My dad is doing some reorganizing of his DDM Garage Doors web site. He recently put up a comprehensive overview of garage door springs that covers both torsion springs and extension springs. He's got over 6000 springs for sale to do-it-yourselfers who feel confident in how to replace their own springs after reading my dad's spring replacement tutorial. I'm working on finishing up a shopping cart application to facilitate easier ordering and purchasing of the right spring for your needs. It's tough to balance that with my "real" job, wedding preparation, friends, and other activities.

A while back, I found out about the Google Apps service that allows you to host Google applications, such as Mail, Chat, Calendar, Sites, and Docs using your own domain name. I set this up for erichmusick.com and have been using it for quite some time. I'm hoping to set this up for my fiancee, Ellen, once we get married. She's a big fan of Gmail's themes, so I wanted to make sure Google made this functionality available in Apps Mail. When I looked in my Settings initially, I did not see the option to use a different theme. After doing a little digging, I found out how to enable themes for my domain's Google Mail application.

Enabling Themes for Google Apps Mail accounts

1. Log on to your Google Apps control panel. The URL will look something like https://www.google.com/a/cpanel/yourdomain.com/Dashboard
2. After logging in, from the navigation across the top, click the Domain Settings button.
3. Under New Services and Pre-release Features, there are two check boxes. Click both of them:
   

   

4. Click the Save changes button.

I cannot guarantee that this will enable themes for your instance of Google Apps Mail. However, this is what worked for me and, assuming that Google has rolled this out to all their Apps users, this should work for you as well!

One of my gracious readers pointed out to me that he received an error when trying to comment on my LTD article. The CAPTCHA image was not showing up because I was exceeding my disk quota. I've resolved the issue and now you should be able to comment on my articles again. Please let me know if you encounter any additional problems!

I've been getting a lot of comments recently in response to my post about Leadership Team Development, Quixtar, Amway, and Greed. I've got a few additional thoughts I'd like to share real quickly:

1. If you're considering responding, please use the Scriptures in your response. My concern is with peoples' souls, and how involvement in the organization affects their relationship with Christ. My standard for living is God's Word. I am not interested so much with what man has to say, but with what God reveals to us in His Word.
2. Consider Proverbs 30:8-9: "Remove falsehood and lies far from me; / Give me neither poverty nor riches / Feed me with the food allotted to me; / 9 Lest I be full and deny You, / And say, "Who is the LORD?" / Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God."

I originally wrote this article as an e-mail to a friend before he graduated from Wheaton College this past spring. I've edited it a little bit to make it more applicable to others who have recently graduated. So you're aware, though, if you're looking for generic advice about what it's like to be done with college, this may not be the article for you. If you know me well or have read much of my web site, you'll know that my relationship with Christ is pretty important to who I am. Much of what I share here reflects my beliefs and may not apply to you if you don't believe similarly. But, feel free to read anyway and let me know what you think.

I attended the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Anyone who is attending or has attended MSOE will tell you that the school requires a lot from its students. The school seems to accept nearly anyone but only a small percentage of those who start there actually graduate from the school. There is a lot of pride, in some strange way, that goes along with that ... those students who are able to make it see their education as superior and more difficult to obtain than that which is provided by other schools in the area, namely Marquette and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The general consensus was that MSOE students had to work harder than most "other" students and, therefore, are not subject to the notion that when you graduate from college your life actually gets busier. That assumption is partially correct.

My junior year of college was by far my busiest year of college and I undoubtedly have more free time now than I did during that year. I remember days, weeks, where nearly all I did was go to class, eat, run, do homework, and sleep (aside from taking a day of rest on Sundays). My senior year was quite a bit easier. I had a little more free time during the day and in the evenings. So, I that's a bit long winded, but hopefully it helps provide a foundation for a few "conclusions" I've drawn about working:

1. I do, indeed, have more free time than when I was in school, in that my nights are not filled with homework.
2. I don't have as much free time as when I was school, in that I can't take an hour break in the middle of the day to go run an errand or take a nap, chat with a friend, etc. Well, I suppose I can - that's what lunch is for - but I like to keep my lunches shorter so that the end of the day comes a little sooner.
3. I don't have as much free time as when I was in school, in that my weeknights fill up quickly with activities. I find that I have time really to do only one activity per night. Monday nights, I eat dinner at a friend's house and play volleyball afterward. Tuesday nights, it's my turn to cook for my roommates. Wednesdays and Thursdays are open. Fridays, I play volleyball. The main difference between this and school is that I get to choose which activities to do.

I lived in the dorms all four years of college, so this may vary based on people's unique situations, but I've found that living "on your own" is a bit different. You've got more responsibilities. There are dishes that need to be done, meals that need to be cooked, a house / apartment that needs to be cleaned, and so forth. These tasks have to fit in with the other activities you've got going on in the evenings. One thing my roommates and I have done is to take turns cooking. Each of us cooks one night of the week, which leaves the other free to have a little bit more time to do what they need to do. It works well, but you need to have people that are willing to cook, try new things, and not just throw in a pizza every week.

Before I started my job, someone commented that my paycheck would be about 60-70% of what my salary actually is. This is true. I think mine is actually 50%, after I do all the 401k, medical and dental insurance, employee stock purchase plan, and other benefits that Metavante provides. But, planning for the future and investing is part of wise money management, so it's all in all a good thing.

In school, you have a lot more vacation time than when you're working. MSOE was on the quarter/trimester system, and we had a week-long break after each "quarter." Those two weeks, coupled with the week for spring break and two weeks for Christmas accounted for five weeks of vacation in a year, not to mention the flexibility in a summer job of taking a day off here or there if the need arose. Once you start working, it is rare to get five weeks of vacation. I heard someone comment recently that most people who actually get that much vacation time are too important to their company and too busy to actually use it.

Building friendships once you're done with college is a lot more challenging. For those who attend a Christian college or are deeply involved in a Christian organization on campus, you're surrounded by lots of great people who are your own age and share your beliefs and love for the Lord. When you work, you aren't necessarily with other people your own age, let alone people who follow Christ. Several of my friends have gotten or are getting married soon, and I feel like I'm losing them to a certain extent, and it's easy to feel lonely and friend-less. Be sure that, wherever you end up, you find a good church to get involved with where there are people who can hold you accountable to your walk with the Lord as you begin this new stage of your life. You might not be able to find a church where there are a lot of believers your age, but don't let that hold you back from getting involved ... we all, as believers, need that fellowship.

On a similar note, living in the world is not always easy. Even though I went to a secular (yet private) college and public schools all my life, I still feel like being in the "real world" has opened my eyes to some things that I had never seen before. In school, I was surrounded by other Christians because of my involvement with InterVarsity. Now that I'm working, I work with a bunch of people who are lost and need Christ. And their actions, their attitudes, their language reflects that. Last summer, I was in a training program at work. The group of people I was with consisted of recent college grads like me, which was great, but I remember saying to another Christian in the group, "Dude, do you ever feel like you don't fit in with these people?" ... and he shared my sentiment. I felt like I had little in common with these other individuals in my group. They are all concerned with going out and having a good time on the weekend, finding a hot girl to mess around with, making lots of money to buy a nice car, condo, house, or fun toys. Contrast that with the attitude Christ has called us to have, and those things which he has called us to value. "Do not be drunk with wine, but be filled with the Holy Spirit." Drinking is pervasive and commonplace. It's not that a little alcohol is bad once in a while, but people our age like to go out and get drunk. And it can be awkward if you don't go along with it. I don't mean to sound all negative, but it's one of those things which takes an adjustment when moving into the "real world." I guess people's attitudes weren't much different when I was in school, but I didn't notice it as much because I hung out mostly with believers.

For those who have recently graduated or will soon be graduating: I hope I haven't overwhelmed you with any of this ... just remember that God gives us the grace to take things one day at a time, one small step at a time. Just take things in stride...and do all things through Christ's strength as unto Christ and not man.

With all the hubbub about same-sex marriages out in California, the topic of homosexuality is quite prevalent right now. I came across an article this morning which discussed homosexual behavior in animals. This article suggests that, since scientists have observed that "same-sex lovin' is common in hundreds of species," that it must be natural for humans. If it were not natural, then apparently that trait would have evolved out of the gene pool. The author quotes a biologist at Georgetown as saying, "The funny thing is that people say homosexuality is unnatural, that non-humans don't engage in homosexual behavior, but that's not true. Then they'll say it's base and animalistic."

So much for what God says about this.

In my Bible study at church, we're going through Romans; next week we'll be studying the latter part of chapter 1. It has a few very clear words to say about this topic:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

Romans 1:18-32

So, you could really say that humans have "evolved" ... but not in the way we normally think of evolution. Usually evolution suggests improvement. In this case, it is the reverse. We have actually worsened our situation. When the world was created, all was perfect. But Adam and Eve disobeyed God, and sin reigned.

Thankfully, Christ came to earth and died on the cross to save us from our sin ... to redeem not just those who practice homosexuality, but all of us, because we all have sinned, and all sin is worthy of death. In Romans 5, we learn, "For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. 18So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men." Adam's one sin brought death for us all. But Christ's death brought life to all who believe in him.

LTD is Quixtar is Amway

In the past few months, I've been contacted by several individuals about joining Leadership Team Development. I did a little bit of research and found hints at a connection between LTD and Quixtar. I asked one of the individuals who had contacted me and she told me straight out that LTD is Quixtar. I did a little additional research and found out that LTD is headed up by Larry and Pam Winters, a couple who is "Double Diamond" pin level with Quixtar (see Quixtar Wiki). So, for anyone who is wondering, LTD is Quixtar. And, we all know that Quixtar is Amway.

The Perils of joining LTD, Quixtar, or Amway

These organizations (or should I say "this" organization, singular, since it's all really the same thing) portray an "overt Christian emphasis" at "the rallies, events, and in the motivational material"¹. Having only gone to these seminars when I was very young, I can't speak to the accuracy of the Amway / Quixtar "Christian gospel" message, but it is clear to me that the members' greedy pursuit of worldly riches conflicts with Christ's preaching. My dad, who used to be a part of Amway and was motivated by Larry Winters' tapes, described Amway's "motivational meetings as nurtured by and nurturing greed." Nurturing greed while also proclaiming the Gospel is dangerous and often leads people to the conclusion that Christ came and died on a cross to make us prosperous or wealthy here on this earth. This is a different gospel than the one Christ preached.

Following are some thoughts I've gathered about this topic - the dangers of greed, and how the pursuit of wealth stands in opposition to what should be our greatest treasure: Christ.

But first, I'll reference another guy's comment I found while doing some research about LTD.

I found it offensive that this couple tried to bill this as a ministry opportunity. I went, and took the wife with me because I really liked the couple, we need some friends, and they seemed genuine. Now, I wonder. I wanted to do some networking in the Christian world. Since I'm in finance for Christians, that is an important part of what I do. I did not expect to be invited to satiate my greed and carnal laziness. Oh yeah, did mention that one could make enough to take one's child to Costa Rica to study Spanish, and work from there? Or that you could work only a few hours a day and make a quarter million?

It's sad that people fall for this, but then it meets our most basic and carnal desires. We are sinfully lazy, lust for power and wealth, and are inherently rebellious towards those in authority. To be self-employed, make a lot of money, and do it in very few hours seems great right? It's too good to be true, and don't be taken in.

Excerpt from "LTD's Pyramid Scheme"

In my conversation with the second individual who invited me to join LTD, I was told, "Yes, people can be wealthy and a Christian ... lol ... I never knew either." I'm not contesting the fact that someone can be both wealthy and a Christian. I just wonder how closely the pursuit of wealth, fame, popularity, knowledge, pleasure, etc, aligns with the pursuit of Christ. How does seeking after riches measure up to seeking Christ's kingdom first? Revelation 22:20 says, "He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming quickly.' Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!" Can I sincerely pray "Come, Lord Jesus" while musing, "Show me the money!"? Is eager anticipation of Christ's imminent return congruent with the pursuit of riches?

My point is not to suggest that earning money is a bad thing. It isn't. I have a job, I'm earning a living. I would be a bad steward of those gifts which Christ has entrusted to me if I did not work. But, my chief goal in life is not to earn a lot of money, to "make it big" or to be successful, as the world defines it. Rather, my desire is to know Christ and make Him known. (You can read more of my thoughts about success in my paper, "Happiness Through Humility".)

John Piper discusses the surpassing value of the pursuit of Christ in his book, Don't Waste your Life. Piper comments, "God created us to live with a single passion to joyfully display his supreme excellence in all the spheres of life. The wasted life is the life without this passion. God calls us to pray and think and dream and plan and work not to be made much of, but to make much of him in every part of our lives" (emphasis added). I simply cannot comprehend how building up treasure for myself here on earth makes much of Christ in my life.

What you think about, what you talk about betrays the state of your heart. I'm reminded of Luke 6:45 - "The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." What is the abundance of your heart speaking?

Earthly riches will pass away. Recall James 1:9-11, "Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits."

My concern is simply that the appeal of wealth and material success can be such a great temptation and we need to guard our hearts against our desire to pursue those things. These things are passing away with this world, but the word of Christ will stand.

On January 8, 2006 Joshua Harris gave a sermon titled Affluenza - the Disease of Greed at Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, MD. They no longer have the MP3 available on their web site, though I'm sure they would provide it upon request. Anyway ... I wish I could post the entire sermon text here - Harris hits the nail on the head when he preaches on Luke 12:13-21.

Sixteen out of the 38 parables of Jesus deal with money, possessions, their use, and their relationship to us.

Jesus never condemned wealth in and of itself, but he knows how easily our hearts can make money our god. Jesus knows and he wants us to understand that one of the greatest, if not the greatest hindrance to spiritual life and spiritual growth is material wealth and the temptations it brings with us. Friends, if we ignore the dangers of affluenza, we put ourselves in great spiritual peril.

Jesus says to all of us, "you DO have a money problem." Money has too much of your heart. God wants us to see that when it comes to money problems, our greatest concern should be avoiding the pitfalls of covetousness.

Greed says that the quality of life, their worth is measured in the size of their bank account and the quality and quantity of their possessions. But in verse 15, Jesus warns us not to fall prey to this mindset. He says, "Take care. Be on your guard against all covetousness. Watch out for it because, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." In other words, watch out, don't believe the lie of greed. Don't buy into it. Because if you do, you'll pass by what truly matters in life."

Greed blinds us. It blinds us to what is truly important in life. It blinds us to spiritual realities and Jesus illustrates that by telling us a story of a rich man who has believed the lie of greed. It's important to note that Jesus doesn't say that having money or being skilled at making money is wrong ... The issue is how we view the money we have, how we use the money we have. The rich man's problem is not that he is rich, but that he is selfish. He hoards what he has. He uses it for his own pleasure and he puts his trust in his wealth.

Where do you put your trust? Is it in your wealth? Is it in the "safety" of America? Would you be satisfied if you never earned more than 40k per year (+ whatever normal inflation is)? Would you be satisfied with less? Or is your life meaningless if you can't earn a bigger salary, have a bigger house, nicer car, and more possessions?

I like what Paul says in Philippians 4:12 - "I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need." Paul's happiness is not contingent upon worldly success. His life is not caught up in the pursuit of financial gain. Rather, it is in knowing Christ. Earlier in the book (1:21-24), he says, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account." Earthly riches are the absolute last thing on Paul's mind. For that matter, anything that is "of this world" is of no concern to Paul. His only reason for desiring to remain on earth is so that he may encourage the Philippians in their pursuit of Christ.

What is the state of your heart? For what do you live? Do you live to earn a lot of money, to buy a large house, to "keep up with the Joneses?" Or do you live to proclaim Christ's message of salvation to this lost and desperately needy world? When you face Christ on that final day, will you joyously receive his praise, "Well done, good and faithful servant," or will the way you live now require you look on Him with head hung low and receive his reprimand, "You wicked and lazy servant"?

References

• ¹"Amway and Quixtar - Are They Selling Jesus With the Soap?" by Nathan Ray Thomas, 10/1/2002.

My dad recently sent me a link to Quantcast, a service which ranks and provides demographical information on your web site's visitors. I checked out their details on my web site and found the following comment:

This site reaches fewer than 2000 U.S. monthly uniques. The site caters to a younger, mostly female, more educated audience.

I always knew I was popular with the ladies ... I just never had any evidence to prove it. According to Quantcast, I have 139% as many female visitors as the "Internet average" and only 59% as many male. I wonder why I didn't have a girlfriend until recently. Oh well, I'm not complaining. I'd rather wait for the right person than pursue a bunch of wrong ones. And, I prefer meeting people in "real life," not this virtual world that the internet has created.

I like the fact that my site appeals to a more educated audience. I wonder if the papers I've posted attract that sort of audience. Or is it my blog? Does anyone (besides Stan and random Google searchers) read my blog? I'm not really sure.

I've got to look into Quantcast a little more to learn how their rating system works. I wonder how they find out those sorts of details.

I've posted my pictures from Germany! I originally uploaded them to Picasa Web but was frustrated at the fact that all 500 thumbnails from a single album were displayed on a single page. It locked up Firefox for a few minutes while it loaded all of them. So, I've set up an install of Plogger on my server and posted my images there. Thankfully the author of Plogger had the foresight to include pagination. What a concept.

View my Germany Trip photo gallery

At some point, I'd like to write a somewhat detailed outline or description of all that we did during our trip to Germany, but time is escaping me. The photo albums serve this purpose in part, but do not depict all our varied activities and fun stories of our time in Germany ... Laugenbretzel (pretzel) snacks in the Berlin Hauptbahnhof, getting yelled at in German at the Munich train station because we inadvertently ate our Subway and Doener in Burger King's seating area, etc. It was definitely a trip to remember!

We got back from Germany yesterday evening and are getting situated back into "normal" life. As much as I enjoyed the trip and being in Germany, I must say that it's been good to be back in the English speaking world.

Between the last time I wrote (from Berlin) and the time we returned, we did a lot of awesome stuff which I'd love to write about but don't have the time, considering I've got to head out to work in a little while here. I'll try to write a few things later this week.

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