In Luke 2:10, the angel tells the shepherds he has good news that will bring joy. Joy is a concept we confuse with happiness. We can have joy even when we are not happy. Joy is connected with hope. We can be joyful in dire circumstances but have joy because we know this is not the end. Joy is anticipation that there is a good ending and the source is very good.
Christmas time is here. And with it comes a need for more nursery workers. I salute all the volunteers who bravely serve during the Christmas Eve services. And since Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, there will be dedicated volunteers that answer the call while others are in the sanctuary, drinking piping hot coffee with mint-flavored creamer.
One day when I read Isaiah 9:6, this idea came to mind. With more children comes more of a need for nursery workers. That’s how your mind works when you are the spouse of a children’s pastor.
Have a merry Christmas!
I drew this for the December 2016 CHOG News E-newsletter.
The Social Media Mind: How social media how social media is changing business, politics and science and helps create a new world order. by David Amerland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It’s a good book highlighting the pitfalls businesses can fall into when they see social media as just another marketing channel. Social media allows immediate feedback and it doesn’t take fluff lightly. David Amerland gives examples such as RIM‘s inattention in handling a crises, Gap’s logo change backlash and a Ragu campaign that went viral for the wrong reasons. It also gives good examples such as Domino Pizza’s turnaround in spite of a bad viral video from two of its employees.
The book was published in 2012. So there is too much emphasis on Google+, and the Arab Spring was still seen as a success. Still, there is much here to learn four years after its publication date.
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Is patience really a virtue?
I’ve been waiting. I’ve been waiting for some time. A few years ago, John Mayer had the song, “Waiting On the World to Change.” I didn’t particularly like the song at the time because it sounded like whining. It’s not a song about patience!But lately, I’ve been doing a lot of waiting. I’ve discovered there is a fine line between waiting patiently, and just waiting for something… anything to happen.
Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of waiting. My career has been in transition for over a year now. During this time, I’ve discovered there is a fine line between waiting patiently, and just waiting for something… anything to happen. Too often, I’ve practiced the eye roll and tapped my fingers on the table.
I’ve been around church buildings long enough to know there is always something to be fixed. There is always a roof to be fixed or a boiler to be maintained. There are always potholes in the parking lot or an unsightly stain in the fellowship hall. How did that stain get way up there anyway?
Those things are important for the life of a church. I heard the story about a church that had plenty of money in reserve but feared using any of it to maintain the church. A board member was shocked when he learned passerby’s thought the church was abandoned. I wonder if they had a nest on the pulpit?
I drew this for the November 2016 Church of God Ministries e-newsletter.