: Philippians 1:21
• The faithful preacher is yielded to the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit:  Ephesians 5:18
• The faithful preacher is not a secondary emphasis follower: Galatians 2:20
• The faithful preacher performs all things decently and orderly:  1 Cor.14:40
• The faithful preacher disdains confidence in the Flesh: Philippians 3:3
• The faithful preacher is pre-occupied with a biblical  vision:     1 Corinithans 2:2
• The faithful preacher is mission minded: 2 Cor. 10:16
• The faithful preacher communicates the truth in love:     Ephesians 4:15
• The faithful preacher is able to teach others to teach others:     2 Timothy 2:2
• The faithful preacher is a perpetual student of God’s Word:      2 Timothy 2:15
• The faithful preacher loves God with all their heart.

God’s Preachers are NOT a dime a dozen. They are motivated and moved by a threefold cord:
1. The Greatness Of God (Isaiah 6:1)
2. The Grace Of God (Isaiah 6:7)
3. The Groaning Of God (Isaiah 6:8)

God’s preachers are possessed with a personal disdain for self-preservation (Gal. 6:7,8). God’s preacher knows that to live is Christ, and to die is gain. God’s preacher wants every sinner saved and every saint sanctified. They are heavenly minded… holy in manner, honest before men. They are swayed by the pressing work of the indwelling Holy Spirit for exclusive allegiance unto Christ.

Does this describe your pastor?

What is customer service?  For some it is allowing the company to “prove” that the product works…

What is Customer Service?  This is the foundational issue that must be addressed by CEO’s and Marketing Executives, as well as those on the front lines answering customers.

As the Network Architect of one of the largest Not-For-Profit hosting organizations, one that serves a niche industry, the Christian Church, we like many other providers, require support from time to time from the Vendors we have chosen to partner with.   I once heard it said that a business man is only as wise as the partner he chooses… Today I feel like King Solomon – a man many believe is the wisest person who ever lived.

After having dealings with many of the Top Tier companies like Cisco, 3Com, Vyatta, The Planet, CIHost and others – I have to tell you about an experience I had just this past weekend.    WebEmpoweredChurch & VineHosting provide a free content management system based on the Typo3 Enterprise CMS to a large amount of churches – many of which host with us.   From time to time – a restoration of a clients account is needed.   For a few years we have depended upon the Backup system from R1Soft called CDP (Continuous Data Protection) to perform the snapshots in time.    We take a snapshot of every clients account every 4 hours…  Restorations normally take just a few minutes… however this past weekend things went completely sideways.

M

any will find my other writings – in such Magazines like Net Results, or on blogs like ChurchMedic – and will hear me say “Dependent is something intelligent people must become.”  Simply put – we cannot do all things- be all things…  and after taking over 40 hours to figure out why something did not work – I finally took my own advice – and opened a ticket with R1soft.

In 1972 Bill Withers had the hit song “Lean On Me” – and this is exactly the level of support I have come to expect from R1Soft.   Although the offices are technically closed – I opened the ticket at 13:37 Hrs – and received a response at 13:58 hrs on Sunday afternoon.

The Server we are using runs on the OpenSource project called “ProxMox VE” and OpenVZ – and R1Soft investigated the issue completely.   They found the issue and in just a few minutes created a resolution.   What our network staff found as a challenge – they met with a solution.  Furthermore they investigated our environment to ensure we were able to provide the timely restorations our clients were used to…   They went well above the call of duty.  R1Soft provides what we have found to be the Best Bare Metal Recovery – and MySQL Backup & Recovery for our InnoDB & MyISAM Databases !

Dependent, Competent, Understanding, Fast and Pro-Active:    These are the benchmarks of Great Customer Service -  to date I have only found three companies out of all the others we deal with that even come close to these benchmarks -   R1Soft, cPanel and one of our Bandwidth providers – Country Connections.   This brings up another problem for us to solve however internally -  How can our customer service emulate these great companies?