tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23867556011998539052012-01-26T19:19:28.839-06:00patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.comBlogger2361100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-38559244021509254012009-10-28T14:14:00.000-05:002010-10-28T14:15:08.683-05:00

The story of Christian art is a complicated one, and anyone trying to discover how it came to settle into such a low grade in our present day (although, any time you say this you have to provide a caveat that there are many Christians in every field who are thinking well about their art and producing wonderful work, but they are the exception rather than the rule) has to see it as a combination

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-50772504650841463402009-08-12T09:17:00.002-05:002009-08-12T09:19:51.116-05:00

To our faithful blog readers, we have moved!  Check out veritasmizzou.wordpress.com for better site navigation, more authors, more topics, and more resources.  We'll be posting soon, so update your feeds and bookmarks accordingly!

colleen marie.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00546766271327770349noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-63451130674919063872009-06-21T09:25:00.005-05:002009-08-07T12:24:31.800-05:00

Thanks to Austin Conner for the following thoughts:Luke 9:23 - And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."If you're like me, you've heard this a thousand times. It's a great verse. But the other day the phrase "let him deny himself" jumped out at me. What does it really mean to do that? What is involved in the process of '

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-90960593286833790072009-06-20T08:00:00.003-05:002009-08-07T12:27:22.840-05:00

It is not enough to write about value of theology without speaking about certain dangers that are inherent in the process because we live in a fallen world and are capable of twisting even something like the knowledge of God. So I wanted to take some time on the blog to speak about the limitations and dangers of theology.1. We are finite and so is our knowledge: What we do not know about God will

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-82941890704895800952009-06-16T13:00:00.005-05:002009-08-07T12:28:05.778-05:00

A few weekends ago I was staying at a friends house in the suburbs and it was a slow morning and it felt great outside so I went out on the porch and spent some time just staring. It is a new suburb, one that is built where the developers think the town will eventually be, meaning that it is basically a bunch of houses and streets surrounded by fields and forests. When developers make these

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-12049416552373083952009-06-09T12:41:00.017-05:002009-08-07T12:29:38.651-05:00

We know you're busy, but our heart is for you to make this summer a summer of growing and learning. One of the primary ways this happens is by reading. Read fiction, read non-fiction, read books that give you a greater perspective of your life. The following one or two posts are some of the books I am looking forward to reading this summer. My hope is that one or two will be a book you want to

colleen marie.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00546766271327770349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-88441625395585789042009-05-27T14:03:00.005-05:002009-08-07T12:31:00.470-05:00

It is assumed in our culture that Christianity undercuts real art, that a better Christian and a better artist are mutually exclusive. Art is seen as being about honesty and religion about wishful thinking. Art wrestles with the gritty realities of life, while religion is a crutch used to stave off life’s existential fears. Art is thought of as drawing people to the edge of their experience and

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-62572262607655227542009-05-24T15:02:00.006-05:002009-08-07T12:33:06.216-05:00

I haven’t read the book(s), but my wife and I sat down and watched Twilight for the first time on DVD last night. I had been wondering what all the fuss was about and why so many have been so attracted to this series. We both enjoyed the movie in general, and it led to some good discussion afterwards, especially regarding why young women are so especially attracted to it. My wife made the

Kermit Summerallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01764912526830822204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-56745855234196537052009-05-20T11:06:00.011-05:002010-10-28T14:02:31.676-05:00

After I finished the Lord of the Rings series for the first time as a child I remember putting the final book down and being filled with a poignant sadness because it was over. It was a sadness that was sharp and sweet because it was filled with so much hope. Frodo and the fellowship had won the day and it seemed like everything bad might just "come un-true," but the pain they experienced on the

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-66958973297049683072009-05-18T10:20:00.004-05:002009-08-07T12:43:20.279-05:00

The value of theology is a topic seen before on this blog, but I want to take two posts to speak to the dangers surrounding theology, both in neglecting it on the one hand, and abusing it on the other. The first post will make a case for why theology is something every believer should love dearly. The next will point out some ways that theology can be abused and cause our love to fail.It can be a

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-78198322219412026642009-05-13T14:19:00.008-05:002010-10-28T14:11:47.386-05:00

Last Wednesday the post about Christian art and academia left many questions unanswered. One unexplored area was the idea of aesthetics. An aesthetic in art, in short, is a way of seeing art, a certain set of questions to ask of a work of art, a set of convictions about what makes good art and what makes bad art. It is a body of ideas that shapes a body of art.To make an abstract idea more

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-41040031289914915342009-05-08T08:00:00.003-05:002009-08-07T12:55:38.926-05:00

Tragically, Christianity has not always taught people to care for and take care of the earth. Often, it has been quite the opposite. How have we gotten to the place where Christianity would be seen as the enemy by environmentalists? Sadly, this is an area where non-believers have led the Church. But didn't God make this earth? Doesn't care for it? (Read Psalm 65, Psalm 8, Psalm 19. David cannot

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-35920311234704379882009-05-06T10:12:00.006-05:002010-10-28T14:06:51.218-05:00

The story of Christian art is a complicated one, and anyone trying to discover how it came to settle into such a low grade in our present day (although, any time you say this you have to provide a caveat that there are many Christians in every field who are thinking well about their art and producing wonderful work, but they are the exception rather than the rule) has to see it as a combination

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-86028693942489502972009-05-03T08:00:00.001-05:002009-05-04T09:41:23.975-05:00

This past Christmas a story swept the internet about a football coach at a Christian high school in Texas who inspired his team’s fans to root for the opposition: a team from the local juvenile correctional facility. Among the thousands of emails that the coach received in response to his actions, one stood out to him. Trisha Sebastian mentioned her loss of faith, and coach Hogan got a message

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-7916166569754732562009-05-01T09:00:00.000-05:002009-05-01T09:00:00.962-05:00

I approach most books like this with caution. Why? Because they have a mission. They’re out to change me, change the way I live, change the way I see the world. And that sometimes results in a brand new and rather annoying discomfort with the way I already see the world, and the way I already live within it. Usually I don’t want to hear there’s anything wrong with it. Who does? Who really wants

lm.noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-43544737379759773272009-04-30T14:54:00.008-05:002009-05-01T12:49:31.034-05:00

If you watched the Academy Awards this past year, one movie tough to ignore was Doubt. Having four actors nominated for acting awards does that some times. I remember being intrigued by the previews, but didn't get a chance to see it until a couple of weeks ago now that it's out on DVD. On the artistic side, you won't be surprised why the movie was up for so many awards. Meryl Streep and

womphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06682185291141004054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-48099965569350870932009-04-19T15:19:00.004-05:002009-04-26T14:35:41.026-05:00

As this is my first review of music I figure its high time I say a thing or two about how it is done. This is not about mining a work of art for a "Christian nugget." Art comes from the soul, and it is impolite to mine a soul. Art is about a connection between to humans over their mutual life in this silly, wonderful, sad world. You cannot figure out everything on your own, you need a little help

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-13366895605091297552009-04-14T10:33:00.002-05:002009-04-14T11:07:30.612-05:00

Doubt is part of the human condition. Christianity puts forth clear, understandable truths about God, ourselves, and reality, but that doesn't mean real Christians don't doubt. The word doubt has a bad rap and all sorts of negative connotations. But I think we do Christianity a disservice if we hold up as the model believer one who acts as though he or she has God's mysteries completely ironed

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-65752713014650892752009-04-09T12:48:00.005-05:002009-04-09T13:31:59.879-05:00

At the beginning of the year I posted on "5 Books I Want to Read in 2008", and I've wanted to do a short review on them since the new year. Finally, in April, I am getting around to it. I think it is worth doing, if a bit late. The books were very good and I recommend them all (the 4 out of 5 that I read... oops).1. The Reason for God by Tim KellerThis book has been called a modern day Mere

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-85832717080499568462009-04-08T11:35:00.002-05:002009-04-08T11:58:51.652-05:00

Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC asks the question, "Are you a patron?" to all those concerned with issues of faith and art. After the few questions follows an eloquent and concise case for christians investing themselves deeply in art. Enjoy these words from Redeemer. The church throughout history has been a fountainhead for patronage of the arts, until, that is, modern times, when it is more

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-6581163461088265472009-04-04T10:28:00.002-05:002009-04-04T10:35:10.997-05:00

Nicolas Kristoff, columnist for the New York Times, writes about the disproportionately brutal impact the financial crisis has on the worlds poor:As world leaders gather in London for the Group of 20 summit meeting, the most wrenching statistic is this: According to World Bank estimates, the global economic crisis will cause an additional 22 children to die per hour, throughout all of 2009.And

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-3018866959029835222009-04-02T08:00:00.000-05:002009-04-02T08:00:00.321-05:00

Wendell Berry writes in Sex, Economy, Freedom, and Community of our culture's hypocrisy in using the term pluralism. He calls into question the goodness of what our culture means when it talks about it tolerance for plurality, and the wisdom of building community on "superficial courtesies.""There is, in fact, a good deal of talk about pluralism these days, but most of it that I have seen is

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-62222737128976627942009-04-01T13:08:00.004-05:002009-04-01T13:34:54.965-05:00

Wendell Berry writes in Sex, Economy, Freedom, and Community of playwright, Arthur Kopit, who said this of one of his plays: "I am immodestly proud that it is written in consistently bad taste. It's about vile people who do vile things. They are totally loathsome, and I love them all.... I am almost positive it has something to offend everyone." In the essay Berry takes issue with Kopit's intent

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-11708803537956661192009-03-31T09:20:00.003-05:002009-03-31T10:08:58.113-05:00

Wendell Berry writes in Men and Women in Search of Common Ground of how community can bring trials and suffering, but it is in those very trials that our good hope lies. His says that binding ourselves with the closest relational ties in life offers us the only kind of freedom that has the possibility to bring flourishing."These ways of marriage, kinship, friendship, and neighborhood surround us

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-50173041268828771582009-03-16T10:16:00.001-05:002009-03-16T10:16:00.221-05:00

Wendell Berry writes in his essay, Think Little, of the tendency for Americans, who have, according to him, lost their "private life" to think of change in increments of organizations, rather than actually changing the way they live their own lives.He writes:"... The citizen who is willing to think little, and, accepting the discipline of that, to go ahead on his own, is already solving a problem

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-6276767171400361322009-03-15T09:27:00.002-05:002009-03-15T09:52:23.128-05:00

Wendell Berry writes in his essay, Feminism, the Body, and the Machine, about another essay he wrote in Harpers in which Berry details his reasons for not choosing to buy a computer. Harpers received several critical responses from readers of Berry's piece and Feminism, the Body, and the machine is a response to his critics. The essay was written in 1989 but is timely today. Berry's themes are

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-30091262175229955882009-03-11T11:26:00.003-05:002009-03-11T11:48:26.431-05:00

Scott Cairns is a poet and professor of English at the University of Missouri. I had the chance to talk with him and ask him a few questions about the writing life and the creative process:A: How do you create a work? How do you live the writing life?S: Just keep reading. The writing life is primarily a reading life, so you just keep reading. The writing life is healthy so long as you keep

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-82080896447553081692009-03-06T11:57:00.004-06:002009-03-06T14:30:24.063-06:00

Jeff Adams gave a lecture on the Christian imagination at the 2009 L'abri Conference in Rochester in which he gave some helpful thoughts about how and why to cultivate the imagination. Imagination, Adams says, has been under-nourished in contemporary Christianity, and if we are to have a robust faith - and robust lives - it will mean, in part, regaining our imaginations. Imagination lets us see

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-67181167786345395442009-03-03T09:52:00.002-06:002009-03-03T10:02:29.486-06:00

I found myself thinking this morning about something Denis Haack said at the L’abri Conference: “If you are too busy for wonder, you are too busy.”I find it so easy to be practical in my daily life. I drive my car and feel the air and am awoken by the sun in my window and greet my friends and it all produces no wonder because I have made the mistake of believing all these things are merely normal

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-36135226054812043902009-02-27T08:00:00.002-06:002009-03-04T10:40:07.279-06:00

The phrase "human nature" has negative connotations. When someone says "that's just human nature" they are usually talking about something sad. When someone says, "I am just a human" they are usually excusing their own limitations. But the word human ought not to mean something small or ugly or evil. It is glorious to be human. As Jerram Barrs said, "Human beings are more glorious than the earth,

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-11010282612833287742009-02-25T08:00:00.002-06:002009-03-04T14:36:06.150-06:00

Good Christian art is not an oxymoron, although anecdotal evidence and a survey of the statistics might make it seem that way. The fact is that there are good Christian artists making good art, but they are the exception rather than the rule, and the leaders in the fields of art seem to be non-Christians. Why? There is no single explanation, but rather many forces that have contributed to the

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-87141498221967753022009-02-23T10:37:00.003-06:002009-02-23T10:53:45.819-06:00

Recently, in preparation for a talk I was giving, I tried to make a list of every piece of technology I came across in a single day. The list got very long, very quickly. I wrote down everything from the pen and Post-Its I was making the list on to things like the internet or television. The list was made up of not only high-tech things like a cell phone, but low-tech things like the screw on the

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-34421299479878047792009-02-16T10:26:00.006-06:002009-02-22T09:37:00.517-06:00

The words "theology" and "doctrine" can make people today cringe. They bring up associations of arrogance and pride, of theological divisions that cause disharmony within the church, of "ingrow-ness" and arguments that mean little to those outside the church. In general there is a distrust that theology can actually make people more humble and more loving, a sense that "knowledge puffs up, but

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-10319704643486067772009-02-13T09:18:00.000-06:002009-02-13T09:18:00.972-06:00

The Cultural Myth of Love: Our culture believes a myth about love that it is possible to find the perfect person, so we quickly tire of mere good people and relentlessly pursue an idea of perfection that does not exist. The stories are culture has told us about love have taught us to follow our gut, and our gut is not easily pleased (or very good at being content for long). Attaining romantic

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-77015546777311727752009-02-10T10:36:00.004-06:002009-02-12T09:59:34.760-06:00

More assorted notes from the L'abri conference:Ethos: Sometimes the most powerful thing in a person's words is the character of the speaker you can see behind the words, his or her ethos. The words themselves are the sails and the ethos is the wind which moves the ship. This is something that grows over time and can either make the words themselves much more powerful and beautiful than they would

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-7426853990884996552009-02-08T13:05:00.003-06:002009-02-09T08:44:02.332-06:00

More notes from the L'abri Conference:Beauty: "My exposure to extreme beauty makes it more difficult to love the true beauty all around me... Don't hold the forces of decrepitude at bay, embrace them... When you are real you cannot be ugly except to those who don't understand." -Richard Winter. Perfectionism: The pursuit of perfectionism creates an appearance of perfection, but not the reality

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-44597649447406744552009-02-04T12:18:00.008-06:002009-02-04T12:45:37.463-06:00

The True/False Film Festival has come again!The festival is one of Columbia's major cultural events every year. It is one of the nations growing documentary film festivals and runs from February 26 -March 1.Check out the list of films at truefalse.org. Here are some highlights:Burma VJ"Armed with pocket-sized video cameras, a tenacious band of Burmese reporters face down death to expose the

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-19216972989427829512009-02-02T10:34:00.004-06:002009-02-02T13:05:55.565-06:00

The L'abri Conference in Rochester, Minnesota is coming up again and I thought I would put up some marginalia from notes from past conferences. The conference weekend has been an intensive time of learning and encountering new ideas - I've heard it equated to trying to take a drink from a fire hydrant - and the notes I take away every year are full of new ideas. These posts will be for sharing

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-61227789948149585742009-01-29T09:35:00.004-06:002009-02-02T12:59:54.240-06:00

In light of the L'Abri conference coming up this February, I thought it might be a good idea to highlight five themes of the ministry of L'Abri and Francis Schaeffer. Hopefully they will give you a good idea of the perspective of Christianity that L'Abri is taking.1. The Truthfulness of Christianity (True Truth)We need to rediscover the objective reality of Christianity, really see the God who

colleen marie.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00546766271327770349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-10293677375135120552009-01-28T11:59:00.004-06:002009-01-28T12:52:19.098-06:00

Does art require pain?Wade Bradshaw, in his book By Demonstration: God, wrestles with that question from a Christian perspective. He writes:It is not only loss of freedom that artists fear from Christianity: they also fear loss of power. Again, I hear this both from artists who believe in Jesus and from those who do not: "If I allow this news of reconciliation with God to permeate my life, and I

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-71499413480590508012009-01-26T14:08:00.006-06:002009-01-27T11:48:30.995-06:00

After picking up Brideshead Revisited this weekend at the local Redbox, I thought I was in for a more typical period flick.  My wife is a big fan of Emma Thompson ever since her appearance in that Jane Austen classic, Sense & Sensibility.  This particular version is a 2008 version of the book by Evelyn Waugh (a Briton who converted to Catholicism in the 1930's after being an agnostic).  A simple

womphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06682185291141004054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-42591668093426484562009-01-25T11:00:00.002-06:002009-01-25T11:12:30.937-06:00

I've been checking out the Mars Hill College Mission website the past few days and happened upon some really cool things. One that stuck out to me the most is a short conversation series they did called 'Conversations with a Skeptic.' An atheist was ripping on Mars Hill on his blog so coffee was drank and these conversations happened: Conversations with a Skeptic 1 Conversations with a Skeptic 2

colleen marie.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00546766271327770349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-75951146346870240092009-01-21T11:38:00.004-06:002009-01-21T11:59:05.436-06:00

Art helps us remember what it means to be human, which raises the question: what does it mean to be human? For the Christian that answer grows out of the fact that we are created beings made in the image of our creator. Certain things we don't share with God (omnipresence, infinity, perfect moral character) but certain things we do, and what it means to be human is derived from the shared aspects

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-25318264608463113472009-01-16T08:00:00.002-06:002009-01-16T08:00:00.320-06:00

Mark Edmundson, college professor, writes about some of the impacts of technology on the lives of his students.Read the article here.

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-87461544334893977612009-01-16T08:00:00.001-06:002009-01-16T08:00:00.979-06:00

Take a look at Luke Miedema's take on the gospel according to facebook. He has some interesting thoughts about what facebook.com reflects about our culture and how it is in turn shaping it. The posts are a good excercise in discernment and thinking about things through the Christian worldview.{Part 1}{Part 2}Also look at this post from Don't Eat the Fruit.

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-52142270083851799342009-01-15T12:29:00.000-06:002009-01-15T12:29:02.868-06:00

D. A. Carson, professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, writes about technology in culture in Themelios, an international journal for pastors and students of theological and religious studies.Read the full article here.He writes:Scarcely less important than speed of access is the Internet's sheer intoxicating addictiveness–or, more broadly, we might be better to think of the intoxicating

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-69177070868104712622009-01-13T08:00:00.000-06:002009-01-13T08:00:02.043-06:00

It is technology week on the blog. All week I am going to be putting up resources to help us think with discernment about the technology that floods our lives. The following is a speech given by Neil Postman pointing out 5 things we need to know about technological change.Neil Postman: Five things we need to know about technological change.John Dyer writes about each of Postman's 5 things on his

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-74626591436211874672009-01-12T09:48:00.001-06:002009-01-12T09:51:53.254-06:00

Anytime someone mentioned “fair trade” or “sweat-free” (no sweatshop labor), my eyes would glaze over … partly out of ignorance and partly out of a sense of being overwhelmed. Yes, I was one of those people. My hunch is that many of us are like that. We don’t want to support the injustices of our economic system and yet we see no other way to live – getting informed and getting involved just

Kermit Summerallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01764912526830822204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-51387266963127349022009-01-08T10:28:00.001-06:002009-01-08T10:28:00.218-06:00

Plans for reading the Bible in a year. Just copy the link location and then paste it into "Subscribe to podcast" in iTunes. Here you go.

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-27927785376742697862009-01-07T14:55:00.005-06:002009-01-08T10:46:38.582-06:00

The following is an interview with Leszek Vincent, a plant scientist that has done a lot of work on the Crossing pond. I wanted to have a conversation with him coming from the perspective of botany and life sciences as art in order to pick Leszek's brain about some of the things he has done to make the pond beautiful on an aesthetic level and on the functional level. Living next door to the pond

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-62838671154270271312009-01-05T08:00:00.000-06:002009-01-05T08:00:02.257-06:00

I had a conversation recently about whether or not people can change. A friend and I were on a road trip and we got to talking about a mutual friend of ours who had caused deep hurts in the lives of others around him. It was a conversation about weariness in loving someone and endurance in the face of great hurt, and I was trying to make a case that we live in a world where nothing is beyond

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-58874958342299511382009-01-03T08:13:00.000-06:002009-01-03T09:50:33.608-06:00

"ReThink the Bible (1)" - September 19, 2008Thomas Jefferson thought it was hard to read the Bible because there were so many unbelievable things in it, so he made a new one. He took the 4 gospels and literally cut everything supernatural out of it, creating his 46 page book Morals and Teachings of Jesus of Nazereth. He said this in a letter to John Adams in 1813:In extracting the pure principles

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-57111253777602704872008-12-31T08:11:00.000-06:002008-12-31T08:11:06.700-06:00

"Go Green - Jesus is Doing It (2)" - May 24, 200830 Rock, an NBC sitcom, has been entertaining me for countless hours the past few days. One of my favorite episodes from season 2, "Greenzo," makes fun of the recent environmentalism trend. Jack, the network's CEO, asks the writing team to write a couple sketches for the networks new environmental mascot, "Greenzo." Jack explains his logic to the

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-10545948954039328452008-12-31T08:08:00.000-06:002008-12-31T08:08:00.530-06:00

"Art Every Wednesday (24)" - October 22, 2008I love PostSecret. (www.postsecret.com)I think there’s something a little voyeuristic about it, but also, gosh. They are so incredibly frail and achingly personal and courageous. I read these, and it’s the same sigh of relief I get when one of my friends — who I always suspected was a thousand times more put together than I am — comes to me and says, “

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-7836824136042772842008-12-30T08:07:00.000-06:002008-12-30T08:07:00.784-06:00

"Why I Am A Christian (3)" - October 14, 2008If I were to make a list of reasons I am a Christian this one would have to be on the list also: it makes sense of life.I met a guy in an airport once who was explaining to me his perspective on life. He was saying that it didn't matter what anyone believes about the universe because when we die we will find that all roads lead to the same place. It is

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-2494237641476134462008-12-29T08:05:00.000-06:002008-12-29T08:05:00.560-06:00

"Art Every Wednesday (16)" - August 27, 2008For this week's Art Wednesday I wanted to look at some pieces of art the advertising world is putting out. Looking at advertising as art is in one sense similar as viewing any other piece of art - it has a message, it is an outpouring of human creativity, it is often aesthetically pleasing (or the opposite for a purpose), they have a world view

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-57679533927669119002008-12-28T08:04:00.000-06:002008-12-28T08:04:00.725-06:00

"L'abri: There and Back Again" - Febuary 17,2008A weekend full of lectures at the L'abri conference in Rochester, Minnesota is now over and I am going to try and put some contents from my notes (and hopefully the notes of the others who came to the conference... too many lectures and too little time for one person to get it all) on this blog. Stay tuned in the coming days/weeks for more content

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-40527356301008929032008-12-27T08:02:00.001-06:002008-12-27T08:02:01.034-06:00

Review of "The Shack" - August 18,2008Here is a review of the incredibly popular book "The Shack" written by two of the staff at the Crossing. The book is a wonderful book to read/discuss... with great ideas/themes as well as things that Christians should be discerning about.For the pdf, click here:The Shack Reviewed

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-9142695107796350022008-12-26T08:01:00.001-06:002008-12-26T08:01:00.638-06:00

"Adventures In Rest" - August 5, 2008In her article, “Bring back the Sabbath,” Judith Shulevitz speaks of the “eternal inner murmur of self-reproach.” When I came across the phrase it struck me as an elegant and insightful way to speak of the voice I often hear within myself that tells me to doubt my own worth unless I can pay for my own way. It is an anxiety that makes it feel like the question

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-62703670506258815282008-12-25T08:00:00.000-06:002008-12-25T08:00:00.464-06:00

Why We Must Think Rightly About God (1) - June 12, 2008This morning I was re-reading a wonderful chapter from A. W. Tozer’s book, Knowledge of the Holy, and wanted to post some quotes from the chapter as well as thoughts about them.“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us… That our idea of God correspond as nearly as possible to the true being of God

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-29667902840539554192008-12-24T10:55:00.000-06:002008-12-24T10:55:00.817-06:00

"Thoughts on Jamaica and Home" - April 1, 2008I just spent a week in Harmons, Jamaica building houses, hauling piles of rock up hills, getting to know Jamaicans and the American who were with me. T. S. Eliot was right when he said, "...the end of all our exploring, will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." I have felt that effect a bit since coming home. It's

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-81305290559441891702008-12-23T10:34:00.005-06:002008-12-23T10:55:03.093-06:00

The blogosphere is a relentless taskmaster, so I am taking a page out of every other bloggers book and taking some time off for the holiday season. Over the next ten days, as we enjoy celebrating the birth of Christ, seeing family, and hopefully, rest I will be putting up the top ten posts (in no particular order) of the blog from 2008. So eat some turkey, tell your family you love them, give

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-34332885919265622252008-12-19T11:12:00.003-06:002009-08-02T16:13:38.474-05:00

"It may be possible for each to think too much of his own potential glory hereafter; it is hardly possible for him to think too often or too deeply bout that of his neighbor. The load, or weight, of burden of my neighbor’s glory should be laid daily on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken… Next to the blessed sacrament itself, your

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-11920536785088564892008-12-17T12:33:00.005-06:002009-08-02T16:23:51.492-05:00

Mankind's science is continually giving us deeper glimpses into the universe, where the Creator's art and beauty is on display. As David said,Psalm 19The heavens declare the glory of God,and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech,and night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words,whose voice is not heard. I was recently impressed by this

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-281870655559715682008-12-15T14:18:00.003-06:002008-12-15T14:33:12.289-06:00

If you have never read any G. K. Chesterton I recommend two books: Orthodoxy, and St. Francis of Assisi. Chesterton writes incredible insights into the life. He takes a while to get there sometimes, but when he does it is worth the journey. Here is an excerpt from St. Francis of Assisi which is as good an example as any of why I love him and he is worth reading:"If a man saw the world upside down

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-6854841017723621012008-12-10T09:26:00.006-06:002008-12-10T10:12:29.864-06:00

Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison have created a sad, poignant, insightful, mysterious, and odd series of photographs called The Architect's Brother. Many of the pieces of the series are set against an apocalyptic bacground - a blasted earth - in which the "Everyman", a plain-looking man in a suit, performs some act of healing or restoration. I had the chance to see an exhibit of their work last

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-60683733429083747342008-12-07T08:00:00.001-06:002009-08-02T16:14:05.917-05:00

“Your soul has a curious shape because it is a hollow made to fit a particular swelling in the infinite contours of the divine substance, or a key to unlock one of the doors in the house with many mansions. For it is not humanity that is to be saved, but you – you, the individual reader… blessed and fortunate creature, your eyes shall behold him, your eyes and not another’s. All that you are,

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-31653050753994494842008-12-05T08:00:00.002-06:002008-12-05T08:00:00.200-06:00

"One doesn’t need to read the Scriptures very long before noticing that the various authors often quote, refer to, or allude to things previously recorded by other writers. Begin tracing all these cross-references, and you’ll need a large notebook to keep track of them all. Or, allow Chris Harrison, a student at Carnegie Mellon University and Christoph Römhild of the North Elbian Evangelical

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-14209473924596274462008-12-03T10:13:00.004-06:002008-12-03T10:25:02.322-06:00

Look at this very interesting video from Death Cab for Cutie's song Someday You Will Be Loved:The video, other than being a lot of fun visually, has a deep meaning. It is a song about relationships, but more than that it is a song about the staggering hurts that the heart can sustain in this life and the mysterious process of healing. One wonders, watching it, how the heart can survive it all,

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-47527707139284939422008-11-29T09:29:00.002-06:002009-08-02T16:14:19.179-05:00

When I talk with people about heaven I use the phrase "C. S. Lewis thought..." at least once per minute, so this series is an effort to collect some of C. S. Lewis' thoughts about heaven and expand on them a little.Heaven can be a neglected hope in the Christian heart, but I think this is just due to a failure of imagination. If we do not long for Heaven at every moment, then it may be that we

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-48367008206167981242008-11-26T10:33:00.003-06:002008-11-26T11:51:57.589-06:00

This morning I came across an interesting excerpt from a book about Wagner by Bryan Magee that makes the case that Christianity is anti-art, and so I thought it would be a good occasion to put forward the reasons I think that Christianity and good art are not mutually exclusive, but rather, understood rightly, art finds a home in the Christian worldview.In this excerpt Magee is arguing that Greek

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-50568685069990884042008-11-22T10:57:00.001-06:002008-11-22T10:57:41.701-06:00

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-6782857462624538272008-11-21T08:00:00.000-06:002008-11-21T08:00:00.983-06:00

Christianity is a timeless message that is revealed in time. The fact that it is revealed in time makes it adaptable, and it’s timelessness makes it liberating.By timeless, I mean that it is a voice from outside any human culture across time and geography but is able to speak in to those cultures an unchanging message. It is the unmoving center that draws all 360 degrees of the circle to

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-85258455087204582572008-11-19T11:09:00.001-06:002008-11-20T13:18:41.260-06:00

The Human Story is a audio project trying to tell the story of the human experience with songs and quotes. The idea is to collect songs and quotations and arrange them into a narrative. The six acts of this narrative are:Act 1: "All manner of things..." Everything is right and the sounds are in harmony. Crescendos depict the explosion of life into the universe.Act 2: "I will show you fear in a

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-48219605647417888622008-11-17T08:00:00.002-06:002008-11-17T08:00:01.783-06:00

There is a sense in which this world tends toward disorder. Order and life appear through constant renewal.The story of the Bible is one in which the fall pushes everything toward decay, but sin is not the only force at work - God is at work also. He creates, sustains, and renews all things. You might say this life is a battle between the entropy of sin and the renewing grace of God.

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-27102945201499900232008-11-15T15:34:00.002-06:002008-11-15T16:06:26.944-06:00

In an essay called "The Truth of Fiction" Chinua Achebe writes that everyone creates fictions for ourselves to make our worlds livable. By "fictions" he means the stories that make sense of things and connect the dots of life. Imagine the individual dots as isolated events, for example, a stray comment, some disappointment or heartbreak, an unexpected smile. The fictions are the stories we

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-64795978094698040492008-11-12T10:19:00.004-06:002008-11-12T10:38:49.314-06:00

Dale Chihuly is one of the premier workers of glass art in the world. His pieces have been featured in museum all over the world. I have had the privileged to see two of his installations and they are breathtaking. The first was an 80 foot pillar of blown glass and the second was a series of chandeliers hung in the Mayo clinic.Chihuly at GoogleChihuly talks about his workMore examples of

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-69817880901858554702008-11-07T14:46:00.004-06:002008-11-08T14:30:43.347-06:00

Yesterday I interviewed Jane Williams of the Columbia branch of Love INC, to find out more about what is happening in Columbia to care for the needy in our community. I came away with a greater view of the scope of the problem but also a greater appreciation of what is being done. In a nutshell, Love INC is a middle-man between the needy in the community and the churches. People with needs call

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-5700769865439961982008-11-05T10:43:00.005-06:002008-11-08T10:56:28.649-06:00

This weeks Art Wednesday is part autobiographical, as, in writing, we have finally come to an art form that I can speak about from personal experience. Sometime in college I was disillusioned with my major, feeling depressed, and generally feeling like I could already see the barren landscape of my future stretching out desolate all the way to the horizon, and then it hit me: switch to the

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-47185361290632127412008-11-02T09:23:00.002-06:002008-11-02T09:26:33.244-06:00

Each month ChristianAudio.com makes a new classic of Christian listerature available for free.This month is John Calvin's, Of Prayer and the Christian LifeEnjoy the book

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-55875953053902211632008-10-31T12:49:00.004-05:002008-11-06T11:12:27.108-06:00

To quote Jerram Barrs, “The message of the gospel is timeless, but it is always revealed in time.” What does this mean? That the gospel is "once for all delivered to the saints" However, the gospel does not enter into a vacuum, but into a human culture. The gospel and culture are not in opposition, but there is a wonderful and perfectly fitting interplay between the two.Christianity is incredibly

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-90380467805927715952008-10-29T14:35:00.004-05:002008-10-29T14:48:37.907-05:00

Denis Haack has posted some thoughtful and beautiful words on Sigur Ros on his website Ransom Fellowship. Here are some thoughts from the review:"As a Christian I am drawn to Sigur Rós because in their music I hear an echo of my own heart. A deeply felt yearning for the something more that is hinted at beyond the narrow horizon of the islands we call home. The knowledge that as human beings we

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-30179037204675201822008-10-25T15:41:00.003-05:002008-11-06T11:13:01.394-06:00

The gospel makes open-minded people. I don’t mean to say that gospel makes people for whom all truth claims are valid and equally right. I think that is a twisted definition of open-mindedness. It opens the mind precisely because it claims to be the True truth. There is a challenge here, of course. It is hard not to become unloving or arrogant in the way you communicate when you are convinced

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-73518498509895789262008-10-22T10:05:00.009-05:002008-10-22T11:13:50.040-05:00

I love PostSecret. (www.postsecret.com)I think there’s something a little voyeuristic about it, but also, gosh. They are so incredibly frail and achingly personal and courageous. I read these, and it’s the same sigh of relief I get when one of my friends — who I always suspected was a thousand times more put together than I am — comes to me and says, “I don’t know what I’m doing.”There’s

lm.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-56736363611553130332008-10-21T11:24:00.004-05:002008-10-21T12:11:51.545-05:00

Russell Moore on the role of church and the role of a campus ministry in the life of college students.An excerpt from the article:"Does the centrality of the church mean that campus ministry is irrelevant or redundant? No indeed. Should you be involved with a campus ministry at your college or university? Yes indeed. So how do you avoid the spiritual dangers of an unchurched spirituality?

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-39609012900378938352008-10-18T13:30:00.003-05:002008-11-06T11:13:23.955-06:00

The Christian worldview provides me with a framework to understand and love beauty.There is much beauty in the world. There is sadness and pain and ugliness, but there is no doubt that even in the midst of the most pronounced ugliness and suffering, beauty can be found. It can drive away the ugliness and plant new seeds of creation in the wake of its departure.The Bible says that the source of

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-34583397418249994192008-10-15T13:07:00.002-05:002008-10-15T14:01:27.563-05:00

Here are some excerpts from an interview with Katie Smith, a pianist in the music school at Mizzou, in which we talked about her thoughts on art, piano, and the interaction of faith and music.Andy: What is one time that you’ve had an experience with art that has done that to you? That has reached you at a deep level, and what about the art did that?Katie: There are many times when I will be at a

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-22533623686171386632008-10-14T12:29:00.006-05:002008-11-06T11:13:39.423-06:00

If I were to make a list of reasons I am a Christian this one would have to be on the list also: it makes sense of life.I met a guy in an airport once who was explaining to me his perspective on life. He was saying that it didn't matter what anyone believes about the universe because when we die we will find that all roads lead to the same place. It is like we are all climbing a mountain though

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-297297583047868892008-10-10T10:56:00.002-05:002008-10-10T11:02:16.134-05:00

Here is the rest of the interview with Peggy Kirkpatrick, executive director of the Central Missouri Food Bank:A: In the 16 years you have worked at the food bank, how have you seen Columbia change?P: I’ve been in Columbia since 1960 and what I have seen over those years is that it has grown from a rural community to much more of a metropolitan society. Some of the basic pillars that have made

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-28024371277767098962008-10-09T15:59:00.004-05:002008-10-09T16:09:35.697-05:00

Here are some excerpts from an interview with Peggy Kirkpatrick, executive director of the Central Missouri Food Bank. We had a chance to talk about the Food Bank and what it does to help combat poverty, what poverty looks like in Columbia, and what the faith community can do to help.Andy: Tell me a bit about the Food Bank. How did it start?Peggy: The food bank started in 1981. It was started by

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-79435359460770950382008-10-08T13:28:00.006-05:002008-10-08T13:37:39.349-05:00

This post is about the theology of the beauty of the ordinary. God is himself an artist. That is, in essence, the reason for having Art Wednesday be a part of this blog at all - to get people to buy into the idea that God is an artist and then to view all the art they encounter in the world through that lens. The beauty of God's art "flames out" in all of creation. Religion has at times seemed

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-11644308710910009772008-10-06T14:05:00.003-05:002008-10-06T14:09:33.493-05:00

It's a new month, and that means ChristianAudio.com has a new free Christian classic available to download. This month is Charles Spurgeon's book All of Grace.

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-80075800216596965112008-10-05T10:30:00.002-05:002008-10-05T10:40:23.894-05:00

My thanks to Pat Miller for this concise, creative excerpt. In it he tries to answer the question "What is Postmodernism?" in a fresh way."If reality itself is a mini-narrative constructed from personal experience and belief, then meaning cannot exist on a large scale. Grandiose, all-encompassing meaning requires equally grand mega-narratives. The greatest religious, philosophical, and political

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-60626710038243622902008-10-03T11:37:00.002-05:002008-10-03T11:39:52.685-05:00

If the whole population of the earth was scaled down to 100 people, this would be true...

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-49589466750337324132008-10-01T10:40:00.006-05:002008-10-01T11:14:02.157-05:00

Gardening is art. Gardening is working with living things God made to grow and display beauty. As Tolkien said, we are "sub-creators." That is the art. We can't make the dirt or the seeds or the growth. Human art comes in arranging, ordering, sub-creating within the things God as made. In gardening humanity puts its hands on green, living things to collect the beauty God gave them in one

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-61381538147960738072008-09-29T10:38:00.002-05:002008-09-29T10:52:10.150-05:00

Here is an excerpt from Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis. It is the chapter called The Great Sin, and it is about pride. Every time I read this I get a fresh view of what pride, or "spiritual cancer" as he calls it, is and how far the cancer is advancing in my own soul. It is a great analysis of something no one is free of, and points toward a way free of it.Again, I have highlighted sections

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-27463296566608431682008-09-24T09:26:00.007-05:002008-09-25T10:30:08.873-05:00

I was talking about the gifts of God the other night with a friend and it reminded me of a great Art Every Wednesday post: stained glass windows.The gist of the conversation was that God has lavished his grace on the world - literally you cannot open your eyes without encountering his gems. The sky, the trees, the seasons, the lives of others, cities, art - all of it trumpets the grace of God.

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-70345498573809864512008-09-21T11:21:00.002-05:002008-09-21T11:25:20.541-05:00

Something has gone wrong. If it had not we would read the Bible and find it a certain shape and find that shape perfectly corresponds to the shape we are like hand and glove. As it is, parts of it poke and prod us. There is a tension like two puzzle pieces that don’t fit. And the true one must grind against the false one. The Bible must wear away at our ragged edges.The question is what to do

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-28175603475685541602008-09-20T10:28:00.003-05:002008-09-21T11:27:59.455-05:00

As I said in the last post, until the prerequisite of omniscience is met the Bible is such a thing that the very last thing you can do is cut things out of it. Which brings us to the next question: what is the Bible? Paul tried to answer that same question for Timothy in 2 Timothy:“All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386755601199853905.post-86220176619191945462008-09-19T11:58:00.002-05:002008-11-06T11:17:58.383-06:00

Thomas Jefferson thought it was hard to read the Bible because there were so many unbelievable things in it, so he made a new one. He took the 4 gospels and literally cut everything supernatural out of it, creating his 46 page book Morals and Teachings of Jesus of Nazereth. He said this in a letter to John Adams in 1813:In extracting the pure principles which [Jesus] taught, we should have to

patton.andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334274181815901124noreply@blogger.com0