God sent his Son- they called Him Jesus;
He came to love, heal and forgive.
He lived and died to buy my pardon;
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.
Because He lives I can face tomorrow;
Because He lives, all fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.
by Bill and Gloria Gaither
Monday, January 08, 2007
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Let's Translate Augustine
Confessions 1.1.1
Great are you, Lord, and to be praised highly. Great is your power, and of your wisdom there is no measure. And man wants to praise you, being some part of your creation - even man who carries around his mortality, who carries around the evidence of his sin and the evidence that you resist the proud; and nevertheless man wants to praise you, as he is a part of your creation. You arouse him that he should delight to praise you, since you have made us towards you and our heart is unquiet until it rests in you. Grant to me, Lord, to know and understand whether it comes first to call on you or to praise you, and whether knowing you comes before calling on you. But who calls upon you who does not know you? For the ignorant can invoke something for another. Or rather are you called upon so that you may be known? But how will they call upon him, in whom they have not believed? Or how will they believe without someone preaching? And they will praise the Lord who are seeking him: for those searching will find him and they who find will praise him. Let me seek you, Lord, calling on you and let me call on you believing in you: for you have been declared to us. My faith calls upon you, Lord - the faith which you gave to me, which you breathed into me through the humanity of your son, through the service of your preacher.
Translated from this J.J. O'Donnell text.
Great are you, Lord, and to be praised highly. Great is your power, and of your wisdom there is no measure. And man wants to praise you, being some part of your creation - even man who carries around his mortality, who carries around the evidence of his sin and the evidence that you resist the proud; and nevertheless man wants to praise you, as he is a part of your creation. You arouse him that he should delight to praise you, since you have made us towards you and our heart is unquiet until it rests in you. Grant to me, Lord, to know and understand whether it comes first to call on you or to praise you, and whether knowing you comes before calling on you. But who calls upon you who does not know you? For the ignorant can invoke something for another. Or rather are you called upon so that you may be known? But how will they call upon him, in whom they have not believed? Or how will they believe without someone preaching? And they will praise the Lord who are seeking him: for those searching will find him and they who find will praise him. Let me seek you, Lord, calling on you and let me call on you believing in you: for you have been declared to us. My faith calls upon you, Lord - the faith which you gave to me, which you breathed into me through the humanity of your son, through the service of your preacher.
Translated from this J.J. O'Donnell text.
Please read this lyric until you grasp its meaning and force.
"To these people I owe my greatest apologies,
for I have been made aware of their needs,
but I'm afraid that I might share in His disgrace."
band: Anathallo
song: I Thought in my Heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good." But that also proved to be meaningless
album: Sparrows
for I have been made aware of their needs,
but I'm afraid that I might share in His disgrace."
band: Anathallo
song: I Thought in my Heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good." But that also proved to be meaningless
album: Sparrows
Friday, January 05, 2007
Atom Feeds
My entire habit of online reading has recently been super-enhanced. I have just become hip to web-site feeds and site feed services.
The gist of it is this: Many websites (especially ones that are frequently updated like news sites and weblogs) support some type of RSS or Atom feed. This hyper-link “publishes” the site’s updates to be fed to any service that can “receive” these. There are many such services available, but I’m using Google Reader, which is in its beginning stages and still under improvement. These services will search for and upload all the feeds you “subscribe” to. That way, you don’t have run around the internet like a chicken with your head cut-off, checking all the websites you regularly go to for updates. You don’t even have to visit them at all, you can just log in to your news feed server which will update you when your sites are updated. Google Reader will even load the text of the article for you, so you don’t even have to go the source site to read it! That’s why it’s called a subscription: the site-feed comes right to your online “front-door,” just like a newspaper. Voila. Your life and mine is simplified. Praise the Lord.
Here is a wikipedia article that explains all this, and here is a link to Google reader. Make your life easier now.
Also, because of this wonderful technology, I have added a new item to my blog, where you can access all of my recommended or ‘shared’ online reading. You can either do this by clicking the individual links to my recommendations in “My Shared Reading,” or you can click the bottom link 'Read more...' which will take you to a page where you can read all of my shared articles without having to read them link by link.
Happy reading!
The gist of it is this: Many websites (especially ones that are frequently updated like news sites and weblogs) support some type of RSS or Atom feed. This hyper-link “publishes” the site’s updates to be fed to any service that can “receive” these. There are many such services available, but I’m using Google Reader, which is in its beginning stages and still under improvement. These services will search for and upload all the feeds you “subscribe” to. That way, you don’t have run around the internet like a chicken with your head cut-off, checking all the websites you regularly go to for updates. You don’t even have to visit them at all, you can just log in to your news feed server which will update you when your sites are updated. Google Reader will even load the text of the article for you, so you don’t even have to go the source site to read it! That’s why it’s called a subscription: the site-feed comes right to your online “front-door,” just like a newspaper. Voila. Your life and mine is simplified. Praise the Lord.
Here is a wikipedia article that explains all this, and here is a link to Google reader. Make your life easier now.
Also, because of this wonderful technology, I have added a new item to my blog, where you can access all of my recommended or ‘shared’ online reading. You can either do this by clicking the individual links to my recommendations in “My Shared Reading,” or you can click the bottom link 'Read more...' which will take you to a page where you can read all of my shared articles without having to read them link by link.
Happy reading!
Thursday, January 04, 2007
What's up with Scott?
A fresh life update is in order.
My sister is doing great. She’s first chair cello in IWU’s orchestra, and playing in the string quartet. She loves both, and is also taking and teaching cello lessons. She’s going to school for free (praise the Lord, so am I).
My parents are doing great, too. My mom is on vacation for a week, and Dad just got a new electric razor for Christmas, not to mention his “Deal or No Deal” home DVD game. We got my mother an IWU sweatshirt for Christmas that says, “MOM” (she says it says ‘wow,’ but I don’t think she’s looking at it straight :-). We just received (or inherited) some furniture from my uncle Tom and aunt Kay, who were graciously happy to get it off their hands and out of their basement. One is a recliner, the other a small dining table. Thanks!
My friend Burke Sullivan is studying Christian Ministries at Indiana Wesleyan along with me. Next semester we have four classes together. Four! Unbelievable. In fact, it is convenient that we have them together, in order to sufficiently bear their burden: they are four 85 minute classes in a row, twice a week. That’s right—5 hours and 20 minutes of class every Tuesday and Thursday. Burke feels called to some kind of full-time Christian service.
My friend Jake Hogan is well on his way to law school, now a junior Pre-Law, Political Science and International Relations major at Indiana Wesleyan. He’s working his way to becoming a shining star in the Social Sciences dept., while being a great friend and a steady IWU Conference Services worker. (There is an Information Desk in the Student Center where he works; the kicker is, almost no one needs information . . . so the workers get to talk and do homework for minimum wage.) Jake wants to become a lawyer and help people get healthcare who can’t afford it.
My friend Dusty Fecht is currently a senior Religion/Philosophy major at school, who recently married Natalie (how quickly I’ve forgotten her maiden name!) this summer. He and Natalie are attending Gethsemane Episcopal Church in Marion, IN, and they are currently spying out future seminary options.
My friend Joe Vitiello is a senior Art major at IWU, finally finding his niche after a few years of searching. He recently took a digital photography class, wherein he learned to despise creating art with machinery. He would rather paint. This semester he’s doing an Independent Study in Art History, and an internship teaching kids art after school at the Boys and Girls club. He’s psyched about both, and hopes to score a job nearby and stick around town.
My friend Adam Thada is loving life with his wife, Becky. They’re enjoying a TV-free life in an upstairs apartment in north (I think) Marion. Adam is studying Economics and International/Community Development, and Becky is student teaching. Adam is a good friend, and my number one man when it comes to economics, trade, anti-consumerism and conservation.
My professors are overworked, but are doing marvelously. You can click their links to the right to read their current minds.
I merely squeaked by last semester. This time we’re gonna give it a more diligent try. I’m now more aware of myself, of the way I think and my motivations, so hopefully I can avoid some of the big pitfalls of last semester.
This coming semester I am taking: History of Christianity I, History of Christianity II, Christology, Evangelism and Global Outreach (+ practicum), and Corinthian and Thessalonian Letters. All but one with Burke Sullivan. Woohoo!
I just bought a CD, but I don’t like it. I won’t tell you what it is, so as to hurt no one’s feelings, or discourage any potential fans or future buyers. [Sorry, Frank :-(]
Some of you may or may not know that I recently went through a period of questioning my Wesleyan loyalty. I believe that period has passed, and I am nearly dead sure I won’t leave home. Please rest assured.
I want to be a missionary. I want to preach the gospel. I want to help the helpless. I want to be a theologian. After college I want to go to Duke Divinity School, Princeton, or Asbury Seminary, preferred in that order. I want to get married and raise a family, Lord willing. I want to change my world.
Amen.
My sister is doing great. She’s first chair cello in IWU’s orchestra, and playing in the string quartet. She loves both, and is also taking and teaching cello lessons. She’s going to school for free (praise the Lord, so am I).
My parents are doing great, too. My mom is on vacation for a week, and Dad just got a new electric razor for Christmas, not to mention his “Deal or No Deal” home DVD game. We got my mother an IWU sweatshirt for Christmas that says, “MOM” (she says it says ‘wow,’ but I don’t think she’s looking at it straight :-). We just received (or inherited) some furniture from my uncle Tom and aunt Kay, who were graciously happy to get it off their hands and out of their basement. One is a recliner, the other a small dining table. Thanks!
My friend Burke Sullivan is studying Christian Ministries at Indiana Wesleyan along with me. Next semester we have four classes together. Four! Unbelievable. In fact, it is convenient that we have them together, in order to sufficiently bear their burden: they are four 85 minute classes in a row, twice a week. That’s right—5 hours and 20 minutes of class every Tuesday and Thursday. Burke feels called to some kind of full-time Christian service.
My friend Jake Hogan is well on his way to law school, now a junior Pre-Law, Political Science and International Relations major at Indiana Wesleyan. He’s working his way to becoming a shining star in the Social Sciences dept., while being a great friend and a steady IWU Conference Services worker. (There is an Information Desk in the Student Center where he works; the kicker is, almost no one needs information . . . so the workers get to talk and do homework for minimum wage.) Jake wants to become a lawyer and help people get healthcare who can’t afford it.
My friend Dusty Fecht is currently a senior Religion/Philosophy major at school, who recently married Natalie (how quickly I’ve forgotten her maiden name!) this summer. He and Natalie are attending Gethsemane Episcopal Church in Marion, IN, and they are currently spying out future seminary options.
My friend Joe Vitiello is a senior Art major at IWU, finally finding his niche after a few years of searching. He recently took a digital photography class, wherein he learned to despise creating art with machinery. He would rather paint. This semester he’s doing an Independent Study in Art History, and an internship teaching kids art after school at the Boys and Girls club. He’s psyched about both, and hopes to score a job nearby and stick around town.
My friend Adam Thada is loving life with his wife, Becky. They’re enjoying a TV-free life in an upstairs apartment in north (I think) Marion. Adam is studying Economics and International/Community Development, and Becky is student teaching. Adam is a good friend, and my number one man when it comes to economics, trade, anti-consumerism and conservation.
My professors are overworked, but are doing marvelously. You can click their links to the right to read their current minds.
I merely squeaked by last semester. This time we’re gonna give it a more diligent try. I’m now more aware of myself, of the way I think and my motivations, so hopefully I can avoid some of the big pitfalls of last semester.
This coming semester I am taking: History of Christianity I, History of Christianity II, Christology, Evangelism and Global Outreach (+ practicum), and Corinthian and Thessalonian Letters. All but one with Burke Sullivan. Woohoo!
I just bought a CD, but I don’t like it. I won’t tell you what it is, so as to hurt no one’s feelings, or discourage any potential fans or future buyers. [Sorry, Frank :-(]
Some of you may or may not know that I recently went through a period of questioning my Wesleyan loyalty. I believe that period has passed, and I am nearly dead sure I won’t leave home. Please rest assured.
I want to be a missionary. I want to preach the gospel. I want to help the helpless. I want to be a theologian. After college I want to go to Duke Divinity School, Princeton, or Asbury Seminary, preferred in that order. I want to get married and raise a family, Lord willing. I want to change my world.
Amen.
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