The Link
The Weekly E-Newsletter of Disciples Christian Church
January 29, 2009
In This Issue
- Updated Prayer Requests
- Calling all Deacons!
- Men’s Bible Study
- Disciples Womens’ Ministry
- Sanctuary Flowers
- Relief Nursery of
- NTA Leader Event
- Disciples Crossing Workday
- From The TechnoManor
- Music Notes
Updated Prayer Requests
- Gena Hurst’s brother, Brian Humphrey, had prostrate surgery on
January 29.
- Jennifer Caughron, Rev. Diane’s granddaughter, will have a liver transplant
soon.
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
First of
all, we want to thank you all for being so very gracious. You are a wonderful congregation and Galen
and I enjoyed working among you for our Savior.
Our prayers will continue to be with you throughout the weeks and months
to come. We will await hopefully the
news that you have found the right minister to serve among you and lead you to
serve the Lord with gladness.
For that
is our job as Christians: to serve the Lord with gladness! Our God is so good. God loves each one of you with an everlasting
love that will always be with you. God
is your rock and your salvation. Build
upon that rock and you will do well. Be
constant in your faith and diligent in your service.
What
stands out in my mind right now is what has inspired me most recently: your giving at Christmas.
You did so much! It was,
actually, a culmination of service throughout the year, from the New Year’s
celebration to Newcomers Café, to VBS, and on through the year. Your enthusiasm was inspiring. And we are grateful!
May God
guide you and keep you until we meet again!
Diane
Calling all Deacons!
There will be an important
meeting for all DCC deacons immediately following worship this coming Sunday,
February 1. A Head Deacon will be
elected at this time. Also, deacon “teams”
will be selected and scheduled for 2009.
All deacons should plan on attending this meeting.
Men’s Bible Study
Calling
all men! Come join us at IHOP (
Disciples Womens’ Ministry
Please mark your calendars for
the next DWM meeting which will take place next Tuesday, February
3 at 6:30 pm in the Atrium. All DCC
women and their guests are invited and encouraged to attend!
Sanctuary Flowers
If you are interested in providing flowers for the
sanctuary during worship on a particular Sunday, please contact Jan in the DCC
office and let her know the date and occasion for which you are ordering. The cost of a bouquet is $40 (pays for the flowers
plus delivery).
Relief Nursery of
The Relief
Nursery is now open! We are able to provide a part-time therapeutic classroom
for toddlers (expanding to 0-5 years when we reach full implementation),
scheduled daytime respite care for children 0-5, a clothes closet, parenting
education and more. These services are available free of charge to families who
have multiple stress factors. We are currently accepting applications for
families wishing to start in January, as well as accepting applications
from prospective volunteers.
WISH
LIST:
new or
gently used child and adult clothing
new or
gently used children's books and toys
diapers
wipes
baby
formula
Monetary
donations are always helpful, and are tax deductible because we are an approved
501(c)3 organization.
For more
information, please call the Relief Nursery office at 972-665-0298, or check
out reliefnurserycc.org on the web, or talk to Laura Young after church. Thank
you!
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 this Saturday,
January 31 at Northway Christian Church in
Disciples Crossing Workday
Calling all
Disciples! The upcoming
Disciples Crossing Workday will take place on February 28, 2009 from 8 am to 5
pm. You can participate in a number of
ways: pray for the success of the
project, help fund the project, and/or participate in construction, repairs and
clean-up on campus. Remember that love is a verb.
Registration forms are on the Welcome table.
From
The TechnoManor
Free is a
good thing.
Last week
I talked about a little netbook I recently bought and the software I put on
it. I don’t know if you noticed, but
most of the software was free.
I’d like
to revisit the idea of free software this week…besides the fact that my Inbox
is still kinda empty.
In keeping
with a very cheap portable computer, I was able to satisfy almost everything I
needed with free software. Donations
could be made for a few of the programs, but the total cost is pretty low.
If you’re
a non-profit organization, have students in your household, or are yourself a
student, take note!
I’m not
trying to be anti-Microsoft or anti-software company (although I do have my
issues with the big-named security software folks). Just because you pay for a program doesn’t
make it a great program. Conversely,
free software doesn't mean bad software, either.
For my
netbook, I was able to install security software, office productivity software,
and other software for free. Let’s
revisit those programs and add a few more.
I’ll tell you the advantages and disadvantages of each. You can decide if they meet your needs, or if
you need to spend money for something else.
Security
Software
- Windows Firewall: This is part of Windows, so you've
already paid for it. It is fairly simple, and protects your computer from
unwanted Internet access into your computer. That's what a firewall is supposed to
do. More advanced firewalls also watch programs on your computer for unwanted
Internet access out of your computer. This is where you get all the confusing
pop-ups asking your permission. Big
security packages usually turn Windows Firewall off.
Pros:
Free, simple, does the job
Cons:
No outbound Internet monitoring
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AVG
Free: Free version of a larger security
package sold by AVG. Provides basic anti-virus protection. Watches your computer in real time.
Get it at:
http://www.grisoft.com/free
Pros:
Simple, “Good enough” anti-virus, anti-spyware
Cons:
Updates only once a day. Can scan only once a day.
Not the best anti-virus detector on the market.
l
Spybot
Search and Destroy: A solid anti-spyware
package. I scan my computers nightly
with it. It also provides a minimal
level of protection within Internet Explorer.
Get it at:
http://www.safer-networking.org/index2.html
Pros:
Free (author accepts donations, though), Solid, Humorous licensing
agreement
Cons:
Signatures updated once a week.
Occasionally reports legitimate software as spyware.
l
Windows
Defender: Anti-spyware program from
Microsoft. It is included in Windows
Vista and can be downloaded for Windows XP.
Provides basic anti-spyware protection.
I have used this program in the past and was pleased with it.
Get it at:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/defender/default.mspx
Pros:
Free, Clean user interface
Cons:
None come to mind
l
Microsoft
“Morro”: This is a free anti-virus
package that is coming sometime during the summer of 2009. It is a replacement for Microsoft's Windows Live OneCare anti-virus product that
you pay for.
- TrueCrypt:
Free, open source software allowing you to encrypt files and
folders. I use it to protect my
clients' data in case my netbook is stolen. A thief would only see a single file
filled with gibberish.
Get it at:
http://www.truecrypt.org/
Pros:
Free (donations accepted), can encrypt individual files/folders/entire
hard drives, very sophisticated
Cons:
Not for the fainthearted. Need to
feel comfortable with techie concepts.
Productivity Software
- Open
Get it at:
http://download.openoffice.org/index.html
Pros:
Free (they will accept donations), reads and writes Microsoft Word,
Excel, and PowerPoint files
Cons:
Interface is almost like Microsoft
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PowerPoint
Viewer 2007: From Microsoft: Used to view PowerPoint slide shows (if you
didn't install Open
Get it at:
http://downloads.microsoft.com
Pros: Free, Simple
Cons: Can't create or change a PowerPoint slide
show
Synchronizing Among Computers
I take notes on my netbook when I’m with a client. At home, I copy these notes back to my
desktop computer. Sometimes, I’ll edit
or expand on the notes on my desktop. At
some point, the notes on my netbook and my desktop are out of step, and I
forget which is which.
This is where synchronization
comes in. I need some way to keep a file
(e.g., my notes) the same on two (or more) computers. When the file is changed on one computer, it
should automatically make its way to the other computer. And vice versa. The key ideas here are changed files and automatic.
- SyncToy:
This is a freebie from Microsoft.
It will keep pairs of folders synchronized between two computers,
or between a computer and a USB “thumb” drive. You run it when you want to force files
to be synchronized. You can also
schedule it to run with the Windows Task Scheduler so that the
synchronization happens while you’re away.
Get it at:
http://download.microsoft.com
Pros:
Free, Great for keeping files synchronized across multiple computers
Cons:
Terminology and concepts can be confusing. Assumes computers are on the same network
- Windows Live Sync: Another freebie from Microsoft. This keeps pairs of folders synchronized
among two or more computers.
Windows Live Sync uses the Internet to connect the computers. So, the computers could be in the same
room, or across the country. Yet
the folders are kept up-to-date.
Another difference from SyncToy is that synchronization happens
automatically, in the background.
Get it at:
http://sync.live.com
Pros:
Free, Great for keeping files synchronized across multiple computers,
Computers can be in different places
Cons:
Requires a Windows Live account (although this is also free). Microsoft acts as the synchronization
“broker”, so we’re trusting Microsoft isn’t snooping.
Email
I started
using Microsoft Outlook when I worked in the corporate world. It is a very heavy email package, with a
great many features. I manage my
calendar, contacts, and email with it.
It isn’t cheap.
My netbook
is ushering in a philosophy of small and cheap.
Extending that to replacing Outlook, I’ve discovered the following:
- Using my Web browser:
If you have email accounts with Google, Microsoft (Hotmail, MSN, or
Windows Live), or Yahoo, you don’t need an email program. You can use your Web browser (Chrome,
Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Safari).
These major services allow you to manage your personal information,
for free, through a Web interface.
Get them at:
http://mail.google.com (Google)
http://mail.live.com (Microsoft)
http://mail.yahoo.com (Yahoo)
Pros: Free. Google and Microsoft
allow you to use an email program like Windows Live Mail to access the
Web-based stuff.
Cons: Some Web interfaces to email
can be clunky. You’ve also subjected to
advertising. Contacts and Calendar are
not interchangeable between the different services.
l
Windows
Live Mail: This is the successor to
Outlook Express. It manages email, calendar, and
contacts. It's not as elegant as the
full Outlook, but covers the bases well.
If you have a Windows Live account, you can also access your calendar
and contacts from anywhere.
Get it at:
http://download.live.com
Pros: Free. A good replacement personal
information management tool. Can access information from the Web with a Windows Live Account.
Cons: Somewhat tied to Microsoft.
As you can
see, you can get the basic stuff for a computer on the cheap. You just have to know where to look.
And most
of this article was written with Open
Woody is
woofing at me. Cissy is pestering me
with her nose. And PD is staring at me
from the hallway. Guess it's time for a
walk. When I get back, surprise me with
something in my Inbox! You can find it
at:
I answer a
technical question each week in The Link. In the meantime, I'll be trying to make three
greyhounds walk on the sidewalk.
Dave
Gillen
Music
Notes
by Laura Young
MUSIC NOTES:
The
Chancel Choir is currently meeting in the sanctuary from 6:30-7:30 on Wednesday
evenings
and
9-9:25 a.m. on Sunday mornings to warm up before worship.
The
Handbell Choir will resume in February so that we have time to prepare for
Easter music. If you can count to four, distinguish between your right and left
hands, and like to learn and have fun with other people, you possess the basic
qualifications to ring handbells and you are welcome to come try us out! Please
call or email (youngzoo@sbcglobal.net)
Laura Young this month if you are interested in joining the handbell choir.
UPCOMING CONCERTS:
The
Richardson Community Band will present "A Lincoln Tribute" on Sunday,
Feb. 8th at 2 p.m. at the Hill Hall of the
If you are
interested in knowing more about joining one of the musical groups at
Disciples, or know of upcoming music and arts events you wish to have 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
Dr. Charlotte Nabors, Transitional Pastor
Laura Young, Music Director
Linda Gulick, Preschool Director
Julie Chen, Pianist
Jan Carter, Administrative Assistant
Dave Gillen, Webmaster frenchygrey@gmail.com
Stacie Doss, Nursery Attendant
email: theoffice@dccplano.com
phone: 972-398-2240