I know there have been some murmurs about the LOST series finale, but I loved it! Absolutely loved it.

Before I get started just let me make certain that I say I am not suggesting that the complete story is a perfect example of Biblical Christianity. Even though I said that, some people will still think that is what I said. It is a hodgepodge of different spiritual beliefs. You hear that?

Ok now to what was so excellent about the story.

First, this was a wonderful artistic portrayal of redemption.

Jack’s time on the island (and indeed all of the passengers who survived the crash) was full of pain and misery. Many of the people we grew to love even lost their lives in that dreadful place, one in particular never holding his own daughter in his arms.

The pain they endured was a part of resolving some heart issue that each of them overcame along the way. Jin and Sun overcame pride arrogance and rage to find true love.

Claire overcame the thousand heartaches of a young single mom, Hurley found meaning at purpose near the very end, Charlie, who was once selfish fulfilled the ultimate act of selflessness, Kate the murderer watched first hand as life entered into the world and it completely shaped the rest of her days, Sawyer who was on the plane because he killed a man in a failed attempt to find resolution finally found it on the island. This list could go on and on all day.

Jack who struggled his whole life with purpose, meaning, and hope finally found it all.

And in the very end all the troubles, all the pain they each faced was obliterated by the joy they found when they discovered each other and a life where the good remained and the evil was stripped away.

At its core, this is the hope of redemption that Christians have. We hope that at the finale of this mortal coil, the good will remain and the evil and pain will be erased. “every tear will be wiped away.” In the final scene, there were many tears, but only tears of joy.

I also loved the finale because it was well done (the whole series was) and true to its hope. Did you know that the final scene was filmed right after the pilot? The writers managed to weave all the parts of that story together to come back around. Think – the opening scene in the pilot was Jack’s eye opening with Vincent at his side. The finale was a truly fitting conclusion. Magnificent piece of art with great story telling throughout.

And to all you naysayers who wanted all your answers handed to you, let me say this. A good story will make you think. Rarely in a true piece of art are you just a spectator. You need to be a participant.

Time for you to participate. Please feel free to post your thoughts here, but remember, the answers are somewhat subjective, and unknown to us since the writers did not clearly communicate every to us.

What do you think of the unanswered questions? What is the island? Why did the light need protecting?

What is your favorite unanswered question and your theories about its answer?

I am now a pastor. A little more than two months ago I visited this town in East Tennessee and spent some time with the church here. The people were amazing and I knew pretty quick that I wanted to join their pastoral team. My job is an assistant pastor of Adult Ministries. I will be working to help the church (and her members) grow.

For several years my job has centered around the content of this blog. Affiliate marketing, social media, and entrepreneurial tips and ideas. This sprang from my career as a business consultant.

I loved that job and I enjoyed talking about it here.

This is changing.

However, I don’t see why everything has to change. I love the internet and I enjoy technology. So this blog will remain active (again) on these topics.

I also like to talk about productivity, success and effectiveness. So these topics will remain a part of the content of this site as well.

What will change is my own thinking and application of these topics. I will be using social media to connect with the church and with the community we are in.

On topics such as productivity and effectiveness I will be working these ideas out in the area of church leadership instead of small business management. That means that some things will have a slightly different tone, however effectiveness is just as important in the church (maybe even more so).

So I hope you will stay with me! I look forward to continue our pursuit of the good life together.

Obviously, there is no way to address these topics without addressing them as they relate to the King. I believe that true freedom and liberty can only be reached when we live out the humanity we were made to live out as loyal subjects in a kingdom.

My friend is a wonderful artist. Made in the image of God, she reflects his glory in so many amazing ways. Her daughter, whom I have gotten to know, is 23 and honestly a special person. Well rounded and educated, she is a shining testament that my friend cares about good things. She has raised at least one child so that I can personally see how her influence on this earth has been good. It is not as if it is up to me to approve of her and her life, but in many ways I do. She is a terrific individual worthy of great respect.

The thing is, she talks like a universalist. She believes there is a “Christ in all of us” and that all of creation is filled with God. Personally I don’t exactly disagree. I think that all of His creation echos his name and his glory. So it is easy to see where she would say God is in the trees and the hills.

At any rate, she had some thoughts on my book which were well received and I am contemplating. She basically said I might want to make it more accessible to readers who are not openly Christian. Her words were not “tone down the exclusivity of Christ stuff.” But I think it is fair to say that is what she was getting at.

Herein lies the tension.

We live in a relativistic culture where people are happy to accept my point of view if I don’t question theirs. And I have no desire whatsoever to question their point of view. I think each and every human being has something special to share with the world and their opinions and perspectives should be valued and listened to. So I don’t want to challenge them, I want to listen respectfully to what they have to say.

The problem is that I live as a subject to a king. If my neighbors were openly plotting rebellion to the US government and shipping secrets to the Islamic Fundamentalists, shouldn’t I in the very least challenge their thinking and remind them that they are subjects of the US and could be tried for treason and executed?

Since Voltaire, the French Revolution, the Declaration of Independence and a thousand other small events in human history, western individualists have lost an understanding of what it means to have a king. We believe in personal sovereignty. Our ancestors understood Monarchy in a much different way than we do. Once upon a time, you had a King who fully controlled your life. You could only hope that he was a good king and not a tyrant, because you were completely at his mercy.

This Jesus I am talking about, he is a good king. But he is still a king. Rebels to his authority will not be tolerated forever. He will subdue his enemies just like any king would. But he is good to his people.

This is a hard thing to understand and to teach in a relativistic world where everyone’s opinion should be valued. I do however, think it is the only hope we have. I cannot long tolerate a world where each individual is their own sovereign ruler. I need a king, because frankly I am an idiot and so are you.

I believe that we were made to live in perfect harmony and beauty with each other and with the world (like the Navi on Avatar), but our ancestors made some decisions that screwed us over and now we have wars, death, poverty, oil spills and illegal immigration issues. Honestly, just think about it. Doesn’t that idea of harmony and perfection resonate with something inside you? Doesn’t it make sense that we were made to enjoy that? That our purpose is somehow not being fulfilled? I think this king who leads us has the answers to the deepest longings of all our hearts. The only way to live out true humanity is to recognize the king and bend the knee to him.

It is clear to me that I am not good enough to be my own king. I need one more powerful. Does that mean I am weak? Yes it does. But I am no weaker than anyone else. So far in these thousands of years of history, no one else has solved these problems. I don’t suspect that I will either. I simply have come to the point where I have been forced to recognize my own weakness and inability to create much of anything pure around me. Thankfully I have a king who does that.

Each one of us is a subject of the King from Nazareth. Loyal or disloyal, we have a king. What you do with the King is up to you, but it won’t keep him from being King.

I see my responsibility as a servant of that king to recognize the beautiful and unique way he has made every person on the planet. I should honor them since they reflect the image of God, but I must also make sure I let them know that they live in a Kingdom. And whether they know it or not, there is a King.

So the question is, where do I draw the line on how “accessible” my book is to those who do not recognize the authority of the king?

For now let me just tell you what happened on my run. I was listening to my good friend Bob Smart as I often do when I run. My listening choices when I run kind of boils down to Bob Smart or Bono with a few others thrown in here and there for the sake of variety. Yes Bob is a preacher and Bono is a singer, but they both have a great deal to say about the human condition and redemption. I find myself learning from both and entertained at the same time.

At any rate, today I was listening to Bob preach on Ecclesiastes. One of the things he mentioned is that the “teacher” was talking about intellectual fallacies that are still common today. The teacher is the person whose voice we hear as we read that book of the Bible. He continually repeats that every attempt to find meaning or purpose is meaningless. One of the attitudes which the teacher tested out is what we would call Nihilism. This is the attitude expressed best by the belief that there is no real purpose in our existence and all we can really do is wait to die.

At the time Bob began to discuss nihilism I was running across a part of UNCW that’s really nice. A gorgeous, wide, brick sidewalk runs between buildings which share brilliant landscaping and beautiful architecture. These things were designed to be enjoyed by man. This part of campus was supposed to make life worth living. Nihilism sounded so unattractive in light of the culture man had created around me.

Of course I was semiconscious that UNCW is indicative of most of America. Growing numbers of people are beginning to believe that Christianity does not have relevant answers for the problems they face.

Then it hit me like a freight train (or a mack truck to be faithful to the title of this post) that the reason growing numbers of Americans are finding Christianity largely irrelevant is because more and more American Christians are nihilists who carry the Bible around with them. What would be attractive about that???

Seriously, with the popularity of left behind theology which teaches that you just need to pray a prayer and then start hoping to die so you can get out of here, I would hate christianity too if I thought that is what it taught!

Thank God for making it clear to us that mankind’s job is to bring culture, art, beauty and whatever it takes to make life worth living here and now. Otherwise, I don’t think I could take it for very long.

Maybe you want to know their weaknesses so you can bring them down. That might be a fun experiment. But tangling with an ISTJ might be a bit more than you bargained for.

ISTJ Strengths

ISTJ types are incredibly detailed. Nothing ever slips by. In addition to being some of the most successful leaders, they are also incredibly successful accountants and attorneys. It should come as no surprise that most of the politicians in the country are the same type.

When a plan comes up they are the first to look critically at it. They are slow to make decisions for this very reason. Almost any change is considered dangerous and foolhardy. Before they make a change they think really hard about it.

This is one reason I have a suspicion that a part of Microsoft’s strategy is to release a software version that they anticipate changing very soon after it hits the market. Windows Millineum and Vista could have been a part of the decision making process for Microsoft.

Compare the speed at which Microsoft implements change to the speed Apple does. Apple has been incredibly innovative since Steve Jobs stepped back in as CEO. Steve Jobs is an INTP, one of the most innovative of all the Meyers-Briggs types.

But don’t let that fool you. It turns out to not be a terrible strategy since more than 7o percent of the people who read this will do so with a Microsoft product.

Being slow to change, detail oriented and slow to make decisions has proven to be a strong tendency time and again for smart ISTJ’s. But it can get in the way.

ISTJ Weaknesses

One of the biggest weaknesses of the ISTJ is their inability to trust other personality types. The phrase “my way or the highway” never applied to anyone as much as a strong ISTJ.

ISTJ’s must learn to listen to others and really, truly consider their input. Microsoft could be much further along in product development if there were a trusted INTP in high leadership. But there probably isn’t because an ISTJ thinks an INTP is a radical and a rabble rouser because they actually like change!

ISTJ Focus Areas

An ISTJ entrepreneur needs to think about a few things in order to be successful.

1. You need a visionary. ISTJ’s have a very difficult time seeing the long term future ahead. Even making a decision about what type of product to promote can be difficult for them. They want to know where to click and which person to follow on twitter, but ask them to describe what type of website they want to develop and they clam up.

2. You need a plan. You need a very concrete plan based on a vision. If you can get people in your life to help you see the future, then you can easily come up with action steps that will help you reach that ultimate goal. If you plan your work and work your plan – you are the type that will absolutely be successful.

Since you are so driven by the technical details of a project, if you are an ISTJ considering launching a new business on the internet, I would highly suggest you consider joining the 8 weeks to affiliate marketing success. It is designed with you in mind.

3 You need to re-evaluate. Every plan needs some re-evaluation from time to time. ISTJ’s are the most likely personality to neglect this altogether. From the very start you should schedule time at least monthly and then more time quarterly to re-evaluate where you are in your goals, and the efficiency of everything you are doing. Then you should alter course as you need to. If you plan to do this, you will do it. I am sure you will find it to be both incredibly fun and helpful.

How am I doing? Are these articles helping you discover yourself better and learn more about yourself?

Check the archive of posts in this series and feel free to comment.

Some famous ESTJ’s are Sam Walton (arguably one of the most successful entrepreneurs ever), Harry Truman, Archie Bunker, Joan Rivers, Billy Graham and Simon Peter the Apostle.

You can see right away that ESTJ’s are the full force, all or nothing kind of people when they decide on something they are already charging straight toward it.

Strengths

An ESTJ is an ideal manager. They are outgoing enough to be involved with their team. They are very detail oriented people and rarely ever overlook the small details that other personalities can easily miss.

These types of people tend to have very high standards for themselves and for others.

These are great qualities in a leader and an entrepreneur. Because ESTJ’s are detail oriented, they are great at seeing all the steps that need to be taken to accomplish a task. They can develop an initial vision, but they are better at developing and living out action plans.

Interactions

As an Entreprenuer, they need to focus on this area. Because ESTJ’s make great managers, they should quickly develop a team of people around them. Some ideal personality types to work for an ESTJ would be an INTJ, INFP, or ESFJ.

An ESTJ hiring and INFP could just be asking for trouble, but if they both trusted each other and understood their own weaknesses it could be an incredible team. An INFP is better at developing a vision and not as good as creating an action plan. They can help the ESTJ see the big picture, but should not be depended on in the implementation.  An INFP would make a great consultant for an ESTJ to have on retainer.

The INTJ should work closely with the ESTJ. They have enough in common that they will work well together. Neither will typically have a messy desk. Both are excellent implementers, both care deeply about quality and will go to just about an lengths to insure that. The INTJ is a better visionary, and the ESTJ is far better at details.  An excellent business partner or trusted manager for the ESTJ is an INTJ.

An ESFJ cares about people and duty. They will work hard to make sure the organization thrives, but they will also notice when people within the organization are not performing at the best potential. The ESFJ will want to get to the root of the problem and help people to thrive. The ESFJ makes a good manager because they care about people. People withing the organization and even those affected by the organization will feel cared about if they interact with the ESFJ in your organization. An asbolutly perfect position in your organization for an ESFJ would be a social media person. Some organizations are creating these types of positions and hiring people who will maintain the public image of the company in new media. If you are an ESTJ, you need an ESFJ handling your public face or your human resources.

Weaknesses

The areas of weakness for an ESTJ revolve around their tendency to focus on details. WHile this is certainly a strength and they will notice things others may have missed. It is also a weakness. They will not notice other people’s needs as quickly. People may feel neglected when an ESTJ is on task.

They also don’t notice as quickly when a plan needs to be adjusted. Sometimes as a plan is being carried it, it needs to be reevaluated and adjusted. An ESTJ may not realize this before it is too late and has cost too much money. They need to be aware of this tendency and do their best to keep their eye on the big picture and listen closely to others close to them.

An ESTJ can be a good entrepreneur if they have people they can depend on and use their managerial skills carefully. They should always look for people who can help them develop a vision and who can tone down their tendencies to focus on details.

John 3:1-8 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

We have been in this popular text now for a few days. It is important now to take a moment and consider the kingdom of God. There are two things that Jesus says about this kingdom in the clouds (that’s sarcasm keep reading). Jesus says unless a person is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God and unless he is born of water and spirit he cannot enter it.

We have already addressed what it means to be born again. So now let’s take just a moment and consider what this Kingdom is.

We often imagine that this earth is the devils realm and God’s kingdom is a place of bliss in the clouds where dead people play harps. 

This is a lie.

First of all, you should have no interest in serving a king who cannot conquer his enemy’s territory. God made the earth, do you really expect the creator to simply throw it all away and establish a kingdom someplace else? That’s like a ruler living in exile.

Make no mistake here, The Creator and King is not an exile.

Maybe humanity rebelled against him, but he didn’t just leave and ask a few to follow him. He is taking it back.

During World War II the Germans invaded France. To some people, it looked a lot like Germany. The Germans carried out their program of racial cleansing. They put German practices and authorities in place. They set up puppet leaders who would follow German policy. To the frenchman who was unaware or unpatriotic, he would have thought he lived in a new and expanded German kingdom.

But the thousands of French resistance fighters saw it differently. They saw the France they loved and they were determined to one day restore their country to its full glory. Then, they knew they would parade in the streets of Paris like it was Bastille Day all over again!

The one who has been born again is like the French resistance fighter. They do not doubt that this planet which circles the sun and sustains our life is smack in the middle of God’s Kingdom. It may have been attacked, but it is His. They know it and they see it that way.

They work hard to see it restored to its former glory.

And one day they will parade on streets of gold. Parade on streets of gold here. Here on this planet. In the center of God’s kingdom. This is where those who are born again will enter into his kingdom.

And the one who is born again looks forward to marching in that parade.

How about you?

The truth – as it usually is – is in the middle. Meyers-Briggs is an excellent indicator of how you are made to function. There are some significantly large differences between people and this is one good way of understanding and capitalizing upon those differences.

If you understood more clearly where your strengths were, you would know better how to operate your business and what sorts of people you need to hire or consult with.

I will be going through a series of posts on this topic. We will actually be looking at each of the 16 personality types individually. If you follow along, you will explore the strengths and weaknesses of each. And most importantly, you will discover how each personality type functions best as an entrepreneur.

I will tell you right away that some of these 16 are naturally much better entrepreneurs and managers than others. But knowing is half the battle. So it is best if you take a look at a couple of resources that will help you determine your own unique personality type. This way you can use the information here to your advantage.

Meyers Briggs Explained

Let me give you a quick rundown of the basic components and what they mean, then if you really want to be successful I will urge you to do a little more research.

You are either an Introvert or an Extrovert. This means you are either energized by people, crowds and action or you need a little time alone to recharge. If you are an introvert you think best when no one is around, and if you are an extrovert you do your best planning and thinking verbally with someone else.

You are either Sensing or iNtuiting. If you are Sensing you interact best with the world with what you can see and touch. You notice and remember details easily. In short, you can’t see the forest for the trees. My son is a Sensing child and he can spot a bird eating a berry on a magnolia tree from 500 paces, but he wouldn’t be able to tell you what city the tree was in.

An iNtuitive person, on the other hand never notices the trees. These are your big picture folks. If you need a big plan to throw an outrageous party find an iNtuitive person. Just make sure there is a Sensing one nearby to make sure they don’t forget to buy the beer.

You are either Thinking or Feeling. Thinkers plan things out rationally and find it difficult to understand how their plan might affect humans or be effected by emotions. Feelers on the other hand are less rational, but much more caring. They depend on their feelings of situations to make decisions even when Thinkers with a day planner are telling them their plan doesn’t make sense.

You are either Judging or Perceiving. Judgers always have excellent calendars. They carry out tasks without a hitch and they are always on time. Perceivers are a bit more fly by the seat of the pants. They are rarely on time, and usually work from a pile on their desk rather than a filing system.

Further research

Before following the links below, it would be good to subscribe to these posts, or you can fill out the email form on the top right of my website to get email updates. This is to make sure you don’t miss it when your personality type comes up.

I would also advise you to learn the Meyers-Briggs type of some of the people closest to you. A business partner, spouse, parent. Someone you interact with regularly. It would be ideal if you can think of someone you have a business relationship with. This way as we specifically explore how each of these types can interact with each other, hopefully we will shed some light on ways to improve that relationship.

OK so on with it!

Look for those posts to be coming soon. And in the meantime, check out the resources below and find out what your Meyers-Briggs type is.

• the personality page – This website is very well done. While you might think it suffers in design, it more than makes up for it in content. They offer a test, but the many profiles of personality types may help you to discover your own without the test. Though it is a good idea to take a test ad confirm it.

• Human Metrics Test – Here you will find a simple test. This is not as involved as some, but it may give you a good idea of your type. I recommend that if you take the test, you read the profile of that type at personality page and see if that is really you.

• A fast test – this is the briefest and therefore most unreliable. It is a simple four question test. But it might set you on the right path. Again, be sure to read the profile on personality page to see if this type is really you.

John 3:1-8 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Jesus said this thing about being born again. Of course Nicodemus was a little confused by what he meant. Seriously, that is confusing. he asked a great question. The biggest problem is that most of the followers of Jesus today don’t ever ask that question. They sprout the phrase (all the time) but don’t really know what it means.

So what does it mean to be born again?

Let me tell you what is significant in the original Greek here. It’s what we call the passive voice. Be born again might be better translated (if we spoke this way) as “unless someone is given birth to again.” The point is you did not ask to be born, your parents did something you don’t want to consider and a few months later your mom pushed and breathed and agonized, and you just were.

You had suddenly become something that had not been before. And it was a thing that happened to you.

What Jesus is telling Nicodemus is that unless a person is acted upon in just the same way, they can’t see the kingdom of heaven.

He is saying that they must become something that they had not been before, or they won’t see the kingdom of heaven.

Sure we need to talk more about the kingdom of heaven. And that’s a favorite topic of mine.

But first. Are you born of the Spirit? Are you different than you were before? Has something been done to you that made you a different person?

Consider this. Did the Spirit of God change you or have you changed yourself?

Are you the one who made yourself who you are or was it the creator and King of heaven and earth?

Unless you are born of the spirit (or acted upon by the Spirit of God, apart from yourself) you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.

John 3:1-8 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

This guy named Nicodemus came to see Jesus one night. It was after Jesus had told all the business folks to clear away from the temple. He admitted something pretty significant. It’s so short and quick that it would be easy to miss. He acknowledged thatthe pharisees knew that this man came from God.

Wow. If you know the story you might be realizing how significant that was. This group of people were the biggest adversaries Jesus had! Near the very beginning one of their own admitted that they knew Jesus had come from God.

There are a lot of things in this passage that we could speak about and perhaps we will, but right now I want to focus on that one simple question.

What do you do with Jesus when you know he is from God?

You can either take him at his word and serve him as the king who came to redeem you. Or you can put him on a cross, mock him, and abuse him. That’s what these same pharisees would eventually do. They did it because he challenged them.

You can do all this in an effort to make yourself feel better about your own life. Because if he really came to fix you, that means you are a screw up.

Jesus is chalenging you to admit that you are a screw up.

Are you really a screw up? Can Jesus be the answer? Or would you rather say he is wrong, even when you know he is right?

Here is that reason.

Wow. Can you say misconception?

Another common misunderstanding is that affiliate marketers are just out there promoting whatever they can, to whoever they can, regardless of the product or its effectiveness.

Certainly, spammers have given the rest of us who earn money online a bad name. But we need to reclaim our reputation as respectable, sincere, and authentic professionals. And we are starting right here.

What Is Affiliate Marketing?

So first of all, let me explain what affiliate marketing is. It is really just a sales job. You get paid a commission for recommending products and services. If you have a blog right now, you could easily start to earn a little bit of income from it just by linking to a few products at amazon.

Think for a second, you know there have been times when you said to a friend “you know this is a good book you should read…”

If you have a blog I bet you have recommended that your readers check out a certain book or movie.

Does that make you a scam artist? Is it bad if you get paid to say that?

No! But, here is the struggle. Some people think that taking money for recommending a product harms your credibility. It might.

For some jerks it SHOULD, because they don’t care about you. But if you build a track record of showing your readers that you actually do care about them. If you prove that you really do think that the stuff you recommend is good stuff. Then this won’t harm your credibility at all – because after all – your time is valuable.

How to get started with Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate Marketing is easy to start. Especially if you already have a blog or a website. If not, it just takes a minute to get one. I wrote “101 pages to affiliate marketing Success” to help you start a successful affiliate business even if you don’t have any computer background at all.

You need a website, traffic, and an affiliate account! That’s it. I recommend starting with clickbank and amazon. You can see the complete list of recommended affiliate sources for some other suggestions.

For a complete list of the things you need to do, take a look at the Start Page where you will find free tools that show you how to begin marketing with clickbank and amazon, and even get me to set up a website for you FOR FREE!

If you are new to affiliate Marketing and new to Wordpress, this is going to be an essential element of your education in learning how to earn money from a blog.

Many people who are struggling to navigate the web of affiliate marketing have asked me questions like

• “how do I create and use an account with commission Junction?“
• “How do I make My posts look really good in WordPress?“
• “How do I get more people to come to my website?“

In these 101 pages you will start by learning what a blog is, what RSS is and how that works. You will finish by learning how you can drive tons of traffic to your site on a regular basis and convert that traffic into a living!

I literally walk you step by step through getting a website of your own – and there is even a way you can get a free wordpress site set up for you!

How this will help you

Every Single step of the way, I hold you hand and teach you the essentials of:

1. Finding a Niche in the Online Marketplace
   
2. Blogging
3. Social network Marketing
4. Affiliate Marketing
5. Post design
6. WordPress theme Design
7. WordPress Plugins
8. Clickbank
9. Commission Junction
   
10. Amazon Associates
11. Digg
12. Twitter
13. Search Engine Optimization
14. Uploading and Downloading Images and files…
15. and Far more
    

What You get

The chapters are laid out in 8 week sections. Each week you will get advanced training in how to use a different application or feature of wordpress. You will be given instructions for what you need to do THAT WEEK.

There are homework assignments, and even contests!

I am certain this will prove to be invaluable to you if you are working to learn how to make a living online.

When I first sat down to create this document, my goal was to help people who were learning how to build a business online. I have seen that pay off. I have heard from many people that this really has helped them to learn how to start an affiliate marketing business.

When I first released this, it sold for almost $100. I have updated it with new text and images, and lowered the price!

You can get 101 Pages to Wordpress Affiliate Marketing Success for just $59.99!

Of course if you are unhappy for any reason, just let me know. It is my hope that this document will contribute to your online success. However if you follow my instructions and then think that it has not helped, while I will be completely shocked I will issue you a full refund.

So first of all let me tell you that I have a new service for you.

Handbooks for help and income

I now have handbooks that help to answer questions and improve your business.

This Blog started as a way of helping people begin and build an online business. While I have covered Affiliate marketing and Social Networking till I am blue in the face, there is always more and people often need more specific help.

I took most of the questions that I seemed to get most often and converted them into step by step handbooks.

These are available for $9.95 from the handbooks page.

By the way, you can sign up for my affiliate program here.

Take a look at the tools you can download and please let me know if you can think of others that I should include.

If you think a particular topic would be marketable on your site, let me know that too. I will be happy to consider it and make it available to you as another source of income.

Another Site

Speaking of sources of income. I launched another site recently. The new site is a devotional site intended for Christians but with a slightly different angle. Most devotionals tend to speak about the life to come. I wanted to fill the gap and talk a bit about the life we are in right now.

I address other things there which are relevant to the audience. I am not sure exactly what it will become just yet, but I felt it was a need and a certain call which I could answer.

Feel free to take a look.

I have also been rather busy lately doing design work. A few local companies have contracted me to work on new site designs.

All of this is certainly no excuse for not being present here much. But hopefully it gives you an idea of where I am, and it gives you some other ways to improve your own success selling these new products!

So sign up for my affiliate program, and feel free to follow my new blog.

A teaser of what is coming

I want to hint at a series I will be covering soon. It deals specifically with knowing yourself so you can work in a way which is more productive for you.

One of my past times for the last few years has been a study of personalities. I will be adapting what I have learned about entrepreneurship and combining it with what I know about the Meyers-Briggs personality types to help you know yourself better and work in a way that best fits your own strengths and weaknesses.

So be sure to stay tuned by subscribing to the feed.

Oh! And don’t forget that for the next week, you can purchase anything from the handbooks page or the 101 Pages to Affiliate Marketing Wordpress Success for HALF PRICE! All you need to do is use the discount code “thanks” and happy Thanksgiving!

18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

When Jesus destroyed this illegal market, he had the authority to do it. You see, its like if I were to walk into a group of hookers and drug dealers and start cuffing them and dragging them off, sooner or later someone is going to want to see a badge – some proof that I actually have the authority to do this.

We would all agree that their action is illegal. The question is, who am I to do something about it?

That’s what these people asked Jesus. They didn’t say “why are you doing this?” They wanted to see a badge. They had let it go on and even participated in it. But Jesus called them all out on their injustice and irresponsibility and they wanted to see a badge.

His answer was to tell them to destroy the “temple” (or the place where God lived) – and he would raise it again in three days.

Of course they thought he was talking about this building that their fathers and grandfathers had labored for years to build. By the way, there is a piece of that building is still there – its called the wailing wall. It is a place faithful Jewish believers go and weep in anguish of their longing to see it rebuilt.

The dwelling of God that Jesus referred to was his own body. They did destroy it, and it was rebuilt – in three days.

Do not wail and wait for hope to come. It has already come. The one who has the authority has also proven that he has the power to wield that authority.

If you have ever thought to yourself – even in the quiet moments of your own soul, “who is Jesus to expect that I should do THAT?”

He is the one who restored his own life in three days, that’s who…

14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

Jesus did this twice. He did it at the very beginning of his ministry, then before he died, he did it again.

Jesus was pretty ticked when he ripped apart this illegal market. We often hear people throw phrases like “righteous anger” around. As if this incident somehow justifies your throwing an iron at your wife because she upset you.

That is NOT what this is about.

This story is about two things. It is about holiness and it is about justice.

For several centuries the people had revered this place called the temple. They had been devastated when it was once destroyed and then ecstatic when it was rebuilt. But for the people sitting here doing business, it had become another way to earn a living.

This was not a place to earn a living. This was a place – the only place – where God actually dwelt. Really – he was THERE. God had asked these people to build a place where he could “dwell with them.” He wanted to be with him.

The morons selling stuff on his porch were exploiting his presence. This was a slap in the face to all that is holy and Jesus didn’t like it very much.

It was also about justice. The people who were coming to the temple were coming because they wanted – no they needed to get in touch with God. There is something so magnificently human about realizing the vastness of God and our own need to commune with the creator.

Often at moments like that we are broken. We have come to see the futility of what we are doing and realized that we need to turn to something larger. That is not a moment when you are able to make good financial decisions or stand up for what is right and wrong. There was injustice being perpetrated upon hurting people on God’s front steps.

Jesus would not stand for it. He not only showed how passionate he was about holy things, but he also showed that this king was committed to justice.

There are two thoughts that we need to then consider.

First – are you committed to holiness and justice like that? Do you tread on holy things and exploit those less fortunate? When was the last time you fought for an issue of justice?

Second – do you feel like things are against you? can you never seem to get ahead? Do you suffer from injustice? There is a king who is willing to fight for you.

2:1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

So I am drinking coffee today. We live in a coffee culture. people want coffee and even look forward to a cup of coffee.

Jesus lived in a wine culture. Wine was not cheap, but it was better than water. You know that charity: water commercial? The one where they have to drink the brown water? That’s sort of what the water would have looked like in the days before chlorine and water treatment facilities. Wine was cleaner, it tasted better, and it reminded the people of the possibility that things could be better than they seemed.

This is what the wine was about. Things can be better. As always, there are a lot of things going on in this story. There are a few thousand years of Jewish history. For generation upon generation the people had been taught through an annual celebration involving wine. Wine was used as a symbol of bitter things to remember and better things to come.

When Mary came to Jesus to ask him to help with the wine, they both knew what it meant. It meant that better things were coming.

In this miracle, Jesus first of all displayed his authority. He was the one who made the water and the wine and he could demonstrate that by changing their molecular structure.

Secondly he displayed his supremacy. What had come before was not as good as what came after. Jesus took an instrument of an old ceremony and improved upon it. It used to hold water, possibly murky and less that delicious water. Now it held wine, and it surpassed other wine.

Jesus, with his first miracle, began a ministry that would last only a few years. And in this miracle he announced that he was authoritative and that he was supreme.

The people who knew what he had done were astonished by this simple man from a simple town.

Are you astonished at him?

4:1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” 5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”

9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,

“‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’

11 and

“‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

You know what this story is really about? It is about trust. There is a lot going on here. A couple thousand years of history go into the conversation that Jesus and Satan have. There are some good reasons Jesus says the things that he does.

Jesus defeats temptation. The same temptations which humans are most susceptible too.

food, power, and fame

these cravings have sent armies to war and men to their graves for thousands of years. But Jesus said no and he trusted.

We all want to make a name for ourselves, we all want to have a stockpile of provisions so we never have to worry where the next meal is coming from. We all want people to serve us and cater to our every whim.

The king of the universe said no to these things. In his weak, yet perfect humanity, he trusted God.

We don’t always do that. We are weak and we don’t trust. We horde, we fight, we bicker and even kill because we believe that we have to “take care of ourselves.”

We forget there is a king who has promised to take care of us. Look to Jesus who denied temptation. When you don’t deny it, you can remember that he did and he did it for you. Then you can see him and have hope that you too can deny it the next time around.

21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

We jump ahead a bit here in the story of Jesus. The writers just didn’t feel the need to tell us more than we already know about Jesus’ early years. Maybe they thought this is really all that was relevant. Either way, we are now thrown into the moment when Jesus begins his ministry. He begins here with his own baptism.

We are left with a few different accounts of what happened that day, so feel free to read though through some of the other accounts.

What I want to focus on today is that Jesus was the “beloved son.”

Jesus was just beginning to do the things he was born to do. This was really the first part of his purpose right here. Part of the reason we don’t know a lot about the early years is that the following three of four years were what he was born to do.

Yet, before he had done what he came to do, a voice from the heavens (quite literally) announced that he was beloved.

That means well loved, special, treasure. Even without having finished what he was supposed to do!

You ever wish somebody felt that way about you?

In Galatians 3:28 a guy named Paul said that we “are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Part of what that means is that if a person believes that Jesus is king, and treats him as king, then the father has that same love toward that person.

In Christ Jesus

When Jesus lived and died he did both as a way of giving us what he had.

He had perfection, perfect humanity. You know the way that deep down you know you should act and think? He did that.

He had that kind of perfection. And now you have it too.

You know the way you wish someone loved you? Perfectly, unconditionally?

He was loved like that.

You are too.

Believing that the heavens have literally opened up and announced God’s deep love for you can change you. Do you believe that you have what Jesus had? If so, you have that kind of love.

Live like the creator of heaven and earth cares that much about you.

41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43 And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44 but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.

52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

This is one of those famous Bible Stories. I think what tends to draw us to it is that its one of the few places we see Jesus as a young man.

It is also one of those stories that is usually used to illustrate how special Jesus was. Even as a child he was different and somehow he knew it.

I think That is a part of what Luke intended to demonstrate when he told this story.

But instead of focusing on Jesus staying behind at the temple. Rather than discussing the fact that those who heard him were amazed at what he said, we should see his response.

Of course at first he was like a typical teenager. He said “what mom?” I can almost see his astonishment. If you have ever spoken to a teenager you know what I am talking about. Shock that you would suggest that something was wrong with making his own decisions.

But look at the next line. He went home with them and was “submissive to them.” No fight no argument – the creator of the universe was submissive to his parents.

If ever a fight was going to break out, that would have been a good time. But instead he obeyed them.

Remember what that was like for you when you were that age? Do you know the feeling of wanting complete independence from your authorities, from God?

Jesus knows that feeling too. He knows exactly what it feels like when you have to deny your human impulse for autonomy and be submissive to someone else.

We serve a king who understands exactly what he is asking for when he asks you to obey him.

And he can be trusted with it.

I had seen this happening at twitter since the early days, people paying money for “friends” and followers. And of course I thought to myself, “what a worthless load of crap!”

Hey, if you are paying for friends, let me ask you something. Back when you were a loser in school, did you pay for friends then? Did they really like you?

You see, if you need to pay someone to follow you on any social network, they don’t really care what you are saying. The beauty of the social networks is that the people who follow you actually care! They are customers and clients, not sales people providing a service.

As far as I am concerned, taking money for following and friending people is another incarnation of the world’s oldest profession.

What really bothers me is that it is dishonest. There was once a time when you could determine the social value of a site, profile or page by how many friends and followers there were. No longer. Now the only thing that says is that they have deep pockets.

These people taking money for extending the social graph are pimps. The followers you gain are their whores. The red light district always becomes seedy and run down pretty soon after these folks move in.

Facebook, Digg, twitter, and the others can try their very best to police this, but you and I need to take an active interest in our communities and take the following steps.

1. Never take cash for your social friendship
2. Immediately unfollow anyone you suspect of paying for friends
3. Immediately unfollow anyone you suspect of selling their friendship
4. report every solicitation to the authorities as spam

If we work together we can save our communities from becoming a bunch of whore houses.

However, there are some people who probably don’t need one. Here are a few reasons you might not need one.

1 – If you believe everything you read, you probably don’t need a computer.

Let me break it down for you. Ever since Gutenburg created the printing press, morons have been able to disseminate information rapidly. I could point to examples, but it would pretty much offend everyone. Because you all have certain news outlets that you like. They are all liars. Most things in print are created by people with a bias in one direction or another.

The internet made it even worse. Why? Because any yahoo could create a password and start spewing out idiocy.

You doubt me? I won’t link to them, but try out a search for “American Nazi” or even “Earn Money online” if you would like to see the spewing forth of the fingers of morons.

If that fails, try a search for “fox.”

2 – If you think whatever Twitter is, it might be illegal in some states, you probably don’t need a computer.

Oh My Gosh! Twitter has taken off in the last year. I realize that with the way things change, by the time I hit publish, twitter could be irrelevant, but right now it is the thing. And so many people don’t have a clue what it is, or why they need to use it!

Ok let me break it down like this. If you would like to keep in touch with anyone, or expand your reach beyond your own nose, you need twitter.

I just walked into a restaurant in a brand new town and shook hands with the owner of cosmic kitchen because I follow their account on twitter. I felt like I knew the guy. Instant connection.

If you would like that or if you think it might be beneficial to your business, how about get on board and figure it out.

You can read more about twitter if it helps.

3 – If you didn’t know google was a verb, you probably don’t need a computer.

Yes, I realize that Google is the large multi-national corporation that runs the world in every futuristic movie ever made. (Really it is… you wait… and now it’s in print). But for now, it is incredibly useful.

Still wonder what twitter is for? Why not type in “what is twitter for” in google. That is called googling. It can answer most of your questions.

4 – If you really believe you can protect your Privacy, you probably don’t need a computer.

If I had a nickel for everyone who asked me if it was really safe to reveal your identity online, I would buy an island and retire. Of course its not safe! But it doesn’t matter.

Your information is connected to servers all over the world. Some fake prince in Nigeria is probably checking your credit right now.

I got an email as I was writing this from Land of Nod. They said they had some nice new gifts for my brand new baby. Let me ask you something? Do you think I told them I was having a baby? NO! They got it from some marketing list someplace, probably sold to them by the hospital my little girl was born in. Privacy is dead.

By the way, smile every time you pass a stop light.

5 – If you spell website with a “gh,” you probably don’t need a computer.

I mean, I honestly just don’t know what else to say about that. Web Sight? … really?

So If any of these points apply to you, how about do me a favor and ship your PC to me. I will be happy to take it off your hands.

Seriously though, if you have problems or are learning about these things, refer to point three above and go google it.

You like this? Subscribe for more. And then Share it below.

Now that I have inundated you with that information, I want you to reflect with me for a few minutes on why that whole experience was important.

On this blog, I often play the role of a snarky rude jerk, but if you know me you will understand that I really do care about you and want you to be successful in life.

I recently had a conversation with someone who is simply not doing the things necessary to succeed in business. As I began to challenge and ask the hard questions, I discovered that this person has been giving away their time to two different friends who are dying of cancer. One of them died a few days ago.

Of course, at that point I said something to the effect of “business should never get in the way of life.”

I believe that. I hear people sometimes say “life just gets in the way.” The best response (which I can publish) is, “hold on a second there cowboy!”

What do you mean life gets in the way? Have you lost your mind?  Life is all there is! And it will soon be gone, so don’t blow it in a vain effort of attaining success.

Life Matters

You will probably recognize the painting below. The Persistence of Memory was painted in 1932 by Salvador Dali.

If you really think about it, you will notice that time seems to be melting away. There are ants eating one of the clocks. The monstrous, rotting carcass in the center is Dali himself, yet the cliffs stand firm despite the collapse around them.

I once read a quote that went something to the effect of “no man has a right to pass through the world without leaving behind some reason for having passed through it.”

Sooner than any of us think, we will be gone. We can and should learn ways to manage our time well, not so that we can get rich or be famous, rather so we can leave a good reason for having lived.

I hope that as you practice time management you will keep that in mind.

Life is wonderful. Stop and smell the flowers. Enjoy your family and friends and have a glass of red wine. I am convinced that red wine is one of the best medicines known to man, with beer running a close second. Make sure you arrange your schedule to allow you to enjoy life, rather than allow your schedule to master you.