Aha!

[You need to read the preceding post first for this to make sense.]

She noticed that she had forgotten the original message. Behold, it was all in response to my e-mail this morning, which ended in,

I noticed that this change must have already occurred, so no further action is needed.

Work Conversation

I know you would all love to know what I do at work. Here's to satisfy your curiosity: I read e-mails. Revealing messages like this one:

Fwd: Re: Wrong wording

The change has been made.

Thanks,

[Person's Name]


>>> Can you fix this?
>>> [Original Requestor's Name]

I'm glad they copied me in, so I'm in the know.

Christlikeness

Lord, help me to understand, rather than to be understood.
To love, rather than to be loved.

Mother Theresa

Ouch.

Perspective on Failure

Vincent Van Gogh failed as an art dealer, flunked his entrance exam to theology school, and was fired by the church after an ill-fated attempt at missionary work. In fact, during his life, he seldom experienced anything other than failure as an artist. Although a single painting by Van Gogh would fetch in excess of $100 million today, in his lifetime Van Gogh sold only one painting, four months prior to his death.

Before developing his theory of relativity, Albert Einstein encountered academic failure. One headmaster expelled Einstein from school and another teacher predicted that he would never amount to anything. Einstein even failed his entrance exam into college.

Prior to dazzling the world with his athletic skill, Michael Jordan was cut from his sophomore basketball team. Even though he captured six championships, during his professional career, Jordan missed over 12,000 shots, lost nearly 400 games, and failed to make more than 25 would-be game-winning baskets.

Source: Failing Forward

So, if you feel like you've failed at something, remember: it's not how often you fall, but whether you get back up (that's a quote from someone, too, I don't remember who).

Dreams

God inspired dreams are not placed in your heart as a taunt. If your dream is truly God-given, you can reach it.

Steve Moore, The Dream Cycle

Bible Study Magazine Review

Bible Study Magazine (BSM) is a bimonthly magazine published by Logos, the producer of the predominant bible software in the U.S. The issue I am reviewing is the inaugural issue (Nov. / Dec. 2008).

As a minister, I care deeply about bible study. As a dedicated Logos user, I love the idea of a magazine that approaches Bible study with the tools in mind that I use. At about 40 pages of content, the magazine deals with subjects that I would break into three categories:

1. Inspirational & General Audience topics, such as “Facing Today with the Book of Hebrews,” and “Choosing a Bible Translation.”
2. “Text” topics, such as, the significance of the Qumran scrolls, or comparisons of archeological finds to the Bible text, or “Who Took Verse 4 Out of My Bible?”
3. “Getting the Most out of Logos” topics, such as “Using Bible Dictionaries,” and “Discovering the Power of Luke’s Gospel.”

For my purposes, I am particularly interested in the latter two, since I have ready access to plenty of the first category. Unfortunately for me, there was a fairly substantial portion of this type included.

I enjoyed the Text topics. The discovery in Isaiah 53:11 eloquently demonstrated the value of archeological finds, and the two accounts of Sennacherib’s attack on Jerusalem provided valuable perspective. This is the type of material that I could always read more of, though I’d want to be sure that BSM is more than just a facsimile of Biblical Archeology Review. “Who Took Verse 4 Out of My Bible?” may be the type of article that skillfully avoids that danger.

I would have liked an expansion of the “Logos” category, though too much of it may put the magazine name into question. Specifically, I’d like the steps of an article like “Using Bible Dictionaries” enriched with more depth, and a greater focus on resources that are part of common libraries. In my estimation, a magazine from Logos is going to be read primarily by Logos users. I’d enjoy a clear sense of which resources would be the best addition to my current library – not just Marketing talk (not that there was in this issue), but a demonstration that shows the power of a resource. In addition, there is value locked in the resources I already own, and I’d like to leverage that. I certainly hope that BSM never becomes a magazine that merely tries to upsell people.

In that sense, “Discovering the Power of Luke’s Gospel” is probably my favorite article in this issue (even though it made me put the BDAG on my shopping list).

To round up the review a little, let me add that the production quality and design of BSM is very nice. I’ve felt yucky paper before, and BSM is definitely an enjoyable experience.

So, am I sold? On the one hand, there’s much to like. On the other hand, I feel there’s a degree of lack of focus (remember, though, that I have only seen one issue!). I’m not the kind of guy who needs more interesting reading. To make my list, it’s got to be something I really, really want to read. At the current stage, there may not be enough of that type in BSM, though I’ll admit I’m still on the fence.

Note: Logos currently is running a promotion - you could win a free subscription!

Magic Hour Indeed

Source: What the Duck

He Wins

Jo took advantage of an insignificant, short distraction during supper to relocate his green beans from his tray to below the table. This act of defiance prompted his father to stick his face within about a foot of Jo's face and give him a stern look. As Jo noticed him, his face broke into a big smile, he laughed out loud, and leaned forward, immitating his father. Realizing that his son had won that round, the father retreated to a normal sitting position to consider his options,which prompted his daughter to comment,

La: "Look! Jo scared Papi away!"

A Tale of Two Cities: Georgetown, KY and Toluca, Mexico

What, exactly, is an American car? A car branded by a company with headquarters in the U.S.? A car manufactured by people in the U.S? A car manufactured by people in Canada or the U.S.?

(Georgetown, KY is where Toyota manufactures the Camry. Toluca, Mexico is where Chrysler manufactures PT Cruisers, among others.)

BTW, as for my thoughts on Fiat taking a 35% stake in Chrysler: that's like Dollar General taking a stake in The GAP. Not what you want if you like The GAP.

Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin

One of the most challenging things as a Christian is how to express love, which we are clearly called to do, without endorsing what the Bible is clear is against the will of God. Far too often, we err on the side of condemning the sin, making others feel like we are rejecting them, rather than expressing love. Philip Yancey has some tremendous thoughts in "What's so Amazing About Grace?" (though some of what he says will be hard to digest for some).

Pastor Rick Warren took a stand against homosexual marriage recently. As a result, there was a demonstration headed for his church. Saddleback answered this way: serve the demonstrators water and donuts.

Supposedly, another person will be as impressed by one bad impression as by twelve good ones. If that is true, then if we want to get Jesus' message across acurately, we have a lot of water and donuts to serve. Or would we rather get a different message across?

Prayer on Being Made Redundant

The Church of England has published a well-put prayer for those who have been laid off. Hope none of you has occasion to pray it - maybe the only time I'll ever say, "I hope you don't pray (this prayer)."

Food Likes and Dislikes

My wife made a very nice dessert today, with the ingredients including among them

• Raspberries
• Chocolate
• Whipped Cream
• Cookies

You'd think our kids would be ecstatic. Turns out, my son decided he was too tired to bother. My daughters refused the treat, preferring instead ... sour grapes. Hmmm.