Tempting Internet Content

Hardly a week goes buy where I don't hear of someone in ministry who has resigned or been let go because of porn addiction. This is a serious problem, and it's not personal! We simply have a very smart enemy who knows what we respond to, and who knows that many will respond to the lure of online porn.

We Need To Do Something!
Maybe my faith is weak, but I believe this is not an area we can clean up. What we need to do is to protect ourselves and those with whom we work.

I just released an article detailing many of the ways we need to protect our computer systems and team members. This is one of the areas I spotlighted in that article.

Can We Talk?
Let's face it. We see this problem with both male and female computer users. We can filter web content, but the smart folks can figure ways around our filters. The best solution our firm has found is Covenant Eyes-- an accountability solution that works very well. It doesn't slow Internet use or access, it simply records every website a user visits, scores them, and lists them on reports sent to the user's accountability partners. There's no way around it, and uninstalling it sends an email to the accountability partners too!

Covenant Eyes took their name from Job 31:1 in which Job says, "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl." They are all about helping us in this area. And if you ask, they'll tell you about their special pricing for ministry teams.

I Implore You!
Please check this out and make it a part of your system policy. It will save lives! Really!

Great Perspective!

Today I had a doctor's appointment at our region's Veteran's Hospital. Nothing to worry about... just a follow-up on something that is a service-connected disability (it's been around for a LONG time). Whenever I go there, I always wonder if God is going to speak a word of encouragement to someone through me. But today was different!

While leaving there today, a guy in a wheelchair was rolling himself in my direction. I said, "How's it going?" His reply was stunning in that usually depressing place. He said, "Man, I am good. In fact, I'm blessed!"

Attitude Makes Such a Difference
The unit he was entering is the one where people go for treatment who will be in wheelchairs the rest of their life. Usually they have blank stares or a hardness they've adopted as a coping mechanism. But this guy was different! He was shining a light that was burning bright!

As I walked out to my car, I couldn't help thinking about how easy it is to feel the "burden of the day"-- but I was walking! Today I was surprised. Instead of God working through me by speaking a word of encouragement, he encouraged me through this fellow who I may never see again. But I was definitely ministered to.

Learning to Drive

Our daughter turns sixteen next month, so we are on a week-long road trip in which she's doing almost all of the driving to "burn in" her driving skills. She's doing really well too!

Practical Mentoring
God brings many people into our lives to help mentor and guide us, and it's up to us to keep our eyes and ears open so we don't miss them. A number of years ago a friend shared a great idea with me that is the basis of our road trip.

As each of his children were about to earn their driver license, he took them on a one-on-one week-long road trip in which the kid did most of the driving. His was a GREAT idea!

• It's a rare opportunity to have a bunch of conversations between a dad and his kid. I have said many times that it's not quality time, it's quantity time. That's because you can't plan quality time, you can only plan quantity time. And during some of that quantity time, some quality time may happen...
• Giving your kid the keys to the car is... well... kind of scary! They'll be completely on their own when they're out driving, with no way for mom and dad to protect them other than with prayer (I am not downplaying prayer's importance). This kind of burn-in builds confidence, skill, and creates the opportunity to give a lot of driving tips.
• Once the driver license is in their hands, kids spend very little time at home. This is almost like a last-ditch opportunity to spend time together... before everything gets even crazier.

Well, I'm thankful for the lesson I learned from my friend. And we're having a great time driving throughout the state of California! Our daughter will have driven through L.A. traffic, long boring stretches of freeway, canyon roads, steep and windy mountain roads, bridges (like the Golden Gate!), and San Francisco rush hour! And we've had a lot of fun dad-and-daughter time together.

Leave My Desktop Alone!

One of our favorite movies is Blast from the Past. It's about a family that locked themselves into an underground shelter because they thought a nuclear blast had occurred during the Bay of Pigs. At one point the dad comes to the surface and encounters a current-day surface-dweller. The dad says to him, "Leave my elevator alone!", which later becomes a mantra in the movie. That line is similar to Moses saying, "Let my people go!"

Well, I wish software developers would, "Leave my desktop alone!"

Personal Preferences
While it is not the personal preference of all, I like to keep my desktop as clean as possible-- no shortcuts. There are two I can't get rid of (Recycle Bin and BlueTooth), but my desktop is otherwise clean. Why, then, do software companies insist on cluttering up my desktop with their shortcuts every time I update their software? It's just rude!

Some Play Nice
Every now and then a software developer is nice enough to include in their installation routine a question that let's me tell it whether or not I want shortcuts added and, if so, where. But most don't care about me, they just want to mark up my screen.

Menus Too
Even though Microsoft has told me how my menus should lay out, I've decided that I like them labeled and organized differently. The other half of this rant is that they should leave my menus alone too and save me the time it takes to reset them to my preferences.

I know that many will think this is a little issue that I'm making a mountain out of, but someone has to tell them to respect our personal preferences! What do you think?

Our Preferred PDA Phone Spec

Many today want a full-featured PDA, but are tired of carrying that and a cell phone. Some of our clients have asked us what we recommend, and one recently commissioned us to research and find the "right" solution!

We've identified a PDA Phone spec that works well and synchronizes easily with Outlook and other files. It is the Treo 700wx from VerizonWireless, Sprint, and AllTel. Like all devices it's not perfect, but we think it's the best device that does what a person who relies on their PDA wants-- and who wants to combine that device with a good phone.

Some of our parameters were:
• The PDA Phone needs to have the options of using a keyboard or a stylus because some PDA programs are best used with a stylus rather than having to navigate from field to field with a navigation button.
• The PDA Phone needs to run a full version of Windows Mobile, not a watered-down subset. Many PDA phones run a limited version of Windows Mobile that won't allow the installation of many programs one could want on their PDA (these are often referred to as SmartPhones).
• Because our clients are nationwide and many also travel nationwide, the carrier needs to be one with a solid network that works well in most markets. VerizonWireless has proven itself over and over as the best.

A limitation of the Treo 700wx is that it runs Windows Mobile 5 even though version 6 has been released. At this time, it is the only device that met all of the above criteria, though there should be some new options available by winter.

MS Office 2007 Article Interest

Today I published an article in Christian Computing Magazine entitled Microsoft Office 2007 that included some of my previous comments from this blog and more. In the first four hours since the magazine hit the digital streets I have gotten more email than on any previous article. That's good! And it's not surprising!

Office: A Love / Hate Relationship
A lot of folks LOVE Microsoft and it's products! There are things about Office 2007 that I really like, I didn't detail them in the article. Some are:

• XML files are smaller
• Office 2007 has a better calendar
• All the suite modules seem to integrate better
• It's nice being able to pin an oft-used file to the office button
  
• The Excel Function Library is a big help
• PowerPoint's animations and transitions are better
  
• Videos, graphics, and pictures are better in PowerPoint
• and more!
  

The Highest Priority
When I look at computer technology-- both hardware and software-- I evaluate it from the primary perspective of whether it will help those using it to be more productive than they previously were. This priority is important because I consult with churches and ministries nationwide, and I believe their mission is the most important there is!

Any technology that slows them down translates to people in ministry being less effective at fulfilling their mission. I'm not opposed to learning curves... improvements always require an adjustment period. But there are things that, even though I've been using Office 2007 for more than four months, still take me longer such as designing a new PowerPoint file (unless I merely modify an old one, using its template), working with our family's website, or anything I can't find quickly in the Ribbon.

Yes, there are things I like less in this version of Office, and they definitely slow me down considerably. Overall, I like it and believe it'll become the standard. I just wish I could be more productive in the interim.

Some Fun Technology

We got to spend the first part of our sabbatical in Hawaii! It was wonderful.

While there we visited with some friends who live there, and they showed me a website that lets you know when satellites, etc are viewable from any location! The site is called Heavens Above (www.heavens-above.com), and it's free and easy to use!

Putting in our GPS coordinates, it let us know when we could see with the naked eye, for instance, the International Space Station (ISS)! That's what this blog's picture is... taken from our camera in Hawaii!

I hope you have as much fun with this as we have,

Nick