Thank you for all your prayers & emails and kind words regarding the passing of my computer. Shortly after posting that, JJ, who oversees the technical/media stuff at Lake Pointe offers me his Dell laptop. A couple hours later, Los instant messages me and offers to let me borrow his 17″ Powerbook. And a few hours after that, my old boss & friend from when I lived in Dallas five years ago sends me a message on MySpace and says if nothing works out, he’ll let me borrow his Powerbook G3. Next, Rich writes a post, pimping my need to his audience.
So, needless to say - God has provided more than enough to get me through the trip! And maybe beyond. Thank you for your generosity & trust. Thank all of you for your prayers.
I’m still not giving up hope on Steve Jobs & the MacBook (hey, a girl can dream) as a permanent solution, but I have been blessed, and humbled beyond words. I am so glad I can share with you all what God has done on this crazy day!! Yay, God!
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R.I.P.
My HP Laptop
2002-2006
That’s right. He is officially deceased. Hard drive is safe. The power board went out, according to Shane, who spent his morning disecting it piece by piece. A new powerboard? A whopping $1000.
So - the positive is I have less to pack for Scotland. The negative? The fact I can’t design, write, or do any of Mosaic Edinburgh’s communication while we are in Scotland.
I am just going to have faith that Steve Jobs or one of his croneys, (heck, I’d even settle for Bill Gates this time, although it was his computer that is causing this mess…) will read my blog, and send me a new MacBook. Or at least let me borrow one for September.
Prayers, greatly appreciated. And I know it’s lame to ask you to repost this, when there are so many other crisises going on in the world, but if you wouldn’t mind reposting this, well, you just never know.
I know where mine’s going. Any computer that decides to end its life five days before a missions trip where it will be heavily used is not going to a place filled with angels and harps.
That’s right, folks. My computer has died.
It had pulled through three comas in the last six months, but whatever sleep it fell into tonight, I don’t think it will recover.
There are two really bad things that happen because of this. One - I had all my freelance work on it. One site I was working on, I didn’t have access to upload, so I doubt I’ll be able to get them to my client before we leave. And two, I was going to be working on web stuff for James while we were in Scotland as part of our trip.
I tell you these things for this reason alone:
Please pray.
Pray that our wonderful IT director Shane will somehow be able to revive its soul. And if not, please pray my clients will be graceful when I tell them it may be another month. And please pray that somehow this will get resolved. We don’t have the money to fork out for a new computer, and finding one with all the software I need preloaded is near impossible.
I am really looking forward to see how God’s going to work in this one…
One of the most frequent complaints I hear about some churches is how they’re always asking for money. Teaching about money and what the Bible says is important, and there is definitely room for some churches to do more of that. But you also have your extremeists who are all about money and how they need more…and more.
I’ve been part of three different churches who collect offerings in three different ways. One, we would take our offerings to the front during the service. Another, boxes were located by all the exits so you could drop it off whenever, but mainly as you entered or exited. And lastly, the traditional passing the plate.
There were benefits of each one. The first church was a small church and they were full of faithful givers. For the size of the church and the demographic, how far their money went didn’t make logical sense. The second church, it was easy to see that they cared about not being all about money. The third (and my current church), honestly, at first it was weird for me to get back into passing a plate, but the more and more it happens, the more and more I see it as an expression of worship and setting an example of how we do worship through our finances.
So, what is it for you? Do you pass a plate? Drop it off? Bring it up to the front?
I am usually a big opponent of tagging people. However, when someone as cool as Mark Waltz tags you, you can’t help but to oblige.
First, let’s answer one question. Why is Mark Waltz cool? Mark is a pastor at Granger Community Church, and he and I have occasionally kept in touch over the last year and a half or so, after I attended one of their workshops last May. Although I’ve never met the guy face to face, one can tell he’s an authentic guy. He says people matter - and he means it. I love hearing about how his family’s doing…and those are the people who matter most.
On to the questions…
* One book that changed your life: The Barbarian Way - Erwin McManus. I realized I am, in fact, crazy. But that it’s okay. In fact, if you’re not…something might be wrong.
* One book that you’ve read more than once: In Cold Blood - Truman Capote. My senior-year English teacher Mr. Bennett had a theory that Truman Capote wrote To Kill a Mockingbird instead of Harper Lee. I thought Mr. Bennett was hot, so I wanted to impress him with my Truman Capote knowledge. I ended up liking Truman far more than Mr. Bennett, yet I still agree with his theory on TKAM. Next time you see the movie Capote, keep this theory in mind as you watch Truman & Harper interact. The people who put this movie together definitely think Capote wrote TKAM too.
* One book that you’d want on a desert island: Survive on a Desert Island - Claire Llewellyn.
* One book that made you laugh: Are You there God? It’s Me, Margaret - Judy Blume. Yes, it was a long time ago. Maybe I need to read more funny books.
* One book that made you cry: Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. I still have my copy I bought 16 years ago (and it looks like the one I linked).
* One book that you wish had been written: How to be a Preacher’s Kid and NOT develop a complex about the Church
* One book you wish had never been written: The Harry Potter books…I say this not because I think they’re full of witchcraft & evil, but because my husband has bought them, and they cost so dang much. When we’re in Scotland, we’re actually going to visit the West Highland Line, which is the train station they used in the movies.
* One book you are currently reading: Cost of Discipleship - Deitrich Bonhoeffer. I’ve been reading this since 1999. It’s so intense it has seriously taken me that long.
* One book you’ve been meaning to read: Revolution - George Barna. I’ve had about 20 people say I need to read it…but I have a rule about reading books…if it’s a trendy book, I’ll wait until it’s untrendy to read it.
Now, in keeping with the rules of tagging, I am now supposed to tag people. But you all know me. I hate rules. So, instead of tagging five people - I tag YOU. Here’s the tradeoff - you don’t have to post it on your blog, but instead, I’d love to see your book list in my comments. That way, a little bit of cyberspace is saved and respected! I know I’m not as cool as Mark, so I don’t think I could legitimately tag anyone.
Happy Tuesday.
It has been a crazy week - we leave for Scotland in TWO WEEKS now and the reality of this trip has finally hit. We have been emailing people in the UK like crazy, it seems as if we already know fifteen or so people and we’ve never even stepped foot over there. What’s great is most of these people don’t know each other yet, but they all share the same vision for creating a movement of love and service in the UK - whether in England or Scotland!
On another note, we have been overwhelmed with your generosity. It is amazing that people from all over the country - most of whom we have never met - have been so willing to invest in this trip. We needed $800 and to date, this community at FlowerDust.net has donated $650!
Honestly, we weren’t expecting much of a response since - well, most of you don’t know us personally. The fact that you have trusted us with your gifts and prayers means more than you know.
Please continue to pray for us the next two weeks as we finish the practical things like packing, lining up cat-sitters, finances, handling work responsibilities and time management.
But we especially covet your prayers for our health and safety, physically and spiritually as we prepare. My mom will also be having surgery while we are gone, so prayers for her health are appreciated as well.
We know there will be forces working against us, trying to divide us and beat us down, and through your prayers of protection and God’s grace, we will be more than covered.
Any advice for traveling overseas or missions?
Did you know that in urban areas of Scotland, like Edinburgh, only 2% of adults 18-40 attend church?
TWO PERCENT.
It is less than three weeks before Chris and I leave for Scotland. We are so excited to get to meet and serve the people in the city of Edinburgh with James Petticrew and Mosaic Edinburgh. It has been amazing to see how this vision is becoming a reality.
We are in the last leg of raising support for our trip. With the exchange rate being almost double at the moment, we’re trying to stretch every bit of our savings so we can manage the costs of living out there in September.
I’ll be bold here and cut to the chase. We need to raise about $800 more dollars for food expense alone for the several weeks we are there. Below is our last support letter (click the haggis picture to read it.)
Even $15 would buy a meal for the both of us.
Also, I thought it would be responsible for us to post our current financial statement so you can see how blessed we have been to have people support us, as well as God giving us the discipline to save.
Donations Collected: 1407.00
Personal Savings: 2396.12
Expenses Paid: $1881.34
Upcoming Expenses: $2800
Total Expenses: 4681.34
Total Income less: 3803.12
Total Expenses: 4681.34
Left to Raise: 878.22
However, to be slightly amused, or to find out what a haggis is, click the haggis picture below. It will also take you to see what we’ll be doing, and easy ways you can help!
If you would like to buy us a meal (and save a haggis) online, please click here to be taken to our secure Paypal donation site. If you’d rather mail in something, or have a question, please email me.
Thanks for remembering us in your prayers too. If you want, please pass this on - you never know who might be up for catching this vision for Edinburgh!
Chris & Anne Jackson
What are your thoughts on taking medicine for Depression or Anxiety?
I am 26 years old. In my life, I have moved 27 times. The longest I’ve lived somewhere is five years. And it’s hard to develop sincere and meaningful relationships in that short of time.
I moved to Kansas when I was almost 22, and moved back to Texas shortly after my 26th birthday. Even though I was only gone from Dallas a little over four years, the close friends from my past are now but mere acquaintances. I’ve seen my “best” Dallas friend once since moving back and only for a few minutes. I can see the same thing happening to my close Kansas friends. I realize it’s nobody’s fault. It really does just come with moving.
That’s not to say Chris & I are friendless. It has been incredible really getting to know some people here in Dallas. I’d even say it seems like we have more connections with people now than we ever have in any stage of our lives. But at the same time, as I visit old Kansas friends’ blogs or read their emails, it’s a bummer to see how easy it is to become disconnected when you don’t see someone for a while.
Have you ever moved and lost contact with people you thought you’d never lose touch with?
Have a great weekend…
PMS sucks.
But not as bad as IBS. At least, that’s what Los tells me.
Mad Church Disease is a lively, informative, and potentially life-saving resource for anyone in ministry--vocational or volunteer--who would like to understand, prevent, or treat the epidemic of burnout in church culture.
