I’m a big user of Google Maps. But since I moved into our home in Orlando four years ago, Google Maps has led people to the wrong house in our neighborhood. Now, Google allows users to edit their maps to improve accuracy. Hooray!
Before, I would tell people, “You can look up our address on Google Maps. It will get you close, on the correct street. But we’re on the other side of the lake, so keep driving around the lake until you find our house number.”
So, I’ve edited Google Maps. Now anyone can use Google Maps and actually get to our house without driving around the lake looking for house numbers. Cool!
Now, if Mapquest and MSN Maps would just let me update their location marker…
So if you want to come see Kay and me, please use Google Maps!
I’m reading in 1 Peter this morning. Some of the passages are especially challenging.
“So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. … So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed…” (1:6,7, New Living Translation).
I don’t understand why God needs to use trials to test our faith. It feels bad. It seems there must be another way. But apparently there is not, because he is both all wise and all loving. Putting these together tells me that he is not playing games with me. This is serious stuff and he’s committed to me – both as his child whom he loves and as his child whom he knows will be happiest as I grow stronger and purer.
I was also finishing reading in James this morning. Ch 4:10 surprised me in NLT (which is why I like to read different translations from year to year). “When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.”
I’ve been convicted personally about my need to feel and express my dependence on the Lord more regularly, multiple times each day. It’s easy to drift into independence where the focus becomes the mechanics of the Christian life and the processes that lead to success (like sharing my faith with the guy sitting next to me; organizing successful conferences, etc.). It’s a fine line and it’s not very sharply defined. But a life truly dependent on God delights him. By this time in our Christian lives, many of us know the words, and I can trick myself into a feeling of dependence.
My prayer lately is that I’ll truly live out my total dependence on him. It pleases him. He loves it when it’s pure in my own soul.
Kay and I are enjoying our time at Jennifer and Keli’s in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. And God delayed the fall colors until we could get here. They are several weeks late this year, according to locals. But they are JUST IN TIME for us! It’s beautiful. Here’s some examples of what we’re seeing.
We’re watching Macy’s parade, cooking a turkey, and enjoying being together.
Kay and I were on a flight from Dallas to Atlanta as we returned to Orlando. I sat next to Matt.
Matt was returning to Charleston from a medical mission project in Mexico. He was very excited and deeply touched by the things he had witnessed. He told me story after story of suffering and deprivation . One thing I’ve learned is to never assume people have made a personal decision to accept Christ. As I talked with Matt, I asked him one of my favorite questions, “How would you describe your spiritual journey? Where are you in your journey?” His response surprised me. “I’m wandering.”
The Delta Airlines seat assignment system had been used by God to make a divine appointment. Kay and I are people who truly follow Jesus. And Matt needs to know people who truly follow Jesus.
Matt lives off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. He told me proudly that he lives in the 62nd most prosperous zip code in the U.S. He is the son of a pastor. But he was hurt deeply as a young man by “people in the church”, as he put it. He does attends a church with his wife and children “because it’s good to be exposed to church stuff as long as the people are nice.”
But Matt doesn’t know Jesus. Matt is growing in his awareness that there is more to life than owning a home in the 62nd most prosperous zip code. God used the medical mission trip in surprising ways that touched Matt deeply.
As we parted in the airport , I gave Matt a booklet that speaks to young professionals. The booklet begins, “You invest in yourself daily — education, relationships, career. But have you ever considered the value of investing in the spiritual aspect of your life? The following four principles will help you succeed spiritually through a personal relationship with God.” I encouraged Matt to seek out a small Bible study group of similar young professionals to explore the spiritual aspect of his life.
So in this season of giving thanks, Kay and I are so very thankful for God’s faithfulness in our lives. We are thankful for His allowing us to serve as His ambassadors helping people find purpose and meaning in life. We are thankful for friends and partners who pray and give so that we can work around the world, and also so that we can speak to the guy sitting in the next airplane seat.
Does your church have a website? How effective is it? How would you measure effectiveness? Would you like some expert advice?
Some friends of mine have recently completed a powerful tool to help evaluate and improve church web site design to reach outsiders. This is a free, online self-assessment tool to help you and your church communicate to others, especially those outside your church.
I highly recommend that a small team from your church use this tool to evaluate your site. It’s based on several years of wise website design developed and tested by some of the best in the internet ministry world.
I watched this today. The social networking phenomena continues to grow. This is a very interesting online, group study, social networked Bible tool. What do you think?
I recently switched from a Palm OS Treo 650 to a Windows Mobile 6 device. I’m using a t-Mobile Wing. I’m enjoying grafiti again which is good since I have trouble typing on the Wing’s slide-out keyboard.
Things I like about Windows Mobile 6:
• Outlook Mobile. I live in Outlook. I can live comfortably in Outlook Mobile.
• Today screen.
• Opera mobile browser. Faster than IE mobile and much better than the Palm browser.
• Multi-tasking. I can sync while on a phone call.
Things I don’t like:
• Having to use menus for so many functions. Palm’s user interface is cleaner. Key functions are exposed through buttons on screen rather than nested in menus.
• Having no “silence” button. As one who moves in and out of meetings, an easy way to go silent is great.
• Memory management. Why can’t we have more than 64 mb of main memory? I have a 2 gb micro-SD card, but many programs must be installed in main memory. Email storage is in main memory (attachments can be directed to the storage card).
Program’s I’ve added:
• Google maps
• Delta flights tool
• Opera browser
• Infosafe (password store)
• Pocket e-Sword (free but no NIV, must be loaded into main memory)
• Pocket Bible (not free but has NIV, I’m using KJV for trial period)
I tried Microsoft Onenote. I love it on my PC, but the mobile version hides everything in menus. I found it clumsy to use. I use Word Mobile to take notes. The good news is that with grafiti, I can keep up with a speaker while taking notes. I could never thumb fast enough on my Treo.
Sam Varghese, of Bangalore, India, was our host. One of the amazing things about being part of a global mission organization is getting to know co-workers around the world.
A special treat was to meet Sam’s family, wife Kochumol, and children Toby and Tony.
Sam and Kochumol are Indian and we are American. We are separated by culture and upbringing, but we share a common “culture” of bringing glory to God by introducing people to Jesus Christ. We understand and teach the basics of knowing Jesus and growing as His followers. Although we have little in common from a world perspective, we have much in common from a Kingdom perspective.
Kochumol and Sam ride their motorbikes to campus for ministry. When they speak out of their passions to see others know Christ, Kay and I resonate with them. We all serve in leadership roles, but our greatest passion is that everyone knows someone who truly follows Jesus.
Kochumol helped Kay purchase a salwar kameez. After unsuccessfully looking around department stores and clothing kiosks, Kay purchased cloth and had a tailor make her dress. It’s a combination of loose-fitting trousers (salwar) with a long tunic or shirt (kameez). It’s accented with a long silk scarf worn around the neck and down the back. Very beautiful. It’s Kay, so of course it’s red! How do I know this stuff? Wikipedia!
A very special opportunity presented itself while we were in Thailand. We helped our associates from the country where 41 were recently imprisoned. We talked about improving their security to help prevent any more of our associates from being sent to prison. We talked about email security, website security, and notebook computer security. We identified steps for them to take. It is a privilege to help protect our associates through helping with security precautions. These are very special people who risk much as they serve God. I am humbled to sit beside them and advise them on security issues. Please continue to pray for the 41 and their families.
The good news is that with grafiti, I can keep up with a speaker while taking notes. I could never thumb fast enough on my Treo.
