tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-358914182024-03-12T19:40:14.189-05:00Mike's BlogI am a full time father of nine. I seek to raise godly sons and daughters for the glory of God. I love to write and speak. I am currently a web developer.Mike Southerlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484261082836981943noreply@blogger.comBlogger295125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35891418.post-85274341047257892622024-01-01T15:57:00.001-06:002024-01-01T15:57:26.473-06:002023 Year in Review<p class="MsoNormal">As has been the case in recent years, 2023 has raced by. I can’t
remember if I’ve said this in this blog before, but if so, it is worth
repeating. Every lap you make around the sun, you pick up speed.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On the family front this year, we had another granddaughter
born early in the year. Children are a blessing of the Lord. It has been a joy
to see her grow, along with her other sisters and cousins.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Two of my sons proposed to their girlfriends in 2023. Paton
(our fifth child) is marrying this month! (In January). Justin (our fourth) is
marrying in June. They have both found nice Christian girls. I’m happy to welcome
them into our family. So at the end of 2024 we will have more children married
than not. Sarah and Samuel are still at home, for now. Of course, so are Melody
and David.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m still working from home for the same company. That has
been a blessing with the savings of time and gas. Though it has not been
without its own challenges, especially in light of another family development.
I have lost my dedicated space. My study was taken over by my father-in-law,
who has moved in with us. Sheri is working hard to care for him. For now, my desk
and workstation is set up in the bedroom. It would be nice to find another working
arrangement. But it is what it is for now.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Church is going wonderfully. As I get older, and hopefully
more mature, I enjoy the Lord’s Day more and more. The corporate worship of the
saints is a blessing. I feel honored when I am given the opportunity to deliver
the sermon. I wrapped up a multi-year series on Galatians this year. I started
a series on Ephesians that I’m sure will last just as long. It wouldn’t be
quite as long if I preached more frequently. I’m sure I could preach more often
if I wanted. But I take the preaching of the Word very seriously. So it is a
huge time commitment to prepare a sermon. Fitting that in with my employment
and family responsibilities is a daunting task. Additionally, I frequently
teach Sunday School classes. The latest class I did was on the Attributes of
God. The prep time for that class was not intensive, however, as I showed a
Steve Lawson video on the subject each week, then facilitated a discussion time.
In 2023, I attended the FIRE (<a href="http://www.firefellowship.org">www.firefellowship.org</a>)
conference in Laurel, Mississippi. It was very good. Plus, those from our church
who were in attendance had an ulterior motive instead of being there just for
the good messages, and excellent prayer time that we enjoy with other FIRE churches.
That motive is to learn how to host one of these conferences ourself. The 2024
FIRE conference will be in Oklahoma City at our church. Just a few years ago
the Lord gave us a new, bigger building. We now have the room to host the
conference.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sheri and I were talking the other day and we realized that
2023 marked 40 years that we have known each other. I met her in October 1983
at a homecoming dance at R.L. Turner high school in Carrollton, Texas. We were
both freshmen, though not at the same school. I was at her high school with another
date. She definitely caught my eye. I managed to find out her last name, and
used the trusty white pages to look her number up the following week. The rest
is history! We’ve been though a lot together. She is more beautiful today than
the day we first met. I love her with a love that has been seasoned over the
decades. She is a great blessing in my life.<o:p></o:p></p>Mike Southerlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07211523029499862063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35891418.post-26887450061529548862023-01-02T10:47:00.000-06:002023-01-02T10:47:19.831-06:002022 Year in Review<p> Another year is in the books. Probably the most exciting thing about
this year is the birth of another grandchild. To protect their privacy, I’ll
only say that this is our sixth grandchild and he or she was born sometime in
2022. <span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span>
There is another on the way for 2023. Having grandchildren is a lot easier than
having children! There is an interesting dynamic, though, of still having young
kids at home and having grandkids come over to play with them. How to manage
teaching my own kids to “baby proof” their rooms is its own challenge. Our
youngest still at home is 9. But we have several grandchildren younger than 5
coming over a lot. That is a blessing! It’s great to have the young sounds of
laughter and trying to understand the little ones trying to tell me something
that I’m just not quite catching.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">On the job front, I’m still working from home. That has been a huge
blessing in and of itself. The commute is from the bedroom to the study. That
saves an enormous amount of time and gasoline. This has been somewhat of a “retro”
year in that regard as I have learned a new (old) skill of COBOL programming.
Our team codes web applications. The front end is written in C#, ASP .NET, with
Javascript. That’s what I was hired to do. However, the backend is all in
COBOL. Just a few years ago, it was transitioned from the mainframe to a SQL
Server system. But with all the existing COBOL in place, it was necessary to
find a way to keep all that code. Netcobol was the solution. The entire backend
system has been transferred over to that Netcobol approach. There is a lot of
work involved in modifying that existing COBOL, either to correct bugs or to accommodate
new changes that are needed. And at the same time there aren’t a lot of new college
grads rushing to learn COBOL. I turned 54 this year, and I’m happy(?) to say
that I’m one of the youngest programmers on my team. I think they hired a
couple of guys who are younger than me. But developers for that old language
are getting more and more sparse. The nice thing that this has allowed me to do
is to have the skill to code the front end and the back end. All the other
COBOL developers have to enlist the help of a front end guy if their change
needs a tweak to that. All the other C# developers have to enlist the help of a
COBOL programmer if they need a back end change. I can take a modification and
complete it start to finish on my own, most of the time. There are some SQL stored
procedures in place that I need the help of the database team from time to
time. But for the actual code I can hold my own pretty well. So anyway, all
this has led to a pretty high job satisfaction for me, which is another
blessing. I really don’t enjoy the interview process. So if I can stay with the
same company for a while, that’s the approach I prefer. In November, I started
my fourth consecutive year with this company. I had spent a year working for
them earlier in my career, and left, only to return later.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">The church is going very well. I am one of the elders at Northwest
Bible Church (<a href="https://nwbcokc.org">https://nwbcokc.org</a>). I preach
from time to time, though our main teaching elder is Alan Conner. I almost made
it through the book of Galatians in 2022. But as of the end of the year, I
still have a few verses more to cover in chapter 6. Galatians is a very rich
epistle. The “nutshell” emphasis in that book is that we are saved by grace,
through faith, and not by the works of the law. Or at least not by our own
works of the law. We are saved by the works of the law fulfilled by Christ Jesus
and imputed to our account by Him. We enjoy an imputed righteousness, not our
own. Jarred Yancey is another brother at our church. He and I taught through
Pilgrims Progress, Parts 1 and 2 (two back to back classes) this year. If you’ve
never read John Bunyan’s classic, this is the year for you to jump into it. It
is absolutely magnificent.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">On the home front, Justin moved out this year. So we are down to five
kids at home. Paton graduated high school. We participate in a homeschool coop.
So he got to walk across the stage with that group. Sarah got her driver’s
license, and a car. Samuel had a great year doing cross country running. Melody
is involved in gymnastics and American Heritage Girls. David is involved in
Trail Life USA. I’m serving as the chaplain in our troop and co-teaching the “Mountain
Lion” boys, of which David is a member. Of those kids who have already moved
out, Brittney and Landon are working full time for themselves now, running a
vending route. Michael started as a firefighter at the City of Perry, Oklahoma.
Brianna graduated with her Occupational Therapy Assistant program at OCCC.
Justin got his associate degree at OCCC as well.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Life continues to go on. The Lord is blessing our family.<o:p></o:p></p>Mike Southerlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07211523029499862063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35891418.post-12786881887648310172022-01-05T23:47:00.001-06:002022-01-06T15:33:04.223-06:002021 Year in Review<p>The biggest news on a personal basis for 2021 was that I actually came
down with COVID. It was bad enough to land me in the hospital for five days.
Thankfully, I appear to be fully recovered. And yet, my cynicism on the outlook
of this whole thing is that the government doesn’t want a perfectly good “crisis”
to go to waste. The lines of demarcation are being clearly drawn, dividing true
conservatives and true liberals, regarding of what’s on their bumper stickers
or t-shirts. The liberal party line is “Be vaccinated with every vaccine and
booster that Biden, Fauci, and their cronies recommend (mandate???). Wear a
useless mask as a sign of your subjugation everywhere you go. Shame those who
don’t agree with you.” I have seen that attitude, or at least parts of that
attitude in the most unexpected personalities of those close to me this year.
It seems that I may have caught a glimpse of what our ancestors may have faced
in the War of Northern Aggression when cousins (or even brothers) of a same
family found themselves on different sides of the conflict. I hope this
division doesn’t devolve into taking up arms. But it seems there are way too
many who are willing to give up freedom for a supposed “security,” when that
security is fleeting at best.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>For some reason the previous paragraph reminded me to mention that I
got to go see a Dallas Cowboy football game with my dad this year. I haven’t
seen the Cowboys in person since I was a kid. And I really haven’t watched them
on TV much at all since then. So, it was a lot of fun, though I didn’t
recognize any of the names. In my mind, it should be Roger Staubach as quarterback
throwing “hail mary” passes to Drew Pearson or handing off to Tony Dorsett. All
the while the watchful coaching eye of Tom Landry wearing his signature derby
hat on the sidelines would peer over the field while he forms his strategy.
When it was time for defense, Randy
White was the linebacker, while Ed “Too Tall” Jones would block passes from the
other team’s quarterback. But those days are long gone. I can’t even remember
the names of the current team, except their number 5, “Anger.” And that is just
because I was amused at his name. When my dad and I left the stadium in the
fourth quarter, the Cowboys were beating the team “formerly known as Redskins”
(part of the horrendous cancel culture of 2021) 56 to 7.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">As I type this blog post (the few days late that it is), it has been
almost two years since I began teleworking from home full time. I love this
arrangement and hope I never have to return to the office. My job satisfaction
has skyrocketed. I love the company I work for, and the people I work with, because
we still see each other on the screen each day.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Signing off for now. Most likely, this will be the last post of the
year for me. I don’t seem to be keeping up with the blog very regularly at all.<o:p></o:p></p>Mike Southerlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07211523029499862063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35891418.post-91705433010872612702021-01-01T11:39:00.000-06:002021-01-01T11:39:55.266-06:002020 Year in Review<p> 2020 is certainly a year that no one alive today is likely
to forget. Of course the biggest news was the pesky COVID-19 virus that hit our
country in March. I’ll speak to that in a few minutes. There have been a few
other highlights of this year, some positive rays of light shining on our
darkened country. But most of these positive aspects of 2020 have been limited
to the personal experience of myself, my family, and my friends, including my
church family. Viewing our country as a whole, there hasn’t been much to get
very excited about. But for the sake of keeping a positive outlook, I’ll talk
about the good things that I appreciate about 2020.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Probably the most exciting thing that happened in 2020 was
the birth of our fifth grandchild. Our oldest daughter Brittney gave birth to a
little girl. As I mentioned in my 2019 Year in Review, I don’t want to put out
too much public information about them because I want to respect my children’s
wishes on how much they share publicly. But I will say that she is precious and
being a grandfather is a great blessing.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There’s an interesting dynamic in becoming a grandfather to
a growing number of grandchildren while still being a father to children at
home. It seems as though, most likely, the days of parenting babies and
toddlers is over. But there are still challenges in raising children who live
at home from the ages of 7 to 19. You’d think I’d have this parenting thing
down pat by now, but the longer I parent the more I realize how much I just don’t
know. To those, including my children, who may be reading this, just know that
I love all my children and I’m doing my best to show that love in the raising
of them. To this day I find it very difficult to strike the balance between
being too strict and too lenient. Maybe, but I doubt it, I’ll figure it out by
the time my youngest flies the coop.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The big news in our church is the acquisition of a new
building. It is much larger than our previous building. It is a blessing to
have enough space to accommodate everyone in the sanctuary without having to
maintain an “overflow” room. There are also a lot more classrooms, making it
easier to have several adult Sunday School classes going on at the same time.
This Lord’s Day TJ Hooser will be teaching, and I’ll be regularly assisting in,
a class on the book of Hebrews. It will be a discussion type of class. It
should be good digging into the Word for about 26 weeks. If you are in the
Oklahoma City area, I’d love to invite you to visit us. Our website has the
address and information about it: <a href="http://www.nwbcokc.org">http://www.nwbcokc.org</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As I mentioned earlier COVID has thrown a wrench into
everyday life. One development that has been positive for me personally is that
since this thing started to grow in March I have been teleworking every day.
This has saved a lot of gas and time and has had the great result of avoiding
the red tape and bureaucracy of traveling to and from a military base every
day. That was a huge reason I left my contracting job there in 2014. Working
from home for the same organization has kept all the benefits while removing
the biggest hassle. I don’t expect teleworking to last forever, but when life
does return back to quasi normal, maybe a consistent partial teleworking
arrangement could be approved.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">2020 has seen government overreach unlike I have ever
experienced in my lifetime. The whole “mask mandate” thing has been a textbook
example of government control. The virus has had just enough truth to prevent
it from being viewed as a scam, but the “solution” has been far worse than the
virus itself. Our church did online only services for a few weeks, but that did
not last long. I think, as elders, we saw the light that some arbitrary virus
should not interfere with the worship of our great God. Doing it online is certainly
not the same. I’m pretty sure we are committed not to shuttering our doors anymore
in the future.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The 2020 presidential election was a mess. Calling it
election fraud is an understatement. Trump was winning by a landslide, when in
the middle of the night an avalanche of Biden votes came in from six different
swing states. As of now, it appears that Biden will take control of the office,
and tyranny will grow stronger in America. There is one last bit of hope that Mike
Pence will refuse to count the electoral votes of those states where fraud was
apparent. But it remains to be seen whether he will have the courage to take
such a stand.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m going to keep this update short and sweet this year as
there are plenty of other opinions on the sad state of affairs in our country.
2021 should be an interesting year to say the least.<o:p></o:p></p>Mike Southerlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484261082836981943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35891418.post-46307963186322769862020-01-01T11:18:00.000-06:002020-01-01T11:18:10.044-06:002019 Year in Review<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
As I sit down on New Year’s Day to type this out I think back on the
year that has just passed. On one hand it seems like just yesterday I was
writing this for 2018. On the other hand, however, that seems like eternity
past.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Back in February of 2019 I had the opportunity to go to an Expository
Preaching Conference by Dr. Steven Lawson of One Passion Ministries. (<a href="https://www.onepassionministries.org/">https://www.onepassionministries.org/</a>)
This was an excellent conference targeted to pastors and elders. I have heard
much from Dr. Lawson this year as I have listened to his Men’s Bible Study on
the book of Romans. There is a link to that from the website referenced. He
also has a mobile app that has the link available. At Northwest Bible Church we
have just finished up Dr. Lawson’s series on Foundations of Grace where he
shows how the whole Bible teaches the Doctrines of Grace, including Total
Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and
Perseverance of the Saints. I have also enjoyed listening to his Expositor
podcast where he shares in about 5 minutes ways to minister to a congregation,
primarily through expository preaching.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
On the family front, it’s amazing to watch my children continue to grow
up. Justin became our fourth homeschool graduate. Meanwhile, at the other end
of the spectrum, I have been continuing to teach David to read. Paton is
continuing to excel at his violin playing. Sarah has been taking piano lessons
from a lady in our church, and is making great strides as well. Melody started
in American Heritage Girls. (<a href="https://americanheritagegirls.org/">https://americanheritagegirls.org/</a>)
Paton, Samuel, and David are involved in Trail Life USA. (<a href="https://www.traillifeusa.com/">https://www.traillifeusa.com/</a>) I am
leading the “Foxes” (the kindergarten age where David participates). It has
been fun, but challenging, to lead these youngest of Trailmen. After having
hardly ever going camping for most of my life, (We went a handful of times as a
family when I was a boy), I have been participating on a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mostly</i> monthly basis in campouts for the older Trail Life boys,
including Paton and Samuel.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
This year I have also been able to enjoy being a grandfather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I won’t share too many details on my
grandchildren’s lives, because I feel it is their parents’ rights to determine
how much to share online. I will say, though, that between all three of my
married children I have four beautiful grandchildren. It is exciting to watch
them grow, and I’m very happy to see my children and their spouses either actively
homeschooling, or preparing in that direction as their children approach school
age. It’s amazing to see the little “carbon copies” of my own children in my
grandchildren. I see that in Brittney’s family and in Michael’s.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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This year we got to try our second attempt at keeping chickens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone who was moving away gave us their
chicken coop and two hens. Sarah wanted some ducks. So we bought three baby
ducklings. Unfortunately, before we had the coop we had them in a cage, and a
predator made off completely with one of them, and badly injured another. I
never remember feeling so sad to have to kill a bird. But it tugs at the
heartstrings of a daddy’s emotions to take the life of his little girl’s pet,
even if it was the most ethical thing to do. The poor little duck had a broken
leg and was in obvious pain. The last remaining one has acclimated to his two
chicken friends. “Joey” is a big healthy duck now. The chickens, even though
they are both hens, have been named Melissa and Doug, presumably after the
creators of wooden toys that the kids enjoy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The most significant development for me personally this year has been
my employment/career scene. At the beginning of 2017 I was at Dolese. Though
every job has its challenges, I had resolved within myself to remain content
and stay at Dolese for the long haul. I have had many jobs throughout my
working career. I really don’t enjoy the interview process and the onboarding
process of a new job. Plus, as I had turned 50 at the end of 2018 I know that job
seeking tends to become more of a challenge as the competition is cheaper, and
more recently trained at their colleges and universities in the latest
technologies. But the Lord had other plans for me in that arena. In March I was
laid off from Dolese, along with two other coworkers. I still keep in touch
with my favorite manager out there. Incidentally, I was not reporting to him
when I was let go. That ended a three year, three month stint at a place that
underwent several changes during my brief time there. I found out later that
several more of my coworkers were let go. All of this was foreshadowed by the
unexpected termination of the CIO back in May of 2018. She was a good leader,
and a lady I enjoyed working for. It is sometimes hard to tell what a company
is thinking when they get rid of so much of the talent and experience that they
possess in such a short time frame. In any case, I wish them well and hope that,
despite what I consider foolish choices in purging their workforce, they are
able to keep from running this very old and established Oklahoma company into
the ground. I enjoyed the experience while it lasted.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
On May 1, I started employment at MidFirst bank. MidFirst is a good
company. They almost seem “security conscience to a fault.” If you are a
customer of MidFirst, you shouldn’t have to worry about viruses infecting their
systems, as none of the developers have access to the internet on their work
computers. This can make a day in the life of a software developer a bit of a
challenge. Fortunately, they did allow me to bring my personal laptop with my
hotspot on my cell phone. So, I was able to browse, unhindered, technical
websites that helped me to do my job. Probably the most helpful programming
site that I like to refer to is <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/">https://stackoverflow.com/</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, in the Lord’s providence a position
opened up at Delaware Nation Industries, a contracting company at Tinker Air
Force base. This position was with the very same team that I had worked with
previously from 2013-2014. When I went to the interview I sat in a room with
three former colleagues and friends, along with the manager whom I had not met
when I worked there the first time. We worked well together previously, and I
knew it would be a good match once again. Though I felt a little remorse
serving at MidFirst for only six months, and leaving my coworkers there with a
massive project and an aggressive schedule, I hired on with DNI in November
2019. I believe it was September when I interviewed with them. But for a
position that I was being hired for, there is quite a process involved prior to
employment. My every intention at this point, is to continue in this position
as long as I can, for many of the same reasons that I gave earlier. Not to
mention that I have a great working relationship with the guys I knew
previously. In hind sight, I believe that the position at DNI is a better
opportunity than even what I had at Dolese. So, the Lord certainly had His
plans that He was working out in my life, though it was difficult to see while
walking through it. That is where faith comes into the picture. In the
transition from MidFirst to DNI there were some questions regarding health
benefits that caused us to explore other options to insure the family. I will
say that MidFirst had very good benefits. Later I discovered that the benefits
at DNI were actually a bit better than what I was originally led to believe due
to a miscommunication early on. Walking through these issues presented their
own challenges. All in all, I am satisfied in the way it worked out, and I look
forward to pressing on in 2020 to help my new team at DNI to be successful in
all our endeavors.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Things continue to go well at Northwest Bible Church. It is an honor to
lead God’s people with the other two elders, Alan Conner and Alan Loeffler. I
love our congregation. I have witnessed the joys of seeing new families coming
to the church, the bittersweet emotions of talking to one of our elderly
members just a few days before attending his funeral, rejoicing with the birth
of children to our members, and so on. All of these experiences are common to
all members in the church. But seeing it all from the perspective of an elder
in the church has been a real blessing. As time goes on I more and more
appreciate Reformed Theology. Reformed Theology is simply biblical theology. I
hope to continue reading more and continuing to grow in faith in 2020.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Mike Southerlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07211523029499862063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35891418.post-87014096530247558202019-01-30T12:41:00.000-06:002019-01-30T12:41:44.892-06:00Ten Reasons Why Postmates is Better Than Lyft or Uber<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have recently started delivering food through Postmates.
As a former Lyft driver, I want to share with you why this gig is so much
better.<o:p></o:p></div>
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1. Listen to whatever you want in your car<o:p></o:p></div>
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Do you like to listen to podcasts? Do you ever listen to
things that others may be offended by (think politics or religion)? If you are
a Lyft or Uber driver then you want to make your car a welcoming, affirming
place for your paying customers. With Postmates, the only “passengers” you ever
have are stuff, usually food. I’ve never once played music that I thought the
cheeseburger I was transporting enjoyed, even if I didn’t.<o:p></o:p></div>
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2. Personal safety<o:p></o:p></div>
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While it is true that there is some level of risk when
making a delivery at someone’s home, this level of risk is much less than
carrying someone in your back seat for several miles. Most people you deal with
are most likely law abiding citizens. For those few who aren’t, I’d rather
spend as little time with them as possible.<o:p></o:p></div>
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3. Tidiness of your car<o:p></o:p></div>
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With Postmates, you want your car to be sanitary. I don’t
advocate driving a filthy car. You are carrying food, after all. However, with
Lyft or Uber, your car needs to be spotless inside and out, or you risk getting
a low rating on their app. I like to have a few books with me lying on the
seat. It’s even possible I may have my child’s booster seat in the back. Those
would be “no-nos” with a ride sharing service.<o:p></o:p></div>
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4. No need to carry “freebies” with you to give away<o:p></o:p></div>
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In hopes of getting a 5 star rating with Lyft or Uber many
drivers will carry water bottles, hand sanitizer, Kleenex, and even motion
sickness bags for their passengers. The only thing you need to carry with
Postmates is the order you have picked up.<o:p></o:p></div>
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5. Rating system<o:p></o:p></div>
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Speaking of “5 star ratings” (in the last point), Postmates
has simply a thumbs up or thumbs down on your delivery driver. So unless you
really mess up, or you’re dealing with an exceptionally cranky customer, you
can pretty well count on getting a thumbs up. Contrast that with Lyft (which I
have done in the past). There, if your rating drops below 4.6 you risk getting
canned by Lyft. So someone could give you 4 stars, having no problems with your
service, but they just have the (correct) attitude that “there’s always room
for improvement.” They may not realize that they are hurting their driver when
they do that.<o:p></o:p></div>
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6. Age of your car<o:p></o:p></div>
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I drive a 2005 Ford Crown Victoria. For Lyft, your car has
to be 12 years old or newer. For Uber it has to be 10 years or newer. I drove
for Lyft in 2017. So I barely squeezed in under the limit. I’m not sure if they
would have kicked me out in 2018 or not. I stopped before that. But with
Postmates, they don’t care. If your city isn’t too spread out they even support
you doing deliveries on bicycle or foot. My now 14 year old car is just fine.<o:p></o:p></div>
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7. More consistent earnings<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have been surprised at the demand for Postmates on
weekdays. I suppose a lot of people like to have food delivered home on
weekdays and like to actually go out in the weekend. In my experience, Postmates
seems to be busier on the weekdays than the weekend.<o:p></o:p></div>
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8. No left wing commentary<o:p></o:p></div>
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When I drove for Lyft I received an email from them condemning
President Trump’s immigration policy and making it clear that Lyft did not
agree with it. Regardless of your position on the policy, why interject it into
your business? Why risk alienating conservatives? Here in Oklahoma,
conservatives are the majority of your customers. <o:p></o:p></div>
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9. People are quirky, objects are not<o:p></o:p></div>
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When I drove for Lyft it was interesting to read comments
from passengers. Some would complain that I was too talkative, some would say I
did not talk enough. Some wanted silence. Others wanted music, but none told me
their preference while in the car. It was always just left in the feedback. I
would grow frustrated trying to please whoever was in my car, not knowing what
would please them. Postmates eliminates that frustration.<o:p></o:p></div>
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10. The smells!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I love to enjoy the smell of a container of fajitas in my
back seat, or a cheeseburger and fries next to me. Contrast that, however, with
the unpredictable smell of passengers with Lyft or Uber. I can’t stand the
smell of cigarettes. I could always tell when my passenger was a smoker, even
though they didn’t smoke in my car. They would reek of cigarettes to the point
that I couldn’t wait to drop them off at the their stop. Or you may have a lady
who surely used a whole bottle of perfume when she was dressing up to go out.
Postmates gets rid of the people smell and leaves you with the soothing aroma
of grease. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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If after reading this short article I have convinced you to
sign up with Postmates, be sure and use me as a referral. By doing so, you will
gain a guaranteed income of $725 for your first 65 deliveries in the Oklahoma
City area (your city may differ), and I’ll earn a little bonus of $150. That should
perk up your ears, because you’ll have the chance to do the same when you refer
your own friends later.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here’s the link:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://pmfleet.app.link/xqCND0rpKT" target="_blank">https://pmfleet.app.link/xqCND0rpKT</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Mike Southerlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07211523029499862063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35891418.post-85686923824857533252019-01-24T22:17:00.000-06:002019-01-24T22:17:14.354-06:00Make $725 for your first 65 deliveries in OKC<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Postmates is guaranteeing you will make $725 for your first 65 deliveries in the OKC area. The link should work outside the OKC area, but the dollar amount varies according to region. I did this for the first time on Tuesday night of this week. For 5 hours of work I made about $86. Not bad for some extra cash on my own time schedule. Plus, this was my first time. There are some things I have learned since then that should net me more for the same amount of time spent. Anyway, the guarantee is nice because if you make less than that, then Postmates will pay the difference.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://pmfleet.app.link/xqCND0rpKT" target="_blank">Click Here For More Information</a></span>Mike Southerlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07211523029499862063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35891418.post-20077551763297652582019-01-03T22:13:00.000-06:002019-01-03T22:13:46.697-06:002018 Year in Review<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2018 Year in Review<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As I sit down to type
out this year in review for 2018 I realize that this once
a year blog post is about the only consistent time I update the blog.
Also, if you are used to coming to this blog via <a href="https://www.mikesoutherland.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.mikesoutherland.com</span></a>, then you may have trouble
finding it. I created a website there advertising web site creating services.
It’s not really exactly how I want it, so I haven’t advertised much. In last year’s
blog entry you will recall my announcing of <a href="http://gallerypanels.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">http://gallerypanels.com</span></a> This
is a site I put together for a local businessman who sells art display panels.
That site went live in January of this year. Thus the reason for
updating my website. I’d like to offer web development or creation services to
other small businesses. Often small businesses only need a basic site. But one
huge difference that has come about over the past several years is the growing
abundance of smart phones and the number of people using smart phones to access
websites. There are many small businesses out there using old technology. Their
nice looking website doesn’t look so nice on the tiny display of the smart
phone. Often you have to zoom into to see the text and pictures. It doesn’t
make for a very good user experience all together. Though I need to update the
content on my personal site, if you browse over to either <a href="https://mikesoutherland.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://mikesoutherland.com</span></a> or <a href="http://gallerypanels.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">http://gallerypanels.com</span></a> you’ll
see what a mobile ready site looks like. My personal site was fairly easy to
put together. The Gallery Panels one wasn’t too tough, though there were
several products to add to it. If you’d like an estimate for putting together a
site for you, please drop me an email at <a href="mailto:mike@mikesoutherland.com" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">mike@mikesoutherland.com</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For my “day job” I am
still employed at Dolese Bros.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Back in March
of this year I was installed as an elder at Northwest Bible Church (<a href="https://www.nwbcokc.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.nwbcokc.org</span></a>).
It is such an honor to have the privilege to serve this congregation. My love
for this group of people grows stronger each day. My love and respect for the
other two elders at NWBC has grown tremendously as I get to meet with them on a
weekly basis. During this meeting we discuss church business, and we also take
the time to read the scripture and pray for members of the congregation. Our
main teaching elder, Alan Conner, was diagnosed with cancer this year, but by
God’s grace it appears that he has completely recovered. That was a huge answer
to prayer. His diagnoses came the Thursday before I was installed as an elder
in March. After much prayer and several sessions of chemo and radiation, they
were unable to find remaining cancer in his body. All praise be to God for Alan’s
healing. I was blessed with the privilege of representing Northwest Bible
Church with Jeremy Malone at the FIRE Conference in Oxnard, CA this past May. (<a href="https://www.firefellowship.org/">https://www.firefellowship.org</a>) It
was at that conference that I realized that I am in the same organization as
Gunny Hartman, the longtime friend (and best man at his wedding) of my brother
Jason. It was great to see him at the conference and catch up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In April I gave away
my second daughter, Brianna, to Matt Petty. Matt is a great guy, and a good
husband for Brianna. He is in the Air Force, but plans to become a CPA. I love
it that the Lord is blessing me with sons-in-law and a daughter-in-law whom I
get along with very well and I feel are a good match for each of my children. I
pray for them, along with my own children, every day. Brianna’s wedding was
beautiful. We had it on the beach in Galveston, close to Matt’s parent’s home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In October, my fourth
grandchild was born. Andy Southerland was born to Michael and Heather. I’m
gradually becoming accustomed to being a grandpa, though I already have four
grandkids.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">One little note on my
health: In June I grew fed up with being labeled by my doctor as “obese.” To
me, “obese” means barely able to move because you are so big, it is practically
a disability. Apparently, the medical community has their own standard of
measure for obesity, with a BMI of over 30 (I believe). So, in June I began a
workout and diet regiment of losing weight. At the end of the year I had lost
about 30 pounds, dropping from 199 to 169. I’ve got about 10 pounds more to go
to be in “normal” range. I did drop out of the “obese” range, and am now
classified as merely “overweight.” I still think they are a little harsh on
their labels, and I think that my short height (5’ 7”) doesn’t help the BMI
calculation, but whatever, I now have a New Year’s resolution to knock out that
remaining 10 lbs. With all the fuss over weight loss and the obsession that it
is in our country, I’m coming away with the impression that all it really boils
down to is self-discipline. At one point my weight had been approaching 220.
All it really took was a determined desire to shed the pounds, and the determination
to follow it through. The “secret” (if it can really be called that) is simply
to burn more calories than you consume. It’s not easy, because I like to eat
lots of calories, and I like to not exert myself. But it is simple. About an
hour on the treadmill each morning at a speed of about 4.5 miles/hour and
eating around 1600 calories a day is what did it for me. The holidays have
stagnated my progress, but I’m ready to get moving again and lose those last 10
pounds. When I get to 159, I can enter “maintenance” mode whereby I can slack
off on the walking and/or relax the eating regiment slightly. But I can’t
neglect it entirely or I will gain back everything I lost. The benefit to my
health has been noticeable. I don’t lose my breath like I used to simply
carrying a laundry basket full of clothes from our closet to the washroom.
Plus, my heart rate hovers around 60 beats per minute, often lower, when at
rest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I will close for now.
I won’t promise any further updates, until this time next year. I’ve found
Facebook to be a suitable alternative to blogging. Even then, I’m more of a
reader than a poster.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Mike Southerlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07211523029499862063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35891418.post-9185582202484268222018-01-01T11:16:00.000-06:002018-01-01T11:16:21.907-06:002017 Year in Review<div class="MsoNormal">
I am writing this on the first day of 2018. Time continues
to fly by.<o:p></o:p></div>
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On my job front, I am still at Dolese. I really like this
company. In February, the company celebrated 115 years of service. The CEO,
Mark Helm, has some great plans for IT expansion in 2018 and beyond. It’s great
to be a part of this time of growth for Dolese.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This year I also begin my adventure into the world of
landlording. We secured our first rental property in Guthrie in August. We
found a great realtor, <a href="http://www.vermierrealty.com/" target="_blank">Brice Semrad</a>, who helped us locate and buy it. Brice
doubles as a realtor and a real estate investor. So he was a great help in
knowing what to look for. I also found a good online resource in
<a href="http://biggerpockets.com/" target="_blank">biggerpockets.com</a> and the accompanying podcast. Some people really get into the
real estate investing thing. So far, I’ve enjoyed it. But it doesn’t seem to
hold the passion for me like it does with some. In any case, I think this will
be a good investment over the long run. Real estate, by and large, tends to
appreciate over time. It is already cash flowing. I’m sure it’ll have its own
set of challenges over time. But so far it really hasn’t been that tough. We
managed to get our first renters who started their lease on October 1. They
seem to be very good renters and I hope that they continue to live there for
the long term.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One interesting providence happened while I was showing the
rental property to potential renters. A man walked in to talk to me about my
experience in the rental process. He is also a new investor. It also turns out
that he is a local business owner. He has operated Armstrong Products since
1974. He asked me what I did on my day job, and when I shared that I was a web
developer he asked if I ever took on any side projects. We exchanged
information, and he called me several weeks later. He manufactures and sells
high quality art display panels used for showing fine art at events. He also
manufactures and sells safety tread stair nosings. These are the non-slip
surfaces on the edge of steps on a stair case most often seen on commercial
properties. Their existing website is <a href="http://www.armstrongproducts.com/" target="_blank">www.armstrongproducts.com</a>.
If you follow the link you will see their high quality products. However, the
website is admittedly very dated. Mr. Armstrong needed me to create a new
website that concentrates on his art panels. <a href="http://gallerypanels.com/" target="_blank">Gallerypanels.com</a> is the solution
we came up with. As of this writing, if you visit it, you will find an “under
construction” message. We have not yet gone live with it, as we still need to
nail down the details with shipping so that customers can order their art
panels and supplies online. I expect that this site will be live in the next
few weeks. I built it using Wordpress with a WooCommerce addin for shopping
cart purposes. It is mobile ready. I’m hoping that it will really help their
sales. If you have a need for an updated website, drop me an email at <a href="mailto:mike@mikesoutherland.com">mike@mikesoutherland.com</a>. I’d be
happy to talk over what requirements you have and help you formulate a
solution.<o:p></o:p></div>
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2017 was the year that I received my first surgery. I had a “clean
out” scope procedure on my left shoulder in November. I have healed up nicely
from that. There is still a little soreness, but it is doing a lot better. But
that was a memorable experience having to wear a sling for several weeks and
not being able to drive for about two weeks.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m enjoying being both a grandfather and a father. I’m
watching my grandchildren grow older, while watching my younger children do the
same. This year Paton had his “rite of passage” as he turned 13. This was the
first year we were able to host it at our church, Northwest Bible Church. Two
of our elders, Alan Conner and Alan Loeffler, gave excellent encouraging talks
to Paton. My brother, Jason, and his son, Daniel also shared with him. I’ve now
completed three of these for my sons. Two more to go.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I expect that this year Sheri and I will give another of our
daughters away. Brianna’s boyfriend, Matt, asked me for my blessing for him to
marry Brianna. I gave the blessing. As of now, he has not officially proposed.
But regardless of that technicality they are busily planning for it and have
given us an estimate of sometime this Spring.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Justin and I wrapped up the computer portion of driver’s ed.
In the next few months we’ll work our way through the driving portion. He’s
already 16. It’s been tough to have us both home at the same time to get this
done.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Paton continues to excel with his violin playing. In
addition to his normal recitals, he has played a couple of times at church this
year, primarily during the Christmas program.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sarah has really
blossomed in terms of keeping in touch with family. She’s been the best one of
the kids in making sure to consistently email and facetime our extended family
in Texas. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Samuel started Trail Life this year. He seems to really
enjoy it. I just hope I’ll be able to survive the campouts with him. I’ll enjoy
the time with him, though camping hasn’t always been my “thing.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Melody is very close to finishing her “Teach Your Child to
Read” book. She and I have been working on this for quite a while. I have a
Bible with her name on it to present to her when we are done.<o:p></o:p></div>
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David is growing taller and has become quite a blessing in
our family. He is certainly full of life.</div>
<br />
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In closing, I wanted to mention the passing of a mighty man
of God. Since I came to a Reformed understanding of scripture I have enjoyed
and profited from the teaching of Dr. R.C. Sproul. He left this world in
December, leaving behind many books and teachings for the edification of the
church. I never was able to meet him in person, but I have watched him several
times on DVD and read a few of his books.<o:p></o:p></div>
Mike Southerlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07211523029499862063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35891418.post-90236055739283987362017-01-04T12:56:00.002-06:002017-01-04T14:44:27.118-06:002016 Year in Review<div class="MsoNormal">
The biggest news of 2016 is that I became a grandfather
three times! Our first grandbaby, Clara, was born way back in January on 1/5.
Then, at the end of January I inherited another granddaughter when my son,
Michael, married Heather. Addalynn turned 8 this year. Finally, it wasn’t long
after their marriage until Michael and Heather announced that they were
expecting their first baby together. My first grandson, Levi, was born on 12/2.
So, at the end of 2015 I had no grandchildren. Here, at the end of 2016 I have
three! What a difference a year can make.<o:p></o:p></div>
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On the job front, I continued to contract with Dolese until
August. In around June or July the management at Dolese offered me a full time
position. At the same time, they let me know that if I did not accept it, then
I would need to be moving on. After a few weeks of poking around to see what I
could find, I realized that I had a pretty good thing going at Dolese in terms
of the work I was doing and the people I was working with. So I wound up
accepting their full time offer. The pay is a bit less than I was making as a
contractor. But it’s nice to have health insurance and paid holidays and
vacation again. Plus, I’ve been supplementing my income a bit on the side.
Since about October I’ve been doing some Lyft driving. It doesn’t pay a lot,
but it’s fun to see different parts of the city and to meet new people. Plus,
the biggest advantage is that it is extremely flexible on when I can work or
when I don’t have to. I just turn on the app when I want to give rides, and
turn it off when I’m done. For supplementing income it gives a lot more freedom
than a second job would. Lyft has a few perks that I’ve been able to take
advantage of, like a fuel discount at Shell. The better “side job” I have found
was through upwork.com. I’m doing some database programming for a company that
does mortgage loan processing, titles, etc. It’s all about real estate loans
and processing. This is working very well for me, though I’m hoping that as
2017 starts we can pick up the pace and start knocking 2 or 3 of these projects
out a week. They pay on a “per project” basis rather than by the hour. I think
this is a great way to do it. It sure gives me an incentive to work quickly and
efficiently. For both of these “side jobs” I bought some new tools. For the
programming job, I bought another laptop. My previous one was in sad shape. The
power port had become disconnected so that I could no longer plug it in while
working, or even when I wasn’t working in order to charge the battery. In most
cases, that would have been a show stopper right there. But I did find a device
on either Amazon, or eBay, can’t remember, that allowed me to charge a laptop
battery outside of the laptop itself. So that kept me going for a while. However,
in the middle of one of my SQL projects, my battery didn’t charge after leaving
it on all night long. I had located a small computer shop that had a laptop
that was compatible with my existing one. What that meant was that I was able
to take the SSD hard drive and the 8 GB of memory out of my old one and use it
directly in the new one. This was convenient as I didn’t have to reinstall any
of my software, etc. I just popped my existing drive in and continued
programming. Now, I have a laptop that I can actually plug in again. I’m
writing this post on it now. Another nice thing is that the guy took $100 off
the price of the new laptop since I didn’t use his hard drive. The new “tool”
that I bought for the Lyft job is another car. Actually, I bought the car
before I decided to do Lyft. So, it’s not exactly accurate that I bought it for
that purpose. But the timing was pretty close. I bought the car and about two
weeks later started doing Lyft with it. If you read the 2015 Year in Review,
you’ll remember me describing Brianna’s Crown Vic Police Interceptor. Hers has
worked out well. So I decided to get one myself! It’s a 2005, V-8, black and
white, with a long police radio antenna on the trunk. I may eventually hook
that up to a CB. I haven’t quite decided yet. I really like it. It’s got lots
of power and even has keyless entry, which is rare for police vehicles. Doing
Lyft with it has been fun as I get lots of comments.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Church has been going great. As time goes on it’s more and
more clear that this is the best place for us. It’s another one of those
situations where “if I had it to do over again” I would have attended here from
the time we first moved to Oklahoma. The last time I experienced that was much
more drastic in Tennessee. When we first moved out there we were involved in a
charismatic, non-denominational church. By the time we left, we were attending
at Reformed Baptist of Nashville. So, the situation here in Oklahoma is
reminiscent of that, though quite a bit different in that all three churches we’ve
attended here in Oklahoma have at least been much more Christ exalting and
orthodox than the charismatic one in Nashville.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Updates on the kids – <o:p></o:p></div>
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I already mentioned Brittney and Landon having Clara. No
second baby on the way yet (or at least they haven’t told anyone if there is!).<o:p></o:p></div>
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I also mentioned Michael and Heather already having Levi.
His middle name is Malcolm, named after my grandfather.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Brianna has been dating an Air Force guy named Matt. He
seems like a really nice guy and he gets along well with all of Brianna’s
little brothers and sisters (and her older ones too). <o:p></o:p></div>
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Justin turned 15 and is counting the days until he can get
his driver’s permit. Oh no, not that again. <span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Paton is excelling at his violin playing. He also turns 13
in April. So I’m busy preparing for yet another Rite of Passage ceremony.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sarah is doing very well at her piano playing. She’s also
loving being an aunt to Clara and Levi.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Samuel is growing in the Lord. He’s got a great smile and is a joy to be around.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Melody turned five. She also loves being an aunt to Clara
and Levi, but she has found a new really good friend in Addalynn. They love to
play together.<o:p></o:p></div>
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David is David… He’s quite a handful. But he’s full of
personality. He’s still attached to sucking his thumb. He turned three last
August. He’s got a great vocabulary as he listens in on everything we’re
saying.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m still learning on the “grandpa” thing. We’re trying to
teach the grandkids to call me “Granddaddy.” I liked “Pepaw,” but my older kids
vetoed that saying that Pepaw could never be replaced. (That was Malcolm that I
mentioned earlier.) But in getting used to the Grandpa thing I’m not certain
how much info my kids want me to share on their kids. So until I get a better
feel for those expectations my updates on them will be pretty shallow, not that
I gave you a lot of info on my own kids either! <span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span>
But that’s mainly due to time over conviction. I began this post over the
Christmas holiday and here it is January 4, and I’m just now posting it. Better
late than never. No promises on posts between now and next year, but here’s
hoping that I will.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Have a great 2017!<o:p></o:p></div>
Mike Southerlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07211523029499862063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35891418.post-29077308116416990092016-02-29T15:40:00.001-06:002016-02-29T15:40:27.341-06:00Scalia, Trump, and Cruz<p dir="ltr">Tomorrow is "Super Tuesday" for 11 states. Oklahoma is one of those states. In light of the recent passing of Justice Antonin Scalia there is an enormous Republican effort to have the nomination of the replacement for Justice Scalia postponed until the new president takes office. Now if either Sanders or Clinton win the presidency I don't expect that their nomination would be any worse than what Obama would give us today if he has the chance. *However*, and I'm addressing fellow Republicans here, consider well which Republican candidate would nominate a better judge, Donald Trump or Ted Cruz? Donald Trump may do a great job when it comes to fiscal responsibility, but he is inconsistent at best when it comes to the social issues that are so important to Christians, like the right to life, right to bear arms, and traditional marriage. Another thing I'd like to point out: if you are still holding out for Marco Rubio it is my opinion that you are taking needed votes away from the one who has a good chance to beat Donald Trump, the constitutionalist, Sen. Ted Cruz.</p> <p dir="ltr">Please honor the memory of Antonin Scalia by choosing a presidential candidate who will nominate someone who supports the same issues that Scalia was famous for. </p> <p dir="ltr">Vote tomorrow, 3/1, for Sen. Ted Cruz for the Republican candidate for President of the United States. </p> Mike Southerlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484261082836981943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35891418.post-75874024865410303462016-01-02T11:41:00.000-06:002016-01-02T11:41:45.140-06:002015 Year in Review<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
2015 was quite an eventful year for all of us. In January we started
attending Northwest Bible Church in Oklahoma City. I love this church. It is
Reformed Baptist, with expositional teaching through the scriptures. The music
is traditional with hymns. We are making many friends, and we love our new
church. Northwest Bible Church believes in the biblical doctrine of plurality
of eldership. Alexander Strauch covers this topic thoroughly in his book,
Biblical Eldership. I was included in a group of men that read and studied this
book this year over the course of about six months. We worked through the
accompanying workbook and met together to discuss. The eldership at Northwest
Bible Church currently consists of Alan Conner, Alan Loeffler, and Dwayne
Bolin. I had met Alan Conner and Dwayne before we started attending. However,
over the course of this year, I have gotten to know all three of these men
better and have developed a deep respect for all of them. Alan Conner is the
primary teaching elder. If you visit the church, most likely you will hear him
preaching. He has been working his way through the Gospel of John ever since we
started attending in January. We joined several months later.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When I started 2015 I was employed as a contractor at Chesapeake Energy.
I really like working there. Their environment seems to be a good match for me.
There was a Toastmasters club on the campus that I became actively involved in.
“Chesaspeak” Toastmasters is a great club with a great group of individuals. I
had been at Chesapeake since September 2014. When I left my government
contracting position at Tinker Air Force Base the assurance was given that this
was a “long term contract” with an expectation of lasting about two years.
There were four contractors on our team. In January they renewed all our
contracts for another six months. However, when June rolled around and it was
getting close to time for them to renew the contracts they informed all four of
us that due to budget constraints tied closely to the low energy prices
Chesapeake had to let all their contractors go.
They gave us ample notice of several weeks. I believe it was about 4
weeks if I recall. So I began another job search. I ended up at Farmers
Insurance. The appeal to this new position was two-fold. 1) Seeing the clock
wind down on my time at Chesapeake I needed to find something in order to
support my family and 2) this was an “IVR” position. Much of my career has been
in the telecom industry programming IVR systems, phone switches, call centers,
etc. So I saw this as an opportunity to renew my skill set in a niche where I
already had a lot of experience. The only problem, and I did know this when I
took the position, was that this was much more of an advisory role as opposed
to a hands on programming position. Most of my days were spent on the phone in
conference calls discussing issues that were to be fixed, or the new project
that was going to begin shortly. However, after the talking had been done, it
was a vendor, not our team that got to do the “fun part” of actually coding the
changes. I am a programmer. Since I began my career I have been a programmer. I
have never liked the thought or the duties involved in project management. Give
me a technical problem to solve rather than an administrative one. One
additional side note, and Farmers, if you are reading this please take notice,
this is the only contracting position I have ever held where contractors were
included in an “on call” rotation. Sure, they paid me if I spent extra time
responding to a call. But I didn’t get any extra pay for the hassle of making
sure I was “ready” if I received a call. I felt like I was being treated as a
full time employee. Yet I didn’t receive any of the standard full time employee
benefits. During my final two weeks there, I wasn’t “on call” but there was a
mix up in the schedule where some thought that I was. So I received two calls
on the weekend of my birthday. This was also a Friday night in which Paton was
in a Christmas recital with his violin. I had to apologize to the guy who
called me and let him know that I was not on call. Then, throughout the recital
my mind was on whether I should have dropped everything to handle this call.
Avoiding this type of personal interference is one of the benefits of
contracting. I am simply expendable “paid help” brought in to help solve a
problem. I take no ownership or loyalty to the company as a whole like I would
if I were a full time employee. Chesapeake understood that and operated on
those principles. I didn’t get invited to the company Christmas party, because
I was a contractor. I didn’t get invited to company wide “town hall” meetings,
because I was a contractor. But neither did I carry an on call responsibility,
because I was a contractor. I was good with that. They were good with that. But
at Farmers it seemed they were as inclusive as they could be with their
employees and contractors. I regularly called into remote “town hall”
discussions over the phone. I even took a business trip, as a contractor, with
Farmers. I was scheduled for another trip the first week of January 2016 (next
week) if I hadn’t have left. I am super glad to have avoided that trip for
reasons I will cover when I talk about each of the kids in a moment. Long story
short, after looking for another position for several weeks I received an offer
for a contracting position at Dolese doing web programming in C#, ASP .NET. I
started there on December 18. I’m thoroughly enjoying it. This is good for my
career as I don’t want to be too far removed from hands on programming experience.
I liked the people I worked with at Farmers, but this is an altogether better
match for me. Lastly, news about Sheri and I include the fact that we have discovered
a new “buying club” that is currently in its pre-launch stage. It’s a sort of a
mix between Sam’s Club and Amazon, with a fabulous referral bonus business
model rather than advertising. That’s all I’ll say for now. I’ll have more
details later this month. If you’d like, drop me an email and I’ll tell you all
I know.<o:p></o:p></div>
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OK, now for the part that everyone is waiting for, what’s going on with
the children? Well, in my last “Year in Review” I talked about Brittney’s
marriage to Landon Hastings. Early in the year they let us know that they are
expecting our first grandbaby! Brittney’s due date is actually tomorrow,
January 3. They are having a girl. They’ve already picked out a beautiful name;
Clara Joy Hastings. Brittney’s middle name is Joy. So it’s a great name for
their little girl.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Michael also surprised us this year by proposing to Heather Poencet. He
met her when he worked at Kimray. That was several jobs ago. This year has been
a year of constant transition for Michael. Things are looking hopeful for
Michael landing at a fire station. Stay tuned for more information as that
develops.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Brianna became the third graduate from our homeschool this year. She’s
kept pretty busy after that including working at a Summer kids camp in Texas,
working at a local honey farm (mainly helping the owner with construction
projects), and continuing to further her photography skills. She also bought
her first car this year. It’s awesome. It’s a 2000 Crown Victoria police cruiser.
She doesn’t have emergency lights, as that would be illegal. But she does have
the big black bumper guard thing on the front, a spotlight on each front door,
and the original black and white color scheme. It’s fun riding with her on the
freeway. People naturally get in the right lane and let her by. The specs on
the car are pretty nice as well. It’s got a beefed up suspension system,
engine, and transmission. We haven’t tried this yet, but the guy that sold it to
us said that you can hit a curb doing 40 mph and it will handle it fine. He
also said that you can take a 90 degree turn at 55 mph. That sounds a little
daring, but if it can handle that, then surely it can handle “normal” driving.
We bought it from a guy in a small town that is part of their emergency team.
He bought three cars from Edmond PD and “fixed them up,” providing what he
thought was the best of the three to the small town police dept. Then he
finished the one for Brianna and thought it cleaned up nicer than the other
two. The guy was asking $2000 and Brianna got it for $1900. It’s a great deal
for an older car that runs great with cold AC. As an added bonus he left the
two antennas on top of the car to give it that “police” look, though he took
out the emergency radio.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Justin seems to keep growing taller and taller. He’s got an interesting
“hair look” going on. He’s taken an interest in entrepreneurship. He’s
currently reading The Richest Man in Babylon. He has a drive to excel and I
expect that he will be very successful in whatever business attempts he tries.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Paton continues to get better and better at his violin playing. He
finished “book 3” out of the Suzuki series.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sarah has continued to improve in her piano playing. Sarah and Samuel
were baptized in October. This was preceded by a six week study that I did with
both of them. We worked through a book provided by Alan Conner speaking to the
meaning of baptism. The title escapes me now, but it is also used at Bethlehem
Baptist Church (the church where John Piper formerly pastored).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Samuel’s update is pretty much combined with Sarah’s above as his
baptism was the biggest news for him last year.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Melody loves looking at books. She’s moved up to “preschool” in both
her coop classes and in her Sunday School class. I’m planning to at least start
teaching her to read this year.<o:p></o:p></div>
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David is two, and full of life. He loves to have books read to him. I
think his favorite is The Adventures of Ping. Toddlers love repetition. So I
think I just about have that book memorized.<o:p></o:p></div>
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OK. Well, this post seems longer than most, and I’m already late in
getting it out. So I’ll end it for now. Hopefully I’ll put another post out
before my 2016 Year in Review. But we’ll wait to see if that happens. Later.<o:p></o:p></div>
Mike Southerlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07211523029499862063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35891418.post-34845201428905759962015-01-01T11:25:00.000-06:002015-01-03T11:03:02.839-06:002014 Year in Review<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
There were many reasons to celebrate in 2014. Plus there were a few
reasons to mourn. Wanting to start this blog entry off on a positive note, I’ll
talk about the celebration aspect first!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Easily grabbing the top spot in the “celebration” category is the marriage
of my daughter, Brittney to Landon Hastings. This time last year I had no idea
that this was in store. I believe it may have been June of 2014 when Landon
approached me to let me know that he had an interest in my daughter. So we
began to meet weekly to talk through things, get to know each other better, and
to review a few theological resources that I wanted to give him. Brittney was “in
on it” at this point, as she knew that Landon had asked and that we were starting
this process. Everyone involved expected that if all went well the wedding
would happen sometime in 2015, probably in the Fall. Things seem to be going
well. Landon seemed like he was a good match for Brittney. We discussed several
things from scripture. It was a good time to dig into the Word together. Then
in October Brittney informed me that they would really like to get married this
year. In fact, they’d like to get married in about 5 weeks from that point.
What’s strange/funny is that Landon had not really “officially” asked me to
marry my daughter. Of course, we knew that was the end goal of what we were
preparing for. But both of us had an understanding that that would need to happen before we
moved forward with wedding plans. Being a protective dad I honestly would have
liked a few more months of preparation and study with Landon first. But also
knowing that the scripture blesses marriage and passages like I Corinthians
7:36 indicate that “if his passions are strong” we should “let them marry,” I
prepared myself to accept Landon’s “official” request for the hand of my
daughter in marriage. I planned an evening where Brianna watched the little
ones, and I took Sheri, Landon, and Brittney to Red Lobster where we could
visit. Landon could ask me right then and we could all share together in the moment.
We sat down and ordered the food. We reminisced about times when Brittney was
younger. We shared some of our times about Jamestown and the awesome trip we
took there in 2007. But I kept waiting for Landon to “ask the question.” It
never came! We finished the meal. And we awkwardly left the restaurant. We had
all ridden in the same car. I was totally confused and wondered what just
happened. I think there was a communication breakdown between Landon and
Brittney. In the course of our meeting I had given Landon some questions that I
had asked him to respond to in writing. After receiving them from him, there
were a few points of clarification that I had really wanted him to respond to.
So I found out later that while I was waiting for Landon to “ask the question”
he was waiting for me to ask him questions about the answers he had given to my
initial questions. He was seeing that as a necessary step before he asked the
all important question of me. It is true that I would have liked a little more
time to go over those answers and draw a few more details out of him. But I had
just been informed that there were only five weeks to go before they wanted to “tie
the knot.” I felt comfortable enough in giving my blessing, even without thoroughly
hashing out the details in his answers to my questions. Plus, I knew that if we
were going to get started planning the wedding, that critical step of his
asking had to take place. Riding back to the house, we stopped off at Braum's.
I can’t remember if the excuse was to get milk for our family (like we always
do), or if we were going to get an ice cream. But in any case, after pulling into
the parking lot Brittney spoke up and tried to clarify things. Unknown to me,
she and Landon were texting each other in the back seat so that I couldn't hear
their discussion. Bottom line is that he finally asked the question, I gave my
blessing, and we began frantically planning the wedding for five weeks later.
So here we are at the start of 2015 and I have a new son-in-law! He really is a
great guy. I’m glad to have him in our family. I’m confident that he will lead
my daughter and any children they have well. He is a solid believer in Jesus
Christ. I have no doubt that they will be married for the rest of their lives
until the Lord takes one or both of them home.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Since I started with my oldest this year, I’ll go through the list of
updates starting with her. Besides the wedding, Brittney also bought a Mustang
GT this year. It is an 2004 model. Five speed, red with tan leather seats. It’s
in great shape. I’m really fighting the temptation for coveting my own daughter’s
car as I head out to work each morning in my grandfather’s 2000 Mercury Grand
Marquis. Don’t get me wrong. I’m grateful that I have a car that works for me.
And it has a lot of room in it. But one of the mistakes I made in my lifetime
was selling my 1997 Mustang when Brittney turned 16. I got antsy with insurance
concerns and didn't research the financial realities the way I should have. It
really wouldn't have been as bad as I had imagined. Brittney proved that by
buying herself a GT, which would have been higher premiums than I would have
had on my 6 cylinder. Oh well, live and learn. I’ll get another Mustang someday.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Michael turned 19 this year. He has had a full year. He graduated from
high school. We had a graduation ceremony for homeschoolers in our co-op group
back in May. He started working this year at Kimray. That has been a great
opportunity for him. He’s really enjoying it. However, his biggest passion is
firefighting. This year Michael volunteered for our local volunteer fire
department: Woodcrest Vol. Fire Dept. He is loving it. He’ll get called in the
middle of the night. When that happens the same son who I have a very hard time
pulling out of bed in the morning when I need to wake him up, jumps out of bed,
pulls on his clothes, and heads out of the door in a flash to “come to the
rescue.” Michael has a heart to help people. So he’s living in his groove when
he can rush out the door to help actually save someone’s life. He’s learning
all about emergency medical care and firefighting. They are giving him some
great training, for free, at the Fire Department. I expect that sometime in the
next year or two Michael may be able to transition into a full time paid
position at a fire station. When that happens he’ll be living his dream.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Brianna is in the middle of her senior year in high school. She’s doing
awesome in her studies. She’s had a bit of a challenging year. Brittney has
always been her best friend. So this was the year that her best friend moved
out of the house when she was married. On the flip side, Brianna finally has
her own room! Brianna has been a huge help with the little ones this year.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Justin turned 13 this year. So that means that we held his “rite of
passage” ceremony. Very similar to what we did for Michael in 2008, Justin
received a book that I wrote for him entitled “Charges for a Southerland Son.”
This was an extensively revised edition based on the one I wrote for
Michael. Justin also received a Geneva
Bible, Family Bible edition. Lastly he received a beautiful Claymore sword with
a custom scabbard. Unfortunately Brittney somewhat “upstaged” Justin with her
wedding. So out of town family, knowing that they would be in Oklahoma for a
wedding in November weren't able to come twice so close together in October.
But Landon and his family were in attendance. I was happy about that so that they
could witness what we do with our sons. I’d love to work with Landon when the
time comes to help him do the same for my grandsons. Justin is also excelling
in his schoolwork. Justin is now taller than me. He has changed in looks quite
a bit over the past year.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Paton is continuing to excel in his violin playing. He’s doing great in
his homeschool co-op. Paton has started drawing very good pictures. He is quite
talented.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Sarah Grace has started piano this year. She’s doing very well. She had
a recital this year at Guthrie’s Victorian Walk in December. She has an ear for
music and has caught on very fast. Just this past week Sarah got her ears
pierced.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Samuel is growing. He’s becoming quite a helper around the house. He’s
also very funny even when he doesn't mean to be! The biggest news with Samuel
is that this is the year that he professed faith in Jesus Christ! This brings
great joy to my heart.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Melody is growing too. She’s becoming quite the little mommy with her
baby brother David. I’m amazed at the vocabulary she has developed. I guess
when you are the 8<sup>th</sup> child of a homeschool family you tend to pick
up on a lot of words.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
David has left behind any concerns we had about him with low weight. He
has really grown. He’s walking all over the place now and saying several words.
This year we were able to move him from our room into the office. We didn't
think it was a great idea to try and squeeze him into the room with the other
four boys. I think he’d wake them up, and they’d probably wake him up too.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
For me, this has been an eventful year. In my job I began the year
still employed with CSI at Tinker. But in September I returned to Chesapeake as
a contractor. I really enjoy the private sector, and Chesapeake in particular.
I can relate to the culture there. This year I closed AnswerSoft, but started a
new opportunity. I bought my own business called Life Leadership. It is a
leadership development business. There are a ton of high quality encouraging
materials available.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
This was a sad year for our good friends, Bruce and Connie Kessler.
They lost one of their sons this year. Then later in the year, Connie lost her
father. Bruce and Connie are some of the nicest and caring people you’ll ever meet.
We love them and mourn their losses with them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
A former church member and colleague of our pastor, Brian Wilson,
passed away this year. He was pretty young. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
All in all, this was a great year. We look forward to what the Lord is going to do in our lives in the year to come.Mike Southerlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07211523029499862063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35891418.post-48807723970094964482014-01-06T13:10:00.000-06:002014-01-06T13:10:12.727-06:00Do We Think About What We Sing?
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What is the reason we sing congregationally in the meeting of the
church? I submit to you that first and foremost, it is to give praise, honor,
and glory to God. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“<i>Praise
the <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span>! Praise God in his
sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens!</i>” (Psalm 150:1, ESV) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In many
other places in scripture we read of exhortations to praise the Lord in song
corporately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A second reason to sing in
a corporate environment is to exhort and build up one another.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“<i>Let
the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in
all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in
your hearts to God.</i>” (Colossians 3:16, ESV) <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I
honestly cannot think of another reason to sing corporately. If I have missed a
reason, please let me know in a comment to this post. Now, given that music in
the church is to either glorify God, or to exhort one another, does it not make
sense that we should critically evaluate the songs that are sung during the
meeting of the church?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have
evaluated songs before in this blog. One brother encouraged me that if I needed
clarification on a particular song, why not write the author and ask him what
he meant rather than airing my concern in a public blog? But should I really
need to do that? If a song is not obvious in its meaning is it a good candidate
for corporate worship? What if I needed clarification from Isaac Watts on his
music? He’s dead. So I can’t ask him. Oh yeah, the subject of his music is
pretty obvious. It is simply Christ and Him crucified. I mean no disrespect for
modern day artists. I mean, they have to make a living somehow. A steady stream
of church pop music puts food on their tables in a way that public domain hymns
cannot. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regardless of our concern for
the need of worship leaders to feed their families, I do believe that it is
beneficial that if a song is proposed for corporate singing (especially in the
church I attend) that as a congregation we consider carefully what words will
leave our lips as we worship the Lord together.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So after having
given my reasoning for evaluating musical lyrics, let’s move on to this blog
post’s spotlight. Today’s critique is Daniel Bashta’s “Like a Lion.” Now, I’ve
been told that this is a very popular Christian radio song. That’s news to me
because I’ve never heard it. But then again, it’s tough to hear it when I never
listen to the radio. Some who have heard it tell me that seems strange to sing
it as a corporate worship song. In any case, I have it on good authority that
it is in the docket for corporate worship in a sanctuary near you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m not
sure what a “Misc” is in music terms, but this song has 4 of them. Those are
separate from the Verses (there are two), and the choruses (there’s actually
only one).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The
entire “Misc 1” is <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Now I’m lost in Your
freedom Oh this world I’ll overcome.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
assume this is the first thing that is sung because it appears at the top of
the lyrics. Yet the word “Now” indicates some sort of causative action. It’s
similar to “Therefore” or “Because of (what was stated previously).” So already
I’m confused, “Now” what? Nothing has prefaced it. Next, what does it mean to
be “lost in Your freedom?” Being raised up in church I can see the capital “Y”
in Your and assume that this is referring to God. Would everyone know that?
Maybe. Maybe not. In any case, what does it mean to be lost in God’s freedom?
We aren’t told. “Oh this world I’ll overcome.” Hmmm, how will we overcome? I
John 5:4-5 tells us:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“<i>For
everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory
that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except
the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?</i>” (1 John 5:4–5, ESV) <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Is this
what this song is hinting at? If so, then it left some very important details
regarding *how* we are to overcome the world. This isn’t something we are going
to drum up within ourselves. And if the song is going to make the claim that we’ll…sorry
“I’ll”…overcome, then shouldn’t we be given doctrine to back up the claim?<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Next, we
fall straight into the chorus. “My God’s not dead He’s surely alive And He’s
living on the inside roaring like a lion.” Hmmm….why do you say He’s not dead,
but alive? Is it because He rose from the dead, conquering death, hell, and the
grave? Then tell us that! Rather we are left to assume that his god is not dead
with the following reasoning, “He’s living on the inside roaring like a lion.”
You know, that could just be heartburn. It might be good to have it checked
out. Seriously though. On the inside of what? Of me? Scripture reference? And where
does “roaring like a lion” come from? Without further context my mind wanders
to this scripture:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“<i>Be
sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a
roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.</i>” (1 Peter 5:8, ESV) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yes,
there are references to God as compared to a lion. But as we’ve seen above, a
lion can also be representative of satan. To get a full sense of what is
inferred here we need better scripture context, not simply “living on the
inside roaring like a lion.” We don’t worship Aslan. We worship Jesus Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Verse 1”…
“Let love explode and bring the dead to life A love so bold to see a revolution
somehow” I’m really scratching my head on this one. Typing “love explode” into
my Bible search in Logos pulls up no hits. Wasn’t there something from the 1960’s
that involved a “love explosion.” Nah… And does “love” bring the dead to life
or does Christ do that? And why, O why do we need to sing about “revolution?”
In most cases, revolution is an act of rebellion against God ordained
government. Consider the French revolution. This can hardly be called godly.
Some have called the American War for Independence a “revolution.” Yet, I
resist that label because of its anti-Christian aspects. I believe that a case
can be made for the justification of America’s founding, but that is a subject
for another blog article. But back to the issue at hand, what kind of
revolution are we supposed to be singing about in a corporate worship song in
the meeting of the saints? To say this is inappropriate is an understatement.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Verse 2”…”Let
hope arise and make the darkness hide My faith is dead I need a resurrection
somehow” Hope in what? That’s a valid question because it hasn’t been stated in
this song. I guess we can assume Christ, because, after all, this is being sung
in corporate worship, right? But why do we assume? What if we assume wrong? Next
there is a lament that his faith is dead and he needs a resurrection “somehow.”
Well, we read in James 2:17 that:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“<i>So also
faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.</i>” (James 2:17, ESV) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So I
assume that there is no fruit of good works in this man’s life, else his faith
would not be dead. So, let’s assume for a minute that we are really singing a
song written by a man who has a self professed dead faith. He says he needs a
resurrection “somehow.” What can possibly resurrect his faith? Ohh, pick me!
Pick me! I know! How about Christ? Christ is the answer to your “somehow”
Daniel. Call out to Him! He can resurrect not only your dead faith, but your
dead spirit. And if He has already done that to you, then why not share that
good news with your music fans?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Falling
into “Misc 2” we are simply told “He’s surely alive Oh He’s surely alive”
Again, assumptions can be made as to who is alive, but since we’ve not heard
the name of Christ, it remains an assumption.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Misc 3”
tells us “Let heaven roar and fire fall Come shake the ground with the sound of
revival” What is it that Daniel is asking for here? When I hear of fire falling
I think of God’s judgment. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“<i>Then the
<span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> rained on Sodom and Gomorrah
sulfur and fire from the <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> out
of heaven. And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the
inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.</i>” (Genesis 19:24–25,
ESV) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maybe
Daniel is asking for a Charles Finney revivalism? If so, that’s not really what
I’d want in our Reformed Baptist church either.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Misc 4”
trails off with five repetitions of “Oh He’s surely alive” never really telling
who is alive except for “My God” as specified in Chorus 1. As the name of
Christ is not named we are left once more to conjecture.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Brothers
and sisters, we have so little time to spend in corporate worship over the
course of our lifetimes. Will we spend these precious hours and minutes in
singing ambiguous fluff that we hear on our pop music radio stations, or will
we sing a solemn song of worship and praise to the Lord our God? If I’ve
unfairly characterized this particular song, I’ll welcome your comments. But my
guess is that most people who follow along glibly and sing this in corporate
worship don’t stop even for a second to consider what they are singing. It has
a good beat or a “chord progression” or it’s just fun to play on an electric
guitar. But is that really the standard that we should apply in determining
what we will offer as a sacrifice of praise to our one true and living God? </span></span></div>
Mike Southerlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07211523029499862063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35891418.post-34540619086039070442013-12-28T11:56:00.001-06:002013-12-28T11:56:11.130-06:002013 Year in ReviewThe biggest news this year is the birth of David Aaron Southerland. He was born on August 20, 2013. We actually knew we were expecting when I wrote last years "Year in Review" but we had not yet let the cat out of the bag yet. David is our ninth child and fifth son. As I write this he is four months old. It is a blessing to have young children though I am in my mid 40's. I suspect that the "empty nest syndrome" that tends to affect many of my peers will be a long time coming. When David is 20, I'll be 65. In the meantime, God has entrusted Sheri and I with parenting children from 20 years old down to newborn, simultaneously! This year has certainly given us challenges to handle from children across the spectrum of age.<br />
<br />
Since I started with David, I'll move on to Melody. Melody is talking very well now. She's quite the little ham! Definitely not a low maintenance child. But she is a joy. We have started attending a homeschool co-op this year. At first Melody wasn't happy with the idea. But she warmed up fast and now asks us about it frequently.<br />
<br />
Samuel is growing fast. He's joined Sarah in asking good questions during family worship and Bible reading time. I love to see him learn. I hope to teach him correctly and train him to be a man of God.<br />
<br />
Sarah continues to ask good questions. The big question that I love to hear from her that she seemed to ask me frequently this year is, "Will you read the Bible with me?" How can I refuse? Sarah has become a very big help to Sheri this year. She helps out with both David and Melody. Both of them love her too. Sarah loves to draw and read Melody books. She also has developed a love of chess and asks me to play quite a bit. One of Sarah's favorite bedtime questions is, "Would you tell me a story about when you were a kid?" <br />
<br />
Paton has improved in his violin playing. Not only did he play a solo at his recital this year, but his instructor asked him to also play along with the younger students so that he could help to lead them in playing their songs. Paton is taking French this year in co-op.<br />
<br />
Justin is growing like a weed. He's about to catch me. He's doing well in co-op too. He's taking anatomy. He's also been enjoying playing chess. He's become very good at it beating me and my dad from time to time. He's been playing chess online with my dad, so that keeps his skills sharp.<br />
<br />
Brianna is 16 and is currently in the middle of the driving portion of driver's ed. She hasn't seemed quite as anxious to get her license as Brittney and Michael were. I'm thinking that's due to a couple of reasons. First, she doesn't have the money to buy herself a car yet (and I can't afford to get her one). Next, Michael and/or Brittney are always going somewhere and Brianna can tag along easily. But even still, I've spent some time in the car with her, and I expect we'll be doing it more frequently in the coming months.<br />
<br />
Michael turned 18 this year. For the past couple of months he's been working as a driver's helper for UPS. He taught himself to play the guitar and has been playing at church. Michael signed up for a couple of 5K runs this year. He and Brittney have challenged each other to give up sugar except for "special occasions." So, even though the "special occasions" or holidays seem to be whatever days are even remotely considered a holiday (like Columbus Day), they are still doing a lot better than they were previously.<br />
<br />
Brittney continues to excel in her bootmaking skills. Her first pair of cowboy boots were her own. She attended the boot and saddle show this year. Her instructor said that she should enter her boots in the contest there. But she didn't want to put her boots on the shelf until after the contest. So she opted not to enter. After seeing the rest of the entries, it seemed likely she could have won in her division. She also completed a pair of awesome boots for me this year! If anyone reading this would like to get on the waiting list for boots, she's ready to start taking customers now.<br />
<br />
Things going on with me include two new jobs for this year. I started contracting at Dolese Brothers in February and wrapped it up in July. I went from there to CSI, where I am in a full time salaried position as a government contractor at Tinker Air Force base. I'm doing ASP .NET C# MVC programming. I've also got a project going with a friend I met in Tennessee while we were living there from 2001-2005. John Lovelace is a landman for the oil and gas industry. I've been working with him since March on a Windows program for landmen. This will allow users to enter information and generate reports. It's been a slow go, trying to squeeze in time during lunch breaks and some late nights after getting the kids in bed. It's tough for me to do programming during late hours, so that doesn't happen much. In spite of the challenges, I hope to have something to bring to the market within the next month or two. This is a C# ADO .NET Windows application running SQL Server.<br />
<br />
Time is flying. It seems that every trip I make around the sun I pick up speed. I can't believe that we've been in Oklahoma for almost eight years. There's much to like about living in this state, though there's always hope that we'll eventually be back "home" in Texas. Because while my kids have identified themselves as "Okies" I'll always be a Texan at heart.Mike Southerlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07211523029499862063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35891418.post-75961745527653917982013-10-24T12:11:00.000-05:002013-10-24T12:11:24.471-05:00What's In It For Me?
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“WIIFM” This is the sacred cow of our capitalistic culture.
Do you want to sell a product or service? The simple formula is that you need
to show a prospective consumer all the benefits they can derive from buying
your particular product or service. If you buy my brand of hair gel, men, then
the ladies will fight each other for the chance to go out with you. You will
prosper in everything you do. You’ll be a money magnet. In fact, this hair gel
will literally give you the appearance of being 21. So if you’re too young,
this will scream “man” (even if you’re 12). If you’re too old, this amazing
product will take you back to the prime of your life. However, supplies are
limited, so stock up today!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, maybe hype and benefits may be acceptable in the
consumer marketplace (though I even tire of seeing it there). However, more and
more we are seeing this type of philosophy invading the church. In the “Word of
Faith” camp, from whence I came, the emphasis is on your own personal “power”
supposedly granted to you by the Holy Spirit. You no longer pray for the Lord
to heal someone. Rather you simply “command” it to be done, with the obligatory
magic words, “…in the name of Jesus…” tacked on to the end. Personal prophecies
abound promising children to barren women, financial gain to the down and out,
and supernatural healing to those in chronic pain. What’s not to like about
this message? After all, it’s all about me, isn’t it?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Unfortunately this “me driven” mentality is not isolated to
the ”Health, Wealth, and Prosperity” crowd. It’s tentacles have invaded the
song service of many Reformed churches. Traditional hymns, which declare the
glory of God, such as A Mighty Fortress is Our God, O Sacred Head Now Wounded,
or Man of Sorrows, have been replaced with “feel good,” “me affirming” modern “praise”
songs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Consider the chorus to the song, “I Am Free” by Jon Egar:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="color: #343434; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am free to run<br />
I am free to run<br />
I am free to dance<br />
I am free to dance<br />
I am free to live for You<br />
I am free to live for You<br />
I am free<br />
I am free<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #343434; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Who is the subject of that “praise” song? I am. Now
compare that with the hymn, O Sacred Head Now Wounded:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="color: #343434; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Verse 1<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #343434; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">O sacred Head now wounded<br />
With grief and shame weighed down<br />
Now scornfully surrounded<br />
With thorns Thine only crown<br />
How pale Thou art with anguish<br />
With sore abuse and scorn</span></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #343434; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #343434; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How does that
visage lanquish<br />
Which once was bright as morn<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #343434; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Verse 2<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="color: #343434; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What Thou my Lord has suffered<br />
Was all for sinners' gain<br />
Mine mine was the transgression<br />
But Thine the deadly pain<br />
Lo here I fall my Savior<br />
'Tis I deserve Thy place<br />
Look on me with Thy favor<br />
Assist me with Thy grace<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #343434; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Verse 3<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="color: #343434; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What language
shall I borrow<br />
To thank Thee dearest Friend<br />
For this Thy dying sorrow<br />
Thy pity without end<br />
O make me Thine forever<br />
And should I fainting be<br />
Lord let me never never<br />
Outlive my love to Thee<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In this song we predominately hear about the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now I will admit that “I” do show up in this song as well. How so? “’Tis
I deserve thy place…” That’s a far cry from “I am a free to run. I am free to
dance,” don’t you think?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some may accuse me of dissing all modern music. This is not
so. Give me a song like “In Christ Alone” by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend.
Recently that song made headlines because the PCUSA wanted to alter it for
inclusion in their watered down hymn book. Thankfully the authors stood strong
and refused to remove the theologically sound line of “Till on that cross as
Jesus died/the wrath of God was satisfied.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So then, what makes a song appropriate for singing in a
corporate worship service? Ask yourself, “What’s in it for me?” If the music
makes that clear, then it’s probably not appropriate. A question that is 1000
times better is, “What’s in it for Christ?” He alone deserves all glory,
praise, and honor. We deserve nothing but hell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Mike Southerlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484261082836981943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35891418.post-3488914185586848832013-05-09T09:07:00.001-05:002013-05-09T09:07:51.324-05:00Why is He Knocking?<p dir=ltr>"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." - Rev 3:20</p>
<p dir=ltr>Is this verse an invitation to sinners to "accept Jesus into their heart" as is preached in many modern churches? Let's look at the context of this verse in order to determine the intended audience. The first verse in this section is v. 14, "And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write..." The last verse in this section and the chapter (v. 22) reads, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” So then, the intended audience is not the unconverted sinner, but rather the church. In fact the previous verse, v. 19 says, "Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent." Jesus' offer to come in and eat with a person is a calling to His own to renew their fellowship with Him. This isn't a pathetic Jesus wishing more people would just "accept Him." This is our saviour, our beloved, knocking, as He does in Song of Solomon 5:2 desiring fellowship with the ones He loves.</p>
Mike Southerlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07211523029499862063noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35891418.post-50312706310023151262013-02-12T13:13:00.000-06:002013-02-12T13:13:12.920-06:00Arrows to ArchersI wanted to let my readers know of something exciting that I have in the works. In January I started a new website called Arrows to Archers (<a href="http://www.arrowstoarchers.com/">http://www.arrowstoarchers.com</a>). Right now, it's just a blog. But my plans are bigger than that. I want to start a podcast, as well as a youtube channel for it. Also, I am currently working on an ebook that I hope to make available in the next few months.<br />
<br />
What is Arrows to Archers? I'm glad you asked. :-) You may have read on this blog some of what I've done in the past for my children when they turn 13. See <a href="http://blog.mikesoutherland.com/2008/12/rite-of-passage.html">http://blog.mikesoutherland.com/2008/12/rite-of-passage.html</a> for a description of what I did for my oldest son. The purpose of Arrows to Archers is to help other parents do the same for their children. In my opinion the greatest need right now is for godly young men. So, for the time being anyway, I'm going to concentrate on what a father and mother can do in order to train their sons to be godly men, who will someday lead their own families. Thus the title of the blog/ministry/business (I'm not how to refer to it), "Arrows to Archers." Arrows to Archers comes from Psalm 127:3-5<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<span lang="en-US" style="font-style: italic;">Behold, children are a heritage from the </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-style: italic; font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span><span lang="en-US" style="font-style: italic;">, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.</span>” (<span lang="en-US">Psalm 127:3–5</span>, ESV)
</div>
<br />
The premise is that our sons are arrows in our quiver. These same arrows will be the archers of the next generation who will have their own arrows eventually, and so on until the Lord returns.<br />
<br />
My vision for Arrows to Archers is to offer help and resources to other parents so that they can train their sons to lead their own households. I want to make help available in a variety of ways. Most of the resources will be free, but I will honestly tell you that would love to concentrate on this full time. So if I can shape this in such a way so that it can support my family then I will be living my passion by helping others. We will see what the Lord does with this. At the same time I never want lack of resources to prevent other parents from pouring into the life of their children.<br />
<br />
I am just getting started, and I need to spruce up the website as I get time. But I invite you to join me in the journey and stop by <a href="http://www.arrowstoarchers.com/">http://www.arrowstoarchers.com</a> and join in the conversation.Mike Southerlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07211523029499862063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35891418.post-73902939175741928672013-01-13T07:21:00.001-06:002013-01-13T07:21:52.404-06:00Is Hell Simply This Life?I was discussing the topic of hell with a friend of mine. Apparently they have been influenced by the popular opinion that hell, as has been taught by the church (and the scriptures, by the way), does not exist. They take the clear teachings of scripture and allegorize them away, offering an explanation that "hell is this life with all its woes and troubles."<br />
<br />
Certainly this life has its share of woes and troubles. However, this is due to sin, and the fall of man in the garden of Eden. In my morning reading this morning I read in Matthew 13 about the parable of the wheat and the weeds. Thank the Lord that the disciples did not "get it" when Jesus told the parable originally. Because of their lack of understanding our Lord spells it out for us by offering the absolute true interpretation. Now, if the whole concept of hell was only contained in the parables themselves, then maybe we could walk away and disagree on the interpretation. <strong>However,</strong> when Jesus Christ Himself gives us the interpretation plainly, we can't expect that He adds allegory into His interpretation. He is, after all, unfolding the mystery to His disciples, not seeking it to cloud it over as He had done with the crowds. Let's read Matthew 13:36-43.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<span lang="en-US" style="font-style: italic;">Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.</span>” (<span lang="en-US">Matthew 13:36–43</span>, ESV)
</div>
<br />
When does Jesus say this is going to happen? "Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the <strong>end of the age.</strong> This is not something that is happening in this life. Rather, as can be easily observed, there are many sinners who are truly living their "best life now." Wealth and luxury in this life are not reserved for God's people. In fact, commonly quite the opposite is true. But at the end of the age, when the books are opened, those who are not found written in the Book of Life will be cast into the fiery furnace. The imagery of fire and burning is a consistent theme throughout scripture whenever the topic of hell is discussed. If this were an allegorical device, surely the metaphors would change. Look at such passages that try to give people the sense of what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. Look at Matthew 13 in its greater context.<br />
<br />
In v. 24 it is compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. In v. 31 it is compared to a grain of mustard seed. In v. 33 it is compared to leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour. In v. 44 it is compared with a treasure hidden in a field. In v. 45 it is compared with a merchant in search of fine pearls. In v. 47 it is compared with a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. Yet, consistently throughout scripture hell is pictured as eternal burning.<br />
<br />
I continue to post topics like these in the hope that my friend will listen to the clear teaching from scripture. I don't make this stuff up. I only herald what I read in the scripture. My deep desire is that at the end of the age I would not see my friend cast into that fiery furnace, but rather walk into the fulness of the Kingdom of Heaven along with those whom God has redeemed.Mike Southerlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07211523029499862063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35891418.post-52181240658568603852012-12-29T10:09:00.001-06:002013-01-07T21:41:09.031-06:002012 Year in Review<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">2012 has come and gone like a whirlwind. I reviewed my “<a href="http://blog.mikesoutherland.com/2011/12/2011-year-in-review.html">2011Year in Review</a>” before sitting down to compose this one. One thing I noticed is
that 2012 saw an all time low in the number of blog posts I wrote since
beginning this blog in 2006. This post marks only the fourth post done all
year. I attribute part of that to an increased use of Facebook. So that short
comments are generally offered there. But I will admit that a big part of this
is simply the busyness of life. I have an idea to begin going through my “Charges
for a Southerland Son” and blogging each section. It’s not too early to start
revising it for Justin’s 13<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> birthday in just under two years. Every
year I see Doug Phillips admonishment on “How to End the Year X and Begin Y”
(where X is the current year and Y is the year that will be here in a few
days). Doug has a grand vision with a lot of good ideas for chronically what
the Lord has done over the past year. This blog entry is my feeble attempt to
do something, even if I don’t take every suggestion Doug has made.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ll begin this year with what is happening on the job
front. I ended 2011 excited about doing IVR contracting. If you review that
post you’ll see that I had left TransCore and was working from home coding IVR
systems. Well, unfortunately the six month contract I had came to an abrupt end
during the first week of January. Though the contracting company was
apologetic, a new CFO at the end client was hired and shook things up after the
end of the year. Several programming jobs were offshored to India. So that left
me looking for work for about a month. In February I hired on, still as a contractor,
with Chesapeake Energy. I started out doing some C#, ASP .NET work with
Silverlight and WPF. After knocking out several bugs over the course of the
next three months, Chesapeake told me that was all the programming they had for
me at the time, but that they had a real need for help in Reporting Services. I
have had a lot of experience doing that at TransCore and other positions before
that. Long story short, I began doing reporting for them in May, and my
contract has been extended a few times since then. Currently I’m good through
the end of January 2013. We’ll see what God has planned for me then, whether a
contract extension with Chesapeake again, hiring on full time with them, or
moving on to other opportunities. Contracting certainly causes me to look to
God more frequently, and to place my trust in Him that He will provide. It can
be a little unsettling to not know what the future holds more than a month or
two in advance. But in reality, that’s true for all of us. None of us are even
promised another day of life. God has always provided my needs. I have had a
desire for quite some time to work for myself. I’m working toward that end with
AnswerSoft, the company I founded in 2010. Though I began it as a reseller for
IVR services through IfByPhone, I have shifted the concentration during 2012 to
mobile app development. AnswerSoft still offers discounted rates on IfByPhone,
and I still support customers who sign up through AnswerSoft. However, app
development is something whereby I have a little more control over the decision
making process. I am currently working on an iPhone app for a local non-profit
ministry. My plans are to port the app over to an Android implementation when
done and support both operating systems. If the Lord wills it I could perhaps
start doing app programming full time. But for now I need to work another day
job in order to support the family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Much has been going on with the children over this past
year. Here’s a quick update on them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Brittney is still working to get her leather working
business going. She made me a great pair of leather flip flops. Her goal right now
is to try and earn enough money to take a class from Lisa Sorrell, a world
famous bootmaker that has a shop right here in Guthrie. She is also stepping in
to help teach the other children handwriting during their homeschooling. That’s
a big help as handwriting is really a one on one type of activity. Brittney’s
help on this really takes a load off of Sheri.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Michael has continued to work hard building airplane
hangers. He saved his money and bought himself a Dodge pickup this year. He
also finished up his drivers ed and got his regular license. So now he’s
mobile! He is adding to his arsenal of tools that he can use on the job site.
We got him a DeWalt cordless drill. He also received other tools as gifts this
year. It’s good to see him invest his money in things that he can use to earn
more. Even the truck will help him expand his territory past our little two
street neighborhood. Michael is also joining Justin and I in a study of Joel
Beeke’s A Puritan Theology. I’ll talk more about that in Justin’s section
below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Brianna has really made great strides in her pottery this
year. She made me a coffee mug. She’s made several bowls and other dishes.
Sheri’s cousin, Brandon Drew is a chef. She showed him some of her work last
week in Texas. He was very impressed and thinks that many in the circles he is
in would love to purchase Brianna’s work. If it makes financial sense Brianna
may consider that. She still enjoys photography, though she has yet to monetize
it. We tried to set her up with an istockphoto account this year, but ran into
a snag when they wanted a photo ID. Brianna is scheduled to start Driver’s Ed
in 2013. So maybe her learner’s permit will serve as the photo ID for
istockphoto and she can start pulling in some income from that endeavor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Justin is chomping at the bit trying to figure out how to
make money. There’s one thing for sure in our household, the entrepreneurial spirit
is alive and well. But how is an eleven year old boy going to make some cash?
He’s had a few ideas, but not too many have panned out yet. Michael still does
most of the yard work for the neighborhood. Maybe Justin can help out in that
area this Spring and Summer. I’ve tried to drop the bug in Justin’s ear that
computer programming doesn’t discriminate against age and he could do really
well if he learned to program early. So far he’s shown a little interest. We’ll
see if he pursues it. As I mentioned earlier, Justin, Michael, and I began a
study of Joel Beeke’s new book, A Puritan Theology. Our goal is to cover a
chapter each week. It will take us a little over a year to accomplish it. It
looks to be very good, covering what the Puritans had to say about various
theological topics. It’s like a Systematic Theology comprised of many different
outstanding authors woven together though the pen of Joel Beeke.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Paton began playing the violin this year. He was inspired by
our friends, the Chatham family. Their three oldest girls play beautifully. It
just so happens that though they live in Blanchard, their violin teacher lives
right here in Guthrie. So Paton decided he wanted to learn. It seems like it
has come very naturally for him. Paton’s teacher says that he is doing great.
He played in his first recital a few weeks ago. He did a great job, and even
won a medal for the number of minutes he spent practicing. Also, this year Paton was baptized at GracePointe Baptist Church!</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sarah is growing up to be quite a big helper with Melody.
She is so excited to have a little sister and she does a great job playing with
her. Sarah has continued to improve in her reading. Earlier this year Sarah began to experience very real conviction over sin. She became very concerned that she was a sinner. We explained to her that she is right, she has sinned and that she needs to call upon Christ for the salvation of her soul. She prayed on her own and cried out for the Lord to save her. We are rejoicing in the salvation of yet another one of our children.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Samuel is just about done with the book that Sarah finished
last year, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. He’s doing extremely
well. There are parts of the book where I’m supposed to tell him to “sound out the
words.” Meanwhile he’s already figured it out in his mind and reads it “the
fast way” before I’m able to tell him to sound it out. He doesn’t know it yet,
but I’ve already got his Geneva Bible sitting on the shelf with his name on it
waiting for him to finish the book. We did Lesson 90 last night. He’ll most
likely finish up in January.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Melody learned to walk early. She walked at 10 months old,
the youngest of any of the girls, and tied with Michael, who was our fastest “learn
to walk” child prior to Melody. That means she’s been getting into everything.
We bought new cabinet locks. She’s very inquisitive and smart. She also has
quite the personality (and temper!). She is a blessing, and I thank God for
trusting her into our care.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Things continue to go well at GracePointe Baptist Church.
The Lord has added several new families and formed new friendships in our
lives. I’m thankful for God’s blessings throughout 2012 and look forward to
what he is going to do in 2013.</span></div>
Mike Southerlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07211523029499862063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35891418.post-73000688807572912152012-10-18T07:36:00.000-05:002012-10-18T07:36:09.508-05:00Anti-Racist (with exceptions...)Let's say, hypothetically of course, there was a candidate who proclaimed loudly that he was not a racist. However, when you press him on it, he will admit that there are "exceptions" to his love for all men. After all, you can't really expect him to be totally non-racist, can you? Now, for the sake of argument, let's say he was running against a candidate who hated every single people group except his own. Who should we vote for? Well, pragmatism may say that we vote for the first candidate. But what if the one people group that he hates just so happens to be the people group of which you are a member? Could you still vote for him? If you say no, then tell me this: If your race is not the one despised in his eyes, could you vote for him then? I tell you that if that is true, then you have just as much hatred for that people group as the candidate who tries to pass himself off as "anti-racist."<br />
<br />
Now, if that makes sense with a "politically correct" argument concerning race, does it not also apply to abortion? If you have one candidate who is pro-death all the way around and never saw an abortion he didn't like (Obama), and another candidate who announces that he is pro-life (except for despised babies who are the products of rape or incest - Romney), who do you vote for? I say that if you vote for Romney, you are declaring that you too despise the lives of those "unwanted" babies.<br />
<br />
As much as I would like to cast my vote for a God fearing, pro-life candidate for President of the United States, I can't, because no such candidate exists this year (on the Oklahoma ballot anyway - vote Virgil Goode if your state lets you).Mike Southerlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484261082836981943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35891418.post-44129606119421337622012-07-17T23:35:00.001-05:002012-07-17T23:36:26.032-05:00GOSPEL SONNETS - Chapter 5 - Section 4GOSPEL SONNETS<br />
by Ralph Erskine <br />
Chapter 5<br />
<br />
<br />
SECTION IV. - <em>Damnable </em>Pride <em>and </em>Self-righteousness, <em>so natural to all men, has little need to be encouraged by legal preaching.</em><br />
<br />
THE legal path proud nature loves so well,<br />
(Tho' yet 'tis but the clearest road to hell,)<br />
That lo! ev'n these that take the foulest ways,<br />
Whose lewdness no controlling bridle stays,<br />
If but their drowsy conscience raise its voice,<br />
'Twill speak the law of works their native choice,<br />
And echo to the rousing sound, "Ah! true,<br />
I cannot hope to live, unless I DO."<br />
No conscience breast of mortal kind can trace<br />
The mystery deep of being sav'd by grace.<br />
Of this nor is the natural conscience skill'd,<br />
Nor will admit it when it is reveal'd;<br />
But pushes at the gospel like a ram,<br />
As proxy for the law, against the Lamb.<br />
The proud, self-righteous, Pharisaic strain<br />
Is "Blest be God, I'm not like other men;<br />
I read and pray, give alms, I mourn and fast; (1)<br />
And therefore hope I'l get to heaven at last:<br />
For though from every sin I be not free,<br />
Great multitudes of men are worse than me.<br />
I'm none of those that swear, cheat, drink and whore."<br />
Thus on the law he builds his Babel tower.<br />
Yea, ev'n the vilest cursed debauchee<br />
Will make the law of works his very plea;<br />
"Why (says the rake) what take you me to be?<br />
A Turk or infidel? you lie! I can't<br />
Be term'd so base, but by a sycophant;<br />
Only I hate to act the whining saint.<br />
I am a christian true; and therefore bode<br />
It shall be well with me, I hope in God.<br />
An't I an honest man? yea, I defy<br />
The tongue that dare assert black to mine eye."<br />
Perhaps, when the reprover turns his back,<br />
He'll vend the viler wares o's open'd pack,<br />
And with his fellows, in a strain more big,<br />
Bid damn the base uncharitable whig.<br />
"These scoundrel hypocrites (he'll proudly say)<br />
Think none shall ever merit heav'n but they,<br />
And yet we may compete with them; for see,<br />
The best have blemishes as well as we.<br />
We have as good a heart (we trust) as these,<br />
Tho' not with vain superfluous shew and blaze.<br />
Bigoted zealots, whose sole crimes are hid,<br />
Would damn us all to hell; but God forbid,<br />
Whatever such a whining sect profess,<br />
'Tis but a nice, morose, affected dress,<br />
And though we don't pretend so much as they,<br />
We hope to compass heav'n a shorter way:<br />
We seek God's mercy, and are all along<br />
Most free of malice, and do no man wrong.<br />
But whims fantastic shan't our heads annoy,<br />
That would our social liberties destroy.<br />
Sure, right religion never was designed<br />
To mar the native mirth of human kind.<br />
How weak are those that would be thought nonesuch!<br />
How mad, that would be righteous overmuch!<br />
We have sufficient, though we be not crammed:<br />
We'll therefore hope the best: let them be damned!"<br />
Ah, horrid talk! yet so the legal strain<br />
Lards even the language of the most profane.<br />
Thus devilish pride o'erlooks a thousand faults,<br />
And on a legal ground itself exalts.<br />
This DO and LIVE, though doing power be lost,<br />
In every mortal is proud nature's boast.<br />
How does a vain conceit of goodness swell,<br />
And feed false hope, amidst the shades of hell?<br />
Shall we, who should by gospel-methods draw,<br />
Send sinners to their nat-ral spouse the law;<br />
And harp upon the doing string to such,<br />
Who ignorantly dream they do so much?<br />
Why, thus, instead of courting Christ a bride,<br />
We harden rebels in their native pride.<br />
Much rather ought we in God's name to place<br />
His great artill'ry straight against their face;<br />
And throw hot Sinai thunderbolts around,<br />
To burn their towering hopes down to the ground;<br />
To make the pillars of their pride to shake,<br />
And damn their doings to the burning lake;<br />
To <em>curse the doers</em> unto endless thrall,<br />
<em>That never did continue to do all;</em> (2)<br />
To scorch their conscience with the flaming air,<br />
And sink their haughty hopes in deep despair;<br />
Denouncing Ebal's black revenging doom,<br />
To blast their expectation in the bloom;<br />
Till once vain hope of life by works give place<br />
Unto a solid hope of life by grace.<br />
The vig'rous use of means is safely urged,<br />
When pressing calls from legal dregs are purged;<br />
But most unsafely in a fed'ral dress,<br />
Confounding terms of life with means of grace.<br />
Oh! dang'rous is th' attempt proud flesh to please,<br />
Or send a sinner to the law for ease;<br />
Who rather needs to feel its piercing dart,<br />
Till dreadful pangs invade his trembling heart;<br />
And thither should be only sent for flames<br />
Of fire to burn his rotten hopes and claims;<br />
That thus disarmed, he gladly may embrace,<br />
And grasp with eagerness the news of grace.<br />
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(1) Luke xviii. 11. 12.<br />
(2) Gal. iii. 10.Mike Southerlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484261082836981943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35891418.post-74602912195417300342012-05-20T18:57:00.002-05:002012-05-20T18:58:28.081-05:00Paton is Baptised!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>Mike Southerlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484261082836981943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35891418.post-43508768389854316502011-12-31T23:58:00.000-06:002012-01-01T00:07:13.792-06:002011 Year in Review<span lang="EN"><div align="LEFT" dir="LTR">
This year has been a year of great blessing from the Lord. After several trials in 2009 and 2010 we received the joyful news in February that we were expecting once again. As hard as it was to do, I believe that the Lord taught me through my past experiences to trust Him to bring about His will, whatever that may be. We prayed, our children prayed, our church family prayed, and our extended family prayed for this little baby. There were times when we wondered if the Lord would take this one as well. But we passed each milestone with joy and thankfulness. We had all the rest of our children with us in the ultrasound room when we learned that we were having a girl! Everyone was excited. I think Sarah was the most excited that it was a girl. There's a nine year gap between her and Brianna, the next oldest girl in our family. Sarah was going to have a baby sister!</div>
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Sheri was amazing throughout the pregnancy and before. The Lord has given me an excellent wife and a wonderful mother to our children. When our little girl was born on October 18, Sheri was glowing. It was beautiful to see her with yet another newborn baby of our own. Sheri continues to faithfully teach our children each day in our homeschool. I like to tell my sons, "Marry a woman like your mother someday."</div>
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We named our eighth child and fourth daughter Melody Hope Southerland. We had pretty much decided on Hope for her middle name early on. We tossed around several name possibilities, including Charity, Geneva, Sophia, Daisy, and a few others. I'm very happy with her name and I know that we made the right choice.</div>
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There were many other happenings this year that are noteworthy.</div>
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Brittney became our first homeschool graduate. She did a great job on her research paper that I assigned her. She took on the challenging topic of whether the environmental movement has any legitmacy or whether it is simply a tool of oppression by tyrannical government. She chose the topic. I'm not sure I would have been as creative if I had assigned her one. Brittney is still determined to pursue leather working. I'm pleased with this direction. It is a skill that will be very useful. She will be able to earn money, and it is something that she will be able to bring into a new family when she eventually marries, but will not take her out of the home. It will be a family enterprise that can be continued regardless of what her future husband does for a living.</div>
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Michael worked for a man down the street from us constructing an airplane hanger. We live in an airport community with a shared runway and taxiways. Noone in our family flies...yet. Michael has expressed an interest in learning to fly. So another one of the neighbors has offered to teach him. He is a licensed instructor. After establishing his reputation in the neighborhood as a hard, diligent worker, Michael's help was solicited to work on building this hanger. Michael has braved extreme heat and cold in working on this hanger. He has learned valuable skills, such as welding. Michael likes the outdoors and does not envy me working inside with computers. He has shown an interest in possible being a firefighter. As his father, I'm proud that he is showing such diligence in his work. Another exciting event for Michael this year is his turning 16. That means...driving. As of now, he's still doing driver's ed. Because of his busy work schedule we got a little behind in getting his permit.</div>
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Brianna seems to be following in Brittney's footsteps in many ways. She is enjoying quilting, along with Brittney. Throughout this year, Brianna has enjoyed "sewing days" with Brittney, and their good friends, the Chathams. Brianna is showing diligence in her schooling. She is usually the first child up in the mornings. When I come in to make breakfast and coffee, she's usually sitting at the kitchen table working on her math. She's being a very big help in taking care of her baby sister, Melody. Brianna's favorite hobby seems to be photography. She's always walking around with the camera around her neck snapping pictures of just about any obscure object you can find around the house.</div>
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Justin turned 10 years old this year. He's at that age where he's in a transition from being a "little kid" into one of the "big kids." Add to that, the fact that until Melody was born this year, he was right in the middle of seven children. With Melody's birth, he has joined the "oldest four" while the youngest four are Paton, Sarah, Samuel, and Melody. Justin has a very analytical mind. He is good at problem solving. He asks me intelligent questions. I'm looking forward to how the Lord will be using him in the coming years.</div>
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Paton has recently expressed his desire to "be a chef." We'll see if he pursues that into adulthood. But for now, it means helping out in the kitchen and trying to learn what he can in there. His specialty is "Wacky Cake." It seems he wants to bring that to church every week for our weekly meal there.</div>
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Sarah Grace lost her first tooth this year. We also finished the book, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. She has been doing awesome in her reading! I credit in large part Sarah's participation in reading the scripture during family worship as a major reason why her reading is progressing so nicely. When she finished her reading book, we bought her a 1599 Geneva Bible. During our family worship time we go around the room and everyone who can read reads two scriptures. Sarah takes her turn along with all the other readers.</div>
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Samuel, at four years old, has entered the stage of asking a lot of questions. I've heard things like, "Did God make houses?" So I get to explain that God made all things, and I proceed to tell him how He made the resources needed to make a house, and He made people and gave them intelligence on how to build it. So, then a natural question..."How does God make people?" :-)</div>
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One little funny bit of news concerning Sarah and Samuel is the episode when they were trying to set up their own Google account. With Sarah's reading skills and Samuel's computer skills, they just about had it, until they were caught!</div>
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And...I've already mentioned Miss Melody. Her mere presence is such a blessing. Add to that her pretty smiles and its enough to melt a daddy's heart.</div>
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On the job front, there have been changes as well. AnswerSoft continues to grow slowly. But in November, after returning to work after being out a couple of weeks with Melody's birth, I left TransCore in order to work from home doing consulting work for IVR programming. This has been a huge blessing. I've been able to save money on gas and food. I can wear jeans (or even shorts if I want) every day if I want. I'm also doing more of what I enjoy doing, actual programming. I was a little concerned while working at TransCore that too much time was elapsing between my last IVR position and my current position there. IVR programming is somewhat of a niche. After being away from it for a time, I've realized the value in continuing to devlop my expertise in this specialized field.</div>
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This year I received a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051VVOB2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=misbl00-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0051VVOB2">Kindle Fire</a> for my birthday. I already had a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002GYWHSQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=misbl00-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002GYWHSQ">Kindle DX</a>. Additionally, Justin and Paton both have <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002Y27P3M/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=misbl00-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002Y27P3M">Kindle Keyboards Wifi</a>. I'm enjoying the Fire. The best function that the Fire offers is that with the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0062RM1VQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=misbl00-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0062RM1VQ">Logos app</a> I am able to access my entire Logos library on my Kindle Fire. This is a great blessing, as I have many excellent resources in that library. Before the Fire if I wanted to read Logos books on my Kindle, I had to copy and paste them into a new document and convert it to a Kindle document. Now I can read them natively, with fully active scripture references while reading Logos books. All of my Kindle library that I've collected through Amazon also exists on my Kindle Fire. So I can read them there. All in all, I still prefer to read on my DX. First of all, the e-ink is easier on the eyes than a backlit screen. It's just like reading a book. Next, the screen size of the DX is larger. So more text can fit on the screen before I need to turn the page, given the same text size. Also, there's a feature I really enjoy with my DX (that's also available on the boys' Kindles). That is the ability to post my notes on various passages into my Facebook account in the middle of my reading. For some reason that functionality is not available on the Fire. So with all things considered, my determination is that if I want to read a book, I prefer my DX. If I want to do anything else (including accessing my Logos library), the Fire offers more options.</div>
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Lastly, I want to mention the blessing that <a href="http://www.gracepointeonline.com/">GracePointe Baptist Church</a> has been throughout 2011. The men of the church gather on Saturday mornings and do a doctrinal study of Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology. I've made good friends with everyone in the church. That's a great advantage of a small church. You have a chance to really get to know everyone well. My family has really gotten to know our pastor, Jeff Brown, and his family. For a couple of months during the summer we geographically divided into home groups. Jeff and his family met with us at our house. Those were some good times and we discovered many similarities between myself and Jeff. The desire that God placed within me for eldership that began back in our home fellowship is coming to fruition within the confines of GracePointe. Jason Randall and I are in eldership training. We will be meeting with Jeff over the course of 2012. I look forward to serving the congregation at GracePointe and learning how to minister to God's people.</div>
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2011 has been a really good year with a lot of really good memories. Thank you Lord.</div>
</span>Mike Southerlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484261082836981943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35891418.post-6645614226815329922011-11-18T09:06:00.001-06:002011-11-18T09:10:28.731-06:00The Lord's BlessingsMuch has happened this year for which I am very thankful. The two major things are:<br />
1) The birth of our newest daughter, Melody Hope Southerland, on October 18. She is one month old today! This was certainly an answer to prayer.<br />
2) Changing my job. I now have a work at home position doing IVR development. AnswerSoft is still going strong, and this new position complements it nicely.<br />
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I haven't had much time for blogging, but life is moving full speed ahead. God is good.Mike Southerlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484261082836981943noreply@blogger.com1