Category Archives: Blogging

A BIG Announcement

Big for me, anyway.

I have been desiring to begin a new venture with other pastors that focuses on pastors. There are a few great people I’ve talked with over the months and years who love pastoring. I have wanted to have a conversation online for pastors who are doing great work, but they don’t get “noticed.” No big conferences for them. They won’t be speaking at any big conferences. But they are FAITHFUL in their duties as pastors.

I am calling it “blue chip pastoring.” This phrase came to me in a conversation with a seminary professor a few months back. We were having a conversation about ministry and she was speaking words of blessing and life into our church. She talked about what we were doing RIGHT. To put things in terms of our current economic crisis, she said, “The American church is into junk bond investing. They are only thinking short term. What we need, and what you are doing, is blue chip investing. It’s the long haul. It has the long view in mind. This is healthy.”

So, I am branching out. This blog remains because I have loved it so much. I love the conversation. I love hearing from YOU.

The new site is called “bluechippastor.org.” Join us. Let us hear from you.

And the Action, Dr. Kirk?

Daniel Kirk likes to use the bully pulpit of his professorship to tell us pastors how to put things into action. It’s the benefits of academia. And he takes full advantage of it.

So his latest rant is a good one, yet leaves me asking: Okay, Mr. Kirk, as a seminary professor, what does that mean for you, other than getting to use your lectern to say things that are necessary

Don’t get me wrong. I agree with Dr. Kirk. This is an issue that needs action. But reading these rants as a pastor, and actually doing something about it, I get tired of the bully pulpit.

The post is appropriately titled: A time to speak. That may be all a seminary professor can do in the case of gender equality in ministry.

But at some point could we quit the rants and actually get down to business? I know it’s something I actually work on. I don’t have much to write about these matters, as I am developing a staff that actually has women on it. No seminary pulpit for me. ;)

End of the Line

I have been part of the Common English Blog Tour for about two months now. They began the tour before Advent and I think today is the last day of cycle.

For over two months I have gone through the exercise of building devotional thoughts while reading the Common English Bible. I have also used the CEB a bit in the college classes I teach. From time to time I have used it in leading our adult Bible study on Wednesday night.

I have continued to have our public reading in our church use the NIV. I have used the NIV as my main text to prepare my sermons.

At the end of the day I truly enjoy both translations. There may be a day when “Human One” for “Son of Man” may finally settle in. Perhaps there may be a day when the translation team for the CEB may say, “You know what, it’s not worth this headache. Let’s switch it back.”

They probably won’t. Just like the NIV should do one or two editions with the Apocrypha, but they won’t.

I deeply appreciate the CEB team. When I have had questions on choice of wording on passages they have responded. Translation in a digital age is an interesting process. It could lead to much quicker translation turnaround (which the CEB has already shown to be true).

I think their marketing and their social networking is far superior to the NIV. I mean, I got a new CEB with apocrypha out of this deal! ;)

The CEB is probably the best translation for new believers, or those just not used to older language, like the KJV. In my adult Bible study, when I use the CEB, people will stop and listen. They will say, “Read that again! That was interesting!”

It does help freshen up our Bible reading.

While it is clearly more to the “dynamic equivalent” side, I like it far more than the New Living Translation. It is evident that translators didn’t just want modern idioms. They still wanted to communicate truth in a very clear way.

Moving forward I will probably stay with my NIV and the CEB. (I actually pulled out my TNIV with the Renaissance Leather cover again so I can have a Bible where I can jot notes from time to time.) But the CEB, in my opinion, should be considered by all believers as a viable translation for use in reading and study.

Is Blogger Catching Up with WordPress?

For all WordPress fanatics, the answer is instantly, “NO!”

But that may be a hasty answer.

I have been with WordPress for a couple of years and really enjoy it. The main reason I like it is people don’t have to have a Google account to sign in and leave a comment. I also liked WP initially because it gave me a stat counter right away.

But Google is upping its game. With all the goofy changes at Facebook, I am liking Google Plus a little bit better every day. I seriously doubt I could lose my presence on Facebook, but I could probably drastically reduce it at some point soon. Google Plus is giving me much more control over content that flows through my “reader.”

And Blogger is getting much more aggressive in its templates. I belong to Kiwanis and our club uses Blogger for its website. Lately I’ve had a lot of fun with some templates. This is making it a bit more tempting to think about moving back to Blogger. However, if comments need to come through a Google account, it still keeps me here.

Just some thoughts as I watch Google take over my world.

Nook Reader on Android

Yesterday a friend set up my Nook to be an android tablet. He has been overcome with power and is now hacking anything he can get his hands on. (You should see a hacked toaster. It makes great waffles now.)

But as to the Nook reader, I like the app better! The page turn function is more animated PLUS you can turn the Nook sideways and the text will turn. The regular Nook wouldn’t do that.

Getting far more functionality out of the Nook with the Android hack is a great discovery to this point.

TC and the Calvinists

I was wondering yesterday where New Leaven had gone. I was  checking my blogroll and his blog no longer shows up.

While there are some sane theories out there (see comments on that post), I have my own thoughts.

The last thing I remember reading on his blog was he was having second thoughts about Calvinism. Then, he disappeared.

These Reformed guys really are mean!