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Do you know who you’re talking to?
Reading in Prayer: How Praying Together Shapes The Church, by John Onwuchekwa, I came across the following that reminds me of Matthew 11:25-26. I preached (we need to make praught a thing) from Matthew 11:25-30 last week. The connection between adoring God the Father for both his revealing and hiding has a lot in common with praising him for his love and his just-ness that comes out clearly in this excerpt: Delving into God’s attributes means we must pay attention to the attributes of God we sometimes feel tempted to apologize for. It shows us we should adore them. Think of God’s anger and wrath. When we praise him for…
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In the Mail, Fall 2020 SBTS Edition
So, here is what I will be reading (above and beyond the stuff I am already reading) for my first semester (fall, the first two of six class blocks during a year of online instruction): F1: Biblical Hermeneutics Required. These, in no particular order, are the required books for my first session: From Eden to the New Jerusalem: An Introduction to Biblical Theology, T. Desmond Alexander Getting the Message: A Plan for Interpreting and Applying the Bible, Daniel M. Doriani 40 Questions About Interpreting the Bible, Robert Plummer How to Read and Understand the Biblical Prophets: How to Read and Understand the Biblical Prophets, Peter J. Gentry Optional. I ordered…
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The Special Case of Conversation
I found myself laughing quite loudly, and re-reading this passage to my wife to help her share in my enjoyment. I’m not sure I succeeded, but I will share with you all nonetheless. The subject is conversation, and in the specific passage, the authors are beginning to illuminate the “presupposition pool”. Even more specifically, the idea that speakers naturally exclude or include content based on these shared concepts. …Any speaker will necessarily make certain assumptions about his listeners and will fashion what he has to say accordingly. For example, he will not unnecessarily explain such technical terms as he may use unless he is fairly sure that explanation is required;…
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Back to School
I’ve finally done it. Applied to go back to school, and today was accepted at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Am looking at getting an M.Div. of Christian Ministry. Now with the application and all that entails out of the way, can focus on registering (and paying) for classes. I’ll be starting off slow. Still have my job and three kids in the house, one of whom is not far from college herself. And not sure how the “all online” will really work out. Not planning on moving to Kentucky any time soon. Guess that everyone is doing things online right now anyway, what with Covid and all. Anyway, if I’m…
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Parenting in Light of Grace
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Titus 2:11-14, ESV As a parent, striking the right balance between clarity – calling sin, “sin” – and showering our kids in love even as they stumble and fall is just hard.…
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In The Mail – Post Father’s Day Edition
My daughter is a keeper:
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Linguistics & Biblical Interpretation
So far, I’m very much enjoying Linguistics & Biblical Interpretation, by Cotterell & Turner. Very easy to read and understand, as it strives to lay a foundation for the value of linguistically-supported study of Scripture. I found the following, from the chapter on the pitfalls of word studies, interesting: …my concept of ‘boy’ in the more general usage may include very many features concerning the range of their features and physique, their hygiene, their habits of play, their social abilities and limitations, and so forth, none of which is linguistically attached to the word ‘boy’ as such at all. The sentences (1) Boys are usually male,(2) Boys are usually unkind,…
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Ethnic America
So, for about a week I have been working through Ethnic America, by Thomas Sowell. The book covers the numerous waves of immigrants and how their culture, context, and interrelationships affected each group’s trajectory to establish themselves as Americans. I’m about halfway through, which means I’ve covered European and Asian immigration. European immigration covered first the Irish, then the Germans, Jews and finally the Italians. Asian immigration covered the Chinese and Japanese. This leaves some notable ethnic groups in our current context outside of observation. Immigration from the Middle East, Korea and India all stand out in my mind. This is largely due to the fact that the book was…
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Lime/Limoncello
About a month ago, I started a cross between a lime and lemon liqueur. Today, I found a moment to strain it off the pulp and sample. Yum. All the delicious sweetness and bitterness of a good limoncello, with some added complexity from the lime. It does have a rather muddled color, rather than the fresh lemon yellow of a pure limoncello. I shall endure.
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Unauthorized Phone Access
My eldest and youngest must have gotten a hold of my phone since taking the photos of books and massive fallen tree. A small sample of the numerous (most of ridiculously poor quality) photos taken: Awww, they’re so adorable!
The Pleasant Study
Theology, Linguistics, Brewing and More
