SUMMARY
This Sunday is my 64th birthday. There are links to online gift cards that follow.
THANKS to answered prayer my rent is paid up.
Meeting with accountability partner went well last night. He brought fresh leads and challenges. We will meet again next Wednesday for an update.
Preparing sermon for Saturday that is part of the series on how to pray better.
Completed a webinar today on how to build an email list and began 1 month trial of the best service and training I have seen for beginners. The company is called Convert Kit.
Been making gradual progress on preparing the content for launch of online ministry named Let’s Pray Better.
When I have learned how to use Convert Kit then I will segment my email lists into those who want just the summaries from those that want the detailed updates. There will be short, medium and long lessons about prayer promoted.
The best birthday gift you can give me is to read this entire message and pray as the Holy Spirit prompts you.
GIFT CARDS
Amazon
Jason’s Deli
Whole Food
DETAILS
BIRTHDAY
I have had an internal debate about if I will share the date of my birthday.
Normally I do not tell anyone. And just my dad and brother acknowledge it. That was fine with me.
But this year I have passing through a very rough patch for a long time. I have known more depression and despair in the last few months than ever before. I could use some encouragement.
Mostly what I need again are your best prayers.
I am a simple man with few needs or wants. My biggest want is to FINALLY launch an online ministry that earns a good income.
I greatly enjoy giving gifts. So to not let those who like to give gifts would be denying them that joy. That is why I mentioned that date and listed the gift cards.
MEANINGFUL MINISTRY
The main thoughts that God has used hundreds of times for many years to encourage me is that my dad is 93 years old and still going strong. Both of my grandfathers lived into their 80s. The life insurance industry says that the average life expectancy these days is about 80. And by the time I get to 80 then the advances in medicine will likely increase that number.
For years people have fussed at me about not getting a job. I told them that in this job market I would get the same kind of dead end job that barely provides me enough to break even. And I would come home emotionally exhausted with little time to devote to my dreams. I have had many such jobs for 4 long and painful decades.
These days Uncle Sam sends me my modest retirement income that covers most of my bills. I still need to look to God to make up some needs each month. But I have 60 hours a week to work on my dream. I do not have to deal with customer complaints, office politics and long bus commutes.
I am most creative from 10 PM to 2 AM. So that motivates me to keep seeking an apartment in order to produce good content.
I admit that I am a recovering workaholic. My life is out of balance with too much learning, researching and planning. I must turn the corner and apply the dozens of lessons I have learned to publish online and market my materials.
The Seven Habits of Effective People includes to Begin with the End in Mind. My strength is to imagine the long term and big picture. Yet my weakness is making the daily implementations. I spend many hours every week on project management and task management. I get lots of things done. But none of those have broken the glass wall between me and the public.
The Convert Kit trial comes with many training materials. They say that the best goal to set is 1 thousand subscribers in about a week. And they have proven systems to reach that goal. With that critical mass then more thousands can be added. It is common for those in this industry to have more than 12 thousand subscribers.
When I am offering a little valuable content on a regular basis to that many people then it will be easy to both get more than enough donations. The feedback from them will help me make lots of short videos with worksheets as well as ebooks, ecourses and an interactive online community.
I have been struggling for decades to improve my prayer life. I have requested prayers to improve my prayer life many times. I have gained wisdom and insights that I am glad to share with others. I have already preached for hours on prayer that can be reworked into tiny lessons.
I believe that lots of people can gain much value from what I have to offer. And I know that after I have a moderate amount of content online that will serve as the initial hub for an online prayer community.
We will pray for each other. That will lead to answered prayers. That will lead to testimonies that glorify God. God will draw many people to this membership site in due season.
CONCLUSION
There are reasons that that it has taken so long and been so difficult.
I have never done anything like this before.
I do not know any person on a first name basis that has created an online ministry from scratch to mentor me.
I have needed to prune the dozens of subject that I would love to teach down to just prayer. Then when I began to fully embrace prayer I realized that it is a huge and complex subject. Only recently have I begun to get the initial sketch of a diagram that will serve as the core of my many teachings. It is a tapestry of dozens of Bible verses.
I think that if I was working toward selling secular products or services online then it would have been much easier. Somehow the world, the flesh and the devil have been attempting to detour me. I intend to bring spiritual light that will dispel spiritual darkness.
I have been studying internet marketing for 15 years from dozens of online experts. I could never afford their courses. So my understanding is a mosaic of all their free blog posts, video and webinars. I know what all the techie parts are and how they can work together. That is why I like Convert Kit because it offers all the basics for the beginner in one integrated system. The founded started this company due to frustration in attempting to get several other services to interact properly.
So my ongoing challenge is to FOCUS. I need to both take action steps to seek an apartment while also learning how to used Convert Kit and harness it to FINALLY launch the ministry soon. Lord willing there will more than enough income in May to pay my rent thanks to progress on this front.
FINALLY
I have heard stories of those that did not tell other that they had cancer. THANKFULLY I do not have cancer. But I can understand the tendency not to admit weakness and vulnerability.
As much as it was difficult to inform you of my birthday, what follows is five times harder.
Henry Blackaby of Experiencing God teaches that God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes and His ways.
I dislike it when God uses circumstances to speak to me.
Troubles finding an apartment has been emotionally and mentally painful yet it caused me to know Him better.
The recent financial pinch has been used to guide me to take seriously the needed steps to not repeat this discomfort. I have spent many hours for the already preparing the initial content about lessons on prayer.
Here is the deal. I have less than 5 dollars to get me to next Wednesday. I have not been this tight since the first weeks I was homeless 2 and a half years ago.
I rarely present the donation link in such a prayer request but here it is in case God guides you to help me financially.
THANKS again for ALL your prayers.
There is NO way I could have made it this far for the last 40 year without thousands of answered prayers.
Shalom
John
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