Category: faith

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4 Simple Ways to Bring out the Best in Your People

Leadership is lonely,  no matter the size of  your team.  Every day you work hard, utilizing the hard skill set you acquired through education and the early years of your career. While you may fit the bill as an efficient project manager, you are striving to go from ordinary to extraordinary. As tirelessly as you work, you cannot seem to crack the code to unlock your team’s true potential.

What Quality Is Missing That Sets the Elite Apart from Yourself?

Exceptional leaders possess the ability to motivate not only themselves, but the people around them, creating an environment that hones a sense of aspiration and inspiration.  

Here are four  simple  ways to get started:

1. GROWTH: Most ambitious professionals know that who they are today is not the professional they want to be tomorrow. An environment that condones staying stagnant and does not promote professional growth is a huge deter for many employees.   Instead, provide opportunities for your employees to feel empowered through the growth of their skill sets and taking on more responsibility as appropriate. Empowered employees will gain a sense of pride and ownership, which often translates into harder working employees.

“Coming Together Is a Beginning, Staying Together Is Progress, and Working Together Is Success.”

2. RELATIONSHIPS: While it is wise to often separate business from pleasure, it is also important to note that you will spend the majority of your waking hours with your team and co-workers. Creating healthy relationships that concentrate on good communication will help create a productive environment.

“The Greatness of a Man Is Not in How Much Wealth He Acquires, but in His Integrity and His Ability to Affect Those Around Him Positively”

3. AUTONOMY: On occasion, stress is derived from having a lack of control. Providing employees the opportunity to manage part of their workload can help alleviate this feeling, and increase their individual productivity.

“If You Can’t Explain It Simply, You Don’t Understand It Well Enough.”

4. MEANING: Giving a project purpose, direction and meaning is an essential element in creating a productive team that will execute a project flawlessly. If employees are unclear of why they are doing something they will be unable to create the deeper connection which promotes motivation for the project.

This brings us back to the need to create a strong vision and values  that in turn will  create a  productive team that is capable of excelling project after project.  

So get going,  move forward,  aim high  and plan a takeoff. Don’t just sit on the runway and hope someone will come along and push the airplane. It simply won’t happen. Change your attitude and gain some altitude.
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2 Ways Residential Elderly Care Providers Can Drive Growth

The care sector is growing fast. People are its most valuable asset and investment in care-home developments is being fuelled by an ageing population and a growing demand for specialist skills.  

Scalability and Replication Have Now Become the Building Blocks That Will Enable Residential Elderly Care Providers to Sustain Growth, Deliver Successful Change and Achieve High-quality Service Outcomes

Dean Jones, former Investment Growth Programme Manager for Care UK offers insight into how REC providers can take advantage of market opportunities by building a sustainable and scalable system. Jones’ experience includes programme managing a £250 million investment-growth programme from 2012 to 2015, which involved building and commissioning 20 new state-of-the-art care homes and their services. He also oversaw a £60 million 3-year investment in a Suffolk programme, for the building of 10 new care homes and 10-day clubs and bringing much needed additional nursing and dementia-specialist care to the community.

REC Providers Can Develop Their Own Blueprints to Replicate and Scale Growth

REC providers can learn much from Jones’ involvement with scaling successful care homes. In his work at Care UK, Jones employed innovative ideas for evolving the next generation of care homes and introducing a competitive edge through unique selling points to harness market potential. The trendsetting programmes have led to phenomenal success, with more than 30  new homes built over a five-year period, a level of growth rarely seen in this sector. Jones describes how REC providers can develop their own blueprints to replicate and scale growth.

Building a foundation

The organization relied on a guiding principle as it developed a scalable system. It consisted of a toolkit that would outline how to manage projects and launch new homes, along with the standard of care the organization expected once a home is operational. The first system in the toolkit, the Project Management Blueprint (PMB) consisted of methodologies, processes and systems that would guide the creation of an ambitious and exciting growth pipeline for new homes.

The Blueprint ensured that the programme and project’s team resources would deliver high-quality outcomes through the practice of sound project management, both at a programme and individual project level. However, the Blueprint was just one of three tools the organisation would use to govern the commissioning and operation of new care homes. The other tools, a Home Manager Launch Manual (LM) and a suite of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), complemented the programme on the whole.

Building the Capability to Service the Demand Is the Key to Driving Growth

The blueprint

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Creating the demand for growth and the environment for change is not enough to generate scalability. According to Jones, building the capability to service the demand is the key to driving growth. Instead of control, managers need to:

  • Introduce a framework and certainty about processes.
  • Implement repeatable best practices.
  • Build the ability to drive quality.
  • Equip people to do the best job possible.
  • Introduce a suite of project documents that directly suit the organisation’s purposes while ensuring consistence use.
  • Increase efficiency and productivity.

As a result of the Blueprint, Care UK was able to construct the building blocks for scalability and replication that would encourage change, growth and quality outcomes. When the foundation of an organisation is built on highly standardised and formal processes underpinned by highly developed performance-monitoring systems and the ability to control quality, it has a scalable business model. Another component involved in the process, evolving the product offerings through a process of service innovation enabled Care UK to apply standardised business-model concepts.

The requirements

Building a methodology for scalability involves considering project and business requirements first. Then, the organization can develop a system that meets the business and management-style needs to deliver successful outcomes. Jones employed a methodology that outlined the standard project-management methods to be used, and practices and guidelines to follow when managing new-home opening projects and business-transformation projects. With a disciplined, well-managed and consistent methodology, Care UK promoted the delivery of quality products and services, on time and within budget for each location.

The essential benefit of adhering to such a defined project- and programme-management methodology is the ability to demonstrate repeatable successes, rather than learning the same difficult lessons again and again. The objective of the methodology ensures that each new home opening was delivered to the highest possible standards via:

  • High-quality product or service that adheres to the business case.
  • Excellent standards of care and service.
  • Financial performance that achieves or exceeds the business case.
  • Homes or change initiatives delivered on time.
  • Projects executed on budget.

Relationships

Effective working relationships are also critical to the success of large-scale projects. Management tactics based on a matrix structure ensure that functional and operational resources are aligned across the business. This approach results in significant advantages, as it enables effective and responsive participation from different parts of the organisation that have specialist expertise. In Jones’  matrix, people from different parts of the business took a lead role in managing a specific work stream and were known as Work Stream Leaders. Jones  also adopted the RACI technique for identifying functional areas, key activities and decision points where ambiguities exist.

Project Lifecycle

The management of any large, complex project is made easier when broken down into more manageable chunks. This unique approach to the project’s lifecycle enabled Jones’  to establish clear controls, e.g. review points, or gateways, at which to consider progress before moving on to the next phase. The Care UK project lifecycle methodology consisted of five distinct stages, with each stage considered as a sequence, providing the structure and approach to progressively deliver the required outputs.

Risk and issue management

Focusing on critical risk issues helps programme managers mitigate threats. Regularly planning and leading benefit reviews helps organizations drive success and ensure that profits aren’t eaten up by largely avoidable risks. For example, a slight reduction to a home’s expected average weekly fee (AWF) – although based on a more up-to-date market analysis – could have a detrimental effect on the bottom line. However, if this market analysis re-evaluation were to take place at the pre-planning stages, then the organization has an opportunity to review down spec. Key decisions like these must be managed with due diligence and care, by referring to the original business case and using a clearly defined change-control process, and then directing such matters to the programme board for approval.

Recommendations

Programme managers embarking on a scalability journey should note that before diving into the planning of a system of methodologies and processes, it’s important to first understand what needs to be fixed. Jones began his appointment at Care UK by working with a small team. They spent time getting into the nitty gritty of launching care homes, reviewing checklists, liaising with the Care Quality Commissions (CQC), and understanding the business and identifying gaps. Only then did he present the findings and gain support for the project’s Blueprint. Managers also need to understand the organisational culture in which they operate, and then adapt their approach accordingly. Finally, gaining senior management trust is another critical step, as approval and support helps form links throughout the organization – including the lower-management levels.

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Successful organizations need managers with a breadth of knowledge – not necessarily construction management expertise – to successfully drive the outcomes of the project. They also require some understanding of IT systems, staff, marketing strategy and more. Only then will the organisation reap the strategic benefits of higher management-level expertise. With the right approach to project management and creating repeatable systems, care home organizations can seize market conditions and drive growth, while delivering quality outcomes through scalable building blocks.

 

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Professional Consultancy Responds to Health and Social Care Challenges

As people in the UK live longer, demand for residential care and nursing homes is growing, as are our expectations of the standard of living they will provide.  Dean Jones  offers insights about the value a professional consultancy has for overcoming the challenge and driving value for patients.

The current state of affairs

As a result of some well-broadcasted care scandals that attracted extensive, and in some cases, damaging media attention, the government has responded with cuts that are impacting local authority (LA) fees and resulting in far tougher  Care Quality Commission (CQC)  policies.

Office for National Statistics (ONS)  Projects That by 2035 There Will Be 3.5 Million Uk Residents Aged 85 and Older, Compared to Only 1.4 Million Currently

In spite of this, the “extra-care” – or Residential Elderly Care (REC) sector – continues to overcome these challenges, attracting new investments, particularly into new-build care homes. These are specially designed, owner-occupied, self-contained housing, often with round-the-clock support and meals and sometimes with nursing assistance.

A typical pattern is for owner-founded care home operators to reach a growth limit, based on the founder’s management capacity, access to capital and appetite for risk. They cease to invest in new capacity and don’t benefit from economies of scale which can be passed on to commissioners. Public markets typically do not fulfil their function as a supplier of capital in the case of healthcare services, because they generally demand relatively modest gearing.

There’s a widely recognised need across all health and social care market segments for innovation and system change, as well as capital investment in new services. A private equity investor is well placed to leverage technical services to strategically programme and project-manage Residential Elderly Care (REC)  public real estate schemes across their entire lifecycle.

Supply and demand challenges

Today, professional healthcare businesses and registered social landlords (RSLs) are the main providers of new capacity, period. Since 2008, private and voluntary status providers, who service 92 percent of all Residential Elderly Care, have reported an upswing in demand and occupancy. Paradoxically, as adult social care budgets are decreasing and the provision of residential care by the  NHS  and local authorities has shrunk, the number of UK people who require help and support is rapidly increasing.

The Increasingly Ageing Population of the Uk Appears to Be Underpinning the Overall Rise in Rec Capacity and Occupancy

While Local Authorities (Las) are seeking to divert placements to inexpensive non-residential/domiciliary-based alternatives, the increasingly ageing population of the UK appears to be underpinning the overall rise in REC capacity and occupancy. Britons are living longer than ever. The  Office for National Statistics (ONS)  projects that by 2035 there will be 3.5 million UK residents aged 85 and older, compared to only 1.4 million currently. The cost of caring for these residents is also forecasted to increase. For example, caring for a person with dementia will increase to $1,142,677 by 2025 and $2,092,945 by 2051. In total the government estimates that 1.7 million more adults will require some type of care and support over the coming decades.

As a result, the current number of nursing and residential care homes in the UK (over 381,000) will need to almost double over the next 20 years to cope with rising numbers of people aged 85 or more.

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A bright future?

The demand for care will continue to rise as a result of life expectancy increasing and ageing. A robust REC independent sector arises primarily from the net increase in residential demand, and more recently, improved occupancy. These are the result of a number of competing forces:

  • Demographics, with the ageing population expected to drive the demand for health and social care.
  • Outsourcing, the long-term transfer of residents from LA homes to independent care homes.
  • Severe financial constraints, at least over the next five years, as the government – which pays for the bulk of health, social care and special education – seeks to eradicate the public expenditure deficit and restrict new builds.
  • Outdated assets, or older care homes that no longer meet needs.
  • Consolidation, a trend within segments of the independent sector.
  • Maturity, against a currently immature healthcare market.
  • Efficiency, highlighted by the “Nicholson challenge” for the NHS to make £15 to £20 billion in efficiency savings between 2011 and 2014. (It costs the NHS approximately £3,000 a week to care for elderly patients with no clinical need to be in a hospital ward. By contrast, it comes to about £1,000 per week for a residential care home provider.)
  • Demand and Occupancy. Unless the supply of new builds increases (currently by approx. 7,500 beds p.a.), it’s possible that some regions may see bed shortages, driving up LA fees.
  • New Technology. Progressive management capabilities in leveraging technology and strategic collaboration will constitute the formula for success and sustainability in the new healthcare business environment.

While a longer life is welcome news for millions of Britons, it could ironically trigger a public service meltdown as our national health system is stretched to its breaking point. Local authorities and NHS trusts retain a significant role in delivering services, with 75 percent of nursing home places funded by the public sector. There exist ever-increasing opportunities for private care providers to take some of the strain from NHS and ease bed-blocking by caring for patients, mostly elderly, in a residential setting when there is no clinical need to be in a hospital ward.

The REC Sector Could Potentially save the Nhs Billions of Pounds.

A combined approach to health and social care and some innovation is required for this savings to become a reality. In addition, Care Home Operators have a unique opportunity to grow their businesses and benefit from economies of scale, leveraging the expertise and resources of a professional consultancy. In doing so, they’ll have necessary resources and systems to bid for significant re-provision of services tendered by local authorities.

About Dean Jones

Dean is an Associate in AECOM’s Programme Leadership Practice. Dean joined AECOM from Care UK, the UK’s largest independent provider of health and social care, where he was a Programme Manager and delivered a £250m investment growth programme over 2012/15 which increased Care Uk’s number of homes circa 33%. Dean was also Programme Manager for a £60m Suffolk programme to build ten new care homes and ten day clubs, bringing much needed additional nursing and specialist dementia care to the Suffolk community.

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Momo Apartments

MoMo apartments

MoMo apartments

MoMo apartments
MoMo apartments  –  Architect,  Allford Hall Monaghan Morris LLP

Zero defects are the primary battleground  between traditional and modern  construction methods. A relative  concept, zero defects is, however, a  target that the construction industry  has set for itself. Primary  considerations are structural stability  and keeping the water out. Proper  functioning of services, components,  fixtures, and fittings are essential.

Energy and sound performance are  also vital, as well as issues of safety,  access, and security. This is a  campaign which will be fought in  years to come… and in the meantime  here is another prefab  scheme  which feature’s in these  skirmishes.

Mobile Modular (MoMo) is a  research development project for a  relocatable system of mass housing  constructed from specially fabricated  shipping containers. This type of  system allows flats to be erected  speedily on short-life sites and to be  demounted and re-assembled in  different configurations on other sites  in the future.

The key objectives:

Remove MoMo apartments from a  site where housing has been provided  for 5 years.

Refurbish Each module at the  supplier’s yard or an alternative  temporary site.

Re-locate The apartments in any  new configuration to provide  decanting, short-term housing,  permanent apartments. This type of  system can also become a  permanent housing solution.

Originally commissioned by the  Peabody Trust, after feasibility stage, the team was invited to take the  project forward with their own  initiative. The team formed a  consortium with the aim of developing  a prototype to  demonstrate  the principles, and to market the  MoMo scheme as a one-stop shop  package to interested parties.

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Modular Penthouse, New Inn Yard, Shoreditch

A  modern approach  to prefabrication  is flourishing in the  capital with a new generation of designers and  manufacturers building on the pioneering work of  organisations such as the Peabody Trust.  City apartments lend themselves well to factory  built components where the quality of construction  needs to compensate for higher densities and  restricted space for accommodation.

Offsite construction is also less disruptive in the  city environment with increased construction speeds  bringing a corresponding reduction in noise and  transport and material handling in the  neighbourhood.

It is evident that many designers are also promoting the modular unit not only as a way of producing  affordable housing but also as a fashionable lifestyle  product.

No more connotations of the stigmatised post-war  temporary housing; the prefab is now an aspirational  dwelling which is becoming increasingly desirable.

3D-modelling has also opened up mny possibilities for housing construction. The software and expertise now exists to construct houses and apartments as a virtual model before any construction work begins. It is therefore possible to join up the process of construction starting with the purchaser/occupier who make choices of layout, fittings and furnishings from the computer visualisation. Data from the virtual model then becomes specification and fabrication data which is passed to the factory and eventually delivered to site.

Modular Penthouse, New Inn Yard, Shoreditch High Street

Modular Penthouse, New Inn Yard, Shoreditch High Street
Modular Penthouse, New Inn Yard, Shoreditch High Street
Modular Penthouse, New Inn Yard, Shoreditch High Street
Modular Penthouse, New Inn Yard, Shoreditch High Street
Modular Penthouse, New Inn Yard, Shoreditch High Street
Modular Penthouse, New Inn Yard, Shoreditch High Street

Material efficiency and ease of construction were  prime functional objectives. The Shoreditch Penthouse project explored the possibilities of inserting structures into a dense urban fabric by re-using roof tops of existing buildings. Four prefabricated volumetric units provide for various functions; they interlock on site to generate an integral live/work space in conjunction with the existing floor below. Starting with the simple idea of maximising capacity through optimisation of the existing structure, they integrate new spaces whilst sharing foundations, services and circulation areas. Core principles of sustainable construction can therefore be applied from the very beginning. Finally, through off-site construction expensive site management can be kept to a minimum, whilst maintaining a high quality of craftsmanship in a controlled factory environment.

Architect: Oceans Group

Structural Engineer: Atelier One

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“Vicar of the Son of God”: Historical Context and Theological Implications

The title “Vicar of the Son of God,” often associated with the papal crown, has been a subject of theological debate and controversy over the years. To understand the concerns surrounding this title and whether it constitutes blasphemy, it is essential to delve into its historical, theological, and scriptural contexts.

Historical Context

  1. Title Usage:
    • The term “Vicar of Christ” (Vicarius Christi) has been traditionally used by the Catholic Church to refer to the Pope. This title emphasizes the Pope’s role as the representative of Christ on Earth.
    • The phrase “Vicar of the Son of God” (Vicarius Filii Dei) has appeared in historical documents and inscriptions but is not an official title used by the Catholic Church today.
  2. Historical Misunderstandings:
    • The phrase “Vicarius Filii Dei” gained notoriety partly due to its mention in the forged document known as the “Donation of Constantine,” which purported to grant the Pope temporal power over the Western Roman Empire. This document was later proven to be a forgery.

Theological Context

  1. Understanding “Vicar”:
    • The term “vicar” means “representative” or “deputy.” In a theological sense, it implies that the Pope serves as a representative of Christ, guiding the Church in His stead.
    • This concept is rooted in the belief that Jesus appointed Peter as the leader of His followers and that the Pope, as Peter’s successor, continues this leadership role.
  2. Blasphemy Concerns:
    • Blasphemy, in Christian theology, is defined as showing disrespect or lack of reverence for God or claiming attributes that belong solely to God.
    • The title “Vicar of Christ” does not imply that the Pope is equal to Christ or God but rather that he serves as an earthly steward of Christ’s mission. From the Catholic perspective, this title does not constitute blasphemy.

Scriptural Context

  1. Biblical Basis:
    • The Catholic Church cites passages such as Matthew 16:18-19, where Jesus says to Peter, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church… I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,” as the foundation for the Pope’s role.
    • The role of a representative or steward is seen as a continuation of the apostolic ministry.
  2. Interpretation Disputes:
    • Different Christian denominations interpret these passages differently. Some argue that assigning any human the title of “Vicar of Christ” oversteps the bounds of scriptural authority and can be seen as elevating a human figure to an inappropriate status.

Blasphemy or Misinterpretation?

  1. Catholic Perspective:
    • The Catholic Church teaches that the Pope, as the Vicar of Christ, is meant to shepherd the Church and uphold the teachings of Christ. The title reflects a position of service and responsibility rather than divinity.
    • The Church does not view this title as blasphemous because it is rooted in a historical and theological tradition that sees the Pope as a successor to Peter, entrusted with leading the faithful.
  2. Critics’ Perspective:
    • Critics, particularly from Protestant denominations, argue that the title can be seen as attributing divine authority to the Pope, which they believe is inappropriate and potentially blasphemous.
    • They emphasize that Christ is the sole head of the Church and that no human should claim a representative role that could be seen as supplanting Christ’s unique position.

Conclusion

The title “Vicar of the Son of God,” while historically significant, is not officially used by the Catholic Church today. The more common title, “Vicar of Christ,” underscores the Pope’s role as a representative and steward of Christ’s teachings. Whether this constitutes blasphemy depends largely on one’s theological perspective. The Catholic Church sees it as a legitimate expression of the Pope’s pastoral role, rooted in scriptural and historical tradition, whereas some other Christian groups view it as an overreach that risks attributing undue authority to a human leader.

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Container City, Trinity, Buoy Wharf, Docklands

Containers have long held an  attraction for designers as the  ultimate off-the-shelf industrialised,  transport ready, stackable house  component. They are particularly  attractive in short term  developments because they  can be picked up and moved  elsewhere when the term comes to  an end. All they need are proper  doors and windows, fitting out with  plumbing and electrics and, hey  presto, low-cost hi-tech cool homes  for all.

Container City is the brainchild of  Eric Reynolds, Managing Director of  Urban Space Management who was  looking for a way to address the  problem of providing space at a construction cost low enough to ensure affordable rents for artists and creative startup businesses.

Constructed from redundant shipping  containers the first phase, completed  in 2001 was originally three stories  high and provided 12 work studios.  In 2003 a further floor was added  providing 3 additional live/work  apartments.

The containers were pre-fabricated  off-site and upgraded as necessary  to provide the desired thermal and  acoustic performance standards and  to meet local building regulations.

Developer:  Urban Space Management

Architect:  Nicholas Lacey and Partners

Principal Supplier:  Container Space Ltd

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Godinterest: Pinterest Meets … God?

Prayer at the Closing of Another Year

This month our staff got the chance to catch up with  Dean Jones, creator of  Godinterest. We got to sit down and discuss what it meant to run your own community and gained some  great community management insight!

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What is Godinterest?
Godinterest  is a Christian social media site created in June 2014. Its purpose is to promote Christian values and facilitate spiritual inspiration through the sharing of photographs and other media in the style of Pinterest. Its content includes media about Christian history, personal family-oriented stories and various content from a Christian viewpoint. According to Quantcast, Godinterest received more than seven thousand visits in its first month of activity and reached more than six thousand users monthly. Furthermore, its users tend to be young adults from the middle class. Females outnumber males, (55% to 45%).

How long have you been running it?
Just over 1 year now. We stumbled across the SocialEngine CMS in 2012 when working on a couple of social networks for clients and really liked it, however, we had already committed to other CMS’s. After building three large successful social networks between 2010 – 2014 (using phpfox, pligg and boonex with social apps), we were utterly fed up with all the bugs we encountered. We’ve been in the web development business for over 20 years, so we know a thing or two about developing websites using almost every CMS available on the market today. Back then, we already had the idea of creating a photo-sharing site, but were still developing the concept; and were not satisfied with what the other popular CMS providers were offering. We then re-visited the SocialEngine in January 2014 and were overly impressed with the new cloud product offering and decide to visualize and conceptualize  Godinterest.com  using SocialEngine.

What did we like about SocialEngine?
A match made in heaven we like to say. SocialEngine offered us what none of the other CMS’s could in that it enabled us to setup a high quality website quickly and efficiently, with minimal technical knowledge and a fit-for-purpose template, enabling us then to concentrate on one of the most important aspects of building a successful social network; namely concept, promotion and marketing. We have seen so many failed social networking websites. This happened because the community manager did not consider target audience and promotion. If you’re running a niche website then it may not appeal to everyone so you need to target a certain audience.

Setting up a successful website?
Setting up  Godinterest.com  was a breeze. Because of the concept, it didn’t take long before we started to attract a lot of media attention. To date,  Godinterest.com  has been featured in the Huffington Post (USA), Evening Standard (UK), The Washington Post (USA), The Birmingham News and over twenty other notable news sources. Apart from social marketing, our blog is one of the best things we ever started, where we have a following of over 15,000 people. On the day we were featured on Huffington Post, our website received over 100,000 page views and over 2,000 users in 2 days and stayed online. So if you’re a community manager wondering if SocialEngine cloud is built to scale, we have just answered your question.

A community manager’s job is”¦ never done
Before you attempt to start a community, know that it’s going to be hard work and that your work is never done. We’ll say this again, a website is never finished. If it is to be successful, you will need to update it frequently. The community will need to be monitored daily. It may be quiet at times, and you may need to get involved in community discussions and debates in order to get the community buzzing. We spend considerable time monitoring the website, moderating posts etc. You may need to monitor content if you have certain topic restrictions. If not, just let the discussions run themselves. Our website has categories and we continually review these to ensure members are posting in the right place. As not everyone in this day-and-age is tech-savvy, you will need to be on hand so your users can reach out to you directly for help.

Favorite moment when setting up the community?
This had to be when we started to attract real media attention. It was exciting, but not all media attention is positive. You have to learn to take the good with the ugly. A good media expert told us: “There’s no such thing as bad media.”

What inspired us to setup the website?
Well we have a deep belief in God and wanted to create a central resource for all. A friend of ours, who happens to be an atheist, asked me where he could purchase a Bible. We stated that Amazon or eBay might be a good starting place. However, wouldn’t it be great if everybody could go to one location and find and create lists of what they wanted? The idea grow from there.

What are your future plans?
We plan to continue to grow the network and add more features. We’re really looking forward to launching both iPhone and Android apps once the SocialEngine API has been upgraded.

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Godinterest: The Christian Kind of Pinterest, with Music and Sermon Promotions

When Pinterest first hit the scene, it was fascinating.  Writers like this Christian reporter on Examiner found ourselves pinning away  and creating boards just like the rest of the general public – as well as finding geeky and only slightly legal ways to beef up our followings by auto-following other users whom we hoped and prayed would return the favor and follow us back. As far as pins that were related to Christian stuff, however, well those tended to end up segregated to boards on Pinterest called “Christian stuff,” as if we were giving our followers fair warning that a reference or two or 20 to John 14:6 might be found therein. Read More:

http://www.examiner.com/article/godinterest-the-christian-kind-of-pinterest-with-music-and-sermon-promotions

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Whatever Happened to Jesus?

The remarkable ratings of  The Bible  miniseries on the History Channel led to the release of the new film  Son of God.

Serious, Biblically correct films like Son of God make it easy to forget the Jesus Christ Superstar-style whimsical messiah who once reigned at box offices.

Producers played up the fact that it had been  10 years since Mel Gibson’s  Passion of the Christ  was released and grossed at the box office more than $600 million internationally. In its opening weekend, the  Son  of  God  made  $26 million—not bad, given that its content had previously aired on television.

Both films are serious for their revenue generating, their strategic niche marketing to the religiously devout, and their tone, style, and approach.  The Passion  was two hours of brutality. Some reviewers screamed that it was a  horror flick, not a holy one. Gibson was intent on accuracy (or at least how his particular Catholicism viewed the sacred story). The characters did not speak English and he had the color of actor  Jim Caviezel’s eyes digitally altered from blue to brown and gave him a prosthetic nose  to make him look “authentically” Jewish. The  Son of God  is serious in its own way.  A “political thriller” and an epic “love story,”  the film features  overtly evangelical themes  of the virgin birth, miraculous healings, vicious crucifixion, and the resurrection.

Original Post:  https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/03/whatever-happened-to-hippy-jesus/284138/

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Godnterest Becomes Interesting

5 Indicators You've Hired the Right Project Manager
Let’s face it: Godinterest is  basically one giant Christian photo fest. Whether you’re posting inspirational Christian quotes or prayers, or finding places you want to visit, Godinterest is home to all.

As an entrepreneur, Dean Jones the creator of Godinterest always admired the world of photography for its immense innovative and creative power. It is an art-form that demands tremendous skill and profound discipline. It necessitates deep foresight and the ability to envision something beyond the evident.

This saying  a picture is worth more than a thousand words  was invented by an advertising executive, Fred R. Barnard. To  promote his agency’s ads he took out an ad in Printer’s Ink in 1921 with  the headline

“One Look Is Worth a Thousand Words”

and attributed it to  an ancient Japanese philosopher. Six years later he changed it to

“ChineseProverb: One Picture Is Worth Ten Thousand Words,” illustrated with someChinese characters.  

If a picture is indeed worth a thousand words, why not use photographs to prompt poetry as pictures have the ability to make us feel happy, excited, and curious.

At Godinterest we really like  pictures, and these are the pictures  we really, really like. All of these pictures  have been hand picked from a list of most viewed pictures on Godinterest in 2015. We hope you enjoy them!

Pray

 

The wondrous majesty of imagery knows no bounds. Indeed, as the saying goes  “A picture says a thousand words”.

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Self Interest as God’s Interest

We are initially informed of #God’s interest by the expression of gratification in the creation of man,  and as subsequently manifested by his association with man.

While reflecting on the magnitude of creation the Psalmist was constrained to exclaim,

“When I consider the heavens the work of thy fingers, and the stars which thou has ordained, what is man that thou art mindful of him? Psalm 8:4-6 King James Version (KJV).

Sometimes in our earthly mind, the awesomeness of God is lost.

Galatians’¬ ’­5’¬:’­25’¬ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Isn’t God interested in every part of our lives, not just the spiritual part. So if we believe that we should live by the Holy Spirit’s power, we need then to submit every aspect of our lives to God,  emotionally, physically, socially, intellectually  and  vocationally.

See below for a roundup of some of the most touching photos posted on Godinterest this month.

….Washed White as Snow | ANNA WAKUMOTO  I Had Spent the Last 6 Years of My Life Looking for Fulfillment in All the Wrong Places. Every Place That the World Told Me Would Seemingly Satisfy Me Did Just the Opposite. I Covered up My Anger…

….On Aging | Laura’s Recovery .  to Live Is to Be Slowly Born – Antoine De St Exupery the Purpose of Human Experience Is to Grow Us into God. It Is So We Can Melt into God as We Go – to Expand. We Are Either Expanding or Collapsing…
…Living and Learning at Home: Ultimate Guide to Keeping Young Children with You at Church…

…Trust No Man”¦That Is No Man, Woman, or Child! | Coco Chanel’s Ministry…
…What Does It Mean to Worship?? Throughout My Entire Life I Have Been to Four Churches. Destined Ones Ministry, First Baptist of Hammond, Words of Encouragement Ministries, and Unity Church. I Can R…
…Israel – Photo by Photographer Leon Forado – Photo.net (Photo.net) Photograph by Leon Forado…

Paul says that because we’re saved, we should live like it! The Holy Spirit is the source of our new life’s, so keep in step with its leading. Don’t let anything or anyone else determine your values and standards in any area of your life.

God’s interest in humility goes beyond our comprehension.  Jesus took off the robes of Deity, and put on the robes of humanity, then died on a cross just for us, because He loves us so much; so we could have communion with him, and so we could spend eternity in with Him, when we accept Him as our Lord and Saviour.

When we abide in God, when we are one with Him, we can literally ask whatever we want and He will do it for us (John 15:7).

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What Would Jesus Do? Do You Really Want to Know?

Once upon a time, a mother made her son a wristband. On it was written: WWJD?  The phrase “What would Jesus do?” (often abbreviated to WWJD) became popular in the United States in the 1990s and as a personal motto for adherents of Evangelical Christianity who used the phrase as a reminder of their belief in a moral imperative to act in a manner that would demonstrate the love of Jesus through the actions of the adherents.

The WWJD movement started in 1989 when the youth group at Calvary Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan, studied Charles Sheldon’s 1896 novel, In His Steps.

But the message of wwjd should not be taken for granted due to overexposure. As simple as it seems, sometimes the question—What would Jesus do?—still leaves people  wondering. However, its not hard  when ones considers that  Jesus said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. #Love

Little Girl Lost | Our Souls Purpose.
There once was a little girl, she was sweet and loving, the way a child is. She had blonde hair and was ever so tiny. She loved everyone she knew, she looked at the world through eyes that had not been  wounded by this world.  Now the teenager turns into a young woman, wife, and mother. She feels the light but she doesn’t live in the light…  What would Jesus do?
Heart Touching Examples of Documentary Photography  on Godinterest.  What Would Jesus Do?
 
Mandatory Prayer to Promote Wellness.
United States Marine Corps recruits take a moment for mandatory prayer before lights out at 9:00 P.M. in Parris Island, South Carolina, January 6, 2005. Recruits go through a twelve week training program where the objective is to instill self-discipline and confidence, high moral standards, warrior spirit, basic military knowledge and individual skills, physical fitness and wellness as a way of life, respect and love of Country and Corps. Now one might be arrested for leading soldiers into prayer, however,  What would Jesus do?
 #love letters

True Love Never Grows Old.  We  Love Seeing Old Couples. It Gives Us  Hope That Love Can Still Stand the Test of Time.
How God’s Broken Through My Walls  This Year Has Been All About Learning About the Character of God, and Also About the Character of Me.
Everyone has thinking patterns and world views that need adjusting; the biggest one for me this…What would Jesus do?
What Would Jesus Do?  Remember the Less Fortunate This Christmas,  ‘Come, You Who Are Blessed by My Father, Inherit the Kingdom Prepared for You from the Creation of the World. For I Was Hungry, and You Fed Me. I Was Thirsty, and You Gave Me a Drink. I Was a Stran.
#GOD #JESUS  #GODLY
Beyond the fad

“What would Jesus do?” is an irrelevant question for many people because they don’t know who Jesus is.  Before we can ask the question “What would Jesus do?” we must ask ourselves whether we know Jesus. Knowing Jesus begins with reading about His life, teachings and claims in the Bible.

So what would Jesus do? He would seek the Father for the strength and wisdom to embrace, restore, confront, teach, serve, and equip the people around him.

These phrase  should drive us back to the gospels to take a fresh look at how Jesus lived. The fad phase of WWJD may be over, but we need to hold on to the phrase even whiles posting images on Godinterest  and keep asking ourselves—What would Jesus do? It’s a great question. But remember: If you’re not sure what Jesus actually did in his life, then you’re just guessing at what he might do in yours.

 

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