Windows or Mac? Yes!
I have a Mac. Specifically, I have a 20 inch aluminum iMac running OS X Leopard. I love my Mac, but there are two really good pieces of software that I've been missing. One is Microsoft Word; I think I've got that one fixed. The other is good Bible software. I love Libronix. I use it every day for Bible study. I tried MacSword, but, well, it's pretty lame. Yes, I know Logos is working on Libronix for Mac, but they've been doing that for what, 4 years? I need something now. So I installed Parallels Desktop for Mac. It allows me to run Windows on my Mac, as if it were an application. So now I run Libronix on my Mac! Not the perfect solution (installation was a bear!), but it works pretty well. And it's darn cool.
It's a small (coffee) world
I like Caribou Coffee, more than Starbucks even. We recently bought a bag of Ethiopian coffee beans called Yirgacheffe. Good stuff. Sorta dark, with a strong hint of blueberries. The other night we had a couple from our church over for dinner. Turns out that Yirgacheffe is the name of an Ethiopian village, and this couple had lived in a nearby village. It's a small world.
Bats in your...basketball?
Monday morning I took the kids with me to the SEBTS gym where I play a bit of basketball with some guys. While there, they found a couple baby bats in the gym. They were alive, but weren't old enough to really fly. The kids had a great time picking them up (using an extra shirt), tossing them into the air to watch them fly, and seeing them scamper up the brick walls. Eventually they turned them loose outside.
Book: Isaac Backus
I just finished reading the biography of Isaac Backus by William McLoughlin. Isaac was a preacher in New England in the 1700's. He went from the established Puritan church to the Separatist church to the Baptist church. It was a very interesting read, part biography, part Baptist history, part Revolutionary War history. I was most intrigued to hear how so many of the issues of his day (antinomianism, pastors in sin, lack of church discipline, etc.) are still issues today. It seems human nature doesn't change much. I recommend this book.
Office 2008 for Mac coming
I have tried to like NeoOffice, really I have. You see my 3 most-used programs are my email client, a web browser, and a word processor. I write documents all the time. So when I got the iMac, I needed to get a good word processor. I've used MS Word for years, but trying to keep things free, I tried NeoOffice, a Mac-specific version of OpenOffice. It works, sorta. But it's slow and clunky and some stuff (like footnotes) doesn't work when I transfer files back and forth to a PC with Word. It's just frustrating to use. I even tried the newest OpenOffice beta, which has a native Mac interface. No different.
I thought about buying Office 2008 for Mac, but it's $130. Then someone pointed me to the software portal at the company I work for, The MITRE Corporation. Turns out they have an agreement with Microsoft that users can install Office on their home computers if they buy an extra copy of the media. So for $21 I have a copy of Office 2008 for Mac coming. Schweet! Thanks, MITRE!
I thought about buying Office 2008 for Mac, but it's $130. Then someone pointed me to the software portal at the company I work for, The MITRE Corporation. Turns out they have an agreement with Microsoft that users can install Office on their home computers if they buy an extra copy of the media. So for $21 I have a copy of Office 2008 for Mac coming. Schweet! Thanks, MITRE!
Photos: Our Townhome
In the last day I've added 7 new pictures of the townhome we are now living in. You can see them on our Flickr page.
These pictures are the first ones I've taken with my new lens, a 17-50mm lens that I bought used from a friend. The 17mm is really handy when trying to make everything fit into the picture.
These pictures are the first ones I've taken with my new lens, a 17-50mm lens that I bought used from a friend. The 17mm is really handy when trying to make everything fit into the picture.
Helping Refugees
Every year thousands of refugees, fleeing persecution of one sort or another in their own country, are allowed to move to America. Some of these are sent to Raleigh. They arrive in town with $425 per person. They may or may not speak English or have a marketable skill set. There's a lot about living in America they don't know, a lot of stuff they've never seen. Obviously, they need a lot of help.
Our church recently decided to sponsor a refugee family, and Ann and I decided to help out. We volunteerd to take this refugee family shopping, so when we heard they were getting low on food, we went over as a family. We introduced ourselves, and they quickly invited us in and served us juice. After a bit we told them we would take them shopping, and away we went.
First stop was to Fresh Market, because they said they needed fruit and it was within walking distance of where they live. They recognized most of the fruits and vegetables there, but hadn't seen some, like dates or artichokes. While there, they communicated to us that they like coffee. We described what a coffe maker was, and although they had never seen one, they agreed that would be nice. I think the only coffee they have had was instant coffee. Well, Fresh Market didn't have any coffee makers, so Ann pulls out the GPS right there in the store and scans for the nearest Wal-Mart (this was a part of town we weren't familiar with). That was new to them; Ann explained that it was a map. There was a Wal-Mart a couple miles away (isn't there always?), so we piled back into the van.
When we got into Wal-Mart, I think it is safe to say they were stunned at how big it was. They wanted to know if the entire store was owned by one person. We bought them a coffee maker, some coffee and sugar, and a rice cooker, and off we went. Back at their place, we showed them step-by-step how to use it. I think they understood. Hopefully this morning they are enjoying a nice hot cup of coffee.
I think they still have a whole lot to learn about living in America, but they seem quick to adapt and were certainly very friendly and thankful.
Our church recently decided to sponsor a refugee family, and Ann and I decided to help out. We volunteerd to take this refugee family shopping, so when we heard they were getting low on food, we went over as a family. We introduced ourselves, and they quickly invited us in and served us juice. After a bit we told them we would take them shopping, and away we went.
First stop was to Fresh Market, because they said they needed fruit and it was within walking distance of where they live. They recognized most of the fruits and vegetables there, but hadn't seen some, like dates or artichokes. While there, they communicated to us that they like coffee. We described what a coffe maker was, and although they had never seen one, they agreed that would be nice. I think the only coffee they have had was instant coffee. Well, Fresh Market didn't have any coffee makers, so Ann pulls out the GPS right there in the store and scans for the nearest Wal-Mart (this was a part of town we weren't familiar with). That was new to them; Ann explained that it was a map. There was a Wal-Mart a couple miles away (isn't there always?), so we piled back into the van.
When we got into Wal-Mart, I think it is safe to say they were stunned at how big it was. They wanted to know if the entire store was owned by one person. We bought them a coffee maker, some coffee and sugar, and a rice cooker, and off we went. Back at their place, we showed them step-by-step how to use it. I think they understood. Hopefully this morning they are enjoying a nice hot cup of coffee.
I think they still have a whole lot to learn about living in America, but they seem quick to adapt and were certainly very friendly and thankful.
Photos: Playing and More
I've uploaded a handful of new photos recently onto our Flickr page. They include the kids swinging on a rope swing, playing on a playground, and feeding some geese. If you like the one of the goslings, you can set it as your desktop picture at Caedes.net. Feel free to comment on the pictures here or on the Flickr page.
Videos: Preaching James 1:2-4, 12
I've uploaded a sermon I preached recently at Enterprise Baptist Church near Lake Gaston, NC. They invited me to come for a couple weeks while they were waiting for their new pastor to arrive. The sermons are posted on YouTube (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4); links can also be found on our About Us page.
New lease
We signed a new lease on a townhome in Raleigh, where we'll live for the next few months as we continue to wait on the Lord for a ministry. Pictures coming soon.
You don't take what?
I was back at Enterprise Baptist today, preaching for them. For lunch I went over to a restaurant called Grandpa's Kitchen and got a plate of yummy eastern Carolina BBQ. When I went to pay, I found to my shock that they don't take credit cards. Naturally, I didn't have any cash on me. To my pleasant surprise, the cashier trusted me to go and get the money and come back to pay. Fortunately the chairman of the deacons at Enterprise was gracious enough to loan me the money so I could pay. All things considered, it was a rather embarrassing afternoon. At least the food was good!
Commentary on James: Chapter 2
At long last I've finished my work on the book of James. I've translated the entire book and written commentary on every chapter. Of course, the work would really benefit from a good editor; at times it's quite uneven. Still, it's good stuff, and I'm reasonably happy with it. The five chapters come in at 183 pages, which is not too bad. Certainly more work could be done, but it's a good start, useful for Sunday school teachers and college/seminary students. Enjoy.
Photos: Chesnut Falls
080401 Near Galax VA
Originally uploaded by james.garriss.mar08
We spent a couple days with friends near Galax VA. While there we went hiking and geo-caching. One stop was at a small waterfall called Chesnut Falls. More pictures on our Flickr account.
Mac and Cheese
We were with some friends this week, and during dinner Jacen complained that the mac and cheese tasted funny. We thought he was just be whiney, so we told him to keep eating. Later that evening we had coffee. Knowing that I'm a bit picky about my coffee creamer, Ann had brought some from home in a glass jar. When she got it out of the fridge, she was puzzled; half the creamer she brought was missing. Turns out that our friends thought it was milk and had used it to make the mac and cheese. Sorry, Jacen!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)