Article Check - News and Society

For Sale By Owner – The Smart Choice for Independent Sellers
For Sale By Owner is one of the fastest-growing segments of the real estate industry. Also abbreviated as FSBO, this refers to the practice of selling property without the intervention of a broker. Some FSBO sellers do use limited services of a real estate broker for getting their homes listed with a Multiple Listing Service. With the right research and marketing efforts, you can sell your home FSBO and avoid costly broker fees. These real estate broker fees can range between 5% and 10% of the final home price. FSBO selling allows the home owner greater control over the sales and marketing process and brings in buyers who might not be attracted by ordinary real estate listings. Because FSBO sellers are often willing to make arrangements with a buyer, such as a rent to own situation, buyers can negotiate directly with the owner. For Sale By Owner selling accounted for 12-13% of the properties sold in 2005 and 2006.Marketing your FSBO property is an important part of the selling process. Buyers can’t come to see your house if they don’t know it’s there. The simplest and least expensive method is the yard sign. In areas with hot real estate markets, a yard sign can be enough to bring buyers to your door. Even in slower markets, signs can bring in interested parties in your immediate area.Next up from the yard sign is the classified ad. This is still inexpensive, and allows you to reach a large number of people easily. Local papers are read by many prospective customers every week. A short ad that runs multiple times will reach more people than a long ad run only a few times.

reference material, 50% research other faiths, and 35% seek spiritual advice through eMail. Forty-one percent said they sent or received eMail prayer requests. Seven percent made contributions online (unfortunately, I cannot attest to this stat).

As a man with an eMinistry, I don't see this "Church Exodus" as being a bad thingat all, for I've witnessed the fruit of CyberChurch and it's quite bountiful! No, I'm not advocating that we stop face to face fellowship. Perish the thought! We need each other. We are a Body fitly joined. But for those who need specialized attention - and the statistics reveal there are MANY, including the shut-in, the handicapped, the shift worker, the spiritually shipwrecked - I liken CyberChurch to Christ reaching the masses from town to town, in fields and on beaches, in the market, or wherever people gathered who would listen. Even if they must gather electronically.

The Lord could have erected a church building after the Sermon on the Mount but He chose to minister while making disciples in pr

Can We Agree: It Is Better To Be Scripted Than To Be Unscripted?
There is a threshold idea that you simply need to embrace if you are going to consider yourself to be a professional on the phone, whether you prospect, sell, set appointments, perform customer service, or collect past due accounts through this medium.You’ll perform better, get more done in less time, and reap greater rewards when you use a top-notch script than when you try to improvise from call to call.If we can agree on this, we can accomplish wonders.If not, we simply don’t have a future together, at least where I serve as your consultant, coach, advisor or trainer.You can be an utter communication genius, a wunderkind, a savant on the phone and still do worse than an average communicator who brings to life a carefully crafted and already proven call guide.I know this is hard to believe, and I deal with phone folks who just don’t get the fact that on their own they don’t sound as good as when they’ve been directed by someone else.Why, they should ask, are most actors not their own directors? Why don't the best athletes coach themselves?In a word, they can’t be OBJECTIVE about their own performances. They need instruction and feedback to bring out their best.Moreover, what athletes and actors know is their audiences, their publics, their CUSTOMERS aren’t buying THEM. Customers are buying an image of them or their functionality or effectiveness as performers.For example, one of my college public speaking instructors was the dramatic swashbuckler, Sheldon Hayden. A former Captain in the Navy, and one of Dale Carnegie’s handpicked clone

There's another "move of God" that's sweeping the nations. Have you noticed? Very few of those I've spoken with actually have. There are others who don't necessarily view it as being a literal "movement" because it's not quite as defined as they like. Not to mention those who don't particularly approve of God "moving" in this direction. But as one British minister said to me several years ago, addressing all the controversies revolving around every new thing God has done since Genesis, "There's never been a tidy move of God."

Never.

Just as the Egyptian magicians were able to mimic Moses when his rod was turned into a snake, Satan is STILL duplicating and infiltrating whenever possible, muddying up the purity of the flowing river of God, deceiving "even the elect" of Christ's Kingdom. And successfully dissuading many a curious onlooker from diving in as a result of the disjointedness of The Body of Christ.

What is this move of God? It's the incredible mass exodus, the numbers of people who are leaving organized Christianity at an alarming rate, and the ministers who are either leaving the faith, or are ceasing to believe in the inerrancy of God's Word (in a moment well see if these are really men of God at all). Fact is, what most theologians and church people see as a horrific trend, may well be a mighty move of God's Spirit. And when the wind of the Spirit begins to blow, Wisdom cries out for us to adjust our sails. Let me explain.

Very simply, Jesus wants His Church back. It's His Bride. Sadly, this lovely young woman has been made a prostitute with Religion as its Master. She was never intended to be structured, organized, or institutionalized. She's an organism, not an organization. A living, breathing entity, not a cyborg to be programmed by a pious, human chain-of-command. Just as Christianity was once seen as a radical move among Judaism, I see this "Churchless Christianity" phenomenon as a move of God within the Church itself.

THE FACTS

People are leaving organized churches in Biblical proportions; at a rate of 53,000 a week in Europe and North America combined (the U.S. lost 57,500 in the entire Vietnam War, to put that number in perspective). As a whole, Christians lose 7,600 a day to other religions or irreligion. I hear from these people all the time by eMail.

Incidentally, several years ago a leading Bible seminary sent 12,000 letters to pastors of various denominations and asked one question: "Do you believe that the Bible is the infallible word of God?" The results of the survey were startling: 85% of the Presbyterian USA pastors said NO; 85% of the Methodist pastors said NO; 85% of the Episcopal pastors said NO; 55% of the Baptist pastors said NO; 45% of the Catholic priests said NO. (Source: Warner A. Bonner, Newsletter@LeadershipJournal.net)

These are our "leaders," folks.

Be concerned. Be very concerned.

Christian Researcher, George Barna says of the American Church, "...new research supports our contention that the structure of the American church is already undergoing radical change. If you add up the proportion of people who will call the cyberchurch their 'church home', those who will align with an independent house church and individuals who will be steadfastly unchurched, within the next 15 years a majority of Americans will be completely isolated from the traditional church format." (There are many church organizations well able to support existing ministries of each genre rather than attempt to launch their own from scratch. Hint. Hint.)

According to a study released 12/23/01 by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, while Americans flocked to their synogogues and churches after 9/11/01, one out of four adult American Internet users, roughly 28 million, have sought out religious or spiritual information online since that infamous day. I can attest to this.

More than 3 million U.S. adults find religious information online EVERY DAY, up from 2 million last year. That's more than use the Internet for gambling, banking or trading stocks! Sixty-nine per cent of those engaged in religious activities online search for educationalor reference material, 50% research other faiths, and 35% seek spiritual advice through eMail. Forty-one percent said they sent or received eMail prayer requests. Seven percent made contributions online (unfortunately, I cannot attest to this stat).

The Lord could have erected a church building after the Sermon on the Mount but He chose to minister while making disciples in pre

10 Tips To Profit From A Resignation
Like it or not, the reality of running a business in today's world is that you will always have some people leaving to take up other job opportunities - no matter how great your staff retention strategies.But the way you handle a resignation can have a direct impact on how much staff turnover you experience thereafter. Handled the right way, a resignation is in fact a golden opportunity for you to actually reduce staff turnover. In the same way you that can profit from a customer complaint by handling it well, you can profit from a staff resignation by following the 10 tips below:1. Treat the individual in the same way you would want to be treated throughout.2. Don’t take it personally. They are just changing jobs, they are not rejecting you.3. Ask them “what could we do to change your mind?” (if you do want them to stay).4. Take a genuine interest in their new job, be pleased for them and wish them well.5. Ensure you conduct an exit interview and find out all the reasons why they are leaving.6. During their notice period, treat them as you would any existing member of your staff.7. Ensure they are still contributing and learning for the remainder of the time they are with you.8. Look at what you can learn from their resignation. What can you change to prevent others from leaving?9. If someone does want to have a moan as their ‘parting shot’ (as they often do), do not stoop to their level, keep your nerve and remain professional throughout.10. Sign their

anity at an alarming rate, and the ministers who are either leaving the faith, or are ceasing to believe in the inerrancy of God's Word (in a moment well see if these are really men of God at all). Fact is, what most theologians and church people see as a horrific trend, may well be a mighty move of God's Spirit. And when the wind of the Spirit begins to blow, Wisdom cries out for us to adjust our sails. Let me explain.

THE FACTS

These are our "leaders," folks.

Be concerned. Be very concerned.

The Lord could have erected a church building after the Sermon on the Mount but He chose to minister while making disciples in pr

Getting A Car Insurance In The Philippines
While I do agree that if we can afford it, we should get insured in preparation for incase something 'bad' or 'unexpexted' occurs. However, not all things are worth getting insured for.Take for example car insurance. Its an absolute must to get a car insurance when buying a brand new car or a luxury vehicle in case of theft or serious damage.But if you're getting a second hand car worth less than 300k pesos I dont think that paying for that unit's insurance is worth it.Normally when an accident happens to your car. You take it to the 'talyer' to be fixed and to estimate the cost of repairs. Or you could take it to your car service station.Depending on your chosen car insurance provider. Most car insurance company will only cover the amount in excess of 5k to 10k pesos. Which is pretty unfair and is one of my greatest gripes about paying for insurance.For example, if your car insurance policy cover's only damage in excess of 10k pesos. And if the cost to have your car fixed is below 10k, you dont get paid by the insurance agency. If it cost you 12k pesos to fix, the insurance agency will only pay you the 2k pesos. You shoulder the 10k pesos aside from the yearly premiums that you pay.Ofcourse, there are exceptions to this. If you're livelihhod depends on your car like privately owned taxis, school and shuttle services or delivery vans for your pick up trucks like the popular mitsubishi L300 and the kia ceres. Getting an insurance will probably give you the peace of mind incase of theft. But the value of the vehicle should be taken into consideration before g

a week in Europe and North America combined (the U.S. lost 57,500 in the entire Vietnam War, to put that number in perspective). As a whole, Christians lose 7,600 a day to other religions or irreligion. I hear from these people all the time by eMail.

These are our "leaders," folks.

Be concerned. Be very concerned.

The Lord could have erected a church building after the Sermon on the Mount but He chose to minister while making disciples in pr

How to Stop Credit Card Fraud
If you are a merchant, particularly someone who sells products online, the chances of your business being exposed to credit card fraud is highly likely. For many businesses, credit card fraud is a cost that they apportion into doing business and they may even account for it in how the price products – similar to how a business may account for bad or doubtful debts. In the UK for example, government published statistics reveal that credit card fraud has went up from ?83.3m 10 years ago to ?504.8m just before the introduction of the chip and pin scheme. Chip and pin is a system where by a number is assigned to each credit card, meaning a thief has to do more than just fake a signature to complete a purchase with someone else's credit card. This has been said to have reduced fraud by 13% since its introduction.With so many different types of credit card fraud, it is important to have a strategy to address each one. This article offers an insight into prevention methods for well known techniques of committing credit card fraud.Card Not Present FraudCNP fraud is among the fastest rising category of fraud. The main reason for this is that it is becoming much harder to commit fraud in person, especially with the introduction of Chip and Pin. As online credit card fraud increases there are some measures that all merchants can take to ensure their associated costs of being exposed to online credit card fraud can be reduced.● Call back customers to confirm orders. Although this is also a cost center, it could be used as a technique when the transaction appears somewhat out wi

people who will call the cyberchurch their 'church home', those who will align with an independent house church and individuals who will be steadfastly unchurched, within the next 15 years a majority of Americans will be completely isolated from the traditional church format." (There are many church organizations well able to support existing ministries of each genre rather than attempt to launch their own from scratch. Hint. Hint.)

The Lord could have erected a church building after the Sermon on the Mount but He chose to minister while making disciples in pr

The History of Trade and Using it as a Weapon for Peace
The Flow of Trade is a major consideration of civilizations and cultures working together to insure that they can get what they need. Some areas have special crops, which grow in their regions, which the other regions would like to have. In days of the First colonies in this country, before it was a country trade with the local Indians were vital to them staying alive. Our ancestors traded with the Native Indian tribes to insure the colony had the food and things needed to get through the winter months.If it were not for the Native Indians in those first winters the Pilgrims would have died, starved and frozen. Civilizations’ trading has been written about throughout history and every culture, race, nationality and religion have ancient writings to show for it. It seems as if trade partners is a way to exchange the products and services to improve quality of life and higher standard of living to both sides. It brings with it, possibilities for peace and opens cultural exchange and best of all it makes friends. We can learn a lot from fellow cultures, species and nationalities.Today trade partners are keeping peace in the world, because you are less likely to attack or want to cause war against a group or country from which you derive products, natural resources, technology, enlightenment, services, assistance or other form of trade from. Today most of the peace has been nurtured through trade. Many of our wars have in part been due to trade disputes. For instance the Japanese in WWII part of the reason was due to rubber, oil, steel trade and other resources. Our breaking with England i

The Lord could have erected a church building after the Sermon on the Mount but He chose to minister while making disciples in preparation for the harvest to come (no farmer harvests his crop without a barn or a silo in which to put the harvest - otherwise, it rots on the ground). The Western Church must learn to use today's information technologies in conjunction with our postmodern orientation, to serve the greatest number of unchurched people possible in the most nontraditional and non-threatening ways. In other words, like Moses with his staff, God used what Moses had on hand at the moment, coupled with Mo's willing spirit. In the third world Church, they use things such as wind currents to send Scripture-laden balloons across borders. They use flowing rivers to send the Gospel downstream in bottles. They get creative with what's available. Little is much in the hands of God. What do WE have available?

The lowly computer is just one option.

It's simply naive to expect our local professional ministers to do the job or to expect the unchurched to "come to church." After all, shepherds don't produce sheep; sheep produce sheep. It's pure fantasy to believe the world could be won by Christian TV, radio, or music either. The Christian entertainment world is a ghetto into which the mainstream rarely strays. I didn't, before I was saved. Did you? What arrogance to think that THEY should come seeking US!

IS THERE ANY HOPE?

Americans say they want revival! A poll conducted by Public Agenda, a secular think tank, showed that most Americans feel society would improve if people were more devout. 69% of the 1,507 U.S. adults polled in Nov. '00 agreed that "religion is the best way to strengthen moral behavior and family values." 74% agreed that "it is a bad idea for families to raise children without any religion." (Source: Tribune News Service, 01/10/01)

Brennan Manning, author of "Ragamuffin Gospel," says, "Too many people are living in a house of fear and not in a house of love. In the past, churches have been wounders of the healers, not healers of the wounded." He explains, "Our huffing and puffing to impress God and our thrashing about to fix ourselves while hiding in our pettiness and wallowing in guilt are nauseating to God and are a flat denial of the Gospel of grace." It's been said that Christianity is the #1 cause of atheism. We, ourselves, are to blame for this churchless faith phenomenon, resulting from years of misdirected church teachings and traditions. In its current state, we just don't stand up to the scrutiny of our critics. Only God Himself can get us out of the mess we've gotten ourselves into. But that ALONE should inspire great hope within us all!

NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH?

Many years ago, a man visted my hometown of Arlington, Texas and was going about sharing what he referred to as "a revelation on the Church." Though he was way ahead of his time, the vision he shared for "how to have Church" was actually nothing more than what 80% of the Church was already practicing throughout the third world ... the ONLY places where Christianity is currently flourishing, and amidst persecution at that! Though all listened politely, behind his back he was mocked and belittled. And I held their coats, just as Saul did when they stoned Stephen, the first Christian martyr. By the way, this man was James Rutz, author of the hot, new book, MegaShift. Read it and you'll see why it's so hot! we laughed at him back then.

In his book, Rutz chronicled more than a week in the life of his Church for the rest of us to enjoy. Fascinating and fun! Regrettably, though I've never journaled Church activities, his description reminded me so much of what I've experienced many times in the years since.

He writes: What does the Church of Jesus Christ, our current part of the Kingdom of God, REALLY need to look like in order to delight her Bridegroom? Let's imagine a "helicopter's view" ofdaily life together as TRUE brothers and sisters in Christ. What would the Holy Spirit and a family of believers living in obedience to His Word look like today? What does the Church today, walking in God's presence and full of grace, look like? How can we recognize the Life of Christ, alive again today in His Body, the Church?

It looks

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Insurance underwriting derives from the Lloyd's of London insurance market in London, United Kingdom. The basics of underwriting are a process used to assess the process of providing access to insurance. The term 'underwriting' was for financial backers who would accept some of the risk on a venture in exchange for a payment, or premium.

Sales failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. Sales stagnation, territory shrinkage and lost market share doesn’t happen overnight. Failure is the inevitable result of an accumulation of poor thinking, poor planning and poor choices. To put it more simply, failure to grow sales is nothing more than mistakes in judgment, complacency or the attitude of being in a comfort zone repeated every day. Now why would a sales person make these kinds of errors in judgment day after day? The answer is because they don’t even realize it or even if they do he or she does not think that it matters.

How can I make the business case for an Intranet, or Corporate, Portal? What benefits can I include to establish a decent Return on Investment (ROI)? This article contains some ideas and strategies that might help.

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