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Poorest city in America - iPads will save the day!

2011-10-23T01:41:00.001+11:00

http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/10/21/8432089-poorest-place-in-us-mcallen-texas-and-heres-why

Poorest place in US? McAllen, Texas, and here's why

By Martha C. White

It's a top 10 list no one wants to be on: a new Census brief named the McAllen, Texas, metro area the poorest in the nation.

Roughly a third of the residents in this Mexican border area in the Rio Grande Valley live below the poverty line, in spite of a healthcare industry that continued to add jobs during the recession and a retail sector buoyed by Mexican shoppers who cross the border to buy American name-brand clothes.

The poor have migrated from urban centers and into the sprawling suburbs, which makes McAllen and its surrounding environs a textbook example of how poverty is evolving in America. The geographic dispersion of not only citizens but the jobs that could reverse their financial misfortunes vexes policymakers and challenges an already strained social services safety net.

Poverty used to be an urban scourge, but no more. A report released last month flagged the rust belt city of Reading, Pa., as the poorest in the nation, but neither its 88,000 residents nor surrounding population density are large enough for inclusion in the new research, which looks at metro areas of half a million people or more. If Reading is the traditional face of poverty, greater McAllen, with a population of 741,000, is the 21st-century version.

The rate of poverty in the suburbs grew by 53 percent over the past decade, twice as fast as it did in cities, according to Elizabeth Kneebone, senior research associate at the Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program.

The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission Metropolitan Statistical Area had a poverty rate of 44.4 percent among foreign-born, suburban-dwelling residents in 2009. It's worth noting that this figure actually dropped by 5.7 percentage points from a decade earlier, but the total is still high enough to push greater McAllen's overall poverty rate past other struggling population centers like Fresno and El Paso (Nos. 2 and 3 on the Census list, with poverty rates around 25 percent, compared with 33 percent for McAllen).

A paper published in August by the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program notes that McAllen is one of a handful of metro areas "in states along the southwestern border which have received a large influx of poor Mexican immigrants." Elsewhere, the paper suggests that the settlement patterns of these new arrivals — who establish residency in the suburbs rather than urban centers — contribute to growth of poverty in these outlying areas rather than in cities.

McAllen policymakers say a lack of education is another hurdle to prosperity. "Only 62 percent of people in the metro area are graduating from high school," says Teclo Garcia, government affairs director for the city of McAllen. "The county has… a lot of immigrants to the county that are new, are underachieving in the education areas," he said.

The local school district just launched an initiative to distribute iPads to 25,000 students to make its future workforce more attractive to employers. "We're trying to start moving even the poor students to be technology ready," Garcia said.

Poor people — whether foreign or native-born — who live in suburbs face a distinct set of challenges. "The safety net has typically been more robust and more built-up in urban communities," said Kneebone. "The suburban safety net is stretched much thinner."

This is the case in greater McAllen, where the city contributes to programs that offer job-training, healthcare and housing assistance to low-income residents elsewhere in the county.

Kneebone says the lack of public transit in outlying municipalities makes it hard for poor people to access these services, even when they are available. Applying for food stamps, for instance, or visiting a doctor that accepts Medicaid might entail a time-consuming, expensive bus ride.

Although providing social services to a far-flung population is hard, furnishing them with jobs that can lift them out of poverty is even harder. "The best way out of poverty is a job, but you need to be able to connect to those job opportunities in the first place," Kneebone said. Since people living below the poverty line may not have money for a reliable car, jobs either need to be located near where they live or be accessible via public transportation.

For McAllen, this means its Economic Development Corporation sometimes helps companies establish a business presence outside its borders. "We help locate literally tens of thousands of jobs outside our city limits," Garcia said. "If it doesn't work out and a nearby city does, we work to locate them there. We think that's still more valuable than letting them go to another region, or another country."

Click below for a report on Reading, Pa., America's most poverty-stricken small city:

56% of Teens Say They Have Been Bullied Online [SURVEY]

2011-09-28T02:17:00.001+10:00

I really have a heart to turn these stats around. It is possible that in the same way the net is being used for bad it could be used to encourage, build up and support young people. We need more people to proactively interact differently not just do nothing, show a new way.

How will you mass encourage someone online today?

Via mashable:

56% of Teens Say They Have Been Bullied Online [SURVEY]

There's a reason cyberbullying prevention supporters range from Justin Bieber to Barack Obama: It's a problem that directly affects more than half of American youth.

An Associated Press – MTV poll released Tuesday asked 1,355 youth between the ages of 14 and 24 about the role online abuse plays in their lives. Fifty-six percent responded they have been the target of some type of online harassment.

Bullying isn't the only detrimental digital behavior prevalent among today's youth. Fifteen percent of the young people surveyed say they have sent nude photos or videos of themselves, while 21% say they have received nude photos or videos from others. About half of those involved say they felt pressured to do so. Some form of digital dating abuse — including checking in multiple times a day, reading messages without permission, pressuring others to respond to messages or spreading rumors — was also reported by 41% of respondents who were in relationships.

Online abuse, sexting and digital dating abuse were all slightly more prevalent in 2011 than they were in a similar

More people viewing Facebook more!

2011-09-26T22:12:00.000+10:00

Facebook is going from strength to strength, not only getting new users but keeping existing users viewing for longer.

New 'timeline' changes (coming soon) are going to be a massive jump in the online social space and another round for privacy debates.

Has you're time viewing Facebook increased in recent months?

Via allthingsd:

The Facebook Chart That Freaks Google Out

The overhaul Facebook rolled out last week is meant, first and foremost, to keep users sticking around. But hyperbole aside, Facebook is already crushing the rest of the Web when it comes to stickiness.

Check out this engagement chart, courtesy of Citigroup's Mark Mahaney. It's a neat illustration of the Web 2.0 era, and does a nice job of explaining why Google is so freaked out about Facebook, and why AOL and Yahoo seem to be in eternal turnaround mode. (Note that just a couple years ago, someone might have thought to include MySpace in here. Remember?)

Judge rules in favor of employees fired over Facebook post, orders them back to work

2011-09-11T00:35:00.001+10:00

Interesting as to what can and can't be said on Facebook regarding your workplace....

From Engadget:

Judge rules in favor of employees fired over Facebook post, orders them back to work

The National Labor Relations Board has weighed in on the role of social networking at the office, determining that employees can't be fired for what they post on Facebook -- as long as they use the platform to talk about improving their workplace. The NLRB's ruling, announced on Wednesday, stems from an incident last year, when an employee at the Hispanics United of Buffalo non-profit organization went on Facebook to complain about a co-worker who accused her of slacking off at the office. Other colleagues soon chimed in on the woman's wall post with a slew of profanity-laced comments, before the targeted employee noticed the thread and reported it to a supervisor. Citing the agency's zero-tolerance policy on cyber harassment, the boss fired the five employees who participated in the online discussion -- including one who went on to file a complaint with the NLRB. Last week, administrative law Judge Arthur Amchan finally issued a verdict in the case, determining that the employees retained the right to talk about "their terms and conditions of employment," as stipulated under the National Labor Relations Act. Because this particular Facebook thread involved discussion of "job performance and staffing levels," Amchan ordered Hispanics United to reinstate the employees. The decision marks the first time that an administrative judge has ruled on a Facebook-related workplace case, though the NLRB says it's received "an increasing number of charges related to social media in the past year" -- so it likely won't be the last. You can read the Board's statement in full, after the break.

Continue reading Judge rules in favor of employees fired over Facebook post, orders them back to work

Jesus appears, acquires vast following, overtakes Justin Bieber • The Register

2011-09-06T23:54:00.002+10:00

8.4 Million likes on Facebook, impressive, what do you think weird or helpful?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/09/06/jesus_facebook/

Jesus appears, acquires vast following, bitchslaps Justin Bieber

A page created on Facebook called 'Jesus Daily' is proving very popular among people interested in a little heavenly intervention during their social network fix.

In fact, the number of 'Likes', comments and 'Shares' for Jesus Daily have surpassed even heavyfringedboywonderthing Justin Bieber's Page in the past three months, according to AllFacebook.com.

As noted by the New York Times, the page was created by 41-year-old North Carolina resident Aaron Tabor, who claims to be a diet doctor.

He hosts his food-for-slimmers biz on a separate Facebook page, which sadly didn't make the top 10 on AllFacebook's chart.

Jesus Daily, which has 8.4 million fans, isn't the only Facebook page preaching about Guardian angels and virtual hugs with the holy one.

There's also plenty of worship for pages that include The Bible, Manchester United, Lil Wayne and Lady Gaga.

But Jesus Daily remains at the top spot, where it has reigned over mere Facebook mortals for more than 18 weeks. ®

In Britain, a Meeting on Limiting Social Media

2011-08-26T23:12:00.001+10:00

This is going to be one to watch, limiting free and open online communication is a slippery slop.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/26/world/europe/26social.html?_r=1

In Britain, a Meeting on Limiting Social Media

LONDON — British officials and representatives of Twitter, Facebook and BlackBerry met Thursday to discuss voluntary ways to limit or restrict the use of social media to combat crime and periods of civil unrest, while trying to dodge charges of hypocrisy and censorship that trailed Prime Minister David Cameron's call to restrict use of the networks after this month's riots.

The government's home minister, Theresa May, according to one account of the meeting, said that the aim was not to "discuss restricting Internet services," but to instead "crack down on the networks being used for criminal behavior." A spokeswoman for Ms. May said the government "would not be seeking any additional powers."

But the discussion, according to those present, was still aimed at reeling in social media and strengthening the hand of law enforcement in gathering information from those networks. In the wake of revolutions that have seen widespread calls for freedom and democracy, free-speech advocates have said, the British government is considering similar policies to those it has criticized in totalitarian and one-party states.

"You do not want to be on a list with the countries that have cracked down on social media during the Arab Spring," said Jo Glanville, the editor of Index on Censorship, a magazine that campaigns for freedom of expression, noting that such actions could "undermine democracy."

Indeed, Iran, criticized by the West for restricting the Internet and curbing free speech, seemed to savor the moment and offered in the immediate aftermath of the riots to "send a human rights delegation to Britain to study human rights violations in the country," according to the semiofficial Fars News Agency.

Mr. Cameron had called for stronger controls on social media after nimble, smartphone-armed rioters and looters used the networks to outmaneuver the police. But while his call drew an outcry in some quarters, it also received heartfelt applause in others, where restoring order was seen as a higher priority than the rights of social networkers.

"I can understand why some people would feel uneasy," said Gordon Scobbie, a senior police officer who leads efforts to sharpen the force's social media presence and who was present at the meeting of Facebook, Twitter and the company that owns BlackBerry, Research in Motion. "But if they're allowing criminal activity — and this was high-end criminality, people lost their lives in these riots — I struggle to see how that can just go on."

"We have a duty to protect people," he added, "and that's always balanced with human rights, online or offline. It's no different now."

The officials and the executives met in private in government offices. The companies declined, beyond carefully written statements, to say what specific new measures they would be taking in cooperation with the British police and government.

But Mr. Scobbie said the group had discussed how far the networks might be willing to bend privacy rules to assist the police in pursuing online criminal activity. Twitter, he said, giving an example, might consider compelling people to use their real names instead of anonymous handles. Research In Motion has already agreed to provide the British police information from the BlackBerry Messenger network — used by many rioters to organize and strategize — under certain circumstances, he said. They might consider allowing "protocols" for easier access in future. RIM has previously negotiated with Saudi Arabia and India to allow some monitoring of users' messages.

Mr. Scobbie and others present at the meeting said that the police were also considering using social media analysis software tools to parse enormous quantities of data available online for signs of future unrest.

"When people use a telephone, under certain circumstances, law enforcement has a means of intercepting that," he said. "Just because it's different media, we shouldn't stand back and say, 'We don't play in that space.' " The police, he said, must have authority online and in real life.

But Heather Brooke, a freedom-of-information advocate who has written extensively about privacy online, cautioned that such secret negotiations came "with no judicial review or accountability," adding, "Who's checking to see whether the police are just going around fishing for information on the whole population, or going for people or groups they don't like?"

Ms. Glanville, the free-speech advocate, described "a panic, a knee-jerk response to criminality and immorality" behind such measures, citing the cases of two men sentenced to four years in jail each for posting Facebook messages encouraging rioting, though no riots occurred. Politicians and the British judiciary were "out of touch," she said.

The police, she said, have found social media a useful tool, helping to catch hapless looters who posted pictures of stolen goods online, and communities have used the same networks to gather together to repair their neighborhoods. "It's not about social media, it's about the state of the nation. Instead of taking about our great difficulties, we're talking about the medium."

It is not the first time Britain has wrestled with such dilemmas. Last year, Paul Chambers, 26, frustrated by an airport's closing, threatened in a jokey Twitter message to blow the airport "sky high." When he was arrested and fined, losing his job in the process, he became a cause célèbre, with the comedian Stephen Fry among those offering support for his case. This year, tens of thousands of Twitter users flouted a court order imposed on more traditional media and named a soccer player, Ryan Giggs, who was said to have had an affair with a reality TV star.

Some of the nations that have been criticized by the West for their own draconian crackdowns on inconvenient freedoms of speech have watched Britain's recent struggles with barely disguised glee. In China, The Global Times, a government-controlled newspaper, praised Mr. Cameron's comments, writing that "the open discussion of containment of the Internet in Britain has given rise to a new opportunity for the whole world."

Ticketmaster Lets You Sit With Facebook Friends

2011-08-25T07:11:00.001+10:00

More and more we are seeing the online social activity affect face to face activity. I think this is a pretty cool feature. Can you imagine seeing who you'll sit next to in Church?!

Ticketmaster Lets You Sit With Facebook Friends

An anonymous reader writes "Ticketmaster has added Facebook integration to its interactive seat maps. The new feature allows you to share your live event plans by tagging yourself into your seat, and thus allowing your Facebook friends to see where you are sitting. If you have already purchased tickets for an event, you can also tag yourself at a later date."

Teachers Sue State Over Facebook Ban

2011-08-22T00:36:00.001+10:00

So the logical question would also be if a teacher was to see a student at a supermarket after school should they also be prohibited to speak?

Missouri Teachers Sue State Over Facebook Ban

The Missouri State Teachers Association today filed suit this afternoon aiming to block part of a new law set to go into effect August 28 that would prohibit educators from interacting with students via social media.

App gives live wait times for acute care facilities and medicine information

2011-08-20T00:27:00.001+10:00

This is technology applied at its best. Search not only for the closest medical centre but view live wait times... Brilliant.

From Twaw:

iTriage 3.0 adds live wait times for acute care facilities, medicine information and more

When TUAW last talked with the folks behind iTriage, it was shortly before World Health Day in 2010, and the app had just updated to version 2.0 with a version for Android.

A little more than 16 months later, iTriage has hit version 3.0 with a plethora of changes and new features such as:

Expanded disease treatment support where people can select a symptom and find the right doctor based on the symptom, care facility or prescription.

Mapped medications where you can select a problem, such as a cough or cold, find the cause, then peruse medications and possible treatments. More than 1,000 common prescriptions and over-the-counter medications are listed to date.

Search for urgent care facilities and see live wait times for acute care.

Pre-registration and appointments rolled out.

Updated interface adding improved provider search and access to key nationwide emergency hotlines and 911.

Dr. Peter Hudson, one of the app's creators, told me that more than 700 hospitals, 400 urgent care clinics and 14,000 doctors are providing data for iTriage, and the number is growing.

While I was hard-pressed to find participating physicans and hospitals in the Harrisburg area, I got a good glimpse of the new features by switching the location to Denver. Several of the hospitals listed live wait times for both pediatric and regular emergency care. One had the appointment/pre-registration list deployed.

Check out these new features in the gallery below.

Gallery: iTriage

Flash Mobbers Rob a 7-Eleven In Under a Minute [Video]

2011-08-18T08:22:00.001+10:00

"Police believes that the internet was used to assemble the mob"

It concerns me how the Internet gets blamed for organizing crime, it's like saying they used the phone or word of mouth.

This is a bad use of a great tool, but haven't lots of tools be used for bad?

I'm working towards seeing new ways the internet can be used for good, ultimately about building genuine common-unity.

How do you see we can use it for good?

From Gizmodo.com

This Is How 28 Flash Mobbers Rob a 7-Eleven In Under a Minute [Video]

Usually, people showing at flash mobs do some kind of artsy fartsy performance in a public place, summoned by viral tweets or Facebook status. These people did the same thing and robbed a 7-Eleven in Maryland in under a minute: More »

Lifehacker Readers Happy To Sleep With Their Phones

2011-08-17T17:08:00.001+10:00

I have to admit, I check my phone as soon as I wake up, I often feel challenged to read my bible and prepare mentally and spiritually for the day before diving into the information of the world, but don't. How do you go?

From Lifehacker.com:

Lifehacker Readers Happy To Sleep With Their Phones

Last week, we asked readers how quickly they turned to their phones after waking, and the answer turns out to be: most of you hit your mobile before you've even had time to wipe the crusty stuff out of your eyes. A whopping 68.% of you said that checking your phone was "the very first thing you do". Add in the 10% who grab their phone as soon as they've been to the toilet, and it's clear that we don't want to be disconnected for long. (more…)

Al Gore Fights Climate Change With International Video Event

2011-08-17T01:44:00.001+10:00

I have been thinking about doing this type of event for a while now. 24 speakers, cover ever time zone. Could be a great evangelism opportunity.

From Mashable:

Al Gore Fights Climate Change With International Video Event

Al Gore has partnered with Ustream for 24 Hours of Reality, a new international video event fighting climate change skeptics.

Al Gore has long argued the need to address climate change. However, the issue still comes with a heavy load of controversy from people and scientists claiming it isn't real. Gore alleges that oil and coal company lobbyists are to blame and aims to set the record straight with 24 Hours of Reality, as part of the Climate Reality Project.

The event on September 14-15 will feature 24 presenters in 24 different time zones all speaking about the need to curb climate change. Each presenter will speak at 7 p.m. local time and address the international as well as local impact of the climate.

24 Hours of Reality will be livestreaming all 24 hours on Ustream at Ustream.tv/ClimateRealityProject, the team announced Tuesday. Users can also submit their own videos, which might be shown during the event.

Activists itching to...

Groupchat.tv Brings a Google Hangouts-Like Experience to Facebook

2011-08-17T01:35:00.001+10:00

Can you ever imagine doing small group discussions over video chat? Up to 50 people?!

Groupchat.tv Brings a Google Hangouts-Like Experience to Facebook

Groupchat.tv is a new Facebook application that brings a Google Hangouts-like group video chatting experience to Facebook. The app was created over the course of the weekend, during the HAPI hackathon in San Francisco, by the same folks who run e-commerce site TinyPay.me.

And here's the crazy part – Groupchat.tv supports up to 50 video streams at the same time!

The app's creators don't recommend you push Groupchat.tv quite that far, however. But it is notable that there's not the same hard-coded limit of 10 people per chat as there is over on Google+, where "Hangouts" are one of the site's key selling points.

To video chat on Google+, you launch a Hangout (a video chat session) by clicking a button and then share it with a Circle or Circles, individual friends or the general public, as you choose.

To use Groupchat.tv, you must first authorize the Facebook application, then share the special link it generates with your friends. The link can be shared via instant messaging, such as in Facebook's own chat, for example, via email, Wall post, or however else you choose. Groupchat.tv's main interface provides you with a Facebook status update box, though, which makes the sharing process relatively easy.

Your friend will also have to authorize the Facebook app before being able to chat with you. In testing Groupchat this morning, we ran into the typical Mac/Flash trouble (it's doesn't "just work" – you have to configure your Flash settings here.) However, the app at least provides with a simple "how to" pop-up that explains how to make the necessary changes.

Groupchat.tv, which uses Tokbox's opentok API, isn't as smooth as either Google Hangouts or Facebook's own Skype integration, of course. You can hear your voice echoing on your friends' PC speakers, for example. But if you're dying to group chat with Facebook friends, it's certainly worth a look.

According to the app's lead developer,

Let's go this way...

2011-08-16T20:20:00.000+10:00

I have never been consistent with blogging, mainly because I haven't established what it would be about. You can see some previous attempts at posts but weren't really adding much to the web.

Now I think I know what its about. I'm a passionate technology geek, I'm always reading tech news and staying up with what is new. I'm also a man of faith in Jesus Christ, and often see news that connects the two. This will be a place that links to current tech news with a spiritual and social spin.

Hope it works.

Grown Up Digital

2009-09-06T12:01:00.003+10:00

I've been discovering iTunes U of late. Its access to university lectures from all over the world. I had heard about Don Tapscott on an episode of This Week in Tech podcast, talking all about this generation growing up with a digital life.

I found a lecture Don gave at UCLA Anderson School of Management, that was very inspiring and optimistic about our generation.

He gave further evidence and research showing that organizational structures must change. He spoke of a great little story about companies banning Facebook, not understanding the hugely beneficial collaboration and research tool it is.

I'll definitely listen to this one again.

Want to Feel Good...

2008-09-24T07:40:00.001+10:00

Mark Sayers Blog linked this artical As their numbers stall, megachurches seek 'seekers'

Among several other good points I found this stood out to me the most: "The megachurch story is not really about growth, it's about shifting allegiances. People want to feel good about who they already are," says Philip Goff, director of the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at Indiana University in Indianapolis. "If church is too challenging or not entertaining, they'll move on."

I was really taken by this comment. I have met many people I could guess are just wanting to feel good about who they already are. If they are challenged or convicted to much they will shop around for another church to go to.

The challenge for me in this, is to be a person craving challenge and feedback. To be someone always wanting to be challenged about lifestyle and spiritual discipline. I don't just want to go to church, I want to be the Church.

Ordering Your Private World

2008-09-22T06:52:00.000+10:00

Wow, Ordering you Private World by Gordon Macdonald is an amazing book.

Each of the 5 sectors spoke very clearly about my life. Affirming practices already implemented and challenging areas to work on.

I always find very practical information the most attractive to me. I try to learn a concept then search out the 'therefore' this is how this will play out in my week / life.

The more I read the more I see different material aligning on the need for sabbath time. Macdonald speaks of the 'garden', that secret personal place of communion with God. Experiencing God speaks of 'the intimate love relationship with Christ' a 'sacred romance'.

I spent some time with some nuns recently where they lead a group of us through some activites to connect with God in a new or different way. One of the assignments was to go for a walk in the outdoors and 'let God find you'. It was a very powerful experience and a helpful idea. God found me through a single blade of grass, with a droplet of due suspended on it. God found me through a huge spiders web, and its creator ready to catch its prey. I stood amazed as a bee was cought in the web and was wrapped by the spiders 8 legs all working seperately but together. God found me through his creation that I ignore regularly.

The need for a weekly sabbath is only becoming more and more required for 're-creation' in our busy lives.

Good Morning God!

2008-09-21T08:33:00.003+10:00

Today marks the 7th day I've walked in the morning. 6 of those days has been with my wife. It's been great as we set of about 6am and enjoy God's creation in beautiful Brisbane weather. On our 3km route we talk a little detour to look at this view (pictured) of the city. It really is a beautiful site.

This start to our day is really changing our days. I remember General Eva Burrows sharing her prayer she prays each morning, something like:

Good morning God the Father, thank you for your creation.
Good morning God the Son, thank you for dying for our sins, and saving us.
Good morning God the Holy Spirit, thank you for guiding us, speak and guide me today.

I have been using this prayer as the start of our walk, I love the concept of saying Good morning to God as it make me aware of Him.

Compassionate Father & 2 Confused Sons

2008-09-19T06:56:00.005+10:00

Bill Hybels from Willow Creek Community Church, Chicago, IL has started a new speaking series entitled "Influence". Currently in its second week, I have found it has given me a fresh perspective of the parables of the lost sheep, coin and son. There are some great insights in his sermon, well worth listening to or watching online.

Last night in my Celebrate Recovery Step Study, we looked at a character study of 'The Prodigal' from The Celebrate Recovery Bible:

Tradition has named Jesus' story the 'Parable of the prodigal son', where as a more accurate name would be "Parable of the Compassionate Father and His Two Confused Sons" Both sons had a total misconception about their father's nature. Each believed that his father's love and favor were contingent on his performance. The younger son assumed that he'd lost his father's love on the basis of his wasteful, immoral living (18-19,21), while his brother was convinced that he should already have earned his father's appreciation and favor. (28-30)

Like the prodigal, our recovery can't begin until we realize how desperately we need our father's love and provision, which are available to us in Jesus Christ. It's possible that we've repeatedly been sober for season but we've once again relapsed. Wherever we are right now, it's time to come home. Once we turn around to take those first steps, God's son, Jesus, will run in our direction, thrilled at the opportunity to join us on our return journey.
(Celebrate Recovery Bible, p.1282)

I'm more and more convinced that to live this Christian live takes daily discipline. I feel like I'm so sinful I have to 'run home' every morning. The days I think I have it all together with out connecting with the father end up a mess. The days I get up early and seek him first are the days I grow the most.

Faster than Sound

2008-09-18T06:56:00.001+10:00

Charles Elwood "Chuck" Yeager (born February 13, 1923) is a retired Brigadier-General in the United States Air Force and a noted test pilot. In 1947, he became the first pilot (at age 24) to travel faster than sound in level flight and ascent. (wiki)

I'm currently reading "Reposition Yourself" by T.D Jakes. In the later chapters he writes about just be Chuck broke the sound barrier, the cockpit shook aggressively then once broken through became still. The parallel for us is when we are about to 'breakthrough' in a circumstance in our life it can get very shaky but is all part of the growth.

I feel like I learn and grown better when it hurts, and find hope in the shaky times as a breakthrough is coming.

The Bread Man

2008-09-15T07:30:00.001+10:00

I've started walking everyday at 6am. I was about half way around my route when I heard a crash of empty bread trays fall off the back of a truck. I thought for a moment if I would help the driver, after several thoughts of yes and no, I concluded there's nothing to loose and everything to gain. I helped the driver pick up and stack all the trays. He said "it a been a hard day" "What time did you start" I asked. 10pm last night, but it pays $5500 a week, so its worth the hard days." I continued to help and then held a load of bread while it came down the lift and then pushed it into the fruit shop it was being delivered to.

He gave a big smile and waved as I started back on my walk. I felt all sorts of feelings after that interaction. I questioned my hesitation to help. I considered all the work that goes on while I sleep, and I thought of that guy, that has $5k to spend a week, but perhaps no time or people to spend it with.

I was challenged to be on the look out for opportunities for acts of service, it felt good and I felt God.

The Story of Stuff

2008-05-05T17:33:00.003+10:00

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

This 20 Minutes has really challenged my thinking on many social justice areas. Environment, slave / sweet shop labour, fair trade, consumerism, government justice, corporations, TV watching etc etc. Take a look.

Wild at Heart

2008-05-05T17:14:00.002+10:00

I've just finished reading Wild at Heart. I really appreciated this book, but did get a little bored of it. I do believe the men in our world have an identity crisis. What is a good strong (christian) man meant to look like and act like and be like? This book answers this to some degree but probably has a go at strong women in the process.

One idea that really popped out to me was about the teaching of boys in schools. The school system is forever telling boys to sit still, be quiet, and do your work. Basicly act more like a girl!

I am lucky to have a good strong Dad in my life that has shown me how to be a man. I really can't imagine what it would be like to grow up without a Dad or with one you would rather not have.

Its a book worth reading, just wish it was shorter. :)

Narnia - The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

2008-04-29T18:39:00.003+10:00

It was good to read this in the context of Book 1. Many new insights came while reading this book. The character development is very good in such a short book.

I love the image of Aslan. All powerful, all knowing, prepared to die.

Narnia - The Magicians Nephew

2008-04-29T18:31:00.002+10:00

Very much enjoyed this book. Having only ever read Book 2 in the series, it was interesting to understand the pre-story.

I loved the idea of Aslan singing and breathing Narnia into being. The imagery is brilliant.

When the boy was tempted to take an apple back home to help his Mum, I appreciated him struggling with the idea but not giving in, giving it a realistic feel.