I immediately thought, “That’s offensive!” I then immediately thought, “That’s sad.”

It was one of those things that you read two, maybe three times. There’s a lot of meaning in that one little sentence, and it’s true that many people really feel that way.

Obviously Christ would be the best role model and teacher for non-Christians (and Christians… for that matter), but as Christians, we are representing Him. We are responsible for spreading the Gospel and telling non-believers’ about Christ.

We can try to blame the people who call themselves Christians, but whose actions don’t reflect Christian beliefs… but we can’t do that. It’s our fault, too. Because we all sin, it’s a guarantee that we have all slipped up a time or two and haven’t shown others the grace that God has shown us.

We don’t always realize how we come across to others and we don’t always see that our actions as a whole can be harmful to the Christian movement.

What does this statement say to you? How can we change people’s perspectives of Christianity?

I’ve compiled a short list of things that might be some of the most important details in a visitor’s first experience:

• How a visitor was welcomed and acknowledged throughout his/her time there.
• Keeping things consistent. Does your church put song lyrics up on a projector or does everyone still sing from hymnals? Obviously, you can’t please everyone with the music, but if the look and feel of the church is more traditional, it might throw a lot of people off if your worship music is loud and contemporary. It’s better to not leave your visitors feeling confused, right?
• How the message is delivered.
• How easy it is to get involved. If you have Sunday School classes during the second hour, did the pastor invite everyone to attend one? Are there details in the program where visitors can easily find the classrooms and which ones might be right for them?
• How safe/clean the child care area is. If your visitors have small children, these details can make or break their opinion of the church.

What other details can you think of that might create a better environment for visitors?

We are all consumed with sin, no doubt, so it is a constant battle to try and live the way Jesus did. Impossible, really.

Something a lot of us do, though, is read the stories in the Bible and try to interpret the message… from a distance. Without always taking into account the fact that we are the people described in the Bible, we often (secretly) find comfort in comparing ourselves and deciding that we aren’t as damaged as some of them.

But we are damaged.  We will go as far as taking into account the way God reacts so we can try to correct our wrongdoings, but we don’t see ourselves as the leper, the blind man, or the beggar. We are quick to judge others and even define them as “bad people”, but we aren’t as open to defining ourselves the same way.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” -Ephesians 2:8

God’s desire for us is to live in His image and to have a relationship with Him. We shouldn’t be patting ourselves on the back for the ways we haven’t screwed up. We should be asking forgiveness for the ways we have.

Do you feel like you sometimes excuse your own bad behavior but not others?

It’s never easy letting someone go, but it can be a huge relief on our hearts when we think about our loved ones being with God and finally feeling that complete peace.

I’ve been thinking about death because I feel like the topic has been discussed around me a lot lately. A year ago, a close family friend was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer (and still fighting through it). A few months ago, a family member of a good friend was also diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Last month, a former classmate of mine died saving his roommates from their burning house. This, to me, was a sign of how God uses people in so many ways, even as their way out of this world.

Isn’t it strange, too, that we know we will all die, but when you know ahead of time that another person’s time is limited to only a few months, it changes everything? We don’t live each day treating everyone as though they might not be around tomorrow, but I digress.

As I’ve watched death affect each of these people and their families, I thought about what it must be like for people who don’t believe in God and who don’t believe in Heaven or Hell. For those of us who lose someone instantly and unexpectedly, the pain can be magnified even more. Our faith might be tested when we can’t understand our loss.

Could God really put us all on Earth, make us creatures who need love from each other, and rip some of us away so fast that we don’t even get the chance to say goodbye, just because He can? I can’t fathom for a second that He would want that for us. He has other plans. If those we love spent their time on Earth trying to have a relationship with Christ, I believe that we will see them all again.

I find it very comforting, too, that God has all of the answers and He knows what He’s doing. We might get mad, we might be confused, but we can trust Him. To me, that’s a weight off my shoulders.

Reverend Reginald and Mrs. Mary Tucker join us to discuss their vision for OMOM, their mission, the activities they offer, their partnership with Shelby Systems, and the positive results that they are now seeing in the community.

To watch the video, click here.

ShelbyPODCAST: Partnering With Orange Mound Outreach Ministries from Shelby Systems Media on Vimeo.

What would you say are the three main components for planting a church?

Michael Hyatt’s philosophy is that if you are going to lead well, you must be thoughtful and purposeful about it.  Michael writes and speaks on leadership, productivity, publishing, social media, and many other topics.  His goal is to create insightful, relevant content that staffs can put to work in both their personal and professional lives.

He has written four books, one of which stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for seven months. His newest book, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World, comes out in May 2012.

For six years, Michael served as CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, the largest Christian publisher in the world and the seventh largest trade book publisher in the United States. He currently serves as the company’s chairman. He began his career at Word Publishing while he was a senior at Baylor University. In the 30 years since then, he has worked in nearly every facet of book publishing: as a publisher, literary agent, New York Times bestselling author, and popular blogger.

His blog, MichaelHyatt.com, is ranked by Google in the top one-half percent of all blogs with almost 250,000 visitors a month. He also has more than 90,000 followers on Twitter and recently tweeted, “I’m looking forward to speaking at the International Shelby Conference.”

Michael shared with the Events Team at Shelby, “I will be speaking on one of my favorite topics, Leading from the Heart. This is more important than your education, your experience, or your skills.”

Come to ISC 2012 and hear Michael along with our other great speakers and presenters.

Our Interview with Michael was featured on the February Shelby Podcast, so be sure to check it out!

If you are not already registered for the conference, you can sign up here. The early bird pricing will last until February 17, 2012 (so don’t wait too long)!

The 2012 Conference Preview was mailed to our customers in early January. If you did not receive yours, email us.

ISC 2012 – I Wanna Be Elvis from Shelby Systems Media on Vimeo.

It’s a great opportunity to ask questions, meet other people in the same profession, and take home some great information.

Whether you are a current Shelby v.5 customer or not, attending these demos gives you the chance to see how easy it is to transition to Arena. If you are a current customer, you’ll be pleased to know Arena works seamlessly with your current Shelby install.

These demos have been taking place all over the country so keep an eye out for when we’ll be in your area! Our upcoming demos are:

• April 24- Mobile, AL
• April 25- Montgomery, AL
• May 1- Mesa, AZ
• May 2- Las Vegas, NV
• May 3- Los Angeles, CA
• May 8- Middleton, WI

To see the entire calendar, click here.

You can call Sales at (800) 877-0222 or email sales@shelbyinc.com with any questions.

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”" -John 14:6

As Christians, we are often questioned about our faith. Many non-believers don’t understand why we believe in something that science can’t prove without any doubt. We can see the power of God in everything, but for those without faith, every blessing and miracle is just a coincidence. The thing is, there are many parts of science that can’t explain different phenomenons, either. Evolution and the Big Bang Theory, for example, cannot be fully explained by science and are still just theories.

Some people come to us for answers and explanations about Christianity because they are wanting someone to tell them why they should believe. Others might come at us with questions because they are looking for a fight. Whatever the case may be, let them know that it is your faith that makes you believe, but the Word of God that makes it undeniably true.

We are offering hosting and restorative assistance for anyone who needs it. We are available by phone at (800) 697-4352 or by email at support@shelbyinc.com.

To those of you in other locales that have experienced loss due to weather related problems, please contact us if we can help similarly. Shelby wants to assist as best we can.