Christ Church Now Has a Building!

We closed on our building this past Tuesday (July 15, 2008)! Go check out 1302 Washington where we will keep you up to date on the renovations and opportunities for you to work with us! There are a lot more pics of the interior of the building here.

10 FREE Mac Programs I Use...

For those of you who do not know, I am a closet tech geek. I like gadgets and such and I converted from PC to Mac in 2005. During this summer I have been speaking at youth camps and on the road for nearly 6 weeks, so in my free time I have been using Stumble and have come across some great, FREE software for the Mac. Here are some that I have found useful.

Adium - This program helps combine all of your different chat programs into one. So, for those using iChat and you have an AIM and GoogleTalk account, you have to have two windows open. However, not only does Adium combine the many IM services, but it also allows all of the different conversations to be held in one window, which is super helpful. One of the only drawbacks is that it does not currently have video chat capabilities. So, if I want to have a video conference I have to turn on iChat, or I use TokBox or ooVoo.

AppCleaner - One of the things I have always wondered about since switching over to a Mac is how to properly delete programs and all of their support files. Enter in AppCleaner. This program rocks. Simply drag the application file over and then it locates all of the support files all over your hard drive. Once you click the button, it deletes them completely! This is a very helpful utility.



AppMenuBoy - This is a handy little program developed by a programmer at Google. Simply put, instead of overwhelming your Dock with tons of icons to open programs, this little program collects all of your programs in your application folder (and subfolders!) and you simply launch the utility from your Dock, then right click (2 finger click or CTRL-Click) and select the program you want to launch. It sorts them alphabetically so it makes it really easy to find. One drawback is that you have to re-launch the program anytime you add new software, but that's not a big deal.


Burn -This program allows you to burn various types of CDs & DVDs (Data, Music, CD Video, etc.). It's simple to use and really helpful. While Apple does have a nice Burn Folder feature, this little App just has more options and gives you a bit more control.




Caffeine - When I first heard about this program I was like, "big whoop, David Blaine", but after I started using it I noticed a huge difference. Have you ever been watching a video on Hulu or YouTube and having to move your mouse every minute in order to keep your screen from dimming? Or maybe you were updating software or sending a large file and then your computer went to sleep mode? Sure, you could go into your System Preferences and change all of that temporarily, but why waste that time? With Caffeine, you have a little coffee cup icon that loads into your menu bar that you just click whenever you need to disable your screen-savers & power savers, and then you click it again when you are done. It's a small little app, but very helpful.

Cyberduck - If you do any work with FTPs or stuff like it, then this little program is great. I have 2 little sites that I maintain for Lucid Books and Brenham Pressure Washing and I use Cyberduck all the time to make little changes. It's simple to use and very helpful. There are several other options out there if you want to pay, but this is a great freebie.



Handbrake - NOTE: I am not one to advocate the breaking of any copyright laws. With that being said, this is a helpful application that allows you to convert DVDs to MPEG files (it even supports iPODs and AppleTV). This program has helped me be able to listen to lectures for my online classes while driving. I simply take the lecture DVDs, convert them to iPod low-rez and then listen to the lectures while driving to and from camps. It has allowed me to redeem drive time and stay up to date on my lectures for class. This software is also available for PC and Linux.

Fan Control - This little App is a huge lap saver! I have a MacBook Pro and it gets HOT! While Apple seems to feel okay with themselves, because this type of computer is a 'portable computer' and not a 'laptop computer', I still find it on my lap quite often. I was reading David Alison's blog awhile back and he shared his insight about this little software, so I tried it out. What a blessing! I took his advice and bumped it up from 1500 RPM base speed to 3100 RPM. What a difference! Don't get me wrong, it is still warm, but I don't feel like I'm going to need skin graphs anymore!

NetNewsWire - This is my RSS (Blogs, News, MacNews, etc.) program that I use to keep up with all of my reading. This program has significantly reduced the time that was previously required in order to stay 'in the loop' while on the road. Now I can read all the news I am interested in, Blogs, and other articles in one little program that organizes them for me quite nicely. This will allow you to stay abreast on important developments in blogdom and the world around us while maximizing your time to do other stuff.


Nocturne - At the beginning of the summer I was 'suffering for the Lord' with Steph and 'B' down in South Padre Island, TX at a youth camp. We had a great time, but we were all sharing a room. At night, Steph and 'B' were ready for bed, but I needed to catch up on e-mails and such, and that is when I discovered this nifty little program. What it does is invert the colors and essentially makes everything gray-scale. This is helpful because your screen light is cut in half. It's even better than dimming your screen to the lowest possible setting. I definitely find it helpful when I am trying to get work done in a room that is not very permitting of light.

QuickSilver - This is a 'Hot-Key' type App Launching program. If you are a fast typer, then this is so helpful. While there are other programs that you can buy that have been built off this open source version, for those who are just looking to launch programs, then this is a great free option. I changed the settings to have Command-Space be my launch combo instead of the pre-set CTRL-Space (You'll have to change the current hotkey that makes your spotlight pop up with Command-Space). You can do that in your System Preferences. It's worth playing around with for a bit. I have found it helpful.

Well, this is my list for now. Let me know if you try any of these programs and if they are of help. Also let me know if I have missed any that I should try. One great site that has a great collection of free opensource programs for Mac is Open Source Mac.

Redemption

I had the privilege of baptizing my brother-in-law, Tyler Jett this past Saturday.

Photo Booth Phun With B-Lyn

Pop Tarts: Casey Cease Pulls a Britney Spears

With the mounting stress of summer camps and Myspace 'Friend Requests', Casey Cease pulls off the road into a Beauty Salon and shaves his head.

Once completing his head shaving, Cease, much like Spears heads out and goes to his car.

Pressure Washing Fun!

The past two weeks have been huge for Brenham Pressure Washing! God has really blessed us with two great jobs. I am thankful to my friends Peter (who is 25 and single ladies!) and John (who is 19 and very much spoken for) and my other new friend John (see below)...

This job was on a beautiful piece of property in Chappell Hill, TX on over 20 acres of land. We had the privilege of tackling the house and the barn! The property had been vacant for a few years, so mud daubers decided to take up residence. Here are some before and after photos...



Below is a picture of me after washing the above 'wasp room'...

OH! And John killed a snake!

I will be re-vamping the Brenham Pressure Washing site soon with a new Gutensite template. I'll post a blog when I do so you can see more pics.

More Fun with Photoshop

Fun with Photoshop

I have owned photoshop for some time, but until recently I have only used it a handful of times. However, as the summer has worn on and I often need a 'break', I have been finding myself opening up photoshop and goofing around on it more often.  

Here are a few pictures that I've 'Photoshopped':

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

I know this is like 'big whoop!' to most of you arteests out there, but it's a start.  Nowhere near this guy's talent, but he is a good inspiration and coach!

Happy 30th from Myspace...

Being camp season I meet a lot of great students and they become 'friends' on Myspace. As many of you know, I turned 30 on Friday, which I wanted to thank you all for your birthday wishes. Well, I logged into Myspace yesterday to accept 'Friend Requests' and this is the new target marketing that I am now receiving...



Funny... Sad...

30's the New 20...

Today (June 27th) is my birthday. I am 30. Praise God! I'd like to share my past decade with you.

• 20 - Proposed and became engaged to my high school sweetheart, Ms. Steph Jett.
• 21 - Surrendered to the call to ministry and then became the Director of Student Ministries at Sugar Land FUMC.
• 22 - Married Mrs. Stephanie Cease
• 23 - Started my non-profit ministry: Casey Cease Outreach, Inc.
• 24 - Graduated with my undergrad degree from U of H. Became the Student Ministries Pastor at Crossbridge Church. Licensed as a Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
  
• 25 - Paid lower insurance premiums, rented vehicles, and started traveling and speaking Full-Time.
• 26 - Bought our first house in Richmond, TX; Casey Cease Outreach became Transform Ministries
• 27 - Became a father to Braelyn Nicole Cease (June 21, 2006)
• 28 - God moved us to Brenham, TX to help start Christ Church. Ordained as a Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by Crossbridge.
  
• 29 - Christ Church started public services, started Brenham Pressure Washing

Well, I know there are a lot of things that I am leaving out, but I think I mentioned most of 'em. Thank you all for your love, friendship, and support. You are a blessing.

Love,

Casey the Grown-Up

My OCD Cost Me a Dollar!

I'm admittedly selectively OCD.  If any of you have been in my home office the past month or so, you will know that I can let a lot of things be chaotic around me, but still get stuff done.  However, there are a few things that I CANNOT let slide.  One of them is that the final price on the gas pump must end in a 0 or a 5.  Today we were driving up to Wichita Falls, TX to week 3 of youth camps and we had to stop and get gas.  Rarely does the amount end on a 0 or 5, so I usually do the no-no of topping off just a bit to get it to a 0 or a 5.  For many years I was pretty good at it!  Today, though, I ran up an extra dollars worth of gas just to get to a 5!!!  It looks like this little quirk will have to be laid to rest...

Proverbs 11:14

“Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.”

(Proverbs 11:14 ESV)

Why is it that most Christians ignore this encouragement or resent it when you offer insight?

They can't be serious, can they?

For only $40/year you can keep a database of all your friends and family who are lost, and then when you are raptured, it will send them a letter/e-mail informing them of the Gospel...

Bad Theology run amuck...  Funny, yet sad at the same time.

Book Review: Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham, Jr.

This is from my 'Reaction' section of my Book Review.  If you would like to read my full 12-page review, you can leave a comment or E-mail me and I'll get it to you.

To be honest, I approached this book with guarded-optimism, curiosity, and skepticism. I began to realize that my presuppositions were not original and Dr. Baucham was upfront and open to addressing these criticisms and offer biblical and logical responses. There are many compelling points raised by the author that I had not thought of before, and others that I had experienced over-exaggerated responses to in the past. For instance, until recently I had viewed formal, planned, daily family worship as an obscure and out-dated Puritan practice. While my family and I do spend time praying and in the Word, we had not implemented a more formal time of worship into our schedule. After reading this book, I feel more confident that this practice would be appropriate for cultivating my family.

The first portion of the book, that was discussing the problem at hand, is not new to me or to most people who have been around youth ministry in the Church for any amount of time. Anyone who is honest can clearly understand the challenges of trying to cultivate spiritual appetites in students whose parents are disconnected from their spiritual development. The challenge of idolatry such as academics and sports is not foreign to my experience, and has served as an increasing frustration for myself and many of the youth workers that I know. However, Baucham did challenge me to realize that the answer to that problem is not just a prophetic confrontation of those issues, but moreover a need to point families back to the biblical mandate for parents to take responsibility for their child’s spiritual growth. This is a tough dynamic to think through, and I am still a bit flustered by the seeming impossibility in most churches to even acknowledge that there is an idolatry issue at play in some of our core families.

When the author transitioned to discuss how the family should honor God in their homes, I was challenged by my own tension in the public school, private school, or home school debate. Although he did not begin with this issue, I am aware of his stance, and I could tell at the onset of the chapters that were focused on the home that he was an advocate for this. Along with many others in the Southern Baptist Convention, I have concerns about the evangelistic consequences that would be experienced if there were a mass exodus of Christian children from public schools. However, I have also struggled with the idea of someone else taking full responsibility of educating my child. Baucham addresses this issue head-on when he makes the point that most Christian children, as supported by research statistics, are falling away from the faith at worst, or are succumbing to the culture surrounding them, which is of equal severity. He placed further emphasis on the role of education in the development of worldview, which has forced my wife in I in a position of submission to once again having hard conversations about these issues.

One area of critique is that I know that Baucham is a highly sought after itinerant preacher who does very well financially. He is able to limit his travel to eight to ten days a month, which places him at home for two-thirds of the time. While I, too, travel full-time and preach, and I am able to sustain my family and work at home, so that gives me the ability to understand where he is coming from. However, he does not address the challenges that a working father faces in leading his family in his home. The author does acknowledge the tension some, but arguing that the only solution is to work less, may not be a reality. Therefore, I think it would be interesting if Baucham could offer a follow-up work, perhaps as a compilation with working fathers, those with “real jobs” that could substantiate these assertions and testify to the fruit of their efforts. I believe that this will help the skeptics who dismiss his assertions based upon the flexibility of his vocation.

I must applaud Baucham in his biblical prowess as he walks slowly through the biblical mandates found in Deuteronomy 6, Proverb 31, and Ephesians 5. While I would expect nothing less than biblical astuteness from Baucham, I was refreshed to see that he did not lean on proof-texting verses out of context. He addressed these passages with great skill. While they were overly illustrated at times by seemingly repetitive anecdotal stories, the overall theological assessment was not only orthodox, but also accessible to the layman.  

His chapter entitled, “Enjoy The Gifts Without Forgetting The Giver” one of the only points of contention is that I feel was a bit of a self-justification was In this chapter I think he missed slightly on his application of prosperity found in the Old Covenant and ignored the appropriate interpretation in view of the New Covenant. Admitting that he and his wife have built two houses so far in their time together, and that he has admittedly done well financially, does not necessarily substantiate the litmus test of biblical prosperity.  

By no means am I accusing Baucham of being a ‘health and wealth’ prosperity teacher, but I do think that he missed the covenantal implications of the Old and New Covenant. In lieu of going into a full theological diatribe I will make a few brief observations. First, the covenant rewards of the Old Covenant could be paraphrased as stuff and land, however, the covenant promise of the New Covenant is Christ Himself as the reward. Secondly, I am not advocating an abolishment of the Law, but I do believe Jesus when He claimed to have fulfilled the Law (see Matthew 5:17). Thirdly, I would lean on the Old Covenant as a foreshadowing of the promise to come, and the use of the Law to point out our sin and need for a Savior (See Romans 7:7 and Galatians 3:19-22). Therefore, in reading his chapter on prosperity, I sensed a bit of self-justification, which I am fairly confident that he would deny, as his common posture both in preaching and in writing is does not convey one of humility and “teachability”, but of stubborn (or confident depending on the listener/reader) and at times appearing prideful in his convictions. These observations do not in any way diminish the truth Baucham presents, nor does it lower my respect of the man, but I do challenge him to think through his own position in view of what he is teaching in this chapter.

Overall, this book has been extremely helpful in helping me to put to words some of the underlying frustrations that I have been experiencing with the Church and the break down in families. It also offers sound, biblical insights into how a family is to order themselves and pursue God as a covenantal unit. I am also grateful to Baucham for being willing to address such a controversial and unpopular view and argue from the Bible its veracity and necessity. This book has challenged me to slow down and think through these issues, to discuss the future of family integration with the other elders at the church, and to force my wife and I to have much to pray and talk about. Whether one agrees with Baucham or not, this book should be read by all who care about the Church, the family, and the youth who are abandoning the church in droves following graduation from High School.

------------------------

I would recommend anyone who cares about their Family and the Church to read this book carefully, prayerfully, and have honest discussions.

Mission Lakehouse: Success!

My trusty ESV Bible

The above are books that I have been reading during my retreat. I have a tendency to remain in 'seminary mode' even after the semester is over, which means that I read a few chapters from each book and then move onto the next. However, it also means that it takes a bit longer to finish the books, but it helps produce a fine stew of productivity and inspiration for writing.

As far as writing goes, I have written a manuscript (which I don't normally do) for my sermon on the Life of Peter for this weekend at Crossbridge and have developed a few other sermon outlines for the summer from 1 Peter, 1 John, Romans, and the Gospel of John. I will be spending my time next week putting 'flesh' on those sermons and getting them ready for the summer camp season.

Steph, Braelyn, and I had a great time here together. It was restful and fruitful. We are excited to see how the Lord will use our little family this upcoming summer.

I'm sure Steph will be posting more pictures of our trip soon on her blog. I hope to be blogging more soon.

Study Retreat at the Lake

We arrived at our friend's lake house late Sunday night after church. After the first two days Steph and I have been blessed with time to rest, talk, swim, pray, read, and study.

I covet your prayers as I am preparing to preach at 7 weeks of youth events this summer. If you would like to partner in praying with us specifically you can stay up to date by viewing my calendar and let us know that you will be praying with us (I'd be happy to provide specific requests if you are interested). As we retreat, we are reminded how powerful prayer really is.

I'll post more later about the trip and what all God is teaching me. Thanks ahead of time for your prayers!

Long and Fruitful Week

I just completed my first I-Term ever, which was awesome and I should have been doing my entire seminary career. One week of class, a paper following, and then 3 hours of credit!

This week I took a class called 'Ministering to Parents of Teenagers' with Dr. Doug Wood.

It was a blast and I learned a lot. I also had the opportunity to broadcast my radio show live from the class. You can either listen online by clicking on the link below, or right click and 'Save As' or 'Download Linked File' (Mac Users) and enjoy on your own time.

Click here to Listen to Radio Show

Praising Her in the Gates (or on a blog)

Words/Phrases that describe my dear wife:

1. Beautiful
2. Strong
3. Capable
4. Creative
5. Laughter
6. Mother
7. Brave
8. Thankless Job
9. Joyful Servant
10. Reader
11. Blogger
12. Innovative
13. Thoughtful
14. Supportive
15. Hotttttt ;-)
16. Godly
17. Humble
18. Friend
19. Companion
20. Witty
21. Patient
22. Hard-working
23. Forgiving
24. Generous
25. Great Cook
26. Fun
27. Faithful
28. Bargain-Hunter
29. Inquisitive 
30. Thinker
31. Brilliant

Steph, I love you!  Happy Mother's Day!

Tasty Girl Food

These are very good...  I don't care if it is girl food...

Be a Kinder Calvinist - From DesiringGod.org

Be a Kinder Calvinist
By: Abraham Piper

My wife and I were fighting—the kind where after 30 seconds you forget what you're fighting about and you just end up being mean. It doesn't take long in an argument like this to feel hopeless.

I wanted to call someone to come over and mediate. Actually, I didn't want to, but I knew I needed to do something. Our close friends who live near by and our small group leaders were all out of town, so I called a pastor who lives in the neighborhood and asked him to come over right then. I think he could tell by the tone of my voice and the unusual request that we really did need help immediately. He cancelled his Saturday plans and came over.

Sitting at our kitchen table, he helped us figure each other out. Soon we were getting to the heart of the matter. Molly turned to me and said, "You never treat me like you appreciate me."

I looked at her. I looked at our pastor. And then I listed three ways that I'd shown appreciation for her that morning. As far as I was concerned, things were taken care of. She thought I didn't act appreciatively, but I just showed her (definitively, I might add) that I did.

As you can imagine, things were not taken care of. As a matter of fact, my list, for all its accuracy, was completely irrelevant to Molly. This was when our pastor pointed something out to me that has forever changed the way I interact with my wife, and with everybody, for that matter.

He told me that, sure, it may be wrong to say that I never show appreciation, but clearly she feels that way, and right now that's what needs to be dealt with. And not just dealt with but acknowledged, understood, respected. Her words may have included a factual error, but what she was saying was completely true.

There is a letter on Scot McKnight's blog from a pastor who is very frustrated with certain Calvinists in his church. It would be easy enough to disregard it, pointing out that not all Calvinists are like that or that his use of the word "hyper-Calvinist" doesn't match correct theological jargon. But that would be missing the point. And, ironically, that reaction would only lend credence to the frustration that motivated the letter in the first place.

So how should we read this letter in a way that acknowledges, understands, and respects the discouragement of its author?

First, we should note that it is simply indisputable that some people are exactly the way he describes. When you see mean extremists in another circle, it reminds you why you don't run with that crowd. But when you see mean extremists in your own circle, it's just plain embarrassing. Unfortunately, until we are perfected there will always be mean people of every theological strain. But fortunately, we are a part of the church not merely for the company, but for Christ.

The second way to understand the letter is to see it (along with the numerous comments that follow) as abundant evidence that, to many, Calvinists come across as self-righteous, condescending, arrogant, unfriendly, argumentative, and even stingy. The fact that we're not all that way is irrelevant in the same way that it didn't matter to Molly that I had done three things to show I appreciate her—she still felt unappreciated. Her frustration was true because, whether or not I was grateful to my wife, I was perceived as an ingrate. Similarly, the frustration in the letter is true because, whether or not the Calvinists in the letter-writer's church are good folks, they come off as proud and divisive jerks. Those Calvinists, as church members, and I, as a husband, should change based on this information, regardless of how "inaccurately" the frustration may be worded.

In my marriage, it doesn't matter whether I'm thankful if I don't seem like it. And in the church, it doesn't matter whether we have the fruits of the Spirit if no one can tell.

It won't be easy to change the pejorative stereotype that clings to Calvinism, but we can start by admitting that it is accurate far too often. Then we can make sure we are manifestly not self-righteous, condescending, arrogant, unfriendly, or argumentative. Also, you can count on us to buy dinner or coffee sometimes.

Paying attention to those who disagree with us and taking them seriously, even if we're pretty sure we'll still disagree, is part of what it means to be in the body of Christ. It's humbling; it sanctifies. It will make us better husbands and wives. It will make us better Christians, and maybe even better Calvinists.

From the Desiring God Blog

Checkers vs. Chess

The following is an article that I wrote for Convergence Ministries:

I prefer checkers to chess. I know chess is considered by many to be the more mature game of the two, but checkers doesn’t require as much thought or strategy. Sure, there is some strategy involved with checkers, but you could easily play checkers without having to think nearly as hard. Also, with checkers you can be more reactive if you were feeling particularly lazy.

However, one day I was driving and I was thinking about how I was leading my life, family, and ministry. That is when the metaphor of checkers vs. chess first popped up in my mind regarding life and leadership. I had been leading my life with a reaction-driven mentality, and often was moving forward impulsively hoping for the best and not thinking about how my current ‘moves’ would be impacting the future. I was viewing my life like a person who was playing checkers.

I’m not very good at chess, and perhaps this is one of the reasons why I do not prefer it to checkers. However, I know people who are great at chess and often think many moves ahead. They are responsive, strategic, and are aware how one move will effect another opportunity. When I realized this it hit me, “I need to begin viewing life and leadership like a chess player!”

As ministers, leaders, spouses, parents, and teammates we can learn a lot from this metaphor. Most of us lead our lives and all that is involved as lazy checker players. We have tons of opportunities and options on our plate and rather than slowly considering the long-term goals and visions we are serving, we usually react to the most appealing options and ‘fires’ that pop up. Of course, we all have seasons of life when this is inevitable, however, this tends to be the norm rather than the exception for many.

It is not easy to change how we view life, especially if we have forced ourselves into a place where disorganization rules our lives. I know first hand how crippling disorganization can be, so the first step to transition from checker-style living to living like a chess player is to get organized, which I recently did. Also, it will take some time to sit and consider how your current decisions are going to effect long-term impact on you, your family, your church, or your organization. However, this is imperative in order to shift your thinking and outlook.

Those of us who are in any leadership position have a lot that is required of us. The stress builds up quickly and we are forced to make a lot of decisions. However, it is possible to be more strategic in our approach and this is why I hope you will commit to shifting your thinking away from reacting like a checker player and learn to be responsive and strategic like a chess player. You will find that the more you demonstrate this shift, the more your people (family, church members, etc.) will trust you and follow your lead, and the lower stress you will experience in the long-run. Leading like a chess player requires that we keep the end in mind (capturing the King) while being intentional about the steps in getting there.

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This is fun.

Brenham Pressure Washing - Update

On Monday evening I bought my new pressure washer and I was really excited to get started early Tuesday morning at my first job. I took the pressure washer out of the box, put it together, grabbed all my tools, my chemicals, new towels, hoses, etc. and loaded up my Civic. It was pretty funny, I had to put my pressure washer in the front seat of my Civic, because it would not fit into the trunk, nor the back seat (I have a 2 door Civic). A pressure washing site specifically said that I should get a van or truck, "Truck or Van - Something to carry your equipment and I don't advise showing up to a job site in a Civic."  That is a direct quote...

Tuesday morning I rose early to drive to Sugar Land to do my first 'official' job (2nd total) for our friends Rob and Morgan. Here are some before pictures.

So, I arrive around 9:45 a.m. and start unpacking my Civic.  I get everything out and set up the hoses, put gas into my pressure washer, and crank it up.  I take care of their fences first, no problem and work my way around the house.  When I get to the front porch, I decide to give my turbo head a try.  I put it on, and then pop.  It comes out.  I think to myself, "Hmm...  Maybe I'll wait on that one..."  Then I place another normal head on it and water starts spraying everywhere.  Turns out that I blew an O-ring...  Thus, leading to trip 1 to Home Depot.

When I got to Home Depot (about 10-15 minutes away) I grab a new spray wand and head back to the job.  I get back to work and finish the front walk and their sitting area without a problem.  When I get started on the driveway my washer loses pressure and then I hear a loud PSSSSHHHHHHH and look back at my rig and see water spraying out of the hose, at a high pressure.  Apparently the hose (which was a cheap piece of junk) touched my engine and burned right through.  Hence, trip 2 to Home Depot.

I find a hose, but it has a different connector than the one I was using.  However, it says it is compatible with Troy Bilt, so I grab an adapter and some other things and head back to the house.  

I get back to the house...  The hose does not fit.  It is raining...  Burrrrrrgh...  I head back to Home Depot for Trip 3.  I get there, grab a few other types of adapters, drive back to the house. DOESN'T FIT !@&*#*!!!!  SO, I get back into my 'inappropriate for pressure washing business' Civic and head to Lowes, which is about 20 minutes or so away.  I get there, grab a new hose, go back to the house, and finally get to finish the job.  I'm loaded up at 4:00 pm and heading out.  6 Hours to do a 3 hour job...  Tough learning curve.

However, the job turned out looking good and my clients were happy.  Here are some after pics.

I had the privilege of pressure washing my parents front and back of their house.  It was an all day project, but turned out great.

If you have any needs or know anyone who does, have them check out Brenham Pressure Washing!

I'll take customers in the Houston area as well as around Brenham...  No job is too small. :-)

JOINTogether4RA

We recently met some new friends here in Brenham and they are great.  Andy and Gabriele recently moved down from Oklahoma.  Recently Gabriele was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, which is a horrific disease.  However, rather than be defeated they decided to be proactive by working towards a solution.  

I encourage you to check out their blog and purchase some of Andy's art.

BrenhamPressureWashing.com

I've recently started Brenham Pressure Washing as a way to supplement our ministry income when times are slow. The idea came about a while back when I heard of a friend in missions who does something similar on the side. I recently noticed a pressure washer in my parents garage I asked my Dad about it and he said, "I don't think it's been used but twice." I asked if I could borrow it, and as always, my generous Dad agreed.

So far I have cleaned my house and my driveway, The Hyde's front and back porch, and I have two more jobs lined up in Sugar Land. Although my little company is called 'Brenham Pressure Washing', I am happy to travel to the Sugar Land area to serve my friends and family. I'm excited to see where this goes. Let me know if I can help!

"CASE!!!!!"

The other day Steph was calling me from the bathroom as she was giving Braelyn a bath, because she needed something. It took me a second to respond, so then I heard a smaller, younger voice yell, "Case!!!" Since that time, my dear daughter has been calling me by my nickname that friends and family call me... That's a bit weird... But a bit cute as well...

Summer Olympics

With the Summer Olympics right around the corner, I thought I'd offer this helpful tool.

Meters to Feet conversion
Enter Meters
Value in Feet
provided by metric conversions

YouSendIt.com - Helpful Tool

I have found this website to be very helpful. You can send files up to 100 mb at a time to friends, your record label, your publisher, etc. for free. They also have subscription options where you pay some, but it allows for more files to be sent, etc. One of my favorite things about this service is that you upload it to their server, then the person can download it at their leisure. It’s way better than trying to get file sizes down to 20mb to send via E-mail or trying to send it over an IM program.