I took the plunge

Can you say Windows XP Professional? Ok, how about Office XP Professional? I took the plunge and upgraded my Gateway PIII 866 mhz from Windows 2000 Professional to Windows XP professional. What the heck. It is Friday night and Katy is out doing her weekly cropping. Cropping, scrapping, scrap booking, whatever it is you call it. It leaves me at home with the kids, the animals and the computer network. It has been quite some time since I destroyed my computer and I figured with worse case scenario I had all weekend to rebuild the PC if I blew it up.

If you are like me you have heard nothing but horror stories about how pathetic XP device drivers are. Between that and the automatic registration process which requires a LIVE Internet connection. Before I got started this is what I did. I believe that it must have helped me just a little bit.

I uninstalled Norton System Utilities , Norton Pcanywhere and a Symantec utility driver of some sort. I also uinstalled about 15 software applications that I was not using anyway. The first sign of trouble that I had was when the computer rebooted for the first time duing the installation phase. I lost video for about 15 minutes while the rest of the installation took place. I got nervous but I figured as long as I could hear the hard drive grinding and see the cd rom lighting up I was NOT about to interrupt the process. I figured that I could call Gateway Tech support if necessary. Luckily for me after the last reboot video came back looking good.

I installed Office XP and upgraded MS Office 2000 Professional using disk 1. That upgraded everything and added Front Page. I then ran the 2nd Office XP cd to add the media content off that cd and it managed to hose up my MS Office XP install. Outlook 2002 went away. Back to CD 1 and the reinstall which recovered everything automagically. Go figure ??? The only thing that I did not like about the Office XP install is that Outlook 2002 or version 10. whatever made me re configure my message rules. I had approximately 65 rules so I wound up deleting most of them and consolidating my folders in my personal .pst file into the Outlook pst file instead.

I then ran the Windows Upate and downloaded all the critical updates as well as several of the non critical device drivers. NIC, Video and Logitech Video drivers were the winners. Every device driver I downloaded and installed worked and gave me increased performance. Thus far this experience has been a huge sucess !! I must say that Microsoft (am I really going to say this...) did a BANG up job on how the interface looks.

Now I need to install Snorton Antivirus software and pray that I dont blow this otherwise good evening into plasma dust. Snorton Anti Virus software can be a weeee bit termpermental. More on that later.

To read the entire article cut and paste the url below into your web browser

http://www.jesus-connect.net/jcmoffitt/Devotion/wial.html

Walking in Abundant life

Our life is but a vapor. We are passing through this world to enter into eternity. Eternity can be a scary thing especially if what it holds for us is uncertain. Fear is usually fear of the unknown. Fear can paralyze us and keep us from knowing joy, happiness and contentment with who we are and where we are in life. Life is a gift and we believe as Christians that God is the giver of this life. Some of us would further define God in the person of Jesus Christ. The Bible outlines a plan that God has given us so that we can walk in Abundant Life. Lets examine some of the scripture that shows us what the bible says about Life and Death.


John 10:9 "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
10 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

John 3:14 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15 "that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

John 4:14 "but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

John 5:24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

John 7:14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

James 1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one;
14 but each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.
15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown brings forth death.



The bible is our guide to life. The bible is our source of originality. The bible is our authority with regards to the beginning and end of life. The bible is our guide to living a life of abundance through Christ Jesus our Lord. Some folks believe that our existence was an accident and that we have evolved from being a cave man to a higher form of life.

I believe that each of us belongs to a global community called humanity. I believe that God created man and that we are to worship Him. I believe that God created us to enjoy those things that He has provided us with. God created us and provided us with everything that we need in order to have abundant life. I believe that God defines what our needs are through the pages of our bible. I also believe that we have gotten our needs and wants messed up and our life has gotten out of balance. I also believe that the evil of this present world has drawn some of us out and separated us from our full potential as Christians.

In an effort to pursue God we have set up different religions and religious denominations with unique definitions of behavior and religious requirements that are necessary in order to find God and have abundant life. What does life consist of on a personal level?

Eating
Sleeping
Emotions
Thought life
Sexual needs
Intellect
Physiology
Religion
Personal hygiene
Entertainment
Education
Sports
Hobbies
Children
Work
Relationships
Perceptions


As Christians we have entered into a personal relationship with God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I am not speaking of an emotional guilt or reflex that causes us to behave religiously. I am talking about our coming face to face with God of the universe because He revealed His plan for us through the reading of His word or by listening to His word being delivered to you through a sermon, bible study or personal testimony of another believer. When we become Disciples of Christ we move from one relationship into another. The bible says that we either serve the devil or we serve God. We have allegiance to either one or the other. We make a commitment to either one or the other. We cannot serve God and Satan at the same time. We have to make a choice that will have eternal circumstances.

Prisoner abuse (cough....)

Rant mode on....

I wonder if you can do different colors and fonts in our blogs? I would love to highlight utter nonsense in RED, especially when RANT MODE IS ON.....

Cough.... Apparently some dear folks are WORRIED that we are aBuSiNg prisoners of war. Cough.....

SAY DO WHAT ??

Imagine this scenario. You hired terrorists to fly large airplanes into a large building in a third world country. Something goes horribly wrong and the country you reside in is besieged by that countries armed forces and you are captured. What do YOU suppose is going to happen to your SORRY HIDE now?? Lets see about taking a trip down memory lane to Viet Nam. Yikes. Remember the horror stories about the POW camps there? I believe that most animal shelters treated cujo BETTER.

(Imagine me jumping up and down now) I can not do this for long since I am no longer light as a feather BUT this sort of thing makes me hopping mad. (The jumping has to stop folks, sorry) (Deep Breath) Does the Geneva Convention ONLY apply to Americans? Give me a break...... Are we treating the prisoners in a humane fashion? How dare we put shackles and hoods on people who put on tennis shoes laced with explosives. I thank God this idiot was too STUPID to get the thing lit. Did they FORGET how to put a fuse in it so HE could light it? Oh DUH........ So, this guy is not the brightest bulb in the chandelier huh?

I VOTE that instead of us spending our TAX dollars to build more prisons for POW's (not to mention the cost of taking care of them) that we fly the whole lot of them out to the Pacific ocean somewhere and dump them off on an uninhabited island. Provide them with a shovel, hoe and a bag of seed of some type. Give each of them a parachute and send them on their way. Heck, just to satisfy the flesh here why dont we drop the folks about 1 mile off shore and make them atleast swim the last mile since we did pay for the fuel to get them there and the gardening tools and seed. If they cant swim maybe one of their terrorist friends will help them out.

RANT MODE OFF

Remember that this is MY personal opinion. If you would like to share your opinion with me in personal e-mail FIRE away. Just dont flame me for my opinion. OK ??
:)

Happily driveling on the web

I need to look up the definition for drivel since I like to use the word so much.....

According to the American Heritage ONLINE dictionary that Yahoo provides to us cybercitizens this is the official definition

VERB:Inflected forms: driv·eled or driv·elled, driv·el·ing or driv·el·ling, driv·els or driv·els
INTRANSITIVE VERB:1. To slobber; drool.
2. To flow like spittle or saliva.
3. To talk stupidly or childishly. TRANSITIVE VERB:1. To allow to flow from the mouth.
2. To say (something) stupidly. NOUN:1. Saliva flowing from the mouth.
2. Stupid or senseless talk. ETYMOLOGY:Middle English drevelen, from Old English dreflian.OTHER FORMS:driv el·er —NOUN

Yikes, I am not sure that I like to think of my literary prattling as drivel. I wonder what blathering means. Hang on...... (sounds of mouse clicks)

INTRANSITIVE VERB: Inflected forms: blath·ered, blath·er·ing, blath·ers
To talk nonsensically.
NOUN: Nonsensical talk.
ETYMOLOGY: Old Norse bladhra. See bhl - in Appendix I.
OTHER FORMS: blath er·er —NOUN


Ok, I am batting a thousand here folks......

I will have to leave it up to the silent majority (you) as to whether or not I drivel or blather. Perhaps I do, perhaps I do not. I guess that it all boils down to your personal perceptions and opinions of me and/or my errrrrrr writing. :) No matter what you think of me or my online blog please do me a flavor. If you see me posting the same STUFF twice in the same day click on the "e-mail me" link to the left and let me know to let up on the cybergas and I can go in and edit it and remove the stereophonic drivel that is not necessary.

If you see me making multiple typos or ridiculous spellin mestakez then please let me know that too. Tell me spazcificly what wordz are mizpelled and I will correctum.

Mini Tanks

Driveling in Stereo , folks!!

Somebody please stop me. I am blathering in stereo again. You would think that if I post the same article twice that I would edit out the mistakes I made the first time.
My friend Nolan just told me that behind every good writer there is a good editor. I guess I need to find an editor that will suffer through what I do for free..... hahahahahaha

Any starving editors out there care to take my driveling on as a side line? I promise that I will try to say something funny atleast once per year. Ok, how about once per month?

Stay tuned for more drivel....

Spiritual Awkening, when will it happen to the church?

I wrote this in response to a friend of mine who posted a message about spiritual decay in America. This response speaks directly to those of us who call ourselves men of God.


A spiritual awakening will have to start with us.
The men of our families , of our churhes, of our communities, of our hearts.

Until the men, who are supposed to be leaders, in every facet of our lives decide to pick up our cross and count the cost to do God's will in our lives sin will prevail.

Lets look at this in a practical way since it is hard to define the affects of what our action would do on a bigger scale.

Imagine what would happen if you came home after work to find your mail box had been knocked down.
We would be irritated and we would eventually put the mailbox back where it belongs. We would reinstall our mailbox where it once stood. Imagine how angry you would get IF that same mailbox started to get knocked down 3 days out of 7 or 5 days out of 7 or even worse yet, every day of the week. What lengths would we take to STOP this from happening? Would we use cash to buy a more sturdy mailbox? Would we put the wood or metal that supports the mailbox in concrete now?
Would we hook up our video camera to a vcr and let it run all day to catch the perp who is doing this? Would we get our neighbor to watch the mailbox and house to see what is happening?

The point is simple. You would do everything within your power and reason to stop the destruction of your property. What about bad things being done to your family. What would you do if your wife or daughters were being sexually harrased or physically harmed? You would do everything in your power to stop the person from continuing this action.

Why is it we will go to every length to protect our mailbox and our family members but when it comes to issues of morality and national integrity with regards to moral standards we allow them to be continually flushed down the toilet? When the Victoria Secret commercials come on during prime time hours do we change the channel or turn off the TV or do we just sit there and watch? What about soft porn that shows on the premium cable channels late at night. When we are surfing the channels and find the smut do we automatically change the channel or are we drawn to it like a moth to a flame? How many times will we get burned by the evil wickedness of this day and age before we understand what is happening to our world?

How can the integrity of our testimony of who Christ is to us continue to be destroyed while we choose to live and condone a lifestyle of moral decay all around us?

The answer to that question is simple. We can NOT continue to destroy our testimony or witness for Christ. The world around us is dependant upon us to be real about our faith and love for others and holiness and obedience to Gods word. We must quit living for today and start looking towards the future and things of eternal value.

Back from Myrtle Beach South Carolina

Katy and I just got back from a weekend at Mrytle Beach SC. We arrived at 4pm Friday afternoon and got back home today at 1pm. We had a blast to say the least. It appears that the Happy Days organization has a ministry both to children with cancer or other diseases but also to parents after the child passes on. Happy Days and special events sponsors a weekend get away each year for parents. There were 25 couples there.
Katy and I and one other couple were the newbies in this fraternity of parents who have lost children to cancer. Jessica went to be with the Lord 5 months ago and this other couple lost their child on November 8 of last year.

Saturday was spent in grief counseling. I have to say that while this was a difficult time for Katy and I it was necessary. We learned that pain is a part of living but that misery is optional. In other words we learned that while our pain is intense and our experience devestating there is life after loosing a loved one to cancer. In theory we knew that already but it is hard to get beyond the pain and loss. We learned that there were three couples here in Goose Creek that have been through the same thing. That means that we have met some other folks that live in our area that understand exactly what we are going through and they might be able to help us through this during this next year.

Debbie Stevenson who is the director and vision for Happy Days and Special events (aka Camp Happy Days) is an incredible woman with a special gift for reaching out to the lives of sick children and their parents and bringing happiness and laughter to difficult situations. We had an opportunity to spend some one on one time with Debbie late last night and it was a neat experience just to hear her talk about her 20 years of growth in her organization and all the children and parents that she has had an opportunity to touch. I believe that she said that she has over 200 families who have been affected by a child that has died by cancer. Apparently a small portion of the parents take advantage of the activities that they sponsor.

Saturday morning after breakfast they had a financial counselor who spoke on the importance of getting our finances in order and then they broke up the females and males seperately into their own special support groups. Our pastor, Tom Glisson and Mark Smith from Mcalistar and Smith funeral homes were the facilitators of the mens group. Most of the men stated that they had never been to the couples retreat the first year after their child had died because the pain was just too intense and they did not want to deal with it. Apparently I am one of the few that actually has done this that they know of. I told them that I did not go because I was wanting to be there but because Katy had really been looking forward to being there. Katy needed a break from the children and seemed to enjoy herself.

After everyone finished breakfast John Evans , who is a motivational speaker, spoke to use about coping with grief and change in our environments. You can visit John's website at http://www.johnevansspeaker.com/. I plan on purchasing his book online. He is a VERY good speaker and blessed us with the things he had to say.
All things considered I am VERY glad that we made the effort to go on this trip. We both needed a break and it was good to make another step in understanding the grief process and getting on with our lives as a family unit.

God bless