KEPHA Resources, Inc.

17/08/2024

“Well, that makes sense!” stated MrD.

Then, concerned, he asked, “What happened to all our antitrust enforcement that would prevent this?”

15/08/2024

Wow! Maybe I understand now! —a MrD epiphany

For several months now I’ve tried to understand DJT’s references to Hanibal Lector when talking about immigration.

Well, I think I’ve got it now!

Maybe he is confusing the two definitions of Asylum when he states that all immigrants are insane criminals!

a·sy·lum

noun

Asylum�an institution offering shelter and support to people who are mentally ill."he'd been committed to an asylum"

Asylum�the protection granted by a nation to someone who has left their native country as a political refugee."she applied for asylum and was granted refugee status"

15/07/2024

MrD—just saying!!
—————
While one family mourned the loss of a husband and father who placed his body over his wife and children to shield them from the bullets and two other innocent victims hit by stray bullets lay in the hospital…

…Donald Trump played a round of golf!

12/07/2024

A MrD consideration: Thoughts on the unfortunate way people evaluate circumstance today...
_________________________________
As a writer I treat things differently than many people, including many of my friends.

My Dad used to say “Mark, perception is everything!” and for a long time I considered him right-on.

I no longer do. Perception is important, but not everything. By that I mean that understanding a set of circumstances means recognizing the difference between my perception and the facts that undergird a perspective. Many people believe the two words share definitions and are similar.

They are not!

Still, keeping with my initial gut perceptions is easier, but most important to me as a human being, perceptions are much more comfortable. Yet, easy does not always work. Over the years I have learned that when evaluating a circumstance, I need to step out of my personal perception.

Now, why do I say that?

Here’s why!

Perception has everything to do with how we view the world around us through the lens of what we value and how our senses deliver meaning— what we see; what we hear; what we fear; what we taste; what we read; even what common opinions or experiences friends or family may share. Perception is easy. And have you noticed, humans always seek comfort and easy answers, first. It is our nature.

The problem is Perception is not logical. It is emotional. Perception may include rumor, innuendo, meritless gossip, and/or supported or unsupported insinuation based on what others want us to feel or conclude about a topic. Especially if we can somehow easily construe a meaning from what is presented whether it is right or wrong. As the old saying goes, “If the shoe fits, wear, wear it!”

And we do This scenario is prevalent throughout or society—always has been.

Again, the problem is Perception is subjective—based on individual wants, needs, desires—and the result we want based on those yearnings. Perception is only how we as individuals see things, i.e., if you only have one eye or are colorblind your perception may be that the world is only black and white or two-dimensional.

Yet, our world is full of colors and sounds and those combine to make life wonderful—then again, not necessarily if the world is viewed through the bias of a subjective lens of our own or others’ perceptions.

Conversely, Perspective is when we use actual objective, measurable facts to gain a larger point of view that may or often may not align with our initial perception of a circumstance.

The trouble is that when an honest objective perspective clashes with our old subjective perception we most often yield to the easy or most comfortable of the two, because we yearn for that perception to be true, even when it is not.

And the worst thing about that? As a society we will not take the ‘real time’ or ‘real effort’ to differentiate between the two.

Chico, Perception is easy because we are already prepared to agree with it, while Perspective is difficult and usually uncomfortable.

10/04/2024

18/03/2024

MrD—food for thought!

Barbara Walters interviewed Iraq’s Saddam Hussein in the run up to the first Gulf War. Saddam complained about US comedians making fun of him, asking how Americans would like it if they made fun of George H W Bush.

Barbara said they made fun of Bush all the time.

Saddam became quite indignant and said that wasn’t right.

Now, fast forward a few decades, and Trump takes offense to comedians making fun of him.

So, does that put him on a par with Saddam Hussein?

14/03/2024

Oh so true!

09/03/2024

A MrD dilemma:

Should I vote for someone with 81 years or someone with 91 counts?

07/03/2024

Frieghtening if not terrifying, absolutely!

10/02/2024

A MOD Dilemma

Definition — di·lem·ma; a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives, especially equally undesirable ones.
__________

Okay! Please explain! I’m throughly confused!

Trump Attorney’s statement: “…January 6th was terrible, shameful, and violent, but it was not an insurrection!”

Then, less than one hour later…

Donald Trump announced: “…it was a terrible ‘insurrection’ conducted by Nancy Pelosi!”

SAY WHAT?

08/02/2024

Hum? Speaking of hypocrisy! Trump recently posted this image of him praying at a church. If true, that would be true.

But then again I’ve never questioned whether he had six fingers on each hand or not!

Have you?

07/02/2024

A MrD Consideration:

Hypocrites are most offended by the Truth!

17/03/2020

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Yes, things are getting crazy. With the CDC recommending that groups of 50 people or more be banned for the next few months churches and parishes are threatened both ministerially and financially. At KEPHA, we are helping churches and parishes setup and produce a consistent online version of their worship and a call to continue to give.

Yes, many churches and parishes have this ability, many more do not. However, most that do have streaming capabilities produce in a real-time process as the worship service is performed. After 30 years in video production work I can tell you that that process will not be attractive to most people today. Worship videos need to be produced at a much higher level.

Originally, the KEPHA setups in client churches and parishes were intended to simply help our clients provide worship opportunity to those persons unable to go to services either for health or travel reasons. Those same systems can easily be used (converted) for the purposes today’s unrivaled circumstance presents.

Regardless, in every case, the quality of the production values must be improved to keep people coming back over and over again.

The problem with many church systems are rather crude and the need to be improved by eliminating the stereotypical single camera position without cuts to vary the “look and feel” audience. The link below is an example of an original creation produced by starting from nothing to a complete production in a day and a half. It was prerecorded to insure it streamed smoothly. Still, the values need to be improved a great deal. For example, next week the same church will stream multiple services, education classes for children and teens, and hopefully, the plan is to have adult bible study with the ability to comment online. Over all, their prayer is that the quality of the content WILL be exponentially better week after week.

The exciting thing is that streaming gives those churches and parishes, that do a good job, the opportunity to expand their membership as people recognize how the church or parish responded to the difficulties of these ‘pandemic-times’ and will want to be a part of such a community when times are better. AND times WILL get better.

Just as important, people need to understand that they MUST continue to GIVE. Their giving can be ONLINE even if they’ve never given online before. The most important thing is to give.

Those congregations where a true Stewardship Culture exists will be in a better position to weather this event and perhaps even come out ahead. Those where that culture is not evident will have to work harder to survive.

Unfortunately, the harsh reality is that we MUST keep Christ’s church alive and well. Not to do so may spell the ‘death-knell’ for many congregations both large and small. With these circumstances the availability of a church’s ministry is even more important than before. Further, the regular bills still come in and must be paid. How to do that is an important part of what KEPHA has been doing for many years and will be expanding capabilities to help churches and parishes continue to operate.

May KEPHA help you? Give us a call at 800.342.3316, PM me at Mark Duncan, text to 281.239.5110, or email [email protected] I’ll answer as soon as possible. Leave your name, title, church name, and best contact information.

Blessings, Mark, a.k.a. MrD and The People of KEPHA

Come back each week: Links below will change each week as production values of St. James Episcopal, Baton Rouge change.
March 15 Worship: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRTciAYCldI&feature=youtu.be
March 15 Order of Worship: https://files.constantcontact.com/9839222d701/6ba184d9-a5d2-42e8-8042-e61050b2465a.pdf

16/03/2020

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Yes, things are getting crazy. With the CDC recommending that groups of 50 people or more be banned for the next few months churches and parishes are threatened both ministerially and financially. At KEPHA, we are helping churches and parishes setup and produce a consistent online version of their worship and a call to continue to give.

Yes, many churches and parishes have this ability, many more do not. However, most that do have streaming capabilities produce in a real-time process as the worship service is performed. After 30 years in video production work I can tell you that that process will not be attractive to most people today. Worship videos need to be produced at a much higher level.

Originally, the KEPHA setups in client churches and parishes were intended to simply help our clients provide worship opportunity to those persons unable to go to services either for health or travel reasons. Those same systems can easily be used (converted) for the purposes today’s unrivaled circumstance presents.

Regardless, in every case, the quality of the production values must be improved to keep people coming back over and over again.

The problem with many church systems are rather crude and the need to be improved by eliminating the stereotypical single camera position without cuts to vary the “look and feel” audience. The link below is an example of an original creation produced by starting from nothing to a complete production in a day and a half. It was prerecorded to insure it streamed smoothly. Still, the values need to be improved a great deal. For example, next week the same church will stream multiple services, education classes for children and teens, and hopefully, the plan is to have adult bible study with the ability to comment online. Over all, their prayer is that the quality of the content WILL be exponentially better week after week.

The exciting thing is that streaming gives those churches and parishes, that do a good job, the opportunity to expand their membership as people recognize how the church or parish responded to the difficulties of these ‘pandemic-times’ and will want to be a part of such a community when times are better. AND times WILL get better.

Just as important, people need to understand that they MUST continue to GIVE. Their giving can be ONLINE even if they’ve never given online before. The most important thing is to give.

Those congregations where a true Stewardship Culture exists will be in a better position to weather this event and perhaps even come out ahead. Those where that culture is not evident will have to work harder to survive.

Unfortunately, the harsh reality is that we MUST keep Christ’s church alive and well. Not to do so may spell the ‘death-knell’ for many congregations both large and small. With these circumstances, the availability of a church’s ministry is even more important than before. Further, the regular bills still come in and must be paid. How to do that is an important part of what KEPHA has been doing for many years and will be expanding capabilities to help churches and parishes continue to operate.

May KEPHA help you? Give us a call at 800.342.3316, text to 281.239.5110, or email [email protected]. Leave your name, title, church name, and best contact information.

Finally, be patient. We WILL be in contact.

Blessings, The People of KEPHA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRTciAYCldI&feature=youtu.be

https://files.constantcontact.com/9839222d701/6ba184d9-a5d2-42e8-8042-e61050b2465a.pdf

09/07/2018

KEPHA is pleased to announce the completion of the last few elements of our special project for The Episcopal Church (National) meeting in General Convention at this moment in Austin.

The Advisory Council for the Stewardship of Creation advances the Church’s commitment to faithfully respond to the challenge of safeguarding God’s creation.

Please feel free to share both the video and magazine (separate post) in this post with your friends and colleagues.

Blessings Always...The People of KEPHA.

15/02/2017

The Branding Quandary

Building a brand for a church or non-profit is similar to that of most secular organizations. Both have defining characteristics with the goal of illuminating the mission and vision as viewed by an audience, i.e. members/customers or new members/customers.

Both types of organizations require precise steps to create that identity. Yet, there is an obstacle to success easily described in two words, FEAR and FAITH.

Do you want to find out more?

Then read the "White Paper" below1

14/02/2017

14/02/2017