Entries from December 2006 ↓

My first attempt at such a list.

1) These Friends of Mine, Rosie Thomas
2) Help My Unbelief, Red Mountain Church
3) I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass, Yo La Tengo
4) Songs For Christmas, Volumes I-V, Sufjan Stevens
5) Fox Confessor Brings The Flood, Neko Case
6) Ys, Joanna Newsom
7) Broken Boy Soldiers, The Raconteurs FutureSex/LoveSounds, Justin Timberlake (Shut up, all of you. It’s a good album.)

The Yo La Tengo album also gets the one-time-only distinction of “Best Album Title In All Of History – Past, Present, or Future (So Everyone Else Can Give Up Now)”. Congrats, YLT!

Any thoughts? What on this list sucks? (Saying “number eight” doesn’t count . . . too easy, and most people who’d knee-jerk and say that probably haven’t listened to it.) What else belongs here?

I’ve finally come to a decision (with my wife’s help and a lot of prayer) regarding my long-deferred undergrad and graduate education . . .

1) Earn a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from Franklin University here in Columbus. Should only take a year and a half to two years, since I’ve already earned an Associate’s degree in the same field.

2a) Earn a Master of Arts in Religion from Reformed Theological Seminary, using their distance education program, OR . . .

2b) Move back to Birmingham and earn a Master of Divinity from Beeson Divinity School (Samford University’s seminary).

[2a is far more likely than 2b.]

—-
Honestly, I don’t know what my goals for seminary would be, but I’m pretty sure that that’s where I need to end up, even if it’s for my own personal enrichment, growth, and spiritual formation. My passions lie in the study of God, his Word, and his Church. Vocationally, I could end up staying in IT, pastoral work could be in store, or teaching undergrad or seminary (after further study after the Master’s degree,of course). We’ll see.

Big plans, contingent on a lot of stuff, but God is faithful and he is sovereign. I trust him, though he’s moved my paths over the last few years as a river’s waters.

Amy and I went out to dinner last weekend, enjoying a nice “night off” from being parents (Zoë was spending the night with Amy’s mom). At some point during our conversation, I said “sooooo, what would you say if I told you that I’ve been thinking about having Z baptized?” She asked why, and I went into the best basic explanation of covenant theology that I could muster with half a glass of wine in me (it might’ve actually been better than it would’ve been without the wine). After I was done, I asked what she thought. She paused, and then to my utter shock, she said “I think that we should do it”. I’m not even convinced yet, but I suppose my explanation was fair, since it at least helped to convince her. The fact that we both grew up in churches that were predominately dispensational in their theology — standing in direct contrast to covenantal thinking — it’s a pretty big leap for either of us to even consider infant (or in this case, toddler) baptism. A firm decision still hasn’t been made, but the fact that Amy’s already on board has made me feel better about things.

A few days later, she mentioned to her mom and grandparents that we’re thinking (just thinking) about it. The idea was met with some expected eyebrow-raising and skeptical questions, but her grandma gave us some real gems . . .

“Why would you wanna do that? That’s stupid!”
(Okay, guess you’re not coming if we decide to do this.)

“She won’t remember it! What about when her friends at your mother’s church are being baptized ‘for real’? She’ll want to do it then.”
(Sorry, I don’t think that we’d approve of her going through something as weighty and sacred as baptism just because “everybody’s doing it”.)

“Well, that’s okay. We’ll have her baptized ‘for real’ at our church when she’s old enough to decide for herself.”
(HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! *ahem* Sorry. . . sorry. Now, as I was saying . . . HAHAHAHAHA!!!! *pointing*)

Gotta love the respect we’re shown for our parental decision-making.

Anyway . . . like I said, there’s been no firm decision made yet. I need to be honest with myself about this whole thing. Will we be doing this because we really believe that we’re obeying Scripture by doing so, or will it be just because we’re members of a Presbyterian church now, and well . . . “everybody’s doing it”? How much of this is motivated by the fact that I want to be an elder in this church in a few months (which, by the way, I think is a legitimate motivation . . . just not a legitimate primary motivation)? How much is now wanting to annoy my grandmother-in-law?!

Pray for us.

Great show. Looking forward to next year’s already.

Chucks

Originally uploaded by Rae Whitlock.

After years of resistance (and even antipathy) toward the Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star — and the cultural elitism that sometimes followed — I finally broke down and got a pair.

Gotta say, I like ‘em.

We’re thinking of having Zoë baptized.

*ducks bottles, tomatoes, and various other objects being thrown by my Baptist friends and readers*