I have always shied away from "New Year's Resolutions". I have never put much thought into why, just never had the drive to make any 'resolutions' for myself. Maybe it is because it reminds me too much of childhood responsibilities as we were required to come up with these little nuggets every year, only to have others be disappointed with us when we missed those goals. Maybe it is due to an unreal idea that I will be judged if I dont hold up to those goals. Maybe I am just lazy, or better yet maybe I am actually not me but an alternate version of myself from a parallel dimension.
Whatever the reason, I realized that one thing in my life that causes me the most frustration is the seemingly lack of purpose.
Before you jump on me let me explain a bit. For most of my childhood and even into adulthood I have always had goals of a sort. Wanting to be something other than what we are is part of the growth process. I (like most children) wanted to be a Policeman, Firefighter, Astronaut, Fighter Pilot, etc, etc. Also like most children the older I got the more those ideas became refined and began to change less frequently... a pilot (of any kind), a chef, and ultimately a Pastor. It would take too much time to go into the why's of the pastor role at this point in time but it was ultimately what I wanted to be my goal of a career.
Fast forward from 1994 till today (wow... 23 years... dangit I am starting to feel a bit 'older' if you know what I mean) and you will see a much different and somewhat disappointed person. Not for reasons you may think, but for a seemingly small glitch in the thought matrix. I followed the dream/goal/plan for many years to be a Pastor ultimately leading me through seminary and into full time staff positions at multiple churches. The last church I was a part of was let go from the position due to money concerns as the church wanted to get a larger building. When I was let go from the last staff position, I began to question the path I was walking. Not question in a way that it seemed wrong, but more question the way I was going about the process of attaining the goal. It seemed that I was spending a majority of my time doing the processes that really had nothing to do with bringing me closer to the goals I had set in my life. As I started to try and clear up any issues in direction or goal setting one thing became painfully clear... I really needed a job.
I have always been a believer in the scripture that says "For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either." 2 Thessalonians 3:10... or to paraphrase my Dad, "Boy... you don't work, you don't eat!". So I did what most able bodied red-blooded American males do... looked for a job with the least amount of work for the most amount of pay!
HA! I jest (kind of). I actually already had some clients in php/web development and IT work that were some small residual income jobs that were already going so I decided to go out on my own full time as my own company. The story of my company is not really the reason I am typing this post, but more the past 8-10 or so years I have been working for my self in this company. I have realized the further I get into the 'machine' that my goals have shifted quite drastically from long term goals like Pastoring a church, or having the ability to retire, to more daily goals of "What does x client need from me today, and can I spend the day avoiding them so I can relax for a bit?" This is needless to say fairly exhausting. I have become yet another cog in a wheel, and to be honest... don't care for it.
This is not by any stretch a resignation letter of any kind, but more an attempt to come clean that I have ultimately become complacent and bored in my life. Not that my life is boring at all! Between losing our first dog this year, to having our second dog needing to go in for surgery to remove a tumor, to getting a sailboat, to (possibly) getting a jeep, to potentially losing a large client next year. There is plenty in my life that should keep me busy, but I think the real issue here is not that there isn't anything keeping me busy, but that there isn't anything (at the moment) off in the distance far enough I can set my mind on that will allow me to keep focus in one direction.
Focus on the horizon is so important. I have an astigmatism in my eyes that can cause some issues when flying/boating etc where I can get motion sick if the conditions are right. These conditions are lots of drastic movement, extreme heat, bad smells etc, but in most every case they are usually triggered when I have a limited or blocked view of the horizon. A focus point on the horizon can keep most motion sickness at bay and taking my eyes off that point can cause me to experience the turbulence and frustration much more acutely than not, and results in the loss of the ability to simply "enjoy the ride".
Why am I saying all of this? Well
1. I have ADD, so early mornings sometimes my brain sort of throws up on the nearest platform (blog post in this case), and
2. I am going to attempt to re-focus on that point on the horizon.
Hopefully in the next few months I will be able to refine what that actually looks like, but for the time being I will pretend it is the most brilliant thing you will ever hear from me (probably not cause I am pretty brilliant).
[;o)
Here's to a better tomorrow... starting... well... probably tomorrow.
Monday, September 25, 2017
Monday, June 6, 2011
LOAD "*" ,8,1
For those that are unaware... I am a geek... Some even would say "Dork" (as in my wife would say) that's fine by me...
WARNING**** UberGeekSpeek Beyond This point ****
In case anyone that would care is wondering hat the title means to this post.... It is the load/run command for the first file on a disk for a commadore 64 .... ahhhhhhh good times....
I put that as the title because... well, first off I am kind of strange like that... and second, because THAT was my first entry into the world of computers WAAAAAYYYYYY Back when I was in first grade.... and YES I remember those days well.
As noted in my last post I am attempting to build my own linux distro from scratch. I won't go into the why in this post as I covered that in my last. I wanted to make some notes on this process JUST in case someone out there decides to do the same and runs into some of the issues I have faced...
Couple of notes about my UberGeekness....
I did initially learn, and had lots of fun on a commadore, after that came the tandy and the apple 2.... following that was the apple IIe and the Apple Classic and then onto the wonderfull world of windows 3.1 95,98,(skipped me because it really stunk) 2000,xp,2000 server, 2k3 server, (skipped vista cause it was just like ME),linux (all flavors) and Win7
When I jumped into the apple and windows world I pretty much avoided the command line i.e. cli
When I started working in and with linux, in order to truly acomplish what I wanted I was forced to use and learn some basic syntax...
I did not start from scratch, in fact I think my first run in the linux world was with either fedora or ubuntu...
On to today... Under MOST typical circumstances in any given day I am interacting with multiple linux systems as well as the broad majority of usable windows systems.... That said, there are plenty of things I need to learn, and am learning.... The following are some notes while following through the process of building "Linux From Scratch"
-- Learned Lessons:
1. Extracting tar/compressed files
MOST of the files needed come in a bz2 formatted compressed archive. I have never encountered this type of file before and was confused when I tried to run
"tar -xvzf filename.bz2" .... This only works for Gzipped files ".gz"
In order to extract .bz2 files you need to do"tar -xvjf filename.bz2" "tar -xvf filename.bz2" [NOTE: Apparently -xvf works for both and auto-checks the file type unless you specify via 'j',or 'z']
2. The Process....
The linuxfromscratch process should be viewed NOT as a tutorial, but as a collection of cut/paste scripts that need to be run with info on some key points. This is VERY important, as the process leaves a lot of questions if the process doesn't go according to plan. IF something does go wrong... google is your friend. Just sayin.
PROCESS NOTES:
Every page you go to that is working with a package whether install/edit/modify etc, expects 2 things...
a. It expects that you have extracted that package to $LFS/sources/{packagename}
b. It expects you to have "cd"'d into that new dir
so before you beging anything related to a package do this from the $LFS/sources dir (and you can get there by calling "cd $LFS/sources" (no quotes)
tar -xvf packagename.ext
...and when it is done extracting the files...
cd packagename
When you are complete with the instructions on that package then call "cd $LFS/sources" and delete that dir by calling "rm -rfv packageNameYouWereWorkingOn/"
then extract the files for the next package and cd into that dir to start the next one
Little hint here, when dealing with a "bash" shell, tab-completion is your best friend...
If you have never used it, it is quite simple... while typing the name of a file/dir just hit tab when you have typed a couple of letters of the name (no extra space) IF there are more than one file/dir with the same char's you have already typed, it won't show anything... if you immidiately hit tab again it will come up with a list of all that match... i.e. IF you are trying to open a file named "thisismyfilename.txt" with vi
you can type "vi this" and assuming your system is setup to use this feature and it is the only file that begins with "this"(if not just hit tab again to see all files/dir's that match ) it will autofill in the name.... HUGE help when dealing with compressed packages as I really don't want to type something like "tar -xvf util-linux-2.19.tar.bz2" when "tar -xvf ut" works just as well [;o)
3. the /tools dir and the glibc !!!VERY IMPORTANT!!!
Before you begin chapter 6, the actual build process... BACKUP the tools dir...
I did this simply by executing this command (no quotes) "cp -R /tools /tools.fresh "
-R means recursive so it copies everything in all subdirectories
:: The issue I ran into was, I overlooked a mount location in a previous step (proc to be exact) and when glibc ran it caused some errors... The problem is that IF you try to run the make process again, it will get stuck in a loop as some of the dependant files for make have been overwritten... for this I had to log out of chroot, delete the tools dir, and repopulate from fresh and go back through the build steps in ch. 6 up to glibc... after that NO Problem... UNFORTUNATELY this took me 4 hours to figure out!
4. Rebooting your computer
IF you ever need to reboot your computer (it will take days to complete the process so I encourage you to stop at some point and at least take a shower)... IF past chapter 6 you will need to remount your system before chrooting back in to the build...
Here are my one line mounts needed and the chroot command I use to copy/paste for convience (I also have mount points for boot/opt/usr/home... so if you don't have those... ignore)
AFTER REBOOT
export LFS=/mnt/lfs
mount -v /dev/sda8 $LFS
mount -v /dev/sda7 $LFS/boot
mount -v /dev/sda9 $LFS/home
mount -v /dev/sda10 $LFS/opt
mount -v /dev/sda11 $LFS/usr
mount -v --bind /dev $LFS/dev
mount -vt tmpfs shm $LFS/dev/shm
mount -vt proc proc $LFS/proc
mount -vt sysfs sysfs $LFS/sys
chroot "$LFS" /tools/bin/env -i HOME=/root TERM="$TERM" PS1='\u ($(date +%r)):\w\$ ' PATH=/bin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/usr/sbin:/tools/bin /tools/bin/bash --login +h
That's it for now... I am up to ch 6.35 AutoMake so still have a ways to go... Will update later
WARNING**** UberGeekSpeek Beyond This point ****
In case anyone that would care is wondering hat the title means to this post.... It is the load/run command for the first file on a disk for a commadore 64 .... ahhhhhhh good times....
I put that as the title because... well, first off I am kind of strange like that... and second, because THAT was my first entry into the world of computers WAAAAAYYYYYY Back when I was in first grade.... and YES I remember those days well.
As noted in my last post I am attempting to build my own linux distro from scratch. I won't go into the why in this post as I covered that in my last. I wanted to make some notes on this process JUST in case someone out there decides to do the same and runs into some of the issues I have faced...
Couple of notes about my UberGeekness....
I did initially learn, and had lots of fun on a commadore, after that came the tandy and the apple 2.... following that was the apple IIe and the Apple Classic and then onto the wonderfull world of windows 3.1 95,98,(skipped me because it really stunk) 2000,xp,2000 server, 2k3 server, (skipped vista cause it was just like ME),linux (all flavors) and Win7
When I jumped into the apple and windows world I pretty much avoided the command line i.e. cli
When I started working in and with linux, in order to truly acomplish what I wanted I was forced to use and learn some basic syntax...
I did not start from scratch, in fact I think my first run in the linux world was with either fedora or ubuntu...
On to today... Under MOST typical circumstances in any given day I am interacting with multiple linux systems as well as the broad majority of usable windows systems.... That said, there are plenty of things I need to learn, and am learning.... The following are some notes while following through the process of building "Linux From Scratch"
-- Learned Lessons:
1. Extracting tar/compressed files
MOST of the files needed come in a bz2 formatted compressed archive. I have never encountered this type of file before and was confused when I tried to run
"tar -xvzf filename.bz2" .... This only works for Gzipped files ".gz"
In order to extract .bz2 files you need to do
2. The Process....
The linuxfromscratch process should be viewed NOT as a tutorial, but as a collection of cut/paste scripts that need to be run with info on some key points. This is VERY important, as the process leaves a lot of questions if the process doesn't go according to plan. IF something does go wrong... google is your friend. Just sayin.
PROCESS NOTES:
Every page you go to that is working with a package whether install/edit/modify etc, expects 2 things...
a. It expects that you have extracted that package to $LFS/sources/{packagename}
b. It expects you to have "cd"'d into that new dir
so before you beging anything related to a package do this from the $LFS/sources dir (and you can get there by calling "cd $LFS/sources" (no quotes)
tar -xvf packagename.ext
...and when it is done extracting the files...
cd packagename
When you are complete with the instructions on that package then call "cd $LFS/sources" and delete that dir by calling "rm -rfv packageNameYouWereWorkingOn/"
then extract the files for the next package and cd into that dir to start the next one
Little hint here, when dealing with a "bash" shell, tab-completion is your best friend...
If you have never used it, it is quite simple... while typing the name of a file/dir just hit tab when you have typed a couple of letters of the name (no extra space) IF there are more than one file/dir with the same char's you have already typed, it won't show anything... if you immidiately hit tab again it will come up with a list of all that match... i.e. IF you are trying to open a file named "thisismyfilename.txt" with vi
you can type "vi this
3. the /tools dir and the glibc !!!VERY IMPORTANT!!!
Before you begin chapter 6, the actual build process... BACKUP the tools dir...
I did this simply by executing this command (no quotes) "cp -R /tools /tools.fresh "
-R means recursive so it copies everything in all subdirectories
:: The issue I ran into was, I overlooked a mount location in a previous step (proc to be exact) and when glibc ran it caused some errors... The problem is that IF you try to run the make process again, it will get stuck in a loop as some of the dependant files for make have been overwritten... for this I had to log out of chroot, delete the tools dir, and repopulate from fresh and go back through the build steps in ch. 6 up to glibc... after that NO Problem... UNFORTUNATELY this took me 4 hours to figure out!
4. Rebooting your computer
IF you ever need to reboot your computer (it will take days to complete the process so I encourage you to stop at some point and at least take a shower)... IF past chapter 6 you will need to remount your system before chrooting back in to the build...
Here are my one line mounts needed and the chroot command I use to copy/paste for convience (I also have mount points for boot/opt/usr/home... so if you don't have those... ignore)
AFTER REBOOT
export LFS=/mnt/lfs
mount -v /dev/sda8 $LFS
mount -v /dev/sda7 $LFS/boot
mount -v /dev/sda9 $LFS/home
mount -v /dev/sda10 $LFS/opt
mount -v /dev/sda11 $LFS/usr
mount -v --bind /dev $LFS/dev
mount -vt tmpfs shm $LFS/dev/shm
mount -vt proc proc $LFS/proc
mount -vt sysfs sysfs $LFS/sys
chroot "$LFS" /tools/bin/env -i HOME=/root TERM="$TERM" PS1='\u ($(date +%r)):\w\$ ' PATH=/bin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/usr/sbin:/tools/bin /tools/bin/bash --login +h
That's it for now... I am up to ch 6.35 AutoMake so still have a ways to go... Will update later
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Building Linux
I know it has been a LOOOOOOOONNNNNGGGG time since I have posted a blog, so I will attempt to give a quick recap and note as to why this post.
1. Things have been AWESOME with Media 42 building web sites and database admin systems.. so much so I have had very little time to pursue other things of life & enjoyment.
2. I am on the verge of releasing a 100% ready version of RelationCMS Church Management Software for purchase online, and will be STOKED when it is done.
3. (and this is the most important, but because I have A.D.D. doesn't always come first) ... My Wife is AWESOME >>> Check out her blog @ thatshortgirlsblog
4. Ministry.... This is a bit loaded. I am pretty sure at this point I am on what is called a sabbatical - It was never my intention in this, however as I believe God is leading me down a pretty specific path which will allow me to go back into full time ministry without having to worry about financial provision (and have the means to do more of what I feel God has gifted me for), I am ok with this at this point. I am in a place now unlike I have been in for a very long time, a place of learning, growing, and seeking... trying to get answered a TON of questions and issues in my mind & ministry I have never fully been able to resolve... Things which as the workload lightens up I will hopefully share here.
ONTO the Post
The reason for this post is, I am waiting on a build to complete a set of test scripts that is taking a REALLY long time...
I have been in the process of building a linux distro from scratch...
Purpose: I have had a few issues that have arisen lately with "Special" server scripts that clients have needed and it has taken me more time just to muddle through the setup of the server pieces that it actually takes to make the scripts the client needs... Not fun!
So... I have decided to walk through this process so I can have a better understanding of the entire linux system, and also be able to have a custom distro that is trimmed down to ONLY what I need for ONLY the purpose I need.
So far it has been a long and fairly painless process ---- till today... Got stuck on a build test that is taking FAR too long... but will hopefully have that worked out soon... so I figured now would be a good time to blog.
BTW > Not that anyone that would happen to see my blog would REALLY care... BUT if there happens to be any UberGeeks out there that want the info.... There is a tutorial and process located at Linux From Scratch
On that note......
I'm Out
1. Things have been AWESOME with Media 42 building web sites and database admin systems.. so much so I have had very little time to pursue other things of life & enjoyment.
2. I am on the verge of releasing a 100% ready version of RelationCMS Church Management Software for purchase online, and will be STOKED when it is done.
3. (and this is the most important, but because I have A.D.D. doesn't always come first) ... My Wife is AWESOME >>> Check out her blog @ thatshortgirlsblog
4. Ministry.... This is a bit loaded. I am pretty sure at this point I am on what is called a sabbatical - It was never my intention in this, however as I believe God is leading me down a pretty specific path which will allow me to go back into full time ministry without having to worry about financial provision (and have the means to do more of what I feel God has gifted me for), I am ok with this at this point. I am in a place now unlike I have been in for a very long time, a place of learning, growing, and seeking... trying to get answered a TON of questions and issues in my mind & ministry I have never fully been able to resolve... Things which as the workload lightens up I will hopefully share here.
ONTO the Post
The reason for this post is, I am waiting on a build to complete a set of test scripts that is taking a REALLY long time...
I have been in the process of building a linux distro from scratch...
Purpose: I have had a few issues that have arisen lately with "Special" server scripts that clients have needed and it has taken me more time just to muddle through the setup of the server pieces that it actually takes to make the scripts the client needs... Not fun!
So... I have decided to walk through this process so I can have a better understanding of the entire linux system, and also be able to have a custom distro that is trimmed down to ONLY what I need for ONLY the purpose I need.
So far it has been a long and fairly painless process ---- till today... Got stuck on a build test that is taking FAR too long... but will hopefully have that worked out soon... so I figured now would be a good time to blog.
BTW > Not that anyone that would happen to see my blog would REALLY care... BUT if there happens to be any UberGeeks out there that want the info.... There is a tutorial and process located at Linux From Scratch
On that note......
I'm Out
Monday, August 30, 2010
What the World Needs Now... Part 1
Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Burt Bacharach!!!
Lately I have been in a very different place in life. Due to work I have been unable to go to church for the past 6months or so. In most circles I would be considered a 'backslider'. I have been told my priorities aren't in order, among other things. But despite it all, I have had a growing hunger for God and for the things of God. Having spent 15 years of my life dedicated to God and the church, being at and participating in every opportunity that would arise, I have seen something very strange being on the 'Outside' for once.
Something to ponder - http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/08/27/almost.christian/index.html
I read this article a week ago, and it really hit home to some things I have been seeing in the church for years. I have seen it in different denominations and sects, watching it dilute that which I have dedicated a major chunk of my life to. I am done! I am ready to pin the truth to every door of every "Church" that proclaims Christianity.
I know I am speaking very generally, so let me expound a bit...
For years, growing up and leading in the church, I have heard leader after leader speak on the importance of soul winning and the importance of bringing people to Christ. The Mantra of "Each one Reach one" has been ringing in my ears for as long as I can remember. I have heard countless sermons on evangelism, and on the need to reach the lost as well as countless debates on the way to reach the lost. I have seen person after person put on this air of "God put me on this earth to save you" that it has caused countless number of people to be turned off by the idea of God.
Please bear with me, as I am not saying that soul winning is a bad thing, in fact it is A biblical theology. Not only in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) spoken to the disciples in Galilee, but also referenced throughout the bible in places like Jude 1:23 where we are instructed for some to "Snatch them from the fire and save them".
What I am seeing however, is the truth, and our mission has been skewed away from truth, and showing People Christ, to one of either putting ourselves in a place where we are elevated above those "WE" are trying to save, or to that of being a bestest friend and having a church party sleepover.
This is all really a big deal to me. Why? Because I have dedicated my life to study God's word as well as to help lead people in the way I believe the Bible instructs. I see churches every day that say "It's not our responsibility to feed you every day".
Now, I can say I sort-of agree with this statement, in the cases ONLY when the church is and has been teaching them to feed themselves. I have heard this for years in Children's and Youth ministries, and now that the leaders are over churches the mentality has continued.
This is as foolish as saying to your three year old... "I will feed you breakfast today, but you are on your own the rest of the week". HOW INSANE!!! Even taking the biblical analogy of sheep and a shepherd, the shepherd's RESPONSIBILITY is to lead the sheep to a place where they can feed, and protect them along the way. Granted, it is not the shepherds responsibility to feed the sheep, or make them eat. In the same way if you put food in front of your three year old... if they are hungry, I guarantee they will eat.
Unfortunately, it seems as a LARGE number of churches think it is perfectly natural and ok to expect their flock to feed themselves, while only providing the sustenance you would provide to a newborn, with NO teaching/training in how to eat, or what to eat. NO WONDER there are so many in the church swayed by sensationalism!!! That's also why there is such a large number of church goers who base their view on church solely on how "Good" the music is, whether or not the singer is "Professional sounding" or how catchy the back drop and intro videos are.... Here's the deal... If I want entertainment, I am going to go see a movie!
The Responsibility of the Ministers (pastors, teachers, evangelists, prophets, apostles) is, and I quote, Eph 4:11-16 NASB "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love."
WOAH!!!!! Hold On... read that again...
...to the building up of the body of christ UNTIL ... to a MATURE Man/Woman... AS A RESULT...
Result? you mean there is to be a result from the 5 fold ministry gifts? The RESULT should be to NO Longer to be children...
Ok, I have to stop here for a second... No Longer Children.... well that sounds to me like there has GOT to be some way of taking a child, and helping them to BECOME NOT a child... hmmmmmmm ..... Feeding them icecream for breakfast, gummy bears for lunch and a bit-o-oreo's for dinner?? BY NO MEANS!!!! It is by feeding them healthy food AT THE SAME TIME teaching them HOW to make right decisions. Just like a child, however, this is not a simple process, but attained over time... that means you/we need to be constantly teaching, training, and instructing them on the right way to walk/learn/etc./etc.
I understand, that there are a lot of misconceptions in the church on the responsibility of the church, but when you have people leading that only want to feel good, what you get is the same issue a lot of modern parents get... The Parent(church) wants to be a friend, so they are very leniant and easy going while the child becomes dissobediant and lawless because they have no guidance.
HEY PARENTS>>> 3 Year olds do NOT need to be "Reasoned" with... they need INSTRUCTION, and DISCIPLINE!!!!!!!!!! (Same thing goes for you 'church leaders')
Now I will also say that YES the church, in the past, has taken this too far and as a result created a lot of BAD Church experiences (think hellfire-and-brimstone, or i'm better than you because I wear crosses hanging off from every possible point of my person). This happened for the same reason as what is happening now... those in charge, were NOT operating out of love, and a sense of leading/teaching people into the fullness of God, but into their own ideals of how the outward should look/sound/etc. This is Also NOT the purpose of the 5 fold Ministry Gifts!
Now on this note, I am going to have to take a break.... I have a LOT to say, and unfortunately too much work to do to be able to say it all in one setting.... BUT check back! This is weighing heavily on me, so I will post more soon!
And, if you want to comment... Please feel free, but I ask this
1. If you are on facebook reading this... go to soylentgreenroom.blogspot.com to post a comment as I don't get onto facebook enough to see any comments
2. Remember... This is not finished. I ask you not assume I am saying/not saying something you don't agree with if my thoughts aren't full. I don't mind comments, I just think there is no purpose for "Flamebaiting" on this blog [;o) Just saying!
3. Please do not think I am talking about you! If I have a specific issue with you, I will let you know. If you do things referenced in this blog, it is purely coincidence. Think about it, and if you feel you need to change do so. Otherwise... don't! I am not trying to change anyone here, just trying to give a broader perspective I think has been missing in the church at large for a while now.
4. If you are offended... well.... as my wife says... "Put your big girl panties on" and deal with it. No offence is meant, so if you are offended, well... it's your own issue [;o) Love ya!!
I Hope you are tremendously blessed and I will post again soon!
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No not just for some but for everyone.
Lately I have been in a very different place in life. Due to work I have been unable to go to church for the past 6months or so. In most circles I would be considered a 'backslider'. I have been told my priorities aren't in order, among other things. But despite it all, I have had a growing hunger for God and for the things of God. Having spent 15 years of my life dedicated to God and the church, being at and participating in every opportunity that would arise, I have seen something very strange being on the 'Outside' for once.
Something to ponder - http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/08/27/almost.christian/index.html
I read this article a week ago, and it really hit home to some things I have been seeing in the church for years. I have seen it in different denominations and sects, watching it dilute that which I have dedicated a major chunk of my life to. I am done! I am ready to pin the truth to every door of every "Church" that proclaims Christianity.
I know I am speaking very generally, so let me expound a bit...
For years, growing up and leading in the church, I have heard leader after leader speak on the importance of soul winning and the importance of bringing people to Christ. The Mantra of "Each one Reach one" has been ringing in my ears for as long as I can remember. I have heard countless sermons on evangelism, and on the need to reach the lost as well as countless debates on the way to reach the lost. I have seen person after person put on this air of "God put me on this earth to save you" that it has caused countless number of people to be turned off by the idea of God.
Please bear with me, as I am not saying that soul winning is a bad thing, in fact it is A biblical theology. Not only in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) spoken to the disciples in Galilee, but also referenced throughout the bible in places like Jude 1:23 where we are instructed for some to "Snatch them from the fire and save them".
What I am seeing however, is the truth, and our mission has been skewed away from truth, and showing People Christ, to one of either putting ourselves in a place where we are elevated above those "WE" are trying to save, or to that of being a bestest friend and having a church party sleepover.
This is all really a big deal to me. Why? Because I have dedicated my life to study God's word as well as to help lead people in the way I believe the Bible instructs. I see churches every day that say "It's not our responsibility to feed you every day".
Now, I can say I sort-of agree with this statement, in the cases ONLY when the church is and has been teaching them to feed themselves. I have heard this for years in Children's and Youth ministries, and now that the leaders are over churches the mentality has continued.
This is as foolish as saying to your three year old... "I will feed you breakfast today, but you are on your own the rest of the week". HOW INSANE!!! Even taking the biblical analogy of sheep and a shepherd, the shepherd's RESPONSIBILITY is to lead the sheep to a place where they can feed, and protect them along the way. Granted, it is not the shepherds responsibility to feed the sheep, or make them eat. In the same way if you put food in front of your three year old... if they are hungry, I guarantee they will eat.
Unfortunately, it seems as a LARGE number of churches think it is perfectly natural and ok to expect their flock to feed themselves, while only providing the sustenance you would provide to a newborn, with NO teaching/training in how to eat, or what to eat. NO WONDER there are so many in the church swayed by sensationalism!!! That's also why there is such a large number of church goers who base their view on church solely on how "Good" the music is, whether or not the singer is "Professional sounding" or how catchy the back drop and intro videos are.... Here's the deal... If I want entertainment, I am going to go see a movie!
The Responsibility of the Ministers (pastors, teachers, evangelists, prophets, apostles) is, and I quote, Eph 4:11-16 NASB "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love."
WOAH!!!!! Hold On... read that again...
...to the building up of the body of christ UNTIL ... to a MATURE Man/Woman... AS A RESULT...
Result? you mean there is to be a result from the 5 fold ministry gifts? The RESULT should be to NO Longer to be children...
Ok, I have to stop here for a second... No Longer Children.... well that sounds to me like there has GOT to be some way of taking a child, and helping them to BECOME NOT a child... hmmmmmmm ..... Feeding them icecream for breakfast, gummy bears for lunch and a bit-o-oreo's for dinner?? BY NO MEANS!!!! It is by feeding them healthy food AT THE SAME TIME teaching them HOW to make right decisions. Just like a child, however, this is not a simple process, but attained over time... that means you/we need to be constantly teaching, training, and instructing them on the right way to walk/learn/etc./etc.
I understand, that there are a lot of misconceptions in the church on the responsibility of the church, but when you have people leading that only want to feel good, what you get is the same issue a lot of modern parents get... The Parent(church) wants to be a friend, so they are very leniant and easy going while the child becomes dissobediant and lawless because they have no guidance.
HEY PARENTS>>> 3 Year olds do NOT need to be "Reasoned" with... they need INSTRUCTION, and DISCIPLINE!!!!!!!!!! (Same thing goes for you 'church leaders')
Now I will also say that YES the church, in the past, has taken this too far and as a result created a lot of BAD Church experiences (think hellfire-and-brimstone, or i'm better than you because I wear crosses hanging off from every possible point of my person). This happened for the same reason as what is happening now... those in charge, were NOT operating out of love, and a sense of leading/teaching people into the fullness of God, but into their own ideals of how the outward should look/sound/etc. This is Also NOT the purpose of the 5 fold Ministry Gifts!
Now on this note, I am going to have to take a break.... I have a LOT to say, and unfortunately too much work to do to be able to say it all in one setting.... BUT check back! This is weighing heavily on me, so I will post more soon!
And, if you want to comment... Please feel free, but I ask this
1. If you are on facebook reading this... go to soylentgreenroom.blogspot.com to post a comment as I don't get onto facebook enough to see any comments
2. Remember... This is not finished. I ask you not assume I am saying/not saying something you don't agree with if my thoughts aren't full. I don't mind comments, I just think there is no purpose for "Flamebaiting" on this blog [;o) Just saying!
3. Please do not think I am talking about you! If I have a specific issue with you, I will let you know. If you do things referenced in this blog, it is purely coincidence. Think about it, and if you feel you need to change do so. Otherwise... don't! I am not trying to change anyone here, just trying to give a broader perspective I think has been missing in the church at large for a while now.
4. If you are offended... well.... as my wife says... "Put your big girl panties on" and deal with it. No offence is meant, so if you are offended, well... it's your own issue [;o) Love ya!!
I Hope you are tremendously blessed and I will post again soon!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Reminder!!!
I realize it has been a bit since my last post, so I am a bit past due.
I had the opportunity to lead the devotional worship time at the church this afternoon. I always enjoy doing those types of sessions for a number of reasons...
1. Worship is, and truly should be b/w God and Me, as it is about the attitude and posture of my heart towards Him.
2. Whether or not anyone shows up, I always enjoy just playing/singing, reading the word and telling God how much I appreciate Him in my life.
Today, however was a bit different.... I was in the middle of the set reading through isaiah, where God, speaking to jacob, said... Isaiah 41:8 "But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend,". NASB
What a flat out smack in the face!!! ..... God Called him... MY Friend!!!
I don't know if it is as powerful of a hit to you as it was to me, but let me attempt to share what hit me so hard in that moment.
Friend....
You see God called him Friend... That is AMAZING to me in that there is such a vast difference between friend and son, or even servant...
Don't get me wrong, There is a whole lot of weight tied up in being a son or daughter of God... but this is something deeper, closer, stronger than just being in the family....
You see, a friend is someone that you not only spend time with and talk to but a friend you will share secrets with and take places others might not get to go. A friend also will be someone who is/or has walked with you through good and bad times. A true friend is not someone that will easily let you slide away, or ignore you in trouble.... You see, I have (most of my life) had a good understanding of my relationship with God as a Son... But haven't taken it to the level of friendship.
I'm sure that parents out there can tell you how great it is when the relationship with a child develops to a point where you can consider them a true friend (not talking about an unhealthy co-dependent type relationship, but a mature friendship).
You see, what I have missed all this time was the opportunity to get to know God as a friend.
What does that look like??
Well for starters, A friendship isn't one sided... It's not about your needs, or your friends needs... it's about the relationship and interaction.
It's not a cure all for troubled times, but it is a understanding that whatever you face, it will never be alone.
It's about being able to say, God... What's on your heart?? And then keeping your mouth shut long enough to listen
I have understood some of this before, but today, I really felt like God actually called me a friend.... And I don't care who you are, THAT is huge.
In the middle of the worship time, I was also reminded that Abraham was credited as "Righteous" because he considered him faithful who had made the promise!!
That is a true relationship.... NOT about the promise, but about the faithfulness of the one promising.... because after all... he has been with you the whole way, and you with him!
Anyway.... That's all I have for now... And I truthfully don't care whether anyone gets anything out of this or not... these are just my thoughts.... unedited, jumbled, A.D.D. thoughts
Now, do I want banana pudding for dessert???
I had the opportunity to lead the devotional worship time at the church this afternoon. I always enjoy doing those types of sessions for a number of reasons...
1. Worship is, and truly should be b/w God and Me, as it is about the attitude and posture of my heart towards Him.
2. Whether or not anyone shows up, I always enjoy just playing/singing, reading the word and telling God how much I appreciate Him in my life.
Today, however was a bit different.... I was in the middle of the set reading through isaiah, where God, speaking to jacob, said... Isaiah 41:8 "But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend,". NASB
What a flat out smack in the face!!! ..... God Called him... MY Friend!!!
I don't know if it is as powerful of a hit to you as it was to me, but let me attempt to share what hit me so hard in that moment.
Friend....
You see God called him Friend... That is AMAZING to me in that there is such a vast difference between friend and son, or even servant...
Don't get me wrong, There is a whole lot of weight tied up in being a son or daughter of God... but this is something deeper, closer, stronger than just being in the family....
You see, a friend is someone that you not only spend time with and talk to but a friend you will share secrets with and take places others might not get to go. A friend also will be someone who is/or has walked with you through good and bad times. A true friend is not someone that will easily let you slide away, or ignore you in trouble.... You see, I have (most of my life) had a good understanding of my relationship with God as a Son... But haven't taken it to the level of friendship.
I'm sure that parents out there can tell you how great it is when the relationship with a child develops to a point where you can consider them a true friend (not talking about an unhealthy co-dependent type relationship, but a mature friendship).
You see, what I have missed all this time was the opportunity to get to know God as a friend.
What does that look like??
Well for starters, A friendship isn't one sided... It's not about your needs, or your friends needs... it's about the relationship and interaction.
It's not a cure all for troubled times, but it is a understanding that whatever you face, it will never be alone.
It's about being able to say, God... What's on your heart?? And then keeping your mouth shut long enough to listen
I have understood some of this before, but today, I really felt like God actually called me a friend.... And I don't care who you are, THAT is huge.
In the middle of the worship time, I was also reminded that Abraham was credited as "Righteous" because he considered him faithful who had made the promise!!
That is a true relationship.... NOT about the promise, but about the faithfulness of the one promising.... because after all... he has been with you the whole way, and you with him!
Anyway.... That's all I have for now... And I truthfully don't care whether anyone gets anything out of this or not... these are just my thoughts.... unedited, jumbled, A.D.D. thoughts
Now, do I want banana pudding for dessert???
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thoughts on Life, The Universe, and Everything
I have been thinking a lot lately..... which tends to be a good thing... and a really really bad thing.
The good side of thinking is that it is VERY beneficial when writing programs, and developing new functionality for web sites.... the bad side is that I ask myself questions to which I really don't want an answer.
Here's one of those questions....
Q. What do you want to be when you grow up?
A. Well, what an interesting question, that requires an even bigger question than this... which is...
Q. Do you want to grow up?
A. Again.... a good question but an even bigger question is....
Q. What does it mean to grow up?
A. Ahhhhhh..... now there's a conundrum....
Growing up, I remember being asked the question over and over... What do you want to be when you grow up?? It seems like every time I was asked this question, I was filled with a bit of anxiety in having to pick a direction in life and pursue it and it alone till I die. Funny thing is that in all the years I was asked this question I never asked myself the even bigger question of what that even meant to "Grow Up".
For a purly sarcastic response, I should have responded with the answer "Taller".
I want to be taller when I grow up.... Yeah, That's the ticket...
Or how about..... I want to be an adult when I grow up???
So much weight is put into this question which should be really asked as ... What JOB do you want to have by which people can define you when you get older? Now THAT IS a GOOD question! To THAT I say, None!
You see, I have never felt right being defined as one thing above another. Recently (over the past couple of years) I have stepped up to fill in on the worship team at church as a bass player... I even have had people say to me .... Hey, aren't you the Bass Player... blah blah blah.... The funny thing about that is I have also been in the role of an associate pastor/youth pastor/worship pastor/small group leader/network administrator/graphic designer/secretary over the years, and it seems like at every step I am being defined in the eyes of most as that particular role in which I am working at the time.
Here's my particular issue with this thought process, at any given time over the past 15 years, I have been known to opperate in many of those roles, not only that I have also been developing websites and doing graphic design and web programming. Here I am now, 31yrs old, with no one thing I would say that I do better than most.... and no one career path that I want to solely devote the rest of my life to more than any other. You see the thing is that I am not aimless, as much that I am overly ambitious. I want to experience many different things.
I LOVE preaching, teaching, and counseling people.... BUT I also LOVE Worshiping, Leading worship and playing music.... AND I Also LOVE building websites, and doing php programming... AND I Also LOVE video and audio postproduction editing, and recording....
Seeing all of this, I would say that there are so many things I WANT To "BE" that it is impossible that I am any one of them.... so for now on, I think my answer to the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" will be..............
.......
......
.......
......
A Politician
[;o)
Happy Halloween everybody [;o)
The good side of thinking is that it is VERY beneficial when writing programs, and developing new functionality for web sites.... the bad side is that I ask myself questions to which I really don't want an answer.
Here's one of those questions....
Q. What do you want to be when you grow up?
A. Well, what an interesting question, that requires an even bigger question than this... which is...
Q. Do you want to grow up?
A. Again.... a good question but an even bigger question is....
Q. What does it mean to grow up?
A. Ahhhhhh..... now there's a conundrum....
Growing up, I remember being asked the question over and over... What do you want to be when you grow up?? It seems like every time I was asked this question, I was filled with a bit of anxiety in having to pick a direction in life and pursue it and it alone till I die. Funny thing is that in all the years I was asked this question I never asked myself the even bigger question of what that even meant to "Grow Up".
For a purly sarcastic response, I should have responded with the answer "Taller".
I want to be taller when I grow up.... Yeah, That's the ticket...
Or how about..... I want to be an adult when I grow up???
So much weight is put into this question which should be really asked as ... What JOB do you want to have by which people can define you when you get older? Now THAT IS a GOOD question! To THAT I say, None!
You see, I have never felt right being defined as one thing above another. Recently (over the past couple of years) I have stepped up to fill in on the worship team at church as a bass player... I even have had people say to me .... Hey, aren't you the Bass Player... blah blah blah.... The funny thing about that is I have also been in the role of an associate pastor/youth pastor/worship pastor/small group leader/network administrator/graphic designer/secretary over the years, and it seems like at every step I am being defined in the eyes of most as that particular role in which I am working at the time.
Here's my particular issue with this thought process, at any given time over the past 15 years, I have been known to opperate in many of those roles, not only that I have also been developing websites and doing graphic design and web programming. Here I am now, 31yrs old, with no one thing I would say that I do better than most.... and no one career path that I want to solely devote the rest of my life to more than any other. You see the thing is that I am not aimless, as much that I am overly ambitious. I want to experience many different things.
I LOVE preaching, teaching, and counseling people.... BUT I also LOVE Worshiping, Leading worship and playing music.... AND I Also LOVE building websites, and doing php programming... AND I Also LOVE video and audio postproduction editing, and recording....
Seeing all of this, I would say that there are so many things I WANT To "BE" that it is impossible that I am any one of them.... so for now on, I think my answer to the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" will be..............
.......
......
.......
......
A Politician
[;o)
Happy Halloween everybody [;o)
Monday, August 3, 2009
What Every (small group) Leader Should Know - pt. 3
Politics, Politics, Politics, Politics.... (it's good to be the king)
Politics, Religion, Business, Education, You name it.... they all require a little bit of the same thing....
Planning and preparation!
In a small (or large) group meeting this is no different, and above all there should be some form of organization to the meeting.
Organizing.... My own personal nemesis. (and no I am not referring to the worst NextGen Star-Trek movie to ever meet the populous, or to the fact that it was one big metophor for dealing with your biggest enemy which is yourself (sun tsu anyone?) or the fact that by the end Piccard looked like a winey sissy girl who needed to be stripped of any remaining "Man Card" in his posession.... but I digress)
I have always struggled being organized. I used to think that I could make it without being organized and God would make up for the rest.... THEN I got Married! Being organized, planning and being prepared is now something I really wish I was better at (for many reasons) BUT One thing I had picked up along the way leading small groups was a sure fire method for having a successfull, healthy meeting wherever you are.... it is..... are you ready for this???
The 5 W's of Small Group Meetings!
The 5 w's, I believe, started out as 4, and I have learned and embellished along the way. This principle originally came from some small group leadership training I had done under the vision and teachings of Ralph Neighbor (sp?) back in the big cell church boom of the late 90's.
The 5 W's are simply this...
1. Welcome
2. Worship
3. Word
4. Walk
5. Wind
I will expound on each of these over the next few posts (which MAY happen before the end of the year.... keep your fingers crossed )
#1
Welcome
In all my time traveling doing ministry in various places across the globe, I have determined this...
The Southern Baptist Denomination wins this category HANDS Down!!!!
I have been to many churches in many places, and it seems like going to a southern baptist church would ensure 2 things... 1. we would be hugged till we suffocated, and 2. we would be fed till we popped!!! (Good times!)
Nothing, I REPEAT NOTHING says we are family, or I accept you like a home cooked meal and genuine hospitality. It communicates that WE in fact are in this together, and as such we can help each other out in the process.
Why is this so important?
When you have a group of people coming to your house to share and open up in any way they need to know they can trust you and this is a safe warm and inviting place where they can do just that. Yes I know it sounds a bit psychological, partly because it is.... but more than that it speaks to a bigger truth that a lot of leaders miss...
The PHYSICAL needs in life are just as real and sometimes just as important as the spiritual ones. Remember the story of when jesus fed the 5000??? Not just a story but a practical guide to performing ministry to the masses...... Meet the physical needs and they will be open and receptive to have the spiritual needs met as well.
It is very crucial at this point that I say, this is NOT about having to make a full meal every week. More importantly is that there is some type of food/snack/drink as a point of contact to develop a time of relationship that is spontanious and allows for the natural relationships, and trust, to be formed.
***Mechanix***
What does this look like??
Open up your house 15/20 min's before the meeting starts. have some finger type foods available for people to snack on, and when people show up, be there to engage in conversation and be available to listen....
This is why planning and preparation are so important!!! You need to have your family needs taken care of before this point. YOU the leader are their shepheard and need to give them your attention and be available.
I have been to a few meetings where I didn't even see the leader until it was time for them to share, and by that time, I wasn't listening to them.... why would I?? looks to me like they are above and better than me and have the "Answer" .... which to me says they really don't get it at all!!!
On a bit of a practical note, I know as a leader that if you are trying to feed a group of people every week (even if it is just a bag of freetos) It can get expensive..... So Share the wealth!!! Make up a "Food" rotation that everyone can sign-up for....
Remember we really are all in this together!!!!
Politics, Religion, Business, Education, You name it.... they all require a little bit of the same thing....
Planning and preparation!
In a small (or large) group meeting this is no different, and above all there should be some form of organization to the meeting.
Organizing.... My own personal nemesis. (and no I am not referring to the worst NextGen Star-Trek movie to ever meet the populous, or to the fact that it was one big metophor for dealing with your biggest enemy which is yourself (sun tsu anyone?) or the fact that by the end Piccard looked like a winey sissy girl who needed to be stripped of any remaining "Man Card" in his posession.... but I digress)
I have always struggled being organized. I used to think that I could make it without being organized and God would make up for the rest.... THEN I got Married! Being organized, planning and being prepared is now something I really wish I was better at (for many reasons) BUT One thing I had picked up along the way leading small groups was a sure fire method for having a successfull, healthy meeting wherever you are.... it is..... are you ready for this???
The 5 W's of Small Group Meetings!
The 5 w's, I believe, started out as 4, and I have learned and embellished along the way. This principle originally came from some small group leadership training I had done under the vision and teachings of Ralph Neighbor (sp?) back in the big cell church boom of the late 90's.
The 5 W's are simply this...
1. Welcome
2. Worship
3. Word
4. Walk
5. Wind
I will expound on each of these over the next few posts (which MAY happen before the end of the year.... keep your fingers crossed )
#1
Welcome
In all my time traveling doing ministry in various places across the globe, I have determined this...
The Southern Baptist Denomination wins this category HANDS Down!!!!
I have been to many churches in many places, and it seems like going to a southern baptist church would ensure 2 things... 1. we would be hugged till we suffocated, and 2. we would be fed till we popped!!! (Good times!)
Nothing, I REPEAT NOTHING says we are family, or I accept you like a home cooked meal and genuine hospitality. It communicates that WE in fact are in this together, and as such we can help each other out in the process.
Why is this so important?
When you have a group of people coming to your house to share and open up in any way they need to know they can trust you and this is a safe warm and inviting place where they can do just that. Yes I know it sounds a bit psychological, partly because it is.... but more than that it speaks to a bigger truth that a lot of leaders miss...
The PHYSICAL needs in life are just as real and sometimes just as important as the spiritual ones. Remember the story of when jesus fed the 5000??? Not just a story but a practical guide to performing ministry to the masses...... Meet the physical needs and they will be open and receptive to have the spiritual needs met as well.
It is very crucial at this point that I say, this is NOT about having to make a full meal every week. More importantly is that there is some type of food/snack/drink as a point of contact to develop a time of relationship that is spontanious and allows for the natural relationships, and trust, to be formed.
***Mechanix***
What does this look like??
Open up your house 15/20 min's before the meeting starts. have some finger type foods available for people to snack on, and when people show up, be there to engage in conversation and be available to listen....
This is why planning and preparation are so important!!! You need to have your family needs taken care of before this point. YOU the leader are their shepheard and need to give them your attention and be available.
I have been to a few meetings where I didn't even see the leader until it was time for them to share, and by that time, I wasn't listening to them.... why would I?? looks to me like they are above and better than me and have the "Answer" .... which to me says they really don't get it at all!!!
On a bit of a practical note, I know as a leader that if you are trying to feed a group of people every week (even if it is just a bag of freetos) It can get expensive..... So Share the wealth!!! Make up a "Food" rotation that everyone can sign-up for....
Remember we really are all in this together!!!!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
What Every (small group) Leader Should Know - pt. 2
Instant Recap:
1. Ministers/Leaders MUST be & learn to be servants first!
2. Leaders MUST learn to put others FIRST!
Ok, Now you are caught up... no excuses!
The focus of this particular post will be about more of the mechanics of doing ministry, than the spiritual focus of the last post.
3. Crisis Management!
First off, and I can't stress this enough.... for a good leader, learning crisis management is a GOLDMINE for leading... NO Matter WHAT, or WHO you are leading!!!
I heard Miles Monroe say one time that when God put Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, he told them to develop people (be fruitful) and Manage (tend) the "Things" of the garden. This is a very key point in learning to be a good and GREAT leader!
YOU MUST understand that in any leadership situation, you MUST... I REPEAT MUST separate people from their stuff!!! People, in general are all in need of the same thing, healthy relationship with God as well as each other. This is wonderful news if you can see that and that alone... The problem seems to be that most leaders will spend 90% of their time dealing with people's stuff, and not in relationship with the people... To use a illustration I used in the last post... Zacchaeus
You see, Zacchaeus was, in his time, what was called the "Chief" tax collector..... Think about that for a second... EVEN the bible refers to Him by what he manages... NOT who he is!
Along comes Jesus...
Jesus saw him in the tree and immediately saw through his stuff to who he was and what HE needed... relationship! He did not see him as his contemporaries did.... a cheat, a swindler, a thief..... in today's world think "Chief Politician".
What does this have to do with Crisis Management?? EVERYTHING!!!!!
IF You can successfully separate people from their stuff, you will alleviate and successfully manage crisis Situations....
You see the KEY to crisis management is to manage the situation not the people... IF you can break down what is happening from what the people really need you can be very successful as a leader of anything.
How does this pertain to small groups you ask??
Well.... here's a situation of something that WILL happen to you as a leader if you give it enough time.....
Let's talk about "Little Johnny", you know the little brat that grew up through all of the cautionary life tales of how to NOT act and what to NOT do. Well.... BAD News, Little johnny, grew up and is now big Johnny, and he got invited to your small group!!!
Big Johnny isn't exactly mean, but he is what we will refer to as "Spiritually Combative"... He is now the guy that is ALWAYS trying to prove how much more he knows than you and how contradictory everything you say about God is.... THIS is a CRISIS, that needs some serious Management!!!!!!!
So what do we do??
First you have to look at the real root of what is going on. You see, Johnny always got in trouble, and his whole life was spent feeling like the world was against HIM because of his actions. YES they did come against HIM but only because they didn't understand how to separate the actions. So now that he is all grown up, he still carries with him this self image of having to prove himself to everyone around him!
How do you deal with that???
First and foremost this is dealt with by having strong and healthy boundaries for any meeting/interaction you have as a leader... They can be as simple as "We are going to talk tonight about....bla, bla..... Please hold any comments till I open the floor for discussions".
Another option (and one I have found very helpful for dealing with a bunch of kids with ADD)
-- Explain the "ground rules" that any comments that are made need to NOT be directed as a response to what someone else has said... Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and it should be a safe environment to share opinions openly.
What setting these ground rules, does is give you the power to stop any arguments, or issues that can arise from people like Johnny... by simply going back to the ground rules, and not putting down the person.... "Please keep in mind johnny, that we are all entitled to our opinions and any comments should not be directed toward someone else because of their opinions".
IF Johnny continues to disrupt, it is a simple matter of taking a break and asking johnny to go to another room (out of earshot of the group) ans simply stating that IF Johnny continues to go against the rules, you will have to ask him to leave. End of discussion!!
In most situations as a leader, rarely will you find your self dealing with a "Physical" crisis, the majority will be these "Emotional" issues and situations.
It is a good thing for leaders to practice dealing with different scenario's... I will give you a few...
1. Johnny, decides he is going to use the time in the meeting to talk about 'Amway' and how it has changed HIS life
2. Someone in the group begins to talk about God and how "SHE" changed her life by leading her to a commune outside of town where she can TRULY be free
3. IN the discussion, you come to a topic of abortion... one of the people in the room has had an abortion, and is in a very emotional state, during the time, she breaks down and starts sobbing uncontrollably.
4. You find out at one meeting that someone is a homosexual.
In each of these examples, IF you can see beyond the issues to the person, you will find the same thing... someone who is in need of relationship with others... And in some cases, it is OK to refer someone to a professional counselor if they need more help than you as a leader can provide. IT IS NOT YOUR JOB TO FIX ANYONE!!!! Only to Love them and walk with them the best you can!
*** Very Important ***
Remember, IF there is interaction with someone that seems to require/consume the entire focus of the group, take it elsewhere (And always gender specific... guys with guys, girls with girls)
There is always more than 1 person in a group... otherwise it wouldn't be a group (duh) and it is important as a leader to remember that there are quite a few other people with needs, and if one person monopolizes the meeting, can make the others feel less important (Very BAD!!!)
*** Practical Notes From The Dark Side ***
In meetings dealing with people you may occasionally come across a doozie that requires a bit of finesse to deal with.
like...
1. Child abuse.
YOU MUST REPORT THIS TO THE POLICE!!! but be careful, and try to keep as few others in the group from knowing/talking about it as it can cause more harm in the long run than it does good. Try to set up a meeting with a superior or another "Equal" leader to help you walk through this as the more council you can get the better.
2. Spousal Abuse.
This is a bit different, you need to strongly encourage that the person leave the situation and seek help... DO NOT Confront the spouse, as this ALWAYS leads down a bad road and you may not have another chance to help them out of their situation if you do.
3. Attempted Suicide.
IF They are threatening to do harm to themselves or other you MUST REPORT THIS to the authorities!!! If they have already attempted it... remember to deal with them not their situation, they need love not judgement!! They also need someone to walk with them. NO ONE ever attempts suicide in public, or with friends... they do it when, and usually because they are alone... they NEED relationship, and healthy LOVE!!!
4. Death/Divorce... Both can be Equally as painful
This is delicate in that everyone grieves differently, but everyone that grieves, MUST be allowed to grieve in their own way (as long as it isn't causing harm to themselves or others)
Let them grieve, be there if they need you and pray for them from a distance if they don't... that's about all you can do.
I think that about covers most of what I can think of for this post, I will post lots more soon [;o)
1. Ministers/Leaders MUST be & learn to be servants first!
2. Leaders MUST learn to put others FIRST!
Ok, Now you are caught up... no excuses!
The focus of this particular post will be about more of the mechanics of doing ministry, than the spiritual focus of the last post.
3. Crisis Management!
First off, and I can't stress this enough.... for a good leader, learning crisis management is a GOLDMINE for leading... NO Matter WHAT, or WHO you are leading!!!
I heard Miles Monroe say one time that when God put Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, he told them to develop people (be fruitful) and Manage (tend) the "Things" of the garden. This is a very key point in learning to be a good and GREAT leader!
YOU MUST understand that in any leadership situation, you MUST... I REPEAT MUST separate people from their stuff!!! People, in general are all in need of the same thing, healthy relationship with God as well as each other. This is wonderful news if you can see that and that alone... The problem seems to be that most leaders will spend 90% of their time dealing with people's stuff, and not in relationship with the people... To use a illustration I used in the last post... Zacchaeus
You see, Zacchaeus was, in his time, what was called the "Chief" tax collector..... Think about that for a second... EVEN the bible refers to Him by what he manages... NOT who he is!
Along comes Jesus...
Jesus saw him in the tree and immediately saw through his stuff to who he was and what HE needed... relationship! He did not see him as his contemporaries did.... a cheat, a swindler, a thief..... in today's world think "Chief Politician".
What does this have to do with Crisis Management?? EVERYTHING!!!!!
IF You can successfully separate people from their stuff, you will alleviate and successfully manage crisis Situations....
You see the KEY to crisis management is to manage the situation not the people... IF you can break down what is happening from what the people really need you can be very successful as a leader of anything.
How does this pertain to small groups you ask??
Well.... here's a situation of something that WILL happen to you as a leader if you give it enough time.....
Let's talk about "Little Johnny", you know the little brat that grew up through all of the cautionary life tales of how to NOT act and what to NOT do. Well.... BAD News, Little johnny, grew up and is now big Johnny, and he got invited to your small group!!!
Big Johnny isn't exactly mean, but he is what we will refer to as "Spiritually Combative"... He is now the guy that is ALWAYS trying to prove how much more he knows than you and how contradictory everything you say about God is.... THIS is a CRISIS, that needs some serious Management!!!!!!!
So what do we do??
First you have to look at the real root of what is going on. You see, Johnny always got in trouble, and his whole life was spent feeling like the world was against HIM because of his actions. YES they did come against HIM but only because they didn't understand how to separate the actions. So now that he is all grown up, he still carries with him this self image of having to prove himself to everyone around him!
How do you deal with that???
First and foremost this is dealt with by having strong and healthy boundaries for any meeting/interaction you have as a leader... They can be as simple as "We are going to talk tonight about....bla, bla..... Please hold any comments till I open the floor for discussions".
Another option (and one I have found very helpful for dealing with a bunch of kids with ADD)
-- Explain the "ground rules" that any comments that are made need to NOT be directed as a response to what someone else has said... Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and it should be a safe environment to share opinions openly.
What setting these ground rules, does is give you the power to stop any arguments, or issues that can arise from people like Johnny... by simply going back to the ground rules, and not putting down the person.... "Please keep in mind johnny, that we are all entitled to our opinions and any comments should not be directed toward someone else because of their opinions".
IF Johnny continues to disrupt, it is a simple matter of taking a break and asking johnny to go to another room (out of earshot of the group) ans simply stating that IF Johnny continues to go against the rules, you will have to ask him to leave. End of discussion!!
In most situations as a leader, rarely will you find your self dealing with a "Physical" crisis, the majority will be these "Emotional" issues and situations.
It is a good thing for leaders to practice dealing with different scenario's... I will give you a few...
1. Johnny, decides he is going to use the time in the meeting to talk about 'Amway' and how it has changed HIS life
2. Someone in the group begins to talk about God and how "SHE" changed her life by leading her to a commune outside of town where she can TRULY be free
3. IN the discussion, you come to a topic of abortion... one of the people in the room has had an abortion, and is in a very emotional state, during the time, she breaks down and starts sobbing uncontrollably.
4. You find out at one meeting that someone is a homosexual.
In each of these examples, IF you can see beyond the issues to the person, you will find the same thing... someone who is in need of relationship with others... And in some cases, it is OK to refer someone to a professional counselor if they need more help than you as a leader can provide. IT IS NOT YOUR JOB TO FIX ANYONE!!!! Only to Love them and walk with them the best you can!
*** Very Important ***
Remember, IF there is interaction with someone that seems to require/consume the entire focus of the group, take it elsewhere (And always gender specific... guys with guys, girls with girls)
There is always more than 1 person in a group... otherwise it wouldn't be a group (duh) and it is important as a leader to remember that there are quite a few other people with needs, and if one person monopolizes the meeting, can make the others feel less important (Very BAD!!!)
*** Practical Notes From The Dark Side ***
In meetings dealing with people you may occasionally come across a doozie that requires a bit of finesse to deal with.
like...
1. Child abuse.
YOU MUST REPORT THIS TO THE POLICE!!! but be careful, and try to keep as few others in the group from knowing/talking about it as it can cause more harm in the long run than it does good. Try to set up a meeting with a superior or another "Equal" leader to help you walk through this as the more council you can get the better.
2. Spousal Abuse.
This is a bit different, you need to strongly encourage that the person leave the situation and seek help... DO NOT Confront the spouse, as this ALWAYS leads down a bad road and you may not have another chance to help them out of their situation if you do.
3. Attempted Suicide.
IF They are threatening to do harm to themselves or other you MUST REPORT THIS to the authorities!!! If they have already attempted it... remember to deal with them not their situation, they need love not judgement!! They also need someone to walk with them. NO ONE ever attempts suicide in public, or with friends... they do it when, and usually because they are alone... they NEED relationship, and healthy LOVE!!!
4. Death/Divorce... Both can be Equally as painful
This is delicate in that everyone grieves differently, but everyone that grieves, MUST be allowed to grieve in their own way (as long as it isn't causing harm to themselves or others)
Let them grieve, be there if they need you and pray for them from a distance if they don't... that's about all you can do.
I think that about covers most of what I can think of for this post, I will post lots more soon [;o)
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
What Every (small group) Leader Should Know - pt. 1
A question I have been pondering in my mind recently (since a recent meeting with my pastor) is ...
WHAT should Small Group leader's know??
Kind of a loaded question, but I hope in my ramblings about life and ministry experience, I can give a bit of an answer that is useful.
IF I have learned one thing in life and ministry it is this...
1. Ministers/Leaders MUST be & learn to be servants first!
You see in the new testament church, there came a point when certain widows were being overlooked. This wasn't an intentional thing, but the "12" were so busy serving and trying to keep everyone going in the right direction (and there were so many new ones daily) that they couldn't do it all anymore, at that point there arose a need for others to be "Appointed" to the role of serving! - These men weren't the holiest looking, and they didn't always say the right thing - BUT they were "known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom" (acts 6:3)
This is one of these times in the theological world known as the "Law of First Reference" and VERY IMPORTANT in church leadership. This is the first place in the New Testament Church where we clearly see the appointing of church leaders other than the "Primary Leader(s)" and what are they?? Servants!! Appointed Servants!
IF small group leaders (or any leader for that matter) can learn THIS first... Operating as a servant regardless if title, position, or anyone even knowing their name--- they will be on the road to becoming GREAT in the kingdom!
That's just the beginning --- Serving never stops!
2. Leaders MUST learn to put others FIRST!
This one can be affected tremendously by the personality of the individual, but I will try to talk through some of that as well.
What does it mean to put other's first? Well, let's start with Zacchaeus ....
When learning to be & become a better leader, it is important that we take our cues from the best leaders of the bible, starting with the "Mac" of all leaders -- Jesus. With this particular story we see Jesus walking down the street amongst a large crowd, when things take a bit of a turn...
The bible doesn't say much about zacchaeus other than he was THE chief tax collector and was wealthy... it also goes on to say (Luke 19:1-3) He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. --
Here is a very interesting point... He wanted to see "Who Jesus Was" -- Nothing more. He wasn't looking for a miracle, or healing... He wasn't looking for the key to life... the universe... and everything (42) ... He wasn't looking for the spiritual existentialism that most would die for... He simply wanted to see who Jesus was!
Next up is where we very clearly see "Who Jesus Is" in this light. What does Jesus do?? Sees him, and says... "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today."
You see as an effective leader we MUST learn to put others needs above our own, or above our expectation of their needs... I will say this at the risk of upsetting a lot of more traditional church "leaders" but sometimes what the people really need is NOT another event, NOT a bible study, NOT a great band on Sunday... what they need is a REAL, PERSONAL, and DEFINABLE connection and experience with the LIVING God!!! Can You SEE THAT!!! That is HUGE as a leader! People really need GOD more than they need YOU... but we are here to be used by God to be that connection sometimes, and more importantly to point people to God, then get out of the way!
I promise you ... 5 min experiencing the true and LIVING God can change your life more, and leave you happier than 1000 sermons I can give and weeks/months/years of counseling I could provide.
Which brings us to a close for today (gotta get some work done) But I will try to write more soon!!!
[;o)
WHAT should Small Group leader's know??
Kind of a loaded question, but I hope in my ramblings about life and ministry experience, I can give a bit of an answer that is useful.
IF I have learned one thing in life and ministry it is this...
1. Ministers/Leaders MUST be & learn to be servants first!
You see in the new testament church, there came a point when certain widows were being overlooked. This wasn't an intentional thing, but the "12" were so busy serving and trying to keep everyone going in the right direction (and there were so many new ones daily) that they couldn't do it all anymore, at that point there arose a need for others to be "Appointed" to the role of serving! - These men weren't the holiest looking, and they didn't always say the right thing - BUT they were "known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom" (acts 6:3)
This is one of these times in the theological world known as the "Law of First Reference" and VERY IMPORTANT in church leadership. This is the first place in the New Testament Church where we clearly see the appointing of church leaders other than the "Primary Leader(s)" and what are they?? Servants!! Appointed Servants!
***caution - personal commentary content here ***
I think this particular point has been missing in the church at large for
a long time. You see the world has a view of the church as anything but
a serving organization... Leaders fall into the place of being "Spiritual Money
Launderers" because they have been put into leadership based on how they look,
what they say, or what Seminary they attended, and NOT because they were FIRST
appointed as servants b/c they were "Full of the spirit and Wisdom"!
IF small group leaders (or any leader for that matter) can learn THIS first... Operating as a servant regardless if title, position, or anyone even knowing their name--- they will be on the road to becoming GREAT in the kingdom!
That's just the beginning --- Serving never stops!
2. Leaders MUST learn to put others FIRST!
This one can be affected tremendously by the personality of the individual, but I will try to talk through some of that as well.
What does it mean to put other's first? Well, let's start with Zacchaeus ....
When learning to be & become a better leader, it is important that we take our cues from the best leaders of the bible, starting with the "Mac" of all leaders -- Jesus. With this particular story we see Jesus walking down the street amongst a large crowd, when things take a bit of a turn...
The bible doesn't say much about zacchaeus other than he was THE chief tax collector and was wealthy... it also goes on to say (Luke 19:1-3) He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. --
Here is a very interesting point... He wanted to see "Who Jesus Was" -- Nothing more. He wasn't looking for a miracle, or healing... He wasn't looking for the key to life... the universe... and everything (42) ... He wasn't looking for the spiritual existentialism that most would die for... He simply wanted to see who Jesus was!
Next up is where we very clearly see "Who Jesus Is" in this light. What does Jesus do?? Sees him, and says... "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today."
You see as an effective leader we MUST learn to put others needs above our own, or above our expectation of their needs... I will say this at the risk of upsetting a lot of more traditional church "leaders" but sometimes what the people really need is NOT another event, NOT a bible study, NOT a great band on Sunday... what they need is a REAL, PERSONAL, and DEFINABLE connection and experience with the LIVING God!!! Can You SEE THAT!!! That is HUGE as a leader! People really need GOD more than they need YOU... but we are here to be used by God to be that connection sometimes, and more importantly to point people to God, then get out of the way!
I promise you ... 5 min experiencing the true and LIVING God can change your life more, and leave you happier than 1000 sermons I can give and weeks/months/years of counseling I could provide.
***caution - personal commentary content here ***
I have seen time and time again, leaders miss this by thinking THEY are what is going to change the people. Take for instance... worship service, someone engaged in worship, you can see that God is working on/in them... so what do I do ... Well I need to Help God Out" so I put my hands on them and begin to pray......... WOAH!!!!! Back That Up!!!!! Since WHEN does God need us to "Help Him Out" when he is clearly working without us in that situation??? .... Here's what happens... As soon as I/YOU/WE decide to put our hands on someone who 1 has not asked, or 2 is in a place where God is working and they are oblivious to their surroundings... we immediately call attention to ourselves, and take their focus off from God and put on US... I am NOT that big to be a proxy for God!!! Sorry, Won't do it!!! I am here to point people TO God, then get out of the way, not stand there and translate.
Which brings us to a close for today (gotta get some work done) But I will try to write more soon!!!
[;o)
Saturday, May 23, 2009
I Tried, I Really Did!
So This weekend has been a fun experience for me...
I got a new laptop... HP TouchSmart Tx2z Tablet
Straight out of the box, started it up, went through the 20 min setup and registration, inserted a special disk and wiped out the entire drive
Why???
I wanted to try to get a Hackintosh going... A PC running OS x
Now before I get into the nity gritty details ... let me say to all of the mac snobs out there... I go through hardware fast... @ 2 machines every 2-3 years... MOSTLY because I am doing so much with them I have to upgrade to get the power I need to continually do what I need to do -- so right out of the gate I will NOT spend 2k for a laptop just because it is easy and pretty [;o)
-- So Here I am on my new HP Mac typing this post right now...
Why Mac???
Well B/C it is a unix environment OS that ALSO will run Adobe Software(which I use both the unix environment and adobe stuff)
Best of both worlds and CHEAPER than any Mac off the shelf (a lot cheaper) - PLUS its a tablet
Here's what I have found out...
1. Mac is slick!
Its pretty, smooth, and will do what I need it to do with little effort
2. Mac is Boring
Once you get past the pretties and the smoothness of it all... there's not much going on... I mean yeah, it works but you can't tweak the mess out of, manipulating every little file. It is a nice system but I am already bored with it... IF I stay with mac, all I will do is work, surf, and a few measley games... which brings me to my next point
3. NOT for Games!!!
Yeah, it has some games you can get, but isn't built for it... nuff said
4. Drivers & Compatibility -
And HERE is the true kicker of the matter why as I am sitting here typing this on Mac OSx, I am also downloading Linux and Windows 7 - Mac doesn't support the hardware correctly...
MOST everything works out of the box... BUT the touchscreen ... It works but once you get out to the edge of the screen the calibration is WAY off
I tried a linux disk and even they got that right without AND modifications
So What Gives???
I know it is an issue of apple only wanting OSx to be on apple machines... What a load!!! I would Gladly purchase OSx Over Windows any day... IF it would work right and completely on my machine!
So Now I am torn... Back to my original issue
Do I install Windows, and have a Virtual System for development/unix environ??
Or do I install Linux and have a virtual system for Adobe to play in???
Such hard decisions... I guess I could always re-install Mac once they get the right drivers for my hardware... if they ever do!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Time to Blog!!
Like everything in life, it all boil's down to how much time you devote to any one thing
whether it be work, school, music, god, face book, or (heaven forbid) even blogging!
In my world lately I haven't had time for much except for God, family, and lots and lots of work... but I did decide to take a moment out of my busy day and post a blog entry.
Things are well, I am excited that this week I will be rolling out a demo church management system to begin some of the final tweaking and testing before I make it a live project! I am super excited about this and am really looking forward to seeing it used on a day to day basis.
My wife and I got bikes (as in 2 wheels, and pedals... but no lawn mower engine) We have been ridding a couple of times a week and I have really been enjoying the time we get to spend together.
It seems like no matter how busy I get, I can always be a little bit busier and I have to take the time out and enjoy my wife and a bit of nature.
Well now that's out of my system... back to the grind...
Cracking open a new book - OOP DeMystified (a self teaching guide) - now if I could only get a teacher that doesn't have ADD i will be set
[;o)
whether it be work, school, music, god, face book, or (heaven forbid) even blogging!
In my world lately I haven't had time for much except for God, family, and lots and lots of work... but I did decide to take a moment out of my busy day and post a blog entry.
Things are well, I am excited that this week I will be rolling out a demo church management system to begin some of the final tweaking and testing before I make it a live project! I am super excited about this and am really looking forward to seeing it used on a day to day basis.
My wife and I got bikes (as in 2 wheels, and pedals... but no lawn mower engine) We have been ridding a couple of times a week and I have really been enjoying the time we get to spend together.
It seems like no matter how busy I get, I can always be a little bit busier and I have to take the time out and enjoy my wife and a bit of nature.
Well now that's out of my system... back to the grind...
Cracking open a new book - OOP DeMystified (a self teaching guide) - now if I could only get a teacher that doesn't have ADD i will be set
[;o)
Saturday, January 10, 2009
What do you want? No, what do you REALLY want?? (insight into web development and SEO)
In my previous post I talked about a business seminar I attended earlier in the week. One of the key points that was communicated was knowing what your clients need vs. what they "want". A great illustration that was presented was this;
You see in the first case (which is most business, the focus is on the sale and getting me to understand what you have and how I need what you have. Whereas the second instance was all about understanding MY needs as a customer....
You see, I didn't need a drill bit, I NEEDED a HOLE!! If there was an easier way to get the hole I needed without the drillbit I would have been able to find out from the second sales man... not the first.
***warning what follows is my personal insight and practical application reading this may not make you accountable to what I am learning.... but once you read it, you can't un-read it***
In My business ( Web Development and Media Design ) I see a lot of people who are sold a lot of what they DON'T need, and not given what they do need. For instance, I met with a client this week that really didn't need a entire graphicly designed site.... what they needed was one very simple page, minor graphics and a good amount of time spent doing SEO (search engine optimization) Had this gentalman gone to any number of my competitors he would have walked out with a huge bill for upwards of 2k for a site he didn't need that wouldn't accomplish a single thing for him.
This is what I'm learning --- I am not the best graphic designer out there, and you may not have the prettiest flashiest site out there (and if that is what you really need then I will gladly refer you to my competitors) BUT what you WILL have, is an effective site that reaches your target audience.... that looks good... that is accessible through the use of cross browser CSS .... and if you need, a SMOKIN Content Management System, or other database application custom tailored tyo fit your business, and your needs!
At the same time all of this comes with one of the most important human and client needs fulfilled.... a relationship with someone who understands (or wants to) what you really need in life and business (that would be me.... and in some cases my wife, but only if she likes you [;o) or if you give her candy bars (snickers)!! )
I go to the hardware store looking for a drill bit.... here are the possible scenerios
- A Normal Sales rep says "What are you looking for" I say "A Drill Bit" he says "well let me show you all shapes and sizes that we carry, and I will try to sell you a new drill at the same time, cause hey... everyone needs a new drill!"
- A GOOD sales rep's response to "I need a drill bit" would say "Ok, what size hole are you needing, what type of material are you going to be drilling through, and what kind of drill do you have" then after he found out what I NEED would show me the few options that applied to my situation.... then say "And sir, if your drill is an older model... we are having a sale and you can walk out of the store today with a brand new drill to go with the drill bit that you need!!"
You see in the first case (which is most business, the focus is on the sale and getting me to understand what you have and how I need what you have. Whereas the second instance was all about understanding MY needs as a customer....
You see, I didn't need a drill bit, I NEEDED a HOLE!! If there was an easier way to get the hole I needed without the drillbit I would have been able to find out from the second sales man... not the first.
***warning what follows is my personal insight and practical application reading this may not make you accountable to what I am learning.... but once you read it, you can't un-read it***
In My business ( Web Development and Media Design ) I see a lot of people who are sold a lot of what they DON'T need, and not given what they do need. For instance, I met with a client this week that really didn't need a entire graphicly designed site.... what they needed was one very simple page, minor graphics and a good amount of time spent doing SEO (search engine optimization) Had this gentalman gone to any number of my competitors he would have walked out with a huge bill for upwards of 2k for a site he didn't need that wouldn't accomplish a single thing for him.
This is what I'm learning --- I am not the best graphic designer out there, and you may not have the prettiest flashiest site out there (and if that is what you really need then I will gladly refer you to my competitors) BUT what you WILL have, is an effective site that reaches your target audience.... that looks good... that is accessible through the use of cross browser CSS .... and if you need, a SMOKIN Content Management System, or other database application custom tailored tyo fit your business, and your needs!
At the same time all of this comes with one of the most important human and client needs fulfilled.... a relationship with someone who understands (or wants to) what you really need in life and business (that would be me.... and in some cases my wife, but only if she likes you [;o) or if you give her candy bars (snickers)!! )
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Better Business Blogging
WOO HOO!!!!!
That about sums up the last few weeks of my life!
In December, Tim Blevins and I had a discussion about the state of finances of the church and how to effectively move forward in an unsteady and unsure economy. This discussion lead to the ultimate decision and solution that I would go out on my own as a full time web developer/designer, as I have plenty of experience doing it, and already had some clients.
Now this decision, i felt, really was in the church's and in my best interest at the time (and still do), so effective Jan 1, 2009, I became the owner and primary developer/designer for Media 42. I will blog about the name and a bit more about my company later, but for now I wanted to start out detailing my walk through the transition of full time ministry (which I had had for @ 10 yrs) to owning a tech startup and everything I am learning along the way.
An interesting thing has happened over the last couple of weeks, between finishing up a few church projects and developing my own "corporate image" if you will--- which, by the way, MAJOR PROPS to David Southerland!!! (a close friend that designed my logo). I realized that for years and years, I had been looking at business principles and business models, and trying to apply them to the church/ministry setting where applicable. Now I have found myself doing the exact opposite, looking at my business model, and trying to apply the ministry principles to it.
I had the privileged to go to a free small business seminar this week, and really helped put some business principles into perspective. So My goal is to (if not a couple times a week) at least weekly blog about my experiences, and ideas as they pertain to my new career!
Hang On, it's going to be a fun ride!!!
That about sums up the last few weeks of my life!
In December, Tim Blevins and I had a discussion about the state of finances of the church and how to effectively move forward in an unsteady and unsure economy. This discussion lead to the ultimate decision and solution that I would go out on my own as a full time web developer/designer, as I have plenty of experience doing it, and already had some clients.
Now this decision, i felt, really was in the church's and in my best interest at the time (and still do), so effective Jan 1, 2009, I became the owner and primary developer/designer for Media 42. I will blog about the name and a bit more about my company later, but for now I wanted to start out detailing my walk through the transition of full time ministry (which I had had for @ 10 yrs) to owning a tech startup and everything I am learning along the way.
An interesting thing has happened over the last couple of weeks, between finishing up a few church projects and developing my own "corporate image" if you will--- which, by the way, MAJOR PROPS to David Southerland!!! (a close friend that designed my logo). I realized that for years and years, I had been looking at business principles and business models, and trying to apply them to the church/ministry setting where applicable. Now I have found myself doing the exact opposite, looking at my business model, and trying to apply the ministry principles to it.
I had the privileged to go to a free small business seminar this week, and really helped put some business principles into perspective. So My goal is to (if not a couple times a week) at least weekly blog about my experiences, and ideas as they pertain to my new career!
Hang On, it's going to be a fun ride!!!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
3 Degrees from 3rd World
This morning, my "Facebook Status" read...
"Timothy Is going to meet a really cool guy for breakfast at a place where the average age of the patrons tops the national debt."
Well, That's just the beginning of the story!
I visit my local "Al-a-Carte" cafeteria about once a month to once every couple of months, and ONLY when I am meeting a good friend who happens to like the food selection (and prices). Well this morning, there I was, My friend (which I did not know at this moment) was at home sick with a stomach bug.... I was sitting outside waiting and watching...
You see, I really do like just watching people. Not only does it give me lots to blog about, but gives me a deeper insight into the human condition, if you will.
So I decide I am getting hungry and figured something came up... so I head on in.
What do my wandering hungry eyes feast upon first in line........
PRUNES!!!!!!!!!
Not just Prunes, as in plums that forgot to wear their sunscreen and keep cool in the pool, but STEWED PRUNES!!!!!!!
Why oh why would ANYONE want to stew something that truly should have been thrown away 10 years ago when the expiration date hit???
Ok, so getting through the line.... asked the short order cook.... "Do you have any breakfast specials"?
Her answer.... in completion... "Yeah... a couple"!
.... that's it.... no more.... so like a confused non octogenarian I asked....
"and they are??"
Following this question I received an answer.... not too sure what the exact words were but I got the gist.... it was....
"You should know... but since you don't it's basically the same breakfast special that we have had since our grand opening in 1612!"
Strike 2!!!
Make my way through the line, got my receipt, made it to the table.... sat down and began to eat. By this time I was doing pretty good. Having had a stomach bug a couple of day's ago, this is the first real meal that I have had in a while and believe it or not was actually looking forward to it!
All of a sudden... it hit me!
The wall, the offensive wall, like falling off from a roof into a pile of manure.... took my breath away.... but not like that song from top gun, but the opposite way.... I about lost by food (for the second time this week).
It was..... Dun Dun Daaaaahhhhhh!!!!! (dramatic music)
B.O.!
Horrific, painful, and quite unnerving.... a smell that unfortunately I had smelled before....
All of a sudden here I am in a restaurant having flashbacks of being stuck on a very very small elevator in Kiev, Ukraine with a couple of "Locals" one of whom hadn't ever shaved.... and believe me... she should have.....
Hit by the smell of B.O. covered with some funky, musky french perfume that you get for free on your hotel bed (like we get candy).
Then I realized
The epiphany of all epiphanies....
Deodorant, good food, and manners....
without it...
we are 3 degree's from being a 3rd world civilization
how weird is that!
"Timothy Is going to meet a really cool guy for breakfast at a place where the average age of the patrons tops the national debt."
Well, That's just the beginning of the story!
I visit my local "Al-a-Carte" cafeteria about once a month to once every couple of months, and ONLY when I am meeting a good friend who happens to like the food selection (and prices). Well this morning, there I was, My friend (which I did not know at this moment) was at home sick with a stomach bug.... I was sitting outside waiting and watching...
You see, I really do like just watching people. Not only does it give me lots to blog about, but gives me a deeper insight into the human condition, if you will.
So I decide I am getting hungry and figured something came up... so I head on in.
What do my wandering hungry eyes feast upon first in line........
PRUNES!!!!!!!!!
Not just Prunes, as in plums that forgot to wear their sunscreen and keep cool in the pool, but STEWED PRUNES!!!!!!!
Why oh why would ANYONE want to stew something that truly should have been thrown away 10 years ago when the expiration date hit???
Ok, so getting through the line.... asked the short order cook.... "Do you have any breakfast specials"?
Her answer.... in completion... "Yeah... a couple"!
.... that's it.... no more.... so like a confused non octogenarian I asked....
"and they are??"
Following this question I received an answer.... not too sure what the exact words were but I got the gist.... it was....
"You should know... but since you don't it's basically the same breakfast special that we have had since our grand opening in 1612!"
Strike 2!!!
Make my way through the line, got my receipt, made it to the table.... sat down and began to eat. By this time I was doing pretty good. Having had a stomach bug a couple of day's ago, this is the first real meal that I have had in a while and believe it or not was actually looking forward to it!
All of a sudden... it hit me!
The wall, the offensive wall, like falling off from a roof into a pile of manure.... took my breath away.... but not like that song from top gun, but the opposite way.... I about lost by food (for the second time this week).
It was..... Dun Dun Daaaaahhhhhh!!!!! (dramatic music)
B.O.!
Horrific, painful, and quite unnerving.... a smell that unfortunately I had smelled before....
All of a sudden here I am in a restaurant having flashbacks of being stuck on a very very small elevator in Kiev, Ukraine with a couple of "Locals" one of whom hadn't ever shaved.... and believe me... she should have.....
Hit by the smell of B.O. covered with some funky, musky french perfume that you get for free on your hotel bed (like we get candy).
Then I realized
The epiphany of all epiphanies....
Deodorant, good food, and manners....
without it...
we are 3 degree's from being a 3rd world civilization
how weird is that!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Another Day!
This past week, I have been spending most of my time re-setting everything from last weekend with the Carrs - which coincidentally was an AMAZING time! During this time, I have kind of been in brain-dead mode mostly due to the extensive amount of time spent last week, as well as technology isn't personally interactive.
I am realizing the need more and more to be on my guard during these times. Sometimes it is GREAT to get away from the norm, and shut the brain down to recharge for a while, and sometimes if you aren't careful, this can be detrimental.
I was going to stay home this morning and get some work done around the house, but realized that I really missed being around people... only 3-4 days of it and I miss it. I have grown accustomed to being around people every day that if I go for a long time without it, I start to feel like everything is out of order... How weird is that! Even in my relationship with God, if I isolate myself from everyone around me all the time I can really miss some great opportunities.... In fact just this morning, because I came up to PCJ (shipyard office) I was able to meet a lady, through another acquaintance that is working with a project called Outside the Walls, designed to get churches to help be a part of community volunteering events outside the walls of their own churches... AWESOME!!!
I don't think this post has much of a point other than some personal thoughts, but its what I got!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
TO: Our New President
Congratulations Obama!
I didn't personally vote for you because I didn't think you were best for the job. However I just wanted to let you know that regardless of my personal, religious, or political opinions, you have been elected as our new president. BECAUSE OF THIS, I salute you.
We are a part of a great system in which we can each individually voice our opinions and beliefs, and can openly disagree with each other. Now that the process has been won, I now stand behind you as an American, and a Christian in support of you our soon to be leader and in prayer. I promise that I will lift you up in prayer, and not criticize every decision you make. I promise to pray for you and your family for the sole purpose of encouragement and wisdom. I promise not to pray against you or pray anyway manipulative against you... You are our soon to be elected leader, and for that I stand behind you!
I also pray that at this time in our life that God would protect us and lead and guide us all closer to Him.
Congratulations Obama and family, I support you!
That's all I have to say about that!!
I didn't personally vote for you because I didn't think you were best for the job. However I just wanted to let you know that regardless of my personal, religious, or political opinions, you have been elected as our new president. BECAUSE OF THIS, I salute you.
We are a part of a great system in which we can each individually voice our opinions and beliefs, and can openly disagree with each other. Now that the process has been won, I now stand behind you as an American, and a Christian in support of you our soon to be leader and in prayer. I promise that I will lift you up in prayer, and not criticize every decision you make. I promise to pray for you and your family for the sole purpose of encouragement and wisdom. I promise not to pray against you or pray anyway manipulative against you... You are our soon to be elected leader, and for that I stand behind you!
I also pray that at this time in our life that God would protect us and lead and guide us all closer to Him.
Congratulations Obama and family, I support you!
That's all I have to say about that!!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Dogs don't get DST
DST - Daylight Savings Time, it's like the FDIC for the Sun!
I learned a very interesting thing this morning, it's that Dogs, really don't get DST. Why? Well probably has something to do with the fact that 1. they don't work for a living (except at being cute), 2. they don't have an alarm clock (other than my really loud one) and 3. DST is a man-made boundary used to help us (being all farmers that we are) have a more productive day-cycle.
This morning at @ 5:45 our littlest, strider, starts a whining... Whatever could be wrong??? Well He had to perform his usual early morning ritual.... you know the same one we all perform every morning-- A cup of coffee and readin the morning paper [;o)
So I went ahead and got up to let him out (to go get the paper) and started getting ready myself. On the way to MY usual ritual (Which really did involve a cup of coffee this time) I started thinking about DST, and the effect on dogs.... which is what brings us here.
In my thinking I realized that Dogs are not bound by the pressures of our lives. Sure they have their own problems to deal with... like should I stay laying here, or go bark at a bug in the window sill... or which squeaky toy will be the best for the mood i am in at this moment, was that a car??(yes i think my dogs are as add as I am)But they don't deal with the stress that we all put ourselves under every day. They are pretty easy to adapt, given a little time, and are pretty good about doing the same things over and over and over.
If I were to look for a spiritual point in all of this it would be this (to paraphrase in the Tim H style)
Matthew 6:26 (loose) Look at the Chihuahua's and terriers, they don't work for a living trading stocks, and building things with their hands, yet when their food bowls are empty, are they not shortly thereafter filled again? We take care of them, does not our heavenly father also take care of us?
Point being, I think sometimes we need to slow down a bit and jump up into air daddy's laps and wag our tails (you get what i mean) We just need to enjoy God, not spend so much time worrying about being on time to that meeting that you really don't have to be at but you really do want to impress your boss so you might get noticed and get a bigger piece of cake at the next office birthday party (and YES I have worked in a cubicle). Enjoy GOD!
I think if we can learn to do that, then when the urges come to help others, or spend time with those in need we will be ready!
that's my thoughts and I'm stickin to em!
I learned a very interesting thing this morning, it's that Dogs, really don't get DST. Why? Well probably has something to do with the fact that 1. they don't work for a living (except at being cute), 2. they don't have an alarm clock (other than my really loud one) and 3. DST is a man-made boundary used to help us (being all farmers that we are) have a more productive day-cycle.
This morning at @ 5:45 our littlest, strider, starts a whining... Whatever could be wrong??? Well He had to perform his usual early morning ritual.... you know the same one we all perform every morning-- A cup of coffee and readin the morning paper [;o)
So I went ahead and got up to let him out (to go get the paper) and started getting ready myself. On the way to MY usual ritual (Which really did involve a cup of coffee this time) I started thinking about DST, and the effect on dogs.... which is what brings us here.
In my thinking I realized that Dogs are not bound by the pressures of our lives. Sure they have their own problems to deal with... like should I stay laying here, or go bark at a bug in the window sill... or which squeaky toy will be the best for the mood i am in at this moment, was that a car??(yes i think my dogs are as add as I am)But they don't deal with the stress that we all put ourselves under every day. They are pretty easy to adapt, given a little time, and are pretty good about doing the same things over and over and over.
If I were to look for a spiritual point in all of this it would be this (to paraphrase in the Tim H style)
Matthew 6:26 (loose) Look at the Chihuahua's and terriers, they don't work for a living trading stocks, and building things with their hands, yet when their food bowls are empty, are they not shortly thereafter filled again? We take care of them, does not our heavenly father also take care of us?
Point being, I think sometimes we need to slow down a bit and jump up into air daddy's laps and wag our tails (you get what i mean) We just need to enjoy God, not spend so much time worrying about being on time to that meeting that you really don't have to be at but you really do want to impress your boss so you might get noticed and get a bigger piece of cake at the next office birthday party (and YES I have worked in a cubicle). Enjoy GOD!
I think if we can learn to do that, then when the urges come to help others, or spend time with those in need we will be ready!
that's my thoughts and I'm stickin to em!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
The Power of the Servant
Here lately I have been working on a night of appreciation for all of our volunteers at the church. One thing I have realized more and more, is that volunteers have more power than they realize, because they are a unified group.
let me explain.
Take any organization that utilizes volunteers as a part of its infrastructure.... like for instance.... a church. On any given Sunday, who do people (either guests, or regular attenders) talk with the most? Who do they spend the most time with? The pastor? Well maybe one or two people get to dominate the pastors time, but what about everyone else??
Let's say, for example, that the newly formed "Federation of planets" has upset some distant planet of cockroach like inhabitants... and let's say they have just produced a new form of biological weapon targeting the DNA of people who serve as volunteers... and let's say that they are so outraged by the comments made from the "Federation" in relation to them and a particular kind of motel that you can check into, but can't check out, that they decide to use said weapon on us. (if you are still with me, then you are either really curious as to how I could possibly end this, or totally A.D.D., in either case, I salute you )
So here we are, No volunteers... now what?? What does the church on Sunday morning look like??
Could you imagine a pastor trying to hand out bulletins, turn on the sound system, start coffee, lead worship, run overheads, preach, watch the kids, change dirty diapers, read a story to the toddlers, all in an hour and a half???
Now I know that there may be some who read this that say... Hey, When i started the church that's pretty much what I did... and to that I say... YEP... but not for long. You see in order to have a thriving ministry that is effective, it requires a lot of people. As the ministry grows, so does the number needed to make things happen at any given time. Setup, Tear-down, Counseling, Life Groups, Children, Youth, Sound / AV, Toilet Plunging.... you name it! Point is that WE (as in pastors) NEED People, without the volunteers, our job would be impossible. SO having said that, and with the power vested in me by Life Community Church, I say
THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS!!! You all ROCK!
let me explain.
Take any organization that utilizes volunteers as a part of its infrastructure.... like for instance.... a church. On any given Sunday, who do people (either guests, or regular attenders) talk with the most? Who do they spend the most time with? The pastor? Well maybe one or two people get to dominate the pastors time, but what about everyone else??
Let's say, for example, that the newly formed "Federation of planets" has upset some distant planet of cockroach like inhabitants... and let's say they have just produced a new form of biological weapon targeting the DNA of people who serve as volunteers... and let's say that they are so outraged by the comments made from the "Federation" in relation to them and a particular kind of motel that you can check into, but can't check out, that they decide to use said weapon on us. (if you are still with me, then you are either really curious as to how I could possibly end this, or totally A.D.D., in either case, I salute you )
So here we are, No volunteers... now what?? What does the church on Sunday morning look like??
Could you imagine a pastor trying to hand out bulletins, turn on the sound system, start coffee, lead worship, run overheads, preach, watch the kids, change dirty diapers, read a story to the toddlers, all in an hour and a half???
Now I know that there may be some who read this that say... Hey, When i started the church that's pretty much what I did... and to that I say... YEP... but not for long. You see in order to have a thriving ministry that is effective, it requires a lot of people. As the ministry grows, so does the number needed to make things happen at any given time. Setup, Tear-down, Counseling, Life Groups, Children, Youth, Sound / AV, Toilet Plunging.... you name it! Point is that WE (as in pastors) NEED People, without the volunteers, our job would be impossible. SO having said that, and with the power vested in me by Life Community Church, I say
THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS!!! You all ROCK!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Flowers - God's way of "Helpin a brother out"
Last night, on my way home (late) i was tasked with stopping in and grabbing dinner for Eliza and I. Eliza (my wife) has got to be the most intelligent, most beautiful, and most creative woman I have ever met, to this end, I find myself always in a difficult place when trying to get her something to bless her when she if feelin down..... or sick..... or whatever. She is a chemist, so anytime I think about getting her some super intelligent gift (like a new space shuttle) we usually can't afford it. She makes jewelry ( BTW she is now selling jewelry here.... you really need to check it out) so when I go and look to buy her jewelry, all i can think about is how much prettier her stuff is (unless it is diamonds, but I am saving that for when I become independently wealthy). Then there's the practical things, like a new pan.... nothing says lovin like ....*think Sherman Helmsly - here you go, now get in there and make me some dinner woman!
I thought about a new band saw, or drill press, but again that wouldn't be used by her often.... OH and you can't forget about chocolate.... but that too is not for just her.... here's some chocolate babe... yes I know there is a piece missing, I mean c'mon it's chocolate.
Which brings me to flowers..... God's way of "helpin a brother out"!! You see, unlike those other things, MOST guys, although having no problems appreciating the beauty of flowers, especially in this context, don't personally benefit from flowers directly. Flowers say... "This is for you - not me, I was thinking about you - Not me". That's why they are so important, it is God's way of helping us guys understand that a gift/thought should have NOTHING to do with the person giving it. YES I Know that it is a nice "Surprise" when you realize that your wife doesn't really want to use that new arc-welder you just bought her, and has no problem with you using it to your heart's content.... But... Gifts like that aren't gifts....
When I give my wife something that is from the heart, it says this is for you and I have absolutely NO benefit from it, because of this I get the benefit of blessing you and hopefully brightening your day!
One of my favorite gifts I found for Eliza that demonstrates this perfectly was a bath pillow that had written across it "Leave Me Alone".
This is for her and her alone!
Thanks God for the little reminders that true love is about others, not symbiosis!
I thought about a new band saw, or drill press, but again that wouldn't be used by her often.... OH and you can't forget about chocolate.... but that too is not for just her.... here's some chocolate babe... yes I know there is a piece missing, I mean c'mon it's chocolate.
Which brings me to flowers..... God's way of "helpin a brother out"!! You see, unlike those other things, MOST guys, although having no problems appreciating the beauty of flowers, especially in this context, don't personally benefit from flowers directly. Flowers say... "This is for you - not me, I was thinking about you - Not me". That's why they are so important, it is God's way of helping us guys understand that a gift/thought should have NOTHING to do with the person giving it. YES I Know that it is a nice "Surprise" when you realize that your wife doesn't really want to use that new arc-welder you just bought her, and has no problem with you using it to your heart's content.... But... Gifts like that aren't gifts....
When I give my wife something that is from the heart, it says this is for you and I have absolutely NO benefit from it, because of this I get the benefit of blessing you and hopefully brightening your day!
One of my favorite gifts I found for Eliza that demonstrates this perfectly was a bath pillow that had written across it "Leave Me Alone".
This is for her and her alone!
Thanks God for the little reminders that true love is about others, not symbiosis!
Monday, October 13, 2008
Ignorance is WORK, Not Bliss!!!!
It's interesting the things you will hear sitting at your local coffee hot spot, talk of 2 of the most prominent non "Public Discussion" topics abound like nowhere else.... I of course am referring to Religion, and politics
It seems like every discussion centers around one of these two thoughts, but why?? Is it because of the oppression of the people for so many years to refrain from speaking on these topics??? or is it because the "Man" has put a secret neurotoxin in the coffee that causes us to uncontrollably speak every thought that comes through our head (which is then recorded by the microchips implanted in the napkins), Or even because of a "Higher Power" compelling us to join together for the benefit of mankind and form these coffee laden splinter-cells of change for the good of all mankind??????
The last couple of times I have been at our "Shipyard Office" (stop by but call me first as my hours at this office are sporadic ) I have seen this one particular gentleman one would consider to be "Wise in Years". This gentleman.... let's call him BOB for ease of use..... Bob is not very soft spoken, either because e took some shrapnel to the ear in the Revolutionary War, or because his hearing aid battery is low... either way, I was able to enjoy his many colorful rantings..... here's some things I found out from his "Wisdom"
It seems like every discussion centers around one of these two thoughts, but why?? Is it because of the oppression of the people for so many years to refrain from speaking on these topics??? or is it because the "Man" has put a secret neurotoxin in the coffee that causes us to uncontrollably speak every thought that comes through our head (which is then recorded by the microchips implanted in the napkins), Or even because of a "Higher Power" compelling us to join together for the benefit of mankind and form these coffee laden splinter-cells of change for the good of all mankind??????
The last couple of times I have been at our "Shipyard Office" (stop by but call me first as my hours at this office are sporadic ) I have seen this one particular gentleman one would consider to be "Wise in Years". This gentleman.... let's call him BOB for ease of use..... Bob is not very soft spoken, either because e took some shrapnel to the ear in the Revolutionary War, or because his hearing aid battery is low... either way, I was able to enjoy his many colorful rantings..... here's some things I found out from his "Wisdom"
- If you hear it on a commercial that follows the Today's Show.... it MUST be True!
- If there has been absolutely NO proof of any particular government conspiracy in 80 years that means It's not conspiracy theory, it's conspiracy FACT!
- Because it happened to me, means that I am the expert and it will happen to everyone GUARANTEED!!!
Let me expound, but I will start in reverse.... it's more fun for me that way
BOB, was sitting with 3 other people which seemed to be friends, they were all older, and you could tell they were enjoying yelling stories, and memories to each other. Well, BOB started talking about riding a motorcycle... so NATURALLY my ears perked up. Well he made the comment that
"It is a PROVEN FACT that where you look is where you are going to go, that's why you have to look into the turn not at the road, otherwise you will drive in a straight line right off the road"
Now mind you, in all of the years riding, I will agree that it is a GREAT Idea to look ahead and know where you are going, however, if - say - your main tank is out of gas and you need to switch over to the reserve tank, and you glance down to make sure that you don't grab the searing hot engine, and - say - you happen to be in the middle of a long curve.... my advice... DON"T MOVE YOUR STEERING HAND WHEN YOU MOVE YOUR HEAD!!! It is possible, may not be safe... but I wouldn't use that as grounds to say it is a "Proven Fact", It is a proven fact, however, that if you don't pay attention, watch the road, and be smart on a motorcycle, eventually you will be a part of a HUGE grease spot on the highway! - nuff said
Number 2 - BOB, at another point in my auditory interaction with him, began talking about the all seeing eye on the dollar bill. Now, mind you, I don't doubt that there are a lot of things that the government doesn't want us to know about... either for our safety, or to keep us from interfering with their plans for world domination.... either way, I'm good with it. But BOB began spouting off what sounded to me like a mix of all of the "Conspiracy Theory Type" movies out there.... his explanations didn't even make any since, he would use examples from WWII and Vietnam, to prove that the all seeing eye is a part of the Illuminati ???? WHAT THE??? Are you joking??? absolutely no proof, and to this date, I have NEVER heard anyone, even the most Conspiracy Nut talk about stuff like this.... so it must be true!!!
Last, would be point number 1.
BOB sat there and started quoting "Facts" about John McCain, and Obama...
Now, I am not one for much political discussion or debate, but lately I have been listening allot... there is so much to be said, and to be honest, I don't know what is true and what isn't..... now before you start telling me what is true, know this.... It doesn't matter!!! I like the guy I like, for the reasons I believe are important.... all that matters...
but as BOB was discussing the finer points of the flaws of McCain, I started thinking.... wow.... this sounds really familiar.... then it hit me.... He was quoting verbatim a commercial that I had heard that morning after the today show from the Obama campaign and against John McCain. Interesting thing about it is he was adding in front of the key points the words..."Its a Fact that..."
That's when it really sunk in, it really takes a lot of work to try to convince people that your personal opinion (or others) is fact
Ignorance.... it's Work, NOT Bliss!!!
[;o)
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