fundamentalism by blunt instrument
Well, for Dec 21, actually, the Winter Solstice. You can read all about it here. This eclipse will be visible in almost all of North America, starting at 10:33 PM Pacific Time on Dec 20 (1:33 am on Dec 21 Eastern Time).
Just one of those cool astronomy things I love…
It means the monumental King James Version of the Bible is 400 years old.
My genius son sent me some links of interest on the subject. First is a site marking the anniversary with documentaries, events, and many other bits of information.
And there is a film coming out… you can watch the trailer here and sign up to be notified when the DVD is available.
KJB: the Book that Changed the World
Every believer ought to celebrate this anniversary, regardless of your view of the versions. The King James Version really was the book that changed the world.
I have been playing with Logos 4 for about five days now. I was fully prepared to disdain L4 as much as I do L3 and previous versions. Well…
Well blow me down, I actually like Logos 4. They said they rebuilt it from the ground up. They did! And it shows!
I love astronomy. I just noticed on the Jet Propulsion Laboratory that Microsoft has a beta software called “Worldwide Telescope” designed in conjunction with NASA. It provides cool images of the heavens, from any perspective. You can be a stargazer right there on your own computer screen.
Yes, I know Google has something like this too. And I know this is Microsoft, the company most people have serious attitude problems about. Personally, I don’t care. Mostly I like Microsoft. (I hate the Ribbon in the new Office, but…) And space is cool, so try this one out.
If someone puts up a post in the blogosphere and no one responds for days, does it make a sound?
Today I was listening to a message from 1985 by Dr. Marvin Lewis. He started off with this:
“Somebody told me one time that you know you are getting old when you know all the answers but nobody asks you the questions.”
Restore the local assembly to the center where God intended it to be. When your local assembly engages in Great Commission work outside its walls, find some folks you agree with and get busy doing it. Unity is built on agreement about the truth, not by politics. Few things are as political as trying to preserve movements once they have fragmented theologically.
Would that it were so simple. But it is not that simple. In the words of John Donne,
No man is an island entire of itself…
And certainly the pastor and church in question is no island, entire unto themselves. If we were talking about a small church in a small community it might be that simple, but … probably not.
Everyone influences someone else. That’s why our private decisions are important. They have influence on someone.
An interesting article today on Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, the disease my wife has in remission thanks to Gleevec.
CML in its chronic phase can be treated with Gleevec and most patients respond well to it. But unfortunately, some do not. The disease can progress to what is called ‘blast phase’ where things go from bad to worse in a hurry.
Today’s article has to do with an apparent discovery of the cause for the transition from chronic to blast phase. Here it is:
They found that chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) progresses when immature white blood cells lose a molecule called miR-328.
That’s it. The white blood cells lose ONE MOLECULE. (The disease is initially caused by a mutation resulting from one part of one chromosome breaking off and reattaching itself to the DNA in a different spot on the chain.)
That isn’t much of a big deal to kill you, eh? One chromosome mutates and soon you have a chronic and life threatening disease. Left untreated, after some time, one white blood cell loses ONE molecule (and then many follow), and suddenly you are in blast phase. And shortly after that, if untreated, you are gone from this world.
A couple of observations:
P.S., I am working on an article to follow up my ‘godliness’ post a few days ago. It is getting longer and longer as I work. Maybe it should be more than one post. It will definitely become a series in our Bible Study time at our church. I think the idea of godliness (godly living) is vital for Christians in our world. So more is coming… in the meantime I am putting up links to things that interest me…
Our family is very grateful for targeted cancer medication. The New York Times is running a series of articles on research about an anti-melanoma drug. It is quite moving – the people going through the trials have to be dealing with many ups and downs emotionally.
Here is the first article, “A Roller Coaster Chase for a Cure”
Here is the second, “After Long Fight, Drug Gives Sudden Reprieve”
UPDATE: Here is the third and last article in the frustrating fight against melanoma, “A Drug Trial Cycle: Recovery, Relapse, Reinvention”
An interesting article at Christianity Today regarding the over-emphasis and over-indulgence in sports that plagues many Christians.
I don’t endorse CT, but post this link as a matter of interest. Considering the source, the article ought to speak volumes to Christians of a more conservative persuasion.
The latest audio from the GBCvic
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