A minor

I like to recycle, and the following is a case in point. I sent an earlier version of this post to my friend who gave me the book, and then I sent basically this version to our theology pintnight group, which will probably be using the book as fodder for discussions over the coming months.

A friend of mine sent me a copy of this book as a gift a couple weeks ago, knowing that I wanted it. I finished the book about a week or so ago...couldn't put it down; I think I read it in something like two and a half sittings.

Once while reading it I actually cried (something I don't do nearly enough of), and later, another essay brought tears to my eyes. Parts of it also pissed me off, e.g. the numerous times that Atkinson flipped the bird at fundamentalists in what seemed to me to be annoyingly affected displays of leftism, but he always redeemed himself somehow (indirectly) in the next essay such that I thought the book wonderful overall.

Definitely the best book I've read all year. Seriously, though, I tend to think it will even finish in my Top 2 or 3 Reads of 2005, and I look forward to rereading it through the years.

Sunday Morning, 3 A.M.

And the curse of the father is passed onto the son; God help us. Ethan fell asleep on the way home from Grammy & Granddaddy's this afternoon and slept until after bedtime, only to wake up after midnight wide awake. So he and I have done some blogging, watched some Clifford the Big Red Dog and part of an "Apollo Kids" segment of Showtime at the Apollo, and I just slipped him a tiny bit of melatonin ("candy"). I hope we're awake enough to worship with our eyes open tomorrow.

Addendum: As I was typing this, Ethan went into the boys' room - where Levi was sleeping - and turned on the light, looking for his sunglasses. That's right: Turned on the light, looking for his sunglasses and of course waking up his brother. What on God's green earth is going on here?! An hour later, I've rocked Levi back to sleep as we listened to Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., one of my favorite albums of all time. I think Ethan's finally out, too. Thank you, Jesus - for so you give your loved ones sleep.

My brother-in-law Jonathan and I went shooting again the other day at the local indoor range. I always enjoy shooting, although I tend to get bored with it after 45 minutes or so unless shotguns & skeet and/or beer is involved. Still, it's nice and convenient to have an indoor range just three or four miles from our house. (Incidentally, the range is right next to the Baptist church where this year's AAPC was held; a buddy and I even talked about going shooting during a break or a dull lecture, but it didn't work out.)

This weekend there's a gun show in town, and Jonathan and I are planning to go tomorrow afternoon. We're both interested in trading a pistol for a Springfield XD .40 S&W, and I'm specifically looking for a black, 5 in. tactical model.

Jonathan scoped out the show today and saw a couple tactical models, so I'm hopeful. However, if we can't get good enough trades (I won't go for anything less than an even trade, and I'd like to walk away with a few bucks) I'll be selling my GLOCK 17 9mm with Bianchi holster and extra magazine(s), and Jonathan will probably be selling his SIG SAUER P226 .40 S&W. Send me an email if you're interested in either pistol.

Flattery from a Two-Year-Old

This morning as I was making Ethan's chocolate milk, he said, "Mommy, you are a pretty lady." Pay attention, kids, because THAT is how you wrap your mother around your little finger.

The 24th of January

Yesterday everything seemed to go wrong. Ethan colored all over the kitchen floor with an entire tube of my favorite lipstick. The baby was fussy. My husband was grumpy. The cookies that I slaved over did not come out looking like the recipe picture at all. The camera at the DMV was broken so I had to wait while the service guy played around with it. Our waiter at Bennigan's "forgot" about us after we placed our order causing us to miss the movie we had planned to see. It was quite possibly the worst birthday I've ever had...until I got home that night and my son hugged me and said in his little chipmunk voice, "Mommy, E so glad to see you." Those little words transformed my day. That was the best birthday ever.

This woman is a trooper.

My Not So Happy Birthday

A friend of mine sent me this wonderful little nugget of joy...

"I was listening to Kidd Kraddic in the Morning on the radio and he said that January 24th is considered to be the most depressing day of the year. That's around the time when people start breaking their resolutions, holiday bills are still coming and just a general feeling of depression about the year. Just thought you might want to know that your birthday, according to Kidd, is gonna suck. Later."

Great. I have the birthday of losers.

Real Live Preacher & Gospels Blogbook

Last night I read this essay. I always appreciate Atkinson's writing, even though I disagree with him on a number of things. A friend of mine just sent me a copy of his book, RealLivePreacher.com, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. For one, it's kind of nice to read (and hold) good blog writing in paperback.

Which reminds me that I'm looking forward to receiving my copy of Jeremy's Gospels blogbook project (and that I need to send him a check).

Jon and I watched the original Manchurian Candidate on Monday night. In short, it was excellent. Tonight, we gave the remake with Denzel Washington a go. I wasn't really expecting it to live up to the first one but I still was hoping for a little something. What a major disappointment. I don't understand why modernizing a movie means changing it completely. (Here I could reference that bloody awful rendition of Cheaper by the Dozen, the raping of one of my favorite childhood books.) If you're not going to do it right, then don't do it at all.

The new TAKE 5 candy bars are absolute perfection. Seriously.

Familiar Work Transitions

My life seems to move forward in concentric circles or cycles. I've been to three different colleges as an undergraduate - and two of them twice, moving back and forth as I have from Monroe to Moscow and back to Monroe (in 1995), then to Moscow again (Christmas Eve '98) and back to Monroe (October 2003). I've worked for Kinko's uninterrupted since early '98, in various positions, in three different states, and alternating between full-time and part-time while studying, teaching, or working elsewhere full-time. Thankfully, my work transitions (into different positions or combinations of jobs) have always been positive - more money, responsibility, valuable experience, job satisfaction, etc.

On Friday, I was formally offered and accepted a management position with FedEx Kinko's. Starting sometime in the week of January 17, I will become assistant manager here in Monroe.

This has been in the works for a little while, but it's finally about to "go live." A month and a half ago, I informed my boss at Grace Church, Father Riley, that I would very likely be taking full-time employment elsewhere after the first of the year, and I gave notice a couple weeks ago, with a promise that I would propose some ways to remain "on staff" at the church in some capacity, be it part-time, volunteer, or as an outsource. My proposal is still in draft form - still needs to be fleshed out a bit, in my opinion - but the Executive Committee of the Vestry is supposed to discuss it this coming Sunday. I would like to continue working for the parish, and I believe they feel very much the same way. I don't know yet how much work my schedule and the church's budget will accomodate, but we'll see.

Post-Conference Impessions

There are plenty of conference reviews out there; I only offer a few personal impressions. First of all, I grew up in Monroe, in Auburn Avenue, no less, and this conference was among the high-water marks of tangible ecumenism that I've experienced in my hometown (or anywhere else, for that matter). In the words of the Gloria in excelsis, "Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth."

Second, I didn't attend all of Gaffin's lectures because I had to catch up on some work and some sleep. One of my weird interests is Sabbath studies, so I naturally like Gaffin's book, Calvin and the Sabbath, although, like I told him with all respect as he autographed my copy of his book, he convinced me of Calvin's position such that his own "Summary and Evaluation" at the end of the book seemed a bit thin in comparison. He laughed, shrugged his shoulders, and said in essence, "What can you do?" He added that there are worse things in Calvin I could've embraced, a concession that struck me as curious to say the least. However, this was a conference on Paul and not the Sabbath, and, while my tolerance for all things boring is pretty high, I was exhausted. I had worked a week of 25-hour days and needed some rest. So, I guess there's a real sense in which Gaffin's lectures were a Sabbath to me.

Third, Bishop Wright was awesome. After hearing him teach, preach, and lecture, and after spending some time chatting with him, it occurred to me that he is a C.S. Lewis of our time. As I wrote to a friend in an email earlier this week: "Lewis was of course a literary scholar and a lay theologian while Wright is a biblical scholar, professional theologian, and now a senior bishop - but they're both classically-trained, imaginative geniuses; both men of eloquence when it comes to communicating deep things to popular audiences; and both Englishmen who care not only about their Anglican church but about all Christians in all churches, as well as those outside the church." He was a great blessing to Grace Church on Sunday and to the Auburn Avenue Pastors Conference through the week.

As we were waiting in line at the deli on Tuesday, someone asked Bishop Wright when he started studying Greek, and he said around age 13, but that it was classical Greek - that he'd cut his teeth on Sophocles, Aeschylus, etc. This only confirmed what I'd been thinking about his resemblance to Lewis.

Then, in his lecture on (inaugurated) eschatology Tuesday night, +Wright's brilliant vision of the new heavens and the new earth was like good science fiction or something from Charles Williams, only better - it was out of this world and yet deeply rooted in the here and now. He described an invisible curtain that exists on the earth, a curtain that will eventually be lifted, and we will see in fullness that which we catch frightened glimpses of from time to time - Lord Christ ruling from his throne and the saints surrounding him - the kingdom of heaven that has been on earth since the resurrection. That's right. Wow.

Finally, I caught up with many old friends and became acquainted with several new ones. I've often thought that the social aspects of conferences are what ultimately determine their success or failure - that, and having at least one great speaker. This conference was a huge success, and everyone knew it.