Ask me what I did on my day off?  Spent about six total hours dismantling my sister’s Canon SD400 to troubleshoot why the lens wouldn’t retract.

Apparently this is a common problem.

So after much research, I collected a bunch of illustrated guides from various places on the web and went to town.

Links

• How to repair a Canon E18 error (lens error) (things to try before taking your camera apart)
• E18 – Repair Guide (Illustrated, Canon S100)
• Fix Canon SD600 Lens Error (Illustrated)
• Canon E18 Repair Guide for SD300 (Illustrated PDF)
• Canon PowerShot S500 E18 Repair (Illustrated)

Suggestions From My Own Experience

Clean out any dirt/debris from both the lens and gear box.

Unscrew things in sections.  For each section, get a blank piece of paper and diagram where all the screws are.  As you unscrew stuff, place the screw on your diagram in its approximate location.

This will make your life infinitely less complicated as you put your camera back together.  Now you don’t have to worry about which screw and which size screw goes where.

Just be sure you put these diagrams away from your work area.  A small bump will send your screws flying and make your diagram worthless.  ;)

The Good

I was able to clean out a lot of sand from the inside of the camera (i.e. lens mechanism, gear box).  The lens now retracts and extends.  It used to not do that. I’m awesome!

The Bad

Some of the gears controlling the movement of the lens are stripped.  That prevents the lens from extending/retracting smoothly and without a lot of grinding sounds.

The Ugly

The camera is un-fixable.  I now have a slick-looking paper weight.

Moral of the Story

My sister should give up being an agronomy major. Then she would be far less excited to take her camera into a soil pit.

My Sister and the Soil Pit

I find myself praying a lot lately.  Praying on the beach, in small group.  Over the phone with friends and in my own quiet times with Jesus.

But I’m laying here in bed asking myself when was the last time I just chilled with Jesus?

I’ve been praying for a lot people.  It’s been awesome.  The fact that I find myself praying so much for people is an answer to prayer.  But all this praying has been a “push” relationship with Jesus.  I’m pushing things his way and find myself not “pulling” much.

There’s just something about chillin’ with Jesus with no agenda.  It’s these times I find myself most at peace with God.  My spirit comes more in line with His Spirit.  My thoughts, His thoughts.  I get to pull from the very source of life.

Alex.  This is your reminder.  You need to chill with Jesus more.

Here’s some more quote lovin’ from Andy Stanley in Communicating for a Change.

… spiritual maturity is gauged by application not contemplation. James says it best, “Faith without deeds is useless. (James 2:20)” “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (James 1:22)”

Application

When asked which of the commandments were the greatest He summarized the entire law with two action-oriented imperatives, love God and love your neighbor.

Not Contemplation

It’s interesting that the group who knew the Old Testament Scriptures best were the very ones who considered Jesus a blasphemer and arranged for His crucifixion.