Who wants to do something nice with no reward? Not the guys over at PayPal that’s for sure. They just launched their new site Do Stuff for Money, and I have to say it is pretty funny.

Here is the overall idea for the site.

1. You request a service to a friend in exchange for money.
2. The friend can accept, and do the service.
3. Then you pay up, and all through paypal.The notifications are either by email or you can do it all through facebook.

This really is an interesting site. The design and interaction works great and it’s a fun way to blow some money. I gave Kyle $2 to write a post, but that’s money well spent. Here are some of the other requests.

How can we use this?

Can you think of ways the church could use this to raise funds, or serve their community? Maybe friends and family can use this to support missions work, and have fun doing it too. Think about this, and comment if you have a good idea.

Found via Mashable.

The bar has now been raised. Found at Sell Sell.

Step One: Set up your image

This style of clipping works best with a well contrasted image. If doing a photo shoot try and use a white background. Or if you are purchasing art find some with models against a white background. Once you have your image open it up in photoshop, and then duplicate the layer. You want to make sure you have an original layer, and a layer to extract the hair.

Step Two: Extract time

This is the fun part. Go to the main menu, choose “Filter” then “Extract”. This will open up a new window with the extract tools. Choose the Marker icon in the upper left hand corner. On the right hand side you will see the brush size option. You want to choose a size that will cover half of the image edge and half of the white space.

Step Three: Start tracing

Once you have the brush size chosen start tracing. You want to trace over the edge of the image. You will see that the brush size gets much larger on my image over the hair than it is on the skin. For the hair make sure your brush covers all of the hair, so that the white splits are covered too.

Step Four: Fill and preview

Once the image is fully traced, choose the paint bucket icon in the upper left hand side. With the paint bucket click inside the green traced image, this will mask out the desired area. Once that has been filled click on the “Preview” button on the right hand side. This will let you preview and edit the image to make sure there are no blemishes.

Step Five: Clean up

Zoom in on your image and use the “Clean Up Tool” and “Edge Touch Up Tool” on the left hand side as needed. Make sure there are no gaps or funky breaks in the image. These tools should fix any problems. Once you are done press the “OK” button on the right hand side.

Step Six: Clip the body

Your top layer will now have the extracted head and hair, but you will need to rock the body. On the original layer make a clipping path with the pen tool, and then mask out that layer. This will give you a top layer of the hair, and a lower layer of the body.

Step Seven: Add your background

Now you are free to add any background you desire. You will see that the hair looks natural and flows with whatever is behind it. This might take some practice, but will be well worth it for the final piece.

Please don’t ask me to find some biblical reference for this. Just look at it, laugh a little, and maybe buy one. What a great example of taking a serious cause and having fun with it. Learn more about Cancer for College.

“Prostate Cancer? A Blood Test Will Tell You.”

What a amazingly shocking and descriptive ad. This ad with one image portrays not only a fear, but a solution. The fear is one every man has, part of a doctors hand going up his butt, not fun sounding at all. The solution is that all you need now is your arm, just take some blood. One is a easy procedure that is non-invasive. And the other is a terrifying one that will make life very uncomfortable. So what one will you choose?

What will you choose for salvation?

When I saw this add the first thing that came to me was salvation. There are two ways we try and gain salvation. One is very simple, and takes no toll on us, we believe in the work of Christ. That is it, nothing is added do this. The other is a hard road that none can finish, we try and earn God’s love. We work and toil day after day trying to make our father love us with our so called “good deeds”. We will never earn God’s love by our own accord.

So why do we fight this? Why do we all tend to have a doctor put his hand up our butt and feel around, rather than just give blood? Why do we work to earn favor, rather then trust the one true God to save us? I would much rather give blood.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. —Ephesians 2:8-9

We’ve created a system that rewards work that is increasingly unknown to anyone outside the business. We have become connoisseurs of esoterica. And in the process, we’re becoming more about us, and less about changing the world.

We are becoming irrelevant award-chasers.

Sure, some of the best things we make nowadays are internet experiences with necessarily specific, limited audiences — that cab driver might not be expected to see them. But for the ones I’m talking about, the only intended audience is, well, us.

So have we become more about us and less about changing the world? Do we sometimes forget our job is not to create a buzz in the industry (the church) but to get people to see the free gift of grace from Christ. Next time you are working on a campaign or series keep this in the back of your mind, I know I will be.

Hit: Chase Jarvis & Ben Bender

You have to check them all out! It was gross and non-impressive.

1. I am nothing
2. Christ is everything
3. God has his plan all worked out
4. I am to be active in his plan

These four simple truths reassure me that I serve a mighty and loving God.

A new report from CNN shows that 54% of Christians who go to service at least once a week support torture to gain information from suspected terrorist. That number blows me away. That number also grieves me. I will not write a long post about why we should be the exception rather than the majority, but give you one passage of scripture that deals with how we should treat those persecuting us. Read this and pray that God will allow us to show the same mercy he has given us.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.

Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.

If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord.

BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.”

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12: 14-21