This service manual describes functions, theory of electrical and mechanical operations, maintenance, and repair of EPL-N1200.

The instructions and procedures included herein are intended for the experience repair technician, and attention should be given to the precautions on the preceding page. The chapters are organized as follows:

CHAPTER 1. GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Provides a general product overview, lists specifications, and illustrates the main components of the printer.

CHAPTER 2. OPERATING PRINCIPLES
Describes the theory of printer operation.

CHAPTER 3. DISASSEMBLY AND ASSEMBLY
Includes a step-by-step guide for product disassembly and assembly.

CHAPTER 4. ADJUSTMENTS
Includes a step-by-step guide for adjustment.

CHAPTER 5. TROUBLESHOOTING
Provides Epson-approved techniques for adjustment.

CHAPTER 6. MAINTENANCE
Describes preventive maintenance techniques and lists lubricants and adhesives required to service the equipment.

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What is devotion? It is the unceasing practice of acknowledging God’s presence, with the ultimate goal of living your life as one long prayer. 

Is it possible to maintain awareness of God’s presence in every moment? Think of it this way: When you fall in love, you hold the thought of your beloved in the back of your mind throughout the day, even while concentrating on difficult tasks. It is not outer activity but inner restlessness that distracts you from God.

Think of God as your beloved and your life will change overnight. Welcome God into your heart and your consciousness, and you will forever be graced and embraced by God’s loving, comforting presence. 

A daily prayer can help you stay intoxicated with God's presence. Here is part of a prayer I use daily. Feel free to use whatever part speaks to you. Better yet, create your own prayer and revise it whenever you are inspired to do so. (I've highlighted in blue the portions I've borrowed or adapted from Self-Realization Fellowship.)

DAILY DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Thank you, God, for guiding me with infinite wisdom and with deep love.
Thank you for working through me to do your work in this world.
Thank you for bathing me in your loving consciousness, in your holy, healing presence.
Thank you for blessing me with every moment of this sweet life. Every moment is a gift.

Guide me to behold only that which is good,
To speak only that which is pure and true,
To love as God loves, purely, unconditionally,
And fill my soul with that bliss which draws me ever forward down the path of that which is right.

I am an instrument of God, humble and steadfast.
God, when people see me, let them see you.
When people hear me, let them hear you.
I yearn for unbroken attunement with thee.

I surrender my life to thee.
Do with it what you will, the better to serve you—unconditionally, joyfully, honorably, and for all time.

Thank you, God, for bathing my home in your deep love, for bathing my heart in your deep love.
With aspiring mind, with zealous heart, with flaming soul,
I lay at thy feet of omnipresence all the flowers of my devotion.

Everything I do is for God.
Everything I have, everything I am, is from God.
Whatever God brings to me, I want.

Thank you, God, for guiding me to do your work—effortlessly, and with great joy, love, skill, passion, humility and service.

I'm struggling with a conundrum: does "service" necessarily imply "without compensation?"  Must all service rendered to the Baha'i Faith be for free, or can one serve the Faith and earn a living from that service?   I believe there exists in our community a perception that service to the Faith should be offered up voluntarily, without compensation.  I admit to feeling that way myself.  But then I had the idea for this venture, and suddenly I was no longer sure that the matter was so black and white.  Here is why: there are some things which are simply too big for one person (or even a group of people)  to undertake solely on a volunteer basis.  Which means that if the job that needs to be done costs too much in the way of time, money or effort, it simply won't get done.  I've spoken with several people who think that what I propose to do is very important to the Baha'i community.  Many before me have felt the same way.  They tried but failed.  (I've spoken to five people myself.)  I'm guessing that the reason they failed is because they wanted to do it "as a service to the community," aka "for free."  But those people had jobs and lives which didn't leave them with enough time/money/energy to see the project through to the end. 

I'm very fortunate because at the moment, I have all these resources and a supportive (non-Baha'i) husband who is willing to let me give it a go.  However, if things don't work out, I will eventually have to go find a paying job, which will doom my efforts as well. 

I really want to see this venture succeed.  Not for my sake, but for the sake of all the people who could potentially hear the name of Baha'u'llah through it.  But that can only happen if Verdanta can pay for itself, with a little left over to contribute to the support of my family.  Knowing all this, I am at peace running this business as a for-profit business. 

Enter: "others" 

I recently received an email from a colleague whose comment I thought meant he felt service to the Faith should be offered up for free.  (I apologize if I'm misrepresenting his feelings on this; I may be projecting my own confliction onto him).  The issues is, should this perception prove prevalent, it could cripple Verdanta  before it even gets off the ground.

Baha'u'llah tells us to strive to "render service to the world of humanity."   He also tells us that earning a livelihood "is a duty which, in this most great Revelation, hath been prescribed unto every one, and is accounted in the sight of God as a goodly deed." 

Abdu'l-Baha told us to "Trust in God and engage in your work and practice economy; the confirmations of God shall descend and you will be enabled to pay off your debts. Be ye occupied always with the mention of Bahá'u'lláh and seek ye no other hope and desire save Him." (Baha'i World Faith, p. 375)

So earning a living is a goodly deed, and the mission of my proposed occupation is to "be always occupied with the mention of Baha'u'llah."  Often we think of these things as separate and distinct, but why?  What would Baha'u'llah say about a job that earns money AND serves the Faith?  I'd like to think He would be happy about it. 

The other aspect of service is wanting to serve as many people as possible.  If I do this on a volunteer basis, I will be limited in the number people I will ultimately serve.  Why?  Because I will have to go out and find a paying job, thereby leaving me much less time (and even less energy) to tackle something as ambitious as what I am proposing. 

Service: free or fee?

The culture I live in - America - loves to think of everything in terms of either/or.  But the heart and soul of the Baha'i Faith is based on "both/and."  Is science right or religion?  They both are.  Jesus or Muhammad?  Both.  So can I serve the Baha'i community and earn a living?   I believe I can, but ultimately, it is up to Baha'u'llah. I lay all my affairs in His capable hands, and I pray that He only let me succeed if He deems this venture good and worthy.

I think that Ucoz.com would be perfect for clan website, and I have some reasons why.

Reasons:

1. Easy to manage, and update, everything can be done online.
2. Powerful, you can put HTML into web pages very simply.
3. They have the software necessary, for example forums, which are built right in!

There's a lot more of free extras, I honestly recommend registering for them and checking it out. Well, there's a short review, I might expand on it later. You can register for them here.

Thanks,
Zach

SELANJUTNYA DIARTIIN SENDIRI YA.....

*#92702689# - takes you to a secret menu where you may find some of the information below:
1. Displays Serial Number.
2. Displays the Month and Year of Manufacture
3. Displays (if there) the date where the phone was purchased (MMYY)
4. Displays the date of the last repair - if found (0000)
5. Shows life timer of phone (time passes since last start)

*#3370# - Enhanced Full Rate Codec (EFR) activation. Increase signal strength, better signal reception. It also help if u want to use GPRS and the service is not responding or too slow. Phone battery will drain faster though.
*#3370* - (EFR) deactivation. Phone will automatically restart. Increase battery life by 30% because phone receives less signal from network.
*#4720# - Half Rate Codec activation.
*#4720* - Half Rate Codec deactivation. The phone will automatically restart

If you forgot wallet code for Nokia S60 phone, use this code reset: *#7370925538#
Note, your data in the wallet will be erased. Phone will ask you the lock code. Default lock code is: 12345

Press *#3925538# to delete the contents and code of wallet.

*#7328748263373738# resets security code.
Default security code is 12345

Unlock service provider: Insert sim, turn phone on and press vol up(arrow keys) for 3 seconds, should say pin code. Press C,then press * message should flash, press * again and 04*pin*pin*pin#

Change closed caller group (settings >security settings>user groups) to 00000 and ure phone will sound the message tone when you are near a radar speed trap. Setting it to 500 will cause your phone 2 set off security alarms at shop exits, gr8 for practical jokes! (works with some of the Nokia phones.)

Press and hold “0″ on the main screen to open wap browser.

Mengeset SIB
tekan*3001#12345#
pilih nam 1 —> sdma set
sib/mib —> home

This week we’ve been back to the usual: work (Amber in the clinic and Josh at the school), Spanish lessons, spending time with friends and host family and continuing to explore Peruvian culture.
I’ve been doing a ton of Hep B vaccines this week and today we also gave tetanus shots to teenage girls in one school. Only girls get tetanus shots in Peru because vaccinations are expensive for the government and because it is more important to vaccinate girls who may become pregnant in the future.
Some pictures from school vaccinations (note many of the kids holding their left arm where we vaccinated them):
Monday afternoon we visited another large market in Cuzco called San Pedro. It hosts an abundance of meat butchers, florists, fresh juice makers, etc.
One of my favorite things here is the Mango con Leche (fresh mango milkshakes). Beth and I could not resist and ordered one from one of the juice vendors. They slice the mango and blend it right in front of you. But not wanting to sit and drink it, we asked the vendor if she had “to go” cups we could use. A few minutes later we walked away with our mango con leche in plastic bags with straws sticking out. (Also note in one of the pictures above, at one of the school where we gave vaccinations, they gifted us with Inca Cola “to go” (in plastic bags).)
One thing that has been very apparent since the day we arrived is that Peruvians like to celebrate and dance. Every day since we arrived, at some time of day, we have encountered a parade, people dancing in one of the many central squares or groups of people in traditional Peruvian clothing singing. 8am Saturday morning, midnight Tuesday night, 3pm on Thursday. Any time, any place. Tomorrow in the Plaza de Armas many of the local schools are participating in a traditional Peruvian dance competition. We’re going to go in the afternoon because the 16 year old son of from our host home is competing. Saturday night they are also having fireworks. It is especially festive right now because a very big celebration throughout all of Cuzco is happening on June 24th. I’m not sure exactly what they are celebrating but it seems to be somewhat equivalent to the American 4th of July. The festival on the 24th is unfortunate because we leave Peru on the 23rd.
It’s kind of like 2 years ago when we flew to Ireland the day after St. Patrick’s Day.
In other cultural events news, tomorrow we’re meeting with several other volunteers to go to a restaurant and eat one of Peru’s most traditional dishes. And by “we” I mean Josh and several other guys. Fire-roasted guinea pig does not look or sound appealing to me. At all.
We only have a few days left in Peru before we leave for Costa Rica and we’re making the final adjustments on our travel plans.

Volunteer Abroad with United Planet

Did you enjoy Amber's story? Visit her Blog for more!

In this Lost & Found, we will look at your service department and some of the typical problems facing a business with service technicians, in the field or in-house.

·    Most service technicians keep a supply of parts on their service vans. What percentage of that inventory gets lost, or is consumed and not reported from your service van’s inventory?

There are several ways to automate tracking of inventory on service vans to reduce errors and costs. The benefits can be significant. Fill in the blanks below and see how much your company may save.

Variable	Example	Your Business
Average inventory per van	$7,000	$______________
Lost inventory % per month	x   5%	$______________
Total lost inventory per van	$  350	$______________
Number of vans	x  6	$______________
Total lost inventory per month	$2,100	$______________
Number of months per year	x 12	$______________
Annual cost of lost inventory	$25,200	$______________

·    Often a field technician will phone in the results of a service call for an administrator to close out, and then turn in the paper work at a later time for invoicing. In-house technicians misplace or lose service order paperwork. How often do technicians misplace the paperwork and the customer never gets invoiced?

By automating your service orders and setting business rules to track late or missing service orders, you can reduce missed invoices and improve your revenue and margins. Fill in the blanks below to see how much revenue your company is missing.

Variable	Example	Your Business
Monthly lost billing per tech	$300	$______________
Total number of technicians	6	$______________
Total lost billings per month	$1,800	$______________
Number of months per year	12	$______________
Annual lost service revenue	$21,600	$______________
Total Lost Inventory/Revenue	$46,800	$______________

A department of company can be like a leaky ship.  How many leaks can you afford in your ship?  Exerve can help you find and stop the leaks.

Masih belum terlambat sih. Tapi kalau terlambat kan berabe. Kata orang-orang yang mengerti mesin, ganti oli yang teratur itu yang paling penting untuk merawat kendaraan Anda.

Saya sendiri penganut gaya manajemen First Thing First-nya Stephen Covey. Dengan cara pandang itu, ganti oli menjadi prioritas utama: penting dan tidak mendesak. Ganti oli mirip dengan olah raga untuk menjaga kesehatan tubuh kita, memilih makanan dan minuman yang sehat. Saya konsisten olah raga. Masa ganti ole tidak konsisten. Malu dong sama kendaraannya? Apalagi kendaraan itu sudah banyak membantu diriku selama ini.

Untungnya, saya pernah baca iklan THS - Toyota Home Service - di harian Kompas. Begitu ingat, saya langsung search di google. Maksudnya mau cari nomor telepon THS yang bisa saya hubungi. Tetapi saya malah ketemu website Auto 2000 yang ada penawaran booking online.

Ah...coba saja, saya mau booking online!

Saya isi form booking online, lalu send.

Rasanya hambar. Akankah ada yang merespon saya di pihak Toyota sana?

Untungnya, langsung ada konfirmasi bahwa form aplikasi saya sudah diterima dan nanti akan ada petugas Toyota Auto 2000 yang menghubungi saya. Agak tenang sedikit. Ada yang merespon saya di ujung sana.

Tetapi pihak Toyota sama sekali tidak pernah menghubungi saya untuk memberi konfirmasi. (Atau Toyota sudah menghubungi HP saya tapi tidak saya angkat. Karena saya agak jarang menjawab panggilan HP dari nomor yang tidak saya kenal). Meski demikian saya dapat konfirmasi melalui email. Nah ini cara yang lebih aku suka. Salut untuk Toyota Auto 2000!

Singkat cerita, petugas THS datang ke tempat saya bekerja. Selesai! Saya sangat merasa terbantu dengan THS ini. Menurut saya THS ini merupakan inovasi yang penting.

Saya belum tahu keuntungan secara finansial bagi Toyota Auto 2000 dengan memperkenalkan THS. Tetapi keuntungan brand image Toyota Auto 2000 saya yakin sangat tinggi.

Saya sendiri memang mengagumi lean management gaya Toyota Way. Lean management selaras dengan Learning Organisation dan First Thing First.

Salam...

agus Nggermanto

Comcast will begin capping subscribers bandwith usage to 250 GB per month for all residential accounts. This is equivalent to 50 million e-mails or 124 standard-definition movies.

"If a customer exceeds more than 250 GB and is one of the heaviest data users who consume the most data on our high-speed Internet service, he or she may receive a call from Comcast's Customer Security Assurance (CSA) group to notify them of excessive use," according to the company's updated Frequently Asked Questions on Excessive Use. Customers who top 250 GB in a month twice in a six-month timeframe could have service terminated for a year. Comcast said up to 99 percent of its 14 million Internet subscribers would not be affected by the new threshold, which it said would help ensure the quality of Internet delivery is not degraded by a minority of heavy users.

During a recent quiet time during which I was praying about and reflecting on the book of 1 Corinthians, the Holy Spirit brought the following verse to my attention, along with an insight that I believe was significant.

But one who prophesies strengthens others, encourages them and comforts them. (1 Corinthians 14:3)

Paul makes this statement in the context of a discussion about the spiritual gifts in general and about the problems associated with undue preference for the gift of tongues. What the Apostle is telling us here is that prophesy, as a spiritual gift, is intimately connected with the gift of encouragement and brings both encouragement and comfort to the individual and to the church. The Greek word Paul uses here for encouragement is paraklesis, of the same root as Paraclete, the word most often used for the Holy Spirit. So in this one short verse, we see a divine triad consisting of the Holy Spirit, the gift of prophecy, and the gift of encouragement.

All of this may seem obvious to some of you and wonder what the big deal is and why I am writing about it. My reasons are also simple. When I read 1 Corinthians 14:3 that morning, it was the first time I had the insight of how the pairing of the gifts of prophecy and encouragement could work together. Perhaps due to the dullness of my mind I had not made this vital connection before and this fact may also explain why this new insight was such an epiphany moment for me.

The gift of encouragement seems to be one of my primary gifts. Both personal experiences over the years as well as multiple versions of spiritual gifts tests bear this out. The novelty of that morning’s insight was the pairing of this gift with prophecy. I had previously understood how the gift of encouragement connected will with my other primary areas of gifting from the Holy Spirit, principally teaching and wisdom. Armed with this new revelation, I was able to look at the issue of gifting by the Holy Spirit in a new perspective.

If you think about it, a person gifted with prophecy either needs to be additionally gifted with encouragement or, if that is not the case, have a partner who is a master of encouragement. Why? The answer is simple. If the prophet has a powerful word for the church or an individual, and especially if that word is either confrontational or requires much work from the recipient, without encouragement the church or individual is going to hear the word and feel overwhelmed and defeated. Unless there is a healthy dose of encouragement to go along with the word, the recipient may wind up in a worse situation than before receiving the word. Worse still, if the person receiving the word of prophecy is left without direction or an uplifting message that change is possible, said person may end up feeling quite hopeless.

When I think of these issues, I am reminded of the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. I worked for many years in the field of Alcoholism and Chemical Dependency, right in the middle of Dade County, Florida, an area noted for drug and alcohol abuse. The 12 Step Program was the most effective paradigm in dealing with problems of addiction and I believe there are three primary reasons for its success. First, the program has a spiritual heart. In fact, spirituality is the very cornerstone of recovery. Second, the 12 Step Program, like the Christian walk of faith, cannot be walked in isolation. Instead, it is group based and group facilitated. Finally, and this is most pertinent to the topic of discussion here, the program begins by defining the problem and then goes on to offer a solution. If the addicted person admits the problem but has no access to the solution, there is no hope.

The same is true with prophecy. Without encouragement the recipient of prophecy is in a dark place, indeed. So, where does all this lead us?

From a personal perspective, I have come to believe that if you have the give of prophecy you need to do one of two things. You can pray for the gift of encouragement and earnestly ask the Holy Spirit to gift you in this vital area. Having the gift of encouragement is a perfect counterbalance to your gift of prophecy. By having both gifts, you are in a position to offer a healthy word of prophecy to an individual, a group, a church or whatever and, at the same time, offer encouragement that a solution is also possible.

Secondly, if you resist this gifting of encouragement or if you find that God does not want to gift you in this area, then I believe it is vital to partner with someone who operates primarily out of the gift of encouragement. I think you can see why this is important based on what has been said in the preceding paragraphs.

I have additionally looked at the other Gifts of the Spirit and have discovered that most spiritual gifts exist in a harmonic partnership with at least one gift. If you have an interest in studying the topic of spiritual gifting, I encourage you to read the relevant portions of scripture and pray for insight into how these symbiotic relationships of spiritual gifting might operate. I trust you will find such an endeavor quite enlightening and well worth the time spent.

© L.D. Turner 2008/All Rights Reserved

After visiting the website www.landrover.com/usmilitary/europe it seems Land Rover is aiming at high ranking military or diplomats visiting the U.K. to rent, lease or buy their vehicles.

I think its fairly obvious to say who the ads are geared toward but I would think they would have put a few pictures of the actual product... ya know the cars!

Overall the ads are tight but they don't really say much for the actual product. I really like the first one with the camouflage of Europe but I think in the other 2 ads they should have put some pictures or images of the vehicles.

Truly,
Mr. Echo

Für Kaspar ist das alles noch nichts. Obwohl wir festgestellt haben, dass wirklich bislang eigentlich alle Häuser perfekt auf die Baby- und Kinderbedürfnisse eingestellt waren: Kinderstühlchen und Wickelraum bzw. -vorrichtung gehören zur Grundausstattung (wobei ich grad überlege, dass das in Österreich wohl auch so ist). Auch wenn es in den Fastfood-Restaurants für Kaspar noch nichts zum Essen gibt, verhungern tut er auch hier nicht. Zwar schauen die Breiflocken ein wenig aus wie Fischfutter und tatsächlich wird Maccaroni&Cheese oder Lasagne im Gläschen angeboten, aber sonst gibt es zu Europa eigentlich keine großen Unterschiede. Statt Hipp und Alete heißen die Angebote hier halt Gerber, Earth's Best oder Beech Nut. Und die Größenangaben bei den Windeln (1, 2,...) und den Gläschen (Stufe 1-3) sind auch ident. Einzige Mankos in Sachen Kinderernährung: In den Innenstädten sind Supermärkte Mangelware, d.h. man muss zu den großen Malls und Einkaufszentren am Stadtrand fahren, um Kaspars Verpflegung zu bekommen. Und das Wasser aus der Leitung ist ziemlich chlorversetzt, für verwöhnte Europa-Gaumen unbrauchbar.

I never wanted to be the type of person that was considered a church hopper. But as I get older I know more of what I'm looking for, and I'm glad I hopped around until I found the right place to worship.

I have learned so much in just two church services because the pastor soberly preaches through the Bible, and doesn't skip over the more difficult passages like marriage and marital submission. I wish I had attended this church when I was growing up, my foundation would have been a lot stronger because I had a lot of questions that went unanswered.

Internal Revenue 'Service'
U.S. Postal 'Service'
Telephone 'Service'
Cable TV 'Service'
Civil 'Service'
State, City & County Public 'Service'
Customer 'Service'

This is not what I thought 'service' meant. But then, I overheard two farmers talking,
and one of them said he had hired a bull to 'service' a few cows.

BAM!!! It all came into focus. Now I understand what all those 'service' agencies are doing to us.

Thanks Kristi...Funny!

Then I thought about it and thought it was sad. How hollow. But, regrettably, all too often how true. What are you doing to be different? To make a difference?

I was at the front of the church, and the guy I had prayed for was just walking away.  Having a second to just sit and ponder, I was still talking to God and was looking at my heart at the same time.  In almost a confession, I said something like, "You know God, all we really want is for the stuff we do to make a difference."  Unexpectedly, I heard the Spirit say in me, as I looked at several others knelt down praying at the altar, one sobbing, "Made a difference to them."  That made ME cry.  You see, it reminded me of one of those kind of cheesy stories that ends up in a chicken soup book, about a little boy walking on the beach - well, here's one version of the story that's not too long:

As the old man walked down a Spanish beach at dawn, he saw ahead of him what he thought to be a dancer. The young man was running across the sand, rhythmically bending down to pick up a stranded starfish and throw it far into the sea.

The old man gazed in wonder as the young soul again and again threw the small starfish from the sand into the water. The old man approached him and asked why he spent so much energy doing what seemed a waste of time. The young man explained that the stranded starfish would die if left until the morning sun.

"But there are thousands of miles of beach, and miles and miles of starfish. How can your effort make any difference?"

The young man looked down at the small starfish in his hand, and as he threw it to safety in the sea, said, "It makes a difference to this one!"

Sooooo, I told that story to an artist in our church, who immediately got this image, I guess, and started sketching it out, and a couple of weeks later, he brought me this outstanding painting.

Thank you Dallas Gose, for the painting.  I find it very touching and meaningful.

Go make a difference.  You don't have to change the world.  But you CAN make a difference to someone.

If you are looking for an experienced janitor company that will have your building looking its best, contact Pat's Building Maintenance today. 651-769-0960

First and Second Corinthians are two of my favorite books in the Bible, primarily because Paul, in speaking to the wayward believers in Corinth, addresses many themes that are pertinent both to our churches today and to each of us as individual Christ-followers. In the seventh Chapter of First Corinthians, for example, the Apostle puts the spotlight on several issues that believers grapple with today, including our questions about where we are to serve and how.

So often these days we hear sincere Christians struggling with questions regarding their calling and mission. There seems to be much confusion on these issues and, like many other aspects of the faith, perhaps some of that confusion comes from our tendency to complicate simple matters. At least in my own life, I can say that this has often been the case.

In 7:17 Paul lays the foundation for his discussion by stating, “Each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him.” A little later, in verse 20, he continues with a similar statement, “Each one should remain in the situation he was in when God called him.”  The Apostle then repeats the same teaching in relation to difficult work situations, “Each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.”(1 Cor. 7:24)

Keep in mind that the large majority of Christians in Corinth at this time were new believers. I think we often lose track of the fact that Paul’s letters were addressed to the congregations of fledgling churches that needed much instruction and guidance. The Apostle’s repetitive statements indicate that there must have been a number of situations in the Corinthian church were believers thought they needed to change their circumstances now that they were Christians. Paul’s message is a clear one: It is best to serve God where you were planted when he called you.

As new believers, we often overlook the possibility that God may have a specific purpose for us exactly where we are. The reality is we are often called to be salt and light in the context of our families, our marriages, our jobs, our schools, and just about anywhere else we might find ourselves when God finds us. Those of us who are seasoned Christians need to keep this in mind, especially when we are in a position of mentoring a new believer in the discernment of God’s call on their lives.

There is a caveat here, however. I don’t think Paul was saying that this principle held in all situations. Careful reading of his other letters reveal that the Apostle believed it was sometimes best to get out of a situation that was likely to cause one to stumble. I think this is one of the reasons he encouraged believers to avoid “bad company.” For example, I would not want to encourage a woman in a relationship where she is consistently battered and abused by her husband to remain there. By the same token, I would never advise a new Christian who had just become sober to remain in a job as a bar tender or cocktail waitress. The reasons for this are obvious. These, however, are exceptions and not the rule. It is clear from Paul’s repetitive statements that his belief is that new believers can often serve God best right where they are. Hence the old adage, “Serve where you are planted.”

I have been blessed over the years with the privilege of mentoring a significant number of new believers. Most of these fresh Christians were both enthusiastic and eager to do all that they could for the Lord. As a mentor, it is vital not to dowse the fire the Spirit has ignited in these new converts. However, it is equally important to guide them in such a way that their spiritual energy doesn’t cause them to make unhealthy decisions that could have damaging results. Granted, this is a fine line for the mentor to discern and it can be like walking a tightrope. Much prayer is needed.

Further, I firmly believe that assisting believers, both new and seasoned, discover their calling is enhanced by having a sense of what God is doing in terms of the big picture. Sometimes discerning a move of God can be difficult, but for the most part, we can rest assured that the Lord will make his intentions known to us if we keep our hearts reasonably pure and maintain an intimate relationship with him. Also, we should keep before us the main themes of God’s Great Story. Any movement of God is going to take place in context of his overall plan of renewal and restoration.

As I said earlier, I have a genuine fondness for the Corinthian letters and the important themes addressed in these two books of the Bible. Planting where you are served is just one of the issues touched upon by the Apostle. In the days ahead, I will address a few more as we explore together the baby church in Corinth. I suspect we will find more similarity than we expect between our 21^st Century Church in America and our ancient brothers and sisters in Corinth.

© L.D. Turner 2008/All Rights Reserved