Whatever

Not only is KeePass free, it’s also open source.

What does it do? Simply put, it remembers passwords for you. I use the Internet a lot, and I have a lot of passwords, and for years I’ve tried to keep it all straight (and done a pretty good job, if I say so myself). But finally I broke down and started looking for a password manager.

KeePass fit the bill perfectly. It costs relatively little (free), it uses the most secure encryption algorithms known to mankind (well, OK, I don’t know if that’s really true but the KeePass site says the databases are encrypted “using the best and most secure encryption algorithms currently known (AES and Twofish).” So, I believe them.

Anyway, if you’re having a hard time remembering all your passwords, and you want to make a list of them (stored very securely on your computer) then get KeePass.

Get KeePass here.

An overview and outline of Joel. As Hosea develops the relationship of a husband and wife to portray the LORD’s interaction with Israel, thus Joel develops an invasion of locusts into a view of God’s impending destruction. Joel develops an invasion of locusts into a view of God’s impending destruction.

Read the outline here.

OK. I’ll admit it. I don’t have Irfanview on my computer. I have a different image viewer. However, I did have Irfanview on my computer for years and I still say it’s the best free image viewer out there (we all need change at some point). It began the slew of freeware image viewers and most others have cloned or copied its features at some point or another.

If you want the ability to batch edit graphics, view slideshows, view EXIF information, losslessly rotate photos, or just view files (most any type of file), Irfanview will do it all. It IS the original and still the best free image viewer.

Irfanview has served me well over the years and I think it’s time to re-install it.

Get your free copy right here.

I looked back over my posts on free software, and I realized I hadn’t given e-sword its own post. I’ve mentioned it in my top five free software picks of all time, but really, e-sword should have its own entry.

This program deserves my award for the best free program of all time. Sure, many other programs are useful (Firefox, for instance), and many other programs do more (Open Office, for example), but none (except e-sword) provide life-giving truth.

E-sword easily compares to commercial offerings. No, you can’t get all the “premium” modules for free (like the NKJV) but who needs ‘em? The ESV (English Standard Version) is a very literal translation that I find very similar to the NASB. Download multiple versions, bucketloads of commentaries and dictionaries, devotions, maps . . . get going!

Some people say the interface appears antiquated, but I disagree. To me, it looks snazzy and modern (O.K., well, it’s free) and it even provides useful tips on opening (if you want them).

Some cool things that I like are:

• the ability to create your own parallel Bible with up to four versions,
• the simple to use tabs that show you which commentaries, dictionaries, etc. have information pertinent to the passage you’re reading,
• the fast search tool (you can search dictionaries, commentaries, etc. as well,
• the tooltips which appear when you hover over certain things (like Scripture references in the commentaries and dictionaries),
• and all the little extras, like the Bible reading plan, daily devotions, and the cool Scripture memory tool.

Visit the site to check out the many features of e-sword. Check out the many downloads available. If you want access to the best free program of all time, then quit just checking out all the benefits e-sword has to offer - get the program!

Download e-sword here.

I just posted an outline of Hosea on truthsaves. Hosea demonstrates the grief of God and His continuing love for a rebellious people. The book begins with grief and ends with hope.

For me, Hosea is a “must-read.” So often I wonder how God could accept someone like me. But He does. He desires a relationship with us, no matter how rancid we appear to Him. He loves us and continually calls us to return to Him.

Check out the outline.

I have a Canon G9 but I absolutely hate Canon’s bundled software (sorry, Canon). I call it “bloatware.” As you install it, you don’t know what to install or not install. Then, when you finally figure out what to install (usually everyone just installs everything), you have 200MB of crap on your system you’ll never use. I’ve had a G3, and now a G9, and both times I purchased a camera I tried installing the Canon software and promptly uninstalled it. I don’t like bloat. I like efficiency. Speed. Lightness of being. So I started looking for a free alternative.

I found it in cam2pc. I’ve been using this freebie for years and it’s never failed me. It does what I want it to do (which is download images and videos from my camera and losslessly rotate them). It does a lot more, too, but I use it for one thing - to download images from my camera quickly and painlessly. If you want to see its other features, check out the cam2pc website. They also sell a more feature-packed version of cam2pc, which I’ve never used, but if it functions as flawlessly as the free verions, I’d highly recommend it.

Download the free version of cam2pc here.

Oh yes, you’ll also need to download the Canon support files (if you have a Canon, that is), found here.

My sister recently asked me to record a two hour gymnastics show for her. She didn’t have the equipment to record it herself. No biggie, right? Well, I haven’t used my VCR in about five years and didn’t have any blank tapes. The show started in 20 minutes.

I have Media Center 2005 on my machine, and I record shows for home use all the time . . . so I decided to record the gymnastics and see if I could create a DVD for her. Everything went smoothly until Media Center spit an error in my face. It read something like, “Your file is too big to put on a DVD, Stupid!”

So, I looked around, found where MCE stores video files, then tried double clicking it. Windows Media Player opened it right up. “Hmmmmmm,” I thought. “I could email her file and all she’d have to do is double-click it!” I now only had one problem left to overcome. How in the world was I supposed to send a 7GB file?

After a period of searching, I decided the best method was to split the file, burn two DVDs and send them to her in the mail.

I searched a bit and found a free program called GSplit. I downloaded it, stuck with the default options, split the file, and all of a sudden three files sat upon my desktop. I couldn’t watch either video file by clicking on them, but when I clicked the third file (a small executable created by GSplit), it magically re-joined the two files and restored them to the original 7GB file.

Thank you GDG Software!

Download GSplit here.

I love this Psalm for multiple reasons.

David prayed earnestly, out of a sincere heart. Do we?

David purposed that his mouth would not transgress.

I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
Psalm 17:3 (portion)

Some say avoiding sin is not simply a matter of making a decision. Being a former addict, I understand the thought process. Yet such thoughts are deceptions, some truth mixed with lies.

Life consists of a series of decisions. Will I swear? I choose. Will I pick up that joint? Will I light it? It’s up to me. Do I have the ability to stop my hand from reaching over to the bottle, unscrewing the cap and drinking? Did I look at the porn out of necessity? Every waking moment we make choices. We can purpose, like David, to not sin. We choose. So often we blame addiction, our partners, unforeseen circumstances, depression . . . we need to be like David and stop blaming everything around us. Our choices are our decisions. Plain and simple.

So often we think the concept of eternal life is only a New Testament concept. I’ve talked about it before, and I’ll say it again - it’s all over the Old Testament, especially in the Psalms. David talked about men whose satisfaction and treasure was here - in this life. He contrasted that with his vision of contentment . . .

¹³ Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
¹⁴ from men by your hand, O LORD, from men of the world whose portion is in this life. You fill their womb with treasure; they are satisfied with children, and they leave their abundance to their infants.
¹⁵ As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

David’s portion was with God. He understood that this life offers nothing. He had an eternal perspective. Do you?

Are you an Internet parent? Do you struggle with how to keep your kids from running into less-than-uplifting material? Struggle no more. K9 (from Blue Coat) filters the bad stuff out. Plain and simple. And even better - it really works. And best of all, it’s free for personal use.

I had doubts about this program. I figured it’d be simple to cripple, especially for today’s Internet-savvy kids. Well, it’s not. And it’s nearly impossible to uninstall if you don’t have your original password and email address. So, if you plan on installing this, do not, I repeat, do not forget your password and email address you use to sign up! If you do, you’ll be in for some serious trouble when you try to uninstall.

If you want to know how it all works and why it’s free, well, visit the Blue Coat website!

Download K9 here.

This testimony tells the story of an arrest . . . typically the testimonies posted on this site tell of a conversion experience. Webster defines the word “testimony” as:

1. an open acknowledgment or
2. a public profession of religious experience.

I think that leaves it pretty wide open.

So, take some time to read Henry’s story of being arrested for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s a good reminder that no matter what the cost, we need to be confidently and openly sharing our faith.

Interestingly enough, a reader wrote us and asked us if children should be loved, and if so, how they should be loved. Well, none of us here at truthsaves.org has children (not quite), but we think Scripture gives clear direction on loving them.

Read the article here.

Here’s a new Christian poem from mamarocks.com. It’s called Lord, Forgive Me. When we plead with God for forgiveness, He listens and forgives.

Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
Isaiah 1:18 (ESV)