What is it?
This little cube is a filtering device for your home that allows you to protect your family from inappropriate sites and content on the internet. 
A couple years ago, I looked around, as my children were growing older, and noticed that there was very little by way of family filters for the whole house available to the public. I even asked a tech friend of mine for some help, and the ways to tweak my router (which is provided by the company we use for internet) were very complicated and truly beyond my “networking” skills…trust me, I tried.
Then I saw this new device that began as a kickstarter and eventually was picked up by the Disney corporation – A.K.A – Disney Circle.
We’ve had our Circle for about a month and I would like to do a review on it for you.
Ease Of Use:
This device sells for $99, and we bought ours at Target, but I believe most major retailers will have this device for sale. Basically we took this sleek looking box home, opened it and once we plugged it in, it was a easy to set up. Have your internet router’s password available, walk through the app (which you install on your mobile device or cell phone) and once it connects the real magic and ease of mind can begin.
The app is easy to navigate and you can add then add your entire family to the “Circle”. Once you add your family, you can then assign specific devices (which are visible to the network) to each person. So, for example if your son has a google tablet, it will show up within the local devices and you can assign that tablet to your son on the circle.
The Filtering Software:
If you are worried what your children might watch on Youtube or even apps on their Apple or Android devices, here is some ease of mind. You can assign the filter level of each child based upon their age. All of the apps available on an app store can be filtered because this Disney Circle interfaces with the home router. Even if your child is on their Xbox or Playstation console, it must still get its information from your home router, and Disney Circle will filter out the inappropriate content that you do not want your children to have access to. I recently let one of my teenage boys use my Ipad, so since the Ipad is assigned to my profile, I adjusted my filter to “Teen”…when I went on my phone to access one of the streaming apps I use to watch tv, I was stopped, and I realized I had been filtered via the Disney Circle – it does really work! This device, in my opinion, is totally worth the $99 I paid for it!
This device gives parents peace of mind when their children use the internet and/or various electronic devices throughout their homes. No longer is finding a family friendly, easy to use filter a hard thing to do – I completely recommend this device for your home!
Other Perks to Disney Circle:
1) You can set a bed time for each profile/person in your home. When the clock strikes that hour, the internet turns off for those assigned devices to that profile/child.
2) Does your child spend too much time on devices? Then set time limits! Once the time limit has been met, the internet will also turn off.
3) Pause the Internet in the entire house by hitting the “Pause” button on your device loaded with the Disney Circle App.
4) There is no work around, once the Disney Circle has been paired to your home router!
One of my kids tried to unplug the Circle and just use the router, and it wouldn’t work.
5) “Insights” – You can view all of the content your child views by using your Circle app. You are the House Admin (and your spouse can be as well). View the time your children spend on specific apps or site. Learn what they enjoy doing, also start to see just how much time they spend in a day on these devices.
One word of caution, and this should be obvious, but here goes:
Do not load the Disney App onto devices your children will be using, this is the only “Work around” to the filtering software. The one(s) who has the app loaded can control what is fed to all the devices. So parents, you load the App, and you will ensure you children are protected in your home from unwanted, inappropriate content.
Should you buy Disney Circle?
That’s entirely up to you, but we love ours and as our kids are getting older, it gives us peace of mind that they will not be subjected to pornography or other harmful content because of this little device and what it does.
I am giving Disney Circle 
two thumbs WAY up!!!
For further review check out these youtube reviews/videos:
The Official Website: Disney Circle
Disney’s Cirlce
Disney Circle Unboxing and Review
1) Sometimes CO’s struggle spiritually too…
2) Many Times We Are Stressed Out About Finances
Outward Mission 
Lead With, Not Over
sustainable path for your corps. Riving that which is on the fringes of death is not easy. This component relies on leadership both from the divisional level as well as the territorial level to see the benefits of longer appointments. Of course there are multiple variables within officers length of appointments. Questions like- are they are good fit? Will this corps be able to afford their family? Do we need their skills elsewhere? The wonderful thing is, many divisions and territories now see the benefit of investing in longer appointment terms. The CO must also see this benefit. It should be a cautionary tale to mentioned that COs need to remain focused on the present appointment and not peering over the fence at potential future appointments.
soldiers and adherents. Without this shared vision, as mentioned before, when the current CO leaves, the vision either dies or is shifted. A strong core group within the mainframe of the corps can provide stability and structure even if the corps officer leaves or is gone. With a shared vision and mission, which is agreed upon by local officers and constituents, EVERYONE knows that needs to be done. Talk about your vision. Keep it at the forefront of everything you do. Emphasize it, and keep talking about it from the pulpit to the visitation of soldiers and friends.
This might sound offensive to some of you. Some might say, “that’s not fair, we are dependent on God.” I am too. But there is a temptation to worry more about finances and where the next funding source will come from to pay for the bills of the corps, than how God is going to provide. Yes, we work hard to secure funding, but be careful that the funding doesn’t become your measure of success in the corps. Financially secure corps can become spiritual graveyards too. There are different types of corps death, and a corps worshiping their wealth can be one of them. It sounds ridiculous, but it can happen. Don’t allow your focus to become solely on what you have or need. Remember the One who sustains us and will provide what we need when we need it. Yes, pray about tithing. Yes, pray about grants and funding sources, but don’t let them hamstring what you can and can’t do for the Lord in your community. Even those with limited financial resources can do wonders for the Kingdom!
Study your neighborhoods. Find out what the issues are. Ask important questions to those you serve. Get out of your buildings and talk to people. It’s really not about being seen, but as we do these things we will be seen. In order to revive our dying corps, we have to continually explore the shifting needs and wounds of our community! Each community is different, as are their needs. What may have worked in a previous appointment might not be what this present appointment needs. So Corps Officers, even though you may have an awesome blueprint for things that were successful in your last corps, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be automatically successful here. As a team – local officers, soldiers, adherents, friends – study, ask, explore and then meet the needs currently not being met in your community.
then be passionate about growing our spiritual levels. What do I mean? I fear that sometimes our corps are still in the kiddie pool of spiritual growth and without challenge they will never wade deeper into this faith. We have to continually challenge, speak, live and teach holiness. This is spiritual development and growth. This is vital to sustaining our corps members from the inside out. Without holiness, we run the risk of becoming another social service club that hangs out on Sunday mornings and just does good works for people. It has to go deeper than that. We have to keep each other accountable and emphasize the desire to encounter a continuance of salvation. The Holy Spirit doesn’t want us to remain static, and when we are, I fear corps death will surely follow. He will raise up others if the we remain in the kiddie pool. Wade out there, don’t be afraid to ask difficult questions, seek Christ’s image in all aspect of your living. Then…go!
I remember when I was a young boy. We had a small dining table located in the kitchen. We didn’t have much. My parents were missionaries and so we lived off of what was provided to us. We were happy though, and the simple pleasures of life often occupied our small household. At that breakfast table in the kitchen we had our humble meals. Many times we ate fish at least five times a week. But one thing was constant in that small room in which we gathered for our meals. On that breakfast table sat a clear plastic stand with cards in it. The cards were nestled in their place, they were small, sometimes multi-colored. These cards looked like playing cards of one kind or another, but in fact they were scripture readings and a devotional thought for the day. Most days my father or mother would select one of these multicolored cards, sometimes my sister and I would help pull them from their place. Usually my father would read the card selected for the day. My sister and I would listen,though admittedly as children tend to be, I was often fidgety and sometimes would not hear what was being said. But those devotional cards directed our day. After the reading was finished we would pray. Right there in that little kitchen, my sister and I first encountered this discipline of prayer, which was being modeled for us by our parents.
Pastor's Ponderings 