Pictorial Church Directories

After some thought, I've decided that we can produce pictorial church directories.
What would our directory look like? A picture of each family in the directory, either paper or online for easy updating. There are a number of options for a directory and that will affect the price.

When Disaster Strikes

To see it full size click here.

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the disaster in the Binghamton, New York area. The flood has destroyed the neighborhood where I grew up and

the first floor of my parents house is total loss. We are still in the mourning the death of a house.

That sounds a little weird, "the death of house," truly that's what it is. The stuff is gone, the memories remain, the place where it happened while it can be rebuilt, it's not the same. There's the emotional roller coaster of pulling everything out, one piece at a time and the flood of memories with each item.

Until you're standing in the midst of it, you cannot comprehend the level of the destruction. Yet in the midst of the damage, there are little glimpses of

God at work:

• Although the living room was flooded up to inches of the ceiling, the plush cat that always sat on the back of couch, was still sitting on the upturned couch, the couch was wet and the cat was perfectly dry. My mom cried when she got her car back, cleaned and sanitized Sunday morning.
• The corner cupboard was overturned onto its back and most of the ceramic teapots were still in it and it whole thing came to rest in the air at an angle, so it drained out really well. The platter on the top shelf was sitting there, undamaged, the teapots were tumbled, but not damage, a few of the lids were on the floor in the nearby, unbroken.
• The table floated like a boat in the dining room and a little plush monkey rode it like a surf board. He was dry and comfortable.

They have several collection points for the flood debris.

They have only scratched the surface of collecting it. Here's the collection near the Twin Orchards neighborhood in Vestal.

October is Clergy Appreciation Month

We love our pastor. This month is the month to remember and honor him for all that he does. There would be no great pastor without the great lady that stands behind him, his wife.

October 31st we are giving away a family portrait package to one pastor and his family. The pastor either needs to live in Syracuse, NY or Binghamton, NY areas or be willing to travel to there for their portrait session.

The Prize: They will receive a portrait session, one 8x10, four 5x7, and nine wallets. That's a $100 value.

The Rules:

• You can nominate any clergy or their wife. leave a comment here why they should win, or on the studio blog when the giveaway is posted.
• To make it fair, a candidate's name is only in the hat once.
• They have to be local or can travel to us.
• You can nominate your wife if you're a pastor.

How to enter:
Leave a comment on the blog why they should win. I'll take all the names and throw them in a hat and pick one out on Oct 31, 2010. You will also be able to comment on the regular studio blog when I post there in the next day or two.

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1.02.28

The Worship Bucket LIst

Found a great blog post through LinkedIn.

10 Bucket Wishes for Worship Before I Die

How often do we just go through the motions of church. The Sunday morning pre-game rush. Personally, I dislike the Sunday-get-ready-for-church-hurry-up-eat-your-breakfast-we're-going-to-be-late routine. Not the best mood to be in when I get to church service and need to get ready to worship.

#11 Arrange ahead of time to meet in the woods or at a farm (non-church member's) and through the week, secretly get the word out to where to meet and when, but there's one more catch..... everybody needs to arrive at different times and from different directions, so it's a secret meeting. Perhaps meet under the cover of darkness at night. Welcome to how many of brothers and sisters meet to worship.


What's on your Worship Bucket List? Get out there and do it.

Tithing - Farmer Rap Style

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1.02.28

Reminds me a little bit of the early DC talk. Good lessons to learn here.

Can't go north, Can't go south

I just got an urgent email from a long time friend. Pray. Pray Hard. We need a miracle. Julie is their daughter and Israel is their Argentinian son-in-law.

Julie and Israel are in a big predicament. Julie is expecting. Yes. A baby. Normally it would be cause for celebration. And we are celebrating. In this case however, it would be a high-risk pregnancy, for Julie, even more than the baby. Doctors have always said that if, by chance, Julie became pregnant, she would have to stay in the USA, under doctors’ care, for the entire pregnancy due to her heart condition. (She is currently in the USA for a check up and Israel is in Argentina waiting for an interview at the US Consulate in Buenos Aires.)

Julie, as the American citizen in the family, must be present at the consulate interview in Argentina. But the doctors could tell her that she cannot travel for the interview. Is she to fly across two continents in her condition? Is she to have her baby in Argentina?

So. For you Bible scholars, you can see that we are between the Egyptians and the Red Sea, the axe head has fallen into the water, Joseph is in jail, and the Ark of the Covenant has been stolen. You can add any story you want. It is a mess.

Yet, many have faith that the Lord can turn this thing around. The Spirit brought to my mind the words, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard , neither hath entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him.”

Our God has pulled off so many miracles with Julie in the past thirty-two years that it would make your head spin. I recently finished my 3,160-page book, “Y Acontecio” (And It Came To Pass) which is a book of real life miracles in our lives.

Now we need another one. Please pray for Julie, the baby, and Israel’s visa. Something has to change and very fast.

Please feel free to pass this e-mail on to any of your praying friends.

She is set to return to Argentina on Wednesday, September 8th.

Pray for a miracle. Many thanks.

How big is our God? More than big enough to take care of this. It didn't come as a surprise to Him. Prayer is not repeating to God what he already knows, but bringing ourselves into the right posture before the God that spoke the universe into existence.

The BibleStick

Just in time for Marine Corp Day & Veterans Day

As we take the time to remember those who sacrificed for our freedoms, lets give back to those who are serving now.

Christian ministry plans Veterans Day salute

USA (MNN) -- November 11 is Veterans Day, an annual American holiday honoring military veterans. It's a good time to remember the troops who face danger daily. The love of Christ is bringing hope. Troy Carl with Faith Comes By Hearing says the "iPod" generation is responding positively to the military BibleStick. In fact, "We really hope that people will take this opportunity to sponsor a soldier, provide the pure Scripture that meets their challenges and helps give them comfort in their time of need." A BibleStick is a digital audio player loaded with an Audio Drama New Testament, specially geared for combat zones. The response? "Over 22,000 military BibleSticks have been distributed through chaplains all around the world, and it's having a tremendous impact. Of course, now they're saying, 'Give us more!'" Hundreds have requested one, only to find that they're already gone. How can you help? Carl says, "You can sponsor a soldier with a military stick for $25, and that also includes our ministry providing an audio Bible on disk to their loved one."