Urbana09

I wanted to tell you all about this awesome missions conference called Urbana. I have gone twice (2003 and 2006). The conference happens once every 3 years. It is called Urbana because it used to be held at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Some 40,000 people come together for the conference. I absolutely love it. It is put on by Intervarsity Christian Fellowship which is a college campus ministry (similar to Campus Crusade for Christ). The conference is in St. Louis from December 27 to 31.


Here is the full schedule. There are morning Bible studies that really help you learn how to study the Bible inductively on your own. There are group sessions where you learn to sing songs (mostly written for Urbana) in several different languages (Spanish, French, Korean). There is an exhibit hall where you can meet hundreds of mission agencies and learn about what they do. There are dozens of "classes" for you to check out each afternoon on any topic you can imagine dealing with missions and ministry. Also in the big auditorium you will hear these amazing speakers. One of the best parts is that you sing until midnight on New Year's Eve and celebrate by dedicating the new year to God with 40,000 international brothers and sisters in Christ. It makes me think that's what heaven will be like - praising God in all different languages with so many people from every nation, tribe, and tongue.

If you get a chance to go, I highly highly recommend it. Check out the website! Feel free to pass this on if you think others may be interested!

Harddrive Heartache

Getting re-acclimated to the US after being in Ukraine / Germany for 2 weeks has been tough... really tough. For lots of reasons. Besides the post-mission trip letdown that you normally would experience, I have been having a ridiculous amount of IT problems... expensive IT problems.

First, my iPod was lost in Ukraine. If I replace it with a new one that is capable of holding all my 35GB of music (I'd need the 120GB classic iPod), that will be $250. Haven't spent that yet... It's definitely not a necessity.

Then, when I got home, I had successfully transferred 2058 pictures (all from the 13-day Ukraine / Germany trip) from my camera's SD card to my external harddrive. I started uploading the pics to my Picasa site. You can only upload 500 pics per album. I got one album up and I was nearly 300 pics into my second album when my external harddrive crashed. My computer will not recognize the drive. Now the sad (and stupid) thing is that all my pics from 2005 through today are in jeopardy. My laptop's harddrive is small, so I bought the 350GB external harddrive for $99 in Feb 2007. The docs and music that are on the external HD are copies of what is on the laptop, so that's fine. But the pics and vids and 6GB of overflow music (techno songs that are long so they are too big for my laptop) are not replaceable.

So the recovery effort begins.

I gave my SD card to my friend and coworker who was able to successfully recover 95% of the Ukraine pics straight from the card! (I had deleted them after copying them to my HD.) He burned those onto DVD for me, so now I can go through those pictures and start putting them online to share with you!

Then on Friday I took my external HD to a computer store in League City. They work remotely with a lab in Denver. The store manager told me that if they could retrieve the data in-house, it would be no more than $130. But if not, they would hook it up remotely to the Denver-based lab and it would be at least $500.

Yesterday, Denver called me to say that they could see my folders and files. That was the sign that the shop couldn't do it in-house.

Today the Denver lab told me it would be $625 to recover the data. It doesn't matter if I retrieve some or all... that's just how much it's going to cost. There are 96GB of data on there.

In addition, I had to buy a new external HD for them to put the recovered data onto. That was another $250. I bought one with 1TB (1000GB) of RAID 1 mirrored data and auto backup software to prevent this from happening again.

Once my new external HD comes in, I can take it to the computer shop and then the Denver lab will remotely download all the recovered data to it. For a mere $625, I can once again have my precious pictures. ;)

I'm kinda debating if I really want those pictures and files... But, there are 20,629 irreplaceable pictures on that harddrive. I guess it's worth it... it's just hard when you have to pay for a preventable mistake.

This has been an expensive summer:
$600 replace stolen camera earlier this year (preventable)
$625 recover lost data (preventable)
$250 replace lost iPod (preventable)
$250 replace ruined harddrive (preventable)

Am I careless? Not really, just had some bad luck lately. At least I have a job...

Great Bike Ride!

I went for a terrific 20 mile bike ride on Saturday. Check out the map!

Yuri's Night

To all my faithful readers:

Just a quick YN update. We are still having the Fun Run and the Celebration at the Meridian from 8p to 1am. However, the Space Fest Education Day is going to be rescheduled. Stay tuned for more info about that. As part of that, the Art Contest will also be rescheduled.

Thanks for checking my blog!
Please go here for more Yuri's Night info (and link to purchase tix): http://yurisnighthouston.net/

I'm running a Space Art Contest!

Hey!
Do you know any kids in grades K-8? Do you live in the greater Houston area? There is a space art contest underway!

Yuri's Night is an annual celebration of space.

Houston has a 3-part Yuri's Night celebration. There is a Charity 5k Fun Run / Walk, a SpaceFest Education Event, and a Celebration to finish off the evening.

This year, Houston is celebrating Yuri's Night on April 4th instead of April 12 due to the MS-150 and Easter.

One aspect of the SpaceFest Education Event is The Future of Space Art Contest for kids in grades K-8.

The Future of Space Art Contest is designed to spark public interest in the future of space with artwork inspired by Human Spaceflight. Click here for Rules and Participant Entry Form. Prizes will be awarded to the top 2 artists in each category: K-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8. Artwork must be received no later than March 31, 2008 at this address:

SpaceFest 2009 Art Contest
c/o Bridget Jones
13100 Space Center Blvd, Mailcode HB1-30
Houston, TX 77059

If you have any questions, feel free to email us at YNHouston.Art@gmail.com

Date: Saturday, April 4, 2009
Time: 11:00am - 4:00pm
Location: Rice Stadium
Street: 2176 University Blvd. Houston, TX

Other places for YN Info:

• Main YN website
• YN Art Contest Facebook page
• YN Facebook page
• 5K Fun Run Sign Up page
• 5K Fun Run Facebook page

Clear Creek Celebration!

Here are my notes from the Clear Creek Celebration last night.

What do we celebrate? We celebrate progress, commitment, sacrifices of character. We don't have to be told to celebrate when we see things being done the way they "ought to" be done.

Attendance:

Average attendance:
EB CS
2008 3111 572
2009 3480 4??

Community = 20,000+
Sunday crowd = 2000
Attenders = 3000
Committed = 1400
Core = 500

Healthy balance of servers to attenders.

Clear Springs campus won't grow without personal invitations and relationships. Our life is a circle of responsibility. It is providential who you have proximity to. Need to be proactive about Conversations and Invitations.

Goal = 1000 in attendance at Clear Springs by March 2010. We all own that, not just Clear Springs. We all need to invite people we know all over the Bay Area. We are one church in two locations.

Groups:

We can't be the church to you if you're not in a group. Community is the best atmosphere for making disciples. We do that by using the "7 G's" (Glorify, Grace, Growth, Group, Good Stewardship, Gifts, Go). In a group you are naturally challenged to move from consumer to contributor. Do you have those "2am friends?" Be a Paul / Barnabas (pouring into people, challenging them to grow).

1422 Adults in group
222 Navigators (group leaders)

Goal = 250 Navigators by March 2010.

Helping people in need:

IKE Assist : IKE came and YOU assisted.

We helped 100+ families last year with $82,000 through our People In Need Fund.

Church planters used $131,000

• Ukraine
  
• Cuba

Church has left the building (March 15) - We're not canceling service, we are moving service!

Goal = 100% of groups serving outside the church.

Volunteers:

884 committed volunteers on Sundays and Wednesdays.

Goal = 2400 by March 2010

What's next?

Move into our new kids building by Aug 2009
Aug 2010 - Start a third campus

If you think that's too big of a goal "what are we going to do with our lives?!?" We need to resist the tendency to "get comfortable." Take a risk, be uncomfortable, be daring.

Bruce concluded by reading "I stand by the door." I loved it, so I will post it here for you to read.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post!


I Stand at the Door

By Sam Shoemaker (from the Oxford Group)

I stand by the door.
I neither go to far in, nor stay to far out.
The door is the most important door in the world -
It is the door through which men walk when they find God.
There is no use my going way inside and staying there,
When so many are still outside and they, as much as I,
Crave to know where the door is.
And all that so many ever find
Is only the wall where the door ought to be.
They creep along the wall like blind men,
With outstretched, groping hands,
Feeling for a door, knowing there must be a door,
Yet they never find it.
So I stand by the door.

The most tremendous thing in the world
Is for men to find that door - the door to God.
The most important thing that any man can do
Is to take hold of one of those blind, groping hands
And put it on the latch - the latch that only clicks
And opens to the man's own touch.

Men die outside the door, as starving beggars die
On cold nights in cruel cities in the dead of winter.
Die for want of what is within their grasp.
They live on the other side of it - live because they have not found it.

Nothing else matters compared to helping them find it,
And open it, and walk in, and find Him.
So I stand by the door.

Go in great saints; go all the way in -
Go way down into the cavernous cellars,
And way up into the spacious attics.
It is a vast, roomy house, this house where God is.
Go into the deepest of hidden casements,
Of withdrawal, of silence, of sainthood.
Some must inhabit those inner rooms
And know the depths and heights of God,
And call outside to the rest of us how wonderful it is.
Sometimes I take a deeper look in.
Sometimes venture in a little farther,
But my place seems closer to the opening.
So I stand by the door.

There is another reason why I stand there.
Some people get part way in and become afraid
Lest God and the zeal of His house devour them;
For God is so very great and asks all of us.
And these people feel a cosmic claustrophobia
And want to get out. 'Let me out!' they cry.
And the people way inside only terrify them more.
Somebody must be by the door to tell them that they are spoiled.
For the old life, they have seen too much:
One taste of God and nothing but God will do any more.
Somebody must be watching for the frightened
Who seek to sneak out just where they came in,
To tell them how much better it is inside.
The people too far in do not see how near these are
To leaving - preoccupied with the wonder of it all.
Somebody must watch for those who have entered the door
But would like to run away. So for them too,
I stand by the door.

I admire the people who go way in.
But I wish they would not forget how it was
Before they got in. Then they would be able to help
The people who have not yet even found the door.
Or the people who want to run away again from God.
You can go in too deeply and stay in too long
And forget the people outside the door.
As for me, I shall take my old accustomed place,
Near enough to God to hear Him and know He is there,
But not so far from men as not to hear them,
And remember they are there too.

Where? Outside the door -
Thousands of them. Millions of them.
But - more important for me -
One of them, two of them, ten of them.
Whose hands I am intended to put on the latch.
So I shall stand by the door and wait
For those who seek it.

'I had rather be a door-keeper
So I stand by the door.

The Power of Support

I had the honor of attending the Superior Achievement and Recognition Award (SARA) ceremony with a friend from United Space Alliance last night in Galveston, TX. The accolades and accomplishments of the selected winners were quite impressive! I wanted to share one highlight of the evening with you. The keynote speech was given by Shuttle Program Manager John Shannon who reminded all the SARA recipients to thank their spouses. Without support at home, we would be so much less likely to do the amazing things we do. He shared the story that his wife went home to visit her family and ran into her high school boyfriend who is a restaurant manager. Shannon commented, "It's a noble profession. We need those! But then I got cocky." He proceeded to ask his wife, "Aren't you glad you married me? I'm the Shuttle Program Manager!" To which she responded, unblinking, "Well, honey, if I would have married him... he would be the Space Shuttle Program Manager!"

So, to my dear family and friends who have pushed me to pursue my dreams of working in the space program: Thank you! I wouldn't be here without your continued support!

How Majestic is Your Name!

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook then you have probably heard that my church (Clear Creek Community Church) has asked us to commit to reading the Bible 15 minutes a day which will put us through the Old Testament once, Psalms twice, and the New Testament twice. There is a very useful website that CCCC put together at www.gettingthebible.com which contains a plethora of resources including old test / new test overviews, how the Bible was formed, an article about translations, and the daily readings.

The daily readings can come to you through RSS, email, iCal, etc... or you can just view it online. They are pulling out all the stops to make it easy for you to commit to reading the Bible in a year! It may seem like a daunting task but there are many benefits to taking on the challenge. See Hebrews 4:12, John 8:31-32, and 1 Timothy 2:16-17 for a sample!

Another resource you may find useful is the daily / weekly exposition of the Bible through my friend, Christopher Nelson, at www.christopherlnelson.com. Chris is doing a fantastic job of blogging about general overview information to help you as you read each book and also digging in deeper while pondering the tougher questions that may have come up in your mind as you read.

Having said all that... I hope you will join me in reading through the Bible!

I'd like to share a highlight from today's reading. The Psalm reading for today is one of my favorites (Psalm 8)! The words have been put to music many times. After you read it, you'll see why!

Psalm 8

How Majestic Is Your Name

To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David.

O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?

Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!