Christmas in... October

Does this always go up before Halloween?! Mitch, off hand do you know the dates of the installations over, oh, say, the last few decades? Just for comparison's sake?

Limited Atonement?

As a Calvinist who has recently found himself hanging out with Lutherans, this question - or some form of it - commonly comes up. I asked this question to the man (Eggold) who will probably become my pastor, and he didn't even hesitate to answer number three! Hmmm...

Me as Martin

This is from a costume party last night at the Ritzman's.

Shelfari

A dear friend, Angela Wu, sucked me into Shelfari. Not sure whether it'll go anywhere, but it's kind of fun...

The Spread of Religion in 90 Seconds

It might seem pointless to some post-moderns, but I found this interesting. At the end, you can clearly notice the 10-40 window

Three Great New Books

Hallie and I are sitting around the dining room table getting all excited about three new books she got via Amazon. Even though she's just begun reading the first, we both know there's no doubt we'd recommend all three. This is a huge issue, with major implications. So get the books and read them, especially if you're getting ready to give birth.

Born in the USA: How a Broken Maternity System Must Be Fixed to Put Women and Children First
Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care
Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born

Television

This article is more than a year old now, but I just found it and it's still stunning. Maybe it takes on more significance now that we've been three months without a TV. A few of the zingers:

The average American home now has more television sets than people.

David and Teresa Leon of Schenectady, N.Y. and their four-year-old twins have seven sets, plus an eighth they haven't set up yet.

In the average home, a television set is turned on for more than a third of the day — eight hours, 14 minutes.

The average person watches four hours, 35 minutes of television each day.

99 Balloons

The homepage states this video has been viewed over 170,000 times, so some of you I'm sure have seen it. But just in case... It's about six minutes. Be sure to have a tissue handy.

Eliot was born with an undeveloped lung, a heart with a hole in it and DNA that placed faulty information into each and every cell of his body. However, that could not stop the living God from proclaiming Himself through this boy who never uttered a word.

In the midst of heartbreaking tragedy, the Mooney family found the presence of God strengthening, comforting, and guiding them. Their story reminds us to seek God and endure our struggles rather than blame Him for our hardships.

Wow!

(HT: JT)

Anthony Wayne Building

Not a bad shot for a digital point and click while walking by with four kids in tow this past Saturday...




more photos...

The Good City

I'm a little late in announcing this, but better late than never. A FW friend and I have joined forces to contribute to the growing conversation about Christ, the city, callings, etc. Specifically as it relates to our little corner of the world. Jon seems to be doing most of the work thus far (thanks, buddy!), but I hope to make at least a decent contribution. Anyway, thought you might be interested...

The Good City

LCMS

So here we are in FW and find ourselves having a heck of a time finding a church with which we can agree on the essentials and in which we can participate fully in its ministry and mission. For somebody of a committed Calvinistic persuasion who is passionate about the city and cultural engagement, that's not so easy.

Enter the local and somewhat urban Emmanuel Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod). They are two blocks away from our rental house (and our building), are committed to the neighborhood and the downtown, are growing, are attempting to be relevant with differently targeted services, are orthodox and confessionally conservation, have a healthy intergenerational mix, etc. Many appealing things, to be sure. The big issue is... they're Lutheran! Hmmm...

So, any of my homies have any advice on a Calvinist joining forces with the LCMS??

AWB to Change Blog Name

I never thought I would comment on or reference AWB's blog, but this news is worth a mention. For those who don't know, AWB is a fairly big player in the local FW blogosphere. Unfortunately, his blog name, in addition to his withering attacks on his "enemies", have garnered as many critics as supporters. But maybe that will change, what with his latest offering. (Of course, it remains to be seen what he chooses, but could it really be worse than AWB!)

Mr. Turkette mentions that I played some small role in his decision to change the blog name. I'm honored by the recognition. But really, all we did the other night at the pub was confirm for him what he already knew: that his name was needlessly offending people and limiting the appeal of his main message. He said he'd been feeling that way already, so we just encouraged him to follow through on his instinct.

Mr. Turkette also seemed receptive to the idea that he could and should get his points across without insulting and denigrating his "opponents", something I reminded him that his Catholic beliefs forbid.

Though he owes me nothing, I'm impressed thus far by Mr. Turkette's change of heart. I pray it continue for his good, his enemies' good, and the good of this city.