the journey

Renting books this summer

With the rising cost of gasoline, most of us find our discretionary spending-- not the least of which is our book purchasing habits-- being affected.

For those of you who fall into that category, you might want to consider renting books.  Posted below are two book renting companies I recently came across.

• BookSwim.com: This rental service houses over 200,000 titles and have rental plans (and late fee policies) similar to companies like NetFlix.
• Booksfree.com: This book rental club has 90,000 titles, plus about 18,000 audiobooks.

Let me know if you find book rental clubs helpful.

HT: Ft. Worth Star Telegram

Tags: BookSwim.com, Booksfree.com

Christianity became big business

Here's an interesting tidbit.

Historians of religion like to say that Christianity was born in the Middle East as a religion, moved to Greece and became a philosophy, journeyed to Rome and became a legal system, spread through Europe as a culture-- and when it migrated to America, Christianity became big business.

Wow.

Source: They like Jesus but not the Church by Dan Kimball, p. 83.

Tags: Dan Kimball, They like Jesus but not the Church

That's knot possible

tie display at odels
Originally uploaded by doublebug

[Click on photo for better view.]

I recently attended a wedding in which two of the participants couldn't tie a neck tie. I'm not talking about one of those awful formal black bowties, but a simple neck tie. Nothing complicated, no Windsor knots involved.

So, I gladly tied them (one at a time) around my own neck and gave them back-- ready to go-- to the bewildered guys.

I found the entire experience interesting.

Technorati Tags: Windsor tie, neck tie

Post Secret

Great site!

Here's their Facebook group page.

HT: Facebook friends

Tags: Post Secret

Church Pirates

This YouTube video featuring Ed Young Jr. addressing his church staff has attracted both criticism and concern.

It comes across as typical passive-agressive conflict resolution-- shooting a public shotgun of concern-- instead of privately addressing the person (or people) who needed to hear this the most. 

Interesting.

HT: MondayMorning Insights

Tags: Ed Young Jr., Church Pirates

Life after life after death

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading N.T. Wright's most recent book dealing with life, life after death, and life after life after death.

Though I don't fully understand his concept of hell and judgement or the role of resurrected human beings in the new heaven and new earth, I enjoyed what he said about resurrection, salvation and heaven.

Here's a selected quotation to give you a feel for his unconventional thoughts on the after life:

"As long as we see salvation in terms of going to heaven when we die, the main work of the church is bound to be seen in terms of saving souls [wish seems rather Platonic incidentally] for that future.But when we see salvation, as the New Testament sees it, in terms of God's promised new heavens and new earth and of our promised resurrection to share in that new gloriously embodied reality-- what I have called life after life after death-- then the main work of the church here and now demands to be rethought in consequence."

If you'd like to read a more thorough treatment of Wright's book written by someone with more time and energy than I have to devote to this topic, take a look at Scot Knight's multi-post treatment.

If you're looking for a good summertime read, I would recommend this book.

Source: Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright, p. 197.

Tags: Surprised by hope, N.T. Wright, Tom Wright

Major changes are afoot

This represents the first major design/content change in over two years.  The following Typelists have been removed:

• Currently reading
• Helpful books
• Other voices
• For spiritual enrichment
• Amazon Wish List
• A few endorsement buttons
• And some categories that are no longer relevant

If you can't live without any of these, please let me know.  Otherwise, enjoy the new minimalist look.

Blesings.

Technorati Tags: blog design

The death of Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter

After the tragic death of Marie Sue Chapman, or any other beloved friend or family member for that matter, a number of heart-wrenching questions typically surface.

Here's an interesting post dealing with some of those perplexing questions.

Addendum:  If you're looking for the Tennessean news report on this tragedy, click here.  If you're interested in jotting a note to the Chapmans, click here.

Tags: Steven Curtis Chapman, Marie Sue Chapman

An interesting prayer for Memorial Day

By William Sloane Coffin, Jr.

Gracious God, whose own Son’s term of service to humanity was so full that its brevity was no distress, we call to mind on this Memorial Sunday those who will not grow old as we are left to grow old, those whose lives were too brief for us but long enough, perhaps, for thee.

Forgive us that they died so young because we were too unimaginative, too imperious, too indifferent, or just too late to think of better ways than warfare to conduct the business of the world. Gratefully, we remember the generosity that prompted them to share the last of their rations, the last pair of dry socks, to share in the course of one hour in the foxhole more than most of us care to share with one another in a lifetime. And we recall the courage that made more than one of them fall on the grenade there was no time to throw back.

Grant, O God, that they may not have died in vain. May we draw new vigor from past tragedy. Buttress our instincts for peace, sorely beleaguered. Save us from justifications invented to make us look noble, grand and righteous and from blanket solutions to messy, detailed problems.

Give us the vision to see that those nations that gave the most to their generals and least to their poor were, throughout all history, the first to fall. Most of all, give us the vision to see that the world is now too dangerous for anything but truth, too small for anything but love. Through Jesus Christ our Savior, who became what we are to make us what he is.

Amen.

HT: A diner at the end of time

Technorati Tags: Memorial Day prayer, Memorial Day

Library of Congress photostream on Flickr

TITANIC life boats on way to CARPATHIA (LOC)
Originally uploaded by The Library of Congress

Here's an example of the historic black and white LOC photographs posted on Flicker. It's the Titanic lifeboats headed to the Carpathia.

Really cool stuff.

To view the entire photostream, click here.

Technorati Tags: Library of Congress, Titanic, Carpathia