From 1 Corinthians
I am a fool. A weak fool. I am not of noble birth nor influential. I have not much about which to boast – save Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians reminds me that at have no cause for pride. I have done nothing to earn the assurance I own. It is easy to forget that outside of Jesus we are worthless, that we deserve death and hell.
From the Gospel of Luke
Reading the Gospel According to Luke, my attention was captured by Jesus’ words in chapter 6. I will focus on those verses 27-36 and 37-42 here.
Jesus Paid It All
It is critical to understand that Jesus’ death on the cross was a voluntary surrender to redeem you and I. The willful self-sacrifice of Jesus is representative of how we must come to accept that salvation. That does not make it easy, mind you. Jesus knew why he had come, to do the will of his Father who sent him. Jesus alluded to his death, burial, and resurrection repeatedly during his ministry, but as the hour drew close he prayed that God would, if it were His will, take that cup from him. We do the same, you know. Only we are not facing our own execution for crimes of which we are innocent. We say, “God, please this.” and “God, I can’t do that. Something else, please!” Or worse, “God, I refuse.” I do not believe it wrong to ask God for another way, place, or time. Jesus did. We cannot ignore the remaining fact, however. Jesus asked if there might be another way, and then displayed plainly his motive when he prayed, “Not my will but yours be done.” Jesus told his Father that if there was another way he would be glad to hear it, but also stood resolute that whatever God’s will was, that is what he would do. When God again affirmed that the sacrifice of the cross was the only means to save mankind, Jesus willingly accepted. To understand that is to understand the salvation available to you and I. We must WILLINGLY accept what Jesus offers through his WILLING sacrifice. Jesus knew God’s will, but could have chosen to ignore it. (Aren’t I glad he did not…) We can know the facts of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, but if we chose to ignore it we have not salvation. We must willingly respond by, in light of his choice to redeem us with his own life accepting Jesus’ gift of salvation by making him Lord of our lives.
From the Gospel of Matthew
This was not my first time to read the Gospel of Matthew. Nor my second. It was not my third or fourth. It was not even my first time to read it this year, but as I read it this time I was struck by a message I had not previously focused my attention upon. I have long been aware that Jesus combatted the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of the day, but this time it became most conspicuous, and perhaps for a different reason.
Who is “Good?”
Here is a quick response I wrote to someone who made a comment along the lines of “I believe everything going on today is God beginning to get rid of the bad people on earth so that only good people will be left.”
I must fundamentally disagree with your belief that God is “getting rid of bad people” in favor of “good people.” While I choose to believe you did not intend this statement to be as egotistical as it is, please be very careful using this sort of language. What you have communicated regardless of your intent is that there are some “bad” people God does not care for while yourself and others are “good” people whom God loves. Please be mindful of the words of Paul in his epistle to the Romans. Beginning in Chapter 3 verse 9 he says “Are we any better? Not at all!” He goes on to quote the Psalms and the prophet Isaiah in verses 10-18, “As it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes.” The statement “no not one” certainly includes me therefore I am at my core not a “good” person nor is anyone else. Because God loves all of us in spite of our sin, Peter tells us “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
AT&T: Think Again « iOSessive
Are you struggling with AT&T as a wireless provider? If so, you’re not alone. For years my opinion was that AT&T was the only provider worth having, but that was before the new normal pushed my call success ratio into the basement. I actually have to rely on Skype to make calls in some areas, including but not limited to my office and home (who needs to make calls there?) Found this post below written by a once fellow struggler who seems to have found a solution.
Heth and Jed Rocking Union Square – New York City – YouTube
Heth and Jed Rocking Union Square – New York City – YouTube. These guys are awesome! True buskers, I always check to see where they are playing when I am heading to NYC, and so should you! Thanks again for the shout out guys!
Travel Tips For Traveling #2
For our second installment, let’s talk rental cars. If you need your own wheels when you get there, you will likely be dealing with one of these guys ——->
I’ll start by advising you to rent a car if you think you’ll need one. Early on in my travels, I tried to avoid renting a car at all costs, and it ended up really costing me. Some cities however, it’s easier not to have a car (i.e. NYC). Make a decision based on your needs, but be realistic at the same time. My first trip to New York several years ago I didn’t want a car in the city, but then had to go 100 miles north to my grandmother’s house. I made a novice mistake and ended up paying a chauffeur $800 to take my wife and I to the Catskills and then back to JFK a few days later. Not cool.
So you have decided you need a car. Who do you call? For years, I did everything via Orbitz.com. Flights, hotels, and cars all were booked here. I guess I’m something of a loyalist. About a year ago, I started actually doing research on prices for an up-coming trip instead of trusting my third-party provider, and I was stunned at what I found. It was actually twice as much to book a car through Orbitz!!! I felt cheated, betrayed, and actually pretty angry. All I had to do was make my reservation with the rental company directly and it reduced the price by half! (NOTE: please research this for your specific trip, this has always been true for car rentals in my experience, but I have found hotels to be about the same price, so they are not all bad…)
Who has the best rates? For me it has been Budget Rental. I have not found anyone less expensive, but keep in mind this may vary by region. My rentals generally take place in New York, but I’d be surprised to learn they are not the cheapest in most markets.
Did you know that where you pick up from will affect your rates? If fact, it plays a big role. Take my New York trips for example. I usually fly into Queens, but if I were to pick up a rental anywhere in NYC the rate would be significantly higher (almost twice the cost) than if I picked up in nearby Westchester County. Renting in a major city often carries a premium over the nearby suburbs. Something else of note is airport rentals are usually less expensive than renting from a stand-alone location. When I fly to New York, I do the mass transit thing in the city, and when I’m ready to head to the small town Grandma lives in, I hop a train to Westchester County Airport (HPN) and grab my rental.
One more strategy I’ll share; be intentional about what time of day you pick-up and drop off your rental. Generally, the rental days go 12:00PM-12:00PM. In other words, if you pick up at 11:59 AM on Monday and drop off at 12:01 on Tuesday, you will pay for two days rental instead of one. A savy renter could instead pick up after noon on Monday and drop off before noon on Tuesday, and pay half as much. Learned this one the hard way too.
Do these tips actually help? For me, absolutely. I make the same trip often, and I have seen my rental fees cut more than in half simply but following these guidelines. Hopefully they will help you as much.
***update Another helpful rental car tip: reserve the smallest car possible that will still accommodate your party. More than once I have paid for a larger vehicle and ended up with something smaller when I arrived. The simple truth is when push comes to shove, they are going to give you what they have. Sure if you do not get what you paid for their will be some 800 number to call and get a refund but keep in mind the opposite is often also true. I book the economy car and half the time I end up in an SUV at no additional cost (a smile and a complement to the clerk doesn’t hurt either…). If they do not offer the bigger car for free, you can always upgrade at the counter for about $14 a day.
If your traveling with your kids who are still in a car seat, don’t drag one on the plane, reserve one along with your rental car! They will have one waiting for you, and it will be the best $26 you ever spent.
Travel Tips For Traveling #1
OK, so that title may not be doing me any favors, but its all I’ve got. I have been thinking about posting some travel tips (for traveling) for some time, but the fact that it would become super long has held me back. The solution? Installments. Not unlike your favorite rent-to-own television, this article will have its burden distributed across a period of time.
For our first installment, let me issue a qualifier. I do not travel as often as many. I am not what you would call a “jet-setter” (or is it “jet-sitter”)? I do not receive a letter from the CEO of any major airline each year thanking me for my continued loyalty. I do however travel maybe half a dozen times a year, and although certainly not nearly as often as your average middle-management, I have been careful to develop a system, maybe even a science to traveling as efficiently as possible.
For this first nugget, let’s talk air travel. Specifically packing for air travel. My best advise to you is this: CARRY ON ONLY. Do not plan on checking bags unless you are willing to expect the following:
- Significant additional “checked bag” fees. These are per bag, and start at a flat fee and then premiums are added based on bag dimension and weight. The most I have paid personally (before I got wise) is $70 per bag, which is enough to break me of the habit, but I have spoken to others who have been charged as much as $300 for a checked item.
- Your bags have a good shot at being lost. There is no perfect system, I understand that things happen. As far as air ravel is concerned though I believe it’s a matter of when and not if your checked bag is misplaced. I suffered one such occurrence and lets just say it did not end well. I’m still not sure why they called security…
- If you calculate the amount of time you’ll spend checking your bags, and then waiting for them to arrived on the carousel at your destination, you will spend some where right around a lot of time that you could spend doing virtually anything else, especially not dealing with bags.
For all these reasons I advise not to go down that slippery slope. The next question you may have is how can I limit myself to one bag? And not just any bag, but a carry-on bag? Here is my method. Lay out everything you feel you need to pack. If you think you need it put it all together. Next is the most difficult yet most important step; get rid of half of it. That right. I know it seems extreme, but you’ll thank me later. How many times have you been unpacking after a trip and realized you packed items that were not touched during your travels? No more. Now we include mission critical items only. Lets unpack this (pun intended.)
- No more than a change of clothes per day. Fight the urge to pack an exorbitant number of choices and then make a decision based on how your feeling that day. I’m primarily speaking to one gender here, you know who you are.
- Plan to dress appropriately for any circumstance. I prefer to err on the side of caution here. I will rather be over-dressed than under-dressed, and business causal is a good middle ground. Following this guideline will keep you from packing four sets of clothes for each day.
- Shoes. How many pair of shoes do you really need? If the answer is more than one, your wrong. Dress shoes are easily worn with jeans or less formal garments, but the inverse is not true. Shoes are bulky and heavy, do your level best to limit yourself.
- Will you be able to do laundry at your destination? If you are staying with relatives or friends, they will surely be glad to let you toss in a load of clothes. Remember too that most hotels have a laundry service. Being able to do laundry just once will help you pack less.
- I never pack soap or shampoo if I am going to be staying in a hotel or motel. They always provide these items, and not packing them not only saves space and weight in your bag but helps you avoid trying to comply with TSA regulations regarding carry-on liquids.
- Can you survive without the lap-top? These machines may be necessary for work, and I have traveled with one many, many times. A great solution for me has been the iPad. This device is slim yet powerful. I can do virtually anything from my iPad that I need to do for work, and I am always working on the road. Word docs, spreadsheets, Powerpoint, email and more can all be done from this one device. There are occasions where I must run some software only possible on my computer, and even that can be solved with a remote client such as LogMeIn. I can log in and control my machine at home easily from my iPad as long as I have an internet connection, which is virtually everywhere. This device or one like it will save you a great deal of space and weight. Another plus is all lap-top computers must be removed and sent through security separately, but somehow this does not apply to the iPad, so you have just saved some hassle there too. The iPad can easily keep you entertained on the go as well with games, music, movies and internet all in your hands.
Hope this is at least mildly helpful. Be looking for tip #2. Add your own tips below.
Response to Mr. Stephen Hawking
Just watched the premier of CURIOSITY on THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL. This pilot episode, if that is what they are calling it, featured the renown Professor Stephen Hawking and his attempt to answer the question, “Did GOD create the universe?”
I found Prof. Hawking’s responses a bit under-whelming to be completely honest. Without giving a transcript of the entire hour long episode, let me summarize the prevailing point made on the program:
God cannot have created the universe, nor can He exist at all, because prior to an assumption called the “big bang” there was no time for Him to exist in.
That’s it. This is the best argument that is offered from what the scientific community seems to agree is the greatest mind since Einstein. There must not be a God in Heaven because time is conceivably limited. I really thought there would be more to it. It reminds me of the rare occasions I decide to do some deep cleaning or rearrange a room. I dig in and drag everything out for a big undertaking, and then loose interest and shove everything back where it was. Mr. Hawking celebrates saying it has taken 3000 years of human history to bring us to this milestone, the place where we no longer need to invent “gods” to explain the universe, then seems to loose interest and throw out a ludicrous rationale. The scientific world now enjoys a bully pulpit of sorts, and anyone who would dare oppose these smarter than you types is dubbed a rare breed of idiot. Well, somehow I manage to cross the street all by myself, but I cannot understand this “no time before bang” explanation.
Humor me a moment. Let’s say, for sake of discussion, the GOD of the Bible is real. Why would He be bound by time? Realize that time is not a tangible thing. In fact time is only a human concept invented to explain a given number of earth’s trips around the sun. It is not something GOD or anyone or anything else can exist inside of. The Professor tries to explain himself with an analogy of a clock entering a black hole. Because of the black hole’s intense gravity, time stands still. Clearly, if time is standing still, then the clock would stop it’s motion. If this is the best conclusion the guys in white lab coats can draw, my faith is unshaken. Mr. Hawking, a clock is not the engine of time, it is simply a mechanical device which moves predictably. Time is a measurement, so cannot screech to a halt because of gravity. If we would agree that time is measure of the earth’s orbit, then for time to stop the earth must stop… Maybe you get it. I do not.
Guest Post: Travis Unger and the future of MPGs
Want a car that gets better than 50 mpg and isn’t some overpriced hybrid? How about a normal sized BMW that gets nearly 60 mpg without an outrageous price tag? Maybe a new Fiat 500, Ford Fiesta, or just about any other small car on the market today that will get between 70 and 85 mpg without the expensive hybrid technology? Well if you live here in the US, don’t hold your breath, but if you lived just about anywhere in europe you would already have these options and more. That’s right, across the pond all of the major automakers are selling cars that get unbelievable fuel economy at a price that rivals and sometimes undercuts what we currently have available here. Fiat offers their new 500 with a 1.3l diesel engine over there that gets 76 mpg, and a gasoline powered version called the twinair that gets 69 mpg. But for whatever reason we do not get these versions, instead we get one that eeks out a measly 38mpg hwy. The diesel gets 72.4 combined avg. Now you may say that these must be a couple of gutless pigs, but they aren’t. While not exactly sporty the 2-cylinder “TwinAir” manages to do 0-60 in about 11 seconds, that’s faster than the ford escort was able to manage in the 80’s and early 90’s while still only returning about half the fuel economy. That’s also not much slower than the Toyota Prius while still getting 20+ mpg better. Plus it’s not a Prius so you won’t feel like a tool as you drive along. WHY, WHY, WHY can’t we get cars like this over here? I wish I could tell you, but there are some people that make way more money than I do that think they know what we want better than we do. Oh and it’s not just Fiat that makes these cars, it’s Ford, GM, Chrysler (well Fiat so ignore that last one,) VW, and many others. I say let’s start a letter writing campaign to the headquarters of all these respective companies and tell them what we want. Will it do any good? I don’t know, but it will make us feel a little better to complain to some suit in a corner office with a massive cuban in his hand and a rolex on his arm. Get ready, get set, WRITE….
For more info on who to complain to about our lack of fuel efficient options check this website out
http://www.nextgreencar.com. There are some cars on there that we will never have chance of seeing by automakers you’ve probably never heard of, but write them too, it feels good to throw a fit.
Travis S. Unger
Travis Unger is an automotive expert with many years experience in the automotive service industry. Comment here to connect or share your opinions with Travis.
Podcasts I Dig
Do you subscribe to any podcasts? I love them. If I’m in the car, working in the office, or doing something around the house I’m generally kept company by a podcast or two. I thought I’d let you know what I’m currently getting in my feed.
SIMPLY YOUTH MINISTRY PODCAST
A must if you are in youth ministry. Doug Fields and friends talk about all things students and the life we share with them. And some other stuff too. Their slogan is “Just enough youth ministry that you don’t feel guilty for listening.” Available in both audio and video.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE SIMPLY YOUTH MINISTRY PODCAST
THE MACCAST BY ADAM CHRISTIANSON
“For Mac Geeks, by Mac Geeks. The show where we discuss all things Macintosh.” What else needs to be said. If your not just a Mac user, but a serious Mac user (a.k.a. nerd) you need this podcast in your life. My wife is a Mac user, but she doesn’t want to talk about Macs all day, or anything else that requires recharging for that matter. This show is not for her. For the rest of us, Adam Christianson does a great job sharing the latest Apple news, tips, tricks, and anything else relevant to the Apple cult. I mean community.
THE MACCAST MEMBERS PODCAST
It’s just like THE MACCAST, but more so. Extra shows and content for members only. Available for $5.00 US per month, and it’s money well spent. Don’t tell my wife.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE MACCAST MEMBERS PODCAST
MAC OS KEN
Another Mac podcast. I do what I want. Mac OS Ken is a daily weekday Mac podcast focusing on bringing you Apple and Mac news. I have only recently subscribed to Mac OS Ken, but I’m loving it.
Organized Atheism In Schools
Found this article at usatoday.com this morning, and I have mixed feelings about the truth it displays: atheism is on the rise, and it has our students on it’s radar.
Reading this informative piece, my first response is what you would expect from a youth pastor, evangelical christian, or just plain anyone at all concerned with the eternity of those we share this planet with. I’m very troubled. It is tragic enough when people choose to live a life without Christ, but this is group of atheists who are out to gain followers. For those of us in student ministry, we have a monumental task. We have so many obstacles already, now the obstacles have organized themselves to campaign against us.
I have to think to myself, though, and realize that part of what makes this campaign possible is the freedom of religion we enjoy in America. The freedom that allows us to reach out to students with the Gospel (with more and more legal restraints) also allows those opposed to it their voice. Is this crossing the line though? Should these groups be banned in schools? Let me be very clear, I absolutely want Secular Student Alliance to stay out of schools. But how do we do that?
Rev. Barry Lynn
The article quotes Rev. Barry W. Lynn who is the executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, lending his support to the atheists. Rev. Lynn is hardly an evangelical Christian. He is more a politician that clergyman in my opinion, and an extreme leftist at that. The Right Reverend has even supported pro-abortion legislation. (source)
Here is what I do know, the Secular Students Alliance, and groups like them are doing our job. They are often more motivated with falsities than we are with the Truth. We need to really raise the bar and start reaching some people. If nothing else, these sort of groups can help us know who to start with.
Please share your thoughts!
The New Apple TV
image from apple.com
Like any other devoted Apple, Inc. follower when the new Apple TV (or Apple TV II as it is sometimes called) came out a few months ago I was terribly excited. I do not own the previous gen Apple TV, but I felt I was ready for Apple to invade my home theater experience, and the results have been nothing short of life changing.
The price point of the previous model had prevented me from even considering it, if memory serves it was over $400 U.S. but in typical Apple, Inc. fashion they increase technology and somehow the price falls. At $99 it is hard to justify not buying one of these little black boxes. This thing is amazing. In our house, the source for video rental has come from two formats, Netflix and iTunes. We have a Netflix subscription via which we receive three disks at a time from our queue, and can stream unlimited content. This we often accomplished via a xbox on our home network. iTunes rentals would be downloaded via a macbook, then sync’d to either an iPhone our iPod Classic and connected to the t.v. with the Apple iPod to t.v. cable. This worked fine, although even with my pretty darn fast connection (25 mbps) it would still take 20-30 minutes to download a full-length movie. Also, with iTunes rentals delivered this way, we were unable to view high definition video.
The new Apple TV changes all that, and setup could not be simpler. Plug in the power supply and HDMI (HDMI is the only connection offered on this device, but honestly why would you need anything else?), connect to your network via ethernet or wireless and your done. iTunes rentals stream instantly to your television, and HD content is no longer an issue. I cannot imagine a better way to stream Netflix video. Also on demand in YouTube.
Yet another incredible feature of this interface is Airplay. With one click you can stream virtually any media from your mac or iOS device (iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch). Photos, music, or even entire movies can be streamed wirelessly straight from my iPhone. Very cool. Also, since it’s on the network, I can listen to music and control it from anywhere in the house with Airplay or using Apple’s Remote app.
Granted, you will need a decent high speed internet connection to have this device achieve it’s fullest potential, but that is true of any method of streaming video delivery. I am so impressed with this device, I honestly think I will end up buying one for every t.v. in my home. If you ask me, you should too, and you’ll not be disappointed.
What I’m Reading…
Desiring God Revised Edition by John Piper
Preparing Expository Sermons by Ramesh Richard
Book Review: The Truth About Dating, Love, and Just Being Friends by Chad Eastham
The Truth About Dating, Love & Just Being Friends
This book is one of the latest sent to me for review from Thomas Nelson. I chose this book from a queue primarily because I had opportunity to met the author, Chad Eastham a couple years ago when he spoke at Revolve Tour stop in Dallas, and because the content appeared to be something my students are always dealing with, DATING.
Let me begin by pointing out, and perhaps cautioning you that this book is written for a teenage reader. I wanted to read this book so that I could have it in my library ready to loan to a heartbroken or struggling student in our youth ministry, and thus would require a proof-read. I did find it hard to gain momentum in my reading. This is not a book that kept me super interested and blazing on to the next page, but I believe that is 100% due to the fact that I’m an old married guy and no longer dealing with high school romance in my own life. My students, however, are doing just that.
The information and advice in this book is spot on. In fact it echos my response to many students seeking guidance with these same issues. I found myself a bit critical early on in the book, wondering why Eastham, a Christian author and speaker did not include scripture or basically any other reference to God in his advice. I mean it’s when we chose not to live our romantic lives according to God’s guidelines that things go wrong, right? Well, let not your hearts be troubled. The author does include much scripture and references to his own relationship with God, but he holds his cards rather close at first. As the book progresses, Chad included more and more faith-based prospective, and I believe he starts small and then gains momentum so that he does not immediately turn away a non-christian teen, after gaining their trust shares his faith in a way that is both appropriate and I feel will prove effective.
While this was not a page turner for me, I’m certain it would be for a teenager, which is the target audience of this book. Having read it, I would quickly recommend it to any young person with questions about love, dating, or relationships. And as anyone who works with teenagers or has ever been one can attest, that should be around 100% of them.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Book Review: Radical by David Platt
Radical by David Platt
I opted to read Radical by David Platt after hearing some friends who are also in ministry talking about the book and how much it had challenged them. I believe one said it “wrecked” him, meaning the subject matter of the book had turned his life upside down. I knew I had to see what all the fuss was about so I ordered a copy (yes, I actually paid for this book) and dug in.
This book is certainly true to it’s name. Platt sets out to challenge the status quo, as it were, at least as it relates to the Christian faith. The sub-title reads “Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream, ” and Radical takes a stab at everything that encompasses our modern view of that dream.
His premiss is simply the “radical” idea that Christ has called us to more than white picket fences and credit card debt. More than SUVs and second mortgages. Maybe God is not nearly as concerned with the interest rate of our Sears Card as he is with our motivation to meet physical and spiritual needs globally. Platt tells of a newsletter that features a church’s grand new worship center which cost tens of millions, and on the same page celebrates that local churches have raised $5000 to go toward a mission goal. That’s a pretty accurate cross-section of our American churches. He tells of churches elsewhere who risk torture and death to come to meetings where they study the bible for hours on end because their hunger for the Word is so great. Compare that with our local churches, where we often can only be motivated to attend a padded-pewed, climate controlled worship service sporadically.
If asked, I would say this book should be whisked straight to the top of any christian’s to-read list. This is probably the best book I’ve read outside of scripture, not because it left me feeling warm and fuzzy, but because I too was “wrecked.” As someone who has been blessed with the middle-class, suburban answer to the American Dream, this book was a wake-up call, maybe even a slap in the face, and I plan on reading it again very soon.
Get your copy and find out more at www.radicalthebook.com
delighted to share. 