TechShepherds.com

System Administrators Appreciation Day - July 25

The last Friday of each July has been set aside as System Administrator Appreciation Day. To learn more check out http://www.sysadminday.com/

If you are a Sys Admin, thank you for your tireless, long hours to ensure ministry has the tools needed for today's ministry.

If you are not a Sys Admin, you have the rest of today to make your plans to show your apprecation tomorrow.

Taking Initiative

Do you ever feel like Charlie Brown.  You know, the poor fellow who never gets up the nerve to talk to the little red-haired girl? 

It may not be a red-haired girl for me, but know there are times in my life when I have not taken the initiatives that I should have taken and let my voice be heard. 

For a really great post on this subject of taking initiative, take a look at TheLifeWorhLiving.net blog.  This is a new blog by a friend of mine.  I guarantee that Larry Enis will challenge and inspire you.  Check out his blog here.

Pastor Gates

I have been away from the blogging world for a while as I experience some big changes in life.

As I have been pondering recent events in my personal life as well as the church world, I cannot help but think we could learn a lesson from Bill Gates and his announced leaving of Microsoft.

What if senior pastors and other staff were able to announce their leaving up to two years in advance.  I feel this would be great in facilitating a smooth transition in leadership.  Too many places where I have served have struggled with people worshiping the pastor more that God. 

What do you think?  Would an announcement like Gate's be good for the church, of would it create a lame duck scenario?

In a Rut? Will 2006 Be Your Year?

Are you or someone you know looking to start something new in 2006?  Whether it is starting a new business or looking to hone your skills in what you are doing now, I recommend you check out the 48 Days Complete Business Start Up Course

Led by well-know author and speaker Dan Miller, this two session tele-seminar will cover:

Part 1: The nuts and bolts of starting a business and self-employment
Part 2:  Where it all counts: Selling and Marketing

You can choose either of these sessions or both.  For complete description and details, click here.

Do You Love Your Work?

When your passion in life is in line with your work, it is a sweet deal.  The sad thing is that I have met so many people lately that literally hate their job.  That is not what God wants for our lives.

I would presume that most of my readers really do love what they do.  However, if you or someone you know is looking for more out of life and what God is calling you to, I highly recommend you check out the August 4th teleseminar by life coach, Dan Miller.  Dan is a strong Christian whose passion is to help other find their passion and calling in life.

There is a $24 registration fee that includes the 70 minute teleseminar as well as a skills assessment test to help individuals find their God given purpose and calling.

Go to Dan's site, and click on the red button labeled "Find Your Purpose and Make It Pay" in the upper middle of the screen.  I have "attended" one of his teleseminars in the past and have found it to be very helpful.

IT Ministry Growing

It seems that not only is the use of technology in ministry growing, but the number of technology staff positions is increasing as well.  "Technology" is a broad term in churches and tends to include everything from network infrastructure to multimedia.  Nonetheless, it was great to see the number of tech/media staff positions available just on ChurchStaffing.com  today.

Are you fulfilled in your job?

That may seem like an odd question to ask since the majority of the readers of this blog are in the ministry.  The sad reality is that there are too many of us who are not happy in our current ministry positions, but we plug along because "God called us."

Yes, it takes a calling for God to be in vocational ministry.  Otherwise, I am not sure who would be able to stay there very long.  The reality is that there are several of us who have stayed in situations and conditions longer than we should have, because even though it was/is a bad situation, it is a known.

I am starting a new category on my blog to address the fact that God does have a calling for our lives.  However, He does not call us to be miserable.  After all, Jesus did come that we may have life and have it more abundantly.

Over the next few weeks, I will share a little of my our journey as it deals with this topic.  This week, I want to introduce you to Dan Miller.  He is a life coach and expert on finding one's calling in life.  I have read several of his books that have helped me to start a journey to a more fulfilled life in God's plan.  He may be calling you to another church or another type of ministry.

48 Days to the Work you Love
This book was released in January of this year and comes with the audio CD "Is Your Job Your Calling?"  I highly recommend this book as a way to re-evaluate and ensure you are truly living your life to the fullest.

You can find this book and others like it at 48 Days - Your Source for Career Building!