partsofspeaking

The other day I was sitting in a meeting with other faculty when the campus play director said to me, “Why don’t you write me a play for next fall?”   Theoretically, the college has a contest and produces the winner in the fall production.   A seed was planted and I’m sketching it out on purpose.   The idea of writing murder mysteries is attractive to me, and heaven knows I’ve watched enough of them, especially Agatha Christie’s, and read quite a few, specifically Sue Grafton, Susan George (Inspector Lynnley), and PD James (Commander Adam Dalgliesh).   By the way, I am currently reading an old Agatha Christie/Miss Marple.   It’s not great literature, and the character of Miss Marple is rather different.   In the book, she’s a busy-body who just sits and listens and then engages people in annoying conversations; in the TV shows she seems more prescient and in control and not at all a dotty old lady.   However, in a murder mystery the person ...

We discussed Elihu this morning.  Elihu is not totally wrong, but he misses it.  He is a young person; he sees the world as black and white; he takes the promises literally and applies them broadly.  The message of Job is --"not so fast" on that approach.  Job is, in his eyes, putting himself as equal to God, so he suffers from pride.  Job's friend accuse him of all kinds of social crimes about which Job can honestly say, "Not me."  But Job does border on the arrogant at times.  He doesn't, and wouldn't curse God, but if time went on, would he eventually go too far? I think that Job is getting prideful, almost to the point of too much, because of how God responds to him.  There is no reproach for sin, just strongly worded, "You don't know what you're talking about Job; you don't get that position in the universe."  Elihu, however, is not totally right.  He doesn't understand Job, existentially, and this is an existential, hu...

I often find myself driving home from church and visiting my mother on Sunday afternoons about 2:00.  On NPR a program is played at that time, a link to which I have put below (at least to this week's program).  The show is called New Dimensions.  It is a new age philosophy conduit. Despite my extreme disagreement with its fundamental principles, I enjoy the show, sometimes at least.  Sometimes a writer or poet is introduced and I get interested in some of that person's work.  Sometimes they say something I sincerely agree with, but then I find myself getting thoughtful about how much the logical conclusions of that statement may conflict and confront the Biblical world view. Today the speakers were talking about assumptions and beliefs.  I encourage people to unearth their assumptions.  Assumptions can be very powerful; the more hidden they are, the more powerful.  And most of them are negative and largely untrue, at least they are untrue for...

This morning our choir sang a beautiful arrangement of this song, one of which I want sung at my funeral or memorial service.  The words are so poetic, the message profound.  I don't usually get so moved by a choir number. In these days of confused situations. In these nights of a restless remorse, When the heart and the soul of the nation, lay wounded and cold as a corpse. From the grave of the innocent Adam, comes a song bringing joy to the sad. Oh your cry has been heard and the ransom, has been paid up in full, Be Ye Glad. (Chorus) Oh, Be Ye Glad, Be Ye Glad, Every debt that you ever had Has been paid up in full by the grace of the Lord, Be Ye Glad, Be Ye Glad, Be Ye Glad. From the dungeon a rumor is stirring. You have h...

I have longed believed, and written, that evangelicals do not have a solid theology of the Holy Spirit.  It is defensive in that it warns against the charismatic movement, but it also minimizes the Holy Spirit and gives him a secondary or tertiary role in the Trinity, a form of modalism or even heresy in my book.  The Shack didn't help matters either, portraying the Holy Spirit as a transparent Asian woman who flits around a lot.  The Holy Spirit doesn't flit. So I will quote from The Valley of Vision today as my 1100th post: O God, the Holy Spirit, . . . When Thou didst hover over chaos, order came to birth, beaty robed the world, fruitfulness sprang forth, Move, I pray thee, upon my disordered heart; Take away the infirmities of unruly desires and hateful lusts; Lift the mists and darkness of unbelief; Brighten my soul with the pure light of truth; Make it fragrant as the garden of paradise. . . Fulfill in me the glory of thy divine offices; Be my comfort...

We are all familiar with Murphy's Law, which as the wag said, was optimistic.  Here is Tucker's Law, in the same vein. IF SOMEONE CAN POSSIBLY FIND A WAY TO MISUNDERSTAND A MESSAGE (OR A PERSON), HE/SHE WILL. This law has corrolaries:  Written communication exacerbates this law. Online students live this law everyday.

Yesterday I successfully passed my written and oral examinations at University of Georgia in the Ed.D. in Adult Education program.  It was a good experience, actually, but I prize learning.  The good news is I get to keep going on my research.  The bad news is I have to keep going on my research! So, lots to do, including some revisions for the next document, which will be the summary of my data collection and how I will intervene in the system (or how the Action research team will).  Now that I am almost in the "club" (of scholars, doctoral people, researchers, etc.) I am getting a different perspective.  I am beginning to understand the doctoral process.  It is not just hoop-jumping, although there is some of that.  It is a paradigm shift.  I have resisted that, not wanting to be made into a different person.  But I am in that process.  I won't lose my essence or my beliefs and values, but I will of necessity look at the world some...

It is almost 11 this evening and I have worked on writing, work, and doctoral studies literally since 8:00 this morning.  But I wanted to go ahead and post this, a few thoughts. I finished this book last night.  I was reading it because it was the book of choice for a reading club I (occasionally) attend at the college.  I rarely read or watch science fiction, but some of it goes beyond the stereotypical scyfy and this book, of course, is one of them.  So I read it, although I didn't finish for the discussion last week, and I more or less knew the end--but not really. While I did get bogged down sometimes, it is, to start, a great read.  i won't recommend a book that isn't, that doesn't make you want to get back to it, to forgo the sleep you need in order to get up at 6:00 the next morning, to keep reading one more chapter.  In a sense, it's a mystery--what are they doing to this child, when will he find out, how will he respond?  It creates a futu...