I am for the Boston Red Sox

Let me begin by saying that the Philadelphia Phillies are and will always be my home team and my first baseball love. Having said that, however, I am rooting for the Boston Red Sox in the World Series (as I type this, they just became the American League Champions). Why? Because I love baseball towns. Both Philadelphia and Boston are classic baseball towns. It's hard to define the characteristics of a baseball town - you just know one when you see it.

Colorado has several strikes against it in this regard. For starters, Colorado is not a town, it is a state. For some strange reason, the team chooses to be known as the "Colorado Rockies." What the heck is up with that? That's a problem. It also comes down to character. As an example of the stark contrast in character between a team from a baseball town (a great one at that) and one that is not even from a town, check out this video:



There's a personality and energy that is characteristic of a real baseball town. It's just a simple joy that expresses itself in fun loving self-forgetfulness. It's Phillies fans doing the Mummer's Strut up Broad Street when the fightin' Phils became National League Champions in 1993. It's the Red Sox doing jigs and line dances. Take a look:



So come Wednesday night, I'll proudly join Red Sox Nation in cheering the Boston to victory.

What's in a name?

I am of the opinion that the name of this blog was one of my (not incredibly frequent) strokes of genius. You might be of the opinion that you're not quite sure where it comes from. Problem Solved!

The (catchy) title for the blog comes from a poem by George Herbert called "Trinity Sunday." George Herbert was a member of Parliament, an Anglican vicar, and a metaphysical poet. Personally, he also happens to be one of my favorite poets. I remember writing explications of several of his poems during my British Literature course. It was one of the first times I realized how much better you can understand things by simply paying attention and making the effort to let the poet speak for him (or her) self. Thank you liberal arts education!

So here's the poem in its original form:

Lord, who hast form’d me out of mud,
And hast redeem’d me through thy bloud,
And sanctifi’d me to do good;

Purge all my sinnes done heretofore:
For I confesse my heavie score,
And I will strive to sinne no more.

Enrich my heart, mouth, hands in me,
With faith, with hope, with charitie;
That I may runne, rise, rest with thee.

This prayer continues to be important in my life. Hence the title. I hope I make more sense now and I hope that you will make this prayer your own.

Good (non-musical) Listening

Maybe it's because of a long daily commute or the introduction of the iPod into my life, but I've spent a lot of time over the past year downloading and listening to podcasts, lectures, sermons, and other non-musical things. It may also be an indication that I am boring, but if I have to be boring I may as well go about it in an exciting way. So here are some links to websites that (in my humble opinion) have really good stuff to offer to help keep us all sharp:

Center for Christian Study (University of Virginia, Charlottesville). If you are ever driving through Virginia, make sure to stop in Charlottesville and at Center for Christian Study which is nestled into UVa's "grounds" (http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifas they insist upon calling them). Their bookstore is heavenly. For now, download some of their lectures.

Intercollegiate Studies Institute. My employer (up until yesterday). For the more conservative, libertarian, and agrarians among you, their extensive lecture library is online and downloadable in audio and video formats.

The Gospel Coalition. Check it out. This is a great site. Enough said.

Tim Keller Resources (from Steve McCoy at Reformissionary.com). If you have never listened to a Tim Keller sermon, you're missing out. I can't tell you how much these sermons have shaped the way I think and (I hope) the way I live the Kingdom lifestyle.

Veritas Forum Media. This is a great organization doing good work on top college campuses across the country. The lectures range from extremely dull and dry to captivating. I recommend John Stott, N.T. Wright, or Bill Edgar on Jazz and Rock.

Second Presbyterian Church Sermon Podcast. I'm not sure how to link to an iTunes podcast, but you should definitely listen to Sandy Wilson.

I haven't really needed to download sermons from my very own home church. Since tomorrow is my last Sunday there for a while, though, I plan on starting. You should consider it too.

I think that's enough for now. Hope you take a look at some of these. What podcasts do other people listen to all the time? Let me know.

Well it's been a little while since my last blog post. Between vacation in Ocean City with my family and vacation in Jackson Hole with Rebekah's family, there hasn't been much in the way of extra time. On top of all of that, there's been a pretty significant change in my "career development" that has happened so quickly that I've barely had time to take it all in.

On August 30th, I will begin a position as an Undergraduate Admissions Counselor at Wheaton College. So that means I'll be leaving my job at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute and the City of Brotherly Love and moving back to Chicagoland after a little over two years away. It is at once very exciting and a little overwhelming for me and Rebekah. She is working on lining up a job in the Wheaton area (any leads would be much appreciated!) and we both have a lot of work to do in the next two weeks.

Funny-ish sidenote: During a phone interview with the director and assistant director of admissions, I was in Wyoming at a MUCH higher altitude than usual. The air was a little thin. So on top of the usual interview jitters, I occasionally sounded like I was running up stairs with a pile of cinder blocks on my back while trying to answer their questions.

Anyway, that's what's up. It will be sad to leave my family, my church, my Philadelphia friends, and my youth group kids. But even though it's hard to leave, I have seen God's hand of guidance through this whole process. This is the right move to make. I'll try to be a bit more regular about posting on this site. In the meantime, call or email me if we haven't talked for a while and please pray. More to come soon!

What Gandalf Taught Me

"Are you angry with me, Gandalf?" [Pippin] said as their guide went out and closed the door. "I did the best I could."

"You did indeed!" said Gandalf, laughing suddenly; and he came and stood beside Pippin, putting his arm about the hobbits shoulders, and gazing out of the window. Pippin glanced in some wonder at the face now close beside his own, for the sound of that laugh had been gay and merry. Yet in the wizard's face he saw at first only lines of care and sorrow; though as he looked more intently he perceived that under all there was a great joy: a fountain of mirth enough to set a kingdom laughing, were it to gush forth.

The Return of the King, J.R.R. Tolkein

This is one of my favorite passages from The Lord of the Rings. It made me happy for days after I first read it, and has been on my mind ever since. It is a favorite for me because Gandalf in those dark hours at Minas Tirith (the scene which the above lines recount) is an ideal to which I aspire: a life and an outlook that is at once sorrowful at the brokeness of a Creation under siege, yet full of mirth and joy and laughter underneath the lines of care.

Too often we who follow Jesus and believe his Gospel are guilty of being sour, dismal, and gray. On one end of the spectrum are those who feel it is their Christian duty to root out heresy and hunt down wolves in sheep's clothing - or even just those who don't mind alcohol and who read versions that are not the King James. The internet is full of these types. With the heavy battles they fight day in and day out, they seem suspicious of any hint that life on earth might be fun and that joyous laughter might be a manifestation of the kingdom of God.

At the other end of the spectrum are those Christians who are deeply concerned with the often unjust ways the world works. From poverty and disease, to war and slavery, they know in detail the reasons to mourn the brokenness of creation. Too often, though, they can't see any reason for mirth or joy with all the horrors in the world. Why, they ask, should I laugh when the world seems so broken?

Now - as someone passionate about both orthodoxy and justice - I must confess that I am very sympathetic with each of these groups. It is good and right to mourn the unfaithfulness of the church and injustice around the globe. But underneath the lines of care ought to be a fountain of mirth and a swelling ocean of joy. Jesus is risen! The curse is broken! As C.S. Lewis put it, death has begun to work backwards. One day the church will have all its mistaken beliefs and practices corrected, one day God will wipe away every tear of sorrow and put all the world right. Read Isaiah 35 or Revelation 22 if your supply of laughter, joy, and delight needs replenishing.

So, as we battle for truth, let us remember that the war is already won and confidently fight with love and joy - not to destroy but to take many prisoners to the One who can set them free. As we work for justice, let us labor with tears in our eyes and joy in our hearts as the servants of the true King who is putting his broken creation together again.

G.K. Chesterton was said to win arguments and disarm sour audiences with the force of his mirth and the power of his laugh. What a difference it might make to our theological and social battles if we let the lines of care burst forth with the mirth that will set whole kingdoms laughing. So remember Gandalf who fought the powers of darkness and led a great struggle against tyranny - let your face display deep lines of care and a deeper fountain of joy that the whole story has a happy ending.