As I walked my son Tyler downstairs to his bedroom to tuck him in the other night, he looked at me with his big brown eyes and said “Daddy, I’m ready to ask Jesus in my heart.” I got his brother settled into bed and took Tyler into the den. We spent some time talking about what it means to accept Jesus as your Lord. I wanted to make sure he understood, but after we had talked for while he interrupted – “Dad, I understand what it means, can I pray now?”. I grabbed his hands and told him to pray from his heart the words I had led dozens of other souls through. I looked up as the prayer ended and saw a sparkle and a smile that money can’t buy. He started out the door to tell his mother and then started crying “Dad, will you baptize me?”. “Of course”, I replied. A pause. “Dad, how deep will the water be?” “Not deep, I’ll be right there with you.” “Dad, you won’t hold me under real long, will you.” “No, son” – with that he walked out the door to tell his Mom what had just happened.

I can’t explain what an amazing feeling it was to pray with my son. His innocence and excitement sparked a little revival in my own heart.

My question now is – how about you? Have you ever asked Jesus in your heart? If not, I have a six year old that would love to talk to you about his new found friend.

Until,

Shawn

Please pray for my secretary. She is an older German lady that has been taken advantage of by a con artist for the past couple of years. She confronted the person a few days ago and she (the con artist) killed herself last night. The family of the girl are calling my secretary a murderer because of the confrontation and refusal to give any more money away. It is a difficult time for her.

One of the leading names in video production, GRASS VALLEY, is celebrating their 50th anniversary. Check out their celebration page – TAKE 5 – to learn about some of the new and innovative products currently available.

http://grassvalleytakefive.com/

My heart has been heavy for the past several days over the abduction of Kristi Cornwell. This sweet girl used to work a few offices over from mine, and while I didn’t know her that closely, we had routine interactions. She was abducted while walking down Jones Creek Road, a secluded area that is rarely, if ever, traveled by anyone other than residents. Now on the 4th day of her abduction, hope of her safe return is starting to fade and authorities seem to be more expectant of a recovery rather than a rescue. Things like this just don’t usually happen in small towns like Blairsville. PLEASE pray for her protection and safe return, and for God’s comfort for her family.

For those on Facebook interested in Kristi’s safe return, feel free to join the group “PRAY FOR KRISTI CODY CORNWELL”.

Shawn

Several weeks ago I heard this awesome song while traveling in Savannah, Ga. I missed the title and artist and have been trying desperately to find the song to no avail.  Today while listening to Worship Radio at OVM Online, I finally heard the song again and felt it was worth sharing.  Enjoy. The title is “Always” from Building 429.

With everyone from major television networks to your next-door neighbor embracing the world of social networking, shouldn’t your church as well? Join us for an engaging and insightful discussion on how to effectively do church online. What can you do to create community while expanding the reach of your message? Learn how to welcome and adopt the digital trends and tools that will foster ministry growth.

Register now for this FREE Online Seminar: Social Networking for Churches, taking place July 29, 2009 at 12:00pm ET. Can’t attend, forward this message to a friend!

Moderator:
Carol Padgett, Editor, Worship Facilities magazine

Presenter:
Mark MacDonald, President, PinPoint Creative, LLC

Be sure to bring your questions, the seminar will end with a question and answer period.

Who doesn’t like FREE anything?? Right now you can own your own copy of a CD download by the very talented DAYBREAK QUARTET. The album, simply titled “Hymns” is a very well produced project with some great harmony and one awesome pianist. Download your free copy, and don’t forget to support the group by purchasing another of their albums while you are there. To take advantage of this LIMITED OFFER, visit the link below. Hurry, the offer ends soon.

http://www.greghowlett.com/daybreakdownload.aspx

Shawn

Today I arrived at Tybee Island for my business trip and wasn’t quiet sure what to do with myself. Ang and the boys weren’t able to come with me this year, so I decided to take a walk. There is just something about walking alone on the beach that washes away the cares of the world. Calendars and alarms are silent and for just a moment, the entire world seems to stand still.

As I began walking past the lighthouse and towards the bird sanctuary (a nice spot with no houses or people), I began to notice a large number of jellyfish washed up on the shore. Feared and respected in the water, these creatures were little more than a blob of goo lying helplessly at the water’s edge. As I looked at them, I couldn’t help but think about how much our spiritual lives mimic that of these grand creatures. When we are where we are suppose to be, we are beautiful and respected by all that are around us. Following only the current of the spirit as it gently leads us along and reflecting His light to those all around. . .but what happens when we leave the place we are intended? We are useless, ugly and disgusting to all who look at us. We are no more revered, but looked at in shame.

Where are you living right now? Are you in the will of God, following the guidance of the spirit or lying on the shore? Think about it and let the tides of His love bring you back to His will.

Until…

Shawn

Sometimes a song just hits you in a way that takes your breath. I have heard this song on the radio so many times, but this time it got my attention. How often do we just go busy with life – or even serving God that we forget what it’s all about. We don’t take time to worship God because we are so busy doing the stuff that has to be done, but what if. . .what if we gave Him everything instead of doing what was expected? What if we totally sold out to God instead of just doing something because we “have to”? What if our lives really did revolve around God and not just service to the church? What if our motivation for serving was really so that God woud be uplifted, not ourselves?

Find a quiet place and a time when you can sit down undisturbed for 4 minutes to watch this awesome video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dva6-Yu3zkI&feature=channel

For those of you using Windows systems in your projection ministries, Media Shout Version 4 has now been released. The new version appears to be pretty cool. I have used pretty much every projection software on the market and have leaned in the direction of Media Shout for gigs over the past few years, including the GEORGIA MOUNTAIN PASSION PLAY.

At first glance I see some things I like – such as the ability to project two different feeds, one for the congregation and one for the choir (with no pretty backgrounds). For those of you using confidence monitors, this is a NICE addition.

I also found that the new interface appears to be much more user friendly. I found some of the earlier versions of the software to be difficult to use. While V3 was a huge improvement, I believe that V4 really takes the software to a new level. I think everyone will be pretty impressed. Check out the FREE demo at http://www.mediashout.com/products/mediashout.

Full Edition $429
Upgrade $249

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
* Windows XP or Vista
* Dual Core Processor
* 2GB RAM
* Multiple Video Cards (DirectX 9+