The UmBlog

i forgot that the biggest pain in BRing is the calf not the blisters. so last week, i needed almost all week for my calves to recover. because of the forefoot strike, the calf receives a much greater workout than shod running. i just got back from a shorter run. i wanted to work on my method and minimize my recovery time. i was only out for 20 minutes. i also incorporated more grass time in the run. grass does not give the feedback you need for correct technique but it allows the other muscles to remember too. no blisters today. calves are feeling tight though.

an amazing story of God's victory at Guy Muse's blog ... Guy writes Normally I wouldn't share a family email like this on my blog, but this email deals with an issue encountered in evangelism and church planting that few are willing to openly talk about. While the Gospels are full of Jesus dealing with demonic confrontations, we today, would rather ignore the whole issue and hide our heads in the sand. If the following weren't from my own brother, I admit I would probably be a bit skeptical reading something like this. But it is from someone I know well. I invite you to read what follows and decide for yourself... it's a power story

i volunteered to return my kids' books to the library, without their company which meant i had time to browse through the "new arrivals" section. i just wanted to see if their was anything interesting out. as always there was. i haven't read much lately as my Bible reading plan. entire Bible every 3 months, leaves little time for other books. so why am i writing a book report. i found time. i didn't pick up the 600 page book on the crusades. i made a 360 page choice. Sea of Thunder by Evan Thomas appealed to me as the Pacific Theater in WW2 is not something i'm well read in. The sub-title that increased my interest is Four Commanders and the Last Great Naval Campaign 1941-1945 . The best represented commander is the American "Bull" Halsey, followed by Matome Ugaki, then Takeo Kurita, then Ernest Evans (no relation to author). In fact Ernest Evans is so inadequately presented that i didn't make the connection with his reappearance at the end of t...

i write book reports , occasional cinema reviews , a bicycle review , and even a television show review. it occurred to me that i could write reviews of the various lifestyles i've chosen. i'm thinking i'll write about stuff such as father, husband, bicycle commuter, scientist, church elder, etc. most of those, as you might expect, will be pretty positive, but i have made choices i didn't like. i don't know if they'll get separate reviews or folded into the positive ones as points of contrast. how will this fit into the theme of the Umblog, which is "My thoughts on the Church and the world and their interaction?" i'm part of the church, i'm part of the world, and they influence my choices. i needed to blog this intro because i think it's a good idea for a series but by Monday i'll forget it.

a couple quotes from this PCA report that looks unfavorably on the Federal Vision concept and NPP and NT Wright.... While the NPP, as represented by N. T. Wright, offers a thorough-going re-reading of the theology of the Apostle Paul, there are several areas of concern for officers who subscribe to the Westminster Standards. Wright’s re-reading of justification and union with Christ in “covenantal” (or ecclesiological) terms leads to different and incompatible understandings of those terms when compared with our Standards. What makes this terribly confusing is that Wright will affirm an individual aspect of justification; and yet, he quickly turns the focus back to the corporate: justification is “about God’s eschatological definition, both future and present, of who was, in fact, a member of his people .” Likewise, while there may be an individual aspect of union with Christ, Wright focuses attention on a corporate or ecclesiological reading of the teaching: it means “‘belonging to ...

a new set of LDS elders have decided to visit us and share another Testament of Jesus Christ with me. too bad i didn't have any yard projects to do. the last pair helped me a bit. i figure these guys get tired of doors slamming on them, and they admit they do tire of that, so i always invite them in. tonight neither admitted a burning in their bosom, instead they have peace and confidence. i guess this is the allowable party line. i guess the burning bosoms are no longer the exclusive witness of the veracity of the BOM. so i asked them what is the message of the BoM? repent and believe on Jesus. that's good, but that's what the Bible already says, why would God give us another book? they had another appointment. they always do to me when the conversation turns a little conflicted . so i have a follow-up appointment with these guys Monday night. please pray for us. i no longer try to hit a home run with these guys, but trying to get a bunt or something past their defenses ...

UPDATE: here . not at gory as originally reported still as offensive though some of these details are horrifying. use discretion if you are squeamish. this is in the land that denies its own genocide against the Armenians ... A letter to the Global Church from The Protestant Church of Smyrna Dear friends, This past week has been filled with much sorrow. Many of you have heard by now of our devastating loss here in an event that took place in Malatya, a Turkish province 300 miles northeast of Antioch, the city where believers were first called Christians (Acts 11:26). On Wednesday morning, April 18, 2007, 46 year old German missionary and father of three Tilman Geske prepared to go to his office, kissing his wife goodbye taking a moment to hug his son and give him the priceless memory, “Goodbye, son. I love you.” Tilman rented an office space from Zirve Publishing where he was preparing notes for the new Turkish Study Bible. Zirve was also the location of the Malat...