Dude, "I got a Dell!"

Yesterday, it arrived - my new Dell Inspiron 1525. Now, some of you might be asking, "Jon, why do you need a laptop? You already have a computer!" And my answer is, well, for several reasons. First, I have discovered that I spend way too much time in my office. Jesus said, "Go make disciples of all nations" not "Get your Master of Divinity degree and sit in your ivory tower." So, the laptop will be a tool for me to get out of the tower. So my plan is to spend at least a half to one day out of the office in the community. I can get out there and at the same time, continue my work on sermons, blogs, newsletter articles, confirmation, and the like. The Biblical image here is Paul out talking and discussing in the marketplace or the forum. Second, a laptop allows me to continue work from home without the mess of transferring or emailing files. Third, it will be great for travel. Fourth, I got a really, really, REALLY great price. I paid less for this computer than for our desktop at home.

For you tech types, here are my stats:

Intel Pentium Dual Core T2370 (1.73 Ghz, 1M L2 cache), 3GB RAM, 250G Hard drive, 8x DVD +/- RW dual layer Optical Drive, Dell Wireless 1395 802.11g Mini Card, Dell Wireless 355 Bluetooth Module, Integrated 10/100 Network card, Microsoft Vista Premium SP1.

And, I wrote this post from the laptop via wireless internet at home (our DSL box projects WIFI) In a nutshell, "It's so cool!"

The Beach

One of the benefits of living in Friendswood is that we are about 40 minutes away from the the Gulf. We can go to the beach on a whim if we so desire. Today is day two of our four-day "staycation" (a vacation where you stay at home). And this morning, we decided to go to the beach. We usually go to a place in Galveston called Stewart Beach - a family-friendly place with good facilities.

On this trip, Abby felt a bit-more brave. She headed out with me into the deeper water. The waves today were very unpredictable. And after a few minutes a rather large wave hit us - pretty much going over the top of her head. She was never in any danger. I had her hand the whole time. She did okay, but she decided she had had enough.

Philosophical thought of the day: Why does the place where land and sea meet hold so much appeal for us humans? Is this phenomenon limited to just Western Culture, or do they feel the same way in the East? Maybe it has something to do with the explorer in each one of us. The beach is the place where we can adventure into the unknown of the sea, where we are not naturally welcome (we are not designed to live in water), and still be close to where we belong: on land. It's kind of like a child adventuring out on his own, but Mom and Dad are still close enough to hear and see him.

Yet, humanity, with our intelligence and creativity, has taken steps to subdue the seas by venturing out in watercraft of our design - exploring and journeying beyond the safety of land to lands and adventure on the other side of the sea. Any other thoughts?

Speed Racer - The Movie

A couple of weeks ago, I saw the movie "Speed Racer." (Yea, I'm slow getting my blogging done.) Sheri had no interest in seeing the movie. But I did - because Speed Racer was a big memory from my childhood. When I was a kid, every weekday morning (during the summer) I would watch Speed Racer. Then right after it was over, I would go outside and join my other friends who had also watched. We would get together and then ride our bikes around and re-create the episode on our neighborhood streets and in our backyards. Great times.

Back to the movie: The movie did a good job of keeping your attention - some by the very loud color pallet, but the story was well written; kind of like an TV episode in three or four parts. The CGI was over the top. And the cars were way cool. But one thing I wish they would have done during the race sequences is obey the laws of Newtonian physics at least some of the time. For a good part of each race, cars were spinning, moving sideways, etc - almost like they operated in zero gravity with a perfectly lubricated track. Memo to the directors: it's okay for cars to behave normally, even cars in Speed Racer world. I will still enjoy it. Too much is sometimes too much.

Spoiler: the best shot in the whole movie was at the end of the second race. The Mach 5 crosses the finish line for the win. Speed turns the car sideways to slide to a stop and then immediately jumps out of the car and strikes the Speed Racer pose - a total homage to the end of the title sequence in the orginal cartoon series. When I saw that shot, I grinned like a little boy again from ear to ear.

Thank You, President Bush

We received our rebate check (direct deposit) a couple of weeks ago. That rebate gave us the funds to complete a project we had put off for a long time.

We tore out the carpet in our great room almost a year ago and then debated on what we would do next. We tried cleaning it and getting it ready to stain. But we decided that would not look right. We decided to tile. But we didn't have the funds. Then along came the rebate check. We put that money to work, and now we finally have a finished great room. We did our civic and patriotic duty by putting the money back into the economy - helping out our neighbor (the materials supplier, the contractor, his workers) by giving them a job that put food on their table. And they used their talents and skills to give us a new floor. Everybody wins!

Preschool Graduation

Last night, Abby and Emma had the opportunity to "walk the platform" at their preschool graduation. Our church, Hope Lutheran in Friendswood, TX, has a preschool program through Pre-K. They still have a week of school left. But graduation is conducted the week before.

The graduates sang, rang handbells, performed the story of Jonah, and were presented with their pre-kindergarten certificates.

Another milestone past, and, God willing, many more to come.

Kindergarten Registration

Yesterday, Sheri and I went to register Abby and Emma for kindergarten. It was one of those parent moments. You know, one of those moments when the reality and burden of the vocation of parent hits you hard. It was also the first time I have been involved with public education. I went to grade school, high school, and seminary at private institutions of education. My only public experience being my undergrad years at Mizzou. So this is all new stuff for me.

The process went smoothly. We brought all the required documents along with copies of those documents per Friendswood School District instructions. But we filled out a ton of paperwork on each girl. What got me was that they had us fill out the same information again and again on multiple forms - bureaucracy at its finest. An integrated, systems approach utilizing the full potential of computers would streamline the process quite a bit. But, it would probably cause a good number of bureaucrats to lose their jobs.

And now, the girls have their Cline Elementary t-shirts!

School starts in about four months.

What Took Seconds to Destroy Takes Hours to Fix

This morning, two members of Hope came over and repaired the hole I created when I fell through last Saturday. Everything went smoothly and by noon, it was finished. One of them will return tomorrow afternoon to put on another coat of mud.

Just another example of how the Body of Christ works. When one member of the Body rejoices, we all rejoice. When one person hurts, everyone hurts and offers comfort and help. And this day, the rest of the Body Helped me and my family. Thanks be to God!