Posts tagged: note

All posts with the tag "note"

14 posts latest post 2026-05-13
Publishing rhythm
May 2026 | 1 posts

I Was Saved From A Cult

## Introduction I'm getting coffee with a guy from church today, we're planning to swap some stories about how the Lord has worked in our lives in a few specific ways. He has some history in the New Age movement, and I'm very interested in that story. My offering to him will be my own story, fairly short it might be, of how God protected me from long-term involvement in a hypercharasmatic cult. ## Theological Context This dove-tails well with Andrew's sermon yesterday, noting that in many Charasmatic circles the gift of the Holy Spirit becomes more important than the person of Jesus who gives the Spirit, and who gives Salvation. This is the crux of my own experience as well. ## The Group The group was called "Wind and Fire Ministries" and they had their own purpose-built building out in the middle of nowhere, but close enough for me to drive to. I grew up in Iowa, a 10 minute drive on the interstate landed you pretty quick in the scene of any low-budget horror movie. The buildi...

Cat Stock at 760

Cat stock is ridiculous... I remember 6 years ago or so someone at a volleyball meetup freaking out about 197, he couldn't wait to sell at 200...
I’m back from the dead

I’m back from the dead

The flu hit me like a freight train right at the start of the year, along with the most stress I’ve ever felt at work dropping on me at the same time, I’ve been out of commission for what feels like forever. But this week I’ve been bouncing back and I feel like a million bucks now… and a lot has happened This post isn’t a review, it’s a note for me to come back and build on with some more posts probably. My life has been a bit chaotic but in God’s good grace on my life, that chaos hasn’t ruined anything (I am still wrestling with one aspect of it) but something’s changed this year… I’m not only back from the flu over the last several weeks, I feel like I’ve been resurrected as a developer. I’d written a few times last summer, feeling like I was in a rut, and I felt good coming out of that low season, but as I’ve reflected it’s really the last couple of years have been a slow descent into, not into depression, but something akin to it… Not only is that season either over or on pause, ca…

Advent 2025 Calendar

## Sunday ``` Nov. 30 ``` ``` Isaiah 8:17 ``` ``` As you look at your life or the world around you, where does it seem like God is hiding his face? How do you hold onto hope in those situations? ``` Advent - Isaiah 8:17 [1] ## Monday ``` Dec. 1 ``` ``` Psalm 39:7 ``` ``` What are you looking or hoping for in this Advent season? Consider bringing those things to God. ``` Advent - Psalm 39:7 [2] ## Tuesday ``` Dec. 2 ``` ``` Psalm 130:7 ``` ``` How have you experienced God’s consistent, dependable love in the past? How does that ground your hope for the future? ``` Advent - Psalm 130:7 [3] ## Wednesday ``` Dec. 3 ``` ``` Isaiah 40:31 ``` ``` Consider the parts of life that feel most exhausting right now. What could it look like to put your hope in God for strength and direction? ``` ## Thursday ``` Dec. 4 ``` ``` 1 Peter 1:3 ``` ``` How does Jesus’ resurrection from death shape your hope for both the future and life today? ``` ## Friday ``` Dec. 5 ``` ``` Roma...

Homelabbing Realization - Configs and Git

## Realization I'm back to brainstorming migrations away from Docker Compose to something that solves multi-node networking and secrets but I don't want to go to k8s... so my options are probably Docker Swarm or Nomad. As I wrestle mentally here I was thinking about one of my issues with multi-node setup is that I still keep everything out of one git repo, so if something gets managed remotely then I get out of sync. Best example is dashy, Due to some constraint of wanting to be as close to zero-day deployment-ready as possible, I think I overcomplicate some of the simple stuff - like it's ok to just have to put a file on a server for a container to start the first time... That doesn't mean ansible is a requirement, in fact lately I've just leaned into just recipes. But even then, I cornered myself into tracking my dashy config in git, so I'm hesitant to ever update it in the browser cause I'll have to redownload the config, reconcile the formatting differences in my repo (there's ...

Facism and Heresy - Words Matter

> This is a short reflection/semi-open letter to a friend I've been having a > conversation with for a couple weeks Name-calling in a rhetorical exchange is such a school-yard bully, low IQ, desperate, degenerate move when it's used in lieu of data... I have 2 scenarios in my head that bring light to one another. !!! warning "" Today the words "Nazi" and "Facist" are so over-used it's moved beyond sickening to boring. However, the usage of these words has led to violence, and a lot of it in my opinion. The dangerous rhetoric is a key player in the multiple Trump-assassination attempts, various acts of violence against other conservatives, specifically, (because who else does the Left call a Facist except anyone remotely moderate anymore), and most notably the murder of Charlie Kirk. I find the rhetoric super dangerous because I'm not a politician, but boy can I tell you for sure that Charlie was a moderate, and if they came for him then consider my reflection: Reflection - They...

Book Review - Dula, Fig, and the Wisdom of Old Sycamore

Dula, Fig, and the Wisdom of Old Sycamore is a beautifully illustrated and powerful story that gives kids an accessible framework to better understand their world - hard things are easier with kindness. Old Sycamore helps young Dula understand herself a little better through commentary on her mother's favorite story (for which Dula was named). He tends to Dula's frustration in a loving way and dismisses her back to her real life with gentleness. Kindness is a core-value of our household, and I loved sharing this story with my kids. I look forward to reading it many times over the next several years! [1]Dula, Fig, and the Wisdom of Old Sycamore [1] by Elizabeth Lett [2] My rating: 5 of 5 stars [3] Dula, Fig, and the Wisdom of Old Sycamore is a beautifully illustrated and powerful story that gives kids an accessible framework to better understand their world - hard things are easier with kindness. Old Sycamore helps young Dula understand herself a little better through commentary ...

That Guy Can Do Anything

"That guy can do anything!" sounds nice, right? What if it didn't matter... what if you draw corporate cat-calls for your sexy skills, excel every year, receieve accolades but you were told to change everything for no reason or else be fired...

Questions for Dad about the Navy

## Submarine Life 1. What did a typical day look like when the submarine was underway? 2. How did the 18-hour day with 6-hour shifts affect everyone's sense of time? 3. How did you and the crew keep busy or entertained during long patrols? 4. Can you describe the living quarters? What was the hardest part about the limited space? 5. What meals do you remember best? ## The Job 6. What systems were you directly responsible for as a machinist? 7. How did your team monitor and maintain the reactor? Any emergency drills that stick out? 8. What's the most challenging mechanical problem you dealt with on the sub? 9. What kind of training did you receive before serving underwater? How did reality differ? 10. What did it take to "earn your dolphins"? ## Technology 11. What pieces of technology or engineering challenges stand out from working with the reactor? 12. How were water, air, and electricity produced and maintained? 13. Did you work with any systems that have since been declassi...