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| Why Create another Christian Web Site? |
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The decision to provide a web presence is not an easy one. A web site requires time and resources which are always scarce and a continuing commitment to make sure the site keeps functioning and adds new features as needed to continue to be of service to the people who use it. When I started the project, I wondered if there would be any demand, considering the number of Bibles already on the net. The last two years of access statistics have shown that even without advertising, the Word of God gets used more and more each day once someone makes it available. I don't generate the kind of traffic that e-Bay generates, and that's OK - I couldn't afford that kind of infrastructure anyway. But the site has seemed to help a few individuals here and there around the world, and that is a better result than most hobbies. Once and a while I get a good comment that the site is useful - I rarely get bad comments - so on the whole it has been a good project to soak up my free time.
In general, individual churches can minister in their own communities, but have limited means to minister to the world as a whole. This is especially true for independent churches which are not part of a larger denomination. Although Restoration Ministries' churches support some missions work, and various individuals participate in missions projects overseas, this is one of the most effective means of spreading the Word to the world. I know that the site generally doesn't reach the same groups of people that most missionaries reach, and is thus complementary to their work. I hope that it may reach a few who are not able or have no desire to go hear a missionary present Christ's message in person.
The decision to move the site to my own facilities wasn't easy - it was nice having only a time investment in the hobby. But the site traffic was beginning to be a noticible amount of background traffic for the company so I decided that it was time to move it to my own facility before being asked to do so by the boss. Thanks to Automation Electronics for the two years of free air time and use of their computer equipment. At the same time, I decided to try to open it up to other local churches who might want to have a web page, but who couldn't afford one. Thus, for the site regulars, there has been a de-emphasis in the display logos associated with Restoration Fellowship and Restoration Ministries, and a movement to use the domain names wherever possible to try to make the site more neutral in terms of a particular church.
I provide many different Bibles on my site, and am trying to find and add various public domain versions in other languages. I present the Bibles in an ad-free and Java-free environment to make them fast to access. I do use extremely limited JavaScript to provide clarification in some navigational tables, however if JavaScript is disabled, functionality will not be degraded. The Bibles are displayed on a plain white background that is hopefully easier to read than the wallpaper used by some sites. I also provide search engines for each, and the ability to display parallel translations of chapters or portions of chapters.
I provide linkages between major public domain reference works (Easton's Bible Dictionary, Nave's Topical Bible, and Torrey's Topical Textbook) and any local site Bible. I also provide a linked copy of Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary for some practical comments on the Bible. Hopefully, these will help those researching topics for their own personal needs, and will also be an aid to teachers or ministers who need a reference, but don't want to buy a commercial CD package. Keep in mind that the scriptures of the Bible, interpreted literally unless figurative language is clearly present, and taken in context, are the final authority on all spiritual subjects.
I provide an anonymous FTP download area with compressed Bible and reference sources as they appear on my site. These are periodically updated as errors are found in the original documents. As Bibles proliferate on the Internet, it becomes harder for all such sites to be blocked by anti-Christian groups in foreign governments. Post your own Bible. Overwhelm the censors. Help spread the Word.
I also provide some lighter content in the Christian's Corner - from humor, to short stories, to serious topics for personal work and growth, theology, and Bible studies. This isn't a very big section yet, but is growing.
Pray for us and for the site - that it will remain secure and that it will continue to prove useful to the world.
I don't play games trying to increase traffic to the site. People's search engine queries can cause enough accidental visits as it is without stooping to trickery. The site is listed in several directories, but I routinely put required reciprocal vote links in a remote spot where they won't annoy people. I'm not here for votes or for prizes. I just want to provide the Word to those in need and perhaps change the lives of a few non-Christians who find themselves here by accident, without causing offense to any. I pray that if a non-Christian visits the site, that person will visit the portions of the site which God has prepared their hearts to receive. The down side to this is the sites aren't well known. If you like the site, please recommend it to your friends - I try very hard to leave the structure the same so people can come back to favorite spots over and over again.
Help conserve internet bandwidth and your valuable time - set your browser to use memory caching and only to check for changes to pages once per session. This is particularly true for foreign visitors many hops away from us. Internet traffic from us generally goes one hop to the ISP and one hop to the Sprint network in Cheyenne, WY. From there, Sprint does its magic. We're running on a wireless link with a guaranteed minimum throughput of 128 kbps and a theoretical maximum throughput of 11 Mbps. Currently there are no restrictions on the upper end - your throughput varies depending on the activity of others using the wireless node the site is using. Still - the internet in general is getting very congested as people move from simple text based designs to kB heavy graphics. Everything we can do to reduce the unnecessary retransmission of information is a boon to the whole world.
If you find the site seems sluggish, I suggest you try to use it outside the hours of about 1100 to 1500 Mountain Time. That is peak load for the site as people browse us during their respective lunch hours in their time zones. The site currently has a lull around dinner time and from around 2200 to 0600 although with accesses from around the world it rarely has a completely dead hour anymore.
If there is something that is particularly good about the site, drop us a note so I can try to provide additional similar features. If something is particularly bad, please drop us a line so I can make it better. It doesn't take long to correct problems with the site once they are reported, but reports of problems are rare. The standard error log gives end results, but not what led up to the problem. Please take a moment if there is a problem and drop us a note using the feedback form. Major changes take time and prayer. I have given the site two major face-lifts already, and moving the site to its own triplet of domains required overhauls in several other areas. I am willing to make modifications or add features if there seems to be enough interest to warrant the change.
Please listen for God's prompting as you read and study on this site. His Word is alive today.
God still talks to His people, and He has something special, just for you.
May God bless and profit your time with us and strengthen your Christian walk.
/s/ William H. Haller