Just added the books and the final September article is on-line. That's 25 possible articles you can use in your church magazines this month - incredible value for just £3.50 ;)
October articles will start appearing soon, including a harvest piece for those who celebrate in October.
Enjoy the rest of the Olympics,
The Shepherd
August 14
Olympic dreams
The Olympics are on at the moment. My name means lover of horses, and normally I don't. But watching the showjumping this lunchtime was something.
I've managed to tear myself away from the box to get another three pieces on-line tonight. Bible places is written and being checked, everything will be on-line very soon.
The Shepherd
August 12
17 down, six to go
It's been a busy few days at Sheepdip Towers. Here we are having uploaded a brilliant collection of 17 different articles you can use in your church newsletters, and there's another six to come. I think this is our biggest ever collection of articles.
What's left? Barney's Page, Bibleplaces, books, spacefillers, wordsearch and an interesting piece about Christian housesitting. There might also be another piece, but I might hold it back for next month.
Everything should be online early next week.
The Shepherd
August 7, 2008
Looking to the future
It's sunny outside, the lazy days of summer are here and yet there's another update to get on to the site!
It's been a really busy month this month. The revamp plan continues to gather steam and I'm hoping to post concrete details later this month and let it go 'live' in September, but we need to be sure it's working properly before letting it loose.
The above screenshot gives you a taster of current thinking - it's a shop more like amazon.co.uk, allowing you to place articles into your basket. You'll then be able to pay for them using PayPal and GoogleCheckout, and download links will be emailed to you.
As well as the current month's articles, you will be able to access our growing archive. We'll even be able to email you to let you know when new articles go online!
It's quite a big change, which is why we're letting you know now. There are some technical issues still to resolve, but the main benefits of this change will be to allow you pay by credit card without opening a PayPal account.
I must add a disclaimer in that the final store might not resemble the above.
If you have a yearly subscription, don't worry, this will continue and be unaffected by these changes.
August articles will appear on the site over the next few days, aiming to all be online by August 12. However, at the same time as working on this, I'm editing a special edition of the Baptist Men's Movement's magazine, to coincide with the Bigger Breakfast initiative on Saturday, October 11.
Please pray for me, as there is a lot to be done!
The Shepherd
August 1
August, favicon and futures
Hello again, thanks for dropping by the blog to see what's going on. The answer is lots of things!
The August update is starting to go online. It won't be a large update as not every church publishes a newsletter in the balmy August days.
However, it's a real joy this month to point you in the direction of Janey Lee Grace answering the questionnaire and Paul Arden's challenging piece on belief. We always aim for the best possible articles and I think we're achieving that. Hopefully they will help your readers.
Update should be complete by July 10 ... and with good reason.
Eagle-eye readers will note that we've gained a favicon - it's that little sheep you can see next to the address bar in your internet browswer. It's a little thing that's been bugging me for a while, and it's finally fixed!
The big news at sheepdip towers is that we're looking to the future - I don't want to say too much at the moment in case the cunning plan falls through, but we're currently investigating changing the way you buy articles completely. We're also looking at allowing you to pay by Google Checkout and PayPal.
The early results are looking promising, but we'll see how it goes. Please pray for us - especially for wisdom!
The Shepherd
July 2
June is bursting out all over
So goes the song which I've never really heard of.
Yes, another month (they come round so quick) and that means more articles. And for once I'm reasonably organised! Most of the update will be with you by the end of this week.
We've got some real treats for you this month. Two exclusive interviews: one with a DJ addicted to love and another with historian Paul Arnott.
There's a great selection of free articles to get stuck in to and all your favourites too.
So, what are you waiting for? Get stuck in today!
Happy dipping
The Shepherd
June 2, 2008
Time for a breather
Typical, the gorgeous sunshine couldn't last could it? It had to stop just before a week off!
This entry is just to let you know that I'm having a quick breather from today until just after the bank holiday. I'll check email when I can, but normal service will be resumed from Tuesday, May 27.
Oh, and if you do email for help, you should now notice that it's coming from a Googlemail address. This isn't spam, it's me, promise!
Enjoy your bank holiday
The Shepherd
May 17, 2008
Summertime blues
What beautiful weather we're enjoying at the moment! It makes it really difficult for me to sit indoors and get back up to date. However, today the majority of this month's articles are now on-line, at last.
There's a few more to come, and these will be on-line by next weekend. June articles will start appearing on the shop soon - the end of May co-incides with a church weekend away and a holiday (at last!)
Last weekend, we were able to enjoy a weekend at my home church in Kent, great to be home, but goodness, it knocked me out for the rest of the week.
Right, off to enjoy some summer sun before the day's out!
Thanks for your support, especially those who have bought goods via the Amazon link. It makes a lot of difference to us.
The Shepherd
May 11, 2008
Here comes June
Doesn't time fly. Feels like only last week that I was getting the final May articles up and on-line. Now, as we look forward to the May Day bank holiday weekend, the first June articles are starting to appear.
This month there will be a mixture of paid and free articles for you to use. It's a continuation of the experiment started last month. I'd encourage you to make the most of the resources on the site that help us to continue - buy articles, support our advertisers and get a quote for your printing. All these things help us to improve and expand the site.
The Shepherd
May 2, 2008
DIY for free
Finally, the last few articles have been added to this month's selection. Apologies for the delay - a very nasty cold is the culprit this month. Believe me, you don't want it. I'm still trying to shake it off after a week - grrr!
You'll notice that we've included two articles from B&Q this month - and they're free for you to download and use in your magazines.
There are two reasons for this: first, it's completely non-religious. It's just simply a DIY column which your readers might find interesting.
Second, it's an experiment. Although thesheepdip.co.uk relies on you buying articles and using the Amazon link on the right to stay in business (bringing you exclusives you won't find elsewhere), we know that everyone likes something for nothing.
We're considering making a selection of articles free for you to download each month and possibly adding a donation button to the site in its place.
So, let me know what you think. Do you want more free articles? Do you mind non-religious articles, or should everything be purely Christian? And would you prefer to donate instead of buying?
You can email me by clicking here
I look forward to your thoughts
The Shepherd
April 20, 2008
Printing: it's so important
It's all very well using thesheepdip.co.uk for excellent articles in your church newsletters, but all your hard work - and the best layouts in the world - can be thwarted if your printing leaves a lot to be desired.
We want our church newsletters to create a fantastic first impression, and that could mean getting professional help with the reproduction.
Now, help is at hand - we're delighed to point you in the direction of an excellent company, with a real heart for printing excellent church newsletters (and anything else for that matter): Imprint Colour.
Why not have a look at their website or even contact them for a quote? It will be well worth your time: and your readers will love you for it.
They're even able to work with the software that you'll be using.
I've added some more articles to the site this evening and corrected a template error - the How It Works button now ... erm works. Thanks for the eagle-eyed surfer who got in touch to let me know.
There's still at least another four articles to go on-line this month (that's more than 20!), including something very interesting...
Happy dipping
The Shepherd
April 7 2008
May we tempt you?
Someone got in touch today to alert me to the fact that the shop was clicking through to last month's Barney's Page by mistake. No idea how it happened, but it's fixed now. Thanks for the eagle eyes!
Hi! Thanks for dropping by the blog.
The first few May articles are starting to appear on-line, which is great. It won't - can't - take as a long as it did last month.
Also coming this month is some help and advice on printing your magazine - from someone who knows what they're doing.
And you can help the ministry of thesheepdip.co.uk by using the Amazon link to the right of the screen. If you're ordering anything from the popular website and use that link, we'll get some pennies out of it. And that helps keep the site going.
Have a great month - and a great magazine!
Every blessing
The Shepherd
April 3
Finally, all on-line
Finally, Barney's page and Bible Places are on-line. Sorry it's taken so long, but I've been busy watching telly. It sounds like a lame excuse, but I'm blogging on The Passion for Bible Society on Christian Today. You can read my reviews on-line. What do you think about them?
Easter deadlines being what they are, it means that I've also been trying to get ahead for my Baptist Times TV column too. It never seems to end!
Now that all the March for April articles are on-line, it's already time to think about the April for May items. It won't take nearly as long next month ...
Oh, I've noticed that some of you are adding copyright notices when you reproduce articles in your newsletters. You don't have to even mention that you're using articles from us if you don't want to, but we're grateful for the plug!
The Shepherd
March 19, 2008
April fool
I feel like a bit of an April fool at the moment - not quite getting this month's update finished. This is the week before the Baptist Men's Movement conference and I'm busy trying to get ready for that, while also trying to watch The Passion for a blog I'm doing for Christian Today's website on behalf of Bible Society and also keeping up with the day job. It's all work, work, work!
Still, a few more articles are up tonight and a few more to come. Everything will be up by early next week, just in time for your magazine deadlines.
Over the next few weeks, I'll be working on building up an easy-to-access archive of cartoons, clip-art and questionnaires for you to dip in and out of - and getting the samples page redone.
Happy dipping
The shepherd
A week of learning
This week, I have been mostly learning about podcasting. And thinking about The Passion. And Easter. It's all go!
Next weekend (March 15) I'll be taking part in the Baptist Men's Movement annual conference, where I will become its youngest-ever vice-president. And we want to podcast certain parts of the weekend for your aural pleasure. Hence learning how to podcast. It's a bit of a steep learning curve, but hopefully I'll get there.
It reminds me on when, at The Baptist Times, we decided to switch from QuarkXpress 7.0 to InDesign to produce the paper. I had five working days to learn how to use the software and get the paper out. Somehow I managed it - and never looked back.
I'll also be blogging about The Passion, BBC TV's amazing new adaptation of the Easter story. Look out for more thoughts on that soon.
And, of course, the remaining articles will appear on-line over the coming days. Look out for a second, bonus, questionnaire with Rick Wakeman, who will be on tour with Grumpy Old Men next month. If he's coming to your local theatre, it's one piece you won't want to miss.
As ever, more soon!
The Shepherd
March 7, 2008
Rambo takes on thesheepdip
If someone had said to me two years ago that I'd be running a Christian website with an interview with Sylvester Stallone, I'd never have believed them.
But, remarkably, that's exactly the case this month. His new Rambo film (it's very violent and made no attempt to water itself down to get a 15 rating) is actually about the situation in Burma, and the awful persecution of the Karen people, many of whom are Christians.
If you only download one article this month, then this is a good one to choose - it'll get people talking! Of course, with Rambo being an 18-rated film, some people might take offence if you do run it.
Also this month, G P Taylor answers the questionnaire and provides some fascinating, and tongue-in-cheek, answers.
We also have an amazing piece from BibleLands, news of an amazing new Bible from Bible Society and loads more.
All being well, the upload should be complete by March 8, but as ever, the best-laid plans...
Happy dipping!
The Shepherd
March 2
Bits and bobs
The spacefillers are now up on the site, books will follow over early on Saturday morning. Apologies for the delay.
Some exciting news is in the pipeline for those of you who want to get their newsletter printed properly.
And just wait and see who's answering our questionnaire next month...
The Shepherd
February 22
Nearly there ...
First, a quick thank-you for the positive feeback you've been sending about the new-look site. It's really encouraging after all the blood, sweat and tears to get there!There's still the samples page to do, but that should be up by the end of the month.
It's been an incredibly busy month at Sheepdip Towers - getting ready for the annual Baptist Men's Movement conference at the same time. Which means I'm slightly behind with the final articles.
By the end of this week the books and spacefillers will appear on the site – taking us to 21 unique articles this month. That's terrific value for just £3.50 a month!
Do keep an eye on the This Month page for the latest articles. And look out for more news soon!
Happy dipping
The Shepherd
February 13, 2008
Well, this is a bit different!
A belated Happy new year!
Finally, after months of promising, here is the first stage in the all-new main website for thesheepdip.co.uk.
The redesign was actually prompted by a computer crash just before Christmas. Everything was backed up properly apart from the master pages for the old website. Rather than recreate the old one, it was the necessary kick up the backside to start work on the new one.
You'll notice new, easier-to-use navigation system: on the left there are four quick buttons to press to access the parts of the site you need the most. The menu bar at the top is cleaner and simpler.
And the adverts on the right are well ... part of the way in which thesheepdip.co.uk receives funding. If you buy from Amazon via the link, you can help keep this site ticking over.
As well as the new look site, I've introduced a new preview section, This Month, to give you a taster of the articles. Some are even available in full for you to look at free of charge. The caveat is that you won't be able to print them, or cut and paste text from them.
Do let me know what you think about the changes.
This month
As regards to the actual articles, well, a lot is happening behind the scenes as well. We've got a new monthly gardening column, courtesy of Notcutts Garden Centres. It's also great to be able to welcome on board BibleLands, who will also supply a monthly article for us.
A new series is starting on Christian TV and radio – and our link-up with Bible Society continues.
2008 will be a brilliant year for thesheepdip.co.uk - why not take out a yearly subscription today? It's only £25 - or just over £2 a month.
The Shepherd
February 2, 2008
More to come: time for a quick breather
Eagle-eyed readers will have noted that most of the December for January articles are now on-line, but the Bible Places piece, spacefillers and books are missing. They’re on their way, along with a couple of other surprises: getting ready for Christmas has meant that present wrapping and card writing has taken a front sea this week.
I’m also going to be off-line for a few days. If you have a problem, I’ll respond as soon as I’m able!
The Shepherd
December 7
2008: lots of exciting plans ahead
This might sound predictable, but here we are in early December and I’m already thinking about February 2008. Yes, I know, Advent has barely started and Christmas shopping? Well, that can wait till the day before(!)
But unless we look to the future, we end up being a little unprepared. And looking ahead, 2008 will be a brilliant year for thesheepdip.co.uk. From this update, I’m delighted to announce that Bible Society will become a regular contributor, giving updates of its work and ways in which you can support it.
It starts with the very next update, as chief executive James Catford answers our ever-popular 20 Questions series. There’s also news of its work as a separate article to download.
Bible Society is one of my favourite Christian organisations: they really do want people to engage with God’s Word, something I long to encourage.
We’ve also got a wonderful selection of interviews up our sleeves, including RT Kendall. Look out for that next month.
As if that wasn’t enough, we’re starting a new series of theology articles inspired by children, working at a link-up with a printing company to help you produce high-quality magazines and continuing with high-quality clip-art, cover art, finance articles from Stewardship and much, much more.
Why do we do it? Well, your church newsletter is one of the most important forms of outreach you’ll ever produce.
Why not make it your new year’s resolution to subscribe today? It’s only £25 for the year!
The Shepherd
December 2, 2007
Merry Christmas. Yes, already!
I love Christmas: the birth of our Saviour! But I also hate Christmas: it seems to arrive earlier every year. One way round this is to focus on Advent: preparing for the coming Christ.
But that’s not a lot of good at the beginning of November when we’re miles away from the big day, is it? Well, I’ve not much of an answer for that, especially as I’ve been planning Sheepdip articles for Christmas since August.
This month’s selection of articles are, I think, some of the best yet(Again due to parenthood these pieces are appearing slowly, but will be complete by the 15th).
Tony Anthony’s testimony is amazing reading. Max Somerset, a famous magician that your children will recognise from a CBBC1 series The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, will amaze you. And the Christmas facts will help fill those gaps.
Of course, being the best yet is never good enough for me. Over the coming months, we’ll have more exclusive interviews, articles, cartoons, clip-art, covers and much, much more. It’s a bargain for £25 a year, when you think about it.
The January update will be just as packed and might start arriving early, to help you plan for a busy December.
Every blessing
The Shepherd
November 5
All change as the wee lamb arrives
Crumbs! My wife and I had planned a quiet weekend practising breathing exercises, getting sheepdip articles ready and sorting out my wardrobe. We hadn’t expected to spend it in the delivery suite watching our first child arrive 10 days early!
As anyone who has become parents will know it’s an incredible experience. You run through every possible emotion in the book, worrying and wondering just what is going on.
Thankfully we have a happy story: after a 12-hour labour, Sarah Jane arrived safely.
Her early arrival means we’re slightly behind schedule for this month’s update. Articles are being added inbetween visiting hours and it might not be complete until October 15. Help might also take a little longer to reach you. Apologies, but I need to learn how to change a nappy and get some sleep.
The update might be a little sparser this month, but you will get at least 10 different pieces to download ranging from the usual to a few surprises along the way.
Next month will, of course, be for Advent and Christmas. Already! We need to ensure that people know Jesus is the reason for the season. Hopefully thesheepdip.co.uk will help you do that.
Remember, unlike any other service, you only pay for what you need. While the yearly or monthly subscriptions offer great value, if you only need one spacefiller, then just 50p is all you need to pay each month.
Please do pray for us as a new family.
Every blessing
The Shepherd
October 2, 2007
Help for your yearly & monthly subscriptions
One of the interesting challenges of producing any web-business is ensuring it works. And thesheepdip.co.uk does - but it can seem, like many programmes, strange at first.
We’ve had a few people get in touch to say they’ve had some difficulties with their monthly or yearly subscriptions - and more often than not, it’s because their web browser has sent them back to the ordinary shop and not their subscription. The solution is easy: just use the back arrow on your web browser to take you back to your unique subscription link.
Until now though, that simple piece of advice hasn’t been on the site. To help make things easier for you, we’ve created a subscriptions page, offering you this exact advice in simple step-by-step instructions, with pictures (they really do paint a thousand words). Have a look and see what you think.
Buy a monthly or yearly subscription really is the best way to save money while ensuring you have access to a ready-made library of articles for your church magazine or newsletter. At just over £2 a month, you can access a wide range of articles for your church magazine, only using what you need, when you need it.
In the meantime, Sheepdip Towers is still waiting for pending arrival of our first lamb. There are three weeks to go, but since when have babies ever arrived on time? If the October for November articles are delayed due to this happy arrival, I’ll keep you posted, via this page.
Happy dipping,
The shepherd
September 15, 2007
Working ahead ... really ahead
Thanks for dropping by to see how thesheepdip.co.uk is doing. It’s been another really busy month. This time though there’s lots of reasons for it.
The first is that the computer that thesheepdip.co.uk is produced on has been remade. It’s my first-ever custom build and I’m really very proud of it. It worked first time, which was always going to be a worry. It’s still being fine-tuned and updating the site tonight took more than an hour simply because I had to find every new graphic again.
The second has been Greenbelt - we produce The Baptist Times from there, and it’s great fun, hard work and requires forward planning. But it was worth it, even if I missed Chas and Dave. Next time...
But the main reason is that my wife and I have been busy preparing a nursery ... all being well (please pray!) we’ll be given the gift of our first child in early October. A week after I switch jobs. So, yes, it’s fair to say that this is going to be a really testing time!
We’re making plans for Sheepdip up to Christmas, but it does mean that the level of support you’ve been used to might drop back a bit. You’ll still get technical help as soon as possible, but it might be within 72 hours now rather than three or four. Once I’ve got used to nappy changing, on the other hand...
Do look out for October for November articles appearing from mid-September, unless the baby’s early, of course!
This month’s batch of articles is, I think, the best yet. And there are still more to come.
Every blessing
The shepherd
September 2, 2007
Introducing some exciting new features
July has flown by - what with a holiday and then coming home to the floods. Were you affected? We had a close shave, for which I’m relieved, but some friends in one town have been directly hit, while friends in another are without water.
The August for September articles are now starting to appear on the site – they should all be up within the week. Again, they offer exceptional value if you download everything in the £3.50 bundle.
You’ll notice some new features this month: firstly, there is our exclusive interview with Jeff Lucas, the ever-popular speaker and writer. He, along with Tony Campolo, are two of my favourite speakers as they seem to know how to directly challenge me. Everytime.
So I’m delighted that Tony Campolo kicks off our new regular feature 20 Questions: it’s a title that does what it says on the tin. Christian ‘celebrities’ (for want of a better word) answer 20 questions about their life and faith. The people who have responded so far have given interesting and surprising answers. It’s a great addition to your newsletters.
Then our final big name this month is John Stott, and we have a summary of his final sermon at the recent Keswick Convention. This inspiring preacher has spoken to many of us over the years, so why not mark the 87-year-old’s retirement with this piece?
Of course, there are all the regular features too: the Bible notes round-up looks at children’s notes, seeing as the new term is starting; Barney heads back to school; our very popular Bible places series looks at the Sermon on the Mount - yes, we’re cramming in an awful lot this month.
Oh! I nearly forgot! We’ve teamed up with Stewardship, the Christian financial support charity, to offer a semi-regular financial column. We can become better givers and the column will give you some starting points.
Wow! That’s a great month’s batch of articles - go and have look now by clicking here!
Happy dipping,
The Shepherd
July 31, 2007
August and September, but first a breather
Well, it’s been another busy few days at Sheepdip Towers - the decorating is finally over and now it’s a case of getting all the furniture back in place. There’s been plenty of midnight oil burned over the past week getting skirting boards painted and the like. Thank goodness it’s nearly over!
All of the July for August articles are now on-line, including a great piece about The Mandate, a men’s conference taking place in November. If you thought that men don’t like going to church, well, you’ll be amazed! Check it out by clicking here.
We’re already gathering articles for the September and October updates. I’m pleased to announce that new regular features will be on-line soon, including our own version of 20 Questions. Famous (for want of a better word) Christians will be answering different questions about their life and faith. It’s interesting reading. I’ll let you know who the first respondent is nearer the time.
There will also be a semi-regular financial column, more interviews and more ideas for you as a magazine editor.
There’s never been a better time to sign up - remember a year’s subscription costs just over £2 a month - for at least £7.50 worth of material you will not find anywhere else, including exclusive artwork.
Now that the decorating period is over, I’m off for a holiday. I’ll try and reply to your emails as soon as possible, but if there is a delay, I thank you for your patience.
Happy dipping!
the shepherd
Summertime ... and the decorating ain’t easy
Hi again! Thanks for dropping by at the Shepherd’s Blog.
It might look like not much has changed this month, but believe me if I were an animal, I’d be rather ducklike: looking serene on the surface but paddling furiously underneath!
Lots has been going on behind the scenes of thesheepdip.co.uk - and in my personal life, as the plan to decorate the study quickly actually turned out to be more complex. The final touches will be done next week. Still, the end result will be worth it, even if the paint looks more like Jaffa Cake Orange than Vanilla Slice!
I’m also hard at work on the new main thesheepdip.co.uk website. It won’t appear for a month or two yet (remember, I work on thesheepdip.co.uk in my spare time), but you’ll notice the difference when it finally arrives.
The July for August articles are now starting to appear, and the update will be completed by next Wednesday evening - July 4. Then a well-deserved holiday is in order!
One piece you really must use is about Scripture Union’s annual beach missions. It will be really topical to use - and give your readers something to pray about and look out for when they get to the seaside.
The new cover picture, featuring deckchairs, likewise will remind people that August is the time to take it easy. Not bad advice!
From the September update onwards, we’ll introduce some new regular features for your magazines. I’m pleased to announce that we have an exclusive interview with Jeff Lucas in that update.
And if you’ve just signed up to shop.thesheepdip.co.uk - welcome! We’re glad to have you on board and we hope you enjoy the service.
The Shepherd
June 27, 2007
New and improved
Have you noticed that every so often your favourite washing powder is suddenly ‘new and improved’? Well, that’s something that can be said about thesheepdip.co.uk this month.
The new June for July update is now going live (complete by Tuesday, June 5). There are a number of fantastic new features for you to enjoy.
 First up is a monthly piece of clip art. As the months go on, we’ll build up an excellent library to use in your church magazines.
Next, there’s a Christian cartoon. Brilliant and ready to use. 
Both of these are exclusively created for thesheepdip.co.uk - you won’t find them anywhere else.
Then there is the new cover picture, thanks to our friends at freefoto.com Log on and see our sunflowers! At the moment, it’s just a single A5 image - you can see what it could look like in the July catalogue
And that’s not all. Some additional articles, including the return of the celebrity interview, some regular features and much more. If you had a monthly or yearly subscription, it was already fantastic value, now it’s brilliant value.
Over the next few months, we’re aiming to give you up to 20 different pieces for your church newsletter every month. It will take some time to reach this target, but your readers will thank you for it.
Let me know what you think
the shepherd
PS: I’ll be decorating my study during June. We’ll respond to feedback as soon as possible, but there may be a delay!
May 31
We’ve got you covered
The state of our magazine covers is something that concerns me - many churches have one design which is used over and over again. It’s very boring, especially when the illustration is a clip art picture of a factory building (yes, this really does happen for one church).
With this in mind, I’ve been searching for a solution. Now I’ve found one. From next month, we’ll be adding a cover photo to the downloadable mix. It will come in two formats: a A5-sized black and white picture, and one formatted in such a way that there’s space to add in your church magazine’s name and the date.
Another piece of great news is that we should also be offering an exclusive cartoon and seasonal clip-art from next month. Again, these will be in black and white so you can easily reproduce them on your risographs!
We’re continuing to look at ways we can improve the content offered to you: if there’s something you specifically want, then get in touch with us.
BibleLands has been in touch as well (we have been busy!) to report that its now offering free resources for you to use in your magazines. There will be a permanment link in the links section, but you can log on to: www.biblelands.org.uk
The remainder of the June update will be going live shortly and we’re already looking ahead to July. Never stops, does it?!
The Shepherd
May 9
It feels like June already
It’s nearly time to start putting the June update on to the site. Thinking ahead for June hasn’t been difficult thanks to the latest mini-heatwave. You’d never think it was April, would you?
Some articles might not appear on the site until after the Baptist Assembly over the May bank holiday weekend. At the moment, it’s a real slog trying to get ready for it. If you’re there, I’m giving a seminar on Sunday at 4pm - don’t miss it!
Coming up: a look at the site where Israelis claim Jesus was baptised, Annie Porthouse’s regular column and a look at the new series of Doctor Who. Both the wordsearch and Barney’s Page will be linked by the theme of the Lord’s Prayer. And there will be, as ever, a few surprises.
Happy grazing,
The Shepherd
Who do you vote for? Our free articles can help
The local elections are now just a few weeks away, and Christians will be pondering which way to vote. As voting is such an important thing to do in a free country, I’ve decided to make available free of charge three articles written by the Christian wings of the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties. Please do download them and use them, not just in your magazines but perhaps as a handout in your church noticesheet.
You can get hold of them from the front page, the catalogue and the samples page.
Please do tell other churches that these articles are available for them to download and use!
Happy Easter
The Shepherd
All of May is nearly on-line
Well, it’s been a busy week, shepherding in the latest batch of articles to go onto the shop.thesheepdip.co.uk - remember, it’s free to browse, and it’s well worth downloading from!
Coming by Tuesday evening next week will be a special article: I’ve managed to get the Christian wings of the three major political parties to write a short piece explaining why you should vote for them on May 3, the local elections.
You might want to encourage your local parties to add to this work as it is a local election after all. I strongly believe that everyone should vote in every election, even if it is to register a protest vote by spoiling the ballot paper. But unless you know what you’re voting for, you can’t vote properly.
With May nearly up, it’s soon time to think about June. Can you believe we’re nearly halfway through the year and it’s still March? I’m aiming to get a Doctor Who piece for June as the new series is about to start, and an interview with one of the first female vicars.
Is there anything you’d like to see?
The Shepherd.
PS: I’ll be working on a how to guide on accessing your subscription from the Click&Buy account. This will be after Easter,but if you get stuck, simply go to your C&B account, choose TRANSACTIONS and then OPEN SESSIONS. You’ll then be able to click on your link.
It’s nearly Easter, or is it May? I dunno anymore!
Hello again,
Thanks for your continued support of this new ministry, I hope your readers are enjoying the exciting articles you’re now able to add into your newsletters, thanks to thesheepdip.co.uk.
It’s nearly the end of March, and that means it’s almost time for the May update. There’s lots of articles ready to go up over the next few weeks, including some political pieces aimed at the local elections in May. I’m trying to get all three major political parties to contribute.
It’s also just before Easter, and I’m looking forward to getting away to Spring Harvest. But in order to do that, there are some deadlines to meet for work: so this weekend, I’m thinking not just about March, but May and April. Some days I really don’t know whether I’m coming, going or have already been there!
In other developments, I’m working on a new version of the main sheepdip website. The main reason is that I want to learn Dreamweaver, the industry standard website design programme. It’s proving to be harder than I thought, but once I’m there, you’ll notice the difference. Pages will be faster to load, easier to read and it will iron out some kinks in the current site.
I’m also working on sourcing some quality clip-art and illustrations for your newsletters - as more of you continue to invest in us, we’ll be able to provide more content for you. So spread the word!
As ever, I’m keen to hear what you think.
The shepherd
March 24, 2007
Welcome to the Shepherd’s Pie
Every good website has a blog now, and thesheepdip.co.uk should be no exception!
This new section will help give updates with the behind-the-scenes running of the site. I’d originally thought of calling it Shepherd’s Crook, but realised that this might make the site seem dishonest somehow!
Over the next few days, I’ll update the samples page to accurately reflect what’s now on offer from the shop.thesheepdip.co.uk area, so look out for some new articles to download free of charge.
The site will also benefit from a new how-to payments guide, which will let you see how it works if you haven’t already signed up. At just £25 for a year’s access, it’s a bargain!
I’m already looking ahead to May and June, and have approached the main political parties for a short article about why people should vote for them in the local elections in May. You might want to get personal statements from your local candidates too, as every vote matters.
Barney has been thinking about what to do for Pentecost: he’s suggested a magic trick that involves eating a candle - a great parlour trick from years gone by, but in these health and safety conscious days, is it really safe? I’ve told him to nibble on some more grass and come up with a better idea.
I’m thinking about giving the main site a facelift - already. The internet never stays still, and I want to ensure that the site loads quickly and easily.
Your comments are always welcome! Don’t forget our sister site is there for debate, comment and please for help - ditchthedayglo.co.uk
Until next time,
The shepherd
March 3, 2007 |
