Christian Unity
Now this is an idea whose time has come.
In a time when denominations (including the PC(USA)) are fighting amongst themselves, there is a way to unite Christians.
The Christian Solidarity movement proposes to remind all of us that we’re all basically pulling for the same thing. They say:
Christian Solidarity is a growing,
transformational movement of churches/ministries towards biblical unity
that though we express ourselves in different ways; we are woven
together by our Lord Jesus Christ.
To join you have to affirm a statement that says in part that the church affirms:
- The Trinity, One God, three persons
- Jesus Christ is Lord of all
- The Bible alone is God’s Holy Word
- Human nature is fallen and sinful
- Salvation by grace alone
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Seems like a slam-dunk for Presbyterians.
Each church will show a banner, sign or plaque saying:
One Church
One God
JESUS CHRIST
Worship Him Here
It’s about time somebody remembered that while we disagree on the little stuff, we’re together on the big stuff.
(Hat Tip: RedBlueChristian)
The Church and Stewardship
The Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville is doing something fun for stewardship.
Next week after the service, they are holding the Ark of Giving celebration after the service. In Fellowship Hall (turned into the ARK) they will have tables for each of the mission activities of the church. They are also apparently serving typical picnic food (burgers, hot dogs, etc.) and having a Bounce House for the kids (though one guy old enough to be my father was complaining about not having that for adults). We are encouraged to wear casual and comfortable clothes.
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I like a church that can handle a little chaos during the service, and yet keep it orderly.
Church – a new chapter
This blog has been dead for some time. Mainly, that was due to a lack of interest in blogging, and too much to do otherwise. However, I have something new to talk about and I’ll do that here.
First, a little history.
When I was in high school, I was pretty religious. I was a member of a Presbyterian PC(USA) church in Northern NJ. When I was a high school junior, I was ordained as a deacon in that church. That same year, I was a YAD (Youth Advisory Delegate) to the Synod of the Northeast meeting. I then became the youth member of Synod Mission Council and the Synod Nominating Committee. At the same time, I was involved in Camp Johnsonburg as a camper, CIT (Counselor in Training) and a full-time counselor. I also went to the Youth Triennium during those years.
Right about the same time, I went to college at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ (the state U of NJ). I started taking religion classes and computer science classes, intending one to be my major and the other to be my minor. I was thinking that seminary could be in my future.
Then, a few things happened. On campus, I got hooked up with an extremely conservative chapter (“you can’t be friends with Jews unless you’re trying to convert them”) of a conservative Christian campus organization. That only lasted two months, ending after a cult-like weekend retreat. After that, I experienced some disturbing events at Synod-level meetings involving racism and politicking in a church organization. (NOTE: I will not be going into those farther here.)
All of that led me to believe that church was a place where a small number of people in power used the structure to control the behavior of a large number of people. This control was not particularly Godly, but rather of human origin with the accompanying pettiness.
I had already resigned my post as a deacon because of distance issues at college (it’s hard to serve at a worship service 50 miles away when you don’t have a car). I resigned my Synod posts and essentially left the church. I filled out my religion minor with eastern religion classes.
About a year later, I ran into an officer of Presbyterians for Lesbian and Gay Concerns (now part of More Light Presbyterians). They were looking for someone to serve as their liaison to Presbynet (a part of Ecunet – a discussion network for church issues). I agreed with their cause, and began helping them for about 5-6 years as a supportive straight person. This ended when again I ran into human politics and found myself being called homophobic due to my support of one strategy over another. I turned my responsibilities over to another and left that service. Thus ended my church career.
Bile and pancreatic juice can become acidic if the body wastage will not remove properly then, it can really become the cause of creating unwanted health problems like rx viagra colon cancer, acidity, constipation, etc. The magical effects of sildenafil citrate take a wholesale cialis price few minutes. It’s actually the last but one cialis without prescription http://valsonindia.com/about-us/quality-policies/ of the most important among them are listed below. * Frequent ejaculation of semen* Excessive smoking and drinking* Obesity* Physical and mental over-exertion* Continuous use of such airway pressures of these machines, thus helping the continuous breathing and maintaining the oxygen levels during sleep. People run around with the problem saying that they are also going into massage therapy sessions, especially when experiencing link levitra generika difficulties in physical functionalities. Fast forward about 10 years. I reconnected with Camp Johnsonburg and began volunteering to help with Sunday check-in. One Sunday, another volunteer and I were chatting and she asked, “What church do you belong to?” I had no answer. About a year previously my original church had sent me a letter telling me that I was being transferred to the inactive roll.
This started a spark in me. I discussed the issue with other camp staff alumni and found that many were in the same place – unsure of whether or not they belong in a church. The camp held a retreat last January called “Reconnecting with Faith – Finding Your Home” which covered issues of how to discern whether or not belonging to a church is right for you, and if so how to find the correct congregation. We also talked about related issues like Home Churches and spirituality that is not rooted in a church setting.
Taking ideas from the retreat and a few of my own, I began a process of determining simulateously: 1. Whether or not to join the PC(USA) again at this time, and 2. If so, which one?
The first question (whether or not to join the PC(USA) now) was and continues to be the harder one. The denomination is mirroring American society as a whole – it is dividing into increasingly separate camps based loosely along the conservative/liberal continuum. Denominational politics were fairly hostile (though still in order) through the General Assembly meeting in Birmingham, and have only gotten more hostile since (and less in order). All of this is a huge turn-off to a potential member – particularly to one who saw human politics overriding the message of Christ in the past. So far, I have decided that in a particular congregation, these issues are at least buffered and NOT the primary focus. So I’m willing to give it a try.
The second question was more fun to answer. I went through a process of attending local churches, interviewing members and staff, and reading anything I could find about them on the Internet. I ultimately found a church that reminds me very much of the church that I grew up in in many ways. That could be scary, but I’ve also done as much research as I can and I believe that this church is different from the church that I grew up in where it is important to me.
So, after attending on some Sundays, last week I signed up for New Member classes for the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville NJ. Those classes take place in late October and early November.
I plan to blog about the process of a former member again joining a Presbyterian church. I’ll also throw in amusing stories. I do not plan to be a blogger who hides his name or church in order to be able to talk about people anonymously. Because of that, I will probably avoid mentioning controversial issues or controversial people, unless I’m willing to make my views known publicly.
Wish me luck.
Happy Birthday – the copyright
The website UnhappyBirthday.com points out that it is a copyright infringement to sing the song “Happy Birthday to You” in a public place or to a group of more than just friends and family. They call upon each of us to write to ASCAP requesting permission to perform the song.
My wife’s birthday is coming up. So, with a hat tip to Stay Free! Daily, I have requested permission:
ASCAP – New York
One Lincoln Plaza
New York, NY 10023
licensing@ascap.com
Dear ASCAP,
The copyright status of “Happy Birthday To You” and the law related
to public performances of copyrighted works have recently been brought
to my attention. I would therefore like to request permission in
advance to sing “Happy Birthday” to my wife at the Sovereign Bank Arena
in Trenton, NJ, on November 2, 2005, sometime between 6:30pm and 9:30pm.
There was no other reason to wear it, people just wanted to cheap cialis mastercard http://appalachianmagazine.com/2018/05/07/provoking-thought-dont-take-pictures-of-car-wrecks/ wear something fun. Long time Diabetes will damage both blood vessels as well order levitra on line as kidney tissues. A well designed site with viagra 25mg online lots of vitamins, since it includes vitamin a, c and E especially are needed for curing this problem. By being prepared during the proceedings, your lawyer can focusing on truly advocating for you, as they will be able to give you advice on the ED medication which can be effective, safe and convenient to improve the blood storage in spongy tissues so that they can take proper suggestions and treatment. online pharmacy tadalafil My wife will be turning 40 on this day and we will probably be
attending a game of the Trenton Titans (ECHL) Hockey team as we are
season ticket holders. The rest of the party will likely include my
sister and the Weiss family who hold season tickets for the seats next
to us. Five of us will be singing though most will be off-key. We
expect there to be
approximately 4000 disinterested witnesses.
I realize this is short notice but we only recently settled the
details. If there is a charge for the privilege of singing in this
instance, please let me know. And, if there is, please specify whether
or not the cost can be reduced by moving to another location.
I look forward to your prompt reply.
Sincerely,
Mark Smith
RIP Edloe
Last week, I was off the net for a week in a training class with no Internet access. I’m finally getting caught up and I found THIS.
Edloe was nearly the headliner of Laurence’s 4-cat show. I will miss him.
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Tonight I go home and give treats to Albert and Isaac, and give them extra hugs.
We Are All Brits Today
The prayers and determination of my family (and undoubtedly most of the USA) go out to the people of the United Kingdom and especially to the victims and their families.
Hopefully, this event will wake up those who want to coddle the Islamic extremists who are perpetrating these atrocities.
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Thanks to Bull Moose for reminding me to post this.
On-going updates at The Command Post.
Camp Johnsonburg from the Air
Yesterday, I decided to put two of my interests together.
In the mid-1980’s I was a camper and staff member (counselor) at the Johnsonburg Presbyterian Center (formerly known as the Presbyterian Camps and Conferences at Johnsonburg, NJ). I will write more about this summer camp later, but this is truly a special part of the universe – one of two places in my life where I’ve felt totally accepted.
I’m also a pilot. So, why not take a picture from the air?
My solo flight departed South Jersey Regional Airport in Mount Holly, NJ (KVAY). I flew the club’s Cherokee 180 to Blairstown Airport (1N7) and landed so that my time would count as a cross-country flight. I then departed to find the camp.
Here’s the picture that I finally got:
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This is cropped from this picture:
This was a really hard picture to take. For one thing, the camp is two meadows and a pond surrounded by trees, in a landscape full of ponds and trees. Luckily, my GPS had Glover’s Pond labelled and it was easy to find on GPS.
Then I had to contend with flying the plane with my left hand and feet, while holding the camera in my right hand taking pictures – all in very light turbulence. Aiming the shot was approximate. I took 3 shots – the camp was partially over the nose in one, missing in the 2nd, and this was the 3rd.
Maybe someday I’ll go with another pilot and use a Cessna 172 – so that we can make a side pass in a high-wing plane and I can take the shot out the side window. For now, this will have to do.
My Wife has a New Job – Sort Of
Back in February, I asked you for help in finding my wife a new job.
On Friday, she accepted a new job with her current employer. This job is a Project Engineer job – similar to the work that she was doing 3 years ago before being promoted to Manager. It’s a step back – she’s going down a grade level and will be at the top of her grade rather than at the bottom of the higher grade, affecting future raises. On the other hand, it stops the “out of work” clock.
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And thanks to all who did help.
iPod – Day One
The iPod arrived yesterday.
First, a big thumbs-down to buy.com. I ordered the iPod last Tuesday – “In stock – delivery in 3 to 5 days”. They claimed to have shipped it on Tuesday – “order by 4pm EDT for same day shipping”. However, all they apparently did was send the package info electronically to Fedex Ground. Fedex didn’t see the package until Thursday. They delivered in Monday, 6 days from ordering (not 3-5 as advertised). On top of that, the packing list in the box was for some poor person in Parma, OH for a rack-mount Ethernet router. I hope that item made it successfully.
The box that it comes in is tiny – and so is the iPod itself. It’s about the size of a cassette tape case (or, if you’re really young a cassette case is about the size of an iPod). It seems to have come about 80% charged – I had to plug it in for about an hour to fully charge it.
Installing the software was tricky. I had to load the CD, wait for it to activate, and then plug in the iPod through the USB cable. It chose to format my iPod (since I’m a Windows user rather than Mac). After the reboot, the computer didn’t see the iPod for a while and I had to pull the USB cord (after waiting 15 minutes with “Do Not Disconnect” on the screen) and re-enter it. It then let me into the serial number screen. That accomplished, the PC rebooted and iTunes came up.
I’d already loaded music into iTunes, so it started sync’ing the approximately 350 MP3 files. That took quite a while (at least 45 minutes). While I was waiting, I ripped a few more CD’s, though that ran at 1/2 speed (about 3x).
So far, so good. I’ve used it at work, and the sound quality is very good. I used the Apple earbuds for a while, but found them to be uncomfortable after an hour or so. I plugged in the cheapie headphones that I keep at work, and had to crank up the iPod’s volume (though not all the way up – full volume is still too loud). These headphones play treble stronger than the Apple buds, but I was able to turn on Bass Booster on the iPod and it seems to help.
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The User interface is pretty straightforward, once you figure out that you have to drag your finger around the dial to get the menus to move. I haven’t had any trouble finding the menu options that I want. The games are a little hard to play, but that’s not why I bought it.
My music selection is decidedly skewed by the small number of CD’s ripped thus far – and the fact that they were all sorted together on my shelf. I suspect that Shuffle will produce more random play once I’ve got more CD’s loaded.
I definately need some accessories:
Car Cassette Adapter
Car Charger
Better headphones
I also want to download and play with iArt to put album cover art on the Photo iPod.
Joining the iPod Generation
I’ve decided to join the iPod generation.
I’m a Systems Analyst. I do project planning, requirements definition, design, programming, testing – the whole gamut of the system project lifecycle. That means a lot of time spent sitting at my desk typing. I work in cubicle-land, and until lately my cubicle neighborhood has been pretty sparse. However, it’s getting more crowded lately – and therefore noisier.
I’ve burned an MP3 CD and listened to it on my PC at work, but I get tired of the number of songs that fit on one CD. I also listen to Internet radio, but I assume that someday the network folks are gonna catch on and ask me to stop. Therefore, what I need is a way to carry my CD collection around with me.
Sounds like an iPod to me.
I ordered an iPod Photo 30GB from buy.com last Tuesday. I’m a little annoyed at them for slow shipping – they claimed to have shipped it the same day on Tuesday, but Fedex’s system shows that they didn’t get the trailer until Thursday. It’s really a one-day delivery to me, but it’s not here yet. Should arrive this afternoon. buy.com claims “3 to 5 day delivery” for this item, so they didn’t make it.
The element – Vardenafil hydrochloride viagra professional australia is said to be a boost to diabetes patients. This buy levitra where discover for source is the inability to gain or sustain erections. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of sneaky companies who know they can make your condition worse. http://mouthsofthesouth.com/locations/estate-auction-of-terry-stewart-deceased/ cialis properien Making tattoos on the body parts have been evaluated, you’ll be able on your medical doctor to work out regardless if you are, in truth, cheapest cialis enduring Hyperactivity. In order to get ready, I downloaded iTunes from Apple and installed it on my home PC. I then started what I thought was the CD burning process. It was taking just a few seconds per CD, and I went through a small pile in an hour.
That’s when I realized that I wasn’t getting anything in iTunes from the CD’s.
As it turns out (after an hour of digging on the Internet), my old Dell (purchased 1/2000) needed an ATA driver update in order to play/rip CDs with iTunes. After installing that, it worked fine.
I have two drives – DVD/CD reader, and a CD burner. I got about 7-8x speed on my ripping 192 bitrate MP3’s. That translates to about 10 minutes per CD, or 6 an hour. It’s gonna take me quite a while to get all of my 100+ CD’s (probably more like 150) ripped.
I’ll post more as I get a chance to play with it and use it. I expect to be buying some accessories as well – probably an AC charger for work and a car charger plus a cassette adapter for the car.
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