I know what you are thinking. A designer talking about paying tithes. Don’t we get enough of this at church?

What exactly does stewardship mean? To many it means paying the bills, keeping up with your tithes and offerings, and basically not throwing money away. However, the true meaning in a nutshell is: Stewardship is using God’s Human Resources with Wisdom.

Okay that sounds a bit confusing to some people. It means taking care of what God has provided and using it to the best of our ability that it might promote His Kingdom.

James 1:22 says, ‘Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only.’ That pretty much sums it up for being a steward as well.

So, why am I talking about stewardship on a design blog?

You Asked For It

Wait! We didn’t ask! Sure you did. But how? By not using wisdom in the resources God has given you to build the kingdom. But what are you talking about?

The last few years there has been a lot of changes in our world. Environmentalists talk a lot about saving the environment, global warming, climate change. Let’s get real. They do not care about the world or climate change. They are using it as a gimmick to raise money and have their own agenda become the laws that we live by. They could care less about what really happens to our world.

Even if every American did exactly what they are told: conserve water, reduce emissions, build green, it would do nothing to change the outcome on the global scale. There will still be countries that could care less about what the pollution does to the environment, and they will not cut back on manufacturing, etc.. but I digress…

How does this apply to me? To my stewardship that you claim I am lacking in? I pay my tithes. I provide for my family. And why on a design blog?

Because…

Earlier this morning I tried to go to a website that had been touted on Facebook about having one of my favorite preachers speaking today.  It was difficult to find, even their Facebook page has disappeared. So I searched and google couldn’t find it. What?

Then I went to a district website and found the link to their site. Went to the site, and it said…

We are taking a maintenance break. Please visit back soon!

That is all. No date as to when they expected to be back; No further information as to the reasons behind the break; not even basic information to give an address or phone number to their church. No contact information providing anyone, even sinners, or backsliders, directions to finding the church.

I am shocked and appalled. Not just because I am a web developer, but because I am a Christian who believes that we should always be reaching for souls. Jesus never started up the hill to die on the cross and decided to take a ‘maintenance break.’

Yeah, I know. Sometimes churches really do have to update their sites. And sometimes the person in charge really has no idea what they are doing and it can take time. For me the problem is that I tried to go to this same site almost 9 months ago and at that same time it was taking the same break. So what seems to be the problem?

Failing Stewardship Tests

Trying to give them the benefit of the doubt, I went back to the Facebook page of the church that had posted the information about the preacher being at this church. I went to their About tab, and clicked on the link to their website. They had a link.. cool.

Guess what? They had allowed their hosting to expire and now you go to the hosting site.

The sad part about this, is this was a church I had built a website for previously. It was a smaller church and so I worked them out a very affordable deal. I even did monthly updates to the calendar, added new graphics monthly to the site if they had something special going on, and kept their site looking fresh…for $35 a month. But when the new pastor came in, he told me he felt he was paying too much for a website; that they had people who could do that in the church and keep it updated and more modern, and I had to eat the cost of the site design, and lost a client that I was trying to help spread the message.

And now their domain points to a hosting page and they have no site. Again, another church that is not using the resources they have been given by God to reach their community, and the world. And the thing is, I am very affordable. I make decisions on cost based on what you need, and the size of your congregation. I donate (or you could call it tithing, or good stewardship) to a lot of smaller churches simply because I feel the message is that important.  I am reminded of the parable of the talents, but you should already know that story.. so I will stay on point.

What Are You Doing?

To freshen up my own design skills, many times I browse the web and find other churches and business websites to see what looks good, fresh, current, and would be good and useful for the websites I create for my clients. I want you to be the best and present the message quickly and in the best possible light. We are the light of the world, after all.

I want your site in its ‘Sunday Best!’

It is sad though how many Apostolic or Pentecostal churches do not keep up with their sites. Or they made one in 1999 and have not updated it since, even some with new pastors, and buildings.  I mean come on, you cannot take a few minutes a month to update? Or hire me, or anyone you want, to keep your site updated?

There are such simple ways to do it. Why are we stuck? Or is it that we really do not think its important to reach the lost? Because face it 1 in 10 of your church members might view your website one time a month, but 9 out of 10 who are invited to your church, or feel a hunger for God.. will go to your church website first before they ever darken your door. And if you do not have a website? Or your website is out of date, or on ‘maintenance?’  Let the lost and hungry be lost, I guess?

Do You Need A Makeover?

No, God hasn’t changed. The message hasn’t changed. But we would not go to church wearing dirty underwear, and clothes that have not been washed in six months, would we? Same goes for your church website.

About a 1 1/2 years ago, maybe a bit more I posted about your website needing a makeover, and it still does.. perhaps you can take some time to read it.

Signs It is TIME For A Makeover

If you are ready for a makeover, or need a website for your church, contact us. We are very affordable and we update all the time to give you the best possible tools to reach your community and your world. It is good stewardship.

apostolicvision design services

It has been quite some time since I updated this blog. I hope to change that soon.

To those who may have wondered why I stopped blogging, I apologize. To new readers, ‘welcome.’

The short answer to why?

Life got in the way.

The long answer?

In August 2012 I went to the doctor with severe stomach pains. After quite a bit of testing they decided I needed to go to a specialist who diagnosed me with clear cell carcinoma. At first I hoped they were wrong, but then I accepted the fact that I had cancer again after having leukemia a couple years before.

It was very enlightening to see how people would treat a person knowing they had cancer and how those who didn’t know reacted when they found out. Let’s just say I found out who my true friends were.

Cancer is one of those things that can emotionally and physically debilitate a person. There are lots of questions that go unanswered, lots of prayers that seem to be hitting brick walls, and on those who are close the expressions of fear are often. For a while I was depressed. Who wouldn’t be. You get to the place where you wonder the whys, and worry about what might come next. I did have a little while of that and the feeling sorry for myself, but then I realized it was out of my hands and I could choose to keep feeling self pity or I could depend on the one who created me in the beginning. The Bible says He knows our end from our beginning and I began to act like nothing was wrong. Perhaps I was hoping that if I didn’t accept it, I would not have it.

Those who are close do treat you different. Sometimes they act worried and other times they seem angry for you ‘doing this’ to them. It does no good to explain, they won’t get it. You just have to keep going and do your best to trust.

I had quite a few doctor appointments and even changed doctors a few times. I was hoping for a different answer and I did finally find a doctor I trusted. He still had the same answer and so I prepared for the worst.  They told me I would have to leave the area to have surgery, but I wouldn’t know for sure a good date until around Christmas. Who wants to go have a surgery at Christmas?

The appointments they made me to schedule surgery came and went, and one of the surgeons didn’t seem to care if I showed up to appointments at all, in fact he seemed very nonchalant about it all. It didn’t seem important to him.

Before too long 2013 was here and I was still waiting for a surgery appointment.

I was on the phone with a close friend who lives a long distance from me when they said they heard about a surgeon that was closer to me and I made an appointment to see him. Within two weeks I was undergoing anesthesia, and being operated on with the Davinci Robot. Yeah, I know. It is almost like a video game type control with robot arms cutting, stitching, and taking care of the surgery issues. They removed the tumor and part of my right kidney.

At the time I didn’t realize it, but the time spent waiting on the other doctors turned out to be a big blessing. The surgery was much less invasive and I was healing quit nicely within just a couple of weeks. I have been told the traditional methods of this surgery are much worse, in fact I met one person who had the other method later and he told me it was six months recovery! I was back to work with three weeks. Good thing too! April to September proved to be very busy with work both online and locally. My energy levels had improved nicely and my paychecks became bigger.

In 2013 God blessed me immensely. New car, new furniture for my house, more integrated into my local job, new friends, and a little more freedom than I had experienced in quite a while. Oh, and no evidence of any residual cancer either!

Yes, life got in the way and I was blessed. My blogs suffered, I stopped being on Facebook for a while, but in all, things are good.

2014…

Yes, I am still behind on my blogs, but when I weigh out whether or not I have time to write, or just enjoy life again with less worries, and a bit more money? 

Less worries is always a better choice.  I will try and get my blogs up to date more often, but I am back and ready to do more design work for churches, ready for new experiences, and enjoying life. GBU