Mac vs PC

About 15 years ago I was a TA for a professor at ACU. I was responsible for some page layout on a conference notebook he was assembling. I scoured the campus and found a Mac hidden in a back room at the Missions Department in the Graduate School of Bible Studies. I thought it was looking pretty good (and it was pretty easy). But then, Dr. X had a conversation with a friend of mine in the IT group who argued that Word Perfect 5.1 could do everything a Mac could do. So we switched to a PC and I've not really used a Mac again.

Until today

I've been working on some video for a class I'm designing with a colleage on the role of virtue in business. It's been a lot of fun. But on any of my PC's, transferring the video is quite a hassle. I have to install some Sony software, run the video into the software and then manually start, stop, copy, and paste any changes. The video quality is pretty low (it runs through a USB port) and the editing is a nightmare. Microsoft Movie software is buggy, crashes routinely, and runs very slow.

So, I noticed that we had a couple of eMacs in the computer lab. I brought my camera down here, used a Firewire connection and plugged it into the Mac. Started iMovie and the camera instantly worked, played into the Mac and started recording. Seriously, I didn't have to do a thing to it. Just turn it on and it worked. I'm so impressed. For years I've told my students that Macs and PC's were interchangable--and in some sense they are. However, this is a great feature that has really sold me. I'm going to buy a Mac for the house in 2007.

Sunrise

My absolute favorite time of day has to be sunrise.  Especially here in Malibu.  It is so quiet and peaceful and from my front porch I have about a 15 foot wide view of El Segundo and the airport on the other side of Santa Monica Bay.  This morning the sunrise is absolutely perfect.  The ocean is a deep, dark blue, the lights of El Segundo and Rancho Palas Verdes are slowly coming to life, and the striated hues of the horizon are deep, rich, and warm.  Surely God has smiled on me today.

Some photos...

It's been a while since I've posted any photos up here. So, here are a few shots of recent events...

• We took the kids on several hikes in the mountains. We pretended to hunt for dragons.
• And here are some photos of us putting up the Christmas tree.
• Here is Marcus as Spidey (thanks to Mark and Cheri!).
• We spent a day at the beach with the Becks (check out the cool sandcastle shots!)
• We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with friends.
• We had a fun photoshoot at the beach. While many of these are clearly flawed, we found one for our Christmas cards!

That should be enough for anybody to see! You can take the next few weeks to look over these. I'll try to ration them more carefully in the future!

From Seven-Spires to One-Hundred

Growing up across the eastern half of the country I spent more time in the city of Seven-Spires than any other location.  So, I've always appreciated a good church spire or dome (like in Firenze!).  However, I received good news today that I'll be making a one-week trip this spring to the city of one-hundred spires.  I can't wait!

Gender and the Church

Today's Column One from the LA Times is a good story about the rising movement towards "masculine" marketing in the church.  I have mixed feelings about the movement in general...for instance, I did not like Wild at Heart at all.  I think the whole book could have been abbreviated to one chapter...or even one sentance...the church has grown overly feminine and is unlikely to appeal to many modern men.  In any event, here is the artlcle from the Times... Manliness is next to godliness.

Hallelujah!

Those of you who have known me for any length of time know how I've struggled with the acappella tradition of my church. While I've argued for a more open view of restorationism for almost 15 years it has often felt like I was in the great minority. Well, good news from Dallas, TX of all places. The Richland Hills CoC (one of our largest and most influential churches) has added an instrumental service!

Read the following from LeRoy Garrett (who has written and edited other important CoC works, including this one with my great uncle Carl Ketcherside)...

On Acappella Music in the Church of Christ

No wonder so many women think they're fat!

If you haven't seen this ad from Dove, you should watch it. It's amazing! It's a one-minute video showing a "regular" looking woman who comes in for a modeling shoot and how much make-up and special effects go into making the final image for a billboard. It's not even the same woman when they are done. No wonder there are so many self-esteem issues in our culture! I would like to see a similar one of a male model...

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

The holidays are officially begun! 

• Last night we put up our Christmas tree (photos to be posted soon).
• Tonight we have our first Christmas party (the "Leon" party at CVCC)
• Sunday, I'm preaching on the annunciation and Magnificat at Camarillo Church of Christ.
• Sunday night is the Le's annual Christmas Dessert Reception (YUMMY!)

And each weekend for the next few weeks is similarly loaded with holiday cheer.  Then we'll be in MD for 10 days!  I can't wait!