I’ve been talking with friends and a discussion reminded me….

Some hate the ‘click here‘ to read more on blogs, I see it as valuable in keeping my front page looking fairly accessible, concise and pretty and I don’t really like to see loads of text on a blog entry page. Equally, whenever I tweet about a post it is always to the full post so I don’t see it as an issue. Furthermore, if you’re accessing this via RSS then your client may also be affecting the ‘click here‘ to read more process.

On Saturday my brother in law and sister (Paul & Anne) arrive in the UK then on Sunday he enters hospital in prepartion for a 10hr operation on Tuesday.

He has “pseudomyxoma peritonei” (link) which is so rare (I’m told) that he is the first where he lives to get it / suffer it? Treatment has been going well but all along they’ve needed to consult with specialists, mostly in America.

Anyway, the long and short is that he has responded well to treatment to date and the operation is to de-mucus him, remove what is left of the tumour(s) and other organs. One of the side effects of the cancer is that it coats the internal organs with a mucus which if not removed can cause complications down the road. If you follow the link above Paul will be undergoing the “Sugarbaker technique” which includes removal of sections of his bowel, his spleen and gall bladder as well as removal of the mucus. As well as all this he will be undergoing a form or chemotherapy during the operation.

Paul describes it as akin to taking a bag of vegetables out of his insides, removing the skins and then replacing as much as possible.

Anyway, the reason for my post is to ask for your prayers.

Specifically:

• that the surgery goes well
• that the after effects are minimal
• that he is one of the 7 in 10 who respond well to surgery
• that his recovery is speedy and subsequent return home.
• for my sister, Anne, who will be in the UK throughout to support him
• for their son, Max, who has been left back home
• for myself who will spend the day with my sister during the operation.

From the very bottom of my heart, thank you.

Do the cheesy grins (aka Hollywood Smiles) on Church publicity annoy you? Do you think there’s a place for this type of picture? Well here’s a link to a post I wrote as a guest blogger on ChurchTechMatters.

It touches on usage of stock photos and whether or not we (as ministries) should use them or not. It then goes into a little bit of detail on my personal favourite sites for finding stock photos.

Would love to hear your opinions either as a comment here, to the post itself or on the associated forum – here.

I acquired a new follower on twitter today and they appeared just after I’d tweeted wanting to know if anybody wanted an independent review of hardware or software. Now the two may not be linked but shortly after Tim Cool (great name by the way) of Cool Solutions Group asked me to supply my ‘unbiased thoughts‘ on ministrEspace.

I was happy to oblige as anything that gives me something to write about is good for the blog and good for me as it keeps my creative juices flowing.

So just what is ministrEspace? Well in their own words it is “the low cost, web-based software solution for all your ministry space scheduling needs“. Read the rest of this entry »

Michael Gelb is the author of a book called “How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci” and in it he expands on the ‘seven steps to genius every day‘ …

Now, I haven’t read the book yet but I’ve seen the seven steps listed and they’ve fascinated me enough to want to share them with you all. These principles need, so says Gelb, to be followed for success. Whether it be a new language, training to be a chef or just wanting to improve yourself in your current job.

Anyway, the seven steps are:

1. Curiosita: An insatiably curious approach to life.
2. Dimonstratzione: A commitment to test knowledge through experience.
3. Sensazione: The continual refinement of the senses, especially sight, as the means to clarify experience.
4. Sfumato: A willingness to embrace ambiguity, paradox, and uncertainty.
5. Arte/Scienza: The development of the balance between science and art, logic and imagination (“whole-brain thinking”).
6. Corporalita: The cultivation of ambidexterity, fitness, and poise.
7. Connessione: A recognition and appreciation for the connectedness of all things and phenomena; “systems thinking.”

I don’t know about you but these steps fascinate me and I will be getting a copy of the book when time allows. I understand that the book have some of da Vinci’s illustrations as well and the book references its principles to da Vinci’s accomplishments.