Reframing the story of Christian higher education

Any openings for an old guy to serve in Hawaii? I am interested.

It was in many ways a deja vu experience to hang out on a smallish Christian campus for a couple of hours yesterday. I attended the same type of school and it was for me a wonderful experience.

The former Southwestern College of the Bible is now Arizona Christian University, the Firestorm. They have recruited athletes for their first football team as my alma mater did a decade ago when it became a University.

The campus chaplain however, in welcoming us older pastors retold our story and thiers in unique way.

Your generation trained chaplains for Christendom, and we are training leaders for a church in exile, cast out from it dominant role in shaping culture.

I buy that, but I am not sure those fresh faced preacher and missionary kids have fully understood what that means.

The Wright Stuff

A neglected oriental cemetary on the Kauai coastline.

After a career of scholarship and ministry Dr. N.T Wright is on a two week speaking tour in the U.S. Over many decades with patience and scholarship he has shifted the western church from a dualistic view of the afterlife to the truer and more victorious restoration of creation in a resurrection body.

I enjoy being on the huge ASU campus in the law lecture room for an evening and at a local Christian University this morning listening to his powerful messages on the resurrection of Jesus as the key issue of all history.

Soon You'll Know

Our neighbors in upstate New York, the Schlenkermans, our families were very close, their twin boys my best friends. He was a german POW who stayed here and was a baker. Many memories of playing in their house and yard.

Been getting lots of amusement at Korean Seung Yu Noh's name. Another first time winner in a PGA event. Soon you'll know the winner....when will I know? Soon you'll know. Get it?

Woke up on a crisp late April day with a committment to enjoy and be grateful for life.

Laura has four more teaching weeks.

I watch and pray for the world situation with hope and trust, and some sense of inevitablity.

I am glad Catholics know how to throw an enthronment, glad it means very little to me, and no offense meant by that statement.

Sad for those suffering from natural disasters.

Can two walk together unless they agree?

Me and my sisters and mom, on vacation in the 50s.

Sometimes belief brings tension instead of resolving tension. The human condition has a hard time tolerating differing views. I am pretty sure that is why denominations flourished after the reformation. Once we got to be our own interpreters of scripture we just kept narrowing our doctrines to exclude those whose views differ.

For a long time I was convinced that if we could decide on a way of interpretation, a hermeneutic, then I was sure we could reach unanimity and unity in our convictions.

This last great search in my life has been the most rewarding and frustrating of my life, because the changes wrought deep in my heart have been so wonderful, and the opposition to some of the core ideas has been so damaging to the peace it has wrought in the confindence I have in God's plan of the ages.

You want the sheeple to graze in your pasture, and as you try to lead them there, they bite.

Mid afternoon slump

Summer batchelor trip a number of years ago. Bucket list moment.

As I age I have developed this crazy thing that happens when my energy slumps. It happened yesterday in a waiting room at the Kia repair store when I was dealing with a recall notice.

I am sitting, and slowly my head slumps, and I am almost asleep. I jerk back up, rededicate my self to being concious, and...down goes the head. As I write today at 3pm, before coffee, I have been doing it again. Old man, Old man.

A Day to reflect

Some chores to perform and thoughts to entertain today.

Back yard living

Played the golf course in my community yesterday. Ironwood is a par 64 course that is enjoyable. You get to hit all the shots but it takes less time to get around. I noticed how many of our retirees were enjoying their backyards, and how many had friends over for conversation. Very pleasant morning. It is getting warmer everyday.