thoughts

• i like Ed Young's book, Creative Marriage. written at a popular level, lots of applicational stuff and the Gospel is blam!blam! there in chapter 3 - good job Ed!
• i was anticipating this week with John Stott looking at Jesus' miracles but it's not meeting the expectations.
• i preach on Sunday night, aka SuperBowl night. i like the passage (ephesians 2.11-22) and am looking forward to it.
• my oldest has gone to school one day this week - what a bum! but what a brain! she's doing great and i hope she always thinks sharp.
• i wish i could fix/walk with people who've got problems but there's too many and i'm not sure they all want to be fixed.
• i (might have) cancelled a beloved ministry event, not sure what's gonna happen.
• i think SuperBowl 43 will be a great battle. Cardinals: really hot offense, solid defense. Steelers: good offense, awesome defense. Go snacks!

heart medicine

One book I read that wasn't on my 2008 list was Crazy Love by Francis Chan. It is excellent! Very challenging thoughts about God's crazy love for us and, is our love crazy for him? I sensed that I have slipped into a comfortable love; I'm asking him to make me crazy, obsessed.

Over the last few weeks I also realized a yucky thing about myself. I have been, too frequently, a tightwad/cheapskate with my own family. I can look back at times I've splurged on-the-moment for others, and yet I've told my own that we'll just have to wait. I don't wanna be stupid and get 'em whatever they desire but I don't wanna be stingy with my own family, that is stupid. I've got some debt I'd love to get rid of tonight but it'll happen even if it takes longer than I like. I can't let that goal make me a jerk either. And the big picture is this: God has always taken care of us, no matter how tightly or loosely we've spent/saved/scrimped/etc.

I'm still enjoying John Stott's Through the Bible, Through the Year. There are some readings and observations that get a second or third read from me. I appreciate that man.

I had some real cool (maybe crazy) thoughts about Samson but I haven't told any one yet.

This saying (I think I made it up) gets to me: "To be a better man, you'd better make better choices."

2008 books

There once was a list. A list of 9+ books that I wanted to read in 2008.
I finished 3:
Fields of Gold by Andy Stanley
The Reason for God by Tim Keller
Time for Truth by Os Guinness
I purchased 2:
Goldsworthy Trilogy by Graeme Goldsworthy
The Present Future by Reggie McNeal
I started another 1:
Creative Marriage by Ed Young

Obviously, I detoured a few times with books like It, Trinity & Triunity, various fiction pieces, The Pixar Touch and some others. But I'm getting back to the list because it's pretty balanced, at least I think so. Creative Marriage is next.

inaugural thoughts

First of all, Happy New Year to myself and my family. And I welcome me back to the blogosphere.

About the Inauguration:

- What a crowd! Had at least one good friend there. Followed her on twitter even though she didn't twit much.
- Nice prayer Rick Warren.
- Love the furry hat on 41.
- Nice speech by 44 but a little long.
- Nicer prayer Rev Lowery! A virtual rap-master!!
- Go America!

randomness

- I am the parent of a young lady in middle-school, does this mean I am old?
- The rush of the xmas season is worth fighting because the rush detracts from what could be a peaceful, rejuvenating time.
- Will wooden toys, like Tinker Toys and Lincoln Logs, ever be popular again? All the electronic stores are CROWded.
- I witnessed a college guy serve, and it was totally self-directed. The church was not his outlet or venue of service. This is not uncommon in collegians.
- The balance of talking with people and preparing lessons is not easy to achieve, some weeks yes but other weeks nope.
- Best worst xmas joke: Q: What do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus? A: Clausetrophobics. (groan)

The Pixar Touch

After getting this book from the library less than two weeks ago, I finished its' 262 pages on the same day as the 132-page challenge I've owned since late August. I know that says something about me but I'll worry about that later.

I enjoyed this look at the people and stories behind entertainment-giant Pixar. Two things impressed me: 1) passionate people can hang onto their vision in spite of crummy circumstances and 2) many types of people (computer geeks, accountants, story-tellers, CEOs, etc) can be driven more by the pursuit of significance/uniqueness than by the love of money.

My favorite Pixar movie is The Incredibles, followed closely by Toy Story 2 and Finding Nemo; everything else is nice but not in the same category. What's yours?

Book burning

I was so frustrated with how long it was taking me to finish reading Trinity & Triunity, I wanted to either finish it or burn it. But I finally reached the end! It'll actually stay on my shelf for awhile. Here is one paragraph that touched the driving idea of the entire book:

'The interrelationships that become evident in the study of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity shed light on the interrelationships of other Scriptural doctrines. This pattern of interrelationships is important in understanding many doctrines of Scripture. In the simple analogy of space (height, width, and length), each dimension is all of space, but without all three there is no space...Likewise, any concept of salvation that lacks the triune aspect of grace, faith, and good works is a denial of the truth' (p.77)

Earlier in the book, Heinze said something I totally agree with. While we may study aspects of salvation, or members of the Triunity, separately, they do not exist separately. These items must be taught, and thought about, in the light/context of each other; just as teaching of the New Testament must be in light of the Old Testament. Narrow doctrinal studies have their place but cannot be the end of doctrinal studies.

I bought the book for $1 and I wouldn't recommend it to everyone looking to learn more about the Trinity. But while it was tough to get through I appreciated the author's thoughts and I know that time looking at God's mysterious, supernatural and distinct nature is not time wasted. I am inspired by the uniqueness of our God! His nature/essence is beyond our comprehension and, yet, is woven into, and often visible, in all that he does.

post-turkey

I cast my vote for Best Thanksgiving Picture here: