Just thinking!

I’m watching my fish in my office (I know: “Pastor, get to work!”). I sometimes think that it would be nice not to have any stress or worry about the necessities of life. After all, I feed the fish everyday; I clean the tank as they need it; I make sure that they don’t get diseased because of fungus. The fish, on the other hand, they do not even realize that their needs are being met. They constantly are searching for a way out. If they could, they would jump out only to find out that what appears to be a bigger and better ocean would actually be their death.

God has us where we are for a reason. How about looking for opportunities right where you are? We do not always get to see the big picture (the large ocean), but we do have a chance to make an impact where we are. We do have a chance to be Jesus to someone in need. We must take time not only to look at our situations, but at what God wants us to accomplish while we are in those situations. When the church (which appears as a fishbowl to many) begins to understand that we will face persecution (people tapping on the glass), and giving us dirty and crazy looks, we will make someone smile today just watching us swimming and doing what God has called us to do.

I don’t know… just thinking!

42 Days and Counting

That is all there is until this year’s Christmas program at Rosedale, “Ewe’s Clues!”

If you are interested in helping out with this year’s program, either under the stage lights or behind the curtain, please contact Jess Nordai. Actors, singers and crew are all needed!

Come out and join this year’s fun! Mark your calendars for December 4th. That is the debut of “Ewe’s Clues” at Rosedale.

A Thank-You or Three

You may have noticed that I wasn’t at the keyboard this past Sunday and was singing instead (I assure you that this was not some kind of silent demonstration to coincide with all the protests that 2011 has seen!). This may happen throughout the next few weeks and months as more of my time is required to care for my mother’s health. 

Therefore, I just wanted to say a big thank you to Mr. Marty for stepping up and taking care of 100% of all of the worship planning and preparation himself this week. Marty has done this countless times before over the years it means an extra something special this time around for certain.

Marty, I heard from more than one person that the music meant a lot to them this week and that it helped them to feel the Lord’s presence, so it’s obvious that the Lord was working through you. It sure gives me peace to know that as useful as I might be at times, you can get along just fine without me!

Also a big thanks to everyone who has been praying for my mother, me, and my family. She’s had some really good days lately and we really can’t attribute them to anything other than your prayers. So, please, keep up the great work! : )

Thanks again to everyone!

New Website Feature: Emailing Users

Hello, all.

I’ve installed a new plugin that should give us some increased utility in reaching out to our website users: emailing.

There are two main features: Ad-hoc Emails and Post Notification Emails.

Ad-hoc Emails

Ad-hoc emails allow you to notify other users (one or many) about anything at all. To send an ad-hoc email…

1. On your dashboard, click on the “Email Users 2” option on the left sidebar and then select “Send to Users”.
2. Select the users you want to receive your message by clicking on their names. You can select multipe users by holding the control key on your keyboard as you click each name.
3. Type your subject and message.
4. Click the “Send Email” button.

Post Notification Emails

Post-Notification Emails are sent to selected/all users informing them of a new post on the website. To send a post notification email…

1. After publishing your post, click on the “Notify Users About This Post” link on the right sidebar.
2. Select the users you want to receive your message by clicking on their names. You can select multipe users by holding the control key on your keyboard as you click each name.
3. If you want to send your notification to ALL users, do not select individual users. Instead, select all of the “Roles” in the left listbox (e.g. Role – Administrator, Role – Editor, Role  – Subscriber).
4. You’ll see a preview of the email.
5. Click the “Send Email” button.

Really Incredibly-Important Notes

1. Use post notification sparingly! We all hate getting spam and if we begin notifying all website users everytime we post something new, we will annoy or even lose our audience.
2. Users are able to opt-out of post notification in their settings. So if you don’t see their name in the list of users, this is why.
3. Be careful who you notify of posts! You could easily write a new Church Board post and then choose to notify people not on the Board; they would get a copy of your post in their email!
4. I realize that users are listed with their usernames displayed. This means that you may not know automatically that Dale is ‘dcr’, for example. I will try to modify the plugin to display more than the usernames but I can’t promise anything. If you are unsure who a user is, please let me know and I’ll get right back to you!

Thanks for reading and happy (responsible) posting! : )

Courageous Movie Time

Hello, men! The earliest showing we can safely make it to this Sunday, 10/16  is 3:40pm. The movie is showing at the Regal Harrisburg 14.

Please plan on meeting at Ben Nordai’s by 3:00pm. The adult matinee ticket cost is $7.50.

Just a reminder, the ladies and children are spending the afternoon at the Nordai’s. Following the movie, there will be a potluck dinner there for all the men and ladies.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call, email or see Ben on Sunday morning.