First Blog Post

Well, Here it is. I've decided to put this up because so much happens you want to communicate about, but never have a central place to put it. So, here it is.

There are some things most folks need to know.
1. I'm a Baptist Minister. I was saved in Mainz, Germany in Sept. of 1986 in an Independent Baptist Church called Calvary, while I was in the Army. Since then, I have been ordained as a Southern Baptist Minister, and currently pastor Missionary Ridge Baptist Church in BonAqua, TN.
2. I'm a Sr. System Engineer. I have been professionally employed since 1993, and I've used everything from DOS 3 to Linux 2.6. I have experience in Windows (3.1 - 2003 Server), OS/2 3 - 4, NetWare (3.1x - 6.5 OES), eDirectory, GroupWise (4.1c - 6.5), AIX (5L), Tivoli Storage Manager (ADSM 3 to TSM 5.3), RedHat, Debian, and Kubuntu (most recent).
3. I'm a Veteran! I served in the US Army for 3 years as a Chinook Mechanic, Stationed in Mainz-Finton (205th Avn) for most of my time. I did Basic at Ft. Dix, NJ, and AIT at Ft. Eustis (Charlie Company) (Even Uncle Sam Thinks It Sucks). I called it Fort Useless. Needless to say I think people who don't appreciate the freedom we have in this country should take a long walk off a short pier!

What this means is that When I post about Religion or life, it'll come from a Baptist perspective. If you don't like that, TOUGH! I am who I am, and by the grace of God I'll get over it one day in glory. I'm NOT going to argue with anyone about what I believe. I'll state my opinions as such, but when I believe its not my opinion I'll state it that way as well. Either way, if you don't like it, go somewhere else. I say that because there are too many good places for you to go and enjoy yourself rather than get frustrated trying to "correct" me.
I believe the Bible IS the Word of God, for English speaking folks I believe that is found in the King James Version (1769 ed.). However, as you'll find out I'm looking at an updated version that has great promise! Because I believe that, I also believe it is without error, and is the final authority on all matters of faith and practice. God said it, that settles it, and I believe it.
I believe Salvation is by Grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone! Jesus Christ's work on the cross was all I needed to find forgiveness and full salvation. Repentance and Belief are required as "fruits of faith" however, neither the prayer, nor any other action in and of itself has saving grace, neither does Baptism, Communion, nor any other Religious Rite or Ceremony.

Now, on to Technology, (don't want to reveal too much all at once :-).
I'm a Linux fan. I run it on my Home PCs as the primary OS. I've been running it that way since a little after Y2K, I think I finally converted everything over in about 2002. Yes Linux IS ready for the Desktop. I've used SUSE, Debian, Mandrake (now Mandriva), and currently run Kubuntu Edgy.
I believe in Freedom, and that's why I run it. I also enjoy the extremely reduced chance of getting a virus, or malware app on my PCs. That, along with the reliability and cost of Linux, make it a no brainer in my book.
I use OpenOffice.org for my daily Office Suite needs, BibleTime 1.6 for my Bible Study application, along with some WebSites (I'll hopefully get around to posting all the links when I get this BLogging thing figured out).
I'm not a die-hard, its gotta be completely open source, kinda guy. If I could get the proprietary ATI Driver to work on my Laptop, I'd probably use it. However, because Toshiba's STINK really badly, I use the ati driver. OH, did I mention that I think Toshiba's laptops are HORRIBLE? Ok, I thought I had.
Last of all, I don't like Windows. Yes, I'm an MCSE (NT 4), however its not up to date, and wasn't really my thing to start with.
Well, that's enough for now. I've definitely got more to say. Especially after seeing the moms who are so careless with their children! ARGGGHH!

Well, I'll write more later.