Wow. It feels like I haven't blogged in a long time. Not much has been going on lately. I've been thinking some (what I think are) deep thoughts, but I haven't fully processed them yet. More on that later.
I went to the midnight showing of Prince Caspian last night/this morning. Despite what the mixed reviews say about it, I thought it was a great movie. Sure, it's not as awe-inspiring as the first movie, but sequels rarely are.
My C.S. Lewis scholar opinion: The movie deviates a lot from the book. Parts of the book that were only a couple of pages take up a lot of time in the movie. They switch events around and don't fully explain some stuff. Parents, be aware that the movie is also darker than the book.
My average movie watcher opinion: Sure, it's a loooong movie, but I never found myself wishing that it was over. I was actually kind of sad when it ended. I also appreciate that they added a little bit of humor in there.
Linds' rating: A
Friday, May 16, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Top Three Tuesday
1. Solo: An Uncommon Devotional. This devotional book is based on a way of studying the Bible called lectio divina. It focuses on very carefully and thoughtfully reading a short passage from the Bible, thinking through certain questions, praying honestly about the things that come to mind while reading the passage, and then ultimately living out the passage. I enjoyed doing a public lectio divina at one of our teach-ins so I was really excited when I saw this book on Petey's blog. I started yesterday and can already tell that this is going to be awesome.
2. "The West Wing". I got the Season 2 box set at Target the other day for a really cheap price. I love this show because it's fun, but it also makes me think.
3. Mozilla Thunderbird. So, most of you have heard of Mozilla's version of a web browser called Firefox. Thunderbird is Mozilla's take on Microsoft Outlook. I've been using it for a few months now and I totally love it. Like most people my age, I have a couple email addresses that I use on a regular basis. Thunderbird downloads all my emails onto my computer and organizes them for me. And it's free. What could be better than that?
Toodles!
2. "The West Wing". I got the Season 2 box set at Target the other day for a really cheap price. I love this show because it's fun, but it also makes me think.
3. Mozilla Thunderbird. So, most of you have heard of Mozilla's version of a web browser called Firefox. Thunderbird is Mozilla's take on Microsoft Outlook. I've been using it for a few months now and I totally love it. Like most people my age, I have a couple email addresses that I use on a regular basis. Thunderbird downloads all my emails onto my computer and organizes them for me. And it's free. What could be better than that?
Toodles!
Friday, May 9, 2008
Posture
"Sometimes I wonder how we got to this point. Why did pagan onlookers hold the early church in such high respect, but today's non-Christians view the modern-day church with such disdain? I think one of the main culprits has been our paradigm of evangelism. In the name of 'getting someone saved,' we have primarily focused on communicating a message of truth to the world. There's nothing wrong with that, except that we've prioritized the verbals over the nonverbals, the message over the method, that is to say, the proclamation over the posture...Focusing on what we say without regard to how we say it doesn't work in marriage, with our kids, in politics, or in any other social arrangement. So why do we think that it would work with God?"
- Hugh Halter, "The Tangible Kingdom"
- Hugh Halter, "The Tangible Kingdom"
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Question
I have a question that I would love to hear everyone's answer to. Seriously, everyone. Comment away (even if it's anonymously).
Why are you a follower of Jesus? If you're not a follower of Jesus, why is that?
Thank you for participating in my interactive blog :)
Why are you a follower of Jesus? If you're not a follower of Jesus, why is that?
Thank you for participating in my interactive blog :)
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Lessons
What I've learned today:
1. Thinking a few choice words while getting a shot doesn't make it hurt any less. (I got my Hep A booster and the second round of JE. One more round and I'm done for this trip!)
2. Just because it clicks doesn't mean it's broken. (I took my car to the mechanic. He put some kind of goop on the belt and then told me if I could live with the weird clicking sound that everything was fine for now. Stella is interstate worthy once again!)
3. I kind of like the American Empire at times. (Did I hear a collective gasp? Let me explain. I spent the better part of the afternoon staring down and/or speaking in soothing tones to the India Visa website. Thanks to the American Empire and its connections, I don't have to spend my time going through this process for every country that I want to visit.)
4. Not everything that tweets is a bird. (I'm now a semi-proud member of Twitter. Now if I only knew how to use it.)
1. Thinking a few choice words while getting a shot doesn't make it hurt any less. (I got my Hep A booster and the second round of JE. One more round and I'm done for this trip!)
2. Just because it clicks doesn't mean it's broken. (I took my car to the mechanic. He put some kind of goop on the belt and then told me if I could live with the weird clicking sound that everything was fine for now. Stella is interstate worthy once again!)
3. I kind of like the American Empire at times. (Did I hear a collective gasp? Let me explain. I spent the better part of the afternoon staring down and/or speaking in soothing tones to the India Visa website. Thanks to the American Empire and its connections, I don't have to spend my time going through this process for every country that I want to visit.)
4. Not everything that tweets is a bird. (I'm now a semi-proud member of Twitter. Now if I only knew how to use it.)
Top Three Tuesday
1. Reese's Eggs. Before Easter every year, Reese's comes out with egg-shaped peanut butter cups. I think they have the perfect ratio of peanut butter to chocolate, therefore making them my favorite candy of all time. The week after Easter I go out and buy a few packs of these treats (usually half off) so I can enjoy them for weeks to come. I finished my last one of the year today.
2. Stuff Christians Like. This is a Christian spin-off of the blog "Stuff White People Like." I think that it's good when we can make fun of ourselves. It keeps us from getting too high and mighty.
3. Seattle Metro System. It may not be the best public transportation system in the world, but it does pretty well for our city. My car has been sick lately so I've been taking the bus a lot more. Now that I have the routes pretty much figured out, it isn't really that bad. Plus, it's only $1.50 for two hours (or three if the bus driver is friendly and fudges the time on the ticket a little). With the price of gas on the rise, the bus system rocks my socks off.
Toodles!
2. Stuff Christians Like. This is a Christian spin-off of the blog "Stuff White People Like." I think that it's good when we can make fun of ourselves. It keeps us from getting too high and mighty.
3. Seattle Metro System. It may not be the best public transportation system in the world, but it does pretty well for our city. My car has been sick lately so I've been taking the bus a lot more. Now that I have the routes pretty much figured out, it isn't really that bad. Plus, it's only $1.50 for two hours (or three if the bus driver is friendly and fudges the time on the ticket a little). With the price of gas on the rise, the bus system rocks my socks off.
Toodles!
Friday, May 2, 2008
'Useful Idiots' No More
I usually stay away from blogging about political issues. Mainly, this is because I'll end up offending somebody. This blog is not written to offend, unless you think Rush Limbaugh speaks all truth or that voting Democrat will reverse all the evils in this nation.
I recently came across this story on CNN.com. It's entitled "'An Evangelical Manifesto' criticizes politics of faith." On Wednesday, some conservative leaders are going to release a self-critical 'manifesto' detailing how Christians on both sides of politics have twisted the spirit of Christianity to suit their own causes. Although the document is signed by about eighty Christian leaders, big-name leaders such as James Dobson didn't sign it. Southern Baptists weren't even invited to the party (which should be a signal to the SBC that something isn't quite right).
My reaction after getting over my natural skepticism: this is great! Sure, major leaders didn't sign the manifesto, but at least there are those in the mainstream that are starting to realize that something is horribly wrong. As with AA, the first step is to admit that there is a problem. My sincere hope and prayer is that the manifesto is not a dead document from the beginning. It would be great if this is the beginning of major change in mainstream Christianity.
I'm personally of the mindset that Jesus doesn't have a favorite political party. Actually, I think that he is disgusted by politics and most of what we have done in his name. There has been a lot of talk in this election about the 'moral high ground.' The truth is that neither side has it. Where does this leave Christians that truly want to do what Jesus would want? I really don't know. I'll let you know if God sends me some divine revelation on this topic. Right now, I'm just interested to see how the manifesto addresses some of these issues and if it's really a step away from the status quo.
I recently came across this story on CNN.com. It's entitled "'An Evangelical Manifesto' criticizes politics of faith." On Wednesday, some conservative leaders are going to release a self-critical 'manifesto' detailing how Christians on both sides of politics have twisted the spirit of Christianity to suit their own causes. Although the document is signed by about eighty Christian leaders, big-name leaders such as James Dobson didn't sign it. Southern Baptists weren't even invited to the party (which should be a signal to the SBC that something isn't quite right).
My reaction after getting over my natural skepticism: this is great! Sure, major leaders didn't sign the manifesto, but at least there are those in the mainstream that are starting to realize that something is horribly wrong. As with AA, the first step is to admit that there is a problem. My sincere hope and prayer is that the manifesto is not a dead document from the beginning. It would be great if this is the beginning of major change in mainstream Christianity.
I'm personally of the mindset that Jesus doesn't have a favorite political party. Actually, I think that he is disgusted by politics and most of what we have done in his name. There has been a lot of talk in this election about the 'moral high ground.' The truth is that neither side has it. Where does this leave Christians that truly want to do what Jesus would want? I really don't know. I'll let you know if God sends me some divine revelation on this topic. Right now, I'm just interested to see how the manifesto addresses some of these issues and if it's really a step away from the status quo.
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