I ran the Country Music Half Marathon this past Saturday...
It was very challenging. 13.1 miles, felt like mostly uphill...
Soreness persists, Blisters...
Some things are better in theory than Practice
Most things are easier when done with help/friends/teammates
Sometimes going downhill, though easier at the time, can cause more long term damage than the uphill climb
It's always a good idea to prepare, if you don't you will regret it, maybe not at right away...but eventually
Technology can only take you so far
Starting is easy, it's finishing what you start that gets tough
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Top Three #29
I'm a sports fan.
Here are the...
Three Best sports...
3. Soccer (or Football to the rest of the world)-- The sport of my youth, since I grew up in Germany. Fast paced, lots of work, run, run, run.
2. American Football--I specifically prefer the college game for watching, but its tough to beat playing on a fall day, of course you could die...always a nice risk.
1. Baseball--Outdoors, teamwork, America's Pastime...Go Tigers!
Honorable Mention--Golf and Tennis because they can both be played outdoors and measure individual performance against others.
In case this list is odd or infuriating to you, I'll be back to a more objective Top Three next week...
Here are the...
Three Best sports...
3. Soccer (or Football to the rest of the world)-- The sport of my youth, since I grew up in Germany. Fast paced, lots of work, run, run, run.
2. American Football--I specifically prefer the college game for watching, but its tough to beat playing on a fall day, of course you could die...always a nice risk.
1. Baseball--Outdoors, teamwork, America's Pastime...Go Tigers!
Honorable Mention--Golf and Tennis because they can both be played outdoors and measure individual performance against others.
In case this list is odd or infuriating to you, I'll be back to a more objective Top Three next week...
Monday, April 27, 2009
Book Review--The Noticer
I didn't really know what to expect with this one. I was pleasantly surprised.
Andy Andrews newest book, The Noticer, which comes out Tuesday but is available now HERE. Is one of those books that feels familiar and new all at the same time. I enjoyed it from cover to cover and also enjoyed how it mixed some of the best elements from books by authors like Og Mandino and Paulo Coehlo with the style of almost being multiple connected short stories.
The book can easily be read in a single sitting...I did it, but may best be savored by taking it slowly, one story(chapter) at a time. It's full of inspiration and insight, like "I think more people would want to go to heaven if they weren't afraid it would be like church when they got there."
This was my first introduction to Mr. Andrews but definitely inspired me to check out some of his other work!
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an easy and inspirational read about how what you do, say, and think can impact not only your life but the lives of countless others.
Andy Andrews newest book, The Noticer, which comes out Tuesday but is available now HERE. Is one of those books that feels familiar and new all at the same time. I enjoyed it from cover to cover and also enjoyed how it mixed some of the best elements from books by authors like Og Mandino and Paulo Coehlo with the style of almost being multiple connected short stories.
The book can easily be read in a single sitting...I did it, but may best be savored by taking it slowly, one story(chapter) at a time. It's full of inspiration and insight, like "I think more people would want to go to heaven if they weren't afraid it would be like church when they got there."
This was my first introduction to Mr. Andrews but definitely inspired me to check out some of his other work!
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an easy and inspirational read about how what you do, say, and think can impact not only your life but the lives of countless others.
Quote of the Week
"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on"--Winston Churchill
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Running and cornbread?
As you read this I'll be trudging along working my way through the Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville...13.1 miles of fun!
Afterwards I'll be stopping by the 13th annual National Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburg, TN, with the family, where we hope to catch a glimpse of Paula Deen and sample some of the best cornbread in the world...may even pick up a new Lodge Skillet, which have been made right here in TN since the 1800's.
I'll let you know how the run and the afternoon festivities turn out...get outside and have some fun!
Afterwards I'll be stopping by the 13th annual National Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburg, TN, with the family, where we hope to catch a glimpse of Paula Deen and sample some of the best cornbread in the world...may even pick up a new Lodge Skillet, which have been made right here in TN since the 1800's.
I'll let you know how the run and the afternoon festivities turn out...get outside and have some fun!
Friday, April 24, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Hmmm
I read this earlier in the week and loved it...I hope you enjoy... BLUF--It's never a bad time to launch a good thing.
Green-Marketing Revolution Defies Economic Downturn
Sustainable-Product Sales Rise as Eco-Friendliness Goes Mainstream and Value Players Join the Trend
By Jack Neff Published: April 20, 2009
Based on number of new package-goods products bearing claims such as "sustainable," "environmentally friendly" and "eco-friendly."Source: Datamonitor's Product Launch Analytics
BATAVIA, Ohio (AdAge.com) -- Green marketing is turning out to be surprisingly recession-proof.
Datamonitor shows 458 launches so far in 2009 of package-goods products that claim to be sustainable, environmentally friendly or "eco-friendly." If that pace holds all year, it will triple the number of green launches last year, which in turn was more than double the number in 2007. Seventh Generation CEO Jeffrey Hollender said his company's sales were up 50% last year and 20% in March year over year despite Clorox, Church & Dwight and now SC Johnson entering the space. "The good news is that in general these products are faring better than most categories," he said. "A lot of people would be desperate to have 5% growth."
Related Story:State-Parks Group Thrives in Recession Consumers are still buying sustainable lines despite their higher cost. Nielsen Co. data show sales growth of organic food at 5.6% year over year in December from a year ago, though that's down from the double-digit pace of years past, and its SPINS tracking service showed sales at natural-food stores up 10.9% to $4.2 billion last year. Though growth slowed in the fourth quarter, it was still more than 7% in December, far healthier than the rates at even top-performing grocery retailers such as Walmart or Costco.
"It looks like this green trend is going to survive the recession," said Tom Vierhile, general manager at Datamonitor's Product Launch Analytics.
"If you go back 10, 20, 30 years, other green movements ultimately have had the air taken out of them by recessions," said Aric Melzel senior brand manager at Kimberly-Clark's Scott paper company. "This one is acting differently than we've seen in the past. In looking at national tracking studies, it does appear that this time the green mind-set is very much being more solidified."
'Respectful stewards'Mr. Vierhile's read is that the interest in green products has reached beyond the vanguard of eco-enthusiasts. Indeed, Information Resources Inc. research found sales of green products growing fastest in the 52 weeks ended Jan. 25 in a predominantly Hispanic segment labeled "respectful stewards" and a predominantly white-male segment labeled "proud traditionalists." Sales actually remained flat in the "eco-centric" segment with the highest interest in green issues.
Part of the secret to green products' survival, Mr. Vierhile said, is manufacturers' desire to save on commodity costs. What's also helped is retailers -- particularly Walmart -- furthering the cause by working to keep green products affordable, as well as the entry of private-label and value-brand marketers into the category.
The test of whether green can really go mainstream is shaping up with a new offering from Scott: toilet paper, paper towels, napkins and wipes made from 40% to 80% recycled content. The launch is from a $2 billion-plus global value brand that reaches 41 million households, or one in three U.S. consumers. You can't get more mainstream than that.
The premise is that consumers don't have to sacrifice either performance or price to make a positive environmental impact, said Mr. Melzel. The launch springs from research showing Scott's value-minded consumers still want to minimize the environmental impact of their products: 86% said they're interested and 41% said they're very interested in products with recycled content. Mr. Melzel said he believes recycled products can become a $500 million business, or about 5% of the $10 billion retail paper-products business in the U.S., up from less than 1% today.
Walmart is looking to go Scott one better with White Cloud private-label toilet paper from 100% recycled fiber. And while the retailer hasn't been beating the sustainability drum in its PR efforts as loudly as in the past, it has put some substantial weight behind its Earth Month marketing and merchandising efforts, billed as bigger than last year, with ads from Martin, Richmond, Va., touting 10 green products for under $10 and rollbacks on products such as Clorox Green Works and Procter & Gamble Co.'s Tide Coldwater.
Cleaners growK-C, which this month is launching Huggies Pure & Natural, positioned as having more natural ingredients and post-consumer content than other products, found one sure sign of consumer interest during pre-launch buzz building. When Edelman, Chicago, reached out to 500 mommy bloggers about the product line, they generated close to 200,000 requests for samples, said Huggies Senior Brand Manager Tim Abate.
Sales of water-filtration devices and filters -- which have been positioned as a more eco-friendly alternative to bottled water by Clorox Co.'s Brita and Procter & Gamble Co.'s Pur in recent years -- soared 22.2% and 15.2%, respectively, in the four weeks ended March 22, according to Information Resources Inc. data from Deutsche Bank, continuing the torrid double-digit pace they've been on the past two years despite the recession and relatively high price points.
Green cleaners, too, continue to grow as more mainstream manufacturers, such as SC Johnson with its recently launched Nature's Source lineup, pile into the category. Clorox Green Works became the best-selling natural-positioned cleaning brand during its first year last year, said Jessica Buttimer, global domain leader for the brand, and roughly tripled an already robust green-cleaner-category growth rate of 35% in 2006 and 2007 to 108% in 2008. "In recent months, with the economic downturn, we are seeing some slowing growth in certain product categories where we've lapped our launch," Ms. Buttimer said. "But in categories such as natural liquid dish soap, growth continues to be strong at 143% [for the 13 weeks ended Feb. 22, relative to total dish-soap growth of 7%]."
Seventh Generation's Mr. Hollender said he does believe bigger players in the organic- and natural-products space are seeing their growth slow. An informal survey he did of five players in the $150 million to $500 million sales range have seen year-over-year growth in the single digits this year vs. double-digit growth last year -- but all were still growing, he said.
With more mainstream marketers expanding into more categories, Mr. Hollender said, every consumer-package-goods category will soon have some kind of green alternative. "Increasingly, it will be a choice between light green and dark green," he said.
Four tips for green marketers1. Combine environmental with economic sustainability.Consumers define sustainability more broadly than the environmental concerns marketers mainly have tended to focus on, and they care more about social and economic issues such as poverty, employment and health care more than environmental concerns by a substantial margin, according to research by shopper-marketing agency Saatchi & Saatchi X. The agency is pitching the idea that green marketing is tired but that "blue marketing," which encompasses environmental with other social causes, will work better.
2. Retailer support matters. With 298 different environmental certifications for consumer brands, consumers often don't know what to believe regarding green claims, said Curtis Munk, VP-insights for shopper marketing at Saatchi X. As a result, they look to retailers to be the arbiters, placing the most trust in more-green-positioned retailers such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, but also some others, such as Walmart, that have been working hard to burnish their green credentials.
3. Opportunities remain. Research by Nielsen's concept-testing service Bases shows that environmentally focused Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability consumers have above-average purchase intent for personal care, pet products, and refrigerated, shelf-stable and frozen foods but perceive only average current product availability in those categories.
4. Address skepticism about price and quality more than the actual green claims. Bases found more than 80% of consumers in all categories—including 89% of those most inclined to buy green but also 80% of those unconcerned about green claims—found green claims completely or somewhat believable. Only 9% to 16% of consumers said they believe green products aren't as green as claimed—fewer than half the proportion who said they completely believe such claims. Yet a vast majority of consumers said they believe green products cost more and don't perform as well as others.
Green-Marketing Revolution Defies Economic Downturn
Sustainable-Product Sales Rise as Eco-Friendliness Goes Mainstream and Value Players Join the Trend
By Jack Neff Published: April 20, 2009
Based on number of new package-goods products bearing claims such as "sustainable," "environmentally friendly" and "eco-friendly."Source: Datamonitor's Product Launch Analytics
BATAVIA, Ohio (AdAge.com) -- Green marketing is turning out to be surprisingly recession-proof.
Datamonitor shows 458 launches so far in 2009 of package-goods products that claim to be sustainable, environmentally friendly or "eco-friendly." If that pace holds all year, it will triple the number of green launches last year, which in turn was more than double the number in 2007. Seventh Generation CEO Jeffrey Hollender said his company's sales were up 50% last year and 20% in March year over year despite Clorox, Church & Dwight and now SC Johnson entering the space. "The good news is that in general these products are faring better than most categories," he said. "A lot of people would be desperate to have 5% growth."
Related Story:State-Parks Group Thrives in Recession Consumers are still buying sustainable lines despite their higher cost. Nielsen Co. data show sales growth of organic food at 5.6% year over year in December from a year ago, though that's down from the double-digit pace of years past, and its SPINS tracking service showed sales at natural-food stores up 10.9% to $4.2 billion last year. Though growth slowed in the fourth quarter, it was still more than 7% in December, far healthier than the rates at even top-performing grocery retailers such as Walmart or Costco.
"It looks like this green trend is going to survive the recession," said Tom Vierhile, general manager at Datamonitor's Product Launch Analytics.
"If you go back 10, 20, 30 years, other green movements ultimately have had the air taken out of them by recessions," said Aric Melzel senior brand manager at Kimberly-Clark's Scott paper company. "This one is acting differently than we've seen in the past. In looking at national tracking studies, it does appear that this time the green mind-set is very much being more solidified."
'Respectful stewards'Mr. Vierhile's read is that the interest in green products has reached beyond the vanguard of eco-enthusiasts. Indeed, Information Resources Inc. research found sales of green products growing fastest in the 52 weeks ended Jan. 25 in a predominantly Hispanic segment labeled "respectful stewards" and a predominantly white-male segment labeled "proud traditionalists." Sales actually remained flat in the "eco-centric" segment with the highest interest in green issues.
Part of the secret to green products' survival, Mr. Vierhile said, is manufacturers' desire to save on commodity costs. What's also helped is retailers -- particularly Walmart -- furthering the cause by working to keep green products affordable, as well as the entry of private-label and value-brand marketers into the category.
The test of whether green can really go mainstream is shaping up with a new offering from Scott: toilet paper, paper towels, napkins and wipes made from 40% to 80% recycled content. The launch is from a $2 billion-plus global value brand that reaches 41 million households, or one in three U.S. consumers. You can't get more mainstream than that.
The premise is that consumers don't have to sacrifice either performance or price to make a positive environmental impact, said Mr. Melzel. The launch springs from research showing Scott's value-minded consumers still want to minimize the environmental impact of their products: 86% said they're interested and 41% said they're very interested in products with recycled content. Mr. Melzel said he believes recycled products can become a $500 million business, or about 5% of the $10 billion retail paper-products business in the U.S., up from less than 1% today.
Walmart is looking to go Scott one better with White Cloud private-label toilet paper from 100% recycled fiber. And while the retailer hasn't been beating the sustainability drum in its PR efforts as loudly as in the past, it has put some substantial weight behind its Earth Month marketing and merchandising efforts, billed as bigger than last year, with ads from Martin, Richmond, Va., touting 10 green products for under $10 and rollbacks on products such as Clorox Green Works and Procter & Gamble Co.'s Tide Coldwater.
Cleaners growK-C, which this month is launching Huggies Pure & Natural, positioned as having more natural ingredients and post-consumer content than other products, found one sure sign of consumer interest during pre-launch buzz building. When Edelman, Chicago, reached out to 500 mommy bloggers about the product line, they generated close to 200,000 requests for samples, said Huggies Senior Brand Manager Tim Abate.
Sales of water-filtration devices and filters -- which have been positioned as a more eco-friendly alternative to bottled water by Clorox Co.'s Brita and Procter & Gamble Co.'s Pur in recent years -- soared 22.2% and 15.2%, respectively, in the four weeks ended March 22, according to Information Resources Inc. data from Deutsche Bank, continuing the torrid double-digit pace they've been on the past two years despite the recession and relatively high price points.
Green cleaners, too, continue to grow as more mainstream manufacturers, such as SC Johnson with its recently launched Nature's Source lineup, pile into the category. Clorox Green Works became the best-selling natural-positioned cleaning brand during its first year last year, said Jessica Buttimer, global domain leader for the brand, and roughly tripled an already robust green-cleaner-category growth rate of 35% in 2006 and 2007 to 108% in 2008. "In recent months, with the economic downturn, we are seeing some slowing growth in certain product categories where we've lapped our launch," Ms. Buttimer said. "But in categories such as natural liquid dish soap, growth continues to be strong at 143% [for the 13 weeks ended Feb. 22, relative to total dish-soap growth of 7%]."
Seventh Generation's Mr. Hollender said he does believe bigger players in the organic- and natural-products space are seeing their growth slow. An informal survey he did of five players in the $150 million to $500 million sales range have seen year-over-year growth in the single digits this year vs. double-digit growth last year -- but all were still growing, he said.
With more mainstream marketers expanding into more categories, Mr. Hollender said, every consumer-package-goods category will soon have some kind of green alternative. "Increasingly, it will be a choice between light green and dark green," he said.
Four tips for green marketers1. Combine environmental with economic sustainability.Consumers define sustainability more broadly than the environmental concerns marketers mainly have tended to focus on, and they care more about social and economic issues such as poverty, employment and health care more than environmental concerns by a substantial margin, according to research by shopper-marketing agency Saatchi & Saatchi X. The agency is pitching the idea that green marketing is tired but that "blue marketing," which encompasses environmental with other social causes, will work better.
2. Retailer support matters. With 298 different environmental certifications for consumer brands, consumers often don't know what to believe regarding green claims, said Curtis Munk, VP-insights for shopper marketing at Saatchi X. As a result, they look to retailers to be the arbiters, placing the most trust in more-green-positioned retailers such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, but also some others, such as Walmart, that have been working hard to burnish their green credentials.
3. Opportunities remain. Research by Nielsen's concept-testing service Bases shows that environmentally focused Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability consumers have above-average purchase intent for personal care, pet products, and refrigerated, shelf-stable and frozen foods but perceive only average current product availability in those categories.
4. Address skepticism about price and quality more than the actual green claims. Bases found more than 80% of consumers in all categories—including 89% of those most inclined to buy green but also 80% of those unconcerned about green claims—found green claims completely or somewhat believable. Only 9% to 16% of consumers said they believe green products aren't as green as claimed—fewer than half the proportion who said they completely believe such claims. Yet a vast majority of consumers said they believe green products cost more and don't perform as well as others.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Happy Earth Day
This is the most important day in one of the more important weeks of the year! Happy Earth Day, God Bless, etcetera etcetera...in celebration I think I will take a very short shower, eat local food, recycle my waste and try to be an all around better person than I usually am...and then, I'll try to improve on that MORE tomorrow!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Top Three #28
Having a five week old son, I'm quickly becoming a diaper guru...not in the changing of them...as I have a bit of a phobia for all things poo (even Winnie makes me nervous)...but more in the buying of them as that has become my contribution to the diapering of our younger son...
I also happen to be an increasingly obnoxious Greeniac (that might just catch on!) so when my attempts to get us(my wife) to use cloth diapers collapsed in a pile of rubble, I made it my mission to find the...
Top Three earth friendly disposable diapers (yes i realize calling any disposable diaper earth friendly is a stretch, but it helps me sleep at night)
3.Nature Boy and Girl--very new to the US market, created originally in Sweden, the ones we bought were made in Mexico...
2. Tushies--Made in the US. Gel free, good fit, natural cotton filler...if you had told me a few years ago that I would publicly write of the benefits of cotton filler in diapers I would have laughed at you...HARD
1.Earth's Best Tender Care Plus--My wife really likes these and I like that they are
Made with non-chlorine bleached materials that reduce dioxin pollution released into the environment , Made with natural absorbent materials such as corn and wheat-annually renewable resources that reduce the use of petro-chemicals
Non-woven inner and outer cover, made with plant based renewable resources.
Honorable Mention--The hybrid Gdiaper is very interesting at it utilizes a cloth shell and a disposable liner that biodegrades much faster than most others. The only diaper we've tested that my wife refuses to use again is the Seventh Generation brand, probably the most widely available of all the "eco-conscious" but poop i mean poor performance and bad fit made it a no go for us.
On a side note, the best place I have found to buy these is drugstore.com...though Diapers.com also has a reasonable selection and both offer fast shipping.
Final thought...HUGGIES is getting into the game, I just signed up for a free sample at
http://www.huggiespureandnatural.com/FreeSample.aspx
I also happen to be an increasingly obnoxious Greeniac (that might just catch on!) so when my attempts to get us(my wife) to use cloth diapers collapsed in a pile of rubble, I made it my mission to find the...
Top Three earth friendly disposable diapers (yes i realize calling any disposable diaper earth friendly is a stretch, but it helps me sleep at night)
3.Nature Boy and Girl--very new to the US market, created originally in Sweden, the ones we bought were made in Mexico...
2. Tushies--Made in the US. Gel free, good fit, natural cotton filler...if you had told me a few years ago that I would publicly write of the benefits of cotton filler in diapers I would have laughed at you...HARD
1.Earth's Best Tender Care Plus--My wife really likes these and I like that they are
Made with non-chlorine bleached materials that reduce dioxin pollution released into the environment , Made with natural absorbent materials such as corn and wheat-annually renewable resources that reduce the use of petro-chemicals
Non-woven inner and outer cover, made with plant based renewable resources.
Honorable Mention--The hybrid Gdiaper is very interesting at it utilizes a cloth shell and a disposable liner that biodegrades much faster than most others. The only diaper we've tested that my wife refuses to use again is the Seventh Generation brand, probably the most widely available of all the "eco-conscious" but poop i mean poor performance and bad fit made it a no go for us.
On a side note, the best place I have found to buy these is drugstore.com...though Diapers.com also has a reasonable selection and both offer fast shipping.
Final thought...HUGGIES is getting into the game, I just signed up for a free sample at
http://www.huggiespureandnatural.com/FreeSample.aspx
Monday, April 20, 2009
Quote of the Week---it's a twofer
Since tax day and some tea part fun all happened last week I thought these quotes from a pretty slick dude seemed appropriate...
"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies."
"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground."
--Thomas Jefferson
Interesting isn't it....
"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies."
"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground."
--Thomas Jefferson
Interesting isn't it....
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Buckle up
Our Church just came out of a series called Pause, one of my favorite books is The Rest of God.
Working through my schedule I just realized I have something going on almost every week the rest of the year...
upcoming week...Christian Leadership Alliance conference, Atlanta, GA
weekend--Country Music Half Marathon and National Cornbread Festival
following week...Association of Related Churches conference, Raleigh, NC
weekend--camping trip with Alexander
First week of May...trip to California for work
weekend--Mother's Day and Benjamin's dedication
then there's a trip to Florida for work, a much needed vacation to the Outer Banks a couple more trips to California, a few birthdays, conferences, and a wedding.
It could get bumpy...
Working through my schedule I just realized I have something going on almost every week the rest of the year...
upcoming week...Christian Leadership Alliance conference, Atlanta, GA
weekend--Country Music Half Marathon and National Cornbread Festival
following week...Association of Related Churches conference, Raleigh, NC
weekend--camping trip with Alexander
First week of May...trip to California for work
weekend--Mother's Day and Benjamin's dedication
then there's a trip to Florida for work, a much needed vacation to the Outer Banks a couple more trips to California, a few birthdays, conferences, and a wedding.
It could get bumpy...
Friday, April 17, 2009
Guest Blogger
I've donated by space in the blogosphere to the re post of an interesting post by the General Overseer(head honcho/big cheese) of the Church of God, Cleveland, TN, today. Here is a link to his stuff.
What's interesting about this post is that I love the reference to church in a bar and the implications it could have to a denomination founded out of the holiness movement of the 19th century...
Jesus At Matthew's House! Prayer in the Pub
Posted by: Raymond in Prayer Stories, Prayer Evangelism, Global Focus.
Apr 12
2009
Joel News reports on happenings around the world, often related to prayer.
Most people who know Europe, don't see the In the Netherlands as spiritually ripe place. But there is a fire-ball set of Christians there who refuse to give up. The hardness of the area has emboldened them. And the distance between the church and the culture has forced them to meet the lost on their own turf.
A growing network of Christians in the nation now share Jesus with people through the ministry of healing. One of them is Marjan Spijkman. Last month, she organized an evening on 'miracles and healings.' Not unusual, you think?
What was different was the location. She didn't conduct her meetings at a local church. That would not have reached the people she wanted to reach. She conducted her meetings in a local pub right downtown.
"Nine people, mainly women from the neighborhood, showed up," she reported. Nine people - and God. Remember when Jesus went to Matthew's house and scandalized the Pharisees? Well, Jesus is back at Matthew's house again.
Marjan said, "God was powerfully present!" Healings were reported from a variety of conditions - rheumatism, emotional wounds, urinary problems, and other hurts. "One woman, who was nearly deaf, could hear again, to the surprise of her daughter and the other guests." Marjan noted, "These women have a reputation in their neighborhood for being hard and bitter. But Jesus Christ touched them, they cried in our arms. Afterwards two women applied for an introductory course about Jesus. The owners of the pub invited us back and suggested that we would use the larger room in the pub, as they are expecting more people to come."
The gift of prayer, offered to unbelievers or skeptics, in places of darkness, may be the greatest door of hope we can place in front of lost people. When we do, God shows himself alive to these people. The effect is so different than trying to argue and rationally meet their objections to the gospel. When God's loves people so powerfully, they are suddenly open to truth they previously resisted.
Give the gift of prayer!
What's interesting about this post is that I love the reference to church in a bar and the implications it could have to a denomination founded out of the holiness movement of the 19th century...
Jesus At Matthew's House! Prayer in the Pub
Posted by: Raymond in Prayer Stories, Prayer Evangelism, Global Focus.
Apr 12
2009
Joel News reports on happenings around the world, often related to prayer.
Most people who know Europe, don't see the In the Netherlands as spiritually ripe place. But there is a fire-ball set of Christians there who refuse to give up. The hardness of the area has emboldened them. And the distance between the church and the culture has forced them to meet the lost on their own turf.
A growing network of Christians in the nation now share Jesus with people through the ministry of healing. One of them is Marjan Spijkman. Last month, she organized an evening on 'miracles and healings.' Not unusual, you think?
What was different was the location. She didn't conduct her meetings at a local church. That would not have reached the people she wanted to reach. She conducted her meetings in a local pub right downtown.
"Nine people, mainly women from the neighborhood, showed up," she reported. Nine people - and God. Remember when Jesus went to Matthew's house and scandalized the Pharisees? Well, Jesus is back at Matthew's house again.
Marjan said, "God was powerfully present!" Healings were reported from a variety of conditions - rheumatism, emotional wounds, urinary problems, and other hurts. "One woman, who was nearly deaf, could hear again, to the surprise of her daughter and the other guests." Marjan noted, "These women have a reputation in their neighborhood for being hard and bitter. But Jesus Christ touched them, they cried in our arms. Afterwards two women applied for an introductory course about Jesus. The owners of the pub invited us back and suggested that we would use the larger room in the pub, as they are expecting more people to come."
The gift of prayer, offered to unbelievers or skeptics, in places of darkness, may be the greatest door of hope we can place in front of lost people. When we do, God shows himself alive to these people. The effect is so different than trying to argue and rationally meet their objections to the gospel. When God's loves people so powerfully, they are suddenly open to truth they previously resisted.
Give the gift of prayer!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Book Review--Collapse of Distinction
I just finished my copy of the new Thomas Nelson publishing book by Scott McKain, Collapse of Distinction (Stand out and move up while your competition fails). I must say I was into it right from the title and front cover art...
The ideas are crisp and fresh and the writing style is definitely solid. Perhaps my favorite feature is the executive summary at the end of each chapter that make the book worthwhile even for those who may not have time to sit down and study it cover to cover (but a cover to cover study and reread are more than worthwhile).
I don't want to spoil it for you as it truly would be a worthy addition to the library of anyone interested in marketing, competition, and creating brand value, but it essentially chronicles how we ended up in the mess of sameness we find ourselves in today and how you and your brand/company/church/etc can create unique value and awareness to stand out from the crowd and win the customer while everyone else is competing WITH each other rather than FOR the customer.
Perhaps my favorite of many concepts...Don't Emulate, Create!
You can order your copy HERE!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
The Tax Man Cometh
I'm not a big fan of taxes...in fact for a long time I considered myself a straight line libertarian, leave me alone, I'll keep my money, you keep yours...
My views are changing some...
But today, ready or not, your returns are due for 2008...so to my wildly conservative friends, have fun at your Tea Parties, I may celebrate with 15% off at P.F.Changs!!!
My views are changing some...
But today, ready or not, your returns are due for 2008...so to my wildly conservative friends, have fun at your Tea Parties, I may celebrate with 15% off at P.F.Changs!!!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Top Three #27
Since I just spent a few days in California with the family which included a trip to Disneyland...I started wondering...What are the...
Top Three most visited Theme Parks in North America
3. Disneyland, CA--went for the second time last week and I prefer it to the bigger, more expensive and crowded Florida version known as the Magic Kingdom...yep, that just happened.
2. Universal Studios, FL--My favorite theme park, which also includes my favorite ride...Spiderman!
1. Disneyworld, FL--Magic Kingdom is the most visited park in the country, followed by Disneyland and then the other parks at Disneyworld...Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom.
Honorable Mention-- The fourth most visited park in America may be my older son's favorite... Seaworld, we've been to two of the three, they exist in San Antonio, TX, San Diego, CA, and Orlando, FL.
Top Three most visited Theme Parks in North America
3. Disneyland, CA--went for the second time last week and I prefer it to the bigger, more expensive and crowded Florida version known as the Magic Kingdom...yep, that just happened.
2. Universal Studios, FL--My favorite theme park, which also includes my favorite ride...Spiderman!
1. Disneyworld, FL--Magic Kingdom is the most visited park in the country, followed by Disneyland and then the other parks at Disneyworld...Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom.
Honorable Mention-- The fourth most visited park in America may be my older son's favorite... Seaworld, we've been to two of the three, they exist in San Antonio, TX, San Diego, CA, and Orlando, FL.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Quote of the Week...
Anniversary Edition...my wife and I celebrated six years of wedded bliss yesterday...I often have trouble going to sleep, I think I know why...
"When you are in Love you can't fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams"--
Dr. Seuss
"When you are in Love you can't fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams"--
Dr. Seuss
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Top Three #26
If you read this before four p.m. eastern, I'm on a plane...so with that, I thought I'd share the three largest U.S. airlines by total flights...
3. United--the friendly skies...my first airline of choice when I was flying with some regularity in college, they lost me after a particularly long snow delay(think days) over a decade ago.
2. American--The largest for many years until recently, I have flown them quite a bit with no complaints...not a big fan of either of their biggest hubs though, DFW and ORD
1. Delta--my airline of choice due to the ease of going just about anywhere out of ATL
Honorable mention--US Airways is the fourth largest airline thanks to the merger of northwest eliminating them from the list, I haven't flown them much but I do like their CLT hub.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
How to improve your fuel economy
As those who have read for a while know, I drive a good bit for work, and I'm a bit of a fuel economy freak, I get upwards of 34 mpgs on the hwy when I'm careful, when I'm not it can sink into the high twenties.
I'm able to increase this by 10%-15% by keeping my tires properly inflated, being conscientious of acceleration (not doing it too hard), and trying to coast into stops and maintain relatively stable speeds as much as possible. For those of you looking to increase fuel economy, it helps to have a more fuel efficient vehicle, here are the tops for the model year according to actual observed fuel economy according to consumer reports.
smart
Honda Civic Hybrid
Scion xd manual
Camry Hybrid
Honda Fit sport manual
Mini Cooper manual
Toyota Yaris
Volkswagen Jetta TDI
I left off # ten since the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid is now available that would put it near the top of the list...and the government backs the warranty! :-)
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Wednesday Ramble
Getting ready to start up the travel schedule again...
Texas tomorrow
California next week
Georgia and North Carolina before the end of the month...
Really have enjoyed the time with the family the last few weeks
A little behind on my reading right now...looks like vacation in July will be catch-up time
Finally got a new sensor for my Nike+ time to get the little avatar up and going again
Church is going well...the best is yet to come
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