http://500px.com/devottam

By @AdelekeCreates

Be sure to check out Bright Season and there new release Walk on Water. Big ups to them.

BrightSeasonWes: I think I’m giving up Christianity for now.

@BrightSeasonWes Jesus is not done with you for now or ever I think you simply have been surrounded by hypocrites who make it seem it’s fake                                                                                                                                   @BrightSeasonWes check out http://bit.ly/vtLLq these guys are awesome and real they are practicing true Christianity                                                                                                                                                                                       @AdelekeCreates you don’t even know me how can you diagnose my faith? I’M the hypocrite not the others around me.                                                                                                                                                                                          @BrightSeasonWes im sorry man about that I shouldn’t have rushed to conclusions but I know that walking away isn’t your punishment

@AdelekeCreates what do you mean walking away isnt my punishment                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          @BrightSeasonWes we are saved by grace through faith so if you have been a hypocrite you have been a hypocrite but that’s not the end                                                                                                                                                          @AdelekeCreates ohh i see. but a hypocrite is a bad witness. i dont read, i dont pray, i doubt constantly, havent been to church in months                                                                                                                                                   @BrightSeasonWes man ive been a hypocrite but that’s doesn’t mean Im not a Christian anymore walking away only adds to the hurt                                                                                                                                                                 @AdelekeCreates but hypocrisy is only the start. ive been living the Christian life for other people. i just dont really care about it anymore.                                                                                                                                                 @BrightSeasonWes perfect then you now have a frsh start you can come to Gof for the “first time ” now                                                                                                                                                                                                                                @AdelekeCreates i believe in and have faith in God, but as i told a friend, if im supposed to be on that plane outta here, he’ll see to it.                                                                                                                                                                     @AdelekeCreates and if im not, im no ‘better off’ than i am now or at birth.

@BrightSeasonWes alright I understand I would only say that all this should go to God dont be so hard on yourself                                                                                                                                                                                                                    @BrightSeasonWes ur sounding like a Reformation guy beating himself for sin if u have this much conviction u should tell God                                                                                                                                                                                               @AdelekeCreates i see what you mean. im not beating myself up, i mean i was. now, i feel relieved. free. if god wants to come to me, he will.                                                                                                                                                    @BrightSeasonWes he obviously has something great inside of you if you feel like this Satan wants you because you are special PERIOD                                                                                                                                                                     @AdelekeCreates ive always been a Calvinist and that goes for this as well                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   @BrightSeasonWes hey man do your thing but dont forget that God wants you Ill keep my tweeting eyes on you but I can tell you’re on your way

@AdelekeCreates thanks. i really do appreciate that.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 @BrightSeasonWes Does Psalm 119 Teach Salvation Comes By Keeping the Law? http://bit.ly/kD1fP0 check it out and some other posts God Bless!

Ladies and gentlemen, we have just landed on the moon (or walked on water).

Have you ever stumbled upon greatness? Have you ever received an idea that will rip apart the fabric of society and human existence and push us forward into the next generation of thinking? I have.

You see, God is not just good; he is flat-out ridiculous – ridic, as the cool kids say it. All praise be to Him. All the events leading up to the moment (ruining the Outlaw Preacher timeline trying to promote Pornographic Preacher (by far my most popular post), being reported as spam, getting talked to by @pastornar, being taught Tweetdeck and Twitter etiquette (thanks @sleepthatkills) hashtags and keyword timelines, and seeing the life-changing tweet) seemed random at the time but turned out to be all part of God’s plan.

Twitter Evangelism is exactly that. You simply evangelize through Twitter. How? I’m glad you asked.

Getting Started

Essentially all you need is a Twitter account and, preferably, a Tweetdeck or something similar. Simply add columns on your Tweetdeck with keywords (Christianity, church, Jesus, religion, etc.). If you are using Twitter, just search these words and see what tweets pop up.

Look at the tweets and try to find people sounding discouraged about their faith, struggling with sin, or believing something contrary to the Word. Give them a no-string-attached reply to ignite a conversation. Then, allow them to decide to respond. Do not, under any circumstances, badger!

Implementation

From there, evangelize like you would at the mall or on the street. Be affable, yet stern and Biblically sound. Don’t give your opinion, give the Word in a way that is extremely basic and simple. An opinion is so subjective but a Scripture delivered effectively can make the difference of eternal life.

Every person has a confrontational side of them, especially when Christianity is involved. Don’t let that side get the best of you. If a conversation starts, set your foundation for the subject and then communicate to them how much God loves them and how much they mean to Him. Then, now that they have a softer heart, share the Truth in love. Also, make sure you have your Bible at hand as you want to be as accurate as possible. In addition, add personal stories and experiences to bring the message closer to home and meet them where they are.

Warning

Simple, I know, but unbelievably powerful. Yet, this undertaking is not for the spiritually weak. Only mature, on-fire Christians spending considerable time in the Word and prayer should take this up. I for one will be doing this sparingly if at all. The reason: giving must be done out of your abundance to be truly effective (1 Corinthians 9:27). Otherwise, you are a pounding gong or a clanging symbol from (1 Corinthians 13:1).

Go!

So get on it! Add this to your forms of evangelism; don’t use this as a replacement. Keep in mind this method is not fool proof and people can be up to there same tricks in no time. However, this is a way for leaders in the body of Christ to take back souls for the Kingdom in a way that is mutually amicable. People appreciate an outside voice and often them not knowing you makes them more open. Others close to them may have tried but good news from far away is sweet to the soul. You may be able to minister to someone in a way no one has ministered to them before. So stalk and prey lest they fall into condemnation.

Catch us in Twitosphere, Michael Adeleke, @AdelekeCreates and @tilltheground and the founder and editor of I Hate Church, Anthony Thompson, @Thompsonwrites and @iHatechurch. Also, like our I Hate Church and Till the Ground pages on Facebook.

Check out our videos on Vimeo for more info regarding what we are doing here, our future goals, vision, etc. Deuces!

{Disclaimer: This is a post written in a males perspective, proceed with entertainment}

The time is somewhere around 3am and I think I am in between the Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean enroute to Japan. I finally had enough airplane food, plastic cups filled with water and  not being able to feel my semi asleep ###. It is time to embark on a walk to the on board lavatory.

Everyone is sleeping so luckily there is no line. No line can mean 1 of 2 things. It can mean either I have beaten everyone to the lavatory because I am an expert flyer or it can mean everyone beat me to the lavatory and I am stuck with their leftovers … literally.

I am a male and therefore I have the privelege of standing to urinate. While standing and staring into the lavatory toilet bowl I coudn’t help but notice a black sticky substance stuck to the bowl of the toilet. I obviously understand now that the entire airplane has already used the lavatory and I am now stuck with the leftover lavatory toilet.

In our bathrooms at home we have water in our toilet at all times to wash away what we call skidmarks or tire tracks. Unfortunately modern aviation has focused on other items and has left us to deal with a frequent skid mark syndrome (FSMS). So, here is the rub and what do you do?

I don’t like to stand up and stare at skid marks; so, my solution is to aim and fire this filth down the drain. I have to be sure I have enough fire power and accuracy to secure a victory. Many of us may view this as disgusting or horrific. I respond to these comments and say, “you are absolutely correct in your analysis, skid marks on lavatory toilets are disgusting and horrific“.

I recognized this dirty and unclean experience and decided to change it. I could have said, “I’ll leave it for the next passenger or flight attendant”. But No! So I planted my feet, unzipped, aimed and fired washing away nearly all of the stain. I recognized a need and acted as a change agent. Simple enough right?

What do we do when we spot stains on other humans? Do we walk by and say, someone else can  get that stain off, or do we point at it and say, that – is – so – disgusting and walk to the other side of the road?

If you think you can change something, then how come you don’t?

If you believe you have influence then why don’t you lead?

If your dreams are huge then why are you skipping past this dirt in front of you?

Check out The Parable of the Good Samaritan for added thoughts. You can also follow @holaratcha daily grenades in Twitosphere.

The year is 1963, the town Birmingham, Alabama and the spotlight is on Martin Luther King Jr. He had recently moved his base camp from Atlanta to Gaston Motel in Birmingham, Alabama in hopes of addressing civil rights issues first hand.

Birmingham in 1963 was the hotbed for civil rights and although the Kennedy boys (John + Robert) had pushed hard to initiate laws erasing segregation, in Birmingham, the leadership refused to change. A new law would be instituted, Birmingham would follow suit for a few weeks or up to a month, then quickly change back to their old Jim Crowe ways.

Martin anchored down in Birmingham for the sake of justice. He met with every leader, preacher, young person and business brain to gain momentum for a larger strategic push. He was not only motivating these young and old African Americans, he was also teaching them. They needed to understand the four basic steps in a non-violent campaign:

• Collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist
• Negotiation
• Self Purification
• Direct Action

Martin and his team decided to initiate their direct action campaign during the Easter season. They strategically selected the Easter season as it was the second busiest shopping season of the year. They were obviously looking to alter sales and ultimately the economy with their direct action campaign.

Hang tight with me, we are almost to the punch.

April 11, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. sat in room 30 of the Gaston Motel in Birmingham, Alabama just finding out their major contributor of bail bonds’ account had been frozen. They had planned tirelessly for months for the following day to launch their direct action campaign and now, the night before, Martin discovers if he decides to get thrown into jail tomorrow there is a strong possibility he will not have funds for bail.

The weight of hundreds of people who he had taught, motivated and mobilized for the civil rights movement was on his shoulders. His mind ping pong’d as to who would head the movement if he was in jail indefinitely. What does a leader do?

One of the interesting attributes about opportunity is it causes you to go against the flow. Opportunity looked at Martin face to face in Birmingham. It was a long stare down and one he will never forget in room 30 of the Gaston Motel. He took a good hard look at opportunity and finally turned to his long time friend Ralph Abernathy and said, “I know you want to be in your pulpit on Easter Sunday Ralph, but I am asking you to go with me”.

• What kind of friends do you have around you?
• Are you prepared to go against the flow?

Follow @Holaratcha for daily brain grenades in twitosphere.

Why is it that we love to comment on CRAPPY NEWS in the world today? Why do we laugh at our plasma teevee’s while watching CNN (if your liberal) or Fox News (if your conservative) and add 2 cents to the discussion? Why do we blast off on Twitter or Facebook when someone types something we think is re-tar-ded?

Why do we talk to our radio in the car when we disagree with the radio broadcaster … like – he – cares?  Why do we love to hang with other people who feel the same way as we do and why – do – they – care? Why do these thoughts explode out of our lips like mentos Coke fountain? What were to happen if our opinions were magically reality … Welcome to a different place, a different galaxy. The town where tastemakers and influencers dwell.

I NEVER HEARD Michael Jordan say I would have made the shot if I had a better pass from my team mates.

I NEVER HEARD Winston Churchill say “If the Germans didn’t have so many airplanes we could win.”

I NEVER HEARD Jackie Robinson say “If I was born white I would be a superstar.”

I NEVER HEARD Bill Gates say, “I need better professors at school if I am going to be successful.”

I NEVER HEARD Rosa Parks say, “If someone else sits in the front of the bus with me I’ll do it.”

I NEVER HEARD Nelson Mandela say, “Maybe someone else can handle this apartheid thing.”

I NEVER HEARD Albert Einsten say, “Once someone figures out relativity science will be amazing.”

I NEVER  HEARD Muhammed Ali say, “If Joe Frazier wasn’t so tall I could beat him.”

I NEVER HEARD Mike Tyson say, “If I was taller, I would be the greatest boxer ever.”

I NEVER HEARD Paul Mccartney say, “If only we lived in America we could write influential music.”

I NEVER HEARD Billy Mays say, “I could sell more product if I was better looking.”

I NEVER HEARD Martin Scorsese say, “I would win an Oscar if it wasn’t for all these new methods of film.”

I NEVER HEARD Billy Graham say, “We could really begin to help people if we had more support from churches.”

I NEVER HEARD Wayne Gretzky say, “If I had a better defense I would be the best hockey player of all time.”

I NEVER HEARD Ronald Reagan say, “I hope one day someone could get that damn Berlin wall down.”

I NEVER HEARD Oprah Winfrey say, “If only the Ellen Degeneres Show would shut down I could be on top.”

I NEVER HEARD Barack Obama say, “We could win if more black people voted for me.”

I NEVER HEARD Stone Williams say, “Why would someone want to micro blog and call it Twitter?”

I NEVER HEARD Brad Pitt say, “No one wants to hear an actor talk about social justice, leave that to non-profits.”

I NEVER HEARD Suze Orman say, “I could manage money better if I was a guy.”

I NEVER HEARD John Legend say, “My lyrics would be better if I was raised in a better environment.”

I NEVER HEARD Shai Agassi say, “You are right, clean energy is too far out of our reach.”

I NEVER HEARD Brett Favre say, “I would have more championships if I had better wide receivers.”

I NEVER HEARD Steve Jobs say, “If Microsoft didn’t have their hand in everything I could really build a cool company.”

I NEVER HEARD Matthew Barnett say, “I grew up in white suburbia how will I relate to skid row?”

I NEVER HEARD Meredith Whitney say, “Only male stock analysts can be heard on Wall Street.”

I NEVER HEARD Sister Mary Scullion say, “If I had more money we could end homelessness in Philadelphia.”

I NEVER HEARD Bill Clinton say, “Alot of people didn’t like me so i’ll coast the remainder of my life.”

I NEVER HEARD Spike Lee say, “You’re right, lets tone the film down and make it more appealable.”

I NEVER HEARD Martin Luther King Jr. say, “Think we will just have to abide by the Jim Crow laws.”

I NEVER HEARD Jesus say, “Critique everyone, they want to hear your opinion.”

Uhhh ohhhh! Hold on to your latte and Iphone because your boy is going off! Just get ready to RT or comment. The fact that I put the word church and machine in the same sentence should give you a pretty good idea where this brain explosion is heading –  no pun intended. What has the church created, and is it congruent to the Bible?

Look, I have been in church for 35 years and I am only 29 years old, so that will give you a pretty good indication of my church lens. I have seen visitor cards filled out, clipboards signed, a million different announcements for a billion different events. I have put money in plastic buckets, plastic bags, pottery things, velvet bags and even in one of those boxes in the back. I have sat in wooden pews, comfy theatre chairs, non comfy plastic chairs and even the floor. So what is happening to church?

I’ll tell ya what’s happening: it is called, dollars and sense. You see, WE create these mega churches simply because we like these things. We like great audio systems, we like awesome lighting grids, we like nice buildings with glass and ergonimcally designed chairs. We like modern (and) clean bathrooms with touchless soap, paper and flushing systems. We like our kids to go to church – a.k.a. day care for free and have fun – play with toys and do this all in a state of the art children’s facility. We like walking into a bookstore that looks like Barnes & Noble with a coffee bar and really, really nice people working there (because they are after all, Christians). We like that, it makes us feel good and we begin to say to ourself… wow, my church is awesome, but we don’t use too much excitement because we don’t want to spill our steaming hot latte on the beautiful new carpet.

So what about the churches who don’t have all of these ammenities? I use the word ammenity and I feel like I just checked into the Park Hyatt and am listening to Susan at the front desk tell me about the mini bar, heated towel rack, 7pm complimentary turn down service and the free daily edition of the NY Times. Aaaaaah. I am not at the Park Hyatt, I am at the First Baptist Church of God Covenant Tabernacle trying to figure out what the (explitive) Wifi password is? Wait, you guys don’t have Wifi? How the (explitive) am I going to check my FB status and send a tweetpic? OMG, this church is laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame!

What do you do now? Well that is when we make sure every new visitor is called each week and invited to our welcome brunch on the 8th sunday of the month to meet our team and fellowship. aaaaaaaah! Hate that word fellowship. Really? When was the last time you told your neighbor/friend that you had some great fellowship last night? If you answered that question and said (anytime) in the past 2 weeks then you need to check yourself into Christanese Rehab … NOW. Seriously, call this number 1-800-Intervention.

I am not doubting the purpose of building the church. But let’s (explitive) think about the type of people we are attracting and assess. I checked out a website recently, Billionaire Exchange after reading Details magazine. They went on to say that you had to have confirmed $2 million USD in assets before placing any types of exchange. Did you peep that out, confirmed it said, of $2 million. No big deal right? What does this tell you? It tells me my *** ain’t on that website and pretty sure most of you probaby are not either. Why? Well, there is a set of standards in place to eliminate a whole lot of users who want to ACT like they have money and don’t. Sound like anyone you may know? You got the Range but can’t afford grocery’s?

Something to think about. If we are to build the church and build leaders I would take a different approach to what you see in alot of settings today. I think what you will find out is you have a ton of over-hype for something without proper infrastructure. It’s like building the twin towers and only digging 50 feet below. Those bad boys are falling over just as soon as you built them. Growth that is organic, slow and steady is something to look for. The moment you blow up, is the moment when it exponentially adds more difficulty in rebuilding the infrastructure.

Then you begin to Hate Church because your entire strategy relies on cashflow. Build something you love not something you think you love.

I decided to focus a month toward re-learning Bible history. Mostly, because the reason why people Hate Church is because they work on their Jersey Shore Fist Pump more than reading about how God invented the fist smash (see Exodus 7:4). 
I find myself marching back in time to challenge ideas that were stabbed into my soul. Sometimes i wonder: are these thoughts the rebel inside of me? Most of the time it is simply to build my own ideas and beliefs. I guess i just get tired of “just believing” what is said and I do my own homework.  Check this out: you don’t get a degree in anything without bustin yo (explitive)!  Many of you know what I’m talking about… especially since professor google affords us an unlimited perusal of topics.  No more will I just listen and not fact-check.  Game, set, match … show me whachu got?

Maybe it is a young adult revolution thing – or maybe it is the way Americans are crafted. Whichever it is, I find it incredibly freeing to truly know what the (expletive) I truly believe.  Those statements mirror the 60′s, which is why people should understand when a generation chooses to do their own investigation.  I can’t turn a corner without a baby boomer screaming how: this new generation is disrespectful and inconsiderate - to anyone.  Hello Boomers? Don’t you remember a little thing called the 60′s and 70′s? Same story with different faces.

If we as human beings decide to believe certain ideas, we now have the ability to fact-check and understand the core details incoming to our belief system.  Applied knowledge is power.   Let me repeat that statement because I hear a similar statement in play which is just not accurate (Knowledge is power).  This statement is completely insane because if you sit on your (explitive) all day and do nothing, your knowledge builds so you become the biggest know it all with nothing to show for it. Then you tell me how knowledge is power?

You can go to the best schools in the world, read a million books, talk to the world’s greatest coaches and if you do not apply, apply, apply, apply this knowledge then what have you become?  I guess I said all of that to say: jump, do something, fail, get smashed in the face in business, art or acedemics and keep on learning.  Don’t read about it… go after it.

We are going after a segment in the Bible I have always found buried yet very interesting, and his name is Nehemiah. You can turn in your Bible to page 765 and find all about a true all-star. A Jew serving as Prime Minister for a Persian King.  A man of prayer and one of the greatest books on leadership you can ever read.

Nehemiah was a man who understood culture, timing and the many hats a leader will wear in the course of his lifetime.  Adaptation and progressive thinking were first nature to this man. Have you dug into Nehemiah lately?  Have you tried to understand why you believe the Bible stories you believe?  Are they accurate?  Do the stories you know mean anything to you?  If they don’t, chances are you don’t really understand them in your own language.

Do you look to pray when your in a (explitive) situation?  When you pray do you pray like Nehemiah?  Check these 3 attributes to Nehemiah prayer.  Read Nehemiah 1:4-11 Quit saying you don’t have time to pray and be a man… get some balls… get on your knees.

1. Adoration (how do you view God)
2. Confession (do you include yourself in prayer)
3. Petition (are you asking for things in the Bible)

You know why you either Hate Church or think the Bible is boring? It’s because you are spending more time working on your Jersey Shore Fist Pump and commenting on other people’s Facebook walls than you do trying to get on God’s Facebook wall. Try tuning into his channel. There … I said my peace.   How’s your mother?

by mickiky's

Location: Sydney, Australia
Read Time: 5 minutes

I recently asked my brother in law to get in the game and tell us a little bit about what is happening in his brain. Nathan O’brien is a creative project specialist for Gloria Jeans coffee and is very keen as to what and how people think. If you don’t like it, feel free to comment below. You can also find Nathan here on Facebook.

God’s been dealing with me BIG time over the last little while about the health & definition of His Church, His Kingdom & what ‘He needs’.

‘Our Job’ Vs. ‘His Job’.

Often the ‘stereotypical’ church misconstrues these two arenas & wonders why their ‘works’ are fruitless. And should (if) fruit be cultivated from church ‘entities’, the fruit is often such poor quality, its value is worthless, useless & disappoints.

Jesus gave no instruction on church building … He did however encourage us to share & preach the Kingdom everywhere we go (our circle of influence), extend people opportunity to take-on a ‘new’ nature (daily, at ALL times & according to His Spirit) + ‘fellowship’ with (sharpen) one-another.

Its not our job to build His church. That’s His domain.

He defines ‘His church’, we don’t. He’s coming back for His bride, who He deems suitable & worthy = His church. Not a denomination, religion or a brand. He’s commitment is to committed Souls.

Do we (people) really think that we’re able to conceive something, from our own strength, & be worthy-enough to be called His-bride … ??

To live (act & be obedient) according to His Spirit (LOVE), to put-on His (divine) nature – satisfies like nothing else can & releases us from the bondage of Law. ‘The’ Kingdom exists within you.

We don’t ‘own’ anything … We’re called to Stewardship …

dictionary.com

stew⋅ard

–noun

To be good ‘Stewards’ over the Life He has gifted to us, for His Purpose … I’m stirring myself up !

We usually know ‘the what’, BUT what counts is ‘the way’ … ‘the way’ we go about it. The way we power it. The way we live it. The way we handle it. The way we manage it.

“The Way” is “What” Counts …. Stewardship not Ownership …. Shift the dish & you get different thinking, a different stance, a different action, a different outcome, a better fruit !

by dunechaser

Location :: Tinley Park, IL
Read Time :: 3 minutes

I find myself tossing and turning in my knock off posturepedic bed at 3am. Why am I awake? This bed is supposed to be ultra sheik comfort? I ate an incredible meal, my belly was full. I even threw back a few home made, Bobby Flay chocolate chip cookies.

4am. Still no sleep.

6am. I have to get up because I am heading downtown for a church communications conference. I quickly grab my double espresso, take my dog Kingsley out for a quick #1 and #2, and reluctantly put him in his crate. (Poor fella, little does he knows he will be in there for 8 solid hours.) I wonder what dogs think around the 6th straight hour in their kennel?

90 minutes later. I am sitting down with my team listening to questions and answers from people just like us: people trying to obtain clarity and concise direction of what their website should or shouldn’t do, what their demographic is or is not, and how to better understand the leader/artist relationship. While all of these people were doing their best to field and answer questions, I managed to drift away (mentally) for solutions.

I must say the word which impacted me the most was the word Leadership. Questions arose concerning all stages of church but the underlying current was leadership. Maybe this is a word, which you battle with?

You don’t just wake up one day and decide you want to be a great leader. I wish it was that easy; I wish I could score a bid on eBay for that. For some reason, it-just-doesn’t-work-that-way. I am not saying you cannot learn how to be a better leader. I am just saying, don’t go check on eBay right now for the, “I wanna be the next Alexander The Great.”

::Watch::

I suggest you take 1 full day and identify leaders. These individuals can be people you work with, people you see everyday at the bus stop. They may be at your local coffee shop or even at church. Wherever you go, train your mind and your eyes to spot the leader.

Once you feel you have spotted the leader, take time to diffuse any leadership qualities. Don’t worry if you only find 1 person, or if the day is moving too fast to notice. If it helps, just focus on 1 person. The key is not in spotting all of these mainstream leaders, but in identifying leadership qualities. This is an important part in developing as a leader and it’s actually fun.

I know I heard alot of people ask great questions concerning active elements to apply change, but how important is leadership?

Who are some leaders you like and why? This is an open question, so think big.

For all I care, you can put Spongebob and Bob Dylan …

I was sitting in a large black SUV yesterday listening to a preacher of more than 30 years when I asked him a personal question ::: How do you have so many relationships with so many different kind of preachers, pastors and leaders?

My first instinct this morning was to do investigate the death of Mr. Michael Jackson, but after further review ::: I thought best to leave the BIG STORIES to the big reporters. Best wishes to all bloggers/reporters who are jumping on the hottest story of the year. I am always saddened when I see talent swept away and dismissed forever. Lord… please help his family in this time of tragedy.

So myself and Mr. John Avanzini are talking about simple things in life… fishing, his favorite place he had a custom suit made (which was Singapore), some of the interesting places on earth where he has gone to preach and so on. John is a very simple man, born in French Guiana and the ultimate – Texas – man. Lives on a ranch and is so funny, I catch myself asking how THIS guy can be a preacher.

What really grabbed my attention was not his funny looking hair, his Texas twang or gigantic black Bible … which looks as if it could be Saint Paul’s personal scrolls. His ability to maneuver globally and foster relationships was uncanny. A man who has circled the world this many times with this many people MUST – MUST – MUST have insight on how to win friends and influence people. He has to be able to explain Jesus, relationships and church communication tactics.

John says to me, with his hair freshly slicked back “Anthony…Son… I never take on another man’s enemies”…. He went on to explain many relationships/friends in the past…”celebrity-christians” and how many enemies they had. “When someone has that many enemies they insist you take sides. “I don’t take sides in any relationship Son”, Said John in his calm Texas voice. “What has happened when I took sides…… is I would lose one of those good ol boys I was friends with… most cases… I lost both”.

We finished our discussion as John went on to reveal his eye for finding good in every person which has been the catalyst to healthy global relationshps. He is one of the greatest influencers and relationship managers in church … AND AT 73 year young man has STILL got the touch.

Have you encountered episodes like John has experienced? Have you been able to navigate effectively in relationships? How have you accomplished this informidable task? What has happened when you undertook a friends enemies?

We couldn’t help but notice Suze Orman on Oprah’s show as she swings the BIG FINANCIAL STICK. If you feel your sinking in recession sand, here are a few tips to jump out.

1–Go back to basics. Keep your skills sharp in all the core disciplines, whether it’s HR management, marketing or finance. Keep yourself up to date with the latest thinking and trends.

2–Now is the time to network. Taillards says that in times of economic uncertainty, networking is an area that is often neglected. “People have trouble going to events where there is networking and getting their names out, but now is not the time to give up networking,” she says.

3–Network smart. The internet offers great networking opportunities, but work out which are suitable for you. “Be appropriate with your online networking,” says Enelow, “Facebook and Twitter might be appropriate for young professionals but for older professionals with years of experience, LinkedIn is probably the only online networking tool you need, unless you work in high-tech industries.”

Matthew 25:21“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ ”