Hither and thither 9/30/11

Been a rough week. First, I thought I had Monday off. I really was counting on that time to readjust, wrap my head around getting back into the grind... but nooooo. Then, I haven't gotten back to sleeping in PT after getting 8 hours back last week. I know: "Boo hoo."

Nonetheless, this is what I've been able to cobble together. It's smallish perhaps [not anymore], but I hope to expand up to noon. I hope you enjoy as I get back into the swing of things. So, off we go!

• First, let me remind you: Kress extended the 50%-off sale on my brand-new Proverbs book, to accommodate folks whose pay-day is today. It expires 10/1/2011. I know some of you have gotten yours and are reading it — maybe you could share why others should take advantage of the sale?
• Ah, England. Land of Spurgeon, Owen, Ryle and so many greats. But that was then. Today? Police tell Christian cafe owner that it is against the law for him to display Bible verses that others find offensive. Coming soon to a would-be liberated colony near you.
• Odd thing, though. I don't know whether it was deliberate, but in the UK it seemed to me that a lot of the young men's hair looked like Justin Bieber's hair. Don't know whether they were wearing women's trousers, however. (Joel Griffith)
• Seriously? Can you peel a head of garlic in less than ten seconds? (Warning: one rude word.) I may just have to try that.
• Frank noted a couple who actually said "No, move along" to an attempted DEA (mis-)raid, and lived to tell the story. I love happy endings.
• Dawn Lewis found an article on an amazing array of sculptures... crafted from books!
• When we went to Dover, we saw various forms of this:

• Dear wife got some for her coworkers. Laura Kelleher, unrelatedly, found this:

• Be afraid. Be very afraid.
• Ryan Moran notes that "God" overrode the coach's directions to Packers rookie Randall Cobb. Anyone know where we can get the exact wording, so we can add it to our Bibles?
• Oh! and another verse to add! "God" evidently told a pastor what kind of programming to put on Christian TV — more sex, drugs and crime. So, "God" is into "Christian reality TV." Who knew? (Thx Joel Griffith.)
• I'm old enough that this is what I flashed on for years, when I saw these signs:

• I mentioned our hapless GPS Clarence over at Pyro. Reader Cathy Tando pointed me to a funny video ad for Darth Vader recording GPS instructions for TomTom.
• When is cowardice not cowardice? When it's Richard Dawkins' cowardice.
• Dawn Lewis found this week's Perfect Food candidate: chocolate-dipped bacon cupcake.

• Another contender, from David and Melissa Elliott: bacon pancakes!

• Late for school? Chris Carney may have found the answer.
• I'd wager that Denny Burke never reads this blog.  Sniff. Um.. where was I? Oh yes: that being the assumed case, it's interesting to see him making the same arguments I've made about the fatally problematic phrase "gay Christian," and coming to the same conclusion.
• Pretty cool vid of a modern samurai slicing a pellet mid-flight.
• Think water balloons always burst? Think again.

• Darth Vader. In salt. Fast.
• Gil Sebenste found us cat towers for Star Trek and Dr. Who lovers.
• Hokey smokes. Starbucks will charge you $85 to give you something most of us have done for free. (Thx Susan)
• Justin Durst Jr. adduces Reason #3948579328 to homeschool: state reeducation center indoctrinator punishes student for voicing non-state-sanctioned thoughts.
• President Obama has blamed Bush, hurricanes, Bush, black people, Bush, the GOP, Bush... now apparently he blames you. That's right. You.
• Hm. Some DAOD translation needed:

• Doesn't this look like a great book? Jim Hamilton, Rob Plummer, Proverbs, Deuteronomy... what's not to love? I've requested a review copy; hope I get it.
• Susan notes that there may be an amelioration of the TSA's invasions.
• As Miley Cyrus treads the path worn down by other "Christian" entertainers one wonders yet again: trainwreck-people and the entertainment industry, which the chicken and which the egg? (thx Joel Griffith)
• Audrey Beale found us this refugee from the Idiots' Hall O' Fame:

• Gil Sebenste brings us our "Lego project for the weekend."
• Well, that's it for this week. Now as you head off into your weekend, just remember:

• As well as all this:

THE USUALS WILL BE OBSERVED

Humor: How different sects see each other

This is reproduced in many places, but I think this is the original source. I found it, then a number of readers kindly pointed it out as well.

Seeing the title, I expected to think it was simplistic, stupid and sneery. But actually, it's pretty funny.

"Pastoral"? Perry Noble and Kevin DeYoung, a study in contrasts

First, endure this from pastor Perry Noble (ht Joe Fleener):

Then, read this essay on caring for the sick and dying, by pastor Kevin DeYoung.

Then remind yourself of what "pastor" means (shepherd), what that person is called to do, and tell me:

1. Which of them sounds more like the "shepherd" of Ezekiel 34:2-10?
2. Which of them sounds more like the "shepherd" of John 10:11-15?

Two objections, and responses:

First, I do grant that it is a weakness that I have not listened to the entire talk from which Noble's blast is excerpted.

However, I would counter, first, by reminding all that it is not necessary to have heard and/or read everything any public figure has said or written in order to critique one part of his speaking or writing. Further, I would point out that Noble repeatedly assures his hearers that he is not joking, and repeatedly refers to himself as a "pastor." He underlines and underscores and bolds and italicizes and capitalizes every word. I cannot imagine how this could be other than his apologia pro vita sua — by which I fancily mean a defense of his lifestyle as a pastor.

Second, I do not grant that it is unfair to lay a pastor against Christ by way of comparison.

A pastor is called to be a shepherd, like Christ (Ephesians 4:11), he is called to be an under-shepherd of Christ (1 Peter 5:1-4), and he is called to take Christ for his model (ibid, plus 1 Corinthians 11:1).

There are so many things that are so ugly about this that I know I can't fully express them at once. Let me focus on one.

Hiding, falsely, behind Jesus and the Gospel.

What I find particularly ugly is how Perry Noble, like other "bad-boy" pastors, is hiding behind the Gospel in a bad way. How many of these bad-boys have said, virtually in these words, "I just have to be foul, arrogant, obnoxious, ungodly and impure because I just love Jesus so much, I just love preaching Jesus so much, and I just love preaching the Gospel so much"? The implication is that any critic of their obnoxious, harmful words or behavior must necessarily be someone who doesn't really love Jesus, and doesn't really love the Gospel.

Take Noble, here. Noble couches this preening, arrogant, abusive tirade in terms that to think otherwise would be to lead people to think that he can save them, and to say "Instead of needing me (to pastor you), you need the Gospel." He tries to make folks feel that, if they think their pastor should actually pastor them, they should be ashamed and feel like godless, Gospel-denying idolaters.

Such is a false dichotomy. It is true that the Gospel should be central to all Christians. It is true that Christians should not worship a man (which, ironically, is I think a side effect of tirades like this, which bring 2 Corinthians 11:20 to my mind). It is true that Christians should look to the Lord and to His Word for the conduct of their own lives.

But it is not true that they shouldn't hold their pastors to the Word as well.

Further, all should lament the premature prominence given to such speech-givers by pastors who (by contrast) have paid their dues and earned a degree of respect. As usual, I couldn't say it better than m'man Phil Johnson already did, when he wrote that

the public "mentoring" of bad-boy pastors by men who have earned a degree of respectability is a Really Bad Idea. If you're a famous pastor who truly wants to be a help to a young foul-mouthed narcissist rock-star pastor, it would be better to do it privately and withhold your public affirmations of the punk pastor until he gains enough maturity to actually meet the biblical requirements for eldership.

Amen.

Jonny Quest opening titles recreated with stop-motion figures

When I was a kid, I loved Jonny Quest. The opening sequence caught the feel of the cartoon show pretty well. Here's a reminder:

Now Roger D. Evans recreated it using action figures, and it's pretty slick:

Jonny Quest Opening Titles from Roger D. Evans on Vimeo.

Monday music: "Hall of the Mountain King," by Keith Medley (27-string guitar)

On a guitar apparently of Medley's own creation:

(Thanks to a tip from David Miller)

PS - just so's you know: evidently Pat Metheny has a 42-string guitar... but all the solos I checked bored me from the start, never caught my real interest, and since the very definition of "blog" involves "what interests me" — doesn't make the cut.

Hither and thither (sort of) - 9/23/11

As I explained last week, I'm not really able to take the time to put together a standard HT; probably next week, DV. Plus, I'm much older today.

But I'll pluck out just a few gems from our terrific time in the beautiful UK, almost at random, as a taste of things to come.

On the trip over, specifically on the Newark to Edinburgh flight, we had the most amazing stewardess in the world. Her name was Linda. She greeted all of us in her section by introducing herself and asking our names. She heard the names one time, and learned them all. I wish I had that gift.

She treated us all like kings and queens. Our flight-out day was Jonathan's birthday, so we weren't really able to celebrate it properly. But, where there's a will there's often a way. BSIL started his day splendidly by bringing delicious cupcakes with candles, when he came to drive us to the airport. Then, on the flight, I told Linda that it was Jonathan's birthday, and she went all out to make it a special flight for him, talking to him, telling everyone about him, giving him a gift (!) -- and arranging for him to meet the pilot and sit in the cockpit at flight's end.

We arrived, got a rental car, and I entered the world of insanity that is Scottish driving. The most beautiful country, lovely people, MAD driving.

My dear and amazing wife spent sleepless nights planning a trip to suit everyone, in one way or another. The boys love things martial and Medieval; so they ended up seeing something like seventeen castles, among other features.

The first, on the first day, was Aberdour Castle. I have just enough time to share some pix from that, and with that I must leave you for now.

Isn't evolution wonderful? Freezing North American Wood Frog

Watch the full episode. See more NOVA scienceNOW.

Tom Selleck's moustache... it's everywhere!

At least it is in this vid:

Monday Music: "Mr. Sandman" by Pomplamoose

We enjoyed their take on "Beat It" and "Favorite Things." Here they are with a smooth, fun "Mr. Sandman."

Now, the song actually ends at about 2:10, the rest is the usual random stuff. It's actually kind of cute... but don't feel obliged. That material will not be on the test.

For my honey this day, September 16, 2011

Whither Hither and Thither? (TIWIARN)

As you know, I am to have the great joy of participating in a Bible Conference in England tomorrow, as a speaker. So I've been travelling, with limited internet connectivity. I set up some auto-posts, and asked Phil and Frank to moderate the Pyro posts. Hither and Thither takes a lot of time, which means it's just not a possibility today. Should be back in one, maybe two weeks.

Of course, I really hope to see some or many of my British readers at the conference, would love to meet you in person. But my blogging has to be limited at the moment, of course.

Please pray for the conference. I'm very excited about it. I'll catch you up on it either hither... or thither. And I'll probably tell you about other parts of my time here... like my visit to John Knox's house.

Monday music: "Flint Hill Special," Sleepy Man Banjo Boys

You loved them before; here they are again!

(Thanks Mesa Mike)

Hither and thither 9/9/11 -- all Ackbar, all the time

We have a what baseball pros might call a "change-up pitch" this week: an All-Admiral-Ackbar Hither and Thither.

Relax and enjoy the shifting gears -- and my thanks to Rick Beckman for these, to Brad Sharp for this, and to Julie, Pooka and Trogdor.

THE USUALS WILL BE OBSERVED

Shakespeare by one guy doing a bunch of people

(Al Stout)

Monday music: Charlie Brown medley

Thanks to a recommendation from Dawn Lewis:

Hither and thither 9/2/11

Happy birthday to my dear Jonathan, twelve years old today. As my wife is fond of observing, in all my childhood tales everything seems to have happened to me when I was twelve... so this could be quite a year for my "li'l J."

Now to it.

But first: who says cats can't do tricks? Sorta?

• I don't know whether this is the worst, tackiest, and most in-bad-taste bit of jewelry I've ever seen... but it just might be.
• Bacon chocolate chip cookies. Need I say more?
• From the yummy to the rather disgusting: I don't know whether this alternative way of dealing with dead human bodies is "more green," but I know that I am, after reading it.
• As the Tim Bayly points out, a woman uses the same rationale pro-aborts commonly use... but to "explain" her murder of her 8yo. Why does it make moral sense in one case, but not in the other? (Hint: it doesn't.)
• Suddenly, the moon seems homier... and yummier.
• Ah, good. Another entry on the List of Things I Won't Ever, Ever Try:

• Randy Talley found another reason to homeschool:

• John thinks this would make a good Christmas gift for a man.
• I report, you decide: Justin Bieber thanks Jesus, Jesus "trends up" in Twitter. (thx Joel Griffith)
• Yep, I pretty much defy any parent to watch dry-eyed as a mother listens to her late teenaged daughter's heart beating in the recipient's chest. I couldn't.
• Back to yoomah.
• Cats can be tough 'way out of proportion to size.

• Another Unions, Lawyers and Courts Will Ruin Us All alert. Thanks to that ruinous combination, in Arizona, it isn't actually essential that you know and can speak English well in order to teach, you know, English. 
• Audrey Beale pointed me to 50 Star Wars Mashups, some of which are very funny.

• California is like a cautionary tale in what happens when you completely entrust a resource-rich state to Democrats... and an ugly tale it is. For one thing, you end up regulating babysitting. Nope. Not kidding. (thx L Miller)
• Discriminating, eclectic folks that you are, I'm sure I have some Firefly/Serenity fans in the audience. Thank Caleb Knapton for pointing us to a chart of 18 things you didn't know about Firefly.
• I leave you to contemplate the (almost) self-winding spaghetti fork:

• ...and these:

THE USUALS WILL BE OBSERVED