Heal Your Church WebSite

Category: About HYCW

  • Spring Cleaning 2017

    As if anyone follows this nearly abandoned blog anymore, here’s what I’m up to:

    First, I’m mostly blogging about product management in a Lean and Agile context over at DeanOnDelivery.com with the same sprinkling of technical goodness and wacky humor y’all enjoyed here for about 10 years.

    So you can catch up with me there, or perhaps at my twitter feed @deanpeters. Think of these as placces you boss me around with  your great ideas. It doesn’t cost to give it a try.

    Second, it’s time for …

    Spring Cleaning 2017
    Let’s either reboot, or retire this blog.
    • I’ve already made private close to 775 out of 1050 blog posts I feel are no longer relevant.
    • The privatized blog posts will eventually be removed altogether and put into a deep freeze reference somewhere.
    • I’ll continue to chip-away at the content until I get things down to about 200 relevant posts.
    • Move any code snippets over to github, linking to them from here.
    • Expect a significant change in formatting, probably a parallax-ish.
    • Likely implement some sort of slack invite call-to-action button thingy here.
    • I’m doing alot with elasticsearch and azure search these days. Natural language processing too. Need to figure out how to perhaps introduce a little machine language fun as part of this blog. Dunno yet. Depends on what y’all say in the slack channel.

    Apologies in advance to all those visiting this blog in hopes of updates on XP, Movable Type, dhtml, and other acts of obsoletism.

  • Spring Cleaning, or time for a HealYourChurchWebsite do-over.

    Time for Heal Your Church Website to upgrade her browsing experience.The birds are singing, the flowers are blooming and WordPress 2.5 has been ‘in the wild’ for a couple of weeks. These factors, and the fact that my own blog is getting a bit crufty has me thinking it is time for yet another Heal Your Church Website do-over. That and I’ve been getting some ‘love notes’ that either fall into the category “how do I get started” or “you reviewed my site, so here is why your blog sucks.” I figure success is the best response, so here’s my initial game plan – thinking out loud as some of you may be in a similar situation of having to freshen up your church and/or charity website.

    1. Research

      I’ve already got a good idea of what I want to say, so mostly in this case I need study what resonates via the results I’ve been collecting via Google Analytics and FeedBurner, including:

      • keywords,
      • popular pages,
      • unusual usages of feeds,
      • any patterns in exit pages,
      • any patterns in entry pages,
      • and any patterns in people navigating into the site.

      I’ll couple this with looking over my error logs to see where people are stumbling the most. I think looking over some of the nicer ‘love notes’ may also be useful as they’re often requests for information I’ve published before.

    2. Plan and ‘objectifry’

      Meaning, based on the research above – along with day-to-day experiences, enumerate a set of requirements and objectives mostly based on needs, though since it is a personal blog, some wants too.

    3. Backup everything

      I need to not only save everything, but also insure I have an effective restoration/rollback plan in the off-chance things go horribly wrong (like I don’t have the right version of PHP or MySQL, etc …).

    4. Re-factor my categories

      Some of these old categories are crufty and unintelligible. They need my healin’ sooner than later and I’m thinking probably better to do it before the upgrade than after – though the new version of WordPress may have some features and/or plug-ins that make such a migration less painful. I’ll have to research that.

    5. Draw out a new template

      First on paper, then later using PhotoShop or PhotoImpact. Don’t get me wrong, I still like the whole Byzantine Cross on the blue domes of Orthodox Churches at Santorini, and may have an opportunity soon to be there – but overall the current theme is beginning to wear. That and it’s just too darn dark.

    6. Upgrade to WordPress 2.5

      Knowing already that this step will likely include the following plugins:

      I already use some of the above, I also know others come ‘bundled’ with the WordPress 2.5 release. Also a word of warning to WordPress “n00bz” – I’ve got a very good idea of what I’m delivering here content-wise, so any and/or all of the selections above are based upon those needs; rather than those ‘neato-keen‘ inspirations.

    7. Update the Theme

      Either generate from scratch and/or adopt and/or modify an existing WordPress theme that is

      • A wider fixed or fluid width
      • Widget ready
      • Has an options page
      • 2 or 3 columns
      • Right sidebar
      • Brighter colors

      I also need to code the theme (or write a plugin) so the last 2 or 3 posts display in full, the next 8 or 10 as excerpts.

    8. Test the site

      • first for functional soundness (technical testing)
      • then to see if it meets my goals/objectives (use cases)

    9. Clean up crufty content

      Go through older articles, eliminating/archiving stuff that’s no longer relevant and cleaning-up some that got hammered by moving from MT 1.0 through 3.0 then to WP 1.5 through to 2.5.

    10. Sit back and enjoy

      Create numerous annoying posts about what pains I suffered executing on the above game plan.

    So here’s your chance kids – got something you’d like to see done differently here? Speak up, now’s your chance.

    Oh and if I get enough love notes and/or comments on this topic, I’ll discuss answers in a fun follow-up post. So be sure to make your notes to me pithy and quotable (and don’t forget the link to your site !-).

  • Messin’ with Petra or my Google Maps of Jordan

    For the two or three of you wondering why I haven’t been writing with as great a frequency as I should, it is because I’ve been busy preparing for my blog-tour of Jordan.

    This includes quite a bit of time preparing Google maps of some of the locations – and their associated history and Biblical citations – I’ll be blogging about. For example, below is an annotated map of Petra that includes links to my über-secretive wiki no one else is supposed to know about until the trip:

    Remember, blogJordan.com is supposed to be a secret, so if I catch you linking it … well let’s just say … I might have to return the volume with a hit generating reciprocal link.

    You’ve been warned. I mean it, I’ll put the car over right here!

  • Sermonizer::Scripturizer

    UPDATE * 30-mar-03,  UPDATE2 * 14-Feb-04 this code has been modified and updated (twice). Please refer to the article entitled “Scripturizer 1.2, now with MT Plugin-ability” for a new and improved version that also includes a MovableType plugin.

    I’ve been working on a tool that will take sermons from my pastor and format and post them to my church web site. The first and biggest step was “scripturizing” – that is, hyperlinking Scripture References to the BibleGateway. Which we did in my article entitled “Scripturizer – core engine.”

    One of the excellent comments I recieved (from Jonathan Fox) mentioned that my original implementation was a bit too “greedy” … meaning that phrases such as “my new job will start if john acts up” would have “Scripturized” job, john and acts even though they were not scripture references. Moreover, the BibleGateway link would not validate due to not encoding the & sign. So I wrote a subroutine that would make sure we were dealing with verse/references and would encode properly.

    Once this was done, the next step was to convert it into a Perl module so it could be reused in any variety of situations. Please to not breeze past this point. Regardless of the language you prefer, abtracting your work into modules and classes is an important time saver downline as are common practices in the world of software resuability and reliability. If you don’t believe me, just check out the CPAN – which is the primary reason I still prefer Perl for many projects.

    You can find some pretty good how-to information regarding Perl Modules over at the Perl Circus for as long as that site lasts. The end product is something that looks like this (sans comments):

     package Sermonizer::Scripturizer;
 #############################################################
 # Sermonizer::Scripturizer             (c) 2002 Dean Peters #
 #                      http://www.healyourchurchwebsite.com #
 #############################################################
 #   This package hyperlinks Scripture references in text    #
 #############################################################
 require Exporter;
 @ISA = qw(Exporter);
 @EXPORT = qw(addLinks encodePassage);

sub addLinks {
    my @data = @_;
    my @output;

   my $volumes = "I+|1st|2nd|3rd|First|Second|Third|1|2|3";
    my $books = "Genesis|Exodus|Leviticus|Numbers|Deuteronomy|Joshua|Judges|Ruth|Samuel|Kings|Chronicles|Ezra|Nehemiah|Esther|Job|Psalm|Proverbs|Ecclesiastes|Song of Solomon|Isaiah|Jeremiah|Lamentations|Ezekiel|Daniel|Hosea|Joel|Amos|Obadiah|Jonah|Micah|Nahum|Habakkuk|Zephaniah|Haggai|Zechariah|Malachi|Matthew|Mark|Luke|John|Acts|Romans|Corinthians|Galatians|Ephesians|Philippians|Colossians|Thessalonians|Timothy|Titus|Philemon|Hebrews|James|Peter|Jude|Revelation";
    my $link  = "http://biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible?language=english&version=NIV&passage=";

   foreach (@data) {
       # include instances of James 2:1-13, 14 - 16, 17 & 18
       my $verses = qr{ \d+ (: \d+)* \s* (?: [-&] \s* \d+)*    }x;
       my $passage;

      # don't just match, replace
       s/
          (?:($volumes)\s*)*         # any number of vols.
          \s*
          ($books)                               # the book
          \s*
          ( $verses (?: \s* , \s* $verses)* )
       /$passage = ($1 ? "$1 ":"").($2 ? $2:"").($3 ? " $3":"");
       "<a>$passage"
       /gcex;

      push (@output, $_);
    }
    return @output;

}

sub encodePassage {

   my ($vol, $bk, $ver) = @_;
    $ver =~ s/:/%3A/gi;          # convert to encoded colon
    $ver =~ s/[,&;]/%2C/gi;       # convert to encoded comma
    $ver =~ s/\s*//gi;
    my $passage = ($vol ? "$vol+":"").($bk ? "$bk+":"").($ver ? "$ver":"");
    return $passage;
 }

1;
 __END__

=head1 NAME

Sermonizer::Scripturizer - hyperlink Scripture references in text

=head1 SYNOPSIS

use Sermonizer::Scripturizer;
 foreach (addLinks()) { print $_; }; 

=head1 DESCRIPTION

Sermonizer::Scripturizer searches a text stream and replaces any
 instances of a Scripture reference with a hyperlink to the to the
 Bible Gateway online Bible.

=head1 BUGS

Need to allow user to define which online Bible to use
 Need to not link up Scripture already linked
 It's probably make sense to create instance variables global to the scope of the module to contain the book volumes, etc.

=head1 AUTHOR

Copyright Dean Peters 2002, 

=head1 EXAMPLE

BEGIN { push(@INC, "C:/Inetpub/wwwroot/perl/lib/"); }
 use Sermonizer::Scripturizer;

my $filename = "sermon01.txt";
 open(FILE, $filename ) or die "Couldn't open the file '$filename'. \n$!";

foreach (addLinks()) {
    print $_;
 }
 close FILE;

=cut

    Installation and Use

    I suspect a number of you will have some problems with your scripts not finding “Sermonizer::Scripturizer” … an error that reads “Can’t locate Sermonizer/Scripturizer.pm in @INC (@INC contains: /perl/lib /perl/sit
    e/lib .)    “. This is because the @INC array contains a list of directories that are use to search for all external files/modules that are used by the perl script – and Scripturizer.pm ain’t in that path. Since the @INC array tells the Perl interpreter where to look for the files/modules/external scripts you need to create as subdirectory named “Sermonizer.” Then you copy Scripturizer.pm into that directory. Then atop perl program that needs ‘Scripturizing’, you write ‘BEGIN { push(@INC, “C:/Inetpub/wwwroot/lib/”); }‘. In the end, your test script may look like this:

    BEGIN { push(@INC, “C:/Inetpub/wwwroot/perl/lib/”); }
    use Sermonizer::Scripturizer;

    my $filename = “sermon01.txt”;
    open(FILE, $filename ) or die “Couldn’t open the file ‘$filename’. \n$!”;

    foreach (addLinks(<FILE>)) {
    print $_;
    }
    close FILE;

    As always, your mileage may vary

  • Does Dean have a New Slogan?

    I was minding my own business when someone I know pointed me to Joshua Claybourn’s Home Page, which had a link to my site and a wonderful quote that describes THIS site as a place “where a computer geek collides with religious zealotry.” The ony thing I could possibly resent from that description is that I didn’t think of it first!

    (more…)

  • Terms of Use

    Legal and Privacy Notice

    All contents copyright @ 2002-2015 Dean Peters. All rights reserved.

    WEB SITE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE

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    Please read this page carefully. IF YOU DO NOT ACCEPT THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS STATED HERE, DO NOT USE THE WEB SITE.

    This page states the terms and conditions under which you may use The Site and any other product or service offered for sale by The Owner through The Site. The right to use products or services by The Owner is personal to you and is not transferable to any other person or The Owner.

    The Owner reserves the right to change terms and conditions applicable to The Site, or to impose new terms and conditions. Such modifications or additions shall be effective immediately upon notice to each client. Notice may be given by any reasonable means including, but not limited to, posting a revised version of this Agreement on the Internet or notification by electronic mail. Any use of The Site after such notice shall conclusively be deemed to constitute acceptance by you of such modifications, additions, or deletions. You have the responsibility to periodically review the posted terms and conditions to be aware of such revisions.

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  • Mission Statement ?

    (more…)

  • For Immediate Release:

    CONTACT:
    Dean Peters
    HealYourChurchWebsite.org

    inquiry -at- healyourchurchwebsite -dot- com
    http://HealYourChurchWebsite.org

    Webmaster, Heal Your Church Website

    Rockville, MD, May 11, 2002 (updated 01-Mar-2015) – Tired and frustrated with church and para-church websites that look like visual vestiges from the dark ages, Dean Peters, contributing author to “Son of Web Pages That Suck“, posts his own virtual 95 Thesis to the door of the Internet at http://www.HealYourChurchWebsite.com.

    Armed a liberal arts degree in one hand, and a masters in computer science in the other, Dean takes his 25+ years professional experience, and takes the Church to task; or as he likes to say with some help from 2 Timothy 3:16: “Teaching, rebuking, correcting & training in righteous web design.”

    Having seen the sometimes ugly underbelly that one can only see from being  a volunteer teacher, webmaster, soloist, and van driver, Dean understands both the technical and the political issues that face designers of church, para-church, and secular charity organizations. HealYourChurchWebsite.com addresses these issues with practical advice, links, resources and examples in Dean hopes that the quality of church websites improves by bringing errant webmasters to repentance.

    As Dean likes to tell anyone who will listen, “We have hundreds of years of beautiful sacred songs, art and literature as the result of the artistry that was once the Church — why can’t we have the same for websites?”

    That said, all of the opinions expressed here are Dean’s personal views and do not reflect his employer, his church, nor any other non-Dean Peters entity in any way shape nor form.

    Currently, Dean’s most pressing project is raising his daughter,serving his wife, and trying to get his home music studio back up and running. For everything else, his recommends visiting his Twitter and LinkedIn accounts.

    # # #