Get Inspired Into Healing

Terms

Here are my terms of service for using the services I offer on-line and in-person, dated April 19, 2024.

Visitor Privacy

The Internet is Still Spying on You

So… the internet still collects information on the activity of everybody in it, and it’s a VAST amount of information, too. That includes the website monitoring tools I use from Google and WordPress to track my visitors’ behavior over time so I can improve my site. These tools provide details down to your computer’s Internet Protocol (IP) Address at the time you connect to my site. It is theoretically possible for someone smarter than I to link your IP Address to your name, thereby revealing your visitor behavior on this–and every other–website. However, I will not be trying to link your IP Address to your name; aggregate behavior is more interesting for me. I do, however, routinely see your location and time stamp information like, “A visitor from Nigeria spent 2 minutes on the front page, then moved to the about page, then moved to the latest blog before leaving the site.”

You Can Reduce Some of the Spying

If you don’t like that, please sign up for a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service that masks your IP Address. (It’s probably a good idea for many reasons.) Also, as I am not tech-savvy enough to turn on or off specific pieces of code that track your activity on my site, some of the plug-ins I use to work my site may collect additional information on you even though I am not aware of it. Please don’t accept cookies–little pieces of tracking code downloaded onto your computer–that you don’t understand just because they come from my site.

I Will Keep Your Stuff Forever–But Never Sell It

When you submit comments, scheduling requests, or contact form messages, as well as when you call, email, or text me, I will probably keep that information forever in order to remember the history of our communications. I won’t sell it to anybody (I hate that) and I will ask your permission before I add your info to any sort of additional communication (like a newsletter). I don’t believe that communicating with a company or even doing business with them inherently gives permission for that business to start spamming me all the time–so I won’t do that to you, either.

Liability Coverage

I Do My Best But I May Be Wrong

I make tons of recommendations on my website for people, organizations, products, services, and ideas in good faith that the people offering them are representing their stuff honestly. However, I do not know most of these people personally, so I cannot vouch for them as human beings; I can only make judgments based on publicly available information they release as well as my limited experience with them or their stuff. So… if someone I recommended ends up becoming a nasty person, or something I recommended ends up being recalled for some issue, I will gladly apologize to you, but I can’t do much else.

Only You & God Can Know What’s Best for You

Please take my recommendations with a grain of salt, and take the responsibility to do your own research before your make your decisions. Also, pray about everything! What is right for your neighbor in this season may not be right for you in this season–or ever! If you ask God to lead you, God will.

Copyright Protection

Public, Free Events Can Use My Stuff

You can reuse my content in public gatherings not for the primary purpose of making money. For example, schools, churches, community groups, and the like can read, show, or print my content with proper attribution without getting my written permission beforehand. It would be nice to know, but not necessary (I don’t want to slow down the creative process.)

Private or For-Fee Events Need Permission

If you’re running a singular event that costs money to attend (like a conference) or is not open to the public (like a corporate retreat), then you will need to get my written permission before using my content. In some cases, I will charge a fee for the content because it is providing an economic benefit to you. Contact me for details.

Services

Speaker

Check out my Speaker page. I make money when you hire me to speak at your events.

Blog

Check out my Blog. I make money when you read a sponsored promotion or click a sponsored link.

I Don’t Pander (Transparency is Key)

A boss of mine in the military once read a 100-page report I prepared and then asked me–somewhat jokingly–if I came to the same conclusions in the report that he did because I was pandering to him. I replied with a dead-pan face: “Sir, I don’t pander.”

In that vein, I do not promote anything–sponsored or unsponsored–that doesn’t align with my personal values and hold up well in my experience of it. It can be hard to trust people on the internet who get paid to “sell” you things, so earning and keeping your trust is very important to me. In fact, I hate sales, but I do love promoting people, organizations, products, services, and ideas that make healing easier for everyone!

In concert with that is being transparent; so I will let you know if something I am mentioning is sponsored or unsponsored, since I do both kinds of promotions.

Governing Law

Who’s in Charge of Me?

I do business in accordance with the laws of the United States of America, the State of Colorado, the regulations of the United States Army, and the principles of Benes Companies.

Sometimes, Others are in Charge of Me

In some cases, this means I cannot attend certain events, be hired by certain people or organizations, or promote certain products, services, or ideas that conflict with my roles in those organizations; some of these restrictions are in effect for the rest of my life. I’ll let you know when we meet whether there may be such an issue to consider.

I am NOT the Army

Since I am still an Officer in the United States Army Reserve, it’s important for me to restate that my views on all my personal platforms are mine alone; they are not the “official” views of the United States Army. Even my views on military topics are mine alone, even if there are photos of me in uniform associated with these writings or videos–they are mine alone.

If the Army wants me to share their official view about something, they will give me an official platform from which to share it, which will have my official duty position on it–it won’t be on here.

I am NOT Benes Companies

Since I am founding partner in Benes Companies, it’s also important for me to restate that my views on all my personal platforms are mine alone; they are not the “official” views of Benes Companies. Even when I repost here work that I’ve done there–the views I state here are mine alone.

If Benes Companies wants me to share their official view about something, I will do so on their platforms–it won’t be on here.