Technology

GoodSearch.com

/ The Pastor

I usually don’t like to advertise on my blog, but this is a little different…Here’s their plug and then my comments.

GOOD SEARCH…
www.goodsearch.com
Here’s a new easy way to raise money for your favorite cause. Just start using GoodSearch.com as your search engine and online shopping mall. Every time you search the Internet or make an online purchase at one of their partner merchants, GoodSearch makes a donation to your favorite nonprofit or school and it’s powered by Yahoo! so you get great search results!

NOW ME…
This is a Yahoo! powered search engine that gives money to your favorite charity with every search.  The search results are good because GoodSearch is powered by Yahoo!…but I already said that…anyway.  Before you run a search, you simply search for your favorite charity (including churches) that have registered with GoodSearch.  Then…when you search…one penny goes into an account for that charity.  I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but if enough people use this as their search engine (and indicate your ministry as their favorite charity), it could add up over the course of a year.  Also, when you make purchases online through GoodSearch with retailers such as Best Buy and Target, a portion of those proceeds goes to your favorite charity as well.

Signing up your church is also easy…and FREE!  I signed up Salem a week ago and we have already made a whopping 9 cents (I am still working on getting the word out).  The money received from GoodSearch has not been designated yet, but I am thinking it will go to the youth or some ministry we support.

But don’t just take my word for it…check it out.  There is really no risk that I can see and is seems like a easy, no-brain way to make a "little" extra money for something.

Sorry for the advertising, but this seems like a good thing so I thought I would pass it on to you.  You can also talk to Eric over at Lemonholm…his church is also signed up with Good Search.

Thanks for indulging me.  Take care.
-edh-

Church web site up and running

/ The Pastor / 5 Comments

The web site I am working on for Salem Lutheran Church is up and running.  There is still more work to do on it but it is there.  The NEW address is:  www.salemjackson.org  This name rolls off the tongue much better than the one we were assigned.  Right now I am in the process of getting feedback from people and checking out other church web sites for ideas.  If you have a great idea let me know.  I need all the help I can get.

-edh-

Church web site

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

Hey all…I am home from the SW MN Synod Fall Theological Conference.  Unfortunately I haven’t had time to post a text study but hopefully I can get that done tomorrow sometime.  Being away for a few days really throws your schedule and routine into a loop.  Right now I am just trying to get my bearings.  I just finished class with five 3rd – 5th graders and in 15 minutes I have seven 6th – 8th graders coming.  I had better get it together otherwise I won’t have a chance 🙂

Web site
I want to share with you a fun discovery.  Maybe you know about this, but I didn’t.  A colleague of mine told me about this service from American Bible Society where they host web sites for churches (and other religious organizations) for free.  The site is: www.forministry.com.  Since the congregation I serve is looking to get a web site I thought this was worth checking out…and I am glad I did.  I have set up an account and a work-in-progress website for Salem Lutheran Church.  The address is:  www.forministry.com/usmnelciaslcsl.  The address doesn’t roll off the tongue, but I have purchased a domain name for $15 per year.  Our new address, in a couple days, will be:  www.salemjackson.org. 

I know this all sounds too good to be true, but its true.  Check out my church’s site and let me know what you think.  Right know we are trying to determine what content to put on there and how to display it.  I think this process will be a fun one.  I just need to find someone to manage the site (other than me).

Also, if you haven’t had a chance yet, check out Chris and Joe’s blogs for their answers to the interview questions I just posted for them.  If you are interested in being interviewed, leave a comment on their sites with a request.

God bless you and take care!

-edh-

April Fool’s Joke

/ The Pastor / 3 Comments

My Sunday morning (April 1) started out like every other Sunday morning (or so I thought)…

My alarm went off at 6am and I proceeded to hit my snooze three times before finally getting up at 6:18ish.  I turned the heat up a little bit in the house and went into the bathroom to take a shower.  After nearly tipping over in the shower from nearly falling asleep (nothing usual there) I did my normal bathroom thing and got dressed.  I then proceeded to the kitchen to make my breakfast of toast with peanut butter and a glass of OJ.

After I peanut buttered (is that even a word?) my toast I went into the living room to watch a little SportsCenter (I needed to see who won the NCAA men’s b-ball semi final games).  I ate my toast and drank my orange juice and finally found the energy to get off the couch and finish getting ready (I like to get to my office by about 7am on Sunday mornings).  I realized it was nearly 7am already so I was running a little behind.  I hurried to the bathroom to brush my teeth and then I found the shirt I was going to wear.  I finished getting ready, kissed my wife and went to get my keys in the kitchen.  This is where my morning took a frustrating turn.

I looked at the kitchen clock and it read 6:00am.  Through the fog in my head I realized something was not quite right.  I then looked at the microwave clock and then the clock on the stove…both read 5:59am.  I looked at my watch and then my cell phone.  I then ran into the living room…all said it was 6:00am.  Something was very wrong.  I went to our bedroom and the clock on the night stand said…7:01am.

WHAT WAS GOING ON!!!

My wife asked me what I was doing and I responded by asking her if I was in the Twilight Zone.  Then I realized what happened.  The clock in our bedroom is called a Smartset clock.  This clock is so "smart" that it will reset itself when the power goes off.  It will even reset itself at daylight savings time.  But a couple weeks ago it did not set itself head one hour – I had to manually set it.  It could not account for the stupidity of our federal government when it tinkered with the date of daylight savings time.  So when 2am April 1 arrived, it did what it was supposed to do…it set itself ahead one hour. 

Yup…that’s right…I got up at 5am on Sunday. Of all the days of the week when I need to get some good sleep, I get jipped on a Saturday night/Sunday morning. 

Technology can be a good thing, but it cannot account for the stupidity of human beings…and I am talking about our government messing with something they had no business messing with.

So kudos to our federal government for getting me with an April Fool’s joke.

-edh-