Summer Paralympics, Courage and Beauty

I was just catching up on my RSS feeds when I came across a link to this story on Gizmodo. You’ll see a few photos here, but make the jump to the other site which shows 32 beautiful images of the Paralympics Games, happening now, in Beijing.

The stories are touching, from people born blind to veterans with their legs and arms blown off, you’ll see the persistence of the human spirit. God created us in such an amazing fashion and it is powerful to see these inspiring athletes push past their disability and accomplish their dreams. I’ll say, these stories are the ones that should be broadcast on television right now. Real courage and beauty, this is what justice looks like.

Be inspired to do that “impossible” thing you’ve always dreamed of doing.

-Rex Barrett
images via AP & Getty

Personal URLs to build community

Technology is constantly changing, some might say improving, and churches are reevaluating the use of technology all the time.  I’ve been very vocal about technology being used to point people to Christ instead of being the focal point itself, using technology to build community.  I came across a really cool piece of technology on the Planting Space blog.  It is mailer, just like you probably send out already.  A postcard sized piece that has your church website on it.  The really great thing is that the web address can be www.FirstChurch.com/RexBarrett (their name).  A person can follow the link and see a personalized greeting for them on a page that is relevant to them, assuming you bought a mailing list that has some family information included.

Imagine how cool it would be to target your campaign to families who have kids attending your local school.  You could send the mailer, they would follow the link and all summer events for their school aged children would be on your website but their personal page.

These postcards cost a bit more than the ones typically sent out but the reported response rate is 2-4 times greater.  If you are a pastor hit up Google and choose a company to go with, keyword “personalized URL”.  If you are a church attender, pass this thought onto the powers that be.  Might be a fun way to kickoff your “Back to School” celebration.

Being more productive vs. Reducing expenses

I read this article pulled from the Productivity 501 Blog and it really hit me. Take a look at the following article and tell me what you think in the comments.

Being More Productive vs. Reducing Expenses
Published by Mark Shead at July 13, 2007
We usually think of being more productive as a way to make more money or at least make the same amount of money with less effort. This is a short sighted approach. Being more productive really means doing things that will give you more time to pursue the things that are really important to you.

If I am able to maintain my same level of pay and cut my work time in half, I’ve made some pretty significant improvements in my productivity. But what if instead of maintaining the same level of pay we just try to maintain the same standard of living. Or better yet, just maintain the same standard of living on things that are important to us.

This type of thinking suddenly opens up many new ways of looking at how we spend our time. If I can cancel cable, reduce the number of times I eat out each month, and move to a smaller house, what will that buy me in terms of time? Could I spend another 20 hours a week with my daughter if I was willing to give up some things that will lower my cost of living?

I see a lot of people that become so obsessed with “doing more” that they never stop to ask themselves “why?”

Consider this: Do you have more or less time to spend on things you enjoy and that are really important to you than you did 5 years ago? If not, when do you expect the trend to reverse?

Image via helmet13

Are you watching tv in HD?

It’s amazing, but I’ve been to several people’s houses that have HUGE HDTVs. The funny thing is, they think they are looking at a great HD image when in reality they are watching regular tv on a really expensive screen. They don’t even realize it! I’ve even asked them and the answer is typically, “I don’t know, the Cox Cable guy set the tv up”.

I’ve helped several people set up their tvs now and the problem is in the cables. People have got to use the right cables! Problem number two… I’ve been to Best Buy (rip off) and have seen the prices of the cables you will need to connect your new shiny tv. HDMI = $94.99 and the Component = $41.99. This is not a good deal, let me repeat, if you buy a new fancy tv do not buy cables from them!

Here is a place you can get the same quality cable for $5.71, that is right, fivedollarsandseventyonecents! The component is $7.99. You realize that you have got to, I beg you, I implore you to please buy cables from anywhere but Best Buy or Circuit City.

This will ensure that you have a great picture and save a lot of money. Please, email me if you have any questions. My quest for people to see crystal clear television is a holy one. I will help the masses.

Image via Aaronyx

You design stuff?

If you design anything at all you need to see this. I’m talking about you guys out there that have projects to show to your bosses to a young family choosing colors for your wall. The website I’m going to show you will revolutionize your color swatch selection. Again, from designing letterhead to making a creative invitation for your friends, you will choose the absolute perfect colors.

Basically, you can go to www.colorjack.com and look for interesting color combinations. Click on something that catches your eye, then dig in and colors and matches are thrown at you like a fish at Pike’s Place. Honestly, I’ve paid around $100 a few years ago for a program that did just this, not even as good! This is all web based and can spit out color combos in any palette you can imagine.

Here is a look at the interface (by the way, I love green right now)

Church for the Deaf

Church for the Deaf:: Brentwood’s Church for the Hearing Impaired

Brian Sims of Brentwood Baptist Church (Brentwood, TN) is making church special for the deaf. In fact, Brian has created a church service exclusively designed for deaf people. It is called Brentwood Baptist Deaf Church, and here is what they are doing to relevantly meet the needs of deaf people:

• Installed 30 speakers in the floor so that the congregation can literally feel the music.
• The entire room is on a loop system which allows a deaf person with a hearing aid to tie into the sound system with the flip of a switch.
• Each seat has a direct line of sight to the stage.
• The seats are 30″ wide instead of the standard 18″ wide which gives congregants more space to communicate with sign language.

According to Brian, research reports that 80%-90% of deaf people do not attend church. After all, why bother going if it is impossible or too difficult to understand anything.

Relevance is being able to communicate how God’s Word applies to a person’s life. The first step is clear, understandable communication.

[via The Christian Post]