Let’s Support

According to recent news, four out of every ten children in our culture live in homes without their

. Close to half of our children are being raised by single parents or find themselves part of a “blended” family. The so-called nuclear family consisting of two parents and their children is no longer the norm.

Single parents face many challenges. Single parents must accomplish on their own what often is a challenge for two parents. Without a partner, however, they need emotional support. Some single parents find themselves deep in debt and often face financial hardship. Some no longer feel accepted by former friends because their partner is gone.

Today, single parents need the help of the Christian community. In the Old Testament, God made provisions for widows and orphans. James calls us to put our faith into practice by reaching out to them. Had James been writing today, he would have included single parents and their children too. You and I may need to step in and help. Look around in your church for such needs and help. You can help care for young children, accept single-parent families into fellowship groups, and provide financial assistance. In the church, everyone should be accepted and included.

Religion that … [is] pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress. (James 1:27).

Let’s Pray

Yahweh, help us as members of your church to reach out to all who stand alone as they raise their children, Father give us all the grace to accept and learn from each other. In Jesus, Amen.

From Outreach Ideas to Action in Three Easy Steps

From Outreach Ideas to Action in Three Easy Steps

A good idea is great. A good idea that’s executed perfectly can change the world. But a simple idea alone is useless.

A Good Idea That’s Executed Perfectly Can Change the World

There’s an idea that flops and an idea that becomes the next biggest thing. It’s all about how it’s executed. If it doesn’t come with a plan, or if it appears too difficult to introduce, someone else will do it, leaving you with a has-been idea that can no longer be implemented. This is why every ‘brainwave’ ‘eureka’ moment idea needs to be teamed together with a worthy execution”¦if not, don’t expect much.

Pushing an innovative idea forward into something else remains one of our biggest challenges. Admittedly, it can be a super exhausting process, which is why it’s always a great idea to invite the crowd to not only come up with the wonderful ideas, but to also help develop them as well.

There are a few key stages that need to be followed when it comes to getting your crowd in on the idea decision-making and development game.

1. Create a Unique Team

Almost anyone can research and refine new innovative ideas. However, you can take it a step further and invite the crowd to join in the fun and be a part of your team. This will give your idea more validation. It will also decrease any potential risk, and at the same time it could be a huge timesaver when it comes to marketing and finances.

In short, each and every idea should be unique enough to sway people to join a team that supports the idea.

2. Fine Tune that Idea

They say that behind every great idea catapulted onto the market, there was an equally great plan. Every idea requires some sort of plan. It could be just a basic one that briefly outlines the various possibilities connected to it, or it could be a more complex plan that delves into the intricacies of it.

A good plan should include a business plan. This might seem like a given, but you’d be surprised as to how many people don’t have a good business plan to back up their ideas. Plans should also include target audiences, marketing ideas and much more.

You need to approach every idea in a methodical way. You’ll need a unique set of criteria that pertains to one idea – it’s not a case of one-size fits all. You’ll need to answer any question that arises, and until this is done, you can’t move forward and successfully turn your idea into reality.

Use and involve your crowd. Ask them to research various aspects of the idea, and then have them report back and share their ideas and findings with the rest of the group.

3. Don’t Stand for Mediocre

There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of okay ideas. There are even hundreds of great ideas. But, an average or good idea is not enough, which is why it’s absolutely essential to select only the best of the best ideas. It doesn’t matter if it’s only one mind-blowing idea because as the old adage goes, quality is better than quantity.

Quality Is Better than Quantity

The good and even the great ideas might struggle. Such ideas are difficult to get funding for, and it’s more challenging to prototype and deliver them. If you want to make your idea come alive, you need to have defined criteria, which allows for choosing the best idea to follow up on. After the criteria has been established, it’s time to use the crowd again aka Christian community. Ask them to respond accordingly and honestly – does the idea meet all the listed criteria?

If yes, that’s great, you’re moving towards success. If not, it’s back to the drawing board to get it right.

You need to act now and remember this: it’s okay to simply start by putting just one outreach idea into action.

What kinds of challenges do you and your team face when trying to develop your ideas further?

How To Promote Your Christian Game Via Social Media

Blessedly, if you type the word “Christian” into the iTunes App Store, you’ll receive a boatload of results to choose from. While many of the offerings represent different versions of the Bible, there are also plenty of apps that fall into the games category that arise also, such as a very well reviewed game called “Bible Trivia” that helps people get their Jesus quotes straight and memorize verses in an interesting manner. With the popularity of TV shows like The American Bible Challenge, it’s no wonder people are taking to their iPhones and iPads to continue the fun and test their biblical acumen using mobile device games.

Apparently, the success of that “Bible Trivia” app – with its in-app purchases – along with others like it, proves that the buying public is willing to shell out hard-earned cash in order to beef up on their study of Scripture. This is great news for makers of Christian games, and if you’ve decided your calling is to use this exciting type of medium that is the gaming industry to spread God’s word all over the world, you might be wondering how to actually use social media to help bring about buzz for your new game.

Read more:  http://venturebeat.com/2014/07/12/how-to-promote-your-christian-game-via-social-media/

Sign-up:  https://godinterest.com

Inspired by the Need for Wholesome Content Sharing, Godinterest Offers a Pinterest Alternative

Yahoo-Finance-LogoLONDON, April 23, 2014 For those Christians, entrepreneurs and ministries that use Pinterest but want to share within a Christian environment, Godinterest could be the answer to your dreams.

Speculation is growing about the content the owners of Godinterest will and will not permit, but how does it actually differ from Pinterest?

 

Godinterest was founded by Dean Jones, a Christian, to allow people to post within an environment that prohibits ill-mannered language and distasteful images.

Jones, a 35-year-old Project Manager from London, said,  “Pinterest is one of the leading social media sites; however, posts on Pinterest are not always guaranteed to be suitable for the whole family.  We are mindful of the values that we as Christians are bound by and therefore  Godinterest will help to provide an additional cushion of safety. I see this as a ministry and to that degree, non-Christians are most welcome; however, Christianity is not up for debate.”

Godinterest strives to have Christian content and like Pinterest, people can use Godinterest to  collect and share photos of their ffavoriteevents, interests and hobbies.

Jones said,

“Godinterest acts as a bespoke Christian media platform, whereby users’ content and the content of others can be browsed on the main page.  Its mission is to connect Christians through the interests they share. Users can upload images and embed videos to boards, which can be used to organise images they love from around the web or from their very own work.”

 

“Boards can also be used by educators to plan lessons and for later referral. Students can post and organise sources.   Each user’s boards are potential inspiration for the rest of the community and ‘re-posting’ is highly encouraged.”

Godinterest  also allows businesses to create pages aimed at promoting their businesses online.

Jones said, “A friend of mine who happens to be an atheist recently asked me where he could purchase a Bible. I stated that Amazon or eBay might be a good starting place. However, wouldn’t it be great if everybody could go to one location for everything Christian and find and create lists of what they wanted? There are millions of small businesses around the world; however, not all have a voice. Godinterest hopes to fill that gap by providing virtual store fronts.”

Accounts can be created and accessed by linking Godinterest to  Facebook,  Twitter  or LinkedIn profiles.

Read more here!

 

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