Blog Thought – Twitter

Posted on August 4, 2010 by gophumek | Permalink 0

How many of you use Twitter? Some people tell me they only use it to post random useless thoughts. But I’ve seen the power of Twitter to help others. About a year ago, a woman in Indonesia or it may have been the Philippines, announced she was not happy and that life was not worth living, she insinuated through her tweets that she could take her own life at any moment. Some concerned Twitterers scoured the internet finding out who this woman was and contacted authorities in her town. She was helped to live another day. Unfortunately, Twitter is not the best at follow up so we don’t know what has happened to her. If you know of this situation, let me know.

Last week, a woman from Nashville lost her passport in an Amsterdam train station. A retweet of a message stating so ended up in my Twitter timeline. It wasn’t from the woman who lost the passport but from the woman who found it. I researched a bit and found this woman’s phone number in Nashville. The number I had was her mobile. I called it and left a message. I’m sure others did too. A few moments later, it was announced the two women met and the passport was returned.

Just yesterday, I tweeted this at 9:57 a.m. : “Anyone in DFW know anyone who can delete virus files off a laptop manually? Need a sermon and fundraising info off my laptop. No $ to fix.”

At 10:06 a.m. @michaelmalenka retweeted my tweet.

At 12:10 p.m. @cytael said he could help.

I gave him my number and he called almost immediately. We met 30 minutes later at a pizzeria where a lot of my ministry work is done. In case you’re looking for a great NY style pizzeria in Euless, TX, check out Lushaj’s (pronounced Loo-shys). It’s right across the street from Trinity High School.

My laptop was fixed about 30 minutes and a few slices of great tasting pizza later. MmmmMmmmm.

Now I know these three “Twitter is helpful” stories aren’t living in a vacuum. You must have some too. How has Twitter helped you? How have your tweeps added value to your life? How have you helped others through Twitter? I would love your comments.

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Bad Things Turn Good…Eventually

Posted on August 2, 2010 by gophumek | Permalink 0

Bad Things Turn Good…Eventually
Romans 8:28

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All types of people are encouraging, even those people who do not go to church or have a relationship with Jesus. These people might say things in hard times like, “Everything is going to be okay,” or “You’ll make it through this,” or similar such things. Conversely, Christians may say the exact same things but know WHY. The reason is because of our Bible verse for today. If we love God and are called according to his purpose, he will make all things turn out for the best. That isn’t always easily understood. Sometimes it may take years or even decades to comprehend. I like it when God is a little bit quicker in giving us an understanding of how this or that bad situation has actually been a blessing instead of a curse.

Just last weekend, our family experienced this situation. We left Friday night to go to Cheyenne, WY to pick up our son from Grandma’s house. We stayed ten hours and then headed back home. Before leaving, I wanted to take some photos of the state capitol at night. I left the car running, I pulled out my tripod and camera. I snapped a few photos and as I headed back to the car, I saw smoke in front of the headlights. I also smelled burning anti-freeze. I opened the hood and saw coolant spraying all over the engine. My mom had to come downtown to get Mary Ann and my son Zeke. I stayed with the car all night and slept a few hours until Starbucks opened up.

That night my wife became really sick. It’s best that she was sick in a comfortable home instead of alongside a broken down car between Denver and Cheyenne on a desolate highway. What if we had traveled down the highway instead of me shooting some photos? This thing did turn out for good. If the car had broken down a little later, we would have been stranded. If it had broken down a little earlier while we were taking a ride on some gravel roads near Chugwater, we would have been stranded. All in all, I considered this car problem a blessing. It really was and everything turned out for the best.

Now, heading home the next day, my wife became even sicker and had to be taken to the emergency room in Longmont . I still haven’t found out how that has worked out for the best, but she is healing, so that is good. While getting Mary Ann some medicine at Wal-Mart. I met a Muslim man from India who had locked his keys in his car. I was able to help him get into his car. I’ll stay in touch with him and who knows what might happen? After all, I love God and all things turn out good for those who love Him…sometimes sooner than later.

Yours in Christ,
Brian

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Relax

Posted on July 22, 2010 by gophumek | Permalink 0



Relax
Proverbs 3:5

We arrived home late Sunday night from taking our son to visit grandma and grandpa. I’ll tell you about that debacle some other time. Upon our arrival we saw on the caller id that the owner of the house we rent had called us. Not having an answering machine, we were left to wonder what she wanted. In the many years we’ve rented, she has never called or spoken to us. We pay her through a friendly guy named Corky who takes care of her properties.

My imagination can run wild. The first thought I had was that she wanted to sell the house. I lamented this all night long. I found it hard to sleep. In the morning, I tried not to worry but couldn’t stop. While I was worrying, I looked for a shirt to wear. For some reason, I couldn’t find anything I wanted to wear. Finally, I stuck my hand up to the top of my closet to grab a shirt I saw up there. I pulled it down and looked at it. The shirt had a Christian message on it. I had not worn it in quite a while. The shirt read, “RELAX… God is in control … Proverbs 3:5”

Later that evening, the owner returned our call. We spoke for a moment and then said, “You know that fig tree out back? I was wondering if I could have some of those figs so I could make my parents some fig preserves.” I offered to pick the figs for her and gave them to her the next day. I also thanked her for a great story to tell of how God should be listened to when he says trust Him.

In Christ y’all,
Brian Humek

devo and blog

Do Good and Share

Posted on June 27, 2010 by gophumek | Permalink 0

A Zach’s House Devotional
Do Good and Share
Hebrews 13:16

If you’re like me, you forget things. At various times, I forget where my shoes, my wallet, my baseball cap and my car keys are. What kind of things do you forget? Can you add to this list? I’ve heard the first step in correcting any problem is identifying the problem. That’s when it can be cured. The little material things I mentioned are not very important.

Well, car keys could be important if you have to go somewhere. A wallet is important if we want to pay for something. A baseball cap is important if we’ve just had a bad haircut and yes, shoes are important if we want to walk into a store. But really, those things don’t compare to what God says we should not forget in Hebrews 13:16.

Through the writer of Hebrews, God says, “Don’t forget to do good. Don’t forget to share with others. These sacrifices make me happy.” Of course, that’s my paraphrase, but you get the point. Doing good can take on many different appearances, but doing good must be part of your life. This can be done toward a spouse, a co-worker, another family member, a person who is looked down upon by society. Jesus even said when we do good for one of the least in society, we’ve done good to Jesus too. The same goes with sharing. A child might think of the word “share” and immediately think “toys.” Adults might think, “money” or “time.”

Consumption isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, so sharing money may go a long way in helping others. In stark contrast to consumption, time is extremely important so sharing that commodity can change a life and groups of people, whether those are small groups or entire churches, giving their time collectively, can change the world. Just something to think about as you tackle this week. Have any thoughts on this topic? Please share away.

Yours in Christ,
Brian Humek

devo and blog