Displaying Your Pictures

Digital cameras are affordable, they're easy to use, and they take some great photos. But what do you do after the picture is taken? If you're like me, you probably have a folder somewhere on your computer with a few thousand digital photographs. Where's the fun in that?

There's plenty of options out there to get your pictures out in the open.

Just recently, I uploaded a whole pile of digital pictures to a photo lab at Loblaws, and just went in to pick them up the next day. Stick them in some frames around the house, and you're done. Nicer quality, and cheaper than printing it out at home.

I also have a photo iPod, which many of my favourite photos on it. Play some music, and put on a random slideshow of your pictures. Instant picture frame!

Or if you're willing to spend a little extra, why not buy a digital photo frame? There's already several on the market, that have their own memory or wireless network connection, and will cycle through your favourite photos as often as you like. Something fresh and new to decorate your house.

Here's a few of the digital frames out there:

• Vialta VistaFrame
• Pacific Digital MemoryFrame
• Philips Digital Picture Frame
• Digital Foci Image Moments
  

Family News

As you may know, my mom has been fighting cancer for the last year. The cancer had progressed really far, and when they started, it was going to be an extremely difficult case. Here we are, a year later, and after every treatment imaginable... major surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, dieting, vitamins, and holistic medicine.

None of it would have made a difference if it wasn't for the faith of my mom and the family. With lots of earnest prayer and faith, God made all sorts of miracles happen. Right from the start, mom went in with a positive attitude, and love for Jesus in her heart. She recovered from the surgery at a miraculous rate... the radiation and chemotherapy hardly had any side-effects... and despite would-be crippling cancer, she was active and alive.

Today, she got the results from her final CT scan now that her treatments are over.

And she is healed! They haven't found a single trace of cancer in her! God is amazing, and the test results were the final confirmation of his having healed her. Even the doctors were amazed.

Everyone, thank you for your love and prayers over this past year.

Google Owns the Universe

It's really insane how far Google has grown since it was an up-and-coming search engine online. Nowadays they're buying companies left and right, and adding more and more of the world into their search engine. It's not just websites anymore... now you can search blogs and printed books too.

But the craziest of these has to be their new mapping interfaces... they're offering the world... and now, more than the world...

• Google Maps
• Google Earth
• Google Moon
• Google Mars

With these sattelite images, I can even zoom in right down to my house, and can see that my sisters car is parked in the driveway!

Before long, they'll be offering driving directions... not just between my house and Chatham, but between my house and Mars.

Crossing the Distance

Bridging the gap in a long-distance relationship is always difficult thing. Chances are, you probably only get to see your girlfriend once a month... so what do you do in the meantime?

"Distance makes the heart grow fonder" is a load of crap. But thanks to modern technology, there's many ways for you to interact with your significant other... even though you may be miles apart.

The key to success in any relationship is communication. So be sure to make lots of use telephones, email, and instant messaging. The tech-savvy are one-up in this area. Try chatting with a webcam, which allows you to see the person directly. Even use of VoIP can save you a whole lot of money on phone calls in the long run. Perhaps even write a blog together?

Or for the truly insane, there's a plethora of new products out there (most of which are totally creepy, unless that's your thing).

• Cups that alert you when your partner is drinking from their own.
• Pillows that light up with instant messages.
• Shirts that create pressure and warmth when the other one is hugged.
• Robotic pillows that will allow you to actually hug each other (reallllly creepy)
  

Traveling is the only true way to cross the distance. So get on those trains, plains, and automobiles, and get over there to see her first-hand. Shop around on the web to find the best prices.

Maintaining a long-distance relationship is entirely possible. With enough devotion, determination, faith, and a long-term plan to permanently bridge the distance, you are bound successful.

Growing Relationship

Getting into a romantic relationship can be a scary prospect for some people. There is a lot of responsibility and vulnerability involved as you venture deeper into each others lives.

Strive.

Men, we need to set the example as the spiritual leader in our families and relationships. It is our duty to ensure that our wife/girlfriend/children grow strong in faith and wisdom.

Here's a couple of ideas to get you started:

• Pray together
  
• Read the bible together
• Do devotionals together
• Share thoughts, inspirations, and revelations
• Blog/journal together

A relationship that's centered on Jesus is truly a wonderful thing. It will really draw you closer together, and prepare you for the life ahead of you.

And trust me, a great woman will love you all the more for it.

Tracking Your Life

Learning from the examples of some great leaders out there, I've been working at adding two new habits to my routine, and two pieces of free software have really helped with that.

First, I've noticed that every major Christian leader that I love and respect, takes time in their day to journal. Even if it's for just a few minutes, they write out their thoughts and dreams, and keep track of what God has been telling them in their day. So many books have been written in this way too. Most of the best devotionals, leadership books, and self-help books, were slowly compiled through the life experiences of the writers. If I really have been called to leadership, I better start my own. Already it has really helped me to organize some of my thoughts.

So after some searching, I came across the Advanced Diary. This nifty little program is free, supports multiple daily entries, searching, text formatting, embedded pictures, can be printed and exported, and can even be password protected. It also runs off of a USB drive, so you can take it anywhere you go.

Next, leaders are always have a system to keep important information, interesting tidbits, facts and figures, and notes... easily at their disposal. How many times have I tried to think of a quote or statistic, and just couldn't remember what it was, or where it came from?

Evernote does this well, by letting you easily create formatted notes, sort and organize them, and export them. Combine this with their Firefox web clipper, and you can highlight parts of webpages and add them to your notes with a single click. Brilliant.

Keep track of your life. It's the only one you've got. And who knows? Maybe someone is actually interested in learning from it.

Worship Dilemma

I went into church today, thinking that I wanted to do a really great soundmix of the band to impress a girl.

But then God really hit me...
I just needed to do what I was supposed to do, and worship God. Worship him with the talents and gifts He's given me. Then I realized that the girl isn't going to be attracted by a rockin' mix... she's going to be far more excited with my heart for Jesus, and my willingness to use my gifts for Him.

And you know what? Once I gave in, and focused on just worshiping Jesus, we actually ended up with the best sound mix the church band has ever had!

(except I still don't know whether the girl was impressed or not *lol*)

Once upon a time...

Once upon a time... there was a story.

Stories. Even the wildest ones, when told well, will relate to something at the very core of your being. They are effective and inspiring. They can be purely entertainment, and they can even be used to teach.

Why are people so intent on hammering each other with cold facts and figures? I've often found myself sitting on one side of a debate with a friend, talking about beliefs and values, and I've realised that the second I start demanding that my own views are right, the friend immediately and subconsciously closes themself off.

So why should the truth be restricted to a purely logical form? Even Jesus taught almost entirely with parables.

I'm not saying you should abandon facts altogether. Facts are only there to support the story.

"Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care... but once they know you care, you better know something!"

Write out your books and articles. Make movies and theater and dance, draw comics and manga. Create stories that call the hearts of this world to something greater... Jesus.

And remember, the best stories are often those happening right in our own lives...