The Link
The Weekly E-Newsletter of Disciples Christian Church
In This Issue
- Updated Prayer Requests
- Christmas Brunch
- Give 2 the Troops
- Young at Heart – tonight!
- Christ Bell
- 2009 NTA Leader Event
- From The TechnoManor
- Music Notes
Updated Prayer Requests
- Anton Garza, young nephew of Daniel Gonzalez, is hospitalized with an
infection in his feeding button.
They hope to have surgery to correct this soon.
- Shane Shupak, Jan & Ean Sullivan’s son-in-law, will return to
The prayer requests in The Link each week are recent
updates. A list of ongoing prayer requests appears in our worship bulletin each
Sunday.
Clark’s Clips
Finally! Somebody got it right! Let’s all throw shoes instead of bombs and
grenades. In this world, where many
nations and people think the United States walks all over them, what more
fitting response could there be? In this
world, in which hope, peace, joy, and love seem so remote, let’s throw shoes at
each other if we have a disagreement.
Better yet, let’s throw slippers: if our aim is good it wouldn’t hurt
quite so much!
Well now,
seriously, I pray that we stop killing and maiming each other. That’s what I really want for Christmas. At my age I don’t want material
presents. I’ve accumulated so much that
I would be happier hearing from my kids and grandkids and great-grandkids. Better yet, I would like to watch them get their
presents. And then I would like to get
down on the floor and play with them.
(Of course, someone would have to get me up afterwards, and that would
be a ‘gift’ much appreciated too!) I
would be very happy playing some rollicking music with the adults who are
instrumentalists. Plus what could be
more enjoyable than swapping stories among us all?
Did you
notice I didn’t mention feasting? I
would rather the hungry of the world get fed.
I dream that the homeless get sheltered.
Let’s make sure orphans get defended.
Find jobs for the unemployed.
Don’t forget good health. For us
oldsters, may the retirement accounts remain solvent!
For all
these things God sent a Son into the world.
Two millennia have gone by and the world is still waiting for the angels’
message to prove true. Each of us must
keep doing what is in our hearts to do, not just at this season, but (like
Scrooge) do it all year long. Welcome
Christmas!
God
bless. GGC
Christmas Brunch
The annual DCC
Christmas Brunch will take place on Sunday morning, December 21 at 9 am. Rebecca Nilsen is organizing this, so call
her with questions at 972-517-9505.
Give 2
the Troops
The Disciples Women’s Ministry is collecting items to send
to our troops through an organization called “Give 2 the Troops”. We have placed a basket in the coffee area
for you to place your items in. There is
also a list of things they request as well as items that they ask us not to
send. The list is also on their web site
give2thetroops.com. Let’s all give to these wonderful defenders
of freedom.
Young at Heart—tonight!
The December dinner group will meet at Donna and
Christ Bell
THE BELL
I KNOW WHO I AM
I am God's child (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15 )
I am united with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17)
I am bought with a price (1 Cor 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ. (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt
I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor.
I am free forever from condemnation (
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil. 3:20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31 -34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor 5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor. 1:21-22 )
I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28 )
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16 )
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12 )
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16). I
am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).. I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor. 6:1). I am God's workmanship (Eph.
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected.
(Phil. 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven (
I belong to God
Do you know
who you are?
2009 NTA Leader Event
“A Movement for
Wholeness in a Fragmented World” is the theme for this year’s Leader Event
which will be held on Saturday, January 31 at Northway Christian Church in
From
The TechnoManor
This week,
one of my readers has answered my plea for questions!
Okay I'll take pity on you and ask
you a question.
My children have set me up on Skype
so that we can see each other when we talk. Kinda like a tv
phone kind of thing. I'd like to set my parents up so they can see their great
grand children and grand children. My question is what is a good enough web cam
to get for their set up which is a 5 year old or so Dell desktop?
A timely question for Christmas.
Let me
give a little background for my readers.
Skype (rhymes with “pipe”) is
both a program and a service allowing you to make free voice and video calls
from one computer to another. You
install a program from Skype’s web site, connect any
missing equipment, then make a voice or video call to another person using the
program.
Skype’s
web site is: www.skype.com.
Skype’s program runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux computers.
To make
voice calls between computers, you need:
- A
fast Internet connection (i.e., cable, DSL, Verizon’s FIOS, or wireless
broadband)
- A
working pair of speakers in the computer
- A
microphone in the computer (or an optional headset)
To make a
video call between computers, you need:
- All
the above
- A
webcam
A webcam is a little widget about the size
of a mobile telephone. It clips to, sits
on, or stands beside your computer monitor and is plugged into your
computer. The webcam looks at you, constantly
taking a picture, and sending the picture to the Internet. You can turn the webcam on or off as you need
it.
One thing
to make sure about your parents’ Dell computer:
it must have a USB port. USB
ports are small rectangular openings begging for a stick of chewing gum. These ports are on the back or front of
desktop computers. Following is an
illustration from a Dell manual that may help locate the USB ports:
Webcams
have a cable that plugs into the USB port.
Fortunately, webcams are powered by the USB port, so there’s
no extra batteries or AC cord needed.
Following
are a few considerations when buying a webcam:
- It
should have a built-in microphone.
Most do. This alleviates the
need for a separate microphone (or headset).
- For
good video quality, look for 640 x 480 pixels or more (i.e., make sure the
numbers are greater than 640 and 480)
- Many
new laptop computers have a built-in webcam and microphone. This won’t apply to desktops.
I can
suggest these webcams for under $100:
Logitech’s QuickCam Communicate Deluxe
QuickCam Communicate MP
Microsoft LifeCam VX-3000 (the
one I use)
LifeCam
VX-5500
LifeCam
VX-6000
You can
find webcams at most electronics stores (Best Buy, Fry’s, or
|
Some personal observations about using webcams and Skype: ·
Having a webcam staring at you can be a little disconcerting at
first. ·
If your vision permits, take your glasses off! They reflect the light from your computer
monitor. ·
You have to remember to look at the camera to give the viewer
at the other end the sense of making eye contact. This can be a little tricky since you also
want to watch the monitor to see the other person. (see me at right) ·
Expect to focus the webcam manually.
They usually have a barrel that rotates like traditional film cameras. ·
My wife and I use Skype with webcams so she can get her doggie fix
when away on trips. Moving the webcam
around to show the dogs is tricky.
This won’t be a problem for your parents. However, for your children, moving their
webcam around to show their children can be an
jarring experience. |
|
I know
this is more than you asked for, but sometimes I get carried away. However, using Skype for making video calls
is a great way for all generations to keep in touch.
Please
send your technical questions to
and
I’ll answer one each week in The Link. And I’m not afraid of begging for questions,
either!
Dave
Gillen
Music
Notes
by Laura Young
Music
Notes
Wow! Thank you to the Chancel Choir, to Julie, Dave, Ty and Kimberly
for narrating and to Mike and Dave for running sound on the 14th. You did a
wonderful job!
Handbell Choir photo: Immediately following the Dec. 21st
worship, all Handbell Choir members are asked to meet in the chancel for five
minutes for a photo. Thank you!
MUSIC
DEPT. SCHEDULE
Wed., Dec.
17th Chancel Choir
Handbell
Choir
Sun., Dec.
21st BELLS ONLY. Set up
Wed., Dec.
24th
Sun., Dec.
28th special music- no choir or bells
Wed., Dec.
31 no rehearsals
Sun., Jan.
4th special music - no choir or bells
Wed., Jan.
7th Chancel Choir resumes at
For more
information on the DCC music programs, or to have upcoming concerts included in
the Link, please contact Laura Young, DCC Music Director. Thank you!
The
In order to follow Jesus and worship God, we will serve our neighbors. We will minister to our fellow Christians. We will live and tell the good news of Jesus
Christ in all we do.
Disciples Christian Church Staff
Diane & Galen Clark, Co-Transitional Pastors
Laura Young, Music Director
Linda Gulick, Preschool Director
Julie Chen, Pianist
Jan Carter, Administrative Assistant
Dave Gillen, Webmaster frenchygrey@gmail.com
Miranda Prince, Nursery Attendant
email: theoffice@dccplano.com
phone: 972-398-2240