Sermon reflection 3/9/14 A pursuit of Holiness

Sermon Reflection
1 Peter 1:13-16 "Pursuit of Holiness"
This past Sunday one of the elders of our Church delivered the sermon because my pastor was out on vacation. The pastor spoke about living your life pure. The pastor talked about how we must protect our mind before it leads to sin and how we should protect what we are allowing our mind to dwell on. He challenged us to take a look at what we watch , laugh at , and listen to because we are filled with the HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD, Since we have GOD with us, we must ask ourselves would GOD feel comfortable with the thought inside us. The pastor pointed to the scripture calling us to strive to be Holy for GOD is Holy. The Church was deafly quiet!
I was sitting staring at the pastor but my mind was with GOD thinking about the thoughts that is inside my head. When I watch tv and a scantly clad women grace the screen, do JESUS want to be bothered with the thoughts that may fleet through my mind. When I was thinking of the songs I recite from my childhood in the 90's rehearsing gangster rap lyrics filled with sin, and so called love songs filled with lustful ideas. I became ashamed and repented knowing that at those times , I am not holding my thoughts captive protecting myself from sin, instead I was sinning! I shouldn't dance around the issue of sin I need to flee from it before those thoughts have a chance to manifest itself in my head.
So I have to be proactive on my spiritual walk. I need to run from sin. I have taken some proper steps on fleeing from sinful language and concepts by abstaining from certain secular music but I know I have to refrain from "Holy Vacations" so that I am Holy at all times. I have to continue to change the channel when confronted with sin on tv. I have  reduced most of my television programming to sports and wrestling and I know I have to be proactive in changing the channel when sinful scenes come about.
The greatest challenge of the sermon was daring us to strive to be known as "Holy"! We have to strive to it, I hear people criticize people from being a "holy roller" or hollier than though" . Now I know it should not be my goal to condemn anyone else, actually that is a sin for me to turn my nose on others as if I am above reproach. But I must strive wholeheartedly to be Holy so when I come short I gave it my all.... How close are you magnifying your Christian life? Are you ok with just being saved or are you trying to create a environment in your soul that GOD is comfortable with dwelling in. I challenge you and especially myself, to tidy it up for GOD! AMEN

Why I am excited about Samsung Gear 2!

I want a Samsung Gear 2! There I said it, what of it?! To be honest I thought the first one was pretty cool but the second one seems to be even better. Mobile World Congress was mostly a snore seemingly relegated to midrange smartphones for developing markets. The introduction of the Samsung Gear 2 was the one bright spot and this is why I think it will be an awesome new gadget for me!

Taking calls: From my understanding it will be capable of taking calls and serving as a go between to me and my phone,. I would love being able to drive , glance to my wrist and see its my wife calling. Many times I dont answer the phone if I dont have easy access to my phone because if I just tap my earpiece I might get someone I dont want to talk to. This will make things much more easy for me.

Text: I also love to be able to get a quick glance at a text while still on the move. I have a Samsung Mega phone (pun intended) and I don't want to pull it out to read a text. When I'm out getting groceries I often find myself stopping the cart, and pulling my phone out to remind myself of what was on the list. I can now take note and have it pushed to my phone or my wife can send me a text on what to get while I am on the move.

Camera: many people poo pooed this but what about that quick documenting you need to do. The greatest turn off of the last generation was the way the camera bulged out the wrist band but that is no longer an issue because its now part of the watch face. Many times when you just need to take a quick pic of something before you forget is so much easier just taking a snapshot than pulling out your phone pulling up the program and focusing the camera.

Water resistant and rugged- I was nervous about the first version of the gear because I could imagine me washing my hands and ruining the product, I don't know detail but it seems as though Sammy made a effort to make the watch more durable. Haha I was just laughing at my wife rolling her eyes at my commitment to be connected at all times by checking email in the shower! That's multitasking baby!

Freedom from my phone : While I am at the park with my kids I would love to leave my phone in the car so I can jump and swing while staying connected through blue tooth. I would love to be connected running on the treadmill with the phone set up in a safe place. Its hard to play tag while protecting a large phone in my shorts pocket!

Voice dictation I would love to take a quick note by voice using Samsung services while Im moving about. I often find myself thinking of things at red lights or in line at the grocery store. I can picture myself setting reminders like " type up a reaction to mwc" .  Oh and I can be the Jetsons,,,,Ok I'm starting to reach now haha so its your turn, tell me if you agree, or want to add, we know how team android do it! (I left fitness stuff off on purpose,,,,) GOD BLESS

Sunday Sermon 2/23/14 Faithful means to be counted on

Lamentations 3:19-25
This past sermon was about being faithful. Our pastor challenged us by explaining the difference between having faith and being faithful. He pointed out that when the Bible points out how GOD is always faithful to us, it is not saying GOD always believe, it is saying we can always depend on GOD! In turn , GOD expects us to be faithful as being saints that can be counted on! This where the challenge for me came in.
I felt that this was something I definitely needed to hear as I continue my service to GOD. I was placed in charge of the mens ministry for a season and I started very strongly wanting to the best job possible. I later allowed life to get me be busy when I should have continued to put my best foot forward. While I try to push forth and pray for improvement, I got the extra boost from reflecting that the job I do is for GOD so therefore I need to be faithful to GOD on anything he commissions me to do. That's including being someone who can be counted on  respecting my actions serve as a reflection of GOD! In the past I even made conscious attempts to let people down so that I can avoid responsibility but this is the exact opposite of what GOD wants from us! I have to make sure that I try hard in all my tasks so that I can hear well done my good and faithful servant! Over the weekend I went to a mens conference in which a speaker pointed out in Colosians in which Paul was praying for the people because they where faithful. When we are serving GOD faithfully we are the people that are prayed over because GOD sends people are way to pray blessings upon us. I want to gain that reputation but not for my glory,,, for GOD's glory! That includes this blog, I have to be faithful in the direction GOD sends me to give HIM the glory and honor. For I am forever in HIS debt for the un-repayable gift of Salvation! Thank GOD that He is Always Faithful!  GOD BLESS!

Samsung S5 released and sadly , i don't care: Samsung Copied Apple in a bad way this time

Scroll to the next paragraph if you are tired of the specs. I am sure you have seen it before, but if you haven't I am going to just take the facts from androidcentral

+Alex Dobie is awesome please check that site before you keep reading (not a thief I want to give them props) .. ..

Full hardware specifications for Samsung's latest

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is official, and we've just posted our hands-on impressions of the device. But if you want to dig down into the nitty-gritty details and examine the GS5's hardware specs, we've also got you covered. Head on past the break for the complete Samsung Galaxy S5 spec listing.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Specifications

Network	LTE Cat.4 (150/50Mbps)
Display	5.1" FHD Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080)
Processor	2.5GHz quad-core application processor
OS	Android 4.4.2 (KitKat)
Camera	16MP (rear), 2.0MP (front)
Video	UHD@30fps, HDR, video stabilizationVideo Codec : H.263, H.264(AVC), MPEG4, VC-1, Sorenson Spark, MP43, WMV7, WMV8, VP8 Video Format: MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM
Audio	Audio Codec : MP3, AMR-NB/WB, AAC/ AAC+/ eAAC+, WMA, Vorbis, FLAC Audio Format: MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA
Camera Features	HDR (Rich tone), Selective Focus, Virtual Tour Shot, Shot & More
Additional Features	IP67 Dust- and water-resistant Ultra Power Saving Mode Download Booster S Health 3.0 Quick Connect Private Mode Kids Mode
Google Mobile Services	Chrome, Drive, Photos, Gmail, Google, Google+, Google Settings, Hangouts, Maps, Play Books, Play Games, Play Newsstand, Play Movie & TV, Play Music, Play Store, Voice Search, YouTube
Connectivity	WiFi: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac HT80, MIMO(2x2), Bluetooth: 4.0 BLE / ANT+ USB 3.0 NFC IR Remote
Sensors	Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, Hall, RGB ambient light, Gesture(IR), Finger Scanner, Heart rate sensor
Memory	RAM: 2GB Internal Memory: 16/32GB microSD slot up to 128GB
Dimensions	142.0 x 72.5 x 8.1mm, 145g
Battery	2800mAh Standby time: 390 hrs / Talk time: 21 hrs

Ok now that that's out the way,, ,WHO CARES!!! 

I say this in jest of course but there is a string of truth , I was just thinking that once again Samsung did its best iPhone impression using android and many people will love it! I personally run cm mod and just downloaded the watch-on app for the remote but Im a a true techie. Ripping Apple has proved to be very successful for Samsung but this time I believe that Samsung stole the good ; fingerprint scanner i guess, with the bad; small iteration. This announcement eerily reminded me of the s generation of iPhone. Iphone 4 and 5 was newsworthy and 4s and 5s ,,,,,not so much. I am now fearful that Samsung will now go to a on and off cycle! 

The waterproof case, fingerprint, and heart rate scanner is a cool plus but nothing that demands an upgrade! Maybe its the trend now for phones now that we have reached that point in phone tech in which we are only going to have tweaks and polishes, liken to what we have now with pc's. No one is lining up for the new pc even macs,, OK maybe mac pros but that was years in the making! 

I thank GOD I don't feel the temptation to upgrade I guess my wife don't have to put me on the couch for spending to much haha. GOD BLESS 

Sermon Reflection 2/16/2014 say Mercy

Lamentations 3:19-25 "Lord have Mercy on Me"
This sermon talked about the Lamentations of Jeremiah. How he felt broken in spirit and finally reached the point of despair and hopelessness due to the captivity and slaughter of Israel. In the midst of his sulking he prayed for mercy and realize that it was something in him that stopped to give praise to GOD recognizing that GOD will still lift him up and he can depend on GODs mercy.
The Pastor brought up a good point about how sometimes GOD allows us to go through pain and feel so broken so we have no other place to go but to him! It seems as though if you have been a believer long enough , you have reached a point sometime in your life that you felt a little hopeless or if things are as low as I can get. That's when you forced to just cry out to GOD asking him for forgiveness and mercy and praising him for his comfort.
The next major point was the contrast between Grace and Mercy.
1. Grace is a gift to someone who doesn't deserve it. Like a ticket out of hell even though we don't deserve it!
2. Mercy is not giving someone something they DO deserve. Like not giving us hell like we deserve and comforting us every day!
JESUS blood on the cross is the ultimate grace, and our daily bread is partly our daily mercy. For our continued fleshly mistakes GOD gives us a chance to repent and turn away.
He finished with an important lesson , if we are going to ask for mercy from GOD we must also show mercy to others. How many people hold back from what people deserve!

I was taken aback thinking about how GOD has repeatedly shown mercy to me. I was given grace because GOD chose me to be with HIM in heaven as I pass this earth but he also had shown mercy on me for the countless mess ups I did in life. I deserve to be lonely and poor because of the poor choices I made towards women in my past. I deserve to have a record for the reckless things I did while drinking in college. I deserve to be dead for risky things I participated in or did but I am still here and I give GOD all the glory for he is so merciful to me! I am still able to praise him because GOD didn't give me what I deserve!
So I must remember that when , that parent says something to me rude, my sons realize their errors and repented for it, I see the guy walking down the street who robbed me , I have to be willing to be the "punk, the pushover" when I know GOD is saying , Move On. I know we shouldn't live in a world when we have pervasive acceptance of sin, but holding that grudge especially against the repented,,clearly one must pray , brokenly.
I brokenly bow my head to GOD thanking him from the affliction I have been for days, weeks, maybe years, asking for GOD to take away. Instead those infliction's shall lead me to GOD knowing he is the only refuge, bringing peace in my soul, despite the circumstances. Thank you GOD for YOUR Mercy! Amen!

Why I am excited about Asus Chromebox!

I was so excited when I came across the latest beauty from ASUS. The Chromebox 

This baby is beatiful. IT has a Apple like design. I rember marveling at the Mac Mini but this little hockey puck is like a souped up apple tv. Well just in appearance. From what I read like at PC WORLD , It will have 2 gig of ram (maybe 4 ) and intel haswell processor with built in graphics. This is becoming typical of the current generation of chromebooks. The thing that stands out is the 4 USB 3.0, Bluetooth 4.0, display port, and usual hdmi and sd slot.

This thing is amazing. Premium io connections on a chromebox! It doesn't look cheap at all and that brings me to the greatest source of excitement...wait for it ,, ,its $179! Why not buy a couple of these hook it up to a 20 something inch tv or monitor around the house and be connected. You can hook up wire free keyboard and mouse and your good to go! 

Many people have talked about the specs but I wanted to express my excitement. I know the rest of my family use the computer straight for email , social networking, and browsing, in other words, they just use the browser. I can take care of the needs of my family and visitors for $179, and I can one more sense of comfort than I had with a chromebook. I sometimes watched my guess hoping they didn't drop my laptop off their lap. This chromebox is stationary. The chromebox is black and it will always be updated so it will remain looking fresh and feeling fresh. 

Today you can get a keyboard and mouse for $20 , and Im sure most people have a monitor stored somewhere. I plan to have one hooked up and tabbed in my kitchen area so I can pull up Netflix, hulu, network sites, quickly and cleanly, later coming to the basement and continuing from the tabbed browser that syncs with chrome on all my machines. 

We live in an age that tech companies are shaking up the industry by drifting away from the old artificial price gouging of tech! I had 4 gigs of ram in my pc for 10 years now, of course the price should be lower! Why $1000 for a Facebook machine?  With a sub $200 pc its almost an impulse buy! Do you plan to get one? 

Is iphone the phone version of facebook

Is iphone the phone version of facebook?
I work in a high school and more and more I have been hearing clamoring from my students that they cant wait to get the new galaxy. I grind my teeth when I heard that because Galaxy is just one brand and android purist cringe at touch wiz but Samsung has did the unthinkable just a few years ago. They took over as the cool phone. Galaxy has became more than a model, it has became a bonafied brand! Samsung was the first since apple to unify its brand name on all carriers. That gave customers a reason to recognize it. Next step was commercials and a great endorsement. As the youth watch tv every 8 minutes they are force fed images of Lebron James using his watch and note 3. They flip the channel and run into hipsters to cool to care about apple but Samsung accompany their more interesting lives. But this is not about why Samsung is cool this is about why iPhone isn't.
I hear more and more of my teenagers poking fun at their parents because they think they are so cool now that they have an iPhone. "All she does it post pictures on Facebook using her iPhone". I was walking out the building yesterday sending a text with two hands on my galaxy mega, and my student says, "See that's the phone I wanted my mom brought me a stupid iPhone I don't want that little thing! " I let out a nerdish victory laugh as what I predicted came true, iPhone is for parents! This is the same reason why youth are dropping from Facebook. Most people are on Facebook to stay in touch with family. My grandmother looks for pictures of my children on Facebook. Kids are flocking in droves to instagram (making Zuckerburg a genius for buying it). I had a class discussion last year asking about Facebook and the kids smirked "facebook played, that's for my mama n them". Translation (Facebook doesn't appeal to my demographic". All I see is S4, S3 , Notes, etc around the school with kids using social networks, YouTube, two hand testing..
Yes Facebook by far has the largest amount of subscribers because its many more "old " people with access to Facebook, and there is by far much more iPhone sold because "old " people are the ones that can afford it. I am not saying Samsung or Instagram will replace the aforementioned, after all, CBS is still the number one network.. I am just saying its not cool dude! Voice of let the flames ignite!     GOD BLESS