Twitter Scam!

I just heard about a Twitter Scam.  I guess it comes via e-mail and sends you to a site that looks like Twitter... but it isn't.  You are asked to sign in, so when you do, this site obtains your username and password!

I took a screen shot of what it looks like. (Notice the URL.)

(click the image to see larger version)

If you didn't know this already, this is an example of phishing.  Here is a video on phishing from the site called Common Craft: (It is worth a watch!)



This is another reason why I am glad that I use Google Chrome.  When I tried to go to the site so I could get the screen shot, Chrome stopped me.  This is what i saw:

I learned about this particular scam through Free Technology for Teachers.

Photo Friday: Well Groomed

(This week's challenge:  Well Groomed)

Don't ask which one is well groomed!

Every Love Song

20 years ago, this Halloween, I went on a date with a beautiful girl.  If that girl's name wasn't Charity, I could get into trouble for this post... but it is, and I can honestly say that I love her more today than I have at any other time. It just continues to grow and develop in ways I couldn't have imagined.

I was driving home a couple of months ago and I was listening to the song, Hey there Delilah, thinking about my wife.  I don't know why.  My wife wasn't in New York... I wasn't a thousand miles away... And I most definitely couldn't pay the bills with my guitar!  But there was just something about it that reminded me of her.

Maybe it was when he said, "Times Square never shined as bright as you." or "I'd walk to you if I had no other way." (the 1000 miles in mind)

I think it is those little things.  They remind me of her in small ways.  From the greatest epic love story to those little crushes, they have all become focused on her.  For me, the epitome of one to be in love with is packaged in one special person...

So... I wrote a poem.  (In my head there is also a tune... something with a country twang... but I promise I won't record myself singing it.)

Every Love Song Reminds Me of You

We've been together for so long
Another decade of love songs
But that's alright, that's fine by me
Cause I see you in every melody

When they sing it fast or sing it slow
When they sing it high or sing it low
Rock ballads, country or the blues
Every love song reminds me of you

Regardless of the melody
Whether passionate love or tragedy
I guess that's cause we've been there too
and some sweet part reminds me of you

So sing it fast and sing it slow
Sing it high and sing it low
Singing the rock, rhythm and the blues
Every love song reminds me of you

Some of those songs I never want to end
When I'm thinking about you my soul mate and friend
Through verse, chorus and instrumentals too
Every beautiful note reminds me of you

So I'm singing it fast and singing it slow
I'm cranking it up on the radio
New songs, old songs and classical too
Cause every love song reminds me of you

Do You Pray?

In our Adult Sunday School Class we are going through R.A. Torrey's book on prayer.  It has been OK, but not my favorite old book.  The concept of prayer, and our discussions on prayer have been really good though.  I have thought more about my prayer life in the last few months than I have at any other time in my life.  I have been convicted at my lack of prayer and motivated to question what it is that I am really praying for.

For example, when I pray for the church, and I pray that God will bring visitors:  The reality is that I am praying for some change within myself and those around me.  I am praying that God will make me the sort of person who is sharing the truth of the Gospel... unashamedly.  Just like when Jesus encourages his disciples to pray for workers in the harvest, and then turns around and sends those same disciples out to work (Matthew 9:35-10:10).  Even though God can use a phone book to bring people to church (which happened... another story for another blog), I believe that he delights in using us.  It is only when we don't bring Him glory that the stones begin to cry out!

I am also praying, when I pray for church growth, that this church will be God's kind of church.  I mean, if you are asking God to bring people to your church, there is the assumption that God would want people to be at that church.  Are we really God's kind of Church?  Is His truth being taught?  Do we emphasize the things that He emphasizes?  Do we respond to sin the way He responded to sin?  Do we forgive the way He forgives?  Do we Love the way He loves and has loved us?

If we want people to come to our church, it should be because we believe that when they come... That they will really see God!

So, do you pray?  Do you really pray that sort of prayer that willingly and with great desire, seeks the Holy Spirit to intervene in such a way that we will be praying God's will and His work.

The Shepherd's Fellowship shared an article by J.C. Ryle titled, "Do You Pray?"  I would like to encourage you to visit, give it a read, and ask yourself the question, Do You Pray?

GOP Healt Plan

From the Chicago Tribune:

Democrats in the U.S. House and Senate have spent the spring, summer and fall grappling with how to fix the health care system. They're still trying to craft a bill they can sell to Americans -- or even explain in plain English.

And the Republicans? Well, as the minority party, they're mainly on the sidelines. They've become the party of "no," sniping at every Democratic health care reform idea without promoting any of their own. Right?

Not entirely.

Over the summer and fall, Republicans in the House and Senate have introduced six -- yes, six -- health care reform proposals. You didn't hear? Well, those plans didn't produce much of a ripple because Democrats dominate the Congress.

(Read the Rest)

Six Health Care Reform Proposals from the Republican party. I haven't heard about any of them! Have you? It is amazing to me how one sided the media is!

Jim DeMint's blog has the same article.

5 truths that can't be proven by science:

• Logic and Mathematics
• Metaphysical truths
• Ethical beliefs
• Aesthetic judgments
• Science itself

[HT: 22 Words]

Google Voicemail

I have a Google Voice Number.

Wow, I feel like I am at a Google-holics anonymous meeting!

It is true though.  I love Google stuff:  Gmail, Calendar, Documents, Reader, Wave, Search, Blogger, Voice, and Google Apps!  (There are actually more, but I don't want to lose you right away.

Google Voice just made it possible to have all of your voice mail from your cell phone go to the Google Voice Voice mail.  Now I will get all of my voice mails in one place!  I would bore you with the details, but instead I will steer you to this little movie:




So, there you go.  Now when you call me... no matter which number you call you will be getting your voice transcribed!

[HT: Google Blog]

The Next Prospect

Here is the next house that we are looking at.

View Larger Map

That last one just wasn't going to work.  There were too many unworkable variables involved with the last one. I was almost ready to make an offer, but I just didn't feel right about it.

This new one actually has more square footage than the last one.  I has a two car garage.  It is a lower price, but a nicer neighborhood.  We made an offer on Friday, so now I am simply waiting to hear what the owners are going to do.

Google Wave

I just received my invitation to preview Google Wave.

I jumped on it... like I do with most Google stuff... but now I don't know what to do.  I clicked everything that I can click and moved everything I could move... but I wasn't all that excited.  I think that wave is geared toward the "community" experience.  So...

If you would like an invitation to Google Wave, let me know.  I have 18 invites remaining.  I don't think they send you something right away, but according to them, "Google Wave is more fun when you have others to wave with..."

Leave your e-mail in the comments or e-mail me.

If you are already using Google Wave, wave me something or add me to your contacts!

A Minister's Strength...

Every Saturday I start thinking to myself... "What have I gotten myself into?" Then I get to Sunday morning and I really start thinking that, but saying... "Well, I am here, and Lord... If something good is going to come of this... It is going to have to be YOU."

I have that mental awareness of my need to depend fully on God, but the recognition of my own shortcomings, which will sometimes increase my dependence on God, will at other times bring doubt.

After the service today, I was left wondering... I sat down at the computer to start browsing some of my favorite blogs through Google Reader. The very first one I ran across was Challies.com who had just done a post titled "A Minister's Strength". In that post he quoted a prayer from The Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions, which you may know, if you frequent this blog, is one of my favorite books. The prayer which he quoted is one that I hadn't noticed before, but was perfect for the moment. Here is that prayer:

Unchangeable Jehovah,
When I am discouraged in my ministry and full of doubts of my self,
fasten me upon the rock of thy eternal election,
then my hands will not hang down,
and I shall have hope for myself and others.
Thou dost know thy people by name,
and wilt at the appointed season lead them out of a natural to a gracious state by thy effectual calling.
This is the ground of my salvation,
the object of my desire,
the motive of my ministry.
Keep me from high thoughts of myself or my work,
for I am nothing but sin and weakness;
in me no good dwells,
and my best works are but sin.
Humble me to the dust before thee.
Root and tear out the poisonous weed of self-righteousness,
and show me my utter nothingness;
Keep me sensible of my sinnership;
Sink me deeper into penitence and self-abhorence;
Break the Dagon of pride in pieces before the ark of thy presence;
Demolish the Babel of self-opinion, and scatter it to the wind;
Level to the ground my Jericho walls of a rebel heart;
Then grace, grace, will be my experience and cry.
I am a poor, feeble creature when faith is not in exercise,
like an eagle with pinioned wings;
Grant me to rest on thy power and faithfulness,
and to know that there are two things worth living for:
to further thy cause in the world,
and to do good to the souls and bodies of men;
This is my ministry, my life, my prayer, my end.
Grant me grace that I shall not fail.

Very fitting and a good reminder.

Class of 1990!

First Baptist Christian School Class of 1990 | Promote Your Page Too

Not One Iota

Yesterday's sermon came from Matthew 5:17-20. I have been impressed so much with the truth of the Gospel as I have gone through the Sermon on the Mount and this week hasn't been any different.  I did feel that this week's could have been a little controversial, but I haven't heard any negative reports yet.

If you would like to take a listen, you can find the audio of all of the Sermon on the Mount sermons by clicking here.  Feel free to give me your thoughts or opinions in the comments section.


If you would like to subscribe to all of the sermons from Edgewood, then visit this blog: http://audio.edgewood-danville.org.

Another cool Street View

Just because I found out that you could embed street views...



View Larger Map

A potential buy...

Here is the house that we are looking at:


View Larger Map

We are still doing a little research before we make an offer, but we are leaning in this direction. I am going to find out about the power bills today, and we are doing a little background research on the neighborhood.

It is a really cool house. There is one full bath and two half baths, three bedrooms, living room, dining room, sun room, attached garage, plus... the basement is basically like a one bedroom apartment, complete with kitchen... Then there is a finished attic with a spiral staircase in one of the bedrooms going up to the top. It is also a quirky, odd house. My wife, of course, loves it. I just struggle with the other stuff: What direction is the neighborhood going? Is it going to be a money pit? Can my wife take a walk and feel safe? etc.


Here is the listing.

What are they expecting to hear today?

What are they expecting to hear today?

It Burns Us...

I have been preaching through the Sermon on the Mount at Church.  It has been really good so far... not necessarily the preaching... but what it is doing in me.  I have been learning so much about the truth of the Gospel that is wrapped up in every little spot of the Sermon on the Mount.

Every time I study the next passage I feel like another little light bulb has been turned on in this big room.  It is similar to the experience of turning lights on in a gym.  Especially one of those old gymnasiums where the lights come on a little at a time.  As each one flickers into its own brilliance, the features of the room become more clear.

I just saw this quote over at the blog titled Tolle Lege (which is one of my favorite blogs to read and you should really add it to your list of must reads). The quote is by D.A. Carson, it says,

"The more I read these three chapters– Matthew 5,6, and 7– the more I am both drawn to them and shamed by them. Their brilliant light draws me like a moth to a spotlight; but the light is so bright it sears and burns. No room is left for forms of piety which are nothing more than veneer and sham."

That quote summed up so much of what I am experiencing as I read and study this sermon, so I thought I would share it with you.

What have you been reading lately?  How has God's word been "burning" itself in and upon you?

Another Danville favorite!

Another Danville favorite!

Some positives points were presented...

Some positives points were presented...

Sermon Audio Feed

If you use Google Reader, or some other sort of feed reader, you can now get the Edgewood Sermon Audio as a feed.  Just go and subscribe to this blog:

http://audio.edgewood-danville.org

The ESV

Just recently, I made the switch to the ESV.  I think that I did a post on it a few weeks ago, but I wanted to mention some more about it.  For those of you who don't already know, the ESV is the English Standard Version of the Bible.

If you are a reader of this blog and you fall into the KJV Only camp... I hate to disappoint, but I am most definitely not in that camp.  In fact, I don't really even visit that camp anymore and I may have even moved myself to the KJV Hardly Ever camp.

I don't mean any offense to the King James Translators.  I really admire what they did and would uphold their translation philosophy.  I would even go as far as to say that by switching to the ESV I am more in line with what the King James translators were trying to do than those people who cling to the King James Version.

From the ESV website I am borrowing this quote which really summarizes what I am trying to say, way better than I am saying it:

"The true heirs of the King James translators are those who continue their task today, not those who declare it to have been definitively concluded in 1611."
—Alister McGrath, In the Beginning

In fact, I would suggest going on to their website and reading their stuff instead of listening to anything else that I have to say.  Here are a couple of links to different pages on their website that I found especially interesting.

Translation Philosophy
How is the ESV different from other Bible translations?
and
From KJV to ESV: A Historical Legacy