Thursday, February 19, 2009

Current Needs: Software and Audio


Hello,

Wanted to share a list of the items I'm currently in need of for personal - mainly ministry focused projects and a few other projects as well.

Please let me know if you have any of the below items and are willing to pass them on to me or if you can help in some way:
  • XLR to USB Converter (to connect a professional XLR cabled microphone to a computer USB Port.)
  • Microsoft FrontPage 2000 or newer. (For web page maintenance)
  • Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate (A basic and more affordable program for Photo editing and graphics creation)
  • Or a Full Version of Adobe Photoshop (A feature rich Photo editing and graphics creation software - Photoshop remains the industry standard but unforunately you have to pay a less affordable fee.)
  • Swishmax2 or Swishmax (A more affordable Flash alternative creation software for creating flash elements for web, etc.)

Please pray that God provides these soon.
Thanks for stopping by and for your prayers!
rlk

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day!


“For God so loved the world that He gave is One and Only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not parish but have eternal life.” ~John 3:16

Hello,

Happy Valentine’s Day!

On this day dedicated to love, I wanted to pause for a moment to remember why we love in the first place.

We love because God first loved us and laid down his life for us!

On this theme, I’m sharing a passage from 1 John 4:7 – 1 John 5:5 regarding love (the other “Love” passage besides Corinthians) as well as some history and a narrative of “St. Valentine”. There are varying stories or opinions on who Valentine was but I thought that none-the-less I’d post a somewhat historical synopsis as well as a narrative as if Valentine was sharing his story himself. I say “somewhat historical” because I don’t really know if everything is factual or not however, it’s still good to have some understanding of where the “holiday” started.

I hope you have a great weekend and that you send a “Love Note” to God – a prayer of thanksgiving and devotion for His great love for you.

I also hope you’re surrounded by those who you love you!

Please see the below.

In His Strong Love,
rlk

1 John 4:7 – 1 John 5:5
1JN 4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

1JN 4:13 We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

1JN 4:19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

1JN 5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

Valentine's Day History

There are varying opinions as to the origin of Valentine's Day. Some experts state that it originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. He died on February 14, 269 A.D., the same day that had been devoted to love lotteries. Legend also says that St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it "From Your Valentine". Other aspects of the story say that Saint Valentine served as a priest at the temple during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Claudius then had Valentine jailed for defying him. In 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honour St. Valentine.

Gradually, February 14 became the date for exchanging love messages and St. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers. The date was marked by sending poems and simple gifts such as flowers. There was often a social gathering or a ball.

In the United States, Miss Esther Howland is given credit for sending the first valentine cards. Commercial valentines were introduced in the 1800's and now the date is very commercialised. The town of Loveland, Colorado, does a large post office business around February 14. The spirit of good continues as valentines are sent out with sentimental verses and children exchange valentine cards at school.

St. Valentine's Story

Let me introduce myself. My name is Valentine. I lived in Rome during the third century. That was long, long ago! At that time, Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius. I didn't like Emperor Claudius, and I wasn't the only one! A lot of people shared my feelings.

Claudius wanted to have a big army. He expected men to volunteer to join. Many men just did not want to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their wives and families. As you might have guessed, not many men signed up. This made Claudius furious. So what happened? He had a crazy idea. He thought that if men were not married, they would not mind joining the army. So Claudius decided not to allow any more marriages. Young people thought his new law was cruel. I thought it was preposterous! I certainly wasn't going to support that law!

Did I mention that I was a priest? One of my favourite activities was to marry couples. Even after Emperor Claudius passed his law, I kept on performing marriage ceremonies -- secretly, of course. It was really quite exciting. Imagine a small candlelit room with only the bride and groom and myself. We would whisper the words of the ceremony, listening all the while for the steps of soldiers.

One night, we did hear footsteps. It was scary! Thank goodness the couple I was marrying escaped in time. I was caught. (Not quite as light on my feet as I used to be, I guess.) I was thrown in jail and told that my punishment was death.

I tried to stay cheerful. And do you know what? Wonderful things happened. Many young people came to the jail to visit me. They threw flowers and notes up to my window. They wanted me to know that they, too, believed in love.

One of these young people was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her to visit me in the cell. Sometimes we would sit and talk for hours. She helped me to keep my spirits up. She agreed that I did the right thing by ignoring the Emperor and going ahead with the secret marriages. On the day I was to die, I left my friend a little note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. I signed it, "Love from your Valentine."

I believe that note started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine's Day. It was written on the day I died, February 14, 269 A.D. Now, every year on this day, people remember. But most importantly, they think about love and friendship. And when they think of Emperor Claudius, they remember how he tried to stand in the way of love, and they laugh -- because they know that love can't be beaten!

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

The Lord is on your side! Encouragement during tough economic times.

The following is similar to a note I shared with a group of Christians in the workplace that I minister to/with and I thought I should share it with you as it is a universal message especially during these tough economic times!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I wanted to post a brief note of encouragement - specifically to you who are concerned about the tough economic times or are facing layoffs.

We live in unsettling times - this we all know but we also know that although the times may change God does not change and we can trust Him and come to Him with confidence!

I’m reminded of the following passage from the Psalms:
"The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" ~ Psalm 118:6 (ESV)
The Lord is on your side! Do not be afraid! Stand confident in who you are in Him and in His provision for you!

I know this isn’t easy to do but ask the Holy Spirit to help you and reach out to your brothers and sisters in Christ for encouragement, prayer, and to share your burdens with.

I’d like to ask you to remember to be faithful to pray and here are a few areas or prayers that came to mind:

  1. Pray for our leadership. For wisdom as they make tough decisions.
  2. Pray for our co-workers and ourselves that we wouldn’t worry as these things are out of our control.
  3. Pray that we as believers would trust in the Lord completely and be all the more wise with our finances and through what we do and say as well.
  4. Pray that we wouldn’t waiver in doing good and in doing what we are supposed to do in all areas of our lives.
  5. Pray that as many jobs can be retained as possible and for those of us that will be a part of any future layoffs that God would provide the next position rapidly.


In closing, let me encourage you again to hold fast to your faith and don’t lose hope. Don’t let these times get you down or provide an opportunity for the evil one to temp you to lose faith in God and in His provision for you.

If you need prayer or anything else, let me or others know. Know that I’m in prayer for you now and going forward.

In His Strong Love,
Your Servant and Brother,

rlk

Monday, February 09, 2009

Celestin Musekura's Story

The below brief video tells the story of Dr. Celestin Musekura , and his ministry of forgiveness and reconciliation in Africa as he endured much loss as part of the Rwandan Genocide.

I've had the privilege of hearing Dr. Musekura speak at my home church and have been blessed, encouraged and challenged by what he shared.

We have much to learn from his journey and his love and forgiveness and we should seek to do the same day-to-day.

Although it's brief, (and a promo for a seminary) I believe it still gives us a lot to think about.

I'd like to encourage and challenge you to do a study on forgiveness in the scriptures and then work hard, with the Holy Spirit's help to learn how to forgive others.

If your reading this and you're not a Christian I'm sure you realize that love and forgiveness is a powerful and needful thing! I hope that you also glean from this message and if you don't know the Lord that you seek His ultimate love and forgiveness as well - today!

In order to hear this message clearly, you'll want to scroll down on the right side of this blog to where it says Tunes and press pause on the music that plays on this site.



Questions to Consider:
Ask yourself....
-Who do I need to forgive today?
-How can I practice love and forgiveness right now and day-to-day?
-What do I need to forgive myself for?

Blessings in Christ,

rlk

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

On the Senior Pastor’s Level of Involvement in the Worship Ministry



I came across the below video regarding the Sr. Pastor, (Or sometimes called Lead Pastor today) involvement on Pastor James MacDonalds blog called "Straight Up" which is a ministry to pastors.

I appreciated what he shared and wanted to share it with you.

Worship is so much more than just music, (although music is important) as we have the opportunity to worship the Lord with our lives each day and during our weekly services, we are able to worship Him in spirit and truth through song, the proclamation of The Word of God, and more.

Watch this short video and then feel free to post your thoughts on worship here by leaving a comment.

Let's pray that all of the body of Christ, The people as well as the churches within it will evaluate our worship and take a full balanced approach to this essential part of our walk with God!

As always, you'll want to pause the music via the right navigation bar where it says Tunes so you can hear the audio properly.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Free Downloadable 2009 Calendar!

Wanted to let you know that the 2009 RLK Ministries calendar is available to you for free download!

Please go to: http://www.rlkministries.org/Downloads.html and you'll find the entire 2009 calendar or 4 individual 3 month files available for download. This calendar is in PDF format.

  • Please feel free to share this information with others who you believe might enjoy having this calendar.
Any photos that were not selected for this years calendar will potentially be used for future projects this next year.

A special thanks goes out to everyone who participated in the photo contest! The photos that you submitted were excellent!

God Bless, and Happy New Year!!

In Christ,

Randolph Koch

Friday, December 05, 2008

Lord, Give Me Your Eyes!


As we're at the beginning of this Christmas Season I've been drawn to the fact once again that there are a lot of hurting people in this world and there is an awesome opportunity for them to experience real peace this Christmas.

God can and will use us this Christmas time to minister to all those in and out of relationship with Jesus.

May we be beacons shining His light and love for the world around us, which by the way, is His world whether they reject Him or not.

May God give us His eyes to see the hurting and hopeless, and may He give us His eyes to see the needs even within the lives of other believers - which we often fail to see!

We can either cast judgment on or disregard them or we can reach out with the Hope that only they can find in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

This could simply start by providing a meal for someone in need or any number of things to help those in the community He's placed you in! Through that relationship you will then be able minister and love on them unconditional and plant seeds that will one day result in them coming to a relationship with Him. Take a look sometime at Matthew 25:34-40 regarding how God sees serving others! Or, check out Philippians 2:3 to see what God says about putting others before ourselves!

Here's a song that has recently come to mind in which the chorus is more like a prayer that God would give us His eyes. You can either play it in the below window or if it doesn't work you can use this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEfIcMqAzvs

Please note: in order to hear the audio without interruption, you may need to pause the music that plays on this blog by scrolling down the right navigation and finding the music player and clicking on pause.

Listen to the chorus' lyrics and may we make it our daily prayer that He would, "give us His eyes!" At a minimum, this will help you make this Christmas and going forward all the more special as you serve and put others first. This will also have an impact for eternity!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

RLK Ministries Update for November 2008

Hello,

The following is an update that I sent to friends of my ministry via e-mail.

Thought whoever stops by might be interested in an update regarding the many facets of my personal ministry.

Thanks,

rlk
*******************************************************************************************************

November 18, 2008


Dear Friends of RLK Ministries,

Greetings in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Hope this message finds you well!

It has been a while since I last communicated with you so I wanted to provide you with an update regarding many facets of the ministry.

First off, during this Thanksgiving time I wanted to express my deep gratitude for the privilege of serving the Lord and you! Since coming to know the Lord it's been an adventure and through the inception of this ministry in 1997, it's been continuation of an adventure, journey, and dream and I look forward to further opportunities to humbly serve and shepherd where He leads.

I know that it's a very tough economic time for everyone at this time and my family is right there with you! We can pray and lift each other up during this and every season of our lives and isn't it a true privilege to do so for His glory!

I always hesitate to share areas of prayer and financial need especially during this season of turmoil however just like any ministry large or small there are areas of need that I'd appreciate your prayer covering for!

With this in mind here are a few areas of update I wanted to share with you:

The Devotional Starters:

I'd appreciate your prayers, I've taken a hiatus from writing over the last year but I've sensed that it's time pick up "the pen" again and restart the Devotional Starters. Pray that I can lock time out each month to write at least once a month or more.

I'm also looking at possibly changing them a bit - seeking to be even more concise with what I'm lead to write through studying and sharing His Word. I'll have a few devotions to write and then I'll circle back and finally complete the CHARACTER series some of you remember I had started up but did not completed.

Computer Update:

One of the resource areas we've struggled with besides finances is the lack of an adequate laptop PC. It's hard to maintain the web site, write, or simply manage the ministry without one.

I'm happy to share that I've been blessed with the use of a newer pretty well equipped Laptop PC with a 17 inch screen for a few months for my ministry and personal activities. This is thanks to a friend from church who doesn't need it for a few months and offered me the use of it. Pray that by February, (which is when I'll have to return the laptop) that God will help us secure a new one of like kind.

Now that I have the PC as of a little over a week ago, I am in need of specific software and wanted to let all my ministry friends know of the needs in case this is something you might have and would be willing to give:

Here's what I need in order of importance with insight to how it will be utilized:

1. MS Office 2000 or newer with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, FrontPage and Publisher (Used is fine as long as it comes with a license of course) I'm also considering an evaluation of the free open source suite called Open Office. This may work out and if it does it will provide a MS Office compatible alternative for Word, Excel and PowerPoint. This will not replace a need for FrontPage or Publisher as Open Office doesn't come with an alternative. I'll keep you posted. I'll have use of the software, (MS Office 2007) for a few months which is on this PC but after the PC is returned, I'll need to acquire another licensed copy.

Use: This software would be used for writing, document creation, presentation creation, cost tracking, web site maintenance and more.

2. Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate (For graphics projects) http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite/us/en/Product/1155872554948#versionTabview=tab1&tabview=tab0

Use: This would be used for graphic projects such as editing photos for scripture wallpaper creation, web elements, editing graphics for presentations and more.

3. Swishmax http://www.swishzone.com

Use: This is a Flash like authoring tool that would be used for web and other project enhancements such as online evangelism tools as well as encouragement tools.


Web Site:

I'm in the process of re-vamping the ministry web site, if you know any web designers that have any dynamic FrontPage compatible templates let me know as the site requires a much needed refresh soon. With the site revamp we'll also look to add further tools and resources as well as links to useful information.

Prayers:

Besides prayers for the above, I would appreciate your prayers as God is helping me / having me re-evaluate and re-focus what He wants us to do in helping meeting the spiritual and physical needs in people's lives. I'm sure I'll have more to share in the months to come as this becomes even clearer.

Part of this I sense will definitely bring an even greater focus on meeting physical needs, (I.E. providing Thanksgiving meals as well as other practical ongoing assistance) in addition to the spiritual needs in striving to be the hands and feet of Jesus and enabling others to do the same.

Secondly, I'm having to find some type of part-time work to help supplement my day job as well as put other things in place to better take care of the family God has blessed me with. Pray that I can find something that will be flexible and provide the right income at the right time. Possibly even something ministry focused through this ministry or other related ministry activities. I may also begin offering wedding and vow renewal services in the future.

Please Note: To be clear I wanted to mention that no income has ever been drawn from any of the funds given to this ministry over the years as the funds always go to help others or provide for specific ministry supplies/resources.

Thank you for your prayers for all of the resources and other items shared in this update!

The Prayer Chain:

Wanted to remind you that we still have a prayer chain! It's underutilized and I'd love to see it grow in those who subscribe to pray for the needs as well as those who share prayer requests. For the sake of administration and clarity, the only thing I ask is that when sending a request that the prayer request is as clear and concise as possible so the prayer need is heard and can be prayed over. The details can also be included but the prayer request(s) need to be clear as the main priority.

If you'd like to subscribe to be a part of the RLK Prayer Chain please send a blank mail to the following address: rlkprayerchain-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

If you have prayer needs, please send them to one of the two following addresses: rlkmin@msn.com or prayer@rlkministries.org.

Supporting RLK Ministries:

From time-to-time I'm asked how can someone support the RLK Ministries, besides prayer which is vital, here are a few ways to support financially.

1. Online Giving:

If you're lead to support RLK Ministries financially please go to: http://www.rlkministries.org/Support.htm and click on the PayPal Donate Button. Note: you do not need a PayPal account to use this service and All major Debit or Credit Cards are accepted. (This is also subject to a PayPal processing fee that is deducted for each donation in order to provide the service. This fee isn't applied to you rather to the funds that are donated)

OR:

2. Donation Deposit:

You can make a deposit at any Washington Mutual bank for RLK Ministries, just e-mail me if you would like to do so and I'll give you the account number.

If you have a specific area you want the donation to go towards - you can make note of that through either financial method.


We always appreciate your prayers and any financial support as we seek to help meet the growing spiritual and physical needs in the lives of others.

Thank you for your time! It's a privilege to serve the Lord and you! Please don't hesitate to contact me should you have any questions or need anything! Also, feel free to let me know how you're doing as I'd love to hear from you from time to time.

In closing, until we communicate next, may God bless you as you continue to seek Him and love Him with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength!

Your Brother and Servant,

Randolph Koch
RLK Ministries

Personal Blog: http://ashepherdsheart.blogspot.com
Web: www.rlkministries.org

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

An American Military Tribute - Veterans Day 2008



Dear Veterans,

On this Veterans Day words cannot express the gratitude I have for the sacrifices you have made for God and country!

I also recognize the great sacrifice your loved ones have made when you were gone, most likely often, when you were out protecting our country fighting for our freedom!

I also think of the numerous soldiers who have lost their lives in battle and the families that have been left behind to mourn their loss.

Simple words cannot truly express the gratitude I have for every military personnel past, present, and future!

Thank you for sacrifice! I pray that we never take you for granted!

The following is an American Military Tribute through a song named Unknown by David Harsh.

Please take a few moments to view and listen to this great tribute!

Note: You may need to pause the music/tunes on this blog by scrolling down the right hand side until you see the Tunes/Music Player and press pause so you can hear the introduction and music without interruption.

Sincerely,

Randolph Koch

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

3 Things a Son needs to hear from his Father


A few years ago I was blessed to participated in a class called The Quest for Authentic Manhood - which I highly recommend.

There were three things Robert Lewis suggests a son needs to hear from His Father. These three things as well as many more have stuck with me and I work to try and communicate these things to the sons God has blessed me with!

3 Things a Son needs to hear from his Father:

I Love You..
I am Proud of you.
You are Good at...

This list is just a starter list - but it is a great start! Furthermore if you look at the relationship of God the Father and God the Son in the New Testament, you'll see that God the Father expressed these same things to His Son Jesus, (God the Son) as suggested in the above list! (Check out the Gospels like the Gospel of Matthew for examples)

I share this list because it's important and in the context of the class the focus was on fathers and sons relationships and fathers doing significant things to bless their sons.

Now, I would also add that dads should express these things to their daughters as well and moms should also express these things to there daughters and sons.

The more parents who reinforce these things and affirm and build-up their children the better!

So, take this list and start implementing it now, keep adding to the list, and never forget these three!

My kids are still young and I've done this in writing and verbally but it's also important to mention that if your children are grown-up and off into adulthood, it's never too late to start blessing your children! Take time now to communicate to them in person and or in writing, (or both!) these things! You will bless them and whether they'd admit it or not, your sons, your children hunger for your love, support, and belief in them. If you can do this in person that would be best and following it up with a written note would be awesome!

In closing, I'd love to hear your stories about how you shared this with your children and their response. Please come back to this blog and leave a comment so you can bless others by your example and experience.

God Bless as you Seek Him!

rlk

Monday, October 13, 2008

Sharing the Word with the free RefTagger tool



From time to time I'm blessed to be a recipient of great information regarding new technology that has been created by brilliant minds.

I was introduced to one such tool in the past few days, through one of the pastor's blogs from my home church, which is a tool called RefTagger.

This is a free tool that you can added to your web site or blog that will essentially share the Word in a window for any scripture you've references.

For instance, when I type John 3:16 you should see a link that if you hover over it, you'll see the verse pop up in the version of my choice which is the NASB (New American Standard Bible). This is a great tool for sharing the Word as it delivers the Scripture right here and right now whereas I used to have to link each reference to another site such as BibleGateway.com. That is still an option but this would take you to another site in order to read the passage or reference. The other great option is that you have several major versions of the Bible to choose from so you can use your favorite version, if available, on your site or blog!

Going forward, when I share something with scripture this will be an added feature you can look for and benefit from.

Spread to the word about this tool to others who you think might want to add this tool to their site or blog.

Again, here's the link for more information: http://www.logos.com/reftagger

If you use it make sure to thank them and drop me a line when you can as I'd love to see how you utilize it yourself!

Blessings,

rlk

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Stock Market Down 777

During this time of great economic unrest I wanted to post a simple note of encouragement to you to remember WHO is in control. You and I need to be active in our finances and be sure that we are conservative in our saving, spending, and investments - especially right now.

In relation to this I also wanted to share something in response to a friend’s great question regarding the significance of the stock market losing 777 points yesterday in relations to the number 7 in prophecy, especially in relation to the prophecy about the break down of nations.

I thought you might have the same question or something similar so here are my brief thoughts on this.

Please note, I’m no expert on prophecy so this is again only my opinion but I hope that you’ll be encouraged in some way.


“You are correct, the number 7 is significant and is used many times especially with significance in The Book of Revelation.”

“In a nut shell: My opinion would be that on one hand, yes, A. it could be a prophesy coming to pass before us or it could be, B. God is reminding us that He’s in control and to keep our eyes on Him during these tumultuous times and at all times.”

“I lean more toward B. but will not discount A. either because God is God and I am not!”

“His economy is bigger than ours and on one hand, it’s no wonder our country, who no longer makes honoring God like our founding fathers did, a priority anymore, is having economic woes. Yet, we still know WHO’s in control.”

“Take courage, stand firm, and be/stay ready.”

Friend,

God is in control and rest assured that He will make a way through this and in fact He already has a solution in mind and has had one long before these recent events!

Congress is not going to solve the problems our economy has but we all will inevitably bear this burden but again, we are not alone. God most High knows what is going on and will make a way whether this country likes it or not.

Don't forget to pray and don't stop praying for the United States of America, especially during this time.

Don’t forget to get into the Word and study it for yourself.

Continue to actively pray on the Full Armor Of God each day.

Do not be afraid because He alone is with you always.

God Bless,

RLK