partsofspeaking

 My subtitle is a quote from R.C. Sproul that went viral. It applies to many things nowadays.  I don't know if I would call myself a fan of THE CHOSEN, but I admire what Dallas Jenkins is trying to do, artistically and evangelistically. I suppose if I were a real fan I would donate some money; perhaps I will, to put some money where my mouth is (or my blog writing).  However, I have noticed there are a number of YouTubers and bloggers and vloggers who, clears throat, take issue with what Dallas is doing. They make the following arguments (from what I can tell): 1. the project is ecumenical in the wrong way (i.e., he had help/connections with Mormons, Catholics, Jews, and other such);  2. the actors and crew are not all Christian believers;  3. the portrayal of Jesus (the fact he is portrayed at all, the way he is portrayed, and the actor who does so); 4. interpretations of certain Biblical issues or narratives;  5.  the costs and marketing.  To ti...

I am studying the psalms, and finding that we ignore a great number of them. This is one, and verse 11 is a blessing for 2023 (with the disclaimer that every day is the start and/or end of a new year).   Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion; And to You the [ a ] vow shall be performed. 2  O You who hear prayer, To You all flesh will come. 3  Iniquities prevail against me; As for our transgressions, You will provide atonement for them. 4  Blessed is the man You choose, And cause to approach You, That he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Of Your holy temple. 5  By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us, O God of our salvation, You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth, And of the far-off seas; 6  Who established the mountains by His strength, Being clothed with power; 7  You who still the noise of the seas, The noise of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples. 8  ...

 I just signed a contract with a publisher for my novel (8th), Sudden Future. Now the work begins! (it  has been dormant for over a year.) More news coming on this.

A world-shattering book in the realm of lay sociology was, and is, Robert Putnam's Bowling Alone. I read it quite a while back, but it stayed with me. It's quite hefty because he had to take many pages to prove his thesis.  Which is: American society has fallen from the world deTocqueville wrote about in the 1830s and which he saw on his famous journey here. deTocqueville wrote many prescient and perceptive things, but one was that we as a people and society are based on freely created associations. It was what made us US.  This was true in the 1950s. It is far less true today. His metaphor: the number of people in bowling leagues in the 1950s and '60s, and the number at the time of his writing (and now).  He, of course, shows far more evidence than that.  I tell my students that American society is far more individualistic now than when I was a child. Catering to every child in a special, particular way is how I see it. In my high school years, I had to walk 1/2 a m...

This morning I am grateful for many things: 1. A sweet five-day trip to visit my daughter-in-law's family for Christmas in a city 400 miles away. It was a cultural experience, as they are Mexican. It warmed my heart in many ways, including the sovereignty of God that my son is in that family (never expected!) And savory food! 2. A safe trip home that took 2-3 hours longer than it should have due to traffic (road work! strange driving practices!) and light to heavy snow for the last 100 miles.  3. Coming home to a house that was not damaged by the deep freeze of the last five days. It's warm and the plumbing works (it's still dirty and in disarray, though....) 4. My dogs safely with me (and as needy as ever).  5. A rare covering of snow in Northwest Georgia with the sun rising and colorful birds foraging.  6. A new coffeemaker and strong brew.  7. Reconciliation and continued relationships; what else matters in this life, really?*  8. Psalm 63 for my reading: "Be...

I read Psalm 62 this morning and then turned to Luke 1 and 2.  As I have written before, nothing nauseates me quite like the phrase "the magic of Christmas." We can talk about the miracle of the incarnation and how it took place, but there is no such thing as magic and especially not when it applies to the Nativity.  And Luke lets us know that. Supernatural events took place, but they took place for very real, earthy people living in near poverty (for their times and geography), people who had to live with the consequences, had to pay taxes (no miracles there), had to hike about 40 miles because the Roman governor got a bright idea. They took place for a girl who would face gossip all her life for her "surprise," pre-marital pregnancy and who couldn't have her mother with her when she delivered her first baby (there was a midwife--men did not deliver babies, people, so get that out of your head). They took place for a confused man unsure how to respond to all th...

As I sit here on Friday morning waiting for family activities, there is a family down the hall with a child who is screaming and has been for twenty minutes.  How is this a good thing? Why is this child not comforted? Distracted from his/her anger and frustration? And how did this child get the idea this is a good strategy? Well, it's a three- or four-year-old, I assume, and they are not known for logic and ordered reasoning, but I doubt this is the first time he/she has gone on such a tirade. Punishment in this case would not work, except maybe to scare the child. Then again, maybe a little fear would dilute the terrorism inflicted on his/her parents and the guests in this hotel..... I was blessed with a child who only tried this a couple of times, usually when he was in his car seat, which he hated, because he thought he should be free to roam about the cabin on the car. I stopped the car and was not tolerant but not unkind, either.  I do wonder if these kinds of fits are no...

Which is always a bad idea.  The "thread" is a debate over the ending of schooling for Afghani women. Tragic.  Who was responsible? Biden or Trump? Trump signed an agreement to bring the troops home in May 2021. Biden honored it.  Well, Biden hasn't honored much else of what Trump did, so why couldn't he have stopped it? He surely stopped a lot of other things. They are both responsible, then. It would have happened if Trump stayed in office. And I, for one, believe that's why we have Ukraine.  And while I am here, the Tucker Carlson crowd who mocked Zelensky's speech (Carlson said he showed up dressed like a strip club owner and that he is persecuting Christians and has declared martial law) can take a flying leap. They could not survive 24 hours in Ukraine. They want more money for domestic programs--which is totally not conservative. Oh, I am angry, and will probably never watch Fox again. No great loss.  In regard to the persecuting Christians line, he is ...

https://www.thebulwark.com/there-is-no-mary-problem-in-its-a-wonderful-life/?fbclid=IwAR3lFZH6NyK-j0hrd-C2jMdCEC0d9pRsm9NcAO58rQWzblIR8NPM_zp-drU

All of them here:  https://rss.com/podcasts/dialogues-with-creators/ Episode 10 features Luke Manget, expert and author on the ginseng trade in Appalachia. Fascinating material.  

We received a message from the University System Chancellor Sonny Perdue (yes, former governor; a political appointment but I like the man) that no state government device (which means the USG) should have TikTok on it. By order to Brian Kemp, following the lead of federal government. Amen! TikTok is a vile, insidious platform. It is eating away at young people's lives, time, and brains. It is spying on us and stealing our data for the Chinese Communist Party.  Now to get it off people's phones. Young people--and adults--should truly focus on getting their social media use under control.  

My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise. 8  Awake, my glory! Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn. 9  I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing to You among the [ c ] nations. 10  For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens, And Your truth unto the clouds. 11  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; Let Your glory be above all the earth.  

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-problem-with-hey-guys?utm_source=pocket-newtab My first response to this article, which quotes the inimitable John McWhorter, is, "really? are people that sensitive?" On second thought, specificity and effectiveness in language are really the key principles, and "hey guys" is neither specific nor effective in many contexts. As I tell my students, what they say and how they talk with their friends and family is none of my business; my job is to ensure they can communicate effectively in the academic and professional setting.  Example:"Ma'am" and "sir"in professional communication. Good Southerners have this burned into their brains, but in most cases it is not really effective for the professional environment. It is seen either as 1. condescending,  2. a statement about age,  3. habitual and automatic and therefore thoughtless, and, today 4. assuming gender identity (don't get me started on that subje...

I am a member of the Dispatch community, and its morning newsletter had a helpful article on the fusion discovery. It is remarkable, but it doesn't mean what we think it means (to quote Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride) .  I will put a few paragraphs here, since I really can't copy and paste the whole article.  The rest of this post is from The Morning Dispatch, designated by using a different font. Scientists had previously lit the fusion match—to much fanfare each time—but they played a little fast and loose on what had actually been accomplished, as Charles Seife noted this week . Livermore, for example, announced in 2014 it had achieved net energy gain. “This was nothing more than an accounting trick,” Seife—a science journalist and author of Sun in a Bottle: The Strange History of Fusion and the Science of Wishful Thinking —wrote. “Instead of comparing the fusion energy produced with the energy of the incoming laser beams, NIF...

Last night I was saying to my dogs, I love my dogs. Then I realized I loved having dogs. I would not make the sacrifices for these dogs that I would for any friends or colleague or family member or co-Christian. But I am emotionally attached to them. Last night I also watched the first episode of season 3 of The Chosen . I have great respect for what Dallas Jenkins is doing; I don’t agree with all his artistic choices, but that is none of my business. Critics are a dime a dozen; it is easy to find fault, and it is extremely hard to create and to achieve a creative vision. Most critics are not artists themselves. What I came to was that we really do not worship Jesus as much as we worship or follow a representation of Him. We have created structures and systems to distance ourselves from what He really said and asked of us. Modern-day Evangelical Protestantism is the main culprit, although there are others. Sometimes we call it “easy believism...

We have such a wonderful history of Christmas music. Two examples, enjoy and worship.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4v_c_hCRIU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbIcmQ22EeI Were creation suddenly articulate With a thousand tongues to lift one cry Then from North to South and East to West We'd hear Christ be magnified Were the whole Earth echoing His eminence His name would burst from sea and sky From rivers to the mountain tops We'd hear Christ be magnified   Oh! Christ be magnified Let His praise arise Christ be magnified in me Oh! Christ be magnified From the altar of my life Christ be magnified in me   When every creature finds its inmost melody And every human heart its native cry Oh then in one enraptured hymn of praise We'll sing Christ be magnified.  Chorus.   I won't bow to idols, I'll stand strong and worship You And if it puts me in the fire, I'll rejoice 'cause You're there too I won't be formed by feelings, I hold fast to what is true ...

There are no end of Christmas stories, but in 2012 I published this one. I have gotten many good comments on it.   One is the Kindle version, one the print. I have copies.  I believe you will enjoy it.

 I love it when all of a sudden I have 75 visits in a day. Not. I would like to think someone loves my prose. Probably not. But if you are a real visitor, enjoy this . (It's very sweet!)

 Can we all agree that DJT is toxic to conservative politics and send him away, or ignore him? Deliver us!  Herschel Walker was an embarrassment, and now we are stuck with an extremely progressive Dem. My district has an even more embarrassing problem child.  However, every conservator who blames Trump for where the conservative coalition is has to remember--he was only in power because someone--lots of people--voted for him.  I am glad conservative is not synonymous with Republican.  Let the dissent begin.

 https://rss.com/podcasts/dialogues-with-creators/ Most recent guest, Renea Winchester, Outbound Train author.