In the Bible, Sabbath rest means to cease regularly from and to enjoy the results of your work. It provides balance: ‘Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God’ (Exodus 20:9–10). Although Sabbath rest receives a much smaller amount of time than work, it is a necessary counterbalance so that the rest of your work can be good and beneficial.

God liberated his people when they were slaves in Egypt, and in Deuteronomy 5:12–15, God ties the Sabbath to freedom from slavery. Anyone who overworks is really a slave. Anyone who cannot rest from work is a slave – to a need for success, to a materialistic culture, to exploitative employers, to parental expectations, or to all of the above. These slave masters will abuse you if you are not disciplined in the practice of Sabbath rest. Sabbath is a declaration of freedom.

Thus Sabbath is about more than external rest of the body; it is about inner rest of the soul. We need rest from the anxiety and strain of our overwork, which is really an attempt to justify ourselves—to gain the money or the status or the reputation we think we have to have. Avoiding overwork requires deep rest in Christ’s finished work for your salvation (Hebrews 4:1–10). Only then will you be able to ‘walk away’ regularly from your vocational work and rest.

Sabbath is the key to getting this balance, and Jesus identifies himself as the Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:27– 28) – the Lord of Rest! Jesus urges us, ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls’ (Matthew 11:28–29). One of the great blessings of the gospel is that he gives you rest that no one else will.

I really hate the idea behind Hulu Plus.

Today, I came across that same price discrimination happening again… this time in the field of magazine publishing.  I read several magazines online for free.  I was excited to see that you can read one of my favorites on your iPad now.  But there’s a catch — a $2 price tag per edition.  And it’s just a PDF — nothing special — no interaction, videos, etc.  $2 for a PDF file.  Not gonna happen…

As much as I want online TV and online magazines to thrive, I don’t believe charging users to be able to access content on a mobile device is the way to go.  I will never pay for something on my iPad I can get for free on my computer!!!  Are you with me?

• Total depravity is not just badness, but blindness to beauty and deadness to joy.
• Unconditional election means that the completeness of our joy in Jesus was planned for us before we ever existed.
• Limited atonement is the assurance that indestructible joy in God is infallibly secured for us by the blood of the covenant.
• Irresistible grace is the commitment and power of God’s love to make sure we don’t hold on to suicidal pleasures.
• Perseverance of the saints is the almighty work of God to keep us for an inheritance of pleasures at God’s right hand forever.

Theology, intersecting with our deepest needs.  I love it!

People (and unfortunately some pastors too) sometimes make the Christian life seem like a big drag… like if you are living the godlly life, you won’t be happy.  I love that John Piper points out the opposite is true.  Christians should be happiest people on the planet.  But, first we have to redefine happiness.  Yes, a shiny new car gives a form of fleeting happiness (until it guzzles gas or rusts and falls apart).  For Christians, we are being transformed from the inside out with each passing day to find our ultimate delight in God.

You don’t even have to be a Christian to realize that the world doesn’t satisfy.  Whatever fleeting pleasures you find here are like drinking ocean water — it just leads to more thirst.  Jesus, on the other hand, is the source of living water — the one that satisfies our soul.  We believe that, in Him, we have found the ultimate treasure, and He is all to us.

Where do you find your joy?  Is it worthy of your whole life?

“You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”  -Psalm 16:11

Sean Sullivan (Rihanna’s audio engineer) uses Waves Renaissance Compressor and DeEsser to make sure the audience hears everything Rihanna sings. “The Renaissance Compressor is the most musical compressor I’ve ever heard. I use it on vocals and stereo bus; the DeEsser on lead vox; the C4 on backing vocals; H-Comp on drum and bass buses; SSL G-Master Buss Comp on overheads; the PS22 Stereo Maker (Spread) on guitars and backing vocal buses; Renaissance Bass on floor toms; H-Delay for vocal delay; and the Q-10 on matrix outs to tune PA zones. Also, I find a big advantage in using the psycho-acoustic PS22 Spread & S1 Imager plugins which are like no other processors out there.”

Can’t wait to put these new ideas into practice!!!

I received an email from Apple today saying that an update was available for the “Inside Apple” eBook I had purchased from iBooks. It instructed me to delete the book from my iPad and then re-download it (not a very elegant, “Apple-like” solution, but still…). I did that, but when I got to the last step, I was unable to download it from the cloud. Why? My iPad was linked to my other Apple ID. The popup informed me that I would not be able to change the ID back for 89 more days. It looked like I had just lost my book after following Apple’s email instructions.

After about an hour on the phone with Apple support (expensive for both me and them), they refunded my book purchase so that I could repurchase it with the other Apple ID. Again, not a very elegant solution. I asked if I could merge the Apple ID’s so that all of my purchases would be available from the cloud. They said, “no.” How disappointing! The iCloud system is useless to me because I only have access to half my music and books, and I can only change ID’s every 90 days.

Really, Apple? Really? I’ve been a customer since ’05, and all those years, I have trusted you to take care of my digital purchases. Now, you’re preventing me from accessing them. Unbelievable. iCloud was supposed to be simple, but please tell me how spending an hour with tech support today is simple?

Apple needs to find a way to fix this problem, and find it soon.  The message boards are full of people with situations like mine. If Apple really puts user experience first, they’ll find a solution. I can think of two possibilities:

1. Allow us to merge our Apple ID’s.
2. Allow mobile devices to download iCloud content from two Apple ID’s simultaneously. They could make the system work like the authorization scheme for iTunes computers. You could authorize up to five mobile devices to access iCloud per Apple ID. Each device could access multiple Apple ID’s, as long as that ID had not exceeded its maximum number of authorizations.

I’m not a rocket scientist, but I think this could work.  Apple, you want people to be able to trust you with their digital purchases. At this point, I’m more inclined to explore solutions from Google, Amazon or even Microsoft, since your solution is not working for me…

That was only half the drama.  I inadvertently discovered a digital “squatter” had taken over one of my Apple ID’s while I was talking with Apple. Imagine my surprise when the name on my account came back as:

Kimberly christon
1302 Rising Ridge Road
Mt Airy, Maryland 21771-5790

They told me someone had gained access to my account and linked a stolen credit card to it.  After answering some security questions (thank God this idiot didn’t have the sense to change those when they took over my account), I was finally able to take back control of my Apple ID again.

Wake up call — it’s time I revisit my approach to account security!!!  In today’s world, your digital life is your life, so when your accounts become compromised, your entire identity can be taken over piece by piece.  A few tips:

• Make sure to use a different password for all your accounts.
• Use strong passwords, and change them often.
• Regularly check all your accounts to make sure the info on file is still your info.
• Be skeptical for anything that asks for your password.  Websites that look legit can be “fishing” for your password, so don’t follow links in emails.  Just type the Website address (e.g., apple.com) directly into your browser.

I should mention a few positives, though:  I used the Apple Express Lane to initiate the support request, and I had virtually no wait time to talk to someone on the phone with Apple.  And it was a knowledgable American who helped me very well.  (Not a noisy Indian call center with people reading off scripts.)  Later on, I used Apple’s feedback form to tell them my ideas about iCloud and multiple Apple ID’s.  We’ll see if they’re listening or not.  If you’ve had a similar problem, let them know!!!

BEST CHRISTIAN ALBUM – Switchfoot’s Vice Verses.  I’ve been hard on Switchfoot ever since they severed ties with Columbia Records in 2007 and tried to do the hip indie thing.  This album makes up for all that junk that followed their last truly good album, Nothing Is Sound.  Every single track is awesome.  From fist-pumping adrenaline to deep, somber reflection, this album is filled with awesomesauce.

BEST SECULAR ALBUM – Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto.  The lush musical textures surrounding “Paradise” and “Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall” are paradise to my ears.  Too bad every track isn’t as good as those two.  Still, Coldplay lands my top pick for 2011′s secular album of the year.  First runner up in 2011 is Adele, who proves it doesn’t take any gimmicks, just raw talent, to be a musical success.

BEST SONG – “Pumped Up Kicks.”  Many of this year’s hottest acts were characterized by their throwback to classic sounds (Bruno Mars, Adele, etc.), and who better captured that than Foster the People?  I like the way this song takes you inside the life and mindset of a troubled character.  The only way we can start to turn the tide in senseless violence is to begin to understand the mindset of those that commit these atrocities.

UP AND COMING AWARD - Royal Tailor (“Hold Me Together”), The Afters (“Light Up The Sky”) and Chris August (“Starry Night”).  If these guys are showing us what’s coming up in Christian music, I’m excited!!!

COOLEST BAND NAMES - Anthem Lights and The City Harmonic.  I have no idea what they sound like, but I’m digging the names!

COUNTRY SONG OF THE YEAR – Jason Aldean’s “Dirt Road Anthem.”  I never thought the rap/sing combo could work in a country song, but it did, and I love it!  Stripping the verses down to primarily rhythmic changes allows the choruses to add on melodic changes and elevate the song.  It’s such a good formula that regular singers are starting to rap during verses (Jason Aldean, Mat Kearney, etc.), and rappers are pairing with singers to sing the choruses.

AWESOMEST COUNTRY GROUP - Lady Antebellum.  They truly owned the night in 2011 with yet another hit album, Own The Night.  If I sold my soul to the devil for anything, it would be to sing like that guy from Lady A.  Wait, there’s two guys?  No, not that one.  The other one.

BUSIEST SINGER AWARD – Rihanna.  Search iTunes for Rihanna.  Find a song she’s not in.  I dare you.

NOT TAKING YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY AWARD - LMFAO’S Sorry for Party Rocking.  How can you not smile when you listen to the crazy lyrics.  And the synth-driven, sonically maximized sound exemplifies the ear candy we came to love in 2012.  First runner-up goes to Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday.

COOLEST SONG ABOUT FLORIDA AWARD – Lady Gaga’s “You And I.”  So, one day, I’m listening to the radio and hear Lady Gaga singing about how much she loves Florida.  But when I buy the album, I realize she’s been cheating on me with Nebraska.  Then, I find out she recorded different versions for radio stations in all kinds of different states, and now I just feel so dirty…

MOST CREATIVE DUDE AWARD – David Crowder.  The DC*B never disappoints, and their musical creativity seems to know no end (though it will end after their final album is released on Jan. 10, 2012).  Just when you think they’ve done it all, here comes a Christmas album filled with techno, bluegrass and everything in between!

BEST KEPT SECRET - 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman.  Speaking of unrealized potential, Matt Redman’s new live worship album should have generated more buzz than it did.  It’s easily the best worship album of the year.  And Nathan Nockels’s producing is always a key part of that winning recipe.  I was in the crowd at the recording of this album, so be sure to listen for my out of tune voice in the background!

STILL GOING STRONG AWARD - Passion Worship Band.  After all these years, Passion is still churning out relevant worship music.  Their latest, Here For You, doesn’t disappoint.

BAD SONG SELECTION AWARD - Glee Cast.  Compared to their bestsellers that topped the iTunes charts in their first season, now they’re just floundering.  Why are they having these kids sing all these old songs.  Do they really want to secure the grandma demographic?  And what’s up with the heavy-handed political and moral overtones in their scripts now?

BAD STUDIO SELECTION AWARD - Kristian Stanfill.  I’ve been a fan of Kristian before anyone knew him.  From the first time I heard him at North Point Community Church, I knew he was going places.  Shortly after, he was at Passion.  Shortly after, he was signed by Louie Giglio’s record label.  It’s too bad that they seem to be skimping on the recording budget for him.  Chris Tomlin gets mixed and mastered like the pro he is.  But Kristian’s albums always seem tinny and irritating.  I like the production value much better on his old indie record.  Let’s get this guy into a better studio in 2012!

UNREALIZED POTENTIAL AWARD – Javier Colon, the winner of NBC’s The Voice.  This guy can sing like an angel.  He’s been signed with a record label before.  Then he went indie.  Now he’s on a label again.  But he still hasn’t found the right formula for success, even with all the recent notoriety.  He just needs the right producer to work with and some decent distribution.  I sure hope he finds it in 2012.

ONE TO WATCH AWARD - Elenowen.  Another talent brought to light through NBC’s The Voice, and I can’t wait for their next project!

COMING INTO HER OWN AWARD – Laura Story.  Thanks to her breakout hit, “Blessings,” Laura Story is on the map in a big way.  You’ve heard her songwriting before (“Indescribably,” for instance), and now you get to hear her own voice sing her great lyrics.  She’s one of the best, if not the best, Christian songwriter out there today, so I’m glad the spotlight is finally landing on her!

STILL DON’T GET IT AWARD – Gungor and Bon Iver and John Marc McMillan and Florence + The Machine and Mumford and Sons and Toby Keith’s “Red Solo Cup.”  Am I missing something here?

BARELY HANGING ON AWARD – Hillsong, Kelly Clarkson, David Cook, Owl City.  I hope they make it, but 2011 wasn’t the best year for any of the above.

PUT A FORK IN IT AWARD – Smitty (Glory), SCC (Re:creation) and Point Of Grace (Winter Wonderland).  They all proved that it’s time to put the mic down and step away slowly…

WORST COVER BAND AWARD – Newsboys, for giving us yet another cover (“God’s Not Dead”).  And, let’s be honest.  You’re not Newsboys anymore.  You’re Tait.  And Peter Furler is not Peter Furler.  He’s Newsboys.

THE “MEH” AWARD – Shawn McDonald, Josh Wilson, Mandisa, Francesca Battistelli, Shane & Shane, Kirk Franklin and Phil Wickham.  Yawn…

MOST HERETICAL LYRIC AWARD – MIKESCHAIR’s “Someone Worth Dying For.”  I was a sinner — not someone who, in and of myself, deserved anything.  That’s what makes God’s grace so amazing — I was not worth dying for, but He saved me anyway, to the praise of the glorious riches of His grace.

That’s about it!  What makes your top list for 2011?

Quite to the contrary, the iPhone 4S is flying off the shelves and shattering previous sales records.  And on top of that, Apple just released fourth quarter financial data.  Let’s just say that things are going extremely well for Apple, with all their major product lines showing very significant growth.

Why is Apple so dominant… even during the Great Recession… even with the release of an underwhelming iPhone?  People want simplicity and usability, and Apple is delivering that in every product.  But I’m still holding out for the iPhone 5 (summer, 2012, baby!).

I believe Steve Jobs has brought about more positive change than any other leader in my lifetime, but even he had critics.  Why?  Because change was involved, and change is never easy.  I’m just glad Steve followed his vision instead of letting the critics take the wheel.

This video is cool because we know how the story ends.  I don’t even want to try to imagine what the iPhone would look like if Apple had bowed to its critics.

Also, the specific way Jobs handled his critics is inspirational to me.  In the video above, you can see how he compassionately acknowledged that change is hard.  He even admitted that Apple had made mistakes and would continue to make mistakes.  But, that didn’t change the fact that they were heading toward their vision and would not be derailed.

There’s an art and a science to taking criticism well — accepting the kernel of truth but rejecting the personal attacks… making some course corrections but not allowing negativity to eat you alive.  It’s an art I’m still learning, and thankfully, I’ve got some great examples of leaders who do it very well.  Furthermore, the “advanced class” is learning not to just tolerate and endure critics but to lead them — to take them with you on your journey instead of discarding them.  That’s tough, but as you can see, Steve tried to do it.  And that’s my ultimate goal too.

First, I’m happy that I’m not an Apple stockholder.  The iPhone 4S is an incremental step, but it’s not enough.  No NFC (near-field communications).  No LTE (4G speed).  Apple’s corporate identity is as the chief innovator,  the industry leader.  The iPhone 4S does not serve to maintain their position by most people’s evaluations.  (Sure, the 1080p video recording with great optics and image stabilization is great, but it’s not enough.)

Second, I’m happy because my iPhone 4 will not look outdated later this month.  Because they didn’t introduce a thinner, sexier body design, my phone will look just as much up-to-date next week as it does this week.  Based on leaks, people were expecting an ultra-thin teardrop design, reminiscent of the iPad 2.  The leaks got our hopes up, but alas, it looks like those leaks are for the next iPhone design, due out next year.  :(

As for the presentation itself, Tim Cook underwhelmed me.  He didn’t appear to have Steve Job’s infectious love for the technology he held in his hands.  He was nervous and hesitant at times.  In short, he didn’t give me GAS (gear acquisition syndrome).  And the small venue didn’t help.  It was a very subdued presentation in a very small conference room.  In many ways, it looked like the upstart Apple of many years ago, not the mature industry leader Apple had become under Jobs.

However, two very important developments should not get lost in all the negativity.  First is iCloud, which I believe will usher in a wonderful change in the way all of us use “the cloud.”  Second is Siri, which I believe marks the first step toward the day when we interact in a more human way with our machines.  One day, when we can order around our car and our refrigerator in natural language, we will have Apple to thank.

All in all, Apple gave a very underwhelming presentation of a very underwhelming phone… but they also introduced several cool technological advances that will certainly change the way we all interact with our computers for a long time.

Yesterday, Bagel Brothers of New York opened a new restaurant in our part of town. We were excited to try it out and went in to try… what else, a bagel!  The cashier told us that it was buy-one-get-one-free.  Jessica wasn’t hungry, but you can’t beat free, so we both ordered bagels.  We asked for plain bagels with plain cream cheese, but they were out, so we got fancier bagels instead.

When the bill came due, the cashier asked for over $7.  I literally did a double-take. I asked her to repeat the amount.  She explained that the fancy bagels were extra, and that the buy-one-get-one-free offer did not apply to them.  That would have been good to know beforehand!!!  Long story short, they ended up getting a lot more money out of us that day than we intended to spend.  They made a quick buck.  But they lost in the long-run because they left a very sour taste in our mouth.

My other experience was with TiVo. The company sold me a defective TiVo Premiere, and I haven’t been able to use it since I got it.  Very frustrating!  Today, I finally broke down and called their customer support number.  I expected the worst.  I thought they’d blame it on the CableCard and make me call Comcast.  I thought they’d run me through several levels of support before getting someone who really knew what they were doing.  I was wrong!

TiVo wowed me with their competency and care. I didn’t have to navigate a huge phone tree.  I didn’t have to hold long.  I didn’t have to speak to more than one person.  We got my issue resolved, and a new TiVo is on its way to me, as we speak.  They’re even paying shipping both ways!  All it took was a few minutes on the phone with a knowledgable and helpful person who had the authority to get the situation fixed.

So, at the ends of the day, one company got a quick buck, while the other got a loyal customer for life. Which would you rather have?  Let that answer inform how you deal with customer support issues in your company!