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Scott Bell posted on May 05, 2009 21:19 
I tend to leave things alone for just to long. You know how that goes, you make promises to yourself about being more faithful at exercising or ...
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Scott Bell posted on May 05, 2009 20:51 
What is this thing that isn't new anymore. Sometimes it's There other times it's an opportunity for a Second Life. For the last five, almost six years these games have been part of the Internet community. Not really social or business networking like Facebook, MySpace or LinkedIn, these places are avatar driven games where you can do just about anything you can possibly imagine. In another time some of us in "geek-dome" would have played "Dungeons and Dragons" or another game that escaped the understanding by many of our friends. But this time and this place creates our wildest imagination on the screen in front of us. It might even be considered magic in the creative process. Almost nothing is impossible...nothing!
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Dan Czaplewski posted on March 18, 2009 10:47
I’m at a conference. I had to fly to get here. For me, that always means that I get to read. I finished Paul D. Borden’s Book, “Direct Hit.” The subject of the book is leading transformation in a congregation.
Borden’s thoughts on leadership got me thinking. Most people who speak and write on the topic of leadership note how critical a leader is for an organization’s success and even survival. That raises a question for me: how is a leader in a Christian entity also a disciple of Christ? Maybe the inverse of that question is equally important: how can a leader lead a Christian entity if he or she is NOT a disciple?
Stated simply, if I am to lead, I must first follow. A disciple is one who follows; a disciple of Jesus follows Jesus. That realization is important for all of us who are called to lead in Churches and Christian Schools.
I believe there is also an element of leadership that applies to all disciples. All who follow Jesus are called to lead as well. You may be a leader in your family, a leader to your children, a leader to those around you who are hurting, a leader to those in your circle of friends who need to know the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ.
As you follow Jesus, people around you recognize the flame of faith that burns in your heart. You are also seen as a representative of Jesus to those around you. People look to you to lead and the quality of your leadership is determined by the degree to which you follow Jesus.
Following Jesus for me can’t be like the way I do my professional reading; I can’t wait for a time when I am held captive in an airplane. I don’t travel nearly enough. Following Jesus for me is about spending time with Him every morning. Talking to Christ in those moments between when the alarm rings and the snooze alarm rings, structured prayer time each day, a personal Bible reading plan, and time spent discerning Christ’s direction in my life.
So, be the best follower you know how to be and be open to how God will use you to lead.
Dan Czaplewski posted on March 09, 2009 12:05
I saw a copy of a letter from the World Mission people of our national Church body. There was a chilling quote in that letter:
“It is true that the present economic conditions throughout the world induce us, if we do not keep our vision clear, to curtail our church activities. No doubt, money is more scarce than in previous years. All the more, we must keep before us the lesson of history: first, that the more evil the days, the greater the prospect of success in our Christian work; and secondly, that when children of God are eager to promote their Savior’s glory, the Lord supplies the necessary means and blesses them.”
The astounding part about those words is who said them. Those words were written by Dr. Frederich Pfotenhauer, then President of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, in his report to the Synod convention in 1932. It might be helpful to remember that the darkest days of the Great Depression were in 1932.
I do not intend these words to be an appeal for funds, but I invite you to focus on Dr. Pfotenhauer’s words: “the more evil the days, the greater the prospect of success in our Christian work…”
Many people are hurting for a variety of reasons at this time. Even those who aren’t impacted directly by high unemployment or a declining stock market, are feeling the effects of our economic downturn. The worst effect of our current situation is a pervasive fear and nearly universal apprehension about the future.
Christians have two things going for us. First, as St. Paul reminds us, “I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love which Christ Jesus our Lord shows us.” (Romans 8:38a)
The second thing that we have going for us is that the message of hope that is ours in Jesus Christ may be getting the most sincere hearing in our life times. “The more evil the days, the greater the prospect of success.” We have a message of hope in hardship and a peace that passes all human understanding. Security in material things is proving increasing insecure and there is a willingness to discuss spiritual things.
There is no doubt that times are bad. Believers in Christ are even more certain that we have good news in these bad times.
David Black posted on March 04, 2009 14:15
Happy National Lutheran Schools Week! Do you want to hear why our students love attending our school? Click here and follow the link to the first grad...
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David Black posted on February 24, 2009 14:29 
I would like to introduce you to our school 21st Century Skills wiki. This wiki has been created to document specific lessons and projects used with students at Shepherd of the Hills that connect to standards within the core curriculum but also build practical skills for a student's future. We have identified and defined eight specific 21st Century Skills, and now anyone may view the activities which serve to build these skills.
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David Black posted on February 23, 2009 16:19
 Saturday I had the privilege of attending Learning 2.0: A Colorado Conversation -- a single day conference which drew over 200 participants, primarily public school teachers, to discuss technology and education. It was a fascinating and beneficial day. You may view some of the conversations here.
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Dan Czaplewski posted on February 10, 2009 13:37
Do you have a friendly church? So what! You may have exactly what people aren't looking for.
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David Black posted on February 02, 2009 12:19
Here is a list of links which may be of interest to teachers in Lutheran schools:
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David Black posted on January 23, 2009 13:59
I've been intrigued by the educational possibilities of Wordle, an online site which converts text into beautiful word clouds. The service works by pasting text or a link into the creation tools, and a word cloud will result. Here is a cloud from President Obama's inaugural address.
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