Here’s something you may have not considered before: Outsourcing.
“Wait,” you say, “That’s a dirty word. That’s like saying, ‘I hate Grandmothers,’.” Oh, no, it’s not. Get a grip. Outsourcing is simply getting someone else to do something for you quicker and less expensively than you could do it yourself. Most of the time, time isn’t what you have. And, of course, money? Well, almost no one has that. So you leverage what little money you have to get what you need, specifically. A global marketplace means the world is flat.
Think about it, research, busy work, follow-up calls, answering emails, e-commerce, networking, and much more could be subcontracted, so you could save a lot of time, and maintain your main focus.
Soon I’ll update this with how my outsourcing is going.
When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.
Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.
Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
My favorite book for learning how to understand God’s Word “How to Read the Bible for all it’s Worth”. This book changed how I read the Bible and understood it, as well as gave me a better appreciation for it, and the God of it.
Here’s an edited review of the book, by Terry Akers:
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth guides readers toward a better handling of Scripture by teaching them how to avoid misinterpretations through the proper use of context. Throughout the book, the importance of reading a passage holistically, according to the overall content of Scripture, is emphasized. Bad exegesis and quirky doctrines often result when a particular biblical statement or passage is taken out of cultural, historical or theological context and emphasized apart from the whole of revelation.
The book’s introduction explains: “The aim of good interpretation is not uniqueness; one is not trying to discover what no one else has ever seen before. Interpretation that aims at, or thrives on, uniqueness can usually be attributed to pride (an attempt to ‘out clever’ the rest of the world), a false understanding of spirituality (wherein the Bible is full of deeply buried truths waiting to be mined by the spiritually sensitive person with special insight), or vested interests (the need to support a theological bias, especially dealing with texts that seem to go against that bias).”
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth demonstrates how the Bible must be read theologically—through the lens of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ—rather than in overly literalistic or idealistic ways. By remaining safely within the “middle swath of orthodoxy” and learning to listen in humility to God’s revelation, Bible reading is shown to be not merely informative, but transformative.
One of the most helpful writers for me in understanding God’s heart, and healing from wounds inflicted by other Christians, has been Philip Yancey.
I’m offering a wonderful book by him about seeing God through the life and ministry of Jesus called, The Jesus I Never Knew. This is a great giveaway!
What an eye-opening book this was for me, and a great blessing. To win a (new) copy, and the other goodies shown, guess the number of pretzels in the ziplock shown in the photo below. The first one to guess correctly wins, or the one to come the closest first.
Prize: Yancey book, coffee, and disposable tooth cleaners!
This picture looks simple enough, but this giveaway prize is not THAT ordinary. It’s really a do-it-all kit for a time to remember.
First, the boxes of candy are King sized. That means it has to be better.
Now, some of you (possibly with a y chromosome) out there will see these articles shown, and have no idea how they could make you a hero of sweetness and charm to a significant other, or a whole lot of fun to hang with for a bit. But really-You’ll be seen in the light of a hero!
Here’s how it works: Find someone to spend time with. Your kid, your friend, your cousin, your spouse, or even an unlikely or unlikable counterpart… but, you get the idea. (Humans only please.) Think of something to do, eat the candy, record your adventure with the camera, and then attach the developed photos in the journal, along with captions or comments about your time together. (Remember to replace the picture shown on the outside-the overly-happy, giggly couple-with a photo of your time.) This book can be a continual archive of dates, trips, and adventures; Or you can give it away to the person, right away. See how wonderful you’ll seem? Yes, one giant ball of awesomeness. You can even say it was your idea. It’s not likely they will believe you, but go ahead. And if the winner of this prize sends some pictures back to me, (before March 31, 2010) a cool, surprise bonus prize will be given. Try to not pee your pants with excitement.
Here’s some ideas for your time out:
A walk. A snowball fight. Bowling. Browsing shops in a new town. Doing a random act or acts of kindness. A Museum. Coffee shop hopping. Wine tour Whine tour. Make a treasure hunt for your friend/date (you know, with clues, etc.) to find the candy, or something else. A game of Paintball. Laser Tag. Horseback riding. Ice Skating. Indoor Rock Climbing. Chess-okay Not Chess! Dinner in, and a movie rental. Parade (St Patty’s Day is coming). A home project. Fight Club (Hey, I don’t know what you’re into, okay?) Breakfast at a diner (Make sure to get pictures of the wait staff.) Build a cake, or something.
SO! Pick one of these choices and elaborate on it, OR make up a good outing or activity out of your own creativity. Or, you can go the other way, and have an awful time, potentially, and record how that goes. You may get a pleasant surprise. Visit a slaughter house, or a AIDS clinic, or a cancer ward. It’s up to you.
Enter your idea in the ‘leave a comment’ section, and the one considered the most worthy (in every way) will win. I will sign the journal, if you’d like, with my best wishes. But, I’ll keep my mitts off the candy, I promise.
