What the iPhone Doesn't Have

I was recently surfing Digg and came across a popular article that listed some features that the iPhone DOES not have. The idea of owning an iPhone does appeal to me. I loved my iPod untill it died by drowning, and I am looking to replace it. Having one device that does video, internet, phone, youtube, and mp3 playback is extremely appealing. When the iPhone does eventually come to Canada it will be on the Roger's network. My very first phone back in 2001 was on Rogers and it was perhaps one of the worst technology experiences of my life. Dropped calls, large bills, and unreliable hardware made me switch to Bell and never look back.

So, where does that put me? I guess I'll be waiting for Bell or Aliant to get the phone on their network. Even then do I want to touch a first gen device? Look at the improvements they've made to the iPod over the last few years. Longer battery life, bigger hard drives, brighter screens, more compact. How long till we see the iPhone Nano?

The following is a list of features that the iPhone does not have. The two that stick out to me are no ringtones from songs and no flash support. One of their commercials boasts "It's not internet light, it's just the internet" Um, to me the internet includes flash, and a lot of it. Now apple could always improve on these missing features via firmware update. But if I'm shelling out $600 for a device that is advertised as an ipod/internet/phone then why does it not support flash or songs for ringtones?

Anyway, I'll probably end up waiting untill the iPhone Nano is $100 on a 2 year contract on Bell. So pretty much 3 years.

Here is the full list:

• Songs as Ringtones
• Games
• Any flash support
• Instant Messaging
• Picture messages (MMS)
• Video recording
• Direct iTunes Music Store Access (Over Wi-Fi or EDGE)
• Voice recognition or voice dialing
• Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Streaming

As a bonus here is one of my favourite SNL sketches making fun of the iPhone "2 billion songs... billion... with a b"

SNL iPhone Sketch

read more | digg story

The Last Day

I wrote this when I was about 12 or 13.


The Last Day

From above they come, from below they arrive

The war begins, only strong will survive

Swords drawn; shields raised! Helmets on!

This is the final battle, it will go until dawn



White, bright, oh what a sight

Riding on glorious horses of light

Preparation since the spawn of time

Marching on beat, ready to end this crime



Blood thirsty, winged creatures, claws sharpened

Fallen angels, that were once great

But now? They are just full of hate

Death’s their friend, but will in turn be their demise



The two sides collide, their masters watching

One man, standing in the sidelines, gets the ball rolling.

He is the only one who knows the day or the hour

The other overestimates even his own power



The battle is over, the casualties counted

Every man has been judged, sent to their eternity

The victor standing there in all his glory

One thing remains to be seen, where are you?

What could happen if you put the right person in the right place?

I've recently begun to see things in a manner that is completely foreign to the way I've ever experienced. My ability to describe this new point of view has grown with increasing intensity over the last few weeks. Something that I've recently discussed with a good friend of mine is what happens if new abilities get awaken in us due to trauma or life changing events. What kind of untapped abilities lie dormant in all of us? To further this point read up on the boy with the incredible brain (Youtube). This is all a side point what I'm getting at though. The question I want to discuss is what can happen in the spiritual and physical realm, when you put the right person in the right place at the right time.

I have an acquaintance of mine whole I'll call Alex. Alex is perhaps one of the most loving individuals I have ever met. If you asked him for a liver, he would give you his kidney too. I have seen him extremely hurt in the past by people and events, this has affected who he has become today and limited his current potential. On the contrary to that I see an amazing potential in him, that could explode if given the right circumstances. Our Church has spent 18 years trying to create a new wine skin that is counter to what the church in general has created over the last 1700 years. It has been a long hard road, but we are finally starting to see some of the fruits of that labour. I believe the new wine skin allows the abilities and passions of differing people to excel, when in any traditional church they would flounder and go extremely underutilized.

I believe that the atmosphere that has been created here is one that is open to bringing out the best in people. I can attest to that being true, as I've seen an ability to write foster and grow over the last month. I'm not saying I'm becoming the next Shakespeare or Mark Twain, but putting words to what I see mentally has becoming increasingly easier.

So what exactly am I saying here? I'm saying that I believe that if Alex was brought here, allowed a full year or more of immersing himself in what we're doing as a church and as a people that his gifts and abilities would flow out and affect more people than either you or I could count. I've seen some of his giftings and abilities shine through here and there over the years, but I don't think they have ever been fully actualized.

What is stopping him from coming here? I'm not quite sure, maybe no one has asked him to come. Maybe it's my inability to see what God could do if we just ask. At the moment I'll just meditate on the idea, and see where God leads me.

I have this vision of bringing together a small group of people (around 10 to 12) around a small upstart and placing tasks and vision amongst each person in their gifted areas. Through this medium the endless possibilities that could be birthed of that kind of situation is mind blowing. The power that would flow forth from that seed planting group, would only be limited by ourselves, and not by the power of God.

So I ask, What is stopping us other than ourselves?

The Second Reformation: Reshaping the Church for the 21st Century - A book review

I recently just finished reading The Second Reformation: Reshaping the Church for the 21st Century. I am currently involved in a church that has gone the path of being a complete cell church and so in turn I am very familiar with the concepts, terms and reasoning's behind this approach to Christianity.

So keeping that in mind, this book wasn't very revolutionary in terms of changing my thinking or approach to church. The one thing this book did do for me was show me a very well defended approach to why church should be done this way. I am a fairly strong cynic of the traditional church, mostly because it has largely failed the population for the last oh.. 1700 years. Sure some people's lives have been transformed, and many good things have come out it, but the amount of good it could have produced with a cell church format is perhaps unimaginable.

My main complaint about the book is that towards the end the book gets rather repetitive and feels that many sections are just filler to reach a certain word count. I do somewhat understand the need for this, as it takes the human brain a few times to get something to stick. But knowing the basic structure of how a cell church operates before opening the book, it got a bit old by the end.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone involved in any kind of church anywhere. It does not matter what level of leadership you're at, but if you are a pastor you cannot over look the importance of such a strong argument.

If you're wondering why the church has failed you as a person and are looking for some answers as to why. Pick up this book and read the first few chapters detailing the one winged church. Then go out and find a church that is structured in this way.

The process to changing over to a cell church is a long, hard road. But the rewards at the end are to numerous to count.


Pros:
Excellent defense of his view point.
Strategies to obtaining what he talks about.
Possibly life changing for the right person.
Easy read.
Underlined lots of great quotes.

Cons:
A tad repetitive at times.

9.5/10

Ocean's 13, Lady in the Water and You, Me and Dupree

I watched three movies this weekend. I usually try and catch one a week or so, but this weekend I ended up watching more than usual. Since none of these movies really deserve their own review, so I'll do it all once in a very contrite format.

Ocean's 13
Easily the most enjoyable of the 3. Very clever dialogue, all-star cast and a fun story line made this a very enjoyable movie watching experience. I was rather surprised by how clean this movie was. Aside from one (at max 2) swear words and one sexual seduction scene that ended no where, it was a clean afair.

Without giving away too much of the plot. Reuben played by Elliot Gould is conned by Al Pacino's character into losing his 50% stake in this brand new casino. This ticks off Ocean and his crew so they seek revenge. This was much improved over the second one, and returned to some of the roots of what worked in the original. The one scene between Pacino and Andy Garcia was built up and was a huge let down.

In the end, the movie worked and I had a good time. I think this was better than the second, but not quite as good as the first. Something that is a rarity for the third movie in a trilogy these days. It was a much better outing for a 3rd then spider-man, but that isn't saying much either.

Pros:
Great cast
Fun dialogue
Better then #2

Cons:
The thing that you are waiting for never happens.
Garcia and Pacino could have had a better scene.


Overall I give it a 7.5/10

Lady in the Water

The latest outing by supernatural water fearing alien director M. Night Shyamamalamalalan. This movie was perhaps his worst film to date. He is known for making a certain kind of film, and this definitely was not it. This movie seeped with his ego, espicially with casting himself in probably the role of the character that gained the most from the series of events in the film.

It was originally a bed time story his children, his children must have been bored.

Pros:
The CGI wasn't terrible.
The movie ended

Cons:
The movie started.

4/10


You, Me and Dupree
A romantic comedy that lacked both romance and comedy. Not a good combination when they are the only two things you have going for you. Owen Wilson played pretty much the same role he does in every single film. The smooth talking fun guy. Wow, how original.

In the end this movie should have gotten a vasectomy and never been birthed. Not even Kate Hudson could save this movie from the realms of terrible films that should never be watched.

pros:
...

cons:
It was made.


2/10

Journey

Along life's journey there are many towns, and villages, locations if you will. Often they are appealing, or look good at the time, and in among themselves are harmless. But if one spends a lot of time at one spot, the culture and influences of that location begins to become part of the fabric of who we are. This influence can be a good one, or it can be bad. Many times people spend way too long in a specific location, wasting away their life at the local carnival, or fun house. They begin to see nothing else but the funny mirrors and begin to believe what they see as the real thing, or the roller coasters where it is nothing but quick cheap thrills. They lose track of the road that leads them further, deeper. For a long period of my life, I was stuck, I let the distractions of the cotton candy and exciting rides get in the way of my true purpose.



Then came a time where the theme park closed, and I cried out to God and said "Why have you put me in this position?". I was then presented with two options. The first being to simply cross the street and go to the other amusement park or to continue down the path that was laid out for me at my birth. So began another portion of my journey, a long lonely dusty dry walk with no end in sight. All I could see was barren waste land, tumble weeds and cacti. A few faint echoing voices cried out to me, but the swirling birds of death flew over head, their screeches drowning out all sound. Yet inside I knew the way, I knew that I was going down the path that was intended for me. After travelling along this path, the hot sun soon turned to night. The road up a head was pitch black. All I could see was the 2 feet of road in front of my feet, at times I would stub my toe on a rock that I didn't know was there, or I would stop and rest on the shoulder. I continued on through out the night, putting one aching foot in front of the other, just trying to get to the next stop.



A few hours later, day break hit the eastern sky and I was able to catch a small glimpse of an oasis. I altered my path a bit and walked towards this locale. I didn't completely understand why I was brought to this place, some of it was familiar, other parts very different. There was fresh water there, and the light around the spot was brilliant and glowing. I tried to stretch and look down past this stop, but I was blinded by the light and couldn't make out anything because of the wave of heat coming off the ground. I knew I was all alone, but there was a presence here that made me continuously check over my shoulder but made me feel welcome. At points I would shout "Anyone here?" but all that I heard was the echo of my own question, mocking me for my attempt to understand my surroundings. I knew inside this was the place I needed to be for the next season of my life, I'm wasn't sure for how long, but I knew whatever I did here would prosper. There were also remnants of when other people had stopped here before, but nothing about it felt foreign. As I looked around I came across a parchment of paper with a scripture verse written on it.

Psalm 1:3 (NIV):

He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

Even though I knew I was to be here, I kept looking down the road hoping to catch a glimpse of what was waiting, but every time I looked my eyes would hurt and I would have to look away. So I consigned, pitched a tent and began to labour away on what was there, trying to do the next right thing. There were times while labouring in the oasis I felt the need to go for a swim, but I was scared to jump in. What if the water was cold? What if I had forgotten how to swim? I would wade in to my ankles, then jump out. The next time I would go up to my knees, then run the other way. Then came a time where I had to decide to either stay a smelly dirty mess or wash myself clean. I enjoyed the stench, it was comforting, it was familiar, it was the ways I had been for so long. But then came the reflection in the crystal water, had I really become what I was looking at? Was I really this out of shape? Where did those scars come from? I didn't know I was bleeding from there! I broke down and cried, cried till I felt that no more tears could flow, so much that my eyes felt like there were put there to produce water and not to show me the world.



I knew, I knew that I knew that I knew... there was only one option, there was only one way, I couldn't choose to not enter the water and I had to be cleaned. So I dove in, head first. Oh that feeling of the weight of my past lifting off my shoulders, being left behind, the dirt was washing away, the scars were beginning to heal themselves. I would glance back to look at the dirt coming off, but the water was so clean that it just disapeared instantly and no remnants of it remained. When I came out of the pool a white robe was waiting for me, along with a list of some sort and a pair of binoculars. So I put on the robe and picked up the binoculars and used them to look down the road. All I could see was the end, this confused me, why was I only able to see the very end. I had been praying for so long just to see the next part of the road. As I continued to stare, I saw the future, I saw myself but I didn't recognize me... but I knew in my heart that it could be no one else. I continued to watch from afar the scene continouing to onfold before me, then it ended, the binoculars disapated in my hands, yet that image was forever burned in my minds eye. I knew what it meant, I knew what I had to do. Everything finally made sense. After I had processed what all this was beginning to mean, I looked down at the list. It was written in my own hand writting, yet I didn't remember authoring such things. It was a simple "to do" list, things I needed to take care of, things I needed to apologize for, things I needed to rid myself of.



Now begins the next stretch of my journey, the preparations have begun. The momentum of the work will build like a snowball, oh so small at the start, but with a good core and some sticky snow, it will grow. It will get so large that I'll hardly be able to contain it, but it will be powerfull and create waves, and leave a path behind it where people will say "Something came this way and it was good".


I continue to pray two things. Lord, keep me humble. Lord, strip away my pride.

As I reflected upon the moment a small whisper of a voice hits the wind. I could barely hear it, yet I knew it was there. The words... so simple. "My Child, I am pleased".

Another Quote

Every vision will be made real if we have the patience.

- Oswald Chambers

A Quote

Much of the uniqueness of Christianity, in its original emergence, consisted of the fact that simple people could be amazingly powerful when they were members one of another.

Elton Trueblood

Allegory of the Cave

So often in life we look at the moment we're in and wonder how this small fraction of a minute is important. Many people live from crisis to crisis barely hanging on to the last threads that dangle between those moments. What happens when a person takes a step back from their life and looks at it objectively (if that is even possible?). Are those the seconds that define our lives? Or those the moments that shape us? Those are questions that each of needs to ask.

Wikipedia sums up the plot of Plato's Allegory of the Cave like this:

Imagine prisoners, who have been chained since their childhood deep inside a cave: not only are their limbs immobilized by the chains; their heads are chained in one direction as well, so that their gaze is fixed on a wall.

Behind the prisoners is an enormous fire, and between the fire and the prisoners is a raised walkway, along which statues of various animals, plants, and other things are carried by people. The statues cast shadows on the wall, and the prisoners watch these shadows. When one of the statue-carriers speaks, an echo against the wall causes the prisoners to believe that the words come from the shadows.

The prisoners engage in what appears to us to be a game: naming the shapes as they come by. This, however, is the only reality that they know, even though they are seeing merely shadows of images. They are thus conditioned to judge the quality of one another by their skill in quickly naming the shapes and dislike those who begin to play poorly.

Suppose a prisoner is released and compelled to stand up and turn around. At that moment his eyes will be blinded by the sunlight coming into the cave from its entrance, and the shapes passing will appear less real than their shadows.

The last object he would be able to see is the sun, which, in time, he would learn to see as that object which provides the seasons and the courses of the year, presides over all things in the visible region, and is in some way the cause of all these things that he has seen.

(This part of the allegory, incidentally, closely matches Plato's metaphor of the sun which occurs near the end of The Republic, Book VI.)[1]

Once enlightened, so to speak, the freed prisoner would not want to return to the cave to free "his fellow bondsmen," but would be compelled to do so. Another problem lies in the other prisoners not wanting to be freed: descending back into the cave would require that the freed prisoner's eyes adjust again, and for a time, he would be one of the ones identifying shapes on the wall. His eyes would be swamped by the darkness, and would take time to become acclimated. Therefore, he would not be able to identify shapes on the wall as well as the other prisoners, making it seem as if his being taken to the surface completely ruined his eyesight.

At what point will you take off the chains, at what point will you look at the sun Son behind you? Oh it he glows so bright, it he is blinding. Like a moth to the flame. In reality once you get a taste of what the light can offer there is no substitute, there is no other option.

Shall we prisoners no more? My prayer is that freedom reigns in us all, that it rains in this place.

What will you do with the moments you're given?

Why do we insult him so?

My heart is bleeding.
Jesus is on the cross.
My soul is hungary for feeding.
The clay is dry and parched.
No water or rain is in sight.

I look to the heavens for rain, but nothing can be seen except a single white dove, that is soaring. There is a rumble in the ground. The downpour is not coming from the heavens. It comes from beneath the earth.

Soon there is water everywhere. Am I about to drown? My head is engulfed, I am overtaken. I take a deep breath because soon I shall die.

But what is this? I can breath. How is this so? When I open my eyes I see his face, staring back at me. He is saying "Child this is the river of the holy spirit."

I understand now. We have to die. We have to be flooded. There is no other way. Everything else is not enough.

We ask for Jesus so often. But do we truly know what we're asking for? If we did then we would run. Tuck our tails and run. The only way this can happen is by being engulfed by his holy spirit. He is merciful and gracious.

If we ask for bread does he give us a snake? Oh no, he gives us more. But we are shut, we do not take. He offers us the whole meal, but we only take the scraps. He brings out the best wine, but we say no I'll have that dirty water.

Are we afraid of what might happen if we actually take what he offers? Why do we insult him so? If God says you will affect millions, why do we settle for a few? Does he not know? Why do we put God in a box? Why do we say "Well that can't be God!", "He wouldn't do something like that."

Oh God forgive me, forgive us. Bring everything you have for me.

I am ready.

Little Children - Review

This weekend Jennifer and I rented the movie Little Children. The best way to describe this movie is that it is very close to American Beauty. The movie is a character driven story that follows the lives of two suburban parents who get entangled in an affair. Even though the movie ends with a predictable climax, the view into the various lives of the different characters, the realistic children, and the dynamics of the mundane life make for a great film. What really made the movie for me was the addition of a narrator who added extra commentary when necessary. The insights and comedic value of the narrator added a literary feel to the movie which was a recurring theme.

Even though I'm not a big fan of Kate Winslet, I feel she played her role as a confused, intelligent, lonely mother quite well. Jackie Earle Haley played the role of Ronnie the lonely sexual deviant who's story arc finished with an ending that was heavily forshadowed through out the movie. He played the roll well enough to be creepy, yet you did feel bad for him at times.

I give the movie 7.5/10.

Pros:
Great Characters
Excellent storyline and arc
Realistic Children
Narrator adds depth

Cons:
Predictable ending
Unexplained reactions of certain characters (the babysitter)

Notes:
If you prefer not to watch movies with sex scenes, stay away from this one.