FREE TWITTER BACKGROUNDS!

The last couple of weeks have been to say the least trying. I woke up in the middle of the night close to the end of October and blood was coming out of my mouth and nose. The very next day, someone I was very close to decided that I no longer was a welcome part of their life.

I struggled for days with my emotions and health. The blood kept gushing out of me. I would go to the ER and run tests and they would send me home saying they could not find anything. It didn’t make any sense. How could so much blood be coming out of me and no reason why? What could possibly be the reason I would lose the one person that meant a lot to me? Why was all this happening?

My first instinct was to think I must have surely did something wrong. I thought about Jonah, not sure why, and how he was tossed about on the sea with the other passengers on the boat and they all would have died had he not come clean with his refusal to do what God had asked. But, no, I was trying to do exactly what God had requested of me, so that didn’t make sense. Apparently, God was mad at me for something, otherwise that wouldn’t happen.

It is very easy in the midst of a trial to assume that God is the reason for our troubles. I mean after all, He is God. He has the power of life and death, surely he knows what is going on in our lives and as thus, he must be responsible for it.

I admit I was not happy with God. Vomiting up blood, taking away someone who mattered to me. How dare he? And yet, the more I began to reflect on it, the more I realized how selfish I was being. Sometimes, life just happens. I know, it does seem it happens to us more than other people, but still and all it is still life. And more than that, we still have God, even if we are sick and hurting.

Someone asked me if I had ever read the book of Job. I have been through quite a few battles in the last several years, and yes, even before that, I had read the book of Job. I found myself compared to him in many instances when the doctors could not explain how I lost so much blood, and then got leukemia, and then too high of red count. It really doesn’t make sense to our natural minds.

We like to think that this is the way God is testing us. Allowing the enemy to put us through the ringer and realizing that in the end Job had three times as much as he had before. It is a nice thought to believe that when this battle is over, not only will we have what we lost, but even more so. But what if that doesn’t happen. What if we never get the answer we are looking for? Are we still going to keep the faith?

Next week is Thanksgiving in America. The day we all sit around and stuff our faces and fall asleep in front of a TV blaring some football game. Or perhaps we play games with the relatives that normally we don’t even have time to talk to, let alone really spend time with like we used to.

We have gotten so busy with our day to day lives that many of our friends, and yes, even our own family go unnoticed. Sure, when they call, we say hi, be nice, and maybe even pray for them, but when it comes to spending time with them, well most of the time, we just find too much to do for that to happen.

So, we will get busy making a turkey, baking a few pies, perhaps actually peeling potatoes instead of mixing up those packaged ones. We might even find time to make a cheese ball, or perhaps that famous cranberry salad. But, I wonder when will we find time to be thankful?

Are we thankful for our company? Are we glad that our family is not somewhere in a foreign land being shot at by an enemy? Are we thankful that even though times are tough, we still have food we can prepare? Have our lives been so busy with things and ideas and people, that we have forgotten to take time to really be grateful and tell God thanks for his keeping power?

In many places around the world, the stuff we take for granted doesn’t even exist. And yet, in those places many people are thankful for whatever they can get. We wonder why they have so many miracles and we hear stories of amazing things,but maybe it is just as simple as saying thanks to God.

In the story of the ten lepers, Jesus healed them, but only one came back to thank him. The one that did was made whole.

We don’t often think too much about leprosy, but those with it were outcasts, no one visited them, no one allowed them to come around the dinner table. At times, they might be missing fingers or toes, perhaps the skin would flake off on whatever they were doing. They could have even been missing an arm, leg, or even their nose.

Yet, they went away and did what Jesus commanded. They went to show themselves to the priest, but the one that came back was made whole. He didn’t have the scars, he may have been missing an arm, and that was back. The bible says he was whole from that very hour. All because he said thanks.

It is an amazing concept. Having a thankful heart can change our very life. I wonder this year, if instead of being in such a hurry to grab the yams, or perhaps that turkey leg, we can stop for a few minutes and find something in our life to be thankful about? It could change our lives!

In honor of Thanksgiving I have included a FREE downloadable Twitter page for anyone who is interested. The dimensions are 1216 x 983 pixels.

DOWNLOAD

• jpg version
• png version (higher quality)

Sometimes, the phrase ‘Identify yourself' can strike fear into even the toughest individual. Usually it means that we are in a place where we do not belong.

A flashlight may shine into a dark room where there is a rustle in the background and the voice may come from a police officer, or perhaps the voice may come from a military aircraft when we have not let them know why we are in restricted airspace, and then there is a reason  to fear. However, many times, it is just a question that people wonder about us. Who are we? What are we about?

It is easy as a ministry to just wear the tag christian or perhaps religious, but there is such a varied mix of spiritual ideas and theologies that sometimes,  no one knows what we are. That isn’t a good thing in most situations.  Our beliefs can be so varied, yet in our hearts and minds we know what we believe but sometimes we are either afraid to tell anyone, or perhaps we do not know how.

Individual spirituality is very important. We have to know what we believe without question, otherwise we are just a boat on the ocean with no engine and no oars to help us get where we are going. Stranded, just riding the waves. It is a scary thought, especially if you are in the ocean.

Having a church with no identity is the same way. Oh, I know everyone wants to be identified as a christian, but in the world we live in, we need to be sure and let them know what we actually believe, who we are, and where we can be found.

Yet, most churches don’t have an online presence of any kind. Not on Facebook, not a website, not even a church logo in most cases. So, which is more important? A logo or a website?

A Logo or a Website?

I thought about that a lot the last few days. Which really is more important? With a website you can show people what you you are about, how to find you, and contact information. A logo though is your brand. It is how you want to be identified. Maybe you are Pentecostal? Maybe you are Apostolic? While they are both very similar there are differences. There are a lot of Pentecostal churches that are independent and do not belong to an organization, not that I think an organization is the most important thing, but there are also Pentecostal churches that practice the Trinity faith. I don’t really get that one since Pentecost goes back to Peter, and he told them exactly how to baptize, but that is for another blog.

There are also differences between Apostolic churches, but most of those have to do with personal convictions and standards. However, does your city, your community, your neighborhood know who you are or even where you are?

How are you identified?

A logo can make the difference. It is a brand, the same way McDonalds is different from Burger King, the way AT&T is different from Verizon. We know what we are going to get because of the branding.

Your church or ministry is the same way.

When they see your logo they know about you even if they have never entered your church. They have heard about you already. They know your brand.

So make sure your brand is something that you are ready to be identified for a long time. It is how people are going to know you. If you say the word Nike, everyone knows they make tennis shoes. If you say Boeing, you know they make aircraft. And Kodak is known for? Exactly. You know without even having to think about it. So, what is your brand? How do you want to be known? A cross? A flame? Something else in mind?

Here are a couple ideas for you to think about.

If you are interested in defining yourself, creating a brand, an identity, contact us. We can help. Any of the above logos, for a limited time we will offer for a one time price of $49. We will edit them with your church name, ministry, or organization. If you are interested in something more unique, when you contact us mention the phrase “Identified with Christ” and we will take 30% off your logo design order. Hurry though, this is a limited time offer. Identify yourself!

Recently I have become surprised at the lack of desire for many churches to get involved in online ministry.  Maybe they do not understand that we are in the end of days and we must do anything we can to reach the lost.

Or perhaps they have heard so many negative stories about the internet that they have decided there is no one worth reaching online? I really do not know but somehow we have to reach the lost.

Jesus taught the disciples to become shepherds and in a parable he described going after that one lost sheep rather that just accepting those that were already in the sheepfold. Yet in seems in today’s churches, we are content with those that we have and don’t seem necessarily interested in reaching beyond our four walls to win those that are not already inside the gate.

There also seems to be a great lack of compassion and desire to extend a hand to those that are hurting or have strayed from the flock. I have heard comments myself that ‘they know where the church is.’

It seems we have forgotten the most important commandments. Love the Lord thy God with all they heart , and love thy neighbor as thyself. Something has to change or not only will those who are hurting be lost forever, but so might we.

Jesus in a parable taught about being given talents, and one servant hid his talent because he knew if he lost what he had, the master would be very upset. However, the master was very wroth with him because instead of sharing what he had, even if he lost it, he became so fearful, and so content in keeping it to himself that he didn’t even try to share what he had.

Have we become like that unjust servant? Are we keeping the message to ourselves? Are we so apathetic about what we believe that we do not think it is important to even be nice anymore?

I was in the hospital recently, and I know there were several people who were asked to come see me by my mother, and yet, only one person of those she invited came. Why is that? Did they think I no longer believed in God because I do not hang out with them? Was it that they were just so busy with life that they couldn’t talk a few moments out of their day to reach out to a friend? Or is it just that they didn’t care at all.

I know some would say well they prayed for me. I do appreciate that, but how is that not like the Levite in the good Samaritan story Jesus taught about? He too was on his way to church and didn’t have time to reach out to the man that was wounded by thieves and robbers. I am sure he prayed for him but his work of God was more important than reaching out to the hurting. However, I have already forgiven them. It doesn’t matter that they didn’t come. I am not the judge.

So what is the reason really that we do not seem to reach out to others anymore?

Do we not know how? Are we blinded by so much of life that we just don’t see the way to do it anymore? Are we just lazy? Do we think it costs too much to reach into our community? Why don’t we use the tools we have already? Why are our churches filled with empty seats?

Have we lost the vision?

Where there is no vision, the people perish. Proverbs 29:18

The suggestion that we have no vision or we have lost the burden makes many of us hot under the collar. How dare you suggest that I don’t care about people! I go to church, I say my prayers, I give to missions.

Somehow, many think that what we do on a church pew determines the validity of our Christianity. We think that because we are active in our church that we have no other function to being a christian. Did not Jesus say to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature? Have we really figured that because we drop a dollar in an offering bucket that somehow we are covered when it comes to reaching the lost? “I gave to missions because someone has to go win those overseas, but I cannot.” We think missions stops there. The vision doesn’t though.

On a daily basis we see more people than the average missionary sees. In our jobs there are people who once came to our church. At Wal-Mart we bump into our neighbors but somehow we no longer seem to act as if we have time for each other. How have we become so busy in our lives that the vision of reaching the lost, the hungry, the needs of our generation doesn’t seem to matter anymore.

I don’t know how to do it

The way we used to do it still works. You talk to them, you invite them for coffee, or perhaps you visit a sick person in the hospital. I don’t know if anyone hands out tracts anymore, or even knocks doors other than Mormons and Jehovah’s witnesses, but why don’t we? Are we afraid of what people might say? Or has the message lost its impact on our own lives that we just don’t share anymore?

Well, if there was an easier way I would do it. Yet, there is and many don’t even try. What am I talking about?

Did you know there are half a billion people on Facebook? That is a number that none of us could count to by mouth. And even if we could it would take years to do so. Most of us, whether we admit it or not, are on Facebook. But we only upload photos, or play inane games, and we do not somehow see it as a witnessing tool for God.

Yet, it takes less than five minutes to set up a page for your church or ministry to be online on Facebook. Sure, you may need to add some pretty photos or other information later, but it doesn’t take a lot of work to make an active Facebook page for your church. If you can play Farmtown, you can get your ministry’s message on the most popular social network in the world.

How about having your own church website?

We cannot afford a church website

You can, if you would only investigate that as a positive influence in your community. Most designers give discounts to churches and charities, but even still there are free options available online. The problem seems to be that everyone thinks it is so hard, or out of their budget that they are content in keeping things the way they always do. Yet, they miss huge amounts of potential saints because they simply think they can’t.

How long has it been since you advertised in your local newspaper? Did you know that in most newspapers they have a special section for churches or religion and generally,  funeral homes pay for ads that include a local church register? You don’t even have to pay, you just have to ask to be included. Do people even know where your church is? Do they know you exist?

Well, we are in the phone book.

Four out of five people turn immediately to the internet when trying to find a business or church. If you have a phone number chances are you are on the internet on a search engine, but your content is buried under the other churches because they have a website. I dare say if you searched for a church online with your zip code, you would find that nearly every church in town but your own has a site of their own. Why don’t you?

This is the age of technology and we don't think twice to using our cell phones, or emailing and yet, the most important thing in our life, being a christian, gets buried because we simply think that we don’t have what it takes to share. Or is it that we want to keep it all to ourselves?

Pastors, you preach every week to those on your pews, but even the time you spend writing, studying, or whatever you do to get prepared, those same notes and thoughts could be in a blog online reaching those who never will hear elsewhere. Are they important to you? Or is it someone else's job?

Blogs typically are free. You just sit and write just the same as you do in your documents when you are preparing a message. You might even have your church copy the messages to DVD for sale. You could be uploading those messages in a podcast that will reach people you may never see. Yes, there are free options for that as well. And even if you do not record your messages, most cell phones have a mic built in where you can record messages, your computer has a built in mic and recording potential, and there are lots of free software options. I even know of one podcast option where you can call a phone number, talk and record, and it automatically uploads your message online.

So, yes, even the most computer illiterate person can use the technologies of the internet to reach to others. Not knowing how isn’t an excuse anymore.

Catch the Vision

We just need to catch the vision of the lost.

What mother or father, if their house caught on fire, even at their own peril would not run into the rooms and try and get their children out? Yet, our world is destined for hell and we have so many ways to reach them, and we don’t.

Jesus said to go into the highways, hedges, and get the halt, the blind, the lame and bring them that my house might be full. We are to reach the world, and we even display graphics in our church that spout out our dogma of the whole gospel to the whole world, and yet, millions don’t know. I dare say that even your next door neighbor doesn’t know what you believe, Pastor, but he could, if you were online spreading the gospel. And it is free.

If you need help catching the vision contact us. We can tell you many other ways to share your message before it really is too late. God Bless You!