Nothing Too Small – Take it to the Lord in Prayer
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There are few who rightly appreciate or improve the precious privilege of prayer. We should go to Jesus and tell Him all our needs. We may bring Him our little cares and perplexities as well as our greater troubles. Whatever arises to disturb or distress us, we should take it to the Lord in prayer.
We lose many precious blessings by failing to bring our needs and cares and sorrows to our Saviour. He is the wonderful Counselor. . . . He enters into the depth of our necessities. But our ways are not always His ways. He sees the result of every action, and He asks us to trust patiently in His wisdom, not in the supposedly wise plans of our own making.
Do not cease to pray. If the answer tarry, wait for it. Lay all your plans at the feet of the Redeemer. Let your importunate prayers ascend to God. If it be for His name’s glory, the soothing words will be spoken, “Be it unto thee according to thy word.”
We can never weary Christ by earnest supplications. We do not depend on God as we should. Let us leave unsaid every word of complaint. Talk faith and courage while waiting for God. . . . Be afraid to doubt, lest this become a habit that will destroy faith. The dealing of the heavenly Father may seem dark and mysterious and unexplainable; nevertheless we are to trust in Him.
Oh, how precious is Jesus to the soul who trusts in Him! But many are walking in darkness because they bury their faith in the shadow of Satan. . . . Never for a moment should we allow Satan to think that his power to distress and annoy is greater than the power of Christ to uphold and strengthen. . . .
. . . . He is faithful who hath promised. He will never forsake the soul who is wholly surrendered to Him.
The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him. Lamentations 3:25
Source: E.G.White, Our Father Cares, p. 148
Community Service Activities: 31 Community Service Ideas
July 31, 2009 by admin
Filed under Ministry Ideas
Community Service Ideas: Youth and Young Adults Ministries
ChristianMomsCorner.com Page Note: When you lead the youth to do any community service activities don’t forget to serve them a “special treat” after the activity. . . Our youth group always looked forward for pizza. . .
Check out these community service ideas for youth or young adults ministries. Older members can also become involved in some of these. Remember, you’re as young as you choose to be.
31 Community Service Activities and Ideas for Your Local Community Ministry
1. Adopt a Highway – Contact your local county or state highway transportation department for information about adopting a highway. Some urban areas invite citizens to help them keep public fences and walls graffiti free.
2. Adopt a Church – Contact your pastor about adopting a church. This can either be in another country, or, there may be a small church nearby that is struggling. Larger churches may be able to send small teams to encourage them and assist, from time to time, with their Sabbath services. For churches far away, your church can send notes of encouragement, care packages and pictures of your church family. You may also be able to help them conduct evangelistic meetings, or send a team to help build a new sanctuary.
3. Adopt a Missionary Family – Ask Global Missions or Adventist Frontier Missions to help you select a missionary that you or your church can sponsor. Send then letters, emails and cards to encourage them and help them stay connected with their homeland.
4. Baby Food Drive – Contact the manager at an area grocery store and ask for baby food donations. Give the food to a local community shelter that helps battered women, or families with small children.
5. Basketball Camp – Work with your friends who enjoy basketball to plan a skills camp for kids. Know the rules, reserve a school gym, advertise the event, then teach what you know.
6. Big Brother/Sister – Offer to read a story to younger children in your neighborhood or help them with their homework. Call Head Start or a child care center near your home and offer to assist.
7. Blankie Project – Make a small lap quilt or baby blanket. Contact a family services organization that can identify some families with needs.
8. Cemetery Clean Up – If there is an old cemetery that needs weeds cleaned up around headstones or fences, contact the city or cemetery authorities to offer your help. This would be a great project for a youth group.
9. Church Worship Service – Contact a pastor or elder at your church and volunteer to lead the prayer, call for the offering, provide special music or even share a testimony.
10. Clown Ministry – Find some old clothes, ties and shoes (the older and uglier the better) and start a clown ministry that performs Christian skits. Arrange to perform at a hospital, park or shopping area.
11. Community Garden – Find someone who has land they’re willing to lend for a community garden. You can help grow vegetables for a worthy cause, or help people in need grow their own food.
12. Computer Health Age – Use a computer to demonstrate how lifestyle can affect one’s life-span. Obtain a computer and some health projection software, and provide free health assessments to shoppers in a mall our store parking lot.
13. Cookie Monsters – Get your friends to help you bake some cookies. Deliver them to fire fighters, police officers or emergency workers who have to work during a weekend or holiday.
14. Feed the Homeless – Offer to assist at a homeless shelter. Make sack lunches for the homeless. Collect clothing that can be donated and shared.
15. Food Bank – Help with a local Food Bank by collecting cans of food, or other dry goods for distribution. Also volunteer your time to help at the center.
16. Food Boxes – Collect food for give away baskets and boxes for needy families. Include some fresh baked bread and vegetables (a real nice extra).
17. Free Car Wash – Wash cars for free and accept donations for a worthy project (like a local ministry, an orphanage in Mexico, or a mission trip to Russia).
18. Foster Care for a Dog – If you know someone who needs a temporary home for a dog, while his master moves or is away, consider whether you might be able to help.
19. Garage Sale – Organize a garage sale for your mission project. Invite all of your friends to donate items they don’t use anymore. One group made over $1,200.00 doing this.
20. Graffiti Clean Up – Put on your paint clothes and volunteer to help your community clean up graffiti.
21. Hoe and Go – Visit homes in your neighborhood and volunteer to weed and hoe their gardens or flower beds (be careful not to take out the flowers).
22. Houses for Birds – Contact a retired carpenter about helping you make some birdhouses. Paint Luke 12:6-7 on the side of each house. Invite members to mount them outside their homes.
23. Humane Society – Contact an animal shelter and volunteer your help where needed. Sometimes they need people to walk dogs, pet the animals and clean cages.
24. Prayer Group – Start a prayer group with your friends (include others you don’t usually hang out with) and let specific people know you are praying for them.
25. Senior/Shut-in Visits – Contact the Social Director of a nearby nursing home to see if you can bring a group in to sing and pray with the residents. Take some cards, flowers or cookies to pass out as little gifts.
26. Safe Telephone Poles – Get a claw hammer and a pair of pliers and remove the rusty nails and staples from wooden utility poles. This makes it safer for workers who climb the poles.
27. Story Hour – Plan a story hour for younger kids on a Sabbath afternoon. Make a poster to put up around your neighborhood. This could include a clown ministry and puppets as well.
28. Surprise Package Company – Make little boxes for a child who is sick. Include toys, prizes and memory verse cards. Drop it off secretly without telling who it’s from.
29. Trikes for Kids – Put together a drive to collect used trikes that people are willing to donate. Find someone in your church who is good at working on bicycles and toys. Refurbish the trikes and find needy children to give them to.
30. Video Outreach – Find kids or families in your neighborhood who are interested in Christian videos. Check them out from the church library and return them for them when they are finished.
31. Will Work for Food Day – Offer to work for members of your church (cleaning, yard work, washing cars, running errands) for donations that can support a worthy cause (missions, shelter, food bank).
No doubt you can add to this list. There are so many things we can do to help others. Maybe none of these fit you or your group, but hopefully they have stimulated other ideas you can try.
Source: PlusLine.org
Rich DuBose is Director of Church Support Services for the Pacific Union Conference and a producer of Christian web content.
Affiliate Networks vs. Independent Affiliate Programs
There are pros and cons to signing up with Affiliate Networks vs. Independent Affiliate
Programs. The chart below describes several major differences between the two types.
Learn more on Affiliate Marketing: Honest Riches by Holly Mann – 3rd edition (10-in-1 Special Edition)
Honest Riches 2nd Edition: Beginner’s Quick Guide to Online Home Business
Creative Prayer Idea: The Five-Finger Prayer
Easy and Simple Creative Prayer Idea: The 5-Finger Prayer
- Thumb
Your thumb is nearest to you
So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C.S. Lewis said, a “sweet duty.”
- Pointing Finger
The next finger is the pointing finger.
Pray for those who heal, teach, and instruct. This includes doctors, teachers, and ministers. They need wisdom in pointing others in the right direction.
- Tallest Finger
The next finger is the tallest finger.
It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president and leaders in business and industry. These people shape our nation. They need God’s guidance.
- Ring Finger
The fourth finger is the ring finger
This is our weakest finger. It reminds us to pray for the weak, those in trouble or in pain. You cannot pray enough for them.
- Smallest Finger
And last comes our little finger, the smallest finger of all.
This is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. The Bible says,“He who is least among you all — he is the greatest” Luke 9:48.
After you’ve prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into perspective.
Author Unknown
More Creative Prayer Ideas:
- Creative Prayer Ideas for Personal Prayer – “If My People Pray”
- More Creative Prayer Ideas: Personal Prayer
Pastor Randy’s: “If My People Pray”
Helpful Books on Creative Prayer
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Creative Prayer:
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PRAYzing!
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The Fourth Dimension
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Loving Your Spouse
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More Creative Prayer – Helpful Resources Here
Affordable & Meaningful Gift Ideas
Christmas Pure & Simple
CLICK HERE
Researching Affiliate Programs (Affiliate Networks) – Beginners’ Tips
Researching Affiliate Programs
When researching affiliate programs, it is important to consider several factors:
1. Is the affiliate program pay-per-lead or pay-per-sale?
2. What is the dollar amount or percentage of the payouts?
3. How often are commissions sent out?
4. Are the commissions released through paypal, direct deposit, check or other methods?
5. How long are tracking cookies in place for? (For example, if someone clicks through your unique affiliate link and then decides to wait six weeks before purchasing, will you still get paid for that sale)?
When business owners decide to create an affiliate program for their product or service, they can choose to do so through variant means. Software programs can be purchased online; uploaded and installed so that the company has their own affiliate program setup. Their company would personally manage their affiliate program and they would be responsible for sending out checks or payments to the affiliates promoting for them. That type of affiliate program could be classified as an Independent affiliate program.
For business owners who do not want to deal with the tracking, payments and workload involved with having an Independent affiliate program, they may choose to signup with an Affiliate Network. Affiliate Networks do the work for the businesses and manage an array of affiliate programs in one place. For people who work online and promote many different products, it can be difficult to keep track of all of them. If you sign up with only Independent affiliate programs you may be receiving checks all at different times, you must keep track of each one in order to manage all the statistics (which is important to do in order to pay taxes).
Affiliate Networks differ because once you sign up to be a part of the Affiliate Network, then you may browse different affiliate programs based on criteria such as: Health and Fitness, Home and Family, Internet, Money and Employment, etc. You can also usually search for an affiliate program based on a keyword or search term/phrase. With an Affiliate Network, all of your earnings are managed through your account control panel and payments are consolidated so that you receive your check or direct deposit with all profits at once (rather than multiple checks from different companies).
Helpful Affiliate Marketing Sites for Beginners
- Here are three websites which are really helpful for newcomers to affiliate marketing:
- AffiliateManager.net – This website’s goal is to assist those who are just getting started with affiliate programs as well as affiliate marketing gurus.
- AffiliateTip.com – This website offers free resources to help affiliates with programs while providing “How-To”s on affiliate promotion and help with which affiliate programs to promote.
- AffiliateBoards.com – This is a forum dedicated to affiliate marketing. [currently this site is no longer an active forum.]
Learn more on Affiliate Marketing: Honest Riches by Holly Mann – 3rd edition (10-in-1 Special Edition)
Honest Riches 2nd Edition: Beginner’s Quick Guide to Online Home Business
More Creative Prayer Ideas: Personal Prayer
My previous blog was about “Creative Ideas for Personal Prayer” action points that are being suggested by Pastor Randy Maxwell in his book: If My People Pray. ” His suggestions are very helpful when you are getting bored of praying the same prayer over and over. Here are more excerpts of Pastor Randy’s fresh, creative ideas and suggestions for personal prayer. Read more
Creative Prayer Ideas for Personal Prayer – “If My People Pray”
When it comes to our relationship with Jesus, choosing to pray — to be with Him — is often the greatest battle.
Pastor Randy has some fresh prayer ideas and suggestions to help you begin practicing prayer as relationship. We should first begin enjoying the times, however brief, the time that we spend and share with God. Read more
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate Marketing is a lucrative, high-paying venture to break into. You can be your own boss, make your own hours, have your own business, yet have no inventory or major overhead costs to be concerned with. It is extremely risky for the average person interested in becoming a business owner through creating, manufacturing, patenting and selling their own product. Few small-businesses push through and succeed past their first year. Read more
Holly Mann: Honest Riches eBook – 2nd Edition
You might be wondering what is really in Honest Riches eBook by Holly Mann. If you’re thinking it’s a scam, you can read the previous edition here in my site. I’ll make some of the pages of the 2nd version of Honest Riches available here.
It is highly recommended to get her latest Honest Riches edition: 10-in-one collection. You can get your copy here: Honest Riches by Holly Mann Read more
Internet Home Business Startup Tips from Kevin Rose
Due to the global economic situation that we are having now, many of us are looking for ways to make extra money at home or maybe you want to start an internet home business. You might think it’s hard, but not really. I’ll be posting sometime some articles with tips on how to start an internet home business. If you can’t wait for my posts, for now you can get Honest Riches by Holly Mann here. It’s “The Ultimate Internet Marketing Guide for Beginners.”
Read more
