A New Post? Here? Believe!

It's been almost 3 years, reader(s), since my last post. Since then, I've had another son and...well that's pretty much all. Still, not bad. How many children have you had?

Why am I resurrecting this blog? I want to write more often, but not on BBG exclusively, which, as the unflinching by-laws state, is reserved for "equipping and edifying Christians around the world to understand God’s Word more fully, and thoughtfully apply it to their daily lives and cultural context." Other way to put it is that I want an outlet for trivia, snark, and my predictions of the outcomes of various reality shows.

Another Shameless Plug

Have you checked out BBG yet? You should, becuase it's awkward when a grown man cries, even over the internet. *sniff*

Caption Contest

Since all my "serious" (overstatement?) posts are now reserved for BBG, this blog will feature many more posts of the illustrious Henry Calvin, who today is celebrating his first birthday.

To celebrate, please submit a caption for the photo below. The picture was taken moments before Henry went on his first bike ride (on a bike seat of course. He's not that advanced.) My submission is "Yeah baby! Bring on the bikes!" Yours?

New Blog! Must Read!

Funny thing about the English language, but you can end every sentence with an exclamation point! What fun! The purpose of this blog is to shamelessly promote a new joint venture of Brian and Danny, Boston Bible Geeks! I'll let the site speak for itself, so check it out and let me know what you think! Thanks!

One Thought

As I mentioned a few posts ago, I recently read An Evangelical Manifesto. I strongly suggest it for Christians and non-Christians alike. This isn't a wholesale endorsement of everything therein, but it is very well-written, and if nothing else, a catalyst for deeper thinking on Christianity's interaction with culture. I would also argue that it has historical importance as well; not on the level of the 95 Thesis, for sure, but worthy of a half-hour if religion and sociopolitical dynamics have any place on your list of interests.

That said, in the manifesto there is one idea of which I am particularly fond, and is the impetus for this post. I'll paraphrase here without comment: In the first instance, Christians ought to define themselves, and be defined, by what they are for, rather than what they are against.

Anybody else read the manifesto?

Tears in my Eyes

Henry already knows the fastest way to utterly own his father. The book is "Basics of Biblical Hebrew" by Van Pelt and Pratico (the latter being my Hebrew teacher at GCTS; far and away the best language teacher ever to walk the earth. Ever.) If he had drumsticks in his hands I would have completely broken down :)

A Mid-Summer Night's Random Things

Roman Numerals are appropriate for this list, I think. After all, Edna Krabappel warned that if we don't learn our Roman Numerals, we may never know the year certain films were copyrighted. As Paul would say, "Mh genoito!"

V. Time flies when you're waist deep in chubbs. HCM turned 10 months this weekend. Henry continues to be an extraordinary blessing in our lives, and a tremendous amount of fun, as evidenced by the picture below.



IV. I started reading Darrel Bock's "The Missing Gospels" a week ago. He is quite good at navigating the treacherously confusing waters of ancient gnosticism, and the book promises to be a good read. It addresses the "new school" on Jesus and the gospels that seem to surface into popular culture every now and then (e.g., there are several other written accounts of Jesus' life and ministry that call for a "new" understanding of who he is/was, etc. C.f., books by Elaine Pagels, The Da Vinci Code, etc. No more Latin abbreviations, I promise). There is much I'd like to say about this, but it is all worthy of it's own post. Year 5, perhaps? We'll see. My Harry fans await.

III. I'm also reading Brokaw's "The Greatest Generation" in part to satisfy a newly developed interest in WWII. It is a very interesting read for sure. More on this as well. (Year 6?)

II. The renovations to our dining room are done! As each weekend draws to a close, we come a little bit closer to reclaiming our house. Things were quite disastrous for a while (disastrous = not neat and clean, per my Seinfeldian bent). When you own a smaller home, every square foot is precious, and doubly-so when Lord Chubbington is on the move. It's nice to be back.

I. I'm losing my taste for swimming. More specifically: I'm losing my taste for tepid pool water at 5 in the morning. No matter my technique or best efforts, it seems I always get (and swallow) pool water in my mouth when I swim in the morning, and I'm growing tired of it. I also watched the Olympic swimming trials these past few weeks, and have to concede that I may not be ready for the team in 2012. Sigh. Michael Phelps, you're so dreamy.

O. << It just ocurred to me that there isn't a Roman Numeral for "0." Interesting. This calls for a little historical sleuthing! Did the Roman's not consider zero a number? Had they no need to ever record it? When did zero come on to the scene? Funny how we take for granted such mathematical advances. Anyway, my 0th random thing: My wife and I were discussing favorite meals last night, and I realized that I get most excited when I hear we're having something Mexican for dinner: nachos, tacos, enchiladas, burritos...you get the picture. I was surprised, since I consider myself quite egalitarian when it comes to food (viz. I'll eat anything, and lots of it), but I guess it's true. If only I could update my 8th grade yearbook picture caption with this information. Pizza be damned*, I say! Bring on the tostadas!

*not really...