R.I.P.

Expect an abundance of blogging in the near future: Allison and I just got back from a week's vacation in Arizona. Very nice, especially the two days we spent at the Grand Canyon.

But first things first. Upon arriving home, I was saddened to learn from my middle sister that our family dog, Lucy, died this weekend. Lucy was a pretty strange dog. My youngest sister "rescued" her from the shelter as a puppy, 8 years ago. Lucy was born with a deformed paw, but she never let her handicap keep her down. Through persistence, she managed to upgrade her status to "indoor dog," even though she left the carpet and furniture coated in a thin layer of white hair. (Of course, my sisters' tendency to dress her in "people clothes" and to allow her to sleep in their beds probably played a role here.) We think she may have had a thing for my Dad, since she always growled jealously whenever Mom gave him a kiss or hug. My family learned to be nimble and watchful, due to Lucy's proclivity for snatching unattended food (her greatest feat being a pound of uncooked bacon from the kitchen counter). For a while, we even thought she had somehow mastered the art of opening the back door with her paws. (It turned out that the door just didn't close completely. But hey, she still gets points for figuring that much out.) Despite her quirks, she was a faithful dog, ever keeping watch against the wiles of the UPS man (she even raised the bar for watchfulness by taking a healthy bite out of every package delivered to the house -- just in case). She always seemed glad to see me (and Allison, once she joined the family) whenever we came home to visit.

She will be missed.

Gnos-tastic

Good article by Ben Witherington III that debunks the periodic upsurge of "What happened to the lost books of the Bible?" conspiracy-theorizing. (Note: Good article, but the CT website didn't do the best job with the formatting ...)

And just in time, since Dan Brown is working on the Da Vinci Code sequel.

Too Much TV

After watching the Alias finale (not Marshall!), we were channel surfing and stumbled across one of the five local religious channels available on our very basic cable plan. Since it is about the only night a week we watch TV, we have to get our TBN-like laugh allotment, right?

So, anyway, some guy named "Apostle Skip" who heads a scary Day Star Tabernacle International cul--er, church, was on. His podium is a large mirrored star, and his stage props included faux gold "lampstands" with fake fire -- you know, the kind with a piece of orange and red cloth attatched to a fan. Classic gaudy.

I just wanted to share his "best Bible verse misuse" of the evening.

"Listen y'all, God is a businessman. (You know it!) Because Jesus was 'about His Father's business.'"

Okay, so, at least, I found it funny at the time. Maybe I had too much caffeine.

This will probably put even more dangerous thoughts in my brain

And I was trying to keep myself limited to reading 3 books or less at once ...

But The Failure of the American Baptist Culture looks like a good read so far, even if it's a tad dated. The first essay discusses the "intellectual schizophrenia" in modern Baptistic America (and the bulk of evangelicalism that it has influenced). I think it's pretty relevant in light of the gay marriage debacle. Evangelical Christians want to stand tall (and rightfully so) and oppose the normalizing of a gross sin, but their own presuppositions cut their legs out from under them. If we buy into the "myth of neutrality" and refuse to acknowledge that our civil laws must be rooted in God's law, how can we consistently oppose sin?

I hope to stick with this one, although I don't have such a good record with online books. If I can do this one, maybe I can finally get around to reading those AAPC papers!

Knowledge comes and then it goes, but wisdom lingers...

As I contemplate my impending return to the world of academia, and my fast and furious foray into the public university, I keep talking about how I'm "going back" to school. The truth is, I never really left.

In the two years since my last walk in a cap and gown, I've learned about ecclesiology, culture, homemaking, world politics, religion, family life and ethics. Those who say that graduation is only the beginning of a lifetime of learning-- they're right. And these are just things I've collected from neighbors, co-workers, friends and family. That list doesn't even come close to including the seemingly ceaseless study and ongoing discussions about theology and culture-- and everything in between-- that Gaines and I daily share. And then there's all those books (and blogs) I read...

In light of all my "knowledge-gathering," past, present, and future, I must keep in mind that knowlegde alone breeds pride and arrogance, but "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom."

Dr. George Grant reminded me of this in a recent entry (May 12) on his blog:

All talk of education is for us a reminder that we have only just begun to learn how to learn. It is an affirmation that though our magnificent heritage has introduced us to the splendid wonders of literature and art and music and history and science and ideas in the past--we have only just been introduced and that a lifetime adventure in these vast and portentous arenas still awaits us. Indeed, the most valuable lessons that education can convey are invariably the lessons that never end. That is actually at the heart of the Christian philosophy of education—a philosophy which provoked the most remarkable flowering of art, music, literature, science, and progress that the world has ever seen; a philosophy rooted in a desire for wisdom and understanding, not just knowledge; a philosophy focused on putting knowledge in context.

As I work to form a statement of my own philospohy of education in preparation for my first day of class next month, I find his thoughts extrememly helpful-- and humbling.

(Oh, and if anyone really cares, the title for this post is from a Dog Named David song. I miss those guys.)

now THAT is funny

From Blog and Mablog:

Today marks the second day of Massachusetts' court ordered, legally sanctioned hatred of bisexuals. By limiting marriage licenses to two and only two people, they have clearly displayed their deep seated animus toward those differently wired people/persons/bi-pedal carbon units who have a sexual attraction for both sexes.

On a happier note

We had the distinct privilege of seeing Randall Goodgame in concert this weekend. That alone would have been reason for great rejoicing, since he's way cool. He played an abundant selection of good tunes, including Allison's favorite, "The Peanuts Trilogy." (Of course, I'm more partial to "The Pope Was A Lady" -- nuh-uh!)

But the better part of the evening was talking with Randall afterwards about the upcoming Caedmon's Call album. He has played an integral part in the songwriting process for the album, including traveling to India with the band to cultivate material. The concept sounds really cool. Musically, they are trying to incorporate elements from a great number of ethnic musical styles from around the world, including India, Ecuador and Brazil. But the lyrical themes of the album seem to revolve around the concept (shocking as it may sound to some) that the American church is not THE Church. A special focus of the album will be on the the dalits -- the "untouchable" caste of Indian society. Randall was extremely excited about the album, and we are too! Obviously, the Redds (among others) have been a bit disappointed with the last two offerings from Caedmon's, but hope springs eternal.

nom-o-phobia?

So, any discussion about "the Law" amongst evangelicals is bound to yield some interesting comments. But I was astounded to hear, in a group discussion, a person question the motives of the women who prepared Jesus' body for burial after the crucifixion. The grounds? Luke tells us that they waited until the first day of the week to finish annointing Him with spices, because "on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment." Which obviously means that they esteemed the old commandment more than the new "liberty" they had in Christ.

Chick Tract Update

Ah, that crazy Jack Chick is up to his old cartooning tricks again with Birds and the Bees. I especially like the little devils crawling all over Larry and Charles. At first, I thought they were supposed to be vets, not dentists! My favorite quote: "Their stink reached up to heaven and God was fed up with them." Or maybe, "If anyone tries to make you Gay, stay away from them." (Original italics included.)

Thankfully, for all of us too dense to understand the masterful skills of Chicky-Man himself, Scott Ward over at the BHT has kindly provided us with a Translation.

And he's updated all the archives on his website, too. That's some good readin', folks!

Dreadful indeed

From Prince Caspian:

"I - I left it too late," said Susan, in an embarrassed voice. "I was so afraid it might be, you know -- one of our kind of bears, a talking bear." She hated killing things.

"That's the trouble of it," said Trumpkin, "when most of the beasts have gone enemy and gone dumb, but there are still some of the other kind left. You never know, and you daren't wait to see."

(...)

Lucy shuddered and nodded. When they had sat down she said: "Such a horrible idea has come into my head, Su."

"What's that?"

"Wouldn't it be dreadful if some day in our own world, at home, men started going wild inside, like the animals here, and still looked like men, so that you'd never know which were which?"

Vintage Wright

Good Wright article (ca. 1980) on Justification, linked from Al's blog.

Excerpt:

The positive result of justification is that we live for God because Christ has died for us. Good works, as the Reformers never tired of saying, are done not to earn salvation but out of gratitude for it: not out of fear lest we should be lost after all but out of joy that we are saved after all. Sanctification is the completion, not of justification, but of regeneration: holiness is the continuation and bringing to perfection (in the resurrection of believers) of the good work which God has begun by the new birth. Justification is a different kind of event altogether: regeneration and sanctification are acts of grace to change the heart and life, whereas justification is the declaration, anticipating the verdict of the last day, that the believer is in the right. Justification results in holiness because it presupposes the new birth. It is therefore also the basis of Christian assurance, the certain hope of eternal life. Assurance is not an extra blessing over and above justification, but simply the outworking of justification itself, the realization that the Spirit who inspired faith and now inspires love will continue until, in the resurrection, he has produced the full harvest of which he himself is presently the first fruits.

("Justification: The Biblical Basis and its Relevance for Contemporary Evangelicalism")

Good stuff, especially in the linkage of the eschatological declaration of righteousness with the glorified resurrection state of the believer. That final verdict is delivered BECAUSE God has finished the job of redeeming the believer. It is still free grace from the first to the last.

What was my major, again?

You are a GRAMMAR GOD!


If your mission in life is not already to
preserve the English tongue, it should be.
Congratulations and thank you!


How grammatically sound are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

(Thanks to Richard for the link)

Chronicles

We just received Chronicles in the mail on Monday. Um, yeah, if you were counting, that's a month late. (I won't even go into what I think of the duplicitous Grassroots changeover. Let's just say we won't be ordering from them anymore.)

Anyway, I'm listening to it as I'm cleaning this morning, and it's alright. The two new songs aren't anything to speak of lyrically or anything. New-ish Caedmons sound. It's good to hear the old songs, but I'll always enjoy listening to Guild 1 or 40 Acres or My Calm//Your Storm more than this.

When I take a break to read the liner notes, I notice something. The only acknowledgement they give Aaron Tate on the entire album is to credit him as a songwriter. He's not in the "Thanks" except included with the "all our family, friends, relatives, and those who have helped us over the last 12 years." To give them benefit of the doubt they don't thank Randall anywhere else either, but still, he's a very recent addition. I just think it is odd and a little sad that Aaron's not greatly acknowledged, when his songwriting is what drew much of their loyal fan base in the early years. I mean, he wrote ALL of MC//YS. Of course, Derek and Sandra are thanked, and Derek is listed under "The Band: Past and Present." As it should be. But not even a nod to Aaron? Hmmmm.

I'm curious to hear the internationally inspired songs coming out in the fall. If they use lots of Randall's songs and Andrew Osenga's and stay away from Josh's songwriting, it'll be fine. I have my doubts, though. If only the "organic, folk" sound that Cliff promises for the next album comes true. We'll see...

hmm...

I'm still not so sure about this new Blogger setup ...

But, I'll use this opportunity to say "Congratulations!!" to my sister, Amy, who graduated yesterday from the University of Alabama. (We can't all be perfect.)

I'm curious where the practice of "praying against the devil" originated. I'm frequently in gatherings (especially in cross-denominational ones) where I encounter this. Specifically, I'm referring to prayers that go something like:

"And, Lord, I claim authority in Jesus' name, Lord, against the spiritual powers of darkness, Lord. (Yes, Lord.) Lord, I rebuke them in Jesus' name, Lord. Evil spirits, you have no power over us. etc etc"

The most disturbing part, for me, is the gradual shift away from petitioning God for protection and towards actually addressing the fiends of the netherworld. Are we really supposed to be having a shouting match against the devils? I'm in no way making light of the Scriptural warnings that Satan is a roaring lion and that the powers and principalities, though defeated, still wage war against God's elect. I just don't understand why petitioning the Father for His protection isn't enough.

An aside: my favorite personal example of the above is when a guy "prayed against the accident demons" that might beset those of us travelling that night. I'm sure it was meant with utmost sincerity, but I had to stifle a laugh.

I know I should probably blame Frank Peretti for some of this, but I'm wondering how far back it goes. I know that Luther allegedly made use of his flatulence to combat the wiles of Satan, but I'm not sure he ever did this in a corporate prayer ...

Back to Narnia

I'm continuing my re-read of the Chronicles of Narnia. Can't go wrong with that!

But I'm not too thrilled about the cover art for the more recent editions. If I didn't have my old edition of Prince Caspian, for example, I'd have to stare at this whenever I picked the book up. Shudder.

But that's nothing compared to some of the others, like this scary art for Magician's Nephew. What's up with that?

I've tried to ignore the "blog wars," since they seem mainly to indicate that otherwise intelligent people can still be jerks. But I was particularly struck by the following from James White's blog, in reference to a recent blog entry by Tim Enloe:

The link takes us to Douglas Wilson's blog, where a glaringly false dichotomy regarding living or dead faith (James 2) is presented in a tongue-in-cheek manner (which is the common theme on that blog, I've noted). Given Wilson's voluminous writings, he may well have produced a full exegesis of James 2 along the lines of the chapter I included in The God Who Justifies, but I have not found it.

There seems to be something odd about White mentioning "full exegesis" in reponse to an entry under the heading "Presbyterian Fables." What's next: a paper on the biological inaccuracies in the Tortoise and the Hare?

Gas Prices

I should've filled up my gas tank on Monday, instead of today. $.14 more per gallon. Sheesh. And all the cheap gas stations are at least 30 minutes from our apartment. It's not worth the savings to get there. Oh well, at least I know where to look to find places to stop when we're travelling.

(Thanks to Barb's blog for the website.)

To find your area, go here.

Modern evangelicals do not see that apart from a true worship of God, the "horizontal pieties" are not long for this world. Their current emphasis on family and social responsibilities at the expense of honoring God in appropriate worship is doomed to failure. Of course, emphasis on cultural engagement and family reformation is wonderful in its rightful place, which is when it is subordinated to the reverent worship of God - through Word and sacrament. Any other emphasis is simply refried liberalism in the great taco of unbelief.

Doug Wilson, A Serrated Edge

This quote, although true, isn't groundbreakingly profound or anything. I just liked the imagery in the last sentence.

No Bible Sunday?

I get the point of what they are saying, but frankly, this sounds pretty dumb.

Might as well try "No Breathing Saturday."

Tyrranous and Wretchedly Urgent Time

Here, the rains come sweeping in from the west. I see the Doppler green hovering over Arkansas and Louisiana, and I know it's moving this way. Soon, drops will fall on Mississippi, then Alabama...then Georgia. And I'm waiting. I'm waiting because this is the one rare weekend I don't want it to rain. The one weekend I've had marked on the calendar for months. The weekend I gave up other perfectly good opportunities to visit some old college friends to see some other old camp friends. This is the weekend I am going back to Riverview. This weekend I plan to play in the trees and swing from airplane cables and jump out of tall platforms. However, thunderstorms and metal wires, belays, and steel 'beaners don't mix well. So I wait to see what will happen.

I've realized I spend most of my life waiting. Waiting for the work day to end. For the clock alarm to go off. Waiting for the stores to open, waiting for the clothes to dry, the water to boil, and the dentist to see me now. Waiting for the weekend, for the iron to get hot, and for the computer to boot up. Waiting for my husband to come home. I've decided in those in-between moments, the times when the sense of dreaded urgency overwhelms and the fretting starts, I need to stop waiting and just live.

I should enjoy the calm before the downpour, savor the early morning moments before the alarm, and keep the commandments in my heart and on my lips. I want to be always thankful for every moment, substituting those sudden stretches of waiting with Scripture meditation-- to redeem the time and tread carefully through my days.

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." Ephesians 5:15-21

The Simpsons are going to Brazil!

My maid of honor, co-Head Counselor at summer camp, road-tripping buddy, and best girl friend is leaving soon to be a missionary in Brazil. Jen will be leaving Birmingham, her job at CVS, and all her friends and family to be a pharmacist at a clinic in Rio for 6 months. Years of prayer and seeking wisdom and counsel have led her to this place, and I'm grateful she is going to be a part of what God is doing there. I'm proud of her, but she will be greatly missed!

I'm just thankful she finally jumped on the technology bandwagon and started a blog so we can keep up with her adventures!

So, I figure I'd jump on the bandwagon for the inauguration of Douglas Wilson's blog.

In honor of this special time, I'm bumping A Serrated Edge up to the top of my reading list. Let the sarcasm fly.

Speaking of sarcasm, Richard posted the lyrics for "Mohawks on the Scaffold," a deliciously satirical unrecorded song by Andrew Peterson, who unfortunately (but understandably) has stopped playing it

Totally 80's

I am not ashamed of being a child of the '80's. Or the fact that my friend Cheryl and I went to see 13 Going on 30 last night. It was hilarious!

We were laughing afterwards how much we WERE the 13 year old characters. I mean-- the sweater with the purple hearts? I had the same one and wore it all the time. Dorky glasses? Check. Metal braces? Yup. Wanted a Barbie Dream House? Oh yeah. I eventually got some monstrous 3-story pink cardboard mansion with a plastic elevator. It was, like, rad. Some other higlights of 80's nostalgia in the film: Trapper Keepers. Fruit Roll-ups. Thriller. The Clash. Rick Springfield. Side ponytails. Thinking pina coladas were the grown-up drinks. I must've missed out on Razzles, though. I'd never heard of "the candy that's also a gum" until this movie! (Of course, I was actually born in 1980, so I probably missed a lot along the way.)

I was pleasantly surprised at the innocence of Jennifer Garner's character. There were very few innuendos and very little vulgarity. It was just a fun movie that I might actually take a real 13 year-old to see. Although, I don't think they would appreciate all the "in-jokes" as much as we did. This is definitely a movie for those who lived through the decade!

One last blast from the past: Online M.A.S.H. You know you want to!

Confessions of a Recovering Bibliophile

I finally finished reading The Potter's Freedom. I never could make it through Geisler's Chosen But Free, so although I can't describe how deftly White destroys Norm's arguments, I can say that he holds nothing back-- laying out the major tenets of the doctrines of grace succinctly and efficiently. However, his thorough writing style began to grate on me the last few chapters. I was like, "We know already! Get on with it!" Maybe I've just been in a theology funk. Or maybe I'm just tired of reading stuff with lots of block quotes. Either way, I'm gladly moving on to fiction.

I have a battered, yellowed paperback copy of Thomas Hardy's Return of the Native that I inheirited from my high school AP English teacher when she retired. It's been that long since I've read it (at least 6 years) so I think it's time for a reintroduction to Egdon Heath. I noticed last night that the edition is exactly 40 years old, and since the pages are all falling out, it's probably time for a new copy-- but not before this one gets another good read.

Of course, I'm still making my way through my stack of non-fiction-- McArthur and Wright and Dillard -- I just need some variety every now and then. That Mc Arthur book hasn't seen daylight in weeks, though. Maybe I'll pick it back up tonight, since I'm indulging in Hardy during lunch. Yay!

One of my secret indulgences is to find AP Reading lists and then check off how many I've read-- to see what's left. Of course, it always makes me want to visit Barnes and Noble, for some mysterious reason. There are too many good books in the world!

The great thing about blogging is that if I post something quickly (say, right before I leave for a break) and then forget about it for a while, I can always come back and edit it later to correct grammar or complete a thought. (If only posting comments worked the same way...)

However, all that becomes unnecessary in light of my recent discovery: the "draft" option. (Silly me! I can be quite oblivious sometimes.) Better later than never, I guess.

Although I'm not one to read Christianity Today that often, or to put stock in its polls and rankings, today I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Apartment Life has been named the #1 Best Christian Workplace in the Parachurch and Missions (30 or Fewer Employees) Category.

There are only 26 employees in Apt. Life, and thankfully, the organization is not expected to expand anytime soon, especialy since the President's plan is to dismantle the organization within the next 8 years. He then hopes to hand the ministry model over to local churches, so that outreach can be implemented within local apartment communities by church members. Spiffy, eh?

I just want to commend Apartment Life for attempting to merge "business principles" with "proclaiming the Gospel." It's an odd mix, but we've seen the practical, life-altering ramifications of being faithful to the latter while navigating the former. Though it is difficult to find sincerity in the constantly shifting and highly competitive apartment industry, I think Apartment Life is succeeding in establishing that through hands-on, incarnational ministry. And I'm grateful to be a part of it.

Another confession

Somehow I made it through school without ever having to read Orwell's 1984. I've finally been able to rectify that. I now feel sufficiently warned against totalitarianism from both without and within.

I'm not sad to see this guy go to jail.

But I wonder what they're going to do with all the cool pyramids at their compound?

I needed to read this wise anecdote tonight.

Like the shoe people say, "Just Do It."

If you've been wondering....

Every night for the past week or so, and all day today, I've been in front of my laptop, which has no internet connection. (And it's a good thing, too, or I may never have gotten any work done! I did resort to Snood breaks every now and then, though. I've forgotten how addictive that game is!)

As of this evening, I finally finished a HUGE application for a graduate scholarship from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. Whew! It was quite a doozie! I'm just glad it is done.

More great news: this evening, I got an acceptance letter from Georgia State University! I applied to their TEEMS M.Ed. program in January, had an interview with the faculty on April 8th, and have been waiting on pins and needles ever since. This is quite a relief! And it is all happening so fast-- I have orientation next Friday!

Oh, and this past weekend we went to my cousin's wedding at this very cool old Episcopal church in Montgomery, Alabama. We stayed at Gaines' parents' house, but they were away, and so the mice (his sisters and I) played. (OK, so I worked on my application. But it was still great to see them. And to listen to Nintendo inspired rock.)

Next on my list of humongous tasks: cleaning the apartment. And with the neglect it has seen over the past couple of weeks, I may not emerge for a few days.... wish me luck!

back in the day ...

So, every now and then, I dip into my music archives, specifically, the stack of CD's and (gasp!) tapes that I don't listen to anymore, but haven't yet found the strength to sell or give away. The other day, I found a mix tape with some Bad Religion on it. As the name might imply, they espouse (in no uncertain terms!) a worldview completely antagonistic to my own. On the plus side, they play some crunchy punk rock with delicious vocal harmonies. But, despite their penchant for writing fairly smart lyrics that require a sufficiently enriched amount of word power, I think prolonged exposure to their stream of anger and cynicism is a tad unhealthy.

An interesting excerpt:

no control

culture was the seed of proliferation
but it has gotten melded into an inharmonic whole
consciousness has plagued us and we can not shake it
though we think we're in control
questions that besiege us in life
are testament of our helplessness
"there's no vestige of a beginning,
no prospect of an end" (Hutton, 1795)
when we all disintegrate it will all happen again

time is so rock solid in the minds of the hoards but they can't
explain why it should slip away
history and future are the comforts of
our curiosity but here we are
rooted in the present day

if you came to conquer you'll be king for a day
but you too will deteriorate and quickly fade away
and believe these words you hear
when you think your path is clear

we have no control
we do not understand
you have no control
you are not in command!

I think this portrays the atheist's plight with great consistency. Although I would agree with him that, in the grand scheme of the universe, we mortals have no real control over the forward progress of history. But, for him, this results in a bleak hopelessness, "rooted in the present day," which is the extent of our meaning and existence. This life is all that we've got, in his view, and we have no significance compared to the vastness of time. How different is the conclusion I reach, even when agreeing with the premise of having "no control." I can take hope knowing that, although I might have no control, there is One who ultimately has all under His control, and that He is the one that ultimately assigns significance to our lives.

Greg Graffin (Bar Religion's prime lyricist) is at least being consistent, and the result is embittered, rebellious, angry music, which stems (I think) from realizing the utlimate consequences of his beliefs.

Ironically, one of my favorite smart-guy anti-theists is the least consistent with his own beliefs. Neil Peart, of Rush, is one of the smartest lyricists around. His words are often filled with hope and expressions of humans reaching their potential. This seems a bit out of sync with his belief that we ultimately emerged from primordial goo.

But at least he can play a mean drum solo.

This is scary.

How long does it take to learn all those video game songs, anyway?

My confession

For the first time ever, I waited until April 15 to file my taxes. :(

[Disclaimer: Actually, it was only our GA return that got filed at the last minute, since we owe them $$. But still, the principle ...]

Old School

I just discovered The Wayback Machine.

Ah, the memories...

Why can't Hollywood use the actual college campuses depicted in their films?

"In the span of two days in October, Agnes Scott College became Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Grady Hospital and Harvard University for the upcoming motion picture Bobby Jones–Stroke of Genius."

I can understand not being able to use Harvard's campus due to geographical restraints, but both Tech AND Emory are within 15 minutes of Agnes Scott!

It was the same with Big Fish-- film crews used Huntington's campus, a small school in Montgomery, Alabama, to portray scenes set at Auburn University, just 40 miles down the road.

It just seems shameful to pretend Agnes Scott Hall is actually Tech Tower, or that some Huntington building is Samford Hall, when the real thing is so close.

Although, I do think it is cool that Agnes Scott has a Gaines Chapel.

And it was fun to read about the various misadventures of the "T".

Sugar for the Mind (and Mouth!)

Okay, I'll admit it. Every so often, I like to read what my mom and I call a "beach book." Usually it's fiction, probably an Oprah's Book Club reject, most likely badly written, sometimes makes the NYT bestsellers list, and it's a good excuse to turn off my brain for a few hours. C'mon, you know you read them, too...

Yesterday, we organized a yard sale for the residents in our apartment complex. We got up way too early for a Saturday, drove to our church, loaded tables and chairs, and drove back to our complex-- all before 7:45 a.m. Like I said, it was early for a Saturday. It was also very, very chilly. So once everything was set up, and we had chatted with all the residents and made sure everyone had taken advantage of the free doughnuts, we just sat around waiting for people to show up. Apparently, no one gets up at our complex before noon on Saturdays. And you think I'm kidding. Although, I will clarify that over thirty people eventually showed up to shop, but most of those faithful few came after 10:30. So, in the end, I'd say it was successful.

Gaines used the long early morning lull to walk around the complex, holding up a "Yard Sale" sign for the occasional car. I saw it as an oppurtunity to read a book. I wandered over to a table to check out their stash of paperbacks. Score! I spied a bunch of books by Mary Higgins Clark, "The Queen of Suspense." My mom will vouch for the insane number of old MHC novels I collected back in high school--she found a shelf of them recently while cleaning out a closet-- so it was surprising to see some unfamiliar titles. I picked up one called Daddy's Little Girl. I didn't have any cash on me at the time, but the lady behind the table told me to go ahead and read it anyway. When I tried to return it to her at the end of the sale, she told me to keep it! Hey, a free book is a free book. My guilty pleasure was finishing it this afternoon. Gaines told me that since it was Easter, I should've read something "more holy." Whatever! MHC included at least one paragraph about the main character visiting an Abbey and "making her peace with God." That counts, right?

Oh, and speaking of doughnuts (see second paragraph), we stopped at the Krispy Kreme on Ponce this morning after the joint sunrise service at Piedmont Park. Mmmmmm. Hot chocolate and melt-in-your mouth sugary goodness in doughnut form were a welcome treat on this cold, rainy Easter morning. And, as our friend Patricia requested, they were "One dozen glazed. Hot. Now!"

Ladies all the time be asking me:

"Gaines R, how come you don't dance no more?"


I wish I had an iron cup full of Brunswick Stew.

Finally finished reading What Saint Paul Really Said. Very good stuff. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the more I compare criticisms of N.T. Wright with Wright's actually writings, the more puzzled I am. Do these people actually read the sum total of his writings, or just dissect (out-of-context) the parts that set their "Reformed" Spidey senses a-tingling? It's also frustrating to hear people dismiss (or worse) him for not being "Reformed enough," whatever that means.

An analogy (and warning - I'm not good with coming up with analogies): it's like getting directions from your house to a friend's house. Even if you don't follow the directions your friend gave you, you can still arrive at the destination. Wright seems to be saying that Luther et al ended up at the right house (the directions gave a pretty good description of what the house looked like, what neighborhood it is in, etc), but didn't really follow the directions very well. Wright is saying, "Sure, we could take the route Luther took and still get there, but why don't we take the original directions that Paul gave us?" Perhaps this way is faster or safer or has better scenery. Maybe Luther was envisioning a bicycle ride, when Paul actually had a carpool in mind. Either way, you'll still get to the right house in the end.

I think it's time to read some fiction for a change ...

Growing up, I absolutely loved to watch the award-winning Disney Channel series Avonlea. The show was based on L.M. Montgomery's novels The Story Girl and The Golden Road, which I read countless times.

Today, perhaps to cheer myself up from the hours of tortured Tech basketball we suffered through last night, I found the website for Sullivan Entertainment, the company that produced the Anne films and the Road to Avonlea television series.

Apparently, they have the first three seasons available on DVD! They are fantastically expensive, at about $100 each, but I think it is well worth the price to own 36 episodes of a high-quality family show based on books by one of my favorite authors. Well, of course we can't afford it now, but one day, perhaps...I hope that my (as yet imagined) children will be able to enjoy the adventures of Sarah Stanley, Gus Pike and the whole King clan in all their technicolor glory.

Once last NCAA-related tidbit:

My co-worker, a big Oklahoma State fan, was talking some serious smack last week about the semi-final game. Today, he has lowered his little OSU pennant/flag to half-staff. I thought that was funny.

I just hope my GT flag isn't at half-staff tomorrow (if I had one).

Exciting stuff

Only one more to go

On the news last night, they were discussing how Tech is securing the campus to stave off rioting, chaos, and assorted pandelirium for tonight's game. There's nothing more frightening than GT students going wild. ;) Actually, there is truth to that statement, since Tech students have a penchant for burning stuff ...

I think this is a wise article from Al Mohler.

WOTD!

resistentialism (ri-zis-TEN-shul-iz-um) noun

The theory that inanimate objects demonstrate hostile behavior against us.


Like when my CD drive randomly decides to open while I'm playing a game on my PC. Or maybe it's not so random after all ...

What English majors do to amuse themselves...

Perhaps my dormant teacherly habits are beginning to emerge. During my lunch break today, I sat outside, red pen in hand, and revised some of my college papers to include in a portfolio for grad school. I felt like I should be assigning grades or something. It was quite fun, even though every page amassed large quantities of scarlet notes and scribbles.

I spent most of my time on one essay in particular, about the film Memento. Reading about Leonard and his "anteriograde amnesia" makes me really want to watch the DVD again. It's been three years! I think this one should be added to our permanent collection...eventually.

The Final Countdown ...

(Cue 80's cheese rock ... or not)

The Jackets certainly know how induce a state of near-cardiac arrest in their fans. But, despite the tenseness of their tourney games, Tech is going to the Final Four.

Even with Elder out, if Jack can keep doing what he did today, things are looking bright for GT.

The Weekend of the Yellow Jacket Sports

After our weekly Saturday ritual of eating at Slope's BBQ, we traveled down to Georgia Tech's campus for a beautiful afternoon of baseball. Cumulus clouds streaked across the spring sky like pieces of cotton candy. The temperature was in the 70's, which felt nice in the shade-- perfect baseball-watching weather.

I haven't been to a baseball game in years. It was delightfully refreshing to kick off my shoes, lean back on the benches of Russ Chandler Stadium, and enjoy the crack of the bat, the smell of grilled $5 hotdogs, and the warm sunshine. Tech was up by 6 runs until the top of the eighth and then lost miserably in the last two innings (though they changed pitchers as often as the opposing team changed batters, it seemed.) Even so, it was good game to watch-- Tech had us on the edges of our seats for the last two innings. All in all, it was a superb way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Almost there ...

"Georgia Tech is so good it didn't even need its leading scorer to reach the regional finals of the NCAA tournament."

The other day at work, I found this article about small groups. There is some good stuff there that I wish could be incorporated into our couple's study. We are currently finishing up our study of Luke -- we look at a few chapters every week, and study it on our own to discuss when we come together, which is a good thing. Acts is on the lineup next, which should prove interesting.

Even though there's room for improvement (there is in any group), I really appreciate the opportunity to meet together with other families in our church to discuss Scripture. There are so many things we can learn as we edify and encourage one another through each other's gifts. I pray that I might be patient, humble, and willing to grow and be changed as God leads.

White on Wright

I'm finishing up my read of What St. Paul Really Said, and some of James White's recent criticisms of the NPP are fresh on my mind.

First, White's failure to differentiate between the "New Perspective-ism" proponents is becoming more of a glaring error as I read, especially with every correction that Wright makes to Sanders' arguments. I had assumed this before, but now I have confirmed that White is simply wrong in trying to lump all of these guys together (although it sure is convenient to create one monolithic position to attack!). As Wright himself has noted, many of the criticisms leveled against him (as part of the "lump o' NPP") don't even apply to anything he's ever taught!

Secondly, in digging deeper into Wright's assessment of "justification" (for Paul), I find one of White's critiques to be very ironic. White, at the conference we attended, slammed the NPP (Wright included) view on justification as being "monochrome." His reason was that it provided no "depth," since it dealt primarily with eschatological vindication and not with anything as "rich" as the imputation of Christ's righteousness. This shallowness, White said, leaves a doctrine of justification that is bland and lacking in substance.

Of course, reading through Wright's teaching on "justification" in WSPRS and elsewhere, -- and seeing how Wright ties in eschatology, union with Christ, the expansion and fulfillment of God's covenant, and the new humanity available to Christians -- I have to ask: "who really has a 'monochrome' view of justification?"

FYI: The March edition of Q & A with N.T. Wright is now up.

Pizza, Pizzza!

Papa John's pizza is awesome. And good to us.

"We love piz-za! Because they're good to us..." (OK, so that's the wrong song, I know, but it's SO catchy...)

Anyway, we'd been trying to set up a deal with a local Papa John's that would benefit our residents. Some of the Atlanta stores have a new program for apartment communities where one night a month is "Pizza Night" when they will offer special deals just for people who live in our complex. I went by about a month ago and left my number with a manager who said I needed to speak with "Allison," another manager for this particular store. I hadn't heard anything from her yet, and planned on visiting them this week to see what was up. Well, last night Gaines and I called to order a pizza, and lo and behold, who should answer the phone but the very Allison with whom I needed to speak. Yay, Providence!

It turns out they throw away a lot of things (imagine that), and she had lost my number. So, she got my contact info again and we set up the program right away. Then we proceeded to order our pizza. She gave us a super deal and even sent me a note with our delivery! How's that for personal service?!

I finished reading Anne of Ingleside on Sunday afternoon. Lucy Maud Montgomery, the creator of the Anne series, was a Presbyterian, and she married a Presbyterian minister, which makes for some great jibes at the Methodists across the way, as well as some satirical portrayals of ministers and churchgoers, Methodist and Presbyterian alike, as well as a few Episcopal and Catholic nods thrown in for good measure. Of course, since I read L.M. Montgomery's stories as a child, I never caught on to the vast majority of theologically significant comments. Of course, there are numerous references to Providence (my first encounter with the word was through her books) and references to Christians as being "the race of Joseph," but I never fully understood what they were referring to until recently. And I've read all her books at least twice, but I haven't read some of these later Anne books since I was about 12. This sixth in the series sets Anne in the village of Glen St. Mary on P.E.I. She is married to Gilbert Blythe (hope that didn't ruin it for anyone who hasn't read the books) and they have a horde of children. Ingleside is the name of their home.

Three thoughts worthy of mention:

1. Old Hymns. In one of the funnier village anecdotes, the women tell a story about a funeral in which the "dearly departed" actually walks in through the front door during the service. It was all a strange mix-up (no one actually ever found out the dead person's identity) and everyone was so overcome with joy at seeing someone they thought was dead, that the organist changes the music to "Sometimes a Light Surprises." Since I had never heard that hymn until I was in college, I never knew it was real. I only picked up on it this time.

2. Children. In this book, Anne has six living little darlings, and the outrageous stories they tell and the zany experiences they have make me believe Lucy Maud must've culled them from her own mischevious kids. They are too funny NOT to be true! In one, her daughter Nan gets into some theologically muddy waters when she makes bargains with God so that he will answer her prayers. Some of her "penances" involve crawling backwards around the barn and walking through a moonlit graveyard at night by herself. She was only 8.

3. Big words. Following off the last point about the things her children get into, there is an incident with one of her sons. Jem, I believe it was, gets into an argument with one of his school chums and attempts a put-down he found in the dictionary. In trying to think of a particularly horrible and high-sounding insult, he comes up with, "You're a transubstantiationalist!"

That was a close one.

Sweet 16, here we come...

It begins ...

We can dream, can't we?

That Just Happened

Vernon, Florida may be one of the most brilliant movies ever. Or at least the most bizarre.

"He said shooting himself would be the last thing he ever did. Which it was."

Fun fact:
"This second effort by Errol Morris, originally titled "Nub City," was about the inhabitants of a small Florida town who lop off their limbs for insurance money ("They literally became a fraction of themselves to become whole financially," Morris commented.) but had to be retooled when his subjects threatened to murder him. Forced to come up with a new concept Morris created "Vernon, Florida" (1981) about the eccentric residents of a Southern swamp town."

(From filmmaker Errol Morris' website)

Attention Jane Austen fans.

I had no idea this society existed until today, much less the bit about the essay contest.

I'm not eligible to enter, since I'm out of college and not in grad school yet, but there's always next year...

If you win first place, you can choose a cash prize of $750 rather than going to the national convention, but I think it would be quite an experience to pal around with all those obsessed--er, enthusiastic-- Austen admirers. I wonder if anyone dresses up as their favorite characters at those things?

I once knew a wacky professor named Roger Casey. My sophomore year in college, he taught an introductory course on "Leadership Studies." Under his tutelage, we met a man who makes African folk art out of scrap metal and displays it in his backyard, learned how the "butterbean lady" in the cafeteria line displays leadership, and attempted to practice Buddhist meditation (the Christians just prayed). He definitely opened our eyes to some new experiences, to say the least.

Well, I was thinking about him this morning since I'm going back to my alma mater on Wednesday for a visit. It's amazing what you can find on Google. Only Dr. Rog would write a commencement speech based on the philosphy of Eminem. It's quite funny!

I can picture him wearing the backwards cap and rapping onstage. He was just that crazy. (Oh, and I imagine his jabs at faculty vehicles stem from his own car snobbery. He drives a Jaguar. At least, he did when I knew him.)

Eric Peters is way cool. He played a gig here in the ATL area on Friday, and we were fortunate enough to be in attendance. We did have fun finding the venue, the Vertical Grounds coffee house. The directions on the website were mostly good, although it would have been easier if they had mentioned that the coffeehouse was in the Korean Community Presbyterian Church. But, we finally found it. It was a neat setup, and the church is holding these coffeehouses on a monthly basis, having started a few months back. Eric was the first act recruited from outside the church, and they've got some good acts lined up for the future (like Randall Goodgame in May, which will be cool).

Despite a few technical issues, the show was pretty good. Eric was accompanied by Gabe "The Legend" Scott, who has recently been touring with Bebo. Gabe's guitar/dobro/accordian/vocal skills definitely helped flesh out EP's songs. Make no mistake: Eric Peters is a tremendous solo performer. But, his songs definitely lend themselves to "bigger" arrangements to draw out the richness of his music. Eric has just released a new disc, Bookmark, which is more of a stripped-down acoustic "live" album. The disc contains re-worked versions of a few old favorites (including a mellow, cool version of the Ridgley song "Clenched Fist") and a handful of new ones. One of the new ones, "September Sunday," is a fictitious song dealing with his wife's death (which hopefully won't happen anytime soon!). A tad morbid (and he made a point to apologize in advance), but very poignant.

A mighty fine night of music, and to ice the cake, we got a real life exhibition of Mr. Peters dancing kookily. Priceless.

Mail

Guess what came in the mail today?

That's right...Gaines gets to take his new ESV Bible to our couples' study tonight. Just in time for Luke 14-16.

Guess what ELSE came in the mail today?

A jury summons....for yours truly. My first ever.

I knew that watching Runaway Jury twice in two weeks (once at home for fun, and once with our residents as a "Dinner and a Movie" event) would have some ill effect...

And lately I have been hankering to re-read John Grisham novels...was that a sign? ;)

The Saga of ESV #1581343485

On a certain messageboard we frequent, there was a thread about Discerning Reader, an online store that sells quality Chritian literature at discounted prices. They review every book that appears on their website, and refuse to sell anything that does not meet up with their standards, hence the appropriate "discerning" title. Anyway, there was some complaining about the customer service of DR and so the owner himself, Rob Schlapfer, joined the board so he could defend his company. In light of all the crazy discussion, I wanted to share my Discerning Reader experience (But not on that board, because sometimes the attitudes of people who post there really scare me.) I apologize in advance for the length. I'm long-winded, even online.

Last October, I realized Gaines' birthday was approaching and wanted to get him a nice birthday present. (November 5th, just in case anyone wanted to know.) He has been in desperate need of a new Bible, since the battered NIV he uses now is a paperback version from Urbana 1990. Needless to say, it has seen it's share of wear and tear. I also knew he wanted to get an ESV, black-letter edition. So, I started looking around, and DR had the best prices by far. Not being too familiar with the site, I saw on the update page that the Genuine Leather Black Letter Edition ESV Bibles were due "Any Day Now." So, I ordered it around October 5th, thinking that a month should be plenty of time for it to come in. I also asked for it to be gift-wrapped, since I didn't want Gaines finding out what it was in case he opened the DR box by mistake (he had ordered some books around the same time as well.)

Then, about October 17th, I got an update on my order-- it said "Will Ship in 24 hrs." Woo-hoo! That sounded great. However, the Bible never shipped and the update message never changed on the update page for my order. A week later, I e-mailed customer service to see what was up and didn't get a reply. So I e-mailed them again. I got a personal call (someone working in Customer Service was taking that day to call everyone who had questions.) He told me that they had one of the exact Bibles I wanted in stock the week before, but someone had made a mistake. When they took it off the shelf and put it on an intern's desk to be gift-wrapped, it had never gotten done. Instead, someone mistakenly sent it out to someone else, and my order never got filled. At least, that's what I was told.

Gaines' birthday rolls around and still no Bible in sight. Their update page still says "Any day now." So I contacted customer service again. I got a fairly quick reply by e-mail, saying that the customer service person who had contacted me originally must have been confused. They had not had that particular Bible in stock for many months, and numerous other people were waiting on it as well. At this point I was a bit frustrated, but I continued to wait. Surely it would be in by Christmas?

Sometime in late November, I believe, I contacted customer service again. I told them that I did not want it gift-wrapped anymore. Gaines knew he had a Bible on the way, the occasion had passed, and I would rather have used the $5 for shipping so it would get here faster. I ended up talking with someone on the phone who said they would take care of it, but who explained it might still be a while because those Bibles were coming from overseas. Apparently there are a shortage of Bible printers in the U.S. Especially ESV ones.

So we waited some more. Just last month, February, they updated the ESV Bible status. Every other ESV Bible version except the Genuine Leather Black-Letter was in stock. I was growing a bit more impatient, wondering why my particular Bible wasn't in, but continued to wait. The update page didn't change for weeks, but I kept checking it everyday just in case. And we waited some more. (Has anyone seen Guffman yet? Even Godot would do at this point...)

So last week, miracle of miracles, I check the DR update page to notice that the Bibles are "IN STOCK." I've never been so happier to see those two words in my life! Saturday, I e-mailed Denise, the nice new lady working at Discerning Reader. (If you've been following their updates, they've had some problems with some of their workers and had to train new folks. Understandable.)

I work part-time in customer service, and I've even worked a few weeks in a shipping department, so I know how hard it is to get things done, especially if you're the only one there. So in my e-mail, I noted that since it was Saturday, I didn't expect a reply until early this week. I'm sure they get lots of demands for "reply to this ASAP" etc., but I could wait. At least now I knew it was in stock.

Well, last night, we're watching the Simpsons episode where Bart goes to France as an exchance student, and we get a phone call. It was from Denise, in the DR office. It was the nicest customer service call I've ever recieved. She repeatedly apologized for our long wait on the Bible, and thanked me profusely for being so patient (Was I? I sure didn't feel that way.) She said they'd had some bad experiences with some customers (I could imagine), and said that to thank me for being so patient and so graceful, they were going to give us a free book with our order: The Passion of the Christ by John Piper. I asked how long it would take: "A week?" and I heard her turn to someone and say, "Rob, are we going to send this one Priority?" and he answered in the affirmative. So she said it should arrive at our apartment in 2-3 days. Wow.

To sum up, since apparently I can't write anything concisely anymore: Discerning Reader is awesome. Although they may have some staffing trouble and some order mix-ups, in my opinion they are the gracious ones. I know what it is like to be on the end of the phone as someone berates your company and yet you still have to be polite. Denise and Rob (and the rest of the DR staff ) are my new heroes.

My only advice to DR would be: contine to strive for "customer service excellence." It is a phrase often thrown around at my workplace, and it sounds too business-jargony for my taste, but I appreciate the policies that go with it. One in particular is that everyone within the organization is required to respond to all phone calls or e-mails within 24 hours, even if you can't answer the person's question. Sometimes I just have to call back and say, "I'm sorry. I have not been able to find out an answer to your question, but we are working on it and someone will contact you tomorrow." I think that is a good tactic to follow.
Also, keep your customers updated on the status of their orders at least weekly, even if it is just to say, "It is not in yet."

I applaud DR and want to publicly thank them for their gracious and timely response to my latest e-mail. Hopefully, Gaines will have a brand-new Bible by the end of the week, and the Redd household will greatly benefit from the "cutting-edge of Bible versions," as we heard Dr. White describe it a few weeks ago.

We'll, uh, keep you posted. (That takes on a whole new meaning on a blog.)

(An addendum: Sadly, DR no longer offers books from Canon Press, for reasons they have detailed on their website. For a few months now I've wanted to own the complete "Family Series" from Doug and Nancy Wilson, and DR was offering all eight books for only $50. Of course, we can still get them directly from Canon, but it was such a great deal I'm sad I let it pass me by. I'll just have to order something else from DR, like one of the plethora of titles I have on my wish list...)

Man, I love the Chronicles of Narnia. I just finished my re-read of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and it was quite the refreshing change of pace from my "serious" reading. I'm very curious to see how the movie is going to turn out. At first, I was pretty skeptical, and I was sure that they were going to butcher it. And maybe they will. But, from early accounts, at least it sounds like it will be a well-produced butchering.

I'm also plunging into What St. Paul Really Said, thus continuing my journey to the dark side. I've been whetting my appetite for destruction by reading some of Wright's lectures on the New Perspective. His lecture from the Edinburgh Dogmatics Conference is pretty good, bringing together (briefly) many of the different strands of reasoning I've read in other works of his.

This will be a nice diversion from The Passion of the Christ, which - lest there be any doubt - I am now officially tired of discussing.

Today, we had the privilege of going to a shindig in honor of Allison's great-aunt and -uncle's 60th wedding anniversary. It was pretty neat. Aunt "Tweet" and Uncle Bill are really great folks, and it was somewhat inspiring to see multiple generations gathered to celebrate them. I was able to experience a similar event a few years ago for my grandparents' 50th. In both cases, the couple was marked by devotion to their LORD and to their family. As a result of the former, the latter was blessed. This gives me great hope, and a great example to emulate someday down the line.

Sense and Sensibility

So I finished the book on Monday night, and over the past few evenings I've been watching the DVD I got for Christmas. I loved Emma Thompson's adaptation-- the script took so many great lines from Austen-- but the one weird part was watching Alan Rickman play Colonel Brandon. After seeing him as the eerily creepy-yet-possibly-good Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films, it was hard not to picture him similarly in Sense and Sensibility. Somehow, it just takes all the romance out of his matchup with Marianne...

Oh, and was it just me, or are all the actors too old to be playing their characters? Wasn't Elinor supposed to be about twenty-five and Colonel Brandon in his mid-thirties? Emma Thompson was 36 and Rickman was almost 50 when they filmed S&S. That's the "magic" of Hollywood for you, I guess. Or perhaps they were trying to make the film comparable with today's aging bachelors and bachelorettes?

Sting 'em!

Oh my goodness ...

Which leads me to ask the question ... "What's the Good Word?"

Panthers in the Big Time!

Yesterday, my alma mater, Birmingham-Southern College, scored their first Conference Championship since becoming eligible for NCAA Division I. The BSC Men's Basketball Team won 67-55 over VMI, to claim 1st place in the Big South Conference regular season. We have to wait until March 14th to see if they get a bid for the NIT Tournament, but I cannot imagine the elation if they do.

Also, I can proudly say I helped tutor one of the stars of the team, Shema Mbyirukira, the 6'11" Junior Center whose family hails from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He often came in during my shift at the Writing Center...and it was fine while we were sitting at a table together, but when he stood up-- needless to say-- I was quite intimidated by his height.

The only good thing about being sick is that I have more time to read. Yesterday, when I wasn't sleeping (which was only a few hours) I was working my way through The Potter's Freedom and Sense and Sensibility. I'm actually about halfway through all three books on my "current reading" list.

There's nothing like spending a snowy/cold/rainy evening snuggled next to my husband underneath piles of blankets, on a comfy couch, across from a crackling fire-log, with a good book and lots of Kleenex handy. Of course, the decongestants made it hard to concentrate, but at least I've read Sense and Sensibility before. Even then, though, I still had to read sentences twice to understand them. I'm running out of decongestants, so hopefully I'll be better SOON!

Reading is fun

Alright, chalk up another finished book for '04. I'm not sure if I'll catch up with Allison, but a valiant effort will be made. I just finished Reforming Marriage by Doug Wilson, and I enjoyed it. It was actually given to us a few months back by some friends who got married in January. They really benefited from it during their pre-marital readings. Allison read and enjoyed it back then, and I'm glad I finally got around to reading it. Wilson makes some really convicting points, and it was a breath of fresh air. (We got a large quantity of Christian marriage books as wedding gifts, and they all say basically the same things.) I appreciated the book's emphasis on marriage modeled after Christ and His Church in the true sense, not the sentimental depiction that we usually see. The call to responsibility, headship - husbandry! - is sometimes overwhelming to contemplate, but thankfully, God is gracious.

The big question is, what's next on my list? I've got so much to choose from. C.S. Lewis always said to balance out reading new books with re-reading older ones. So, I think I'll be inspired by Jack and start my re-read of the Narnia books. In the right order. :)

Our long nightmare is over

Finally got those comments working again.

That was a close one.

Happy Shrove Tuesday

Today is commonly known as "Fat Tuesday"-- the last chance for all the parties and rich foods before Lent. And, contrary to popular belief, Mardi Gras actually began in south Alabama. Mobile, to be precise. Revelry began there long before the parades through the French Quarter.

A lady I work with hails from that southern port, (in my home state, I might add) and brought back beads and masks, bread and crawfish, to help us celebrate. At lunch our bowls overflowed with gumbo and jumbalaya, rice and king cake. The break room burst forth in gold, purple and green.

So, it's become a pagan holiday. So what? It's FUN. No, I'm not planning on going to New Orleans this time of year anytime soon, but one thing I've learned from my year in the semi-corporate world is that celebrations-- of any kind-- are good! (Maybe it's just all the internet surfing. Meh.) Whatever the reason, we're taking back Fat Tuesday for the LORD, the Ruler over all the earth, of parades, Mardi Gras balls, and chocolate Moon Pies.

Usually, I don't appreciate e-mail lists. Today, though, we got one from Ray Rhodes, the guy we met at the booktable on Saturday. He has some great deals on some great books-- like Piper's book on The Passion and White's Debating Calvinism. He also has a Reformed itinerant preaching ministry. Neat.

It's worth taking a look at his website, although most of the book deals aren't listed there. I guess he only sends those out to his e-mail list. But I thought I'd post his info anyway, since he was really interested and excited to hear about our ministry with Apartment Life, and we were very glad to share.

This weekend, we attended a Bible Conference featuring James White. It was a last-minute addition to our schedule, since I found out about it last Tuesday. And, even though it was way out in the boonies, it was free - which is always the right price. :) Although we had some difficulties finding the church (Faith Community Church, a small Reformed SBC church in Woodstock, GA), we did make it in time to hear Dr. White's first session.

Overall, I enjoy his work. The Friday evening sessions dealt with Bible Translations, primarily focused on the KJV-Only crowd. White's The King James Only Controversy was the first of his books that I read (several years back), and I think he does a good job with the material. He's a pretty engaging speaker, and I thought his presentation was really good on this subject.

Saturday's sessions dealt with "The Justification of God." Unfortunately, we had to miss the morning sessions due to an Apartment Life breakfast, but we did get to hear the recordings. The first one was good. He began with an overview and brought up The Passion of the Christ, including some of the lesser known (at least in Evangelical circles) aspects of Mel's "uber-Catholicism." It wasn't anything new for me, but it did serve as a good segue into the historic differences in justification theology between Catholics and Protestants, and even among modern Protestants. We haven't finished listening to the recording of the 2nd morning session, but I imagine it continued to discuss the idea of imputation, etc.

We did make it up to the church for the Saturday afternoon sessions, after a stop at the Woodstock location of our beloved Slope's BBQ. We were early for the session, so we talked with the guy running the book table. The book tables at conferences like this are always a bizarre sight, at least for me. I'm just not used to seeing stacks of books by guys like White, John Piper, Doug Wilson, etc in one location - with not a single Purpose Driven Life in sight. It's bizarre, but in a good way. I also scored a copy of Early Christian Doctrine at the used book table. It has been on my wish list for awhile, so I'm pretty pumped.

Anyway, the first afternoon session dealt with "New Perspective-ism" (I'm not sure that's even a real word ... but he kept using it.) This is one area that I think White hasn't done a good job covering. I posted some over on the Andy Peterson Board, but basically, White (like so many others) has seemingly lumped all the NPP folks into a single pot, even though he did address the divergence in opinions and views among the people considered part of the "movement." He spoke specifically about Sanders and that arch-fiend N.T. Wright. Granted, I still have more reading to do on what Wright has actually said, but from the bits I've read, I continue to confirm my suspicions that his critics aren't addressing what he's actually said.

The final session was Q&A, and was compressed due to time constraints. Most of the questions dealt with Bible translations, difficulties, etc, but White did a good job answering them.

A Long Way Off

I'm so excited-- our pastor's wife and my fellow Sunday school teacher, Kitti Murray, published her first book! Yesterday, I actually got to see the first and, so far, only advance copy she has recieved. It is meant for Christian parents whose children have "strayed from the fold," and gives Scriptural hope for those hurting mothers and fathers. Most of the book came out of her personal experiences, so don't expect anything too theologically profound. I haven't read it all yet, and though I'm probably biased, the parts I have seen are very well-written. I look forward to recommending Kitti's book to one woman especially, a single mother we know who is struggling with this very issue.

Our Women's Sunday school class recently finished Ephesians and will soon begin a study of Hosea. For a transition (and since most of our students are college-age and spring break is coming up soon), we spent yesterday's lesson time at the Silver Skillet, an Atlanta landmark which I had not yet had the pleasure of encoutering. I must say, the grits alone were well worth the wait. It looked just like a diner from some famous-yet-not-so-well-remembered movie, and sure enough, it was (scroll down to the paragraph that begins "LEGEND"). The best part is that the Silver Skillet is right around the corner (less than three blocks) from our church. I think this calls for repeat business...

Speaking of food located nearby, we haven't been to Kool Korners in a while, and now I'm craving a nice, messy, toasted Cuban sandwich. It is not much more than a hole-in-the-wall, but it serves the best Cuban sandwiches outside Miami (or so I've heard), and is even closer to West Merritts than the Silver Skillet, although Kool Korners is not open on Sundays. Sad, but respectable.

Marketing Genius ???

So, over the last week, several people have asked me if I've seen the new Quizno's tv spots. I hadn't, but people kept mentioning the strange creatures featured in them (one friend referred to them as "mutated rats"). And everyone kept repeating this bizarre song that the Quiznos rats/monkeys/sockpuppets were singing. Well, I finally couldn't bear the curiousity any longer, so I checked out the website, and they have clips of the ads. Man. Talk about annoying. But it's genius, because I can't get the song out of my head ...

But, I don't think it will influence my sandwich purchases in the near future.

Today, in English class, the students and I discussed household chores. Out of all the verbs we studied today, "dust" seemed to be the most difficult. "Sweep," "mop," and "iron" were accepted just fine, but Hernando, especially, did not understand the concept of "dust." Apparently, he'd never dusted before! I just told him that it meant Marta, his wife, was such a buena esposa that he never needed to know how. She keeps the place very clean, it seems!

Consequently, upon arriving home I noticed that I need to refresh my experience with the concept of "dusting" as well. :)

So, we watched Diane Sawyer interview Mel Gibson last night, regarding The Passion. I generally dislike interviewers like Sawyer. Actually, I pretty much dislike news shows, especially when they cover topics related to religion. It gives them a chance to trot out loonies,er "scholars" like J.D. Crossan, and there is the ever-present tone of condescension towards people who actually believe in "that Jesus stuff." Anyway, I thought Mel handled her questions pretty well, although his constant twitching was a bit unnerving. Actually, it was pretty surreal watching Lethal Weapon talk about his faith in Christ. Cognitive dissonance, anyone? But I was impressed by his lament over the self-destructive tendencies of his earlier life and the overall state of spiritual and emotional bankruptcy that accompanied his being at the pinnacle of worldly success.

Then again, he almost negated all that with his statements to the effect that "You don't have to be a Christian to get into the kingdom of heaven, but it sure helps." Of course, I wasn't expecting anything less, so it wasn't too much of a shock. ;)

But one of the most intriguing aspects of the special had nothing to do with Mel or his movie. Towards the end, there was a blurb about an upcoming (after Easter) special on St. Paul. I'm not sure what to think, since they didn't give any indication what angle they were going to take. Obviously, I'm bracing for the usual "Paul-really-invented-Christianity" line. But maybe they'll actually line up some decent pro-Christian scholars for a change. Like N.T. Wright. :)

Oh, and apparently, ABC has a movie about Judas. "The Real Story." What's up with that, anyway? Ever since I can remember, I've always come across people who are intent on painting Judas as a tragic figure. Like, he was falsely accused, or he was really helping Jesus out, or something like that. Where does this come from, anyway?

We've been to a lot of concerts.

Most recently, we drove to New City Cafe in Knoxville, TN, this past Saturday night to see Andrew Peterson and Eric Peters, who opened. Ben Shive, who tours with Andy, added his talents as well. A most memorable Valentine's Day, especially since all the artists' wives were able to come, and Jamie even sang with Andy on a song or two, which is a rare treat these days.

After the show, Kenny (the owner of New City) asked us how many times we'd seen Andy in concert, or if we've just lost count. We've definitely lost count. I think Gaines tried once and got somewhere up in the thirties, but even that was a few years ago. And that was just his list. I can't imagine how many it would be if we tried to count ALL the concerts we've attended.

Anyway, Kenny's question was timely, because I had been pondering earlier that night just why we go to see these folks again and again and again. Musicians like Andrew and Eric, and Randall Goodgame, and Mark Williams, among others. Sure, it's fun. Sure, it's entertaining. Sure, we want to support them. But I think it's also more than that.

Saturday night, when Andy sang a brand new song (title unknown at this point) about how his boys keep him young-- about finding dinosaur bones in the flower bed and walking through the magic wood and grabbing hold of the Lion's mane-- I knew that was it for me. It was so beautiful I didn't know whether to cry or laugh. I know I was smiling through so much of the song my face hurt.

The moment you connect to a song in such a powerful way, it's like sharing in a little piece of Home. I think of the first time I heard Eric's "These Three Remain," or Andrew's original Christmas musical, Behold the Lamb. It's not just music, though. All art can elicit glimpses of the glory of Christ.

Like the phrase Tolkien used to describe that great pivotal moment in storytelling, the climax--he called it the "eucatastrophe." The Cross, of course, was THE Eucatastrophe of all of history. And I think when we hear such a moment in a song or see it in a portrait or read it in a book, it connects us to that moment, but also to the future glory of the New Heavens and the New Earth. Further up and further in, the Kingdom cries out to us.

And so when I go to a concert, I think somewhere in the back of my heart I'm searching for a eucatastrophic moment-- a song, or a chorus, or even a story that points to the Eternal unseen.

That is the reason why we'll drive three hours (or thirty) to see one show. It's why we keep coming back, a million times or more, to hear songs we know by heart and songs we only know in dreams. It's why we keep listening.

Reshelving Duties

Yesterday evening I finished Christian Mythmakers. It was an interesting foray into the idea of mythopoeia, and how certain authors build upon the foundations of previous fantasies to develop their own worlds and stories. It featured critical synopses of works by John Bunyan, George MacDonald, G.K. Chesterton, Charles Williams, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Madeline L'Engle, among others. If you've ever read any of these authors or just want to know a little bit more about them, I'd suggest checking it out. Be careful, though, because it might make you want to add twenty-something more books to your reading list. I know I sure have a lot of catching up to do! I'm starting with a book I got for Christmas: Lewis' Till We Have Faces. It's hailed by most as his masterpiece. I've been wanting to read this book for years, but never made time until now.

I also removed The Purpose Driven Life from my list. I never made it past day 14, and I haven't picked it up in weeks, so I felt it was time to go. (Just so you know, we did not purchase it ourselves-- it was a gift from a ministry we're involved with, and was supposed to be a reading assignment. But they haven't mentioned anything more about it lately, so I'm retiring it to the
"secret reading" bookshelf--the one that no one sees.) Thank goodness.

The Third Watch (or is it Fourth?)

I'm pulling a "Gaines" tonight (or, more accurately, this morning). Usually I fall asleep long before he does, which often means that unless I make him go to sleep, he reverts back to his college insomnia habits and plays computer games until 3 a.m. Now, however, the roles are reversed. Earlier, at Bible Study, I had caffeine, which always wreaks havoc with my sleep schedule if I drink it after 5 p.m. Also, since we stayed late afterwards --until almost midnight-- to play Settlers of Catan, I'm still totally wired.

For the lack of anything better to do (counting sheep just isn't that appealing), I thought I'd share a Valentine's memory from --goodness, has it really been that long? -- three years ago. I would've linked to it or something, but since I didn't have a blog back then, I'll just have to recreate it for you.

The night was Wednesday, February 14, 2001, and I was working my usual six to eight evening shift at the BSC Writing Center. (English tutors take no breaks for pansy holidays!) At that time, the Writing Center was located in the basement of Phillips Science -- no windows, no carpeting-- just me, some abandoned student paintings (that same fish one you can see on the link), a few tables and chairs, two computers, and my art homework. The whole place reeked of isolation. Unless some lonely bio-chem major decided he really had nothing better to do than workshop his research paper on Valentine's Day-- which I found highly unlikely considering I knew all the bio-chem majors and they all had dates-- I had the place to myself. So I put my headphones on, fully engrossed in one of Gaines' concert bootleg concoctions, and proceeded to work on my design project.

About thirty minutes in, there was a knock on the door. No one knocks on the door of the writing center-- they usually just walk right in. The oddity factor increased when I noticed that the door was standing wide open. I thought it might be security coming by to check up on me (they were such nice folks-- security changed my tire or jump started my car at least 6 times while I was at school), so I just yelled "Come on in." Nothing happened, so I continued with my sketch. Another knock. I proceeded to investigate this strange occurence. I looked into the hallway, and what to my wondering eyes should appear-- but Gaines, with a bouquet of roses-- and beer. (Well, okay, not beer. But it rhymed. And it's 2 a.m., so you should expect this from me.)

Anyway, this whole incident was extremely confounding because 1) Gaines was supposed to be in Atlanta, which, in case you weren't aware, is at least a two hour drive from Birmingham, and 2) we had already planned to celebrate Valentine's the next night with a trip to see Beauty and the Beast.

Needless to say, I was overcome. I think I just stood there, stupidly, for about a minute or so before I noticed my roommate, Angelika, standing beside him. I think she asked if I was going to hug him or something. I still stood there stupidly. (We'd only been dating for two and a half months. Did she think I was that forward?) ;-) Apparently, the little weasel (by that, I am lovingly referring to Gaines) had been planning the surprise for weeks and had obtained help from three of my friends to find out my schedule.

Gaines graciously hung out with me until the end of my Writing Center session (Can you believe they paid me good money to do homework and spend time with my boyfriend on Valentine's?). He also stayed for InterVaristy large group that night, which didn't end until about midnight his time, and then drove back to Atlanta because he had a meeting the next morning. To further the insanity (which we attempted quite often while we were dating) Gaines made the return trip to Birmingham the very next day so that we could go to dinner and the show together. (Of course, by now, after the miles we've travelled to see each other, we could both probably just drive I-20 with our eyes closed, but at the time, it really meant the world to me. Two hours was still a long way.)

It was the best Valentine's ever. Well, at least, the best Valentine's up until that point in my life. I probably cried.

And now, thankfully, I'm going to end this foray into sappiness and spare you from reading any more heartwarming sentimental drivel, except to say that this... The "little" things, the small gestures of spontaneity, like that night, are just one of the innumerable reasons why I am so extremely blessed to have Gaines as my husband.

Now, if only I can fall asleep next to him...oh, wait, I can! (Or at least I can try!)

Good night! ;-)

Woo-hoo!

The Simpsons are going to Hollywood!

About time

I finally added another Finished Book to my list. It provides a nice contrast to the Bruce W. book (no jokes, please -- it was a gift!). Mathison's book on the Lord's Supper was very good -- well-written and compelling. I'm definitely reshaping my ideas on the sacrament, and I hope to encourage a deeper emphasis at our local assembly. I'm just not sure how easy it will be to convince a bunch of Baptists to partake weekly - and with wine. ;) Step by step, I guess.

I'm still feeling under the weather, but at least I'm back at work today. The worst part about being home sick yesterday was that the Mormons paid a housecall, yet I was in no shape to talk with them. Bummer.

Second Commandment issues aside, I've appreciated what Mel Gibson has done in producing The Passion of the Christ. However, I think the sheer amount of hype surrounding the film by evangelical Christians may serve to turn me off from the project for a while.

Last night, I heard the film's release touted by fellow Christians as "the greatest evangelistic event of the century," at which "movie theaters all over the country will be turned into houses of prayer." It is being hailed as a sign of urgency for believers, signalling "a movement of God that the church is not ready for," and, according to these folks, (who also praised the 60 Minutes interview with Tim LaHaye) it portends the impending Rapture-- so you'd better take all the heathens you know to see this film because it is going to change their life! (Because God, um, needs us-- and this film-- to do His work for Him. Yeah.)

The cross section of Christians I was with last night may not be the most accurate sampling. The group included extreme charismatics and health and wealth followers, those who attend large non-denominational "fellowships," members of an SBC mega-church, members of small Independent Baptist churches, a former Presbyterian turned Church of God, born-again AME folks, and well, me -- an odd mixed breed of liturgical, Calvinistic, covenental Baptist. I'm pretty sure that puts me in the minority.

I must admit, I'm extremely optimistic about God's plans for the world (those darn postmillenialist leanings), and in fact, am probably much more optimistic than they are, considering. However, I'm not so caught up in the frenzy to think that something must happen RIGHT NOW. Sin has jaded me. Someone said last night they thought Passion would spark another "Great Awakening." Perhaps. It is hard to imagine, though, that with the absence of Scirptural preaching in many of our churches that one film could fuel the call to repentance that is sorely needed, especially here in America.

Bleh ...

In case anyone was confused or undecided on the issue, I will briefly state that being sick A) stinks and 2) is not fun.

End transmission.

Springboarding off the previous post, I was reflecting today on how incredibly myopic the prevailing views on eschatology can be. In the aforementioned Bible Study, the "signs of the time" were discussed. I tried to raise the question of why we always assume that our "declining Western Civilization" is the standard for determining how fast the world is going down the tubes. When I've noted how rapidly Christianity was spreading in other parts of the world, the prevailing attitude seems to have been "So? Those people don't count." Obviously, this wasn't stated in so many words, but someone incredulously asked "So are you saying that this means that China is going to become a Christian nation?"

And thinking about it, why not? In the first century, was it even remotely feasible that the persecuted minority of Christians would eventually bring Rome to its knees - before the cross - within a few centuries? Pagan Rome was just as bad, if not worse, than modern America, Communist China, etc. Is God no longer able to subdue His enemies? Thankfully, I believe He's just as powerful as He's always been, and will continue to put His enemies underneath His feet.

Last Days Madness

Last night, we found ourselves discussing the often misused phrase "the Second Coming" before (in opposition to things we'd heard on the radio that day), during (we're up to Luke 12) and after (the rehash during the car ride home) our weekly Couples' Bible Study.

Lately, the Olivet Discourse is popping up everywhere: in my morning readings of Matthew in The One Year Bible, as I run across radio programs on "the rapture," and now, in our couples' study, as we move closer to Luke 17. So this morning, as I read Matthew 24, I pulled out Sproul's The Last Days According to Jesus as a refresher. I'm extremenly thankful for people who pointed to that (among other books) as a good resource for stemming the tide of rampant pre-trib, pre-mil, rapture craziness. If only our friends would read it and be encouraged as well.

Along these lines, I just wanted to mention that on this topic, at least, Wright is definately right. Hopefully, as our study in Luke progresses, we can discuss "biblical imagery...so as to clarify truth, not distort it."

Which reminds me-- we were listening to Johnny Mac in the car on the way to praise band practice Wenesday night, and he was describing the proper method of Biblical interpretation-- historical context, grammar, proper literary form, etc. The funny thing is, he's a dispensationalist! He's also pre-trib, pre-mil, the whole nine yards. Now don't get me wrong, I appreciate much of MacArthur's teaching, I just wish he would apply his sound Biblical interpretation methods to eschatology. (If only everyone would!)

Well, I can't say I've seen more states than Gaines...

but I have visited more countries!

(I know it doesn't look like much now, but hopefully one day both of our maps will have a lot more red...)



create your own visited country map

So, I stole it ...

from Richard Okimoto's blog, but it is kind of neat.

Don't let the map fool you -- I haven't been to Alaska ... yet.



create your own visited country map
or write about it on the open travel guide

My U.S. travel has been a bit better, percent-wise:


create your own visited states map
or write about it on the open travel guide

I would have liked to have seen Montana ...

New Perspective on Paul?

So, this whole "New Perspective on Paul" is growing more and more controversial, although it doesn't seem to have appeared on the radar of mainstream Christendom. (I think it could be that the Rick Warrens of the world are diverting the attention elsewhere.) Anyway, I can't claim to have spent much time researching the issues, but it seems like a ton of the "die-hard Reformed" types are sharpening knives for anyone connected with the NPP. This is unfortunate, because this "movement" isn't really a movement at all. It is far from monolithic, other than the common idea that the Reformers and some descendants may have misunderstood the Jewish culture in which Christianity arose. One of the prominent names associated with the NPP is N.T. Wright, scholar, author and the current Anglican Bishop of Durham. I've read some of his historical writings (The New Testament and the People of God) and have a few more on the shelf, awaiting a kind reader to rescue them. Overall, I've found Wright to be very articulate and full of good insight. But, to hear some of his critics speak, you'd think he was actually an arch-fiend bent on overturning all the theological contributions of the Reformation. I haven't read enough to make an informed opinion, but my Spidey senses are telling me that these critics are either misrepresenting or just plain misunderstanding Wright.

Enter Douglas Wilson. He and his compatriates are accused of perpetrating the same "heresies" that Wright and other NPP folk are purveying. There has apparently been a good deal of harsh language and accusations, so the latest (online, at least) issue of Credenda Agenda addresses the topic exactly. Very good points from a good communicator.

A Pauline Take on the New Perspective

It's been too long ...

I now present, the gift of laughter.

Lark News February edition is available!

Man, that's good stuff.