Prone to Wander

We interrupt the regularly scheduled silence with a blog post.

With the wifey doing all the blogging for the both of us the last few months, I haven’t felt the need to update. But since my regular phone meeting for this time seems to be postponed, what the hey.

Do you realize next week is Christmas? Cathie told me that yesterday, and I didn’t believe her. As easy as it is to be discouraged by what Christmas has become, I’m still thankful for the holiday as a reminder of the precious gift of Christ. It’s amazing that amidst the secular, anti-God society we live in, God still provides these holidays (Easter too) so that we can stop, pause, and dwell on the incredible life of Christ.

I’m forgetful when it comes to everyday things. But when it comes to the Gospel, doubly so. That’s why I’m slowly learning to appreciate the abundant means through which God reminds me of the Gospel of grace, and shepherds me back into the fold:

• Sacrements: Communion and baptism both are a reminder that God uses the blood of Christ to transform lives. And in both, we are passive agents, while God does the work of transformation within us.
• Fellowship: I have this experience often. Someone asks me what I’m learning. I pause, thinking to myself, “What am I learning?” And as I slowly remember the things God is teaching me, and I’m amazed. And as I recount those things, it’s as if I’m learning them over again.
• Preaching: It’s foolishness to the world, but it’s balm to the regenerate soul. Nothing like a Gospel-centered sermon to reinvigorate my eyes of faith.
• The Bible: God’s special revelation to us. And despite the world’s best efforts to discredit, discount and dismiss its validity, it still stands as a beacon of truth and hope.

Fresh iTunes Music in 3 Easy Steps

I’m not sure where he got it from but props to David A. for this ingenious music management idea.

Sometimes, don’t you wish you could listen to some good music without having to create a brand new playlist? Or maybe you want to rediscover some good oldies in your library, but don’t feel like scrolling through thousands of songs. Here’s a way to set up a smart playlist that will have you rediscovering your favorites for a long time.

1. Rate all your songs. iTunes has a rating system that uses 5 stars. You’ll have to go through and rate all your songs, or at the very least, rate the good ones as either a four or five star song. This step will take the longest, but it’s worth it in the long haul.

2. Add a new Smart Playlist. Once you’re done rating, click File > New Smart Playlist.

3. Set-up Fresh Music Rules. Check “Match all of following rules”. For your first rule, set “Rating” “is greater than” 3 stars (assuming you’ve rated your favorite songs as either 4 or 5 stars). For your second rule, set “Last played” “is not in the last” “2 weeks”. Check the “limit to 25 items” field to keep your playlist at a manageable size and check “live updating” which will update your playlist dynamically (i.e. once you’ve listened to a song, it moves off the playlist and adds a new fresh song).

Once you’re done, a new Smart Playlist should pop up in your playlist column. You can name it (I titled mine Fresh Music). What you’ll have is a playlist with 25 songs (great size for transferring to iPods and iPhones) that you prequalified and don’t have to micromanage. The best part is, it stays fresh with new music and anytime you sync your iPod or iPhone, you’ll have a new playlist of fresh music.

Athiesm in 140-Characters or Less

One of my recent favorite things to do online is to check trending topics on Twitter. It’s pretty fascinating actually. You can see what other people are talking about moment-by-moment: important news, what people are watching, and probably the most fascinating, or what people are thinking.

Right now, the #1 trending topic is “no God”. Interesting. Clicking on it shows a host of bite-sized atheistic manifestos.

Trending Topic, October 20, 2009

Really, we were all in the same boat at one point in time, proclaiming in our hearts, “There is no God” (Psalm 14). What a great reminder to take a moment and glory in the Gospel of Christ that saves unregenerate hearts. And what a reminder to be in prayer for an unredeemed world that needs the same.

Edit: Just reading some more of the tweets, and it looks like the trend was started by Christians tweeting: “No God, no peace; know God, know peace”. Somehow, I’m just not surprised.