This is still a little mind-blowing to me, but my daughter Reese is in college. How did that happen? I'm not old enough to have college-age children. Someone explain.
Anyhow Reese is doing great and juggling school and working part-time. Here she is playing ukulele at church a few weeks back.
The video might not be playing right now, but I'll resolve that soon enough. Update: it works now!
Confidently boasting about what I've done or can do is not something that comes naturally to me. However, it is a given that when selling your services as a freelancer that potential clients will want to see some of your previous work. I can't share everything because of certain confidentiality agreements but here's what I've put together so far in a very rough format.
By way of introduction, I've been working in the e-commerce site setup, design and promotion industry for the past six years. Here are a few things that I've worked on personally.
The project that I'm most proud of is the site I maintain and update voluntarily for my family's church, Ferguson Christian Church. I also maintain the church's Facebook pages and Twitter account.
One of my most steady freelance clients is the American Optometric Association. In my role for them, I format email marketing and newsletters for distribution to their paid membership.
I'm the administrator and co-owner of an e-commerce site that sells wedding favors and supplies called HappyIsTheBride.com.
I've set up and contribute to a blog about video editing with my father called ColorBurstVideo.com.
I've set up numerous WordPress blogs including one for a family friend about horse training called FrenchClassicalDressage.com.
Additionally, I have a personal blog, mostly for my own ramblings. So this really doesn't look like much but it's a start. I've left so much out that I simply can't yet talk about. Additionally, if this were a real portfolio it would include screenshots and other examples.
Not to worry, all of this is in progress! In the meantime, this draft will give an introduction.
This is just a quick note to document that I've begun adding a new feature to the Ferguson Christian Church website. It's called GoodSearch.
Here's a new easy way to raise money for your favorite cause. Just start using GoodSearch.com as your search engine and online shopping mall. Every time you search the Internet or make an online purchase at one of their partner merchants, GoodSearch makes a donation to your favorite nonprofit or school and it's powered by Yahoo! so you get great search results!
The links posted here will lead directly to the right page to track the church's ID. Let me know what you think.
My journey as a christian began late in life, after marriage and kids. I was also raised a Catholic and apparently, the learning of Bible verses was not an effective part of my religious education, both formal (PSR class) and informal (sitting in church).
Therefore, it is not surprising that the first verse from the Bible that I memorized was from a movie that came out while I was in college called Pulp Fiction. I imagine that I am like a lot of the group from my generation in that respect. The quote is used fully twice in the film and is spoken by a hitman named Jules, played by one of my favorite actors, Samuel L. Jackson. It goes like this..
Ezekiel 25:17
The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you.
In truth, the film is a classic, though violent in the extreme --a surprise for Quentin Tarantino, to be sure-- and certainly treats the bible quote irreverantly.
FoxTrot recently lampooned the quote for their newspaper and online edition. Since the link I found it on will likely be dead in 205.3592 seconds, I will post a thumbnail below.
Do you want to know the truth behind this Bible verse? It is misquoted.
It's not that this should have been a surprise, least of all to me when I looked it up more recently. I expected it to be a little off obviously, but not by this much.
The 25th chapter of Ezekiel is --in my limited understanding-- a warning and a list of lands and peoples that had turned away from God and to whom His anger would soon be shown. Noted are Ammonites, Moab, Edom, and Philistines. The last section of which, A Prophecy Against Philistia, is the closest in relation to what was said in the movie.
Ezekiel 25:15-17
15 This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
Because the Philistines acted in vengeance and took revenge with malice in their hearts, and with ancient hostility sought to destroy Judah, 16 therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am about to stretch out my hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Kerethites and destroy those remaining along the coast. 17 I will carry out great vengeance on them and punish them in my wrath. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I take vengeance on them.
The effect is not quite as chilling as the movie upon first reading, but when you consider the implications to those living in these lands about to be punished by a living God, it sounds very dire. Check these out for yourself.
The final thought? Not really sure. I'd say that the film-maker should have read the Bible more carefully, but that's not important. Perhaps what I came to realize is that I should read the Bible more and watch movies less, but I didn't need Pulp Fiction to tell me that, now did I?
Okay, what do I really feel? Shame on me. There is still a long way to go. Lord, walk with me.
Updated 2010-04-12
Apparently, this misquote was done on purpose to (a) heighten the dramatic effect and (b) to pay an homage to other films of which Tarantino was a big fan. Now you know!
Tonight at choir practice, I got a moment to talk to Deb about something I've been wondering for a few weeks. I knew there had always been a web site for the Ferguson Christian Church Youth Ministry and I was pretty sure that Nikomas was instrumental in setting it up initially. But knowing that he was moving to Illinois (more info), I wasn't sure who was working on it.
She gave me more information about it and we led into a discussion about what I do for a living and how my expertise could really benefit either the youth group or even the church at large. We talked about different ideas and I realized as I talked more and more about it that it was something I wanted to do very much.
Deb and also Jeannie and Bob were interested in what I had to say. I don't think it has really been discussed much in the Elder's meetings, but perhaps they would be open to the church having a web site. A million ideas for this are swimming in my head right now, but I realize this is only because I've been secretly thinking about it for a while now.
Stacy gave a good sermon this morning leading into thankfulness for the upcoming holiday, but he also touched on the different things we all do as a church family that help support everyone in the family. It nudged me just a little more that I could contribute in this way.
I pray that God is calling me to do something like this. So many times, I've found myself listening to Stacy (and Mike, before him) and thinking that the minister was speaking directly to me. First day I came to church here it was that way and it has continued that way repeatedly. Yet it was not the man talking to me, but someone ... no, not someone, God speaking though them, planting seeds in my life that are helping me to grow. With Lisa's new foray into the world of communications, I think that she is going to be helping with this website idea too.
Okay, now to plan...
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