Ministry Exec 2030

The last post for Ministry Exec, Thank You

2007-05-19T18:25:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends,

This is the last post that will appear on this blog. I have decided that since I took ownership of Relevant Message (RM) it would be more practical for me to combine efforts and interests into a single Christian Ministry blog. So, if you are subscribed to this blog and wish to continue keeping up with my Christian life, please visit RelevantMessage.org and subscribe to that blog.

Thanks and hope to see you there.
-Ryan

A missed opportunity to exercise my blogger duty

2007-04-11T07:47:00.000-04:00

One of the great benefits to writing is that it gives one the opportunity to collect his thoughts and gain perspective on matters. Blogging in particular gives me the ability to explore my position on subjects and establish points of view so that I can make decisions. Blogging is most useful in that you are putting these thoughts and writings on public display which leaves them open to others for interpretation and scrutiny. For this to be effective, we bloggers must be truthful and open with ourselves and our readers in order to establish trust.

Well dear readers, it appears that I have been failing to exercise my rights, duties, and responsibilities as a blogger. Worst of all, I have lost an opportunity to take advantage of this particular blog and share a most important circumstance unfolding right now in m life. Here I sit on the eve of what appears to be a pinnacle of events in my career and my faith which I have not been writing about, while the whole purpose of this particular web log is to discuss workplace ministry.

There is no way for me to share all the details at this point, but I can at least share a testimony with you of how God has been working with me on my career as of late.

You see, tomorrow I am appearing for a third interview with an extraordinary company about an excellent job opportunity that we have been exploring together for more than a month now. The position offers financial stability, job security, growth opportunity, great benefits, you name it. And the work itself would be exciting for me, as well. The strange thing is that in the midst of our talks these past weeks, another excellent opportunity has presented itself which is even more in harmony with one of my life-long dreams...to own my own business. The kicker is that the self-employment path, of course, does not offer all the stability and peace of mind that employment with the afore mentioned corporation would, but the opportunity however is real.

The months leading to this have been done in constant prayer and counsel with those that I trust. The test of faith is for me to look upwards for making this decision and to strive for a constant state of mystery and mystification. This is important because it wouldn't not be dutiful for me to seek out an opportunity to fulfill a life-long dream without God's blessing. By the same token, if I push for an opportunity because of the security and peace of mind that it offers, well then that is straight up idolatry and that wouldn't be good either. In fact, what this really comes down to is my intent. If my intention is not centered around seeking and glorifying God, then that would not make me a faithful servant.

The point is that there is no right or wrong selection here when it comes to making decisions like this. No matter which path I choose, I will make the best of either one to the best of my abilities. The essence of the matter is how God is being glorified. Although I have not effectively shared this quest on the blog, I have shared it with those close to me and I believe that not only has it strengthened my faith in and relationship with Christ, but also I think that those I have spoken with got a chance to see God working in my life. And that, is holy glorifying.

Be sure to always include God in your plans, especially when making life-altering decisions with your career. Always remain mystified. In addition, be sure to take advantage of the tools we have in place as well. I regret not having shared this on the blog these past months and I will try to delve more into it in time, but that opportunity has past and I did not take advantage of that. Fortunately, I can always remember this oversight and learn to be more adventurous with the tools (blogs) I have produced.

Godspeed!

A New York Prayer Breakfast (NYPB) is a sign of things to come

2007-03-18T14:34:00.000-04:00

Last week I had the pleasure of attending a prayer breakfast in Rochester, NY hosted by Rick Chavoustie and Charlie Craddock. The breakfast is held every month and lasts for about 60-90 minutes and has been going on now for about 6 years. It is a quaint and informal Christ-centered event. Each month they invite a guest to talk and give testimony and this month I was that guest.

The breakfast consisted of about 30 people, primarily automotive professionals being that Rick and Charlie both are in the automotive industry. Also in attendance were a vocalist and a few pastors from the area, one which had an extraordinary testimony to share that I might seek to publish sometime.

The topic of my testimony was faith in the workplace and I shared how God has become the decision-maker not just in my personal life but also in my career. I brought up things like Os Hillman whose TGIF devotionals I use daily and The C12 Group which has opened up to me the idea of a Biblically-minded career. I also shared the two blogs I write on – RelevantMessage.org and then this one for workplace content; plus I introduced them to the HomeNet Ministry blog (my now former employer).

I think the message was well-received. The important part for me while there was to be a messenger of Light and to be an expression of humility and trust in the Lord.

While there it became apparent to me that the much anticipated career changes I have been experiencing were coming to a head. I was there in place of my own boss who was originally scheduled to be the guest speaker but then chose to attend a higher-profile industry event instead. It took tremendous love and selflessness (which is hard for me) to be a genuine steward of the situation. But I guess that is what this is all about – working for Christ and not your self, that is.

Rick and his family welcomed me into their home the night before which made for a hearty and blessed stay. All-in-all it was a great trip and a refreshing experience. Thank you to Charlie and Rick for having me and to those that took the time to share with me their own stories. I hope that this visit is not only the first of many more in Rochester, but also that it may lead to additional fruitful benefits for us all in the times to come.

God Bless!

The Holy Trinity identified in 1 John

2007-03-09T12:03:00.000-05:00

The other day in the same Bible study class as was mentioned in my previous entry, we discussed how in 1 John 4:7-12, John effectively ties in the Holy Trinity by stating:

"…God is love" (Father)
"…God…sent his son as an atoning sacrifice" (Son)
"…God abides in us…" (Holy Spirit)

Within these six verses John writes "love one another" three times and identifies how we can know God simply through His love. In the next few verses, John describes how that with the confession that Jesus is the Son of God, the cause of loving your brother results in God abiding in you. By this you can "see" God through his love. Finally, in the latter verses John explains that because of the Holy Trinity and your confession of Christ’s sacrifice, we must love one another in all situations.

I posted this on RelevantMessage.org as well which is a Christian life blog on which I write, but I wanted to share this on here too for whatever reason.

Loving Your Brothers in the Workplace

2007-03-08T10:33:00.000-05:00

Last night in my Bible study group we discussed 1 John 4: 7-21. The central theme was about loving one another and it brought to mind a couple situations I have been facing recently in the workplace.

One situation has to do with an employee feeling powerless about his interaction with and relationship with his manager while his manager feels that his team member is not living up to his full potential and is responding in counter-constructive ways. Both of these men are fellow brothers in Christ but are struggling with acceptance of each others’ situation and behavior. The other situation has to do with me and my own boss, where his actions and his thinking are destructive to his own best interests because he is unwilling to accept his responsibility of certain situations. I can not control his actions or his thinking and so I am faced with the choice of acceptance and love versus rejection and hate.

In both scenarios, the vital message at hand is the wisdom to accept these situations as things under God’s control and to love one another so that God ultimately may be glorified. Without the desire to do so, situations like are not likely to result in progress, or more accurately, the deepening of one’s faith and relationship with the Father. For my self, this love for my brother (boss), which comes from God, is giving me the ability to accept the scenarios presenting themselves and in a loving and constructive manner.

1 John 4: 20-21 reads:

If someone says, "I love God,: and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can[b] he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

Update on Mt. Soledad Case: A Victory for Religious Freedom

2007-02-23T14:58:00.000-05:00

The ACLU's intense disdain for memorials and monuments with Christian symbols is well known. But few of its legal assaults better demonstrate its unrelenting determination to wipe out America's religious history and heritage than its assault on a Korean War memorial on Mt. Soledad in San Diego. For almost two decades, this memorial has been under siege from one legal attack after another on the cross-shaped monument--and all on behalf of a single unhappy atheist. The ACLU has been involved in trying to remove this memorial since 1999.

Now, by God's grace, a huge piece of its intolerant campaign to wipe out this veterans memorial has come crashing down! Read why on the ADF website.

A HUGE Victory For a Mother and Daughter...A HUGE Defeat for the Homosexual Legal Agenda...!

2007-02-16T16:51:00.000-05:00

This is a great case in which the ADF has become involved.

The Utah Supreme Court [official website] Friday restricted parental rights to biological parents in the cases of unmarried parents raising children related by blood to only one partner. The case at issue involved a five-year old girl conceived in a lesbian relationship, whose biological mother Cheryl Pike Barlow sought to restrict the visitation rights of her former partner Keri Lynne Jones. While the case involves a same-sex relationship, the ruling also applies to heterosexual couples.

The state supreme court's decision reverses a lower court holding that granted the partner visitation under the common law in loco parentis doctrine, in which a person acts as a parent although they have no blood or legal ties to a child.

Click here to read more about this case...

The AFA Boycott on the Ford Motor Company

2007-01-04T21:50:00.000-05:00

This is direclty from an AFA Action Alert which states,

Ford has long supported the homosexual magazine, The Advocate. Now, Ford has expanded their promotion of homosexual publications by supporting the homosexual publication Out through advertising.

Wal-Mart recently announced they would no longer support or oppose controversial issues. Ford originally made a similar pledge to AFA but reneged when a small group of homosexual leaders demanded retraction, despite the fact that not a single homosexual group has publicly supported Ford.

Ford was a sponsor of a recent episode of CBS's program "Two and a Half Men" in which actor Charlie Sheen's character mocked Christ, Christmas and Christians by singing a sordid sex song to the tune of "Joy To The World."

During the recent elections, Ford pointed their employees to a radical left wing online voter guide for information on how to vote. The website that contained the guide urged votes against constitutional amendments banning homosexual marriage, for stem cell research in Missouri and against an amendment banning abortion in South Dakota.

AFA claims the boycott of Ford Motor Company is beginning to take effect. As included with the alert,

In November, Ford sales were down 9.7%. General Motors showed a 6.1% increase during the same month while Chrysler sales were up 4.7%. In seven of the nine months since AFA began the boycott, because of the motor company's support for the homosexual agenda - including homosexual marriage, Ford's sales have gone down compared to a year ago.

Whether or not these negative effects are the result of AFA's boycott could be debatable, but Ford's apparent romance with gay rights is evident.

How does something like this impact the workers? If you are a Ford employee and disagree with its political ties to gay rights, how does this affect your morale and productivity?" Does it make a company more or less profitable and is it adventageous for the company?

These are significant concerns that should be evaluated.

Your comments are welcome.

Confronting the Sin in You and Your Workplace

2006-11-21T22:53:00.000-05:00

In the latter years of my adolescence I was introduced with the concept of the “mirror dilemma” which is when you begin to see in others things about yourself that you do not like but you do not necessarily realize right away that the illusion is on you equally or more so than it is on the object of your dislike. Since then I have learned to be more empathetic with situations when I encounter the mirror dilemma because in Truth it is a sign that God could be revealing himself to you in a way where some of the sin in your life can be healed.

Since the workplace is where you spend a majority of your time, the mirror dilemma inevitably rears its ugly head on a frequent basis. How often do you find yourself despising the attitude or behavior of someone with which you work? Do you consider that your disgust might very well be something about yourself you do not like or that you are struggling to overcome?

When this occurs, the best thing to do is give it up to God and pray. Not just once, but repeatedly until you heal the sin. This could take days, weeks, months, or in some cases even years. Your prayer should not be limited to asking God to heal your sin, but rather seeking forgiveness of yourself from God, and seeking wisdom from God on what He expects from you. The mirror dilemma could be occurring in your professional life with subordinates and superiors so it is important to discern how to best approach the situation. This is a time to work with God and learn when he expects you to confront the situation and when he expects you to listen and observe or when to console with others whose input you trust such as brothers and sisters in Christ.

The mirror dilemma is simply recognition in others the sin in your own life. It is important to remember that exploiting it or gossiping about it with others can interfere with God’s will. When the mirror dilemma becomes apparent, God is calling you to seek forgiveness in yourself and in those around you. The last thing you should be doing is holding it against your peers. As Jesus said in John 8:7 when the scribes and Pharisees brought Him a woman taken in adultery:

"…he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." John 8:7 (KJV)

Sin is the mountain amongst us all. Recognizing it in others is only a beginning stage. The mountain can only be moved by entrusting Christ. When you do this, forgiveness and wisdom can enter and the sin can be healed. Be patient. Allow God to heal the sin in your life and you will find the sin you despise in those around you dissolve.

Honoring Our Heroes on Veterans Day

2006-11-10T13:27:00.000-05:00

The sun rises behind the Marine Corps Memorial, also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial, on Veterans Day 2003 in Washington.

President Bush places a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery. Bush later spoke of the sacrifices of U.S. troops who died fighting for freedom in the Middle East and Afghanistan, telling families that their loved ones "served in a good and just cause."

U.S. Army troops hold a moment of silence in observing Veterans Day in Baghdad, Iraq.

Students at Southwest Elementary School in Jefferson City, Missouri, place their hands over their hearts as "The Star-Spangled Banner" is played during an assembly honoring veterans.

Pearl Harbor survivor Houston James of Dallas embraced Marine Staff Sgt. Mark Graunke Jr during a Veterans Day commemoration in Dallas yesterday. Graunke lost a hand, a leg and an eye when he defused a bomb in Iraq last year. This week's images of U.S. Troops in combat in Fallujah deepened the day's significance for many who attended tributes held in San Diego and across the nation

Relevant Messages for Today's Inspired

2006-10-30T23:07:00.000-05:00

A couple months ago when I first started this blog I came in to contact with William Lehman, associate Pastor at Discovery Church in Newark, OH. William runs RelevantMessage.org (RM), a blog for writers to share with the world their intimacy of God. After a few conversations he added me as one of his first writers to the site. Although it took me a few weeks to utilize this opportunity, I eventually came to find great value in this leap of faith that William has taken with me. RM has allowed me to use the site as an outlet and expression for my walk with Christ while at the same time focus Ministry Exec 2030 on workplace ministry activity for young business executives.

William and I come from different backgrounds but God has seemingly brought us together in a virtual setting for reasons only He can know. With the blog activity I have going on, RM has become a extraordinary voice of expression for me to do exactly what it is the site was designed to do…”give to the world [my] own intimacy with God.”

I welcome you to share in this endeavor by visiting the site now and setting up your RSS feed or subscribing to the newsletter via email. You can count on regular postings between the two of us that provoke readers to explore the depths of their relationship with God. With the inclusion of me to RM, I am now including this as one of my ministry activities.

Shouts out to William for recognizing the opportunity at hand and taking the courageous step to let God carry out His plan among us. Peace unto you, brother.

Prophetic Perspective

2006-10-23T00:56:00.000-04:00

In 332 BC when Alexander the Great conquered Tyre, his next target was Jerusalem because it was en route to Egypt, his ultimate destination. According to author Flavius Josephus, Jaddua the high priest of Jerusalem at that time, had a dream about meeting with Alexander.

In the dream, the priest was clothed in purple and gold and surrounded by many others robed in white. Apparently, Alexander the Great had a parallel dream in Dios of Macedonia sometime prior. Jaddua heeded the vision by clothing himself in the colored robes along with his people to meet Alexander. When the two met outside Jerusalem, Alexander remembered his dream and gave reverence to Jaddua’s god. He and his armies then proceeded toward Egypt without harming Jerusalem.

This might seem fantastic, but it can be tied to some of the prophecy in Zechariah 9, which Meadowcroft Pastor Dan Kiehl revealed today in his sermon. According to Scripture, Zechariah prophesied about the falls of Tyre and Sidon for their extravagant “ramparts” and storing up of fine treasures. Providentially, yet unknowingly to the Great Alexander, God fulfilled these prophesies through Alexander and his men.

In addition, God also carried out his promise to not harm Jerusalem, which too was in the path of destruction for Alexander and his armies. Zechariah 8 reads:

But I will defend my house against marauding forces. Never again will an oppressor overrun my people, for now I am keeping watch. (NIV)

In this prophecy of Zechariah, our prophet foresaw the falls of these great cities. He also saw the coming of Christ our Lord. He saw him coming humbly into Jerusalem mounted on a donkey and he foresaw his peace taking reign on the earth. What he did not see, however, was the time span between his coming and his reigning peace. He did not see the 2000 plus years before peace on earth would prevail in its entirety. There is a reason for this, and it was revealed to me today by Pastor Dan in what is known as prophetic perspective.

When driving towards a great mountain range, we see a backdrop of peaks and ridges. From a distance, there is no space between them. They simply look like one against the other. But when we near the mountain range we begin to see the distance between each peak and ridge. Eventually we come to realize that there could be dozens if not hundreds of miles from one mountain to the next. In prophetic visionary terms this is known as prophetic perspective.

This is such a great concept and it brings much clarity to the content in the Bible’s prophecies. When a vision is revealed to a prophet, he may see the imagery from afar, thus not permitting him to see the valleys between the peaks and ridges. This is important to consider not just for gaining perspective on your Bible studies but also in your own life because vision is part of each of us.

We might see who we are in the time to come and what sort of impact we can have on those around us, but we might not see the intervals, or valleys between the peaks and highlights. If we strive for the higher peaks without considering the lower ones in front, then we will ultimately lead ourselves off course in the wrong trajectory.

Keep this in mind as you set out to scale your mountains and chart your paths. The imagery in your vision may be solid as a rock, but the depth of perception within the vision might be limited by the distance between you and your final destination.

Trackback: RelevantMessage.org

An Exploration of the Virtue of Christ in the Tao Teh Ching

2006-10-20T23:31:00.000-04:00

The Tao Teh Ching is what initially led me to Christ. At 15, my dad gave me a pocket-sized edition of the Tao Teh Ching. I glanced at it a few times but it seemed way out there. At 18, when living in the dormitories of my university, I picked it up again and this time I became engulfed. For nearly 18 consecutive months I read, read, and re-read this book an extraordinary number of times until suddenly something strange and revealing began to occur…Christ Jesus introduced himself to me.

For many years, 12 in fact, I lived with Christ in a casual and convenient way, reading Scripture here and there while also reading other spiritual and religious works. None of what I read ever had the impact on me that Lao Tzu’s words did in the Tao Teh Ching.

Today, I walk with Christ in a conscious, transparent, and invigorating way and read Scripture diligently. Still, the passages in the Tao Teh Ching written by Lao Tzu more than 2500 years ago continue to reveal the Virtue of Christ that can not be ignored. In my opinion, Lao Tzu was walking with Christ during his time but did not have the background and labels of Christ available to him that were identified in the Old Testament. His work is profound and his message is Godly. A scholar of Tao will find that the principles identified in this work can be applied to any situation throughout all time. Essentially, their meaning is timeless and eternal.

There are several sites on the Web that publish words of this book online, but none that I have found offer a take and a direction on how they tie in with the Virtue and Wisdom of Christ. Therefore, I have created my own site, called ChrisTao, which eventually will feature all 81 passages in the Tao Teh Ching along with initial commentary from me on each passage.

The web address is http://christao.wordpress.com/ and the site will be an exploration of the ties between Christianity and Taoism. My hope is to verify for certain if the virtue and wisdom written in this book are indeed the Virtue and Wisdom of Christ. Your participation is welcome and I will be sure to remain open minded and resolute about the content that is posted.

Godspeed.

God Does Not Need Your Religious Activities

2006-10-01T22:08:00.000-04:00

Today my pastor delivered a powerful reminder to the congregation by challenging those in attendance on why we perform the “religious activities” that we do. He confronted us with three important questions that I think should be considered on a daily basis:

1. Is your religious activity self-centered or God-centered?
2. Does your religious activity bring you to redemption or to self-gratification?
3. Does your religious activity soften your heart or turn it to stone?

Delivering such a sermon can be controversial because people do not want to be told that the reason they are here at church and carrying out their religious activities is because they are self-centered, but my pastor has conviction for reminding us why we always need to come to repentance and seek God’s forgiveness, not just for when we do bad things, but even when we do things thinking they are for good.

Think about it, the motivation behind all of our interests that we think are “good” is because it makes us feel good doing them. That IS selfish. When you do things for God that do not make you feel good is how you know that you are being God-centered.

I commend my pastor for delivering this message, but more importantly I am humbled by God’s grace to speak through my pastor today and remind me of this. In the past two years my relationship with the Lord has made an about face and I have become involved with many “religious activities” and ministries, this blog being one of them. I know that they are done in selfishness and I struggle sometimes in doing them knowing that I do them because I WANT TO PLEASE GOD. God does not need my efforts. He is totally self-sustaining without me and my efforts.

God uses my self-centered interests to glorify him self in me, to show me who He is. God created me for His own purpose. My actions and my desire to show that to others is for my own purpose because I WANT people to know that it is not they who are great thinkers and benevolent doers. It is He who works in you and through you to reveal and to glorify Him self in you. Our god is a jealous god and if you try to take the spotlight then it is to your own demise.

Evangelism Training Seminar in West Chester, PA on Saturday Oct 7

2006-09-20T22:34:00.000-04:00

Dr. Stanley Gale is conducting an evangelism training seminar at the Reformed Presbyterian Church on Saturday, Oct. 7th from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The cost is $10 per person and includes materials, refreshments and lunch. Register by calling the church at 610-696-3482 or emailing at rpcwc@ccil.org, leaving names, phone numbers, and email contacts. The registration fee can be paid on Saturday.

Click here to view PDF flyer now!!!

The target audience for the seminar is not just church leaders but the person in the pew, with any eye to equipping them for sharing their faith in their life-spheres. It should be a practical and profitable time. This seminar is designed to equip Christ’s disciples for sharing their faith. Participants will:

learn practical ways to communicate the gospel
map out their personal mission fields
be introduced to tools to help them in carrying out their Christ-appointed commission

Dr. Gale has 20 years of pastoral experience, is the developer of Community Houses of Prayer (www.CHOPministry.net) and is the author of Community Houses of Prayer Ministry Manual: Reaching Others for Christ through Strategic Prayer (2002) and Warfare Witness: Contending With Spiritual Opposition in Everyday Evangelism (2005).

RelevantMessage.org launches first Internet Bible study

2006-09-20T00:44:00.000-04:00

While Bible studies themselves can vary immensely and my exposure to them has been minimal, I am inspired to see the launching of this new approach towards ministry and sharing of the Gospel. William Lehman, with whom I have recently begun to get acquainted, has just posted his initial audio/video Bible study. The subject matter in this study is the 10 Commandments from Exodus 20.

Please take a moment to view this 6.5 minute clip which glosses over the original commandments from God as delivered to Moses on Mt Sinai. Your comments and feedback are welcome on both blogs.

Trackback: RelevantMessage: First Internet Bible Study

ADF Dinner Event - Thursday 9 Nov in King of Prussia, PA

2006-09-17T14:34:00.000-04:00

Dave Weidis, ADF Director of Development in my area, is hosting a huge dinner event for ADF members and guests. Dave has asked me to host a table with up to 10 guests. The dinner will be at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Valley Forge, PA and there is no charge for the dinner. Seats will fill up fast.

If you are interested in attending please RSVP by October 15 by sending an email to ryan@yhurhere.net and I will send you the official evite. Thanks and I hope to see you there.

Below is a description about the dinner and keynote speaker Jordan Lorence.

Official Dinner Event Info

Please come hear Jordan Lorence, Esq., the Alliance Defense Fund's Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, as he gives a behind the scenes account of what God has done in the last year through the work of ADF. Jordan has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court and has made recent appearances on multiple media outlets, including Fox News' Hannity & Colmes.

Official Alliance Defense Fund Website

Bio of Keynote Speaker Jordan Lorence

Jordan Lorence is an attorney who specializes in constitutional law and has litigated religious liberty and free speech cases around the nation since 1984. Jordan has worked for the Home School Legal Defense Association, Concerned Women for America and the American Center for Law and Justice. Currently, Jordan is Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Senior Counsel for ADF.

In November 1999, Jordan argued the Southworth case before the U.S. Supreme Court, involving mandatory student fees at public universities. Jordan earned a B.A. in journalism from Stanford University (California) in 1977, and earned a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1980. Jordan is licensed to practice law in Minnesota, the District of Columbia, Virginia, before the U.S. Supreme Court and various federal courts throughout the nation.

Jordan is a native of Mound, Minnesota, and worked from 1980 to 1982 at the Minnesota State Senate as the administrative assistant to a Senate committee chairman. Jordan traveled to Honduras in 1983 with a medical missionary group and aided Nicaraguan refugees in Costa Rica in 1987. In 1974, Jordan studied for almost one month at L’Abri in Switzerland under Francis Schaeffer. Jordan has written opinion pieces for the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Minneapolis Star and Tribune, the St. Paul Dispatch, Pioneer Press, and the Miami Herald. Jordan has appeared as a contestant on Jeopardy!

Jordan and his family reside in Phoenix, AZ.

Remembering 9/11, 5th Anniversary

2006-09-10T13:45:00.000-04:00

This entry is not going to be a long and winded recap or search for deep meaning of the 9/11 tragedy. There is one important message that I care to share plus I would like to make a simple kind gesture for those that suffered great loss from the event.

The Morning of: When news broke of the first tower being struck by an airplane I was at work and on the phone with my boss. Like probably most of us, my gut feeling was that this was no accident. After the second tower was struck I called my Grandma who lived in Queens at the time and told her to turn on the news. Her response was, "oh, that crazy city." She did not realize the impact of what was so obvious to me and I could not convince her to stay in the apartment for the day. My grandmother was born shortly after WWI and had seen a lot of terror and violence in her day, but this was new and extreme for me.

Aftermath: During the next several months my heart remained heavy and I couldn’t help but think that this was a wake-up call for the American people. In fact, I recall Alan Keyes suggesting it was God’s response to our widespread abortion tendencies as a nation. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. We can all search for meaning and question God’s reasoning for allowing such an act to occur, but the simplicity of it is this…

America today is a land of fornication.

In the Old Testament there are seemingly endless accounts of Israel, God’s chosen people, falling in and out of grace with God. During the times when Israel did fall, devastating things occurred both naturally and from surrounding peoples.

Things are no different today and I am grateful that I now see and understand this. I do not just mean that I logically understand what is in the Bible and recognize that history repeats itself. What I mean is that by God’s grace I can now see His hand in our lives.

For me, this is what 9/11 is about. It is about God carrying out His will on this earth which He created. It is about recognizing our sin and depravity and accepting God into our lives so that He can restore our faith in Him through Christ.

Please read the following Prayer of St. Francis, which I feel compliments the tragic necessity of 9/11.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

In closing I leave you with the following Scripture verse from Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."

May God Almighty bless you and those who perished, and those who suffered great loss as a result of 9/11.

In Peace, Ryan G

MarketplaceLeaders.org - Daily Workplace Inspiration

2006-09-09T23:28:00.000-04:00

MarketplaceLeaders is a ministry run by Os & Angie Hillman, whom I know little about, and which is a ministry I know little about. What I do know is that my boss introduced me to its daily devotional last year called TGIF, or Today God is First. Each day I get an email sent to my inbox that contains reference to a Scripture verse and a memo written by Os. The memos are extraordinary and these daily devotionals have become an important part of my work day.

Os seems to have a real-life story for almost every devotional sent. The quantity and quality of his content is extraordinary and a blessing from God. If you seek guidance in how to apply your ministry, especially in your job or the marketplace, subscribe today to TGIF by clicking the banner below...

Meadowcroft Presbyterian Church of America

2006-09-09T22:22:00.000-04:00

[www] www.meadowcroftchurch.org

Meadowcroft attracted me for several reasons, but most importantly, Meadowcroft came in to my life at the discretion and authority of God. My wife and I had been attending various church services for many months but we had not settled down with any one congregation. The need for consistent attendance at the same church was thickening.

After consulting with my C12 group, I was counseled to go with a congregation that suited me while my wife continued on with her search. Almost immediately I had come in to contact with Dave Weidis from ADF who invited me to visit Meadowcroft where he is an active member.

My first visit was solo and it was more out of courtesy than anything. My wife is Russian Orthodox and a Protestant church would not work for her. Knowing this, I attended anyway and instantly felt God calling me to return.

The congregation had been meeting in the auditorium of Cheyney University because it was on a 5-year journey to restore an old barn in the area with its own dollars, time, and labor and the university was providing the church with a place to meet during this period. The church was rich with families which for me were important being a new dad and husband. The worship music was contemporary but real and homegrown for a musician like me to appreciate. Most importantly, the sermon hit home for me with the vigor, boldness, and the truthfulness that I needed.

I continued to attend Meadowcroft on a regular basis and also began playing guitar with the worship group led by Dave Weidis. My calling to the church had grown to a point where it began to cause conflict with my home life as my wife felt that I was putting too much time into church and other ministry-related activity such as C12. As a result I pulled out of the worship group.

Today I am a regular attendee at Meadowcroft but I am not a member. My wife does not participate but I do bring my son to most services and he now enjoys his time in the nursery. The church has been more patient and supportive with my challenges in a Protestant faith than I could ever imagine. The level of gratitude I have for Meadowcroft members is probably not noticeable, and I pray that in time it can be.

I am no longer playing with the worship group but I have recently begun participating with the Youth Group as a leader. I am excited about this unexpected change in participation with the church because it is important for me to be part of the church and give back to the people. The Youth Group is just that. Watching these kids interact with each other in the name of our Lord Christ Jesus is awe inspiring, as this is not something that existed in my life as a teen.

Praise be to God and may God always bless Meadowcroft and its members. When you step back and look at all the ministry activity going on at Meadowcroft you realize that only by the grace of God is so much goodness able to protrude from a group of this modest size.

Shouts out to Dave Weidis for inviting me and sticking with me all this time; shouts out to Pastor Dan Kiehl for being a steward to God’s word and for his deep commitment to Meadowcroft. These two men alone have inspired me to step up my faith with the Lord and give back to Meadowcroft however He sees fit.

The C12 Group – Business with a Biblical Perspective

2006-09-09T22:14:00.000-04:00

Website: www.thec12group.com

My Story: C12 has become one of the most impacting activities in all my life. It has opened my eyes to a whole new way of doing business and approaching my career, literally under the authority of God.

C12 is a network of groups around the country that meets once a month for fellowship, devotion, prayer, workplace ministry, and running a profitable business. There are two group types, C12 and Key Players, each with a target participation of 12 members, thus Christ’s 12 Disciples. C12 is for CEOs and Owners that are well established in their Christianity; Key Players is for the organization’s “key players”, i.e. managers that may or may not be as established, if at all, in their faith.

I started attending the Manasota, FL C12 group in July 2005 per invitation from my boss Jesse Biter who himself had only recently been attending. Within the first 2-3 meetings I began having revelations about my lack of faith and what can and should be done about it, plus how. The members of the group and the group Chairmen, Chuck Frary and Don Light, became significant mentors, brothers, and ambassadors of Christ for me.

Today I am working with Doug Warrington to help establish a C12 base here in the Philadelphia area. C12 is a for-profit business format and it takes at least 4-6 groups and at about a year for the area Chairperson to realize monetary gain. Being a C12 Chairperson is not about striking it rich. It is about workplace ministry and profitable business.

If you are serious about workplace ministry or if you are just curious to what workplace ministry is all about, talk to me about C12. Much of my success and ability to succeed in my role as COO of HomeNet can be attributed to being a part of C12.

Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) - Defending Our First Liberty

2006-09-09T20:38:00.000-04:00

Website: www.telladf.org

My Story: ADF is a legal alliance defending the right to hear and speak the Truth through strategy, training, funding, and litigation for religious freedom, family values, and the sanctity of human life.. It was founded in 1994 when the leaders of 35 ministries came together to launch ADF and has been a leading force in countering the efforts of the ACLU.

I first became exposed to ADF during the 2005 autumn season when Ambassador Ken Blanchard and CEO Alan Sears attended one of my C12 meetings in Sarasota, FL. The meeting was Providential in a way because only a few nights before I had seen Alan on the O'Reilly Factor and I was impressed with the aggressive action ADF seemed to be taking. Suddenly Alan was sitting in the room with me sharing his story.

Ken got me in touch with Dave Weidis who is the regional director in my area. Dave and I quickly became friends and brothers in Christ and I became a member of ADF almost immediately. My involvement with ADF has not been as active as I would like, but I trust that God will utilize me as He see fit with the organization.

If you want to put your time and money behind a sound and worthy cause, consider ADF, which is doing worldly wonders under the authority of God.

PocketPower – Resources for Sharing the Gospel

2006-09-09T00:05:00.000-04:00

The Pocket Testament League is a wonderful ministry supporting over 100,000 members with only 3 full-time employees, 7 part-time, and a few volunteers. For more than 110 years, the PTL has motivated Christians to read, carry and share the Word of God. Begun in 1893 as the vision of a teenage girl named Helen Cadbury, the League provides free resources empowering people to develop a lifestyle of personal evangelism.

I first became exposed to the PTL when one of their ambassadors visited my C12 earlier this year. The PTL prints pocket-sized Gospels of John with various covers designed to appeal to different people and lifestyles. Click this link to get a taste for the different covers.

The core objective is that as a member you can order up to 30 Gospels a month at no cost. Naturally, as a member you would be donating money to the ministry but it is not required in order to receive the 30 a month. Anyway, the idea is that you would give away a Gospel a day by calling on God to lead you to someone to which you would give one. Of course, this is one strategy but ultimately it is up to you how you distribute the Gospels.

Along with each order you are provided with stickers that contain your member ID which you would apply to the back page of each Gospel you give. This way when someone registers with the site they would enter your member ID and the site can track the growth and expansion of your distribution efforts.

So, if you are looking for a fun and simple way to expand your ministry, go to their website by clicking the link below and entering my member ID: 218459

Click here now to sign up

A Summary of My Ministries

2006-08-30T23:21:00.000-04:00

Here is a summary of the Ministry efforts with which I am involved. Be sure to click the links below to read each of the blog posts to learn why I am with these ministries

Alliance Defense Fund (ADF)
Click Here to Read My Blog Post on this Ministry

Marketplace Leaders
Click Here to Read My Blog Post on this Ministry

Meadowcroft PCA
Click Here to Read My Blog Post on this Ministry

The C12 Group
Click Here to Read My Blog Post on this Ministry

The Pocket Testament League
Click Here to Read My Blog Post on this Ministry

The LAM Foundation – www.lam.uc.edu