Weekly Meanderings

I'll be adding to this Weekly Meanderings, at the request of others, a brief on speaking engagements for the week. This week (Oct 2 and 3) we have Phyllis Tickle at North Park giving the Zarley Lectures. The lectures are free and you are more than welcome to come hear her talks: 3:30-5pm in the Anderson Chapel at North Park.

Who knows of a Christian college with a sophisticated worship leader training program — one that does a good job in both teaching the theology and leadership of contemporary worship and that introduces students to the ins and outs of technology (stage production/video production/music production) today?

New blog I discovered: Ken Schenck's site. Some very good stuff.

Just found this: Mark Albrecht and NorthBridge -- and others -- are continuing their missional ways.

What's so hard about marriage? Check out Jim Martin's post and the discussion.

Friend of Missional: those who are in the emerging conversation with missional focus have made a move. There is more to it than Spencer Burke's misguided book -- with more mistakes than a book should have -- but the ongoing silence over Spencer represents a concern of many. Jamie Arpin-Ricci weighed in on this issue, too, and also clarified his thoughts.
I hope every church reads and preaches this sermon by Fr. Rob. Adopt one of those college kids off at school. Send them some love in the mail. It'll make my job easier, too!

"I am all for questions, but my heart was grappling with where best to have them raised and with whom." This is from Dan Kimball, after deciding whether or not a church-sponsored art-decorated cafe should or should not have artistic nudity. Dan's a man of wisdom -- and the process of what happened is a revelation of artful pastoral decision-making.

If you follow the issue of the worldwide communion of Anglicans, the Kigali Statement could have world-wide impact.

Sorry for so many links up front, but Rumsfeld's interview (this weekend on CNN) needs to be watched.

1. Stephen Shields has a good post about distinguishing "emergent" and "emerging."
2. David Crowder with a problem, beside that fancy emergence at the bottom of his face, I've never had.
3. Bob Robinson has finished his excellent series on Greg Boyd's book. Thanks to Bob for leading us through it. Our prayers are with Bob.
4. Very nice article in Christian Century about Jacob's Well in Kansas City. (HT: Adam Cleaveland.)
5. Marko's got a nice, thoughtful post on the Achilles' heel of youth ministry. Drop him a line, asking him if he's afraid of the upper case letters!
6. John Frye's got some reports up about his ministry in the Ukraine.
7. Andrew Perriman has revisited the sense of "wrath" in the NT (here Rom 3:21-26) and he contends that it has to be understood historically (against Jerusalem, against Rome/Greece/enemies) and narrativally, rather than simply an ontic reaction to sin against humans as a whole. His site is not all that easy to use, but it is definitely worth looking at.
8. Erika Carney Haub's story -- must read.
9. Margaret Spellings, American czar of education, has a new, good idea: making college easier for families.
10. Do you think the Trinity is to be mirrored in husband-wife relations? Check out Susan Arnold's post.

Sports:

I'm less sanguine about the Bears after that lucky win up in Minnesota. I can't even pick them this weekend against Mike Holmgren (with Kathy -- NPU grad!), but I admit I'm hopeful.

Here's a great article by Bob LeGere about Lovie Smith's "coachspeak."

On the Ryder Cup. Those gentle, sportsmanlike, courteous Europeans invited our chaps over to play golf in weather that only those in Seattle have ever seen. There's some kind of plot against us. My theory is that our selection process is wrong: we need to pick folks who are from the State of Washington only. Our fellas from Florida and Texas and Arizona don't know how to play in the rain where they hop from bog to bog to get to their next shot.