Change Career, With Purpose, News

This is my first year as a Board Certified Chaplain so having to report my continuing education units was something new to me. I discovered there were some Association of Professional Chaplain Guidelines for the Professional Chaplain on the APC website. I also learned that my report on continuing education was due January 31 of each year. Now that was a practical lesson to learn for someone reporting on their learning endeavors for the year. I also discovered that these Professional Chaplain Continuing Education guidelines were designed to develop and promote pastoral care ministry skills for Board Certified Chaplains (the Association of Professional Chaplain designation for the professional chaplain is Board Certified Chaplain.) What is important about the Chaplaincy Continuing Education Program is the message that continuing education requirement sends, especially to those for whom chaplaincy ministry is provided. What is the message sent when continuing education units are fulfilled according to professional chaplain standards?

• A professional chaplain is committed to attaining requirements needed for professional designation as a Board Certified Chaplain.
• A professional chaplain is committed to learning how to minister more effectively, whether as a hospice chaplain, healthcare chaplain, military chaplain, community chaplain, or industrial-business chaplain.
• A professional chaplain is committed to developing and maintaining quality professional chaplain skills needed in ministry to people in crisis.

I was able to meet the deadline for my report of continuing education units but will have a better handle on it for next year's report. Did I learn anything in reporting on my learning for the year? Sure did.

• Keep better records of the courses taken;
• Make sure to get credit for taking healthcare courses as well as job training activities;
• Get my report for continuing education credits in before the last day they are due.

Onward with purpose, Chaplain Paul Slater

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I even took credit for what I learned about this website advocating chaplaincy as a way to expand ministry for the burned out pastor: Click here if you want to learn how to expand your ministry through your own website.

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Copyright © 2006, Chaplain Paul L. Slater, San Diego, CA.

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07-02-2006 - Building Effective Websites For Non Profit Organizations

Effective websites for non profit organizations often have great website non profit content but get swallowed up in internet obscurity with no website traffic. In other words, great message but no audience. I recently responded to a inquiry about launching a website presence for a Christian street ministry. The concerned Christian ministry supporter had written that his father-in-law had been volunteering with a Christian street ministry for the homeless and stated that they needed a website for their outreach ministry. He then made this appeal to SiteBuildIt! Website Owners: "Would any experienced SBI!-ers be interested in taking on this Christian ministry website project as a charitable internet experiment? He wanted to know if SBI! would work for small non-profits needing a website, too? He then was so bold as to ask for a free SBI website. I believe a better website approach for non profit organizations would be to show your father-in-law what other non profits have done building a SiteBuildIt! website. Take him to the actual non profit websites or to those who have ministry based websites. There are several found in this impressive list of content based website owners. I decided to respond to his inquiry about a free SiteBuildIt! website with the following advice for building a nonprofit ministry website: Just some ideas from one who has worked with many faith based non profits when I was Faith Coordinator for the County of San Diego. 1. When SiteBuildIt! has a 2 for 1 sale, why not have someone who purchases a website give the nonprofit street ministry their free site. Perhaps even your father-in-law would do so through the website affiliate program you are a part of, buying one for him and one for the Christian ministry nonprofit organization. (SBI runs these website 2 for 1 sales several times a year. When one of your customers buys a content based website in one of the special web host promotions as a holiday website special, there is a free website.) 2. Unless there is ownership by someone in the organization, it seems these donated websites just sit there not built, or worse, half built. The nonprofit's website needs to flow out of the passion of someone in the non profit ministry organization. 3. Direct some of the donations already given to purchase a site, thereby helping a homeless person start their own business with a website. Your mentoring nonprofit organization could get their own and then give the free one to an aspiring graduate of your ministry who is being mentored to be an internet entrepreneur. What a story that would be! (Remember the "Teach a man to fish" concept.) Onward with passsion for ministry, Chaplain Paul Slater

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14-02-2006 - My Better Homes and Garden Store Success Story

Some home decorating magazine brands just illicit confidence and trust. Such is the case when I hear or see the term Better Homes and Gardens. Recently my wife received the first edition of a Christmas gift subscription I had given her last Christmas (actually a last minute Christmas gift a guy makes when he realizes she has more gifts for him than he does for her). And hopefully, this home decorating magazine gift was one she would like. Like it! She loved it! A husband loves giving gifts his wife enjoys. And I did much better in choosing a gift my wife liked than the time I gave my wife her own home repair tool kit! So why did she like this home decoration magazine gift more than that home decorating tool kit gift? It is important that a husband learn these things. "What is it you like most about that home decorating magazine?" was my did-I-actually-do-something-right question regarding this Better Homes and Garden Magazine purchase. Yes, I too am still attempting to understand my wife after nearly 38 years of marriage. My home decorating magazine gift from the Better Homes and Gardens Store actually scored high in the gifts that she actually liked competition in the wife pleasing comptetion in our Slater Family Winter Olympics. What she liked most was that this magazine focusing on home decoration ideas was its beautiful presentation of creative house decoration ideas -- "like candy for tired eyes" she said. So if you need to raise your score in gift giving strategy competition in the Olympics of Life, head for the Better Homes and Gardens Store. Onward with purpose, Chaplain Paul Slater

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17-02-2006 - Creatively Responding To Frequently Asked Questions About Becoming A Chaplain

One More Person Considering Chaplain Career Possibilities

How to become a chaplain was the topic of a recent letter I received. The writer, considering chaplain career possibilities, was frustrated with many of the educational requirements for chaplaincy. Yes, as in any worthy career with purpose, there are chaplain career educational expectations and also additional professional chaplain requirements to be met when pursuing chaplaincy as a career.

Basic Chaplain Career Solutions

I responded to her chaplain career questions with some basic chaplain career solutions. At first, I was reluctant to write once again another response to these chaplain career questions, since I had just done this for several others who had written, asking for additional chaplain career information. OK, I'll be honest, I was bothered that I had to explain the chaplain career process one more time.

Seizing Opportunity Often Begins With An Attitude Adjustment

But then I realized opportunity here. FAQS about chaplain career, that is, Frequently asked questions about becoming a professional chaplain. After all, these frequently asked questions about entering chaplaincy were what first prompted me to launch a ministry related website, a website aimed at burned out pastors who were considering leaving ministry. I decided that creatively responding to frequently asked questions about becoming a chaplain was not drudgery but opportunity. What was needed for me to seize an opportunity was an attitude adjustment on my part.

Use What You Write Once To Be Written Again

Now a key lesson I am learning about building a ministry website is this: use what you write once to be used again in multiple creative writing outlets, becoming additional website content and possibly a self published book. Usually my writing is Christian ministry related content or career change information, content that can be used again, taking on another form such as:

• ministry related website content,
• content for ezine newsletters,
• ideas for further Christian article creation,
• all eventually becoming content for my ebook self publishing efforts.

Reframing From Drudgery And Duty Into Opportunity And Possibility

I should be honored that people write me to explain once again what I considered to be obvious. In fact, I should be excited at when one more person asks me to explain chaplain career requirements. Why should I be excited when someone says "Explain what you meant again? Because it simply means they have visited my website and have taken action to write me for further explanation about career change possibilities. What in your life do you need to reframe from drudgery and duty into opportunity and possibility? Yes, I now see that creative content opportunities abound when people ask you to explain it again. The burden of communication is upon the teller, not the hearer. Onward with creativity, Chaplain Paul Slater

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Copyright © 2006, Chaplain Paul L. Slater, San Diego, CA., All Rights Reserved

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21-02-2006 - The Advantages and Blessings Of Being Happily Married

For Better Or For Worse: Married Couples Happiest

My wife and I took the weekend off from our normally busy schedule to spend some time together. We decided to spend a few days at Disneyland and California Adventure. Expedia offered us the best rates at the Anaheim Hilton, of all places, for our last minute reservation search. Surprisingly, I discovered that our mini-vacation substantiates a recent study the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services* made regarding marital happiness. Well, just look at what this recent government funded study about marriage revealed. A study of married couples found that "for better or for worse" seems to really mean something. Having 38 years of being happily married, we could have told the government the same thing and saved them a bunch of money! Claire Kamp Dush of Cornell University looked at contentment, from married couples to living-togethers, daters, and people in no relationship at all. Her study in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Married Couples The Most Content And No-Relationship Singles The Least Content

Kamp Dush discovered that married couples were the most content and no-relationship singles the least content. By the way, isn't that what the Bible tells us? Maybe the government should fund the study of Biblical truth regarding happiness in marriage.

People In Unhappy Marriages Happier Than Those Shacking Up

But even people in unhappy marriages felt better than people who were unhappy living together. (That surprised her; she had expected that couples feeling stuck in a bad marriage would make life worse.) Kamp Dush's conclusion concerning what is old fashion "marital bliss" is this: When it comes to relational happiness, commitment in marriage counts. "It appears that there's just some advantages to being in committed relationships. Perhaps it's the security of knowing you have a partner there for you." Her advice: "Work on the marriage commitment." Onward and upward with purpose, Chaplain Paul Slater

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Click below to check out your own home based business: Change Career Strategies Could Include Having Your Own Website

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Copyright © 2006, Chaplain Paul L. Slater, San Diego, CA., All Rights Reserved

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*Reported in HHS HealthBeat, a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Resources from International Bible Society, where you can Shop IBSDirect.com for quality, ministry-priced Bibles, New Testaments and other specialty Scripture products. Click to see a favorite product or featured website:

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27-02-2006 - Writing A Novel Never Crossed My Mind

"Would you like to write a novel?" was how the ad started. It continued with this question: "Is there a novel in you?" Hah! Was my first reaction, which then became Ahah!. Not for me, although I am told that I am a "unique writer" by a few folk in my world. (Now what does that mean?) But my daughter has always wanted to be a writer. English degree in college, worked as an editor. Always wanted to write. Let's see, If I buy her Newnovelist and she makes a bundle on her novels, just maybe she would remember her old Dad gave her the software in the first place. Kind of gives new meaning to that ad slogan -- "The gift that keeps on giving." Quite a novel idea. Let's get back to the original question, the one advertising the novel writing software. "Get newnovelist--software to help you write your novel!" OK, I will order it or my daughter's upcoming birthday. What is so special about this particular software program for those wanting to become an outstanding writer (or at least her father wants her to become an outstanding author). Why should I buy this particular writing software program? The ad promised that "newnovelist is easy-to-use, novel-writing software that will help you start-- and finish!--your novel. Write a novel with newnovelist. This is the perfect tool for beginning or experienced novel writers. newnovelist is easy to install, fun to use, and has been enjoyed by over 50,000 people in more than 60 countries." Well at least that explains why there are so many new books being written. So if you have wanted to be a writer, perhaps you too should check it out. Just remember who told you about newnovelist in the first place. Here is the website for New Novelist: Get "3,001 Business & Sales Letters" FREE with the purchase of New Novelist! Limited Time Offer! Free Product with Purchase! Onward with purpose, Chaplain Paul Slater If you want to start your writing career with a website, check out WebsiteTLC Copyright © 2006, Chaplain Paul L. Slater, San Diego, CA., All Rights Reserved

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