Thursday, January 12, 2012

I find it hard to believe, but it’s a brand new year and SHOUT IT Ministries is entering its 3rd full year online already here at www.shoutitforlife.com! I have determined to make it a habit to write “introductory” blogs a few times a year just to keep everyone on the same page on what’s coming, what to expect, and the changes that are occurring. This ministry has come a long way since the first blog was written back on November 14, 2009. That being said, there is much hard work to do, things to learn, and new experiences yet to be discovered along the way. I’m excited for this upcoming year as I have deemed this year as the “year of the dream” for SHOUT IT Ministries. Why? Let’s take a look:

For starters, this ministry itself is dream that God has given to me that I have been blessed to build from the ground up. It’s been quite a learning process filled with trials and mistakes–but I’ve grown immensely the past few years in my walk with Christ thanks to this ministry. SHOUT IT Ministries allows me to use my God-given creativity, writing talent, and unique voice to reach thousands of people around the clock–it’s incredibly exciting!! Over the course of time, I have come to name SHOUT IT Ministries simply as “the dream” and I truly believe that I am called to minister to people around the globe through this website.  The year 2012 hopefully is another fruitful year for this ministry!

Weekly Blogs

This year the Weekly Blogs will be made up of three specific series.  First, in late January through early April we’ll be looking at the series, Arising to your Awakening, which will be on Spiritual Awakening. This series I believe is highly important to where we are currently today as a nation (here in the United States) and as a body of Christ as a whole. A sense of urgency is an absolute must and the time to take action is NOW! As a result of going through this series I hope we feel inspired to dream of a brighter future of the world and begin to make it a reality in the present day.

In mid-to-late April we’ll begin a EPIC series on Hell, Heaven, the afterlife, and eternity in the series, Eternity Matters.  Why do I call this series epic? Because unlike any series we’ll gone through before there will be multiple blogs written on a week-to-week basis. We’re going to cover the topic of Hell, Heaven, and eternity from every angle with incredible detail. This is not a series that will scratch the surface, but give you a clear picture of the life to come; so we can dream in wonder of the hope we find in our future with Christ.  

Finally, in the shorter series, The Eternal Perspective, we’ll discover how to take what we just learned and apply it to our lives in early November up to the holiday season. Basically, this is a follow-up series that ties in directly to what you learned from mid-April through October. All in all, expect anywhere from 40-50 weekly blogs combined for these two series! The blogs will be much more condense and focused in on one particular subject matter instead of a broad overview.

Profiles

Many changes are being implemented to the Profiles ministry starting in 2012 that can be read about here: Profiles Blueprint. Also starting this year the previous Profiles written will be re-edited with current information/content, new photos, and videos. A new one will be reedited each month. They will be called: Progressing Portraits.  As for this year’s Profiles, we’ll be looking many unique individuals that fit in the theme of dreams. For example, we’ll start with Tim Tebow, who had a dream to play in the NFL, and is currently living out his dream. Also we’ll look at Matthew Barnett who founded the Dream Center in Los Angeles and Eric and Leslie Ludy’s dream of getting married.  Finally, we’ll take a closer look at the “dreams/visions” of Heaven that pastor Don Piper and 4-year Colton Burpo had as well. Here is the official list for 2012:

• Tim Tebow (Late January)
• Eric and Leslie Ludy (February)
• Beth Moore (March)
• Akiane Kramarik/Colton Burpo (April)
• Hillsong Music (May)
• Kirk Cameron (June)
• Don Piper (July)
• Matthew Barnett (August)
• Drew Brees (September)
• Rebecca St. James (October)
• JRR Tolkein (November)
• Mother Teresa (December)

Shout Out to the Silver Screen

From January through mid-May this ministry will be in work behind the scenes. This ministry will have a new location, it’s own webpage, separate from www.shoutitforlife.com.  This is to organize the information better, present the material in a more appealing manner, and not clutter the many ministries together on one site. As time goes along more ministries will be moved to their own sites but for now, Shout Out to the Silver Screen, will be the only seperate ministry. Expect the lanuch of this site around mid-May.

What will we be looking at as a case study over the late spring-fall season? The epic and highly popular Harry Potter movies. There is a ton of material to cover (8 movies) so unlike the Toy Story movies, it is impossible to cover everything in detail. This being said there is a wealth of fascinating allegories from these stories that directly relate to the Christian worldview. We’ll first go over why Harry Potter is not promoting witchcraft or evil practices and worthy of our time. Then we’ll discover the legacy, characters, music score, quotes, DVD features, and most importantly the Real of the Reel.

In mid-November through mid-December we’ll do our first case study of a theme–dreams! The movies we’ll look at include: Dead Poets Society, Up, It’s a Wonderful Life,  and The Rookie. Each movie will be covered in a Real of the Reel blog as we uncover different spiritual truths about dreams.  

Truth’s Transformation

This ministry was finally re-launched and is entering its first full year that it’s up and running. Although we wouldn’t be addressing dreams in this particular ministry, we’ll still be addressing major foundational truths that every Christian needs to be equipped with. From late January through April our focus will continue to be on Fight for What’s Right which addresses the Christian worldview. We’ll then progress to learning about discovering our identity in the principle, Find Your Fit, and conclude the year with how to overcome and conquer your fears in the principle, Face Your Fears. For more information read the recently revised Blueprint.

SPECIAL

Similar to Truth’s Transformation, this ministry was re-launched in mid-November and is entering its first full year.  We’ll continue to look at Establishing your Identity from late January through the month of April. Then we’ll being a broad overview of calling in Embracing Your Calling with Enthusiasm from May to August. Then starting in September a new  section will  be launched called, Dream Journey, that will help you discover and fulfill your dreams. In our main course study we’ll look at the fundamental role of vision in carrying out your dreams, in Enlarge your Vision to Excellence. For more information read the recently revised Blueprint.

Kyle’s Kaleidoscope/RAW/Wending the Way

Both RAW and Wending the Way will be entering their first full year as part of SHOUT IT Ministries. As I mentioned before these ministries are the “perspective” ministries each carrying a unique voice on the Christian worldview. Inspiration and revelation will continue to be the driving force behind them. On average expect one to two new entries for each ministry every month.

Weekly Content

This year marks the first year for many weekly features including the Sound Bites ministry, the Enduring Echoes entries, and the Loud and Hear/Surround Sound updates. Continue to expect these features to be updated on a weekly basis and for a new Sound Bite each and every day.

The Re-Launch!

On Monday, January 23rd this site will be re-launched with a brand new look along with new navigation and features!  And this is just the beginning of many new features and exciting additions coming to www.shoutitforlife.com! Another noteworthy addition is that starting very soon (date yet to be determined) you’ll be able to sign up and receive a weekly newsletter!  All of these features and additions will be slowly be inserted in the next few months as time goes along. You will be notified beforehand of all these changes, so you don’t become overwhelmed or confused with your time spend with SHOUT IT Ministries. Stay tuned!!

In Summary

I realize that I just gave you a ton of new information to take in. If you didn’t quite understand something or feel a tad bit overwhelmed–don’t worry. After each new blog in the Future Features section, in the Loud and Hear section, and through the  social media of Facebook and Twitter you’ll be notified what’s upcoming each and every week.  I look forward to spending time with you throughout this year and the many years to come! If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or proposals please contact us on our Contact Page.   Inspire to dream big in 2012! God Bless.