Posts from — August 2003

I think we have pretty silly phrases we use for greetings. Instead of just saying “Hello”, we say things like “How’s it going?” or “What’s up?” or “What’s going on?”. We really just mean “Hi” by these things, but we say them anyway.
And then there are the various replies to these questions. “Hey.” “Alright.” “Not much.” And, of course, by all these phrases we simply mean “Hi” back to the person.

The reason I’m writing about this now is because I just commited a mixup of the silly language. I saw a coworker in the hall and I said to him, “Hey! What’s going on?” and He replied, “Hi, how’s it going”.

And then I answered, “Not a whole lot”.

There was a short pause, and then I just looked at him, shook my head and laughed. He acknowledged the faux pas with a nod of his head and his own snicker.

We use att.net as our internet provider. One thing they do is scan your email for viruses before you even get it in your inbox. Twice now I’ve been saved the hassle of dealing with some malicious email by this feature. I’m thankful for it.

Here’s an excerpt from an email I just got from my wife..

Also, about half an hour ago Geneva said, “daddy”. I said, “where is daddy?” She said, “daddy’s at workin’ “. I said, “yeah! daddy is working.” Then she said, “hard.” Isn’t that sweet?

Well, isn’t it?

The Return of the King (10mb)

The darkness of night lets me know of the darkness within
The dawn it reminds me of the powerless chains of my sin
-From Leaves, by Mark Williams

Does anyone know of a natural pipe declogger, that doesn’t damage the pipes? I’m not about to pour draino down into our old pipes… that’s just asking for them to burst.

By the way…. Yesterday was my 3 year bloggerversary.

This post marks the first of my fourth year of blogging. Doesn’t feel like it’s been that long.

In “Reformed” Is Not Enough, Douglas Wilson quotes Lewis Schenck,

The principle of the Reformed faith, that the child brought up under Christian influence should never know a time when love to God was not an active principle in its life, was displaced by an assumption that even the offspring of the godly were born enemies of God and must await the crisis of conversion

So my question is… isn’t this still an issue for those in the Reformed Tradition that believe baptism is the transferal from outside the covenant to inside? Now, though, instead of waiting for a profession of faith, we are waiting for the children to be baptized. The assumption is still that they are ‘enemies of God’ until they are brought into the covenant through baptism.

I’ve been skimming through Honest To God by John A. T. Robinson.

I’ve read it before. When I bought it four or five years ago. I’m reviewing it now because I’m talking to a guy who’s reading it, and really likes it. That I’m actually interacting with people – that these people really exist – that agree with what what is said in that book, and also confess belief in the Bible, gives me the chills.

Well, I finally have fixed my permalinks… when you click them, they take you to the top of the post you’re linking to… not the bottom. I don’t know why it took me so long to realize what was wrong… just a matter of where the anchor was placed. But it did and now it’s fixed. The world celebrates.

5.27.2001
23:57
some things i’ve noticed:

i have noticed that the christian community today is extremely slow to accept the correction of others, no matter how it is given; whether humbly or in pride.

i have noticed that when correction is given, and the corrected feels attacked, they do not seek out reconciliation (or even clarification) with the corrector.

i have noticed that, contrary to what some people think, we as people are very slow to actually point out someone else’s sin. we are too concerned with whether or not we are being judgemental to actually take a risk and help a brother who is stumbling.

i have noticed that in the large majority of cases, if you point out someone’s sin to them, they become bitter and accuse you of being proud. in rare cases, they may even accuse you of hating them.

i have noticed that when we admit our own sinfulness (especially in specific areas), we somehow feel more holy.

i have noticed that most people in the church today believe it is far more acceptable to overlook sin than appear to be judgmental. related to that, i have noticed that most people in the church would rather ignore their brother’s sinfulness than appear, in someone else’s eyes, to be seeking revenge or being angry.

i have noticed that many people today are too sensitive.

i have noticed that peope sometimes make charges against others that they, themselves, are guilty of in the very context they are making the charges.

i have noticed that people often apologize when they haven’t sinned against anyone, and rarely apologize when they have.

i have noticed that we like to say christians should be radical, but rarely appreciate it when someone actually is.

-just a few things i’ve noticed.

How in the world did I get a referral from Relevant Magazine?