Wanderings – Page 41 – The Life and Times of Joe Suttle

Different Kind of Present

joe December 30, 2008 Church, Faith, Technology

Before Christmas, finally decided to install my Bible software on my Blackjack. Well, even though it said it worked with Windows Mobile, it would not load on my phone. Like every phone is a little different, and takes some special software.

The Bible Reader with 11 or 12 Bible translations was a Christmas gift a few years back, and had worked well on my Palm Pilot, Palm E and a couple of Treo phones. I was really missing the ability to look up a Bible verse wherever I happened to be.

Needless to say, I contacted Olive Tree, the creators of the software and asked if there was a way to get my Bible versions to work on my Blackjack. Got super fast response from their Support people, and after giving them my original serial number and list of Bibles on the old software, they updated my account on their website and had me download everything.

What a wonderful surprise to find helpful people like that! My thanks to Olive Tree for putting the Word back on my phone. This is fantastic stuff – you can switch versions of the Bible, do a search for words or phrases, even compare different versions on a split screen. Really great! Take a look for yourself.

There are some free Bible translations and books, and some that cost, but they are well worth the investment.

Now, what was that verse you mentioned?

First John then…

joe December 29, 2008 Faith

Finally finished this book…took me a little while. Not because it was long or hard, simply got distracted from daily Bible reading/study. Other things got in the way.

Will only say that at the end of First John is a theological mind-bender. You could spend hours in debate and discussion on some of the verses in chapter 5. However, that is what the enemy (the people who don't want you to follow) wants you to do. That way you don't spend your time on what is more easily understood.

When I get to heaven, I'll ask God about all the difficult passages in the Bible. In the meantime, there is enough work for me in doing the things He clearly said to do, and not doing the things He clearly said not to do.

I wonder how many people who were offered a place in the lifeboats on the Titantic wanted a full understanding of where they would go, who would pluck them from the sea, and how they would survive in that puny little boat before they stepped in faith into the boat?

Old Friendships Renewed

joe December 29, 2008 Church, Family, General

There was that "evite" to an Open House at Prince and Leta's – former pastor and friends from Hillside Church of Marin in Corte Madera. Their daughter Courtenay Kehl, her husband John and the kids, Hudson and Dexter were visiting from the Dallas area, and this was an opportunity for friends to renew friednships. It had been a long time since we saw any of them (like 4-5 years).

Prince performed our marriage way back when, and we had worshipped at Hillside when Courtenay was in high school (was it really that long ago?).

It was so good to see people we have not had time to visit. We felt like we had never left – like it had been just last week. When we walked in the door, it was the same warm and loving Prince and Leta. Kind of like taking up where we left off.

It felt good! Even got to spend some time finding why Prince and Leta did not complete their retirement plans – it was more like "go where God says 'go' and do what He says to 'do'." I'm thankful to have faithful friends like that.

We'll find time to visit Hillside one Sunday soon.