John S Oliver's Posts - JUST GRATEFUL2024-03-28T21:58:42ZJohn S Oliverhttp://stayblessed.ning.com/profile/JohnSOliverhttp://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3003242433?profile=original&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://stayblessed.ning.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=3jgbsv4l8eeit&xn_auth=noLord Help Me Get UNSTUCKtag:stayblessed.ning.com,2017-08-26:2917072:BlogPost:1410682017-08-26T16:11:26.000ZJohn S Oliverhttp://stayblessed.ning.com/profile/JohnSOliver
<p dir="ltr"></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>SUMMARY</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I have felt stuck recently.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>There are moments that I feel overwhelmed by all that I feel inspired to do.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>There are moments that I feel guilty that I have not been cranking out lots of lessons each week</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>But I cannot seem to get…</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>SUMMARY</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I have felt stuck recently.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>There are moments that I feel overwhelmed by all that I feel inspired to do.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>There are moments that I feel guilty that I have not been cranking out lots of lessons each week</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>But I cannot seem to get moving.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>As I have prayed, what occurs to me is a need for an overall and long term strategic plan.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>That will serve as the greater context for my lessons and others online aids.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>It will briefly state the deepest motivations that God has put into my heart.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Please forward this to the best intercessors that you know.</span></p>
<p><span><span><br/><br/><br/></span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>INTRODUCTION</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I find myself at a season when I must gain much more CLARITY about the will of God for my life and especially online ministry.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>This strategic plan will become a central, simple and compelling motivation to guide my thoughts, plans and actions.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I have had plenty of time and energy but I have failed to make progress on the many projects that I had planned to be doing when I got to this apartment in Ennis.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I have collected and organized the possible lessons to put online. Those include the following.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Let’s Pray Better about why and how to pray more effectively.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Thanking God Often about prompts toward genuine gratitude to God daily</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Remembering God’s Love about simple meditations related to Holy Communion.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Plus there are MANY more that I will not list here.</span></p>
<p><span><span><br/><br/><br/></span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>PAST</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>In the past I have written many online articles, made many blog posts, preached many sermons, shared hundreds of links, published large mind maps, published short videos and slideshows.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Over the decades I have studied time management and personal productivity. I have learned much about project management to get big chunks of the overall plan done and task management to juggle the action steps for each week and day. But most of those lessons came from those who worked for huge corporations that already had a BIG picture strategic plan to offer the context for the workers.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I have studied startups for businesses and nonprofits. They emphasize the importance of carefully defining the mission, vision and values. ALL the plans and choices need to root back to these simple summaries that can be stated on a few pages.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Since the year 2000 I have started but not completed many business plans. I could not handle guessing the future financials. But there were great questions to think about the purposes, priorities, and audiences that gave me many insights.</span></p>
<p><span><span><br/><br/></span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>PRESENT</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Recently I have been writing far more in my journal than normal. I have been seeking to get in touch with what I want at the deepest levels. I have been writing about my passions, concerns, burdens, divine guidance, biblical motivations, and much more. I have filled many pages and I am starting to see the complex mosaic of my internal life.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I have recently collected links to strategic planning templates. Each one is different yet they are all similar. Pray for me to invest lots of high quality time dealing with them. Then I need to craft a version for me that uses the best of those.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I have an abundance of notes from the previous work that I can weave together in a way that suits my current season.</span></p>
<p><span><span><br/><br/></span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>WHY</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>There are several reasons why this is essential these days for me.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Every week I think of yet another creative way to minister online. I put the short name of that option on one of my many large online mind maps. It would take me 300 years working full time to develop all of those if I never get one more creative idea.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I do not have an internal filter to say YES or NO to such options. And even for the ones that are the most appealing, I do not have a wise way to put them into a logical sequence.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Over the years people have told me to just do something. And that is what I did but there is no unity, harmony, direction or purpose to the many online units. And there is no core blueprint to guide taking the many ideas on the mind maps and making them into online realities.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Some online teachers say you must focus on your audience. Get to know exactly who you will serve. Research their problems, questions and pains. Then offer products and services to help them. That is wise. But there are many and various audiences that I care about and by choosing one I am ignoring others. But a deep seated purpose could help me sort this out.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>There is a saying that a mist in the pulpit leads to a fog in the pews. When I am super clear about the purpose and direction of my ministry then I can share it will others most effectively.</span></p>
<p><span><span><br/><br/></span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>HOLISTIC</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Recently I talked with a man that works for an evangelism ministry. We had a long and lively conversation. I had many links and resources to share with him. Personal evangelism is his world and he knows many people like him. He and others like him assumed I was one of his tribe. While we resonate with personal evangelism, it is not the whole picture for me. Evangelism without discipleship is incomplete in my book.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I lived at a homeless shelter for 3 years and I preached at a church for homeless people. There was an unstated assumption that ALL they needed was evangelism, Bible sermons and food. But very few experienced major life changes. There are deep internal wounds and complex personal issues that need to be addressed.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I worked as the house manager of a sober house for 2 years. The assumption was that all they needed was to attend 12 step meetings and get an entrance level job. They were not offered career counseling to cope with the stress of an entry level job. Nor were they pushed to do a fourth step personal inventory that dug into the internal issues that motivated them to abuse drugs. So 90 percent relapsed and went back to drug addiction.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I worked at a seminary for 12 years. There there the assumption was that if the students read enough books, attended enough lectures and wrote enough papers they would become great Christian leaders. Yet there was very little emphasis on spiritual formation, community service, or prevailing intercession. The missionary students that I gravitated to were willing to make practical applications of the book learning.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>During the past 40 years I have never been mentored. I have been coached a few times briefly. It amazes me that the corporate world embraces mentoring and coaching Yet it is rare in the body of Christ. There are lots of Bible verses and presidents in church history, if we had eyes to see.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>God delivered me from alcohol abuse, drug abuse, promiscuity and a New Age cult at 23 years old. I have been a zealous disciple of Christ since my rebirth on January 16, 1977. I have had to go to many parachurch organizations to satisfy my deep desire for spiritual growth. Most church members seem satisfied with what they get there. But the Bible offers so much more than a pastor can pack into a sermon and even a Sunday school class or small group Bible study.</span></p>
<p><span><span><br/><br/></span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>FUTURE</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I am not totally clueless about how the Lord Jesus Christ is guiding me.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I do know that in the coming weeks, months and years I will be teaching and preaching online. I will be using those methods to share the wisdom, insights and understandings that God has granted to me. There are times that I feel very energized to preach on a certain part of the Scriptures. There are other times that the Holy Spirit connects the dots between some verses to show me new spiritual light. Lord willing, in the future I will have developed a way to go with the flow. I will gracefully get those promptings online easily in an orderly way. That will bless others long after I had published them.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I will surely continue to share links to resources that are intended to equip Christian leaders. These will be offered both to individuals as needed, as well as some kind of an online orderly database.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Besides connecting people to resources I want to connect them to other people. So there will be online membership communities that are interactive.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Sooner or later I will be conducting online interviews with Christians and sharing them. Over the decades I have met a wide variety of people. I have asked them lots of probing questions. They have opened up to me. I have been blessed by this. I have wanted to share this and someday I will begin to record and share those interviews. Most interviews on TV and the radio are of super stars in their fields. I have learned that ordinary people have inspiring and insightful tales to tell.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I want to have lively discussions online about theology, apologetics, current events, Bible doctrines, demographic trends, missions matters, and more. This will not appeal to most people. But there are a few that will gravitate to this. Plus we need a user friendly sounding board where Christian leaders can share and get feedback. It is written that iron sharpens iron. But that cannot happen when a Christian is isolated or just talking into the echo chamber of like-minded people.</span></p>
<p><span><span><br/><br/></span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>BLESSED</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>God has bountifully blessed me in the following ways.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Receive a social security retirement income</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Live in a peaceful apartment</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Have the hardware, software, online services and techie knowledge to use them </span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Have had a wide range of previous experiences</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Have done an abundance of online research</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Have an abundance of notes from previous projects</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Have contacts with lots of intercessors</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Have the health and strength to keep moving forward</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Have a calling on my life that I cannot deny or ignore</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Have testimonies of answered prayers from impossible situations</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Have a complex batch of inspirations on how to minister online</span></p>
<p><span><span><br/><br/></span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>HOPE</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Here is what I hope will be parts of my future as God answers many prayers.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Have an initial strategic plan that is reviewed and revised periodically</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Have projects based on the strategic plan, that unfolds in an orderly way</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Have active relationships with accountability partners, to stay on track</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Have active relationships with intercessors, that God uses mightily</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Have active relationships with advisers, that God uses to give valuable inputs</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Have active relationships with donors, that God uses to keep growing the ministry</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Consistently publish new educational modules online</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Gracefully grow interactive online membership communities</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Develop synergistic systems to effectively market the various offerings</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Effectively grow large email lists that are segmented according to interest</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Afford to pay coaches and consultants as needed</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Raise up and support the volunteers to help with the many projects as they mature</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Increase the income streams of donations, sales of digital products and memberships</span></p>
<p><span><span><br/><br/><br/></span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>PRAYER</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I request your best prayers.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Please pray earnestly for me now and later.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>What I need now and until my last day is much prayer.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>My father is 94 years old. Both of my grandfathers lived to be 83. I do my best to take care of my health. I eat as healthy as I can afford and I exercise nearly every day. SO I expect to live to be at least 80 years old.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I am now 64 years old. SO what I am seeking from God at this season is His guidance in how to best move forward in the coming years and even decades. I want a strategic plan to guide my choices and commitments to projects. It will determine who I reach out to and what I offer them. It will be used to enroll supports so that we will travel this adventure together with me.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>The strategic plan will be reviewed and revised as needed. But I need such core structure to guide me and to help me enroll then guide others.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>May God guide me to use the strategic planning templates to both stimulate new thinking and have a context for my previous thinking.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>May I both focus on this for as long as is needed to get it to a suitable place of completion and not get stuck here in excessive planning.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>One of my weaknesses is to plan excessively and postpone productivity too much.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>May God grant me victory over my tendencies of perfectionism and procrastination.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>May I make many bold action steps when the time is ripe and may God give me victory over my fears of rejection, failure and success.</span></p>
<p><span><span><br/><br/><br/></span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>NEXT</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Along this journey I will need to enroll and work with accountability partners. Today I do not have the clarity to state what I need to be held accountable for in the short or long terms. Pray for God to guide me to both get clear about the long term and big picture parts as well as the practical goals, objectives and tasks needed each week. Those will be communicated to a few accountability partners who God will use to keep me from getting stuck like this again.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>The strategic plan will not suddenly come together. There are many parts that need to be considered and woven into a whole. As it is written it will be subject to improvements both initially and in the years to come. SO even now I plan to put key parts of the strategic plan online in chunks well before it is polished and ready to share with strangers. I will invite selected people to read it so that they can pray over it and comment. I will invite the advice of those who have led churches and parachurch organizations as well as missionaries. I want the inputs from those with a variety of experiences, education, spiritual gifts, personality types, theological perspectives, etc.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>At the start of this long message I mentioned the 3 sets of lessons that are inside my heart and want to be expressed soon. As a reminder they are as follows:</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Let’s Pray Better about why and how to pray more effectively.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Thanking God Often about prompts toward genuine gratitude to God daily</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Remembering God’s Love about simple meditations related to Holy Communion.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Also inside my heart are all the executive management and vision casting parts that I mentioned here. They want to come into order.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Inside of me this feels like a massive log jam. It is like hundreds of logs floated down a river and they got tangled up so that none of them can move. I hope that a strategic plan will be used by God to unjam these and get me unstuck.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Previously what the Lord prompted me to do was to make a website that I call Brother John’s Workshop. On that site I could use it as a place to show and tell the various projects that are in different states of completion. It might serve as a place to get prayers and advice to keep them moving along until I was ready to share them with the public. Pray for that website to become a reality soon.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Previously the Lord prompted me to make a short video daily. This is called a vlog. It is like an update about any and all parts of my life. All the materials here in this long text document could be presented as a many short vlog entries. Also there would be messages of a more personal nature about my likes, dislikes, health, experiences, etc. Long ago I felt the Lord prompted me to aim for 30 vlog messages in 30 days and then 60 messages in 60 days and 90 messages in 90 days. When I reach 90 messages then it would be a deep seated habit. The internal stuck stuff could not build up.</span></p>
<p><span><span><br/><br/></span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>CONCLUSION</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>This is a very long message. It would take about 8 pages to print out. I greatly appreciate you and each person other that has read this far. It is not a common kind of update. But this is where I am at today. This kind of message is best addressed to an executive business coach that is a strong Christian. I do not know such a person today. But, surely if I searched online I could find one. However, I could not afford their fee. Maybe, God will guide me to find a person to sponsor such a fee or find a coach that would work with me for free. That is worthy of your best prayers.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>If you know such a person that could help me as an executive coach or sponsor that fee then please reply.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>When I have studied how to launch an online course called an ecourse they stated that you need to start with an email list of 10 thousand as a minimum. They made a big deal of a person that started with only 2 thousand subscribers and within a few months got to an income stream to afford to quit their corporate job. Well today I have much less than 1 hundred individuals that I sent this out to today. So your prayers and feedback are super important to me these days.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>It would be a HUGE help if you would PLEASE share this with the best intercessors you know. More than executive coaching what I need is much prevailing prayer. There is a spiritual warfare facet of why I have been stuck. I do not want to blame the devil for all my troubles. But when this finally gets going it will be used of God to send the light of Christ to dispel much spiritual darkness.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>PROMISES</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>There are many ways to pray. And one way to pray is to claim a promise in the Bible and stand on it by faith. It is called standing on the promises. The Bible says that God does not lie and that He watches over His word to perform it.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>The promises of God are yes and amen. The New Covenant is based on promises that are the inheritance of the children of God.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>There are some very big God sized requests here. But nothing is impossible with God and through Christ I can do all things.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness so I expect that all these things will be added to me.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I ask for wisdom and it is written that God will grant me His wisdom when I request it.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>God began a good work in my life and He carry it to completion.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>God sent His only Son as the Savior. If He gave such a glorious gift will He not also give lesser gifts to accomplish His will on this earth to evangelize, disciple and equip many people?</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>What is a Bible promise that comes to your attention related to this message?</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>How can I best pray and request others to pray about these matters?</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Do you have comments, suggestions or questions?</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Please feel free to reply.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Also you can print this out to take with you to the prayer closet.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>You can forward this to intercessors.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Shalom</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Brother John</span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>Major Milestone PASSED and Requesting Your Best Prayerstag:stayblessed.ning.com,2017-08-12:2917072:BlogPost:1412682017-08-12T01:02:41.000ZJohn S Oliverhttp://stayblessed.ning.com/profile/JohnSOliver
<p dir="ltr"></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Prayerful Friend</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>This is an announcement of a BIG turning point in my life and ministry.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I have been STRUGGLING for years to get to this point.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I have published a FEW lessons online AND I have a game plan to publish MANY…</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Prayerful Friend</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>This is an announcement of a BIG turning point in my life and ministry.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I have been STRUGGLING for years to get to this point.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I have published a FEW lessons online AND I have a game plan to publish MANY more.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>DOZENS of others have prayed for me to get here. I ask for your best prayers so that I will gain the momentum to be used by God reach MANY others in the coming weeks and months.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I wish this message was much shorter. But I do not know how to get across all the important points in a briefer way.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Please bear with me. Read to the end and then pray fervently.</span></p>
<p><span><span><br/><br/></span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>BACKGROUND</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>FINALLY after YEARS of researching, learning and preparing I published a few videos online this week that will lead to an ecourse and an online community named Let’s Pray Better.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I THANK God for answering hundreds of prayer by others and me.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I have been a Christian for 40 years. The same thing that remained constant all those decades. I wanted to pray better.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I have been blessed to have met people who have prayed for me and I have witnessed the answers to those prayers. But my prayer life was weak and sometimes nonexistent.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I have been disappointed and resentful that there was not much more teaching or preaching about prayer in the Body of Christ.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I have been mad at God and at pastors for not training me in such an essential skill.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Then more than a year ago God opened a door for me to preach on Saturdays at a small church. I preached on many topics including prayer. I found that there are plenty of lessons in the Bible about prayer. And I shared with them from my experiences as well as observations.</span></p>
<p><span><span><br/><br/></span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>DEVELOPMENTS</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>It is one thing to speak publically to those gathered for a chapel service. And it is another thing to offer a well organized set of short videos with lots of practical applications online.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I have felt prompted for years to minister online. I have invested hundreds of hours learning how it is done. I have studied online by learning from podcasts, instructional videos, blog posts and ecourses. There is an abundance of instruction available. I took lots of notes and put hundreds of links into huge online mind maps. </span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I found that there are many thousands of people that have left their corporate jobs and are earning a comfortable living teaching online.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>There are no shortage of those that hype getting rich quick. But there are some that are sane and realistic. Those are the ones that I follow.</span></p>
<p><span><span><br/><br/></span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>TRANSITION</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>After much learning, I feel like I am ready to launch. Plus there has been some motivation from my thin income stream to get this far.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>A few days ago I published the first few videos online and launched a Facebook Group. These 7 short videos are of me dramatically reading what I named Some Prayers and Psalms. It is named Volume 1 because there are more notes that will become Volume 2 in the future.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Some people might like to get a PDF of these to print out or share. So I have made those available. The videos are free and I could not decide on a price for the PDF text items so I offer them at a Pay What You Want basis.</span></p>
<p><span><span><br/><br/></span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>NEXT</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I have been struggling with procrastination and perfectionism just to get the first units online.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I request your best prayers for the following 3 sets of lessons to be completed soon and get online.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Remembering God’s Love</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>This is 7 short meditations about Holy Communion. In order to recharge our spiritual batteries for better prayer it is important to embrace how much God loves us.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Thanking God Often</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>This is 7 short exhortations to prompt us to be genuinely grateful for the many blessing that God has already provided. The advertising industry wants us to notice that the glass is half empty so that we will strive to fill our cup with their products and services. But if we will just stop and notice that the glass is half full due to the provisions of God, then we will thank Him more often.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Knowing Jesus Better</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>This is 7 lessons about just a few of the wonderful names of Jesus. The effectiveness of prayer does not depend on us but on God. The Bible has granted us ways to know the Son of God based on His revealed names. A little faith in a mighty God can bring amazing answers to prayers.</span></p>
<p><span><span><br/><br/></span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>FUTURE</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>There are many more lessons in my mind, heart and notes.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I must get into the healthy habit of investing top quality time each week in producing and promoting them.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>This is the core part of my obedience to the revealed will of God during this season of my life. </span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I am retired and I receive my social security income monthly that covers most but not all my bills. I have incentive to keep moving forward steadily.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I admit that I am a workaholic. I live to work. I do not work to live. I have been working on these matters in my new apartment night and day for weeks. Everything else is secondary.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Along this path I will need funds to build out a website and subscribe to online services that will help me to gain new email subscribers who will become learners.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>During this this phase I just create and offer for free lots of lessons that will appeal to those that will want to become learners in an in depth online course. That will dig into the suitable Bible verses and weave in the related biblical theology. It will not be a boring class with too much theory. There will be plenty of practical daily applications.</span></p>
<p><span><span><br/><br/></span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>COMMUNITY</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>The long term vision is not to just attract lots of learners and say good bye to them after completing an ecourse. Instead there will be an online community. This will be both for those who took the course and those who have not.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>The online community will be a virtual meeting place for those who are learning to pray better to encourage one another as well as share prayer requests.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Surely there will be lots of testimonies of answered prayers coming from that ongoing fellowship.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Part of me today is conflicted if it would be best to launch the online community right away or wait until later.</span></p>
<p><span><span><br/><br/></span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>PRAY</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Here are my current prayer requests.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>May God make it clear to me if it is His will for me to launch the online community sooner or later.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>May God grant me an abundance of high quality time in the creativity zone to make the other 3 sets of 7 lessons.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>May God guide me to sort through my abundance of notes about online marketing to apply those that will be most effective at this season.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>May I enroll and work with some beta testers who will provide useful feedback including comments, suggestions and questions.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>May there be more than enough money to pay my modest bills and to get the needed online tools.</span></p>
<p><span><span><br/><br/></span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>INVITATION</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>You are invited to go see the initial 7 short videos named Some Prayers and Psalms. Let me know the ones you liked best and why.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>You are invited to go to the Facebook Group named Let’s Pray Better. Let me know if you had any trouble seeing the videos there. You are invited to share the ones you like most with your contacts.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>You are invited to go and download the PDF files. Let me know if there were any technical problems.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>You are invited to reply to this message if you want to become a beta tester of the future lessons. I like to send out the final drafts for comments and edits before I release them to the public.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Here are the videos on Youtube</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9HnXwS06-XwoQWGfdV1EUzFiWUX8Adn8"><span>https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9HnXwS06-XwoQWGfdV1EUzFiWUX8Adn8</span></a></p>
<p><span><span><br/><br/></span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Here is the Facebook group.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span> </span><a href="http://bit.ly/letspraybetter"><span>http://bit.ly/letspraybetter</span></a></p>
<p><span><span><br/><br/></span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Here are the PDF files</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://gum.co/SPP-Vol-1"><span>https://gum.co/SPP-Vol-1</span></a></p>
<p><span><span><br/><br/></span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Shalom</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Brother John</span></p>
<p><span id="docs-internal-guid-6bb41783-d3f6-70ca-b4ee-7fd3d78a4430"><br/><br/></span></p>Seeking Spiritual Satisfactiontag:stayblessed.ning.com,2017-02-20:2917072:BlogPost:1387572017-02-20T21:30:00.000ZJohn S Oliverhttp://stayblessed.ning.com/profile/JohnSOliver
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><span class="font-size-4"><strong>Seeking Spiritual Satisfaction</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong> </strong></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Lord help me to become more content with my current circumstances. May I better accept my present situations and relationships.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>There is a desire deep inside of me to improve my life. So God guide my innermost orientation in order that…</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><span class="font-size-4"><strong>Seeking Spiritual Satisfaction</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong> </strong></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Lord help me to become more content with my current circumstances. May I better accept my present situations and relationships.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>There is a desire deep inside of me to improve my life. So God guide my innermost orientation in order that my internal world will become more and more aligned to serve Your higher purposes.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Please make it so that my whole heart and mind be oriented to selflessly serve my small part in to Your Great Commission.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>May I fully and completely trust and obey my Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, with every fiber of my being.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>May my obedience to Your New Commandment to love one another be the overriding factor in my aspirations, choices and commitments.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>May I gladly surrender my will to know and do Your will during my daily devotions and especially during those time when my faith in You is tested.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>May I look to You to take care of me and those I love. For You Word reveals that You are a good God that is gracious, kind and tenderhearted.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Sometimes I find myself pressed into thinking I am involved a kind of rat race to get ahead in some imaginary competition. But while I tend to yield to this pressure keep moving forward, may my progress always be by Your standards and at your pace. May I pause make time to notice how far You have brought me. May I express my appreciation to You in silent prayer often.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Internally there are motivations to achieve, improve and excel. God please do a deep work in my soul so that those motives are used for Your purposes. May my unseen drives not be abused to fuel my pride or hide my insecurities.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I have an abundance of goals, projects and tasks. I do my best to get them done. But there are always many things that are left undone. God help me to optimize the uses of my time, energy and money each day. And at the end of the day may I emotionally and mentally let go of what remains to be done. After doing all that I could with what You gave me, then may I leave the final results up to You. For I declare that You have all power and You work all things together for the good.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>From my birth I have grown up in a society that is saturated with materialism. But may You open my spiritual eyes to see there is much more to this life than just adding stuff to my collection of things.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Everywhere I go there are advertisements. Thousands of signals try to convince me that happiness is promised when I would just buy their product or service. The overriding message is that the glass is always half empty. I should strive to acquire more and better stuff in hopes that maybe some day the glass will be full. That is an appealing lie that has deceived others and me. But I pray that You will whisper to me that the glass is half full as well as half empty. Lead me to notice what I have and not get fixated on what I do not have. May I honor You with my faithful stewardship of what You have entrusted to me.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>I admit that there is a longing to acquire more and better possessions. But instead may I just relax and better appreciate what You have already provided. May I get into the healthy habit of thanking You for each blessing. Work into my soul greater measures genuine gratitude.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>God You created me with five senses. I have found that there are some foods that I especially enjoy eating. Thank You for the pleasure that comes when I eat those. But some of those foods are costly and I cannot afford to eat them as often as I would like. Help me to be genuinely grateful when You provide them. And help me to savor each of the foods You provide.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>God I admit that deep down inside I tend to compare myself to others. That has sometimes led to envy, jealousy and resentment. Help me God to stop entertaining those poisonous attitudes. May I immediately cut off those thoughts and feelings that are not of Your love. May I admire and respect others just the way they are. May I know that they too have both internal issues and external challenges. They have been doing the best they could. May their accomplishments, status, looks, and more inspire me to aim higher and focus better for Your glory.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Lord help me make wise choices when there are several attractive options. On the weekends and during the holidays there can be more possibilities to enjoy fellowship with others than I can physically attend. I am limited because I can only be in one place at a time. In choosing one option I am saying no to the other options. That is not always easy. I ask you to enter my decision making process and guide me in the paths that are right for me. May I find the suitable balance between taking time out for my own recreation and entertainment as well as going to be of service to others as well as making important contacts that You might use later for Your glory.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Lord I attend church services on Sundays. I am grateful for the blessings, insights and lessons that come to me then. Thank You for the refreshing fellowship. May You guide me in carrying out my best intentions to apply what You are teaching me throughout the week.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>God You have revealed Yourself in the Bible as the Prince of Peace. You have often blessed me with peace of mind even the the middle of the storms of my life. May I anchor my hopes and expectations in who You are. May the biblical testimonies of what You did over the centuries give me comfort and faith.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Even if I live to a very old age, that is not the end of the story. May You help me to keep in mind that I am just a pilgrim that is briefly passing through this earthly walk. My ultimate citizenship is in heaven.</span></p>
<p><span><span> </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Lord God have mercy on me and grant me Your grace. Amen.</span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>