Magic Jack

Brad tipped me to Magic Jack and I could not resist trying it out. It's a device about the size of a silver cigarette lighter, with a USB port on one end and a phone jack on the other end. Plug your regular landline phone into one end and connect to your computer using the other end. In about 3 minutes you can make free phone calls to anywhere in the US - to landline or cell phones. I called between our house and cell phones just as a quick check, then took it on a test drive, calling my brother Tom in Sacramento. Sound quality was good.

The device costs $20 and a one year license costs $20. If you take 5 minutes and do an online chat with a live tech help, you might be offered a $2 off code, as I was. The package came on Friday, after placing my order on Wednesday. There is a 30 day money back guarantee, which I will utilize if the first month doesn't go as I hoped.

At present there do not appear to be a vast number of area codes available, but as they expand they will offer a chance to reselect a phone number. There is no chance to change to your existing number. I have not yet determined whether the number I received in my area code actually is a local number if called from my house or church.

Magic Jack registration includes 911 sign up, so that in theory it will be safe in that regard. My only as yet unanswered questions have to do with connecting more than one phone. Apparently there are devices that can be bought at Best Buy or similar places, that carry phone line info over your electrical system, so that you can set one of those up, then plug any phone into a companion device that is plugged into an electrical outlet. With that, I'd be able to use 2 phones in my house. That device may cost me another $50-60. If it works as the tech guy said it would, I think we'll spring for it and say goodbye to our landline.

Will this replace my $50 a month Embarq account? If it does it will save me a lot of money.

January 23

• Faith, Hope and Pixie Dust: Disney Profits by returning to its Roots.

• Barna Reports on the Social and Moral Concerns of America as the election year rolls on.

• Please pray for our friend Janine, whose husband died last month. It continues to be a rough road for her and her children. Her blog will fill you in on details.

Rehearsals began last night for "Annie Get Your Gun", which will play for 2 weekends. The first weekend is April 4-6 at the Nathaniel Center in Kingwood. The second weekend is June 20-22 in the Hobby Center, which is the crown jewel of Houston's downtown Theatre District. I'll be in the featured role of Charlie Davenport, general manager of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. It's the role I hoped for after reviewing the options, so I am pleased.

I was sad to hear that John Stewart died this weekend, of a massive stroke. For me, before there were the Beatles, there was the Kingston Trio, whose music goes back so far in my memory, it was nearly pre-verbal. OF course John didn't join the group until later, after Dave Guard left, but he was a perfect fit to continue the trajectory of the band. He was a great songwriter; I'm humming "Chilly Winds" even though most people would recognize "Daydream Believer" better. Though John's death is sad, he had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and I am glad he was spared the ravages of that degenerative disease.

A Confession: We Neglect Your Power

God, Forgive us.
Lord Jesus, have mercy on us.
Holy Spirit, help us.
We have neglected you.
We believe in You, and in the truth of Your Word -

But in our day to day lives,
We doubt that You really have power to offer us-
Power that can make a difference in our lives
Or the lives of those around us.
We lean on our own strength, which is no strength at all.

We cry out to You:
Convince us anew
That You are here, always with us
Strong and powerful, Mighty to save us,
Faithful and able to complete the work You’ve begun in us.
Bring us to a new depth of knowing and experiencing
Your power for our lives. Amen.