Author: Steve

The end of the Friday Fax

I’ve just sent the last Friday Fax, after almost 11 years of translating and distributing it. It is a sad moment; I’ve been involved in encouraging thousands of people for many years, and now it’s over. I’ve already received a number of messages thanking me for the work I’ve put in, which is gratifying.
It’s also a relief in some ways; it was sometimes hard to find time to translate it and get it sent out on deadline, particularly when my projects at work were in a tough phase. There were times when I got home after midnight, translated the Friday Fax – which generally took an hour – and got up in time to catch the 6:10 a.m. bus. I will not miss that part! Thankfully, that was far from the norm. I’ll enjoy having the extra few hours each week, nonetheless.
I’ll be publishing past issues at www.bufton.net/fridayfax, for anyone who is interested.

Following advice

Following Andrew Jones’ advice, I’ve updated this blog’s design. The posts now adjust their width to the width of your browser window, so you don’t have to scroll so much. It doesn’t look quite as pretty for Internet Explorer users as it used to. All the more reason to switch to Firefox! You can download the theme for your own blog, too.
(I had actually already started on the redesign before Andrew’s post.)

The joy of a clear conscience

Isn’t it great to have a clear conscience? To have done nothing wrong, or at least have apologised for anything we have, and be reconciled – wonderful! But wait a minute, what’s Paul saying in 1 Corinthians?

I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.

Bibleserver.com

I’d never noticed that before, but if you think about it, it makes sense. Even in human courts, if you’re legally adult, not knowing that something is illegal is no defence. With God, simply thinking that we’re living a ‘good’ life is no defence. He’s the lawgiver and the judge.

MythBusters Team Struck Down By Zeus

During my time in Colorado with Mike, I watched the TV programme MythBusters a few times. Nothing which they investigated was of real significance, but interesting nonetheless. However, it looks like that’s all over now. Shame.

MythBusters Team Struck Down By Zeus

November 30, 2005 | Issue 41•48

SAN FRANCISCO—MythBusters hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, who dared challenge the sacred explanations of the order of the universe, were destroyed by Zeus Monday. “I soared ascending to the ethereal sky, and by merest nod massed a fearsome storm, and with mine lightnings struck down the naysayers Adam and Jamie,” Zeus said in a press conference called to warn all doubters of his thunderous might. The MythBusters producers have issued a statement apologizing to the entire Olympian community and declared that, from now on, the program will focus only on myths unrelated to the Greek, Egyptian, or Norse pantheons.

MythBusters Team Struck Down By Zeus | The Onion – America’s Finest News Source

One week of work

I’ve been back at work for one week now. It has been tough after three months of relaxing and enjoying myself! Back to 4 hours travelling every day, a crowded bus in the morning, deadlines, questions which the banking experts have to think about when I ask them, and answers which I have to implement in software. At least I still have a lot of overtime to take off, and vacation. I wonder if Mike & Chris would have me back next year… 😉

Back to work

I returned to work yesterday – quite a change from the past three months! I spent the first day catching up with the details of the takeover of our company, and starting to put out feelers for possible future projects. (I plan to leave the project I’ve been working on for the past three years sometime early next year.) The third person to see me after I walked in the door asked me if I would join his project! We’ll see – it is with another section of the same bank I’m working for right now, and I’d prefer to work for another customer for a while. My new boss is ready to make opportunities for me to change, so the perspectives are good.
Today, I returned to the project I was working on before my holidays. That was tough, because nothing much seems to have changed: the same expectations, much the same problems, and the pressure has almost returned to how it was in the bad old days, having eased off earlier this year. I don’t have to hold out much longer, thankfully.

Revolution, Chapter 7

Barna’s examines why the congregational church is declining, suggesting that it is a consequence of the specialisation of the church: churches for different generations, different worship styles, outreach to specific parts of the population and so on. (Aren’t these the very things promoted by much church growth literature? It seems rather ironic that Barna is suggesting that these are factors in the decline of congregational church.) He continues by examining newer, focused ‘micro’ models of church.

Back to Barna, after some weeks of travelling!
This chapter is a cursory examination of newer expressions of church, how they affect people’s faith, and why people choose them.
“The congregational model of church … has been the dominant force in people’s spiritual life for hundreds of years. So why is it so rapidly losing ground at this moment in history?”
Barna’s first answer is that it is a consequence of the specialisation of the church: churches for different generations, different worship styles, outreach to specific parts of the population and so on. (Aren’t these the very things promoted by much church growth literature? It seems rather ironic that Barna is suggesting that these are factors in the decline of congregational church.) Continue reading “Revolution, Chapter 7”