Do it yourself

You'd think if we were exporting all of our jobs, we'd at least have the sensibility to export our tools as well, so that we don't need a set of Chinese screwdrivers* to take apart a simple household fan.

But no...



*Not a racism comment. They have different (normally smaller) tools in China.

"Freedom" by Run Kid Run

I heard this song last night on the radio. It's awesome. Partly because it's a great song, but mostly because it's so true.

Our God is a truly awesome God!

"One thing must be emphatically stated.

The New Testament books did not become authoritative for the Church because they were formally included in a canonical list; on the contrary, the Church included them in her canon because she already regarded them as divinely inspired, recognizing their innate worth and generally apostolic authority, direct or indirect. The first ecclesiastical councils to classify the canonical books were both held in North Africa-at Hippo Regius in 393 and at Carthage in 397-but what these councils did was not to impose something new upon the Christian communities but to codify what was already the general practice of those communities."

~FF Bruce, The Reliability of NT documents, Ch 3.

"Sooner or later, Daddy and I will find out..."

This phrase emerged from the archives of my brain tonight. It was often said to us as kids: partly to convince my brother and I to tell our parents the truth, and partly to get us to behave (whether they were looking or not.)

But I made a realization tonight: that's not true. They don't always find out. They don't always know.

And I knew this, of course, but I never really made all of the connections. And part of me was a little sad, to be quite honest. How much better it would be-- I thought-- if they DID know. Then perhaps we'd be compelled to behave...or at least tell the truth. Because our parents would know about it.

And then I realized something:
We do have a Parent who knows what we do. God didn't reveal Himself to us as Father for no reason. He indeed knows all that we do.

And yet...are we any more well-behaved because of it?

A paradox...

Dungeons and Dragons. I've never played it, and honestly don't know much about it. To the best of my knowledge it's an RPG board game. I know people who've played it, I know it's popular, and that most people like it.

I also know that it DID (and perhaps still does in some small circles) have a cult-like following. People, teens especially, I suppose were getting sucked into the game, spending all their time, energy, and money on it. Then if their character died, that which they had built their identity on died as well. And it wouldn't be much of a stretch that several committed suicide over the death of their character.

What's inherently bad: the idolatry of it. If your life cannot go on once a fictional game character has died, it was your functional savior. If you can't see your life without D & D then that's idolatry. And that's a sin.

Fine. Relatively straight-forward.

But then there are other's who take it further than that... Jack Chick for instance. Here he has a tract, in typical Jack Chick fashion, on the "evils" of D & D. He goes so far to say that they actually promote witchcraft, sorcery, and the like.

It that true? Some would say yes. Others would say no.

And then I read a blog post on Challies talking about how Al Mohler, CJ Mahaney, Mark Dever, and John Piper...the head-dudes for Together for the Gospel...play D & D.

And then I get confused...

Especially when at work today I came across a paper for clients to reflect on their histories, to see perhaps why they might be having troubles like they are.
Most of the options were pretty standard: have you or anyone up to 2 generations removed from you...
-participated in the occult?
-been molested? raped? a victim of incest?
-practiced divination? palm reading? Ouija boards?
-attempted suicide? inflicted harm upon yourself?
-been a member of a cult (whole big long list)?
....you know. Pretty standard stuff.

But then there was some other things that threw me off....
-played D & D?
-played Magic-The Gathering?
-played with a magic 8 ball?

It's interesting. B/c at least as far as something like D & D is concerned, it's a big ol' paradox:
-People who like the game say there's no witchcraft/evil inherent in the game
-People against the game will say that there is. (And they either "escaped" from it, in which case they're probably pushing some sort of agenda. Or they've never played it b/c they think it's evil, and therefore will never know.)
-Both sides will think their opponents are blind liars.

Dresses

The first of (perhaps) many rants on wedding dresses:

Just because I want a "modest" wedding dress does NOT mean that I am
1. fat
2. Mormon

That is all. Thank you.

Machine Translation

So, here I am. Studying for my Spanish final. And my book is talking about the pros and cons of machine (computer) translation, and if it's even worth putting money into, b/c it's so darn complicated. And it's talking about how it's especially hard with words that have various meanings, and how they might be translated.

This one is my favorite

"The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."=
"The vodka is good but the meat is rotten."

Perhaps we should do our translations by hand....

50 years ago...

...college students were getting crap for believing the Bible. It's very sad, but in some ways comforting to know that this is nothing new.

"in sending it forth afresh I continue to dedicate it to those university and college students throughout the world who, singly or in groups, maintain among their colleagues the apostolic witness to Jesus Christ our Lord.
F. F. B. April 1959."

-Preface to "The New Testament Documents: Are they reliable?" by FF Bruce

Like butter scraped over too much bread...

It's coming down to the end. And my motivation is fading fast. I keep thinking I just have to wait until....my pysc project is done, my finals are done, I go see John, I start my summer internship....and THEN things'll be better.

And the little Humanities teacher in my head is punching my brain, saying Live in the moment, live in the moment, live in the moment!

I'm trying. I know that God put me here to do something specific in this place and time. And maybe that's just homework for the time-being. But He has planned it, so I need to live it as He wants me to.

That doesn't make it easy... but I know that "for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." (Rom 8:28)

Even homework. :-)

It's 3 o'clock on a Tuesday

And my translation still sounds like...well, a translation.

You know what that means?!?

Techno time!

In Honor of Velociraptor Awareness Day

http://xkcd.com/87/

http://xkcd.com/135/

(Don't forget to scroll over the pictures to see the extra message!)

With thanks to Mrs. Amy Lynn Kalmar-Jam

This, you may recall is the author of my NT class textbook- the infamous Bart Ehrman- on the Colbert Report. It's most amusing. Enjoy. :-)

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Bart Ehrman
colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor NASA Name Contest

Phraseology

So, a lot of our idioms don't translate word for word into other languages. Spanish is no exception.

Perhaps my favorite phrase I've learned yet:

English phrase- to let the fox guard the hen house
Spanish phrase- poner la iglesia en manos de Lutero
Literal English translation- to put the Church in Luther's hands

:-D

Easter Break Homework

If I were my NT professor, the only assignment I'd give to my students would be to go to/ watch an Easter service. After all, isn't that the point of the whole Bible?

But, no. I get to compare "inconsistencies" between Galatians and Acts...

From my community service paper

"People won’t listen to you unless they respect you. And they won’t respect you unless you respect them."

I wrote it, then read it and was really please with what I saw. Praise God for insight! :-D

Mira!

I'm working on my Spanish translation, which I figure I'll be pretty proud of when all is said and done.

This is my word of the day. And perhaps of my life. Alfajores. It doesn't really translate, but if I had to guess, I'd say it means "love and happiness."

Brave by Nichole Nordeman

The gate is wide
The road is paved in moderation
The crowd is kind and quick to pull you in
Welcome to the middle ground
You're safe and sound and
Until now it's where I've been

'Cause it's been fear that ties me down to everything
But it's been love, Your love, that cuts the strings

So long status quo
I think I just let go
You make me want to be brave
The way it always was
Is no longer good enough
You make me want to be brave
Brave, brave

I am small
And I speak when I'm spoken to
But I am willing to risk it all
I say Your name
Just Your name and I'm ready to jump
Even ready to fall...

Why did I take this vow of compromise?
Why did I try to keep it all inside?

So long status quo
I think I just let go
You make me want to be brave
The way it always was
Is no longer good enough
You make me want to be brave
Brave, brave

I've never known a fire that didn't begin with a flame
Every storm will start with just a drop of rain
But if you believe in me
That changes everything
So long, I'm gone

So long status quo
I think I just let go
You make me want to be brave
I wanna be brave
The way it always was
Is no longer good enough
You make me want to be brave
Brave, brave

Random tidbits

~According to the middle school kids I work with, I'm gay. Because when I have a cup in my hand I have a tendency to swirl it subconsciously (because I do that to my coffee in the morning to mix it better.) I'm not sure what they have found in their extensive amounts of scientific and psychological research that has lead them to this conclusion, but I think they need to double-check their data. (Or just stop calling everyone and their mom "gay".)

~In England the expression "everyone and their brother" (or mom, as I tend to modify it) is "everyone and their dog."

~"Potable": def. suitable for drinking. Good to know. I was thinking that it was an alternate pronunciation of "portable."

~I may actually get an A in Spanish this semester! It would be the only A I've gotten in a college Spanish class. I'm pretty excited!

What a fallen, fallen world...

A friend of mine, a 6th grader, asked my advice on what to do with a friend who talks about suicide and cuts himself with a pencil...

It breaks my heart to even think that a 12 year old would face such problems.

There's a grief that can't be spoken