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Divine Hem Ups aka Atlanta Snowstorm 2011

Hello World!

Not even the postlady has been to my mailbox since last week...

 

If you’re in the A, you know what’s up…and it’s not the temperature…And if you’re not in the A, let me fill you in…It’s Day 3 of being hemmed up in my home. That’s right, I have not left my house since Sunday around 6 p.m. because the city of Atlanta and surrounding cities are snowed in and just about all of our businesses, government buildings, etc. have not even opened for the week…It’s almost unbelievable…We ATLiens just ain’t used to dealing with cold temperatures for too long much less snow so we have shut it down baby…

Okay so follow me on this: Sometimes, I’m too deep for my own good, but all of this has got me wondering what God has been up to for the last three days…Just what is He trying to tell us…It could be nothing…I mean weather is weather, and we’ve all heard the talk about how our climate is changing, etc. But I also know that God sometimes hems us up for divine purposes…

“You hem me in behind and before and you lay your hand upon me.” Psalm 139:5

So if you’re here in Atlanta, have you considered why God has hemmed up you up for the last three days? For me, I’ve been able to work on some critical writing projects…And since you cannot immediately respond to my question, I have decided to post some of the most interesting status updates I’ve seen on Facebook about the Atlanta snowstorm and why some of my Facebook friends here in the A may be hemmed up and what the Lord is trying to tell them…Of course, no names are attached to these updates…Presenting the funny & poignant…

wonders how many Atlanta snowstorm babies will be born 9 months from now…hmm…(Maybe God is trying to tell you it’s time to add to the family.)
Being still…………….(Maybe He hasn’t been able to get your attention before.)
is making sure I turn over every few hours so I won’t get bed sores!!!…ahhh this is the life!! :))))) (Maybe you just really needed to rest…)
A good way to test the endurance of your relationships is to become snowed in for more than 48 hours! The first 8 is the honeymoon, the next 40 is the trial! (Maybe God is trying tell you that buster really ain’t for you…)
I think I see a message in this bad weather for me. I only can talk about me:) It’s saying write, write, write. Okay, I think I will write. What about the rest of you that’s working on getting that book published? Did you really think I was going to leave my friends out? (God has given you a gift. Why aren’t you using it?)
I’m really tripping off of all these parents who keep saying they are tired of being snowed in with their kids and are ready for them to go back to school. Hmmmmmm what an interesting phenomenon. Maybe they are getting a taste of what us educators get on a daily basis, 5 days a week 180 days a year. If you’re tired of them…… how do you think we feel at the end of the day, week, year?? (Maybe God is telling you that you need to train and discipline your children so that others won’t have a hard time with them when they are away from you.)
My husband is my HERO! He just walked over 4 1/2 miles to rescue me. THANKS honey. I love you. To my co-workers, my car is on the side of the road, if you can get it I’ll come in to work. 🙂 (Maybe you needed to be reminded why your hubby is The One.)
For the last 2 days, I’ve been snowed in and living the life of a REAL Housewife of ATL: Cooking 3 meals a day, and snacks, for my family, laundry, cleaning up, quality time with the family, etc. Where’s my darn TV show? (Maybe home & hearth needed to be attended to…)
Just left downtown from the Atlanta Union Mission passing out blankets to the homeless. Im thankful for a warm home, hot cook meal, and clean drawers. God bless the homeless during this artic temperature. (Maybe God is telling you to count your blessings and not always think about your own circumstances at the same time…)
Greetings from Atlanta, where we anticipate Jesus’ return momentarily. (As the world continues to get crazier a la a three-day snowstorm in the A, y’all better get right with God and do it now…)

Happy Snow Day #3! I’m.out…

Any thoughts?

“Maybe God is Trying Tell You Something” from “The Color Purple”

 

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The Ten Commandments – 2010 style…

Hello World! Remember that movie Se7en that came out in 1995? The movie featured Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman working as detectives working to solve a multiple murder case. Each of the seven murders that were committed corresponded with the seven deadly sins: Gluttony, Envy, Lust, Pride, Sloth, Greed and Wrath. Remember how the final scene went down? …I would tell you, but maybe you are actually interested in seeing this haunting film if you have not seen it… The reason I bring movie up is because it reminds me of something my father told years ago that I have never put to the test: if you look at the evening news on any given evening, all of the bad news can be categorized by The Ten Commandments. Fascinating statement, huh? Well if you are not familiar with the Ten Commandments, they are the set of rules given to Moses for the people of God as they wandered in the desert after their exodus from Egypt. The story of the Ten Commandments appears in Exodus 20. Here they are below…

 

So since I am writing this post in the morning, and I prefer to get my news from the newspaper most days, I will test my father’s statement on today’s front page of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper at ajc.com as well as other news outlets. NOTE: By listing these stories, I am not saying they are true or false. I am simply using them as examples to support my father’s premise…

  1. 1 dead, 2 on the loose in home invasion – According to what I read, this story demonstrates breaking commandments 6 and 1o.
  2. Gwinnett Schools Superintendent Wilbanks could face ethics investigation – This seems like a violation of commandment 9.
  3. Aimee Michael, mother sent to separate prisons – This story is a tragic depiction of what can be the consequences for breaking commandments 6 and 9.
  4. Teen died with stomp; possibility of more involved – Thou shalt not kill…This story also demonstrates how each of us must respect the sanctity of human life or face savage consequences…
  5. Ex-Gwinnett planning commissioner charged with theft – He should know better as a church member at all…According to this article, this dude is guilty of stealing and idolizing money as his god rather than serving the one true God. He also coveted what his church had…scandalous!
  6. Attacks targeting Iraqi Christians kill 4 in Baghad – An obvious violation of commandment 6…I believe these attacks were incited because of these Christians’ faith in God which is likely a violation of commandment 1.
  7. After a personal scandal, a small political upswing – South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford famously committed adultery last year…
  8. Company Accused of Firing Over Facebook Post – I believe this employees was fired because of her supervisor thought she bore false witness in her description of him…in other words, she lied on him…(Aside: why would you post comments about your boss on Facebook anyway…she was asking for trouble…dumb)
  9. Somali Gangs in Minnesota Traded Girls for Sex – To commit such heinous crimes, these gangs idolized money above all else…
  10. Chizik: Newton allegations ‘pure garbage’ – Is he guilty of academic cheating or not…if so, commandment 9 has been broken

Interesting, huh? Those 10 commandments really lay a good foundation for good human behavior…

Any thoughts?

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Got a Question for God? There’s an app for that…

Hello World,

The temperature has finally gone down in the A…”from 96 degrees in the shade” to about 87 degrees in the rain, but I guess I won’t complain…

Anywho…Know what? Although I have a blog and a Facebook account, I am woefully behind on and insecure about emerging technology…I mean I am only on my second cell phone, and my parents bought my first one for me a few years back because they correctly deduced as a reporter I needed one…plus I was the only one  in our immediate family that did not have one…nearly unbelievable huh? but it’s true…

Thankfully, however, God has placed people (including my parents)  in my life who have made sure that I have slowly but surely acquainted myself with the latest technology – people like my friend Tess Gadwa who designed my beloved blog for instance…Well about two months ago at the Faith & Fiction Retreat in the A, I met someone who actually designed an iPhone application! Isn’t that impressive?! Who does that? Catherine Helzerman’s app is cleverly named, Ask God.  I knew she had to be featured on this blog…Read on for my exclusive interview!

1. For those who are not technologically savvy or current (me), what is an Iphone app?

An iPhone App is simply any application that is made specifically to run on Apple’s iPhone.

 
2. What is “Ask God?” Why did you develop the application? 

 Ask God is an application developed for iPhone that allows users to easily find Bible scripture on a variety of topics.  The application is designed to offer a fun introduction to those new to the Bible, as well as give Christians a quick way to get a Word on a topic, such as work, faith or marriage.  Favorite verses can be shared on popular social networks such as Twitter or Facebook. 

 I wrote Ask God because I wanted to give people a fun way to get relevant scripture from the Bible.  Too often, Bibles online can be intimidating or not interesting to the new or non-Christian.  My app has fun features such as shaking your phone for verses and sharing them with friends.  Many users who are sharing God’s Word through my app do not even consider themselves “religious.”

3. How did you develop this application? Please tell me all of the nitty-gritty “techy” details. How long did this process take?

 I’m not sure how long it took because I was working on it in my spare time, but the process was somewhat unique.  I felt drawn to develop an application for those needing quick access to Bible scripture.  With no experience in iPhone programming, I purchased a book called “Program for the iPhone in 24 hours,” and I was on my way.  Fortunately my husband and some friends helped with some of the more technical aspects of the program.

4. How does one get access to Ask God? How much does it cost? Have you made any money? Please describe as it think it would inspire people:)

Ask God can be purchased on your iPhone. Go to the App Store and search for Ask God or Bible verses or on iTunes.  You need to have an iPhone for it to work.  It will not run on Blackberry and other phones because the software is not compatible.

Right now, Ask God is free.  I’m working on an upgrade that will enable the application to work on iPad and also give it a new look and feel.  At some point I might charge 99 cents, but for now,  it is free to anyone who wants it.

For a while I did charge 99 cents.  It did not make a lot of money; however, I think part of the reason was that I was holding back on doing a lot of publicity until I got the software right where I wanted it to be.

5. How are you getting the word out about Ask God?  Have you gotten any feedback from “subscribers?” Is that the correct word for people who download the application?

Feedback from users has been great.  Some encourage me to add more technical features –and they’re right.  Much of this has already been done and is available in the version out now.  Many times I will post a scripture to Facebook and get a comment that the Word was “right on time” and what that person needed to hear.  I love moments like that.

Once I have the version out that works on both iPhone and iPad I will promote the software more to get the word out.  I’ll do this through a press release, Twitter, Facebook and targeted publications that cater to the Christian community.  I’ll also ask pastors to share the word about the application if they’re comfortable in informal settings such as weekly men’s and women’s groups, volunteer and outreach groups, etc.

Any thoughts?

Catherine Helzerman has worked in the high-tech industry since the early ’90s for companies including Gateway, IBM and her current company McAfee  In addition to her responsibilities as a communications director at McAfee, Catherine is active in her church Bible Way Christian Center in San Jose, California, particularly in homeless and low-income outreach.  Catherine also enjoys programming and is the co-founder of Snark Software.  Catherine is working on her first book, a Christian fiction novel that will explore how God orders our steps in a way that makes events that are seemingly unconnected and sometimes painful work toward our good.