Remembering Terry

Recently, a friend of mine and missionary in Atlanta passed away due to complications arising from treatment of a brain tumor.

Terry Moncrief was the kind of guy that would minister to someone no matter what was going on. I think that I will have a vivid memory of both Terry and my Hurricane Katrina experiences.I had planned to travel to Atlanta the second week in September to interview Terry and others about the Moncrief Center. But since we were evacuating I sent an email to Becky to see if I could meet with Terry the first part of the week (August 29). She said that Terry wanted to see me so I went.When I got to the hospital, I had to put on a hat, mask, gown and gloves. Terry's immune system was very weak. I went in the room and exchanged pleasantries. I had not seen Terry for about 15 years (Terry taught me and two of my friends the Survival Kit after I accepted Christ).On the TV, playing without the sound, was a news channel covering the hurricane's landfall. Becky had told Terry that my wife, Karen, was still in New Orleans. Several times during the interview, Terry would stop and pray for me, or offer a scripture or word of encouragement. Most of the time, he was whispering because he was so weak.His voice seemed strongest when he was comforting me. Strange. It was almost surreal as I reflect on the situation. Here was a man who poured his life into his ministry (his family continues to do the same), and after battling cancer for nearly ten months, I am sitting in his hospital room watching a storm destroy the city I called home. It was as if God had set the appointment for me. I was getting one last lesson from my earliest discipler. How could I be concerned about losing my possessions when a life of ministry would sustain me?

Well, a lot has happened since our fun trip to Houston. Perhaps the biggest thing was the hurricane. We are still in limbo about what to do next. I think we might end up staying in Atlanta.

I have just been provided an opportunity to preview a movie for my Blog site. The movie is a sci-fi flick called "Serenity." I will attend and post my thoughts here.

More to come later. Dinner is ready.

Weekend in Houston

We just got back from Houston last night. I went to try out for Jeopardy. It was a fun weekend. The Courtyard hotel had a pool and jacuzzi. Brooke practiced swimming in the pool (it was freezing!!) and Karen enjoyed the jacuzzi (I did too). Paige would run back and forth between the pool and jacuzzi. She did not like the cold water in the pool or the hot water in the jacuzzi.

On Sunday, we spent a few hours at a kids fair at Sam Houston Park. We left there and continued to drive around downtown. While sitting at a red light, a guy offered us free tickets to the Astros game. We took the tickets and walked in during the fourth inning. Brooke and Paige had a blast. Karen and I enjoyed watching the girls. The Astros were already losing 7-0 against Kansas City, so we weren't really interested in the game. By the end of the game, the Astros came back to lose 9-6, Brooke and Paige got balloon animals, and we were all ready to go back to the hotel (jacuzzi).

Sunday night, we went to a steakhouse called The Saltgrass. It was wonderful. On Monday, Karen took the girls to the Galleria Mall, and I went to try out for Jeopardy. I was one answer away from getting to the next phase. Oh well. You won't see me on Jeopardy, but I sure had a great time with the family. Pictures will follow a little later.

The New York Times > Travel > Escapes > Jesus on the Half-Pipe: "King of Kings is one of a growing number of Christian evangelical groups successfully using the skateboard as an instrument of the Lord."

I have met some who would see this as offensive. I think that it is an interesting way to contextualize the gospel for a subculture. We should be careful, though. The inherent danger in contextualization is that it could lead to synergism.

Students Do Better Without Computers: "

Gogogoch writes "The Telegraph is reporting a large study that shows that the less students use computers at school and at home, the better they do in international tests of literacy and math. The more access they had to computers at home, the lower they scored in tests, partly because they diverted attention from homework. Students tended to do worse in schools generously equipped with computers, apparently because computerised instruction replaced more effective forms of teaching. " Worth noting that it took almost 20 years for PCs in the corporate environment to actually have a positive impact on productivity; might the same be true in education?

"

So it is finally out. People learn better by actually flipping pages in a book. I had always suspected such was the case. But I could never prove it. Apparently throwing money at education problems is not the answer. Go figure.

Okay, I think I am finally getting the hang of this. If you are on the Gold List (aka - read this blog) then you might want to try Onfolio. It is a magnificent internet research tool. Also, I found this story on Drudgereport. Check it out.

Solar Sail Spacecraft

Collectlinks

What does this look like.

Jeff

I am trying a new software application called Onfolio. I would like to see if this will let me post to my blog.