My First Wall Street and NASDAQ Pilgrimage

I made my first trek to Wall Street and NASDAQ this week and I wish the same for any financial services professional or MBA.

The vibe was electric and the visit made everything experienced to get to this point worth it all.

I do have a "how do you like me now?" for my former employer that provided the entry point into the financial services industry. Even your policies, procedures, and management style was worth going through in order to get here.

I thank my current employer for their confidence and trust that I would continue to do a great job after previous such trips to Tampa, FL, Charlotte, NC, and Sandy (Salt Lake City), Utah in addition to my regular duties in Alpharetta, GA.

I thank God for making this happen and for blessing me beyond what I could ask or think!

Now I must return to the valley with incredible power from on High!

Peace!

Going tomorrow to the City of My Birth: Jersey City, NJ

On tomorrow, I am scheduled to go back to the city where I was born--Jersey City, NJ and work for a week with my employer's offices there.

The last time that I was in Jersey City was in 1996 for a Smith family reunion.  Prior to that, I believe that it was in 1991 for a funeral and probably 1977 before then.

To say the least, returning there is raising multiple emotions, thoughts, and what ifs about where and who would I be.

What if my family at the ultimatum of my mother did not move to Nichols, SC in 1971?

What career path would I have been placed on?

What hobbies and lifestyle would I have if I still lived in Jersey City?

Would I still live if I lived in Jersey City and had not moved?

Thanks to Google Maps, I am able to see multiple places that I have vivid memories of but do not know how to get to and from.

So I am plotting my travels from a satellite eye's view.  I like to have a feel for a city now before I ever set foot on the ground.

At the family reunion in 1996, my mother and wife double teamed me on not exactly knowing where I was going to the point that I bought a map, studied it while they were taking a nap, and flawlessly drove from that point on.  I was waiting for them to compliment me on the improvement, but you know how women are:) 

They just rubbed it in more while laughing about it.  But I knew that they knew:)

I had a conversation with a first cousin Thursday night and he had not been back longer than I have.  Within the conversation, he mentioned that I would be safely "sheltered" while there and I realized that there were some areas such as the old neighborhood that I had better remember from the brief daytime visit in 1996 there.

I have no intentions of trying to revisit my past in depth on this trip, but I am planning on soaking up The Big Apple next door.

I have not been to New York as an adult and now working within the financial services industry, thoughts of being in the financial district is magnetic to me right now.

The New York Stock Exchange is not open to tours since 9-11-2001 and I do not have any contacts that could get me in as a working professional.

But to take a photo of the Wall Street Bull is going to be an objective on next Thursday for sure.

I may be able to see NASDAQ open that morning in the Times Square location as well and that would be totally cool.

To say that I am pumped up is indeed an understatement.

Another what if is after my bike accident last summer--what if I did not survive the experience?  I thank You God for keeping me alive and nothing in my life has been less than gravy since the experience.

I could just as easily be dead as these words are created.

Overall, this trip is going to be a memorable one and one filled with thanksgiving, gratitude, and wonder.

I thank God for my employer in having full confidence to send me to every call center outside of the one where I work.  Going to Tampa, Charlotte, Salt Lake City, and now Jersey City before celebrating my first anniversary of working for the company has made every experience in getting to this point worth it all.

I hold no grudges even against my entry point into the industry (first financial services employer) but I am more competitive to smash them in any way possible just to show them what their policies and practices pushed out the door.

This trip is to date the capstone of my experience within any industry of employment thus far.

As a minister, anywhere that people have been saved is a blessing, so the secular employment cannot ever compare.

Seeing someone get saved while in Jersey City would be a wonderful bonus though. 

I will share more how God moves throughout this coming week as well as have photos on my dotMac page.

God is indeed good and worthy to be praised!

Peace!

Obama Has Energy While Hillary Looks Cheneyish!

I am glad that I have my roles clearly defined at least in my mind and do not have to make a tough decision in who to finance in their run for president tonight.

But history has taught me enough things about people and appearances to better understand human nature enough to make a solid prediction on who will win the Democratic Party's nomination for president.

I was just looking at some photos of the leading contenders' cross country appearances and fundraising efforts and saw some interesting things.

New York Senator and former First Lady Hillary Clinton suffers from the same problem that crippled former vice-president Al Gore's presidential bid before our nation was raped in broad daylight with the more than a conspiracy of events that happened in Florida 2000:  she is too busy trying to look presidential while it appears stiff, false, and untrustworthy.

I say this whether it is the right, wrong, good, or bad impression of her in spite of her credentials.

I remember seeing a photo of defeated presidential candidate Gore partying like it was 1999 with his hands in the air like he didn't care either on the election night or when the final decisions were made and if enough people saw their genuine warmth and zest for life, they would have gotten and will get more votes and donations.

But the attempt to appear presidential only builds the ranks of those who wish to throw stones without regard to the person's ability.

While I do not want or expect Senator Clinton to appear within the upcoming spring break season dropping it like it's hot, but I would prefer to see her shake the handcuffs and shackles that what would have been the right thing to do in decades past for a more lively persona.  Where is Chelsea in all of this?  Did she not learn anything from her husband and what attracted people to him right or wrong?

In looking at Illinois Senator Barack Obama's photos, he is having a blast and the charisma race is over in his favor hands down at this point.

Notice that I have not gone to the point of addressing the unspoken but visible elephant of race and racism and if American citizens are indeed at the point of electing a black man as president. 

Somehow I had felt as if a black man would finally be elected president after a nationwide toxic and dysfunctional American experience, but I may be right about this point after all.

Yet after looking at the photos and video appearances, the race is for Senator Obama to lose at this point because, Senator Clinton is looking like a before photo for either a spa treatment or cosmetic surgery.

All presidents' hair turn gray while they are in office and especially if they win a second term.  At this rate, I abhor to think of the impact of the stress of the Oval Office on Senator Clinton.

I firmly believe at this point that she would make a grand Vice-President with Senator Barack Obama as the presidential nominee simply for her health alone.  Standing at attention for a self-righteous appearance would drive anyone crazy trying to keep up appearances.

Cheney somehow would look at her and say "I wish I had thought of that!"

With so much on the line, it clearly appears as if the ball to win the White House could be dropped if candidates feel as if this is their only shot.  Right now, it would take skills that I am still having developed to see who has the spirit to "stand down" in order for the Democratic Party to win the White House versus going for the individual win.

Peace!

Danger within "The Secret"

Last night, I watched an episode of Oprah on the DVD movie and book entitled "The Secret" and to say the least, I am deeply troubled by the discussions at the trap set for both the unsaved world and babes in Christ.

I went to YouTube and saw the actual multiple clip footage of "The Secret" and basically it is the offering of the following Scripture:

Galatians 6:7-8 (King James Version) with italics, underlining, and bold text added by myself:

 7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

But the danger of "The Secret" is that it attempts to offer God's word without God and raises multiple identities and beliefs equal to the Son of God Jesus Christ.

There is nothing within the DVD, book, or Oprah's show that directly attempts to minimize the significance of Jesus Christ, but these venues attempt to elevate every other deity, route, or person of influence known and unknown to man to be equal with Him.

There was a Christian woman within the audience of Oprah's audience that had a look of confusion and clearly felt uneasy at the way the teachings of various experts and authors were lifting up "The Secret" and to comfort her, a minister named Dr. Michael Beckwith spoke to her from a Christian perspective.

But the conversation quickly moved to include other ways, doors, and routes to God which is totally contrary to:

John 14:6 (King James Version)

 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

I know that there is a lot of touchy feely, "you are empowered", within the teachings of mankind and televised programs such as Oprah, but clarity has to exist within the kingdom of God.

I admire everything that God has done within and through Oprah, but leaving the opportunity for others to occupy a position anywhere on the level of Christ Jesus is fallacy and eternally self-destructive.

One clip that I remember seeing live and on YouTube has Oprah attempting to please too many people while revealing that there is something clearly missing within her version and beliefs of Christianity.

After God's chastisement and correction for having opened the door to simply view "The Secret" that I received this morning, I know that I must share what I have received this morning as a result of simply viewing the movie and teachings.

The "law of attraction" is Galatians 6:7-8 expressed in an easy packaged way and it is indeed clever.  But what is need by more Christians including myself is to firmly explain God's word in such a way that will not leave any room for misunderstanding and misapplication for all Christians alike.

We must continue to use the bait and reward that God has already given to us without allowing it to be watered down and bring every other doctrine and wind to bring anyone or anything to equality with Christ Jesus.

Luke 9:48 states "And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great."

2 Corinthians 10:5 (King James Version)

5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

To anyone that professes any other way to coexist and share the throne with Christ and claims to be a Christian I ask, where is the captivity and where is the sovereignty of Christ?

Another reference link on the movie itself has been located at Wikipedia. Please note the heavy push to market the movie that caused one speaker within the movie to request to be excluded from further activities.

I encourage each of us today to raise up the single banner of the Holy Trinity, march onward Christian soldier, and fight the good fight of faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

In Him and only in Him, we move, live, and have our being!

Godspeed!

Hats Off To The Colts, You've Beat The Best Team in the NFL:)

Well Super Bowl XLI is in the history books and the Indianapolis Colts have beaten my Chicago Bears by almost exceeding the margin that I expected the Bears to win by.

 

It was a great game and I still had a lot to cheer about especially at the game opening Hester kickoff return for a TD.

 

There was the conservative philosophy that said, "Don't let Manning beat you deep" but instead we let him beat us short.

 

I would have preferred seeing a change implemented to at least challenge him.

 

But hey, you cannot win them all and all you Saints fans enjoyed the game from home:)

 

We will be back next year and our defense is still equipped to bring the pain!

 

Here are a few observations from the game.

 

Congratulations especially to the Dungy family and I know that your faith has kept you whole.

 

My employer had advertised in the third quarter and the ads were pretty good. 

 

I enjoyed Prince at the halftime show and "Purple Rain" in the rain was poetic.  His time appeared to be shortened somehow.

 

The Toyota Tundra commercials were pretty good and the Budweiser commercial with the dog getting his spots through the mud was funny.  It never made me thirsty for one though:)

 

I have never been to Miami yet and everything about the city said that deep pockets is the requirement for entry.  I am so glad to have family and a frat brother there when the time comes to visit:)

 

Just hearing the Colts' CEO praising God on the international platform was fantastic and he did not hesitate to pass the trophy to Dungy.

 

Dungy's continued praise as "Christian coaches" is worth the Bears' loss on the scoreboard itself.

 

I now look forward to seeing the doors opening in unforeseen ways after this Super Bowl.

 

What a way for Black History Month to begin on this first Sunday in February!  Records were indeed made.

 

Peace! 

 

 

The Turnaround Continues: Is Hip Hop Dead?

Last night was nothing short of a miraculous blessing for all involved.

Lives were given to Christ and multimedia content that contained negative lyrics and/or lifestyle were destroyed after an extremely powerful skit based on a real-life event.

Ministry does not get any better than this.

The youth were witnesses to gospel hip hop ministry which included myself and I thoroughly enjoyed it as well as learned something while enjoying the others who shared their music ministries.

I always try to learn something with every opportunity and the trend continued last night and should make future performances more powerful.

The skit that led to the youth rededicating their lives and the call that included the statement "maybe you were baptized at an early age and really did not understand what you were doing" really hit home with me with the realization that if children are baptized before 12 that a disconnect is possible if the church does not have an active youth ministry.

Everyone including God wants the children to come to Him, but we cannot allow a revolving door to exist back to a less than holy lifestyle.

At our home church today, we had rehearsal for Black History Month and the youth choir practiced as well.

I am beginning to receive the vision that our youth may be reached with a Saturday early afternoon event that could incorporate everything witnessed over the past 2 weeks and more.

Our vision is looking to incorporate more participants than just within our church as well.

More prayer and listening for direction is going to take place before such an outreach will begin.

Congratulations Greater Bethany, you made a smooth transition, and are blessing more than just the attendees with your efforts!  The kingdom of God is a clear blessed recipient as well.

The boldness for Christ was clearly being demonstrated last night and this is the trend that must be continued worldwide.

Peace!

My Super Bowl Prediction: Bears by 13 Points

I am going on the record to say that I believe that my Bears will beat the Colts by half the amount they beat the Saints!

They beat the Saints by 25 and half that amount is 12.5, so I predict that Da Bears will win by 13 points!

Who is going to say "you told us so" when it comes true:)

Go Bears!

Peace!

Google Has Done It Again To My Surprise! I Am Pleasantly Surprised!

Google is on a roll more than people really recognize.

It is not enough to have a company whose stock price soared upon its IPO and shows promise of going higher, but Google keeps innovating and releasing powerful products both large and small.

Today while using Blogger, I discovered that you can tie Google Reader and Blogger together and share any RSS article that you desire.

There is no faster way than to multiply information that you find relevant and worth sharing without doing a gigantic e-mail blast to people who may not feel the information is as important as you do.

But if there any frequent or once-in-a-blue-moon visitors to this blog, you may more often than not now find something that you would not have discovered otherwise.

I placed my shared Google Reader items at the end of each blog post in order that my shared items would have visibility on both the current items as well as each article as it may appear within a search engine result especially Google's:)

So just look below this immediate post to discover something that may not have crossed your radar before and be sure to check any of the above services as well.  Did I mention that they are all currently free?

Peace!

Turn A Youth Into Producer of the Year!

This product that I am about to share is one of the most phenomenal software programs made for a PC.

I bought it within the past couple of years and have been nothing short of amazed at what it can do.

Hands down, this is the closest neighbor to GarageBand on the Mac platform that a PC can run. I have both and know the similarities well.

When you consider its now rock-bottom price of only roughly $30 (better price than any video game hardware or software on the market), I recommend that any parent, relative, or concerned adult or even big brother or big sister should buy this program called Cakewalk Kinetic for any youth who needs and deserves an outlet for their creativity.


Cakewalk Kinetic Groove Sequencer Software

There is a more recent updated version of the same software that retails at a higher price, but it also requires a stronger computer in order to run it effectively. Even if you were going to buy any other Cakewalk program, buy this software and effectively get a "previous owner of Cakewalk software discount" directly from Cakewalk.

If and when your young man or woman starts producing the next multi-platinum hits or the next jam to make you and your family and acquaintances move, please let me know as well.

I look forward to hearing their compositions!

Peace

Re: Thoughts on last night's service for youth in Atlanta, GA: Is Hip Hop Dead?

There are responses to both your church's focus and recent event as well as my comments and clearly there are more saints around the country and world who are praying for each other to continue our collective efforts to expand the kingdom of God.

I am continually flipping back and forth between our recent messages as I compose this message tonight.

The greatest success that I saw last week was that the curtain of awareness was finally raised for the first time within the eyes of the youth.

Your slideshow had undeniable truths that some African-American artists clearly have not been as responsible with the access to our youth as they should have been.  Their access needs to be reduced and eliminated as much as possible.  But we must remember to continue to pray for these people to be saved or finally live according to the Christian faith that they profess at award shows:)

God loves them still as well.

A couple of analogies come to mind that babysitting or eating out as activities of life are not the problems as are the providers of such services.

Fire and electricity are equally not the enemies and threats as are uncontrolled, ignored, random, and unattended fires and electricity that will destroy our homes, churches, and everything physical that has value.

Again, I raise my point of saying "Hip hop is not really the enemy as failure to "train up a child in the way that they should go" is.  The Scripture must not be falsely restricted to personal responsibility but expanded to include church responsibility as well".

The enemy is not the multimedia that our youth are going to be exposed to regardless of our efforts, but the explicit, negative quality of the content and the lack of parental and mentor involvement within the lives of the youth.  Or better yet, the enemy is the world's system of separating us from our children daily. 

But should we become unemployed and turn them over to the oversight of the states in order to spend more time with them?  Should we begin the first African-American Amish community? 

Should we expect them to wear veils, earplugs, and blindfolds?  By no means are these feasible solutions.  Neither is destroying the devices that will play television programs, DVDs, CDs, MP3s, etc.

Someone has to buy the content in order to destroy it.  Destroyed content can be downloaded and digitally reacquired these days.  The civil rights movement and nonviolent teachings of Gandhi and Rev. King have already proven that boycotts are more effective.  The abstinence message clearly has a place here as well.

Such recommendations to mass destruction of media and electronic devices are better equipped for another battlefield other than ones our youth will find themselves on.  Comments like this are immediately disqualified by the youth.

The youth have simply used the messages of the world to fill the empty spaces that responsible adults should fill with the Word of God and example.

Before last Friday night, the youth had either little awareness of a criteria to judge the messages that they were continually exposed to as good or bad or that they lacked the regular effort, resistance, or courage to say no to their peers and others who were consistently offering the content for them to consume.  I believe that the latter applies more than the former.

The need is to create the ability to push back against the negative peer pressure and content.

Again, your youth only represent what is happening within African-American youth especially and youth overall in society nationwide and worldwide.

Their "immune system" has a deficiency and if we are not careful, spiritual AIDS will be the result.

Through more parental and mentor involvement, their awareness can be raised to the point that they are indeed empowered and equipped to forcefully resist as we pray that they will.

Today's youth have the boldness and zeal that we know that they are capable of, but it is often misdirected.  Only intimate Christian education and corporate church involvement is going to turn this around.

But if the parents see nothing wrong with the content that was shown last week themselves and the artists are not considered threats as a result of releasing the content, then clearly the youth will not be the "cheerful givers" of providing items to be destroyed.

The entertainment companies are just as responsible as they sanctioned each release as well as their shareholders.

Your midpoint service of the series now has the responsibility of providing an alternative or introducing them to an alternative Christian choices more so than destroying existing content.

Provide them with the criteria to make judgment calls as you have done, demonstrate the alternatives or make them just as aware of the suitable alternatives or desired direction (toward God and exalting Him within everything that they do, desire, love, and have an ability for) within gospel hip hop and other talents that they have and develop, and they will destroy or discard the former content on their own.

God looks at the heart and is not as concerned as to what takes place in the eyes of man as He is when we are alone, isolated, and behind closed doors.  Everything else will be just a public show.

Hip hop is just the envelope and not the letter itself just as telling parables and miracles were and still are Christ's tool for delivering the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.

Hip hop and other forms of culture have to be arrested, repossessed, and transformed just as we desire the hearts and minds of the unsaved to be renewed.  We must divide the spoils among the brethren as the Word tells us.  There is no better way to tell the world that God reigns than the "flip the script" on everything the enemy holds in high regard and make it bow down to serve God instead.

To cast away what has been proven to work is not profitable to our cause.

This is where the healing will begin and the seeds of future success will be planted.

By all means keep the dialogue going especially when one side or the other wants silence instead.  Silence expands the generation gap versus closing it.

God's solution is multidimensional and all of us can and will achieve our objectives and missions.  Our descendants (physically and spiritually) depend upon our success.

I am looking forward to witnessing the ministries, testimonies, and active lifestyles of Christians who were not there last week as well as those who did not minister due to the need for conversation that was clearly present.

Finally, one thought that popped back into my head is the shock that I had and still have from the sister who considered the internet as a paid access medium versus for free through local libraries, etc.

The thought makes me wonder if anyone has ever trained our youth how to take full advantage of the technological tools that would have been considered as nuclear weapons when we were their ages. 

One immediate long-term objective that I envision for our youth to fulfill our pastor's vision is to equip them to organize and operate the multimedia ministry within our church (audio, video, text, internet) from A to Z.

Check out this video to see an example of youth on fire:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yzs4IFqSW0U

Any pastor that does not want this kind of fire within the sanctuary raises more questions than answers.

Don't give up and keep marching onward Christian Soldier!

See you and Greater Bethany Friday night God willing.

Peace!

Roney Smith

Sundance is held within Park City, Utah and I did not know it while I was there!

The Sundance Film Festival has been getting a lot of media coverage and it is great since there are film and movie projects that probably would not see substantial screen venues and opportunities otherwise.

The wildest thing about this year's festival for me is that when I went to Salt Lake City in December and made the ride over to Park City, I had no clue that Sundance is held there annually.

What brought it to my attention was in seeing some of MC Hammer's photos that appear on his blog. He had some aerial photos that reminded me of the photos I had taken from my flight. Then I noticed that the white, snow-capped mountains looked more familiar than just by coincidence.

When I later researched the festival and saw that it is held indeed within Park City, I had a new appreciation for the hard climate and determination that each attendee has to put forth to get there and conduct any business.

I have a brief film segment at the bottom of this message that I uploaded on YouTube that I captured while in Park City. The climate is probably colder and more brutal than it was during my trip. But it clearly is not a walk in the park for anyone from warmer climates.

Park City is definitely one city and atmosphere that I look forward to taking my family to one day. While I could live anywhere based upon the trip there, I am not quite sure if Utah could emotionally support my family and I as residents. But I truly admire the spirit and tenacity of the people there. It is clearly a place where the only way to succeed is "all hands on deck".

Best wishes to the Sundance attendees and conference organizers!

Peace!

Thoughts on last night's service for youth in Atlanta, GA: Is Hip Hop Dead?

I have already started putting together this morning some thoughts and recommendations for not only our church based upon our attendance, participation, and observations of the youth service last night, but for other churches worldwide as well.

I heard many of the same sentiments expressed by older saints weeks ago within my own church family in Austell, GA.

The service last night was great and one clear message that rang like a bell to me is that the younger saints between the ages of 22 to 45 within the African-American church really have to step up and make themselves heard at all times.  They have to take a more active role within the lives of youth within the kingdom of God.

These child-bearing years have more natural energy but have not always been there for the youth.  The previous generations of such saints were the ones who took advantage of desegregation and equal employment opportunities but did not always look back to help someone in a less fortunate situation.

Hip hop is not really the enemy as failure to "train up a child in the way that they should go" is.  The Scripture must not be falsely restricted to personal responsibility but expanded to include church responsibility as well.

Everything within earth was created by God and without Him was nothing made.  There are no evil notes on any keyboard, drum set, or guitar string.  Only through not including God within every aspect of life does perversion begin to grow. 

There is no power other than God.  Yes, satan exists but he is devoid of power unless he is GIVEN power by someone.

Freewill is still more powerful than the enemy's devices and this is where he only "appears" to be empowered.

One young sister broke down last night and said something that included "leaving us out here on our own" when the need for change (regarding their consumption and meditation upon the undeniable, negative lyrical content of some popular hip hop artists) was brought to their attention.

Most youth within the black church simply have not been taught.  They were either left alone or ignored by older saints who falsely thought that children have no mission within the kingdom of God when the older saints were ignored as youth themselves as well.

The generational curse being repeated and is clearly within range of being broken is that we (older saints now possessing power within congregations) were ignored and overlooked and not heard and we turned out ok, so why should things change?

It is like having someone who has been abused grow up and still endorse the abusive system without recognizing the impact upon their own children when they were always saying that they wanted their children to "have a better life than I did" or "I had it harder than you have it now".  The same goes for hazing within college campuses and alumni chapters regardless of what is said.  Hazing reduces the possibility and power of Rev. King's "I Have A Dream" prophetic vision.

We must also recognize the trends, impact, and lifestyles of today's baby boomers as well because there are societal problems and not just problems within the church.

Many African-American baby boomers have simply overcompensated for the lack of love and personal attention within their own childhoods and falsely believed and acted upon the thoughts that material things would make up for their absence within their children's lives or make the critical difference in the child's positive growth and development.

They have not appreciated simply their own overcoming lack, difficulties, and obstacles by the mercy of God.  They have not always clearly seen how far God has brought us all as a people and not just as a generation.

It is not enough to be a responsible church member to be able to bring home a paycheck to raise your own children even though there have been more than enough of us who chose not to for reasons right and wrong (when unjust pressures of society did not make things easier).

We have the solution in the form of the Gospel of Jesus Christ while all of us need to publish and spread the Gospel as we never have before.

A theoretical-only Christianity is not going to cut it either.  Christianity that can be applied, tested, even questioned, and still proven eternal and true must be revealed and shared.

Even when one tries to test whether Jesus is really the Son of God, your decision must come as that He is simply because if He is not, then why does the need for argument or debate still exists?  Time clearly has crowned Him Lord of Lords because all of us (even the agnostics and atheists) cannot stop talking about Him:)

Those of us who believe and live and walk upon our faith are simply more empowered and emboldened because we make ourselves more available to Him and His power.  Our relationship with Him expands opportunities versus restricting them and this is what the nonbelievers fail to see.

The fruit does not fall far from the tree and I know that after last night, our work has really just begun.

Roll up your sleeves and let's start throwing some blows for the glory of God instead of being reactive.

Alonia (http://www.theessentialsonline.com/contactus.html), I salute your efforts and look forward to being there next week (next 2 Friday nights at 7 p.m at Greater Bethany Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA) and other services just to witness the transformation.  I know that I am going to share the events worldwide as well as within our church in Austell, GA.

There are clearly more of us than there are of the enemy.

Peace,

Roney Smith
http://www.myspace.com/seedoflife

http://blog.roneysmith.com

Bears win Super Bowl XLI: It's A Wrap:)

This article only reinforces the law I call Every Seed Needs Water as it relates to the Super Bowl.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/football/2020AP_FBN_Bears_Prepare.html

Grossman will play in a supernatural manner while reporters and observers will say that Manning especially played in an inexplainable and unpredictable manner.

One reminder that comes to mind is when Holyfield beat Tyson twice:)

The Florida and southern coastal connection is overweighted in the Bears' favor at this point.  I believe that Stevie Wonder is saying "I can see that for myself".

I look forward to your e-mails within 24 hours of the game's conclusion:)

If you see any articles that profile the Colts, please forward them to me.

Peace,

Roney

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/football/2020AP_FBN_Bears_Prepare.html

Tuesday, January 23, 2007 · Last updated 2:26 p.m. PT

Bears like playing underdog to Colts

By RICK GANO
AP SPORTS WRITER

	Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith listens to a question during a news conference one day after his team clinched a berth in Super Bowl XLI in Lake Forest, Ill., Monday, Jan. 22, 2007. The Bears face the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI in Miami on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2007. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- It's hardly a surprise to the Chicago Bears that they are underdogs in the Super Bowl against Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts' high-powered offense.

Even though the Bears have won 15 of 18 games, including two at home in the playoffs, they're not considered as good as their record, in large part because the NFC North is considered a weak division in the weaker of the NFL's two conferences.

"We've won more games than anybody else in the league. That's enough right there," Coach Lovie Smith said. The Colts also have 15 victories, including the playoffs, and four losses.

"As far as us being underdogs, if you look at what all the Colts bring to the table I could see why they would make us underdogs, but we've been in that role before and our guys like the underdog role.

"I wouldn't bet against the Bears if I were a betting man."

The Colts and Bears last met in the 2004 season at Soldier Field and Manning riddled a Chicago defense missing injured linebacker Brian Urlacher for four TD passes in a 41-10 runaway victory. Chicago's quarterback that day was rookie Craig Krenzel, who had four turnovers.

Chicago cornerbacks Charles Tillman and Nathan Vasher will be on the spot, trying to contain Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. And then there's tight end Dallas Clark giving the Colts a big threat over the middle.

The Bears did clamp down on the New Orleans Saints and their top-rated offense last week, coming up with four turnovers and yielding a pair of touchdowns, one an 88-yard pass to Reggie Bush.

One similarity between the Saints and Colts that won't mean much: they both play in a domed stadium. But the weather in Miami will be much better than the weather the Saints faced in Chicago.

"We've got to win it. You don't make it this far and not win it. Our goal all year has been to win the Super Bowl," linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer said.

The Bears defense got a lift Tuesday when a judge granted a request to allow defensive tackle Tank Johnson to leave the state of Illinois as he awaits trial on gun possession charges. So, there's a Tank going to the Super Bowl.

Chicago's defense sagged in the final stages of the regular season, missing defensive tackle Tommie Harris and safety Mike Brown, both lost with injuries. Now it will be tested as much as it has all season.

One player who will have a homecoming of sorts in Miami is defensive end Adewale Ogunleye, traded from the Dolphins to the Bears during the preseason in 2004. While with the Dolphins in 2003, he led the AFC with 15 sacks.

"For me it brings it full circle," Ogunleye said. "Going back to Miami is big because that's where I started in this league, and it's going to be a little surreal."

Rookie return specialist Devin Hester, who set an NFL record this season with six returns for touchdowns, also returns a familiar setting. He played three seasons at University of Miami, doing a little bit of everything for the Hurricanes - returning kicks, while also playing running back, receiver and defensive back.

There are also several University of Florida players on the Bears, still celebrating the Gators' national championship romp over Ohio State. Quarterback Rex Grossman, defensive tackle Ian Scott, defensive end Alex Brown and safety Todd Johnson all played at Florida.

"We're trying to keep that going with all the Gators playing well," Scott said.

Smith welcomes the two weeks separating the conference championship games and the Super Bowl. The Bears are expected to leave for Miami on Sunday after a shortened practice week.

"There is a lot of stuff to get ironed out. First off, taking care of all of your relatives and getting them down to Miami, that takes a couple days in itself right there," Smith said

"And then you can get down to football from there. It's a special time and I think just having the two weeks helps you enjoy it more."

This will be the biggest media mob the Bears have ever seen. But Smith, who was in a Super Bowl as the Rams' defensive coordinator, doesn't see any problem there, either.

"Well this is what we do. ... As far as dealing with the media, we're going to answer your questions the same way we always do," he said.

"I think as much as anything you just remain you, true to yourself with everything that you do, and that's what we're going to do."

My Bears Are Super Bowl Bound!!!

Just as I was telling people all week long and at church, my Bears absolutely mauled the Saints 39 to 14 to win the NFC Championship!

 

I have been a Bears fan since the start of the 1985 season and they took me to the Super Bowl that year, so I have been hooked ever since!

 

My wife Wyteria wanted to doubt my Bears also as the Saints were the sentimental favorite, but they will have to wait until another year!

 

I cleared the room with no screaming girls and have the game fully recorded on Tivo!

 

I overlooked the possibility of having an African-American coach in the Super Bowl and when Indianapolis wins today, an African-American coach will win regardless!

 

But Da Bears will win that one as well:)

 

With the George Halas trophy in hand, I will pick up my Bears NFC Championship cap and t-shirt this week if not tonight!

 

Peace!

 

 

 

 

 

Apple iTV is primarily for viewing iTunes purchases

I just read a section of an article that unless proven false will keep an Apple iTV out of my household until Apple iTV 2.0 comes out at a minimum.

The O'Reilly Network article is entitled AppleTV? Not for me (yet) and it appears that there is a "lack of TV tuner and optical drive means that you still need an additional VCR, TiVo, DVD player, etc."

To me, this means that I could buy a much cheaper adapter that already exists to connect my Macbook to my current tv setup (which does not include HDTV in any way) and still view any video content from iTunes or my Macbook itself.

A hardcore electronics prosumer will probably not be able to stay away however since the Apple iTV may include some HDTV capabilities that mere mortals like myself can not yet appreciate or comprehend.

Peace!

Heaven Must Be One Super Funky Place Right Now: RIP James Brown

This afternoon my family and I just found out that legendary artist
and performer James Brown had passed.

As much as "The Godfather of Soul" will be missed, he will continue to
be enjoyed for the rest of time.

Having been to one of his concerts years ago with my now deceased
mother and wife very early in our marriage at the now defunct "Atlanta
Fulton County Stadium" where the Atlanta Falcons and Braves used to
play before the construction of the Georgia Dome and Turner Field
became a reality, I can undoubtedly say that it was a concert of a
lifetime.

It was like looking at time being unrolled and standing still all at
once. I have never seen some world famous celebrities and funksters
like Prince, Michael Jackson, Hammer, and others perform live, but
seeing James Brown do his thing on stage was clearly viewing the roots
of the tree of soul music.

Even while seeing a short list of songs that he made famous on Yahoo
today, I never fully realized how many songs were actually released
before I was born.

One of his last recordings with the Black Eyed Peas actually has a
line that is like a premonition at this time. Within the song "They
Don't Want Music", James is heard saying "I am going to a funky place"
and now we know what he meant.

There is indeed a party in heaven as heaven welcomes one of God's own.

Rest in peace Mr. James Brown, you truly blessed us as God blessed you.

Peace!

I Got My Mac Back!!!

Last Friday, I took my Macbook to the Apple Store at Perimeter Mall and the discovery was amazing.

It turns out that the battery had swollen near one end and the computer was no longer recognizing that a battery was present.

The technician put his own battery inside and it worked fine.

So Apple provided a new battery at no charge whatsoever since the warranty still covered it.

The computer was failing to charge the battery around the same time that the firmware update solved the random shutdown issue.

Since then, I had a couple of shutdowns probably due to being an extreme power user (due to excessive duration more than anything) and previous problems have melted away.

I will probably try not to use the Macbook longer than 4 hours at a time as a good measure.

Since the RSS issue has been resolved and now that portability is back, I truly have my Mac back.

I will probably add a power cord for an upcoming flight in early December.

I am glad that the short-term difficulties have passed away.

Praise God for technology that works according to plan!

Apple Macbook RSS Issue Resolved and Replaced With Immediate Successor

The entire industry of technology journalists have completely not wasted any time in quickly and loudly posting Apple's proposed solution to the Random Shutdown Syndrome (RSS) problem experienced by many Macbook owners and users like myself that surfaced this summer .  You would not know that there was a problem based upon the recent overwhelming and overkill coverage until the solution was announced before the problem was publicly mentioned supposedly after all.

Upon reading a headline that was soon repeated in many forms stating that an official solution was on the table on October 26, 2006, I promptly downloaded Macbook SMC Firmware Update 1.1 when I returned home from work and I have not experienced RSS since.

But the problem has been promptly replaced with the fact that the power supply cable seems to no longer charge the battery at all.  There is a light on the power supply cable that turns yellow when the battery is being charged and turns green when the battery is fully charged.

Now the light remains green as long as it is connected to my Macbook while the battery's strength continues to nosedive and crash.  Right now I am not showing any battery strength at all after trying to recalibrate the battery today.  When I unplugged the cable earlier this evening, the computer immediately turned off.  I am still plugged in and expect the computer to go blank upon disconnecting the power supply cable.

So now I have gone from experiencing random shutdowns to a further reduced pleasure experience of a more reliable and predictable shutdown.  Ugh:(

I found a widget that provides a measurement for battery strength as a percentage.  It is not reading any battery strength at the present time.

At first, these dots would be very difficult to connect.  But with a few mental notes and careful observations, it is beginning to become easier to recognize when a problem or proposal leaves or receives a solution and when the next problem suddenly appears.  It is as if I am waiting for public mass transit like MARTA and CCT here in metro Atlanta.

Apple did a wonderful job in at least offering the SMC Firmware Update, but right now it is seeming as if the problem or series of failures have not gone far enough.

One recently read article mentioned the reduction in battery power and another article mentioned that Apple has basically refused to state what was causing the problem and as a consequence on the same battlefront, the class action suit that was gaining strength as a late summer hurricane has not really subsided.

No one should get me wrong.  The Macbook or Blackbook is a race, show, and work horse all built into one very neat package.  But to lose the mobility and portability that a notebook/laptop computer was designed to offer does make me wonder if I would again buy a Macbook knowing what I know today.

I would have rather paid more or less money for stability (on a PC laptop maybe, I now wonder if I jest) at this point and I originally thought I did.  It seems like a wave rushed over the world this past summer and many Macbook owners hit the same wall and fell like dominoes through no effort of our own.  We only purchased a supposedly great product upon its initial release.  I know that I will not repeat computer ownership as an early adopter any more for the price paid literally and figuratively this time around.

Ironically, I even started to wonder why it was beginning to appear that only certain power sockets would allow the battery to be charged while other sockets would not until finally noticing that none of our power sockets currently will allow the power supply light to turn yellow while charging the battery.  This thought was occurring right after the firmware update was installed.

I am willing to eat my words if I am proven wrong or discover that I was mistaken but until the problem is no longer downplayed or superficially ignored, lingering questions are building in number and volume.

I thought that I had my Mac back.  Now I feel like a kid whose candy was taken away by a bully and/or adult and replaced with a chocolate laxative:(

Macbook RSS Problems Appear To Be Solved via smcFanControl:)

Over the weekend, I discovered a program designed to prevent the Random Shutdown Syndrome (RSS) that Apple Macbook users like myself have been experiencing over the summer.

The program is called smcFanControl and it makes the internal fan spin faster to keep the Macbook cool.

RSS evidently is heat related and once the computer senses that it is heating up too much, then some type of auto-mechanism kicks in and turns the product off.

There is another program that measures the temperature of the internal chip entitled Core Duo Temp that indicated that the internal temperature has reached approximately 156 degrees Fahrenheit which is around 69 degrees Celsius.  At this temperature, it is not unbelievable that RSS would occur.

When RSS occurred last night while smcFanControl was being used, I could not determine if it was because the battery had run low.  Right now, I am using the power supply and have not had any problems whatsoever even though the internal temp is getting close to 59 degrees Celsius.

So overall, I heartily recommend smcFanControl to any Macbook owner/user who is tired of being sick and tired of RSS.  The smcFanControl is donationware and after communicating with the developer, I discovered that donations can be made via AlertPay which is a competitor to PayPal (as well as PayPal itself).

So I will be donating something to the kitty since this program works so well:)

One final recommendation is to turn the settings to spin at least 3000 rpm or more.  I reset mine tonight to 4000 and it has been working like a charm.  I would set the program to start automatically upon startup, but I have not yet discovered how to do that with a Mac yet.

My Macbook Random Shutdown Syndrome Date Identified

After reading an online article about a potential class action suit against Apple due to the "random shutdown syndrome" (also called RSS) being experienced by other Macbook owners like myself, today I wondered if I could identify when the first problem first occurred with my Macbook.

There are so many things on my plate that keeping such a date at the forefront of my mind is impossible, but due to the search feature within Gmail, I have been able to pinpoint exactly when the problem first occurred with my new Blackbook.

This evening I located an e-mail in which I told my friend Terry who really exposed me to the world of Macs that I sent to him on August 24th:

I noticed that my Macbook would not work at the altitude that we were flying at.  The white light on right side of the computer facing me was flashing.  It could have been that the computer needed charging but I thought that it would least completely power up.

My friend replied:

You have to ensure you completely power down before you get on a plane.  It will work, but the system must shutdown or the battery will lose power quickly.

I wondered if the altitude had an effect on my Macbook, but I know that the vast majority of Macbook owners have not flown while trying to use their computers.  So something else has to be the cause of the problem.

The problem has occurred through using either the battery and power cord as a power supply.

Lately, I have found it easier to start my usage first through the battery and then after the first random shutdown, the computer will use the power cord for power with very few if any RSS issues.

But if I start off with the power cord first, then a RSS will certainly occur very soon and repeat frequently.

I can typically expect it to occur at least once daily upon first using my Blackbook.

After the business trip, I had the Macbook checked out and shortly after getting it back, the RSS began to occur frequently.  But it first occurred on the return flight from Tampa I had on the morning of August 24, 2006.  I received and first used my Blackbook on June 28, 2006.  So this problem has started within less than 2 months of ownership.

I hope that RSS can be resolved peacefully.  I am sure to continue my ownership of Apple products, but RSS is clearly a nuisance that appears should have been quickly resolved or prevented.