Droid Does

Well, after careful consideration, we decided to go with the Droid. In fact, I'm blogging with it now using the BlogAway app (so I'll keep this brief--my thumbs can only do so much).

More to come on the apps we're using and fun we're having.

iPhone vs. Droid

On March 20th, we're eligible to renew our two-year contract with Verizon. On the whole we've been pleased with the service from Verizon, but AT&T's exclusive rights to the iPhone makes switching carriers a tempting decision.

I've somehow managed to survive without a smartphone up to this point in my life (and yes, I know that I could go on surviving without one), but I've witnessed countless moments where having one would have come in handy. So whether we stay with Verizon or switch to AT&T, chances are pretty good that I'll be getting a smartphone. (Mackenzie is much less interested in one, but she might consider getting one, too.)

Verizon is doing what it can to compete with AT&T and the iPhone, including launching the "there's a map for that" ad campaign (to which AT&T responded with a celebrity spokesman, Luke Wilson--not sure why he was their choice). But most importantly, they've been introducing their own line of smartphones--particularly, the Droid (and there are rumors that they might be adding the Google Nexus One).

Based on this comparison chart, in some ways the Droid is actually a better phone, but Apple just has a knack for design and functionality. One hangup in particular is the Android Market, which is a much clunkier counterpart to the iTunes store. It's not just the amount of available apps, but the way in which you can find, preview, and download them.

Verizon currently has a "buy one smartphone, get the second one free" offer going on until the end of March, so between March 20th and March 31st, we need to make our decision.

Anyone out there have any thoughts one way or another?

What Can You Do with the Gospel?

Justin Taylor, who currently works at Crossway, a Christian publishing company responsible for the English Standard Version of the Bible, and who used to work at Desiring God, which offers resources from John Piper's ministry, has a blog with the Gospel Coalition called "Between Two Worlds."

In a recent post, he used 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 to create a list of things "you can (and should) do with the Gospel":

• preach it
• hear it preached
• deliver it
• receive it
• believe it
• be saved by it
• remember it
• remind others of it
• stand in it
• hold fast to it

Seeds Sprouting

Last week, we planted a square of beets (nine seeds), a square of radishes (sixteen seeds), a square of Swiss chard (four seeds), and two squares of carrots (sixteen seeds each). The only things I think we have left to plant from seed are beans and cucumbers. We'll buy starts for everything else (tomatoes, peppers, herbs).

But the exciting news is that some of our seeds are starting to sprout.

Here's a shot of three pea sprouts.

And here's one of the spinach sprouts.

Why Do People Reject Jesus?

A few weeks ago, Pastor Mark Driscoll, the preaching pastor at Mars Hill Church, where we've been attending for the past four years and where I've worked for nearly the last two years, taught from Luke 4:22-30.

In this passage, Jesus visits his hometown, Nazareth, and preaches to the people there. At first, they're excited to have him preach because he's gained quite a reputation in the area, but when he starts calling them out on their sin...well, their mood changes a bit--to the point that they're ready to throw him off a cliff.

From this text, Pastor Mark laid out eight reasons why people might reject Jesus:

1. Theology
2. Control
   
3. Greed
   
4. Selfishness
5. Familiarity
6. Comfort
7. Embarrassment
8. Religion

You can read more about these eight reasons for rejecting Jesus HERE or you can watch the whole sermon HERE.

Why We're Gardening

If you've been reading our blog the past few weeks, you've probably noticed a few posts about what we're doing in our garden and how we're doing it (1, 2). But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, I thought I'd take a moment to list a few reasons why we're gardening.

In no particular order:

1. It's an opportunity to learn something new.

2. It's something we can enjoy doing together.

3. It's an excuse to be outside.

4. It's a relatively inexpensive hobby.

5. In fact, we're hoping it will help supplement our grocery bill.

6. It's fun.

7. It's challenging.

8. It's an excuse to play in the dirt.

9. It's a chance to see and celebrate new life.

10. It's a way to further understand the abundance of agrarian imagery in the Bible.

To those of you who are fellow gardeners, why do you garden? To those of you who aren't, why not?