manna?

Book Club Febuary 3

Posted by Ed and Lois

Meets in Barnes and Noble Thursdays @ 7:00 PM

I know it’s called a book club, but no books are required. (Really) Sometimes even shopping occurs. 

From Rudy in Indonesia

Posted by Mike Boyink

Hi Friends!

....and greetings from Menado, Indonesia.
I’ve had an aaahmazing week with the Lakeshore Vineyard; 4 concerts,many
workshops and divine appointments,- much outpouring from the HS. Now I’m
off to Cambodia for 2 weeks and would ask you to pray for:

*continued favor of the Lord
*encourage people of Cambodia & missionary friends
*divine appt’s
*that I would be a blessing machine!

THANK YOU!!

see you at the top,
-rudy,vfj

More on Blog-Based Church Websites (We’ve got company)

Posted by Mike Boyink

“Online conversations via a blog-based church website are a great way to express that life, as long as they eventually lead to face-to-face relationships.” Full Post>>

Let’s make room for some company folks..;)  MannaIs.org gets a mention on StrategicDigitalOutreach.com, a site which “explore(s) the various ways in which today’s technology can be used to spread the gospel around the world”.

The owner of the site - Frank Johnson - and I have had an ongoing discussion about the use of blogs for churches, and it looks like some other churches are starting to try out websites similar to MannaIs.org.

In iPod America, Legions Tune In by Marco R della Cava (USA Today)

Posted by Ed and Lois

With its high-tech decor and clubby feel, Apple’s flagship store here doesn’t look like a creepy cult headquarters. But there’s some kind of mind-noodling going on: Everyone exiting its glass doors is ready to spout the gospel of iPod.

I love the sound quality and how many songs I can carry around,” says real estate agent Paige Baron, 25, running her fingers over a pink iPod Mini. “My friends all have one, and I just felt it was time to catch up.”

She has just joined the iPod nation. Apple may have introduced its innovative digital music player in 2001, but of the 10 million iPods sold to date, 8.2 million of the $249 to $399 gadgets were purchased in 2004. Nearly 5 million were bought over the holiday season alone. With its new $99 Shuffle, Apple expects the streets to soon sprout even more iPod people.

“This is all part of the shift from mass media to personalized media,” says Paul Saffo, research director of The Institute for the Future, a tech think tank in Palo Alto, Calif. “With the iPod, the Buddha is in the details. The finish and feel are such that you want to caress it.

“And when you do, wonderful things happen.”

Befitting a contraption that has captured the fancy of everyone from working stiffs to head-bopping celebrities like Nicole Kidman and Leonardo DiCaprio, the iPod has created its own:

Economy. Dozens of new companies cater to the faithful, including accessory manufacturers that turn your iPod into a digital audio recorder; fashion firms making clothes with iPod-ready pockets; and companies that will load your entire CD collection onto your iPod.

•Cultural trends. Some nightclubs are offering patrons the chance to DJ via their iPods, while even bolder owners practice iPod “jacking,” momentarily swapping units with a stranger to tap into another devotee’s musical soul.

•Naysayers. Some consumers still balk at the top-of-the-line iPod’s cost, and others have yet to be convinced that Apple’s version of the MP3 player will ultimately dominate the category. Recently, Dell CEO Kevin Rollins dissed the iPod as a “one-product wonder” that his and other companies would top soon.

Interviews with owners of various ages tell the same unsolicited tale. They shun today’s radio programming (too much talk, not enough good songs) and resent buying CDs that are full of songs they don’t want (they gladly spend 99 cents a song at Apple’s iTunes online music store, where 1.2 million songs are snapped up daily).

“This is no fad — the iPod has changed my life,” says Andrea Kozek, 29, a health care professional from Milwaukee and owner of, yes, My Precious.

Full Post:http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2005-01-31-ipod_x.htm

Letterman Delivers Carson’s Last Monologue (USA Today)

Posted by Ed and Lois

It was Johnny Carson’s last monologue and, predictably, it drew plenty of laughs.

David Letterman paid tribute to Carson, who died Jan. 23, by delivering a Late Show monologue Monday composed entirely of jokes the retired Tonight show host had quietly sent him in his final months.

Only after the monologue was through and Letterman was back behind his desk did he tell the audience who had written the jokes.

Letterman set up one joke by noting scientists had been working on an airplane that flew 50 miles above the Earth. Only two man-made objects were visible at that distance, he said.

“One is the Great Wall of China,” Letterman said. “and the other is Donald Trump’s hair.”

Another joke noted Democrat John Kerry, under fire for his Vietnam service record, was criticized for throwing away some of his military service medals.

“Not to be outdone, President Bush threw away his National Guard spotty attendance records,” he said.

Letterman played a poignant clip from a few years after Carson’s retirement. Carson walked onstage to deliver Letterman’s top ten list and Letterman motioned to have him sit behind the desk. Carson did so and beamed, back in the driver’s seat and soaking up a standing ovation. But before saying anything, he shook his head, smiled and walked offstage.

Everybody who’s doing a talk show, himself included, is secretly doing Carson’s Tonight show, he said.

“The reason we’re all doing Johnny’s Tonight is because you think, ‘Well, if I do Johnny’s “Tonight” show, maybe I’ll be a little like Johnny and people will like me more,’” he said. “But it sadly doesn’t work that way. It’s just, if you’re not Johnny, you’re wasting your time.”

Full Post:http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2005-02-01-letterman_x.htm