I recently (2 weeks ago) upgraded my desktop tower and received Windows Vista installed from Dell.  I made the mistake of ordering the LapLink PC Mover software & cable to theoretically move all programs and files from my old XP machine to the new Vista machine.  BIG MISTAKE!

The migration took 3 days and 4 attempts and then my desktop would not advance beyond the Dell opening screen.  After spending all day on the phone with Dell tech support, I had removed my backup external drive, a backup printer and reconfigured and updated my main printer drivers.  The next day, it was apparent that all was not well.  Back to tech support and finally had to reconfigure my system back to the factory original state.  Then came the task of manually uploading all files and reinstalling all programs.  Still not sure I got them all!

In summary, Vista is great and a huge improvement (along with Office 2007) over XP and Office 2000.  But it is painful!

Anyone else have a similiar experience?

John

We hosted two friends from Tanzania last week who were on their way to Bakersfield, CA, for the annual International Christian Ministries International Council.  They are Country Directors in Tanzania for ICM but native Kenyans and we were in their home in December.

James is finishing a master’s degree in a school in Zimbabwe and was telling me how terrible the conditions are there with 3700% inflation, no jobs and nothing to eat.  I asked him “when were the people going to rise up and demand a new leader?”  His reply was, “the president is the chief of his tribe and as long as they are the majority, they will never go against their chief.  That is the African way.”  WOW!

This really got me thinking and I thought of South Africa and Kenya as examples where African seem to have overcome that tribal way of thinking about their leaders.  (Not that tribal prejudices don’t exist in Kenya–and I assume South Africa–they do!)  How can this mentality be changed?  In Zimbabwe will it hold until there is no one left alive?

John

When I first went to Africa, as a result of being recruited by a wonderful Kenyan who has since become a good friend, I had my doubts as to whether the church leaders I would be teaching would accept the concept of pastor as servant.  I knew that the pastor was held in high esteem in East Africa and was accustomed to having others do for him.  How would they react when I began to teach them that they had it all wrong and that their role was to serve thier flock, not the other way around?  To my great surprise–and relief–they embraced the concept and began to put into practice what they had learned.

Why do we not see that in our churches in the U.S.?  What impact could this have upon our churches if the pastors embraced the role of servanthood?