Gas Prices

I was out and about in town the other day and noticed that the gas price had done its normal thing and risen by 10 cents almost instantly to $3.16. I will never understand that. But I drove by one gas station on Lincoln Way where the price was still $3.06, I needed fuel, so I pulled in and filled up. It’s a sad sad day when $3.06 is cheap for a gallon of gas. I used to wish gas would get back down to $1 a gallon. Now I’d be happy if it got down to $2.

Freedom Ridge Core Values Recap

In case you missed any of our series the last few days, here is a summary of what we talked about. Click on the core value and you’ll be taken directly to the page with an explanation of that core value.

Freedom Ridge Core Values

1. everyone is welcome

2. Bible application

3. be culturally relevant

4. enjoy life

5. knowing God

6. micro-missions

Freedom Ridge Core Values Pt6

Today we finish up our series on the Freedom Ridge Core Values. I hope you have enjoyed it and it helps you have a good understanding of the heart and mission of Freedom Ridge: love God, love people, change the world.

Yesterday I said this last core value would make a huge difference in your life. It’ll take a commitment on your part, but it will be well worth it. Our final core value …

6. micro-missions

As you can tell from our mission statement, we are based on the Great Commandment (“love God with everything you’ve got, and love your neighbor as yourself.”) I want Freedom Ridge to be known as a church that reaches out to people and ministers to them in practical, tangible, discernible ways. This is not to make us look good or feel good about ourselves, but is driven by our love for our neighbors and desire to follow the Great Commandment. The great thing about micro-missions is we can do them as a church or you can do them as individuals.

Every time you take part in service projects in the area, or serve someone in your neighborhood or at your job, or go on short-term mission trips, or even the simple act of bringing someone to Freedom Ridge with you, when you do these things you are taking part in micro-missions. We’ll even do something as crazy as canceling services on a weekend and have an organized time of community service.

Simply put, when you reach out to someone in order to demonstrate the love of Jesus to them, then you are taking part in micro-missions.

We believe that the life we live and know at Freedom Ridge is to be shared with everyone! So let’s get after it!

Freedom Ridge Core Values Pt5

We’ve got two more core values to cover in this series. So far we’ve looked at (1) everyone is welcome, (2) Bible application, (3) be culturally relevant, and (4) enjoy life. Don’t take yourself so seriously.

All these core values will help us fulfill our mission: love God, love people, change the world. Today, we look at one that is the foundation of all that we do. It makes it all possible, and it’s a no-brainer. Today’s core value …

5. knowing God

It’s amazing that the creator of the universe wants us to know him, and he made it all possible through Jesus Christ. 1 Timothy 2 tells us “God wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus …”

We will place a priority on helping people to know God. We realize that life is a spiritual journey and everyone of us are at different spots on our journey, so we won’t compare ourselves to each other. But we will encourage people to progress a little further each day, each week, and each month in their journey of knowing God.

Our weekend services, small groups, and service projects, coupled along with personal devotions, will help people in their journey of knowing God. Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with everything you’ve got. It’s hard to love him if you don’t know him.

Tomorrow we’ll discuss our last core value that goes right along with Jesus’ statement, “It is better to give than receive.” Don’t worry, it’s not about money and I promise you it will make a huuuge difference in your life.

Freedom Ridge Core Values Pt4

We are now halfway through our series of looking at the core values that define who we are at Freedom Ridge. Our core values enhance and clarify our mission: love God, love people, change the world. So far we have looked at (1) everyone is welcome, (2) Bible application, and (3) be culturally relevant. We want to reach the current and next generation for Jesus.

The core value we will cover today has to do with Freedom Ridge as a whole and Freedom Ridgers as individuals. Today’s core value is:

4. enjoy life

Too many people equate church with boredom, rituals, or being just for pansies. They think that church is a waste of time and only for the weak; that it is stuffy and serious, and if you are having fun then you aren’t being a good Christian. When Jesus came to this earth, he came with the mission to provide freedom from religion and freedom of life to anyone who would choose to accept him. He even said “I have come so you might have life, and have it abundantly.”

We’re pretty sure that Jesus has a sense of humor. At Freedom Ridge we want people to know it is OK to have fun and it is OK to laugh … even in church! We’ll have regular events with the sole purpose of having fun just to spread the joy.

Tomorrow we’ll hit the core value that’s the foundation of all we’ve talked about so far. Until then, smile.

Persecuted Christians

Pray for those who share our faith, but not our freedom …

Thousands of Christians Protest Church Attack in Pakistan

From ICC (International Christian Concern) at www.persecution.org.

(March 25, 2008) The Washington-DC based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) www.persecution.org has just learned that thousands of Christians staged a demonstration on March 19, 2008, that blocked the main highway through populous Gujranwala District, Pakistan, after land grabbers assaulted a church in a Christian neighborhood during Holy Week.

 

On March 18, a mob of people who wanted to seize a community center that belonged to a church in Garjakh, a largely Christian neighborhood in the city of Gujranwala, reportedly started tearing down the church’s walls.

However, the pastor of the church, Sharif Bhatti, and a group of Christians gathered to defend the church building. When the pastor arrived, the mob physically assaulted the pastor and the people with him, and started throwing stones at the church. When the Christians in the neighborhood heard what was happening, a large group of them gathered and approached the church, causing the mob to flee.

Word of the attack spread quickly, and the next day, thousands of Christians from across the city of Gujranwala staged a protest to demand that those responsible for the attack on the church be arrested immediately and brought to justice. They urged the authorities to provide protection to religious minorities and to their places of worship.

The protestors proceeded to block the Government Transport Road at Gondlanwala Chowk, a major intersection, by parking tractors laden with garbage across the road. The demonstrators blocked traffic while chanting slogans against the land grabbers for more than two hours.

Pastor Sharif Bhatti, Pastor Sabir and other Christians and labor union leaders threatened the local government that they would demonstrate outside the offices of senior officials if the police did not arrest the culprits within the next 24 hours. Finally, police arrived and promised the protestors that they would bring justice to those who attacked the church, and the demonstration dispersed peacefully.

Local Christian leaders then submitted a written complaint to the police station. However, the police had not registered this case nor had they arrested any individual at the time this report was written.

ICC Policy Analyst Jeremy Sewall said, “Unfortunately, the Christians in Gujranwala were given empty promises to make them quiet down. Pakistani officials ought to take note, however, of the scope and speed with which Christians gathered to protest this attack. Thankfully, the demonstration was a peaceful one. But Pakistani officials might have bigger problems on their hands if they continue to give their Christian citizens empty promises.”

Please contact the Pakistani embassy in your country and ask them to protect the rights of Christians and all religious minorities.

Pakistan Embassies:

USA: (202) 243-6500, info@embassyofpakistanusa.org
Canada: (613) 238-7881, parepottawa@rogers.com
UK: 0870-005-6967, hoc@phclondon.org

# # #

ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC delivers humanitarian aid, trains and supports persecuted pastors, raises awareness in the US regarding the problem of persecution, and is an advocate for the persecuted on Capitol Hill and the State Department. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

Freedom Ridge Core Values Pt3

The core values we have covered so far this week are (1) everyone is welcome and (2) Bible application. These help define our mission: love God, love people, change the world. Yesterday I told you that this next core value could make or break Freedom Ridge and must be built into our DNA from the start, so without further ado let’s look at our third core value:

3. be culturally relevant

Have you ever heard churches say “But … we’ve always done it that way”? That’s not us. Our only tradition will be change, and the reason for that is we want to be as effective as possible in reaching the current and next generation for Jesus.

We won’t be afraid to try new things, and if it doesn’t work we won’t be afraid to scrap it. If a ministry or philosophy has outlived its effectiveness, we won’t be afraid to adjust it, rework it, or place it on the shelf of relics and move on. No sacred cows.

With that being said, I do want to stress that we will never compromise the message of Jesus Christ. Methods change, but the message stays the same. While we will be using culturally relevant means and updating the way we do things, our main goal will be to present the timeless truths of the Bible and the message of Jesus Christ in the most effective and understandable way possible.

Tomorrow we’ll talk about a core value that’ll bring peace of mind, and I’d venture to say may even blasts some stereotypes about church right out of the water. Can’t wait.

Freedom Ridge Core Values Pt2

Remember, our mission is: love God, love people, change the world. Our core values help define the mission a little further. Yesterday we talked about our first core value, which is everyone is welcome; we don’t care where people have been, we’re more concerned about where they’re headed. Today, we visit our second core value …

2. Bible application

This is important, because we want to give you something on Sunday that you can use in your life on Monday. We don’t want to waste your time by telling you feel-good-stories, or just teaching you a history lesson from the Bible. The Bible is a relevant and useful book and deserves more respect than that.

It is our goal and desire to share teachings from the Bible that affect you where you live right now. We want to equip you to get the most out of life. It is just understood that we will teach from the Bible because we are a church, so I won’t go into that right now. But the key word in this core value is the word application. How does the Bible affect me today? What does Jesus mean to me in my life right now? What can I learn that will make me a better person?

Freedom Ridge will be Bible-based, practical, useful, and up-to-date.

I’ll see you back here tomorrow as we hit on a core value that will make or break Freedom Ridge. It is important that we build it into our DNA before we even get started. Until tomorrow …

Our Home For Sale

We have a decent house in a Houston suburb that we have on the market right now.  We listed it around the first of December, and as of yet have not received any offers.  We are renting a dinky duplex in Ames until we can sell our Houston house, then we can get our own home here.

Please say a prayer for us that God will send someone soon (and I mean soon) that buys our house so we can get on with life here.  Thanks!

Freedom Ridge Core Values Pt.1

I’m gonna be doing a series of posts this week about the core values of Freedom Ridge. The core values are important, because they help define who we are and how/why we do things.

Our MISSION is simply stated: love God, love people, change the world. The core values take this a step further and defines the mission.

Our first core value is …

1. everyone is welcome

When Jesus said to “love your neighbor as yourself” he didn’t put any conditions on your neighbor. People are important. We don’t want to be a church that excludes people, but we want to welcome them regardless of race, economic status, political leanings, past ghosts, current habits, wardrobe choices, station in life, etc.

So at Freedom Ridge, we will welcome anyone and everyone. No perfect people allowed, which is a good thing or I wouldn’t be there either.

Come back tomorrow as we look at Core Value #2 …

The Mission & Core Values Series

Our mission at Freedom Ridge is simple: love God, love people, change the world. Everything we do will be tailored around our mission.

Starting on Monday (March 24) I’m going to do a series of posts on the core values of our new church, Freedom Ridge. I’ll make a post each day of the week highlighting a different core value. The core values get to the basis of who we are and why we do things the way we do them, so they’re kinda important. They explain our mission a little bit. Come back each day this week as we talk about a different core value.

I’m looking forward to it!

Sunday Is A Good Day

Easter is the day we celebrate, for obvious reasons. It is the day, the morning, that Jesus came back to life and everything that he went through just a couple days earlier was made worth it. He had defeated death, he had paid the price, and as a result we can now have a direct connection with him. We have his power and peace to live day by day, and we have his promise of life on the other side of death. Pretty good for us, huh?

As I was reading Matthew 28 this morning, a verse really stuck out to me. It says the disciples were meeting Jesus on a mountain for a reunion after his resurrection … some worshiped him, but some “held back, not sure of worship, about risking themselves totally.” That’s a sad verse in the middle of a great story.

So if you are a Jesus-follower, I want to encourage you to take a risk for him. Don’t hold back, but step out and make a difference. If you’re not a Jesus-follower, I encourage you to look at all the benefits of making a commitment to him.

Sunday is a good day.

Is Good Friday Really Good?

I can remember asking my parents when I was a kid why this particular day of the year is called Good Friday. They explained it to me, and I understand it on the surface, but it still doesn’t seem that good.

Think about it. This would be the worst day ever in the life of Jesus. He was put through a sham trial, beaten beyond recognition, and had nails driven through his hands and feet. He lived for awhile hanging on the cross, but eventually died. Read Matthew 27 to find out more.

So for Jesus it was not a good day. The ultimate reason of why he went through all of it is good news for us. I guess that’s where we get the Good Friday.

I saw in Scandinavia they call it Long Friday. I think that’s probably a better description. So while you’re hunting Easter eggs, eating jelly beans, peeps, and the Easter Ham, remember the reason for this long holiday weekend. Hopefully it is a good one for you.

Persecuted Christians

Muslim Radicals Attack During Church Service Murder, Amputate Christians [Update]

The Washington-DC based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) www.persecution.org has investigated an attack on Christians that we first reported on March 7, 2008 (“Muslim Radicals Kill Three Christians and Wound Dozens in Southern Ethiopia”). Upon further investigation, we have learned that the attack occurred on March 2, 2008, during a Sunday morning church service, and resulted in the death of only one Christian, while 17 more were injured.

Christians in this remote village had seen three people lying in pools of blood after the attack and assumed that they had all died. Our sources contacted us before verifying that all three of the seriously wounded had died. The name of one murdered victim was Tulu Mosessa, who was a father of eight children.

Christians from the area told ICC that Muslim radicals simultaneously attacked Kale Hiwot church in Chebbi Nensebo village and Birhane Kirstos church in the nearby Tirsu Nensebo village.

The Kale Hiwot Church was the scene of most of the violence on the day of the attack. There were about 200 people attending the service, when a group of Muslim radicals surrounded the church and barricaded the doors shut. They then proceeded to break in through the windows and started hacking at the churchgoers with machetes. It is clear that these attacks were well planned and carefully executed to cause as much bloodshed as possible.

Muslim radicals had attacked the church before and burned it down, which the Christians in the village rebuilt. During the most recent attack, someone was able to raise the alarm and the local police quickly arrived at the scene, averting further bloodshed. One policeman who was wounded while trying to quell the violence was taken to a hospital in Addis Ababa. Eight of the seriously wounded Christians were taken to a hospital in Awassa. ICC was able to speak to one of the eight who had been wounded, Ahmed Jamal [not his real name], who is a Muslim convert to Christianity. The Muslim radicals cut off his left hand with their machetes during the attack. When ICC asked him if he knew his attackers, he said, “Our attackers are our neighbors, with whom we ate and drank.”

Asked what motivated the Muslims to attack, he said, “They were taught [about] Jihad.” Though he is lying on a hospital bed, Ahmed Jamal is worried about further attacks by Muslim radicals. He said, “We fear for our families [who remain in the village].”

Others with wounds from the machete attack who are currently in the hospital in Awassa include (names intentionally withheld) a 28-year-old man who lost his left hand, a 32-year-old man whose head was slashed, a 20-year-old man whose right and left hands were slashed, a 31-year-old man whose lung was pierced, an 18-year-old man whose backbone was slashed, a 19-year-old man whose backbone was also injured, and a 5-year-old girl whose right hand was badly injured.

Another eight Christians with minor injuries are currently receiving medical treatment in the town of Worka, which is near the villages where the attacks took place.

ICC has also learned that nine of the attackers have been imprisoned by Ethiopian authorities. One of the imprisoned is a local government official, Hussein Berriso. ICC sources said that 150 machetes were discovered in his house after the attacks.

In related development, on March 10, 2008, radical Muslims burned down the house of a local evangelist. The radicals were enraged because the evangelist had helped to transport the eight wounded Christians to Awassa hospital.

ICC’s president in a statement said, This is not an isolated incident in Ethiopia but rather part of a trend of radical Muslims attacking Christians. Ethiopian officials must get serious about protecting Christians. They must target radical Muslim leaders and centers or the Ethiopia could be in danger of becoming another Nigeria with an intractable religious split.

# # #

ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC delivers humanitarian aid, trains and supports persecuted pastors, raises awareness in the US regarding the problem of persecution, and is an advocate for the persecuted on Capitol Hill and the State Department. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

Virus Update 2

Back on March 6th and 8th I made a post about a virus that had infiltrated my computer. It was creating numerous popups and causing my computer to run very slow. I received a custom cleaner from my anti-virus people, and it cleaned a lot of stuff off. But then some of it would return almost immediately.

I ran my Yahoo anti-spy program, and it would find a lot of stuff including a trojan called “Tesllar A.” It would quarantine it, but it would be back almost immediately causing problems. I suspected it was the main cause of all my problems.

I contacted Yahoo and asked why it wouldn’t clean it, and they told me to run the anti-spy program in safe mode. I did and it cleaned it off! A simple solution that I wish I would have tried two weeks ago.

I’m glad I’ve got my computer back.  It’s put me behind on some things, but now I can get back in the groove.

Evacuate!

My family and I once had the experience of evacuating because of an impending hurricane. My brother and his family were in a mandatory evacuation zone and were coming to our house to camp out. We needed extra supplies so I headed to Wal-Mart. I knew a hurricane was coming, but I didn’t think much about it until I arrived at the store.

The bread was gone (and I’m talking all bread items from loaves to bagels), the bottled water was gone, the eggs were gone, the milk was gone, and toilet paper was running low. Not a good situation. I imagine it looked like a store does here in Iowa when a blizzard is headed in. I saw this and went home empty handed. We watched the news and saw what was happening all over town, saw the projected path of Rita, and we decided we should evacuate.

It was an odd experience because I went through the house wondering what we should pack up and take, and what we should leave behind. The family videos and photo albums were definitely loaded up, the computers were taken, some office stuff and important papers were saved, and most everything else was left behind not knowing if we would ever see it again or if it would be damaged. I was proud by how much we left behind. We then drove to Emma’s parent’s which usually took 2 hours but on this trip the traffic made the trip an enjoyable 5 hours.

The whole experience really helped put things into perspective. What is important in life, and what is not? We let things rule our lives sometimes. What part of your life do you need to put back into perspective?

By the way, we took our two dogs … we left the cat behind.

Things Are A-Changin’

My youngest daughter turns 13 today. I don’t feel old enough or mature enough to have two teenagers in the house. And my oldest daughter is taking her test in a couple weeks to get her learner’s permit. I can still picture her singing along with Barney the dinosaur, and now she is going to be driving. Good grief.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

I have this green t-shirt that says “Ireland” on it as well as an Irish flag. I went to my closet today to put it on in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, but I couldn’t find it. It must be in a box in the basement.

What do you think of when you think of St. Patrick’s Day? Parades … wearing green … pinching people who don’t wear green … eating corned beef and cabbage … going to the pub and drinking a pint? What do you think of?

Did you know that St. Patrick is not from Ireland, he is actually from England? When he was a youngster, he was taken captive as a slave and was sold in Ireland. He eventually escaped back to England, but really felt God’s calling in his life to return to Ireland and minister to the Irish people. He did return to Ireland, not as a slave, but as a missionary, bringing the good news of Jesus Christ.

Kinda puts a whole new meaning on Jesus’ words, “But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)

Who does God want YOU to reach out to?  Think about it.

Spring Is Coming

I saw my first Robin today. That is a definite sign that Spring is on its way!

Persecuted Christians

There are many Jesus-followers around the world who share our faith, but not our freedom. As a result, they suffer persecution. From time to time, I will include news about certain events here on my blog. And I encourage you to pray for them.

Muslim Radicals Kill Three Christians and Wound Dozens in Southern Ethiopia [Developing]
Group Vows to Eradicate Christians from the Province

Find our more at www.persecution.org.

The Washington-DC based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) www.persecution.org learned that Muslim radicals killed three Christians and wounded dozens more on March 3, 2008, in the province of Nensebo in Southern Ethiopia.

To date, eight of the wounded have been taken to the town of Awassa in a neighboring province for hospitalization, while those who were seriously wounded were taken to Black Lion Hospital in Addis Ababa. Among the wounded are a police officer and a Christian whose hand was cut off by the radical Muslims.

According to ICC sources, Muslim radicals recently made a covenant to wipe out Christians from the Muslim-dominated province of Nensebo. As part of their agreement, they vowed to destroy churches in the area and threatened to attack any Christian group that does missionary work.

Christians and Muslims in Ethiopia had been living peacefully together until the arrival of Wahhabi Islam from Saudi Arabia. The spread of Wahhabism, fueled by financial support from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States, is radicalizing Muslims who are in turn increasingly hostile towards Christians.

Previous attacks by Muslim radicals have taken place further west in Ethiopia. This most recent attack occurred in the South, showing an increasing spread of Muslim radicalization throughout the country.

ICC would like to ask concerned parties to contact Ethiopian Embassies in their respective countries and call for the protection of Christians in Nensebo and other Muslim-dominated areas of the country, who are facing increased attacks from radical Muslims.

Ethiopian Embassies:

USA: (202) 364-1200
Canada: (613) 235-6637
UK: (020) 7838 3897

# # #

ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC delivers humanitarian aid, trains and supports persecuted pastors, raises awareness in the US regarding the problem of persecution, and is an advocate for the persecuted on Capitol Hill and the State Department. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

He Said It

I found this picture on a friend’s blog.

An Effective Reminder

I was driving down the highway today minding my own business and listening to the radio. A car entered the highway from an entrance ramp and began to slowly lose speed so that I caught up with it. I slid over into the left lane, and as I began to pass this car I glanced over at the other driver. I assumed he was daydreaming or talking on the phone or just trying to make me mad, but as I looked over I noticed he was extremely preoccupied with something. He had his finger in his nose digging for gold. It wasn’t an “I got an itch” kinda dig, but it was in there up to the knuckle.

Now I know nasal cleansing is a fact of life, but I can guarantee you that this guy would not be doing it if he knew I was going to see him. I’m sure he would be embarrassed.

Someone once said that our reputation is what people think about us, and our character is who we are when no one else is around. We are usually more worried about our reputation than we are about our character.

So ask yourself, “Who am I when no one else is around?”  What can you do to improve your character? Work on your character, and the reputation will follow.

Out Of Shape

I’m so out of shape. You remember the treadmill I brought back from Houston? Well, I got on it and did a quick mile, and it about killed me. You can’t tell it by looking at me, but before we moved I regularly went to the gym and lifted some weights and did the treadmill at home. There for awhile, I was doing about 20 miles a week on the treadmill. That’s a goal I want to work towards again.

Anyway, as I was huffing and puffing and thinking that a heart attack was coming any second, it occurred to me how easy it is to get out of shape. The same thing is true spiritually. If you’re not careful and don’t keep it up, your spiritual life can get flabby. That reminds me, I need to go read my Bible.

How’s your spiritual life? What can you do to strengthen it?

The Big 4-Uh-Oh

Today I am turning 40, if you can believe it. When I turned 30 it was kinda hard as I saw my youth fleeting away from me and I was no longer in my 20’s. Now I’m turning 40 and it is no big deal. It looks weird to actually type out the number 40, but age is a state of mind, right? You’re only as old as you feel, and I’m feeling pretty good.

By the way, Carlos Ray Norris, also know as Chuck Norris, turns 68 today. Happy Birthday, Chuck.

A First

We got up today and headed out towards a church here in town that we haven’t checked out yet.  I looked at their website last night and thought it said they started at 10, and we were leaving the house at 9:50.  For the first time that I can ever remember, I was going to be late to church.  I blame our tardiness on the time change, and the fact that I live with 3 other women and only one bathroom.

We got to the church building and there were still people walking around in the lobby, so I thought “Great.  Everyone else is running late so we are on time!”  We were greeted, I looked at the bulletin, and it said church started at 10:30.  So we were actually 25 minutes early.  Apparently at 10 they have a fellowship time with drinks and donuts in the gym, then the service actually started at 10:30.  Now that I look at their website I can see that.

They were the friendliest group of people we have met yet.  Several made it a point to meet us, and visit a little bit.  Nice people.

During the service, a lady over my left shoulder was snoring.  It’s not because the service was bad; I’m sure she was trying to catch up on that hour of sleep that she lost.

All around it was a good day.

Freedom Ridge Dinner Thoughts

1. It was well attended. Everyone who said they would be there was there.

2. The food was good. I picked the main course up from the Hy-Vee deli. I told them I would pick it up at 6:15, and when I showed up they said they thought I was going to be there at 11 a.m. They put it back in the cooler and had to warm it back up. It put me behind schedule a little bit, but everything worked out OK.

3. The kids were awesome. They seem to have some musical ability.

4. Thanks to CCF for letting us use their space.

5. A couple families who want to be part of Freedom Ridge weren’t able to make it to this dinner. Maybe next time.

6. It was great to meet everyone and learn more about them!

7. Thank you, G, for bringing the dessert!

8. I’m excited about the possibility of working with and alongside everyone who is a part of Freedom Ridge. God has some great things in store for us!

Virus Update

The virus is getting the best of me.  My anti-virus software people gave me a plan of action, which I tried to do.  Part of it was running the scanner again, and I did.  It scanned for 15 hours (yes, hours) and was 53% done when it mysteriously shut down.  I’m gonna have to contact them again and possibly get a custom cleaner created.

It was probably some 13 year old kid out there with too much time on his hands that created this thing I’ve got.  I wish he would use his powers for good instead of evil.

I’m fightin’ a virus

I’m feeling OK; it is my computer I’m talking about.  I have a laptop that I use for work stuff, and yesterday evening it began acting kinda weird.  It was running slooooowwww, popups began shootin’ up like crazy, and it was nearly impossible to do anything on it.  I stayed up until 1:30 AM trying to run my virus scan, which went very slow, and it would shut down before it was finished.  I ran my yahoo anti-spy and it found a lot of stuff.  I would delete it, run the anti-spy again, and everything would be right back where it was.  I downloaded another adware program and it did the same thing … find stuff, delete it, but it was still there.

I contacted my virus scan people, and they said I have a rogue application on my computer and there were some special steps I had to go through to get rid of the problem.  I am in the middle of it right now, so I’m hoping it takes care of it.   There’s plenty of stuff I need to be doing right now, and messing with a computer is not one of them.

I don’t have anyone to blame but myself.  The moral of the story: make sure your anti-virus software is up to date.   Come to find out, mine wasn’t.  It’s usually those common sense things that get past you.  I think I’ll go kick myself.

Coffee

I have never been a big fan of coffee. I like the smell of it, but the taste of it is not so great. I’ve tried it with half a cup of sugar and cream, but still can’t do it. Since moving to Iowa, I’ve been to Starbucks 3 times, Cafe Milo once, and I’ve stopped by the local convenience store 3 times to get a hot drink. Maybe the cold weather has triggered a survival instinct inside of me. I’ve had more in the last 8 weeks than I’ve had in my entire life.

But to be fair, I’m not getting plain old coffee. I’m getting stuff that has chocolate in it, which I love. Chocolate is one of my downfalls.

Freedom Ridge Dinner

I can’t wait for Friday. We’re having a bunch of people together who are interested in hearing about Freedom Ridge. We’re going to feed them a free supper, and then I’m going to talk for just a few minutes about the vision and mission of Freedom Ridge and what we’re going to be doing as a church. We have a pretty good group signed up for our inaugural dinner, and I can’t wait to get them all in one place! It’s gonna be great. The weather is cold and snowy today, but so far Friday looks good. I can’t wait!

If you want to come, there’s still time. You can find out more info at our website.

A Prayer

There are two things, Lord, I want you to do for me before I die: Make me absolutely honest and don’t let me be too poor or too rich. Give me just what I need. If I have too much to eat, I might forget about you; if I don’t have enough, I might steal and disgrace your name.

- Proverbs 30:7-9

Simple Things

My whole family went over to my daughter’s school tonight, because the school was putting on their first-ever PTA carnival. My wife had signed us up to man one of the games. The game we were in charge of was the bucket toss, which is where the kids stand behind the line and try to throw a ping pong ball in a small bucket. If they make it in the first one, then they try for the second one. If they make it in the second one, then they try for the third one … all the way up to the sixth bucket.

There were probably 30 different games and tons of kids there ranging from preschool up to 8th or 9th grade. It was neat watching them, because they were having so much fun with something as simple as throwing a ping pong ball into a bucket. It was a great reminder for me to enjoy the simpler things of life. It’s too easy a lot of times to get caught up in the stress and all the junk that life throws at you, and you forget what it is all about.

So next time you begin to worry, or the stress starts to pile on, or life gets chaotic, just take a deep breath and remember what is really important in life.