Published by Bill on 29 May 2009
The National Spelling Bee and the Dangers of Indifference
You may have seen the news about the winner of this year’s National Spelling Bee. Kavya Shivashankar became the nation’s best speller last night by correctly spelling Laodicean, which the dictionary says is a proper adjective meaning indifferent especially in matters of religion or politics. I think it means more than that. I’ll explain in a minute. Continue Reading »
Published by Bill on 22 May 2009
Hope When Things Have Gone Wrong
Last weekend Becky and I attended our son Christopher’s graduation from the School of Architecture and Notre Dame University. We attended the graduate school ceremony on Saturday, and so did not hear the President’s address at the undergraduate exercises on Sunday. Our speaker was a not very inspiring Keynesian economist from the University of Chicago. The students’ words are what struck me in the speeches I heard last Saturday, however; and especially at the smaller ceremony at the School of Architecture itself. Continue Reading »
Published by Bill on 14 May 2009
An Emerging Ministry
Becky and I are making a quick trip to South Bend, Indiana, this weekend as we celebrate our son Christopher’s graduation from graduate school at Notre Dame. Pastoral Assistant Jonathan LaBarge will be leading worship in my absence.
Jonathan has now finished his second week as full-time Pastoral Assistant, having served with his wife Kristy as one of our seminary interns this past academic year. So other than filling the pulpit occasionally, what will Jonathan being doing during the eight months he plans to be with us? Great question, those of you who have asked it! Continue Reading »
Published by Bill on 08 May 2009
The World’s Most Influential People – Part 2
Last week I referenced Time magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people. Who am I to argue with Time magazine, but I found their list a bit lacking, so I came up with my own.
This week I refer you to Salary.com which has a something they call a Mom Salary Wizard that allows you to compute a mother’s worth in marketplace dollars and cents. You can customize the calculation for stay-at-home moms and working moms, number of kids at home or number of kids away, and it will adjust things according to your zip code. It doesn’t take too many variables to push the hypothetical salary a mom should command well into six figures. By the way, the way I figure it, when our kids were at home, Becky’s salary should have been more twice what I was making as a pastor. Well worth every penny she was never paid. Continue Reading »
Published by Bill on 01 May 2009
My World’s Most Influential People
This week’s Time magazine features a list of the World’s 100 Most Influential People. The list is divided into five categories: Leaders and Revolutionaries, Builders and Titans, Artists and Entertainers, Heroes and Icons, Scientists and Thinkers. Interestingly, the two people whose influence on the world is most directly related to the practice of Christian faith, purpose-driven Rick Warren and Philadelphia’s own Sister Mary Scullion, are relegated to the Heroes and Icons list along with the likes Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, George Clooney and Sarah Palin. Christians were once considered the world’s best (or worst, depending on your point of view) revolutionaries. Continue Reading »