Friday, February 27, 2009

Wow! She Can Dunk!


http://www.dennyburk.com/?p=3764
And she can get out on the break (unless she was cherry pickin’ the whole time….sure centers don’t ever do that ;-).

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Thursday, February 26, 2009

Willful Ignorance, Uninformed Opinions


http://www.boundlessline.org/2009/02/willful-ignorance-uninformed-opinions.html
Solomon answered this one:

Wise men store up knowledge,
But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.

A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil,
But a fool is arrogant and careless.

The wise of heart will receive commands,
But a babbling fool will be ruined.


And, to second (/third/fourth/wherever) the Farmer (in a way), I am sometimes the fool speaking.

If anyone didn’t read it, Tim Challies’ a-la-carte had a blip on the possible harm stemming from facebook/twitter/myspace obsessed youth.

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Eating Less Equals Losing Weight


http://www.boundlessline.org/2009/02/eating-less-equals-losing-weight.html
Ironically, I was listening to an infomercial the other day (not a normal habit of mine). The setup was interview-style. The guy hocking the product said “with today’s go-go-go attitude, it’s not your fault you’re fat”. That intrigued me. I listened further and the “interviewer” finally said “yeh, yeh, you know, you’re right. It’s not our fault. I mean the larger portions, the high fat meals, the fast food and lack of exercise, I mean we can’t help that. It’s not our fault we’re getting fat.”

As Dave Barry would say, I am not making this up. Apparently eating out, too many calories and no exercise is definitely not my fault. Phew, I’m glad I got that off my back*.

My daughter asked me why I was laughing. The commercial was for a “carb and fat blocker” with a slogan “eat whatever you want and never gain weight”. Symptomatic of our current times of wanting what we want right now without any responsibility or consequences (to tie in to that with which you started, Motte, a product of the McDonalds mentality…..no slight intended).

* - This is not to say everyone is overweight for these reasons, everyone has plenty of time to exercise 2 hours per day, etc.



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To further the mild nerdiness here, if I remember correctly from my Thermo days, we are actually speaking of kilocalories (1,000's).

See, Dr. Holman, I was really listening!

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Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Gospel Living in an Oscar Culture


http://www.dennyburk.com/?p=3723
Ted Slater had an interesting viewpoint. His quote:

And so when I interact with guys whose affections are toward other guys, I can get uncomfortable. What can I say? How can I even relate?
Well, you know what, I absolutely can relate. Though I've never had a homosexual thought in my life, like those who feel the draw of same-sex attraction (SSA), I have experienced my heart drawn toward things that Scripture says are unacceptable.


It’s an important point for me to remember. I may not relate in specific experience (with SSA), but I can certainly empathize (I struggle with sin as well, but, following the bible, I certainly don’t call dark light or evil good).

And I am curious, too, what is unbiblical about the comments here (assuming that as the reference in John’s remark in #20).



New Comment
with a bug that must have started last night!
--Blame it on MacAfee, oh, wait.....

Thanks, John, it was nice of you to shoot back the comment!

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Thursday, February 19, 2009

Shock: Bill Clinton says, “I’m a Calvinist”


http://www.irishcalvinist.com/?p=2431
I think Phil Gons might have hit it. Driscoll has been in the news lately and is labeled a Calvinist. The reporting done (on Driscoll), however, invariably turns to his views of biblical marriage and that includes men working hard for their families, etc.

Regardless, that is fuh-nee. So is Gons’ quote: …I don’t think I’ve ever before been so tempted to consider becoming an Arminian. :)

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Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Retreat!


http://www.challies.com/archives/christian-living/retreat.php
This hit me square in the face recently as I am meeting/discipling a teen. As David H pointed out, it's a new method, but not necessarily a new phenomenon (it's like there's nothing new under.......uh.........the airwaves or something). But man it seems more difficult to detach now than even compared to just a few years ago. I know I will get to face it even more with a soon-to-be teen daughter (wince).

One question, though. If we unplug from the internet and turn off our phones, how will google know where we're at?!?!

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Tuesday, February 17, 2009

A La Carte (2/17)


http://www.challies.com/sideblog/archives/2009/02/a_la_carte_217.php
Man, what a packed A La Carte!

I had the same question, JP (only I would not have been nearly so articulate to make it).

A very intriguing thought from (Wittmer’s piece on) Olasky:

“So why have the laws in the first place? Olasky argues that anti-abortion laws educated the people. They ‘did send a message of right and wrong. They forced abortionists to advertise in code, bribe policemen and politicians, and hire lawyers. Laws could not end abortion but it could reduce the butcher’s bill, just as laws against drunken driving today cannot end the practice but can save lives. Today, it’s still worthwhile to pass laws restricting abortion, but time and money spent on providing and promoting compassionate alternatives saves more lives.’”

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Wednesday, February 11, 2009

The Truth


http://cgrabe.blogspot.com/2009/02/truth.html
CIG:

Hey! I really just “happened” (Calvinist at heart ;-) to read your blog this morning, then I "happened" to read an article that resonated with what you wrote here:

http://www.cbmw.org/Blog/Posts/Eternity-and-the-Inconvenciences-of-Motherhood

Also, though, a comment (more of a thread) popped in my noggin as well. I keep rewriting it in my mind, I couldn’t get through without it ballooning too much, so I’ll just stick with this. Having kids is work. Especially as a newlywed (don’t know where you are on that “scale” of things), especially as a couple spending chunks of time without one another (read your latest post). Being married is work, too. You know both of these, but I think it’s always good to be reminded that when stuff like this strikes, you’re not alone (or absurd or abnormal....thinking otherwise is a trap I fall into sometimes!). I suppose, mostly, is to stay (be) encouraged. As stated, it does pass, and (as also stated) can turn into a marriage-wrecking monster if we try to act as though we can tame it/change it/deal with it ourselves (more of a general application, not pregnancy-restricted!). That takes strength that doesn't come from yourself. Like you say, rely on God.

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Wright’ New Book: This Is Irenic?


http://www.dennyburk.com/?p=3644
I’m not sure if I am qualified to comment here since I had to look up the word paronomasia, but just to throw in a thought anyway…..
Dr. Burk said that the reviews of the book touted it as having an irenic tone. The tone of the book as far as Dr. Burk had read is quite the opposite and has started off more bombastic and insulting. I haven’t read the book, so I can’t confirm, but what is written appears to be what is written in the book. Far from holding a peacemaking tone, it sounds like Dr. Wright is condescending (patronizing) toward those who disagree with him.

All that said, this was a comment on merely the preface and chapter one and Dr. Burk states that from the beginning (Having now read through the preface and chapter one, I have to say that Wright is getting off on the wrong foot if he’s trying to be irenic.).

And we should take what anyone says with a grain of salt, however, there is a vast difference between that and an “incapabilit[y] to review books”. One is a biblical admonition to weigh carefully what we hear (compared with scripture) and the other is simply an attack meant to be injurious. At least it would appear to me, anyway.

I can understand the vitriol if Dr. Burk had said that Dr. Wright’s book was awful because Dr. Burk disagreed. That isn’t the case. The post was aimed at how the book was championed as a source of a peaceable tone and, thus far (again, only a chapter and preface into it) does much damage to that view. So for the folks who just shredded the original post, what about the book was misquoted or wrong?*

* - John, the statement was that Wright invented “new perspective”. Not the new perspective. He mimicked Dr. Wright’s statement.



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I am serious when I ask this question. Would the beginning rejoinder parable in Festooned With Ribbons be considered a polemic? Or would that be an incorrect usage?

Darius, I think that is Wilson’s question (concern?) as well:
Perhaps this is because his insights have emerged in a fresh place -- his environment of mainstream Anglicanism -- which has perhaps been misleading to him. Anglicans are surprised when they discover that their bishop believes in God, and when they go on to discover a published faith in the resurrection, they begin to teeter. Is nothing stable anymore? So then when Wright surfaces in their midst as a kinder, gentler Rushdoony, nobody quite knows where to look. If you are treated like a green space alien for years, it is perhaps excusable to begin thinking you are one.

PS: Alan, though I disagree with the argument, good post!

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Monday, February 9, 2009

24 Things About to Disappear in America


http://www.dennyburk.com/?p=3638
Doug:

I agree with more than a sagging economy (a real, deep “crash”) those things could/should go. Also, though, the recession could just “do in” some of the items as well (as Dreher points out) as advertising in digital is faaaaaaaar cheaper than print (in many cases).

Also, while (during a recession) we should be cutting back and doing just the things you mentioned, I think that America and the current culture has bred such a mentality in us that we see these things as “necessities” now. Take, for example, a friend of mine who offered that she and her husband were looking for their internet provider and got a cable package bundled together because “I mean it was only a few bucks more a month”. The alarming thing to me and my wife is that her husband is out of work (has been for almost a year now), nor does she work (young mother). Internet is vital for many industries these days and is becoming an invaluable (if not borderline necessary) tool for job searching, but it was unthinkable to this couple to do without internet at home (Library or coffee shops, anyone?), and, honestly, cable tv was viewed as a near necessity. Just a mentality.



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Other thoughts (that have little weight in anyone’s world ;-):

Yellow pages: This is sad since the digital versions are terrible in many ways, comparatively. Maybe with the reduction of print the online versions will get better, but I don’t see how.
Blue crabs: And fishing along the African coast. That is very tragic.
Ash Trees: Fascinating baseball note.
The Milkman: Never knew they still existed!
Hand-Written Letters: This is sad as well. E-mail and text replaced it, and, in several big ways, not for the better (see Challies today).

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A La Carte (2/9)


http://www.challies.com/sideblog/archives/2009/02/a_la_carte_29.php
I'm glad the extra post was deleted. I was afraid I was going to have to read everything twice just to be sure! Two things from the “stimulating” post.

  1. “Also, the U.S. Coast Guard needs $87 million for a polar icebreaking ship—maybe global warming isn’t working fast enough.”

  2. “Given that the fastest-growing segment of public-school expense is administrators’ salaries—not teachers’ pay, not direct spending on classroom learning—this is a requirement that has almost nothing to do with ensuring high-quality education and everything to do with ensuring that the school bureaucracy”



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Friday, February 6, 2009

Freedom of Choice Act: 101, Part 3


http://www.boundlessline.org/2009/02/freedom-of-choice-act-101-part-3.html
Just before reading your part 3, Suzanne, I read Dr. Burk's post:

http://www.dennyburk.com/?p=3621

Quite sad. You very rightly highlight that we (OK, I'll say I, can't speak for others) do let our guards down during other administrations. As Dr. Burk says:
I aim to win hearts and minds to stand in defense of the unborn. The only way to do this to keep the humanity of the unborn in plain view. This tragic story does that. How can anyone with an ounce of decency remain indifferent to this?


Thanks, Suzanne!

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Monday, February 2, 2009

Update from SBTS: Aslan is on the Move


http://www.dennyburk.com/?p=3566
It almost pains me to write this, Denny, but back here in Big D it was nearly 70 degrees, sunny and absolutely spectacular the last three days. Wait, after typing it, I take it back. That really wasn’t even close to painful to write. Oh, well. Glad y’all are out (getting out) of the cold. I enjoyed Dr. Moore and the country music he brought to the show :-).

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