New Logo

I need a new logo for my main Harmless Online site. Here are attempts #1 and #2. I don't really like either one of them, but I am at a loss. I need some inspiration.

When the Righteous Suffer

Every once in awhile I will run across a sermon or series of sermons that will change or alter my viewpoint. I had a series from James MacDonald on the Will of God that radically changed my view on determining God's will for my life. Those messages brought me such relief. Recently I listened to a series from Andy Stanley titled, Faith, Hope and Luck that brought a deeper understanding of what exactly Faith is.

The last few days I have been listening to two messages from John Piper about Suffering. I downloaded them from the Desiring God site so that I could listen to them on my Walkman phone. They have been so influential to my thinking that I have felt prompted to post links to them on my blog so that others could listen to them as well. Here is a link to the sermons on the Desiring God site.

Lo and behold, I found them on YouTube. So, I am going to post them directly to this blog so that you won't have to go anywhere else to listen. I would like to encourage you to take the time to listen. I know that I have seen others post things to listen to on their blogs, but I admit that many times I just don't take the time.

Please consider bookmarking these videos, and when you get the chance give them a listen. I promise that you won't regret it. You could also go to the download page and snag the mp3's to listen to later. They are still free.

If you do take the time to listen to them, please, please let me know what you think! I would love to hear from all of you your thoughts on these sermons.

Without any further ado, here are the messages:

Part 1


Part 2

no offer

For those of you who don't already know, the offer on the house fell through. I would tell you why, but it is quite boring actually.

I have to say that it isn't because of our Realtor. I have never had a Realtor before, so I can't compare, but I think that she is doing an amazing job. Her name is Barbara Massone (view LinkedIn Profile). She just moved to the Upstate from Boston. She is still fairly new to the area, but she has already learned her way around and is working really hard to sell our house. In fact, it was her persistence that persuaded me to use her as our Realtor.

Anyway, we just had 4 more showings last week... so, for you that pray, please pray that someone comes along that loves our house and wants to buy it!

Later!

Still need to fix the top...

Still need to fix the top...

I moved...

... my blog!

I hope that I will be moving soon, so I decided to go ahead and move my blog. The new address is:

http://blog.harmlessonline.net

I have owned this domain for the last two years. I have mostly used it for school, but since I am switching schools, I have decided to make it a little more personal. I will be changing the students.harmlessonline.net into a site for any students. I would like to include some links to some basic free tools that I have found. The teachers.harmlessonline.net would be transformed into a collection of links for teachers. I already have some on there, but I will need to do some rearranging. (Those sites might still be password protected for now...)

The old blogspot address will forward to the new address, but I don't know if you will continue to see me through any feed readers.

Progress is being made...

Progress is being made...

Stem Cell Debate

I just saw this article over at Randy Alcorn's blog. It is worth a read, so please check it out.

Dr. Oz on Oprah: "the stem cell debate is dead"

It has a link to a video of Dr. Oz on Oprah where he flat out says, "the stem cell debate is dead." Read Alcorn's stuff before you watch the video. The video is cool in and of itself anyway.

This is the work in progress on my back wall.

This is the work in progress on my back wall.

We got an offer!

Somebody made an offer on our house last Friday. Now we just have to wait for the inspection. If that goes well... we will need to be out of our house by May 22nd!

Man A Nothing

(another Puritan prayer from The Valley of Vision)

O Lord,
I am a shell full of dust,
    but animated with an invisible rational soul
    and made anew by an unseen power of grace;
Yet I am no rare object of valuable price,
    but one that has nothing and is nothing,
    although chosen of thee from eternity,
        given to Christ, and born again;
I am deeply convinced of the evil and misery of a sinful state,
    of the vanity of creatures,
    but also of the sufficiency of Christ.
When thou wouldst guide me I control myself,
When thou wouldst be sovreign I rule myself.
When thou wouldst take care of me I suffice myself.
When I should depend on thy providings I supply myself,
When I should submit to thy providence I follow my will,
When I should study, love, honor, trust thee, I serve myself;
I fault and correct thy laws to suit myself,
Instead of thee I look to man's approbation,
    and am by nature an idolater.
Lord, it is my chief design to bring my heart back to thee.
Convince me that I cannot be my own god, or make myself happy,
    nor my own Christ to restore my joy,
    nor my own Spirit to teach, guide, rule me.
Help me to see that grace does this by providential affliction,
    for when my credit is god thou dost cast me lower,
    when riches are my idol thou dost wing them away,
    when pleasure is my all thou dost turn it into bitterness.
Take away my roving eye, curious ear, greedy appetite, lustful heart;
Show me that non of these things
    can heal a wounded conscience,
    or support a tottering frame,
    or uphold a departing spirit.
Then take me to the cross and leave me there.

Keith Green

Alright. Another Video... This one of Keith Green, one of my all-time favorites!

I didn't start listening to his music until long after he was gone, but he still had a great impact on my life. His music brought a reality to the Christian walk.



[HT: Sunday School Thoughts]

YouTube Orchestra

This was kinda cool.



[HT: The Official Google Blog]

Grazie Susan Boyle

Saw this over at the Without Wax blog.


Grazie Susan Boyle! from seb fil on Vimeo.

I am glad I saw that, it was great!

Spring Break Recap (for those who might be interested)

Friday, April 3rd
Half day of school and the first half of the trip home. We stopped at a hotel in Kentucky so that the boys would get a chance to do a little swimming.

Saturday, April 4th
Finished the trip home. Spent the rest of the night at the in-laws house.

Sunday, April 5th
Church with my parents and my sister. Spent the rest of the afternoon with them. The wife left to spend a couple of days with her sisters.

Monday, April 6th
Still at my parent's house. Spent the whole day "trying" to get some school work done, but actually watched movies with my sister. It was relaxing... and it was worth it. I did print off my resumes for the next day.

Tuesday, April 7th
Spent the first half of the day driving around to several different schools dropping off resumes. I went to Covington Junior High and High, Georgetown Junior High and High, Westville Junior High and High, North Ridge Middle, and maybe one other, I can't remember. I was able to set up two interviews for later in the week.

I spent the second half of the day in the hospital with my dad. We thought that he might be having a heart attack, but it is now looking like it is an aneurysm. It seems like it isn't one to be nervous about, but if someone even mentions the word aneurysm, it tends to make one nervous. My dad had to spend the night there. I was there until 10:30, and the kids spent the night at the in-laws.

Wednesday, April 8th
Spent the first half of the day at my parent's house, waiting to hear word about my dad. After lunch, I left and went back to my in-laws. We spent the rest of the night there.

Thursday, April 9th
Spent the first half of the day at an interview with Georgetown High School. It went really well. Some potential there.

Met my family with the in-laws for lunch at Monical's Pizza. Then headed back over to my parent's house. Spent the rest of the afternoon/evening there, except for a short excursion to Oakwood Junior High for an interview.

Friday, April 10th
I have spent this entire day doing school work. I am working on my Course Overviews. I finished another one today, and I am working on a second one. Once I complete that one, I will only have three remaining.

Saturday, April 11th
This day hasn't happened yet, but I already know that I am going to spend (pretty much) the entire day driving.

I know that I have left out some of the details, but that is pretty much the rundown of my Spring Break. Not very exciting is it? I might feel a little more relaxed, and maybe a little more at ease with the job thing, but the last leg of the school year is before me, and it will be over before I know what hit me. I am just hoping that all of the little parts will fall into place as I finish up.

My Prayer This Week

I have been going around to several schools this week, dropping off my resume and going to interviews. After each resume I dropped off, I was taking some time before I drove to the next school to dedicate the course of my life to God's plan. I was using a book called Valley of Vision to help me in my prayer time. I would like to share one of those prayers with you. It is called "Service and Equipment"

Thou God of my end,

Thou hast given me a fixed disposition

     to go forth and spend my life for thee;

If it be thy will let me proceed in it;

     if not, then revoke my intentions.

All I want in life is such circumstances

     as may best enable me to serve thee in the world;

To this end I leave all my concerns in thy hand,

     but let me not be discouraged,

     for this hinders my spiritual fervency;

Enable me to undertake some task for thee,

     for this refreshes and animates my soul,

     so that I could endure all hardships and labors,

     and willingly suffer for thy name.

But, O what a death it is to strive and labour,

     to be always in a hurry and yet do nothing!

Alas, time flies and I am of little use.

O that I could be a flame of fire in thy service,

     always burning out in one continual blaze.

Fit me for singular usefulness in this world.

Fit me to exult in distresses of every kind

     if they but promote the advancement of thy kingdom.

Fit me to quit all hopes of the world's friendship,

     and give me a deeper sense of my sinfulness.

Fit me to accept as just desert from thee

     any trial that may befall me.

Fit me to be totally resigned to the denial of pleasures I desire,

     and to be content to spend my time with thee.

Fit me to pray with a sense of the joy of divine communion,

     to find all times happy seasons to my soul,

     to see my own nothingness,

     and wonder that I am allowed to serve thee.

Fit me to enter the blessed world where no unclean thing is,

     and to know thee with me always.

(From page 178 of The Valley of Vision)