Last July, we began a serious look at personal finances. One of the things that I really enjoyed was XM Radio. I bought an XM radio receiver on an impulse, when I saw it available for only $5 after rebate. The monthly subscription fee, however, was something that we could easily cut from the budget, in order to reduce expenses.
I made the call to cancel my subscription during the month of July. I was offered 3 months for FREE, and made myself a note in my calendar to re-cancel the service before I would be charged again. In July I was told that I would not be charged the monthly subscription fee until October 11. My calendar was to inform me to call again on October 7. I made the call this morning. They tried to get me to stay with them, but my service is cancelled. This time I was told that it was paid through October 27, so the service will remain active until then, at which time it will lapse. I have enjoyed the service. Yesterday was a particularly enjoyable XM Radio day.
Yesterday was the last day of the baseball season. We drove Emily and Samuel to the Dallas-Fort Worth airport, then headed for home. The Cubs were playing the last game of the final season, a game that had not importance whatsoever, because they had already clinched the NL Central Crown. Though Alfonso Soriano led off the game again with a home run, and though the Cubs had a 3-0 lead, they lost the game 8-4. After leaving the DFW airport, I listened to the end of the Cubs game. The NL East was at stake still, so after the Cubs game ended, I listened to the end of the Mets-Marlins game, also to the end of the Phillies-Nationals game, then to the end of the Brewers-Padres game, and finally to the end of the Diamondbacks-Rockies game.
All of those games were significant to MLB playoffs, and, particularly since I was driving (and because Rose was sleeping), I got to listen to ALL of them.
The AL Division series looks like this:
Angels vs. Red Sox
Indians vs. Yankees
The NL Division series is not yet set, awaiting the playoff game between the Padres and the Rockies, later today.
It will be:
Cubs vs. Diamondbacks
Phillies vs. Padres or Rockies.
The games begin on Wednesday. The NL games will be broadcast on TBS, with play-by-play done by Chip Caray, and color commentary by Steve Stone. They worked together as Cubs broadcasters for several years. I always enjoyed Steve Stone's color commentary. Chip Caray seems to have a chip on his shoulder against the Cubs. I hope he will be objective.
EAMUS CATULI!
Monday, October 01, 2007
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Some Face Time with Samuel
We're in Texas now at the home of Dave & Jennie Smith. Emily travelled north with baby Samuel, as one of her cousins got married yesterday. We watched Samuel (and his cousin Addy) during the wedding. We'll attend church this morning in Frisco, TX, then pick up Emily and Samuel, drop them off at DFW airport, then head home. He's getting quite a bit bigger. We're going to South Padre Island in December, so we'll see him again at that time. Greg stayed at home with Nathan and Eli.
DGF
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Cubs Win! Cubs Win! Cubs Win!
Cubs Win NL Central Crown! I'm writing this words from the Dallas area. We travelled down yesterday afternoon. Thanks to XM Radio, I listened to most of the Cubs game on the way. I was polite when we arrived at Dave & Jennie Smith's (Jennie is Rose's sister) home, and visited, just checking on the score. With a 6-0, led by Carlos Zambrano's career-high 18th victory, powered by home runs by Alfonso Soriano and Derrek Lee, the Cubs lowered their magic number to 1, awaiting the outcome of the game in Milwaukee, between the San Diego Padres (also hunting a playoff spot), and the Milwaukee Brewers, who led the NL Central for most of the season. Ironically, it was future hall of famer, and 2-times Cub pitcher, Greg Maddux, who was pitching for San Diego. Maddux notched his 14th win of the season (his 347th of his career), beating the team for whom his older brother is the pitching coach.
The Cubs can play their last two games of the regular season without pressure, knowing that they have already clinched the division crown. The Phillies could clinch the NL East today, the Diamondbacks clinched a playoff spot (at least the Wild Card). The Mets, who led the NL East all season long fell out of 1st place yesterday, and could be eliminated today. The Boston Red Sox clinched the AL East yesterday.
What would your favorite matchup for the World Series be? Cubs-Yankees could be exciting. Cubs-Red Sox would be story-book. Do you see I'm trying to avoid the West? Not too excited about the teams from the West! There are some scary teams out there. At any rate, we're in the post season again. Let's stay away from the Billy goats, the Bartmans, and all that kind of stuff!
EAMUS CATULI!
The Cubs can play their last two games of the regular season without pressure, knowing that they have already clinched the division crown. The Phillies could clinch the NL East today, the Diamondbacks clinched a playoff spot (at least the Wild Card). The Mets, who led the NL East all season long fell out of 1st place yesterday, and could be eliminated today. The Boston Red Sox clinched the AL East yesterday.
What would your favorite matchup for the World Series be? Cubs-Yankees could be exciting. Cubs-Red Sox would be story-book. Do you see I'm trying to avoid the West? Not too excited about the teams from the West! There are some scary teams out there. At any rate, we're in the post season again. Let's stay away from the Billy goats, the Bartmans, and all that kind of stuff!
EAMUS CATULI!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
Cubs in Driver's Seat
Have the Cubbies clinched the National League Central yet? No, not really, but they are in pretty good shape, with a 3.5 game lead on the Brewers. Milwaukee still has 7 games to play, and the Cubs only 6, but the Magic Number is only 4 after Sunday's action.
Sunday morning, post-season tickets for Wrigley Field went on sale. I entered a virtual waiting room about 8:45 AM, and watched the countdown from 30 seconds until about 9:12 AM when I needed to leave for church. I didn't get an opportunity to buy any. The available tickets were sold out in 30 minutes!
The photos below were taken at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. A group of 10 of us travelled in a 15-passenger van to watch the Cubs beat the Cardinals. Thanks for sending them to me, Jeannie! Eamus Catuli! Don't stop now!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Cubs back in sole possession of 1st place
Those pesky Brewers just won't go away! The Cubs have fought back, however, and are in sole possession of 1st place. They have a day off today, but the Brewers start a 4-game series in Atlanta against the Braves. Add to that the fact that the Brewers are 15 games under .500 while playing on the road, whereas the Cubs are above .500 playing at home AND on the road, and I think this may be our year!
At times the Cubs have played like champions, coming back from behind to win important games. They did it twice during the last three games.
At times the Cubs have played like champions, coming back from behind to win important games. They did it twice during the last three games.
My hope is built on things eternal, but a winner on the North Side of Chicago would make this a special year indeed!
Eamus Catuli!
Friday, September 14, 2007
By the Rivers of Babylon--a look at an Imprecatory Psalm
On Tuesday of this week, we started a new sermon series in the Ozark Christian College chapel services. The series, titled Echoes of Worship, is based on the book of Psalms. Our president, Matt Proctor, preached the first sermon in the series. It was on Psalms of Lament, and the text chosen was Psalm 137, a psalm from the Babylonian exile. During the 1980s, Boney M, a Jamaican group that made it big in Europe (and around most of the world, except for the U.S.), recorded a song titled By the Rivers of Babylon. I think of Boney M when I read Psalm 137.
The end of Psalm 137 spews hatred toward the Edomites and the Babylonians:
God, remember those Edomites,
and remember the ruin of Jerusalem,
That day they yelled out,
“Wreck it, smash it to bits!”
And you, Babylonians—ravagers!
A reward to whoever gets back at you
for all you’ve done to us;
Yes, a reward to the one who grabs your babies
and smashes their heads on the rocks!
Peterson, E. H. (2002). The Message : The Bible in contemporary language (Ps 137:7-9). Colorado Springs, Colo.: NavPress.
Matt did an excellent job of introducing this series, and in treating this class of psalms. You can listen to it in streaming audio by clicking here, or download an mp3 file of it by clicking here. I recommend it heartily.
DGF
The end of Psalm 137 spews hatred toward the Edomites and the Babylonians:
God, remember those Edomites,
and remember the ruin of Jerusalem,
That day they yelled out,
“Wreck it, smash it to bits!”
And you, Babylonians—ravagers!
A reward to whoever gets back at you
for all you’ve done to us;
Yes, a reward to the one who grabs your babies
and smashes their heads on the rocks!
Peterson, E. H. (2002). The Message : The Bible in contemporary language (Ps 137:7-9). Colorado Springs, Colo.: NavPress.
Matt did an excellent job of introducing this series, and in treating this class of psalms. You can listen to it in streaming audio by clicking here, or download an mp3 file of it by clicking here. I recommend it heartily.
DGF
Off to St. Louis
Cubbies Back in 1st Place
The Cubbies are back in sole possession of 1st place. Tonight they open up a 4-game season against the St. Louis Cardinals. Going into the series, as you can see from the current standings (Sept. 14, 5:00 AM), they have a 5 game lead on the Cardinals.
A week ago, the Cardinals were scary, as they were playing incredibly well. Rick Ankiel was the feel-good story of the baseball season (almost as feel-good as a Cubs World Series victory might be). Ankiel's story stopped being so feel-good, though about a week ago, as the story broke that in the year 2004, he purchased a 12-month supply of HGH, a substance often linked to the steroid abuse. At the time Ankiel allegedly purchased the substance, it was not banned by baseball. However, this is the same Ankiel who had a mental meltdown in the 2000 World Series (as a top
flight pitcher). This story evidently has gotten into Ankiel's head. In the last 7 games, Ankiel's batting average has dropped from .353 to .301. He has gone 2-24 with 0 RBI and 9 strikeouts. Ouch!
During this stretch, the Cubs should have played better. Out of the past nearly 4 weeks, the Cubs have been in 1st place in the NL Central (either sole or shared possession) for all but two days. Those two days occurred this week. In one sense, it's a good thing that I take Prevacid (for reasons totally unrelated to baseball).
I will teach this morning. At about 1:00 PM, I'll get into a 15-passenger van, and head to St. Louis. I believe that there will be 11 passengers in the van, 9 of whom are Cubs fans! There will be one student who is a Cardinals fan, and Terry Bowland, my esteemed colleague, who is also a Cardinals fan. I have made several trips to St. Louis with him for Cardinals/Cubs games in the past.
My ticket (sans barcode) is posted above. This game is sold out, so we have standing room only. I have a student in class this semester who had a standing room only ticket to the World Series game in 2000 when Rick Ankiel had his meltdown. He said going to a ballgame in standing room only is a blast.
We'll drive back to Joplin after the ballgame is over. Carlos Zambrano (thinking of head cases) is pitching for the Cubs. I have never seen him lose in person. Hopefully he will have his head properly in the game. I expect we'll get back home around 3 AM. But it will be fun, especially if the Cubs win. Another of my colleagues, Chad Ragsdale (also a Cub fan), will be travelling to St. Louis this afternoon, spending the night there with his wife, Tara, and will be attending the 1st game of Saturday's doubleheader. I hope they get to see a Cubs victory as well.
What are the chances of a Cubs/Red Sox World Series? A Cubs victory in 7 games over the Red Sox--now that would be a great finish to a feel-good story!
DGF
The Cubbies are back in sole possession of 1st place. Tonight they open up a 4-game season against the St. Louis Cardinals. Going into the series, as you can see from the current standings (Sept. 14, 5:00 AM), they have a 5 game lead on the Cardinals. A week ago, the Cardinals were scary, as they were playing incredibly well. Rick Ankiel was the feel-good story of the baseball season (almost as feel-good as a Cubs World Series victory might be). Ankiel's story stopped being so feel-good, though about a week ago, as the story broke that in the year 2004, he purchased a 12-month supply of HGH, a substance often linked to the steroid abuse. At the time Ankiel allegedly purchased the substance, it was not banned by baseball. However, this is the same Ankiel who had a mental meltdown in the 2000 World Series (as a top
flight pitcher). This story evidently has gotten into Ankiel's head. In the last 7 games, Ankiel's batting average has dropped from .353 to .301. He has gone 2-24 with 0 RBI and 9 strikeouts. Ouch!During this stretch, the Cubs should have played better. Out of the past nearly 4 weeks, the Cubs have been in 1st place in the NL Central (either sole or shared possession) for all but two days. Those two days occurred this week. In one sense, it's a good thing that I take Prevacid (for reasons totally unrelated to baseball).
I will teach this morning. At about 1:00 PM, I'll get into a 15-passenger van, and head to St. Louis. I believe that there will be 11 passengers in the van, 9 of whom are Cubs fans! There will be one student who is a Cardinals fan, and Terry Bowland, my esteemed colleague, who is also a Cardinals fan. I have made several trips to St. Louis with him for Cardinals/Cubs games in the past.
My ticket (sans barcode) is posted above. This game is sold out, so we have standing room only. I have a student in class this semester who had a standing room only ticket to the World Series game in 2000 when Rick Ankiel had his meltdown. He said going to a ballgame in standing room only is a blast.
We'll drive back to Joplin after the ballgame is over. Carlos Zambrano (thinking of head cases) is pitching for the Cubs. I have never seen him lose in person. Hopefully he will have his head properly in the game. I expect we'll get back home around 3 AM. But it will be fun, especially if the Cubs win. Another of my colleagues, Chad Ragsdale (also a Cub fan), will be travelling to St. Louis this afternoon, spending the night there with his wife, Tara, and will be attending the 1st game of Saturday's doubleheader. I hope they get to see a Cubs victory as well.
What are the chances of a Cubs/Red Sox World Series? A Cubs victory in 7 games over the Red Sox--now that would be a great finish to a feel-good story!
DGF
Monday, September 10, 2007
Timothy Paul Jones on Bart Ehrman
Last year I gave a quick read to Bart Ehrman's Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why. Ehrman looked to Princeton's Bruce Metzger as a mentor. I have no illusions about Metzger having been conservative theologically (he passed away last year), but his mentee, Ehrman, did not get his radical position from Metzger. Ehrman pretends that his book contains earth-and-faith-shattering new information. It does not. His book proffers nothing new. It is all stuff I had in a freshman course in New Testament Evidences 36 years ago. J. Harold Greenlee's Introduction to New Testament Textual Criticism (orginally published by Eerdmans and now available again by Hendrickson) addresses every issue Ehrman puts forth. Ehrman plays with the evidence, and skews it to match his desire for God's Word not to be true.
Reading Ehrman made me angry. There are conservative, Bible believing scholars, with academic pedigrees at least as prestigious as Ehrman's. Ehrman does not mention them only to dismiss them, but rather ignores them completely! That is poor scholarship, Dr. Ehrman. He writes with a chip on his shoulder, as if nobody with half a brain would believe that the books in our Bibles are in reality canonical, and therefore, God's very word. Such academic snobbery is unbecoming. The fact that the masses may read his books and believe his thesis is disheartening.
Timothy Paul Jones, a Baptist minister from Tulsa, OK, has answered the call. Jones, with a doctorate in church history, had previously co-authored a book debunking Dan Brown's thesis in The Da Vinci Code, The Da Vinci Codebreaker: An Easy-to-Use Fact Checker for Truth Seekers. Jones' new book, Misquoting Truth: A Guide to the Fallacies of Bart Ehrman's "Misquoting Jesus", is a breath of fresh air.
Jones is much kinder than I, but addresses the issues head on. Once again, Ehrman presents nothing new, other than an interpretation of the facts that is in keeping with his starting presupposition of unbelief. Ehrman's earlier faith was shaken by variants found in manuscripts of the New Testament. Some variants can be explained as unintentional errors made by scribes; others are intentional changes, that some well-or-not-so-well-meaning scribe may have made. Ehrman purports that some of the intentional changes are highly significant, stating that "in some instances, the very meaning of the text is at stake." (Misquoting Jesus, p. 208). Jones' entire book is a corrective to Ehrman's exaggerations, but in the case of intentional changes in manuscripts being significant, he offers an entire chapter titled "Truth About 'Significant Changes' in the New Testament". On p. 55 Jones he writes:
"It is at this point that Ehrman finds changes that are supposedly so significant that they affect entire books of the Bible. And, it is at this point that I must respectfully disagree with Ehrman. Here's what I find as I look at the textual evidence: In every case in which two or more options remain possible, every possible option simply reinforces truths that are already clearly present in the writings of that particular author and in the New Testament as a whole; there is no point at which any of the possible options would require readers to rethink an essential belief about Jesus or to doubt the historical integrity of the New Testament."
Thank you, Dr. Jones. We are more certain about the reliability of the New Testament manuscripts, than we are about any manuscripts that tell us anything about the ancient world. F. F. Bruce long ago addressed the problem of the many textual variants, that are a direct result of having so many more manuscripts of the New Testament than any other ancient document of that era: "if the great number of MSS increases the number of scribal errors, it increases proportionately the means of correcting such errors, so that the margin of doubt left in the process of recovering the exact original wording is not so large as might be fear; it is in truth remarkably small. The variant readings about which any doubt remains among textual critics of the New Testament affect no material question of historic fact or of Christian faith and practice." (F. F. Bruce [1943] The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?, pp. 19-20)
I heartily recommend Jones' book. It is easily read (it might take a little more than 2 hours to read), has copious footnotes, and is written kindly. A campus minister at the University of North Carolina (where Ehrman teaches New Testament) wrote:
Reading Ehrman made me angry. There are conservative, Bible believing scholars, with academic pedigrees at least as prestigious as Ehrman's. Ehrman does not mention them only to dismiss them, but rather ignores them completely! That is poor scholarship, Dr. Ehrman. He writes with a chip on his shoulder, as if nobody with half a brain would believe that the books in our Bibles are in reality canonical, and therefore, God's very word. Such academic snobbery is unbecoming. The fact that the masses may read his books and believe his thesis is disheartening.
Timothy Paul Jones, a Baptist minister from Tulsa, OK, has answered the call. Jones, with a doctorate in church history, had previously co-authored a book debunking Dan Brown's thesis in The Da Vinci Code, The Da Vinci Codebreaker: An Easy-to-Use Fact Checker for Truth Seekers. Jones' new book, Misquoting Truth: A Guide to the Fallacies of Bart Ehrman's "Misquoting Jesus", is a breath of fresh air.
Jones is much kinder than I, but addresses the issues head on. Once again, Ehrman presents nothing new, other than an interpretation of the facts that is in keeping with his starting presupposition of unbelief. Ehrman's earlier faith was shaken by variants found in manuscripts of the New Testament. Some variants can be explained as unintentional errors made by scribes; others are intentional changes, that some well-or-not-so-well-meaning scribe may have made. Ehrman purports that some of the intentional changes are highly significant, stating that "in some instances, the very meaning of the text is at stake." (Misquoting Jesus, p. 208). Jones' entire book is a corrective to Ehrman's exaggerations, but in the case of intentional changes in manuscripts being significant, he offers an entire chapter titled "Truth About 'Significant Changes' in the New Testament". On p. 55 Jones he writes:
"It is at this point that Ehrman finds changes that are supposedly so significant that they affect entire books of the Bible. And, it is at this point that I must respectfully disagree with Ehrman. Here's what I find as I look at the textual evidence: In every case in which two or more options remain possible, every possible option simply reinforces truths that are already clearly present in the writings of that particular author and in the New Testament as a whole; there is no point at which any of the possible options would require readers to rethink an essential belief about Jesus or to doubt the historical integrity of the New Testament."
Thank you, Dr. Jones. We are more certain about the reliability of the New Testament manuscripts, than we are about any manuscripts that tell us anything about the ancient world. F. F. Bruce long ago addressed the problem of the many textual variants, that are a direct result of having so many more manuscripts of the New Testament than any other ancient document of that era: "if the great number of MSS increases the number of scribal errors, it increases proportionately the means of correcting such errors, so that the margin of doubt left in the process of recovering the exact original wording is not so large as might be fear; it is in truth remarkably small. The variant readings about which any doubt remains among textual critics of the New Testament affect no material question of historic fact or of Christian faith and practice." (F. F. Bruce [1943] The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?, pp. 19-20)
I heartily recommend Jones' book. It is easily read (it might take a little more than 2 hours to read), has copious footnotes, and is written kindly. A campus minister at the University of North Carolina (where Ehrman teaches New Testament) wrote:
Into this milieu comes Timothy Paul Jone's voice of sanity: Misquoting Truth: A Guide to the Fallacies of Bart Ehrman's Misquoting Jesus published by InterVarsity Press. Jones tackles the tough issues that Ehrman rightly raises. But where Ehrman tends to sensationalize and severely over-state the problems, Jones gently and graciously corrects.I agree 100%. εἰρήνη ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκίας
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Roger Powell Jr. in Highest Pro League in Italy
Roger Powell Jr. has signed with Siviglia Wear Teramo of the Italian Professional Basketball League. Rose and I went to see him play in April with the now defunct Arkansas RimRockers of the NBA Developmental League. He ended up leading the NBADL in scoring (ppg) last season. He told us he thought that he would make an NBA squad, but that his stock had risen considerably, and that playing in Europe was also a possibility.
He played on a summer squad with the Memphis Grizzlies, but it was a matter of not being the right fit for that squad. I recently (about a week ago) that he has signed with Siviglio Wear Teramo of the Italian Series A Professional Basketball League. The regular season starts on September 30. One of his teammates is Clay Tucker, with whom he played on the Arkansas RimRockers last season.
I don't read Italian well, but I believe he suffered an injury, taking an elbow to the upper jaw, and had surgery yesterday (Saturday, September 8). The news reports seem to indicate he could be out for 3-4 weeks. Hope you get well, soon, Roger, and have a great season in Italy.
We have some missionary friends in Ancona, Italy, which is probably not very far from Teramo, where Powell will be playing. Maybe they can make contact with him sometime.
DGF
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Word-for-Word Translations Don't Work
I remember about 15 years ago, when I still lived in Chile, I got some software to aid in translation of documents from English to Spanish and vice versa. Because languages differ in manners of expression, a literal word-for-word translation rarely works. That particular software program had varying degrees of interactivity, to assure that an expression in one language would be adequately expressed in the second. The complexities of both English and Spanish made it necessary to set the software to the highest degree of interactivity possible. The result was that it was easier for me to translate an entire document by myself than to use the software.
I once set the software to the lowest level of interactivity, and had it translate a letter from the United States. The result was unintelligible.
There was a terrible tragedy in baseball on Friday. Juan Encarnación was getting ready to pinch hit for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was on the on deck circle, but wasn't paying attention. Aaron Miles was at bat, and hit a rocket of a foul ball that hit Encarnación directly on the left eye, and the orbital bone "exploded". This tragedy evokes memories of Tony Conigliaro getting beaned.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch writer Bernie Miklasz wrote a piece wishing him a speedy recovery. The headline gets the Spanish right, but Bernie's article has this at the bottom:
Obtenga bien pronto, Juan.
A literal word-for-word translation might be:
Get well soon, Juan, but the phrase is completely unintelligible in Spanish. What he should have written is "que te mejores pronto, Juan."
I'm a die hard Cubs fan, but my heart aches for Encarnación. Albert Pujols has requested prayer for himן
I once set the software to the lowest level of interactivity, and had it translate a letter from the United States. The result was unintelligible.
There was a terrible tragedy in baseball on Friday. Juan Encarnación was getting ready to pinch hit for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was on the on deck circle, but wasn't paying attention. Aaron Miles was at bat, and hit a rocket of a foul ball that hit Encarnación directly on the left eye, and the orbital bone "exploded". This tragedy evokes memories of Tony Conigliaro getting beaned.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch writer Bernie Miklasz wrote a piece wishing him a speedy recovery. The headline gets the Spanish right, but Bernie's article has this at the bottom:
Obtenga bien pronto, Juan.
A literal word-for-word translation might be:
Get well soon, Juan, but the phrase is completely unintelligible in Spanish. What he should have written is "que te mejores pronto, Juan."
I'm a die hard Cubs fan, but my heart aches for Encarnación. Albert Pujols has requested prayer for himן
Saturday, August 25, 2007
The Number 66
. . . is 600 less than the number 666, and I guess that's good.
. . . is the number of a famous U.S. Highway that ran through my home town (Joliet, IL) and the town where I currently live (Joplin, MO).
. . . is the number of wins that the Chicago Cubs had on the way to a last place finish in 2006.
. . . is the number of wins that the Chicago Cubs currently have as they are in 1st place in the National League Central (and they still have 35 more games to play!).
. . . and that makes me smile!
Friday, August 24, 2007
My Grandsons from Brownsville, TX
Here is a pretty cool slide show of my three grandsons, Nathan (5 years old), Eli (3 years old), and Samuel (nearly 9 months old). All these photos were taken by their mother, Emily, who is quite an accomplished photographer. The photos show a photographer's label, similar to what an expensive studio would stamp on the photos. It wasn't until after a while that I read the label, and realized that the label said "Fish Xpressions Photography," and that Emily had done these. They're cute, aren't they?
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Pastors' Retreat in Villa Alemana (Reprise)
I just discovered a photo taken of the group in Villa Alemana. I had posted earlier about this, but wanted to post this photo here:
The Chilean church seems to be fragmented, yet good things are taking place in different places. Chilean churches are sending missionaries to nearby countries, as well as lands in the 10/40 Window.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Manipulation of the Truth with Photos
I received this via e-mail. To give context to the photo that appears here, I feel I must include the text that accompanied it:
I was going through a bunch of old stuff while working in my basement, and ran across some old baseball cards. To my astonishment, I found a Barry Bonds rookie card, mint condition. I really think that at some point in the future Bonds will be exonerated of most all steroid charges and will go in to the Hall of Fame distinguished as the best hitter of all time. If you, or anybody you know, might have an interest in buying this card, let me know ASAP. I'm giving it 2 weeks and then putting it on Ebay and taking whatever I can get for it. I've included a scanned copy of the card to show it's condition - as you'll see it is in MINT condition.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Life is Good! Jesus on the Throne and the Cubs in 1st!
In a couple hours I'll be advising (academically) new students to OCC. Our classes start next week. It appears that we have a pretty good incoming class. I like my classroom assignments (with the exception of my Spanish class assignment, but you can't have everything). Yesterday I finished setting up the website that supports my classes. Life is good.
The Cubbies made an announcement yesterday morning that sometimes pitching ace, Carlos Zambrano, signed a contract extension: five years at a ridiculously high price. Hopefully, that will settle him down (his last 3 starts have been bad after being nearly lights out good since the dugout fight with former catcher Michael Barrett on June 2), and beat the Redbirds on ESPN Sunday night.
Yesterday, Albert Pujols got his shot in, a home run to left field, against the wind. Fortunately, no one was on base. The next half inning, the Cubs scored twice (2-run homer by Jacque Jones), and took the lead, beating the Cardinals 2-1. That win moved them into a tie for first place, pending the Brewers/Reds game later in the day. The Reds soundly defeated the Brewers last night, giving the Cubs sole possession of first place. Eamus Catuli!
I got my oldest grandson, Nathan, a Chicago Cubs outfit when he was a newborn. I thought I had resolved his baseball issues early on. Unfortunately, I have been reminded recently of how easily a child can be influenced in the wrong way. A few weeks ago, when the kids were in Joplin, Nathan and I got to watch some Cubs baseball on TV (for him it was a way to stay "out of bed"). He asked me, "Grandpa, why do you like the Cubs?" Dumb question, right? Then he follows it up with, "My Grandmama (that's Emily's mother) says the Cubs are yucky! I like the Cardinals." Well, look at the standings, Grandmama!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Back at it Again! Don't be Left Behind!
A new school year is upon us. New students are moving into the dorms at OCC this morning. Orientation begins this afternoon, with a full slate of activities. It should be a great year.
A colleague sent me an e-mail with a link to a song on You Tube about eschatology. I thought you might enjoy watching it as well. Here is the link:
The Rapture Song, by Randy Bonifield.
The Cubbies are in a free fall right now. I sure hope they decide to play ball and win a game today. The 4-day series against the hated Cardinals is crucial.
Peace!
A colleague sent me an e-mail with a link to a song on You Tube about eschatology. I thought you might enjoy watching it as well. Here is the link:
The Rapture Song, by Randy Bonifield.
The Cubbies are in a free fall right now. I sure hope they decide to play ball and win a game today. The 4-day series against the hated Cardinals is crucial.
Peace!
Friday, August 10, 2007
Am I That Round?
I've been teaching an Old Testament Survey course in Lautaro, Chile this week. At our intermission this evening, I discovered a drawing that was circulating around the classroom. I believe I am really quite a bit taller than the drawing reveals, and may not be quite as large around the middle. What do you think?
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Pastor's Retreat in Villa Alemana
It would be a huge understatement to say that the Churches of Christ/Christian Churches in Chile are fragmented. I arrived in Chile on Friday, August 3. I slept a couple hours before taking a bus to Villa Alemana (about 2 hours from Santiago on a bus) to participate in a Pastor's Retreat. Just about everybody from the different factions of the churches in Chile was invited, but participation could have been much better. I was pleased to be able to participate, however, and there were members from various of the corporations in the country. I hope and pray that in the future, there will be a wider participation. Fernando, si estás leyendo estas palabras, quiero que sepas que levanté tu nombre.
Julio Carreño, adopted son of Bertrand Smith, the pioneer Restoration Movement missionary to Chile, organized the event. Julio is doing a tremendous job of serving God in his homeland, and promotes unity on diverse levels. He had invited me to share with the members. I got to teach somewhere between 4 or 5 hours, and found the group very receptive to my teaching. The title of the study was The Christian Worker and Personal Transparency: a Theological, Cultural and Generational Perspective. The main question I was asking was this. To what degree should the Christian worker be transparent, willing to show his or her own personal weaknesses? My thoughts were influenced by the following works, in addition to the Scriptures:
Julio Carreño, adopted son of Bertrand Smith, the pioneer Restoration Movement missionary to Chile, organized the event. Julio is doing a tremendous job of serving God in his homeland, and promotes unity on diverse levels. He had invited me to share with the members. I got to teach somewhere between 4 or 5 hours, and found the group very receptive to my teaching. The title of the study was The Christian Worker and Personal Transparency: a Theological, Cultural and Generational Perspective. The main question I was asking was this. To what degree should the Christian worker be transparent, willing to show his or her own personal weaknesses? My thoughts were influenced by the following works, in addition to the Scriptures:
- Mayers, Marvin K. (1974). Christianity Confronts Culture. Zondervan.
- Howard, J. Grant (1979). The Trauma of Transparency. Multnomah
- Lingenfelter, Sherwood & Mayers, Marvin (1986). Ministering Cross-Culturally: An Incarnational Model for Personal Relationships. Baker Book House.
- Scott, Mark R. (2006). The Self-Disclosure of the Preacher in the Sermon: Teaching Undergraduate Bible College Student Ministers to Disclose with Discretion, doctoral dissertation, Denver Seminary.
I had not taught on that theme before, but enjoyed the preparation and the teaching itself.
I managed to catch myself a cold. I understand that the Joplin area is facing an incredible heat wave. Here, Chile is experiencing a winter with record cold temperatures. I had to wait until this afternoon to shower, as the pipes of the house where I am staying froze quite a bit last night.
I returned to Santiago on Sunday evening, and spent Sunday evening, and all day Monday and Tuesday visiting friends. I am now in Lautaro, Chile, and will return to Santiago on Sunday night. I will meet with Doug Kallestad, Director of the Iberoamerican Institute on Monday morning, then have lunch with my long-time friend, Jack Mitchell, whose mother, Lola, served as our forwarding agent for many years. Lastly, I will meet another pastor friend, Lito Farías, at a hospital to visit Victor Garcia, another long-time friend, who was assault on March 30, shot twice, and left paraplegic as a result. Despite his situation, his brother-in-law (another friend I had not seen for many years until last Tuesday) tells me that he testifies about God's goodness on a daily basis.
Below I will include some photos taken from the Pastor's Retreat in Villa Alemana:
In Southern Chile
I'm in Lautaro, Chile now. I spent several days in Santiago, with my dear friends, Jano and Pati Castro. I didn't have access from my computer to the Internet while I was there. I could have taken my laptop to a Wi-Fi spot, which I did several times, but it was not frequent. When I did have my computer with me, my e-mail was not working well, as my Outlook file got corrupted somehow. I was able to restore it (which took considerable time), and I'm back. Outlook has a built-in program to repair the Inbox (search for the file scanpst.exe), but that didn't restore mine. I found a utility (shareware) called Outlook Recovery Toolbox that was able to restore my previously received e-mails. Thank you, Lord!
I taught the introductory session to an OT Survey course last night. The course will continue tonight (Thursday), Friday, then all day long on Saturday. I'll preach at the church here in Lautaro on Sunday morning, then return to Santiago late Sunday night, before leaving Chile on Monday night.
I taught the introductory session to an OT Survey course last night. The course will continue tonight (Thursday), Friday, then all day long on Saturday. I'll preach at the church here in Lautaro on Sunday morning, then return to Santiago late Sunday night, before leaving Chile on Monday night.
I managed to catch quite a cold, so I don't feel particulary well, but trust that I will make it through. I found a cough remedy called Paltomiel, that is interesting, a mixture of extracts from avocado, eucalyptus, honey, which has been used quite a bit here. I guess I'll have to wait and see if I recommend it whole-heartedly.
I've been able to visit lots of friends from the past. God has been good. I'll write more later.
Blessings to you all!
DGF
Thursday, August 02, 2007
I Won, Cubs Win, Fly Joplin, Chile Trip
I Won!
On Monday I saw a first. I assumed that I was going to a friend's house to clean up his virus-laden computer. He has helped me in the past with several mechanical type issues. His computer was ill, and I may not be a very good mechanic (I DID manage to fix my motor scooter last week without anybody else touching it), but I can mess with computers pretty well. What I found, however, was a computer very mildly affected by viruses, but infested to the core with malware (some call it spyware, or adware). When he spoke to my about poor performance, I suspected viruses. He told me that he started his trek through the DSL-connected Internet world without good antivirus software (something I would never consider doing). He had downloaded some free antivirus software, and it had worked well during the trial period. The software was called Windows Antivirus Pro 2007. I recommend and use an excellent free antivirus program (I have been a paying customer of both of the big ones in the past), but I had not heard of the program he was using. His program was the problem! Rather than being an antivirus program, it is malware! He had properly decided to uninstall it (through the Control Panel), but it refuses to go away. I joked that "this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." It had taken over his computer, giving a pop-up window of detection of a virus about every 10 seconds, making it near impossible to do anything. The pop-up window gave him an opportunity to "register" the antivirus program (remember that trial period was over) for payment (I never did find out how much the registration was. At any rate, the files allegedly infected with viruses were false positives, just to get the unsuspecting sort to pay them money. What crooks! Along the way, I found an excellent tool for debugging problems on Windows-based computers. It is called the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows. It is based on the Bart PE platform, but has additional tools built in. If you are technologically savvy, you may want to add it to your arsenal.
Cubs Win!
On Monday I saw a first. I assumed that I was going to a friend's house to clean up his virus-laden computer. He has helped me in the past with several mechanical type issues. His computer was ill, and I may not be a very good mechanic (I DID manage to fix my motor scooter last week without anybody else touching it), but I can mess with computers pretty well. What I found, however, was a computer very mildly affected by viruses, but infested to the core with malware (some call it spyware, or adware). When he spoke to my about poor performance, I suspected viruses. He told me that he started his trek through the DSL-connected Internet world without good antivirus software (something I would never consider doing). He had downloaded some free antivirus software, and it had worked well during the trial period. The software was called Windows Antivirus Pro 2007. I recommend and use an excellent free antivirus program (I have been a paying customer of both of the big ones in the past), but I had not heard of the program he was using. His program was the problem! Rather than being an antivirus program, it is malware! He had properly decided to uninstall it (through the Control Panel), but it refuses to go away. I joked that "this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." It had taken over his computer, giving a pop-up window of detection of a virus about every 10 seconds, making it near impossible to do anything. The pop-up window gave him an opportunity to "register" the antivirus program (remember that trial period was over) for payment (I never did find out how much the registration was. At any rate, the files allegedly infected with viruses were false positives, just to get the unsuspecting sort to pay them money. What crooks! Along the way, I found an excellent tool for debugging problems on Windows-based computers. It is called the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows. It is based on the Bart PE platform, but has additional tools built in. If you are technologically savvy, you may want to add it to your arsenal.
Cubs Win!
The Cubbies are in first place. I heard last night that the last time they were in first place on August 1 was back in 2001. I'm leaving the U.S. tonight, and hope that they are still in first place by the time I leave (they could fall out of first, since they are playing an afternoon game today). I sure hope they will still be in first place when I return to the U.S. on August 14.
I went to Chile in March, and flew straight from Joplin. I did it again today. I'm writing these lines from the Kansas City Airport, waiting my connecting Delta flight to Atlanta, and then on to Chile. The Joplin-Kansas City flight is $98 round trip, which makes it much cheaper than driving to another major airport. The fare from Kansas City to Santiago was cheaper than other airports near Joplin, making the Fly Joplin trip cheaper. When I was on a shuttle bus between terminals at Kansas City, I saw that airport garage parking is $18/day. The long-term parking at Kansas City is $5.50. Parking for this trip would be over $70, without taking the cost of driving to Kansas City into the equation. According to Mapquest, it is 190 miles from my house to the Kansas City Airport. At the IRS-approved rate for mileage reimbursement, the "cost" of driving round trip is $184.30. I'm happy to fly from Joplin! Rose even got up this morning to drop me off at the airport. The day I arrive back, she will leave me car for me at the Joplin airport (free parking). Thanks, honey! I love you!
Chile Trip.
I will arrive in Santiago Friday morning (about 6:30 in the U.S. Central Time Zone). If you want to call me, dial 011-569-8-975-7136. In March, the family I stayed with had a cell phone that they were no longer using. I bought a SIM card for a Chilean cellular phone company (actually, it's a multinational company based in Europe). Since I bought the SIM card, I returned the loaned phone, and kept the card for u
se on future trips. I unblocked my U.S. cell phone (I have service with Cingular, or what they now call the New AT&T). Once I get in the air over Atlanta (when you have to turn cell phones off), I will put the Chilean SIM card in my phone. The next morning when I land in Santiago, I will turn on my phone, and it will connect to a Chilean cell phone service. I won't be able to make any calls (on Friday morning I will need purchase pre-paid minutes before I can make any phone calls), but I will be able to receive calls (as incoming calls on free on any Chilean cell phone).
I will speak at a Pastors' Retreat this weekend in Villa Alemana, Chile (located just up the valley from Viña del Mar (see map). I'll return to Santiago Sunday afternoon. Sunday evening, there will be a large group (I suppose) of people from the old San Joaquin church. I'll be staying with long-time pastor friend Alejandro Castro from Sunday night through Tuesday night. On Wednesday, I'll fly to Temuco (see highlighted map), to start a 5-day intensive course in nearby Lautaro. The course will end on Sunday evening. I'll return to Santiago on Monday, leaving Monday night to come home.
Blessings to you all!
DGF
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Looking for 'Mater on the Old Route 66
After the circus we took off looking for one of Nathan and Eli's favorite characters from the Pixar movie, Cars. The producers of the movie were traveling across Route 66 back in the year 2000. Near Galena, Kansas they found an old International Tow Truck, that became the inspiration for the character 'Mater. It is now located at a newly restored 1930s era service station, with a Route 66/Cars gift shop. We took the boys to see the truck.
A Trip to the Circus with our Grandsons
We went to the Shrine Circus with our grandsons this afternoon. I heard that it was supposed to come to Joplin in January, but was postponed because of our snow/ice storm. A good time was had by all:
25 Years After CES
You may not know what CES is. It stands for Christian Elementary School. It is located in Springfield, Illinois. In August of 1982 (that's 25 years ago), our family was on furlough from our mission work in Chile. We moved into a community on the east side of Springfield, in a home rented for us by the Lakeside Christian Church, one of our supporting churches.
Our daughter, Charissa, started kindergarten there, in Mrs. Bridges' class. Another member of College Heights Christian Church, Delicia Bare (nee Jones) was in her class. Charissa's cousin, Christina, was a 1st grader at CES that year.
Yesterday, Christina and her husband, Jesse (I performed their wedding ceremony), were passing through town. Christina is a school teacher. Jesse's company had worked on a job in California, and they were traveling back home. We got together for a brunch at my Mom's house.
They're all grown up now. Take a look at them (Christina & Charissa, left to right)!
Our daughter, Charissa, started kindergarten there, in Mrs. Bridges' class. Another member of College Heights Christian Church, Delicia Bare (nee Jones) was in her class. Charissa's cousin, Christina, was a 1st grader at CES that year.
Yesterday, Christina and her husband, Jesse (I performed their wedding ceremony), were passing through town. Christina is a school teacher. Jesse's company had worked on a job in California, and they were traveling back home. We got together for a brunch at my Mom's house.
They're all grown up now. Take a look at them (Christina & Charissa, left to right)!
Friday, July 27, 2007
My Scooter Left me Stranded on West 7th St.
My scooter broke down on Wednesday afternoon. I had just bragged on how well it was running, when it quit. I had to call a friend, to whom I had just bragged about it, to come bail me out. We put the scooter on the back of his pickup truck, and he drove me home.
Thursday afternoon I tore into the machine. I changed the spark plug, putting in an Iridium spark plug I bought as a backup last summer. I checked the fuel lines, and tried to start it. It almost started, but dumped some fuel on my garage floor. I found the explanation, a screw at the bottom of the carburetor drain tube fell out. I'll find the means to plug it tomorrow, and that should solve my problem.
I'm not much of a mechanic, but at times I have had a small degree of satisfaction by digging in and finding solutions by myself. I'm still capable of taking a job that any idiot can do in one hour, and figuring out a way to take four or five hours to get it done. But I'm learning.
The Cubs dropped game 3 against the Cardinals, and looked Fortunately, the Reds knocked off the Brewers, so they didn't lose ground. I'm going to break tradition and root for the Cardinals for the next few days.
¡Paz a todos ustedes!
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Baseball on Oak Ridge Drive
The Cubs are playing in St. Louis right now. I'm thankful for the DVR, as I can watch it at my convenience. About the time the game started, there was a higher priority (hear that, Rose?). We had our grandsons over at the house. Nathan (the 5 year old) handles the bat a little better than Eli (3 years old).
Nathan had a bigger bat than Eli. You can see them both warming up here.
I taught Nathan how to choke up a bit on the bat, which gave him more bat control.
I think I must have pitched at least six innings! We had a great time. I found out that Nathan can run faster than I can, because "little boys can run faster than grown ups!"
Nathan had a bigger bat than Eli. You can see them both warming up here.
I taught Nathan how to choke up a bit on the bat, which gave him more bat control.
I think I must have pitched at least six innings! We had a great time. I found out that Nathan can run faster than I can, because "little boys can run faster than grown ups!"
Beat Redbirds Now!
The Cubbies are in St. Louis for a 3-game series starting tonight, but I won't be there. I'm glad that all the games will be televised in Joplin! We need to get serious, and sweep out that new ballpark!
A Cubbies blog I read occasionally talks about how Lou has de-Dustified the Cubs. They have played well, despite dropping the last 2 games against eh Cascabeles from Arizona. The Cubs' starting pitching is 2nd in the National League in ERA (and we have not seen any pitchers by the name of Prior or Wood!). Derrek Lee will be back for this series. A-Ram has played great baseball; A-Sor has played well; the Cajun Connection (The Riot and Fonte Not) has been fun to watch. Eamus Catuli!
A Cubbies blog I read occasionally talks about how Lou has de-Dustified the Cubs. They have played well, despite dropping the last 2 games against eh Cascabeles from Arizona. The Cubs' starting pitching is 2nd in the National League in ERA (and we have not seen any pitchers by the name of Prior or Wood!). Derrek Lee will be back for this series. A-Ram has played great baseball; A-Sor has played well; the Cajun Connection (The Riot and Fonte Not) has been fun to watch. Eamus Catuli!
Monday, July 23, 2007
Convención Nacional Cristiana in Dallas
Last week I attended the Convención Nacional Cristiana in Dallas, Texas. It is a national convention of Spanish-speaking churches affiliated with the Church of Christ/Christian Church, similar in purpose to the North American Christian Convention. I had previously attended the convention in 2005, when it was held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but was working behind the scenes at that convention with a group from College Hts. Church in Joplin, as an aid to the Spanish-speaking congregation that meets at Christview Christian Church in Tulsa, where my son was on staff.
This convention I had no organizational responsibilities. I was able to enjoy the convention, as well as to represent OCC. There was a Bible Bowl-like competition, as part of the youth program, and OCC awarded scholarships to the winners. A girl on the 1st-place team (from Dodge City, KS) wants to come to OCC, so that was pretty cool.
Overall, I was very impressed with the convention. The sermons that were preached in the adult sessions I was able to attend were excellent, and demonstrated both scholarship and the ability to "throw down" (as young preachers are wont to say). I migrated back and forth between the youth and the adult sessions. My son was leading worship in the youth sessions, which he did with the excellence I expect from him.
Next year's convention will be held in San Antonio, TX (July 22-24). The local president is Dámaso García, the minister at the Bellaire Christian Church in San Antonio. I first met him in 1992, when a group called RED (Redacción, Edición, Distribución) met together for the first time, to discuss the need for quality publication of Christian books in Spanish. Now, 15 years later, his son, Ismael, works with my son in the planning and execution of the youth sessions of this convention.
I was very impressed with the team from the hispanic congregation at Valley View Christian Church (which hosted the event). Under the leadership of their Spanish minister, David Gallegos, all who attended were well cared for.
Soli Deo Gloria.
This convention I had no organizational responsibilities. I was able to enjoy the convention, as well as to represent OCC. There was a Bible Bowl-like competition, as part of the youth program, and OCC awarded scholarships to the winners. A girl on the 1st-place team (from Dodge City, KS) wants to come to OCC, so that was pretty cool.
Overall, I was very impressed with the convention. The sermons that were preached in the adult sessions I was able to attend were excellent, and demonstrated both scholarship and the ability to "throw down" (as young preachers are wont to say). I migrated back and forth between the youth and the adult sessions. My son was leading worship in the youth sessions, which he did with the excellence I expect from him.
Next year's convention will be held in San Antonio, TX (July 22-24). The local president is Dámaso García, the minister at the Bellaire Christian Church in San Antonio. I first met him in 1992, when a group called RED (Redacción, Edición, Distribución) met together for the first time, to discuss the need for quality publication of Christian books in Spanish. Now, 15 years later, his son, Ismael, works with my son in the planning and execution of the youth sessions of this convention.
I was very impressed with the team from the hispanic congregation at Valley View Christian Church (which hosted the event). Under the leadership of their Spanish minister, David Gallegos, all who attended were well cared for.
Soli Deo Gloria.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
I Passed My Comps!
I'm in the Dallas area now for the Convención Nacional Cristiana. The convention is being held at the Valley View Christian Church. I'm staying with family members about 20 minutes away in Allen, TX. When I got here, I checked my e-mail, and had a message from my advisor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It said, "Congratulations!"
I've got some paperwork to file now, but I guess I am officially a candidate from graduation for my Ph.D. I'll need to spend some time with him about the dissertation research questions next week before I go to Chile.
Cubs lost tonight, so maybe they'll pick it up tomorrow.
I'm going to bed. God's best to you all!
DGF
I've got some paperwork to file now, but I guess I am officially a candidate from graduation for my Ph.D. I'll need to spend some time with him about the dissertation research questions next week before I go to Chile.
Cubs lost tonight, so maybe they'll pick it up tomorrow.
I'm going to bed. God's best to you all!
DGF
Monday, July 16, 2007
Go, Cubs, Go!
Since June 3, the Chicago Cubs are the hottest team in Major League Baseball. Tonight they had another come-from-behind win, beating the SF Giants 3-2. Midway through the game, the Cubs made an announcement of a trade that will help them out. They picked up catcher Jason Kendall from the Oakland A's, a lifetime .298 hitter, who is a good catcher, good hitter, and has good speed.
There is a sense on the north side of Chicago that this team could be a team of destiny.
Go, Cubs, Go! Eamus Catuli!
Jason Kendall's bio and stats are available here.
There is a sense on the north side of Chicago that this team could be a team of destiny.
Go, Cubs, Go! Eamus Catuli!
Jason Kendall's bio and stats are available here.
Light Blogging
I haven't blogged much recently. Tomorrow I take off for Dallas, to represent Ozark Christian College at the Convención Nacional Cristiana, a gathering of U.S. based Spanish-speaking congregations. I will be a judge for the preaching competition, where messages are to be bilingual. That ought to be fun! OCC will be awarding scholarships to winners of the preaching and Bible Bowl competitions.
We're overhauling our finances, and cut up our credit cards. We plan to move to a cash only basis (debit cards count as cash). We've been listening to some common sense finance counsel. As far as keeping a credit card back for emergency use, one piece of advice made me laugh out loud. Perhaps you've heard that some recommend that you put a credit card in the freezer (emergency use only). We heard one guy say that in addition to putting a credit card in the freezer, you should fill up a tin can with water, put the credit card in the can of water, and then freeze it. That way, it can't be defrosted in the microwave! LOL!
I don't mean to offend my friends who work in the banking industry, but recently I watched a PBS Frontline program titled The Secret History of the Credit Card. It won a 2004-2005 Emmy for Outstanding Investigative Journalism. You can watch it online by clicking on the link.
I will go to Chile from August 2-14. I will speak at a Pastors' Retreat in Villa Alemana, Chile August 3-5, and teach a course in Lautaro (Southern Chile) from August 8-12. I'll have just over 2 days to visit friends in Santiago.
The Cubbies are heating up. I'm hoping that the Milwaukee Brewers can feel them breathing down their necks. I still think God will want to reward faithful Cubs fans with a World Series title this year, to avoid the moniker of 100 years of futility!
Hope you have a good day!
DGF
We're overhauling our finances, and cut up our credit cards. We plan to move to a cash only basis (debit cards count as cash). We've been listening to some common sense finance counsel. As far as keeping a credit card back for emergency use, one piece of advice made me laugh out loud. Perhaps you've heard that some recommend that you put a credit card in the freezer (emergency use only). We heard one guy say that in addition to putting a credit card in the freezer, you should fill up a tin can with water, put the credit card in the can of water, and then freeze it. That way, it can't be defrosted in the microwave! LOL!
I don't mean to offend my friends who work in the banking industry, but recently I watched a PBS Frontline program titled The Secret History of the Credit Card. It won a 2004-2005 Emmy for Outstanding Investigative Journalism. You can watch it online by clicking on the link.
I will go to Chile from August 2-14. I will speak at a Pastors' Retreat in Villa Alemana, Chile August 3-5, and teach a course in Lautaro (Southern Chile) from August 8-12. I'll have just over 2 days to visit friends in Santiago.
The Cubbies are heating up. I'm hoping that the Milwaukee Brewers can feel them breathing down their necks. I still think God will want to reward faithful Cubs fans with a World Series title this year, to avoid the moniker of 100 years of futility!
Hope you have a good day!
DGF
Monday, July 02, 2007
A Thousand Splendid Suns
About three years ago, our friend Shirley Woolsey, who at that time was a missionary in Chile, told me about a book that she was certain I would enjoy reading. Khaled Hosseini, an Afghani wrote a book titled The Kite Runner. I kind of filed that away in my
mind. Two years ago last month (June 2005), Rose, Kim & I were in Chile, and stayed with the Woolsey family for the last four days we were in the country. Craig Woolsey was reading the book at the time we were in their home. The next to the last night we were in Chile, I started reading the book in their living room, and read about 100 pages. I asked them if I could take the book with me, and promised to air mail it right back to them. They said, "no," so I had to find another way. I remember going to a Books-a-Million store in Joplin, and reading a couple chapters more. I then bought a used copy, probably on Amazon.com, and devoured it. Rose read it. It was a picture into life in Afghanistan. The author, Hosseini, had left his home country and migrated to the U.S. where he made a life for himself, when he was very young. The Kite Runner was based on the author's memory of Afghanistan. He had never returned. Lev Grossman writes for Time magazine, and notes the irony of an expatriate Afghani writing a book about an expatriate Afghani returning to Afghanistan (The Kite Runner) without returning to Afghanistan himself. It was Grossman's article about Hosseini that made me aware of his second book. You can read his article here. Hosseini returned to Afghanistan in 2003, and promptly wrote A Thousand Splendid Suns. When I was walking down an aisle at Sam's Club, I saw it waiting for me, so I bought a copy. Rose read this one first. I started it on my long bus trip from Chicago, and just finished it a few nights ago (after finishing comps).
A Thousand Splendid Suns is a look at the lives of Afghani women, especially contrasting the lives of two women, one older than the other, raised in completely different pre-Taliban contexts, who end up, because of the nation's particular tragedies, married to the same despotic man. The younger was viewed at first by the older as the rival wife, to be fought. A friendship, in reality, a kinship (mother-daughter; older sister-younger sister), was formed. Like Hosseini's earlier book, as a master storyteller, this account is riveting. It is not a pleasant read, but it is valuable.
I had a student who spent a long time in Kabul, working with an NGO. He recommended another book on Afghanistan, title The Book Seller of Kabul, by Asne Seierstad. Though written based on the experiences of a non-Afghani who spends significant time there, it also allows foreigners a view from the inside.
I recommend all three of these books. You might want to check them out.
DGF
mind. Two years ago last month (June 2005), Rose, Kim & I were in Chile, and stayed with the Woolsey family for the last four days we were in the country. Craig Woolsey was reading the book at the time we were in their home. The next to the last night we were in Chile, I started reading the book in their living room, and read about 100 pages. I asked them if I could take the book with me, and promised to air mail it right back to them. They said, "no," so I had to find another way. I remember going to a Books-a-Million store in Joplin, and reading a couple chapters more. I then bought a used copy, probably on Amazon.com, and devoured it. Rose read it. It was a picture into life in Afghanistan. The author, Hosseini, had left his home country and migrated to the U.S. where he made a life for himself, when he was very young. The Kite Runner was based on the author's memory of Afghanistan. He had never returned. Lev Grossman writes for Time magazine, and notes the irony of an expatriate Afghani writing a book about an expatriate Afghani returning to Afghanistan (The Kite Runner) without returning to Afghanistan himself. It was Grossman's article about Hosseini that made me aware of his second book. You can read his article here. Hosseini returned to Afghanistan in 2003, and promptly wrote A Thousand Splendid Suns. When I was walking down an aisle at Sam's Club, I saw it waiting for me, so I bought a copy. Rose read this one first. I started it on my long bus trip from Chicago, and just finished it a few nights ago (after finishing comps).A Thousand Splendid Suns is a look at the lives of Afghani women, especially contrasting the lives of two women, one older than the other, raised in completely different pre-Taliban contexts, who end up, because of the nation's particular tragedies, married to the same despotic man. The younger was viewed at first by the older as the rival wife, to be fought. A friendship, in reality, a kinship (mother-daughter; older sister-younger sister), was formed. Like Hosseini's earlier book, as a master storyteller, this account is riveting. It is not a pleasant read, but it is valuable.
I had a student who spent a long time in Kabul, working with an NGO. He recommended another book on Afghanistan, title The Book Seller of Kabul, by Asne Seierstad. Though written based on the experiences of a non-Afghani who spends significant time there, it also allows foreigners a view from the inside.
I recommend all three of these books. You might want to check them out.
δόξα ἐν ὑψίστοις θεῷ
καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη
ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκίας.
Peace!DGF
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Greg's Video Now in 6th Place!
Yesterday when I posted about Greg's video, Freedom is Not Free, it was in 9th place on SermonSpice's top video list. Currently, it's in 6th place. I would think that churches that would consider downloading it for service tomorrow (Sunday before July 4) would have already done it, but he could still sell more later today. Good job, Greg!
Chicago Trip--Cultural Experience--Go, Cubs, Go!
In the middle of writing my comps, I took an excursion to Chicago. Back in April, David Conrad, an OCC student who is a huge Cubs fan, told me that he planned to go to Chicago for the Cubs/White Sox game on June 24. He asked me if I was interested, and I told him yes. He got the tickets. He was planning on driving, so I paid him for the tickets, and told him I was in.
As the summer turned out, I was in the middle of writing my comps, but my deadline was June 27, so I assumed I could get it done. I made arrangements to spend Saturday night with friends from high school in Joliet, IL. I also made arrangements to visit a Spanish-speaking church on the south side of Chicago, the Blue Island Church of Christ, where I spoke last Sunday morning. David Conrad was going to stay in Illinois a week, so I made plans to return to Joplin by myself. I was less than a thousand frequent flyer miles on American to merit a free trip from Chicago to Springfield, MO, so I got a Greyhound Bus Ticket for only $45 from Chicago to Joplin. That was my cultural experience!
I only remember taking an interurban bus in the United States one other time in my life. I graduated from high school in Joliet, IL in 1971. The following week our family moved to Jacksonville, IL. Just before moving to Joplin, MO to begin college, I took a bus from Jacksonville to Joliet. My friend David Schultz let me borrow a car to have a date with a girl I had dated a bit in high school. It was different, so I felt more than free to move on. Rose thought I was crazy to want to take this bus trip, especially since I got on the bus at 1 AM, and traveled all night and part of the day to get home. I was stoked for it, though. In Chile, I've traveled by bus many times. There are nice buses, and not-so-nice buses, but it's a common way to travel. I got to the Chicago Bus Terminal about 11:30 PM, for a bus leaving at 1:00 AM. I had a ticket for the 1:00 AM bus, but I found out that doesn't make any difference, as seats are first come-first served. So I got in line, and waited. A guy right behind me was supposed to have been on a bus leaving Chicago hours earlier, but it was full, and he had to wait. I needed to be on the bus I was scheduled on, because I needed to be back in Joplin on Monday, in order to spend Tuesday and Wednesday in the library writing my comps. The trip from Chicago to St. Louis was uneventful (only 1 stop, in Bloomington). I had to change buses in St. Louis, with a 3 hour layover. What did I do there? I made a quick rest room stop, and then I got in line. In the end, there was not a seat available problem. Nobody got bumped. They would have, but Greyhound put an additional bus for the portion of the trip from St. Louis to Springfield, MO, but, I didn't know they were going to do that, and the next scheduled bus was Monday evening, so . . . I waited in line. I got back to Joplin around 3:30 PM. I had parked my motor scooter inside College Press's warehouse area, so I had transportation home. It was a cultural experience I probably won't rush to repeat. I would rather fly, or drive, I suppose.
That brings us to the Cubs. They have won 17 of their last 25 games, to get back to .500 on the season. They have a firm grip now on 2nd place in the NL Central, have two series sweeps in a row. The game I saw was the 3rd game at U.S. Cellular against the White Sox. They won the game 3-0, which was enjoyable, to see the Cubs sweep the Sox at U.S. Cellular Field ( I had not seen the White Sox play since I was in high school.) Later in the week they swept the Colorado Rockies. Yesterday they began a 3 game series with the Milwaukee Brewers. They gave up 5 run to Milwaukee in the first inning, then started chipping away. Starting the bottom of the 9th down by 2 runs, they picked up 1 run via Derrek Lee's sacrifice fly, to make the 2nd out. That left one runner on and 2 outs when Aramis Ramírez came up to the plate. The wind was blowing in, but Aramis hit the first pitch into the left field stands for a walk-off Cubs home run. Cubs Win! Cubs Win! Cubs Win! You can hear Pat Hughes' home run call in mp3 format by clicking here.
This afternoon they're on FOX. Tomorrow afternoon on WGN. Go Cubs, go!
As the summer turned out, I was in the middle of writing my comps, but my deadline was June 27, so I assumed I could get it done. I made arrangements to spend Saturday night with friends from high school in Joliet, IL. I also made arrangements to visit a Spanish-speaking church on the south side of Chicago, the Blue Island Church of Christ, where I spoke last Sunday morning. David Conrad was going to stay in Illinois a week, so I made plans to return to Joplin by myself. I was less than a thousand frequent flyer miles on American to merit a free trip from Chicago to Springfield, MO, so I got a Greyhound Bus Ticket for only $45 from Chicago to Joplin. That was my cultural experience!
I only remember taking an interurban bus in the United States one other time in my life. I graduated from high school in Joliet, IL in 1971. The following week our family moved to Jacksonville, IL. Just before moving to Joplin, MO to begin college, I took a bus from Jacksonville to Joliet. My friend David Schultz let me borrow a car to have a date with a girl I had dated a bit in high school. It was different, so I felt more than free to move on. Rose thought I was crazy to want to take this bus trip, especially since I got on the bus at 1 AM, and traveled all night and part of the day to get home. I was stoked for it, though. In Chile, I've traveled by bus many times. There are nice buses, and not-so-nice buses, but it's a common way to travel. I got to the Chicago Bus Terminal about 11:30 PM, for a bus leaving at 1:00 AM. I had a ticket for the 1:00 AM bus, but I found out that doesn't make any difference, as seats are first come-first served. So I got in line, and waited. A guy right behind me was supposed to have been on a bus leaving Chicago hours earlier, but it was full, and he had to wait. I needed to be on the bus I was scheduled on, because I needed to be back in Joplin on Monday, in order to spend Tuesday and Wednesday in the library writing my comps. The trip from Chicago to St. Louis was uneventful (only 1 stop, in Bloomington). I had to change buses in St. Louis, with a 3 hour layover. What did I do there? I made a quick rest room stop, and then I got in line. In the end, there was not a seat available problem. Nobody got bumped. They would have, but Greyhound put an additional bus for the portion of the trip from St. Louis to Springfield, MO, but, I didn't know they were going to do that, and the next scheduled bus was Monday evening, so . . . I waited in line. I got back to Joplin around 3:30 PM. I had parked my motor scooter inside College Press's warehouse area, so I had transportation home. It was a cultural experience I probably won't rush to repeat. I would rather fly, or drive, I suppose.
That brings us to the Cubs. They have won 17 of their last 25 games, to get back to .500 on the season. They have a firm grip now on 2nd place in the NL Central, have two series sweeps in a row. The game I saw was the 3rd game at U.S. Cellular against the White Sox. They won the game 3-0, which was enjoyable, to see the Cubs sweep the Sox at U.S. Cellular Field ( I had not seen the White Sox play since I was in high school.) Later in the week they swept the Colorado Rockies. Yesterday they began a 3 game series with the Milwaukee Brewers. They gave up 5 run to Milwaukee in the first inning, then started chipping away. Starting the bottom of the 9th down by 2 runs, they picked up 1 run via Derrek Lee's sacrifice fly, to make the 2nd out. That left one runner on and 2 outs when Aramis Ramírez came up to the plate. The wind was blowing in, but Aramis hit the first pitch into the left field stands for a walk-off Cubs home run. Cubs Win! Cubs Win! Cubs Win! You can hear Pat Hughes' home run call in mp3 format by clicking here.
This afternoon they're on FOX. Tomorrow afternoon on WGN. Go Cubs, go!
Friday, June 29, 2007
You Go, Greg!
While I have been busy writing comprehensive exams for my PhD program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (106 pages long!), my son has been making extra money for his family.
His video, Freedom is Not Free, which he placed on SermonSpice.com prior to the Memorial Day weekend, has taken off. That video is now #9 on the most sold videos on the site for the month of June. You go, Greg!
SermonSpice.com is a commercial warehouse of short videos available for use in church settings. Lots of ministers use them as illustrations. Have you heard of the Evangelism Linebacker? That video is on SermonSpice.com. Greg label for his video production is FishXpressions, and if you want to see his other videos available on SermonSpice.com, you just have to click here.
Good job, Greg! I'm proud of you! Now I hope I get word from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln that allows me to use PhD (candidate) behind my name. Not that I care much about personal prestige, but I've invested years of my life in this, and want to finish.
His video, Freedom is Not Free, which he placed on SermonSpice.com prior to the Memorial Day weekend, has taken off. That video is now #9 on the most sold videos on the site for the month of June. You go, Greg!
SermonSpice.com is a commercial warehouse of short videos available for use in church settings. Lots of ministers use them as illustrations. Have you heard of the Evangelism Linebacker? That video is on SermonSpice.com. Greg label for his video production is FishXpressions, and if you want to see his other videos available on SermonSpice.com, you just have to click here.
Good job, Greg! I'm proud of you! Now I hope I get word from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln that allows me to use PhD (candidate) behind my name. Not that I care much about personal prestige, but I've invested years of my life in this, and want to finish.
Not to us, O Lord, not to us
but to your name be the glory,
because of your love and faithfulness.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
32 Years!
Today is our 32nd Wedding Anniversary. We took a trip to Brownsville, TX last week, kind of to celebrate the anniversary. I am in the middle of writing comprehensive exams for my PhD degree, so I have been consumed for hours and hours on that this week. I moved into a study room at the Missouri Southern State University Library. Tomorrow (Friday), the library closes at 5:00 PM, so I will quit earlier, and we will enjoy a meal out with Charissa (our oldest) and her husband, Steve.
Rose has been a faithful companion all these years. Without her, my life would be poor indeed. Thanks for hanging with me, Rosita! I'll enjoy our brunch a little later on. I'll be heading to the library before you get up. Here is a recent photo, taken Monday morning with our youngest grandson, Samuel Malachi!
I love you!
Your David
Rose has been a faithful companion all these years. Without her, my life would be poor indeed. Thanks for hanging with me, Rosita! I'll enjoy our brunch a little later on. I'll be heading to the library before you get up. Here is a recent photo, taken Monday morning with our youngest grandson, Samuel Malachi!
I love you!
Your David
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
That's Why They Call Them Comprehensive
In a few short hours I will begin writing my PhD Comprehensive Exams. We arrived back home from our extended weekend trip to Brownsville, TX. I was anxious to catch a peek at the topics over which I need to write over the next week or so. My adviser was to e-mail them to me on the 18th. We arrived home after business hours on the 18th, so I thought I should have received them. They weren't there yet. I sent my adviser an e-mail before we were taken out to eat by our recently graduated daughter, Kim, who had been "home" doing her laundry.
When we returned from the Olive Garden, the comps had arrived. Comprehensive is an adequate word to describe them. Another word that comes to mind is brutal. Well, that's why I get to use a library to write them. I will hole myself up in a study room at Missouri Southern State Library over the next four days. Then I will take a hiatus on my writing schedule, catch a ride to Chicago with an OCC student, spend Saturday night with some old friends from high school, speak Sunday morning at the Blue Island (IL) Church of Christ (Spanish-speaking church), attend a ball game at U.S. Cellular Field between my beloved Cubbies and that despicable White Sox, visit the new camp of my beloved church camp Lake Region Christian Assembly in Crown Point, IN, before boarding a Greyhound Bus (I'm up for new cultural experiences) back to Joplin, MO. I'll arrive back home on Monday afternoon (June 25), and resume writing my comps on the 26th and 27th. I doubt that I'll be writing blog entries over the next week, unless I write something particularly well that I want to post here.
My adviser told me "Good luck." I hope I don't need it. I guess they are graded on a pass/fail basis. I intend to pass, but they are what they are called: comprehensive. If you read this, and remember to pray for me, I would be very appreciative.
DGF
When we returned from the Olive Garden, the comps had arrived. Comprehensive is an adequate word to describe them. Another word that comes to mind is brutal. Well, that's why I get to use a library to write them. I will hole myself up in a study room at Missouri Southern State Library over the next four days. Then I will take a hiatus on my writing schedule, catch a ride to Chicago with an OCC student, spend Saturday night with some old friends from high school, speak Sunday morning at the Blue Island (IL) Church of Christ (Spanish-speaking church), attend a ball game at U.S. Cellular Field between my beloved Cubbies and that despicable White Sox, visit the new camp of my beloved church camp Lake Region Christian Assembly in Crown Point, IN, before boarding a Greyhound Bus (I'm up for new cultural experiences) back to Joplin, MO. I'll arrive back home on Monday afternoon (June 25), and resume writing my comps on the 26th and 27th. I doubt that I'll be writing blog entries over the next week, unless I write something particularly well that I want to post here.
My adviser told me "Good luck." I hope I don't need it. I guess they are graded on a pass/fail basis. I intend to pass, but they are what they are called: comprehensive. If you read this, and remember to pray for me, I would be very appreciative.
DGF
Friday, June 15, 2007
Boca Chica Beach
Rose and I flew down to Harlingen, TX on Wednesday night (we actually arrived in Brownsville, sans luggage on Thursday). Today we went to Boca Chica beach. The famous beach near Brownsville is on South Padre Island. Boca Chica beach is the Texas Gulf Coast beach nearest to Mexico. It was pretty much an abandoned beach, with no commercialization. On the way back to Brownsville we passed a Border Patrol checkpoint.
I'm not a huge fan of the beach, but Nathan and Eli absolutely love going to the beach. It was fun to watch them.
Nathan (the oldest grandson) turned 5 years old on Tuesday. We will celebrate with a party for him tomorrow evening at a local Sonic restaurant that has a pretty neat play area. We will share with them on Sunday services. It will be interesting to see how the Spanish-speaking fellowship approaches Father's Day. Rose and I will return to Joplin on Monday, at which time I begin writing my doctoral comprehensive exams. In the second photo, you can see Greg & Emily with their three sons, Nathan, Eli, and Samuel.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Got a Book in the Mail Yesterday
A few years ago, I heard about this book, and actually checked it out of the Missouri Southern State University library, filing the concept away in my brain until I would need it. That time has come. I bought it on Amazon.com, from one of their associated vendors ($11, hopefully well spent). It is titled Complete Your Dissertation or Thesis in Two Semesters or Less. What I didn't realize was that I was getting the 3rd edition, just published in 2007! Not only that, but an endorsement on the back cover was written by a member of my dissertation committee!!! Here is the complete bibliographic data:
Ogden, Evelyn Hunt (2007). Complete Your Dissertation or Thesis in Two Semesters or Less. 3rd ed. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
When I first saw the title, I thought it was cute. The book does have some excellent commonsense suggestions and checklists. I will try to summarize the most important below.
What a dissertation is
I quote from Ogden (p. 4):
The dissertation is a scholarly work that represents one or more of the following types of research:
1. historical and philosophical
2. experimental
3. exploratory and descriptive
The subject chosen must be definite and of limited range, the method of investigation must be exactly formulated, the value of sources must be established, and the conclusion systematically supported.
She then describes in greater detail what the words limited, definite, and scholarly mean, and reminds the reader that he/she has already done umpteen or more papers of that nature. Then she drives home her point (pp. 4-5):
Make a list of the dissertations you have read in full (abstracts do not count). Think of the most impressive professors you have had for courses. What were their dissertation topics? Have you read their dissertations? List all the dissertations you have used as textbooks in courses. Are your lists short? As a matter of fact the odds are that the paper is blank. Why is it then, if dissertations are such a big deal, that even those of noted scholars have so little visibility? The answer lies in what a dissertation is and is not.
What a dissertation is not
Again, I quote Ogden (p. 5):
Remember that a dissertation is a demonstration of your ability to do a limited research study of the caliber that appears in journals in your field. You are not being asked to find the cure for cancer or write the great American epic.
What this means
I can do this. I will be writing my comprehensive exams the week of June 18-22. Assuming that I can pass them, I will hit the dissertation proposal hard, hopefully having the proposal approved during the rest of the summer months. Ogden's scheme calls for dissertation proposal by October 25, for a June graduation. I will be striving for a May 2008 graduation.
Now, the research design that I want to use is a bit more complicated. John Hunter, our research librarian, has procured several volumes for me via Inter-Library Loan, most important of which is the 768 page Handbook of Mixed Methods in Social and Behavioral Research, edited by Tashakkori and Teddlie (Sage Publications, 2003).
Keep me in your prayers!
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