Anyway, the good thing about the browser is the privacy/security tech behind it. All items within a web page are kept in what Google calls a sandbox, which is where the scripts and web page flim-flam is allowed to play, but in a read only environment; this means that any malware and viruses that want to write data to your hard drive simply can't. Nothing can be installed on your local machine because everything in this browser gets absolutely no rights to anything other than the right to display in your open tab. Nice concept. For those of you that want to get the technical mumbo jumbo, read this comic book (yes, I said comic book).

I like it already. I'm using it to write this blog post.

Unfortunately, I haven't quite had the mind for it most recently. I've been a bit distracted, and haven't really given much of a focus to the writing, and the "keeping my peeps informed" routine; instead, I've been on the "where'd my clients go?" and "how do I get more clients?" mindset.

Well, so let me try again with this blog thing. I've been reading a lot of very interesting books, with some interesting concepts, some of which you might agree with, and some which may tick you off. I'll write about some of that stuff here in the next couple of weeks.

First book: Church Marketing 101.

Take a look at the photos.

James tells me he'll be putting it up for sale soon. Check back if you want to buy.

These visitors are coming from all over the world. The following networks are represented:
Canada, Non-Profit Organization (.org), United Kingdom, US Commercial (.com), US Educational (.edu), US Military (.mil), Australia, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand (Aotearoa), Philippines, US Government, Russian Federation, Sweden, South Africa, Belgium, Brazil, Italy, Singapore, Malaysia, Poland, France, Indonesia, Old style Arpanet (arpa), Austria, Kenya, Spain. By far the biggest is, of course, the United States.

I've added in some advertisements for two priests in the CEC: Holy Symbols, and Stitched with Grace, among others.

Let's hope that this brings at least one or two new visitors to their web sites, and perhaps generates some sales.

So for all of you who use the site - Thanks for using it!

Promote prayer in every way - even if it's online.

Update: Apparently, the books are there, but the LOC has primarily all the Hardcover books, while I have a lot of the softcover ones, and the ISBN's differ based on the binding.... hmm...

It's good that we're here.
What were Jesus' first words to Peter and the others when he had come back to them? "Arise, and do not be afraid." Hmm.... I'm thinking that God could have done very well without a terrified Peter there, and most definitely could have had a smashingly good time without some temporary shelters to protect him from the elements. Yeah, my vote is still for Peter blurting out something in his moment of panic.

Is it good that we're here?
If God could do without the three apostles with him there, then we have to ask, why were they even there? One, clearly, is that he needed Witnesses to the event. After all, Jesus said, "Tell the vision to no one, until the Son of Man is risen from the dead." He didn't say, "Tell no one, ever." He said, "Tell everyone, just not now." But even though he may have needed witnesses, why those three? Why Peter, why James, why John? I'm sure we could come up with reasons if we tried, but ultimately, those three were there because Christ chose them to be his Witnesses for this particular event. And Witnesses they were, and Witnesses they remained, until their own deaths, proclaiming Christ as King. Was it good that they were there? Absolutely.

But this passage is, of course, applicable to us too. We may not have been at the Transfiguration, we may not have been at the Crucifixion, or the Resurrection, but we certainly have been chosen to be witnesses for Christ. At any given moment, we are to be the vessel that manifests forth Christ's glory to the world. And so as we head into Lent - especially into Lent where doom and gloom seem to be the clothes of choice - I plan on asking myself that question: "Is it good that I'm here?" Because if I'm not manifesting Christ's glory as His Witness, maybe it isn't.

If anything else transpired after this, I don't know, I was laughing too hard.

And Yes. It's true. I live with these persons.

Yes, the man believed in nothing other than a miracle-worker. Yes, he wanted nothing other than to have his son healed. And yes, he would leave after he got what he wanted (I doubt this man wanted to leave his wife and family and follow Jesus as an itinerant disciple). Jesus knew this, and yet He still healed the nobleman's son.

So the man believed the word
Also interesting is that this man took Jesus' word for it. He didn't continue to implore Jesus to come down and touch his son, heal him before his very eyes. He simply said, "Ok. If you say it, I'll believe it. Thanks," and went about his way back home completely by faith. Then lo and behold, his servants come and tell him that his son has been healed at the exact time Jesus' said the boy was healed, and Boom, the man and his entire household believe. Not believe, as in "This guy is a miracle-worker," but as in, "This guy is the miracle-worker, the Christ." Still, my question is "would he have believed Jesus to be the Christ without that sign?" I'd say "No." After all, Jesus said as much to him before He sent him on his way. This man needed a sign, Jesus gave him one, and he and his entire household believed that Jesus was the Messiah. Without that sign, he might simply have been excited about a miracler-worker running through the Galilean countryside, and not given the Messiah bit any more thought. Sign needed, sign given, belief happened. End of story.

The fence riding bit
So what's the difference between this man, and the people who are waiting for God to drop a bomb in their laps? After all, both need - or want - a sign. The key difference, I think, is that the man had a bomb dropped in his lap and was told, "It exploded in your lap." And yet, without seeing the explosion, he chose to believe that the bomb in his lap had exploded. And sure enough, it did. Without that initial movement, he probably wouldn't have believed. Think about it: if the nobleman had kept pestering Jesus with the demand that he come and physically heal his son before his eyes, he would have missed the opportunity to believe the sign: he would have pestered Jesus for a miracle until his servants found him and told him that his son had gotten better, and he would have written off the healing to sheer length of time and a good immune system and completely forgotten Jesus' words that his son had already been healed. True, the explosion still happened, it's just that the nobleman wouldn't have noticed it if he hadn't moved.

The fence rider is waiting to actually see the explosion before he'll choose to move. What he doesn't realize is that the fuze lights up with his first step off the fence, moving out in full expectation of an exploded bomb. In other words, he pesters Jesus for a sign, and while bombs are going off all around him, he says, "I didn't feel it, so it didn't happen." And, "If it didn't happen, I don't need to move."

Drat those dastardly fence riders.

Which leads, of course, to the introspection...
I wonder how often I sit on the fence myself, waiting for God to show me exactly what to do next? I pray, asking for clarity upon clarity, but fail to move, or do, or be - because I need God's exact Word. Which, naturally, translates into, I want risk-free certainty, and don't want to live by faith.

Now, being an ordained Deacon in the CEC, I suppose I could safely assume what my ministry is. However, I believe there is a distinction between my "office" of Deacon and my personal "ministry."

This isn't really anything new, I know, but having spent so much time performing the duties of my office and trying to make a living, has aided my "forgetting" what my personal ministry was - and still is. And so I've spent some time praying the question, "What is mine?" This question is important to me, as not performing a personal ministry task makes me feel as though I'm merely treading water: staying afloat, but not swimming in any particular direction. Or, to put it another way, it's like sitting on a raft, being tossed around by the currents and waves, rather than sitting in a boat, which can be steered by sail and rudder once the Wind picks up. Of course, if I don't have my sails up, how can I be prepared for the Wind when it comes? So... it's time to put the sails up on this boat, and get prepared for moving.

And so I keep praying the same prayer: "What is mine?" One thing that God has reminded me is that He has given me a facility with languages, and words in particular. I know that He wants me to write; He's shared with me several things I need to put to paper, and so off I go, keyboard in hand. Perhaps I'll get those items knocked out in the next decade; perhaps not. But at least the sails will be up.

So anyway, now I'm playing along to the beginner CD, and every now and again, I hear myself saying things like, "Dang, missed a beat," or "Dang, missed the string," or "Dang, wrong note." The worst is when I've got the timing right, the note right, and my pick plucks air because I thought my hand was in a different spot. Still, it's fun.

For me, most things come fairly easily. This doesn't. Instead it frustrates me. But it frustrates me in a good way: it frustrates me to try harder. I actually practiced a full 30 minutes today. And I enjoyed every last "Dang."