Randy Greenwald

Shared Calamity

On August 1, 2009

When I put together a movie/slide presentation of our recent family camping trip, I titled it ‘Shared Calamity – 2009’. That title has a significance that is worth sharing.

Many years ago, Barb and I heard a nationally known speaker/writer on family issues (Gary Smalley) declare (I don’t know if he was serious or not) that the one constant he finds among all happy families is camping. His explanation is that calamity (rain, forgetting the tent poles, losing ones underwear out of the car top carrier into the middle of the interstate, getting stuck in the mud, having a “Little Miss Sunshine van that needs pushing to start) in camping is an inevitability, and when calamity is shared, it is generally bonding. Camping creates experiences of ‘suffering’ which are laughed about years later.

We have had our share of calamity, and we laugh about them. All those in the list above have happened to us. I don’t know where we fall in the scale of family ‘happiness’, but I do know that we all enjoy these times together.

We encourage you to begin your own tradition of calamity!

Blogging Between the Cracks

By Randy

On July 31, 2009

In Technology

My friend Chris was a blogger before I knew the word. But she admits to not knowing how to make a post that appears later than when she writes it. My friend Dwight believes that he has evidence of my early rising by the early times on the majority of my posts. And another friend and blogger Mike commended me on my diligence in posting (and he assumed writing) daily. So, let Toto pull back the curtain on me as I reveal the smoke and mirrors which makes it LOOK like I’m doing what I’m really not.

I blog when I get a chance. Between the cracks in my schedule. Most of my posts are written three, four, or more at a time, and only made to appear as if they are produced sequentially. My guess is that readers don’t want six posts at once followed by six silent days. So, I write when I get the chance, and space the posting magically over a period of days.

In the interest of full disclosure, I sketched the idea of this post on the morning of Monday, July 20. I am typing it on Tuesday night, July 21. And since it is not date specific (unlike this or this) it is slated now to appear no sooner than July 31, ten days from now.

How’s he do that?

My happy secret is a little helper called MarsEdit. MarsEdit allows me to write drafts, date them, edit them, preview them, and post them, without ever having to actually go to the blog site itself.

Why is this helpful?

From the purely aesthetic point of view, using this software insures a consistent visual style on the blog. Though that can be accomplished through other means, with this I don’t have to think about it anymore.

This guy earns his keep as a time saver and organizer.

When I get an idea for a post, and I’m not near my computer, I scribble it down on a piece of paper and put it in a folder. When I am near the computer, or if the idea comes to me when the computer is open in front of me, I open a draft post in MarsEdit. I need not be anywhere near an internet connection at this point. I only need to open the draft window and jot a few notes down. I can go on doing what I was doing, so that I’m not interrupted in whatever the main thing is at the point.

Later, when I have the occasion to do so (often on Tuesdays when I bring my son and grandson to Chick-fil-A, like tonight) I open MarsEdit and will find a few drafts that are in need of development. Some sit for a long time. Currently there are 23 undeveloped drafts, some of which will NEVER be developed.

Though I am writing this at Chik-fil-A, it will probably be finished between innings of the upcoming Rays game. The point is, I try to not have blogging interfere with other things that I’m supposed to be doing.

Posts which demand more care, thought, and even research, may be developed in Scrivener, NovaMind, or Microsoft Word. These are topics which may require development across several posts and demand more careful preparation. (I have half dozen potential posts in that form at present.) But they will all end up passing through MarsEdit before hitting the web.

In MarsEdit I can add links, emphasis, or whatever else I want. I can also add media, but I prefer to do that on line.

Plus, and this is the real magic, I can specify the date and time of publication. I have set this post to publish on July 31, 2009, at 5:46:08 AM. That may change, but for now that is what we have set. I could just as easily set it for October 13, 2120, but I rather doubt that Somber and Dull will be in existence then.

By the way I set posts to go live early in the morning in order to great early morning readers.

When I’m generally satisfied with the post, I simply click a button which posts it to Blogger, though I’m told it works with other blogging sites as well. I can set the post to be published immediately or to be posted online as a draft.

It is from within blogger that I add pictures or video, make any necessary final edits and, if I have not set the publication time, I do that. (Chris, you select ‘post options’ at the bottom of the post editor. Pretty simple.)

That is all there is to it.

Okay, back to the Rays game.

A Tale of Two Epitaphs

By Randy

On July 30, 2009

In Christian Life

Eleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name.
Nobody came.

Nobody came. Some of the saddest and loneliest lyrics ever written.

I was reading this morning of Jehoram, king of Judah, son of the godly king Jehoshaphat. This is how the NIV records his death:

“He passed away, to no one’s regret….” (2 Chronicles 21:20)

That’s pretty lonely, too. How sad would it be to have that on your tombstone?

Far better it would be to have Paul’s words from Galatians etched, if not on stone, at least in people’s hearts:

“They glorified God because of me.” (Galatians 1:24)

But such reflections, as valuable as they are for considering our lives and the impact they have on others, can distract us from what really matters. As long as I know that I have the favor of God, the opinions of people should matter little. What matters, really, is God’s “well done“.

But even more reassuring than that is the knowledge that in Christ I am loved and accepted, even when my heart and works are far from where they should be.

Religion vs. Reason

By Randy

On July 29, 2009

In Uncategorized

Sam Harris thinks that Francis Collins is a bad choice for the head of the National Institutes of Health. Why? Because Francis Collins claims to be a Christian. You can read his article here and decide for yourself the merits of his argument.

I would only point out the epistemological quandary his argument creates. He contends that Collins cannot be trusted in a scientific position because he believes that there is a God in the universe, when there is not. The equal and opposite argument could be made. Harris cannot be trusted to speak intelligently on matters of science because he excludes from the universe a God that is really there.

There are all kinds of serious implications of Harris’ line of reasoning.

But what struck me in the article was his claim that modern science possesses esoteric knowledge that mere mortals – especially mere Christian mortals – cannot be expected to understand. He says:

“…very few scientific truths are self-evident, and many are counterintuitive. It is by no means obvious that empty space has structure or that we share a common ancestor with both the housefly and the banana. It can be difficult to think like a scientist. But few things make thinking like a scientist more difficult than religion.”

Sociologist Rodney Stark in a book published by that bastion of religious ideology (dripping irony intentional), Princeton University Press, notes that the vast majority of practitioners in the hard sciences, both living and dead, are religious. Extraordinary, isn’t it, how so many are able to overcome their natural biases and do good science and believe in God at the same time.

Harris’ contention hides an arrogance of ‘expertise’ which makes debate nearly impossible. How easily an argument is squashed when someone transcends ‘you don’t understand’ and plays the trump card ‘you CAN’T understand’.

He is not alone. In the thread I referenced here regarding the book Physics for Future Presidents, by Berkley professor Richard Muller, a colleague of the author makes this observation:

“Although I generally agree with Prof. Muller, and I have enjoyed the parts of his book that I have read, I would take him with a grain of salt. He is by no means the most authoritative research on climate change available, even on the Berkeley campus. Like Al Gore, he has now become a popularizer, and that task has inherent risks, as Muller himself is aware.”

The merits or demerits of the book aside, the implication is that any attempt to popularize, that is, to explain these difficult matters to the masses, will be deficient. Sort of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle applied to public knowledge. The more we try to bring this knowledge close to people, the less clear it becomes. What we of the masses must do, I suppose, then, is to trust the experts, the experts who support and do not question whatever happens to be the current party line. “Trust me. I have a PhD. You need to reduce your carbon footprint. Just trust me.”

This all reminds me of a discussion I once had with an older woman about abortion. The argument was successfully ended when she said that I could not possibly understand because I am a man and, at the time, young. Different argument, same tactic. Argument over. Not settled; just over.

Sam Harris is rightfully troubled with some arguments for God’s existence, and some natural and observable phenomena which seems to cast doubt upon God’s reported goodness or power. These questions are troubling and need to be discussed.

A Christian explanation needs to be pondered. We might be tempted to suggest that he cannot understand the Christian explanation because he is an atheist.

He should take offense if we do so. Rather, we need to see that he will not understand. His is a moral, not an intellectual, problem.

Don’t Forget the Context

By Randy

On July 27, 2009

In Uncategorized

Always, always important to remember the context. Some quotes follow, perhaps (!) yanked out of context:

“Do not think.” – Jesus

“Hang the law and the prophets.” – Jesus

“Hitler is the man.” – me, in Sunday’s sermon

John Stott says that he knew of a man, frustrated with the OT, who actually preached using this middle quote as his text.

I Know God’s Will for You

By Randy

On July 27, 2009

In Books

Happily picked up, finally, Kevin DeYoung’s (the guy with the dream job) wonderfully helpful little book Just Do Something. There have many books published to help Christians sort through the ‘how do I know the will of God’ conundrum, but this one is not only dead on right, but highly accessible.

So much could be said, but just read the book. I particularly commend it to those who counsel those struggling with decision making.

What is the will of God for you? As DeYoung summarizes, it is this:

According to Jesus, it is to seek first the kingdom of heaven.

And according to Paul it is

1) to live a holy life
2) to rejoice, pray, and give thanks
3) to bear fruit and know him better
4) to be filled with the Holy Spirit

That is, the will of God is for us to grow in Christ-likeness.

Whether you do these things in Detroit or Dubuque, married or unmarried, as a minister or motorcycle mechanic, is up to you.

Such a freeing, and biblical, perspective.

Answers

By Randy

On July 26, 2009

In Movies

ANSWER #1:

The answers given to the request for favorite Nicolas Cage movies generated no consensus. Mentioned were

Gone in Sixty Seconds

Family Man

National Treasure

The Rock

Trapped in Paradise

With honorable mention going to

8MM

Matchstick Men

Bringing Out the Dead

I’m surprised no one mentioned Moonstruck, a movie in which he plays a non-Cage type character.

My favorite has to be Raising Arizona, both because I love the premise and the characters, but also because it bears that Coen Brother’s quirkiness.

ANSWER #2:

In this post, I posed a riddle: two 2008 films in which the male lead early in the film is expected to die. One was correctly guessed and the other was not. No surprise here. Seven Pounds with Will Smith in the lead drew much more attention than the other one I had in mind. Henry Poole Is Here stars Luke Wilson as a man who moves back to his old neighborhood to die, being diagnosed with a rare and terminal disease.

With death in the air, Henry Poole is much more hopeful than Seven Pounds, but each raises intriguing questions in their own way. It was purely coincidental that Barb and I watched both films on the same night.

ANSWER #3:

Our new friend Greg has enabled me to sleep at night now that he has solved, with some sense of authority, my puzzlement over the flight path of an M & M. Thanks, Greg.

The Delight of Young Connections

By Randy

On July 26, 2009

In Family

Quite on a whim a few years ago, we started a family game night. Every Monday night we play a game with whomever happens to be around the house at the time. Normally that consists of Barb and me, two resident daughters, and one boyfriend.

Sometimes, the list is amplified by others our girls invite.

Two weeks ago we were joined by four college students who were traveling the country as summer interns for Chick-fil-A, plus one other CFA employee. That made for a lively and rather rambunctious evening, as we decided to play Curses (a game best played when the players are really tired, or after a glass or two of wine). Lindsay, one of the interns, was ‘cursed’ with having to imitate every motion of our eight-year-old son. She was a good sport about it. (I’ll post a video at the end. Sorry, Lindsay. It’s too good not to share!)

This past week, we were joined by two of our girls’ friends. In addition, there are two young girls, ages 17 and 20, from France visiting the US to practice their English. While here, they are staying with our neighbors across the street. Our daughter invited them to our game night, the poor things. Skip-bo was easy enough to teach them, but as there would sometimes be three English conversations going at once, I’m not sure their English benefited all that much. But they were fun to get to know, and they were wonderful sports about it.

Barb and I know that this stage in life will pass. There will come a time when Monday nights will be quiet. But for now we share in the delight of pretending we are young. It’s a delightful fantasy.

Physics for Future Presidents

By Randy

On July 24, 2009

In Books

Not only do I love the title (and subtitle) of this book, I’m intrigued by this recommendation.

I’d like to lay down the cash and time to read it. Anyone familiar with it who wishes to give it an endorsement or a caution or an alternative? Please.

I’m speaking to you science types out there.

More on McWilliams

By Randy

On July 24, 2009

In Books

In an earlier post, I commended my friend David McWilliams’ new commentary on Galatians.

More insight into David’s work can be found in this interview.

David at one point says this:

Let me add that I don’t like what is happening to commenting today where everything that a scholar might know about a book is poured into one volume. Those commentaries might have a place but I think that scholars would serve the church well by returning to Calvin’s approach – “lucid brevity.” And so, I have attempted to say a lot in a little space, to write a commentary in which I have not said all I know about Galatians, but have attempted a true, scholarly and sound exposition that presents what I think a minister or student of the book might need to think through to preach or teach Galatians.

In this David seems to be reflecting what I find so helpful in any commentary by John Stott. If he has been successful in his goal, he will have added a significant resource to the pastor’s and teacher’s tool box.