Case Review: Blackberry phone case

This is quite a negative review [Warning!]


This is the second Blackberry phone case I have tried for my Blackberry Torch and both have failed by splitting where the phone is inserted.


Pros:


Nice design
Smart Blackberry logo on front (silver detail)
Magnet to automatically lock the phone


Cons:


Inside lining has split twice after a relatively short period of time.

The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.³ They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues^[a] as the Spirit enabled them.

⁵ Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. ⁶ When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. ⁷ Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?⁸ Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,^[b] 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome ¹¹ (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”

Do you we have to earn God's approval?

Listened to a really great talk tonight.  This talk is particularly good if you are not sure that God loves you or you worry that you need to win the approval of God or others.

Galatians 1

A letter birthed in trouble and controversy. 

Some may think how wonderful the early church was and it was good. But this letter shows that things weren't all totally good.

Each of Paul's letter in the same way apart from this one.

V1-5 the greeting

Galatians 1:1-5 (NIV)Paul, an apostle---sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead--- [2] and all the brothers with me, To the churches in Galatia: [3] Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, [4] who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, [5] to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

V6 - the telling off - a very cross and disappointed tone.

Galatians 1:6 (NIV)I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel---

Paul had setup the church and others had come along and said "you don't want to do it that way but this way"

Paul was cross because they were rejecting the good news of Jesus.

At first glance this would have felt like it could have been ok but what was being said was worthless and dangerous.

The Good News from Paul was a treasure.

Galatians 1:3-5 (NIV)Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, [4] who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, [5] to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

This was what the Galatians was throwing away.

This was a crime and Paul said they should be cursed by God.

Galatians 1:8 (NIV)But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!

Why did they turn to a different Gospel so quickly?

Galatians 1:6-7 (NIV)I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--- [7] which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.

- Human nature

We sometimes get carried away by the new style of worship, the new teaching, the new ....

- They didn't trust Paul

Galatians 1:11-24 (NIV)I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. [12] I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. [13] For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. [14] I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. [15] But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased [16] to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, [17] nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.

Paul has good credentials and although this was cast doubt upon.

[18] Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days. [19] I saw none of the other apostles---only James, the Lord's brother. [20] I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. [21] Later I went to Syria and Cilicia. [22] I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. [23] They only heard the report: "The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." [24] And they praised God because of me.

Was what Paul saying 'too good to be true'?

We say "Jesus really loves me as I am and really forgives my sins?"

We doubt this and think that it is too good to be true.

We sometimes think that it must be harder work, there must be something that I actually should be doing.

The heart of the Gospel is Grace.

Galatians 1:3 (NIV)

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 

Galatians 1:4 (NIV)

who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

This is the great truth that Paul is getting so worked up about. 

It is Jesus who made us acceptable to God and if you hear anything else it is not Good News.  It is a false hood.

It is God who saved us and calls us.

He made us His own.

It is what God has done for me and not what I can do for God.

Nothing we can do can out us right with God.  it is pure Grace.

If we worry that we are not doing enough - it is grace from Jesus what counts.

Approval

As well as having his credentials undermined he was said to be trying to win people's approval.

Galatians 1:10 (NIV)

Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

The accusation was that he was trying to win the approval of the Galatians by watering down the Jewish rules (of circumcision).

We can't please everyone. If we try to please everyone we will fail.

Galatians 1:10 (NIV)

Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? ......

We still remain very focused on winning the approval of people. If we don't follow  that we may be tempted to just to win the approval of ourselves and will end up hurting and rejecting others.

The only approval that should count is God's.

We are not trying to win our way into His love. We should seek to do His will because of His love.

Who are we trying to win approval from?

- parents and children 

- work from a thank you or a bonus

- in church (was that good enough?)

Galatians 1:10 (NIV)

........ If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. 

We can only serve God when we give up the need for approval. We can only serve one master.

1 John 3:1 (NIV)

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! ........

It takes courage for Paul to send this letter.  What sustained Paul and can sustain us is that we do it because of His love.

God has given us all the grace we need.

Is Leprosy an issue still today?

Listened to a great talk from the Leprosy Mission today.

Matthew 25:36 (NIV)

I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

The imagery in this passage is quite stark.

Matthew 25:32 (NIV)

All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

Righteous = sheep

Unrighteousness = goats

Jesus is saying come with me and take place in the place I have prepared.

How do we spot the righteous?

Our commitment to Jesus is measured though our deeds. Our faith should drive  us to care for those in need.

Where is our need? Is it local, in our street? In our town? In our country or to all ends of the world?

The righteous ask?

Matthew 25:37-39 (NIV)

"Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? [38] When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? [39] When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

When we go and help and give to those in need we are serving Him.

Matthew 25:40 (NIV)

"The King will reply, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Jesus had particular empathy with different groups, the prostitutes, the people affected by leprosy.

Why did Jesus have particular empathy with those people affected by leprosy? These are outcasts, with a terrible stigma. When people have leprosy they are outcasts and this is against the very being of God.

They were not allowed to mix, lots of rules, a massive stigma.

Labels stick.

Matthew 26:6 (NIV)

While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper,

Simon could not have been contagious, he had been cured of the leprosy. The stigma of the disease still remained.

Today the stigma still remains. The disease is not highly contagious. 95% of the population are naturally immune. There are effective drug treatments and with 48 hours the disease can be removed.

Leprosy can cause long term physical problems and add to the stigma.

Today people still can not marry, own houses, work etc.

It is a gross social injustice.

The work of TLM is helping repeal some of the outdated laws relating to the stigma of leprosy.

For more details of TLM click here.

Setting up multimedia in church?

Are you thinking of adding multimedia to your church?


Struggling where to start and what to use?

At the heart of any system are basics of a sound desk and a device to connect different inputs to a projector.  Typically a switcher can have anything between 4 and 8 inputs which can be configured to connect a computer / laptop / DVD player etc to a main projector and auxiliary video outputs.  Many places of worship already have a sound system and it is important that the audio output from the switches is connected into the desk rather than connecting each device separately.

The rack below shows one possible configuration.

 For more information and to submit your own experiences and set-ups please visit www.uktechreviews.com

Is God calling you to be a vicar?

Called to be a church leader?

Are you trying to discover your life calling?

I listened to a fantastic talk at church tonight on calling.

We are all called by God (but not all to be vicars!)

Before we think about our calling we should reflect on these three starting points:-

- Jesus is Lord (it is what He wants us to do)

- Everyone is gifted. No one in the body of Christ does not have gifts that can be used.

- We are called to be fruitful. We don't know long we have got. We are commissioned to bear fruit.

1 Samuel 17:25-47 (NIV)
Now the Israelites had been saying, "Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his father's family from taxes in Israel." [26] David asked the men standing near him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" [27] They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, "This is what will be done for the man who kills him." [28] When Eliab, David's oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, "Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle." [29] "Now what have I done?" said David. "Can't I even speak?" [30] He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. [31] What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him. [32] David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him." [33] Saul replied, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth." [34] But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, [35] I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. [36] Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. [37] The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." Saul said to David, "Go, and the Lord be with you." [38] Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. [39] David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. "I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." So he took them off. [40] Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. [41] Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. [42] He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him. [43] He said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. [44] "Come here," he said, "and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field! " [45] David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. [46] This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. [47] All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands."

There are a number of relationships in this story that we can reflect on as we think about calling.

Goliath helps David find his passion. 

Our passions and what God is calling us to do go and in hand. Not "what should my passion be?" but "what is my passion?"

The second relationship starts to test his passion

Eliab tests David's sense of calling.

Eliab was the oldest brother who thought would have been called to be king but it was David. Eliab is probably still feeling cross and may be why he reacts to David.

1 Samuel 17:28 (NIV)

When Eliab, David's oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, "Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle."

Eliab judges David and says that his heart is wicked.

We both need encouraging people and also the Eliab-like people to help test our calling.

If you have had the sense of call tested you can stand firm in your  calling.

Saul helps David articulate what is in his heart. 

Saul gives him a chance to speak.

1 Samuel 17:34-37 (NIV)

But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, [35] I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. [36] Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. [37] The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." Saul said to David, "Go, and the Lord be with you."

He is able to express the passion in his heart. He expresses it so strongly. He also comes under the authority of Saul. David points to his previous experiences and see this to confirm his calling.  The experience that has happened in the quiet place can come into the public place.

I'd you are thinking about ordained ministry - can you get someone else excited about your faith. Also those in authority must be willing to come under a place of authority. A third question is how have you seen God at work in your private experiences.

David helps David to recognise his God-given strengths.

1 Samuel 17:38-39 (NIV)

Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. [39] David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. "I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." So he took them off.

Saul would have been much bigger than David. Is Saul trying to get some reflected glory by giving David his armour. David knows himself and knows that this won't work for him. Are there others who put expectations onto us.

If you are wearing someone else's armour you can't pay to your own strengths.

1 Samuel 17:40 (NIV)

Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

What has God called us to do.

What do we feel free and naturally good at?

We must not become self reliant but allow God to use our natural God-given talents. God takes our own gifts and we should use them for His glory.

The living God enables David to fulfil his calling.

1 Samuel 17:36 (NIV)

............. because he has defied the armies of the living God.

It is only David who knows God as the Living God. Do we stay connected to the living God in our life. This what enables David to stand up when the rest of the Israelites are paralysed with fear.

We are called to put the Living God into the equation.

Should Mark Zuckerberg wear a suit for meetings?

There has been some debate this week in the news if Mark Zuckerberg should wear a suit for business meetings and not a hooded top.

I am surrounded by uniform everyday at school - school uniforms for the students and mostly suits for the men.

There has been an interesting debate about should young, hip, creatives should wear formal suits to meetings.

Facebook has an image - trendy, social. young, hip. Not exactly this image:

Obviously wearing a suit shows respect, shows you are serious and committed to your project. If you are looking for money or investment there is often a need for a bit of "sucking up" to the investors and wearing the appropriate clothes is a good start.

People often cite Steve Jobs as an example of an un-suited professional.  Whilst the image below is quite typical and reflected a specific style.

In conclusion - do what is appropriate but retain your distinctive image if it part of your corporate style.

Prayer of Sir Francis Drake

I find this prayer as relevant today as when it was first written

Prayer of Sir Francis Drake

Disturb us, Lord, when We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

The Beatitudes

A short Bible study on The Beatitudes

Matthew 5:3 (NIV)

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Does this mean depressed, sad, unhappy? 

Is it spiritually poor or emotionally poor?

Greek - absolute destitute

Aramaic - poor and humble who has put their hope in God.

This refers to the poor man who has put his entire hope in God. When you know you are out of your depth you can really reach out to God and He will reach out to you.

Matthew 5:4 (NIV)

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

It is ok to mourn - they are fortunate for they will be comforted. God will draw close to us when we pour out our emotion to Him.

Christianity is about caring - break our hearts with the things that break yours.

Matthew 5:5 (NIV)

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Meek - a broken horse, still very powerful but totally under control. Being meek is not being ineffective or lacking in power. 

Is humble a good translation? 

Being angry at the right time but has every impulse under control.

Psalm 37:11 (NIV)

But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.

Matthew 5:6 (NIV)

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

This feeling was very different from any experience we have ever had. We might find it hard to have a sense of the urgency.

We are often content with just partial righteousness. It is not enough to be satisfied with partial righteousness. 

Matthew 5:7 (NIV)

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

James 2:13 (NIV)

because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful.....

Forgiveness can be very costly. We must show mercy to others as we will receive it.

The coming of God in Jesus is the ultimate example.

Matthew 5:8 (NIV)

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

What do we do that stops us see God?

Matthew 5:9 (NIV)

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

What does it mean to be a peacemaker? What do we mean when Jesus says peace will be with us.

Peace in the Bible is often linked with justice. Where there is no justice it will be hard to find peace.

To be a peacemaker we need to forgive.

Matthew 5:44 (NIV)

But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 

Matthew 5:10-12 (NIV)

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [11] "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. [12] Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

If they did these things to Jesus we should expect the same. It is part of the course for being a Christian.

iWires Mini DiplayPort to HDMI Connector

Bought today my first cable from the range of iWires cables at my local Apple Store.

For £25 the connector is able to connect -

Mac mini / MacBook (Post May 2010) / MacBook Pro (Post April 2010) and an iMac to a TV / Monitor.

The connector is also compatible with the thunderbolt display on the new MacBook Air offering both audio and video connection to a HDMI TV.

Initially connecting to the TV was easy and the MacBook Air recognised the TV quickly.  I did however have trouble establishing an audio connection.  A quick look on line didn’t offer any help so I tried the obvious trick of rebooting whilst still connected to the TV and this cleared the issue.

I did need some experimentation trying to find the best video settings but eventually 1080i seemed the sharpest image.

Virgin Media 30Gb superhub broadband

Today we received our 30Gb (maximum speed) Virgin media hub. For a small fee of £20 and new 12 month contract Virgin are advertising new speeds of unto 30Gb.

The new Netgear ‘super hub’ will replace both the Virgin media modem and wifi router.