Check it

News Article about a homeless blogger.

Click the above title to go to her site, and below to go to the bbc article.

article

luke

On the Ball

Thanks Jonathan,

The Baby Ticker is Cool.

Luke

Da Vinci

This is a good link:

http://www.thetruthaboutdavinci.com/

Luke

A Favorable Review

People are used to movie reviews and music reviews. Here is a funeral review:

http://jball727.blogspot.com/2006/05/memorial-service-for-don-welch.html

Thanks for coming Jonathan, it meant terribly much to me.

Luke

Memories of My Dad

If you have a memory of something good or fun that involves my dad, or if you have positive comments to share, please go to the Memorial blog we have set up:

http://donwelch.blogspot.com

Just click on a comment button there and add a memory.

Later we are going to print and bind the memories for my dad's grandchildren.

Luke

Some things I've learned

I have definitely been through the testing of my faith lately with the death of my father.

The funny thing is doubts about God tend to come when we are feeling little struggle. For a true beleiver, there is actually a deep comfort that cannot be known except in the darkest of times. When I watched my father deteriorate and endure great pain, I was comforted that his faith did not waver. Comforted that mine did not.

James tells us to count it as a joyful thing when we go through these miseries. Because, the result of pushing our faith through fire, is a confidence that shows up in the midst of endurace. This confidence is not easily felt without a backdrop of pain.

I do now understand that it can be "worth it" to go through such junk. The result is definitely valuable.

Luke

Away from the body, at home with the Lord

My father died at 8:05 pm, today, 2006 May 14 Sunday.

He is now actually in the presence of the one Jesus. He is also making up for lost time with his three children who preceeded him.

My father doesn't sin anymore.

His funeral will be Thursday, at Fort Worth PCA (click to see directions), at 2 pm.

Please come...

---
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 4:23-24)

Waiting

We are waiting now in the middle of the night. My dad seems able to let himself go now. We have all been able to see and talk with him.

Luke

In the Valley?

My father is in very poor condition. I don't know how much longer he will make it. He has reminded me that if he goes, he will see me again in heaven, which is on earth. What he means is that his physical self will walk in the new creation, not as an idea or a ghost walking in the clouds, but as a resurrected whole person in the "new heavens and NEW EARTH" as Jesus was humanly resurrected.

fearing no evil,
luke

Kramer

There is a neat report from PBS here:

go to
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week933/cover.html#

and click "watch this report"

Casey and I met Jerry Kramer (one of the main parts of this story).

We met him in Rome at when we were at the Paul class from NT Wright. There were only about 30 people in the class, one of whom was Jerry Kramer. I remembered that he was a missionary in Tanzania.

Here is the link to his church site:

http://www.annunciationinexile.homestead.com./>

Luke

Help me think this out...

Dear Fellow Blogger,

Since I don't know you, I truly desire not to argue (I appreciate your discussion happily), but I am not up to the emotional tax of a sustained debate right now.

Here's why:

I just had to discipline students for drawing racist pictures of burning down houses of Mexicans on my dry-erase board. Students in my school have dressed up as KKK members whipping a Mexican for halloween this year, and others have refered to Africans as "wild dogs."

This is disappointing behaviour for a Christian school populace.

To top off my emotional weakness, my father is deathly ill....

I am sure you love foreigners - your Christianity seems vital (I checked your blog). I am thankful for your comments and engagement. I included a sarcastic blog because, I guess because that is what blogs are like. Actually, I apologize for my sarcasm.

But, honestly, I don't know the answer to the immigration question. But I just don't think that languages people speak (beyond the ability to function in official documents) is the government's business, either for restricting or for enforcing. I ALSO think it is basically natural and unburdensome for our Government functionary system (documents, phone systems...etc) to function availably in Spanish as well as in English. Because we have ALWAYS have a large populace of Spanish speakers, and have ALWAYS been a multi lingual culture, (including starting a country wherein many spoke little to no Enlglish - CITIZENS from Europe [the Dutch, the French, the Spaniards]) and people who SHOULD have been Citizens (those kidnapped from Africa)...to start the sentece over: Because we have always had serveral or many tongues, and no national enforcement, or requirement of English, then it makes sense to AT LEAST keep giving some preference to the people who have developed into our largest pocket of Non-English Speaking, the 12-13% spanish-speaking.

If we say, "that is not OUR language," then we have defined "us" as "English Speakers." If we define "our" language as the primary one of our citizens, then, "us" begins to include Hispanophones.

My basic question about the whole legality of immigrant status question is this:

How do we, as Christian thinkers, you and I, determine what is a good and godly policy for allowing in or prohibiting new national citizens?

What do you think?

Luke

Feast of Saint Athanasius

Athanasius (Bishop of Alexandria - d. May 2, 373)

Things I like about Athanasius:



- His stand on the Deity of Jesus
- His helpful cannon list...
- His following (2?) quote(s) (to see the source - click the above icon):

"We were made "in the likeness of God." But in course of time that image has become obscured, like a face on a very old portrait, dimmed with dust and dirt.

When a portrait is spoiled, the only way to renew it is for the subject to come back to the studio and sit for the artist all over again. That is why Christ came--to make it possible for the divine image in man to be recreated. We were made in God's likeness; we are remade in the likeness of his Son.

To bring about this re-creation, Christ still comes to men and lives among them. In a special way he comes to his Church, his "body", to show us what the "image of God" is really like.

What a responsibility the Church has, to be Christ's "body," showing him to those who are unwilling or unable to see him in providence, or in creation! Through the Word of God lived out in the Body of Christ they can come to the Father, and themselves be made again "in the likeness of God."

Things I strongly dislike about Athanasius:



Wikipedia lists the following criticism (as Wikipedia changes due to open source, the following is the content at 11 AM EST on 2006 May 2 Tuesday):

The tactics of Athanasius, while often downplayed by church historians, were a significant factor in his success. He did not hesitate to back up his theological views with the use of force. In Alexandria, he assembled an "ecclesiastical mafia" that could instigate a riot in the city if needed. It was an arrangement "built up and perpetuated by violence." (Barnes, 230). Along with the standard method of excommunication he used beatings, intimidation, kidnapping and imprisonment to silence his theological opponents. Unsurprisingly, these tactics caused widespread distrust and led him to being tried many times for "bribery, theft, extortion, sacrilege, treason and murder. (Rubenstein, 6) While the charges rarely stuck, his reputation was a major factor in his multiple exiles from Alexandria.

He justified these tactics with the argument that he was saving all future Christians from hell. Athanasius stubbornly refused to compromise his theological views by stating, "What is at stake is not just a theological theory but people's salvation." (Olson, 172). In this assertion that violence was justified in defense of theology and the church, Athanasius, some hold, laid the foundation for theological concepts such as just war and the inquisition. He played a clear role in making constantinian shift a part of the theology of the church.

New Things

Saw Derek Webb on Friday:


Derek Webb and wife, Sandra McCracken performing at Elizabethtown Mennonite Church on 2006 April 28 Friday.









Started Reading this Novel Sunday:



Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell








Started Listening to the relatively new Kevin Max album:


The Imposter - Kevin Max











I have added several blogs today, keep scrolling down.

Luke

Rockin' in May with the Saints

Feast of St. Jeremiah the Prophet in the Orthodox church.




Feast of Saints Philip and James ("James the Less" of the 12) in the Anglican Church.

Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker (Jesus' father) in the Roman Church.

Pick a saint and get happy.

Luke

Greek

I gave a quiz today.

We listed 4 Greek words and the students gave one English word per Greek word, an English word derived from the Greek.

Here was one student's quiz:

1 christos - Christ

2 oikia - Ikea

3 aionias - I own my knees

4 ochlos - ox gas.