New Blog Address

I’ve changed my blog service and  address. The new address is

www.reconstructinc.blogspot.com

Thanks

To keep the iPhone or not to keep the iPhone.

I’ve had an iPhone for just over a year now. I’ve enjoyed    all the bells and whistles but now contemplating if I even  need an iPhone or any other type of device that keeps me SO connected. Did you know that on average a person changes mobile phones every 16 months. I’m trying not to be part of the average. But let’s think about this an weigh the advantages and disadvantages to having an iPhone.

Pros followed by Cons

(P) Even though I have a 2g, it’s probably one of the top of the line communication devices on the market. (C) If I get rid of it and “down-grade”, it will take a couple of years to get something better that just a mobile phone.

(P) I have all my email, calandar, and contacts all together in one devise that fits in my pocket.  (C) This is not a con, but I have an iPod that will keep my contacts and calendar. I’ve discovered that I remember things better if I write them down. Like in a paper calendar. Plus. I use iCal and Address Book and usually have my laptop with me. As far as email goes, I hardly ever respond immediately to an email on my iPhone because they usually aren’t time sensitive.

(P) Facebook. Twitter. Weather. Bible. Maps. Stock Market. Pictures. All on your iPhone. (C) Let’s talk about Facebook for iPhone. You can stay connected with anyone at anytime. This is all good but I can do that on my laptop. Again, with Twitter you can stay connected with anyone at anytime. For some, you know what they’re doing EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY DAY.  Twitter has be defined as “microblogging.” Meaning. You post stuff that point poeple to a website or other information. So far, most of what I’ve seen on Twitter are just “What am I doing” posts like Facebook. Today I checked Twitter and had over 150 posts that I haven’t read.  Weather? I can look outside, on my laptop or even watch the weatherman in tv. Bible? I have one. Maps? I have a GPS. Stock Market? I don’t own any stocks, just mutual funds. Pictures? I have a really nice Sony Digital SLR.

When most people are trying to justify getting an iPhone,  I’m trying to justify a reason to get rid of the one I have.

Is that twisted and backwards or what???

The Way You Raise Them

Last night (Wednesday) our student group at BBC had a baptism service in the new Connection Center auditorium. The building isn’t finished yet so they used the protable baptistry on the concrete floor.

The cool thing about this baptism is that it was an answer to one of my prayers because Andrew Case, one of Matt’s friends for almost 3 years now, was baptized. Andrew accepted Christ during the fall retreat in November.

You worry about how you’re raising your kids. Being that there’s no manual for it and that they’re different from each other, you wonder if you’re doing it right. One of my prayers, as a father of boys, is that my boy’s positive influence would be stronger than the negative influences that are around them. As Andrew spent more time with us going to church and hanging out at our house, I prayed that he would eventually see how graceful and loving our God is. He did.

I thank God for Matt (my son) and David (our oldest) for the positive influence they have been on Andrew. I lift Matt up especially because he and Andrew are pretty tight. God used him and the “quantity” time they spend together as way to see Him clearer. I thank God for Debo (my wife), who along with me has treated Andrew like our third son. I thank God for Linc Taylor and Chris Blanton (our student ministers) for the way they are used by God to do what they do on a daily basis. I think God of Jared Burke for they way God used him at that moment to share with Andrew how much God loves him and how He is the only way.

Rap from Senior Adult Choir

If this will not keep a person from listening to rap music, I don’t know what will.

The Benefits of Facebook

Do you use Facebook?

I first heard about Facebook from our summer staff in ’07. Since then, I have almost 600 friends, have created the ReConstruct Cause and Group, and an FHS Band Group. We even had a “Recruit Your Friends to the ReConstruct Cause” contest and I even used Facebook earlier this year as part of my background checks for our summer staff. I really haven’t found anything I don’t like about Facebook. I recently listened to a podcast called “Facebook for Professionals” from Duct Tape Marketing. Now I like it even more.

This is what I like about it.

1) You connect with poeple you know from everywhere. Even across the globe.

2) If your friends update their Facebook, like they should, you’re able to keep up with what’s going on in their lives. I see some people only on a yearly basis, but we know what’s going on in each other’s lives through Facebook.

3) You can tell what kind of day a person’s having from their status update.

4) You can link your blog to the “Notes” application.

5) You can link your Twitter to you status updates.

6) I can’t even begin to write about the benefits of the photos you can post.

7) Considering it’s a web-based social networking site, it so far, has remained pretty safe.

If you havent’ gotten on Facebook, give it a try.

I’ll see you there.

Dave the Horn Guy

I met Dave the Horn Guy briefly at Youth Specialties in Pittsburgh last weekend.  Though you’d enjoy him.

Giving USA Report

Below is a report I found from GIVING USA about trends in contributions from different sources. The article was also in this quarter’s ECFA Newsletter.

Americans donated $306 billion in 2007 according to the Giving USA report released in July 2008. This was a one percent increase after inflation.

Among other key findings from the Giving USA report:

• Individuals donated an estimated $229-billion, a drop of 0.1 percent from 2006. Individuals who died donated $23.2-bilion through their wills, or 4 percent more than in 2006.All told, donations by individuals, including contributions to family foundations, made up 88 percent of donations last year.
• Corporate gifts declined by 0.9 percent, to $15.7-billion. Those contributions accounted for 5.1 percent of all donations.
• Giving by foundations increased by 7.3 percent to $38.5-billion, accounting for 12.6 percent of all donations. The growth was fueled in part by a nearly 12 percent rise in the value of foundation assets last year, according to the Foundation Center. But new money is not flowing into foundations at those kinds of rates: Gifts to family and other foundations declined by 11.9 percent to $27.7-billion. That could be the effect of the stock market’s ups and downs, researchers say, since many people donate stock to their foundations and are deterred from giving by market volatility.

Short Term Mission Trip Research

I found this great research from The Barna Group about involvement in short term mission trips. Hope you find this beneficial.

Despite Benefits, Few Americans Have Experienced Short-Term Mission Trips

It’s called Perspective Enhancement

Debo recently got back from Cape Town, South Africa where she and a group lead Vacation Bible School. Others did some construction and landscaping. They were also worked with The Living Hope Community Centre.

It takes some time to process the reality of living in this great and prosperous country after being on a mission trip to a country that has so much poverty. I call it re-entry into “The Empire.” Please don’t misunderstand me. We live in what I call the modern-day Roman Empire. I’m not saying that we are conquering and enlarging our territory like the Romans. I am saying that our country has as much, if not more, cultural influence than what Rome ever had.
I’ve loved hearing her stories of the kids she ministered to and developed relationships with. I’ve loved seeing all the pictures of people, animals, and phenomenal scenery. What I’ve loved more that anything is hearing her talk about her perspective. She didn’t have a bad perspective before. If there’s anyone that has a great perspective, it’s Debo. But what I’ve seen and heard is a perspective enhancement. Her perspective has been broadened.
Like anyone that goes on a life-changing mission trip, her perspective enhancement is now part of her reality. Everything she says and thinks will be influenced by her reality.
The challenge is not to eventually be clouded by the reality at home and always remember the perspective enhancement that was developed during the trip with the anticipation of going back.
These are exciting times right now.

Let’s put it in perspective

A friend of ours, Leigh Ann Swords, has a blog. If you click on her name you’ll be able to get to it. She has always had a political commentary. She always knows what’s going on in the world of politics. Who stands for what. Who voted which way on a certain issue. Leigh Ann put it all perspective the other day. I hope you’ll take time to read it.

Leigh Ann’s Blog