Christ in you, the hope of glory

As I have been using Techsmith Camtasia for a few years now at work, I was excited to hear that Techsmith was creating a version for Mac. I have been a long time user of PC’s but purchased a Macbook in Dec 2006 for video editing while I was an urban missionary offering technical support services at Heartland International Ministries. The first generation 13 inch Macbook is used as my daily workhorse at home and for the various technology support services I provide to ministries. I have loved it. The PC just takes too long in some instances and that with the OS of Vista just turned me right off PC’s. The Mac OS is clean and easy to use. And the feature I love the most is the sleep function. I close the screen and it switches into hibernate - I open the screen and within 10 seconds comes back to life! I did have Microsoft Office for the Mac but that was just more trouble than it is worth, so I get along just fine with the iLife and iWork suite, along with NeoOffice. Of course I use iTunes with with the iTouch (as Apple makes it just so easy), and I have a bunch of other useful tools like Wiretap studio, MacJournal, EasyWMA, BibleDesktop, SnapZ Pro (Also a good screen capture tool but doesn’t have a feature to create call outs), and Handbrake.

Back to Camtasia. I have been using at work for a few years. Great tool for creating simple short “how to” movies that can be published through our new SharePoint sites. But now I have this great tool on the Mac OS, I can create instructional guides and provide feedback like never before.

This weekend has been another of in-depth reflection. Having recorded orally my life for the last few years, learning about myself and becoming very cautious of the commitments I make to myself and others, my eye now turns to leveraging video to do the same for my physical behavior and to capture life in a journalistic style that many do every day on You Tube. Not though for publicity, or self-promotion, but intentionally for self reflection, to verify ones own incongruity, to know ones self most completely. Video and audio are the ultimate in truth reflection. By capturing oneself in these forms, your words are locked in forever. Your words, tonality, and body language betray your intentions, which is not so good if you are intending to deliberately mislead people, however, if you, like myself are undergoing this ultimate form of accountability for self-development, then these recording tools make this form of ultimate transparency so easy.

Since my last post, one of the two agencies that had had not returned my inquiry, actually did. So on Friday I set up an appointment for next week. They need marketing support so I am hopeful I can help them.

I did contact a few local volunteer entities who said they wanted help. One on Lamar, another Shawnee, another very close to our home on Sante Fe in Overland Park. 2 of the 3 (66%) I contacted never got back to me which seems surprising considering you would think they would pay attention to inbound “I’m interested in helping” communication. Ah well, another sign of the time no doubt. Then I guess this in itself is a sign from above of where our Lord wants me to work in the next season of so.

This week started last week. Friday afternoon I felt the coming on of the chills and throat/cough thing. By Friday night I knew I was heading south for  while but thought I could tough it out over the weekend if I stayed put in bed and rested. By Monday thought feeling no better I went to the doctor who informs me I have a full blown sinus infection. I did have to weigh in so now my official weight is 320 lbs. 3 days later now Wednesday evening the endless nose blowing has died off but the lingering cough is hanging on for dear life, but alas, I think I’m good enough to return to the workplace.

So now knowing the full extent of my weight, and my goal remaining at 200 lbs, money has not yet been a strong enough incentive to get me to start exercise, or eat less, I am open to suggestions from far and wide as to other incentives that might help motivate me to get this weight off once and for all. Perhaps there are other men in my midst whom are up for a similar challenge who no longer want to be carrying an excess person around with themselves.

Perhaps even there is another man or two whom are waiting on the Lord to work to get focused and fast… Only you know… and God of course…

From: Tony & Sue Maden Date: September 9, 2009 5:28:25 PM CDT To: Undisclosed list Subject: Excuses for Myself, or, Statements of Unbelief

Friends,

Many of these statements in the list below have come from my lips in time past, and perhaps from yours too. So perhaps if you hear your self repeated in this list too then this article is worth a few minutes of your time to read…. and after you have read, consider sharing with your believing friends too…

Tony Maden

Excuses for Myself, or, Statements of Unbelief By Fred Pruitt

This morning I posted on Facebook an article I sent out over a year ago, called, “I AM the Resurrection.” The article contained a list of statements that people make, that I called “statements of unbelief.”

Below is that list:

“I know Christ is in me, but I have to die to self.” “I know this is true, but a lot of me is still in God’s way.” “I’m in union with Christ, but it hasn’t yet started to work in me.” “God’s biggest problem is me.” “I’m still not fully dead to some things.” “That sounds good, but I’m not that spiritual a person.” “I see what you say, but we have to remember that this is a process.” “I wish I could make that work, but I sin every day.” “I know that’s true in my spirit, but my flesh and my soul still have a long way to go.” “I’ve still got lots of obstacles to discover and overcome before I could say Christ is manifesting Himself fully in me.” Continue Reading »

After the luxury of a 3 day weekend, it dawned on me tonight (and not for the first time in the last few months) that here I am, at the other end of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, in the realm of self actualization, with more time on my hands than in former days of my life, and now at a time when I am genuinely not interested in anything but Christ, his commands and the work He chooses to do through me to share Himself with others. No longer am I interested in things, or stuff, or money-making, never have been into sports, or entertainment. I just do not care for hours of mindless TV or movies (as I believe much of it desensitizes us), so a life at leisure is and has become well, boring.  Continue Reading »

This Sunday morning, September… actually it is Monday morning September 7th in the year of our Lord, 2009, is one of memories flooding back from childhood days. The shows my brother Paul and I watched as kids, Rosie and someone, Barnacle bill, the lighthouse, Joe 90, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and the mysterons, and I’m sure many more. My parents looking in from behind the door into my bedroom as they got ready for work, the smell of toast and tea, none of these thoughts are of possessions, or things, but of times gone by, of parents, of family, our closest loved ones. Anyhow this morning as many, Sue and I shower together and joke about the label on the Nivea shower container we say “flooga-doosh” but it really is “pflegedusche”, after a little looking online (where else would you look nowadays!) I find an answer and translation, “Care shower”, then I search “meaning of life” in the same Yahoo Answers tool and come across this quote by George Matthew Adams… Continue Reading »

Dear Tony,

The reason you have time now is that I said and I know you said last week, nothing physical in this world gives you pleasure any longer, yet I know like your brother Allen you share the burden to speak my Word to the lost, this is why I put you together. Your idleness is the time when I will grow you more in my ways, of waiting, praying reading but the output will not be as you have been but your heart will burn as my heart burns, and when the time is right, My Words will flow from you as they do from all my true sons out to the thirsty world around you. You surf the net, reading multiple rabbit trails, and eat in place of doing what i have commanded you do - proclaim my word. Continue Reading »