2 Sunday Services?

I love my church. I have been attending Bethany Lutheran Brethren Church since 1995. It has grown and changed over the years including an addition to the building that would serve as a gym, banquet hall and large meeting room. One of the many things I love about our church is how everyone knows each other because the church is small. The dilemma that we face now is that the church is reaching its capacity for our Sunday worship service. There is no room left. We are now faced with the tough decision to not change anything and possibly lose some that will not tolerate having to stand in the back because there is no seats left or go to 2 services which would allow for more seating at each service but may lose some of the close personal feeling that is drawing people to our church. It is a difficult decision to make. Personally, I think that we should go ahead with 2 sevices and trust that what he has blessed us with will continue to be blessed.

Matthew 25:21 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things'." NIV

We will need to work harder to keep the closeness that is evident now, but I think that we would be irresponsible if we did not try to continue and reach more people. The decision will be made at our next business meeting in January.

Technorati Tags: Lutheran, Church, Sunday Services, Bethany Lutheran Brethren

Christmas Day

I woke up to find Evan and Simon both working on the Star Wars lego ships they got on Christmas Eve. When they came up they couldn't believe all of the boxes waiting for them. Simon was so excited at getting the lego Wild Hunters kit that he had a hard time removing all the wrapping paper. Evan got the lego Ocean Odyssey. It didn't take long for them to build their favorite things. Abby got her American Girl doll and named it Jenna.
After church we went to Nanna and Papa's house. Abby couldn't wait to see "her girls" which are her cousins, Jennifer, Stephanie, and Trina. They all received American Girl dolls as well. It was a fun afternoon with cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents and great grandparents.


Click here for more photos.

Christmas Eve

Kim's parents and Grandmother came over for Christmas Eve and as usual it was a massacre for anything with wrapping paper. We missed having Steven and Jamie with us but hopefully they will be with us next year.
The food was great as usual and it was just fun to see the kids reactions to the presents. Abby loves dolls but got a real surprise with a Cabbage patch doll. I love the fact that the boys were excited about the books they got. The hardest part is not cleaning up but getting Evan, Simon and Abby to go to sleep after all the excitement.

Thank you Uncle Steven for the Cabbage Patch Kids!



Click here to see more photos.

Technorati Tags: Christmas Eve, Family

Christmas Cantata follow-up

The concert was a big success. Everyone's voices held up and it sounded great. Thank you to everyone who came. Thank you George and Claire for all your hard work in getting us ready for the concert. I am attaching a clip of one of the songs from the concert. It is "The Christmas Star". If all goes well, I will try to link the rest at a future date. Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: The Gift Goes On, Church, Christmas Contata

Christmas Wishes

This is just a quick note to wish each and everyone a Merry Christmas! I love the chance to get together with family and just to spend time catching up on what is going on in each others lives. It is hard to stay close with family memebers as people move to new places. My hope for you is that you get the chance to take time to relax and spend it with your family. It is the best gift that you can give.

Technorati Tags: Christmas, Family

MTA Transit Strike over

Well, they are now going back to work and the city is going to try to get back to normal, it is time to look at what has been accomplished with this strike. Lets do a recap on the winners and losers here:

The Losers

1. All the students in our schools. My children are in elementary school and this affected them by forcing them to go in later than normal which throws off their whole routine. Even though older students were probably more pleased that they had shorter days, the time missed may need to be made up at the end of the year with an extra day. Nobody in the media has even mentioned the impact this strike had on the schools and the students.


2. The people working in the city and the surrounding areas that rely on mass transit to get to their place of employment. Some had to use vacation days or personal days because they could not get in or work from home. Some did not get paid at all because their job pays by the hour and if you do not work, you do not get paid..


3. The TWU workers who will be fined and rightfully should be because it was an illegal strike. The idea that they are seeking indemnity is ridiculous. They cost the city money. They cost the working people of the city money. They should pay what the law requires if they are willing to break the law knowing what the penalties would be.


4. The TWU Local 100 itself now will have to pay fines for the last few days. The local union has lost its credibility with the international union weighing in and telling them to go back to work. They still do not have a contract and they are asking for too much. I don't know about anyone else but I have not received an 8% increase last year. Many people have not received any raises. Why should they get such and increase?


5. The City of New York has lost revenue from taxes and the regular daily operations, overtime for police, and all the preparations to handle the strike.

The Winners
There are none.

I am just annoyed that the TWU thinks that not only was it OK to illegally strike but then have the audacity to think that they should not have to pay the fines. If I get a parking ticket because I did not pay the meter, I can't just go and put money in the meter afterwards and not pay the fine for breaking the law in the first place. The union shouldn't get any breaks.

Technorati Tags: NYC, TWU, MTA Strike

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

I went to go see The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe with my wife and 2 sons. I grew up reading the whole series of Narnia books written by C.S. Lewisand I am pleased to say that the movie did not disappoint me a bit. My wife had read the book to my 2 sons, ages 7 and 5, this past week so that they would know the story with all the details. They enjoyed the movie immensely even though there were a few spots that they squirmed and covered their eyes for a second or two. The graphics are spectacular and the actors did a wonderful job in bringing the book to life. I would encourage anyone to go see it but if you bring your child I would suggest reading the book to them first. It will take some of the edge off a few of the parts that could make them scared or sad.

Technorati Tags: Narnia, C.S. Lewis

Watson

I found an application that seemed very interesting to me. It is called Watson and it is made by Intellext. It is like Google Sidebar but instead of typing the information into the toolbar it automatically searches the internet, your desktop, search engines and other places to find information relavant to what you are currently working on. It works with Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Internet Explorer and Firefox. I wanted to try out the free version and see how it performed but the requirements on what you need on your computer are not clear. I have Windows XP with Office Premium 2000 and it had issues when I tried to install it. If anyone has used this application, I would welcome your feedback on how it works and how you like it.

Technorati Tags: Watson, Intellext, Context Search, Google Sidebar

TWU problems

Watching the last day or two and waiting to see what would happen with the possible Transit strike, I found it interesting when the Vice President of the TWU, John Mooney, came out to the microphones and started critizing the president of the union, Roger Toussaint. While I understand why he was upset, I think that he did more damage and weakened his own unions position in the negotiations by making those comments. The whole premise behind the union is that there is strength comes from their joining together to speak as one voice. When he came out and started making those comments on camera, it weakened the bargaining power of the union. "A house divided against itself will not stand". I can't say how much of an impact this actually had on the negotiations, if the union wants to keep the power it has, it better get everyone on the same page or next time it could really cost them.

Technorati Tags: NYC Transit Stike, TWU

MLB trade talk

I am a Yankees fan and I have to say that I was glad to see that this year they were not going crazy trying to get every All-Star on the market. But now I am starting to scratch my head when I hear them talking about getting Nomar to play first base. And while I know that Giambi cannot play first base every day, why would anyone think that Nomar would want to go from shortstop or third base to playing part time at first and being a utility player the rest of the time? Being a utility player takes a certain mentality and while I could be wrong, I don't think Nomar has what it takes. I understand their interest in Johnny Damon considering his speed, defense and experience over Bubba Crosby. I struggle with this because I would like to see Bubba have the chance to prove himself.

Now I read this in the Washington Post about Alfonso Soriano and I just can't understand why they would even consider it.

Alfonso Soriano's reluctance to play the outfield creates an issue that threatens to hang over the entire winter. One Nationals player, who requested anonymity because the issue is already sensitive, said, "This could be a big mess in spring training."-- Washington Post

Why would anyone take an All-Star second baseman and move him to the outfield? Do the Nationals have someone else that is of the same caliber to handle the position? I don't think so!

There are some really strange things going on in the offseason this year that make you wonder what these teams are thinking. I have a feeling this is only the beginning of the madness.

Technorati Tags: Yankees, MLB Baseball

Christmas Cantata

There is a Christmas Cantata being held at Bethany Lutheran Brethren Church on Staten Island NY at 7pm. All are invited. "The Gift Goes On" created by Sue C Smith and Russell Mauldin. It is a wonderful compilation of contemporary and traditional music telling the Christmas story. Refreshments will be served afterwards. The address is 233 Westcott Blvd, Staten Island, NY 10314.

Technorati Tags: Church, Concerts

Lennon vs. Pearl Harbor

I am curious why John Lennon is so important that, 25 years after his murder, there is more news coverage about him than remembering the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. While the Beatles had a huge impact on the music culture, Pearl Harbor forced the United States into WWII. On December 8th 1 man was killed, on December 7th over 2400 people were killed. My grandfather served in WWII and I am embarrassed and ashamed that the media did nothing more than a token sound bite about what happened on December 7, 1941. In the meantime, there are all sorts of articles and reports about John Lennon's murder. (Yes I said murder and not assassination! While John Lennon was a prominent figure in the entertainment industry, he was not a political or religious leader and his killer was nothing more than a fanatic.) I think it is time to start putting things into their proper perspectives. Celebrities are being put on too high a pedestal and we honor and revere them more than the people who founded this Country and fought to protect it.

Technorati Tags: Pearl Harbor, John Lennon