Ain't Complicated

Reading: Choose the Best!

Earlier today I called attention to the sacrifice of right reading.

Now I get this in my email: Choose the Best (alas, I didn’t/haven’t):

The printing press puts into the hands of parents a means of good, which they may use to the greatest advantage in the culture of their home-life, and in the shaping of the lives of their household. But they must keep a most diligent watch over the pages which they introduce. They should know the character of every book and magazine which comes within their doors, and should resolutely exclude everything which would defile. Then, while they exclude everything whose influence would be for evil, if they are wise they will bring into their home as much as possible of pure, elevating, and refining literature. Every beautiful thought which enters a child’s mind, adds to the strength and loveliness of the character in after days. The educating influence of the best books and magazines is incalculable, and no parent can afford to lose it in the training of his family.

That was written in 1882!

I’m grateful for what J. R. Miller wrote way back then. Just as I’m grateful to The Berean Call for calling my attention to it.

But what will I do about…

…my own personal reading matter?

…the other reading matter I allow in my home?

…any teaching opportunities I might take (or make)?

Knowing me, probably nothing. 😥

What Would You Read?

Uzbekistan: Fifteen year sentence for reading “prohibited” Christian literature? Well, time will tell what his sentence is. According to the story, the issue isn’t Bible reading. It’s reading other Christian literature. So look at your book shelves. Which Christian book would you still read even if it meant your arrest. And possible torture. And possible long-term imprisonment?

In other news at the same site:

Young Evangelist Beaten Unconscious in India

Yemen: Christian arrests may herald new era of persecution.

Oh. OK.

Lennon big fan of Jesus?

Maybe so.

John Lennon, famous for singing, “Imagine theres no heaven,” is now said to have been “on the side of Christ,” according to his own words recently unearthed from a long-lost radio interview.

“Im one of Christs biggest fans,” the Beatles songwriter is heard to say in a 1969 interview with Ken Seymour of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. “And if I can turn the focus on the Beatles on to Christs message, then thats what were here to do.”

If he was one of Christ’s biggest fans . . . .

As you might guess, my willing suspension of disbelief isn’t kicking in very well.

Whatever the case, it appears they didn’t succeed in turning the focus on the Beatles into a focus on Christ’s message.

New: Palm Top

Gadget aims to put 3D person ‘in your palm’

Researchers in Japan are developing a gadget that could enable people to hold a three-dimensional image of someone in the palm of their hand.

They hope the gCubik, which is still at the prototype stage, will later be developed to move in real time and appear to speak.

“The ultimate image we have in mind is having a small person in your palm,” said Shunsuke Yoshida, one of the researchers involved in the study at Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology.

“Suppose you have a picture of your girlfriend smiling on your desk. She could be smiling as a 3D image in a cube,” he told AFP at a recent gathering of imaging researchers here.

Grandparents could use the device — which comes in a 10 centimetre (3.9 inches) cube — to see a 3D image of their grandchild living far away, while business people could view a prototype product from afar and school teachers could use it in science classes, he said.

As usual, much potential for good. And evil.

I’d say the pornography kings are gleeful at the prospects of putting this technology to work for them.

Maybe they’re even funding it! 😯

But how would you envision using it for good?

As one who’s extremely interested in teaching and encouraging and discipling pastors in Mexico through pastors’ conferences and seminars, I could dream of doing multiple simultaneous such seminars with one of these things.

Oh, wait! This can already be done with video.

Besides, I’d rather be there in the flesh.

Anyway, what are your ideas?

Oh, here’s another one: Instead of having them sing to me from my CD player, I could have A Cappella Harmony Quar tet sitting between my keyboard and my monitor!

Calling All Missionaries

Current.

Retired.

Aiming2B.

A revolution in missions taking place

In the last few decades a profound yet quiet revolution has taken place in mission which is best observed from a field perspective. There are many facets of this shift, which is accelerating in speed and intensity as the timing of our Lord Jesus is coming closer.

The first change, according to The Bridge International’s RK Ulrich, is the pulling back of the Western church as torch-bearers of the Gospel to the unreached, and the merging of national churches with strong leaders who effectively are reaching their own. It is interesting to note that the Church-at-large is presently growing far more rapidly in the third world and emerging nations than in the West (Europe and North America)

Secondly, Ulrich says, “The definition of who is a missionary is changing. Traditionally, it was the person with a life-long call, trained through mission-school and sent out by a church or mission organization to one geographical field where they lived and died.”

[…]

And finally, the rapidly increasing availability and use of the internet and satellite television is changing outreach. Ulrich says, “These media are already blanketing every square inch of our globe with an unfathomable amount of information. It’s said that the paradigm shift caused by the coming of the information highway is causing as profoundly revolutionary changes in our present global community as the invention of Gutenberg’s printing press did to the world culture at the time.”

Generally speaking, I think the pulling back in the first change is unfortunate. Why pull back? If the national churches overtake us, praise God! But pull back…?

Anyway, I enjoyed this short article. Sure, I grew up in Mexico as an MK. Sure, I served in Mexico as an adult missionary. Sure, I’m chairman of a mission board. But I hope I enjoyed the article as a Christian and not just because of my involvement in foreign missions.

It Was Hot That Day!

Update way down below

This was at Margaret Miller’s place (a mission “compound” of Hope Mennonite Missions) in Guaymas Valley, Mexico:

It was hot that day! (And it got at least two-tenths of a degree hotter than what it shows above.)

Thankfully, it was also very dry.

The wind that blew most of the day, as I recall, was also hot and dry.

On days like that, to stay healthy stay in the shade and drink liquids.

Do lots of both, in fact.

Anyway, I’m left wondering what the thermometer would have recorded if we’d had it out in the sun.

Yesterday, I did an experiment here at home (near Yoder, Oregon). Here are the results:

Thermometer in the sun

That must be why temperatures are measured “in the shade” rather than “in the sun.”

😉

Originally posted: July 10, 2008 at 1:54 pm

Updated: July 12, 2008 at 2:03 pm

At 10:20 this morning, the temperature in the sun was 107, but in the shade it was merely 76.

Tony Snow

He died this morning.

I just stared at the headline.

I knew he had cancer. I knew he’d fought it off at least once. I didn’t know he was that bad off, though.

He had a good radio show before he went to the White House as press secretary. I enjoyed listening to him. And I was glad to hear him once in a while on The Radio Factor after he retired from his WH job. But I didn’t know him personally. So why should his death matter to me?

I don’t know.

And why should it matter any more than the young man in Somalia that died at about the same time Tony did? (I assume one did.)

I don’t know that either.

In any event, I keep wondering what Mr. Snow learned after he died.

What will you learn after you die?

And I?

So…what should we learn before we die?

And when shall we try to learn it?

“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

May the Snow family find the Good Shepherd’s comfort and peace and strength and courage.