ISI Think Tank

2007-09-10T07:51:00.000-07:00

Everyone,

So sorry that I forgot to include the time of the meeting in the email that I sent out. The meeting will start at 7pm and for those among you who might be just tuning in, it will be here at Grace Community Church.
Thanks, and talk to you then

Luke

Board meeting #1

2007-08-20T07:06:00.000-07:00

Anyone and everyone!!! Listen up! The inaugural board meeting will be here at Grace Church at 2001 Highland Drive (37918). The meeting time will be 7pm on Tuesday evening, the 21st of August. Everyone who is remotely interested in this board is invited to attend. See you there

Luke

Here's the map.
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=grace+community+church&near=Knoxville,+TN&fb=1&cid=36024786,-83940240,17427054502552638965&li=lmd&z=14&t=m

Haiti Agri-FYI

2007-05-30T16:05:00.000-07:00

Just saw this one FYI.
http://ayiti.com/land/index.html

Agriculture

2007-05-30T13:57:00.000-07:00

Hey Larry R, (or anyone else who might be interested in doing agricultural research)

Here is some amazing info. All kinds of it. Was pretty exciting when I looked at this website.
http://www.echonet.org/
Well, hope that all of you are well that might be reading this right now. Sure am beginning to feel all alone on this blog. You're all a bunch of bloggin' BUMS-----ums-----ums------ums. (that was the echo) And speaking of echo, check out this great site.
Luke

2007-05-22T06:16:00.000-07:00

I am coming to you in a rule-breaking mood on an evening that finds me absolutely elated and, as I believe, full of the Spirit. I say that it is a “rule-breaking mood” b/c I know that this is a blog that is designated for “Think-Tank” purposes but since I am the self-declared big cheese of the blog, I will exercise executorial prerogative and talk about my evening. As most of you know, Pastor Samy is here with us from Croix des Bouquet, Haiti. This evening, he and I had supper with mom and dad at Litton’s. It had been a pretty forgettable day up ‘til the evening hours. But, then we had a wonderful meal there at the restaurant and talked about lots of things Haitian; of course, mom and dad had never met him before. The meal was great but about half of the way through, dad suggested that we take a little dessert over to have at his parents’ house later so that Pastor Samy could then meet my grandparents. Abbreviation: we went over to their house off Callahan Dr. in North Knoxville and had a lovely time and I just kept wondering at the way God had brought these two worlds together that I never would have guessed might intersect. But they had, somehow. We talked and laughed and joked, just like Wilkerson’s do. We taught Pastor Samy the definition of the expression: “you’re pulling my leg.” At one point in the evening, grandma played us a tape of her mother playing the piano. Her eyes filled with tears and her voice trembled and she talked about her mother. Her mother had once been dangerously abusive of alcohol but God had changed her heart and after a certain time, she never touched it again. The evening was so warm and memorable.
Then we left and headed back down Central and got two Americanos at the Starbucks and my Geiger Counter began to rise. But when we got back to Field’s house, I really began to sense that God was moving in my heart. I walked in the door and there were Pastors Field and Samy and I repeated that it was just so astounding the way that God was weaving lives together. Then I said the word that send Field into a tear that lasted half and hour. I said that is was a “tapestry.” He then proceeded to tell us the story of sister Mattie (whose last name alludes me) who had lost her husband and two sons in a car accident in one afternoon. She would later tell Field that she never blamed God for what had happened but that she would like to know why. He then told us that some 20 years later, he went on to have something of a vision-like dream in which he was walking along with the Lord Jesus and he looked up at the stars and saw that the sky was nothing but a jumble of tangles and knots. He asked the Lord “why” and the response was “my son, for now you are viewing the tapestry from beneath but one day I will take you to see it from above.” Later, he would go on to share this dream in a sermon and sister Mattie had jumped to her feet a praised God with a loud voice. Nail on the head.
I’ll give a “wow” to the way God moves in our hearts on evenings like these and a challenge to those who will hear it: if you ever have the chance, just happen by Pastor Field’s house when you have no pressing obligations and sit with him for a while and then just drop a mention of sister Mattie or the money that was lost at the bank. Your blessing meter will “peg out” as they say, much as mine did just this evening. God truly is good all the time. Now that you’ve heard it, everyone get back to research!

Hook-It-Up!!!

2007-05-22T06:07:00.000-07:00

Well, this is the first time that I have ever blogged anything at all, whatsoever....I think. I thought that the meeting came off really well last Thursday night and I thought that I was able to express some things that I was thinking about. Again, special thanks to my man Will for doing the music and setting the tone for us there. Also thanks to Fray for the mad percussion extravaganza.
I want to go ahead and remind the folks of what the issues are and what we are trying to get accomplished. Below are some of the things that I would like for those wishing to be involved to study. There are infinite issues out there that might contribute but these are the ones that I come up with and mentioned at the meeting. The purpose is to try to cover a lot of research ground in short order and to do so as thoroughly and authoritatively as possible. Right? Right! The issues are as flollows….

1. Spelling class
2. Dry whit anonymous class for Luke

(You’re killing me, Smalls! No more for the love of cow!)

1. Alternative education concepts and methodologies: This could be from journals or from books or from experience, (in the case of educators and or parents.) Also, who do we know if anyone that we might contact who has learning in the education or education psychology that might be interested in getting with the conceivers of this program on trying to come up with a curriculum.
2. Haiti Vocational Research: What are the most “cutting edge” jobs available there in Haiti. What field could the trade school start prepping these boys for and have the OPTIMUM chance of getting quality work after graduation?
3. Agriculture: Any and all info related to the environment in Haiti. What are the most commonly-grown vegetables? What produce can’t possible be grown here?
4. Haiti’s Spiritual Atmosphere
5. Non-profit Organization info
6. Grant Writing ….possible grants to be looked into.
7. Fundraising techniques
8. Technological Research: Remember how I was talking about things like windmill power and solar panels. We will be out away from power lines and will need power for some things at least. So, what are the available resources as far as wind power and solar power and how do they breakdown in costs? Also, what about water systems? Is there going to be any way to get something like an RO system like the ones GE is crowing about that can work on generator power taking seawater and filtering it to use on gardens.
Keep in mind folks that every bit as important as the info that we might find would be the contacts that we might make. Send out some emails if you feel so inclined.