You can help!

My only sister, Amber, to which I have been a father-figure, is blessing me with the honor of giving her away at her wedding on April 16th, 2016. I have been more than a brother to her, protecting her when she was little, and then bringing her into my home when she turned 16 to help her out of a dangerous place. I flew her to Alaska, to live with my family and be her big brother and try to be a role model as a father would. She became part of the family, with her niece and two nephews, calling my wife her only sister. She turned her life around and went to college and working at the same time. It is here she met George, my soon-to-be brother-in-law.

Now we are in Virginia, but Amber and her groom are in Seattle.

The transition from Alaska to Virginia has been tough, we are still adjusting to the prices here as well as a reduction in income (from two working adults to one). This is making it difficult to raise the required funds to attend my sister's wedding.

I would love nothing more than to have my whole family present at her wedding, where I will walk my sister down the aisle, a symbol of escorting her from my care and into the care of her groom. This is something I cannot miss!

You can clearly see why this is so important, and with a family of 5 you can also see why it is difficult to gather the required funds to traverse the country.

This gofundme drive will raise the required funds on a scale.

Goal 1 - $1500 (wish list on Gofundme) - Raise enough funds for hotel and a single ticket to Seattle. At a bare minimum, I MUST get to Seattle. I will be eternally grateful if only I am able to attend. Airline miles are appreciated as well.

Goal 2 - $2000 (wish list on Gofundme) - Raise enough funds for hotel and two tickets to Seattle. My wife has become a sister and mother-figure to Amber. To have her present would increase the value of that special day. Sarah also does make-up, so there's that!

Goal 3 - Raise enough funds to fly the whole family. If fully funded, the Rumfelts will fly to Seattle as a whole. We'll stay in a hotel near the wedding ceremony/reception so we will not require a rental vehicle. I found a hotel that will accommodate all 5 of us, which is rare! This goal would put me in your debt, and will record myself crying!!

Over and Above - If, by your grace and generosity, our goals are blown out of the water, your donation will not go to waste. One plan we looked into would allow us as a family to travel cross country in a rented RV. Our family is homeschooled, so it would be an educational adventure to see the sights of the US, visiting historical landmarks, with the grand destination being my sister's wedding. This would also allow us to be more comfortable, and reduce air sickness! If you make this happen, I will drink my first alcoholic drink at my sister’s reception, and toast you all!

For tickets, we will need to be funded by March 15th to purchase tickets by March 27th or prices go up.

No matter the donation, no matter the funds raised, no matter the number of people, I will pray that dollar for dollar, you will be blessed in return 10 fold.

Thank you in advance for giving from your heart.




Jon Rumfelt

Star of Bethlem, Sign or Smoke?

Star of Bethlehem?

I'm seeing this article pop up on my timeline and other's websites. While I love science, and I would LOVE for Jesus to return, there is one problem with the "Star of Bethlehem" convergence.

This convergence, as well as the one that is estimated to have occurred around 2BC, both occurred in the evening sky just after sunset. Venus will either trail or proceed the Sun by an hour meaning it will only be in view in the east before sunrise and the west after sunset. This instance appears in the west after sunset.

The Bible's account:
Sure the Wise Men were from the East, implying they traveled West to follow the star, however, they didn't follow the start until they had already traveled West and when they turned around they looked to the east and saw the star. Mathew 2:1-2 says they were from the east AND saw the star in the east and decided to follow it. They were not IN the east but were FROM the east. In fact, they were West of Bethlehem and followed the star Eastward to Christ.

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him" (Matt. 2:1-2, NASB). [emphasis added]

That means a convergence with Jupiter and Venus in the west is not the "Star of Bethlehem" unless the convergence occurred in the morning.

Morning/Evening Star

Looking deeper into morning or evening, It's safe to say most people in that period traveled by day which would indicate the star rose in the east just before sunrise. But have you tried to follow a star during the day? (besides our sun of course)

To follow the star would lend credence to traveling at night, and if the sun sets in the west and the star rose in the east, and it gets darker, then the convergence is not with a planet closer to the sun than Earth, ruling out Mercury and Venus as being a member of the "Bethlehem Star" group. Venus' maximum elongation is 46 degrees. While capable of being visible long into the night, it could not have risen in the east but instead slowly appear as a twinkling star in the evening.

There is a lot of speculation and theories as to what this "Star of Bethlehem" was; a comet, a supernova, a convergence of other planets (not Venus). The testimony in Mathew says the star was moving, ruling out a convergence which appears to stand still for several days. But the fact that the Magi called it a "new star" combined with their wisdom to know the difference between a star and a comet, I believe it rules out that it was a comet. "New" indicates they have been tracking the stars and this one wasn't seen before, which could prove it's a supernova, but again, the appearance of movement would be zero to them without telescopes as supernova are light years away.

So what was it? No one knows for sure, but I feel credit can be given to a Miracle.

But what about prophecy? Isn't there a sign that the second coming is close by the appearance of a star? One reference I found was Luke 21:25a "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars."

Doesn't specify.

How about a direction? I've heard it said "Jesus will come from the East" but I've also heard West. What's the Bible say? I found this in Mathew 24:27 "For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. "

I don't think it matters which way you face, according to this verse, the coming of the Lord will be seen from any direction.

In the confusion of the world today, it's only natural for Christians to look to the heavens and ask God to hurry up and rescue us. We've lost our way, as a nation, and as a world. Wrong has become right and right is now wrong. Right and wrong is no longer decided based on morals or law, but based on feelings. We might look west while others look east. We follow our own compass, not calibrated to any logic, distracted from true north because true north has become taboo and doesn't align with our feelings.

I believe this convergence, as cool and bright and unique as it is, is just that, a convergence of two planets who's line of sight with our planet will be worth staying up and outside on a summer evening to witness as it most likely won't happen again in your lifetime. I don't believe it should be referred to as "The star of Bethlehem." Calling it that might be a distraction.

Is this a false sign? Is this the enemy making us look to the west and distract us from the actual sign in the east? I don't know, that's not my call. The Bible says we are to be ready for His return, from whatever direction it will be from.

For me, I'll be watching the whole sky, not just the west.

</rant>

Geek + Dad = Tech Kids

This past year I got more involved with my kid's education than I have in the past. But since I'm no ordinary Dad, I had to incorporate my passion into my passing of knowledge to my offspring.

Most Fathers take their kids hunting, dropping a trophy kill (at least in the eyes of the kid), or perhaps fishing at a hidden spot known only by the preceding fathers. Still other Dads coach their kids in sports, pushing a football or hockey or whatever. And there are others still that go camping, hiking, biking, running.

I'm not any of those fathers, because I didn't have any of those types.

While my Dad did take me places, like Irish Hills being the most memorable, and he showed up to a few of my soccer games, he never really had a chance to poor out his passion into me. I blame myself for this, not because he didn't try, but because his passion just wasn't mine.

But I do remember one specific time where we really spoke on a very close level. I had just finished a block in tech school in the Air Force. I had just learned how to rebuild a diesel engine and tune the injectors. It was the only block out of 14 that I got a 100% on the test. I couldn't wait to get back to the dorm so I could call my Dad. I knew he would be so proud, but when I told him what I had learned, I could hear his silence. I know now it was because I had given credit to the school, instead of to my Dad who showed me in the shed the inner workings of engines. My Dad laid the foundation of what I had learned.

It was my Dad who, without me even knowing, instilled just a basic structure upon which life would build the man I am. And now, the man as a father must now learn how to build the basic structure into his own children.

But in today's world, it's tough to be engaged. Most parent's brains turn off when their kid starts talking about building redstone iron gollem farms in Minecraft, or how to breed the newest monster in My Singing Monster. Not me, instead I try to stay one step ahead of technology.

Now here's where the fork in the road separates me from most parents, especially fathers. My generation grew up with no computers in the house, mine included. Our school had only one computer for the entire building and it had a waiting list to use the word processor. So it's no surprise that most fathers would choose to take their children outside, away from technology, into the world.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy camping, hiking, exploring. But I've learned my children just aren't into that. So I'll teach them what their passions are ... technology.

There are two possible outcomes when it comes to old school vs new school. The first is that a world catastrophe occurs and we lose all electricity, being forced back into the dark ages. In that case, technology will be gone and my kids will be left staring at a dead computer with no useful skills.

But then there's the other possibility, that technology makes such leaps and bounds that even the people who clean your office will have to know how to program just to change the garbage bag under your desk. I'm betting this will happen, in which case my children will have not only a basic structure, but will also have the experience needed to keep me out of assisted living! (hint hint)

So this year I started off by teaching my kids history. Well, in the geek world, HTML 1.0 is ancient history, but the kids had fun building their own web site with links and everything. All using notepad!

Then we went on to how easy it is to use Google products. Right now all three kids have their own Blog and website upon which they write entries more often than I do, visible to their family only.

Michael wants to be a programmer, so I'm learning Python with him. Next we'll move on to (shudders) Java. He's already got ideas and plans to write a text based adventure game before moving on to graphics. He's also got his eyes on age 14 when he'll be able to try and get an internship under some developers here at my office. Right now Mike and I are designing a web enabled thermostat for the house. This will teach him basic electronics and give him some experience with programming.

Paige is my little artist and I hope she keeps me in her will because her works will be very valuable after she dies! (Morbid I know, it's a joke so lighten up) She saved up some baby sitting money to buy a drawing tablet for her computer. When I researched the model she had chosen, I taught her how to check reviews, both positive and more importantly negative, we discovered she would be making a bad choice. To support her we doubled her money so she could get the next best one. an hour later she drew a huge dragon and uses it like an extra hand.

Gabe wants to be a "professional gamer" and write reviews about new games, and tutorials for older ones. This is a tough area for me as I am easily addicted to games, and honestly think some of the games he plays are quite stupid. But I still need to support him (even if I pray he changes his career choice!). Believe it or not, there are very successful pros in the gaming world! Who knew?

The point is, our kids, no ALL kids, need to be allowed to explore their future, and we need to be there in their foundation lifting them up in their choices. I know my Dad is proud that I'm a geek, he supported me in every choice I made. I know he would have been just as proud if I had become a mechanic like him.

We as Dads, geek or not, need to embrace the change that is our children, and be involved in it.

So how do you support your kids dreams and passions when they differ from yours? What foundational skills do you think they need for the future they desire?

Jon
</rant>

New Year, New Blog, New Decade

I sit here on January 1 2015 watching a movie with the wife. At the same time I'm working on transferring our blogs (My Rants and her sarah.therumfelts.com blog) over to Blogger which offers a great deal more options, like facebook sharing, scheduled posts, and other meta data for bloggers. It also allows IFTTT to post again, which for some reason was broken from google sites' announcement pages. Trying to get Sarah's site set up so she can help others.

 I also think about the past year. Last night at midnight we shared with the kids the tradition of reflecting on our last year and accomplishments.

We also told them it's tradition to set goals for the upcoming year. All of us shared what we would hope to accomplish in 2015. We laughed and coached as well as complimented their goals.

But this day, January 1, is the day 3652 of 3652. For tomorrow I start a new decade of life, tomorrow I turn 40.

I look back at the past ten years and wonder first off where it went! Then I start to see the accomplishments:

• Promoted to lead tech at Red Flag - Achieved my Associates degree in Information Technologies
• Moved my sister to Alaska
• Joined Civil Air Patrol
• Awarded Senior Student in Mission Aircrew School for CAP.
• Promoted to LT in CAP
• Awarded Presidential Volunteer Service Award
• Credited with two search and rescue finds
• Flew in Red Flag-Alaska exercies
• Bought a home
• Visited Japan and friends with Sarah
• Started volunteering for the Fairbanks Ice Dogs as video producer for live stream
• Learned how to "fell" a tree
• Served as board member, elder, trustee, and deacon (at different times) for North Pole A/G
• Acted as Youth Director for several months while our Church transferred pastoral staff
• Lead my Dad to the Lord just before he passed away
• Accepted a position working as military simulator technician
• Listened to God and took a step of faith to move from Alaska to Virginia
• Accepted a position after moving as a system administrator
• Received a Leonardo Award (at-a-boy) in every quarter of 2014

I know it looks like a resume, and looking at that list I agree. But it makes me realize just how blessed I am. At first I thought I had wasted parts of this past decade, but honestly, once I started the list, I realized I could keep going! I truly have been blessed!

So now I look to the future, I set goals, plan vacations, and dream about what my list will be in 10 years.

How about you? What's your list from 2014, your last decade, or life? You may think it not a long list, but start writing, I'm sure you will find you have accomplished a lot more than you remembered!

So start writing!

/rant

Super Mom

posted Dec 19, 2014, 9:00 AM by Jon Rumfelt   [ updated Dec 19, 2014, 11:07 AM ]

I grew up in Detroit until the age of 13. It's not the best place to spend your childhood. With the multiple drug houses in the area, the gang fights in school yards, the constant barrage of arson on vacant houses, and gun shots as common as dogs barking. It was a decision to live on Bentler made by my mom. She raised me on the back of poor decisions rooted in immaturity. From hiring a babysitter that unfortunately did some inappropriate things, to swinging the complete other side of the pendulum and leaving an 8 year old boy home alone for hours on end. I was even a tag-along for one of her break-up revenge attacks on some guy's car at his workplace. None of these things are usually associated with a Mom-of-the-year mom, and I could easily dedicate an entire post pointing out all the times where good parenting practices were left to the wayside, but I'm not going to do that. Instead I'm going to share with you how my Mom, my Hero, is "Super."   My entire life, I remember my Mom as a sub-100 pound figure best illustrated by drawing a stick figure with an ultra fine tip pen. When looking at her from a distance, one would not conclude that she is capable of performing some of the feats of strength she had in fact completed. Maternal instinct of a mother can instill a rage that allows a mouse to wrestle with, and beat, a lion. And my Mom learned how to harness this surge of adrenaline whenever anyone's child was in danger. I recall a time when the neighbor couple began to argue loudly enough that we could all hear them. With children in the front yard, my mom was concerned, observing from a distance, stewing. But when the man (and father) came out onto the porch with a shotgun and started waving it around, Mom went ballistic. Like the flash, she was in our yard in one instant, and the next she was standing between the arguing couple. Now starring down the barrel of a shotgun, she grabbed the barrel and pushed it toward the direction of safety and no children, then started yelling at the man for endangering his kids, and all the kids nearby. With a ferociousness only compared to a rabid dog foaming at the mouth, her words snuffed his yelling and he retreated to his home. Sure, when she came back into our yard, she wasn't the flash, but she was shaking quick enough to break the sound barrier with her hand! She ended up throwing up, but she put her life on the line for the safety of others.     Being Detroit, there are always times when a fight could break out, and kids were not exempt. One time I was trying to catch up to Mom as she was walking to the store, some kids decided to surround me and pick on me. Mom came back to my rescue and stood between me and their "top dog." Wielding a piece of re-bar like a baseball bat, this kid charges his 95lb opponent and takes a mighty swing at my Mom. With a bare hand she catches the re-bar in mid swing, and with her other hand reaches out to this kid almost as tall as her. As if she were Bat-Man, she gripped this little joker's shirt, she pulled him in close and lifted him off the ground. Then she began schooling this kid verbally. Words I cannot repeat. At that time a passerby in a car stopped and yelled at my mom "You better not hurt that kid with that pipe!" A brief silence occurred, like in a horror movie, my mom's head turned slowly and she flipped out; "Hit HIM? He was trying to hit ME!" And they simply rolled up their window and drove off! When she finally released the kid from his inescapable detention, all of them scurried away like bugs under a rock. My mom was also a master of weapons. Not the kind ninja's wield, but of the lesser variety. She could spay or neuter a fly in mid flight with a fly swatter. We used to play with the swatters in little fights. I would show up to school with little lines across my forearm, battle scars of trying to best my mom in her own game. She could strike with such precision, and consistency, that I could end up with only one mark, having been hit a dozen times. If you ever wanted to fight mom, don't pick a fly swatter. But she is not a wonder woman with only one weapon, no. She could get you across the room with the same accuracy as a sniper, using only a newspaper rubber-band. While I had become quite proficient with this art as well, I could not begin to achieve the level of competence equal to her rubber-band shooting skills. Together we learned how to dual wield, and even able to stage multiple shots off one hand, like a semi-automatic. We would turn our house into a close-quarters combat zone, and ruber-bands could be found in every crevice for weeks. I would have war marks across my face just from peaking around the corner.   Mom also had a heart. Sure, we were poor, well below the poverty line for the 80's. But that didn't stop mom from extending help to anyone who needed it, including animals. There was a time when we discovered the neighbors had left their 5 year old daughter home alone for the entire weekend! She was starving, and Mom didn't hesitate to cook her eggs and toast, and a complimentary glass of milk. I sat there with that little girl, eating my eggs as well, and she politely said thank you, and cleaned every crumb off the plate. She didn't have to feed the neighbor's kids, but rather than try to cause more trouble, she fixed the immediate need first and loved on this little girl. As I said before, animals were no exception to her generosity. We were frequently a "Hotel for Dogs" but all animals were welcome. My favorite was a dog we named "George." He was a pit bull that happened into Mom's care by accident. She opened the front door for some reason, and in comes this black and white pit bull. George waltzed into the kitchen, sat down, and instantly became a part of our family. My Dad would bounce the ball for him, but something was messed up in his head, he wouldn't track the ball. Instead he would react to the sound of the ball hitting the ground, but when he looked down, the ball had rebounded to a height well over his head. We all laughed at that. But she also dedicated her time to rehabilitating these animals. One instance strongly in my mind is of a scrawny mutt so malnourished you could put your fingers between his ribs. Mom discovered the canine's collar was so tight this dog couldn't even drink water. it took her a long time, but once the collar was cut off, that dog drank an entire bowl of water, then moved on to start gorging himself with food. After a few weeks, he was healthy again. You wouldn't think it, but Mom even had her day on two wheels! I tell you there is nothing more cool than having your mom pick you up from elementary school on a motorcycle!!! We used to put $3 in the tank, pick a road, and take it to the end, just for the scenic adventure. But my mom, shorter than 5'6" couldn't reach the ground while at a stand still. The bike would lean over and she would have to shift her rear towards the longer leg so she could catch the bike before it fell over. Like watching a little 8 year old girl ride a 10 speed mens bike. If the bike were to fall over, she was not strong enough to stand it back up and would have to ask a stranger for assistance. One notable occasion was when Grandma was dropping me off at home just about the time Mom was arriving on her chopper (at least it looked like it with her small frame). Because she needed to use the curb to stand up at a stop, and Grandma had taken her "landing pad" she had to pass the house and circle back on the sidewalk. That's when she suddenly, without warning, switched to Evil Knievel mode and and popped a wheelie, spun the bike to the left, and held on like a cowboy riding a bull. Her small stature was no match for the centrifugal forces at play and she was launched from the bull in under the 8 second time frame. However, she wasn't flung far enough to land at a safe distance and the bike, now riderless, spun around on the ground and trapped her leg, pinning it to the sidewalk. The throttle cable had become stretched during the tight left hand turn and was locked wide open. Still resting on her leg, the engine roared with all it's horses, spinning the back wheel as if the hero were to be cut in half by a table saw. Grandma and I quickly tended to her, but our three combined muscles were not able to overcome the gravity which held the bike firmly on the sidewalk. That's when I remembered to turn the bike off. Once quiet, Mom looked up at me through the opening in her helmet and said "Hello!" Throughout my entire life, my Mom has ensured I always ate, and was always loved, even if I wasn't always taken care of. She did her best with what she knew. At my wedding reception, my Mom and I had a chance to sit in private while the bride changed out of her dress. I remember her breaking down crying saying she was sorry for being such a bad mother. I told her I learned a lot from her, and I wouldn't trade my experiences with her for any other mother. Sure she never would have won the Mother of the year award, but every year I am awarded the mother of a lifetime. Now my mom's life decisions are catching up to her. Her frail body no longer able to endure the punishments of being a super hero. I pray she recovers fully, albeit selfishly, so I don't have to see my hero retire. But all things come to an end, and mom's cape must now be hung above the mantle of life, as a remembrance to those she cared over. For the hero must rest, and now needs the assistance of those who call her Hero. I love you Mom, my Hero, my Super Mom! Jon </rant>

Legos!

posted Nov 4, 2014, 6:40 PM by Jon Rumfelt   [ updated Nov 4, 2014, 6:42 PM ]

Ever since I was a very small child, I only remember having one toy consistently.  Legos!  Even some of my earlier photos of me contained at least one Lego in it. As you can see here, this Lego is in my mouth. I've constantly built things, cars, trucks, space ships, even people. And every build I would proudly take to my Mom (not in the picture) and show it off. Now I wouldn't always present my creation at the most appropriate time, usually while Mom was entertaining guests, or very much into a movie on TV that couldn't be paused like today's movies. I didn't care, this creation came from inside my head, and nothing was more important than having the approval of Mom. As I got older, my other toys became less interesting to me. I went through G.I. Joe's, Micro Machines, Transformers ( actually, Go-Bots came out before Transformers, and they were made out of METAL!), also had race tracks, RC cars, even a watch with a video game on it. But I never lost the desire to play with my Legos. My friends wouldn't show interest when I pulled them out, but I would always show interest when one of them pulled out their legos. I remember one school night I had a rare opportunity to spend the night at a friends house. (I suddenly had a desire to look him up on Facebook, and I just found him!) Jason Raitz had this cool Lego Castle, I didn't have any castle stuff, so I was super excited when he said I could build it for him. Well, I stayed up ALL NIGHT LONG building that castle! I was exhausted at school the next day, but the thing that got me through the day was "I built the castle in one night!" Grandma wasn't to happy with me, but it was worth it. In my mind, trading 8 hours of sleep to play Legos was an option I just couldn't pass up. Even in High School, I would set up the Legos on the pool table cover in the basement and have adventures. Most of the time I was home alone, to embarrassed to admit I, a 16 year old boy, would play with such childish toys. I had Legos everywhere in Grandmas house. Like little spies keeping watch, on special assignment. I even had names for the ships, trucks, and some of the people. When I lived in the dorms as an Airman in the Air Force, I STILL played with my Legos! I bought a Space Shuttle kit that had a motor and the bay doors opened, a satelite on a crane emerged and open it's solar panels. Retractable landing gear, movable flaps, and lights on the thrusters. It took me almost a week to put together, but when I finished, I played with it for HOURS. Flash forward to a family and kids, and suddenly I had an excuse to openly play with Legos! What kind of parent would I be if I didn't pass on my knowledge and imagination? Of course, I still played alone, when no one was home, but when the kids played with Legos, I would mosie on in and dump the legos out and build something cool. Michael even made his 100 days of school project out of Legos! Well, when it came time for this year's Fall Family Fun Fest, I couldn't even fathom the idea of building something for kids out of anything BUT Legos. So I jumped down stairs and started building a proof of concept target for a Nerf gun shooting gallery. Playing off an old school gallery seen in fairs. The kind they used to shoot actual guns at! Of course I couldn't use real guns, so the Nerf guns were perfect. The proof of concept worked well, so we moved on to making a prototype. I took the motor from the space shuttle and hooked it up. The first problem was that the RPM's of my motor are 4300RPM! No chance of hitting the target because the targets would fly off. So I quickly built a gear reduction system. Finally, after learning how to make a worm drive gear reduction system, the first prototype was ready for target practice. We put the prototype in the truck and I let the boys shoot at it. Above you can see the far pin wheel black panel will get hit by Michael. The concept was to make it as easy to manage as possible, so I wanted the targets to reset on their own. The motor was doing a great job, but we had some modifications that needed to be done to ensure the system wouldn't fail during the Trunk or Treat event. After all the modifications were done, Michael and I finished up and had to stop ourselves from wanting to improve on it even more. We were almost out of time, and we had to work on the scene. We went with a water theme, or ocean, or lake, whatever! I wanted dolphins and ducks, but since they aren't usually seen together, we opted for ducks and fish. I pushed to make the scene look cartoonish, and Paige added faces to the clouds. It was coming along nicely. Finally, we added the targets. Gabe is here to push one target down, and it resets behind the scenes. I picked up a 30 pack of Nerf Darts the day of the event, and tested every single one. Mike and I shot at the targets from across the room, and everything was working great. I grabbed a few extra pieces for field repairs/mods and we all packed up and headed to the Church. Now, I had every intention of taking photos and video of the kids shooting at it, but this is literally the last 15 seconds before the event started, and the next thing we new, it was almost 8:30pm! We had, at our lowest estimate, over 100 kids at our car. I believe we also had 10 adults take shots! But what was really encouraging to me was the faces of the parents who stared off into their x-ray vision mode to figure out how it worked. I offered to several parents that they can go to the passenger door and take a peak, and not one said "no thanks" but instead everyone wanted to see. What an ego boost for me (even now, I'm sporting a smile just thinking about it!) The kids had tons of fun, the parents had fun, Sarah and I had fun, and the targets held up to the constant deluge of darts. When it was over, I definitely patted myself on the back, and extended a "Great job" to Michael, who helped me out quiet a bit. But what now? What happens to Lego creations that serve one purpose? Do we just take them apart never to be built again? No! I discovered Lego Digital Designer! This program is the Lego geek's dream box of parts. ALL the parts you can imagine, and then when you think you are done, the program makes the instructions for you to build your virtual creation. So tonight I spent a few hours digitizing the target so we can, if ever requested, build it again. Here's our creation. Of course, it's easier to color code when you have every brick in every color! Ours was sporting yellow, white, black, blue, and a few others! enjoy! and PLAY! </rant> Jon

Rearrange

posted Oct 23, 2014, 8:02 AM by Jon Rumfelt

The other day I decided to rearrange my desk at work. I just received a new laptop from the company, and can't get my 4th monitor to work (I know, feel sorry for me) so I removed #4 from the desk. In doing so, I discovered many things missed by the cleaning crew.

For one, the dust. I still can't figure out how there is so much dust here in an office where the windows don't open, and the nearest dirt road is an hour away. But there was dust behind and under all my stuff, including the keyboard.

After seeing that, I completely cleared my desk of everything, cables and all. I went and found Clorox wipes and went to town on the surface of the desk, the backs of the monitors, and even some of the cables. How these things collect dust like that I'll never know.

Then when I was happy about my new clean desk, I started placing my objects. First was my docking station for my new laptop. As I pulled the cat 5 cable around (network cable) I discovered it was too short to reach the new location. After a few minutes of scrounging through a box of cat5 cables I found one long enough, but had to pull the desk away from the wall to get to the wall plate.

Behind my desk, just to the right of Narnia, is the wall plate for comms. But I was surprised when I didn't find the cable my laptop was plugged into. I was looking for a yellow cable, but no yellow cable was plugged into the wall. Confused, I traced my yellow cable to the one place it should have never been plugged into... the phone! (These are network phones)

I've been at this desk since last November, and the one thing I knew was the phone's pass-through cat5 jack is only a 10MB connection. We learned this when Trevor set his desk up. He made sure his connection was direct to the wall. When we did that, I was confident my cable was plugged into the wall because it went straight behind the desk.

So now here I am looking at the cable plugged into the phone and wondering how long it's been that way. Surely I, a skilled network administrator, would never allow myself to be restricted to the slower speeds of a pass-through port. But in fact, I did!

I promptly reconfigured my cables and placed my docking station on the right port and finished setting up my desk.

Here is my new clean desk, in all it's glory!

Once I booted my system up, I made a startling discovery, my connection was FASTER than it has EVER been here at the office! I was both happy and quite upset at the same time. Happy that I now have a much faster, and therefore more productive connection, but upset of all the hours I've sat here waiting for patches to download/upload.

Then I realized, how many configurations in our spiritual life are actually plugged into the wrong jack? What things in our lives are actually slowing us down from the fast track to God?

Galatians 5:1
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

I was burdened by the pass-through port between me and the true speed of our network. How often are we burdened by our choices to delay our true freedom in Christ?

We all have our distractions, it is when you deny that the distraction exists that it becomes sin, and therefore a burden of sin is keeping you in the yoke of slavery.

For me, I think it's games. I play a few games at night just before I go to sleep to get my mind to stop thinking of the day. What if I stop playing games, distracting me from Him, and do something productive?

I'm definitely going to try.

I leave you with this, ask yourselves these questions along with me:

1. What is my distraction?
2. What would happen if I read the Word instead?
3. How much faster would my spiritual connection be?
4. And what dust would I find while I reconfigure my life?
5. How much more organized could my spiritual desk be if I could be more efficient in my communications with God?

Looking forward to see just how much faster I can "download" from God on the new configuration!

</rant>

Jon