Tuesday, June 08, 2004
ACL Conference 2004
Several of the great people here have asked me if I was going to write a journal article for the Christian Librarian this year. While I didn't plan of doing so, I thought I might do something on Iron Freedom.
Monday
I got a late start. My sister and I were going to exchange cars. Mine does some STRANGE things recently and her's doesn't. She was going to come by around 1 but she didn't show up. I called her house and her kids didn't know where she was. So I waited, figureing she'd show up sooner or later. Around 3 she showed up rather shamefaced. And with a story.
She home schools under an umbarella program and had been working on the the school's records. She hadn't worn her watch and suddenly realized we were supposed to switch cars this afternoon. So I got off to a late start but arrived at Evangel in plenty of time to register and make it to dinner.
Following dinner, there was am Ice Cream Social. Two lines snaked across the floor of the Joust. One had chocolate ice cream, the other vanilla and strawberry. The second line was much shorter so I joined that one ... there were plenty of toppings to add and I found that you can add almost too much chocolate to strawberry ice cream. I walked back to the dorm with Ruth and Doug Butler. We had a rousing discussion of whether or not you could truly have too much chocolate.
Several of the great people here have asked me if I was going to write a journal article for the Christian Librarian this year. While I didn't plan of doing so, I thought I might do something on Iron Freedom.
Monday
I got a late start. My sister and I were going to exchange cars. Mine does some STRANGE things recently and her's doesn't. She was going to come by around 1 but she didn't show up. I called her house and her kids didn't know where she was. So I waited, figureing she'd show up sooner or later. Around 3 she showed up rather shamefaced. And with a story.
She home schools under an umbarella program and had been working on the the school's records. She hadn't worn her watch and suddenly realized we were supposed to switch cars this afternoon. So I got off to a late start but arrived at Evangel in plenty of time to register and make it to dinner.
Following dinner, there was am Ice Cream Social. Two lines snaked across the floor of the Joust. One had chocolate ice cream, the other vanilla and strawberry. The second line was much shorter so I joined that one ... there were plenty of toppings to add and I found that you can add almost too much chocolate to strawberry ice cream. I walked back to the dorm with Ruth and Doug Butler. We had a rousing discussion of whether or not you could truly have too much chocolate.
Monday, November 24, 2003
Hunting and Gathering for God
Do you have a Spear or a Hoe?
There are at least two legitimate approaches to living the disciplined Christian life, that of the hunter and that of the gardener. Both approaches help bring the individual closer to God even though their emphasis is different.
Some Christians are "sin hunters." They are always on the look out for sin to take it captive and, like in the Old West when the posse caught a cow rustler, hang the varmint. Their motives are pure and their intent is to get as close to God as possible.
Other Christians are "grace gardeners". The gardener weeds out sin, to be sure, but his or her main job is to make "grace grow" rather than eradicate sin. This person wants so much of God in his or her life that He dominates all of life.
A good gardener does not ignore “sin weeds” any more than the good hunter fails to appreciate the abundance of good “grace game” in his or her preserve. Their focus is different. Their ends, pleasing God, are the same. Knowing how God works in all personality types and all conditions of persons, both are needed. Each of us does well to determine whether we are a “sin hunter” or a “grace gardener” and work at perfecting the skills we need to succeed in our approach.
Do you have a Spear or a Hoe?
There are at least two legitimate approaches to living the disciplined Christian life, that of the hunter and that of the gardener. Both approaches help bring the individual closer to God even though their emphasis is different.
Some Christians are "sin hunters." They are always on the look out for sin to take it captive and, like in the Old West when the posse caught a cow rustler, hang the varmint. Their motives are pure and their intent is to get as close to God as possible.
Other Christians are "grace gardeners". The gardener weeds out sin, to be sure, but his or her main job is to make "grace grow" rather than eradicate sin. This person wants so much of God in his or her life that He dominates all of life.
A good gardener does not ignore “sin weeds” any more than the good hunter fails to appreciate the abundance of good “grace game” in his or her preserve. Their focus is different. Their ends, pleasing God, are the same. Knowing how God works in all personality types and all conditions of persons, both are needed. Each of us does well to determine whether we are a “sin hunter” or a “grace gardener” and work at perfecting the skills we need to succeed in our approach.
Monday, October 27, 2003
In the Beginning
Many things interest me. Coffee is one. I became a coffee drinker in college and was satisfied with the run-of-the mill brews until a new coffee shop opened in my home town. Its name is the Iron Horse Coffee Company.
In a store front in our historic downtown, the Iron Horse is a favorite gathering spot for the kids at the community college and senior citizens out for a light lunch. On Friday evenings you may hear a Jazz band or a folk singer or just settle in for a game of chess with a friend. During the week, they serve lots of lunches to the merchants and business people down town and make the drive to work tolerable by supplying large cups of Red Sea Blend, Swiss Chocolate, or Mocha Java. With its exposed brick walls, rotating art gallery, and shabby chic furnishings, it appeals to all the senses as you relax on one of the well used couches or check your e-mail at the computer on the bar counter.
The Iron Horse clientele has a diversity of interests; I have found, at different times, Evangelical Bible studies in progress on the mezzanine as well as the local Gay rights group holding a lighthearted though informative meeting over lunch. The unexpected mixtures of people and things I found at Iron Horse inspired me to see the intersection between faith and culture aptly expressed in the phrase, Iron Freedom. As a Christian, I have a commitment to absolutes, the Iron, but I also have the responsibility to explore and engage my diverse world, the Freedom. The exploration of the possibilities opened up to me by that process and my desire to share the adventure through my writing is why I am creating this Journal.
Many things interest me. Coffee is one. I became a coffee drinker in college and was satisfied with the run-of-the mill brews until a new coffee shop opened in my home town. Its name is the Iron Horse Coffee Company.
In a store front in our historic downtown, the Iron Horse is a favorite gathering spot for the kids at the community college and senior citizens out for a light lunch. On Friday evenings you may hear a Jazz band or a folk singer or just settle in for a game of chess with a friend. During the week, they serve lots of lunches to the merchants and business people down town and make the drive to work tolerable by supplying large cups of Red Sea Blend, Swiss Chocolate, or Mocha Java. With its exposed brick walls, rotating art gallery, and shabby chic furnishings, it appeals to all the senses as you relax on one of the well used couches or check your e-mail at the computer on the bar counter.
The Iron Horse clientele has a diversity of interests; I have found, at different times, Evangelical Bible studies in progress on the mezzanine as well as the local Gay rights group holding a lighthearted though informative meeting over lunch. The unexpected mixtures of people and things I found at Iron Horse inspired me to see the intersection between faith and culture aptly expressed in the phrase, Iron Freedom. As a Christian, I have a commitment to absolutes, the Iron, but I also have the responsibility to explore and engage my diverse world, the Freedom. The exploration of the possibilities opened up to me by that process and my desire to share the adventure through my writing is why I am creating this Journal.
