Jim Howk

Status vs Faith

2021-02-24T00:00:00-00:00

Greetings Friend,

This week’s Bible verses:

https://www.bible.com/bible/1713/MRK.10.CSB Mark 10:32-52 (CSB)

https://keystonelife.com/resource-library/resources/mark-1032-52-february-21st/

Discussion: “Seeking Status vs Having Faith”

Jesus predicts his death (for the 3rd time).

This is weird because the Jews are looking for a mighty leader to overthrow the Romans and make them a mighty (physical) nation. Jesus came to conquer sin and death (spiritual) instead. The difference of intent of spiritual instead of physical is why so many people missed identifying him as the messiah they had been looking so closely for for centuries.

“Count the cost. Be faithful. Being Christian isn’t picking and choosing the rules you want to follow… Its all or nothing.” - Pastor Matt Frey You either know and follow Jesus, or you’ve missed it all.

“If you want Jesus, you can have him! Its the wanting him that is hard.”

Status says “Me First.” Jesus Says “Serve First”

(Q:) “What does it mean to serve first / to deny yourself?”

https://old.joniandfriends.org/radio/4-minute/carrying-your-cross/ https://old.joniandfriends.org/radio/4-minute/what-cross/

“In a way, I have looked at my wheelchair as my cross to bear, but is it? What exactly is the cross I am to take up daily? What about you? Is your cross your arthritis, a dead end job? Is your cross to bear an unhappy marriage, or recurring headaches? Are these the things the Lord had in mind when He told us to take up our cross daily and follow Him?

…

Friend, your cross to bear is not your boring job, aching back, or irksome mother-in-law. Your cross to bear is your daily putting to death your attitude about your boring job, exasperating mother-in-law and aching muscles, and this means you can “rejoice in your suffering.” “ – Joni Eareckson Tada [blog]

https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/2446653-hope-the-best-of-things https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B001CU9OB8/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

“Your cross is your attitude about your dead-end job and your in-laws. It is your attitude about your aches and pains. Any complaints, any grumblings, any disputings or murmurings, any anxieties, any worries, any resentments or anything that hints of a raging torrent of bitterness–these are the things God calls me to die to daily.” ― Joni Eareckson Tada, Hope…the Best of Things [Book]

(Q:) “What do you want me to do for you?” - Jesus

(Jesus says this question multiple times with different reactions from the audience in these passages.)

James and John want status with Jesus… Jesus says that the positions at his left and right are not His (Jesus’s) to give but are only assigned by the Father (God).
Bartimaeus (a blind beggar) asks (yelling) for mercy and healing from Jesus and is granted sight.

(Q:) How do you handle/accept persecution?

(Q:) How is being a Christ-Follower becoming offensive in popular-culture and politics?

(Q:) What does it mean to stand firm in your faith?

(Q:) What does the Bible say about these things?

(Q:) What are specific things you can do to keep gratitude for your salvation as a part of your Christian walk?

“I think of it as an opportunity… lifestyle, politics, religion with coworkers… it is great because it gives me an opportunity to be an example of being a believer who cares and who cares about justice and cares about you being a person.” “It is hard because, then, I do have to be the hands and feet of Jesus.” - Suzi

“As Christians, we have to be genuine.” - Nik

“Sometimes it can be hard for me to find gratitude since I didn’t grow up outside the church, so it was just normal to be Christian… so, instead, I am thankful that God allowed me to grow up in the Church from the day I was born.” - Ashley

“Don’t just knock it just ‘cause its not what you’re used to.” (sharing Christian Rock music with friends) - Carl

This week’s services: (music is rocking!)

Keystone Church | 9a Service Live Stream https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwLkxvUg5sI

Keystone Church| 10:30a Service Live Stream https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlfTRDH3SVw

**Radio / Music Streams : **

https://christianrock.net/ https://christianhits.net/ https://christianpowerpraise.net/ https://christianclassicrock.net/ https://christianhardrock.net/

(local West Des Moines station) https://pulse1017.com/

(air1, based in California, has DJ’s that keep you company and lift you up) https://www.air1.com/

**SALT Network : **

Daniel Nemmers (& family) is planting a church at Illinois State University (ISU) in Fall 2022. Currently serving at Keystone as Salt Director (2020-2021). https://keystonelife.com/about/#leadership

Check out this cool map (and lists) of SALT Network church plants! : https://thesaltnetwork.com/plants/

About the SALT Network: https://thesaltnetwork.com/about/

SALT Network Vision: https://player.vimeo.com/video/394214734?color=907365&title=0&byline=0&portrait=0

Thanks and have a great week!,

– Jim

Status vs Faith was originally published by Jim Howk at Jim Howk on February 24, 2021.

Laptop Buyers Guide 2020

2020-04-18T00:00:00-05:00

Laptop Buyers Guide 2020 was originally published by Jim Howk at Jim Howk on April 18, 2020.

Resources

2019-06-29T00:00:00-00:00

Primer :

Resources was originally published by Jim Howk at Jim Howk on June 29, 2019.

Top Books of 2018

2019-01-07T00:00:00-00:00

Primer :

I started reading a bunch in summer 2018 when I was challenged to seek what was next in life. see “Season of Queso”

yada yada

get the book here

bla bla bla

informational filler stuffs

The List :

informations
listy thingies
more listy thingies
more wow
more pizzazz

I couldn’t have said it better :

Now the seasons are changing and we are looking at what the next season looks like.

Here’s an excerpt:

“I don’t know what your health goal is, but I know it won’t be perfect. Life is going to throw some challenges at you. When it does, don’t give up. More than that, don’t beat yourself up. If you have a broken tooth or a kid with the flu or an all-day meeting that squeezes your calendar to death, don’t worry about it. You can run tomorrow. Or the day after or even the week after. Running with a broken tooth isn’t noble, it’s dumb and maybe even destructive.”

Lets crush our goals and encourage one another! How can I help you reach your goal?

Don’t miss an update! Join my newsletter!

Bonus :

This year started out with a big jump-start! By lunch time on January 1, 2019 I had started AND finished The Dip - by Seth Godin It came packed with some powerful motivation for the year and it will likely land itself on this year’s top 10 must-reads list.

Top Books of 2018 was originally published by Jim Howk at Jim Howk on January 07, 2019.

Season Of Queso

2018-11-08T00:00:00-00:00

Con Queso :

I got a couple emails from a friend of mine, Jon Acuff, and they really hit home. You see, we both love queso and both work for ourselves.

One of the things he wrote about were 3 Secrets to a Healthy Work-Life Balance. read the full article here

I was asked earlier this week by some other friends what things going on with my family they could pray for. My top 2 responses were health and finances.

I’m looking to grow in those areas… healthier health and being able to give, save, and invest more. The seasons are changing and I am transitioning along with them. :)

I get asked quite a bit about freelance vs corporate work and why I do what I do when I do it. I simply say it is the season I’m in and it made sense at the time. Next February (2019) marks 3 years since I left my 9-5 and since then we’ve moved / bought a house and are now raising not one but two kids!

We didn’t know what it would look like for our schedules and raising little ones?
We didn’t know if either one of us would want to be full-time stay-at-home and watch the kids all day every day?
We didn’t know if Suzi would want to do something different after 10 years at the same place? (spoiler: she still absolutely loves it)
We have answers to these questions and can make quality and intentional decisions on what “Next” looks like for us as we “Grow” our family. (Eli will be turning 2 next week!)

I couldn’t have said it better as Jon puts it:

“…perfect balance is a myth… life has seasons…” (paraphrase)

Now the seasons are changing and we are looking at what the next season looks like. This month is especially busy with appointments, meetings, sick kids, kid’s birthday parties, rehearsals, holidays, band performances, and more! This season of busy can get me down/exhausted sometimes but I am thankful to be a part of it all. I am looking ahead/forward to a season of routine and intentionally spending time being less-flexible so we can have more meaningful time together (as Jon put it).

I received another email this morning from Jon that I think ties it all together. He broke a tooth recently and had to decide to stop running while training for a marathon for a couple days because he grinds his jaw when focusing during his runs.

Here’s an excerpt:

“I don’t know what your health goal is, but I know it won’t be perfect. Life is going to throw some challenges at you. When it does, don’t give up. More than that, don’t beat yourself up. If you have a broken tooth or a kid with the flu or an all-day meeting that squeezes your calendar to death, don’t worry about it. You can run tomorrow. Or the day after or even the week after. Running with a broken tooth isn’t noble, it’s dumb and maybe even destructive.”

If you have a specific event or day you want to get together, lets get it on our calendars and make it happen! :D

Are you in a tough season right now? If so, don’t beat yourself up about it. Instead, focus on the solution. Lets crush our goals and encourage one another! How can I help you reach your goal?

Are you looking for more meaningful connections and relationships? If so, lets be intentional and get some 1-on-1 meetings scheduled and on the calendar! Don’t let life just happen… lets happen to life!

Season Of Queso was originally published by Jim Howk at Jim Howk on November 08, 2018.

The End Of An Era

2018-04-22T00:00:00-00:00

Saga :

My StarCraft Saga (Campaign) Comes To A Close

StarCraft (1998)
StarCraft: Brood War (1999)
Wings of Liberty (8/23/2010)
Heart of the Swarm (8/26/2015)
Legacy of the Void (4/22/2018)
Nova Covert Ops (To Be Continued…)
Multiplayer (To Be Continued…)
StarCraft Remastered (To Be Continued…)

Sunday April 22, 2018

Today…

This day marks the dawn of a new era. A time when a remarkable journey has come to an end.

Today marks the day when my StarCraft + StarCraft2 Saga comes to an end. Twenty years playing StarCraft, today marks the end of the closing chapters. Today, I completed in entirety the Legacy of the Void campaign.

Marking 8 years from completing Wings of Liberty. Marking 3 years from completing Heart of the Swarm. Marking 20 years of StarCraft alongside Blizzard’s very own 20th Anniversary Celebration.

The emotion is immense. I find myself breathless thinking of what this means. Something so near and dear to me finally has closure.

Nearing the end… the inevitable being expected… I have avoided it for so very long in hopes of extending the journey to the farthest stretches of the universe. This epic saga, stretching the far reaches of space, has provided countless hours of enjoyment, stress, laughter, comradery/camaraderie. This game is responsible for some of my fondest moments with my closest of friends and family.

Today… I have witnessed the end of an era. An era where Terran, Zerg, Protoss fight for their place in the universe. (no spoilers)

Today… I have viewed the last cut-scene… the last movie… the ending credits.

Today I commemorate this day as a celebration of unity amongst my fellow players (and viewers) in honor of the memories, in honor of the years spent discovering and experiencing the epic saga known as StarCraft.

I lovingly showcase these achievements awarded to such a right of passage on my player profile and encourage anyone and everyone to pick it up and play.

I implore you to make your own memories as you travel through the Koprulu Sector.

Play for free!

Today I finally wrap up a story, a saga, an epic adventure as I look forward to what StarCraft and life have in store for me next.

“Finally.” -SC

“Hell, Its about time.” -SC2”

“En Taro Roy”

“En Taro Suzi”

The End Of An Era was originally published by Jim Howk at Jim Howk on April 22, 2018.

Dreams->Goals->Reality

2015-10-20T00:00:00-00:00

Herding Cats :

The following are three questions many of us have been asked or have asked ourselves…

What are your dreams?
What are your goals?
What is your reality?

It seems that these questions often fall flat and seem meaningless after a short while. These questions are variants of common things I have been asked during many interviews and work reviews. Questions of “Where are you now?”, or “What is your current salary?” have come up during discussions with recruiters and HR over the years, where they want to have an idea of what your current reality is. This is generally followed up by “What are you looking to get out of this position?” or “What do you see yourself providing to this team?”; questions to see if your goals line up with where the business has you placed and what their future outlook is. The fact-finding usually continues during an interview with “Where do you see yourself in five years?” and “What are your hobbies?” or “What do you like to do in your spare/free time?”. These are sometimes checks to see what your dreams and aspirations are, but often are simple indicator questions for hiring managers to see if you have clear direction and desire in what they have to offer you. While these questions can help a business align with you and, in turn, help you gain direction in your line of work, they can seem impersonal and put the keys to your future in your employer’s hands instead of taking charge of your life.

Aiming High :

When you focus on evaluating these questions for yourself and your own purposes, it makes things much more personal (and personalized). I propose the following changes be made in order to gain the most impact for your life. You only get to live once on this planet, so you should be intentional and make every effort to make the most out of every moment.

What are your dreams?
What goals does it take to make your dreams come true?
What does it take to make your goals become a reality?

When you identify your personal dreams, this gives you something to aim at, else you’ll be aiming at ‘nothing’ and missing your dreams nearly every time.

You then need to set some goals to split up your dream into milestones that you will need to achieve to make your dreams come true.

Once you have those milestones written out, it is now time to split out each milestone into many individual, bite-sized tasks that can be tackled within a short amount of time such as one day or one week. I recommend that no task be longer than a total of two weeks. These tasks should be something you can put on your daily to-do list and see progress daily. The idea is to have attainable, reachable tasks that can be completed. These are steps toward meeting your goals on the timeline you have set towards living your dreams. Keep things on a schedule and continue right where you left off if you drop off the wagon for a few days. The longer it takes you to get back to your small tasks, the longer it will be before you get to impact your reality. Be intentional and disciplined and you will see the impact in a matter of weeks.

Reaching for the sky :

These simple changes transform these somewhat disparate questions into a cohesive battle-plan to make your dreams a reality.

Don’t let your future happen to you. Happen to your future! Dream big, and if you are willing to do what it takes to meet your goals, your dreams will become your reality.

Dreams->Goals->Reality was originally published by Jim Howk at Jim Howk on October 20, 2015.

Debt Free

2015-10-1T00:00:00-00:00

A Life In Chains :

The borrower is slave to the lender. The road to financial freedom is a challenge to say the least.

Somewhere along the way my dreams, passions, goals, and persons of influence talked me into going to college. I’ll save that story for another time. I started my path first with a semester of private 4-year college followed by 2 years of community college. What ended up happening is during my studies, my scholarships and grants ran out and I found myself reaching for student loans to answer the void to my higher education. It started out small, but I never seemed to make any progress with paying off more than the interest on the loans. Fast forward a few years and I returned to the college scene in hot pursuit of upgrading my A.A.S. in Computer Networks & Security to a B.S. in either Computer Science or Management Information Systems. The initial paperwork for my admission indicated I would have a nearly fully covered tuition. After reviewing the materials with my campus financial counselor, we noticed a box had been checked that would drastically increase my responsibilities for tuition payment. Again, already being beyond the point of no return, I reached for student loans.

These loans along with a few other debts would turn into one of the biggest hurdles I have faced as of yet. These debts started as small chains around my ankles and ended up turning into figurative shackles. Debt is sneaky and slowly creeps into every corner of your life. It challenges your finances which in turn affects every aspect of your life including emotions, stress levels, opportunities, travel, etc. The monthly repayment notices start feeling like a pet, like they just won’t go away.

Getting Gazelle Intense :

You have to face them head on.

Your debts are cheetahs that are looking for lunch. They want to eat up your focus, your income, your life. You have to bust it. You have to get gazelle intense and RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!

My wife and I stuck to a written budget and, after graduation, sent nearly 1/3rd of our household income to our “debt snowball”. Every dollar we could squeeze out of our expenses was saved and sent towards paying off the debt that had piled up.

Financial Peace :

Financial peace can be summed up into one word : Freedom.

On October 1, 2015 we wrote a check to pay off the balance-in-full of our last debt owed. Thus freeing us from the chains of bondage of debt, forever changing our family tree, and setting us on the path to true financial peace and freedom.

Today, We Are Debt Free!

The Key :

The key to getting out of debt (in Suzi’s words): -Being willing to sacrifice. Not just not buying things, but Jim’s incredible work sacrifice. Working extra side jobs, working long hours. The air conditioning in the truck was broken and we decided to not get it fixed (for the entire year), and Iowa summers are pretty humid!

To Be Continued…

usual questions: -Where are you from? -What do you do? -How much have you paid off? -How long did it take you? -How much do you make? -What jobs do you have? -What kind of debt was this? -What’s the key to getting out of debt? -How did this journey get started? -Whats the hardest thing you have done in the last however many months?

Debt Free was originally published by Jim Howk at Jim Howk on October 01, 2015.

Liquid Jekyll

2015-09-30T00:00:00-00:00

Liquid Jekyll - Finding Time :

The Jekyll template this site is based on originally used Jekyll modules to estimate blog post read times. This works great when you are hosting your site using "jekyll serve". Any Jekyll Modules within the _plugins folder can be used to build your site. These ruby-based modules are usually simple to write and work well most of the time.

The Problem :

When you don’t pre-build your site and rely on Github Pages to take your code and turn it into your _site , you end up with a few added restrictions. The biggest of these is Github Pages runs Jekyll with the --safe flag, which inherently disables any 3rd-party modules. This means your lovely _plugins folder gets ignored. http://jekyllrb.com/docs/plugins/

In my case, I want to automatically generate and display how long a post will take an average person to read. The original setup of this Jekyll theme used the following Jekyll Modules to compute the time and display the value.

On the page :

{{ post.content.size | readtime | pluralize: "minute" }} read

read-time.rb :

module ReadTimeFilter
	def readtime(input)
		charcount = 4.5
		wpm = 335
		rt = (input.to_f/charcount/wpm).round
		rt = 1 if rt < 1
		rt
	end
	Liquid::Template.register_filter self
end

pluralize.rb :

module Jekyll
	module Pluralize
		def pluralize(number, singular, plural=nil)
			if number == 1
				"#{number} #{singular}"
			elsif plural == nil
				"#{number} #{singular}s"
			else
				"#{number} #{plural}"
			end
		end
	end
end
Liquid::Template.register_filter(Jekyll::Pluralize)

The Solution

As found on http://milanaryal.com/2015/knowing-the-site-generated-time-by-jekyll-on-github-pages/ , if you are using Liquid templating in your Jekyll build, you can use “Liquid Tags” to achieve a fair amount of logic using inline tags instead of ruby scripts.

On the page :

{{ post.content.size | divided_by:1507 }}  minute read

Other Useful Tidbits :

http://jekyllrb.com/docs/templates/

http://jekyllrb.com/docs/structure/

Liquid Jekyll was originally published by Jim Howk at Jim Howk on September 30, 2015.