It is easy to take for granted that everyone knows the rules to follow when dealing with technology in the digital age. We get so used to the internet, email, texting, that we can forget that not everyone keeps up to date, or even understands the very basic rules of online communication.

Due to a recent spyware situation, I have decided to post a few tips to refresh our minds or explain to those who do not understand the way the online world now works. Some of these you will probably already know, but take time to read them anyhow. When we think we have it all figured out, we will find out we too can be led astray.

1. Refresher Course On Email

With the innovation of Twitter and Facebook, email is nearly a lost form of communication. It used to be everyone’s method of keeping in touch just a few years ago, but with the changes in networking, and cheaper ‘smart phones’ nearly everyone has adopted the quicker, easier forms of keeping in touch.

In fact, recent studies indicate that even cell phones are used more for texting than for phone calls. Even our most recent ancestors would be very confused if we told them we text our friends on a cell phone. A telephone was used for talking.

Texting was something you did by teletype or telegraph. And the idea that you could walk around with a telephone in your pocket? Unbelievable! But if they heard about the internet where we can see each other live around the world, talk as if we are in the same room, and send messages in mere fractions of a second, they would think it was some sort of alien form of talking. And they would be right.

However, it is a new day and as technology advances our forms of communication will  evolve as well. Who knows some day we may come back around to talking face to face, and a handshake will be a contract again.

But back to the refresher, and some basic tips in dealing with emails.

• Email was intended to replace letters. It should be used for keeping in touch with friends and family, requesting a transfer of either money or information in transactions, and yes, you can still send other files through email when there isn’t another source. It is meant for communication and exchanging data between two or more people.
• Email is not meant to share ‘cute photos of cats’ or other fun, cute, interesting topics,  all though that happens quite a lot. This is called spamming, and for the most part annoys others, or gets ignored. However, some spam is used for spreading viruses, so be very careful. You can lose friends this way.
• Email should always include a subject, to and from email addresses,  and whatever is meant to be shared. However, it can also share files that are harmful to your computer or harsh words to hurt us emotionally.
• Only use Email when what you have to say cannot be sent by text, is too large to be said on twitter, or when it involves a group of people. I realize there are people who are not comfortable with the other forms of communication, but if you have to question it, then call the person.
• DO NOT Click on Links in Emails unless you know where they are coming from or it includes an explanation from someone you know well. If the link looks unusual or goes to a website you are not familiar with do not click it.
• It is also not a good idea to open Emails that do not include a subject, even if you know who it is coming from. These could include viruses or spyware that can harm your computer.
• And as it is in any area of life, if it sounds too good to be true.. do not open, click on links, or respond to the sender.

There are many more rules of etiquette and safety in dealing with Email but if you follow just what I listed above it will improve your experience and help keep you safe.

Over the next few days or weeks, I will continue this series on Basic Communication In A Digital Age. Stay Tuned.

Have you ever really stopped and consider the ant?

Oh, I know we all do to some degree. We see them on our kitchen counter and immediately grab something to swat at them. Or perhaps we see some on the floor and look for spray to get rid of them.

We think of them as pests and dirty and do our best to get rid of them as quickly as we can, but have you ever really considered them or took time to watch what they are doing?

Randomness

I was watching some ants the other day. Well, I will be truthful. I saw a couple ants in my house, and I tried to get rid of it. It didn’t work immediately, and I found myself wondering why. I tried some bug spray, a few organic household remedies, and even asked a few people their suggestion. Nothing seemed to work. They were in a spot close to a chair in my house, never really deviated from the area too much, but I found myself watching what they were doing.

They seemed scattered. At first there was just the one heading off in some random direction. And before long there was two, then three, then a few more. They really seemed to be very individual. I didn’t notice much except they seemed to have no pattern to their direction. One would go this way, turn a couple wavy motions and seem to end up back where he started. Another took off in a different direction, and seemed to be going in a circle somewhat.

Remember, I was trying to kill them. So I would try some spray and when that didn’t work, some vinegar was suggested from a friend. Tried that, it did get a couple of them, but before long they were back and seemed to be more of them than before. But they all seemed to be going every which way with no direction. Just random patterns on the floor made by these tiny creatures. They didn’t really seem to have a purpose.

Purpose Driven

Surely there must be some specific thing they do. It does seem like they are going in no specific direction, but they can’t really all be headed no where can they? Maybe they just didn’t find what they were looking for, so they went somewhere else.

It made me think about our walk with God. Many times we see people enter our sanctuaries, come a few times, and then  they don’t seem to come back. In our daily lives we probably appear like we have no purpose. Sure, we go to work, buy groceries at the supermarket, look for clothes in the mall, but we can seem to all be individuals with no specific purpose just going through life.

We too, regardless of our faith and foundation, if we do not find what we are looking for, will go off in some other direction. Looking for something we haven’t found yet. Just like the ant, we do have a purpose, and we will keep looking until we find it.

The Purpose

Today, I saw an ant again. I thought I had gotten rid of them the other day, but apparently not. But this ant instead of roving along in some random direction was attempting to carry a piece of something. I looked closer and it must have been a small piece of a chip or a cracker he found somewhere. I really don’t know where. The place where the ants have been is tiled floor. I do my best to keep my house clean, so where that came from I don’t know. But this ant was trying to get the crumb of food from wherever he found it to somewhere else.

It was bigger than him by at least 5 or 6 times, and so it would move slightly, and then I would see him come around to the other side and it would move a bit of a different direction.

In a space of about ten minutes, that crumb went about six inches. Now, in relation to our size, that is remarkable. I don’t think any of us could move a car by ourselves a mile. Especially, if it didn’t have wheels.

But then I saw a big change. All of a sudden the ant had company. Not just one ant anymore but about ten.

They grasped onto the crumb that the one ant was trying to move. And it began to move again. Only this time they were moving much faster and working together to make it happen.

Unity

We all know that there is strength in numbers. Yet many times, we leave the work to one or two, and the rest of us just reap the benefits. This ant was moving a morsel of food from where he found it to his home. Where all the other ants are. It wasn’t just for his use but for all of them. And no, I do not know where they are all going. It is somewhere unseen, I have looked diligently. But the point is, when the one needed help instead of the randomness of their actions usually, they came together for one common purpose.

They were unified to get that food source back to their home so that they can all partake of it. How do they communicate? I have no idea. It seems in this age of technology, if our battery goes dead on our cell phone we are completely lost. I have seen people sit side by side and text each other back and forth, instead of talking. I guess it is still communication, but ants do not have cell phones do they? Yet they find a way to communicate.

Communication

Unity is good. The ants were swiftly moving the crumb from the place I first noticed it, to where it needed to be for the best use. Ants have six legs if I remember science. Yet, sometimes it can be hard for us to get where we are supposed to be with two.

Yet, here were several ants, each with six legs, which you would think would slow them down, (three legged races are not fast, try it) but they somehow were working in complete harmony together to move a foot or two very rapidly.

There had to be some form of communication that had a purpose. They didn’t question it. They worked together to achieve a common goal.

I wonder how different our own personal lives, our churches, our cities would be if we could come together for one common purpose and work together without division?

Would we be able to get our focus together and act as one unit? Or would we still be scattered and traveling in some seemingly random direction, when we are all still seeking the same goal?

Focus

Yes, I still plan to get rid of the ants. I need to. I realize that I do not want my home filled with ants, but for the moment I left them alone. Crazy? Perhaps, considering I will find a way for them to not find them again where they are. But, they were united in a common goal, and they were using the resources they had available to them to achieve it.

I don’t know what communication looks like to an ant. Do they talk? Print pamphlets? Have mental telepathy? Not really sure, but they roam around looking for something, and when they find it, they come together with a common purpose. They have a focus.

Unlike them, many of us seem not to be focused. Just going through life. Our ministries also reflect this.  Sure, we do ‘our thing.’ But we keep going in some random direction trying to achieve the same goal without using what is available to us.

Do we get so focused on what we are doing that we don’t look for help to make the job easier? Or is it just that we don’t communicate well enough?

Tools

Yes, we have our Bibles. Some of us actually read them, and we attempt to share the word with those we meet. We come together once, or maybe a couple more times a week to focus on our purpose but the rest of the time, we seem just to be heading in random directions.

There are methods of communication available but most of us are so used to doing in the same way we always did, and even though it hasn’t worked as well as it could have, we keep going in the same random path.

We need focus. We need communication. We need tools.

We need to reach people where they are. So, where are they?

Nearly every home in the United States has at least one or two cell phones. Most of the phones have options to look  up information on the internet, or are connected through Twitter or Facebook.

Did you know that almost every home has at least one computer, and most homes have two or more? Even some of the most economically depressed areas of our communities has access to a computer at a library or school, if they don’t have a computer in their home.

Yet, only one, out of about fifty apostolic churches has a presence online. Yes, I will repeat that again. 1 in 50 apostolic churches are online.

Considering?

I am not saying you do not reach people, but you are missing a big segment of the population in your area. We head here and there, and do make some change, but we are moving slow, when we could be reaching the people where they are. And we could do it twenty-four hours a day.

Studies indicate that businesses are losing 75% of their business by not having a website online. Can you imagine that? They are only reaching 25% of their potential if they do not use a resource that really is available to all of us.

It works for ministries too. Imagine if you were reaching 75% more people than you are now?

Those who decide to take advantage of the tools available; website, Twitter, Facebook, have repeat business of 43% of those who come visit them.

Think about that in relation to your ministry.  If you reached 75% more people, and 43% became full time members of your church, how big of an impact would that have on your community? How many more people could be reached if your church was 43% bigger right now? Working together in unity, just how effective could your ministry be?

The ants achieved their purpose by working together. Individuals? Yes, but they knew how to use the resources and capabilities together to achieve a common goal. No longer just random hits here and there but accomplished task.

Consider the Ant.

If you are interested in talking to us about how having a website, social media account, or other services that will help impact your ministry we invite you to contact us. We can help you bring your resources together in one place to achieve the goals you have.

You can reach us by contact here.

Or you can also find us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter for discounts and special exclusive offers for our followers.

God Bless You!

FREE TWITTER BACKGROUND & FACEBOOK PROFILE IMAGE

It is that time of year again. Many of us are getting ready to celebrate our nation’s birthday. Whether we stay at home and have a barbecue, or perhaps go up to the lake, or gather with others in a city park to watch the fireworks, we all have our forms of celebration.

There is nothing wrong with celebrating our freedom. We are still one of the few countries that have the ability to worship, play, work, and live as we choose. There are many countries who have a semblance of freedom, but when push comes to shove their freedoms are much more limited than ours, and for most of them the idea of any kind of freedom is just a dream. Many of them hunger to have what we have.

We relish the idea that in America we can do just about anything we want. Some of us appreciate what we have, others take advantage of it, but if we pay attention to what is going on around us, our liberties are beginning to slip from our grasp.

In the last couple of years, there are many who have lost their homes due to foreclosure. There are many who are out of work and must rely on the kindness of others just to survive. Some of our men and women are still overseas fighting battles that politicians think we should be involved in. Our country is changing, and while some love the idea of certain ideologies becoming more to their liking, the liberties that we have loved and taught our children about are starting to fade into history. Is this what America really wants?

I really do not think so, but it seems as if our eyes have been clouded over, or perhaps we have just given up. Many of us can look at our children and what is normal for them, and then we look back to when we were their age and realize the American Dream is not what it used to be.

Gone is the idea that you could go to work out of high school or college and retire from the same job many years later. Most of us have worked more jobs in just a few years than we care to count. Many have no real retirement savings to depend on when we get elderly, or even enough money set aside for college for our children.

There was a time when we had real freedom, but we kept desiring more and more  of our idea of freedom at the expense of others, and now it is costing us. Our nation is ravished by impending debt to where if things do not change, America as we know it will cease to exist. It is already happening in many areas of our lives. It is not everyone’s dream anymore to grow up, get married, work, have our own home, and raise our children in a safe environment.

What changed? Too much independence? Too many people taking advantage of each other? Jealousy? Rage? Sin? All of the above and more. America needs to revisit its roots, and return to the reason our country was born.

We claim the freedom of worship that brought our forefathers here,  but even that is disappearing.

It is time for us as Americans to return to prayer and worship. I am not saying you have to believe, or pray, or even go to the same church I do, but if you look around with the things we all are facing, and look forward to what our kids will see, you have to come to the same conclusion I have. Pray for America. It isn’t just about politics or ideas, but all of us need to take some time and remember who we were, what our destiny was meant to be, and who we have become.

Pray for America.

I challenge you this Independence Day to take a few moments  before you indulge and celebrate by shooting off fireworks, eating that big slice of pie or watermelon, spend time with family and pray for America. We all need it.

In honor of Praying for America, I have created a Facebook profile image, and a twitter background, available for anyone who wants to use it. It is a free download.

DOWNLOADS

FREE TWITTER BACKGROUND

• jpg version
• png version (higher quality)

FREE FACEBOOK PROFILE/SIDEBAR IMAGE

• jpg version
• png version (higher quality)

If you would like a custom twitter background for your page, church or ministry, or if you have other graphic design or website needs please contact us!

It is that time of year again.The stores are filled with candy eggs, chocolate bunnies, and marshmallow chicks.

My favorite of the candies is the Mini Robin’s Eggs which are actually egg-shaped candy coated Whoppers, and since this is the only time of the year they are available, I generally always indulge myself, at least some.

Kids and parents alike get excited about the idea of hunting brightly-colored real, and plastic eggs in hopes of filling their Easter baskets. Faces will shine with happiness as they tear into a chocolate bunny ear, or perhaps enjoy the sparkle of the colored jelly beans.

Generally families get together on Easter Sunday for some sort of meal, and most everyone goes to church, out of habit, but do they really understand the depth of meaning behind Easter exists.

This year in some parts of the country the whole idea of celebrating Christ's crucifixion and resurrection is such an offensive idea, that they want to change even the name of the Easter Eggs to “spring spheres". I am not exactly sure what they intend to call the Easter Bunny?

Sure, I realize that hunting colored eggs, shopping for marshmallow chicks, and the enjoyment of biting the head off that chocolate bunny is not the reason for the season, but the whole idea of Christianity being involved at all, even when it is not specifically mentioned is too much to stomach for those who want to dismiss Christ as nothing more than a myth.

PALM SUNDAY

This Sunday is called Palm Sunday, which signifies the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The crowd met him with cheers and the waving of palm branches as he entered. It may have been the only time where Jesus was actually praised in person for what he had done. I am sure many believed he was going to take them out of the captivity of the Roman empire.

Perhaps, it is some of the reason that the priests became afraid and decided to intervene, but to me the whole idea that he was surrounded by crowds lifting him up and less than a week later, he was hanging on a cross, the crowd mocking him? So easily he went from their hero, their healer, their savior to acting like what he did was nothing. Even his own followers said they didn’t know him.

CRUCIFY HIM!

As surely as he was their king, he also became the people quickly turned on him and by the end of the week he was hung upon the cross to die. He was not of this world, and therefore the world turned on Him.

Sometimes we can be faced with situations that are beyond our comprehension. It can seem that even those who were once our friends become our enemies when they are faced with the fact that being Christian means living the life. It isn’t just about the name on the door, but the life that we live. Some will even hate us because we do not live the life they do.

It has been over 2000 years and there are some who are still trying to remove Christ from the world. They will never succeed, but they hate Him so much because he challenges their lifestyle, deeds, and sin.  It is not that He comes out and tells them what is wrong, but He makes them take a look in the mirror and they realize who they are.

John 15:19 says, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”

REMEMBER

Before the world hated you, they hated Him. Because He chose you, they will hate you as well. It should be an honor to be hated for His name sake. See the thing is, even though they hated Jesus, they could not have taken His life. He willing gave it on Calvary for our sins.

There would be no Easter if He had not died. Yes, we celebrate because He did rise out of the grave, but in order to rise He had to die. We too have to die to live. We must die out to our old man. We must rise from the pit we were in and walk new in order to join Him, knowing that His mercy covered it all.

So, when you take a bite out of that bunny, remember. Remember, there would be no Easter Bunny, no colored eggs, but most importantly, no salvation had there not been a cross on a hill where Jesus died.

FREE TWITTER BACKGROUND

In honor of Easter 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)

If you would like a custom twitter background for your page, church or ministry, or if you have other graphic design or website needs please contact us!

FREE TWITTER BACKGROUND!

These past couple of weeks have flown by and its already two weeks into a new year. It seems as if days are less than twenty-four hours lately, because there never seems to be enough time to get everything done we need to do.

Christmas has come and went and 2011 is here and yet we get so far behind it seems it will be Christmas again before we catch up on everything. Sometimes, life just gets in the way of our plans. But it is a new year, a new time to reflect on the past, and time to start over and make this year better than the last.

We all do it, at least subconsciously, and yet we never seem to complete the task. What am I talking about? New Year’s resolutions of course. Usually by a couple weeks into the year we have already broken our resolutions at least somewhat.

I started on another blog post about resolutions but it became so large that I have decided to offer it instead as a book. Yes, a real book. I will probably make it available as well in formats suitable for e-book readers, free for a limited time.  I will do my best to keep the costs down in printed format because I truly believe it contains principles that is vital for making ministries grow and blossom into the revival we all want. Stay tuned for that! In fact, bug me about it if you do not hear about it soon. :)

Did You Accomplish All You Wanted in 2010?

I know I didn’t. Not only in my personal life, but in doing things for God that I had made great strides toward. Sometimes, it is difficult looking back over a year and seeing the places we have slipped and the trials and tests that have come our way. Maybe we have lost friends or loved ones, perhaps a job, or maybe even our home.

It can be very gloomy at times to reflect back on the year if things did not work out the way we planned.  I have to admit there were situations that arose in my life last year that, while I did not cause them to happen, hurt me in many ways and really tested my faith. Sometimes our dreams even when we are serving God can come crashing down around us.

We can begin the new year thinking about all that we went through and be sad about it, or we can look at the fact that it is a new year and start again. It is much more productive if we take the lessons we have learned and make this year even better. That is my hope for 2011. I want to accomplish more for God this year and get a fresh outlook on new possibilities in my life rather than being weighed down by the past.

Quit Crying Over Spilled Milk

It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.    

Lamentations 3:22-23

With God, we only have to wait until tomorrow to find new mercies. Isn’t that amazing? There are  situations we find ourselves in where we may have let down our guard or even failed in our walk, and it can be very trying on our mind. But the bible says ‘his mercies are new every morning.’ In a sense he is saying, ‘quit moping about what happened yesterday.’ It is a new day, move on and do better.

The Apostle Paul talked about dying daily. While he did not mean we need to take our life, he meant that the sins or problems we got ourselves into, we need to just repent about it, forgive ourselves, and move on.

I used to have a friend that his wife came to God, but he did not for quite a while. He was a nice guy. He would give the shirt off his back to anyone, and you could always find him doing something to help other people. He seemed like the perfect person to be in church, but the only times he came was for Christmas programs or Easter. Unfortunately, many are like that.

However, he started trying to come more for his little boy and before long he was always there. He would sing the songs, fellowship after church, always go to the altar and pour out his heart to God, but it took a few months before he got the Holy Ghost. He was so excited. He started getting rid of anything in his life that he felt was not pleasing to God.

I sat by him at church camp. It had only been a couple weeks since he prayed through, and you would have thought he had served God his whole life. He whooped, shouted, sang, and danced with the best of them. He was so thrilled that he had God in his life. It was a great thing to see. He even talked some about maybe becoming a preacher in his little town. Whether he meant as a pastor, or just being a witness I do not know.

However, about two weeks after church camp, one of his old friends had lost someone, and was going fishing and he was invited along. He went with the intention of being a comfort and a witness to his friend.

However, out there on the water it was hot and the fish were few and far between, and his friend offered him a beer. Without thinking about it, he drank it. It was what he had always done before he was saved.

He missed church that following Sunday morning but managed to make it to the evening service but it was obvious something was wrong. Over a few short weeks, he stopped coming, him and his wife started having problems in their marriage, and before you knew it, they were separated and the excitement and vigor he had about God was gone.

I spent a lot of time working with him, praying, talking, just hanging out, but it became clear to me after a few weeks that he wasn’t coming back to church. I struggled it with it very hard, and one day after several weeks I asked him why he stopped and he told me about the beer.

I tried to explain to him that he could just ask forgiveness, that no one was going to blame him, but in the end he could not forgive himself. He could not come to terms with the fact that God forgives, even when we struggle to do so ourselves.

His mercies are new every morning!

Too many times we get caught up in a situation that takes us down a path we never intended to go. We can keep on that path knowing that it leads to trouble, or we can get up and brush ourselves off and switch lanes.  I have seen so many people over the years that are on fire for God, some with even a definite call to the ministry and some circumstance comes up and before you know it, they are out the door.

Oh, sure, they still love God. They are still good people. But many times, they rationalize their change in behavior as ‘God still understands.’ I agree he does, but he has set before us life and death, and it is up to us to choose life. We all have situations in our lives that can knock us down, but we have to keep in mind that his mercies are new every morning!

And here we are a brand new year. Not just a new day, but a whole year ahead of us! What are we going to do with it? Become new! Start fresh. Make this year the best of your life so far.

As a reminder, I have included downloadable links to a new twitter background below. It is free and available just for reading this article. How is that for a deal?

DOWNLOAD

• jpg version
• png version (higher quality)

Please note: These Twitter backgrounds are set for the NEW format Twitter pages at @1440 x 900 pixels.

If you would like a custom twitter background for your page, church, or ministry, or if you have other graphic design or website needs please contact us!

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)

There are not a lot of Christian Twitter Backgrounds available. I have decided over the coming months to try and offer at least one background a month, FREE to my blog followers, and to those who ‘like’ my Facebook page.

As promised,  today I am offering a FREE Twitter Background.

Based on Isaiah 9:6, this background is ready to go. You can either download it in .png or .jpg format but either should fit on your Twitter page. The dimensions are 1216 x 983 pixels.

Show your spirit or that you are a Christian on Twitter. This could also be used at Christmastime, as it is a very common theme for Christmas.

You can share it with your friends if you like, and tell them about the Facebook page, blog, and website. God Bless You!

Download

• jpg version
• png version (higher quality)

If you haven’t heard of Twitter by now, come out of the cave and into the sunlight.

According to recent Twitter statistics, there are 160 million people on Twitter. With 370,000 new people joining each day, the likelihood is that almost everyone you meet is already on there.

If not, you can pretty sure guarantee that the majority of your church 40 years and younger is active on Twitter, either by cell phone, website, or some other application on the internet.

Is it for your ministry?

Yes, it can be. Your ministry or church can keep your members, friends, and even new prospects up to date with happenings in your ministry with a ministry Twitter account.

Special events or announcements, prayer requests, scheduling changes, special offers on CDs, or books, and many more uses to numerable to mention are available to all of us through 140 characters on Twitter.

You can also update your website or Facebook page at the same instant either by the Twitter page, an email or text, or even with applications that are available to most cell phones. Share photos, share links to other sites or events, share your burden, free and easy. It can definitely benefit your ministry.

However, there are a few suggestions or guidelines I would make in having a Twitter account for your ministry.

The Basics

I cannot stress this enough. Have a separate account for your ministry than you do for your family and personal thoughts.

Too many times between family and friends we may say things, that will have an effect on other’s perception of our character. We may not even do it intentionally, but sometimes, things are said that we did not mean, or we may accidentally post a link to some site, and have it wrong or there could be something on part of the page, and people may get the wrong idea.

Keep your ministry and your personal life separate.

That being said here are a few more tips:

• Don’t make claims you cannot back up. It will be on the internet forever.
• Do not post photos that you wouldn't want someone to see. Again, it is online forever.
• Don’t become all holy on Twitter. Be who you are all the time, not just show how righteous you are online. People will find out you are a hypocrite.
• Focus on sending tweets that are vital. Do not ‘forward’ or ‘retweet’ every kitty link that comes your way. People will stop following you.
• Do not use Twitter to criticize the speaker at a conference. Use it for encouraging, uplifting comments. Remember the person you criticize has a Twitter account too.
• Don’t tweet during your own sermon.
• Remember Twitter is just a tool like many others available to help spread the Truth of God’s word.
• Don’t follow everyone who follows you. You will not be able to keep up with everything everyone says. Ministries should be leaders more than followers.

There are many more tips I could write but I will cover some of those in future blog postings. I may also offer FREE Christian twitter backgrounds, so stay tuned.

A Few Terms

Twitter ID – The name you choose for your profile. Without one, you cannot participate in Twitter.

Tweet – Your message sent out to your followers in only 140 characters. It is also live for anyone to see on your Twitter page unless you change your privacy settings.

ReTweet – (RT) Essentially it is forwarding what someone else has said to your followers. However, the 140 character restriction applies, so it may be hard to add your own take on the saying.

Twitter Page – Your own personal page that will have a small bio, your most current tweets, your lists, and people you follow.

List – You have the option of categorizing your followers by topics. For instance I have lists for friends, networking, designers, church, and other lists. My followers are categorized in the lists in how they relate to me. It can be more than one list, but it helps you keep track of who is who.

Followers – People who have decided to get updates on what you write. You have the option of deciding if they can follow you, and if you want to follow them.

Direct Message – (d) Sending a message direct to one person and bypassing everyone else or your Twitter page. You must be followers of each other for this to work.

@ – You have to use the @(TwitterID) to reply, reference, or otherwise include specific individuals in your tweets.

And…

Since the inception of Twitter, many other words have been crafted using the Tw prefix. Tweeple, TwitPic (for photos), Twittonary, and many more. However, if you start adding Tw to all your words, “Twust me, you will look like an twidiot.” LOL

These are just a few guidelines and tips for using Twitter. If you are looking to make your church website match your Twitter page, or perhaps you just want a custom Twitter background to display the message of salvation, contact us, we can help!