I would like to thank all of you who have contacted us about the break in at our offices Wednesday night/Thursday morning. Just some quick updates.
   No, we did not have insurance on the items stolen. I estimate minimum replacement costs at $2300.00.
   Yes, some folks are stepping up to assist in replacing the items. I have a very recent data back up (I hope no one faints there—I actually do regular data back ups!) of the tablet pc that, Lord willing, should allow me to do a complete restoration to a new tablet of the same make and put me right back where I was just over a week ago. I do not believe I lost any major blocks of data there, as I have been doing most of my work the past ten days or so on a different unit. Of course, the tech savvy folks know that having a backup and getting a backup to actually install correctly and work correctly are two different things. But I use Norton Ghost, and it would not be the first time Ghost has saved me from a major data catastrophe. I likewise have backups of the Palm, but those are significantly more problematic. I really have not even had the time to look at whether the backups I have make restoration worthwhile. Rich had just recently started to use the same unit, and has given it to me to see if I can restore especially the biblical materials that I use when traveling. I likewise use the Palm to read documents when traveling (for example, you sit at gates at airports for hours these days, so I’ve been reading stuff like The Gospel of Barnabas with an eye to providing a response to its use by Muslim apologists, and I have had it on my T5).
   Of course, my heart is warmed by the many words of encouragement and tangible gifts given to help us not only replace what was stolen (I think I have figured out everything that was taken, but have this odd, gnawing feeling that I’ve missed something) but more importantly to do what needs to be done to keep it from happening again. As I write this we are still trying to get a representative of the alarm company out here. We need to find out why the programming on the system failed. Likewise, the doors need to be replaced, and we will need to have bars put on the windows. Phoenix has become LA East, sadly, and now that someone has found out we are an easy mark, well, we have to change that. So we are facing some costs outside of just the materials.
   Finally, I do not want folks to worry needlessly, but yes, as some have learned from our chat channel, the thief/thieves came back last night. And yes, I was here. He went straight for my office despite having the place lit up like a Christmas tree. I stayed the night on my couch in my office since the Phoenix police officer who took the report said, “I have a strong feeling this guy will be back. And soon.” At 4:20am he popped my door again. It took only one shot. Half a second. Amazing. But, I had taken some precautions of my own. Specifically, my first Logitech Trackman Marble trackball, an old PS2 connection unit that does not even work with USB ports, came to my rescue. I had tied the chord of the mouse around the knob of the door and tied it tight. I then attached the other end, replete with the trackball itself, to a very heavy rolling shelf unit that is temporary housing to boxes of my books, mainly commentaries. In other words, it doesn’t move easily. So, while he popped the door almost instantly, it would not open since it was wired shut. We likewise installed motion sensing devices (Radio Shack specials!) outside of each door. The units have a slight delay before they go off. If I hadn’t wired the door the thief would have been through the door before the sensor alarm went off. But as it was, it began making this horribly annoying sound (evidently that was a surprise for him) and he gave up and took off. But I know he will be back. He thinks he’s found a great way to make his drug money and besides, he still needs that power supply he couldn’t get at because it was wrapped around a shelving unit.
   So this saga is not over. Eventually we will have some real security here. A wonderful brother back east has donated a closed circuit system that will allow me to monitor all around the building and in the parking lot (my wife’s car was vandalized out there just last month) while sitting at my desk writing and working, but as with everything else, it has to be installed (and will be, one way or the other, soon). I wish we had had it last night as I would have our little visitor on video. But we press forward. Many thanks for your prayers and expressions of concern and support. And many thanks to all the bloggers who have mentioned this situation, including even the Pyromaniac. I am greatly humbled by the show of love and concern.

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