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It must be nothing but confusing for anyone who comes to America - who practices a religion other than Christianity - when they notice how many churches there are on any given street, ALL of which consider themselves to be Christian. According to American Church Lists, there are 386,000 churches in the USA alone.

While the Church is thriving, amidst persecution, in third world nations, here in America the traditional, local church no longer ranks as the only place to go as the Christian’s primary meeting place. Millions of people claim they are drawing closer to God but farther from any involvement with traditional churches. What’s happening? According to California Researchers called the Barna Group, “…new ways of experiencing and expressing faith, such as through house churches, marketplace ministries, and cyberchurches, are becoming the norm for millions of people.”

A new book by the group’s founder, George Barna, entitled Revolution, indicates that since the turn of the millennium there have been major changes occurring in how people experience and express their faith. Based on a series of national surveys conducted by his company during the past 25 years, Barna discovered that discontent with congregational churches, changes in lifestyles, and a gowing desire to get closer to God, have caused many people to seek new ways to felowship with God and with other God-seeking people.

In the year 2000, most of America’s Christian activity took place by way of local churches. Today, in 2005, during a typical week, 9% of all adults attend a house church. An even greater proportion (22%) engages in spiritual encounters that take place in the marketplace (e.g., with groups of people while they are at their place of work or play, or in other typical daily contexts). The Internet serves as the foundation for interactive faith experiences for more than one out of every ten adults. Personally, though I attend house churches, have held high school Bible studies for over a year in a hair studio and the past three years have led a college Bible Study in a local coffee shop. In recent months I have preached twice at a Disciples of Christ Church, and have taught Sunday School at the local Methodist Church for a month of Sundays. Just yesterday, the Pastor of the local Cowboy Church asked if I’d be interested in teaching a cults class on a Thursday which he would open up to the entire community and, just this morning, I was invited to take part in an outreach with a Baptist College in Oregon. In each instance, according to the examples set by the Apostle Paul in Acts Chapter 16 with Lydia at “First Riverside Church” and with the Jailer at “Slammer Assembly of God,” these gatherings are nothing less than THE Church in all its fullness, never intended to be a mere bolt-on program for the REAL Church.

The findings from several Barna Group surveys conducted during the past twelve months reveal the characteristics of this emerging population of people who had to leave Church to find more of God in their lives. Referring to these individuals as “Revolutionaries” who are intent upon “being the Church rather than merely going to church,” Barna believes that the magnitude of this movement into new forms of religious community will change the face of the entire religious community - not ONLY the Chrsitian community - during the next ten to twenty years.

PASTORS AND CHURCH LEADERS, LISTEN UP!

According to Barna’s research, some of the more intriguing attributes of these Revolutionaries who seek to experience and express their faith in alternative ways are:

*It’s the Baby Boomers, those who are largely responsible for the megachurches that have redefined the Church environment during the past quarter century, who are now making up the greatest part of the Revolutionary ranks.

*Adults involved in marketplace ministry are more than twice as likely as those connected only to a congregational church to have a biblical worldview and more than twice as likely to identify the Bible as the source of truth in life. They are also one-third more likely to contend that absolute moral truth exists.

*About two-thirds of all adults engaged in a house church attend in any given week, with the remaining segment attending at least once a month. That is nearly identical to the attendance profile of people for whom a congregational church is their church home.

*Men and women are equally likely to participate in marketplace-based ministry activity, while men are slightly more likely to engage in house church options.

*The Midwest is the stronghold for congregational church connections, while the southern states have become the most fertile spawning grounds for marketplace ministry involvement, and participation in a house church is equally common everywhere outside of the Midwest.

*Evangelical Christians are those most likely to get involved in an alternative form of the Christian church and also the groupmost likely to participate in both a traditional and alternative church form. More than four out of ten evangelical adults are involved in an alternative form of church on a regular basis.

*Many parents are involved in both a congregational and alternative church form presumably to address the diverse interests of both the adults and children.

*One-third of the alternative church crowd engages God and other believers in a church form other than a house church, that is, they are involved in a marketplace ministry, a cyberchurch, or a series of faith-focused events that connect them with God and other Christ-followers.

Interestingly, Barna also pointed out that surveys of people’s religious activity often blur our understanding of Church behavior because many participants in alternative church experiences are not sure whether to describe themselves to survey interviewers as “attending a church service” or not. “Some of these individuals are so comfortable with their new, alternative forms of church that they do not hesitate to say they attend Church. Others, however, have been so conditioned to think of “Church” as the activities taking place on the campus of a certain denomination that they are more likely to describe themselves as unchurched, even though they engage in worship, service, prayer, financial sharing, and discipleship activities through their alternative faith community.”

What we’re about to experience, according to Barna, will be the most massive reshaping of the nation’s faith community in more than a 100 years.

THE RISE OF NEO-CHURCHISM

Relying upon national research conducted over the past several years, noted that although measures of traditional church participation in activities such as worship attendance, Sunday school, prayer, and Bible reading have remained relatively unchanged during the past twenty years, the Revolutionary faith movement is growing rapidly.

“A common misconception about revolutionaries,” says Barna, “is that they are disengaging from God when they leave a local church. We found that while some people leave the local church and fall away from God altogether, there is a much larger segment of Americans who are currently leaving churches precisely because they want more of God in their life but cannot get what they need from a local church. They have decided to get serious about their faith by piecing together a more robust faith experience. Instead of going to church, they have chosen BE the Church, in a way that harkens back to the Church detailed in the Book of Acts.”

BIG CHANGES IN THE MAKING

One of the most eye-opening portions of the research contained in the book describes what the faith community may look like twenty years from now. Using survey data and other cultural indicators he has been measuring for more than two decades, Barna estimates that the local church is presently the primary form of faith experience and expression for about two-thirds of the nation’s adults. He projects that by 2025 the local church will lose roughly half of its current “market share” and that alternative forms of faith experience and expression will pick up the slack. Importantly, Barna’s studies do not suggest that most people will drop out of a local church to simply ignore spirituality or be freed up from the demands of church life. Although there will be millions of people who abandon the entire faith community for the usual reasons - hurtful experiences in churches, lack of interest in spiritual matters, prioritizing other dimensions of their life - a growing percentage of church dropouts will be those who leave a local church in order to intentionally increase their focus on faith and to relate to God through different means.

That growth is fueling alternative forms of organized spirituality, as well as individualized faith experience and expression.

THE PASSION-DRIVEN CHURCH

In the effort to increase their obedience and faithfulness to God, Barna discovered that Revolutionaries are characterized by what he identified as a set of spiritual passions, specific emphases that drive their quest for God and a biblical lifestyle. Although these are areas of spiritual development that most local churches address, millions of adults who are the most serious about their faith in God were the ones least likely to be satisfied by what their local church was delivering in terms of resources, opportunities, evaluation and developmental possibilities. The consequence is that millions of committed born again Christians are choosing to advance their relationship with God by finding avenues of growth and service apart from a local church.

Asked if this meant that the Revolution he describes is simply a negative reaction to the local church, he suggested that most Revolutionaries go through predictable phases in their spiritual journey in which they initially become dissatisfied with their local church experience, then attempt to change things so their faith walk can be more fruitful. The result is that they undergo heightened frustration over the inability to introduce positive change, which leads them to drop out of the local church altogether, often in anger. But because this entire adventure was instigated by their love for God and their desire to honor Him more fully, they finally transcend their frustration and anger by creating a series of connections that allow them to stay close to God and to other believers without involvement in a local church.

One of the hallmarks of the Revolution of faith is how different it is for each person. “It would be wrong to assume that all Revolutionaries have completely turned their back on the local church,” the researcher stated. “Millions of Revolutionaries are active in a local church, although most of them supplement that relationship with participation in a variety of faith-related efforts that have nothing to do with their local church. The defining attribute of a Revolutionary is not whether they attend church, but whether they place God first in their lives and are willing to do whatever it takes to facilitate a deeper and growing relationship with Him and other believers. Our studies persuasively indicate that the vast majority of American churches are populated by people who are lukewarm spiritually. Emerging from those churches are people dedicated to becoming Christ-like through the guidance of a congregational form of the church, but who will leave that faith center if it does not further such a commitment to God. They then find or create alternatives that allow that commitment to flourish.”

How do most Revolutionaries justify calling themselves devoted disciples of Christ while distancing themselves from a local church? “Many of them realize that someday they will stand before a holy God who will examine their devotion to Him. They could take the safe and easy route of staying in a local church and doing the expected programs and practices, but they also recognize that they will not be able to use a lackluster church experience as an excuse for a mediocre or unfulfilled spiritual life. Their spiritual depth is not the responsibility of a local church; it is their own responsibility. As a result, they decide to either get into a local church that enhances their zeal for God or else they create alternatives that ignite such a life of obedience and service. By and large, these are people say they have stopped going to church so they can be the Church.”

The Revolution: Challenges and Opportunities

While the Revolution brings with it some very promising qualities, an intense pursuit of godliness, new networks of believers supporting each other, heightened financial giving to ministry endeavors, greater sensitivity to the presence of God in the world, a greater sense of freedom to be a genuine disciple in the midst of a secular society, Barna also pointed out that the Revolution brings great challenges to those who choose that route.

“There is the danger of exposure to unbiblical or heretical teaching. There is the possibility of experiencing isolation from a true community of believers and the accountability and support that can provide. It could become easier to hoard one’s treasures rather than giving generously. Some might find it more difficult to sustain a life of worship without a place or means of expressing that praise to God.”

Barna contends that these are very serious challenges faced by Revolutionaries but that they are no more serious than the threats to the spiritual health of regular church-goers. As one who has serve inleadership in traditional church settings, I can recall several instances of cultic and heretical teachings that permiated our ranks and shipwrecked many a sincere Believer. Barna adds, “Objectively speaking, these are the very same problems that we identify among people who rely upon the efforts of a local church to facilitate their growth. We find plentiful evidence of unbiblical teaching in small groups, Sunday school classes and other local church venues. We know that few churched Christians give 4% of their income back to God, much less 10%. We recognize that most people attending worship services in a church sanctuary leave feeling that God was not present and that they did not personally connect with the living God through that experience. We have identified the relative absence of accountability within most congregations. So even though Revolutionaries face serious challenges in blossoming into the fervent God-follower they hope to become, perhaps the main difference is simply that they have a wider range of options for achieving their faith goals than do people who are solely focused on faith delivered through a local church. In either case, it is ultimately up to the individual to make sure that they have their spiritual priorities right, that they are investing themselves in activities that draw them closer to God, and that they stay focused on pleasing God more than themselves or other people.”

How does the traditional Church view the Revoltionaries?

One man’s Revolutionary is another man’s Rebel. The explosion of Revolutionaries in the U.S. raises new challenges for people involved in ministry. “This new movement of God demands that there be new forms of leadership to appropriately guide people in their faith journey,” Barna said. “It requires new ways of measuring how well the Church at-large is doing, getting beyond attendance figures as the indicator of health. And it demands that new tools and resources be accessible to a growing contingent of people who are seeking to introduce their faith into every dimension of their life.”

READ ACTS 16:6-33, then ask yourself these questions (my own answrs provided for the sake od study and teaching):

vs 6-13 Questions

1) After two closed doors and then a vision, what level of expectation did Paul probably have as he sought to go into Macedonia?

(Confidence was most likely quite high)

2) In this century and culture, how were women viewed in comparison to men? (Subserviant; less than slaves?)

3) How many women do you estimate there were? (5 or so?)

4) Do you think Paul envisioned a greater crowd and success than God had arranged for on the river bank? (He probably had a different idea in mind)

5) How did Paul respond to the group he found? (He obeyed the Spirit)

vs 14-15 Questions

1) Do you think God was at work in Lydia’s heart long before Paul ever arrived? If so, why? Why not? (Yes, because her steps were ordered and she was born for that moment in time)

2) Because Paul was listening to God he was led clearly to a group that was not his first choice. Agree or Disagree? (Agree)

3) After Lydia responded to Paul’s message, how did they bring the Good News to her “household”? Did they hear the Good News that same day or later? (Through the women; Seems later - by Lydia and the other women)

4) When were they baptized? By whom? In what water source? (Silas in the river)

5) This group became a church, in God’s eyes, in verse 15! Agree or disagree?

vs 16-24

1) How successful did Pauland Silas feel in place of service to which God had directed them? (Felt low)

vs 25-33

How did Paul bring the Good News to jailers “household?” Who was the jailer’s “household?” (Jail ministry, Family, slaves).

QUESTIONS WE MUST ASK OURSELVES ABOUT THE ACTS 16 CHURCH…

This group became a church that very night in God’s eyes…agree?

What does this story say about our expectations and view of Biblical success?

What are the minimum essentials, in God’s eyes, for starting a church?

What role do relationship connections play in starting a Church?

What are the chances the jailer’s household would have ever been converted and involved in Church if Paul had not taken CHURCH to THEM?

Who is well-suited to take the Gospel to other groups who have unseen barriers to church?

How much do these churches cost to start? How big do they get? How many did they reach? How long did they last? How successful were they? Who were their pastors?

Apply these answers to the American Church TODAY. Compare to the burgeoning Third World Churches.

Need pastoral counseling and prayer? Write or IM me at team1min@aol.com

Every blessing!

Now, scroll to the bottom and FORWARD this message. Please RATE the message as well. If you need Pastoral assistance, e-mail me at team1min@aol.com. Lord bless!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Pastor Michael is founder of t.e.a.m. ministries (team1min@aol.com). His eMail broadcasts, known as “Your Town for Jesus” (SEARCH it!) are reaching tens of thousands WEEKLY. He ministers by way of email and Instant Message, too. Write him at team1min@aol.com if you’d like to SUBSCRIBE to receive his messages directly.
Michael’s mission is to bring Discipleship and Encouragement to the Body of Christ. Michael is the author of numerous booklets on a subjects that will interest the thinking Christian. Since 1999, he has written and broadcast hundreds of inspirational articles and a dozen booklets, all designed to accelerate the process of spiritual development in God’s people.

If your kids are like mine, then spending time in their room, on the phone, or on the computer instant messaging is their idea of a great time.

Here are many activities I’ve participated in with my teens over the years:

•Starbucks - My daughter would do this daily if I said yes. We will buy our coffees and then sit and chat. No more taking them home, as home means either on the phone or on the computer.

•Walks - We have some great paths where I live. I invite my younger daughter to join me at least a couple of times a week on a walk.

•Renting Movies - We go to Blockbuster and my daughter gets to choose what we watch. We can’t always finish the movie in one night, so often we’ll watch it over two nights.

•Plays - My daughter loves plays. We have gone to many junior high, high school and college plays. We do catch an occasional adult performance also, but often our attendance is at a student production.

•Cooking - My daughter loves to bake. We’ll often bake cookies or brownies that she can take to school the next day.

•Shopping - What teenage girl does not like to shop? We know every store in our town and two towns over.

•Crafts - We love to crochet and scrapbook. We try to find one night a week or sometimes one night every other week that we can scrapbook. My daughter works on her album and I work on mine. We are together, sharing and laughing.

•Old Sit Coms - We really enjoy old sit-coms. We joined Netflix and will rent old sit-coms like Friends, Laverne and Shirley and others.

•Lunch Out - A few times a year, the high school has minimum days. I work my schedule so that when I pick my daughter up from school we can go have lunch together.

•Garage Sales and Flea Markets - My older daughter loves to get up on Saturday mornings and hit the local garage sales. We leave about 7:45 a.m. and get back about noon. Often we’ll stop and have lunch as part of the day.

•Open Houses - One of my daughters loves to visit open houses on the weekends and see what’s for sale and view the many floor plans available.

I believe it’s important to spend time with your teenage daughter, and so I’ve found many creative ideas to help them say yes.

Why do managers create low morale as a product of their management and what can we do about it?

The answer to the initial question is easy.

We all know what managers do to the workforce that causes the workforce to feel the way they do about their jobs.

The managers never listen to the workforce, they never give the workforce any respect, they don’t value the workforce and they spend their time “managing” by telling people what to do.

The much harder question is “What can we do about it?”

It is first necessary to understand the logic of why the manager creates low morale?

Low morale is not a situation that the manager wants.

The manager knows that low morale has a destructive effect on performance, he knows that discontent causes employees to leave and he knows how expensive it is to recruit and train replacements, yet he still behaves in the same way that produces the same environment for his workforce that causes these problems.

We can only assume that the manager, for whom morale is a problem, does not know how to manage people.

This may seem to be a criticism but in actual fact, of all the time spent training people to manage, almost the whole of that time is spent training them to manage inanimate things.

Inventory, Process, Law, Data, Statistics, Strategy, Planning, Legislation etc.

Very little, if any, time is spent teaching managers how to manage people.

If managers have never been taught how to manage people we can’t criticise them for creating low morale when they try.

A popular tactic for people who don’t know how to do something is to frighten other people so that their level of ability will not be questioned.

In this way the manager builds a defence to ensure that his behaviour cannot be criticised.

He deliberately makes people afraid to communicate with him to protect the illusion that he knows what he is doing.

His behaviour creates a defensive position behind which he sits and which distorts his view of reality in such a way that it reinforces his belief that he is a good manager.

His belief in himself, that he is a good manager, means that the morale problem must therefore be coming from somewhere else.

If we were able to show the Manager the real effect of what he does to the workforce then his perception of his role and his behaviour would change dramatically.

In order for the manager to understand the effect of what he does to the workforce it is necessary for him first to understand the way the workforce see themselves and how the way they see themselves differs from the way that the manager behaves towards them.

There is a huge disconnect between how people see themselves and the treatment they have to put up with at work.

There are 6 Billion people on this planet and It is safe to suggest that very few of them, when asked, Are you an individual? Would answer, No!

And yet this is how they are treated at work.

Nobody listens to their ideas, nobody values their opinions, and nobody gives them any recognition.

The manager may not perceive his behaviour in this way, because he thinks he is a good manager, but his is the behaviour that we exhibit towards worthless things.

It makes the workforce feel worthless to be treated this way.

It is impossible for the workforce to tolerate this behaviour from management because it conflicts with their own view of themselves.
The workforce know that they are all valuable individuals.

The only way that the workforce can deal with managers who treat them in this way is to disengage and ignore their behaviour.

In the workplace this is seen as being Sullen, Uncommunicative, having a Poor Attitude,
Low Morale or Apathy.

Knowing why the workforce feels this way allows us to understand that the “Low Morale” is not a function of the workforce, it is instead a function of the way that the workforce is treated by their manager.

To change the way that the workforce feels about what they do we have to change the environment that they work in.

Their working environment is created by the way their managers behave towards them.

To change the working environment we have to change the way that the managers behave towards the workforce.

To do that the managers have to be able to see the consequences of what they do.

But how can they do that?

If a good manager asks his workforce for their opinion of him he will receive their expressions of approval and be satisfied that he is doing a good job.

If a bad manager asks his workforce for their opinion then he too will receive their expressions of approval because as we all know, the best way to get a bad manager off your back is to agree with him.

The problem for the manager is how to find out if he is good, and adding value to the organisation, or if he is bad, interfering and preventing the workforce from performing tasks that they are perfectly capable of doing well on their own.

To get honest feedback we have to be able to look in the mirror.

The problem the manager faces is that his own behaviour distorts the reflection away from the true one towards the one that the workforce thinks he wants to see.

If a manager asks his workforce what they think of him the answer will be coloured by the fact that the manager is the person who decides wage increases, promotions and allocation of work.

The employee is going to find it very difficult to tell the boss something that the boss does not want to hear.

The responsibility therefore lies with the manager to create the environment in which the employees can provide a true reflection

This requires an understanding of what behaviour the Manager exhibits that stops the employee providing a true reflection and the discipline to once having identified this behaviour, to stop doing it.

What is the required answer to the question, Does my bum look big in this?

And what is the real answer.

The behaviour of the person asking the question determines the answer they get, not whether it is the right answer or not.

The behaviour of the manager towards his workforce determines whether the workforce tell him the truth or not.

The soft skills that enable the manager to behave in a way that allows him to hear the truth are the key skills for a manager.

While the manager remains unaware of these soft skills there is only a remote possibility of his discovering how to manage effectively.

Peter A Hunter
Author of “Breaking the Mould”
http://www.breakingthemould.co.uk

If you have ever experienced or learnt something which you then knew was instinctively right - you will never have forgotten it.
Peter Hunter leant something years ago which, regrettably, most of us have still yet to learn.
When we do - once we have understood the simplicity of his book ‘Breaking the Mould’ - it will transform our lives forever!
- Business Workout.

There are millions more to Great Britain music festivals this summer that Dance to the Radio with Friends. From rock by the seaside at Wakestock to folk and acoustic sounds at Cambridge, British festivals market place is in fantastic health. Tickets for old favourites like Love Music Hate Racism and Gatecrasher continue to sell like hot cakes, & with Estelle on Dance to the Radio with Friends Paul Weller at Leeds and Jay-Z at Glastonbury the British festivals are appealing to a better demographic range than ever before.

What do festival goers want from a music festival? Is it fierce dance music so festival hunters can have fun all evening, ear banging rock for serious moshing or some fierce soft folk music while festival hunters bask in the sunshine? What is further crucial really is the sort of atmosphere that one are seeking for, the acts and the facilities, all of which at different festivals vary a lot. The prominent pop festivals goes into swing usually at the end of March beginning of summer the festival go on up & down the British Isles so there are always going to be a breathtaking festival that are near by to you yourself. There are never ever any complaints as folk of course are obviously going to choose a stunning festival that suits festival lovers and what festival hunters are seeking for.

The 1st time folk attend a magnificent festival from the very minute folk walk in the grounds to set up your tent you will feel this spectacular buzz. Pop Festivals typically seem to get larger year after year. The only down fall that seems to get discussed year after year are the expense of burgers and lager on the other hand this cant be helped. One are no allowed to take any of your own kebabs or cola onto the festival grounds but one are allowed to bring it into your camping ground so it makes sense to eat and drink all one can before stepping into the festival grounds this way festival lovers should be able to refrain from spending a fortune What makes a festival great is for obvious reasons the sunny weather, the tremendous atmosphere the bands and the incredible memories that festival goers are obviously going to make along the way. Get yourself the best tickets in town with Time Out www.timeout.com/london/festivals.

Once again the squeeze is on as renewed inflation worries slow the economy’s growth and many companies resort to believing that cost cutting is the best means to scramble back to profitability in an uncertain economy. The problem with this classic approach is that it sends the clear message to your brightest and best talent that no matter how well they perform, today there is no job security. Not only does such a move have a serious impact on morale, but as the economy improves we will find ourselves once again in a very tight labor market. It will be next to impossible to replace laid-off workers and worse yet, your current work force, especially those brightest and best, may well decide that it is time to move on to greener and possibly more secure pastures before the next downturn hits. Is there a better approach than cutting off your nose today and spite your face tomorrow? Absolutely!

The way for any organization to beat this cycle, especially in an economy that may well in this decade experience several see-saw periods of growth and contraction, is to adopt synergistic innovation as its model for continuous expansion despite short term economic declines. Most corporate leaders know that productivity increases provide the best way to increase profits quickly without increasing prices. What is less well understood is that continuous innovation is the most effective means to improving productivity over the long term. Internally generated innovation in products, services, processes and methods provides an endless series of new opportunities to make rapid productivity increases for both the organization and its customers an on-going reality.

Innovation channels the creativity of the organization’s greatest asset, its people and puts it to work in practical ways that are “real world market” driven and directed. Far too often we immediately look outside of our organization for “new solutions”, when instead we should rather be looking within, especially in times of economic downturn. New ventures and other outside opportunities, while potentially profitable for the long term future, typically take a significant period of time and frequently much additional capital to bring them to the point of being substantial profit contributors. Meanwhile opportunities often abound internally to enhance our market offerings, streamline our operations and save money through creative approaches and best of all, these capabilities exist today within the minds and hearts of our present employees. If we will endeavor to unlock these potent assets rather than choose the typical knee-jerk reactions of cost cutting and down-sizing as our first response, we will find our people willing and capable to respond in frequently unimagined ways to grow our productivity and profitability. Later, when the economy rebounds, we will not need to replace down-sized workers and will find we have built a deeper allegiance and sense of ownership within our people.

Once we have initiated a culture of innovation, then it is the primary responsibility of the leadership to ensure synergistic outcomes. The power of synergy, although simple in concept, is the most overlooked responsibility of today’s senior executive corporate leaders. Large organizations are like campfires that periodically burn down until mainly embers remain. The initial fuel is mostly spent and therefore the first reaction is that we need new fuel, new resources, new investment, acquisitions, etc. to build the fire back up. Yet when out camping and the fire burns down, the first thing we do is stoke the existing fire and mound up the glowing embers. Almost immediately the flame erupts again without adding new fuel.

All we needed to do to go from dying embers to a raging campfire was to integrate the existing embers so that rather than each burning alone, they burned synergistically, combining their individual heat. So too, the careful integration of all of our products, services, processes and methodologies, in short, everything the organization is and does to achieve the greatest bang for the buck is no more than the organizational form of stoking the fire. Unlike adding new wood to the fire, the synergistic result of stoking is virtually immediate and without the need to invest capital in additional resources. Synergy is the ultimate multiplier, as it opens the door to exponential results again and again!

Copyright 2005 by John Di Frances

John Di Frances is an internationally
recognized organizational
legacy expert and keynote
speaker. www.difrances.com

A constantly changing employment landscape will always lead to constantly changing career views. Much of this has to do with the influx of evolving technology that requires almost every profession in existence to keep up and change with it. When choosing an educational option, it is important to consider all one’s choices from every angle. While a certain career may sound appealing, it is important to know how much schooling will be required, what degrees are needed for an entry level position and even the average starting pay. Many individuals become frustrated with their choice because they did not consider one or more of these options.

There are a number of resources for investigating the ins and outs of different careers. Getting full facts and statistics about a job and its prospects as a long term profession can make choosing a career much easier. When it comes to career views, an industry can stay at the top of a list of most important jobs while certain vocations in the industry rank as most popular. For example, computer technology is always a popular profession; however, computer programmer and information technology specialist are two vocations that often trade places as most popular computer industry careers.

Norman Collins, better known as Sailor Jerry, is considered as the foremost American tattoo artist of his time. He expanded the array of colours available for commercial use by creating his own range of safe pigments. He was the first artists to use single use needles and hospital-like sterilization. He was known not only for his use of colour but also his incredible attention to detail. The riggings in his nautical tattoos were known for their perfect accuracy. Sailor Jerry’s influences ranged from the tough lifestyle of the American sailor, to the mystical curiosity of the Far East. Throughout his life he kept close ties to famous Japanese artists. For Jerry, tattoos were the ultimate rebellion against “the Squares”.

Jerry was legendary for his sense of humour; his “Aloha Monkey” being a famous example of his eccentricity and humour. However, he was also incredibly vocal about professionalism and craft. He taught aspiring artists who he respected and believed had talent. Today well known artists who were some of Jerry’s pupils include Don Ed Hardy, Cliff raven, Don Nolan and Mike Malone whom he left his legacy of Flash designs.

When Sailor Jerry was 19 he enrolled in the US Navy and remained a sailor for the rest of his life. Even when his tattoo career took flight, he continued to work as a licensed skipper on a three-masted schooner which he used to give tours of the Hawaiian Islands. But Jerry was talented on many levels besides his art and his sailing. He was a saxophone player in a dance band for many years and had a night show on KTKG radio where he spoke under the name of “Old Ironsides”. He stopped tattooing in the middle of life due to trouble with the IRS.

Jerry died in 1973 but his legacy has lived on through Mike Malone and Don Nolan, who opened a small independent clothing company in Philadelphia dedicated to the art work of Jerry, and dubbed the company name of Sailor Jerry Ltd. The company is anti-sweatshop and all the clothes are made in America and sold on the internet or at the store in Philadelphia. The store is host to many gigs featuring independent or up and coming bands.

By Christine Pinella for Black Cat Tattoo Aftercare

You are now entering the second trimester, some mothers find this the most comfortable stage of pregnancy. It’s a very exciting time, you’ve got a lot to look forward to in the coming months so it’s important that you keep yourself fit and well by eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly.

Your baby is now approximately 31 centimeters in length and weighs about 800 grams. Eyebrows and eyelids are now developed and your baby can open and close its eyes. The lungs have filled with amniotic fluid and breathing motions have begun.

Your baby begins to develop hearing and taste senses

Your baby will gain weight due to muscle, organ and bone development

Your baby may start to respond to noise outside the womb

You may be able to hear foetal heartbeat through stethoscope

Your baby’s veins will become visible through the skin

Your baby’s brain will grow rapidly.

Your morning sickness should have eased and many women feel more energised and experience a general feeling of well-being and contentment. You don’t yet have the full weight of a maturing baby placing stress on your body so it’s the perfect time for some gentle exercise. Try to get as much rest as you can because you’ll find it easier to sleep now than in the later stages of your pregnancy.

It’s often thought that pregnant women are supposed to be radiant and glowing but that’s not always the case. All women are different and experience various physical changes that are perfectly normal during pregnancy. You might find that certain areas of the skin begin to darken, stretchmarks may develop and heartburn is quite common at the six-month mark.

You can expect to gain approximately 6 kilograms (13 lb) in the next three months so if you haven’t already made the transition to maternity wear, it’s a good idea to start thinking about buying a few comfortable pieces.

Pregnancy can be an exciting and sometimes overwhelming time. Everybody seems to have an opinion or suggestion on what to do and how to stay healthy. To help ease any concerns you might have, we’ve put together our Top 10 Health Tips so you can relax, stay safe and enjoy this special time.

Choose a health care professional that you feel comfortable with. It’s important that you have someone to talk to if you are worried at any stage of your pregnancy.

Attend regular antenatal checkups. It’s important that you stay healthy and monitor the development of your baby.

Eat a healthy, well balanced diet. Remember that what you eat and drink can have an effect on your baby and eating healthily means you have a better chance of staying well throughout your pregnancy.

Avoid high-risk foods. It’s a good idea to stay away from soft cheeses, pre-cooked meat and unpasteurised dairy products. Don’t forget to wash all fruit and vegetables thoroughly.

Follow basic hygiene procedures. For example, washing your hands thoroughly after touching pets or preparing food.

Avoid situations that may pose a health risk. Handling your pet’s litter tray, preparing raw meat or fish or gardening without gloves can all be potentially harmful for pregnant women.

Be aware of potential hazards in the home and workplace. Some substances or equipment may be hazardous for you and your unborn child.

Exercise regularly. Gentle exercise and stretching throughout your pregnancy are great ways of preventing excess weight gain and reducing back ache.

Always check with your doctor or health care professional before taking any over-the-counter medicines or supplements.

Give up smoking and avoid being around smokers. Smoking, drinking and other forms of drugs are all potentially dangerous to your baby. Women who smoke while pregnant run greater risk of giving birth to an underweight baby.

About The Author

Blooming Marvellous specialise in providing stylish, practical and good value maternity wear and baby clothing, along with the best in innovative and stimulating nursery equipment. Our range can be viewed online at http://www.bloomingmarvellous.co.uk

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Invoices and Sales Receipts are not quite the same thing in QuickBooks. Although they both record sales information, that is where their similarity ends. Here is a breakdown of what each does.

Invoices

With Invoices you have more flexibility than with Sales Receipts:

• Estimates or Sales Orders are easily converted to Invoices with a click of the mouse

• With Invoices, all customer sales information is recorded in the Customer:Job list
• Customers may owe the business money when Invoices are used
• Customer payment information is entered as a separate step on a separate screen

Sales Receipts

Sales Receipts are a little more rigid, but are certainly appropriate in many circumstances:

• Although you may use Estimates and Sales Orders, they cannot be electronically converted to Sales Receipts

• With Sales Receipts, customers may not owe the business any money
• Sales information is not tracked in the Customer:Job list when Sales Receipts are used
• Customers’ payment information is entered into the Sales Receipt screen, at the time the sale is recorded

Which to Use

Use Invoices if you need to use Estimates or Sales Orders, or you want to allow your customers to pay at a later date than the date of the sale.

Use Sales Receipts if you don’t need to track customer sales information, and if you always receive the customer’s payment at the time of the sale.

Why do most online small businesses fail? Because they fail to recognize and act upon the profound difference between offline and online commerce. Offline, it’s all about “location, location, location.” Put your business where people crowd by and you’re all set. Get your cash register ready! Online, small businesses fail to act on the fundamental reality of how people use the Web. No one “passes by.” They search for “information, information, information.”

Any business takes hard work, but learning to build a successful ebusiness may be simpler than you think. Provide in-demand information about something you know or are passionate about. From that point on, everything else should flow effortlessly. Use the following 4-step process to build your Internet business the intelligent way.

Step 1) Content

Web users search for information and solutions. They are not looking for you. They don’t even know you exist. They want the information that you hold though. So give it to them. Convert your knowledge into in-demand content. To succeed online, start where your customers start - at the search engines.

Step 2) Traffic

Your content ranks high at search engines like Google, Yahoo! and MSN. Your high ranking content is attracting free, targeted, open-to-buy visitors. These future customers meet you and your products or services at your site. When you provide excellent content, the search engines provide you with free customers! You need visitors and the search engines need to provide excellent search results. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.

Step 3) Pre-sell

Complete strangers begin to develop trust and confidence in you. They do this because you pre-sell them by over delivering what they were looking for- relevant, original, information that solves their problem or answers their question. Building an online relationship is the most effective way to create raving fans! Word-of-mouth spreads and you receive even more visitors for free.

Step 4) Monetize

Convert warm, pre-sold raving fans into income. This is called monetizing. Believe it or not this is the easy part. You have already created content, received free visitors, and developed a trusting relationship with them. Monetizing cannot happen if you fail to first execute the content-traffic-presell process. This is where 99% of small e-businesses fail.

Succeeding in any small business is the result of hard work. Learning how to conquer the Internet is simpler than many imagine it to be. Choose the right tools and build your e-empire with ease.

Copyright 2005 strength-training-woman.com

Lynn VanDyke’s website now ranks in the top 1% of all sites in the world. Her Alexa ranking is 115,146 of over 56 million websites. For your free step-by-step guide to starting your own online business or work from home business visit:
http://strength-training-woman.com/sone.html