Handy Little Cord

Looking for a way to connect Firewire 400 peripherals to a Firewire 800 port? Here's a little cord to help you get the job done.

My Favorite Kind of Pen...in a 12-pack

Immanuel, PMI to host An Afternoon of Music & Desserts

Immanuel Lutheran Church in Madison and Preservation Madison, Inc. are pleased to be sponsoring "An Afternoon of Music & Desserts" on Sunday, March 21, at 2 p.m. at the Historic Presbyterian Community Center in Madison, located at 4th and Nebraska Streets. Piano, pipe organ, guitar, and vocal pieces will feature a mix of sacred and secular music, with performances by Justin & Jillian Wiese, Leslie Eisenmann, Jolene Ziebell, Iris Frey Doolittle, and members & friends of Immanuel.

"God has gathered many talented musicians at Immanuel at this point in time," said Rev. Justin Wiese, the pastor of Immanuel. "To be able to share our God-given gifts and talents of music with the greater community of Madison and surrounding area is something that we feel God is calling us to do."

"The Estey pipe organ in the Center is a joy to play, and a wonderful instrument to listen to," said Iris Frey Doolittle, organizer of the event. "While the Estey organ physically takes center stage, all of the music by our performers will be at the heart of the afternoon."

Immanuel Lutheran Church is providing an opportunity to promote 'culture' and 'community' within our hometown," said Jeanne M. Reigle, president of Preservation Madison Inc. "The PMI board of directors applauds the combined talents of local musicians & artists, churches, schools, civic organizations, and community supporters who desire our citizens gain a deeper understanding of the crucial role of music and arts in community development. Fostering a 'creative atmosphere' spurs economic growth, builds community identity and pride, and leads to positive community norms, such as diversity, tolerance, and free expression."

Following the approximately one-hour concert, a selection of desserts will be served for all in attendance to enjoy. Tours of the Historic Presbyterian Community Center will also be available following the concert. A free-will offering will be gathered during the afternoon, with funds raised to support the ministries of Immanuel Lutheran Church and the operating expenses of Preservation Madison, Inc.

The public is encouraged to attend, and to bring their family and friends. "We hope to have a great turn out of people from Madison, the surrounding area, and visiting Madison alumni who will be home for the weekend basketball tournament on Friday & Saturday," said Doolittle.

"It's pretty simple. If you enjoy music, come for the music. If you enjoy desserts, come for the desserts. If you enjoy both music & desserts, then you're really going to love the afternoon," said Pastor Wiese, with a smile.

The Full 40-Minute Interview with Jon & Renee

My friends, Jon & Renee, on NPR

From http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/02/08/loss-in-haiti/

Bring CA$H to Norfolk

Wartburg Seminary Press Conference

I'll be missing you 'til I see you again, Ben.

http://www.kwwl.com/global/video/popup/pop_playerLaunch.asp?vt1=v&clipFormat=flv&clipId1=4459076&at1=News&h1=RAW: Wartburg news conference regarding Ben Larson's death&flvUri=&partnerclipid=

From Bishop Dave deFreese: "We Do Mission"

From http://site.nebraskasynod.org...



Bishop Dave deFreese challenges his fellow Lutherans to “do mission” in 2010. He also says Lutherans should “look forward, not back,” and addresses the actions of some in response to Churchwide Assembly’s decisions regarding human sexuality and ordination.

Check out Bishop Dave's message via video at:

http://site.nebraskasynod.org/2010/01/top-stories/we-do-mission-video

Thanks President Obama!

It looks like President Obama and a bunch of other people took some time to send me some holiday greetings!

Check it out here.

The Hangover

(500) Days of Summer

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Snow White on DVD

Life on Mars: The Complete Series

Must Go Viral: 1 Question ELCA Board of Pensions Survey

Help! The following survey needs to go viral in a big way. It is a one question survey that is being conducted by Kathy Shea (and most likely others) from the ELCA Board of Pensions. The ONE question survey can be found at:

http://tinyurl.com/mqodx6

The one question is: In your opinion, what's the MAIN reason why only six in ten ELCA-primary health plan members are taking the Mayo Clinic Health Assessment — despite a $100 incentive?

The ELCA Board of Pensions is trying to figure out why this is, and they need your help, so please share your insights with them and click the Done button when you are....done, I guess.

And then send this link on to all of your friends, enemies, and frenemies.

Thank you!

DVD Specials over at Amazon.com

Amazon.com is running what I consider to be some pretty good DVD specials right now. While you think times may be tough, you know you want to own the latest season of Heroes and Lost. Order or pre-order now, and you'll be all set, especially when there is free super-saver shipping to be had on orders over $25.

From a friend named Juliet

2009 ELCA Churchwide Dancefest

(or watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjxCSIphoeo)

It's good to see some Churchwide communications and web people dancing it up! Rizzo in the hizz-ouse!

Sadly, this video reinforces just how "white" the ELCA is. :-)

Also, I appreciate a Lutheran pastor who can disco dance with one hand while a coffee mug is in the other hand. At least it better be a Lutheran pastor....if that guy's Methodist...oh wait, Methodists don't dance, do they? :-)

ELCA Churchwide Assembly Summary Available by week's end

Since I'm working on my pastor's article for Immanuel Lutheran Church in Madison, Nebraska's monthly newsletter today, and have a 5 p.m. deadline to get information to the editor, I thought I'd see if I could find some sort of one-page summary of all of the votes and decisions that happened at the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly last week.

Since I couldn't find a summary like what I was looking for on elca.org, I thought I'd give the ELCA Churchwide Organization a phone call and see what I could find out.

In a brief phone conversation with ELCA News Director John Brooks, I was informed that the news staff hopes to have summaries available by the end of the week for sure, and if things go well, by the end of the day on Wednesday, August 26.

These summaries will be made available online only, and can be found at:

http://www.elca.org/assembly/summary

The Nebraska Synod Communications Staff produced a one-page review that was available early morning on Saturday, August 22, which doesn't touch on everything, but hits most of the highlights through Friday. This can be found online at:

http://fillspillthrill.org/2009/08/churchwide-assembly-2009-review/

and as a PDF at

http://fillspillthrill.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/churchwideassembly_review1.pdf

Watch/Listen while you can

In case you missed the audio of the radio show this morning, here it is. Listen/watch before I have to take it down (well, in case I'm asked to take it down).