Category: Uncategorized Page 17 of 71

A good take on why I stopped watching several years ago.

Please know that I am still alive.

Transition will make this blog very slow for the next couple of months. I hope you are all patient with me and that I still have readers when I get back into a normal, or semi-normal, routine.

Thanks!

My nominee for the Commercial of the Year.

Saw this while watching a Modern Marvels broadcast on chile peppers, also worth watching.

In A Faith Worth Sharing Jack Miller tells many tales of encounters in which he had the opportunity to share Christ with others. He was, by all accounts, gifted in this and intentional. In rereading his book, I appreciated this assessment:

Some want to rush in and confront others with the gospel without taking the time to build a relationship of trust. Others are wonderful at building relationships, but never take the next step and lovingly confront their friends with the claims of Christ. I have been guilty of both mistakes. This is when we learn what prayer is all about. As we pray, the Holy Spirit gives us what we need: the right combination of love and boldness as we share with others the words of life.

Ouch.

+ + + + +

I just ran across a couple of helpful quick thoughts on evangelism from Justin Taylor to complement the above, both on his blog Between Two Worlds. I encourage you to check out this and this. For some reflection on a contrasting view, see this.

You gotta love minor league baseball and Will Ferrell.

(Relevant part of video is the first fifty seconds or so. Thanks to the Bradenton Marauders for the link.)

For a different view of the same event go here.

I’m preparing a sermon on Psalm 94 for this Sunday and noticed that God’s concern for the weak and oppressed and under-served finds expression in verse 6 as the psalmist expresses anger that the wicked “kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless.”

The lexiconsays that the word translated here as sojourner “…is a man who (alone or with his family) leaves village and tribe because of war, famine, epidemic, blood guilt etc. and seeks shelter and residence at another place, where his right of landed property, marriage and taking part in jurisdiction, cult and war has been curtailed.”

It is clear that God has a heart for the widow, the orphan, and the sojourner, and it is clear that he reserves judgment for those who misuse their power over such.

To apply Scripture to life requires considering how biblical categories translate into modern situations. In our case, the widow may be the literal widow, or the single mom. The orphan may be the child bounced around in foster care, or the unborn child in the womb.

Who in our day would correspond to the sojourner?

To write a book about God, if your name is not John Frame, requires you to author it not as ‘Bob’ or ‘Jim’ or whatever your name is, but to author it with initials. Note these:

The Holiness of God, R. C. Sproul.
Knowledge of the Holy One, A. W. Tozer.
And the all-time best Knowing God, J. I. Packer.

I long ago concluded that I could not write such a book for, among other more formidable deficiencies is the simple fact that I am, simply, Randy. I am Randall to the IRS and to the phone company, but Randy to everyone else.

I ruled out many years ago using my initials. “R. R. Greenwald” sounds like a car trying to start with a nearly dead battery. It lacks the pop of a ‘J. I. Packer’. So the book will remain unwritten.

It has occurred to me recently however that ‘R. R.’ does have some precedent not in theology directly, but in literature. If I could get someone to loan me a ‘J’, ‘J. R. R. Greenwald’ doesn’t sound half bad.

Most everything, as most of you already know, posted on this site yesterday was a ruse. I say most of you, because some took me seriously. But you’ll learn.

Today, then, we return to the original design, title, and such, with the reminder that the title is intended to be ironic. For the record, again, I will paste at the end here, my reasons for calling this blog by the name I’ve given it.

Interestingly, though, every ‘suggestion’ I alluded to in my justification for the ‘redesign’ was a real suggestion given to me by real people with all seriousness.

I must give credit where credit is due. Creative help for a couple of the posts came from my son Seth. Blame him for ‘Mere Crustianity’ and ‘The Abolition of Manna’, among other things.

Finally, I’m keeping my profile picture up for another day. That is the smile of a famous person. Can anyone tell me whose smile that is?

A free C. S. Lewis baker’s library to all correct guesses.

UPDATE: Two votes for Tom Cruise; two for Joel Osteen. An interesting contrast. But I confess, it is Joel Osteen’s happy face. Now what did I do with those baker’s librarys….

+++++

It’s Ironic

The title of this blog is intended to be ironic. but not everyone understands that. I may really be somber and dull, but I’m really not trying to be!

A couple years ago I decided one day to see what was involved in creating a blog. When it comes to things like this, I don’t read up on things. I just jump in and fiddle. At that time, I was only aware of Blogger, so I went to that site and began to create.

I quickly was faced with the fact that I had to give the blog a name.

At the time, I had been reading – re-reading, actually – Alan Paton’s marvelous novel Cry, the Beloved Country. (Take this as an advertisement. If you are looking for a good book to read, pick this one up.)

The main character in the novel is a poor, black Anglican pastor named Stephen Kumalo. Paton introduces Kumalo as “a parson, somber and rather dull, no doubt, and his hair was turning white.”

Well, I’m a parson, and my hair is turning white. I’m not black, but the sobriquet ’somber and dull’ was kind of appealing to me.

So, that was on my mind, and when Blogger asked for a name, in went Somber and Dull.

It has grown on me. I like the ironic tone. Either way it fits. If the blog is indeed somber and dull, the title fits. If the blog is bright and interesting, then it suits the ironic intent. I can’t lose.

Enough of that. Now go get the book and read it.

Over the years people have grown concerned about the title of my blog.

“Randy,” some would say, “We don’t think you should write about all those depressing subjects. Why don’t you write about cheery stuff. Then you would not have to call your blog by such a somber name.”

Others were concerned that associating the name of this blog with the name of the church I pastor would give the impression that life in this congregation is a downer experience.

One person judged just by the name that I was writing a blog about depression, and didn’t think I should do that.

So, I’m here to say that I’ve heard you all. Starting today, the name of my blog is no longer ‘Somber and Dull’ but rather ‘Happy and Bright’. There will be, I promise, no more sober dullness, but rather wall-to-wall bunnies and sunshine.

Welcome, my friends, to the debut of ‘Happy and Bright’!

Be sure to check back through the day. We are celebrating the launch of our ‘new attitude’ with some highly important announcements.

Here at Somber and Dull world-headquarters, we are all excited about some major design changes due to be launched tomorrow. We are putting the final touches to this today and we hope you all can check back in on Thursday to experience our new format and vision.

See you then!