How many have your name? Results from "Derin Beechner"

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I'm Not Cool (Anymore)-The Minivan Controversy

I have had many friends over the years vehemently refuse to buy a minivan. Folks with 3 plus kids. Folks that are intelligent. Folks that can't fit their whole family in a car-so they drive 2 cars to the same place! Folks that scream minivan. Why? Because they think that minivans will make them turn from being cool to not being cool. And I also have had several friends with kids give up in defeat and buy a minivan and resolve to be not cool anymore.

OK, listen closely, here comes the truth: If you have kids you aren't cool anymore. No you're not! NO YOU'RE NOT!

If you are married you are not cool, well, OK, you are somewhat cool because you can pretend you are not married, and because you don't have kids yet, but this is just a transition stage. And if you are married WITH children, well, no, you are not cool. Single parent? You are not cool. There's also an age where you move from cool to not cool even if you are not married and don't have kids, but that is just creepy and not the point of this entry.

I am not cool. I have a minivan; in fact I have two mini vans, a purple one and a white one. I drive the white one. I may not be cool, but I am still a guy. But let's be clear on this. It is NOT the minivan that makes me not cool! It is the 4 children and a wife! It is my twins laughing at me and not with me. It is my 2-yr old son asking me if I have a penis too, in public. It is my 9-month old spitting up on my shirt! Minivans have nothing to do with it.

I had this conversation with a co-worker a few years ago and she went on and on about rollin' up in her SUV with the bling, bling rims and blah, blah, blah. If you park your pimped out SUV then strut to the back door, open it and pull out a kid. Well, guess what? You might think that you are cool, but you aren't!

If you roll up in a Lamborghini heads will turn. You can be in the scene from Mission Impossible III, with the Asian chick with the hair and the red dress and the Italian sports car. You drive up, heads turn. You park and eyes are glued to you and your car. You open the door and your long, naked leg hits the pavement while sticking out of your skimpy, sexy red dress-heads will turn and mouths will open. You walk sexily to the other side of the car and open the door and bend over-there will be gasps-maybe even applause! You come up holding your 9-month old baby boy...Heads will turn alright, THE OTHER WAY! The applause will halt and people will smile with embarrassment and many will laugh and shake their heads! Why? Yep, not cool.

You can be a cool mom or a cool dad and even a cool wife and cool husband. And guess what? I am a very cool dad and a somewhat cool husband! And you know what? There is nothing in the world cooler than having your kids, and sometimes your wife, think you are cool!

Like my friend Jeff said today on this topic: "I guess you can't be cool and responsible at the same time." EXACTLY. You can be young and single and cool-you have the whole world before you. Or you can be married with children-not cool anymore.

But here is the thing: Being married with children, well, that is the world in your hands. Holding your 9-month old after you have all the spit cleaned up and having him recognize you as Dad and then he smiles real big and laughs…that is cool.

That's cool.

-Durk-

2 Parts Malcolm, 1 Part Sweet Life, 1 Part 7th Heaven

That is pretty much the recipe make up of my family. Let me explain and then there will be a plea for help.

2 Parts Malcolm - My sister in law, Tammie, gave me the first season of Malcolm in the Middle on DVD for my birthday present. It is truly a creative and funny show. Thank you very much Tammie! It is my family without the genius kid and without the authoritative mom (and no authoritative dad either). And it gets the most parts of the make up of our family. It is dysfunctional and has devious children always getting into mischief. My life is similar, we are messy, I had to pry the crisper drawer open in the fridge and I had to wade through toys, mail and clothes just to get to the kitchen. The light is broke (not merely burned out) in the kitchen, so we use the light above the oven and the light above the sink. Thank goodness the fridge has a light.

1 Part Sweet Life - I am throwing in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody pretty much only because the show focuses on twin boys that get into trouble. And so does my family. We have identical twin boys and they get into everything. They fight something fierce with each other. And they have different personalities. No, we don't live in a hotel and there is no laugh track. Sometimes we are very entertaining, just ask the neighbors next to us-on the other side of the wall.

1 Part 7th Heaven - The last part of my family make up comes from 7th Heaven-but when everyone was young and there was no relationship, girl/boy drama! We are the big family (4 boys) and our faith in God is extremely important to us. Beyond that I guess we are nothing like the show. But I really couldn't think of a TV show that was boring and uneventful. Maybe we are more like the weather channel-you check in with us from time to time, but there isn't too much exciting happening, pretty much the same thing, different day, with a storm here and there-we get through it OK though. There's no prime time weather channel dramas. The weather channel without the drama…HA, that is funny.

OK, where in the world am I going with this? And isn’t my life one big giant plea for help? No, keep reading.

Keegan was invited to participate in the People to People Student Ambassador Program. A program designed to invite local students and send them to Australia for 19 days to be exchange students. Sounds cool right? Well, Kaleb wants to go too. If you don't have twins this will just seem like a sibling thing (life isn't fair, get over it), but they act in many ways like one person. So it is an issue. But you know what; they said that Kaleb could apply right along with Keegan! Cool right? Well the cost will be about $6000 PER KID. And $400 has to be paid with the initial application-that has to be submitted within a couple of weeks. There is this elaborate application process where you would think that they would "weed" out applicants and only choose applicants based on certain criteria such as grades, extra-curricular activities or how much the kid is going to add to the goodwill relations between the USA and Australia and thus aiding in providing peace to the rest of the world.

This is what makes me ponder the make up of my family. No geniuses. No athletes. No silver spoons. And even while medicated the twins still manage to put thought and planning into making a working hinged door in the middle of the fence-y'know, so they can get out through the side of the fence; the fence that surrounds the back yard of our rented duplex.

We got diapers, drooly kids (and a drooly baby). We eat in front of the TV instead of the table that is stacked with mail (we have a lot of mail), leftovers still on plates and food that never quite made it to the cupboards yet. (“We are just gonna eat it later.”) We have a puppy and the remnants-of-a-puppy carpet. The basement has a layer of clothes trying to make their way to the washer and dryer...on their own. Our garage is a storage area for all the stuff we don't want, but can’t even give away.

Well, glory day, it turns out that the application process pretty much consists of confirmation of initial payment and verification that your kid won't do anything to destroy the existing goodwill that exists between the two allies. And that the applicant won't cry to come home five minutes after he steps foot onto the 15-hour flight. They called this “mature enough to go”. Since there are no fences between our two countries I don’t think that goodwill will be destroyed (no planks to hinge). And as long as Kaleb and Keegan remain a duo they won’t be home sick for each other and cry to come home.

(Big sigh) That only leaves one obstacle…or how I look at it, 12,000 obstacles.

I don't have $12,000-twelve thousand dollars... And it just so happens that neither do Kaleb or Keegan. After seeing a video and a PowerPoint presentation THEY REALLY WANT TO GO! They keep asking, “Can we go? We really want to go.” And how can I tell them no? I mean the People to People folks gave us the address to a fundraising website! A FUNDRAISING WEBSITE!

So we are gonna give it a try. I mean it really is an opportunity of a lifetime if they go.

If they go.

There is still a cry for help, and that is where you come in. You will be hearing from us. We will be telling you how we are doing and what the latest news is! We will be knocking on your door, calling you on the phone, emailing you, sending you snail mail and trying to sell you anything and everything that we can get you to buy from us.

Maybe my family will find just the right recipe for success.

-Durk-

Here is the new blog for Kaleb and Kegan's venture: http://twinfundraising.blogspot.com/

Accessories and Goodies for PPC6700

I wanted to provide an update or a review of sorts on how I have been using my super cool, I-can't-live-without-it Sprint UTStarcomm PPC6700 Pocket PC phone. I want to share some goodies that I have found that enhance my pocket PC (ppc) phone experience.

First I am going to talk about accessories. I have had two issues with my phone from day one: The phone case and the ppc stylus. The case that the phone came with sucks rocks. It is flimsy, it is not very protective and it is just plain terrible. But for the longest time there were no alternatives. There were no leather cases specifically for the PPC6700 and there were no hard cases available. That has changed! There are leather cases, they are big and bulky and you might just find one you like. But what I am falling in love with is BoxWave's Armor Case™. FINALLY an armor case SPECIFICALLY for the PPC6700! Check it out; it comes in 2 colors, silver and black and 2 styles, one for extended batteries and one for normal batteries. The armor hard case sells for about $25-$30.

My biggest gripe about the stylus is that it keeps falling out of the darn phone! It just slides right out and I lose it! I have lost about a half dozen. So I needed to (a) find them cheap and (b) find something that may be better. The Styra - Ballpoint Pen™ is the answer! It is a stylus and a writing pen all in one! I LOVE IT! You can find the pen stylus at boxWave or SUPER CHEAP from eBay. I bought a pack of 3 pen styli off eBay and the total price with shipping was under $8.00! ROCK ON!

Next I am gonna talk about services. These services are free and I use them quite a bit.

Freecycle.org & Phone email- I mentioned MSN email (msn.com's email or hotmail.com) in my PPC6700 Review. The PPC67oo is capable of receiving email from hotmail or MSN. And that is very cool and handy in and of itself. However, I have found a great organization called freecycle.org. They are a nation-wide organization that is made up of community organizations that recycle stuff for free (free recycle or freecycle). If you wish to get rid of clothes, furniture, junk, etc and you don't want to throw it away but want to give it to someone who can really use it (and you aren't looking to make a buck) then this service allows you to do that. And if you are looking to score free stuff to use (not to sell!) then this is the service for you! Usually the local community is ran by a team of folks that use Yahoo Groups (Kansas City metro: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kcfreecycle/). After you sign up you will receive emails from folks who are giving stuff away or from folks who are looking for stuff. You respond and then go get your free stuff! My neighbor picked up a riding lawnmower, A FREE RIDING LAWNMOWER. The owner thought that the engine was toast and gave it away. With just some slight tinkering with the starter my neighbor got it running! My neighbor also has picked up a stove, a rocking glider, a refrigerator and some power tools. There are some slight catches, one: you might get as many as 100 emails a day and two: you have to be fast! So here is where my ppc phone comes in. I check my emails on my phone and respond quickly! I am number 4 on a list to get a free side-by-side refrigerator with an ice and water maker FOR FREE!! I received a chair and matching ottoman today. They were in great shape. My miniature weiner dog loves the ottoman!

Business Connection- The PPC6700 is capable of supporting a business connection email account. You will need to check with your employer's email services. My company granted access and created a connection between my employer's email server and my phone. I can receive work email directly to the PPC6700! I don't use this during the day, but after hours or when I am not logged in to my PC I get emails pushed to my phone! I don't have to click send/receive, my phone automatically goes out every so often and downloads new work emails!

Audible Player & Checking out Audio library e-books- The PPC6700 comes with several programs specifically designed to get you to spend your money on their services. One of those programs is Audible Player. It is an audio book player that can connect you to a whole library full of e-books that you can download for a fee (NOT FREE) and listen until you have mastered a dummies book or listened to the latest mystery novel. Sounds decent enough and my co-worker and fellow PPC6700 owner, Clyde, gave me a demonstration and a mini review-HE LIKES IT (THANKS CLYDE!)! But my friend Jacquie told me about a better way! Checking out e-books from your local library! That's right folks! You can login and download e-books from the online library and save them on your PC, your pocket PC or an iPod or .MP3 player. FOR FREE. I would encourage you to check it out: Durk's Local Library

I still totally love my PPC6700! I am constantly finding new ways to use it: Finding maps to navigate to my destination on the fly and in the car! Getting online to verify if an older XBOX game is backward compatible on the XBOX360...WHILE IN THE STORE! Finding new backgrounds while watching a sunset. Installing a TV remote control-that's right I can change the channel with my phone! I was at a garage sale the other day and used my phone to see what the item was selling for on eBay. And the list goes on and on. And now I can better protect it with a case and find a cheap replacement stylus/pen.

-Durk-

Israel vs. Hezbollah

If Hezbollah would lay down their weapons there would be peace. If Israel laid down their weapons there would be no Israel.

Just an interesting thought.

-Durk

Where is the Church? My 1st Rant

I have been talking to my mom about the emerging church or the Emergent Conversation that is taking place in the Christian church around the world. Google those phrases and check these out:

• Wikipedia's definition of emerging church
• explorefaith. org
• theemergingchurch. com
• anewkindofchristian. com

I don't fully understand it, so I am not too sure how I can explain it. I have read criticisms and I have read A New Kind of Christian by Brian McLaren who is really at the forefront of this conversation (they do not like to be called a movement). I also saw McLaren speak at a conference. I do know this: The Christian church has dropped the ball. Now I want to say that I am not ranting and raving against my mom. I’m just ranting to the air. I guess it is to the church, but to no one in particular.

The church has dropped the ball…and who is picking it up? The government with their welfare programs that keep the poor just poor enough to not want to do anything about not being poor! Who is picking it up? Planned Parenthood slaughterhouses that get rich by pretending to love their victims, while still manageing to offer some sort of false hope. Where is the church? Encouraging the discrimination of gays and promoting war (KEEP READING…). Why isn't the church helping low-income families? Why isn't the church helping single-parent families? Why isn’t the church helping the sick and poor? Why isn’t the church promoting peace? Why isn't the church doing its job? I don't know, but I understand that the world has turned from the church that stopped offering hope and to the world that has nothing to offer.

So let me clarify a couple of my above statements. I think homosexuality is a sin. Thankfully it is the church's job to help introduce the sinner to Christ-who forgives sins and transforms lives. I think the winds of change in Iraq were the right thing to force. But I am not blood-thirsty. As I write this there has been a thwarted terrorist attack in Europe, Hezbollah is attacking Israel and Israel is defending themselves and I have not forgotten 9/11. Tyranny and terrorism should be fought against. HOWEVER, war should not be romanticized. War is not good! It is necessary at times. Those times should be decisive and short.

I think part of the problem is that the church should be separate from a capitalistic culture. Don't get me wrong, capitalism has its place: in the economy! Heck, I eBay, that is capitalism at its purest. But the church should be a socialistic community of believers (within the church and within society). The church should be a place where the members want to make more so they can give more away to those in need! I remember thinking in college that the early church practiced socialism and that socialism could be a good American economy. I was very wrong. Bresee had it right or maybe it was Wesley, "Make all you can, save all you can and give all you can!"

It’s the church, THE CHURCH that should take care of people. The church should love people. The church should give away time and money and love. The church needs do invest in people and not expect a financial return.

Where is the church when it comes to illegal immigration? Should the church be on border patrol with guns? Should the church be harboring fugitives and helping people break the law? Is their another way? Why isn't the church offering to help immigrants come to The Land of Opportunity LEGALLY? Because it involves, spending money and giving up time! That kind of compassion used to be called sacrifice. Christians are not so good at that anymore; they leave that up to Christ, they nail Christ back on the cross and tell Him to stay there.

I am not a supporter of separation of church and state, I think it is unconstitutional. But it is happening everyday. So Christians can choose to fight it or they choose to accept it. I guess I do both. I vote with my heart, but I also do not believe in legislating morality. We no longer live in a Christian nation (if we ever really did), so once again Christians find themselves as the outsiders or the foreigners within their culture. I think it is important to make that distinction. The world does not understand Christianity! It isn't their job to pass Christian legislation or to believe the way we do! The world does not follow Christ. It is the job of the sinner to sin! That is what they know! That is what they understand. But yet we Christians still operate like we are still in power. But we aren't. And that's OK; it is the way it has always been! That is when Christianity does its best-when it is under fire! It was Tertullian who said, "In the blood of the martyrs lies the seed of the Church!" I'm not saying that we should sit back and watch while Christianity gets outlawed, but I don't think that it is always the church's job to legislate morality.

I think homosexual marriage can put an end to the sacred institution of marriage and I also think that banning homosexual marriages alienates homosexuals from the church. On one hand you have the world doing what the world does, sin! On the other hand you have the church hurting a group of people. It is a way for the church to discriminate against a community of lost people. Christians don't fight to outlaw couples who live together or protest against couples who get divorced for non-biblical reasons. We don't rally to outlaw affairs. I mean what is the church doing about Rev. Phelps and his band of haters; they protest at funerals! AT FUNERALS! I don't know what the solution is, but what if the church fought with the homosexual for their freedom (to sin)? Don’t you think that at some point they are going to take notice and build healthy relationships with folks that represent Christ? And maybe learn what it means to live a life without sin? Wow, how cool would that be? I know, many of my friends don't agree with me on this. I am also not out there holding hands with the homosexuals as they march down the street. But I struggle with voting to ban gay marriages and civil unions.

Take a slightly less controversial issue: Children with AIDS. What if the church worked with AIDS stricken children the way Mother Teresa worked with those stricken with leprosy? And why are Christians more apt to help children and kick sick adults to the curb? Where is the church? Campaigning for Republicans? Trying to rebuild the Religious Right? Trying to defend the actions of George Bush? I’M GUILTY, right here, that's been me.

I think I am winding down a bit…

Oh yeah, the Emerging Church… Well, it is all about what it means to be a Christian in a post-modern world. How do you build the Kingdom of Christ when those that need to be transformed are no longer convinced by apologetics? Post-modern people no longer respond to arguments. Systematic theology tries to convince folks that Christianity is truth, that kind of method is a thing of the past. People don't want to be convinced, they want to see Christians living out an authentic life that actually means something to them. They want to see it, they want to experience it. They don't want to hear sermons on prayer; they want to learn how to pray. They don't want to hear about the attributes of God, they want to experience the love of God. It is very experiential which is very close to existentialism, but that is exactly where the unchurched, non-Christians are and they can't be convinced or talked into something. They want to see it. They want Christians to live what they believe so that it makes a difference in their lives.

How do you present Christianity in a media-driven culture? You present Christianity with media. You present the e-Gospel. It is the same ageless message, but presented in a modern way. And not watered down, but in terminology that represents modern language. Not catering to people that are seekers, but having a message that is presented in a way that the average person can understand. Post-modern people communicate on a 6^th-grade level, but are educated on a master’s level! Use smaller words to describe the same message of hope.

How do you build a community of faith in a culture that longs to have community again? Well, you participate in the community!

OK, I am almost done.

Finally, a word about justice. Brian McLaren tells a great story that illustrates the difference between justice and mercy. Say you are standing before Niagara Falls, just looking out into the water in awe. Suddenly you see a person floating in the river, they are drowning, fighting for their life to get to shore before they go over the edge! You panic, regain your composure, get some folks together and pull the guy out of the water to safety! That is an act of mercy. Say you see another person, you pull them out, and then another, and they seem to keep coming! Again, pulling these drowning folks out of the water are acts of mercy. But where is the justice? Justice is when you walk up river and stop the guy that is pushing people into the freaking water! STOP THAT GUY!

The church needs to practice justice & mercy. But the church also needs to first stop pushing people in the water, and then they need to stand up against others that are doing the same.

OK, I feel better.

-Durk-

August 2006 Family Pics for Mom

Fasting (Part III . The Conclusion)

In part one I explained that my pastor had given a challenge to fast 1 24-hour period a week for 4 weeks. Sounds pretty simple right? Well in Part Two I told you how the fist 3 Wednesdays went. Here is the conclusion and my thoughts.

Wednesday #4 The last Wednesday. The last challenged fast.

• OK, I had a great breakfast, egg casserole; hash browns...OK enough of that, no reminders of food.
• 12:05 and all is well, I am not hungry. But again, I am drinking lots of water and keeping my mind active. 3:25 and all is well. Been SUPER BUSY AT WORK, I think that makes it easier.
• 4:15 Experiencing hunger pangs, but still standing strong! I have been writing this while fasting, I really enjoy the research and journaling.
• 5:30 As I am leaving I get a phone call form home, supper is waiting...I reminded my family AGAIN that I am fasting. I get home and what is there for me to put away? Supper, the family is on their way out the door.
• 6:30 Finally getting around to putting the food away...it looks soooo gooood. So I look for ways to justify breaking the fast. I don't find any. I put down the tiny piece of broccoli. I hold strong. I prevail. I am hungry.
• I made it through the evening. 3 out of 4 Wednesdays, not too bad.

Observations

I'd really like to work up to the fast during Lent. Lent is the Christian season before Easter. It is a time set aside to identify with Christ who had been fasting in the desert for 40 days. At the end of that time he is tempted by Satan-one of the temptations involves bread, Christ has the strength to deny the offer and rebuke Satan.

Lent is the time when you see a lot of folks order fish-they are not eating meat...that one always puzzles me, I mean fish are not meat? It is also a very holy Christian season. Lent starts with Ash Wednesday this is an identification of dying with Christ. And ends with the arrival of Holy week which includes Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and finally culminating in a celebration on Easter Sunday.

There are many spiritual benefits from fasting. All result growing in one's relationship with God. Just like the body goes through a cleansing during a fast so can the spirit. Just like the body is starving for food, so does the spirit. During a fast the body is denied and the spirit is fed. Isn't it just the opposite most of the time? It is nice to intentionally set time aside to focus on God.

Many people fast when seeking God's will for their life or the answer to a decision or problem. When you are a week or so into a fast there is a physical sensation where one feels elated, very in-tune with their surroundings; simply put, they feel great and ready to take on the world! The same can happen spiritually, instead of spending time at a meal or just doing whatever over your lunch periods or at dinner time, spend that time feasting on the Word of God (as Pastor Donnie says, "Fasting is Feasting"; see I was listening), and spend that time communing with your creator and analyzing your spiritual walk. It can be a very joyous mountain-top experience.

A few good books on the subject are God's Chosen Fast, Celebration of Discipline, and lastly the book that my pastor has been primarily using for his sermon series, The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life (Emergent YS) by Tony Jones.

My Disclaimer: You gotta see your doctor and study the practice before you start a fast longer than a couple of days. You can hurt yourself if you don’t, so do!

What I Learned

I learned that fasting can be done with a little effort. I learned that I am definitely emotionally addicted to eating. I guess that every time I look in the mirror, guess confirmed. I learned that with a little effort eating can be ignored. I learned that I am fasting for the wrong reasons; I am fasting from being challenged not to eat and not from being challenged to grow in my relationship with God-my fault, not my pastor's.

I am glad I took on the challenge. I can also see why one of the examples that Donnie gave from the pulpit was a guy who fasted once a week for 2 years. TWO YEARS! But it makes sense, I mean after a month of fasting (which was only 4 days) I paid little attention to God, His word and His son and instead paid much more attention to the lack of food. But maybe after 104 days of fasting I will have a better understanding of the Bible and have developed a deeper relationship with Christ.

Conclusion

Lastly, fasting should always be a spiritual exercise, at least in context to Christianity. Either do it for your personal, non-church related, physical reasons or do it for spiritual reasons. Don't fast during Lent to lose weight! Fasting is definitely not some spiritual diet plan. So don't mix the two up. I say that to remind myself that even though I do need to lose weight, a 40-day fast is not the answer. Why? Well, because during a fast the hunger is supposed to shift from the physical to the spiritual; that is the purpose of the spiritual discipline-to grow in your relationship with God

-Durk-

Fasting (Part II. The Fasts 1-3)

In part one I explained that my pastor, Donnie Miller of Trinity Family Church, has been preaching a series this summer that has been designed to be a spiritual summer training program. He started off with prayer and journaling and has moved through fasting to silence. Donnie challenged us to fast 1 24-hour period a week for 4 weeks. Here was the challenge: Fast for 4 consecutive Wednesdays. Fast for a 24-hour period. Eat breakfast, and then don’t eat until breakfast the next morning. Sounds pretty simple right? Well, here is how it went.

Wednesday #1:

I ate a descent breakfast at McDonald’s with my wife and little ones. I had no problems skipping lunch & dinner. Then I went to help a friend with his flooded basement. A little manual labor here, a little sweating and tears there…then he ordered pizza for us. Fast broken. But I learned an important observation: The earlier skipped meals were a breeze! I wasn’t even hungry until I saw that delicious cheesy pizza and smelled the sweet aromas of pepperoni and hot steamy deliciousness, just sitting there in front of my face begging for me to consume! I feel I could have made it with just a little more effort (and the lack of pizza in front of my face)!

Wednesday #2:

I put in a little more effort and I survived the fast! But see, that is way too dramatic of a way to express it! I REALLY WASN’T ALL THAT HUNGRY! I experienced no hunger pangs (fake hunger pain-just the body used to eating at a certain time and gets ready for the food to come on down the ‘ol pipe). I had a bigger breakfast, but I tried not to gorge myself, that is just silly and in the end it does not work. I did drink quite a bit of water and I did drink some tea in the evening (it was hotter than Hades outside, over 100 degrees), I even went to the movies, and get this, I DIDN’T EVEN EAT POPCORN! And I wasn’t even tempted, I even thought about continuing into Thursday! Observation: I understand my addiction. I am taking baby-steps to be the one in control of my own body. I noticed that as I kept busy and drank water, that I was pretty good to go. Another observation: I am not going out of my way to address the spiritual side of all of this.

Wednesday #3

• (Written while fasting) I am doing well. I ate a good breakfast and here it is 2:37. I am bored. I also need to drink more water. I find myself hungry, but no hunger pangs, I am just bored! I still find it fairly easy to get through the day. I am realizing that I am not actually hungry, I just want to eat; another confirmation that food is an emotional outlet for me.

• (Written after fast) Again, I did it! And again, it wasn't so bad, really. Most of the time I wanted to eat out of habit or from an emotional response-I was bored to tears in the afternoon, so I wanted to eat! I will say breakfast (today-the day after the fast) tasted extra good and I ate a big lunch. I ate a big dinner too. I like eating. I like food. I'm hungry.

There’s only one more Wednesday to go; to be concluded in Part III.

-Durk-

Fasting (Part I. The Challenge)

My pastor, Donnie Miller of Trinity Family Church, has been preaching a series this summer that has been designed to be a spiritual summer training program. He started off with prayer and journaling and has moved through fasting to silence. I would like to talk about fasting.

Fasting is simply the denial of something. It is commonly in relation to food. So if you fast a meal you skip a meal. There are many variations. Most of the time it does not involve excluding water and sometimes juice may be drunk as well. Most of the time the practice is related to religion; many world religions acknowledge the practice. In Christendom many fast for many different reasons. The Lenten Fast is the most common or "popular"; it coincides with Jesus’ 40 days in the desert before he started his ministry. Christians’ observance of the practice vary from not eating meat on Fridays (except fish...) to a real honest-to-goodness 40-day fast! Some people fast sleep, some people fast eating chocolate or not listening to the radio. But this isn't fasting in the strict use of the term, it has just evolved in practice.

Why folks fast also vary. There are folks who regularly fast for healthy-related reasons. Fasting helps detox the body. In the case of religion, and specifically Christianity fasting should only be done in relation to a spiritual discipline, to seek God or to draw closer to God.

I have attempted fasting in the past; I have never been too successful. I have even felt panicky at the prospect of denying myself food. Honestly, I like to eat, just take one look at my physique (or my chubby face).

I would say more accurately that I am addicted to eating. OK, I know what some are saying: We’re all addicted to eating! But I am not talking about the physical need for sustenance-I mean we have to eat or we'll die, yeah, I get that.

I am talking about an emotional desire to consume tasty, delicious food! Steak & potatoes, sweets, fast food, ice cream, French fries, candy, pop, chips...well, you get the idea. I like to eat! And I don’t necessarily like to eat unhealthily; I just like to eat what tastes great! Most of the time that is junk food, fast food, fried foods, pizza, etc. Occasionally it is the succulent peach that is in season and perfectly ripe. Rarely is it a salad with the exception of a salad from Pizza Shoppe with extra pink stuff and pizza on the side! OK, I’m drooling.

I like to sit down with friends and share a meal; this is very important to me. I like to eat while watching TV. I like popcorn during movies. I like snacking at the mall. I like late-night runs for ice cream with the family. I like multiple portions.

So when Donnie challenged us to fast 1 24-hour period a week for 4 weeks, well, I was happy to think that I could do it, but not too eager to actually go through with it. Here was the challenge: Fast for or 4 consecutive Wednesdays. Fast for a 24-hour period. Eat breakfast, and then don’t eat until breakfast the next morning. Sounds pretty simple right? I'd really only be skipping 2 meals.

I'll tell you how it went in Part II.

-Durk-

Book Review: Titanium EBay by Skip McGrath

I love eBay. I love buying on eBay. I love selling on eBay. I love browsing eBay. I love sneaking in eBay at work. I love looking for silly stuff on eBay. I love wasting time on eBay. I love designing auctions and creating descriptions on eBay. I love making money on eBay.
It is that last one that I have been spending much time and interest in lately. And to that end I have picked up a great book by Skip McGrath, entitled Titanium EBay.

Titanium is the top level of eBay power seller. A power seller is someone who sells a certain amount of stuff on eBay...the bottom level is brownse-$1000 a month. Once you have sold $1000 worth of stuff on eBay for three consecutive months and met the other requirements (account in good standing a descent feedback score, etc) then eBay invites you into the Power Seller Program. This doesn't mean that they have profited $1000, just moved that amount of stuff on eBay within a 30-day period for at least 3 consecutive periods. If one is at the Titanium level then they are selling over $150,000 A MONTH on eBay! Basically you are an eBay Rock Star! There really are Titanium Power Sellers out there!

Titanium EBay is written to teach how to be an eBay rock star! It really is a great book. It covers all of the basics-getting officially organized as a business, how to sell something on eBay and where to find stuff to sell on eBay and how to sell stuff more efficiently on and off of eBay. It talks about business management, financing and organization. The not-so-basic is how McGrath simply explains the ins and outs of those subjects.

I have been thinking about officially getting organized (in the IRS sense) as a business for some time. But I thought it was expensive and complicated; I was very intimidated! But McGrath explains the process in plain English and it turns out it is fairly simple and not too expensive! Chapter 3 is dedicated to the different types of businesses-how businesses can be organized. Chapter 4 talks about local business licensing, federal tax ID numbers, state sales tax numbers, and talks about employee taxes. The author even provides links to download forms for organizing businesses. I printed out several forms and have been carrying them folded up in the book!

The book gives you very simple and powerful tips and tricks to sell on eBay. Much attention is given to researching products to sell on eBay. In my opinion this is one of the most important subjects of the book. My problem of late is not finding a source from which to buy products to sell, but which of those products will actually turn a profit on eBay, which ones will sell! McGrath goes into great detail about the different methods to research the salability of a product. He talks about life-cycles of a product. And even how to track products that have sold through eBay.

My other problem of late has been finding stuff to sell on eBay at a cheaper price! McGrath spends much time addressing this as well. In my opinion this is the other most important part of the book! One of the best quotes from the book:

There are four levels of wholesale distribution: manufacturer, importer,
distributor, and middleman. The closer you can get to the manufacturer the less
your product will cost. Never buy from the last level, the middleman. It is
virtually impossible to make money.

So of course I currently have access to a middleman. But after reading Part 3: Product Acquisition, I have a much better knowledge about finding products at a cheaper price.

I discovered that there is a whole lot that I am doing right on eBay and a whole lot that I already knew about. For instance, using auctions to promote store items and using the "About Me" page to promote an Internet web store (off eBay). It is a pretty cool feeling to know that I am on the right track. But there are many things that I learned and can’t wait to implement.

One thing that I did not know before reading the book and did not wait to implement was almost worth the price of the book: How to extend an auction from the normal 7 or 10 days to 26 days! This was almost worth the price of the book. Almost because eBay changed their policy! So this trick no longer works. I lost some money figuring that one out, over $100.00.

Which brings me to a big disappointment: The author directs you to his website where there should be a section devoted to those that have bought this book, his book; a sort of community. I was hoping for updates, corrections, or expanded explanation, maybe questions submitted by readers or a blog. But if you go to that address www.skipmcgrath.com/titanium the only thing you will see is “UNDER CONSTRUCTION”. I have been checking for about a month with the same results. The book has a copyright date of 2005, plenty of time to have SOMETHING up and running. I contacted Mr. McGrath and he responded to this issue, he had requested a Titanium site from his web server and they merely hadn't put it up-they forgot (or made it a low priority) and no one had ever brought the issue to his attention, he promised that the site should be up in a day or two of our correspondence. The site should be up and running at the time this is initially posted. On a related note I was very impressed that the author took time out of his busy schedule to not only reply to my email, but respond to my specific issues and to correspond with me, thank you sir.

Automation is another huge issue that is addressed in the book. With the right tools one can automate most of the selling and buying process. There are many tools out there that will help you post many auctions or store items in large quantities. For instance, you can post 100 or even 1000 items at once. The more auctions the merrier right, more money to be made. But this brings a whole new problem: WHAT IF THEY ALL SELL?! How are you gonna handle that many orders? Again, automation is the answer.

With the tools mentioned in Titanium EBay one can easily impliment automation. An initial automated email from the seller indicating that the buyer has won an item. An automated email from the seller acknowledging payment has been received. Automated feedback. An automated email to the seller specifying what items need to be shipped and to where! An automated email from the seller verifying that the item has been shipped and maybe providing a tracking number. An automated follow-up email asking the buyer to provide feedback or asking them if they are satisfied. Customized up sells can also be provided at every level of the correspondence directing buyers back to an item you are selling on eBay or, better yet, directing them to your personal website where they can place an order. Automation solutions to automated postings. AWESOME!

I would have liked for the author to go just a little deeper concerning how one might "connect' up with eBay. For instance, one of the things I would like to learn how to do is integrate my website with eBay's so that I can automate myself. I would like to use my own code to interface with eBay and implement automation.

For instance I would like to create my website so that I can provide feedback automatically to an eBay customer; use the website that I am helping design so that MY website can automatically give an auction winner the appropriate feedback. I know it can be done; the author lists many services that are already doing it. Instead the author directs you to a myriad of services who have already figured out how to integrate with eBay. He could have, at the very least, pointed in the general direction. But the author lists many websites and programs that are available for folks to automate certain facets of their business operations. I contacted Mr. McGrath and he responded to this issue, it is possible to integrate with eBay, but that I would have to become an "eBay Certified Solutions Provider" and that "costs a lot of money". McGrath encourages the use of Vendio within his book and within his email correspondence. Again, thank you Mr. McGrath for addressing this issue personally. This was especially useful to me as there may just come a day when I bite the bullet and take the Ebay certification journey.

It is fairly easy to implement automation. Most of these solutions require the eBay seller to direct the eBay customer to a 3rd party non-eBay site (such as Vendio). I would like to avoid that; I would like to automate as much as I can without directing the buyer to a different site, even if it is my site. I've heard negative feedback concerning having to use a checkout process that is not eBay's-at best a matter of inconvenience at worst a nightmare of confusion for the buyer to make a payment! Regardless, the buyer’s info has to be initially entered into a personal website or a 3rd party site for the automation to work, so the final question is should the buyer do this manually or should the seller do it manually for each and every purchase?

One thing is for sure: It takes money to make money. For the person just starting out, there does not have to be that big of an investment, but there may be smaller profit margins than if you have money to invest to buy product at a cheaper cost. McGrath also addresses this problem with chapters on how to raise money; either through loans, grants, or investors. He also talks about creating business plans and proposals.

All in all it was a great read. It was an easy read and mildly inspiring. There was much information that could direct newbies to many different paths that could lead to success with hard work and determination and with just a little bit of money. Skip McGrath’s website is full of excellent resources, and I hope that web experience will only be enhanced once the Titanium section is finished.

-Durk-

It's Been Over A Year

It has been just over a year since I lost my dad. I was reminded about it just yesterday-a friend asked me how I was getting along since my dad's passing-I told him that it was a year ago on Memorial Day. A whole year. The year where you experience all of "the firsts". The first birthdays without dad/grandpa, first his birthday, then mine, then my wife, then my boys. The first holidays without a visit or a phone call-Independence Day, Labor Day weekend, Halloween (Dad would have liked the boys’ costumes and our Hallow Haunt business), Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, etc. We purchased a white mini van. Then there was the birth of Corbin Riley. Dad didn't even know Minnie was pregnant. Corbin was baptized on Easter Sunday. And finally Memorial Day was here and gone. It has been over a year. And I have to say that it has been a...well, an awkward experience for me.

As most of my friends know (and some acquaintances), I am a pretty emotional guy. I cried when my kids were born (yes, all 4). I cry at movies and TV shows; I cry every time I watch that "Extreme Makover: House Edition". I cry as I worship God. But I have not "emotionally" mourned my dad's passing-I haven't cried.

I can't really tell you why I haven't cried, why there is the absent of some emotional moment where I come to grips with the powers of the cosmos and the rhythm of life. But I know this: I loved my dad very much and I miss him very much.

My dad and I had a pretty close relationship. We got along great, always did. I loved to hear his stories. I think my dad was proud of me and loved my family. And I miss him. There's hardly a day that goes by where I don't have something reminding me that dad isn't around anymore. Something to fix around the house, something to look at with the car, a family milestone to share, pictures to email, and the list goes on and on.

There was no funeral, no viewing, no ceremony, no memorial service, no gathering to just talk! And that is the way my dad wanted it, he wanted to be cremated and that's it-no dwelling on the painful passing, just remembering the good times. And that's what happened. There was a road trip-all the way to New Mexico to meet up with my Aunt (who dad was traveling with-they both had retired less than a year before his passing). Although it was a somber trip, for me anyway there was no journey involved, no formal opportunity to feel the pain and to process things. I say “for me” because I remember my wife and twins talking and crying. I just drove in silence. Not really thinking, not really processing. So I have had to find other ways to process life without dad.

I saw a counselor shortly afterwards. It helped. One of the big questions that he posed to me was did I feel that my father was proud of me. Although I had to think about it, I had to say yes. Yeah, dad was proud of me.

In some ways I have done better than my dad. He was a 6th-grade drop out and I completed college. He had had 2 marriages and I have worked pretty hard to build a happy marriage and to form a family. I have a good job. I have a good life. Dad was happy for me. He told me many times that he loved me. He would hug and kiss me and my family-he adored my children.

My dad was not a professing Christian-he did not claim to have a relationship with Christ and with God. That is also a source of pain. I have never looked to my dad as a source of spiritual guidance or direction. Now I know that my father could have had some sort of death-bed experience-he was not feeling well, had lain down and then had a heart attack that took his life-almost immediately. Maybe in his sleep. Maybe not. He did not seem to greatly suffer. I am thankful for that.

It would be comforting to know that my father had had a spiritual experience before he died. It would be immensely comforting to know that I would see my father again in the next life. But I can't really hold onto that kind of hope. I know that was not true of the way my dad lived his life and I just don't know that to be true in his passing. And that makes it more difficult to process; as far as I know, my dad really is gone. Most likely I’ll never see him again. And that is probably the most painful part of all.

It has been a year. Still no tears. Still no explanations as to why there have been no tears. I still miss my dad. But I am continuing to process things. Even with this writing.

-Durk-

Illegal Immigration-My Real Name is Mario

I want to weigh in on the whole illegal immigration debate, mostly because I caught myself affected by the current issue and then I caught myself emotionally caring about the issue. I know this is a little long, but please take time to read it, it is VERY timely.

I am a proud registered republican. I align most political issues accordingly. OK, not really, I really do think about the issues and the republican point of view aligns up with mine. Most of the time. I am also Christian, so I first try to analyze issues through the eyes of Christ. Sometimes those two points of view are at odds.

So my views on the whole illegal immigration issue: Let me first clarify that I am NOT talking about legal immigration, come one, come all-as long as you are coming legally. I think our borders should be secured and monitored (I don't think a wall, fence, or trench is the answer-but instead a HUGE waste of money). I think illegal immigrants should NOT get a free pass nor be rewarded for breaking the law. I do think that illegal immigrants should be penalized and in many cases sent back home-deported.

HOWEVER, I think that when these illegal immigrants get back home they should be free to try again legally and at an affordable cost. Let me introduce you to one of my friends.

I used to live in an apartment. Around Christmas time a Mexican family moved in a couple of doors down. One of the first things that we noticed is that they didn't have much for Christmas. Now I can’t remember how we came to that, but we just were not too sure they were gonna have presents and such for their 3 children. Since we had bought just about every Rescue Hero action figure known to man we took wrapped presents from under our tree and left them anonymously at the doorstep of our new neighbors. We also had a couch that we replaced and were also able to give that to our new neighbors. (A very valuable lesson that we were able to teach our children: ALWAYS BE WILLING TO GIVE.) These acts of kindness opened a door to allow us to become friends (another valuable lesson).

Before long we shared food, were fishing together and just developing relationships. We came to learn that they were from southern Texas and ultimately from Mexico. They had family on both sides of the border. And much of their family had migrated north to seek better lives. Ramiro (the father), was learning English; he was pretty good at it, but not very confident. He was a very hard worker and moved around from construction job-to-construction job trying to obtain a better wage. Mary (the mother), although Mexican in her ethnicity, was born in the US and knew how to read and write very well. Mary also worked at the cafeteria in the local school system. Mary, who is legal has worked and has paid taxes. Her children, who are all legal, have been able to attend public school. We all became pretty good friends.

It seemed like every weekend they would get together with the rest of their family and siesta! There was BBQ, children, music and partying. And holidays and birthdays were extra special! There were Piñatas full of candy; there was fireworks, and FOOD, FOOD, FOOD! They would always ask us over or send over a plate of delicious food.

Then one day Ramiro called me over, he said something in Spanish to his brother and then turned back to me. Now I could tell that he had been drinking a little bit and he was feeling pretty good. But he seemed adamant about communicating to me and wanted to make sure he got it right, so his brother was there to help. He told me that his name was not Ramiro. At first I just thought I had gotten it wrong all of this time! But then he admitted that he had lied to me. He said that his real name was Mario. He told me that he was in the US illegally and that he had lied because he did not know if he could trust me or not. But now he could trust me enough to tell me the truth, to tell me who he really was. Now I had heard that name here and there, and that may have been one of the reasons to confide in me, to reconcile any confusion I had, but I never really thought too much of it. That conversation had an emotional impact on me. Here was someone I had developed a friendship with and he was entrusting me with some pretty valuable info. He was confiding in me. Mario was putting his trust in me.

I have been able to have many serious conversations with Mario. Mario told me dreams of becoming a contractor within the construction industry; his dreams of owning a business and of making a fine living. He definitely had the drive and know-how. I told him one time about affordable housing in a neighborhood that had a few Mexican families in it. I’ll never forget his response: He did not want to live in a neighborhood where there were only Spanish-speaking people or where there was a Mexican culture; he wanted to live somewhere where his children would be encultured into an American culture, one where English was natural and where there was opportunity for his children to fit in and thus provide his children with more opportunities to make their lives better in the US. I also remember asking him why he didn’t just become legal. He replied that it was very expensive and that he was making more money than other legal immigrants (and residents) in his family, so where was the motivation?

When we moved away we tried to stay in touch, but I only got to really hang out a few times over the past few years. We have had baby boy #4 and they have had a 4th child, their first baby girl.

Mary contacted my wife a week or so ago. Her children were playing at a church next-door when they damaged the church sign. Mario went to the pastor and told him that he was very sorry and offered to repair or pay for any damage that his children may have caused. Instead of taking Mario up on the offer he called the authorities and they arrested Mario. He has been in jail for a few weeks now. He is waiting to face a hefty penalty or to be deported. So now my struggle is seeing a family torn apart. Mary can move to wherever Mario ends up. They can have a life and survive. But they want to be in the Land of Opportunity. They want to have a better life for their family.

I was relaying this story to a group of my church friends, and I found myself getting quite choked up. I don't know what to do to help. Maybe my friends and I can come up with the money to pay the fine. Maybe I can help Mario get in contact with the right people to start the proper legalization process. Maybe my friends and I can get the money needed for Mario to become legal. If he is deported will he even be able to try to come here legally?

I know that there are lots of other "real" factors involved in this issue. The state of the US economy, US financial assistance to illegal immigrants (although Mario worked very hard to provide for his family, the rest of his family did receive financial assistance, LEGALLY qualifying), national security, and the list goes on and on. I also know that Mario should have come to the US legally. But he didn't and he should have to answer to the law.

Even though I don’t know all of the answers, I am pretty sure the answer is not deporting my friend back to Mexico where he may not ever be able to pursue a better life in the US and where he may be separated from his family. I am pretty sure the answer is providing a cheap incentive for immigrants to be able to enter the US legally, and for them to be able to live normal lives.

-Durk-

Pictures For Mom

Mom wanted me to put some pictures up of the family. So here ya go mom.

Infant Corbin:



Corbin at Hospital:




Corbin's Hospital Visitors



More of Corbin's Hospital Visitors

Old Job-The Big Move

I only have a few more days in my current role before I am off to start a new position on a new team within my same company. It is only a small physical move; I am moving one floor down. But it is going to be a pretty big move just the same.

I have been in my currnet position for over 6 years now. I know my job pretty darn well. Oh sure, their is TONS more I could learn right where I am. But I am comfortable in my current position, I know what I am doing and I am a "goto" guy for many who respect me. I am really going to miss the people I see and talk to and work with everyday! Jacquie and Jeff, I'll miss you guys. Charles and Kevin F too. I hope Kevin G will still eat lunch with me once in awhile. Kurt and Robert are great co-workers, Chad is super smart! Erica trained me-now she's the new boss. I'll miss Paul's crankyness, Pat's quiet humor and even Darius!

But I remind myself why I am leaving: More money. More direction. Opportunities to learn new things in an exciting group. A new manager who just might promote me. Leadership opportunities. Career development.

I am excited and nervous about the Big Move. Such is life. Change is inevitable. Change is good. It is also hard.

Come see me on the 3rd floor.

-Durk-

Sending Pics from My Phone and Teaching eBay or Why I signed up for Myspace.com (X3), Spaces.msn.com, Photobucket.com, Hotmail.com & Yahoo.com

Even though I have had my own website in one form or another for years now, I took the blogspot.com plunge about a month ago with the purpose of having an online diary. I told myself I'd journal more. I'd write more. I'd be funny more. For all practical purposes I have, pretty darn cool (I AM VERY FUNNY NOW!). The next step is to get a real forum thread going.
Since I first signed up with blogspot.com I have also signed up with:

• Myspace.com - a hip and happening, ever-growing and mostly for-the-young-people. A place where anyone can get a website and have a web-presence. No-name bands, politicians, every student, and really, anyone who is anyone has an account with these guys! It is almost creepy how their web presence has become a standard of sorts. So of course I have 2 or 3 accounts with these guys. We'll get into that later.
• Spaces.msn.com - This is klinda a cross between Blogspot.com and Myspace.com. This is a Blog-type of site, but with a few extras, you can upload pics, have lists of links, etc. I was looking for a place to merely store pics to use with eBay. It did not meet my needs, but since it is Microsoft you can link XBOX stuff, have Windows Media Player play lists, and pretty much help Bill Gates take over the world.
• Hotmail.com - Hey everyone needs to have a free email account-so you don't use your work email! And with hotmail I can use the MSN email program on my pocket pc phone-so I can send pics and such. This was a new account to replace my old account that I can't remember the password of...nice...more about that later.
• Yahoo.com - OK, this I have had. You can use your Yahoo ID to sign in to MSN, but not use it for MSN's Pocket PC Phone email account...Why? Well, anyway, you can't.
• Photobucket.com - This is a gem of a site, I can't believe I didn't know about this before! Basically a FREE site that allows you to VERY EASILY upload pictures from your hard drive and then store them in a photo album and in a place where they can be accessed from many other programs like eBay and Blogspot! It even let's you do a filmstrip-type of display (below) where you can take several pictures and have them scroll by! Or in a "photo stamp" that you see under "links" on the main page of my Blog. SWEET!

All of this form-filing and login & password recording originated from a couple of different goals.

First, I wanted to send pics from my totally awesome Sprint PC phone. The phone comes with Pocket MSN-a program which in addition to allowing you to access MSN from the phone and not a website (you can check news, weather and IM chat), it also allows you to check email-again not from a browser, but from a program! It is fast, simple and works with Pocket Outlook! SUPER SWEET! MSN (Microsoft Network) is just one way that Microsoft is taking over the world; it is their Internet entertainment/web presence. And I discovered that I can login to MSN using my very old Yahoo.com login and password. You haven't lived until you have played online pool with Yahoo.games.com! But what I can't do is login to MSN mail with my Yahoo login/pass. For that you have to have a Hotmail account. WHICH I DO! So I use it...password does not work...No problem, just have the password sent to...email address, well that isn’t gonna work now is it? I CAN'T ACCESS EMAIL BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW MY OWN PASSWORD. OK, so I can answer my secret question. What is my favorite pet's name? WHAT? Well I don't know, Mr. Pibb was my first pet, lower case upper case periods and spaces...no I must not have used that...Well then there is Roman Greco...Roman or Greco? No, well I just got Dash, the mini wiener dog...nope that does not work either. Now my password isn’t just forgotten it is fried, as in too many attempts. So now what? Well after click after click after click and after getting an email response that I can have my password sent to an alternate address THAT I HAD TO SET UP TO BEGIN WITH, and finally getting NOWHERE I throw my hands up in the air and just sign up for a new account! Heck it's free, takes just a couple of minutes. FINE. But I really liked my old name and it matches my XBOX360 screen name...so NOW what? All well.

Second, I wanted to store pictures online so I could access them via HTML from somewhere else. I did not merely want a photo album and I didn't want to use a web server, real honest-to-goodness web space that I am paying for (which is what I do for MY auctions)! I have been showing a friend how to get all setup on eBay. One of the very cool things about eBay is that you can use HTML to create auctions. The biggest advantage: You can show folks more pics without having to pay extra. Disadvantage: You have to "store" your pics somewhere else; you have to have your pics somewhere where the HTML can pull them from-NOT ON EBAY! The answer came in a passing conversation about Myspace and Ebay: Photobucket.com Photobucket is a free site where you can sign up in seconds and start uploading pics immediately and VERY EASILY! There is a form with a browse button, you find the pic on your local drive, you can give it a title, and whalla! STORED PICS! Not too sure where they actually are within this Photobucket website? No prob! Click a couple of buttons and THEY PROVIDE THE URL FOR YOU! Want to get all fancy? Click a couple more buttons and it gives you the code and url in a couple of different formats (Flash or DHTML) to post in a filmstrip format or a "stamp" format (see above bullet for examples). Still not good enough? IT ALSO DOES VIDEO! SA-WEET! All of that is free, there is other cool stuff that you can pay for, but the freebies are pretty powerful stuff. I had been trying to show my HTML-illiterate friend how to upload pics from his PC to his cable companies web space...not real easy. Photobucket takes away ALL of the headaches!

I know, I know, there are a whole lot of cool websites out there! I know this! I used to collect all kinds of addresses. And now it seems I have started up again! I welcome YOUR favorites!

-Durk-

New Job

Mr. B, the manager of the Security group, had approached me quite awhile ago about a job in his group. He asked if I had experience with C+ and some other computing languages. I told him that I did not have the programming language skills he was looking for. He asked me to be on the lookout for a qualified person and I asked him to keep me in mind for any future position within his group. Mr. B approached me on 5-20-06, he walked into my cube and told me to write a number down. At first I thought it was a phone number, but he clarified that it was a job requisition number, that it was for his group and that I'd better hurry because it ended THAT DAY! So of course I went to apply for the job right then and there-as fast as I could! I could not find the job requisition! So I immediately emailed Mr. B. my resume and told him that I'd love a chance to work for him.

In the mean time I phoned a friend and he suggested that I try to track down the recruiter. So I began to call around and so did he. I found a name and my friend found out more details: Only 14 applicants, all external; I'd be the only internal applicant, which could really give me an edge! So I emailed the recruiter, stating that the hiring manager had asked me to apply and asked if she would add me to the list of applicants. Mr. B called me and tried to help me look up the job, even though the job was still open it was not available to for additional applicants. So he IMed the recruiter and asked if I could be put on the list. She said that normally I couldn't but that she would add me. YES! I would at least get an interview with 14 external employees and me-the internal employee!! And then Mr. B asked me: "Are you interested?" OF COURSE! And then asked me what my current pay was. I told him and then he did the totally unexpected: Asked me to meet him at the elevators for a talk! We went to the picnic lunch area, he bought me a pop and we sat and he interviewed me! More like explaining the details of the job-telling me what I'd be doing! Again he asked if I was interested, again I said yes. "How does a 10-15% raise sound?" I said that is sounded awesome! And he said that he'd have the recruiter write an offer! AWESOME. He even showed me the new area where they would be moving to-showed me about where I would be sitting in the group!! AWESOME!

The next day I approached one of the people on Mr. B’s team, mentioned that I had talked with their manager the previous day and they explained how Mr B had offered me a job! It had really happened!

A few days later, even before I a formal offer, I sat down with a couple of teammates under Mr. B and they explained what I ‘d be doing on the new team! WOW.

Here it is a couple of weeks later...I have a verbal offer and am merely waiting for the written offer and then I get to haggle about the actual raise! SWEET!

-Durk-

Never Remembering a Time when You Didn't have a Relationship with God

My newest baby, boy #4, Corbin Riley, was baptized on Easter Sunday. Many people have inquired about our choice to baptize as opposed to the more Protestant tradition of infant baptism. So here is my formal explanation.

I belong to the Nazarene denomination. We are similar to the Wesleyan Methodist (John Wesley), the Free Methodist, Church of God (Holiness) and other holiness denominations. When the Nazarene church was formed it combined with several other denominations-all having one thing in common, a desire to stress holiness and entire sanctification. So there were churches from the Baptist, Methodist, etc, etc traditions. Because of the many diverse backgrounds, the newly forming denomination decided to allow many of the different tradition's ceremonies and liturgies to be allowed. So, for instance, Baptism: the Nazarene's allow for immersion, sprinkling, anointing, and well, as long as you get wet, you're considered baptized. And with infants you can opt for a traditional dedication or infant baptism.

The whole Infant Baptism vs. Dedication "debate" can be boiled down to a Catholic vs. Protestant issue. Baptism is an outward sign of an inward grace. The outward sign involves getting wet! You can read and study John the Baptist about the origins of the practice, but John baptized Jesus-at Jesus' request. The inward grace, or the thing that happens on the "inside" is the change that takes place in one's heart, soul & mind. The mind has been transformed, the soul has been cleansed, and the heart is renewed. Spiritually speaking one has been forgiven of their sins, restored to state where they can relate to God and in short: they are saved.

That's all fine and dandy for those that make those choices. But what about little babies that can't make those choices? Are they saved too? Well, herein lies the different debates (as it relates to the subject at hand...I am realizing that there are MANY theological tangents that I could go on). For the Catholics this issue came to a head: children were dying at very young ages and they wanted some sort of assurance that their child, would be saved from the fiery pit of hell. So the priest baptized the child, thus securing the child's salvation-forever. It is the forever part that I can't live with-at some point the person has to become accountable for their own actions and accountable for responding to God's call for a relationship.

Most protestants throw this idea out and hold to a magical, subjective "age of accountability", where a child is not responsible for their actions up to some age where they then become accountable.

Other protestants hold to a Calvinistic (John Calvin) or a predestination view: That some are chosen and others are not, male, female, young, old, etc. Choice is pretty much thrown out the window with the whole age thing. God hates some and rejects them and loves others and predetermines that they will be saved. They have my attention up until "God hates some..." Not to mention that this throws out man's responsibility to respond to God.

So where do I stand? So which camp am I in? Well, as usual the Nazarene view is a mixed one. I suppose we hold to the "age of accountability" where there is this subjective age where a person becomes accountable for their actions. But Wesleyans also believe in what is called prevenient grace, or the grace that goes before. That grace is bestowed on all of mankind and this grace is constantly leading the person towards Christ. Wesleyans would say that this grace is what allows man in his sinful state to be able to respond to the salvation message. For babies who cannot respond this grace covers them. They are covered by prevenient grace. They are not responsible for their sinful state. Until they are, and that comes with age and awareness.

So tell me again what this has to do with infant baptism? Yeah, I know, I am getting there.

Kaleb & Keegan, my identical twin boys, were dedicated. In the dedication ceremony children are presented before the church where the parents promise to raise the child in the ways of Christ and in accordance to the Word of God, the Bible. The congregation also promises to help raise the child. It takes a community right? Babies are introduced to the congregation and the parents get a neat certificate, that is stored away with all of the other special memories. The parents, pastor and church dedicate the child to God. Kaleb & Keegan have also dedicated their lives to God and have entered into a saving relationship with Christ. They also chose, on their own, to be baptized. They were dunked (immersed). Their feet flew up in the air! It was cute and cool and special all at the same time.

For most protestants (again not the Calvinist and not most Catholics), there is an expectation of a salvation event, a specific point in time where someone marks their conversion, one day they were walking away from God and they were not saved and then next they were walking with God and were saved. Believe me there are MANY people out there whose lives have been changed and a prayer or a sermon or a religious experience is the event that they point to where they met the Living Creator who totally transformed their life. They are a new person.

Corbin Riley and his bigger 2 year-old brother, Calvin Wesley (yes, CALVIN WESLEY) were baptised as infants. It is my hope that they will never know a time when they did not think of themselves as experiencing and understanding the saving love of Christ. I hope they never think of themselves as outsiders, as unsaved. Instead of having to point to a time when they were saved, I would hope that there comes a time where the choice is to “stay in” or walk away from it all. And I hope that they never point to a time when they walked away, but rather continually make the choice to advance in their walk with Christ.

In infant baptism there is a similar dedication. But, to me, there are much deeper and intentional messages. I am making a covenant with God that I will raise my child in an environment where they can experience God's saving love and where they can learn what it is to be a follower or Christ. My family and church family make the same pledge. And for me it is also a stand against the Evil One, it is a proclamation to Satan: You cannot have this child. You cannot take this child. This child is Christ’s until the day he chooses otherwise.

Again, it is my hope that Corbin and Calvin will never know a time when they weren’t being saved. I hope that they will always be able to look back and see the Hand of God in their lives and that their lives are constantly being transformed, cleansed and renewed.

They are still free to choose. They can reject God. They can walk away. They can come back. They can commit their lives to Christ and they can re-commit their lives to Christ. And if the day comes that they deem a milestone in their life, a day where they can look back upon and say “That is the day my life changed!” Well, then I hope that they consider the ceremonial proclamation of such a change, the outward sign of the inward grace: Adult baptism.

-Durk-

My First Review: Sprint's Pocket PC Phone, the PPC6700

I have this really cool pocket PC phone. It makes me feel just a little bit cooler than everyone else. But not superior, technology always has ways of humbling me. (see previous post)

I have been an owner of a HP Pocket PC for a few years now. I LOVE THEM. They really are a mini PC. I have also been an owner of a Sprint PCS Phone (who doesn't have cell phones these days-I do not even have a home phone anymore). They both broke this last fall. I started to miss appointments and have to actually look up phone numbers manually! (GASP) I finally conned my wife into letting me purchase the newly released Sprint Pocket PC Phone, the PPC6700.

The Good

This phone has EVERYTHING! Pocket PC, calculator, address book, phone with call history and even can take notes on a per-call basis, camera with flash and fun frames, video camera, side slide out QWERTY keyboard that lights up, mini SD card slot (with my 1 GB card), Bluetooth, WiFi, email, text messaging, Windows Mobile 5.0, tons of programs (Pocket Word, Excel, PowerPoint), games, Windows Media Player, Pocket MSN, and my favorite: Instant Internet access (about 3.5 times faster than 56k diall up) wherever there is Sprint Vision or WiFi (it has excellent WiFi detection capability). And finally one very cool feature-it can act as a wireless modem for my laptop! SWEET!

The Bad

I am on my 4th PPC6700 handset. I purchased the $600 phone and received $200 in rebates. I bought it on a Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. I returned it on Saturday where they replaced it for a model that was actually able to make a call. Phone #2 seemed to lose it's grip on the built-in stylus. I could not hear the phone ring in its case and I couldn't figure out how to get the phone to vibrate and ring at the same time for quite awhile. I am not even positive that the early handsets had that feature, but we'll chalk that up to user error. I finally figured it out on my current handset, that I received as a replacement towards the end of January-the volume button popped off of my previous one. Phone #3 had to be replaced with phone #2 the same day for some reason-I don't remember now. A couple of days later Sprint replaced phone #2 with phone #4. I will give Sprint props: I had absolutely no roblems getting a replacement handset; I am on the replacement program. The ppc6700 does not have the Sprint's Picture Vision feature, so you have to send pics from an Internet mail account. I can reply to pics my wife sends me, I just have to do it while viewing the pic in Sprint's picture mail website. Sprint's Power Vision is required to use the wireless vision Internet connection. If you don't have it-say because it was told to you that you were getting it but it never really got provisioned-well then you are charged about $300 for a few hours of surfing. then you have to call to get it corrected and get a refund. All of which happened to me with just a little pain, again Sprint fixed the prob in the end, after I got transfereed to the right person. And after their research. After much battery drainage...

The Ugly

I love my phone. I hate the standard case that it comes with. I have dropped the phone a couple of times and have banged up the corners of the handset. This makes it look really grinded on the corners, but the design protects the rest of the phone's important parts like the camera and keyboard. I also had a screen protector on it but had to remove it when the screen stopped responding to touch. I removed the protector and the problem was solved. But I saw my first teeny, tiny scratch on the screen just a few days ago.

Still-I Can't Live without This Phone

I can't live without this phone. OK, that's a lie. But I simply LOVE this phone. I don't want to live without it! Despite the bad and the ugly. It seems to be the best pocket PC Phone edition on the market right now. I can sync all of outlook via the PCS wireless feature. I can Google, Yahoo, eBay, game, email, make calls from my contacts, WiFi, talk hands-free with the speaker or my Bluetooth headset, take pics, record voice, stay informed with the latest news, weather, movie listings, listen to music, etc, etc, etc.

Odds And Ends

The phone did not come with Advantgo. It can be installed for free. The thought must be that one can get info off of the Internet in real-time rather than from a sync. I still like that program and now I can sync wirelessly (very cool). A few other free downloads includes Microsoft Active Sync, Pocket Money (which can only be used with the desktop version-that you have to pay for), and a few other Microsoft Pocket PC software, but be careful, the new Windows Mobile 5.0 is not backward compatible with all older software. Some cool software that I bought: Argentum (much like StarCraft) and I have Laridian's New Living Translation PPC Bible-very cool.

I bought an $80 Bluetooth headset, again, very cool. I have a Motorola model, I would like for it to be louder, but my old vehicle died and I have a nice, quiet mini-van, problem seems to be much better. I am still getting used to wireless-headset ettiquet...I mean you look like you are having a conversation with yourself.

I bought a 1GB mini-SD card. You almost have to, there is a lot of memory, but it fills up quickly. The mini-SD card (about $70-Best Buy) came with a standard-sized SD card adapter-the mini SD just slips into the SD Card adapter and then that can be slid into my digital camcorder or my digital camera to take still shots or any other device that takes standard SD cards. I also bought a neat little flash drive adapter ($10-Comp USA) that takes the SD Card (that has my 1GB mini SD Card) and then allows it to plug into a USB port! VERY SLICK. So what I have had to do a time or two was use my phone to download from the Internet, save on my mini SD card, take the mini SD card and slide it into the SD card adapter and then slide that into the USB flash drive adapter and then plug it into my PC's USB port and WALLA! I can view or transfer the files that I just downloaded from the Internet!

I also purchased a car plug adapter and a regular house wall plug adapter that accepts a USB cable; the phone comes with a USB to mini USB cable. So I can use the adapters to charge from a car or from a wall. The phone will chagre from any powered USB port.

Sprint's PPC6700 Pocket PC phone still has some kinks to work out. However, I find that it is the best PPC Phone on the market. Sprint's previous PPC6601 does not have WiFi and instant Internet access just about anywhwere is just plain unbeatable. The productivity tools and entertainment options are endless. But please, find a different case. Buy some accessories. And of course, treat it well.

Two thumbs up and 8 1/2 stars out of 10!

-Durk-

FOLLOW UP

OK, we're a few months out. I still am on phone #4. It is still as cool as ever! I did upgrade the software on the handset. I wasn't paying attention and that upgrade erased EVERYTHING! No big worries, I synced up and everything was OK. The newest ActiveSync does not play well with firewalls, but I perservered and figured it out. The upgrade included a voice dial feature, VERY COOL. You press a button, say the name of the person you wish to call and it automatically dials! I've beat Argentum like 10 times. I've posted eBay auctions with my phone. The phone is still in one piece. There are no major scratches on the phone. It still loses the stylus. I still love it!