Life experiences have a tendency to knock our feet out from under us, especially during trying times. 

Getting back up can be hard; oftentimes requiring the help of a family member or friend.

It’s o.k. to ask for help; in fact, this is where Christians can really learn a lot about ministry.  As Christians, we are given many opportunities to help those in need around us.  In the church world we tend to call this “ministering to other’s needs”.  Well, ministry is not just for professional ministers.  Anyone can and should participate in helping people in need.

The next time you are given opportunity to help someone in need, don’t side-step or complicate this moment.  Consider the following acronym – a simple and practical way to HELP.

H – hug

E – encouragement

L – listen

P – prayer

It really is that simple.  Sometimes people just need a hug - a warm embrace that communicates love and special concern.  A hug can work wonders for a wounded soul.

Words of encouragement are very powerful and breathe life into downtrodden circumstances. 

Help can be as simple as taking time to listen to someone’s need and showing sincere concern.  Active listening is something we all need to work on.  We can be easily distracted by what we want to say instead of concentrating upon what others need to share.  Listening can soothe and comfort people in a profound way.

And finally, taking time to pray for someone, right then, opens the door for relational bonding and “miraculous results".

If possible, find a quiet place to pray.  This doesn’t have to be a long, drawn-out religious prayer.  It can be as simple as “Lord, help my friend in need and remind me to lift them up in prayer throughout this week.”

See there, HELP is not so complicated.  Start practicing these simple steps; and before long, you will find helping people to be a natural part of your Christian experience – one that comes with great rewards!

How many times have you had someone call your home and say, “I looking for so-in-so (a member of your family)?”  When you replied: “He’s not here.  Can I help you?”  The caller would then say, “No, it’s personal.”

The phrase “it’s personal” is used a lot in communications today.  The office receptionist will often hear this from a wife calling to talk with her husband.  When given opportunity to pass along a message, the wife simply says, “No, it’s personal.  Have him call me at home."

Credit card companies will call people at home looking for the cardholder.  When asked what the call is about, the bill collector will say, “it’s personal.”

A nurse from the doctor’s office will often call their patient at work with lab reports.  If the person is not there, the nurse will say, “Please have her call me.  It’s personal.”

We might consider “it’s personal” as a way to cut to the chase and get one-on-one with people.  In terms of relationships, “it’s personal” means I’ve got something only me and you need to discuss.  Yes, it’s that important!

I find this true especially in terms of our relationship with God.  When God wanted to cut to the chase and really get personal with mankind, He sent Jesus, who taught us the value of one-on-one relationships.  Jesus was God manifested in the flesh.  Jesus enabled people to get one-on-one with Almighty God.

The apostle Paul understood this kind of relationship when he said, “May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all (Rom. 15:5, MSG).”

God wants this kind of personal relationships with each and every one of us today.  Jesus makes this possible.  Jesus enables us to cut to the chase; bypassing all the religious noise.  We can now experience mutuality in an “it’s personal” relationship with our Heavenly Father.

He’s now saying, “It’s personal.” 

Please…pick up the phone.

Back in the mid 90’s a friend of mine, named Les Hayes, approached me with a request.  He asked if he could bring to my house a computer for me to use.  My immediate response was “No thanks, I’m too old to learn something new.”

I continued my argument with “Why would I even need a personal computer now; after all, I never had a need for one up to this point in my life?”

Les wouldn’t take no for an answer.  His argument for having a computer was much greater than mine.  I agreed, and the computer was in my home a few days later.  Les did a great job of explaining the value of the computer.  He showed me how different programs worked and soon I was off and running.

For several months I continued to grow in my understanding of the computer and how it saved me time in getting work done.  Soon I was deeply entrenched in its value; so much so, it became an indispensable part of my life, even to this day.

While I was first becoming acquainted with the new computer, I did not realize what impact this computer was having on my little boy, Isaac.  While Les was training me, Isaac was constantly looking over our shoulders to see what was going on.  I later found out while I was away from home, Isaac was at the computer – checking it out.

Isaac was like a sponge, soaking up all there was to know about computing.  He also learned how to take them apart and put them back together again.  In less than two years Isaac surpassed my understanding of computers and began teaching me "new tricks."

Today, my son and I are partners in a dotcom company.  Isaac is still “light years” beyond me in computing, but I can still hold my own (to a certain degree).  We owe all of this to Les Hayes, who the Lord used to invest something important into our lives.

I saw Les the other day.  We had not seen each other in over 7 years.  Life had got busy for the both of us and we simply lost track of each other.  I learned that Les had to put Sandra, his lovely wife of 43 years, into a nursing home in Birmingham, Alabama. 

Each week Les travels to Birmingham and spends two day with Sandra at the nursing home.  She does not recognize Les, or their children.  Their situation reminds me of the movie, “Notebook.”  I never thought that I would actually know someone who is living out that movie in real life.

As I listened to Les tell me all about his situation, my heart was deeply burdened.  He told me something that I will never, ever forget.  He said, “Spend as much time with your wife as you can.”  I knew exactly what he meant.

Les Hayes made a valuable contribution into the lives of my son and me.  When I shared with him what Isaac and I were doing now, he was very delighted.  I told him that we cannot tell the “full story” of Simon Solutions without referencing his contributions to our lives.

I will now contribute into the life of Les and his family with my prayers.  For those of you, who read this blog; please remember Les and Sandra in your prayers.  Thanks!    

For the last number of days I have been reminded by the Lord that each day is a new day with new opportunities. 

I like the way Petersen’s translates Matt. 6:34 in The Message, "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."

When I finally let these words of wisdom settle in my heart, my whole life got healthier.  My relationships improved.  My stress level went way down.  My attitude got better; and guess what?  I was much happier!

In 1978 Kim and I knew that God was calling us into full-time Christian ministry. 

It was a "knowing" that we both shared in our hearts.  We took a major step of faith by pulling-up our roots of security; and then, transplanted our lives into fertile, spiritual soil in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  God provided a way for me to attend Oral Roberts University, while Kim worked for Oral Roberts Ministries.

Here it is almost 30 years since we began following the Lord, and we still believe God is working His plan for our lives.  What an adventure it has been!  We have felt much like “Pilgrim” in John Bunyan’s classic work, Pilgrim’s Progress.  We have been on a journey that has a destination - an eternal homestead with God. 

At times our journey seemed fast-paced; at other times, slow.  Sometimes it even seemed that we just stopped moving; but as time progressed, so did the steps of our journey.  Over the past years, life has had its ups and downs, but we have remained true to our commitment to follow Jesus.  And yes, we have not fully realized all of our personal aspirations in ministry, but we still have hope that God will certainly fulfill "His calling" for our lives. 

Some of you may be thinking at this point, “You mean that I will have to wait 30 years before I fulfill my calling from the Lord?”  It’s possible, and the Bible is full of many examples.  But don’t be so consumed or dazzled with the end that you forget about the means to the end. 

I have written these words today to offer you hope.  God truly has a unique plan for your life.  Most assuredly, it will be a life-long journey full of life-changing experiences.  Even though you may get tired of traveling at times and decide to sit down and rest, God will patiently wait on you. 

I leave you with some of my favorite Bible passages:

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:33, NIV).

For I know the plans I have for you,"declares the Lord," plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV). 

Our life is not about aimless wanderings. 

LaDonna’s love for Glenda translated into seven (7) long years of intercessory prayer.  She hoped that Glenda would one day give her life to Jesus.  As time went on, LaDonna finally grew weary in her weekly prayers for Glenda; so much so, that she actually stop praying for Glenda. 

Two weeks went by and then something happened.  Out of the blue, Glenda calls LaDonna on the phone with some exciting news.  She had just given her life to Christ and wanted to attend church where LaDonna went.  Unable to contain her excitement, LaDonna asked Glenda to please hold on the line for just a minute.  In the background Glenda heard LaDonna shouting for joy and praising God for Glenda’s salvation!  When LaDonna returned to the line, she told Glenda in a calm peaceful manner, "I’m looking forward to seeing you in church this next Sunday."

Little did LaDonna realize that her prayers for just one person set into motion "concentric rings of ministry" that still flow today, impacting the lives of thousands of people.  Since that time approximately 200 people have come to the Lord.  This included my wife’s entire family in just one year! 

Three people have entered into full-time Christian ministry.  Two non-profit Christian organizations have been formed.  Two churches have been planted.  A coalition of hundreds of churches involving thousands of Christians worked together in a city-reaching movement that still continues to impact an entire community for Christ. 

Remember, your life matters because God makes sure it does. 

Tomorrow morning when you get out of bed, pray this simple prayer: "O.K. God, what have you got planned for us to do today?"  Then go out there and watch what happens.  You might be very surprised.

Community is the reason God created mankind. 

Community is at the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Community is the mission of the Church.  So, what makes community so appealing?

Community is where we belong, grow, and participate.  In community we discover a very important truth:  We are not alone.  We, each of us, belong to God and each other.  We grow in relationships and experience life together.

Community may be described as “common oneness” – a place where different people find common connection.  They learn to accept and welcome differences; and at the same time, they build friendships and bonds.

Perhaps the best example of community is found in Scripture.

"They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers.  Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles!  And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common.  They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met. They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God.  People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved (Acts 2:42-47, The Message)."

My prayer is that somehow, someway, the Church could experience this kind of community, today.  What gives me hope is the above Scripture.  Ordinary people did “connect” with an extraordinary God.  They experienced "life together" in a community environment that stands as a witness to us all.

We all long to experience an environment that resonates with great passion for God and sincere compassion for people.  God created community with us in mind.  So, let’s enjoy it.

Everything we do in life is about people and relationships. 

So, what about those time when people rub us the wrong way?  Consider the following tips about people and relationships: 

• People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered – love them anyway.
• If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives – do good anyway!
• If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies – succeed anyway!
• The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow – do good anyway!
• Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable – be honest and frank anyway!
• The biggest people with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest people with the smallest minds – think big anyway!
• People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs – fight for some underdogs anyway!
• What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight – build anyway!
• Give the world the best you’ve got, and you’ll get kicked in the teeth – give the world the best you’ve got anyway!

In society today, people live in two worlds – the real and the virtual. 

There are 6.5 billion people in the real world; and at the same time, over 1 billion live in a virtual world – called “cyberspace” or the internet. 

A new research report just came out from the Center for the Digital Future at the University of South California.  Their 2007 Digital Project revealed that 43% of internet users who are members of online communities say that they “feel strongly” about their virtual community as they do about their real-world community.

Community is where people “connect” and build relationships with others who share common interests.  Community is a place where people belong and feel safe.  People want to hang-out with others of their own choosing – a small group of people, whom they trust.

Although online communities are populated by millions of people, most gather in small groups.  Most people try to find a way to get away from the crowd and hang-out with family and friends in a safe environment. 

What about cyberspace neighborhoods?  Are they safe?  Do people really know whose moving in next door?  You don’t want people snooping around in your neighborhood and peeping through your windows.  And you don’t want inappropriate billboards on your street corner or unwanted guests knocking at your door.

So, why do millions of people live in online communities where sexual predators, con artists, and money-hungry schemers live next door?  Can online communities be made safer and more private?

Yes they can!  At Simon Solutions, we have decided to release our Oikos Community Console to the "general public."  Oikos was originally designed for ministries who want to harness the power of the internet without compromising the safety of its members.

People can now enjoy gathering with family and friends in their very own “online gated community” that’s personal, private; and most of all, safe and secure.

All the features of Oikos are available for each community: Personal Profile Pages, Shared Calendar, Media Sharing, Conversation Forums, Membership Directory, and Instant Messaging.  More exciting features are in development and will soon be available.

The benefits of using the internet to create your very own social network are limited only by imagination!

College was a great experience for me!

I started taking the same biblical advice that I had offered to others - "to live one day at a time." 

So, when things start to squeeze the life out of you, remember this:

"So don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time."
Matthew 6:34, The Living Bible.