Gmail - Once Before I Loved Google Mail

I have been an evangelist for GMail since it first premiered. The crowning achievement of Google mail is the idea behind archiving mail rather than deleting it. I have made many a converts to Google mail because of my soap boxing about the genius of this feature. Second only to archiving was the filter option. Using this feature I set up a second mail address and a whitelist of people I wanted delivered to my PDA. Now I could get mail from the people who mattered most, exactly when it was sent, while my more mundane mail sat nicely back in the laptop.

It was because of these 2 features I have begun to roll out Gmail to our company. So far I have moved our first 9 people over to Google Apps and still have about 50 to 60 more to migrate over. I am quite thankful I decided to do this is increments, since I am out SIGNIFICANTLY less money as I now have to decide whether I will be moving any other employees over to this platform.

Google Mail, once the envy of mail servers everywhere has cut the forward feature. Now whenever I attempt to add a new filter I get some message about that not being possible, making the once glorious GMail, now just another mail server.

Google has no support, and my business sales person will not return my calls, so I am left to search for a new company with all the glory that Google once featured.

Quesadillas and Tomatoes

I was to meet my wife for lunch today, but sadly she stood me up :( It was the second day in a row. :( I'm starting to get hurt.

Well, so I made her lunch anyway. When she does arrive home she should find a plate of Steak Tenderloin Quesadillas and Rome Tomatoes with a Parmesan and Basil topping.

Actually in reality she has lunch plans every Tuesday that she must have forgotten when she told me to I could cook for her today. I still left out the wonderful plate of food. Just to make her fe

Surely We Can Change

David Crowder Band has a wonderful song on their new album that came out today. It is called "Surely We Can Change." It is an amazing re-imagining of St. Francis' prayer! One snippet to encourage you from this amazing new song.

Where there is pain
Let there be grace
Where there is suffering
Bring serenity
For those afraid
Help them be brave
Where there is misery
Bring expectancy
But surely we can change
surely we can change
something

Surely We Can Change

Peace - Community - Life - God's Power in Middle East

"'We oppose the way the U.S. government tries to manage the world. We think this method is wrong. It leads to war, discrimination and bloodshed.'" - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

I do not endorse President Ahmadinejad or his policies as a national leader. I merely say that President Ahmadinejad illustrates two fronts where he is correct and it would be in the best interest of "homeland security" to take a lesson.

FEAR - SEPARATION - DEATH - These 3 consequences of the Fall are the fundamental essence of earthly power. When the U.S. government (or any earthly power) desires to grow it's influence in the world, it's only tools are fear, separation, and death. All kings and nation states have wielded these three powers from the beginning of time. War is a game of manipulation and brute force to compel the people of an "enemy" nation to embrace the idea that your people are a greater threat to their peace, their community, and their life than their current situation. President Ahmadinejad is correct when he preaches a message that says U.S. military interference in any external region leads to destabilizing of that region. Power that comes from an earthly source is ALWAYS met by power that comes from an earthly source.

PEACE - COMMUNITY - LIFE - President Ahmadinejad popularity is in his nation is off the chart, while President Bush's popularity is at a historic low. President Ahmadinejad visits the provinces, promises new services, get economic policy from his butcher, etc, etc, etc... Now please do not mistake me for a fool. I am sure he is disingenuous, and merely a manipulator who is playing the "good guy card" BUT, his popularity is at the VERY LEAST a symbol of good policy in the middle east. If we as God's people responded by providing new services, improving the social economic situation of the area, and demonstrated the love of Jesus we would be embracing a new power, a power that would surely eradicate radical Islam's recruiting power. The power Jesus encourages his followers to embrace is based on a new model. It is not the world's power, instead it the power of the cross. It is the power that lead almighty God to wash the feet of disciple and to share the message, "Whatever you did to the least of these, you did to me!" Power that encourages peace, that strengthens community, and redeems life from the clutches of death is the much greater power. Power that comes from a Godly source ALWAYS reclaims the dignity and humanity of each person as equal in the sight of our creator.

God's power, not the world's is THE source of freedom and peace!

Google's Plant To Rule The World

Google's honeymoon is long sine over, and the darling of us technophiles must soon execute her plan to rule to rule the world, if she ever wants to dethrone Big Green out in redmond. Robert Cringley in The Power of Six outlines the possibility of how their crusade might just be about to start. It is the most intriguing tech read I have enjoyed in the past year. So eat it up!!!

My Dry Rub

I had 3 different people in recent days ask me the reciepie behind my dry rub. I am embarrassed to tell them how simple it is. If there were any others out there, who think I make a mean Pork butt and here is my secret.

4 lbs DARK brown Sugar
1/3 lb Minced Garlic
3 Cups Kosher Salt
6 Ounces Cayenne Pepper

You'll want to put most of it away until next time. I rub my meat 1 hour before I cook.

My Frustration Knows NO limitations

Matthew 25:40 - "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

I am overwhelmed with excitement as our church prepares to begin working alongside our Hispanic brothers in reaching out this community in our area. As one of our elders sent an email announcing the beginning of Spanish classes at our building this is the response back to the entire email list from one member:

It seems to me we should better teach an English class to all those who want to learn.  Seems like it would prove to be more useful since they have come to the United States to live.
Love you all,
X

I am MOST certainly thankful that Christ did not require me to learn Aramaic, or worse to make myself righteous before he was willing to offer me salvation. I can only imagine how this might have worked out on Spiritual Scale:

Step 1: Live Sinless
Step 2: Since you failed step 1 you're already screwed, report to the lake of fire upon death.

CHRIST HUMBLED HIMSELF! CHRIST TOOK ON FLESH! CHRIST BECAME LIKE US! Why? So that we might be SAVED!!! This idea that we will only provide outreach to those willing to conform themselves to our Social, Civil, Political ideals is an affront to God and detestable to His gospel! THE KING and CREATOR did not demand his disciples take up the towel to wash his feet. HE carried the basin to THEIR feet and cleaned them by his efforts. Finally he instructed them to GO AND DO LIKEWISE!!!!

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL!!!! It is not an invitation to CONFORM to Conservative 1950 WASP ideals of Americana!!! It is not a path to better US residency policy. It is not a call to outsiders to sacrifice their identity for our convenience. THE GOSPEL is a call to SELF SACRIFICE. The gospel's goal is that we will KILL OUR ENTIRE SENSE OF SELF for the sake and name of God's Kingdom!

I sit here with tears flowing from my eyes as I type this! We must confess this arrogance and rid it from our churches by true repentance, the kind that is TREASONOUS to our former selves. WE too are only pilgrims and guest of the nation, WE ARE CITIZENS OF GOD'S KINGDOM!!! We should plant our faces to the ground, and cry out for God's mercy in the face of our arrogance!