How to Download Pictures from Flickr

Here is a quick and easy way to download your favorite pictures in full-resolution from my flickr account (www.flickr.com/loganbloom). This is very useful if you find a picture you would like to have printed, as full-resolution pictures are best for printing.

1. Go to flickr.com/loganbloom, where you'll see a list of most recently added pictures and sets of pictures listed down the right-hand side.

2. To view a particular set of pictures, for instance Turkey Trot 2010, click on the Turkey Trot 2010 set to open it. (You can view more sets by scrolling down and selecting "More Sets").

NOTE: Now you can click through all of the pictures included in that set, page by page. The Turkey Trot set has 263 photos included in its set, so you'll have to click through several pages to view all of the photos.

3. You can click on a particular photo to open its page view.

4. Once you have opened a photo, for instance this photo of Molly and Banner, you can still click through the rest of the photos in that set in the list of the photos on the right-hand side.

5. You can comment on photos below the image on the screen.

6. You can select various actions by clicking on the "Actions" button above the photo.

7. To download, click the "Actions" button above the photo and select "View all sizes."

8. Now you will see a list of different resolutions at which you can view that picture across the top of the page.

9. Select the desired resolution ("Original" is best for printing) and wait for the image to load.

10. Once the image as loaded, right-click the image and select "Save Picture As..." and follow the instructions to save the image to your computer.

And that's how you can use the images on my flickr account to download in full-resolution for family use!

NOTE: These images are under copyright by Logan Bloom from the moment they are taken. The use of these images for commercial use without consent is prohibited.

The Battle Over the Identity of Jesus in Our Schools

There is a historical battle over the identity of Jesus that takes place in every generation. As we draw ever nearer to the Day of the Lord, each generation becomes increasingly crucial and the battle for the identity of Jesus becomes increasingly controversial. For modern Christianity in America, statistics show that each proceeding generation develops their worldviews while in middle and high school ages. While our church's youth ministries attempt to shape tomorrows leaders, the real bulk of tomorrows leaders are shaped by the teaching of the media and the classroom. That is why our youth groups must be missions bases targeting local schools.

The Bible teaches that towards the end of the age, doctrines against the identity of Jesus will increase and the battle will intensify, culminating in the appearing of the Antichrist and the second coming of Jesus. Since tomorrow's leaders are being raised in our schools, it is no surprise that there are massive conflicts surrounding the subject of God in our schools. In fact, this sentiment against God in our schools has a very real and strong source:

Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. - 1 John 2:22

But every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. 1 John 4:3

The truth is that we have a very real enemy on the other side of our fight for our generation, and the battle translates all the way down to our schools. Satan will stop it nothing to keep Jesus out of our schools. The spirit of the antichrist rages against identity of Jesus, and it makes sense that the same spirit would fuel the conflict surrounding God in our schools. There are many leaders in America today raging against God and prayer in our schools. Those individuals actively rejecting God and fighting against God in our schools are operating in the spirit of the antichrist (according to 1 John 4:3). God (namely, YHWH) is the only way to save our nation (and receive salvation), and the most intense battle for our nation is happening in the classroom.

While one side is producing messengers carrying the spirit of the antichrist as forerunners of the Antichrist, God is raising up messengers carrying the spirit of truth that testify to Jesus as forerunners of His appearing. This historical drama transcends every sphere of society right into the classroom. While antichrist doctrines are populating our classrooms, God is raising up students who overcome:

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. - 1 John 4:4

God doesn't just want our youth groups to be entertaining cliques but boot camps that producing teenagers who overcome the spirit of the age. We need a divine reorientation. I hope you grapple with this yourself and our provoked to consider the battle taking place for the classrooms of America. Take action in the place of prayer and the raising up our youth ministries into forerunner ministries of the coming King.

Biblical Financial Partnership

Many of us hear the term "support raising," "financial partnership" or "living on support" from various veins of ministry today. Most of today's large modern missions organizations are staffed by missionaries who rely on the financial support of their friends and family in order to do their ministry. But where is this model found in scripture?

One of the earliest Biblical examples of ministers who were financially supported by members of the church were the musicians of David's tabernacle. David established a tabernacle that was filled with night and day worship, which was crucial to David's government. In 1 Chronicles 23:4-5, David establishes a breathtaking 4000 musicians whose sole purpose was to maintain the worship in the temple, as well as 24,000 supervisors and intercessors to fill and manage the temple. For David, the house of prayer was at the center of his government. These who filled the temple were labeled "ministers before the Lord." Obviously, Solomon carried on this tradition with the building of the temple.

What about in the New Testament? Paul outlines his financial plan in 2 Corinthians 9:6-15. While Paul also had a profession of tent-maker to decrease his financial burden, his ministry would have been impossible without the financial aid of individuals in the church. Paul outlines the correct mindset about giving in this passage:

Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. . . Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people, but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you.

Paul outlines a very special partnership that God designed to take place between those who sow financially and those who minister under their support. When we sow financially to a ministry, we become partakers in the fruit of that ministry and we receive the blessing of that fruit (not only in heaven, but also now). Paul says that because we give and make the ministry possible, we receive a special blessing AND we demonstrate thanksgiving to God that actually builds our righteousness.

Paul takes the opportunity to give and describes it as a blessed opportunity given by the Lord so that we might receive blessing for our gift (so that we can give again - cyclical principle). We worship God with where we send our funds. So support raising is just as much an opportunity for the financial giver as it is for the ministry. For that reason, Paul writes: You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Financial support is about ministry partnership because both receive the blessing for their ministry. In God's economy, the richest are those who give generously. This presents a challenge for me and for most of American culture because this is counter American-dream mentality, but as Paul said,

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

Hopefully this helps to expand our understand of financial support and God's economy.