Your Journey Blog with Gary Rohrmayer

35 Thankfulness and Gratitude Quotes

“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say, ‘Thank you?’” ~ William Ward

”Blessed are those that can give without remembering and receive without forgetting.” ~ Unknown

“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.”  ~ Willie Nelson

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” ~ G.K. Chesterton

“Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strengths.”  ~ C.H. Spurgeon

“Gratitude changes the pangs of memory into a tranquil joy.” ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“Gratitude bestows reverence...moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.” ~ John Milton

“When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” ~ G.K. Chesterton

”Be grateful for what you have and stop complaining - it bores everybody else, does you no good, and doesn't solve any problems.”  ~ Zig Ziglar

“If we magnified blessings as much as we magnify disappointments, we would all be much happier.” ~ John Wooden

“Gratitude is a vaccine, an antitoxin, and an antiseptic.” ~ John Henry Jowett

”We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet really not small) gifts.” ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

 “We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction.” ~Harry A. Ironside

“Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.” ~ John Wooden

“Of all the attitudes we can acquire, surely the attitude of gratitude is the most important and by far the most life-changing.” ~ Zig Ziglar

"Our knowledge of God is perfected by gratitude: we are thankful and rejoice in the experience of the truth that He is love..." ~Thomas Merton

“Oh, brothers and sisters, dread unthankfulness! Perhaps you did not think that it was so bad, but it is horrible! God help you to escape from it!” ~ C.H. Spurgeon

“Only he who gives thanks for little things receives the big things.” ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“Let me pray this morning that humble, lowly gratitude may daily rule my spirit.” ~ C.H. Spurgeon

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." ~William Arthur Ward

“We prevent God from giving us the great spiritual gifts He has in store for us, because we do not give thanks for daily gifts.” ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"Perhaps it takes a purer faith to praise God for unrealized blessings than for those we once enjoyed or those we enjoy now."  ~A. W. Tozer

“Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude. Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road.”  ~ John Henry Jowett

"Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don't unravel."  ~ Unknown

"Taking for granted  all the temporal provisions and spiritual blessings that God has so richly bestowed on us, and so failing to continually give thanks, is one of our "acceptable sins"  ~ Jerry Bridges

"O Lord, that lends me life, Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness!"  ~ William Shakespeare

"In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich." ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"Gratitude is the least of the virtues, but ingratitude is the worst of vices." ~ Thomas Fuller

”For it is certain that whatever seeming calamity happens to you, if you thank and praise God for it, you turn it into a blessing." ~ William Law

“Gratitude looks to the Past and love to the Present; fear, avarice, lust, and ambition look ahead.” 
~ C.S. Lewis

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” ~ William Arthur Ward

“Gratitude is the ability to experience life as a gift. It liberates us from the prison of self-preoccupation.” ~ John Ortberg

“Today you will envy the blessings of another, or you will bask in the wonder of the amazing grace you have been given.” ~ Paul David Tripp

“Life without thankfulness is devoid of love and passion. Hope without thankfulness is lacking in fine perception.” ~ John Henry Jowett

“How can God entrust great things to one who will not thankfully receive from Him the little things?” ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

 

 

 

 

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Fast Facts and Stats that Might Make Your Head Turn

Fast Facts:

• The average term of a pastor in a U.S. church is 8 years.
• 40% of Americans claim to attend church weekly, but on any given Sunday actual attendance is closer to 20%. (ChurchLeaders.com)
• Pew Research reports 20% of U.S. adults now consider themselves religiously unaffiliated, as do as many as a third of adults under 30.
• Millennials are more likely to think of religious people as hypocritical, judgmental or insincere.
• Just 0.34% of the U.S. population are members of one or another Orthodox Christian Church.
• 29% of South Koreans today are Christians vs. 1% in 1900.
• 71% of Koreans living in the U.S. say they are Christian, including 61% Protestant and 10% Catholic.
• The majority of Christians in South Korea belong to Protestant denominations.
• Americans spend $25.5 billion on veterinary care and supplies each year.
• Today the average American home receives 189 TV channels, up from 129 in ‛08. 17 are consistently tuned in.
• 72.9 million U.S. households have pets.
• Millennials will represent 75% of the workforce by 2025.
• There are more vacant houses than homeless people in the U.S. (Truthdig)
• 46% of U.S. moms say they would return home for their smartphone but not their wallet.
• The percentage of U.S. marriages that have ended in divorce at any point in time has never hit 50%.
• 51% of Americans take a prescription compared to 77% dogs.

Edited by Gary Foster, Gary D Foster Consulting, A management and marketing consulting firm specializing in serving Christian ministries and businesses. www.garydfoster.com

New Leadership Podcast Series Launched

The Barrier Breakers Podcast

By Jonathan Reitz and Gary Rohrmayer

Jonathan Reitz and Gary Rohrmayer talk about the leadership skills you need to help your church break through the most common leadership barriers!  You might be stuck at a certain size or in a particular problem, and this is the podcast for you!

Find us in ITUNES by searching either Jonathan Reitz and Gary Rohrmayer and subscribe to the The Barrier Breakers Podcast as a new podcast is posted every other Friday.

JOIN US TODAY

 

Here are some of the questions we are asking:

• Episode #1--Why Leaders Plateau?
• Episode #2: Does Your Church Have a Conversion Orientation?
• Episode #3: Why Your Church is Plateaued?
• Episode #4: Why Your Church is Plateaued? Part 2

Quick Stats on Mobile Devices

We love our mobile devices. Really, really, love them.

• More than 50 percent of U.S. adults now own a smartphone.
• Nearly 30 percent own tablets.
• Recent study that found 53 percent of people check their phones in the morning before showering or even saying "good morning" to their partners.
• Over 26 percent confessed to sleeping with their mobile phones in bed, effectively taking spooning to a whole new level.
• In another recent study, subjects responded to the sound of their phones as they would the presence of a girlfriend, boyfriend or family member.

Yes, our relationships with our mobile devices are more intimate than ever.  HT

6 Reasons Pastors Should Twitter - Scott Williams

Scott Williams is one of my favorite bloggers I read.  He always has something good to say...challenging, encouraging, practical and thought provoking.

Here is a his latest post on why pastors should be engaged in the Twitter world!  Enjoy.

To Twitter or Not to Twitter…that is the question.  This is the question that continues to be asked amongst various age groups, business entities, politicians, government agencies, and religious communities.  This question is also being asked within the context of ministry and the church.  As Twitter has moved beyond the fad stage and established itself as an amazing source of information and connection, the overwhelming answer about whether or not "you" should Twitter is "YES!"

When it comes to ministry leaders and whether or not they should be using Twitter, there are still some varying opinions.  Opinion ranging from, "Absolutely not, Twitter and the bird it flew in on are of the devil" to "Absolutely, pastors should use twitter."  I would agree with the "Absolutely Yes."  Here are 6 Reasons Pastors Should Twitter.  As a Twittering pastor myself, I’m obviously a little biased; however, I clearly understand the benefits.  There are many high profile pastors that Twitter, including: @RickWarren, @CraigGroeschel, @StevenFurtick, @AndyStanley, and many more.  Other high profile pastors that have chosen to stay out of the Twitter-Sphere.  Although Pastor Steven Furtick is what would be described as a late adopter of Twitter, he blogged about the positive impact that Twitter had on him in his post "How Twitter Is Helping Me."  The bottom line is pastors of every walk, denomination, and size of church are engaging in the Twitter-sphere and are experiencing positive effects.

Here are the 6 Reasons Pastors Should Twitter:

1. Relational Community with Other Pastors:

Twittering allows pastors to be a tweet away from what their pastor brethren from around the globe are thinking and doing.  In other words, pastors can actively communicate with, gain wisdom from, and glean morsels of insight from pastors around the world without going to a conference, making a phone call, or spending money in the friendly skies.

2. Relational Community with Their Congregation:

Pastors have the opportunity to share random daily tidbits of their lives with their brick and mortar congregants in addition to a potentially new realm of digital congregants.  I just made up the term digital congregants; if for some reason that becomes popular, remember you heard it first from me.  Oftentimes, congregations only get a glimpse into their pastor’s lives on Sunday morning when they are bringing their preacher A-Game.  Twitter allows congregants to know when and what their pastor is thinking, what they’re reading, what God is showing them, and what his or her family is doing at all times. It allows opportunity for an authentic relational closeness that wouldn’t otherwise exist.  Novel Concept: The communication can actually be two-way. :-)

3. Fulfill the Great Commission:

When Jesus said: Go into all the world and preach the Gospel… “All the world” applies to the Internet-world, as well as the Twitter-world.  A pastor can go into all the world physically and digitally one tweet at a time.

4. To Unleash the Power of Prayer:

A pastor can unleash prayer warriors from around the world at the drop of a tweet.  I know of a recent miracle of a guy who had died several times, heart was not beating for well over an hour, and too many other details to describe.  Bottom line is it did not look good for him to make it according to the nurses and doctors.  Countless people in the Twitterverse were praying for a miracle, and it happened.  This guy is alive and kicking, against all odds.  This is real, it’s viral, and it works!

5. To Reach Those Who Are Lost:

I personally connect with many people on Twitter daily who are really far from God.  I’m always receiving questions, words of encouragement, and Thank You’s for reaching out to people in a lost and broken world.  For example, I posted this tweet earlier this morning: Jesus loves you, He knows you by name…Do you know Him?  One of the responses was: @PlanetStark @ScottWilliams Who the F%$# is Jesus?  And why does he love me?  (His tweet was more explicit than my %$# signs.)  I had the opportunity to be a witness, and I responded with:  RT @PlanetStark: @ScottWilliams Who the @#$% is Jesus?  And why does he love me? // The Son of God, It’s His nature to luv us! Pastors can do what they are called to do…Reach the lost!

6. WWJD:

Jesus Would Twitter; the message doesn’t change, but the methods must change!

Should pastors Twitter? Why or Why Not?  Does your pastor Twitter?  Share any stories about the impacts of a Twittering pastor.  To Twitter or Not to Twitter…That is the question!  HT

Leaders vs Managers by Seth Godin

Exclusive interview with Seth Godin from GiANT Impact on Vimeo.

How to Make Effective Video Testimonials

According to Wikipedia a testimonial... "consists of a written or spoken statement, sometimes from a person figure, sometimes from a private citizen, extolling the virtue of some product. The term testimonial most commonly applies to the sales-pitches attributed to ordinary citizens."

You would think Wikipedia would be caught up with the 21st century because testimonials can, and increasingly are, in video format as well as written. Video testimonials are an effective way to build immediate credibility with prospects or reaffirm a recent purchase by a new customer. 

Video testimonials:

• are more believable & trusted
• are remembered longer 
• generate higher response rates
• add substance to your website
• are affordable to make
• promote
• and can be used in multiple locations e.g. website, Facebook, YouTube, blog, etc.

How To Make Effective Video Testimonials

Of course having the equipment and software is only one part of the process. In order to create an effective video testimonial you will want to:

• make sure the sound is satisfactory  
• liaise with your client and find a convenient time and date
• prepare the content and questions in-advance
• add subtle dissolves to ensure the video flows well while conveying the most important content

The video below was filmed using a FLIP HD video camera purchased at Costco for $180. The editing was done on a MacBook Pro using iMovie software that comes installed on the Mac. Each video was shot in less than five minutes. The editing took about 3 hours because it was my first time using iMovie. Next time I should be able to do it in half that time now that I know how to use the software.

Additional benefits of videos is that they can by tracked and measured to determine:

• how many times they are viewed
• where the viewers are coming from (geographic location, keywords, referring sites) 
• where they go after viewing the testimonial
• if the viewer purchased a product (if you sell online)
• how much of the video was viewed (where the viewer dropped off)  HT

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Excellent Generosity Series from GenerositySummit.com

Below are some video clips from the "Pirates" series done at Sun Valley Community Church. We hope you can incorporate these messages into your generosity talks at your church...

 

Week One | Week Two | Week Three | Week Four | Week Five

Generous church ministries strive to help churches maximize their potential by helping leaders create a generous culture in their local church.  The generous church strategy is simple:

Expose church leadership to generous living principles from God’s word
Coach them in developing plans and practices that create a generous culture in the church
Resource them through partnerships with organizations that add value to their ministry
Reproduce generous cultures in other churches through intentional mentoring in local church peer groups

Our goal is to help each local church maximize the generosity potential of their congregations while creating a network of local church generosity and stewardship teams that share best practices, resources and ideas which result in greater kingdom impact locally, regionally and globally.

Scott Ridout, Director of Generosity for Converge Worldwide, facilitates the Generosity Summit.  Scott has been Lead Pastor at Sun Valley Community Church in Gilbert, AZ for 10 years and serves on the Boards of Vision Arizona (www.visonarizona.org), a local church planting movement, and Vision Abolition  (www.visionabolition.org), which is committed to the  prevention, rescue and restoration of victims of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation worldwide.

Generous Church Summits are a ministry of Converge Worldwide.    (HT)