published by Jonathan on Sat, 01/29/2011 - 22:41
published by Jonathan on Sat, 01/29/2011 - 22:23
published by Jonathan on Tue, 01/25/2011 - 01:09
A couple days before Christmas we made the third annual Moore family pilgrimage to Heinz Field for a Steelers game (links to the 1st and 2nd trips). The Steelers stomped the Panthers...which was enjoyable enough but not nearly as exciting as last year's win against the Vikings. It was a night game and cold (in the 20s?) and we arrived several hours early...so we were getting pretty cold towards the end. We left a little early in the 4th quarter to get warm and vowing plan trips earlier in the fall next time. The next day we hit the road for Christmas in N.C. Here are some photos from the game:
published by Jonathan on Tue, 01/25/2011 - 00:54
Last spring I finished reading Pilgrim Heart: The Way of Jesus in Everyday Life by Darryl Tippens while leading a Sunday AM class studying it at church.
From the product description:
Originally, the way of Jesus was considered a distinctive way of life rather than a sophisticated theological system. Pilgrim Heart re-imagines discipleship as - first and foremost - a particular way of life guided by a set of simple, but powerful, daily practices known to the earliest disciples and the saints through the ages. These include: Friendship; Sabbath Rest; Hospitality; Confession; Forgiveness; Listening; Discernment; Singing; Creating; Telling Stories. How would this approach to the religion of Jesus change the way we think and live? Pilgrim Heart is an invitation to consider afresh the way of Jesus in light of practices that have proven to transform lives for two thousand years.
I enjoyed the book, although it was lighter on explicit references from the New Testament than I would have expected for a book about "the way of Jesus." My favorite chapter was "Welcoming: Opening Doors to Strangers" in which Tippens describes the radical, self-sacrificial hospitality that many Christians practiced during the first few centuries AD. I previously reproduced a big quote from that chapter and why it stood out to me here: link.
I gave the book 4 out of 5 stars.
published by Jonathan on Mon, 01/24/2011 - 23:57
I recently finished reading one of my Christmas gifts The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi.
From the School Library Journal Review:
In a future Thailand, calories are the greatest commodity. Anderson is a calorie-man whose true objective is to discover new food sources that his company can exploit. His secretary, Hock Seng, is a refugee from China seeking to ensure his future. Jaidee is an officer of the Environmental Ministry known for upholding regulations rather than accepting bribes. His partner, Kanya, is torn between respect for Jaidee and hatred for the agency that destroyed her childhood home. Emiko is a windup, an engineered and despised creation, discarded by her master and now subject to brutality by her patron. The actions of these characters set in motion events that could destroy the country.
Somehow this one had a Dune-like vibe for me. I think it was the foreign-language phrases sprinkled throughout. I liked it fine and gave it 3 out of 5 stars.
