Archive for category Ministry

But God – software to the rescue

Posted by admin in Education, Ministry on July 30th, 2010

I have long been impressed by this short phrase. Many years ago, in the very dawn of computer-aided Bible study, a young pastor and faculty colleague said he was doing a Bible study on this phrase. He was using the dominant search tools of day – a paper concordance, and was cross referencing all occurrences of “but” with those of “God”. It was clear that this could well turn into a life long project (but occurs over 4000 time and God over 4700 times). So I pulled up the search on my new Bible search software on my IBM PC and discovered 48 verses in the English Standard Version.

This past weekend, my Pastor delivered a powerful sermon from Genesis 21:12 where God tells Abraham to send away Hagar and her son and that he (God) promised to make a nation from him. This phrase “but God” is a great way to find places in history in which God has intervened in a special way in order to accomplish his purposes in the world. I think one of the greatest occurrences of this phrase is Ephesians 2:3-5 which says “among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, by grace you have been saved.”

I decided it was time to put all these occurrences in a single place. So here they are, unedited (other than bolding the phrase) and without comment. Read them, meditate on them, and consider the greatness of our God to control the events of history in a way that ultimately brings him glory. Even in the midst of a world filled with death, disease, pain and suffering! To God be the glory. The Bible is HIStory!!

1. Genesis 3:3
but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
2. Genesis 8:1
[ The Flood Subsides ] But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.
3. Genesis 20:3
But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.”
4. Genesis 21:12
But God said to Abraham, “Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named.
5. Genesis 31:7
yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times. But God did not permit him to harm me.
6. Genesis 31:24
But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night and said to him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”
7. Genesis 45:8
So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
8. Genesis 48:21
Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers.
9. Genesis 50:20
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
10. Genesis 50:24
And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”
11. Exodus 13:18
But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle.
12. Exodus 21:13
But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee.
13. Numbers 22:22
[ Balaam’s Donkey and the Angel ] But God’s anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the LORD took his stand in the way as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him.
14. 1 Samuel 23:14
And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.
15. 2 Samuel 14:14
We must all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life, and he devises means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast.
16. 1 Chronicles 21:7
But God was displeased with this thing, and he struck Israel.
17. 1 Chronicles 28:3
But God said to me, ‘You may not build a house for my name, for you are a man of war and have shed blood.’
18. 2 Chronicles 20:15
And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the LORD to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s.
19. Psalm 49:15
But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,for he will receive me. Selah
20. Psalm 52:5
But God will break you down forever;he will snatch and tear you from your tent;he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
21. Psalm 64:7
But God shoots his arrow at them;they are wounded suddenly.
22. Psalm 68:21
But God will strike the heads of his enemies,the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.
23. Psalm 73:26
My flesh and my heart may fail,but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
24. Ecclesiastes 5:7
For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear.
25. Jonah 4:9
But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.”
26. Mark 2:7
“Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
27. Luke 5:21
And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
28. Luke 12:20
But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’
29. Luke 16:15
And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
30. Acts 7:9
“And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him
31. Acts 7:42
But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: “‘Did you bring to me slain beasts and sacrifices, during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
32. Acts 10:28
And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.
33. Acts 10:40
but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear,
34. Acts 13:30
But God raised him from the dead,
35. Romans 5:8
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
36. Romans 11:22
Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.
37. 1 Corinthians 1:27
But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
38. 1 Corinthians 3:6
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
39. 1 Corinthians 12:24
which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it,
40. 1 Corinthians 15:38
But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.
41. 2 Corinthians 7:6
But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus,
42. Galatians 3:18
For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.
43. Galatians 3:20
Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.
44. Ephesians 2:4
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
45. Philippians 2:27
Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.
46. 1 Thessalonians 2:16
by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But God’s wrath has come upon them at last!
47. 1 Thessalonians 4:8
Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
48. 2 Timothy 2:19
But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

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please get the facts before typing

Posted by admin in Ministry on June 3rd, 2010

Recently fox news posted an article involving a very bad situation that occurred 13 years ago which involved a young girl and two independent baptist churches, one in New Hampshire and one in Colorado. In an attempt to help communicate the facts in this situation I am posting, by permission, this letter which was written by Pastor Will Senn, a very good friend of mine. I hope it will help squelch the inaccurate comments that are being targeted against these two excellent biblically sound ministries.

Dan Wooster

May 30, 2010

Dear Church Family, Folks and Friends:

I have attached a letter that gives a fuller picture of the recent story which was broadcasted on Channel 4. Normally, the less said and written is the best approach to take when the media either misrepresents a story or when someone is maligned. In this case, our founding pastor, Dr. Matt Olson and one of our former youth pastors, Dr. Chuck Phelps are being grossly misrepresented. Our church is indebted to these men. They are also my friends. Now is not the time to distance ourselves from them, but to pray for them and to stand with them. Our church is not directly involved with the incidents, although the media and those who despise our form of Christianity will try to bring us into it.

The attached letter is my “Official Response.” We have nothing to hide. You are welcome to use this letter in any way that you believe promotes the edification of the body of Christ and the glory of God.

We had a special prayer meeting tonight to pray for those involved and for the Lord to protect our church’s testimony and most importantly the Lord’s Name. Let’s pray that His Name will not be tarnished.

This past Wednesday Channel 4 contacted our church to ask about a girl who once attended our church about thirteen years ago whose name is Tina. Prior to Tina’s coming to Colorado she lived in Concord, New Hampshire and attended Trinity Baptist Church. Allegedly, at that time and in New Hampshire, Mr. Earnest Willis, a married man and member in the church, impregnated her. Tina was only fifteen at the time. Tina’s family (single mother, father in prison) was apparently limited in how they could help her and it was suggested that the Landrys, who were in our church at the time, would be the best to minister to her. Dr. Chuck Phelps knew the Landry family when he was the youth pastor at Tri-City and also had all three of the Landry boys in his church at one time or another for a church internship. Tina agreed to come to Colorado where Dr. Clovis Landry and his wife Diane took her in and cared for her. She was homeschooled and loved. To Tina’s credit she did not seek an abortion, but instead carried the baby and at birth gave the child up for adoption to a loving, Christian family. Tina’s own testimony regarding her time at Colorado, the Landrys and Tri-City had been favorable.

Recently, Tina was encouraged to press charges against Mr. Earnest Willis in Concord, New Hampshire. The man was arrested and charged and then released on bail. Brian Maass, a Channel 4 News reporter, was made aware of this story and on May 27, he reported on Tina’s alleged rape in New Hampshire. There were additional statements made regarding Dr. Chuck Phelps, Dr. Matt Olson and our church. I would like to comment on those issues and make these clarifications:

1) Dr. Chuck Phelps, former pastor of Trinity Baptist Church and Dr. Matt Olson did not work together to hide Tina from the authorities or from her mother. Tina’s mother brought her to Colorado and later visited her on several occasions.
2) Dr. Chuck Phelps and Dr. Matt Olson did not collaborate to protect Mr. Earnest Willis, the man alleged to be involved sexually with Tina. Dr. Chuck Phelps does not believe that Tina was responsible for being allegedly raped and has said, “She’s not responsible for being raped. Of course not. She was an underage minor. That’s why I called” (the police).
3) There was no delay, nor negligence in reporting the alleged crime to the proper authorities. In fact, Dr. Chuck Phelps immediately called in the report to the police and to the division for Children, Youth and Families on the same day when he was made aware of the alleged relationship between Mr. Earnest Willis and Tina. In addition, Dr. Chuck Phelps urged Tina and her mother to talk with the police, but they would not. Dr. Chuck Phelps then called the police a second time to let them know about the situation. Unfortunately, it appears the authorities on both occasions did not respond to his reports, and apparently no investigation was made. Three weeks after these reports were submitted to the police, Tina and her mother left for Colorado.
4) Neither Dr. Matt Olson nor Tri-City Baptist Church harbored Tina or sought to hinder any legal process past or present. The arrangement for Tina to come to Colorado was between Dr. Chuck Phelps and the Landrys, not between the two churches or the two pastors. Tina’s mother was very pleased with the arrangement for her daughter.
5) Trinity Baptist Church and Dr. Chuck Phelps, now the pastor at Colonial Hills Baptist Church, continue to cooperate with the law enforcement agencies. This was true from day one and remains true today. If Tri-City Baptist Church is asked to assist in anyway in the investigation, we will cooperate fully to see justice delivered.
6) Dr. Clovis and Diane Landry were an incredible blessing to Tina and an exemplary example to our church family. The Landrys gave to her from their hearts, they homeschooled her, provided her a home and family and did their best to assure her a healthy pregnancy and the safe birth of her child. It is my understanding that Tina has spoken very highly of her care received from the Landrys.
7) Neither Dr. Chuck Phelps nor Dr. Matt Olson did anything illegal. Pastor Olson did not, in any way, publically draw attention to Tina in a negative fashion, nor did he require her to do anything privately such as writing a letter of apology for something she did not do. 8) I was not here at the time, but those who were, remember the church reaching out to Tina and accepting her. She was not isolated from the teens as reported. She was encouraged to mix with the young folks of the church and with the teens of other churches. Tina sang in the church choir and played her flute in the services. This is not a life of isolation.
9) Tina willingly gave her daughter up for adoption to a very godly family who could not have children of their own. This is the bright spot of the story – this little child was the answer to that couple’s prayers! Pray that this child will not be hurt by this story!

For several reasons I have asked Pastor Robbins to represent Tri-City Baptist Church in these matters. In this case, he was here at the time of the incidents in question. Pastor Larry has an impeccable testimony in our community which he has built these twenty-eight years while on staff at Tri-City Baptist Church. He is loyal and incredibly trustworthy. He also understands the media and is very level-headed in his responses under pressure. Hence, Pastor Robbins is my go to guy on these matters with the public and will do a great job with these sticky issues. I do not believe this will be the last media attack on Dr. Chuck Phelps, Dr. Matt Olson or Tri-City Baptist Church. This story is already receiving national attention.

I believe the right course of action for us to take is to commit these matters to the Lord who “judges righteously.” As Christians and as citizens of this great country, we truly want justice to be served in the case that relates to Tina. Do pray for Tina, she is undoubtedly going through a difficult and an emotional time. Let us pray that the media will get their facts straight and will report them in fullness and in fairness. Let us pray that Christ’s name will not be tarnished. Let us pray that this potential ordeal does not hinder our ministry or distract us from the work of the great commission. The words from the song, A Passion for Thee, are appropriate at this time for our meditation.
“Set my heart, O dear Father on Thee, and Thee only. Give me a thirst for Thy presence divine. Lord keep my focus on loving Thee wholly.”

Let’s keep our focus on God and “be an example of the believers.” Let us love God, our neighbor and even our enemy with all of our heart! May the Lord use these trials to fuel revival in our hearts, our churches, and our country!

Heartily in Christ,
Pastor William J. Senn, III

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A real men’s retreat – wyoming style

Posted by admin in Family, Ministry on May 21st, 2010

May 20, 2010

Dear Men, Fathers and Sons:

If you are still deliberating about coming to the Men’s Retreat tomorrow and Saturday at Camp Grace let me give you twenty reasons why I think you should come:

1) Wyoming is a beautiful state. It is supposed to be in the 70’s here in Colorado. Why spend a weekend here when you can have the 20’s. Big Piney, Wyoming boasts of being the coldest spot in the nation. The reality is that Camp Grace does not own a thermometer, but if it did, it would top Big Piney as the coolest spot in Wyoming. Come to Camp Grace because it is cool!

2) Wyoming has four seasons: winter, winter, winter and road construction. Come and enjoy one of Wyoming’s four seasons. Most folks in Wyoming have more miles on their snow blowers than they do on their trucks. Please come, it will be seasonal.

3) Most of the local restaurants in Wyoming are closed from November through March. It is now May. Most of the restaurants are open now, but you won’t need to stop if you come to Camp Grace, because we are going to have a feast on Friday night. Paul Dickman is looking for steaks. With all the cars going up Fletcher Park Road in the dark in the open range – I think we he will find steak. There are no “vegetarian specials” on the menu in Wyoming. Order steak or you can order the chef’s salad and pick off the three pounds of ham and turkey.

4) Time stops in Wyoming. They measure distance not in miles but hours. There is a sign when you come into Wyoming that says, “Welcome to Wyoming turn your clocks back twenty years.”

5) Folks in Wyoming sleep with a loaded gun by the side of the bed. We are going to have a shooting contest with some of the Wyoming pastors and their church families. I will personally buy a steak dinner for anyone who can outshoot Pastor Driscoll or James Baker’s wife.

6) You don’t have to think through what to wear or bring to wear in Wyoming. Just put on some camouflage and a baseball cap. Folks in Wyoming wear camouflage even to weddings. Wyoming people have a suntan that curves around the middle of their foreheads. Don’t wear droopy shorts in Wyoming – you look like an idiot they say. Do bring warm clothing – remember Wyoming’s four seasons. Again, youth pastors no pink blankets.

7) You won’t need to wash your car before coming to camp. Two-wheel drive vehicles are not permitted in Wyoming. Bring your 4×4’s. If you don’t have a 4×4, use this weekend’s trip to Camp Grace as an excuse to explain to your wife why you now need to purchase a 4×4. Everyone in Wyoming drives pickups and they all wave. It’s called being friendly. If someone waves at you from a pick up truck don’t just stare at them – wave back! Come to camp and meet some new friends.
8) Wyoming folks love sports. Spotlighting is a sport. Bring your spot lights. There are deer, elk, cantaloupe, buffalo, bear, mountain lions and wild turkey running wild all over the mountain. We will go spotlighting.

9) Men, if you are still thinking about coming. This may put it over the top, our son John likes to purchase fireworks and especially bottle rockets. He would be very pleased to take your kids out into the woods and fields and have an authentic bottle rocket war. He also would be glad to send home with your ten-year old some fireworks and matches. What camp in America allows for this treat? Also, fireworks are legal in Wyoming. Actually, everything is legal in Wyoming.

10) Come to Camp Grace and don’t bring your cell phone (it won’t work) or your computer. Come and enjoy life without electronic devices. Dan Wooster please leave all your gadgets in Denver. The only tower in Wyoming, is Devil’s Tower.

11) Wyoming is a very religious state. They have one more religious holiday than we have in Colorado. It is called the “OPENER” which is held on the closest Saturday after November 1.

12) Wyoming does not have a drug problem like Colorado. If you bring “coke” into a home in Wyoming it better be brown, wet and served over ice. If you bring “Mary Jane” into one’s house she better be cute, know how to shoot, drive a truck, know how to use jumper cables and have long hair.

13) Wyoming is a patriotic state, they have more folks per capita in the Navy, Army, Marines and Air Force than any other state. Wyoming is a safe state. They install security lights on their house and garage and then leave both unlocked.

14) Dave Utter there will be no white water rafting on this trip due to the eighteen inches of ice on the Laramie River. When the ice thaws in August we hope to do some white water rafting. Please come and join us for the Camp Grace adventure camp in August.

15) Wyoming has some beautiful landscaping. Look for statues of deer accenting the blue spruce in the front yard. Note the target practice deer in the backyard that can be reached from the bedroom window upstairs with a compound bow. The drive is worth it all. Great time for fellowship.

16) The preacher this weekend is Gary Robbins, Pastor of Pioneer Baptist Church. Pastor Gary lives in the Laramie Mountains in a home he built with his own hands. It has no power or electricity. You have to go through a number of fences to get there. He goes into down to get his emails at the library. Gary is “half crocodile, half horse, and half bear.” He is the reincarnate, Jeremiah Johnson, the ultimate mountain man. Come for the preaching and to encourage these Wyoming men. Real Men go to camp in Wyoming!

Well, I hope these twenty reasons have pushed you over the edge. If it has, please email Paul Dickman at paul.d.dickman@gmail.com and let him know your intentions. Hope to see you at Camp this weekend.

Heartily in Christ,

Pastor Senn

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Son, you need to carry a REAL Bible

Posted by admin in CpS 111, Internship, Ministry, Worthwhile on April 5th, 2010

These words were directed to me on a recent visit to NY City. I was asked at the last minute to teach a Bible study on Sunday morning at a church near Madison Square Garden. Being persuaded that a Christian should be ready always to share from God’s Word, I said sure. I shared some thoughts from my recent personal Bible study in the Old Testament reading from the bit based Bible I have on my iPhone. I have been using a bit based Bible for both personal and corporate study for more than 10 years. The advantages over a paper Bible are many – multiple translations, searching, easy note taking and highlighting, ease from which to tweet or email Scripture, etc.

At the end of the study a 76 year old saint came up and rather forcefully shared these words with me. He said it was a poor testimony for me not carry a REAL Bible to church. After all, he said, that’s how everyone will see that I am a Christian. Wow, I was somewhat taken by surprise. I told him I was sorry if I had offended him and I was willing to share my reasons if he was interested. He was kind enough to hear me out but seemed a bit agitated. I explained how God provides mankind with various technologies for so that we can glorify Him. The computer was just another in a long line of technologies. He was unpersuaded.

After our conversation ended many thoughts came to me on how I could have responded. “why aren’t you carrying a stone tablet?” or “where’s your scroll?”. But I think the real issue to consider is “where does God, the very author of the Bible, want His words written down?” Proverbs 3:13 has the answer. God says “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments”. God desires his people to write his Words on the tablets of their heart. Once written on our heart we are to obey it by living out thru our life. When the Creator’s Created seeks to know and obey his words then does the Creator receive the glory due to him!

Applying a little logic and history one will realize that the Word of God has only been in paper form a very short portion of church history, around 400 years. So why does this 76 year old saint insist we carry a paper Bible – TRADITION. Man looks on the outward. But God looks on the heart. Does God see his word when he looks on your heart? If not then it’s not too late to do something about it!

My first live blog written and posted from 35,000 feet using my newest bit based Bible – the amazing Apple iPad!

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Worthwhile Investment for Year End Giving

Posted by admin in CpS 111, Internship, Ministry on December 19th, 2009

Investing is something you put something in on one end expecting or hoping to take more out on the other end. We invest time, energy, and money. We look for things of value that we think will be worthwhile investments – ones that will give us the greatest amount of return.

For those who are Christian, followers of Christ, believers in the Bible as their sole book of authority for living, who believe the present world is divided into light and dark, righteousness as unrighteousness, I would like to make a strong recommendation of a place for you to consider making a worthwhile year end investment.

Answers in Genesis is a ministry whose primary focus is best summarized with a quotation from the Apostle Paul in second Corinthians 10 and verse five. “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ”. I know of no ministry which more strongly demonstrates this verse in all that they do. The resources they produce, the strong message on biblical authority their founder clearly proclaims, the high tech Creation Museum they run, even the Christmas program that is teaching folks to put aside all the religious and cultural traditions which have clouded the message of the Gospel and read true message of Christmas as accurately recorded in the Bible. My family and I were blessed last night to experience Bethlehem Blessings at the Creation Museum. There we saw a planetarium show about the Christmas star, which clearly seeks to turn our thoughts to study astronomy in the light of Scripture to insure our interpretations, don’t contradicted the truth found in the Bible. Next was a monologue from an archeologist who articulately persuaded us to set aside some common myths and religious traditions about the historic account of Christ’s birth in order to let the Bible speak! Finally we listened to one of the wise men share the biblical account of the role he played in Christmas.

Every single event was presented professionally with two clear and consistent messages – listen to the Bible and believe the Gospel! In my opinion it was the best Christmas message I have ever heard. It all demonstrates the charge from the apostle Paul to destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ!

If you are looking for a place to investment for eternity before 2009 is history, I would like to encourage you to join me in supporting the Museum Ad Rack Campaign, which is using America’s interstate system to get the message out about the Creation Museum. My personal goal is to see brochures about the museum placed strategically along I-75 from upper Michigan to lower Florida. Thanks to the help of many of my Christian business friends, we were able to get this campaign well under way in 2009. Below are some photos I took this week showing the brochures in a hotel near the Cincinnati international airport. The first shows the brochures prominently displayed at the top and center of the rack. The next one shows them almost gone! It is the job of the ad-rack company to keep them filled, hence the reason for the find raising. The other 2 photos were taken at the outdoor live nativity at the museum. It is free and open to the public to help proclaim the biblical message of Christmas and the Gospel.

For details of this project go to my blog post.

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Try outgiving God!

Posted by admin in CpS 111, Family, Internship, Ministry on November 30th, 2009

Sleep – something I cherish. It is most rare that I don’t enjoy it or want at least 6 hours of it.

Money – something I have that I can do many things with. Save it. Invest it to get more of it. Spend it on myself and members of my family. Give it away to worthwhile endeavors. Give it away to unworthy endeavors.

Time – something I have a finite amount of. In ways it is similar to money except I cannot save it for future use. I can do many things with. Invest it, but not to get more of it. Spend it on myself and members of my family. Give it away to worthwhile endeavors. Give it away to unworthy endeavors.

Relationships – something I can use my time and money to grow. Something God initiates for his glory. The older I get, the more I cherish good relationships.

Bible – my guidebook for life. The Word of God. Wisdom. Something I can choose to obey or disobey. My compass. My rebuke.

God – my Creator in whose image the Bible tells me I was created. My Savior, the one who gave his only Son, Jesus, in order to restore my broken relationship with Him.

So how do I relate these topics to today’s blog? Sleep, money, time, relationships, Bible, God?

Psalm 37:23 says “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.” While I cannot claim to be a good man, it is my heart’s desire to do good and honor the One who has redeemed me and made me perfectly righteous, Jesus Christ. I believe every day consists of divinely ordered events which bring us into relationships with each other in order to bring about His perfect will and for His ultimate glory. Such was this weekend. We are in PA (the Harrisburg area) visiting with our daughter Sara and son-in-law Caleb. We have enjoyed time with family and even got to eat at the most amazing place – the largest smorgasbord I have ever seen! Shady Maple, is called by a fellow BJU professor, Dr Dan Olinger, the “Disneyland for people who eat”.

70346-shady maple pano

So we are on our way to their church, Mount Calvary Church of Elizabethtown, for the Sunday evening service. Along the way I was thinking I would like to invite the Pastor and his family out for a meal after the service. But upon arriving I learned the Pastor, along with most of the men of PA, was to be in a deer stand in the PA woods by dawn in order to participate in the opening day of deer season. Therefore he would be leaving right after the service. Now this event is pretty amazing, in fact Caleb is there right now awaiting his chance to bring down the elusive 12-point buck! This event is part of the reason, in the providence of God, we are even here this weekend, as my son Joseph was interesting in going on his first hunt, a story for another blog.

At the same time we were driving to church, an amazing Filipino family was calling around to find a church where they could present their church planting ministry that evening. They called Pastor Chan and he invited them to come share during the service. It was during their short presentation the Lord began to lay on my heart a desire to get to know them. Pastor Chan said they were in need of a place to spend the night. Not wanting to rob any of his church folks the blessing of ministering to this family, I was after all just a visitor myself, I decided to wait around and see if anyone jumped at the opportunity. No one did, so I did! Now wanting to keep peace in my own family, I quickly decided against inviting them to spend the night in Sara’s townhouse. Instead we took them to dinner then on to see Hershey’s famous Sweet Lights, an awesome display of Christmas lights, albeit without once using the word Christ or Christmas! :-( Their 3 little girls (grades 5th, 4th, K5) absolutely enjoyed seeing all the lights and displays!

headSweetlights_noprice

Finally we checked them into a Hampton Inn for the night for a good nights rest before continue on to Ohio, the next leg of their American journey. Now comes the sleep part. About 5Am I wake up, after being shorted 1 hour of my desired 6 hours, thinking about this family. Have they ever stayed in a hotel before? Do they know about the complimentary breakfast? Will they know when to check out? Finally my mind says STOP, you are not God! God chose to use me to help them along their way and perhaps wants me to invest more of my time and money into their ministry, but I need not worry about all these details. Of course next time I have the opportunity to put a family from a foreign culture into an American hotel, I’ll be sure to spend a little more time making sure they know all they need to. I did call the hotel this morning and asked them to make sure the Filipino family got breakfast before they left. :-)

So I’m up at 5Am and can’t go back to sleep. I figure God wants me to spend some extra time in prayer, so I do. I’m wondering is last night was just some “chance encounter” or if God truly wants me to be aware of this family and be able to help meet the needs of their ministry. The final clincher comes as I read Spurgeon’s Morning & Evening devotional for November 30. I am amazed at God’s grace and mercy in leading the paths that I take for His glory!! I don’t believe it is possible for a Christian to out give God!! If you don’t believe me, I challenge you to give it a try and see what happens. :-)

Spurgeon’s Morning & Evening devotional for November 30

- 2Ch 25:9 And Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do about the hundred talents that I have given to the army of Israel?” The man of God answered, “The Lord is able to give you much more than this.”

A very important question this seemed to be to the king of Judah, and possibly it is of even more weight with the tried and tempted O Christian. To lose money is at no times pleasant, and when principle involves it, the flesh is not always ready to make the sacrifice. ” Why lose that which may be so usefully employed? May not the truth itself be bought too dear? What shall we do without it? Remember the children, and our small income!” All these things and a thousand more would tempt the Christian to put forth his hand to unrighteous gain, or stay himself from carrying out his conscientious convictions, when they involve serious loss. All men cannot view these matters in the light of faith; and even with the followers of Jesus, the doctrine of ” we must live” has quite sufficient weight.

The Lord is able to give thee much more than this is a very satisfactory answer to the anxious question. Our Father holds the purse-strings, and what we lose for his sake he can repay a thousand-fold. It is ours to obey his will, and we may rest assured that he will provide for us. The Lord will be no man’ s debtor at the last. Saints know that a grain of heart’ s-ease is of more value than a ton of gold. He who wraps a threadbare coat about a good conscience has gained a spiritual wealth far more desirable than any he has lost. God’ s smile and a dungeon are enough for a true heart; his frown and a palace would be hell to a gracious spirit. Let the worst come to the worst, let all the talents go, we have not lost our treasure, for that is above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. Meanwhile, even now, the Lord maketh the meek to inherit the earth, and no good thing doth he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

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A sci-fi book with a strong biblical basis!

Posted by admin in BJU, CpS 111, Education, Internship, Ministry on November 14th, 2009

One of my joys in life is to be involved helping grow the next generation of Christian young people to use their talents and interests in computer technology (or as I like to refer to it – the bit business) to bring glory to their Creator and Savior. I have seen more than 300 computer science and information technology grads. It is most exciting to see how God has blessed and is using them to accomplish their life purpose for his glory. One of them, Sam Batterman has published his first book this year called Wayback. I was priviledged to read the manuscript which at first I put off thinking it would be boring. Boy was I wrong! Once I read the first chapter it became a book I couldn’t put down. Sam has a very clever way of bringing you to the end of each chapter leaving you hanging at the edge of your seat wanting to know what will happen next! The story lines are very engaging, scientifically researched, and biblically accurate. Sam takes the issue of biblical authority most seriously as he takes the reader back on a time machine to the days of Noah to explore just how evil the culture was that would motivate God to judge the world with a global flood of massive proportions! The scientific team Sam assembled presents all the various views on this event based upon each one’s presuppositions.

Sam was motivated to write this book based on his belief that many Christians don’t think deeply about how important the Genesis account is to our faith. It is everything: how we started out, God’s love and desire for a relationship with his creation (in His own image), the rules, the breaking of the rules, the penalty and condition of man, and the promise to restore the
relationship through His Son. The Flood is the story of a world that was destroyed and then “rebooted” because of man’s sin. How that “reboot”
occurred is mind-boggling – not just a rainstorm or a local overflow of a
river, but the single greatest cataclysm our world has ever seen. Much of his support came from the tremendous work done by Ken Ham and Answers in Genesis.

If you are looking for a book that will get folks to think biblically while enjoying the creativity of great sci-fi, I highly recommend Wayback. Read it right away so when the video series comes out you can tell folks you read the first book in the series! :-)

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KCEA ‘09 Parenting by the BIT

Posted by admin in Education, Ministry on September 23rd, 2009

I am pleased to be heading to the great Keystone State (PA for those who are a bit weak on their American history) for the annual Keystone Christian Education Association (KCEA) annual conference held at the lovely Willow Valley Resort located in the Amish lands of Lancaster PA. I am giving my Parenting by the BIT presentation in which I provide information and recommendations to parents on how to safely integrate Internet technologies  into their children’s lives in a way that brings glory to God.

Here is past blog posting from a presentation on this topic I gave to the teen parents at my local church.

KCEA Parenting by the Bit Presentation – pdf format

KCEA Parenting by the Bit powerpoint

KCEA Parenting by the BIT handout

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Parenting by the BIT

Posted by admin in Family, Ministry on July 12th, 2009

Parenting is not for the weak of heart! First lets consider some famous quotations about the subject before we dive into a parent’s role in guiding his children through the challenging and exciting waters of modern technology.

  • Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children, and no theories.  ~John Wilmot
  • The trouble with learning to parent on the job is that your child is the teacher.  ~Robert Brault
  • To bring up a child in the way he should go, travel that way yourself once in a while.  ~Josh Billings
  • Your children need your presence more than your presents.  ~Jesse Jackson
  • Don’t worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you.  ~Robert Fulghum
  • It behooves a father to be blameless if he expects his child to be.  ~Homer
  • The trouble with being a parent is that by the time you are experienced, you are unemployed.  ~Author Unknown

No one wants to “claim victory” in the job of parenting and I certainly am no exception. But I see the need to share with parents some concerns and guidelines when it comes to Worthwhile Parenting in the Information Age. We live in a world with an explosion of information! We have access to more and more information at the click of a mouse or touch of a finger or soon perhaps, the thinking of a thought! Does this impact how we parent? If not, then in my opinion we are missing out of some of our responsibility to “train up a child in the way he should go”, as admonished in the Bible. My desire here is to help parents have a “partnership in the gospel” (Phil 1:3-6) as the seek to raise godly children in an ungodly world. This is one of the biggest benefits of being part of a good, Bible teaching, Gospel preaching local church!

My desire is to encourage Christian parents to set their children on a lifelong pursuit of fulfilling Proverbs 4:23 – “Guard your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” We need this first in our own lives and then in the lives of our children!

Most of this information is delivered to us via technology. So is technology the source of the problems or simply a magnifier of them? Is technology something new that we have to deal with but our parents and grandparents did not? Of course not! Technology is simply the accumulation of knowledge and the application of that knowledge to building tools and solving problems. As Christian parents, those wanting to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and bring up our children to have an eternal relationship through Him with God – their Creator, we need to be careful to not follow the world’s teaching that technology demonstrates that man is getting better and better and will one day usher in a perfect world. This is evolutionary teaching and does not start from the mind of God, as revealed in the Bible, but starts with human reasoning. Man is not getting more intelligent. In fact, at the Creation, man was at his highest level of intelligence – before the Fall. Corruption, death, disease, and sin have all taken a negative toll on man, including his intelligence. Modern man only appears more intelligent because of technology – the accumulation of information.

Scripture has much to say about information and knowledge. Adam and Eve where clearly told by God to stay away from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. They choose to disobey. Tragic consequences from which we have the Gospel – the good news that God had a plan for our redemption! Proverbs is filled with references to knowledge. The knowledge of God is a life long pursuit for the child of God. As parents we seek to educate our children using information. For centuries access to “all the world’s information” was impossible in one’s lifetime. Now, with technologies like the Internet, we have access to more information in a single day than our forefathers had in their entire lifetime!

Just consider your own experience with computers. My first computer had 48K bytes of memory and could store 128K bytes on a disk. My current computer has 4G bytes of memory and can store 1T bytes on disk. For those curious about the relative size of kilo-bytes and mega-bytes and tera-bytes, I recommend Powers of Ten.

Not to get too technical here, but information, digital information, the stuff the computers deal with, is stored using lots of 1’s and 0’s. The term we use is BITS, a binary digit. So all information that is available today on the Internet, such as photos, blog pages, ipod music, youTube videos, WallStreet stock performance, all has its basis in the BIT. I like to call it the “bit world” or the “bit business”. It refers to all things digital. And it’s a world that is changing our very economy, our education, our entertainment and yes, our parenting! Most children are probably far more exposed and comfortable with this digital information. As parents, we must not relegate our responsibility of teaching our children how to deal with this recent knowledge explosion to the world. The results would not be pretty!

My desire here is to elevate the awareness to parents that the information age presents both opportunity for good and evil for our children. I personally believe that no thing in this world is inherently evil or good. God is the creator of that is. Evil comes in the way in which we use the things God has created & our attitude toward those things. People have the capacity for evil actions and because of the power of the Gospel, good actions. The difference is a matter of choice – choices driven by information. The information your children have access to will impact their choices. In the bit world we have a phrase “garbage in, garbage out”. The results you get from a computer will be only as good as the information you put into the computer. People are similar when it comes to the knowledge they have been taught. Teach a kid he is an evolutionary accident, a result of random processes and chemical reactions which have been occurring over the past 4 billion years and you will get an adult who has no sense of accountability or responsibility and will live life for himself. In contrast teach a kid he was created in the image of God and that his life has purpose through Jesus Christ and you will get an adult who has a completely different outlook! So information matters!

If you agree that information matters in the life of your child and the Internet is a huge source of information – both good and evil, then as a parent you must take charge of how your child interfaces with this technology. We must teach our children

  • what God’s Word teaches about information
  • how to discern between good and evil
  • how to guard their heart against the many forms of wickedness found on the Internet
  • how to make God honoring choices on their use of technology
  • technology produces tools which can be used both for good or evil
  • technology tools can be used effectively for the spread of the Gospel

A little background on where the Internet is heading will provide parents with an understanding of what they have to deal with. During the 90’s the Internet was a place to find information via web pages. They made up “the Web”. For the most part these were very much like newspapers and magazines. This age of the Internet was coined “the read only web” because while it was very easy to read web pages, it was most difficult to write them. Starting in the early 2000’s it became easier for anyone to publish digital information via the Web. This is referred to as Web 2.0 and called “the read/write web”. This has generated an explosion of the amount of information. This is the technology which has brought us things like Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, blogs, & Twitter.

Suggested parenting activities to help your teens

  • filter all internet access (home, friends, phone)
  • give your teen a biblical perspective on information
  • randomly inspect their tweets, texts, facebook (make them give you their password, but promise not to post on their behalf)
  • give your teen a biblical perspective on trust
  • ban MySpace!
  • have constructive conversations with your teen (ask the 4 age old parenting questions)
  • no computer in the bedroom
  • teach discernment
  • tools to help monitor facebook activity
  • ask your teen “how do you know so and so?”

How does a parent protect his children from the worthless parts of the Internet while teaching him how to use and learn from the worthwhile parts? I like analogies. They help folks understand things they don’t understand by connecting them to things they do. Back in my teenage days, good parents had a set of 4 questions they would ask their teen before she was allowed to go out for the evening.

  • What are you wearing?
  • Where are you going?
  • Who are you going with?
  • When are you coming home?

These questions should the parent was concerned about their child and wanted to protect them from evil companions while at the same time allowing them to grow up to make worthwhile choices. I’d like to suggest applying these same questions to our teens’ use of the Internet.

  • What are you wearing = what are you publishing in your profiles, photos, blogs, videos?
  • Where are you going = what websites are you accessing?
  • Who are you going with – who are your online friends?
  • When are you coming home = how long will you be online?

When you start asking these questions, be ready for the one of the most commonly used arguments from teens to parents – BUT YOU DON’T TRUST ME! Answer: According to Scripture, I cannot trust myself! Jeremiah 17, Thus says the LORD:

Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.“ – Jer 17

In Mark 7 Jesus said “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

So the answer to “you don’t trust me” is a resounding CORRECT! And I don’t trust myself. That’s one of the reasons I belong to a good local church – accountability and encouragement to guard my heart.

But don’t stop here. Discuss the issue of trust and how your child can “earn trust” and of course how they “loss trust”. I have found the “trust bank” to be a tangible way to help younger children learn how trust works. I say its like a bank account (piggy bank for the younger ones). You make deposits and you make withdraws. And if you really mess up you might be bankrupt! This also provides a great way to teach lessons on money and how to deal with it biblically.

A good life lesson for parents, teachers, employers, anyone who has authority over another, is to INSPECT WHAT YOU EXPECT. In other words it is not simply enough to say “this is how to do it”, but you also need to take action, have a plan, that involves follow up to see if the job is being done right. Here are some suggestions on things you should inspect regularly (perhaps randomly) in your teen’s life regarding his/her information technology life.

  • Text messages
  • Emails
  • Facebook friends
  • Facebook profile
  • Digital camera
  • Ipod music
  • Browser history
  • Avatars

One method for getting more involved in your teenager’s life is to ask questions. We have to be a little careful and a little creative to do this effectively, but when done right our questions can be the keys which unlock our teen’s heart thus allowing us to 1) know where they are 2) help guide them in the way they should walk. I’d like to suggest you first establish some ground rules to provide your child with the safety and assurance they are going to need before they are willing to open up and answer our heart probing questions. If they feel threatened by our questioning then they will either clam up or simply give us the answers they think we want to hear. Neither scenario is very beneficial to good parenting. The book 201 Questions to Ask Your Kids gives some great advice on how to generate good conversations with your children.

I think there is an art of conversations that you can develop with your children that will allow you to teach them how to guard their heart in an evil world. Kids often shy away from conversation because

  • it means trouble, not fun;
  • it’s not about something they really care about;
  • the questions are too broad, too hard for them to organize into any easy, focused answer
  • Result? Monosyllabic answers and very short conversations.
  • Agree to NOT interrupt your child’s answer!

Here are some suggested conversation questions to help you get the ball rolling regarding the Internet. I’d love to get some more feedback from parents on questions you have found worthwhile in helping your child learn how to deal with all the information & media that is blasting their world. Just add a comment to this blog post.

  • What is the Internet & how does it affect my life? Can it help me? Can it hurt me?
  • What’s the difference between “so called science” and technology?
  • Who did you text /email /tweet/ message/ friend/ follow today?
  • What do you do when someone you don’t know friends you on Facebook?
  • Has anyone sent you an email that made you feel angry? Uncomfortable?

Another heart protection activity to teach your teen is biblical discernment. Hebrews 5:14 (ESV) says, “Solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” Here’s a list of things that will help be a discerning individual

  • Imitate God
  • Distrust your heart
  • Think biblically
  • Involve others

I think it all comes down to

  • having a clear biblical view of information/knowledge
  • having a clear biblical view of the depravity of the human heart
  • having a proper parent/child relationships regarding trust
  • inspecting what you expect – a fundamental parenting activity
  • pray for wisdom

Finally, here are 2 resources I think will help parents

Lord bless you are seek the lifelong pursuit of fulfilling Proverbs 4:23 – “Guard your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Do it for the glory of God & the spread of the Gospel!

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The State of the Church

Posted by admin in Education, Ministry on June 24th, 2009

A good friend of mine, Ken Ham, of the ministry Answers in Genesis, recently hired a marketing company to answer the question “Why are young people leaving our conservative, bible believing, Gospel proclaiming churches?” The results of their 20,000 phone survey of 20-somethings is effectively presented in his book Already Gone, now in its 3rd printing within the first month of being published!

This Thursday evening, June 25 @ 8PM EDT, Ken is presenting the results of this survey in the first ever live video webinar from The Creation Museum near Cincinnati, Ohio. Being the computer guy that I am and friend of this strong biblically based apologetic ministry, I’m heading up this afternoon to be part of this event tomorrow evening. Here’s my request for those who are involved in a local church ministry or some other aspect of Christian education

  • if you can join us for the live webinar, please call 800-778-3390 and let them know you will be there – they would like to have a large studio audience – it helps Ken raise the level of his passionate communication rather than speaking just to a camera! :-)
  • for the majority of you outside the greater Cinci area, consider tuning in Thursday evening @ 8PM; just go to CreationMuseum.org and there will be a link to the live webinar
  • buy the book and read the results for your self
  • attend the Creation Museum during your summer travels – you will not be disappointed; it will challenge your thinking in all areas of biblical authority, not just creation; bring your family; spend the day!!

If you are a pastor, please share this event with your people during your mid week prayer service. :-)

Here I go, on the road again to Cinci – my car now goes in auto pilot! Go Reds! :-)

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Put Meaning into the D in D-Day

Posted by admin in Internship, Ministry on June 6th, 2009

As Americans, we are so very proud and thankful for the sacrifices which have been made on our behalf. Today we remember D-Day. A day which turned the tide for freedom in World War II. I have always wondered what the D stands for. After a little googling, it appears no one is really sure. When I was a bit younger, I would say “well of course the D stands for Dan, it’s Dan’s Day because it is my birthday!”. As I’ve gotten older, I have realized that was perhaps an insult to those who sacrificed the greatest of all, their lives. I certainly didn’t mean it as an insult. I’d like to suggest that each one of us needs to find meaning in the D in D-Day. Of course we all not all called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice, however sacrifice seems to me to be at the center of the meaning of this day.

We all have issues that we are willing to sacrifice for – our time, our interest, our attention, our money. For me I’m interested in doing whatever I can to help the cause of Christ; the spread of the Gospel; communicating to folks the that having a relationship with our Creator is the greatest achievement of all. One of the organizations I love for the great work they do in helping to spread the Gospel in a culture which has become very non-Christian, is Answers in Genesis and their Creation Museum. I am enjoying my birthday today because I am here @ the museum taking some friends for their first visit. I love this place because of the focus it places on biblical authority and its impact in all areas of life.

I would like to suggest than one of the ways you might consider celebrating D-Day is to make it Donation Day by helping me accomplish my mission of spreading the news about the Creation Museum along Interstate 75 by making a donation. For details go to my blog [http://wurl.ws/XkIM]

The short of it is that I am trying to raise an initial $7500 to put museum brochures in rest stops and hotels along I-75 leading into and out of Cincinnati Ohio, the home of Creation Museum.

If you love the Gospel and want to do something memoriable for D-Day, please go make a donation. Any amount will be a big help. The Creation Museum is a result of the small donations of thousands of supporters! To God be the glory!

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The Blessings of IronGeekWeek #2

Posted by admin in BJU, CpS 111, Internship, MBA, Ministry on May 29th, 2009

I’m pleased to be the first person to blog on Ironwood’s very own blog site! This was a result of IronGeekWeek. We first did this event 4 years ago (May 2005) and decided it was time to do another one. The first time, Georg Zimmer and I, from The Worthwhile Company, came for a week & helped our good friend Dennis Mollet with the camp’s IT infrastructure. We also helped Sam Brock, camp director, improve the hosting of his website and email.

This year we brought an additional member on the team, Ian Wagner. Ian is one of my computer science students and is spending his summer interning @ Worthwhile in our growing Summer of Bit Building experience. Ian has proved to be an outstanding member of the team, allowing me to avoid the 2 all nighters the team has done so far this week! :-) We also had another one of my students, Jaclyn Ong, from Chino Hills, join us for a day. It was a huge learning opportunity for this relatively new member of the geek squad from BJU! :-)

A Day in the Life of IronGeekWeek gives a good overview of what we do.

Here is a summary of the hightlights of the week. We post this mainly for our benefit, for unlike most camp volunteers which paint and build buildings (all very atom-based activities), our work is done almost exclusively with bits. We post this list so we can look back and “see what we did”. :-)

  1. setup a vistor portal that will give camp visitors filtered internet access w/o having to involve Dennis’ time helping them with all the bit settings needed to provide this safe, filtered access – Ian was primarily responsible for this
  2. installed a virtual host on the camp’s main server and virtualized their existing Business & Exchange Server – Georg was primarily responsible for this and it ended up requiring 2 all nighters in order to minimize the impact on the users
  3. analyzed the cost/benefit of leaving all the computers on at night in order for Dennis to be able to automate nightly updates for OS & antivirus upgrades – Dan did the research on this and we all agreed that the additional $26/year was a small price to pay for the massive time savings for Dennis! :-)
  4. implemented to Windows Server group policies needed to keep users from shutting down their computers at night, forcing hibernation instead, so the auto updates could take place
  5. created an online virtual hosting environment to provide a home for a growing number of web-based applications
  6. created Ironwood Online as a place to put digital documents for Ironwood customers to download easily – showed Beth and Sam how to fill the shelves of this digital store with bit-based products
  7. created Ironwood Wiki to facilitate an easy to use online mechanism for posting employee related stuff – Dan used it to store the instructions on how to manage Ironwood Online
  8. created Ironwood Blog to allow Sam & others a place to easily communicate the blessings of the Lord in the lives of campers – Dan was privileged to create this first official blog here!
  9. moved the existing proxy server into a VM and created a new one for the visitor portal – Ian did the googling need to figure this out and the entire team had a hand in making it work.
  10. increased the storage capacity of their server from 1 to 3 terabytes, maintaining the reliability via RAID
  11. resolved some existing email issues with Exchange Server
  12. helped Larry the BBQ guy (and great provider of food – see photo below) get his email working properly on his iPhone – and now Dan has been hooked on iPhones!!! :-)
  13. resolved several DNS issues
  14. built and setup a new backup server and installed RSnapShot to keep the growing number of valuable bits insured – Georg and Ian worked on this
  15. created a script to restart IIS everyday @ 3AM to save time and frustration for Dennis – Georg did this one
  16. helped Dennis install 2 new flat panel monitors which suspend above his desk!
  17. gave Dennis some worthwhile computer lessons on topics of his choice – firewalls, ports, TCP/UDP/GRE and basic network and application security
  18. spent 14 hours trying to get a donated backup server to work; finally gave up and built our own in just a few short hours! Lesson learned – beware of donated computer equipment; it may not be worth the time it takes to assess its value to the ministry.

All in all we had a great week! Here are a few photos to help us remember the blessings of God in allowing us to serve him thru this great Gospel ministry which is changing hearts for Christ out here in the high deserts of California.

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A Day in the Life of IronGeekWeek

Posted by admin in BJU, CpS 111, Education, Internship, MBA, Ministry on May 19th, 2009

Take 5 computer geeks + 1 camp in the desert + 50 computer users + lots of computer problems and out comes IronGeekWeek. It began 4 years ago @ Ironwood Camp, located in the high deserts of southern California. Georg (aka Worthwhile #1 bit builder) and I came out to help Dennis Mollet, Ironwood’s IT guy, solve several IT related problems (and probably introduced a few knew ones, unknowingly of course!). The goal is find ways to use computer technology to help the camp achieve its mission more effectively. We did some server & workstation upgrades, setup a backup system, setup an e-commerce store & migrated their major business application from Access to SQL Server. In short, a bunch of bit stuff.

We are back again this year, with some more resources – Georg Zimmer, Ian Wagner & Jaclyn Ong. Ian and Jaclyn are a couple of my computer science majors, just finishing their sophomore year. It is interesting to watch the reaction of the non techie people as they try to understand what in the world we are doing! They can see what the painters & construction crews do. They understand the benefits of the teams that come to help get the camp stuff ready for another summer of campers. But what are these geeks doing here for an entire week? And will my computer be the same after they leave! :-)

Here’s an overview of what we are doing, without all the technical mumbo jumbo.

  • listen to the IT related problems they have been having, looking for patterns, cause and affect, related problems, things that will save the most time and positively impact the most people
  • for each problem identified
  • 1. google for possible solutions
  • 2. analyze each potential solution, looking at pros and cons, costs, maintenance, etc
  • 3. presenting the solution(s) to each other & deciding which one(s) are worthwhile
  • 4. test driving the worthwhile solutions
  • 5. choose a final solution
  • 6. install the solution
  • 7. discuss the maintenance required to keep the solution going
  • move on to the next problem

The challenges are many. The opportunites are exciting. The search for solutions is invigurating. By the end of the week our hope is that we can walk away knowing that we solved more problems than we created! :-)

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Help me send 18,562 visitors to Creation Museum this summer!

Posted by admin in Internship, Ministry on April 26th, 2009

Since its opening almost 2 years ago (May 2007), the Creation Museum has stood as a strong and clear testimony to God’s Word. Since that time I’ve had the privilege of taking approximately 100 people from Greenville SC to visit the museum in order to be blessed, challenged and strengthened in their faith. The Museum presents a powerful apologetic display of the absolute authority of the Bible and is challenging thousands a day to consider what God’s Word teaches about the history of the world. Using the best in modern, museum technologies, it presents “The 7 C’s of History” – Creation, Corruption, Catastrophe, Confusion, Christ, Cross, and Consummation.

While I have enjoyed this opportunity, as a business man and computer guy, I’ve realized their might be a more efficient and effective way to get more people to experience the clear Creation and Redemption message of the Museum! So I started digging into the travel industry and discovered Ad-Rack. They distribute tourist brochures in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and Georgia in hotels, motels, restaurants and the all important American interstate rest area! :-)

I’d like to try a marketing experiment that I believe has the potential of sending at least 18,562 first time visitors to the Museum this summer. This would be folks who travel the interstates in and around Cincinnati, Ohio, but have never heard of or at least never taken time to attend the Museum. Here’s how it works:

  • the highly creative folks @ Answer in Genesis will create an attractive, visually pleasing brochure to invite new comers to the Museum
  • we will hire Ad-Rack to place these brochures in 225 commercial travel locations and 15 interstate rest areas in Cincinnati, Louisville and Lexington, the major cities within an hour’s drive of the Museum
  • Coke will provide an incentive to offer folks a free Coke to all who present the brochure at the Museum
  • There will be a bar code on the brochure to track the effectiveness of this campaign – as a builder of websites and one very focused on generating traffic to those sites, I’m a strong advocate of tracking traffic!

Here’s how I arrived @ 18,562 visitors.

  • 15 rest areas for 3 months
  • 2500 people per day visiting each rest area
  • Total number of rest area visitors = 2500 X 15 X 30 X 3 = 3,375,000
  • 225 commercial locations for 6 months (Ad-Rack only offers 6 and 12 month contracts)
  • 100 people per day visiting each location
  • Total number of visitors = 100 X 225 X 30 X 6 = 4,050,000
  • Assuming a success rate of .25% (that’s only ¼ of 1 percent) that would be 18,562 people visiting the museum as a result of this campaign

Cost

  • 225 commercial locations = $3090 for 6 months
  • 15 interstate rest areas = $1800 for 3 months
  • Total Ad-Rack cost = $4890
  • Brochures = $2500
  • Total = $7390

In order to prime the pump and demonstrate my desire to get more people to receive the Gospel message so clearly presented at the Museum, I’ve seeded this campaign with $2500. Would you consider helping me raise the remaining amount? If you would, here’s all you have to do

  • go to AIG’s online donation page
  • make your donation with credit card
  • in the comment field, specify Museum Ad-Rack – yes, in the future we hope to have a more worthwhile online donation module that better supports this type of project giving :-)

If you love the Lord and want to see as many people as possible be exposed to the clear and uncompromised message of Creation and Salvation that is so effectively presented at the Creation Museum, please pray about taking part in this campaign for the glory of God and salvation of souls!!

Note:

  • should we exceed the $7500 we will expand the campaign to more locations via Ad-Rack
  • I googled for some realistic stats on this, but was unable to find any; if any of you know where I can find such data, please let me know and I’ll update my estimates
  • I realize I didn’t take into account first time vs repeat visitors, but I also didn’t take into account word of mouth that will be generated from the visitors this generates so I think my 18,562 is conservative
  • a map of Ad-Rack routes

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