Sorry folks
I know this will be disappointing for both of you who check this blog thinking that you might possibly make it to the meetings on Monday, but it's cancelled again. Sicknesses and scheduling conflicts do not permit. Hopefully next week.

While we're at it, everyone needs to say a prayer for Terry Hall's brother. He's in the hospital and needs your prayers. Terry's exhausted and could also use your prayers.
posted by Stephen at 1:59 PM | |

 
shrewd and innocent
I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Matthew 10:16

Wow, what a killer combination. I'm not sure my eyes have actually seen that combination before.

I've seen those who were financially shrewd, I've seen them bully others to build their fortunes. I've seen those who were socially shrewd, I've seen them bully others to build their social status. But to see a man be shrewd and yet not take advantage of another for his own gain...Wow.

I've seen a man be foolish and squander his talents in the name of innocence. I've seen a man shrink back in cowardice in the name of innocence. Ive seen a man be bland and take the high road, be cliche' or have no opinion at all in the name of innocence. But to see a man who was innocent and yet wise, innocent and yet bold, innocent and yet opinionated...

I would really like to see that in my life.
posted by Andy at 9:17 PM | |

 

Tip of the Movie
I joked with some friends the other day that I was refusing to see this movie, the new cinematic hang-up of conservative evangelicals everywhere called "The End of the Spear", just because I was so sick of hearing from other Christians that I should support this movie just because it's "Christian" (what it means for a movie to be "Christian" is, in itself, so contorted and absurd that it deserves its own post in the future sometime).

Now I'm serious. The fact that it's "Christian" doesn't warrant going to see it, especially if it's crap. I was joking the other day, and conceded that I might rent it (I can say this with certainty, because Joy and I are pretty fickle about the movies we see in the theater, simply because of the funds involved). But I went to Rotten Tomatoes to see what the reviews were saying, and they aren't good. Overly-sentimental, one-dimensional, bad story-telling, bad acting... all of these comments seemed pretty consistent. Bad film is bad film, even if the story is supposed to be favorable to Christians (and apparently even this is debatable). I suppose I'd like for someone to tell me why I would support bad film-making, whether it's done by Christians or not.

And the sad thing is that our cultural myopia allows us to chalk all this up to persecution. "The world just doesn't get it." Ugh.
posted by Stephen at 12:53 PM | |

 
Meeting? No Meeting

Here is the fun part of the rolling craps game. You never really know when or where it will meet.

Tonight's meeting is cancelled. Jimmy's family is sick, Stephen has company coming it to town and he and his wife need to clean the house.

Actually, no one needs our permission to meet. Anyone who wants to come can come, but I'm just telling you there's a good chance that there won't be anyone there. So the ball's in your court.
posted by Stephen at 1:43 PM | |

 
Monday Night
This Monday we will start our study on the Gospel According to Luke. We'll start at 6:30 p.m. and wrap up around 8:30 p.m. I'll post our meeting location tomorrow.

Here are some resource links for the study:

• NetBible version of Luke (pdf file - has great notes on the mansuscripts and on cultural issues surrounding the text)
• Introduction to Luke (by Dr. Daniel Wallace)
  
• Primary Textual variants in Luke MSS (pdf)
  
• Audio version of the World English Bible (updated American Standard Bible) if you want to listen on your ipod. (The guy reading might seem annoying at first, but you get used to it. Here's the text to the audio.)
• Podcast of the KJV provided by www.mp3bible.org from Chapel Hill, Costa Mesa (you can download the MP3s directly from here)

(For those of you who did the "How we got the Scriptures" study, both of these audio versions are based on the Textus Receptus...there aren't any free audio Bibles based upon better versions.)
posted by Jimmy at 9:30 AM | |

 
President Bush on Social Security Strategery
Do you think he does this just to ensure that he will have stronger representation than other Presidents in reruns of Saturday Night Live? The following response appears approximately three-quarters of the way through the White House transcript of that meeting:

Because the — all which is on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculate, for example, is on the table; whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases. There's a series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when you couple that, those different cost drivers, affecting those — changing those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be — or closer delivered to what has been promised.

Does that make any sense to you? It's kind of muddled. Look, there's a series of things that cause the — like, for example, benefits are calculated based upon the increase of wages, as opposed to the increase of prices. Some have suggested that we calculate — the benefits will rise based upon inflation, as opposed to wage increases. There is a reform that would help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words, how fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those — if that growth is affected, it will help on the red.

Okay, better? I'll keep working on it. (Laughter.)

posted by Jimmy at 3:58 PM | |

 
More in the Modern Translation
of the Bible
Making the Bible make more sense for normal people.
John 3
22After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized.

23Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized. 24(This was before John was put in prison.) 25An argument developed between some of John's disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26They came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him."

27To this John replied, "Gather the public relations team. Ask them for a new campaign theme. A growing congregation is a healthy congregation, and we've got to keep up. If we don't, we may as well not even exist!"28And the public relations team returned, saying, "Here is a new slogan we've been working on. It's seemed to work for other congregations in other areas. And we've discovered that you have people working for you who have also worked with that other man."29And John said, "Fire them. Don't they know that's a conflict of interests! For a person can't serve two masters. You either work with me or with him."

30And a young man asked John, "I thought you liked that other man... the one you testified about."31And John replied, "Oh, he's a great guy, don't get me wrong! But I've got a staff I've got to maintain. If we don't have people coming in, we can't pay the bills. We've got to keep our heads on--We've got responsibilities! I mean, it'd be nice if all we had to worry about were those lofty ideals, but this is the real world."
posted by Stephen at 7:55 PM | |

 
Monday Night
We'll be meeting at St. Patrick's this Monday night. We'll meet at 6:30 pm for the service from the Book of Common Prayer. Discussion will start around 7:00 pm.

It might be helpful to check out the Message version of Amos before the study (yes...we are still studying Amos). Also, for a more in-depth look, here's the NetBible version in pdf. The pdf file has a lot of really good endnotes for translation and contextual insights. Childcare will be provided. If you need more info, give me a call at 813-3258.
posted by Jimmy at 12:09 PM | |