Eric Holter’s Aggregated Digital Life

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Posted on December 25, 2009 - by ericholter

New Gadget Love

ibiza

It’s Christmas, which means not only did I get a new gadget, but I actually have time to blog about it. A couple months ago I updated by Rhapsody software and ever since I haven’t been able to get my Sansa View to sync up with Rhapsody. It’s been a great device, but this failure made it close to useless to me. In the process of looking up a fix I came across the Rhapsody ibiza. Suddenly, with Christmas around the corner, I decided it was time for an upgrade!

This 30GB player has built in wifi and Rhapsody integration. I can now connect to my Rhapsody account without any wires or syncing with a computer–nice! I’ve only been playing around with it for a half hour or so at my sister-in-law’s, but so far it’s working exactly like I hoped it would. I was able to easily connect to her home network and start listening to tracks streaming right from my Rhapsody account. All my library and playlists are accessible–and they sound great on the new Sennheiser HD 280 pro headphones my wonderful wife also got me for Christmas (my old pair had a hard plastic top which left a mark on my bald head).

The interface is extremely intuitive and the touchpad is smooth and substantial. I always felt the Sansa view scroll wheel was kind of flimsy. Connecting to the wifi network was very simple thanks to the wifi button that automatically detects any local networks. While listening to any track you can easily select the “Keep this song” option and save it to the device to listen to when there is no wifi access (which requires the Rhapsody To-Go subscription). I can also download entire albums and subscribe to podcasts. I’m psyched about the podcast feature, since now I can automatically get the latest sermons from my church without downloading and transferring to the device.

The only downside so far is that is a bit bigger and heavier than the View, and it’s so new that I didn’t find a velcro sports accessory available for it yet, but I bet it will fit in an iPod strap. So far I’m loving this new device!

Posted on September 1, 2009 - by ericholter

Sobering Psalm 50

Psalm 50 is a sobering Psalm. Right off the bat it positions the Lord as judge over all the earth. In the first 15 verses God summons his people and delivers a surprising rebuke. They had been offering sacrifices rightly enough, according to God’s own statues. So his rebuke is not so much for that. Yet in another sense it was–for even when sacrificing properly, they were not honoring God. He reminded them that he owns all the cattle on a thousand hills. Therefore, they couldn’t give to God anything that He did not already own. And in receiving these sacrifices, which were already his, he does not receive them as though he needed them–he wasn’t hungry for meat and blood.
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Posted on August 10, 2009 - by ericholter

The Subsequent Glories of the Cross

The gospel message about what Christ has done for us on the cross is great not only because of what it tells us about what God did for us in the past. It’s increasingly glorious in what it produces in us now and in its promises for our future.

Peter begins his epistle thanking and praising God for what he has done for us in the past, in the death and resurrection of Christ. Staring from what Christ has done in the past, Peter then looks ahead to the final day in which we will receive our eternal inheritance, an inheritance that is kept and preserved for us by God.

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Posted on August 6, 2009 - by ericholter

Adam Chillin on the Hammock

hammock Adam

Originally uploaded by holterfamily

This post is mostly testing out the “blog this” feature of Flickr. I’m always looking for new ways to aggregate my digital life, and this seemed like a great photo to test it out with. We had some great times hangin’ out on the hammock, watching the dogs chase each other around the front yard and the listening to the cows complain about one thing or another.

Posted on August 6, 2009 - by ericholter

My Study Phone

I have an entire category for gadgetry but I have not made a single post to it until now. When my last cell phone became eligible for upgrade (a Palm Treo 700) I had a plan for its replacement (I still have the Treo if anyone is looking for a bargain smartphone). My goal was to find a phone that would help me during this upcoming year at the Pastor’s College. That’s where Evernote and the Samsung Omnia come in. (more…)

Posted on July 22, 2009 - by ericholter

If the Lord Wills

Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” James 4:15

I am often guilty of the evil boasting of arrogance that presumptuously declares where I will go and what I will do as though such things were in my control. I’ve been trying to obey the instruction that James gives about not boasting, but instead saying “if the Lord wills” I will do such and such. But I noticed something in my most recent reading of this passage. James doesn’t just tell us to say “if the Lord wills we will do this or that,” he says “if the Lord wills we will live and do this or that.”

When considering my plans I need to always preface my intentions with the reality that where I go and what I do are governed entirely by God’s will. This is right, but insufficient. For not only are my ways directed by his will, but my days are too. I ought not to presume upon one more day of life, or one more minute for that matter. If the Lord wills I will live, and finish this paragraph.

Since the root problem of speaking presumptuously is arrogance, remembering the “if we live” part this exhortation can be especially helpful in combating my pride and producing humility. Acknowledging God’s governance of my ways is right and helpful, remembering that he upholds my very life by his will alone is even more sobering. But it is also comforting. If the Lord wills “we will live…” If I am humble and receive the Lordship of Christ I need not fear death. My days are controlled by Christ. I will not live one day more than those God has ordained, nor will I live one day less. And receiving the Lordship of Christ makes me happy to live or die, for “to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow’r of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand.
In Christ Alone – Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2001 Kingsway Thankyou Music

Thank you Jesus for your power, your strong hand that upholds my life, gives me breath, and sustains me. Help me not to resist your will, to strive, or to arrogantly boast of where I will go or what I will do. Help me to remember that all my days and all my paths are ordained by you. Cause me to rejoice in your control, not resist it or ignore it–for you are good and worthy of praise. Amen.

Posted on July 21, 2009 - by ericholter

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Posted on May 16, 2009 - by ericholter

The Gospel and the Poor, by Tim Keller

The Gospel Coalition’s publication, themelios had an excellent article in volume 33, issue 3 by Tim Keller called The Gospel and the Poor. Tim Keller is pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York city and has well developed views on the church and urban life.

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Posted on April 3, 2009 - by ericholter

Slaying the Dragon of Flesh

Justin Taylor points out the important basis for Christian ethics….

"This is getting at the crucial truth of NT ethics that the imperative (what you should do) is built upon the indicative (what God has done). It's a foreign way of thinking for many of us, and we have to adjust our mental compass in order to walk this way."