Monthly Archives: October 2006

Portable Applications

30 Oct

As an independent software developer, I often find myself using computers that aren’t my own. There are a lot of tools and utilities that I like to use that aren’t always on these computers and normally, can’t be installed on these computers. That is why I have a 6GB USB drive loaded with portable applications that run directly from the USB drive and don’t write anything to the host computer. For instance, I can always use the Firefox browser on my USB drive that has all of my short-cuts. It’s a great tool. On one of these posts, I’ll list all of the programs that I use. Until then, here is a nice list of Portable apps that you might want to try:

http://www.kikizas.net/en/usbapps.html

Ms. Dewey

18 Oct

Ms DeweyOne of my great little pleasures in life is watching GeekBrief TV. Cali delivers a short Videocast that keeps me up-to-date on some of the coolest – geekiest – gadgets out there.

Today, she talked about Ms. Dewey. Ms. Dewey is a search engine with attitude. It is a new way of searching and in my mind, could offer a future way of interacting with information. Right now, it has kind of a “neato” factor but it isn’t really useful. I’ll stick with Google for my searches. It is neat to imagine how searching in the future may work!

Think about it. In the future, we could just ask our computer a question and it would deliver answers most applicable to what you want. It learns about you by how you respond to the results and eventually, it learns to deliver information to you that you find most useful. That’s the future – Ms. Dewey is just the beginning….. This is why I love technology!

Too Good To Be True

5 Oct

DVD Rewinder This morning, on the way to work, I dropped off a DVD I rented. I hate rewinding fees and so I’m glad I found this time-saver.
The DVD Rewinder has saved me a lot of time and no more late fees! One of the best things about a blog is that I can share with others the great products and ideas I find on the internet.

Sometimes, things that sound like the real thing can be false advertising. In today’s post-modern culture, I hear things that have a ring of truth to them but can’t hold theological water. It isn’t even limited to post-modern thought. Some main-line denominations are spreading a dangerous theology where practicing homosexuals are allowed to serve as pastors, they embrace a feminine god and encourage interfaith pluralism.

As believers in Jesus, we need to always ask for discernment. Some “gospels” aren’t always what they seem.

Pimping Jesus

5 Oct

I just came across this post today. It caught my attention!

I was standing before 200 people at church when I said it: “Salvation is not a walk down the aisle, a prayer, and wham bam, thank you ma’am, you’re done.” Jaws dropped; some faces turned white; some turned red. I was clueless, so I just kept teaching. It turns out that the phrase, “wham bam, thank you ma’am,” meant something different to me than it did to the rest of the world. Afterward some of my listeners enlightened me. I was embarrassed. I didn’t intend to equate one’s conversion experience to some sort of sexual encounter in the red light district.

Over the last few years, I have pondered the statement, and despite the fact that I originally meant nothing so profound, I believe the statement to be true—we are tempted to turn conversion into something of an act of prostitution. We are the consumers, and we might as well say it—we’ve turned Jesus’ invitation into a seductive, greasy, trick-turning lifestyle. Doesn’t that make your blood boil?
[read the rest at Out of Ur: Pimping Jesus : Consumerism and the red-light gospel]

One of the problems I have had with many once-saved-always-saved proponents is that to them, all you have to do is ask Jesus into your heart and you will be saved forever – nothing else to do. There are many of those who believe in the existence of so-called “carnal Christians”. Someone who is “saved” but lives a life of unrepentant sin. “Sure”, they say, “they will still go to heaven but they just won’t enjoy as many rewards”. I have had long, long discussions with people who believe this. It saddens me. That theology, to me, cheapens the gospel of Christ. It cheapens the sacrifice He made for our sins.

Another theology that has saddened me is the thought that there are different ways to come to God. Someone close to me said that although he chose Jesus as his path to God, he believes that other ways (Buddha, Mohammad etc) are valid belief systems and those choices are just as valid as his choice. My big question then is why did Jesus have to die on the cross? If there are other ways to reconcile your sinful self to God, then why did Jesus have to die?

I’d like to hear your thoughts……..