Sometimes I feel inappropriate

Sometimes I feel as inappropriate as a bike with square wheels.

I have to ask those with whom I do life to forgive me more often than I like. But it's the right thing to do. Jesus said that if we realize we've hurt or wronged someone, we are to put things on hold while we search them out to ask for their forgiveness (Matthew 5:23-24). It's hard to do, but it's important.

The amazing truth is that as foolish as I sometimes am ('often' might be more accurate...), the Lord continues to choose to work through me! He can miraculously round out my square wheels and use me to actually move things forward! His grace and mercy is so wonderful.

Earbud Silicon Tip Stuck in Ear!

I never saw this one coming. I took my earbuds out of my ears, and was bummed to see that one of them was missing the silicon tip. Thinking it must have fallen on the floor, I looked around but couldn't find it. Disappointed, I planned to go on with my day. But I noticed my hearing in one ear was a little off, and discovered the tip was still in there!

This happened just before takeoff on a 3-hour flight. So, after we were up in the air I approached the flight attendant and asked if they had tweezers I could borrow. Saying they didn't, she asked me why I needed them. I told her, and she offered to page for a doctor or make an emergency landing. I declined both offers, figuring I would wait until we landed and take care of it then.

After landing I retrieved my bag, got my tweezers, and was able to remove the silicon tip. Boy, was I relieved.

Lesson learned: no more earbuds! I'm switching to over-the-ear headphones!

How to Set an Early End to Your IT Career

While at a conference this week I spoke with a church about needs their current IT vendor weren't meeting. The main issue was that the vendor will not support any workstation platforms other than Windows. I suggested they talk with the president of that firm before making a change in case they were working on a solution they hadn't yet announced.

One of the key issues those of us in IT focus on is the rapid change of technology. But we cannot limit ourselves to any single platform or software solution for very long if we want our opportunities to serve to grow. We must constantly look for trends that are meaningful to our clients and, anticipating them, have solutions ready when our clients request them.

I have said many times when speaking to IT groups that restricting oneself to a platform or software solution is a sure way to put a horizon on one's career.

My path went from DOS to Windows to Mac; from landlines to cellular to Palm PDAs to Blackberry to Android and iOS; from Everex to Compaq to HP to Compaq (which HP then bought) to Dell and Apple; from AmiPro to WordPerfect and Lotus 123 to Word; from standalone computers to Novell NetWare to Windows Server to our private cloud. You get the idea.

If you're in IT, I encourage you to look at your client base, get a pulse on where they're headed, and begin researching and testing solutions they'll be asking for so that when they do, you'll already have expertise in that space.

New Article About Backup Strategy & the Solutions We Recommend

I just released a new article for publication that briefly works through backup strategy and recommended solutions. If you'd like to read a free copy, click here!

Rich Hammar's Copyright Law for Churches

My church wanted to address a copyright issue. After consulting with some attorneys on the topic, we turned to a great resource: Rich Hammar's Copyright Law for Churches. We found case law and principles that helped us make a decision that will serve and protect the church for years to come. I heartily recommend it!

Here's a link on how to get your copy:  http://store.churchlawtodaystore.com/esgutocolawf.html

New Article on How to Get the Most Out of Your ChMS

There are patterns of what causes ChMS dissatisfaction, and knowing those patterns can help you know how to get the most out of your ChMS. The article I released for publication can help!

Click here to read a free advance copy.

Ongoing Training-- A Great Investment

I'm excited about going to ACS Technologies' and Shelby Systems' user group meetings this spring! What excites me most about them is the great opportunities they are for church and ministry team members to grow in their knowledge of these very popular church management systems and for team members to be encouraged by meeting others who do similar work for like-minded organizations. I feel fortunate to be involved in the process.

Most churches and ministries don't recognize the wisdom in the opportunity to help their team members grow in their understanding and proficiency in these important tools. Taking advantage of these training events is an effective way to help accomplish the mission better, and to do so for less. It is a terrific investment!

Here's a Real World Example
As a ChMS authority (due to my writing and consulting in this area), I get calls throughout the year from churches and ministries that are thinking of making a change. One of the common reasons they call is that no one on staff knows how to use the system currently in use. I often ask them how long it's been since they had any training on their ChMS, and the response is usually that it's been a very long time-- maybe even before any current staff were on the team!

I explain to them that training would be much less expensive and much less disruptive to their ministry than changing their ChMS would be, and I encourage them to get some training. Doing so costs so little and yields such a great return on investment!

If your church or ministry uses one of these two systems, please consider sending at least one person to their annual event. I know you'll thank me later!