Last week I spent a much-needed vacation at the beach.  Armed with my fold-up chair and umbrella, I soaked-up some rays and lots of saltwater.  Most of my time was spent hanging out with my family and relaxing.

I was able to get in lots of reading and writing.  My main topics were “connecting” in relationships and online social networking for Christians.  I re-read Larry Crabb’s Connecting.  This is an excellent book on relationships and community development.  I highly recommend this book to church leaders.

I also re-read Heidi Campbell’s Exploring Religious Community Online.  Heidi’s book is a byproduct of her dissertation on internet technology and community development.  If you are interested in knowing more about how the internet has evolved from a place to gather information to a social sphere, this is a great book.

Well, vacation is nice, but it is always good to get back to my own bed and familiar surroundings.  Now that I’m back, I’m ready to hit the ground running.

Oh by the way, you might want to check out our new SSI newsletter.  It’s packed with interesting articles and videos.  Check it out:  http://www.simonsolutions.com/newsletter/

Life experiences have a tendency to knock our feet out from under us, especially during trying times. 

Getting back up can be hard; oftentimes requiring the help of a family member or friend.

It’s o.k. to ask for help; in fact, this is where Christians can really learn a lot about ministry.  As Christians, we are given many opportunities to help those in need around us.  In the church world we tend to call this “ministering to other’s needs”.  Well, ministry is not just for professional ministers.  Anyone can and should participate in helping people in need.

The next time you are given opportunity to help someone in need, don’t side-step or complicate this moment.  Consider the following acronym – a simple and practical way to HELP.

H – hug

E – encouragement

L – listen

P – prayer

It really is that simple.  Sometimes people just need a hug - a warm embrace that communicates love and special concern.  A hug can work wonders for a wounded soul.

Words of encouragement are very powerful and breathe life into downtrodden circumstances. 

Help can be as simple as taking time to listen to someone’s need and showing sincere concern.  Active listening is something we all need to work on.  We can be easily distracted by what we want to say instead of concentrating upon what others need to share.  Listening can soothe and comfort people in a profound way.

And finally, taking time to pray for someone, right then, opens the door for relational bonding and “miraculous results".

If possible, find a quiet place to pray.  This doesn’t have to be a long, drawn-out religious prayer.  It can be as simple as “Lord, help my friend in need and remind me to lift them up in prayer throughout this week.”

See there, HELP is not so complicated.  Start practicing these simple steps; and before long, you will find helping people to be a natural part of your Christian experience – one that comes with great rewards!

The Church must realize the importance of online social networking before it is too late.

Online social networking is not some fad that will run its course.  Its popularity is growing in leap and bounds.  According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, “More than half (55%) of all of online American youths ages 12-17 use an online social networking sites.”

If the Church is serious about reaching the next generation for Christ, then serious steps should be made in acquiring tools that bridge the gap between the traditional American Church and today’s young people.  I wonder if this is possible, given traditional models of local church?

If leadership within local churches is not “in-tune” with new technology, especially the internet, how will local churches successfully reach young people in their communities?

Many years ago I helped coordinate a youth retreat at a Methodist outreach center in rural Tennessee.  Over 100 young people attended.  One of the activities they were asked to do was write their names on a small paper bag.  These bags were then taped to a wall everyone passed by each day.

The youth were then encouraged to drop comments into the bags.  These could be words of encouragement, favorite scriptures; anything that was uplifting.  The goal was that everyone’s bag would have “good comments.”

The youth went way beyond the call of duty and made sure everyone, including new people, had new comments in their bags each day.  The youth used this as a form of ministry, and it worked extremely well.

I find similarities between this activity at the retreat and social networking sites.  Young people return regularly to their online profile pages to see if comments have been posted.  According to the Pew survey, “Almost half of social networking-using teens visit the sites either once a day (26%) or several times a day (22%)."

May I suggest that young people use social networking sites to invite “ministry” into their lives.  They want simple recognition and encouragement.  They want to know if anyone out there really cares about them– enough to make comments on their profile page.

Church leaders, I strongly encourage you to “bite the bullet” and spend some serious time exploring new technology, especially online social networking.  The internet can be a powerful tool for ministry in the hands of Christians.  Please seize the moment.

Visit the following research sites:

Pew Internet & American Life Project
www.pewinternet.org
Social Networking Websites and Teens
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/198/report_display.asp

Barna Research Group

www.barna.org

Surveys about teens and the internet

The Center for the Digital Future (USC Annenberg School)

http://www.digitalcenter.org/

2007 Digital Future Report

http://www.digitalcenter.org/pdf/2007-Digital-Future-Report-Press-Release-112906.pdf

 I talk a lot about “relational synergism” – people working together for greater purposes realized only through concerted efforts. 

My hopes are that more and more people within the Body of Christ will venture beyond “themselves” and into cooperative working relationships with others; becoming powerful instruments for ministry in the Lord’s hands.

Relational synergism helps people “connect", build relationships, and make a difference…together.  In a relational synergistic environment, people are changed and challenged.  This sets the stage for life-giving transformation that impacts people and their community.

The powerful impact of relational synergism is a rare occurrence.  Only two out of ten teams (groups) of people will experience relational synergism.  Why?  Because getting people to work together is hard work.  Most people tend to be self-focused rather than others-focused.  A “what’s in it for me” attitude has legitimacy; but if not properly balanced, it can sabotage synergy.

Synergy means “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”  In relational synergism people must be “willing” to harness the power of their independent nature and channel its energy into an organic, progressive process of interdependence.  Common purposes and goals are much greater than individual accomplishments.

This doesn’t mean that we lose our individual identity or our personal hopes and dreams.  It simply means that I will get what I want; and probably more, if I am willing to help others get what they want as well.  This becomes a "win-win" situation for us all.  And if we can brave the oftentimes stormy process of the synergistic environment, we will venture into unimaginable results in our cooperative efforts.

Relational synergism is all about people and good relationships.  For those who wish to experience the power and potential of a synergistic environment, I encourage you to get ready for a “paradigm shift” in your life.  You may discover that relational synergism is something that you have only caught a glimpse of, but never experienced.

I strongly encourage you to venture out into deeper waters of personal experience and invite others to join you.  Once experienced, relational synergism becomes very compelling and beseeches return visits time and time again.

I would also like to recommend three books that will educate you on the value of a synergistic environment:

The Performance Factor: Unlocking the Secrets of Teamwork

By Pat MacMillan

The Wisdom of Teams: Creating the High-Performance Organization
by Jon R. Katzenback and Douglas K. Smith

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
by Stephen R. Covey

I remember the story of the man who went to heaven and was immediately greeted by Simon Peter.

As they walk down the street, the man was amazed at the size of the mansions!  He started getting excited about the residence that Peter was leading him to.  They kept walking and walking until they came to the end of the street.

The man acted puzzled and asked Peter:  “Where’s my mansion?”  Peter pointed to a very small dwelling set back from the road.  “That’s my house?” said the man.  “Why it’s no comparison to the other homes on the street.  Why do I get this small dwelling while the other people on the street get huge mansions?”

Peter said, “Well, it’s like this.  All the value you placed upon relationships on earth translates into building materials here in heaven.  Did you not read the Scripture?”

Jesus told His disciples: "Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being (Matthew 6:19-21,MSG).”

Peter said, “The reason you permanent dwelling is so small is because that’s all the building materials you sent us up here to work with.”

This illustration makes good sense!  Why stockpile so much here on earth, which is temporal, and forsake your stockpile in heaven, which is eternal.  Everything that we gather here on earth will not make it to heaven.  Have you ever seen a U-Haul following a hearse?

John D. Rockefeller was once considered the richest man in history.  When he died, the lawyer who handled his estate was asked by a reporter, “How much money did Rockefeller leave behind?”  The lawyer paused for just a moment and said with sincerity, “All of it.”

The only things that we take with us to heaven are relationships and the value we place on them.  And if that value translates into building materials, what will our dwelling look like in heaven?

Growth is not always about numbers.  

Just because you have more people in the pew or more dollars in the bank account doesn’t mean you are growing according to biblical standards.  Growth is about “rising to the occasion” or “reaching new heights” in relationships.

The Apostle Paul best described growth in Ephesians 4:12-13, “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

In the Message, Ephes. 4:13 is translated, “until we’re all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God’s Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ.”

Relationships are the key factor in growth potential.  Why?  Because, it is all about people “connecting” with other people.  God wired us for relationships, which are the “avenues” for growth.  This applies to marriage, family, church, or business.  Meaningful relationships can pave the path towards change, progress, and growth.

The positive impact of relationships defines measurable growth.  Carefully ponder the above Scriptures, and you will understand how to measure growth.

I once heard someone say, “Set your sights upon a vision that can only be accomplished by God’s divine intervention.” 

Well, that’s exactly what we have done.  We have built a ministry model that will not succeed except God makes it happen.

We have the mindset:  “Pray as if everything depends upon God; work as if everything depends on you.”  We have worked hard at developing “power tools” that help empower the Body of Christ.  We firmly believe that these tools are God-inspired. 

Our company, which we define as a marketplace ministry, crossed the threshold into a whole new realm of biblical dynamics a couple of weeks ago.  We came to a crossroads in our journey of faith and mission. 

Further discussions with the investor revealed that he wanted controlling interest in our company, and he wanted to bring another person in to oversee operations.  We also learned that all he wanted was our technology and big profits.  He did not share in our ministry purposes or mission.

Call us crazy, but we simply turned him down.  We did not want to “sell our souls” and sell-out our ministry passion for the sake of money.  We believe that you cannot buy God’s favor with man.

We believe God was testing us.  I believe we passed the test. 

A well-established and very influential Christian ministry called us wanting to partner with us in the future development of their ministry and ours. They also want to work together with us in building internet ministry tools that will soon impact the lives of millions of people, worldwide.  We will pool our resources and covenant to work together in creating synergistic solutions for building up the Body of Christ.

We will share more, as plans unfold.

How many times have you had someone call your home and say, “I looking for so-in-so (a member of your family)?”  When you replied: “He’s not here.  Can I help you?”  The caller would then say, “No, it’s personal.”

The phrase “it’s personal” is used a lot in communications today.  The office receptionist will often hear this from a wife calling to talk with her husband.  When given opportunity to pass along a message, the wife simply says, “No, it’s personal.  Have him call me at home."

Credit card companies will call people at home looking for the cardholder.  When asked what the call is about, the bill collector will say, “it’s personal.”

A nurse from the doctor’s office will often call their patient at work with lab reports.  If the person is not there, the nurse will say, “Please have her call me.  It’s personal.”

We might consider “it’s personal” as a way to cut to the chase and get one-on-one with people.  In terms of relationships, “it’s personal” means I’ve got something only me and you need to discuss.  Yes, it’s that important!

I find this true especially in terms of our relationship with God.  When God wanted to cut to the chase and really get personal with mankind, He sent Jesus, who taught us the value of one-on-one relationships.  Jesus was God manifested in the flesh.  Jesus enabled people to get one-on-one with Almighty God.

The apostle Paul understood this kind of relationship when he said, “May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all (Rom. 15:5, MSG).”

God wants this kind of personal relationships with each and every one of us today.  Jesus makes this possible.  Jesus enables us to cut to the chase; bypassing all the religious noise.  We can now experience mutuality in an “it’s personal” relationship with our Heavenly Father.

He’s now saying, “It’s personal.” 

Please…pick up the phone.

Back in the mid 90’s a friend of mine, named Les Hayes, approached me with a request.  He asked if he could bring to my house a computer for me to use.  My immediate response was “No thanks, I’m too old to learn something new.”

I continued my argument with “Why would I even need a personal computer now; after all, I never had a need for one up to this point in my life?”

Les wouldn’t take no for an answer.  His argument for having a computer was much greater than mine.  I agreed, and the computer was in my home a few days later.  Les did a great job of explaining the value of the computer.  He showed me how different programs worked and soon I was off and running.

For several months I continued to grow in my understanding of the computer and how it saved me time in getting work done.  Soon I was deeply entrenched in its value; so much so, it became an indispensable part of my life, even to this day.

While I was first becoming acquainted with the new computer, I did not realize what impact this computer was having on my little boy, Isaac.  While Les was training me, Isaac was constantly looking over our shoulders to see what was going on.  I later found out while I was away from home, Isaac was at the computer – checking it out.

Isaac was like a sponge, soaking up all there was to know about computing.  He also learned how to take them apart and put them back together again.  In less than two years Isaac surpassed my understanding of computers and began teaching me "new tricks."

Today, my son and I are partners in a dotcom company.  Isaac is still “light years” beyond me in computing, but I can still hold my own (to a certain degree).  We owe all of this to Les Hayes, who the Lord used to invest something important into our lives.

I saw Les the other day.  We had not seen each other in over 7 years.  Life had got busy for the both of us and we simply lost track of each other.  I learned that Les had to put Sandra, his lovely wife of 43 years, into a nursing home in Birmingham, Alabama. 

Each week Les travels to Birmingham and spends two day with Sandra at the nursing home.  She does not recognize Les, or their children.  Their situation reminds me of the movie, “Notebook.”  I never thought that I would actually know someone who is living out that movie in real life.

As I listened to Les tell me all about his situation, my heart was deeply burdened.  He told me something that I will never, ever forget.  He said, “Spend as much time with your wife as you can.”  I knew exactly what he meant.

Les Hayes made a valuable contribution into the lives of my son and me.  When I shared with him what Isaac and I were doing now, he was very delighted.  I told him that we cannot tell the “full story” of Simon Solutions without referencing his contributions to our lives.

I will now contribute into the life of Les and his family with my prayers.  For those of you, who read this blog; please remember Les and Sandra in your prayers.  Thanks!    

Church websites that continue to look like “electronic brochures” will not reach the next generation for Christ.

Young people want more than just information about your church.  They want to engage and interact with your community from the comforts of their home, work, or school.

“The internet is the next generation;” this according to David Yonggi Cho, pastor of the largest church in the world in Seoul, Korea with 750,000 members.  Concerning the future growth of his church, Cho says, “Use the Internet - it is better…I have already announced to my people and ministers that the next step is to go into total cyberspace ministry.”

More and more young people are becoming disenfranchised with traditional Church.  According to Barna Research Group (www.barna.org), “61% of today’s young adults - had been churched at one point during their teen years but they are now spiritually disengaged (i.e., not actively attending church, reading the Bible, or praying)…For most adults, this pattern of disengagement is not merely a temporary phase in which they test the boundaries of independence, but is one that continues deeper into adulthood.”

Just because young people are disengaging from church activities, doesn’t mean they are not “spiritually hungry.”  They are now turning to the internet; looking for spiritual significance.  The internet is fast becoming the new “mission field.”

Another study by Barna Research Group shows that, “among the growing number of Americans who use the Internet, millions are turning to the digital dimension to get them in touch with God and others who pursue faith matters. The report projects that within this decade as many as 50 million individuals may rely solely upon the Internet to provide all of their faith-based experiences.”

So, how can the Church break the bonds of disengagement and “re-connect” with the next generation?  With millions of young people plugging into the internet each day, Web 2.0 websites can help.

Here are three “non-negotiables.”

1. Make sure your internet presence is not “cheesy.”  Today’s young are imagine or wow-driven.  If they like what they see, they will go deeper into your site.  Remember the old saying, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”  Don’t get a novice to do your website.  Get a professional.  Remember, you get what you pay for.  This will speak volumes to visitors.
   
   
2. Make sure your site has interactivity.  There must be way for young people to “virtually connect” with your community.  Web 2.0 technology makes this easy through forums, media sharing, IM, and more.  Not all web developers know how to make this happen.  Find the ones who do it well.  The investment is worth it.
   
   
3. Build an online community that is safe and easy to use.  Web developers who are experts in Flash development can create for you an “online gated community” experience that provides peace of mind.  Online community development capitalizes on the enormous popularity of online “social networking.”  Web developers can provide community-building tools that are simple to learn and easy to use.

The days of “electronic brochure” church websites are over! 

If we cannot speak the cultural language of their “online world,” how will we communicate the good news of Jesus Christ to the next generation?