Update

So it has been a while and I decided I might update a few people on the goings on of Mark Yakey.  I just finished my move back to Manchester after a very lovely year in the Derry Area…  Right now I am working on changing my address on many a bill and online form.  It amazed me to think that in years past all of this changing could take weeks or months to get done because of phone calls and sending in forms.  It took me 20 minutes.  All but one I was able to do online.  

Anyway, so thus far I am enjoying living closer to work and to friends.  I actually woke up at 8:15 this morning and still made it to work by 8:52.  On Sunday I had an extra 15 minutes that I had no idea what to do with it.  So that part is exciting.

Next wednesday we start up yet another semester of small groups.  I have a few new people in my group and a couple of great friends.  I am really looking forward to getting this semester started off right.

Weekend Update…

So I really have been horrible about posting on here.  I find that every time I attempt to start writing something, I get distracted and do something else.  Anyway a quick update from the conference.

Tony and I went down to the WFX conference because I was asked to be apart of a Tech Director Panel.  It was an awesome experience and I really enjoyed being a part of the conference.  We were able to go to a few of the breakout sessions and really experience some new technologies and understanding how to best utilize the technologies we currently have.  A few of the sessions were totally focused on team building and how to organize the team.  I really enjoyed being able to hear from other people in ministry and see what they were doing and really figure out ways to apply it to our team.  

The tech director panel was amazing.  We were able to get up on stage and talk candidly to other tech directors from our experience.  I got to meet some amazing tech directors from some of the largest churches in the Country.  It was amazing how down to earth and normal everyone was.  Overall my experience at WFX was awesome.  I am now making public speaking appearance for $1500 an event… well just kidding but it was fun.

Peach tea, History HD, and me…

Today was a bit of a long day, a great day, but pretty long.  As I got home my throat was a bit on the sore side.  So I popped in some hot peach tea and sat down to watch some History in HD.  It is amazing how some of your favorite things can wipe away frustrations and tensions of the day.  

This morning was an amazing morning with a great video encouraging us to slow down our lives and back off from the rush of the day.  This hit so much as I got home at 8:00 from being at the church from about 7:30 this morning.  We all need to take some time out and enjoy the things that give us a break from the speed of life…

A new perspective on an old miracle.

    Tonight my small group met for the second time and we started up “the Miracle of Jesus.”  This is a study if the Deeper Connections series by Matt Williams.  Just to put it out there thus far I am pretty sure that our group is awesome!  I really looking forward to moving forward with this group in study and service.  

     So back to the study.  Tonight the lesson was entitled “The Clean Daughter.”   The dvd lesson tonight was centered around Matthew 5:21-34.  This is the combined story of Jairus’ daughter and the unclean women touching the edge of Jesus’ robe.

     The teacher, Gary Burge, laid some historical background that I knew but never really connected to the story.  He was talking about how the woman was religiously as well as socially unclean.  Connecting this to the story he helped us to realize that there was Jairus’ side to the story.  He has this daughter who is sick in bed not doing so well and this lady comes along a ruins a lot for him.

     Jairus is a synagogue official so he knows all the rules.  Not only is Jesus taking time out for this lady and not healing his daughter but also this woman is ceremonially unclean so that therefore makes Jesus unclean and unable to do any religious activities.  How much would that tick you off.  Now I know this is totally just speculation but if he was thinking that or you were in that situation what would you think.  That bleepity bleep woman or bleepity bleep Jesus.  

     Our group talked about this a little.  Jesus noticed someone had touched the tassels of his garment.  Essentially, he noticed power going out from him.  The apostles are thinking what in the heck there a million people here, someone is bound to touch you, quit being so OCD.  But Jesus recognizes the woman who touched him and said, “Daughter, Your faith has healed you, go in peace an be freed from your suffering.”  How cool is that Jesus considered this outcast from society the same as the Daughter of Jarius.  He healed her the same that he would anyone else because he faith caused her to go into a situation to see Jesus, where she was not invited and probably despised because of her condition.  What an amazing step of faith for her to jump into a situation she was probably having her own doubts that it would even work.

    At this point I ask myself how many times have a decided not to go into a hard situation because I don’t think that I can be healed or even be forgiven.  Are there times in my life that I know if I reached out in faith my situation would improve not for my good but for God’s.

     In biblical times a good jew would wear these garments with squared off corners and they would put “tassels” on the end of them.  These tassels came to show the religious authority of teachers and rabbis.  So when a person wanted to really bow to the authority of a teacher and ask them a question they would grab onto these tassels. 

     By reaching out to the tassels she was showing a humble act of faith in the authority of Christ.

DTV 2009 how-to video

So this video might be the funniest video I have seen in quite a while.  Even if you have no clue what the DTV transition is, you will get a chuckle.  I will probably have to blog about the DTV transition now won’t I.  Anyway this is just a really really funny video that I ran across on a tech blog.

Gold Feeva!

     Tonight I have been watching a program on the History Channel called “Fort Knox: Secrets Revealed.”  It is quite a complex from what I am seeing.  Fort Knox started in 1918 as an army base.  In 1932 Camp Knox turned into Fort Knox and in 1937 the US Department of Treasury turned Fort Knox in to a Bullion Depository.      Fort Knox has be guarded with the world’s greatest technological tactics since the opening of the Bullion Depository.  It was interesting to me that the base is THE training spot for all army men training for artillery.  In fact the base itself was named after a great army artillery general named Henry Knox who was a good friend of George Washington.  The history of this Fort is really quite amazing.
     So all of this to guard some of the most important stuff in this country.  On the show they brought up the statement, “In Gold We Trust.”  The Gold Vault at Fort Knox is said to hold 4,570 Metric Ton valued at about $134 billion dollars.  Little did I know but this isn’t even most of the the US’ Gold suppository.  The Federal reserve in Manhattan has 5000 metric tons of Gold.  
     So with all this said.  If someone comes in and steals all of the gold in this country.  Does our money become nothing more than paper and metal.  Because really all of our money is supposed to be backed by this Gold and if our government no longer holds it, what would happen?  I don’t totally get the economy and how our money works.  I just think it is crazy the trust we put in this thing we call money.  I am not trying to question it rather trying to understand the complexities of our world.

Fall in NH

Today I was able to spend part of my day in the great splendor of northern New Hampshire.  Last year I totally missed out in the fall season and this year I really wanted to see what fall in New England means.  The colors I saw today were mind blowing and totally God.  It’s crazy that through dying leaves God is able to give us the visual stimulation that brightens our day a little.

New Weekend Plans…

     So I found out today that my grandma on my mom’s side passed away this morning…  So I am heading back on Saturday afternoon and returning Wednesday.  It’s crazy that my grandma is not with us anymore but it seems like it has kind of been this way for the last few years.  For about three years she has been in either assisted living or in a nursing home.  The Dimensia in her brain has really been taking her away from us for some time.  

     It really is a bit freeing knowing that she is at home with God.  Her state here on earth has been less somewhat disturbing and really saddening.  So today I will remember the great memories with my Grandma and remember that she is in a better place.

A Piece of History for All

     Today I was watching History Channel.  I love the History Channel but I am thinking I really need to quit watching it.  There was nothing on as I did my skim through the normal channels (discorvery, news, Occasionally USA for monk)  Anyway I went to 66… my mainstay.  The show was on the Ku Klux Klan.  I went back to Discovery just to double check but it was in fact cash cab, not my favorite.  

     So this show took up my entire morning.  I started watching it around 9ish and didn’t get up until it was time to go to PT at 12:30.  But I found out a lot of interesting info on the KKK.  It took me a while to really sit and be receptive because if you think about it they are probably one of the largest hate groups in the history of the US.  To sit down and devote several hours of my time to such a group was a little hard but I guess I need to understand why the hate happened and how it happened before I shut it out.  

     The KKK started back in the 1860s.  (Because I watched this program earlier in the day I have to enlist wikipedia for help…. not responsible for bad dates and info but you get the idea)  Six Veterans of the Civil War in the south started the KKK as a white supremacy group.  It’s funny that this group was started by Six Educated veterans of the civil war.  These are the red necks and the good old boys who we sometimes associate with the Klan.  The Klan, as it grew, became a group of men coming from many different backgrounds including theives, politicians, plantation owners, farmers and more.

     There were actually three different eras of Klan.  The first Klan from about 1865-1870’s, the second Klan from 1915-1944, and the third Klan from 1945 to the present.  The middle of the three klans was the most predominant with almost 4,000,000 members.  The current klan is dispersed into many different organizations because of a lien placed upon the greater organization by the IRS for back taxes.  The large organization was also split up because of several laws regarding the gathering in order to limit the civil rights of others.  

     I saw all of this not to side with the “them” in this picture but I feel that we should be somewhat educated about what went on in the bigger picture.  Wikipedia does a great job of explaining some of the klan stuff and if you ever see the history channel thing it is great too.  But now that I have spoken my piece on the historical, I must got into the personal part.  

     As I watched this show, my whole body ached.  It is not often that I get really emotional about a subject but when it comes to people deciding what other people’s lives are worth I can’t help but burn inside.  The idea that these people thought that their lives were worth more than someone with a different viewpoint or someone with a different color skin should die or not be in their presence because of this difference… AHHH!!!  

     So how do we bring this down to our lives today… I guess that is my question.  Next time I am at the grocery store and someone jumps in front of me at the express lane and has kids that are crazy and takes time getting each one of them a candy bar or explaining why they can’t have a candy bar…. what do I think.  What is my next move mentally.  Do I think, “Why in the world did you jump in front of me I have one stinking item…?” or do I think, “Man this lady must have it hard with three kids.  I must be crazy trying to keep the kids in line while just doing simple stuff like this.”  ”How can I help her out and let her know that her life is as important in this world as mine.”  

     Another example. (these examples are from personal experience and I didn’t choose the right way)  So you are driving down the road, someone pulls out in front of you and goes 10 under the speed limit.  What do you think now…

     So I am just thinking, how are we different?  How are you perceiving people?  Are they an inconvenience or a greater example of how God is working in this work and in your life.

Just thinking.

The Techinators!

           

     Tonight we had the most amazing ARTs Get together that I have been to!  I love the mini retreats where we get together at the Sievers but this was amazing!  We had most of the team there!  Tech had almost 40 people there tonight.  It was awesome getting to see everyone there together.  Getting to be with people serving the Lord is the main reason my job ROCKS!  

     It has taken me several years to come to the conclusion that the people are the amazing part of my job and the tech toys are just a perk.  Just being able to sit down and talk with the people on the ARTs team made tonight a great night!  Thank you all who are on the Vocal/Band/Drama/Tech teams.  You make my life better than it could ever be alone!