Monthly Archives: April 2007

SiteMeter is Spying on Blog Readers

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Not that anyone would necessarily notice, but I’ve removed all SiteMeter tracking from the site. See, the blog was loading slowly, so I started running some tests, looking over everything with a fine-toothed comb. That’s when I found a rather conspicuous entry: a cookie from specificclick.net.

I did a search on the address, and found a number of blog posts all saying the same thing: on or around March 25, 2007, SiteMeter quietly accepted an unspecified amount of money and, in return, started embedding specificclick.net cookies into the pages of almost every SiteMeter account holder.

To date, the SiteMeter crew has said nothing about this outside of a few blog posts—nothing about specificclick.net is mentioned on SiteMeter.com, except for a vague “we’re adding new features” bit o’ hype that fails to mention how the new features are going to be collected.

Shane over at AskShane.org said it best:

Screw Up? Don’t Try to Hide

  • Admit you screwed up.
  • Say what you’re doing to fix it.
  • Offer some kind of appropriate compensation.

Because SiteMeter has used me to infect y’all’s computers, it’s the least I can do to point you to something that’ll show you how to remove specificclick.net cookies and block them forever.

Lay Aside Every Weight

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What is the race marked out for you? Are you running it with endurance?

If not, the trouble could be some clingy sin that’s got you tangled up. But maybe not; maybe the problem is something that isn’t sin, but is still holding you back.

  • What are you lugging around that’s slowing you down?
  • What are you letting distract you from your life’s calling?
  • Why won’t you let it go?

These are questions I’m asking myself. I can get so wrapped up in fun distractions that aren’t sin, or even in Godly endeavors that I haven’t been called to do, that I just don’t do what I’m here for. But you know what? There is a “great cloud of witnesses”—a stadium full of those who have gone before us—who surround us. They’ve accomplished what we’re being called to accomplish. It can be done.

So this weekend, let’s take a look at the race we’re running, and consider what may need to be laid aside so that we can run the race marked out for us. Not the race we’d prefer to run, because we’re to look to the Author and Perfecter of our faith—Jesus, who endured the pain and shame of his race, and did it for what he knew was coming when he crossed the finish line.

Let’s drop the distractions, and look at Christ instead. Let’s stop puttering around the track, and run with endurance. :)

A Poor Man Who Walks in His Integrity

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I was reading today’s ESV Daily Verse when I realized that money—especially the way Christians handle it—is kind of a pet topic for me. For example:

And now there’s this verse that says integrity and character are more important than a house, stock portfolio or retirement account. And that’s true. The lie would be if you said a poor man is better than a rich man, period. No, the point of this proverb is the same point Jesus made: namely, pursue holiness no matter the cost.

But are we really willing to do that?

FYI

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Just so everyone knows, this isn’t turning into “the ESV Daily Verse blog.” It’s just been slow and busy in all the wrong ways over the past few days (at least when it comes to the ideal environment for blogging). I had a bit of an organizational wake-up call over the weekend, though, so I think I’m back in the saddle now. :)

WITH 1230 AM: Under New Management

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I probably wouldn’t have thought to mention it, except that I posted a station programming lineup a while back, and people are still visiting the page.

Anyway, for the record: 95.1 FM WRBS (run by the folks behind River Valley Ranch near Hampstead, MD) has bought the AM station, re-dubbed it “WRBS AM” and is now using it as their “teaching and hymns” station so there’s more room for their “contemporary hits” on FM.

So… I don’t think you’ll be hearing Michael Medved on there anytime soon. :)

What Kind of Christian Are You?

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Today over at Cerulean Sanctum, Dan Edelen talks a bit about what he sees as two competing “Christianities”:

Externally-Motivated (EM) Christianity sees the Kingdom of God existing in systems and institutions “erected by God” or by Christians faithful to God. The essence of what it means to be a Christian dwells in hallowed monolithic icons, largely existing outside the believer. We see the expression of EM Christianity whenever we encounter Christian groups and individuals seeking to preserve or defend some aspect of the truth they see encapsulated in a system, institution, or organization.

Internally-Motivated Christianity, in sharp contrast, invests little time and energy in externalities. Its hope is not in systems and institutions because it understands that those succumb to entropic forces. To the IM Christian, the Kingdom of God cannot rest on externalities prone to decay.

He’s got me thinking… again. It all seems so clear, and what he’s saying seems to meld with other things I’ve been harping on of late. It seems to match up with different things God’s put in front of me.

At the same time, I’ve seen his description of “Internally-Motivated Christianity” used by people who would otherwise solidly fall into what Dan would consider the “EM Christianity” camp. Those sorts of folks simply use explanations like “the Kingdom of God cannot rest on externalities prone to decay” to bolster their own pet projects that are supposedly “really” worth their time and energy… but are just more institutions and organizations with varying degrees of a “Christian” veneer.

For instance: Jesus said, “on this rock I will build my [ekklesia], and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18, ESV). Here Jesus is speaking from a universal, eternal perspective, saying that Satan won’t win his war against the Church because the Church is being built on the proclamation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (v.16). However, time and again I’ve heard pastors claim that Jesus is saying something more like, “the gates of hell shall not get in the way of our particular congregation at this particular moment in history.” In other words, they take Jesus’ declaration that Satan will never win the war and warp it into a claim that Satan will never get a good shot in edgewise. (Tell that to the house churches in China.)

So with that disclaimer having been said, I heartily recommend Dan’s post and suggest you read it, think over it, and join the discussions in his comments section!

Supercharge a Slow Saturday

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Maybe it’s just me (and the feeds I’m subscribed to at Technorati), but this seems like a pretty slow Saturday. Really, none of the feeds I’ve got in there have updated since this morning. You’d think with over seventy feeds, something new would have been put up in the past eight hours, but apparently not.

I’ve got this “Best Blogs You Haven’t Read” category where I recommend other blogs to you, but maybe it’s time to turn the tables on myself! So you tell me who’s missing from my Technorati favorites and why I should add ‘em. (Bonus points if you aren’t recommending your own site!) Spread the word, too: I want to hear from as many folks as I can on this one! :D

We’d all like a little global warming, please

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JOLLYBLOGGER wants to know how he can help the cause:

I’ve heard all of this stuff about humans cause global warming. Well, let me just say that I’m a little bit disappointed in my fellow humans because it seems to me that, at least here in North America, we are not doing a very good job of causing global warming this year. So, I am here to offer my services to Al Gore – I would like to cause some global warming.

I’m with him. I mean, frost after Easter in Baltimore? Fer cryin’ out loud, that’s just wrong! I’ve been walking in the morning this past week, and I really should be able to leave the house at 7am without a coat. Honestly, that’s not too far-fetched, is it?

Omigosh! I just realized… what if Al Gore has been right all along, and we’ve overcompensated! Al may have just singlehandedly caused the start of the next ice age! NOOOOOOOOOOOOMGPONIES!!!1!!!!11!!