robdale.ca

Do You Use People?

I just had a conversation with someone who called me to share how excited they were, because they had an incredible opportunity to offer me. This great opportunity would bring financial blessing to me, the churches I pastor, and many of the people who attend. This opportunity would require no work on my part, just the willingness to allow this person time to share with the congregations.

Sigh. I have to be honest, I get tired of all the marketing / pyramid schemes that think the church is a great place to do their thing. They use people in the church because most churches are great networks. Where else can you find such a diverse group of people all under one roof?

I have a policy in any church I pastor not to allow people to promote their personal business schemes. Whether it's a pyramid type scheme, or even a financial adviser, I don't allow them a church platform for promoting their stuff. I think it's unfair and unethical to do so.

But it seems that there are many who have no problem in using their church connections to entice people (read: guilt people) into signing up. Shame on them.

What do you think? Do you believe that church should be a place where these types of businesses practice their wares?

Connect: Plugging Into Church

We started a new series at both churches called "Connect: Plugging Into Church". This series focuses on the value of every person finding an area to serve within the church as a way of connecting with others.

This is the Bikers' Church version of the message:



Connect: 01 The Pastor's Role from Rob Dale on Vimeo.

Marty & Technology

Our Assistant Pastor, Marty, is a little nervous about technology. The following video is a little example of him in action. This video was taken when he had hair.

Father / Daughter Moments

So ... I'm sitting here making some changes to my Mobile Me account. I decide to switch over to a family account from an individual one, to give the rest of the family some of the benefits of having online storage, etc.

I get it all set up just as Chrstina comes down the stairs (PD Day today). She is excited. She wants to tell me about something she wants for Christmas (a doll or some thing like that). I wait for her to be done telling me, and then I tell her my good news: I've set up a new account for her including her own domain name (www.christinadale.com).

She's excited, she screams with joy, she passes out with delight.

Actually, she doesn't. What she does do is something that every guy has experienced a member of the female persuasion do to them: she humours me. She goes, "Oh, that's really neat," in a tone that is meant to pretend she cares. Then, she goes back to telling me more about the thing she wants for Christmas (again, I have no idea what it was).

Not exactly a "connecting" moment for father and daughter.

She'll learn.

Simple Test

Okay, I've now changed the location of the feed. If you've changed the location of your subscription, you should be getting this blog post.

Wasn't that fun?

Changes to how you subscribe

Many of you prefer to receive this blog through an RSS reader. It's a great way to be automatically notified of new posts. However, in an effort to clean a few things up, I'm needing to change the feed for the blog.
If you have subscribed under the old feed, (www.feeds.feedburner.com/BikersChurchWeblog), I'm going to ask you to take a minute and change the subscription to (www.feeds.feedburner.com/robdale).
I will send another short post once I've made the change so that you are able to confirm the new subscription.

Now, for some of you, that paragraph was in another language. What the heck is an RSS feed? Well, no fear. I also have a way for you to now subscribe to the blog, if you want to receive notifications of new blog entries. On the right hand side, right at the top, is an option to subscribe via email. When you do that, you will receive an email each morning IF I've updated the blog the day before.

Of course, you could do it the "old" way and just check the blog site every day. But using a subscription is far easier in making sure you never miss a post.

The 50,000 Pairs in 50 Days Challenge

I just purchased four pairs of shoes. If you know me, that may seem strange, because I'm not a "shoe person." I think I have a grand total of four pairs of shoes that I wear: my day to day runners, the shoes I wear on Sundays at City Church, my bike boots, and my gym shoes. That's it.

So, why would I suddenly purchase four pairs of shoes? Because they're not for me.

A blogger I enjoy explains it far better than I could. So, read her post and then go buy a pair of shoes:

i’ve been talking about a secret project i’ve been working on the last few weeks…today’s the official launch day!

IT’S THE LAUNCH OF 50000SHOES.COM!

soles4souls is an amazing charity here in nashville that has one mission: get shoes to people who need shoes. over 300 million people around the world don’t have shoes and are forced to walk around unsafe and in potentially life-threatening conditions. not only is it unsafe physically, but having to look down all the time causes these people to also live without dignity and confidence.

just a few weeks ago, i was meeting with wayne elsey, the founder and CEO of s4s and he asked me what is the craziest thing we could do using social media to meet this huge need? what kind of ridiculous goal could we create? and literally ten minutes later we had the answer.

let’s get money raised for 50,000 shoes in 50 days and make it as easy as possible for people to not only donate online, but to spread the word about the campaign. the only way this goal can be reached is if you not only donate $5, but spread the word!

HOW DOES IT WORK?
go to 50000shoes.com. a $5 donation buys two pairs of shoes.

everyone has $5 (or more!). and everyone has 2 minutes. from start to finish, donating is literally three clicks. no fluff. no hassle. anyone can donate. it is so, so easy!

and it’s easy to spread the word. use the graphics on your blog. email everyone you know. join the facebook group and ask your friends to do the same!

YOU CAN WIN A TRIP TO GIVE SOMEONE THEIR FIRST PAIR OF SHOES!
besides the fact that the blogging world can literally impact 50,000 people before the end of the year, one person (and their guest) will be chosen at random to hand deliver the shoes they purchased on a s4s trip to mexico. can you imagine handing someone their very first pair of shoes? it could be a child. or it could be a mother. or a father. or a grandmother. who knows?!

PLEASE DON’T CLICK AWAY…
we could have made the goal attainable - like 5000 shoes in 50 days. i have no doubt that could happen. but we wanted to show a watching world the positive power of social media. we wanted this to be a challenge for bloggers and people to unite in a way never before seen!

50,000 pairs of shoes in 50 days. THAT’S HUGE!!!!!

please donate. please blog about this. please email everyone you know about this.

five bucks. three clicks. two minutes. that’s all and it can make a HUGE difference!!

THE MATH
if 500 people influence 10 people to donate, and those people influence 5 more, that’s 50,000 pairs of shoes (because remember - $5 buys 2 pairs!)…please help make this a reality! let’s blow it out of the water…can we raise enough for 100,000 pairs? I THINK SO!!!

300 million people around the world need you!

chris and i donated on friday. we are spreading the word today.

please join in! even non bloggers can help. just email everyone you know! take up a collection in your office or at your church. do you know someone in the press who can do a story on this? be creative!!!

forbes.com and cnbc.com have already picked up on this…and we have only just begun. with your help (and only with your help) this can be a worldwide movement. i truly believe it can!

are you in?

As I said, I bought four pairs. I bought one pair on behalf of each member of my family. Now, go buy a pair of shoes. You'll feel great that you did.

Pirate Laws

Let's face it, there are days when everyone wants to be a pirate. Well, the folks over at www.piratelaws.com have listed the following rules you must follow if you plan on being a pirate full-time. Keep them in mind.

1. A pirate does not ask for directions. He relies only on his gut feeling, a compass, or a treasure map.
   
   
2. Parrots are the preferred pirate companion. Monkeys are an acceptable substitute, unless they fling their feces at people. Then they are an awesome substitute.
   
   
3. When fishing, a pirate uses either a sword, a knife, or his bare hands. Use of a hook is only acceptable in the event the pirate is missing a hand.
   
   
4. Pirates shall always wear boots, except in the case of a peg leg. Then one boot is acceptable. Flip-flops are right out.
   
   
5. Pirates do not cry, except in the case of the loss of a shipload of rum.
   
   
6. When describing the size of a treasure, a pirate is required to exaggerate by at least 130%. Flowers are not treasure under any circumstances, unless said flowers are made out of gold.
   
   
7. A pirate shall never wear lipstick, nail polish, or capri pants. Actually, that kinda goes without saying.
   
   
8. No pirate shall discuss his feelings, unless his feelings include gutting a man from stem to stern and spilling his entrails.
   
   
9. A pirate should always remove his hat in the presence of a bartender.
   
   
10. During a swordfight, swordfighting insults are required. In the event both participants are still alive at the end of the fight, the participant with the superior insults shall be declared the victor.
    
    
11. No pirate shall ever wear a "fanny pack".
    
    
12. All foods prepared by a pirate must include rum, grog, or beer. Boone's and other "Wench Punch" is prohibited.
    
    
13. A pirate may never compliment another pirate on the softness of his hands.
    
    
14. No pirate shall wear a bracelet or a necklace, unless it is the tooth or tusk of an animal he killed. If in the presence of cannibals, a necklace is acceptable camouflage, but only if said necklace is made of human toes.
    
    
15. Pirate Law: Dousing oneself in beer is a perfectly acceptable replacement for a shower.
    
    
16. No pirate shall drink Grog out of a glass. Grog is only to be consumed either straight from the barrel, or from a mug heavy enough to to kill a man.
    
    
17. Three-cornered hats, headbands and bandanas are the only acceptable headwear for pirates. Fedoras, bowler derbies, baseball caps, mickey ears, top hats, sombreros, or anything with lace and flowers will be removed from the vessel-- head included. A grace period of one minute is allowed for hats looted from a tailory.
    
    
18. A pirate shall never wrap presents. The only thing a pirate gives is a bludgerin'.
    
    
19. Pirate Law: A pirate does not use the word "Fabulous". Ever.
    
    
20. No pirate shall attend a movie with less than an Arrrr rating.
    
    
21. Only a pirate is capable of killing another pirate. If you are not a pirate (let's say a ninja) and wish to challenge a pirate, they have a word for that. Corpse.
    
    
22. Pirate Law: "ARRRRRRRRRRR..." is a perfectly acceptable answer to any question.
    
    
23. A pirate does not "go shopping". Unless by "shopping", you mean "killing".
    
    
24. Peglegs must be made of timber or some other suitable wood. Plastic, ceramic, porcelain, or metal peglegs are utterly unnacceptable, simply because it complicates the use of the phrase "shiver me timbers".
    
    
25. Real pirates have chest hair. If you cannot grow chest hair, you may be a cabin boy.
    
    
26. Under no circumstances is a comb-over an acceptable pirate hairdo.
    
    
27. No pirate may ever change his shirt because it is "wrinkled". A pirate may only change his shirt if it is completely soaked in blood.
    
    
28. When drinking, Pirates may sing. "Fifteen Men on a Dead Man's Chest" is preferred. Kelly Clarkson songs are not allowed.
    
    
29. No pirate shall ever drive a minivan, unless he drives the minivan into a tavern, for the purposes of looting barrels of rum from said tavern. Upon completion of this task, the minivan is to be burned. No exceptions.
    
    
30. No matter how hard it is raining, two pirates may never share an umbrella. Pirates do not fear rain.
    
    
31. If circumstances demand a career change, a move into real estate brokerage or tax collection shall be considered a lateral move and said individual may keep their pirate status.
    
    
32. A pirate does not snuggle with an animal, unless he is trying to snap its neck. But I guess that wouldn't really be "snuggling".
    
    
33. A pirate may never wear another man's clothing, unless he first kills that man.
    
    
34. Two pirates must never share a bed or a hammock. It is perfectly acceptable for one pirate to sleep on the floor, or on a pile of treasure.
    
    
35. Pirates do not wear eyeglasses or bifocals unless they are looking at a treasure map, and even then they are allowed only a monacle. Any comments about "Mr. Peanut" while wearing the monacle are prohibited.
    
    
36. When setting out on a voyage, a pirate does not pack a suitcase. He is only to bring what he can carry under his arms, or what his wench can carry on her back.
    
    
37. A pirate does not mow the lawn. Lawns are for landlubbers.
    
    
38. Lifting or removing one's eyepatch is extremely impolite but is not considered an insult. It's just kinda gross. Likewise, one should never remove another pirate's eyepatch, except with a sword to the face.
    
    
39. Pirates never use the words "fresh" or "feelings," and certainly not together (as in "I have that not-so-fresh feeling").
    
    
40. A pirate must never visit a tanning salon. If he is not already tan enough from searching for treasure, he hasn't been searching hard enough.
    
    
41. While creativity is encouraged during any barfight or battle at sea, pirates may only use the following types of sword; falchions, scimitars, rapiers, and particularly long knives. Katanas or any other Ninja sword are strictly forbidden, unless the Pirate rips off a Ninja's arm and hurls the arm, and attached Katana, as a projectile.
    
    
42. No pirate shall ever sit on a toilet seat, for any reason.
    
    
43. Kidnapping is an acceptable substitute for killing, but only if it is for the purpose of plank walking at a later time.
    
    
44. When swimming, pirates do not dive. They cannonball.
    
    
45. Cannoneers aboard a pirate vessel are not allowed to use hearing protection of any sort. No matter what the OSHA regulations say, if ye can't stand bleedin' from the ears, you have no business being a Pirate.
    
    
46. A pirate will never wear a patch that is any other color than black; unless it's halloween. then they can wear a patch with an eyeball painted on the outside. Polka dots are not permitted under any circumstances.
    
    
47. Female pirates are allowed some exception to rules concerning hygiene and garmentry, but must make up for it by using twice as much profanity.
    
    
48. Hooks are the only acceptable hand substitute. However, they may not have secondary attachments such as screwdrivers, bottle openers, corkscrews, or nail files. These are Pirates we're talking about, not Inspector Gadget.
    
    
49. A pirate's diet consists mainly of meat. If at sea, and meat is not available, shoe leather is an acceptable replacement.
    
    
50. Pirate Law: You can't spell pirate, without "irate". There's a reason for that, so don't even try.
    
    
51. No pirate will ever, ever raise his pinky when drinking any sort of beverage.
    
    
52. Pirate Law: When choosing clothing, even if it looks dirty, or smells dirty, it is clean.
    
    
53. A pirate may ride in a rowboat, if traveling to or from his ship. Use of a Kayak is only permitted if used for cannon target practice.
    
    
54. When drinking rum, the only thing a pirate adds to the rum is more rum.
    
    
55. The official Pirate religion is Pastafarianism.
    
    
56. No pirate shall ever play wiffle ball.
    
    
57. Under no circumstances does a pirate speak with a Ninja, unless he first decapitates that Ninja and uses his head like a sock puppet.
    
    
58. When at the office, answering the telephone with "Arrrrrrr" is perfectly acceptable for pirates. Other acceptable choices are "Avast!", and "Ahoy Matey!"
    
    
59. A Pirate does not read poetry, unless said poetry is scrawled on the wall of a bathroom.
    
    
60. All women are to be referred to as wenches, with the exception of female Pirates, who can be referred to as "lass".
    
    
61. Pirates do not clean up, except when gold falls out of a treasure chest.
    
    
62. Spilling rum is not acceptable, except in the act of "pouring some out for dead mateys".
    
    
63. A pirate may tell any tale of swashbuckling without being called on the details, as long as at least 51% of the story is true.
    
    
64. A pirate may never shave below the neck. Shaving above the neck is allowed, but only if the pirate shaves his entire head. In the presence of cannibals, a mohawk is acceptable.
    
    
65. No pirate may do the arm movements for "YMCA", or engage in country-western line-dancing.
    
    
66. Pirates do not say "please" or "thank you". The phrase "Arrr, I'll probably kill you tomorrow" is an acceptable alternative for "Thank you".
    
    
67. Should the ship's bow have a carving of a naked wench, mermaid, or something of the like, crew members should not touch it. Feeling up a wooden statue is unbecoming of a pirate.
    
    
68. Pirates do not "IM". The only instant message allowed is a sword through the chest.
    
    
69. Dental Hygiene for Pirates is not a priority. Should there be occasion, however, strong rum or salt water can be used as mouthwash. Anything "minty fresh" is strictly forbidden.
    
    
70. Pirates never, ever obey laws. Period. Ironic, I realize.

Thank You

What else can you say?

Thank You, Soldiers

This past week, I gave the opportunity for the members of Bikers' Church and City Church to express their appreciation to all those who serve our country. Many took that opportunity, and the following video contains their words of thanks. Enjoy:



Thank You, Soldiers from Rob Dale on Vimeo.