Google Voice for Voicemail on my Android Phone

I know this post is a year or two late, but I just wanted to weigh in my 2 cents on Google Voice for voicemail.

I switched over from an Apple iPhone 3G (which lasted me 3 years!) to an Android phone. Before switching over, I had a huge dilemma whether I should switchover or stay with iOS. I still don't know if I made the right decision, but I can do with what I have.

One of the major drawbacks that I saw with switching over to Android was that I lost the visual voicemail feature that iPhone had. I loved not having to dial into my voicemail to retrieve it. After 3 years of not having to do it, it felt odd having to do it again.

But I (finally) remembered that I had Google Voice, something that I rarely used, which I could set up with my phone to handle voice messages left by callers. It's better than visual voicemail because:

• It could transcribe the voice message (that is, if Google transcribes it somewhat correctly) so I can read it from my phone.
• It has a Google Voice widget that I can add to my home screen so that I can see excerpts of the messages that were left for me without having to load the Google Voice app. If I wanted to see the whole message, I would have to open the app.
• If I'm at my computer, I could always read/listen to the voice message from my computer.

I'm sure there are more than the three advantages that I've mentioned above, but these are the major pros I have with Google Voice.

There is one issue I have with using Google Voice is that all my voice messages will be saved on Google's servers, which can be seen as a slight privacy concern. Since most voice messages I receive do not contain sensitive information, I'm not too concerned; however, if I do receive one, Google would have it. I guess that's peanuts to the amount of information Google already has about me from my email, Android device, blogger posts, and all the other Google applications I use.

So for those who jumped off the iPhone bandwagon like I did, here's an alternative that you can use for enhanced voicemail features. It does help if you have a smartphone with a data plan. Oh, and also a Google Voice account.

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving

It's the Monday after Thanksgiving. After a full four days of eating and enjoying the company of friends and family, it's back to reality - work, school, and life in general.

Thanksgiving, by far, is my favorite holiday because it's the time when I can be with my family. In the last few years, there was at least one member of the family who has not been around due to studying or working out-of-state. Of course, there are other times throughout the year when everyone would be at home, but there's always something special about the gatherings during the Thanksgiving holidays.

This year is also unique because we have additions to our family!

For me, it's a time to catch up with family that I haven't seen in a while. It's a time to talk to get to know the new extended family better and build bonds with them through small talk at the table or while playing Mario Kart Wii or Risk (the Onyx Edition). It's about calling family members and relatives that are on the other side of the world, to say hi and asking how they are doing. It's about exercising with friends and the brothers, pushing each other to our limits so we can eat as much turkey as we want afterwards. It's about cutting our friends in Uno to save them from drawing extra cards or laughing at each other while we get demolished by the CPUs in beach volleyball with PS3 Motion. It's about having fellowship with church brothers and sisters and singing hymns to praise the Almighty God that we worship. It's about being with the one(s) you love, watching them smile at you, and being especially grateful that they are in your life.

With that, I hope Thanksgiving comes again soon!

The Service of David's Mighty Men (II)

Then three of the thirty chief men went down at harvest time and came to David at the cave of Adullam. And the troop of Philistines encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. And David said with longing, “Oh, that someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless he would not drink it, but poured it out to the LORD. And he said, “Far be it from me, O LORD, that I should do this! Is this not the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. 

Loyalty and Faithfulness. Something that I admired about the mighty men was that they displayed great loyalty and faithfulness to David, their commander. We see here in this situation that David was thirsty, longing for water from the well by the gates of Bethlehem. However, the area was guarded by the Philistines. So these three men, hearing of David's request, went out, battling their way through the Philistine army, drew the water from the well, and brought it back to David.

This demonstrated the great lengths that these men took for their commander and chief. They risked their lives for David when he made a request. If we look at a map of Israel, the distance between Adullam and Bethlehem was more than 10 miles each way, so the journey totaled at least 20 miles. For mighty men, a 20 mile run/walk was probably nothing, but it still is quite a distance to travel for water. If we think about it, all we have to do is walk to the kitchen or refrigerator 200 ft away to get a drink. Or maybe we walk a block down the street or drive our cars for a few minutes from our house to the local store to purchase bottled water. Obviously, these might men couldn't do that back then, so they had to travel by foot and face the dangers of enemies in their travels. This type of character requires loyalty and faithfulness because if these men weren't loyal and faithful to David, they wouldn't have gone out to Bethlehem and risked their lives simply for a cup of water. They could've easily gone to a city nearby and grabbed a cup of water from there, but they didn't. No matter what situation they were in, they adhered to the specific details of David's request and followed through, obeying wholeheartedly.

Just as the mighty men were faithful and loyal to David, we can strive to be faithful to our Lord Jesus, who is greater than David. Matthew 25 tells of the parable of the talents, where the master gave his servants 5, 2 and 1 talents. The first two servants doubled their earnings; while the third one returned with the 1 talent he was given. And the first two were praised and recognized by their master as “good and faithful servants” because they were faithful in the task they were given. We all want to be called good and faithful servants. In order to do so, we need to make sure we are doing what God requires us to do, to accomplish the church works that He has entrusted to us. If we can be faithful in what we are asked to do by our master, God, we will be recognized and remembered by our Lord. The key is how diligent we are in completing God’s work.

Poured out to the Lord. David had an interesting reaction - he did not drink of the water; rather, he poured it out to the Lord. I found this this interesting because the 3 men went out of their way, risking their lives, to get that cup of water for David, which ended up being poured out. It sounds like it was a wasted effort; however, because David poured it out to the Lord, he is almost indicating that he was not worthy to receive this cup of water that was a result of such dedication and faithfulness of the three men. Instead, he poured it out as an offering to God, to tell God that this act done by these men was for God, as if David was asking God to remember these men for what they did. This is like what Jesus says to the sheep in the parable of the sheep and goats --

For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in… And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

The same can be applied to the mighty men of David. Their love for David as demonstrated by their actions is like doing it to God, in which God remembered, recorded in the Bible. Likewise, the good works we do, whether it's helping the younger or less fortunate ones or anyone for that matter, will be remembered by God if done out of love. So let us also continue to do good works faithfully, as it says in Galatians 6:9 --

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

The Service of David's Mighty Men (I)

A while back, some of the brothers in Christ mentioned about David's mighty men (2 Samuel 23 and 1 Chronicles 11) and the great things they have done, and they seemed quite fascinated with these characters. I wasn't very familiar with the stories and the recordings about them, so I decided to take a look and to see what was special about these men.

Of course, there is always something to learn from any of the passages in the Bible, even from a list of names. Romans 15:4 tells us that everything that was recorded in the Bible is used for our learning, so that we may have hope:

For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

I will share my findings in a series of posts, since publishing everything in one post may result in pages of text (haha, jk).

The Bible does not specifically mention of the backgrounds of these mighty men, besides the regions where they came from. But some of them were believed to have come from the unruly band of men who joined David during his exile and fleeing from King Saul in 1 Samuel 22:2.

And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.

Before, they were lost - they were in difficulty, in debt, and discontent with their lives. But when they came to David in the cave of Adullam, David took them in, and he became their leader. Some of these 400 men ended up becoming listed as David's mighty men. These men were given the chance to become “somebody” for David and, ultimately, for God, and they made the most out of that opportunity. They were remembered by God and used as encouragement for those who read the Bible.

Aren't we (in a sense) like these mighty men? In Titus 2:14, it says:

... who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. 

Before we knew Christ, we were like “nobody” to God - we might have been in a difficult situation, had many problems in our lives, or were simply discontent or feeling empty in our lives. But now, through Jesus Christ, we belong to His kingdom and are His people, so we are given a chance to work for God and His kingdom, to become "somebody," to be remembered by God for the good works that we accomplish for Him. And our leader is Jesus Christ, who is much greater than David, so aren't we more special and more precious than these mighty men?

May we always remember the love of Jesus Christ and strive to serve Him better, just like the men that joined David in Adullam who later became David's mighty men.

Do All Things Without Grumbling or Complaining

We were hit with quite a bit of rain all day yesterday and throughout the night, and I woke up to the sound of tree specialists cutting down a few of the neighbor's trees at 7:30 AM. I'll be honest: I wasn't too fond of the disturbance. I mean, I wasn't going to whip up a storm, ranting about how they could have waited an hour to start waking people up, but a few extra minutes of sleep would've been nice.

After I went downstairs, I saw the news about the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan. It was a bit painful to watch the footage of the conditions and the flooding as I was eating my breakfast. I can't really express my thoughts and feelings about the situation over there because I'm still in shock. But one thing it made me realize was how fortunate I am to be living in the US. Even though life can be difficult at times, but sometimes we never think how lucky we are to be living in a country where there is much freedom, humanity, and fewer natural disasters - not to say that there aren't natural disasters that happen, they just don't wipe out a portion of the country. And I thought about how I woke up this morning semi-grumbling about the tree company and how I should be more grateful that we aren't in a situation where the east coast is completely flooded or tore down by a hurricane or activists are causing riots and chaos in Washington, D.C.

It reminds me of this month's Verse of the Month (that the Religious Education Department at Elizabeth has recently implemented), and then some:

Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” (Philippians 2:14-15a)

Little annoyances and disturbances happen in life. Sometimes things don't go as planned, but that's how life is. I don't feel that complaining is necessarily a bad thing, but it really depends on context and situation. But if one is always complaining about big and little things, then that can be a problem. It doesn't really shine the light of Jesus now, does it? Instead, being thankful is a better option, because there is a lot to be thankful for.

The Sword of Goliath Behind the Ephod

After a few hours of grueling studying for a midterm this week, I decided to take a break and write a long overdue post. This was from a sermon from one of our deacons last month.

So the priest said, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, there it is, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it. For there is no other except that one here."

And David said, "There is non like it; give it to me." (2 Sam 21:9)

Here, David was running for his life because Saul has ordered that David was to be killed. In Chapter 21, David came to the priest, Ahimelech, at Nob. I'm guessing he was hungry because he asked Ahimelech for 5 loaves of bread. He also was in need of a sword to protect himself when/if someone attacked him. Ahimelech gave David showbread, which was the holy bread, consecrated to be offered to God. He also told David that the sword of Goliath is in his possession, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. Then David took the sword and left.

David was clearly in a difficult situation - the king wanted him dead. He was in desperation and needed a sense of security or reassurance of his safety. So what did he take? Rightfully so, he took the sword of Goliath. It made total sense because now he can protect himself... even though this sword has probably very large, given that it had to be proportional to Goliath, who was approximately 9 feet tall. So I'd say the sword was probably 5 feet long and weighed more than the average human. Needless to say, it probably wasn't going to be of much help to David, but he took it anyways - something is better than nothing.

The speaker gave a very interesting insight about Ahimelech's response that I had not thought about before. He told David that the sword of Goliath was wrapped in a cloth, located behind the ephod. The speaker explained that the sword represents one's experience, skills, and specialties. That makes sense - fighting with a sword requires the building of fighting and swordsman skills, which is enhanced with experience. What about the ephod? Interestingly, the ephod represents intercessory prayers. The ephod was worn by the high priest, and it bore the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel engraved on it as a memorial. In a sense, it was showing that the ephod was a means of intercessory prayers for Israel. Exodus 28 explains the purpose of the ephod:

"Then you shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel... And you shall put the two stones on the shoulders of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. So Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders as a memorial." (Ex 28:9, 12)

It sounded like there was a reason why Ahimelech worded his statement the way he did in 2 Sam 21:9. He wanted to tell David to seek after God for help through prayer, not by his own strength and experience. That's why the ephod was in front of sword. Furthermore, the sword was wrapped in cloth, almost as if it was meant to be hidden. I feel as if Ahimelech didn't tell David to not use experience/skills to resolve his issue, otherwise he could've hidden it and say that he didn't have a sword. Rather, I think Ahimelech was telling David, "Look, there is a sword there. It's available for you to use if you need it. But it's behind the ephod. You may want to check out the ephod first before you grab the sword."

I don't blame David for doing so. As a soldier/warrior, the first instinct is to grab a sword. A soldier's "best friend" is his weapon when in battle. But if he had stopped before going with his gut feeling and thought about what Ahimelech said, he may have found a better solution, which he experienced a few chapters ago when fighting against Goliath -- God.

I'm sure we can see ourselves in the same boat as David was. When I encounter difficulties or start to worry about upcoming events/situations, my first reaction is to find ways to address the issue from experience, consultation, research, etc. Not that it's wrong to do so, it's human nature, but I forget that we have God who can help me and give me a way if I ask Him first. I still may need to use our my experience and specialties to resolve the issues, but if I inquire of God first, God may give me an easier way out or a way that I may not have thought of. It's always a test of faith. Life is a test of faith.

So, what's it going to be? The sword or the ephod?

"Let Him do what is good in His eyes."

In Chapter 2, a man of God previously came to Eli and warned him of the pending judgment against his sons, but it seems like Eli did not try to change or fix the situation. Then, in Chapter 3, God revealed the judgment of the house of Eli to Samuel, who later told Eli what he heard. This is where we see Eli's response:

“He is the LORD; let him do what is good in his eyes.” (1 Sam 3:18b)

It looks like Eli accepted his doomed future and didn't bother to attempt to change it, again. But even if he tried, it may have been too late.

I wonder if God would have changed His mind if Eli fasted, wept, prayed, repented? If he persuaded his sons to do likewise? Would it have been a lost cause? From 1 Sam 3:14, it sounds like God would not.

We shouldn't ask God "What if" questions because it doesn't help in understanding anything, especially if we do not receive answers. But thoughts/insights/comments are welcome.

New Year's Resolutions

First off, I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year! Belated, of course. I hope 2010 was a good year to all and look forward to the surprises, blessings, challenges, and discoveries that 2011 will bring.

Reflecting back on 2010, I've made a few breakthroughs in my life, but also suffered a few setbacks. I'm not going to elaborate on each, but I wanted to share some of the New Year's resolutions I want to do to make 2011 a good one. Not that anyone would be interested in knowing, but it's a way to keep me accountable ;)

Physical

You're probably thinking: What? Physical? The Steve that I know runs, bikes, lifts weights, plays basketball/volleyball, etc. Why would you need to change this? It's true, I do all those things, which is good because it has kept me from gaining weight. But when I look at myself now, I don't feel that I'm healthier. I've been too 'lax on my health lately in many aspects - intensity of workouts, diet, and overall lifestyle. It boils down to the laziness that has crawled into my lifestyle. Newton's first law of motion states clearly that "every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it" - that applies to being at rest! This lifestyle change has affected how hard I workout and how/what I eat. This can't be good for overall health.

What I plan to do:

• Continue with workout schedule
• Decrease sugar (I have a sweet tooth), grease, fat intake
• Stay out of the home office and go somewhere (such as AT&T) to do work - this is the killer one
• Keep moving, such as taking afternoon walks

Overall, it's just being more active in the little things, not just during the major workout sessions.

Spiritual

Thank God, I had the opportunity to serve as a counselor during this Winter SSC at Elizabeth and attend CYC in Philadelphia. This time's attendance in these events struck me to take my spirituality more seriously than ever. From all the classes and hours of prayer, it gave me a lot of time to think about my past and how much I'm not doing for Him. It brings me shame when I used to think I was doing enough. The thing is: I wasn't.

What I plan to do:

• Pray more (in the morning and night) and with more focus - I agree with what the pastor said, that when we become busy in our lives, we oftentimes sacrifice our spirituality to gain a few minutes. This should not be the case. I really need/want to keep this one.
• Be more thorough and consistent in my Bible reading - I've been slacking on this as well. Bible reading isn't just reading for enjoyment, but it's also a way of life that we need to learn from and adhere to. I want to take more time to read the Bible, understand the meanings, do some research/study for deeper discoveries.
• Servitude - I want to be more cooperative and less silo-ed when doing church work. To distribute the work and to work together are totally different task execution methods. I need to work on the latter. Also, I want to build a better relationship with my fellow brethren in Christ, so that we can all work together better. In order to do that, I need to be more humble and loving.

There's a lot more I want to work on here, but I believe that if I can work on these first, the rest will follow.

Mental, Intellectual

Some things I want to do in this aspect are more for personal development. Having good spirituality and physical body are good, but I'm also living in society. So I need to make sure I have a life.

What I plan to do:

• Read more books, magazines - Nothing in particular, but what I had in mind are business, self-improvement, technology...
• Explore new places, things, activities - I want to be more open-minded, to appreciate things like God's creation and human culture
• Keep striving to do well in my pursuits for an MBA degree - Even though I did well on my first semester (thank God), I want to keep that momentum going and continue to shoot for A's in my classes. I don't want to give myself an excuse to have a satisfactory semester because I can offset it with a good previous semester. No way!

I think I have a lot on my plate this year, but I believe can accomplish all of these as long as I put my mind to it. Ganbatte! Jia yo!

So, what are your New Year's resolutions? I hope we can all write them down somewhere, on paper or electronically, and work towards them. We all want a better world, and it starts out with changing ourselves for the better. Good luck, and happy 2011!