The Seabourns

Blog

934 indicate decisions to receive Christ

by 1 Comment

Beyond the UltimateDid you visit our BeyondTheUltimate.org Superbowl evangelistic website? If not, I encourage you to listen to the stories of Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith.

Did you show someone the fullpage newspaper ad? Did you forward my email to anyone? If so, then you may be among those who contributed to this exciting result. [NOTE: These are not the final numbers, but they are exciting numbers!]

Stats (as of Tuesday, 6 February)

  • Total site visits – 176,249
  • Visitors who indicated that they received Christ – 934
  • Visitors who moved on to a followup site – 510
  • Visitors who went to a special email page where they could request more information – 958

How People Found the Site

  • 122,333 – typed BeyondTheUltimate.org into their computer
  • 24,294 – in an email they received, they clicked on www.beyondtheultimate.org, which was included in the email
  • 7,536 – typed in a search phrase on Google and clicked on our ads
  • 4,210 – typed in a search phrase on Google, Yahoo, etc. and clicked the link, shown in the search
  • 17,876 – were visiting other Web sites and clicked on a link to www.beyondtheultimate.org

Wxxx in Orlando visited the site. He was interested in learning to share his faith. He had some questions about science and the Bible. Wxxx’s questions came to me. I serve as an email mentor helping people with their questions.

I’ve written to Wxxx. I hope he will write back.

French using similar solution

by 1 Comment

Eiffel TowerMy colleague Rob alerted me to this plan:

French authorities plan on passing out open-source software to incoming high school freshman next year. The software expected to include Firefox and Thunderbird as well as an office suite; instant messaging software and an audio video player will be put on a USB flash drive and passed out to students at the beginning of the school year. The USB drive will give students the ability to check email and surf the web with personal preferences without purchasing each child their own personal laptop.

Mobile OfficeWe distributed a very similar solution at Pamoja! Glad to see others thinking similar thoughts. Our goal is not just to distribute software, but to increase communication and collaboration. We added headphones and a nice bag. Plus training and technical support.

Our finance leader in southern Africa wrote this week to tell me it is working. He needed some banking information from one of the countries in his area. He saw one of our Pamoja trainees online using his new Skype skills. So he used text chat to ask for the banking information he needed to help flow funds to the country. We’re building operational capacity, one step at a time, enabling better communication.

Beyond the Ultimate

by 3 Comments

Beyond the UltimateAn exciting thing for me about being a part of Campus Crusade for Christ is our enthusiastic embracing of every opportunity to introduce people to Christ. This weekend, a full-page SuperBowl Ad will appear in the USA Today newspaper. The coaches of the two teams (Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts and Lovie Smith of the Chicago Bears) are very committed Christians and the ad will point people to a special website where they can read their stories and get a clear presentation of the gospel. Please be praying for the impact of this unique outreach which was done by Athletes in Action, the athletic ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. Check out the evangelistic website Beyond the Ultimate.

You can download a PDF file of the ad. Click here.

Athletes in Action will also host their 20th annual Superbowl Breakfast, which is an NFL-sanctioned event.

Small things

by 2 Comments

I’ve been thinking about small things lately. Little things like responding in a timely manner to those who ask me to do something. Answering emails promptly. Returning phone calls.

Last Thursday, I returned from a very good few days in Veenendaal, Netherlands. We went there to do big things. We went there to help the growing internet ministry to develop more fully.

And we did have very successful times.

As we flew back, I read the following
“Great services reveal our possibilities, but small services reveal our consecration.” (George H. Morrison)

We flew to the Netherlands to help plan and train for internet ministry in Europe.

We had some great opportunities to serve. I was able to volunteer our WebEx internet web meeting solution to allow someone from Canada and someone from Spain to participate in part of the conference.

It met a specific need for this meeting, and it revealed the possibilities of a distributed web meeting.

Now, the directors in Europe have decided to join the consortium of Campus Crusade ministries that share the cost of WebEx and share the benefits.

We had an opportunity to serve big and it revealed the possibilities.

We also had many opportunities to serve “small.”

One staff member asked Rob and me how we personalize our email that we send to our donors. He’s on our lists. Rob explained that we use Lyris, later I was able to set up a list for him to begin adding his donors.

We helped Stéphane from Switzerland a create a Global ConneXion community. He has begun what may be our first French community for his donors.

After the meetings ended Wednesday night, Roger (internet ministry director for Europe) asked Rob for some help with Outlook Express. As Rob helped him, they decided to create a GCX community for the Jesus Internet Ministry Agape Europe (the internet ministry in Europe).

“Great services reveal our possibilities, but small services reveal our consecration.”

This morning, I read that

we ought not be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed. (The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence)

I also read

all things are possible to him who believes; they are less difficult to him who hopes; they are more easy to him who loves and still more easy to him who perseveres in the practice of these three virtues.

Go beyond expectations and help in little ways. It’s an act of consecration. It’s a demonstration of faith, hope, and love.

Small services reveal our consecration. It’s not the greatness of the service, but the love with which it is performed.

“He who is faithful in little things is faithful in great things.”