Designed to inform, to encourage, to entertain and to stimulate your imaginations. Enjoy!
Saturday, December 31, 2005
"The Texas attorney general said on Wednesday that he added a new claim to a lawsuit charging Sony BMG Music Entertainment with violating the state's laws on deceptive trade practices by hiding "spyware" on its CDs.
Attorney General Greg Abbott filed the original lawsuit in November, accusing the company of violating state anti-spyware laws by embedding software in its CDs and media player to monitor users' habits.
The new charges brought by Abbott contend that MediaMax software used by Sony BMG to thwart illegal copying of music on CDs violated state laws because it was downloaded even if users rejected a licence agreement.
Abbott said in a statement: "We keep discovering additional methods Sony used to deceive Texas consumers who thought they were simply buying music."
The original lawsuit contends that Sony BMG secretly installed copy-protection software, using XCP programs, that was extremely difficult to remove from users' computers.
Sony said it has recalled the CDs, which feature music from 52 popular artists including Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong and Celine Dion.
Critics have said the MediaMax software lets the company track customers' listening habits even if customers reject maker SunnComm's terms in a licensing agreement that appears upon installation."
Top 10 Must-Have PC Maintenance Utilities
Identity Theft (GnomeREPORT)
Identity Theft (GnomeREPORT):
"The story I’m about to tell you is absolutely real - and don’t try this at home, kids. I still can’t believe it happened this afternoon, and I hope I never hear it happen again. Identity Theft is real, and what you’re about to read will astound you.
We hit the mall this afternoon, hoping to upgrade a few gifts and catch some day-after-Christmas sales. One store was offering 50% off, and (as you can imagine) the line was quite long. I stood in line, playing games on my
new cell phone, waiting for Ponzi to collect a few goodies and to checkout. Now, I’m typically oblivious to conversations that happen around me, but I couldn’t help but to catch one that was taking place between the girl behind me and someone on the other end of her phone line. This is where the nightmarish tale of information privacy truly begins.
The woman states that she needs her sibling to transfer funds ($300) between one bank account and another, but not to warn "Dad" because he might get upset if he knows why this small sum was being transfered. No big deal - I'm sure this happens all the time. I continue playing my puzzle game, happy that she's not my daughter and "managing" my finances behind my back. And then it happens (and mind you, I'm paraphrasing - but all of the following personal information was shared quite audibly for anybody to hear):
"My bank account number is [BLEEP]."
I was floored. She recited her entire bank account number to the other person, as if it was nothing more than a phone number. It gets worse.
"Then you'll need my Social Securty number, which is [BLEEP]."
My jaw dropped. I stopped playing my game, and actually felt myself compelled to turn around and inform her of the grave mistake she was making. But it gets worse.
"Then you'll need my password, which is [BLEEP]."
She did. She recited not only her bank account number, not only her Social Securty number, but the password to access this account. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. THIS REALLY HAPPENED THIS AFTERNOON! Had I, or anybody else around me, been nefarious, this would have been a dream come true. I should have stopped her when she first announced her bank account to anyone within earshot, but the girl's cavalier attitude implied immaturity (and would likely have prompted more than a nasty glance in my direction). Oh my goodness, folks - this was stupidity cubed.
You teach your kids not to accept candy from strangers. You teach friends never to click on links that come from unwarranted "PayPal" emails. You scan your computers for spyware religiously. For goodness sake, shout this story from top of the mountain so that all can hear. You NEVER share your Social Security number, you NEVER share your passwords, and you NEVER share your bank account information. And if you really need to share this data, you DON'T DO IT IN PUBLIC! Identity theft is real, and any one of these pieces of data could lead any thief to an endless goldmine. Anybody can be a victim - your finances could be comprimised in a snap. Fraud is everywhere, and it's not just online. Teach your kids to be responsible with information, please!
And she thought her father would freak over transfering $300 between bank accounts?! "
December 27, 2005 - Around the Tree - Daily Devotional
Friday, December 30, 2005
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by John Fischer
A friend’s letter this year was full of poignant meaning especially for those who have experienced the recent loss of a loved one. I can only imagine how that loss stings at this time of the season. This is the second Christmas my friend has spent without his wife of twenty-five years. The emptiness was especially hard this year because not all of his adult children were able to come home. He writes: “I almost didn’t do it. I thought what is the point of putting the tree up primarily for me? Yet sometimes in the quiet, God speaks. As I unwrapped ornaments we have collected over the span of a quarter of a century, memories unfolded. Our very first ornament was a Norman Rockwell ball dated 1979. Ornaments for the kids with the year written on each one including who gave them to us spilled out. Handmade ornaments from friends and even our own family creations begged to be hung on the tree for one more year. The more I unwrapped, the more I remembered, and the more I began to praise God for the joy He has brought in the lives of our family. So much of that joy has been you, our family and friends. In the quiet, the Lord spoke and reminded me of the joy of relationships and what it is to truly love and be loved.” It’s always a choice we all have. You can curse God for the bad memories or praise Him for the good ones. I’m sure we all have plenty to fill each category. This is a time of memories. Remember the good ones and know that God can redeem the worst of the bad. He’s in the redemption business, buying back our very souls from the clutch of death and despair. And here’s the greatest part: One day we will be gathered again with all those we love around not a Christmas tree, but around the Christ of Christmas who died on a tree so we could all be there. And imagine the singing and celebration and good times that are waiting to be had on that glad occasion! This is not wishful thinking. This is not fantasy. This is reality, promised by God and secured by His Son through His victory over the grave. These good memories will never fade. They are woven into the network of God’s will and stand forever as a testimony to God’s faithfulness. Praise His name forever!
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John Fischer is the Senior Writer for Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotionals. He resides in Southern California with his wife, Marti and son, Chandler. They also have two adult children, Christopher and Anne. John is a published author and popular speaker.
| | | Click HERE for a free subscription to The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional, your daily inspiration via email. Click HERE for a free subscription to The Better Life, your spiritual growth e-newsletter with articles by Rick Warren and others. To see a sample click HERE. Click HERE for information on Mobile Devotionals sent to your cell phone
($3.99 a month).
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CS Lewis quote
"We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive."
CS Lewis
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
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Holiday Wars - Daily Devotional
Monday, December 26, 2005
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by John Fischer
This Christmas, Christians have been caught in the throes of a war on semantics. We are seeing and hearing more “Happy Holidays” and less “Merry Christmases.” The beloved “Christmas tree” has turned into being a “Holiday tree." One television ad plays regularly with carolers singing: “We Wish You A Happy Holiday” to the tune of “We Wish You A Merry Christmas.” One can surely see why a general mood of fighting back could prevail. I have seen numerous emails floating around with pictures of Christmas trees lamenting the secularization of Christmas. The underlying tone of these messages so far has been one of anger and partisanship, as if to say: “They can't take our Christmas away from us!” It's an interesting question and one we need to consider seriously. If this a battle, on what level do we fight it? If someone wishes us “Happy Holidays,” do we respond with a hearty “Merry Christmas,” thus striking a blow for the kingdom of God? I'm not so sure it's as important as all this. After all, it's Christ that is the issue, not Christmas. I don't even think Jesus cares very much about what we or anyone else call an evergreen with lights on it in December. Jesus never cared much about labels anyway; He always cared more about what was in the heart. Here's how you put Christ back into Christmas: you celebrate Him as Lord of your life and ruler of your heart, and you love even those who want to take Christmas out of the Holiday equation. Jesus didn't come to condemn the world, but to save it (John 3:17). He came to forgive sins -- mine… yours… everybody's. Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. Let's not let religious pride get in the way of the core message of the gospel. It's never been us against them; it's us for them. We mustn't forget that Jesus came to die for the very people who are trying to secularize our country. In our zeal to keep Christ in Christmas, lets be careful not to alienate the very people who need Him the most -- those who don't know Him. People are more likely to be set on the road to salvation by loving, caring believers who are secure in the hope of the real Christ living in their lives, and whose faith is brighter than any Christmas tree. It's what's in your heart that really counts this Christmas. Let's not get so taken up with fighting to save a name that we forget to live out the reality of the hope of Christ to the world. If people end up encountering the real Christ of Christmas, it will matter little what we end up calling the holiday itself.
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John Fischer is the Senior Writer for Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotionals. He resides in Southern California with his wife, Marti and son, Chandler. They also have two adult children, Christopher and Anne. John is a published author and popular speaker.
| | | Click HERE for a free subscription to The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional, your daily inspiration via email. Click HERE for a free subscription to The Better Life, your spiritual growth e-newsletter with articles by Rick Warren and others. To see a sample click HERE. Click HERE for information on Mobile Devotionals sent to your cell phone
($3.99 a month).
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Saturday, December 24, 2005
When you need to get off the phone...
Thursday, December 22, 2005
"On December 8, 2005, we published a story that wondered: Firefox 1.5: Not Ready For Prime Time?
In response, some 450 (and climbing) InternetWeek , InformationWeek , TechWeb Pipelines , and Scot's Newsletter readers have sent details about their experiences with Firefox 1.5. A picture is emerging about Firefox 1.5 in the real world -- on a small percentage of Windows, Mac, and Linux computers -- that is less than positive."
"After creating Montage-a-google
, several people wrote to me suggesting I make a game based on the same technology. Montage-a-google is a simple web app that uses Google's image search to generate a large gridded montage of images based on keywords (search terms) entered by the user. Guess-the-google reverses this process by picking the keywords for you, the player must then guess what keyword made up the image - it's surprisingly addictive."
Name that candy bar! (No....really!)
The art of ordering and eating sushi...this is not what you THINK it is!
“A Soalin” - Daily Devotional
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
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by John Fischer
Hey ho, nobody home,
Meat nor drink nor money have I none.
Yet shall we be merry,
Hey ho, nobody home;Hey Ho, nobody home. - Stookey/Batteaste/Mezzetti Peter, Paul and Mary made this traditional English folk tune a holiday favorite in the mid-sixties. My personal trophy was learning the guitar part as a high school student and singing this song in my own version of the folk super group, except we were “Jim, John and Gail.” (No wonder we were never famous.) The song is about the London tradition of poor children caroling in front of people’s homes expecting to be given treats or money in return for their winter serenade. This part of the song is anticipating that in the worst case (nobody home) they will choose to make merry anyway. Most of our giving at Christmas involves an even exchange of gifts—something appropriate to the friendship or the family connection. We sometimes base our gifts on what we received the year before. But the Bible talks about giving as well to those who can’t give anything back. This is the way God gave that first Christmas. He owes us nothing, yet He has given us everything in His only Son, and He asks for nothing other than for us to believe it and receive it. We, in turn, can give nothing back that comes anywhere near the value of His gift to us. The closest we can come is to give Him our own lives in service and obedience, which in truth is all that we have. Which makes our service not a duty, but a gift. Not an obligation, but a joy. Our service to God is our gift back. It’s nothing we can buy and wrap up. It costs more than that. This Christmas, as you work on your lists, think of giving to someone who is not in a position to give back. And do it quietly, perhaps even anonymously, so that the person receiving feels no obligation to the giver. This will give us a small taste of what God feels all the time. The streets are very dirty; my shoes are very thin.
I have a little pocket to put a penny in.
If you haven't got a penny, a ha' penny will do.
If you haven't got a ha' penny then God bless you.
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John Fischer is the Senior Writer for Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotionals. He resides in Southern California with his wife, Marti and son, Chandler. They also have two adult children, Christopher and Anne. John is a published author and popular speaker.
| | | Click HERE for a free subscription to The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional, your daily inspiration via email. Click HERE for a free subscription to The Better Life, your spiritual growth e-newsletter with articles by Rick Warren and others. To see a sample click HERE. Click HERE for information on Mobile Devotionals sent to your cell phone
($3.99 a month).
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McDonald’s too tempting for WTO protesters
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Thursday, December 15, 2005
McDonald’s too tempting for WTO protesters AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Updated at 3.08pm:
McDonald’s, the very symbol of globalization, is used to having its windows broken during violent protests at WTO summits, but not in Hong Kong where one group met for breakfast on Thursday.
Eight demonstrators ignored the anti-globalisation message of their “Junk WTO” baseball caps and feasted on Sausage McMuffins as they planned how to get across their anti-capitalist message.
One protester attending the talks and on whom the irony might be lost was French militant farmer Jose Bove, who spent three months in jail after he helped demolish a partly built McDonald’s outlet in southern France in 1999.
Mr Bove would no doubt be unimpressed by the lack of resolve displayed by his fellow protesters, but then again as the fast-food giant’s slogan goes, ”There’s a little McDonald’s in everyone”.
US-CERT Cyber Security Tip ST05-019 -- Preventing and Responding to Identity Theft
Cyber Security Tip ST05-019
Preventing and Responding to Identity Theft
Identity theft, or identity fraud, is a crime that can have
substantial financial and emotional consequences. Take precautions
with personal information; and if you become a victim, act immediately
to minimize the damage.
Is identity theft just a problem for people who submit information online?
You can be a victim of identity theft even if you never use a
computer. Malicious people may be able to obtain personal information
(such as credit card numbers, phone numbers, account numbers, and
addresses) by stealing your wallet, overhearing a phone conversation,
rummaging through your trash (a practice known as dumpster diving), or
picking up a receipt at a restaurant that has your account number on
it. If a thief has enough information, he or she may be able to
impersonate you to purchase items, open new accounts, or apply for
loans.
The internet has made it easier for thieves to obtain personal and
financial data. Most companies and other institutions store
information about their clients in databases; if a thief can access
that database, he or she can obtain information about many people at
once rather than focus on one person at a time. The internet has also
made it easier for thieves to sell or trade the information, making it
more difficult for law enforcement to identify and apprehend the
criminals.
How are victims of online identity theft chosen?
Identity theft is usually a crime of opportunity, so you may be
victimized simply because your information is available. Thieves may
target customers of certain companies for a variety of reasons: a
company database is easily accessible, the demographics of the
customers are appealing, there is a market for specific information,
etc. If your information is stored in a database that is compromised,
you may become a victim of identity theft.
Are there ways to avoid being a victim?
Unfortunately, there is no way to guarantee that you will not be a
victim of online identity theft. However, there are ways to minimize
your risk:
* Do business with reputable companies - Before providing any
personal or financial information, make sure that you are
interacting with a reputable, established company. Some attackers
may try to trick you by creating malicious web sites that appear
to be legitimate, so you should verify the legitimacy before
supplying any information (see Avoiding Social Engineering and
Phishing Attacks and Understanding Web Site Certificates for more
information).
* Take advantage of security features - Passwords and other security
features add layers of protection if used appropriately (see
Choosing and Protecting Passwords and Supplementing Passwords for
more information).
* Check privacy policies - Take precautions when providing
information, and make sure to check published privacy policies to
see how a company will use or distribute your information (see
Protecting Your Privacy and How Anonymous Are You? for more
information). Many companies allow customers to request that their
information not be shared with other companies; you should be able
to locate the details in your account literature or by contacting
the company directly.
* Be careful what information you publicize - Attackers may be able
to piece together information from a variety of sources. Avoid
posting personal data in public forums (see Guidelines for
Publishing Information Online for more information).
* Use and maintain anti-virus software and a firewall - Protect
yourself against viruses and Trojan horses that may steal or
modify the data on your own computer and leave you vulnerable by
using anti-virus software and a firewall (see Understanding
Anti-Virus Software and Understanding Firewalls for more
information). Make sure to keep your virus definitions up to date.
* Be aware of your account activity - Pay attention to your
statements, and request copies of your credit reports from the
main credit reporting companies on a yearly basis.
How do you know if your identity has been stolen?
Companies have different policies for notifying customers when they
discover that someone has accessed a customer database. However, you
should be aware of changes in your normal account activity. The
following are examples of changes that could indicate that someone has
accessed your information:
* unusual or unexplainable charges on your bills
* phone calls or bills for accounts, products, or services that you
do not have
* failure to receive regular bills or mail
* new, strange accounts appearing on your credit report
* unexpected denial of your credit card
What can you do if you think, or know, that your identity has been stolen?
Recovering from identity theft can be a long, stressful, and
potentially costly process. Many credit card companies have adopted
policies that try to minimize the amount of money you are liable for,
but the implications can extend beyond your existing accounts. To
minimize the extent of the damage, take action as soon as possible:
* Contact companies, including banks, where you have accounts -
Inform the companies where you have accounts that someone may be
using your identity, and find out if there have been any
unauthorized transactions. Close accounts so that future charges
are denied. In addition to calling the company, send a letter so
there is a record of the problem.
* Contact the main credit reporting companies (Equifax, Experian,
TransUnion) - Check your credit report to see if there has been
unexpected or unauthorized activity. Have a fraud alerts placed on
your credit reports to prevent new accounts being opened without
verification.
* File a report - File a report with the local police so there is an
official record of the incident. You can also file a complaint
with the Federal Trade Commission.
* Consider other information that may be at risk - Depending what
information was stolen, you may need to contact other agencies;
for example, if a thief has access to your Social Security number,
contact the Social Security Administration. You should also
contact the Department of Motor Vehicles if your driver's license
or car registration have been stolen.
The following sites offer additional information and guidance for
recovering from identity theft:
* Federal Trade Commission -
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/idtheft.htm and
http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/
* United States Department of Justice -
http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idtheft.html
* Social Security Administration -
http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/idtheft.htm
_________________________________________________________________
Author: Mindi McDowell
_________________________________________________________________
Produced 2005 by US-CERT, a government organization.
Terms of use
<http://www.us-cert.gov/legal.html>
This document can also be found at
<http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST05-019.html>
For instructions on subscribing to or unsubscribing from this
mailing list, visit <http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/signup.html>.
--
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Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.371 / Virus Database: 267.13.13/199 - Release Date: 12/13/2005
Why God made moms...
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Why God made moms...
answers given by elementary school age children to the following questions:
Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.
How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.
What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in
the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use
string, I think.
Why did God give you your mother and not some other Mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.
What kind of little girl was your Mom?
1. My Mom has always been my Mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.
What did Mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk
on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to
chores?
Why did your Mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.
Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof
ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.
What's the difference between moms and dads?
1. Moms work at work & work at home, & dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause
that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.
What does your Mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.
What would it take to make your Mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of
plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.
If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid
of that.
2. I'd make my Mom smarter. Then! she would know it was my sister who did
it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on her back.
==============================
THE MOMMY TEST
I was out walking with my 4 year old daughter. She picked up something off the ground and started to put it in her mouth. I took the item away from her and I asked her not to do that.
"Why?" my daughter asked.
"Because it's been laying outside, you don't know where it's been, it's dirty and probably has germs" I replied.
At this point, my daughter looked at me with total admiration and asked, "Wow! How do you know all this stuff?"
"Uh," ...I was thinking quickly,"All moms know this stuff. It's on the Mommy Test. You have to know it, or they don't let you be a Mommy."
We walked along in silence for 2 or 3 minutes, but she was evidently pondering this new information.
"OH...I get it!" she beamed, "So if you don't pass the test you have to be the daddy."
"Exactly" I replied back with a big smile on my face and joy in my heart.
When you're finished laughing, send this to a Mom.
=====================
"Dear Lord," the preacher began with arms extended and a rapturous look on his upturned face, "without you we are but dust..."
He would have continued, but at that moment one very obedient little girl (who was listening carefully) leaned over to her mother and asked quite audibly in her shrill little girl voice, "Mommy, WHAT is butt dust?"
Church was pretty much over at that point...
On conservatism and stupidity...
"Last month, The Chronicle ran an advertisement placed by the Duke Conservative Union which called on Duke’s president to address herself to the lack of political diversity among Duke’s faculty. Duke in this respect looks a lot like most other universities: in its history department, for example, there were thirty-two registered Democrats, a few unaffiliated faculty and, yep, zero Republicans. Nothing unusual there: just the usual academic understanding of diversity in action. What was a bit unusual was Professor Brandon’s explanation of the preponderance of left-leaning faculty at Duke. “We try to hire the best, smartest people available,” Professor Brandon told The Chronicle.
If, as John Stuart Mill said, stupid people are generally conservative, then there are lots of conservatives we will never hire. Mill’s analysis may go some way towards explaining the power of the Republican party in our society and the relative scarcity of Republicans in academia. Players in the NBA tend to be taller than average. There is a good reason for this. Members of academia tend to be a bit smarter than average. There is a good reason for this too.
Oh dear. A few days after this story appeared, Professor Brandon wrote a letter to The Chronicle complaining that he had received numerous “venomous, hate filled e-mails from self-described ‘conservatives.’” How shocking. It is not often, we think, that academic arrogance makes quite so blatant a spectacle of itself. Everyone knows that professors as a group tend to think they are smarter and politically more virtuous than anyone outside the professorial flock, but generally they communicate this conviction indirectly, through snobbery and other forms of patronizing behavior. There is something almost touching about Professor Brandon’s naked braggadocio. It is also nice that he manages to mangle John Stuart Mill and commit eighty-seven (some have detected ninety-four) logical mistakes in the space of his few sentences.
In our view, John Stuart Mill has a lot to answer for, but he never claimed that “stupid people are generally conservative.” He would never have been so stupid. What he wrote, in a footnote discussing Disraeli in Considerations on Representative Government, was that the Conservative party in England was “the stupidest party.” We trust that the chairman of the philosophy department at Duke University will appreciate the distinction.
In his letter complaining about the unpleasant response he had had to his comments, Professor Brandon announced that he would leave Mill out of his discussion. This was a wise decision. It might also be wise were he to take his own advice and “read more Mill.” He might then avoid the atrocious logic of his opening sentence: “If, as John Stuart Mill said …” Exactly how, Professor, does it follow from what you say Mill said (only he didn’t) that “then there are lots of conservatives we will never hire”? And how does Mill’s “analysis,” or whatever it is you think of as Mill’s analysis—in fact, it is an unsupported contention thrown out for rhetorical effect—how does it explain “the power of the Republican party in our society”? How does it explain “the relative scarcity of Republicans in academia”? It doesn’t. Of course, we know what you mean. You mean that you regard people who share your politics—which are the politics of 98 percent of the Duke faculty—as smarter than people who don’t. But doesn’t a professor of philosophy, albeit a professor of philosophy at Duke, have an elementary obligation to represent accurately a thinker he cites? And shouldn’t he make some effort to reason coherently and not simply emote? "
Deck the house with...
This gives a whole new meaning to Christmas decoration...wonder what the neighbors think? ;-)
You'll need Windows Media Player...and turn your speakers up, too.
Chuck
Wise Men Still Seek Him - Daily Devotional - December 12, 2005
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by John Fischer
It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings. (Proverbs 25:2 NIV) I normally don’t like bumper stickers because they so often trivialize the message, but one exception stands out. It used to show up around Christmas time, though I haven’t seen it for a while. It is the simple but profound assertion: WISE MEN STILL SEEK HIM. I like this because it says at least two things. 1) Those who seek God are wise. God affirms the dignity of the searcher and the search. The fact that God has set it up this way — has concealed His matters and invited us to search for Him — confirms our nobility. It says we have enough smarts to look for Him and recognize Him when we find Him. In fact, the proverb puts the searcher in the realm of kings. It’s a noble task to seek after God. 2) Those who seek God are given the benefit of the doubt, that if they seek Him, they will find Him. This is actually a promise in scripture: “…He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV). This is why those of us who already know Him don’t have to jump all over those who are seeking when they get something wrong or don’t put it in exactly the right words. If they are truly seeking, they will find Him, and it will be God who opens their eyes anyway. We need to respect the search of those we know who are seeking and not get impatient with them or think of them as stupid for not seeing what we see. When it’s time, they will. This may mean you might have to bite your tongue a little bit and not say everything you know all the time. Better to listen for those parts of the truth the seeker has already found and affirm them. Jesus didn’t spill all the beans as soon as He started preaching. He let a little bit out at a time. He talked in code (parables). He asked a lot of questions. He protected the search. He didn’t give what was sacred to dogs or throw out pearls to pigs. He always said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear,” and then He went on to not say everything. He made them hang on His words and come back for more. All of this protects not only the dignity of the search and the searcher, but also the dignity of the truth. It really should be this way; otherwise we could just put it all on a bumper sticker.
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John Fischer is the Senior Writer for Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotionals. He resides in Southern California with his wife, Marti and son, Chandler. They also have two adult children, Christopher and Anne. John is a published author and popular speaker.
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Thursday, December 01, 2005
From the site -- 'The "Complete Freeware Collection" is a collection of hand-chosen, freeware applications which, when combined, make for a complete software package to meet any and all of your day to day software needs. The whole idea of my creating this not so much to create a "best freeware" list, but to illustrate that when you get right down to it, all you really need, is to spring for an operating system. After that, you really do not have to spend one cent on software.
For example, apart from my Operating System, my favorite IDE
, and my favorite editor , everything else on my own machine is either free or open source freeware. I have used, or do presently use, every single one of the applications I have listed here, and endorse them fully and vouch for their quality.'
Christmas Creep: The Shopping Season Is Longer, but Is It Better?
"In September 2004, a prominent pastor in North Carolina admitted he had plagiarized sermons during the previous two years. In his words, he had been 'using sermons of some brother preachers, in part or in whole, for my sermons, and did not give them credit.' He tendered his resignation when confronted by a church leader who had heard a sermon on the radio, by a different preacher, that sounded suspiciously like one his pastor had recently preached."
