Head-dibs

Our oldest son recently took me on an excursion to show me a back-woods trail that goes around the lake here on the campus of Columbia International University. While I instantly began planning how to incorporate this trail into my workout regimen, I was delighted by the sights, sounds and smells of the woods. I ran the trail it for the first time yesterday and though it was the most challenging track I’ve taken yet, I am most delighted that I don’t have to choke on the traffic exhaust as I usually run along the road. I spoke with a friend recently about the trail and he discouraged using it because of the stones, spider webs and branches. When I ran it yesterday, for the first time in my life, I’ve never been so delighted to run head-on through a spider web. Instead of being repulsed (I loathe bugs), I was awed how all creation moves in a cosmic dance according to the design and to the delight of the Creator: the lights and shadows of the woods; the variant temperatures and humidi...

Why You Should (Almost) Never Use Your Oven's Self-Cleaning Function. 8 Times You Should NOT Pick the "Fat Free" Option  (I'm just sayin' . . .) Bad Starts. "The popular Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest challenges entrants to compose 'the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels.'" Only a select audience will appreciate this: 

We are please to announce the unexpected arrival of a new family member. After 20 years, God has replaced a long-lost love into our lives. Meet "Elizabeth." She was delivered as a surprise gift just yesterday. I walked into my office from lunch, and there she was with a note: "to the glory of God." Yes, she is . . . and she's fully equipped. So incredibly thankful for this blessing. It goes beyond words to express. Isn't she beautiful? You should hear her sing . . .

Apparently, I've been eating watermelon the wrong way. How about you? Tom says to eat it this way: Petey says eat it that way: Which is your preference?

You know that moment somewhere between “asleep” and “awake” when you have the feeling you suddenly understand life, the Universe and everything? I have an idea about that moment, and am interested in your thoughts if you will follow me: but first . . . When does your day begin? Midnight? Sunrise? Sundown? I’ve been pondering the Jewish concept of the day beginning at sundown and wonder if there is a simple basic principle that the follower of Christ and lover of God should examine and put into practice. Why say we start the day when the sun goes down? If we did not have electricity, sundown would be the time we clean up and go to bed. Presently we extend our bedding down until much, much later in the evening, but we still sleep at night (then complain about how little sleep we get). How does a day begin when we are not active? Our day begins in the light, with activity which carries on until the sun goes down at which time our day ends. We lay down to sleep and we are most vu...

"On this day in 1969, two days after their final recording session, the Beatles gathered at Tittenhurst Park, where John Lennon and Yoko Ono resided, for a photo shoot they didn’t realize would be their last ."

I spoke with a woman was told me she could not wait to get to heaven because she would see her mother there. The woman explained her excitement further: her mother had been an atheist all her life, but now she was enjoying the presence of God in heaven! Really? Time after time I’ve heard people speak of the forgiveness and grace of God as if were automatic, as if God was obligated. Are mercy, grace and forgiveness part of the package deal of life simply because God knows we are sinners? Does God owe anyone forgiveness simply because they repent? People tell me, “I repent all the time! God just forgives!” He does? Let’s think about David for a moment. Most people remember him for killing Goliath, the champion of invaders. David is also known for murdering a man and taking his wife. He later repented and was granted forgiveness and we have evidence of this in a few places in scripture, namely Psalm 51: David cries out, God responds. That settles it, right? Hebrews 12:16-17 (fro...

Notice the Famine? How Your Location Impacts Your Bible Interpretation Archaeologists found a  collection of right hands  at the Hyksos capital of Avaris in Egypt. Collecting body parts was one ancient way of counting victims (cf. 1 Sam 18:25). [ht: Bible Places Blog] 10 Smart Ways to Burn More Calories .  Need some meal ideas that are diabetes friendly? I want the tee-shirt Thumbs Carlisle is wearing (the first 12 seconds are pixel-y): 

You know the word “mega,” so you know the Greek for “great.” The range of meaning is broad enough to make one slow down and think about what it means to be a “great man.” The word (“mega”) is an adjective and thanks to School House Rock, we know that adjectives are words that are used to describe things. So what is meant when Jesus says, “but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant” in Matthew 20:26? The options for the adjective include: Massive; weighty; large; spacious. Some of us are already great in this regard.  Measure; height. I am not a great man in that regard, either. I look up to my youngest son (which is quite bothersome).  Stature and Age. I grow greater every year!  Number, quantity. I don’t see how I can be a great man unless I clone, which is highly unlikely.  Intensity. While often violent, aggressive men are great, this is not ideal. I am not convinced these nuances were what our Lord had in mind. What abou...

Man, the crown of God’s creation, is God’s representative on earth. As such man is to have dominion over creation; however, since man’s relationship with God was broken by sin, the dominion of man (i.e., his “rule”) is altered. For example, God gave every tree of the garden (with one exception) as prepared food. Since man sinned and his ruler is changed, man must now prepare his own food (see Genesis 3:17-19). One aspect of man’s rulership is problematic for many because the woman is told, “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth, in pain you shall bring forth children; yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” (Genesis 3:16) Presupposition concerning what it means for man to rule wrecks the text; but, it also proves the point. First, notice that childbirth was already painful. Since the fall, the pain will be multiplied. Second, the desire of a man’s wife is for her husband. The weight of the Hebrew is less-nice. Kiel and Delitzch help us out...

I believe I can safely say that each time we play “Build Your Kingdom” by Rend Collective Experiment on our Calvary Chapel Blythewood praise team, I must burn about 100 calories. I don’t know how much our percussionist burns, but we may have a great weight loss program here in our praise music! One line in the song says, “You’ve made us for much more than this; awake the Kingdom seed in us.” This is where I would like to focus for a moment: we are made for more than we think; but, first consider this sign: What is the right way to read? While much could be said here, just think for a moment about how you feel when you read? Do you feel anything? You should. Reading with sensitivity helps shed light on the meaning of text. Perhaps this is one reason some feel reading the Bible is difficult: they read without feeling. I find it difficult to read Psalm 8 without attention to feeling. This psalm is the epitome of awe. Ask me what “awe” means, and I will bring you here. Why? The reasons...

There is no better way to summarize J.C. Ryle’s 28 page tract, “ A Call to Prayer ” than with this remarkable sentence found in the second section of this monumental tract: “God has no dumb children.” Divided into nine sections, Ryle centers the subject concerning prayer on Paul’s comment to Timothy, “I will that men pray everywhere” (1 Timothy 2:1) and keeps one question ever before the reader’s eye: “Do you pray?” Ryle begins with “Prayer is Needful to a Man’s Salvation.” Here we first encounter the question, “Do you pray?” with the understanding that “whether you pray in private or not is a matter between yourself and God.” Prayer is the way one asks of God, regardless of geography, education or physical condition—and every person is responsible to pray. Ryle identifies those who pray as children of God, and “God has no dumb children. It is as much a part of their new nature to pray, as it is of a child to cry.” Those who do not pray prove themselves to be unfeeling of sin; out o...

A Los Alamos Story Worthy of Stephen King Twilight Zone Creator Rod Serling on " Where Good Ideas Come From ." I just like the way he says it. A place where no star dips below the horizon and the sun never rises above it .  If you're in serious need of a grill but don't have one on hand, you can satisfy that hot dog craving with just a tin can and a cooling rack . 50 easy ways to torch 100 calories . You are probably already doing them. Explore the whimsy of mathematics through the question, " How Big is Infinity? "

Permit me to say first that I already know what my problem is: I over-think.  While this may not seem like much to you, it is to me. I just want to make certain I have it right, that’s all. Been thinking about “authority” lately and am spending much more time on the subject than I would have liked. Asking too many questions, chasing too many rabbits. For example: “why authority?” Answer: because at this time, the subject interests me. And so on. What is “authority?” Well, the 12 th century French noun “auctorite” was synonymous with “The Scriptures” though in a broader sense the term became used to describe that which settled an argument. The French word comes from the Latin “auctoritas” referring to the “master, leader” or as we say, “author.”   I begin here because frankly, present definitions seem woefully short. I find this is true when language and meaning paradigms shift. I also feel this is dishonest, to shift meaning. The consensus seems to be that author...

THE FIRST HALF Why we call this “St. Francis’ Prayer” or “The Prayer of St. Francis” is not clear to me as the good saint was not the author. Perhaps the prayer came to be known as such due to the Franciscan-sounding principles. Regardless, this is a fine prayer (if a prayer could be called “fine”). “Lord, make me an instrument” This is actually the first of two petitions, the second begin later in the prayer: “O Divine Master, grant that I . . .” Such weighty words like Hamlet’s question that make us pause as we consider who we are and who we are not. He is the Lord, our Creator and Sovereign. He is the Divine Master, as we will see later in the prayer. The Lord is Master and I am not. As  we are born into this fallen state, we are not much use even to ourselves. The prayer begins by returning to the Creator that He make take what He has fashioned in our mother’s wombs and go a step further: make me more than I am. Make me fit for the Master’s use. “Instrument” h...

"If you cannot understand my argument, and declare `` It's Greek to me '', you are quoting Shakespeare; if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning , you are quoting Shakespeare; if you recall your salad days , you are quoting Shakespeare; if you act more in sorrow than in anger ; if your wish is farther to the thought ; if your lost property has vanished into thin air , you are quoting Shakespeare; if you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy , if you have played fast and loose , if you have been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle , if you have knitted your brows , made a virtue of necessity , insisted on fair play , slept not one wink , stood on ceremony, danced attendance (on your lord and master), laughed yourself into stitches, had short shrift, cold comfort or too much of a good thing , if you have seen better days or lived in a fool's paradise -why, be that as it may, the more fool ...

(ht: Blazing Center )

"Read great Christian writers who know God deeply and saturate their writing with the Bible and take you deep into its spirit. They are like reading the Bible through the mind and heart of great knowers and lovers of God. Don't let long books daunt you. Finishing the book does not matter. Growing by it matters. But finishing is not as hard as you might think. Suppose you read slowly like I do—about the same speed as you speak—200 words a minute. If you read 15 minutes a day for one year (just 15 minutes, say just before supper, or just before bed), you will read 5,475 minutes in the year. Multiply that by 200 words a minute and you get 1,095,000 words that you would read in a year. Now the average book has about 360 words per page (that's what Carson's book has). So you would have read 360 words into 1,095,000, or 3,041 pages in one year. That's 13 books the size of Carson's book, or reading his in 21 days. All that in 15 minutes a day. The point is: the wo...

" Why Batman Doesn't Know Jesus ." The answer is worth consideration. " Alleged Samson seal found at Beth Shemesh " Click on the link to see a photo of the tiny find. Discuss: what are your thoughts concerning the remarks made by the excavation directors? Leave comments below (please follow standard rules of acceptable discussion, keeping on topic). Bible teachers may appreciate these NASA photos . Assessing children’s bibles is not child’s play. The relationships between them, the Bible, and their readers are complicated, yet because we too easily see them as simple and trustworthy, we have not learned how to read them carefully or critically enough." Read more here at  " How Story Bibles Work ." 5 Surprising Reasons Expository Preaching Makes Sermon Preparation Easy 10 Civilizations That Disappeared Under Mysterious Circumstances President Obama’s infamous 'You didn’t build that gaffe' may have originated from a lit...

"Columbia International University President Dr. Bill Jones is a contributor to a new study Bible that encourages believers to live their daily lives as if they are on a mission - the mission of God. “The Mission of God Study Bible” published by B&H Publishing Group, is interspersed with essays by dozens of Christian leaders, thinkers and theologians who challenge readers to consider that wherever they are, they are on the mission of sharing the good news of what God has done through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus." The essay by Jones titled “Developing Missional Leaders” is appropriately found at chapter four of Ephesians. Read more on"The Mission of God Study Bible" here .

"Wisdom is shown in serious matters, and is more appreciated than mere wit. He that is always ready for jests is never ready for serious things. They resemble liars in that men never believe either, always expecting a lie in one, a joke in the other. One never knows when you speak with judgment, which is the same as if you had none. A continual jest soon loses all zest. Many get the repute of being witty, but thereby lose the credit of being sensible. Jest has its little hour, seriousness should have all the rest." (Balthazar Gracian, 1601-0658)