Well...

we played Coffee Amici tonight.

Hopefully, there will be some photos to come...

-rc

Not a bad idea...

www.GodCan.com

..just save yourself the 4 bucks on the deluxe "God Can" (better yet, just save the $3 on the regular one) and just pray.

I can't seem to rank this idea up there with all of the companion materials for the "Prayer of Jabez," well...maybe I can. It seems I did.

Not that I'm against tools for prayer, or prayer in general for that matter. In fact I love prayer, and if you'd like to buy one, that's fine...

...I just may giggle a little bit...

A few things I learned last week...

There are times when life makes you stop. Such was last Tuesday.

So, here's the list (just in time for Thanksgiving):

1. I love my wife.
2. I will never be able to pay her back for all her love and care she's shown over the past few days.
(I scared the sh** out of her)
3. My son rocks. He's so funny!
4. I can't ignore the fact that I'm not as young as I used to be.
5. Despite the fact I feel like an outsider when I'm home for holidays, my family truly loves me and has a high level of regard for A. and me.
6. I have great friends.
7. There are too many people depending on me for me to be cavalier about my health.
8. I have a lot to be thankful for.

A special thank you for to each of you for your prayers, phone calls, and visits. I cannot begin how to tell how much the time each one of you spent with wifey and I meant to us and sustained us over Tuesday and Wednesday.

I am eternally grateful...

Loved every minute of it...

"You want to beat Ohio State. I got one more year left. I'm going to get them next year."


This was said on top of other rich commentary and declarations such as:

"There's nothing special about that defense."


and...

"You know, but if we played them again, it would be a whole different game. Guarantee that."

--Mike Hart following last year's game

O-H freakin' I-O, my brutha...

Keep yo' mouth shut...

I tend to agree with the caption of this photo...

"Celebrating the death of somebody you disagreed with pretty much makes you a dick."

The article you'll find this in can be read here.

The apostle Dwight K. Schrute

Call me crazy, but can anyone else hear Dwight's voice reading this verse found in Deuteronomy 25:11-12?

11 If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, 12 you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity.

Maybe it's just me...

An interesting article

A great web site for reading some interesting Christian perspective is at the Third Way Cafe (link here). I was sifting through some of the material today I ran across and article titled "Christ and the New Atheism." (read the whole thing here).

Overall, it was a very thought provoking article, and it comes from a perspective that seems to be open to dialogue. There are a bunch of authors gaining recognition as the New Atheists and in a series of books are throwing out some ideas that if I really honest are more fair then they ought to be.

Here's a snippet:

The basic arguments of the two I read (Harris and Dawkins) are very similar. First, they note that religion and the irrational belief it inspires stand behind much of the conflict in the world and many of the atrocities of past centuries (the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Holocaust, the September 11 terrorist attacks).

Faith, they claim, ignores evidence and common sense, making a believer capable of great evil. Second, they argue that the world can be more satisfactorily explained by science instead of a supernatural designer and that an appreciation of the difference between good and evil does not require scriptural basis. Third, they propose an alternative approach to spirituality; Dawkins admits to a “pantheistic reverence” and Harris advertises the mind-opening possibilities of meditation. Ultimately, though, they serve less to outline a worldview than to attempt to destroy another.

Not having read their books I cannot vouge for the accuracy or fairness of the synopsis. But pretend the author of the article is right. Would you be able to finish by saying:

Disciples of Christ stand opposed to most of what the New Atheists assert. We proclaim not only the existence of God but also the imminence of the kingdom of God. We accept the mystery of parts of our faith, including the Trinity and the afterlife. But we miss hearing a prophetic word if we ignore them entirely, no matter how stridently secular the mouthpiece. The rise of New Atheism presents us with an opportunity to assess our failings and refocus on our priorities. The best counter is not another slightly more shrill argument but a searching look at ourselves.

They're lots in between these two statements in the entire article, but I think that overall, I can see how people can make the jumps that these "New Atheists" do. We'd more likely be able to enter into dialogue with folks if we tried to see the truth in critique rather than counter-attack with a volley of 'shrill argument.'

I'd love some feedback, I thought the article was great...

November CD of the Month

A slight change of pace from last month...


This month is Anberlin's "Cities." This is a rock album with a very distinct style. It's hard to describe, but it's solid from top to bottom. I enjoyed it. Hope you do too...