I wrote a blog entry a while back about finding God hidden stories this Christmas, you can read it here. I have been saving this story for a few weeks now. I wanted to give it to you all on Christmas. This is not my story but another persons story that I have claimed as my own… it was hard not to cry when I heard it. A person in the church community I go to told us this story… it was the Sunday after I wrote the stories of Christmas post. For the sake of her identity I will refer to her as Sue.

Sue got up in front of the church to tell us about what had happened. The pastor had just mentioned how Sue’s story had touched him and he wanted us all to hear it. Sue began to tell us how she was going to Wal-Mart over the weekend to try to finish up her Christmas shopping (Just like every other person in the US) She fought the crowds all the way back to the lay-away section where she was going to pick up some presents that she had been paying on. In front of her was this man who was holding on to a five dollar bill tightly and he was talking to the sales clerk. Sue could not help but over hear the conversation and apparently the man was trying to buy some shoes out of lay-away for his child. Sue heard the sales clerk tell the man, "Sir, I’m sorry but I told you when you first brought these shoes here for lay-away that it was going to cost more than five dollars to get them out… you don’t have enough." Sue could tell the man was having a hard time accepting what the sales clerk was saying. Five dollars was all that he had… and his child really needed these new shoes. Sue silently prayed thanking God for this opportunity that was just given to her. She had the opportunity to help someone in the middle of all this shopping chaos.

Sue spoke up and said, "Sir, I would like to buy those shoes for you if you will let me." The man quickly agreed and was very thankful. Sue handed over the $6 to $10 dollars to pay out the shoes and gave the man his child’s gift and wished him a Merry Christmas. He was of course very thankful and took the shoes and left. Sue paid out her lay-away items and left to go home, thankful that God would let her small amount of money help someone so much.

This is where we thought the story ended…. but it didn’t…

Sue went on to tell us that a few weeks went by and she received a phone call out of nowhere. She answered it and on the other side was a woman’s voice. The woman asked if this was Sue. Sue was wondering what this was all about. The woman proceeded to tell her that she was the sales clerk at the lay-away counter a few weeks ago where Sue had helped the man purchase shoes for his child. She told Sue that she wanted to call her to tell her something. Sue asked what it was and this is what the sales clerk told her. She said: "Sue, no one knew but that day when you helped that man buy those shoes for his child I was planning on taking my life when I clocked out from work. I had already planned the entire thing and was prepared to do it. I had decided that the world was just too bad and I was not happy with life. When you paid for that man’s shoes, it shocked me. It showed me that there were still good people in this world and maybe the world was not as bad as it might have seemed. I decided then that I was not going to end my life but instead was going to keep on and I wanted to call you to tell you myself… Thank you." Sue was speechless.

You see… stories are everywhere… opportunities are everywhere… waiting for us to find them. Sue thought that all she had done was help a man provide his child shoes. She was completely unaware of what God was really doing. Sue had no idea that by being Jesus to someone, EVEN IN THE SMALLEST FASHION, she played a part in showing a third party sales clerk that life was worth living.

So, this Christmas… may you be Jesus…. may you find that even the little things can be so big…. may you see that the true spirit of Christmas is not just on one day… but everyday… may you look past the crowds and chaos… and reach out a hand to help someone… may you find the God hidden stories that wait for you everyday…. and respond… and may you find that God uses shoes of all sizes for more than just walking.

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I recently spent time consulting with a large church in Texas struggling with church management software. Over the last several years they have spent thousands of dollars on their current system which they were not happy with. They really wanted a better solution.The time I spent with this church reinforced the idea of just how difficult it can be to choose a data base solution for ministry.

Let me warn you, there is no silver bullet for selecting a data base that will fit your church. Your options are staggering. There are over 40 companies that provide some form of CMS and this does not count broader secular data bases. Costs can range from a few hundred dollars to over ten thousand.

I think the key is to avoid purchasing mistakes early in the process. This will save money and more importantly the time lost trying to find, install, and implement a new CMS. Some of the things you need to consider are setting aside the time to get your ministry teams on the same page, answering some questions about your specific needs, and narrowing down your choice of vendor from the many available. Oh, and try to avoid some common mistakes along the way.

God bless.

Continue reading:

Part 2: Custom Software Development

Part 3: Custom Software Development – Things to Consider

- Learn more about Nspire church software by going to www.nspiresoftware.com -

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Creativity is about more than saying the right thing that everyone wants to hear. I see it as being more about discovering. Creativity is discovered. It is pulled out from under some rock in our heads and examined. In many of those creative meeting we had, someone would through out a completely outrageous idea, but it would spark something that was really good. Unless, that person had spoken up and said something, we would have missed the entire opportunity to find a really creative idea.

So, if you have a hard time being creative or getting the "flow" going… keep trying. Look at things differently, try to let your logic and your imagination work together, it will come. If you are still having a hard time take a look at the Church Relevance blog, they had a great article that can help you jump start the creative juices located at this link.

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- Learn more about Nspire church software by going to www.nspiresoftware.com -

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1. “That will never work.”
2. “Can you show me another Church that is already doing this?”
3. "I don’t think our members will go for that, and without them…”
4. “It’s fantastic, but the secretary/pastor/whoever won’t like it.”
5. “Well, this might work for other Congregations, but I think we’ll stick with what we’ve got.”
6. “Maybe after we get the new budget.”
7. “It’s never been done before.”

There are technologies and software available to day to help us do ministry better. N-Spire being one. Sometimes emplementing something new will require change. What is your Church/leadership using as an excuse to defend the status quo. Check out Seth’s Blog for his full list of his Top ways to defend the status quo.

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1. Do not put it off. When you have a problem or question call or send us an E-mail. Waiting just puts off help. Also, don’t wait till the last minute. Sometimes an issue may take time to resolve.
2. Do not forget about it. If you feel like you are getting lost in the shuffle, communicate, communicate, communicate. Do not be like so many people, we are all so busy, and wait months before following up.
3. We should always ask how you can be reached, but if we do not, make sure we have your contact information up to date.
4. Our lowest call volumes are between 1:00pm and 3:00pm(CT), Monday – Tuesday and Thursday – Friday.
5. Be at your computer and be available. Sometimes problems go away by themselves. Think Forrest Gump. However, in software, they do not. Help us by giving us the time and patience it takes to get though your questions and technical issues.

I wish I could make communication easy. It is not. As for me, I am just going to keep talking and Praying.

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