Linkses

Tim Keller talks about his new book, The Prodigal God.

What’s the book about? It’s about being ‘prodigal.’ The word ‘prodigal’ is an English word that means recklessly extravagant, spending to the point of poverty. The dictionaries tell us that the word can be understood in a more negative or a more positive sense. The more positive meaning is to be lavishly and sacrificially abundant in giving. The more negative sense is to be wasteful and irresponsible in one’s spending. (Some people think prodigal means ‘wayward,’ but there is no dictionary that indicates that the word means ‘immoral.’) The negative sense obviously applies to the actions of the younger brother in the Luke 15 parable. But is there any sense in which God can be called ‘prodigal’? I think so.

Anne linked to a chocolate milk recipe that will probably make its way to my kitchen veeery soon.

The Wall Street Journal asks if short term mission trips are "The 'Great Commission' or Glorified Sightseeing." I agree with most of the article except for the last conclusion, which is that Americans should be looking at what we truly have to offer the world, of which one item is education. The author asserts, "We should be bringing more pastors and church leaders to the U.S. to study -- or, even better, figuring out ways to reproduce our religious- education system in the places where it is most needed." One fact that he must be missing is that something like 95% of people who come to the United States for theological education never return to their own countries, and if they do, they haven't necessarily received the type of education that they need for effective ministry in their context. NOR does the church around the world need us to "reproduce" our religious-education system. It needs us to encourage and assist them to produce the type of religious-education system that is most needed for them; I think the missions community has learned enough in the last few decades to know that a Western style and content of education isn't inherently a biblical style and content of education. There are people doing a great job of thinking about and practicing this; the US church needs to get educated and do what we can to support truly strategic Kingdom building investments around the world.

Okay, enough of that rant. Guess I hit a nerve.

HH and I are quite intrigued by the 2nd annual Billings Zombie Walk. He's a big enough fan of zombies that I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to find ourselves there. With the camera.

And then we'll come home and watch Shaun of the Dead. Because we watched Run Fatboy Run AGAIN last weekend and probably laughed harder the second time through than the first. And because it's about zombies (see previous note).

I bookmarked this recipe for crockpot baked sweet potatoes with chili, cumin and lime. Sounds right up our alley!

Finally, this post is probably the best thing I've read that articulates the way this presidential campaign has assumed religious overtones. Not in a "let's court the religious right vote" type of way, but in a, "Put your faith here; here is where you find hope, promise and life" type of way.

In light of that, John Piper reminds us to "vote as though we were not voting." I like the message here: I will vote because it is my civic responsibility and because there are issues at stake that I care about, but I will be mindful that it's all so temporary.