Apr
2
Take me out to the ball game
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Major League Baseball opened the 2007 season last night, with the New York Metropolitans defeating last year’s World Series champions, the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-1. With baseball season underway (and college baseball, which I follow more closely, has been swinging since February), it’s worth musing on the most familiar, popular baseball song of all time, Take Me Out to the Ball Game. Did you know that neither lyricist Jack Norworth nor composer Albert Von Tilzer had never been ‘taken out’ to a ball game at all? Mark Steyn has written an informative and entertaining piece on the history of the 7th-inning-stretch sing-along classic.
Bonus question: Think about the oom-pa-pa tune. Aren’t there some hymns from the turn of the 20th century that sound eerily similar? Bonus points if you can name some…
Mar
23
Backyard Bible Lessons - The Fig Tree
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Matthew 24:32-35 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that the summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
Feb
14
Last night, the boys and I trekked out to Walmart to get some V-day goodies for Hallie. When we left the store it was raining outside. Joseph said, “Daddy, it is really raining out! It is raining omnipotent!” It took me a minute to figure out what in the world he meant. Then I remembered that we are learning I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art for family worship. The second verse begins, “Thou are the King of mercy and of grace, Reigning omnipotent in every place…” I burst out laughing, longing for the day when those words stored up in his little heart will lead him to the throne of grace.
As we drove away, Joseph simply asked, “Daddy, what does ‘omnipotent’ mean?”
Dec
1
Most Influential Americans?
Filed Under Culture, Fun, Jonathan Edwards | Leave a Comment
The Atlantic released their list of the top 100 most influential Americans, compiled by a panel of their contributors. Though I applaud the progenitor of my university at numero tres, I notice Jonathan Edwards (90) was given the back seat over Margaret Sanger (51), Joseph Smith (52), Elvis Presley (66), PT Barnum (67), Brigham Young (74), and Mary Baker Eddy (86). At least the blurb on Edwards was decent: “Forget the fire and brimstone: his subtle eloquence made him the country’s most influential theologian.”
In the end, it is a good list when you consider their design was to give the most influential Americans and not the most magnificent Americans. Feel free to comment with any changes you would have made had you been on the panel.
We can discuss Robert E Lee (57) versus Ulysses S Grant (12) another time.
Oct
5
Holy laughter
Filed Under Christian Living, Fun | 2 Comments
When the gospel takes deep root in our hearts, laughter inevitably follows. Sometimes we laugh in joy and delight at God’s ways and our thick-headedness about it all. Sometimes we chuckle at the incongruities of life–the explanations of the world that 3-year-olds offer us, funny hats, and the catapult hurling Wile E. Coyote into the side of the mountain. Sometimes we imitate our Father and his prophet Elijah in mocking and ridiculing the arrogance of those who exalt themselves against God and his Christ (Psalm 2:2-4; 1 Kings 18:27).
Here are some thoughts from Charles Spurgeon on laughter and the Christian life.
I do believe, in my heart, that there may be as much holiness in a laugh as in a cry; and that, sometimes, to laugh is the better thing of the two, for I may weep, and be murmuring, and repining, and thinking all sorts of bitter thoughts against God; while, at another time, I may laugh the laugh of sarcasm against sin, and so evince a holy earnestness in the defense of the truth.
I do not know why ridicule is to be given up to Satan as a weapon to be used against us, and not to be employed by us as a weapon against him. I will venture to affirm that the Reformation owed almost as much to the sense of the ridiculous in human nature as to anything else, and that those humorous squibs and caricatures, that were issued by the friends of Luther, did more to open the eyes of Germany to the abominations of the priesthood than the more solid and ponderous arguments against Romanism.
I know no reason why we should not,on suitable occasions, try the same style of reasoning. “It is a dangerous weapon,” it will be said, “any many men will cut their fingers with it.” Well, that is their own lookout; but I do not know why we should be so particular about their cutting their fingers if they can, at the same time, cut the throat of sin, and do serious damage to the great adversary of souls.
At no extra cost, here’s one from Martin Luther:
It is pleasing to the dear God whenever you rejoice or laugh from the bottom of your heart.
Sep
25
LarkNews.com
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At the risk of revealing too much about myself and what I think is funny, here is a link to LarkNews.com.