Comments for

Comment on Confessions of (an Old) Youth Minister by Ten Characteristics of a Healthy Youth Ministry |

Ten Characteristics of a Healthy Youth Ministry | — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:37:28 +0000

[...] about youth ministry in this blog, including “Confessions of an Old Youth Minister” http://sundayresources.net/neil/2010/02/18/confessions-of-a-youth-minister/ You can see more of my thoughts on CE here at [...]

Comment on Tashlikh -A New Year’s Ritual by Neil

Neil — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:06:18 +0000

FOLLOW UP:
We did this as the children’s sermon instead of a benediction. I explained it to the kids and then had them pass out stones to the congregation. We used smooth stones I collected from the beach.

FUTURE SERMON ILLUSTRATION:
When I went to throw my own sin-stone back into the ocean, I returned to the beach where we had collected the stones and gave it toss. It was such a powerful moment that when I looked down at my feet and saw more stones, I started picking up more stones and tossing them with a short prayer. After about a dozen stones I chuckled to myself thinking, “I could be there all day, and all night, and all the next day throwing my stones away to God.”

Thank you God for bringing this to my attention, and reminding me that Jesus is the rock of my salvation.

Comment on The Church Website LITMUS TEST by Neil

Neil — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:22:58 +0000

Thanks for reading Jessica. Your site has some nice things about it, but as you already know, it also demonstratessome basic but correctable flaws. I’ve emailed you about it.

Comment on The Church Website LITMUS TEST by Jessica

Jessica — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 23:16:10 +0000

Great suggestions. I have read many, many articles/blogs about what makes a good church website. Without having formal training in web design, I do my best at learning and teaching myself how to do things. If you have time, suggestions for our site would be a blessing!! Thanks!

Comment on O that crazy perfect Teen Brain by Brian Seidel

Brian Seidel — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:44:19 +0000

Neal,
Great post! I wrote a response to this on my blog, check it out: http://wp.me/p1wwrA-4D

Comment on Rethinking Youth Ministry by Neil

Neil — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 16:41:36 +0000

Thanks for asking. You’re very welcome to excerpt or reprint.

Comment on Rethinking Youth Ministry by Jeff

Jeff — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 16:20:37 +0000

Hi Neil. I wanted to know how to contact you. In particular atm, I would like permission to print and redistribute some things. Right now I would like to be able to redistribute your “Confessions of (an Old) Youth Minister to our congregation. Thanks for your reply.

Comment on Church Thermostat Wars: How to win them by Neil

Neil — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 19:01:31 +0000

Hi Tammie. I wonder where your thermostats are located. If they are in a sunny or warm location, they may turning off before the entire room/bldg is heated (this is the reverse problem I describe in the blog article where a cold draft constantly triggered the heat to come on). HVAC installers sometimes pay no attention to where they locate thermostats. Other problems: undersized furnace takes longer to heat a room; multi-speed fans preferred over single speed fans; poorly located or poor efficiency ductwork (a big problem as ductwork is often an afterthought); and of course, –energy loss through roof/windows/walls. Solution: have a professional energy audit done. In some locations, the utility company will do them for free.

Note: A Univ of Georgia summary of various research found that 68 to 70 degree Fahrenheit with good ventilation was the OPTIMAL temperature for classroom learning. Above or below that “psychomotor” (learning) functions begin to decline. Which is to say, “slightly cool is better than warm or cold.” http://www.coe.uga.edu/sdpl/researchabstracts/thermal.html

Comment on Church Thermostat Wars: How to win them by Tammie

Tammie — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:36:00 +0000

We live in SW Michigan so have cold winters. Our church is cinder block construction and we made the mistake of programming our thermostats too far back at night (to 60 degrees). The rooms didn’t warm up quickly enough in the day to be comfortable. We were advised by our HVAC guy to only go back to 65 degrees in the evening.

Comment on Church Thermostat Wars: How to win them by Neil

Neil — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:07:29 +0000

Hi Micah,
How low you can set your thermostat depends on several factors, including: how cold your winters are, and how well insulated your walls and pipes are. You should be able to set your thermostat to 60 degrees and be fine. However, if you have a poorly insulated bathroom, for example, the pipes underneath that floor could freeze if you live in a very cold climate. Best to check that out. Also, keeping closet and bathroom doors open in the closed off section of the building will allow some warm air to circulate. <>< Neil

Comment on Church Thermostat Wars: How to win them by Micah Panjada

Micah Panjada — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:15:19 +0000

Thanks for these tips, they were very informative. We always discuss how low to turn the thermostat in the winter time when the building is not in use. What do you suggest?

Thanks

Comment on Put Your Church Library (Easily) Online by Neil

Neil — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 16:10:09 +0000

Hi Bill. Library Thing looks like a very interesting service. http://www.librarything.com Many churches have a lot of old books so I wonder if “Library Thing” lists them? I like the social networking aspects too, but, I’m sure it’s ad-driven, and it certainly allows non-members to contribute content to your site, …which may not sit well with some. Also wonder if it “makes recommendations” based on what books members are looking at. Probably does, and that may present some theological problems to some. Have to look into that. NOTE: WordPress does allow some social networking through its “comments” feature…just like the one you and I are using. <>< Neil

Comment on Put Your Church Library (Easily) Online by Bill

Bill — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:19:44 +0000

Just wondering if you have any opinion of LibraryThing? I like the social media aspect of it compared to WordPress.

Comment on Installing a “Fav” icon in your church website by Neil

Neil — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:31:39 +0000

NOTE: You can only put a ‘fav’ icon on a website you own/manage. For example, if you subscribe to a website and create one through http://www.wordpress.com, you can’t install a fav icon because wordpress controls the domain.

Comment on The biggest problem churches face today is… by Jason

Jason — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 15:36:48 +0000

I also want thank you for the article. It’s a sad truth we’ve let it go this far. I’ll be mailing this to my fellow pastors….it resonates with all of us.