A Long-Time Dream Fulfilled

For some time I have wanted to do something to directly bless those in our community in need. It finally gelled in my mind what I could do, and the process has begun! I'm very excited!

Scholarship-- Free Computers!
Our small firm goes through computers, replacing at least one desktop and/or notebook each year. We've established a scholarship for those in our community between the ages of 13 and 21 who don't have a computer and have a harder time competing in school because of it. We're taking our older systems, erasing the hard drive (fdisk) and putting a fresh installation of Windows and Office on them (both legitimate copies). Then we're adding an inexpensive printer and giving them away! Cool, huh!

And that got me to thinking that this is an easy way for churches and ministries to bless those in their community and build more bridges to the unsaved around us! I mentioned it in the Church IT Podcast today and someone shared that they've been wanting to do something similar... and theirs is also a GREAT idea. Their IT staff and volunteers will advertise Free Geek Day where folks can bring their computers and get free help!

Technology Bridges
I'm especially excited to see new ways we can help reach those around us for Christ while meeting very practical needs. Let me know what you're doing or preparing to do too!

Amanda's Going on a Mission Trip?

Our 16-year old daughter, Amanda, asked Grace and me to meet with her this morning to discuss her interest in going on a mission trip this Summer. She wants to go with AIM to the Amazon jungle in Peru! Admittedly, I'm a little concerned about her for safety reasons, but I think I'm excited about the possibility! I asked her a few questions, and I really liked her responses.

Why do you want to go on a mission trip?
Well, I'm adventurous, and I think that I might want to be a missionary when I'm an adult. I like trying to live my faith out in front of others so that when I share with them about Jesus, they can't say I don't live it. And I am empathetic with those in need... so I think I can help.

Why this trip?
The people are really poor, and I don't come into contact with people that poor. We hear about people starving in different parts of the world, but it doesn't seem very real. I want to go somewhere where the people are needy, so I can try to help them and be a conduit to them from God.

A Surprise Call
We had a few questions as we met, and I sent them to AIM via their website's link (Have questions about this trip?). Within minutes my cell phone rang, and it was a lady from AIM calling in response to my questions! She wanted to answer them by phone so we could dialogue with her. Her answers were very helpful, and she helped us feel even better about AIM.

ECFA
Amanda started us off by referring us to the ECFA website. She knew that ECFA membership was important to us since it means they run their operation with integrity. (What a smart kid!)

Well, we are praying that God will lead us strongly in this decision. We are also very pleased with who Amanda is growing up to be. What an exciting adventure the Christian life is!

'Can I Get a Mac?' Part I Published

As promised in my October 25th blog, I've released the first part of a two-part article on using Macs in ministry. The first part focused on running PC software on a Mac reliably, something I accomplished with VMware's Fusion. The article is freely available on MBS' website as a PDF download. I think I'm a convert!