Archive for August, 2006

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Jennifer Grassman

Thursday, August 31st, 2006

Performing at Dean's Credit Clothing

Jennifer Grassman is working on an album called At The Back of the North Wind. If you haven’t heard her sing (and I’m guessing you haven’t), you have really been missing out. Some powerful lyrics plus a super powerful voice. Check her out at JenniferGrassman.com.

Here are some lines from “Pass Away”:

But people come and go
Like white drifts of snow
And every self crowned god
Will pass away, will pass away….

So hear me now you demons
Justice has her seasons
And every self crowned god
Will pass away, will pass away.

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I Love Your Work

Thursday, August 31st, 2006

In I Love Your Work Giovanni Ribisi plays another pathetic creep–this time a Hollywood actor–but I got the idea that his character wouldn’t have been such creep if he had a more normal job. There’s a good chance he’d still be pathetic, though. The Hollywood Reporter apparently called this “an intense story.” I suppose you might think so if you were (or imagined yourself to be) a famous movie star, who liked to watch movies about himself. Oddly enough, Ribisi’s character has dreams about watching himself emoting in silent films, and there’s a scene in which he is offered a discount on the purchase price of his own movies. I suspect there might be some truth buried in there.

Anyway, I thought that watching this movie seemed a bit like watching an actor practicing faces in the mirror. I turned it off after thirty-five minutes. If it hadn’t been for Christina Ricci’s periodic appearances, I would have turned it off even sooner.

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The Big White

Wednesday, August 30th, 2006

Robin Williams plays a down-on-his-luck travel agent who finds a body in a dumpster. He stages a wild animal mauling to disguise the body’s identity and passes it off as his long missing brother so he can collect on a million dollar insurance policy. It’s a funny plot, and Williams is great as always, but Holly Hunter and Giovanni Ribisi really make this movie. Hunter is an absolute riot, and Ribisi always plays a great pathetic creep.

Pretty good sound track too.

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Hindsight on the Patriarchs

Wednesday, August 30th, 2006

It seems easy to pick apart the lives of Jacob and Abraham and other ancient men of God, pointing out all the things they did wrong. Hindsight works that way, although I hesitate to call it 20/20. We have to be careful to keep things in perspective. For the most part the patriarchs did the best they could with what they had, and I suspect they did a whole lot better than any of us would have. Whatever you might think of their polygamy or scheming or violence, remember this:

God called Abraham his friend and said that he kept God’s commands all his life.

God called Jacob an honest man and chose him as the founder of his chosen nation.

God called Moses the most humble man alive and chose him as the conduit of his salvation and his laws.

God called David a man after his own heart and said that he kept the laws of God all his life except in the one instance concerning Uriah and Bathsheba.

It is a humbling thought that the friend of God, the man who fought God himself for his blessing, the most humble man on earth, and the man after God’s own heart were all righteous beyond anything that you or I are ever likely to witness. Yet they still made mistakes. They still had to spend time on their faces, begging God’s mercy. What hope would we have were it not for the blood of Yeshua which covers us and seals the promise of a new covenant to come?

 

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Terms of Biblical Sexuality, Addendum I

Wednesday, August 30th, 2006

I just added this term to my glossary: sororal polygyny.

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Messianic Judaism, Very Briefly

Sunday, August 27th, 2006

Messianic Judaism is a branch of Christianity, which is trying to bring Christianity back to its Hebraic roots. Some Messianic groups were formed to evangelize Jews. Most were formed by people just trying to worship and serve God in way they believe is more pleasing to Him. Here are some differences between most Christian churches and most Messianic churches:

1. Some Messianics refer to their church building as a synagogue.
2. Some Messianics refer to their pastors as rabbis.
3. Messianics adopt much Hebrew and Jewish terminology, sometimes pronounced badly, but almost always with good intentions.
4. Most Messianics try to use Hebrew pronounciations for Biblical names.
5. Most Messianics are anti-dispensationalist and pro-Torah.
6. Messianics congregate for worship on the seventh day of the week instead of the first.
7. Some gentile Messianics refer to themselves as Messianic Jews. Some do not.
8. Some Messianics believe that gentiles who come to faith in God, and who keep his laws are grafted into Israel just like the “mixed multitude” who came out of Egypt with Israel and Moses.

People frequently ask if Messianics make blood sacrifices, since they believe in keeping the written Torah. Messianics do not make blood sacrifices for one of two reasons, depending on whom you ask: 1) Yeshua’s sacrifice has fulfilled all requirements for blood sacrifice; 2) The Torah requies all sacrifices to be made on the altar in the Temple in Jerusalem, and the Temple is not standing at present.

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Ephesians 5:21-33

Saturday, August 26th, 2006

In this oft-quoted passage, Paul compared the relationship between Christ and the church to that between a husband and wife: just as Christ has direct authority over the church, so does a husband have direct authority over his wife.

Paul says that wives should willingly put themselves under the authority of their husbands in every area of life. This does not mean that women are inferior to men in value or in importance to God’s plan. On the contrary, as evidenced by Genesis 2, most men can never be truly complete without a woman. This also does not mean that a woman must obey her husband’s every command as if he was God incarnate. It makes sense to interpret Paul’s command in much the same way as his previous injunction to obey civil authorities: obey as long as obedience does not require you to sin. Obedience falls in line with God’s purpose for creating Eve to assist Adam.

Husbands have a definite role to fulfill in marriage as well. A husband is to love his wife in the same manner that Christ loved the church. He taught the disciples and nurtured them in His ways, then He gave up his life in our place, so that we could join Him as a virgin bride–for the impure in sin could never be one with a holy God. Likewise, a husband should be a spiritual teacher and the high priest of his family. He should be willing to sacrifice nearly everything for the spiritual well-being of his wife and family. By doing so, he will also strengthen himself in spirit and in character.

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Check It Or Chuck It

Thursday, August 24th, 2006

If you’re only getting one side of a story that makes someone sound pretty bad, you have a few options:

  1. Swallow it, hook, line, and sinker.
  2. Check the facts, or at least get the other side of the story
  3. Chuck it and the baby too.

Can’t decide? Let me help:

Lev 19:16 You shall not go as a slanderer among your people; you shall not stand against the blood of your neighbor. I am YHWH.

Deu 19:15-20 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong; Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before YHWH, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days; And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you. And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.

Pro 11:13 One going with slander is a revealer of secrets, but the faithful of spirit keeps the matter hidden.

Pro 20:19 A gossip is a revealer of secrets; so do not mix with him who flatters with his lips.

So you heard something bad about someone? Either check it or chuck it. If it doesn’t hurt you then it’s probably better just to chuck it.

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Roman Generals and German Mercenaries in Lebanon

Tuesday, August 22nd, 2006

This is just about the most bizarre bit of history repeating itself that I have ever read before eight o’clock in the morning:

An Italian coalition leader said Rome would be willing to lead the military peace mission in Lebanon should the United Nations ask it to, while Germany’s chancellor said Monday she is confident that Europe will contribute ground troops.

Rome leading a military peace mission? Pax Romana? If the AP had been around, they could just about have written this paragraph in 150 AD.

 

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Great Uncle Jay

Monday, August 21st, 2006

Two of my nieces had children this year. My brother is a grandfather.

I’m not old enough to be too old for this.

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