I spent part of this morning wrapped up in a sweatshirt, dreading the next strong breeze, and the other part enjoying the gradually warming day, both down at Fort Yargo State Park, at a picnic table on the lake, reading my heart out for comps. I dusted off three of John Donne’s sermons and a [...]
I don’t know why I’ve never articulated it this way, but starting next year, when I assign asynchonous revision (i.e. having the students revise papers before class, in lieu of a reading assignment, and bring their comments to class to discuss), I’m going to suggest that they can approach the commenting process as they would [...]
Mandy Smith’s “They Will Know We Are Christians by our Vote” from the Christian Standard, April 6 Letters to the Editor, Christian Standard I know that the Harolds Orndorff (from the letters to the editor link) don’t represent the sum total of our movement, much less all of American Christianity, but their letters go a [...]
Before I get too far I should say to any former student who reads this that I might well be talking about the text of your portfolio’s introductory essay (quite a few people make the categorical division that I’m going to write about in their reflective essays) but that I don’t hold it against you; [...]
Bad Apples I haven’t posted links to too many Tom Tomorrow cartoons recently, because to be frank, they haven’t been all that great for a few months.? Frankly, his dealings with policy and politicians directly is ham-handed and not often entertaining.? But when he goes after the absurdity of 24-hour news culture, he’s at his [...]
I’ve got my first five graded.? About thirty to go.? I’m eyeballing Tuesday as a potential marathon day: if I can put in hours from the time Mary takes off to the time I have to pick up Micah (Mary’s got meetings with fifth grade parents that night) and move at a rate of two [...]
The voting was CLOSE.? Every one of the nine movie proposals got some votes, and both winners won by a margin of ONE VOTE.? (Yes, you Floridians, I’ve already recounted.)? I’m not going to post the titles here yet, as I’m going to announce them during our last class tomorrow morning, but both winners deserve [...]
In twenty minutes I meet with four students, and my teaching semester will be over.? I’ve still got portfolios to grade and comps to wrap up, but it’s a milestone nonetheless. I’m looking forward with great anticipation to May 28.? If all goes well, that will be my first day as a Ph.D candidate.? I’m [...]
Why yes, that is an enormous new gas grill. And yes, it is on my deck. Happy Birthday to Daddy! [Update: I should mention that the grill cooks much differently than my brother-in-law's former grill, which served me well through six years of service.? I fear that I overcooked the chicken on my first attempt, [...]
Sony Reader I have to preface by saying that I did not switch to DVD until I got a player as a Christmas gift. I did not start carrying a wireless phone until Mary was deep into her pregnancy with Micah. I want neither an iPhone nor an iPod nor anything with Steve Jobs’s fingerprints [...]
I got a call from Jan, my preacher’s wife, last night.? Marv, our preacher, was in a car wreck.? No major injuries, but his physician suggested that he take it easy for a few days.? So in steps the pinch preacher. I’ve got an outline based on tomorrow’s epistolary lectionary text, 1 Peter 2:2-10.? I [...]
I must have received a dozen or more birthday greetings for the big three-one yesterday on my Facebook wall.? I heard from Milligan alums, UGA colleagues, former students, and all sorts of folks.? And I thank all of ‘em. I also got, as far as I know, the first ever Conservative Reformed Mafia birthday greeting.? [...]
I’m fifteen minutes away from my last of five meetings today.? I’ve been up since 4:00 this morning reviewing documents for said meetings, and I’m likely to be awake entirely too early from now until the end of May. Beyond that, I just found out that, despite a long delay and a glimmer of hope [...]
Twenty papers down, fifteen to go.? I went well over the halfway mark yesterday, and providing that nothing drastic comes up this afternoon, I should be able to close within half a dozen papers or so of the finish line for paper 4.? Next Wednesday portfolios come due, and when I finish those, Spring 2008 [...]
The last five groups presented their ideas for Job movies today. We laughed. We cried. We hurled. (Folks my age will get that last bit.) Votes have already started coming in for the favorite Job movie, so here are the last five synopses: Joe B. Good: Two movie theater ushers, discovering that they have acquired [...]
Once again I fell just short of 6000 points with this board. 5994. I don’t think one gets much closer than that. The diagram is a bit deceptive; the basic pellet tower in the center of the board was a fully upgraded anti-air tower until the last airborne wave came through; at that point I [...]
The tab above once marked “Angels” is now simply “Sunday school.”? I’ve added a section with my experimental Allelon Sunday school curriculum and one with my current series on the Pauline letters.? The resources are free for anyone to take and adapt; all I ask is that when you use them, you acknowledge my contribution [...]
I’ve now graded three different Evan Almighty papers from my freshmen. It’s joined Veggie Tales and Michelangelo as the most popular topics for paper four, whose basic assignment is to write about some artifact based directly upon a Hebrew Bible text. On one level I think that I should see it just in case I [...]
We had some good candidates for the next great Job movie present this Thursday, and although I’m waiting to post too many details, here are the basic upshots of the first four: Joanna: Think Job, but as a chick flick. The setbacks are heartbreaking, the Eliphaz/Bildad/Zophar figures are not hochma-accusers but supportive girlfriends, and Joanna [...]
I know that the standard AM radio line “he doesn’t have any plans beyond pretty speeches” has given way to “his preacher has been drinking the Elijah Muhammad juice,” but I just skimmed this little document, and I’m starting to think that I might check a box this year rather than writing in a vote.? [...]
