Houston, we have a problem. Specifically with Blogger.com. I am using Blogger.com because Chris Pirillo of Lockergnome gave a raving review of how wonderful Blogger.com is. WAS ?? I am not slamming Blogger or Chris Pirillo because I realize that technology sometimes just does not cooperate. It has been a bit frustrating however to NOT be able to use this service now that I am totally sold out to it. Hopefully for Blogger (and my frustration level) things will even out and the service interruptions will begin to subside. Having extensive experience in the IT Network Management and support I KNOW that technolgoy does not work "automagically". A LOT of work and planning goes behind something like Lockergnome, Blogger and of course Jesus Connect. :) I have been a very avid reader of Chris Pirillo's Tech ezines for the last several years. Chris has a way of making technology easy to understand. Chris is a very bright individual and his writing style allows you to learn something new as well as get a chuckle at the same time. Thanks Chris !
Rant mode off....
Friday, January 11, 2002
I checked my hotmail account today. Had a message from member services telling me to either reduce the size of my email account or purchase more space. They only give you 2 mb of space to begin with.
I found out that my BULK email folder at 999 DUPLICATE messages from SPAM.
All the commercial spam is sent there automatically by Hotmail. That means that they allow SPAM to fill up your email folder intentionally so they can sell you more space for MORE SPAM......
It is bad enough that they force you to have a MSN id to use any of their services on the Internet. Then they allow something to happen so that you have to pay them for more abuse. Good grief. Now, that is customer service.....
NOT
I found out that my BULK email folder at 999 DUPLICATE messages from SPAM.
All the commercial spam is sent there automatically by Hotmail. That means that they allow SPAM to fill up your email folder intentionally so they can sell you more space for MORE SPAM......
It is bad enough that they force you to have a MSN id to use any of their services on the Internet. Then they allow something to happen so that you have to pay them for more abuse. Good grief. Now, that is customer service.....
NOT
Thursday, January 10, 2002
I was reminded today of how powerful relationships are. Sometimes they can be bittersweet no matter how intimate it is. God sometimes works through our relationships with other people to reveal his truth in us in our every day lives. Knowing WHO God is does not help us to understand how to apply His principles to every day living in a practical way.
If you have ever had a friend let you down you know what I mean. The closer that friend is and the more vulnerable you allowed yourself to be the worse the pain is when that person lets you down or hurts you. I had to laugh at myself today because I described someone as a bottom feeder. The situation was harmless and no one really got harmed. A birthday cake was purchased with minimal expense and effort with the expectation that the person would ACT like they atleast appreciated the effort. This person is part of a group of folks that choose to celebrate their respective birthdays with a cake and song and some fellowship. This person decides to take the day off from work without saying a word KNOWING that I was out buying the cake and making sure that it would arrive for their enjoyment.
I am reminded of the fact that their are consequences for my actions , no matter how insignificant the situation is. How many times have I let someone down or broken a promise? Was I the bottom feeder at that moment? You bet I was. I thank God for His Holy Spirit who enlightens me and convicts me of senseless mindless acts of carelessness and harshly spoken words or deeds undone. I thank God that the power of the Holy Spirit inside of me drives me to desire a life of integrity and honor.
It is so easy to be selfish and seek out our own needs and desires forsaking those around us. It is so easy to be indifferent and to allow our individual pain and struggles to anethesisize us against the needs of others. The days of our lives can not be spent carelessly in the pursuit of making ourselves content and happy at the expense of others. Entertainment value can not turn our faith in God into a spectator sport where we only engage our faith in God during Sunday morning when we have our pretty Christian face on for others to see.
Help me Jesus to not be a bottom feeder with regards to the humanity around me. Help me to let YOU shine forth in all that I do and say. Give me strength dear Lord in this area of my life.
If you have ever had a friend let you down you know what I mean. The closer that friend is and the more vulnerable you allowed yourself to be the worse the pain is when that person lets you down or hurts you. I had to laugh at myself today because I described someone as a bottom feeder. The situation was harmless and no one really got harmed. A birthday cake was purchased with minimal expense and effort with the expectation that the person would ACT like they atleast appreciated the effort. This person is part of a group of folks that choose to celebrate their respective birthdays with a cake and song and some fellowship. This person decides to take the day off from work without saying a word KNOWING that I was out buying the cake and making sure that it would arrive for their enjoyment.
I am reminded of the fact that their are consequences for my actions , no matter how insignificant the situation is. How many times have I let someone down or broken a promise? Was I the bottom feeder at that moment? You bet I was. I thank God for His Holy Spirit who enlightens me and convicts me of senseless mindless acts of carelessness and harshly spoken words or deeds undone. I thank God that the power of the Holy Spirit inside of me drives me to desire a life of integrity and honor.
It is so easy to be selfish and seek out our own needs and desires forsaking those around us. It is so easy to be indifferent and to allow our individual pain and struggles to anethesisize us against the needs of others. The days of our lives can not be spent carelessly in the pursuit of making ourselves content and happy at the expense of others. Entertainment value can not turn our faith in God into a spectator sport where we only engage our faith in God during Sunday morning when we have our pretty Christian face on for others to see.
Help me Jesus to not be a bottom feeder with regards to the humanity around me. Help me to let YOU shine forth in all that I do and say. Give me strength dear Lord in this area of my life.
I feel sorry for insomniacs. People who have chronic problems with getting the necessary rest to function during the day. Scientific research shows that a person with sleep depravation is much more dangerous than a falling down drunk. Our brain needs rest and if you dont get it you are not running on all cylinders. I know how it feels because I apparently have a problem with sleeping. If I sleep during the day for any amount of time I am able to stay up all night. I guess by nature I am a night owl. I spent quite a few years working 6 pm to 6 am and maybe my biological clock has never really adjusted. I do my best thinking and creativity at 1 am. How can that be? Maybe I am just wired that way. Now that I have to get up at 5 am so I can be at work at 6 am it causes a real problem. At midnight I force myself to go to bed at 12:00 am and sometimes dont get to sleep until 1 am.
The year 2002 finds Grace Fellowship making some changes. Each Wed evening service will be either a Youth Service, Lay/guest speaker, dinner/clean up, Praise and Worship and a business meeting every 5th wed of the year. We discussed plans to do outreach for the purpose of growing the church. That outreach includes starting in the church and getting existing members to invite friends and family. Tom Glisson , our Pastor, agreed to allow a friend named Chuck to do some guest speaking on Wed evenings as well. We are talking about moving the sound room from the attic down to the area where the nursery is and sharing some of that space. We are talking about planning on funding sound equipment replacement. That is desperately needed too. Shannon has a line on some possible equipment that is not new but in almost new condition. Hopefully an arrangement can be made so that we dont have to shell out a ton of cash up front.
Blogger seems to be a cool way to jot down quick mental drivel and post it for others to read immediately. I hope that the server issues will be resolved soon and that the service that is being provided will stabilize. I will be making changes to the look and feel as I learn how to do them but for now things will stay the same with the basic template that I am using. I hope that you appreciate this and will come back often to read what Katy and I both will be writing here.
The year 2002 finds Grace Fellowship making some changes. Each Wed evening service will be either a Youth Service, Lay/guest speaker, dinner/clean up, Praise and Worship and a business meeting every 5th wed of the year. We discussed plans to do outreach for the purpose of growing the church. That outreach includes starting in the church and getting existing members to invite friends and family. Tom Glisson , our Pastor, agreed to allow a friend named Chuck to do some guest speaking on Wed evenings as well. We are talking about moving the sound room from the attic down to the area where the nursery is and sharing some of that space. We are talking about planning on funding sound equipment replacement. That is desperately needed too. Shannon has a line on some possible equipment that is not new but in almost new condition. Hopefully an arrangement can be made so that we dont have to shell out a ton of cash up front.
Blogger seems to be a cool way to jot down quick mental drivel and post it for others to read immediately. I hope that the server issues will be resolved soon and that the service that is being provided will stabilize. I will be making changes to the look and feel as I learn how to do them but for now things will stay the same with the basic template that I am using. I hope that you appreciate this and will come back often to read what Katy and I both will be writing here.
Wednesday, January 09, 2002
I received this story in e-mail and liked it so much that I wanted to post it here on my blog for all to see.
My Traveling Companion
By Edmund W. Boyle
I've spent most of my career as a traveling salesman, and I know that
there's nothing lonelier than a bunch of salesmen eating their meals in a
motel coffee shop.
One year, my five-year-old daughter pressed a gift into my hands. The
wrapping paper was all twisted, and it was bound together into a shapeless
mass by at least a mile of tape.
I gave her a big hug and sloppy kiss--the kind that all daddies give--and
proceeded to unwrap the little package she had bestowed on me. The contents
hidden within felt kind of soft, and I was very careful not to cause any
damage. With excitement radiating from her face, little brown-eyed Jeanine
stood attentively beside me in her too-small pajamas while I completed the
process of unraveling my surprise.
A pair of black, beady eyes peeked out from their papery hiding place, then
a yellow beak, a red bow tie, and orange feet. It was a stuffed toy penguin
that stood about five inches tall.
Attached to its right wing with still wet paste was a tiny, wooden sign, and
a hand-painted declaration, "I Love My Dad!" Beneath it was a hand-drawn
heart, colored with crayon.
Tears welled up in my eyes and immediately I gave it a special place on my
dresser.
Seldom did much time pass before I had to leave on another business trip.
One morning when I was packing, I tossed the penguin in my suitcase. That
night when I called home, Jeanine was very upset that the penguin had
disappeared. "Honey, it's here with me," I explained. "I brought it
along."
After that day, she always helped me pack, and saw to it that the penguin
went in along with my socks and shaving kit. Many years have gone by since
then, and that little penguin has traveled hundreds of thousands of miles
all across America and over to Europe. And we have made many friends along
the way.
In Albuquerque, I checked into a hotel, dumped out my bag and dashed to a
meeting. When I returned, I found the bed turned down and the penguin
propped up on the pillow.
In Boston, upon returning to my room one evening, somebody had perched it in
an empty drinking glass on the nightstand--it never did stand up that well.
The next morning I left it sitting in a chair. Again that night it was in
the glass.
Once, at New York's Kennedy airport, a customs inspector coolly asked that I
open my bag. And right there, on top, was my little pal. Holding it up,
the agent quipped, "That's about the most valuable thing I have seen in all
my years on the job. Thank God we don't charge tax on love."
Late one night, after driving over a hundred miles from my previous hotel, I
unpacked my luggage only to discover that the penguin was missing.
Frantically, I phoned the hotel. The clerk was incredulous and a bit aloof.
He laughed, saying it hadn't been reported. Nonetheless, a half an hour
later, he called back to say that my penguin had been found.
The time was late, but not that late. I got back in my car and drove the
couple of hours to retrieve my two-toned touring buddy, arriving near
midnight.
The penguin was waiting at the front desk. In the lobby, tired business
travelers looked on at the reunion--I think with a touch of envy. A few of
them came out to shake my hand. One man told me that he had even
volunteered to deliver it to me the very next day.
Jeanine is in college now and I don't travel as much anymore. The penguin
spends most of its time sitting on my dresser--a reminder that love is the
best traveling companion. All those years on the road, it was the one thing
I never left home without.
My Traveling Companion
By Edmund W. Boyle
I've spent most of my career as a traveling salesman, and I know that
there's nothing lonelier than a bunch of salesmen eating their meals in a
motel coffee shop.
One year, my five-year-old daughter pressed a gift into my hands. The
wrapping paper was all twisted, and it was bound together into a shapeless
mass by at least a mile of tape.
I gave her a big hug and sloppy kiss--the kind that all daddies give--and
proceeded to unwrap the little package she had bestowed on me. The contents
hidden within felt kind of soft, and I was very careful not to cause any
damage. With excitement radiating from her face, little brown-eyed Jeanine
stood attentively beside me in her too-small pajamas while I completed the
process of unraveling my surprise.
A pair of black, beady eyes peeked out from their papery hiding place, then
a yellow beak, a red bow tie, and orange feet. It was a stuffed toy penguin
that stood about five inches tall.
Attached to its right wing with still wet paste was a tiny, wooden sign, and
a hand-painted declaration, "I Love My Dad!" Beneath it was a hand-drawn
heart, colored with crayon.
Tears welled up in my eyes and immediately I gave it a special place on my
dresser.
Seldom did much time pass before I had to leave on another business trip.
One morning when I was packing, I tossed the penguin in my suitcase. That
night when I called home, Jeanine was very upset that the penguin had
disappeared. "Honey, it's here with me," I explained. "I brought it
along."
After that day, she always helped me pack, and saw to it that the penguin
went in along with my socks and shaving kit. Many years have gone by since
then, and that little penguin has traveled hundreds of thousands of miles
all across America and over to Europe. And we have made many friends along
the way.
In Albuquerque, I checked into a hotel, dumped out my bag and dashed to a
meeting. When I returned, I found the bed turned down and the penguin
propped up on the pillow.
In Boston, upon returning to my room one evening, somebody had perched it in
an empty drinking glass on the nightstand--it never did stand up that well.
The next morning I left it sitting in a chair. Again that night it was in
the glass.
Once, at New York's Kennedy airport, a customs inspector coolly asked that I
open my bag. And right there, on top, was my little pal. Holding it up,
the agent quipped, "That's about the most valuable thing I have seen in all
my years on the job. Thank God we don't charge tax on love."
Late one night, after driving over a hundred miles from my previous hotel, I
unpacked my luggage only to discover that the penguin was missing.
Frantically, I phoned the hotel. The clerk was incredulous and a bit aloof.
He laughed, saying it hadn't been reported. Nonetheless, a half an hour
later, he called back to say that my penguin had been found.
The time was late, but not that late. I got back in my car and drove the
couple of hours to retrieve my two-toned touring buddy, arriving near
midnight.
The penguin was waiting at the front desk. In the lobby, tired business
travelers looked on at the reunion--I think with a touch of envy. A few of
them came out to shake my hand. One man told me that he had even
volunteered to deliver it to me the very next day.
Jeanine is in college now and I don't travel as much anymore. The penguin
spends most of its time sitting on my dresser--a reminder that love is the
best traveling companion. All those years on the road, it was the one thing
I never left home without.
What is so cool about technology is that there is NEVER a shortage of things to learn. Some folks are addicted to many things, I am addicted to technology. I call this mind candy. Input, give me more input. What I am writing here is probably senseless drivel but that is ok since I am changing the settings and learning how to customize the Blogger interface. I am learning how to add Favorite Links and such as that. Please bear with me as I stumble around in here. You will also be happy to know that you will be able to see my wife Katy posting here as well. I set her up as my team member and she will be able to post here as often as her heart desires. That will give this blog some variety. Cool stuff aye?
The joys of technology is that there is ALWAYS something new to toy with. I found out about this thanks to Chris Pirillo over at Lockergnome via his Windows Newsletter.
I am not sure what I am going to use this for. I am very good at mindless drivel and I do fancy myself as somewhat of an amatuer writer so perhaps I will publish some of my thoughts.
Since this is my VERY FIRST BLOGGER entry I need to say something about me and my family. I live in Goose Creek SC with my family (Katy , Justin, Kristina). I have a 15 yr old boy by the name of Jeremy in Houston Texas and a daughter (Jessica) that went to be with the Lord on August 5 of 2001. I am just turned 40 and as I look back I am very blessed to have survived this last 40 years with no worse the wear both phyiscally or emotionally. In June 2000 Jessica Ann was diagnosed with cancer and we lived with that issue up until her passing on August 5th, 2001. We are working on getting life back to normal. I am the LAN Manager at the Naval Weapons Station in Charleston. I manage 8 servers and approximately 125 nodes for the Public Works Commission. This LAN is part of a larger MAN located on the Naval Weapons Station.
Year 2002 finds me and Katy looking forward to Weigh Down workshop. Grace Fellowship Church is going to allow us to host this workshop at the church fellowship hall.
We have had our first inquiry about this workshop. We will need three or four more folks to get started officially. Start date is the first part of February. I seriously need to drop some weight and having experienced the loss of 35 lbs with this system back in 1999 I know it will be beneficial to my health. I work from 6 am until 2:30 pm so that will allow me to do this in the evenings once per week. I have become quite an avid student of bowling this last year. Some of the folks at our church are in the habit of bowling every Sunday and I bowl on a league on the Naval Weapons Station each Monday evening. Our bowling team is called Holy Rollers and currently we are in 3rd place. Having used a straight ball for bowling I have decided that my average is just not going to improve. I purchased a relaxed fingertip ball which will allow me to develop a hook for better control and more direct hits to the pocket which hopefully will increase my pin count and therefore my overall average.
Jesus Connect Ministries consumes a good portion of my time online. The year 2002 finds us implementing a new version of Off World Colony which will fully automate a lot of functionality both on the server and for the administrators who run it on a daily basis. That would be me. Reynold, who is our founder and technical support guru, is going to chat with me on the 12th of this month and get me up to speed. Battle Plan Ministries has taken off like wildfire as Bill and Elly Berry head up the sexual addictions support message phorums. Bill Berry is an elder at Central Church in Memphis Tenn and he has been able to get his church to engage what he is doing through BPM for a support group at his church helping men and women who are fighting with sexual addictions. I am praying and trusting God to send us more Internet savy christians that can help us with the many phases of ministry here at Jesus Connect.
The year 2002 finds Katy and I going through the initial phases of grief after having lost a child to cancer. We are on month number 5 without Jessica and I believe that we are just now getting to a point where we fully realize that she is gone. We were invited to a weekend at Myrtle Beach on January 18th where we will be meeting with other parents who have lost children to cancer. I am thinking that this will be good for us even though I am not really looking forward to it. My wife is looking forward to a week away from Goose Creek and the kids. More updates on this as things change.
I believe that I will be pointing all of my friends and family to my "Blogger" page for updates from here on out. This appears to be a way to share information without having to send out multiple e-mails to multiple e-mail addresses or distribution lists. I can also write down my thoughts anywhere I am at and then just transfer them to my Blogger interface and publish them at will.
Be sure to come back often. I drivel quite often. I probably drivel way too much but you might get something out of what I say if only things to pray about. I am hopeful that my thoughts and daily struggles will be a reflection of my faith in Christ as HE is the center and purpose of my life. I am hopeful that as I voice my daily thoughts and struggles to this blog that someone will be encouraged and lifted up. God is my refuge, my strength in time of trouble. Without God I would be nothing.
James Moffitt
January 9, 2002
I am not sure what I am going to use this for. I am very good at mindless drivel and I do fancy myself as somewhat of an amatuer writer so perhaps I will publish some of my thoughts.
Since this is my VERY FIRST BLOGGER entry I need to say something about me and my family. I live in Goose Creek SC with my family (Katy , Justin, Kristina). I have a 15 yr old boy by the name of Jeremy in Houston Texas and a daughter (Jessica) that went to be with the Lord on August 5 of 2001. I am just turned 40 and as I look back I am very blessed to have survived this last 40 years with no worse the wear both phyiscally or emotionally. In June 2000 Jessica Ann was diagnosed with cancer and we lived with that issue up until her passing on August 5th, 2001. We are working on getting life back to normal. I am the LAN Manager at the Naval Weapons Station in Charleston. I manage 8 servers and approximately 125 nodes for the Public Works Commission. This LAN is part of a larger MAN located on the Naval Weapons Station.
Year 2002 finds me and Katy looking forward to Weigh Down workshop. Grace Fellowship Church is going to allow us to host this workshop at the church fellowship hall.
We have had our first inquiry about this workshop. We will need three or four more folks to get started officially. Start date is the first part of February. I seriously need to drop some weight and having experienced the loss of 35 lbs with this system back in 1999 I know it will be beneficial to my health. I work from 6 am until 2:30 pm so that will allow me to do this in the evenings once per week. I have become quite an avid student of bowling this last year. Some of the folks at our church are in the habit of bowling every Sunday and I bowl on a league on the Naval Weapons Station each Monday evening. Our bowling team is called Holy Rollers and currently we are in 3rd place. Having used a straight ball for bowling I have decided that my average is just not going to improve. I purchased a relaxed fingertip ball which will allow me to develop a hook for better control and more direct hits to the pocket which hopefully will increase my pin count and therefore my overall average.
Jesus Connect Ministries consumes a good portion of my time online. The year 2002 finds us implementing a new version of Off World Colony which will fully automate a lot of functionality both on the server and for the administrators who run it on a daily basis. That would be me. Reynold, who is our founder and technical support guru, is going to chat with me on the 12th of this month and get me up to speed. Battle Plan Ministries has taken off like wildfire as Bill and Elly Berry head up the sexual addictions support message phorums. Bill Berry is an elder at Central Church in Memphis Tenn and he has been able to get his church to engage what he is doing through BPM for a support group at his church helping men and women who are fighting with sexual addictions. I am praying and trusting God to send us more Internet savy christians that can help us with the many phases of ministry here at Jesus Connect.
The year 2002 finds Katy and I going through the initial phases of grief after having lost a child to cancer. We are on month number 5 without Jessica and I believe that we are just now getting to a point where we fully realize that she is gone. We were invited to a weekend at Myrtle Beach on January 18th where we will be meeting with other parents who have lost children to cancer. I am thinking that this will be good for us even though I am not really looking forward to it. My wife is looking forward to a week away from Goose Creek and the kids. More updates on this as things change.
I believe that I will be pointing all of my friends and family to my "Blogger" page for updates from here on out. This appears to be a way to share information without having to send out multiple e-mails to multiple e-mail addresses or distribution lists. I can also write down my thoughts anywhere I am at and then just transfer them to my Blogger interface and publish them at will.
Be sure to come back often. I drivel quite often. I probably drivel way too much but you might get something out of what I say if only things to pray about. I am hopeful that my thoughts and daily struggles will be a reflection of my faith in Christ as HE is the center and purpose of my life. I am hopeful that as I voice my daily thoughts and struggles to this blog that someone will be encouraged and lifted up. God is my refuge, my strength in time of trouble. Without God I would be nothing.
James Moffitt
January 9, 2002
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