Job one and Job two

Reading Job earlier this week was scary. The first two chapters tell of God being proud of Job (Joeb), a man of great integrity. But Satan, the adversary and accuser, tells God that Job honors God only because of Job's great wealth and material blessings. God then allows Satan to strike down Job's wealth and children, but Job continued to honor God.

So the accuser tries again by saying Job will curse God if you take away his health. God allows Satan to strike Job "with terrible boils from head to foot. Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes." Ugh! But Job remained faithful to God.

Put your name in for Job's when you read that passage. Frightening. I commented about this on FaceBook and a friend replied "But the ending is good. :-)" Yeah, but the process to get there was painful. Job's family, wealth and blessings are restored more abundantly than before, but what a devastating trial to have to go through.

Through the process Job and his friends learn a few things about God. One take-away for me from Job's story is that when you improve your walk with Christ you become a target for Satan. God allows certain things to happen to you so that the Glory of God can be shown through you, as was the case with Job. Yes, I know, I should want to be part in glorifying God. But how much am I willing to sacrifice to do so? Will I still praise God like Job when I lose my job in a down economy? I will, but is my health and my family next to be stricken? If so, how will I respond then?

Another take-away is that God uses adversity to correct and purify his followers, to make us stronger. I do want to become closer to God so I pray that He will remove any unwholesome thing from my life. But do I love God so much that I'm willing to go through even a fraction of Job's trials if that's what it takes? When I ponder this, my prayers are filled with conflict and fear.

At least I have peace in knowing that these trials are temporary and that through my belief in Christ I and my family have eternal life.

Cold Weather Cycling

Let me encourage all you fair-weather riders to get out there and ride. Don't let the cold scare you off. With a little know-how and a few simple layers, you can ride comfortably in cold weather. See, I've done the research for you. I've braved the chill and learned from a few mistakes. And so I present to you what I wear in cold weather.

You will, of course, want to make adjustments for differences in your metabolism and in whatever clothing you have.

I at times still have second thoughts before going out in the winter, but once I get out there I'm always glad that I did. Give me your feedback so I can improve this, particularly if you can fill in the blanks below 22 degrees.

temperature	< 22ºF	22º - 29ºF	29º - 36ºF	36º - 40ºF	40º - 45ºF	46º - 52ºF	52º - 56ºF	56º - 62ºF	62º - 65ºF	65º+	temperature
shoe cover	booties	booties	booties	booties	booties	booties	booties	toe warmers	toe warmers		shoe cover
feet	warmest wool socks & 2 chemical toe warmers	warmest wool socks & 2 chemical toe warmers	warmest wool socks & chemical toe warmers	warmest wool socks & chemical toe warmers	warmest wool socks	warmest wool socks	warm socks	good socks	good socks	good socks	feet
legs	2 layers: tights & outer-wear	2 layers	tights & windstopper underpants	tights	tights	tights	shorts & knee warmers	shorts & knee warmers	shorts	shorts	legs
torso	4 layers	4 layers	3 layers	3 layers	3 layers	2 layers	2 layers	2 layers	2 layers	1 layer	torso
arms	3 layers	2 or 3 layers	2 layers	2 layers	2 layers	1 layer	1 layer	optional			arms
wind breaker	jacket, outer shell, microfleece or ??	vest with mesh back	vest with mesh back	vest with mesh back	optional						wind breaker
hands	lobster mitts, liners & chemical warmers	lobster mitts, liners & chemical warmers	lobster mitts, liners & chemical warmers	lobster mitts	winter gloves	full fingered	full fingered	finger-less gloves	finger-less gloves	finger-less gloves	hands
head	2 balaclavas?	2 layers: balaclava & winter skull cap (beanie)	2 layers: balaclava & winter skull cap	balaclava	⇐either⇒	winter skull cap	⇐either⇒	light skull cap	light skull cap	summer skull cap for sweat	head
eyes	?	glasses (always)	glasses	glasses	glasses	glasses	glasses	glasses	glasses	glasses	eyes

ADJUSTMENTS for WIND, SUN, and CLOUDS:
This chart works equally well if riding at dark with little wind, or in the daytime with 5-10 MPH winds. If it's windier or cloudier than normal, I'll go with the extra warm options or I'll shift one column to the left.

WIND-CHILL:
Decide for yourself whether to take wind-chill into account. I used to when I was just learning to ride in the cold, then I stopped adjusting when I was in peak fitness. If you find that the prescription in the chart is a little too cold for you, a simple adjustment would be to use the forecast "feels like" temperature. I'm starting to use the "feels like" forecast more and more now that I'm a bit older (50s) and not as fit.

CLOTHING:
There's nothing really special here. I try to stay away from mentioning specific products, but I'm fond of really good, thick, wool socks such as Defeet Blaze. The idea is that you can ride in the winter with very little special gear. There is no need to go search out the product I use. With that said, let me give some explanation of some of the items in the table.

• My booties are just neoprene booties (shoe covers) with a fleece inner liner that you can get in many different brands. Winter cycling boots are better but more expensive.
• I mention two kinds of toe warmers. In the 30s and below, I'm talking about chemical toe warmers such as the Grabber brand. These are thin pads you stick in your shoe. They produce heat when you take them out of their wrapper. Simply wonderful. I don't care for two pairs of socks. Too thick. Use the chemical toe warmers. It's worth it.
• In the lower 60s, however, when I mention toe warmers, I'm talking about simple, light shoe covers. Maybe they cover just the toe. Maybe they cover the whole shoe. But I'm thinking of something lighter and cooler than booties.
• When I say "tights" I'm referring to what is probably a mid-weight tight. Mine is one of the Performance brand tights, but any brand will do.
• "Baselayers" are great if you have them. If you don't just wear multiple regular old jerseys. I did that for a while. But I now prefer using a product actually positioned as a base layer. They are often a little thicker, maybe more snugly fitting. I have a sleeveless crew and also a long sleeve base layer. I also have some shirts designed for jogging that work well as base layers. Anything will do as long as it's not cotton.
• My balaclava is old, plain, and thin. Nothing high-tech about it. That's why I double up with that and a Headsweat skull cap (beanie) when it is freezing. If it warms up while I'm riding, I can remove a layer. If you have something thick or high-tech, doubling up might not be necessary.
• In this table, I used to mention hunting gloves because that's what I had lying around. The fancy lobster mitts I subsequently bought are a little better. But try to use what you have before you spend money on more stuff. A variety of gloves are useful however because sweaty hands are bad when it's cold: fingerless, full-fingered, a little warmer (lightweight winger gloves), even warmer (thick winter gloves), and as warm as you can get (lobster mitts)! Layering in a pair of very thin glove liners is a really great idea. I think mine are Arc'teryx Rho Glove Liners.
• I found that my fingers were cold only when I didn't have the rest of me fairly well covered. If my toes are hurting, my fingers are going to have sympathy pains. If I take care of my head, my core, and my toes, my fingers will be fine. 
• I haven't found a jacket that breathes well enough. A jacket that traps any moisture at all is going to be a real problem for you. Anyway, I haven't found that I've needed a jacket, even when the temp is down in the 20s. Just layer on the other stuff. If you already have a vest with a mesh back, that would make a great windbreaker. By all means, use it. If you don't, then slip a couple sheets of newspaper up under your outermost jersey. That worked for me for a long time.
  

Disclaimers: For all of this I'm assuming the pavement is dry. Also, I'm mainly a roadie. This applies to mountain biking, but I generally dress 1 column to the right when mountain biking.

Making Sunday School Work

I'm terribly interested in making Sunday School work for my church. Through these small groups we should:

• invite people to learn about Jesus,
• discover the great truths of the Bible and faith stories of believers, and
• connect with each other through fellowship and ministry.

Simply doing stuff together outside of church enables all three of these things to happen. It sounds so simple. Then why is it so hard? It seems that we're all too busy. Or too spread apart. Or can't get a baby sitter. Or can't afford one. Or it's too hard to set something up. Or maybe we just don't care as much as we should... because we don't do stuff together often enough.


Don't get me wrong. My church is just fantastic. There is something going on in every age group almost every month. My friends are great. But it does take some amount of assistance to keep it going and keep it improving.

There are a couple excellent booklets you can buy for $1 each from LifeWay, but they are also free downloadable. The first is the The 3D Sunday School -- invite, discover, and connect. The sequel is I-6 Invite: A Six-Lane Strategy Toward an Inviting Sunday School. From there you can get the links for the Discover and Connect booklets.

On Automated Testing

Test everything somewhere. Test nothing everywhere.
                             -- Andrew Fuqua, December 2007

We were talking about automated testing, particularly test coverage, in Agile Atlanta the other day when I coined that aphorism. At least I don't think I've heard it anywhere else before. The concept had been in my head forever and I've worded it similarly thousands of times, but perhaps not so succinctly.

When writing test code it's good to have almost everything tested in some fashion. But there is little reason to test anything multiple times. Just cover everything well, in one layer or another. Any concept well covered in unit tests doesn't need to be tested in higher layer functional tests. Any concept well covered in integration tests doesn't need to be tested in customer acceptance tests. It would be inefficient to cover the same area so many times.

Of course, it's okay to leave certain cases to be tested by hand, as long as they are relatively few in number. Leave what can't be automated easily for manual testing.

Down the elevator shaft!

I dropped my keys down an elevator shaft today. I just fumbled as I was stepping off. I hadn't been at work for very long before I realized that I left my cell phone at home. I figured I'd just run home and get it. You should have seen me on my knees looking down the crack to see if I could see my beloved key ring. Nope. I couldn't even see down four inches. Well, my prior experiences prepared me for this day: I had a spare set of keys in one of those magnetic lock boxes stuck to my truck. Ran home, got my phone, came back, and stopped by the building's property management office to see if they could help me. To my great pleasure (sick, I know) this isn't the first time this has happened. Oh, the fee to get the elevator guy to come out and retrieve my keys? Over $100. I don't think I need my keys that bad. Well, I left my name and number and said "no hurry but the next time the elevator guys happens to come around..."

At lunch I drove down to Decatur to take a look at a desk a guy (Jason) was hocking on craigslist. I missed my turn at Clairmont and didn't realize it until I was all the way up to Shallowford. I got cocky and thought I could feel my way to Jason's a different way. Wrong! A few miles later I realized I should just back-track to Clairmont. Oh, the hits just keep on coming. I was a little concerned about missing my appointment with Jason, but when I got to Jason's house no one was home. He said he would be there all day packing up. But he forgot that they were closing on his house about that time. Oh, and he also forgot to tell me that he sold the desk to someone else yesterday.

Chuckle. I've never been so at ease with misfortune. A few years ago my stomach would have been tied up in knots with angst over my keys and phone and this guy Jason. I would have been mad at everything and everyone: the management company for charging me to get my keys, the guy in the car in front of me, my boss for scheduling a 10 o'clock meeting, my kids for not reminding me to take my phone to work. I would have spent half an hour trying to figure out how to break into or climb through whatever I'd have to break into or climb through to get up under that elevator. I would have left nasty phone messages.

But none of this got me rattled. It was a good run of trials today, but God kept blessing me in spades. I didn't get locked out of my truck. I made it back to work in time for my 10 A.M. meeting. I kept my cool in traffic. And later, on my way back from lunch, I got a call from the property management office. The elevator guy just happened to stop by today and retrieve my keys. Cool. Very cool.

It's truly amazing to me how my outlook and my fortune changed for the better once I actually began to walk daily with Christ.

Truly God is good... to those whose hearts are pure. But as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping and I was almost gone. ... Then I realized my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. I was so foolish and ignorant... How good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do. Psalm 73

The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. Lamentations 3:25

The Most Rewarding 3-Year Undertaking Ever

Last week I finished studying the Bible all the way through. It took about 3 years (one or two chapters per day) and was very rewarding. I am fascinated about all the things the prophets said would happen that happened. It has really strengthened my faith in Jesus Christ. It's all so clear now.

My Testimony

Those of you who knew me in school or at IBM or ISS may be amazed at how I've changed. I'm not referring to physical appearance. I'm talking about my attitude, happiness, outlook on life, health -- that kind of stuff. I've done many things I'm not proud of. I've even been the date from hell at least once. My biggest life-long problem has been controlling my temper and dealing with anger.

While at the University of Alabama, an ex-girlfriend told me "you sure are an angry young man." That was an eye opener. I struggled to change myself for years but had no success.

Somewhere in the early 2000's I started hanging out with a better crowd. Three men in particular had a great impact on me: Eric Smith, Garry Holton, and Carl Jameson. I met these guys at the Atlanta Street Baptist Church. They pointed me back to Christ. I turned my anger problem over to God by renewing my dedication to Jesus Christ. Since then life has been fantastic.

I thought life was good before, but I never knew how great it could be. I couldn't see what I was missing. I'm much more easy going now; full of peace. I'm much happier.

Hurricanes and Rockets: awesome power

I had the privilege of watching Discovery rocket off its pad and disappear into orbit. Wow, what a complex and powerful machine! I saw the cloud of smoke engulf the ship. I heard a bang and then saw Discovery lift out of that cloud. The flame from the engines was so bright it hurt my eyes. As its column of smoke grew taller its roar grew louder. 3000 miles per hour now. I could barely see the solid rocket boosters fall off. 5500 miles per hour. It was just a spec. I don't hear its roar any longer; it dissipated as slowly as it grew loud. Then, I could see Discovery no longer as it was off chasing the International Space Station. The astronauts were taking off their orange assent/descent suits before I found my car in the parking lot. 17,500 miles per hour and the astronauts are changing clothes.

A couple of weeks earlier I was at the beach when hurricane Dennis was out in the gulf. Dennis was making the waves pound the shore way over on the east coast of Florida. I was in awe of the power of the waves and even more in awe of the power of a storm having an impact so far away.

Rockets are pretty impressive, but nature can be much more powerful.

I have been reading my way through the Bible for about a year and a half. At the beach I had just gotten to Psalm 93 (New Living Translation);

The LORD is king! He is robed in majesty.
    Indeed, the LORD is robed in majesty and armed with strength.
The world is firmly established;
    it cannot be shaken.

Your throne, O LORD, has been established from time immemorial.
    You yourself are from the everlasting past.

The mighty oceans have roared, O LORD.
    The mighty oceans roar like thunder;
    the mighty oceans roar as they pound the shore.

But mightier than the violent raging of the seas,
    mightier than the breakers on the shore--
    the LORD above is mightier than these!

Your royal decrees cannot be changed.
    The nature of your reign, O LORD, is holiness forever.

Now, that's something to be in awe of.

Be specific

We were having a problem at work that we just couldn't solve. I had my best engineers on it. I looked at it myself multiple times. Toby tried lots of stuff, even reinstalling things. We thought about it and worked on it for three weeks. I even got BEA's support staff involved. The application worked just fine on the previous imaged hard drive. We couldn't find anything on the new hard drive image that could break our application. How frustrating. I was feeling like we had gained no ground and were spending all our time on this issue. We finally figured it out, but what's interesting is how:

I prayed specifically to gain some ground on one of two issues we were having. As soon as I was done praying, BAM! God gave me the solution. I walked over to the computer, tried it, and it worked!

Wow.

I believe God answered that one so swiftly because He knew there would be co-workers around that would ask how I came up with the solution -- that He would be praised and so that it could be shown that He is active in our lives and in our company.

I often pray about work. It's generally a generic prayer for help or wisdom or for the lost, but the results are far greater when I get specific.

Easter: The Resurrection of the Christ

The Greek historian and physician Luke wrote a fascinating account of the resurrection of the Christ, which picks up where Mel Gibson's wildly popular film The Passion of the Christ leaves off. After his resurrection from the dead, Jesus appeared 11 times over 40 days to more than 500 people! It's a fact. Jesus is alive. Read Luke's account.

Everyone has sinned and the punishment for that sin is separation from God. Jesus took our punishment for us -- he died in our place for our sin. He was separated from God for a short time, but he conquered death because he was sinless. Everyone who accepts this free gift gets to spend eternity in paradise. Everyone who rejects this gift will suffer eternal punishment for their sin. They will suffer eternal separation from God. And that is hell.

There is an afterlife and everyone, including you, will be in it. Where will you be then?