“We have to live without sympathy, don’t we? That’s impossible, of course. We act it to one another, all this hardness; but we aren’t like that really. I mean…one can’t be out in the cold all the time; one has to come in from the cold…do you see what I mean?”
–John le Carré, The Spy Who Came In From the Cold
“While the Emergent “conversation” gets a lot of press for its appeal to the young, the new Reformed movement may be a larger and more pervasive phenomenon.”
Someone reviews Junk! Check out this podcast for more details. The review starts as 12:07 or so.
Seems like I should probably post this here, too….
We are within a couple weeks of releasing a print version of Legends of Alyria. I announced this on the Forge recently but thought that my longsuffering readers over here should know, too.
I started reading the book of Job for my personal devotions. Job is one of those books of the Bible that everyone has heard about but few people actually read. After all, most of it consists of long, Shakespearean monologues, where various characters (including God) intone long passages of extemporaneous poetry. So, we tend to read the first couple of chapters then skip to the end. I know that I have. But, after reading A Sacred Sorrow by Michael Card, I decided that the time was right to head straight on through.
I decided, upon hitting the monologues, that I would take them one monologue at a time. That way I could work on understanding the speaker’s complete thought. So, yesterday, I read Eliphaz’s first monologue, where he accuses Job of being in some secret sin. As I was trucking along, a verse leaped out at me:
“Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty.
For he wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal.
He will deliver you from six troubles; in seven no evil shall touch you.
In famine he will redeem you from death, and in war from the power of the sword.
You shall be hidden from the lash of the tongue, and shall not fear destruction when it comes.
At destruction and famine you shall laugh, and shall not fear the beasts of the earth.
For you shall be in league with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.
You shall know that your tent is at peace, and you shall inspect your fold and miss nothing.
You shall know also that your offspring shall be many, and your descendants as the grass of the earth.
You shall come to your grave in ripe old age, like a sheaf gathered up in its season.
Behold, this we have searched out; it is true. Hear, and know it for your good.” (Job 5:17-27, ESV)
The highlighted verse is Job 5:25, but I wanted to show it in its context.
So, read the passage. Is Eliphaz right? I believe that he is. God certainly does discipline his children, but He does also bind up. However, take a look at that highlighted verse, and remember to whom Eliphaz is speaking.
Job just buried his children.
How insensitive. How blundering. Where is the compassion for the suffering of Job? Where is the delicate understanding of the wounded soul? Where is the skill in binding up the wounded?
It is nowhere to be found. Eliphaz knows the textbook answer, but he has no idea how to minister to the broken. I was appalled. No wonder Job gets angry at Eliphaz.
I think that this book is starting to make sense.
Tuesday night, Crystal and I went on a double date with James and Theresa. James had a couple of coupons for Haddad’s, a local Lebanese restaurant at the corner of Main and Bourland. The weather was stable, so we decided to walk.
I stand by what I said previously about Renaissance Park. But that includes what I said in the comments:
Again, to be clear, it’s a reality that I want to exist. I’m not rooting for the failure of the Renaissance Park project. I’d like to see the Main Street corridor be a center of business and culture. I’d love to live in a place like that.
So, to that end, I want to state that I really enjoyed being able to walk to Haddad’s and enjoy a really tasty gyro. I also enjoyed wandering down the street afterwards to One World, rooting around the business cards and flyers, and generally having a pleasant conversation with the others in our group. Indeed, we opted to stay at One World instead of going elsewhere for wings, specifically because we were enjoying the idea of staying in our broader neighborhood.
Oh yes, I also enjoyed having a friendly server at the table. Even though she was overwhelmed by the amount of business that evening and was making mistakes, she handled herself with grace. If the owners of One World happen to read this, give Emily a pat on the back. She did credit to your business.
Then, at the end of the night, we walked home.
It was a good night.
from here:
According to new research, IT staff are twice as likely to wear a heavy metal t-shirt as their non-IT counterparts
Can someone make some nifty electronic-style music, or perhaps something with a solid driving beat, without the lyrics having to be about how awful life is? I would consider it to be a personal favor. Thanks!
Check out this post.
My comment is a lie; I could delete the post if I wanted. However, I wanted to mention something significant.
I didn’t write that post.
Really. Someone actually hacked into my blog and left that post. Now that’s what I call audience participation!
Now, I have my suspicions who did it, but even if I’m wrong, I wanted to mention that, after my heart stopped pounding, I had a good laugh. So, keep up the good work!
After class, the students would gather at the professor’s apartment. They loved to hear him talk about these amazing ideas of his. After all, he had written all those books, and to be able to be that close to him, to hear him speak, was always a highlight of the week.
“It’s all about the mind! The flesh is nothing.” he was saying. “Develop your mind, transcend the body, and you will succeed at whatever you do.” The students all smiled and nudged each other, enthralled.
The professor paused. “You’ll have to excuse me. I have to use the bathroom.” He stepped out of the room.
“Isn’t he the best?” one of the students whispered to another.
Last night, I watched “The Great Mouse Detective” with my children. Among other things, this Disney movie provides Exhibit A for the idea that the villains get the best songs. (Exhibit B is “Beauty and the Beast”, in case you were wondering.)
But I digress.
At the end of the movie, our hero Basil and the evil Ratigan are fighting on top of Big Ben. The clock strikes 10, and the shaking of the bell causes Ratigan to lose his balance. Stumbling, he falls from the clock, but he grabs onto Basil. Our hero’s grip is slipping, and suddenly both are gone, falling into the abyss.
I’m sure that you’ve seen this scene play out in many ways in different movies. The other characters gasp (of course) and gaze downward into the darkness where our hero fell (of course). And, after a suitable pause, we know that our hero will appear, having once again evaded death.
It’s been done so often that it’s become a cliché. Now, I see this setup and sigh. Of course, our hero will come back, unless it’s an independent film.
But last night, it occurred to me that this is precisely what the Resurrection was. Think about it. Our hero and the evil villain are fighting it out. Suddenly, our hero delivers his mighty blow, which sends the villain stumbling backwards into the yawning abyss. He screams, clutching at air, and falls. But, at the last second, he catches our hero in his grasp. Together they fall into the darkness.
There is a suitable pause. Three days seems about right to me.
Then, suddenly, out out the abyss, comes our hero!
Of course he isn’t dead. Everyone knows that the hero never really dies. Right?
Even Disney can’t escape the Gospel metanarrative.
It’s been almost a week, and I’ve failed to report this. Bad Seth. No biscuit.
Last Friday, I arrived home from work to discover a box waiting for me. This isn’t usually a surprising occasion, except that I hadn’t actually ordered anything online. Crystal was bouncing with anticipation, so I opened the box.
Inside was a set of bongo drums. 5-inch and 7-inch diameters, to be precise.
You see, Crystal think that it’s good for people to learn to play a musical instrument. I’ve taken a run at the guitar, and it was not feeling natural in my hands. However, I tend to drum on things as I wander around the world. So, bongo drums were a natural fit.
So now, when I’m sitting around, I grab my drums and noodle around with them. It’s quite relaxing. And, who knows? Maybe I’ll get some more….