Saturday, June 28, 2008
Free Rice Vocabulary Game
If you want to build some vocabulary, show off your own, or just get better at Balderdash and help feed the poor at the same time check out Free Rice. It's a great site for someone who remembers that "a baloo is a bear" or "a yonker is a young man". Where else would I have learned that a fleam is a type of lancet. So bulk up your semantic muscles and help some people out.
Friday, June 06, 2008
Worship Haiku
A couple of weeks ago at our LIFE group we studies Psalm 121. As part of our worship for the night I asked people who were there to think of a Bible verse that was meaningful to them and write a haiku inspired by that verse in praise of God. I ended up doing three.
"Glorious are you, more majestic
than the mountains of prey." Psalm 76:4 (ESV)
Resplendent with light,
Rocky lairs of deer and goats
Kneel before you, Lord.
"All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away." Isaiah 64:6 (NIV)
"'Come now, let us reason together', says the LORD:
'though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.'" Isaiah 1:18 (ESV)
Filthy rags, my good.
Cleansed in the fire of your blood
I wear robes of grace.
"I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth." Psalm 121:1-2 (ESV)
Mountains firm and strong
Seem immovable but melt.
True strength is from God.
"Glorious are you, more majestic
than the mountains of prey." Psalm 76:4 (ESV)
Resplendent with light,
Rocky lairs of deer and goats
Kneel before you, Lord.
"All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away." Isaiah 64:6 (NIV)
"'Come now, let us reason together', says the LORD:
'though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.'" Isaiah 1:18 (ESV)
Filthy rags, my good.
Cleansed in the fire of your blood
I wear robes of grace.
"I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth." Psalm 121:1-2 (ESV)
Mountains firm and strong
Seem immovable but melt.
True strength is from God.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Feeling Pretty Good About This One
Your English Skills: |
 Grammar: 100% Punctuation: 100% Vocabulary: 100% Spelling: 80% |
Monday, May 19, 2008
Evidence I Need to Grow Up
I really ought to have grown out of this but I couldn't resist. I'm weeding a book called The Church Ministering to Rural Life. It was published in the 40's by The Home Mission and Church Erection Society of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. Perhaps they were too united? It also reminded me of an art history lecture from my freshman year of college where the professor, a Norwegian old enough to have been in a Nazi concentration camp referred to the feat of constructing a gothic cathedral in a relatively short time (less than fifty years?) as "a very speedy erection." I shouldn't, but I still get a chuckle from that sort of thing.
Friday, May 16, 2008
ACTS prayer
Last week my friend Eric spoke to the youth group about James 5:13-18 primarily focusing on the idea of effective prayer. He went through the ACTS prayer model with kids but gave it a twist I hadn't noticed before. The acronym ACTS is:
Adoration (Eric described this as focused on Who God is)
Confession (Who we are)
Thanksgiving (What God has done. "Part of prayer is worship. The two can never be separated.")
Supplication (Trusting God to supply or as I phrased, What we hope God will do)
Eric also talked about a fifth element, Lamentation, which involves bringing our sadness and pain to God. I've heard the model many times before but I hadn't heard it described in terms of the relation of each element to its focus in God or us and found that very interesting. I hope to incorporate that way of thinking more in my own prayer life.
Eric went on to talk a little about what made Elijah's prayer effective. It was effective because Elijah knew God's will as expressed in scripture and prayed confidently in line with that because he believed what was written. Therefore in our own prayer lives we should know and trust the promises of God. In turn that will direct us in how to pray and what to expect. I thought it was a very helpful discussion of prayer. Afterwards as small groups we took 15-20 minutes to just pray through the model. The guys in the group I was with really seemed to be grasping the basics of the idea and it was encouraging to pray with them.
Eric graduated from seminary last week and has returned home to North Carolina to start an internship in a church. I'll miss him. He was a fun guy and genuinely interested in the youth and in helping them to grow in their relationship with God and especially in the area of worship. I hope he's blessed in his new church and that church is blessed with him.
In other general life news Steve, a few other friends, and myself saw Iron Man two weeks ago and really liked it. Steve and I saw Speed Racer last week and liked it less than Iron Man but had fun anyway. Monday we took the day off and went to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. That was fun and educational and involved lions and tigers and tyrannosaurs, oh my! Btw, should a tyrannosaur named "Sue" be referred to as a tyrannosaurus regina? Though if the name was given by a deadbeat papa tyrannosaur as a way to make the offspring strong.... We also saw exhibits on Pre-Columbian America, the religious customs of various Pacific islands, Tibet, and a special exhibit on mythical creatures. We enjoyed it but it can be very tiring walking from Union Station to the Museum, walking around the museum all day, and then walking back to the station. Tomorrow we'll go see Prince Caspian and I'll enjoy it while Steve grumbles about things not being like the book. I also got to see some of the youth from church perform in a production of the musical of Alice in Wonderland. It was even weirder than the book. Still the did a good job and Amber was especially good as the Cheshire Cat doing some impressive soul music dancing. At work we've started another massive summer weeding project so I'm helping to shuffle up to 10,000 books off the mortal coil.
Verse of the day:
"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops." James 5:13-18 (NIV)
Random Conversation and quote:
"Who knows what it means to adore?" leader
"It's like a dog." student
Blank look. leader
"Like love." same student after a whispered conference with her friend
"Exactly." relieved leader
"Kids connect to God through games." Unnamed youth pastor.
Adoration (Eric described this as focused on Who God is)
Confession (Who we are)
Thanksgiving (What God has done. "Part of prayer is worship. The two can never be separated.")
Supplication (Trusting God to supply or as I phrased, What we hope God will do)
Eric also talked about a fifth element, Lamentation, which involves bringing our sadness and pain to God. I've heard the model many times before but I hadn't heard it described in terms of the relation of each element to its focus in God or us and found that very interesting. I hope to incorporate that way of thinking more in my own prayer life.
Eric went on to talk a little about what made Elijah's prayer effective. It was effective because Elijah knew God's will as expressed in scripture and prayed confidently in line with that because he believed what was written. Therefore in our own prayer lives we should know and trust the promises of God. In turn that will direct us in how to pray and what to expect. I thought it was a very helpful discussion of prayer. Afterwards as small groups we took 15-20 minutes to just pray through the model. The guys in the group I was with really seemed to be grasping the basics of the idea and it was encouraging to pray with them.
Eric graduated from seminary last week and has returned home to North Carolina to start an internship in a church. I'll miss him. He was a fun guy and genuinely interested in the youth and in helping them to grow in their relationship with God and especially in the area of worship. I hope he's blessed in his new church and that church is blessed with him.
In other general life news Steve, a few other friends, and myself saw Iron Man two weeks ago and really liked it. Steve and I saw Speed Racer last week and liked it less than Iron Man but had fun anyway. Monday we took the day off and went to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. That was fun and educational and involved lions and tigers and tyrannosaurs, oh my! Btw, should a tyrannosaur named "Sue" be referred to as a tyrannosaurus regina? Though if the name was given by a deadbeat papa tyrannosaur as a way to make the offspring strong.... We also saw exhibits on Pre-Columbian America, the religious customs of various Pacific islands, Tibet, and a special exhibit on mythical creatures. We enjoyed it but it can be very tiring walking from Union Station to the Museum, walking around the museum all day, and then walking back to the station. Tomorrow we'll go see Prince Caspian and I'll enjoy it while Steve grumbles about things not being like the book. I also got to see some of the youth from church perform in a production of the musical of Alice in Wonderland. It was even weirder than the book. Still the did a good job and Amber was especially good as the Cheshire Cat doing some impressive soul music dancing. At work we've started another massive summer weeding project so I'm helping to shuffle up to 10,000 books off the mortal coil.
Verse of the day:
"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops." James 5:13-18 (NIV)
Random Conversation and quote:
"Who knows what it means to adore?" leader
"It's like a dog." student
Blank look. leader
"Like love." same student after a whispered conference with her friend
"Exactly." relieved leader
"Kids connect to God through games." Unnamed youth pastor.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Life in April
I missed the second anniversary of my time on blogger. I'm a wee bit bummed by that. It's not as though there's much to celebrate, but still. Anyway, I've enjoyed April. On the 10th I got to visit Menno-Hof in Shipshewana, Indiana. That was a really interesting and inspirational time and involved meeting a TEDS alumnus from before I was born. On the 11th I attended the spring meeting of the Chicago Area Theological Library Association at Calvin Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I also hit some impressive used bookstores in GR on Friday night and Saturday morning, and B.D.'s Mongolian Barbecue. I was muy bummed when the Vernon Hills B.D.'s closed last year. On the 12th I also got to go for nice short hike at the Cowles Bog Nature Area in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. That was a cool rainy Saturday so I had the park to myself except for a couple of people on their way out that I encountered on my way in. It was very peaceful and a beautiful path through the woods and over the dunes to the Lake. Because of the weather the Lake was choppy with a mist blowing in. It was only spoiled by the big steel mill 300 yards away down the beach. Still I enjoyed it very much.
On the 16th I got to teach the youth on James 5:1-6 which is a very challenging passage to meditate on and to teach to suburban American middle school kids. The other youth leaders were encouraging about the message and how it challenged them and one of the parents told me that her daughter had one of the verse references from the message written on her hand when she came home so she could look it up and think about it. That was really encouraging. On the whole I hope I was able to challenge the kids to think about how they use what God has given them without being too condemning. On the 18th-19th we had a lock in at the church that was a lot of fun. Also on the 18th we had a farewell party for my friend Anthony who is moving to Florida to paint cars but who will probably be eaten by alligators. We'll miss him very much. On the 20th we had our annual church meeting where we learned of the elders' plan to form a leadership task force of members who will help our church figure out what sort of leadership structure we need in the wake of all the resignations last year. It's nice to have a plan, even if it's just to develop a plan.
This past week was fairly uneventful although it involved a few fun games of Ticket to Ride and at a game night on Saturday I learned to play Quelf, which is boffo, if bizarre. On Sunday we had a lunch for the college students that was hosted at the home of one of the families from the church. The food and fellowship were both good and the student's seemed to have a good time of respite from the end of the semester crunch. As we were standing around talking after the meal it was mentioned that the Sans' dog Snowflake, a German Shepherd/Samoyed mix, knew the word "squirrel". Linda told Snowflake to go get the squirrel, expecting the dog to go to the window and bark. Instead, Snowflake ran over and sat in front of me and barked. Steve, a.k.a. Hot Barbecue (or, possibly, Willow) is now threatening to nickname me "Squirrel". I find that amusing. Tomorrow, Monday, Hot Barbecue and I are joining our executive pastor and another man from the church and going to see the White Sox play the Orioles. We will be 14 rows back from home plate, using tix that were given to Eric by the singer of the national anthem at one of the Saturday doubleheader games. Woohoo! Go Sox!
In other news, Battlestar Galactica and Dr. Who have started their new seasons, which a friend is being kind enough to record for Hot Barbecue and I until she moves out of her satellite dish. Also I've seen Leatherheads, Forbidden Kingdom, and Expelled, which I may blog about some other time. It was a very interesting movie.
Verse of the day:
"They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings--and with him will be his called, chosen, and faithful followers." Revelation 17:14 (NIV) the theme verse from Eric's sermon this morning, about which I will be blogging anon, the third in a miniseries on spiritual warfare.
On the 16th I got to teach the youth on James 5:1-6 which is a very challenging passage to meditate on and to teach to suburban American middle school kids. The other youth leaders were encouraging about the message and how it challenged them and one of the parents told me that her daughter had one of the verse references from the message written on her hand when she came home so she could look it up and think about it. That was really encouraging. On the whole I hope I was able to challenge the kids to think about how they use what God has given them without being too condemning. On the 18th-19th we had a lock in at the church that was a lot of fun. Also on the 18th we had a farewell party for my friend Anthony who is moving to Florida to paint cars but who will probably be eaten by alligators. We'll miss him very much. On the 20th we had our annual church meeting where we learned of the elders' plan to form a leadership task force of members who will help our church figure out what sort of leadership structure we need in the wake of all the resignations last year. It's nice to have a plan, even if it's just to develop a plan.
This past week was fairly uneventful although it involved a few fun games of Ticket to Ride and at a game night on Saturday I learned to play Quelf, which is boffo, if bizarre. On Sunday we had a lunch for the college students that was hosted at the home of one of the families from the church. The food and fellowship were both good and the student's seemed to have a good time of respite from the end of the semester crunch. As we were standing around talking after the meal it was mentioned that the Sans' dog Snowflake, a German Shepherd/Samoyed mix, knew the word "squirrel". Linda told Snowflake to go get the squirrel, expecting the dog to go to the window and bark. Instead, Snowflake ran over and sat in front of me and barked. Steve, a.k.a. Hot Barbecue (or, possibly, Willow) is now threatening to nickname me "Squirrel". I find that amusing. Tomorrow, Monday, Hot Barbecue and I are joining our executive pastor and another man from the church and going to see the White Sox play the Orioles. We will be 14 rows back from home plate, using tix that were given to Eric by the singer of the national anthem at one of the Saturday doubleheader games. Woohoo! Go Sox!
In other news, Battlestar Galactica and Dr. Who have started their new seasons, which a friend is being kind enough to record for Hot Barbecue and I until she moves out of her satellite dish. Also I've seen Leatherheads, Forbidden Kingdom, and Expelled, which I may blog about some other time. It was a very interesting movie.
Verse of the day:
"They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings--and with him will be his called, chosen, and faithful followers." Revelation 17:14 (NIV) the theme verse from Eric's sermon this morning, about which I will be blogging anon, the third in a miniseries on spiritual warfare.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Quick Update and Amusing Quotes
I had a good time over the last weekend. Steve and I finished Battlestar Galactica season 3, so we should be ready for the premier of season 4 on Friday. I especially liked the use of "All Along the Watchtower" in the final episode. I got to hang out and go bowling with friends on Saturday night and then hang out at Denny's afterward. Sunday was a good church service. Tuesday afternoon I attended an informational forum on library school hosted by the North Suburban Library System with representatives from Dominican University and the University of Illinois. I'm feeling a more motivated toward applying. Now if only I can find someone to buy some of these arms and legs so I can afford it. Tuesday night we finished up our study of the life of Joseph, so that's been good. I've also been helping out with a display at work. You can see the web portion here. I think Matt did a good job putting the page together.
Random amusing quotes:
"I feel like March came in like a lion, then turned into a lamb. Then another lion came along and ate the lamb and I'm afraid there won't be any more lambs." JA on our recent weather.
"That could have been any short person with a head." My response to Steve in a discussion of how I missed that the car in front of us was driven by a friend. Sometimes it would be nice to think at least as far as the end of the sentence before speaking.
Happy Eastertide.
Random amusing quotes:
"I feel like March came in like a lion, then turned into a lamb. Then another lion came along and ate the lamb and I'm afraid there won't be any more lambs." JA on our recent weather.
"That could have been any short person with a head." My response to Steve in a discussion of how I missed that the car in front of us was driven by a friend. Sometimes it would be nice to think at least as far as the end of the sentence before speaking.
Happy Eastertide.
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