A couple years ago I arranged Psalm 107 as a responsive reading for one of our Thanksgiving services. It is clear that some of the Psalms in the Bible were meant to be read responsively in worship. Perhaps Psalm 107 is one of these Psalms.

This reading alternates between two readers and the whole congregation.

• READER 1 reads those parts of the Psalm which describe the distress of the Lord’s redeemed before they cried out to the Lord.
• READER 2 reads those parts which describe how the Lord saved the redeemed out of their distress.
• The PEOPLE read those parts which encourage the redeemed to give thanks to the Lord for his love and deliverance.

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      (Note: For ebook and audiobook conversions, see Fowler Digital Services.)

Privacy

Amazon.com has just released Amazon Kindle, their new wireless, portable electronic reader. The $400 price tag is a bit steep, but that includes free wireless connectivity to the Amazon Kindle store. The Kindle holds up to 200 books, or you can also store your purchased books at Amazon and access them whenever you want. (Hmmm, seems like I posted on something similiar back in September.)

This has a lot of neat features, but I am still waiting for one tablet that will do it all – book reader, laptop, media player, internet access, etc. all in one paperback sized tablet. This seems like a step in the right direction, though. (Related series posted below.)

Media Access for the Next Generation:
    1. Introduction
    2. Immediate Access
    3. Localized Storage
    4. Subscription Services

Update: Gizmodo has a great article comparing Kindle with other E-Book Readers, past and future.

(Note: For ebook and audiobook conversions, see Fowler Digital Services.)

There was no official sermon at church yesterday. Instead, the sermon came from the people. Yesterday was our annual Thanksgiving Testimony Sunday. Adults, teen and children returned thanks to God for all the good things he is doing and has done in their lives this past year. This is always one of my favorite Sundays. It is so encouraging to hear people publicly share their testimonies of praise to our great God.

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever!” (Psalm 106:1)

This past weekend was leaf-raking time at our house. We live in New England, so we definitely notice the turning of the seasons. We raked up the leaves, cleared the patio furniture off the deck and put away the garden hoses for the winter. We didn’t get any pictures this time around, but here are some photos from fall 2005.

                    Family photo in front of house: From left to right:
                Me, Ramon, Tim (with Danny), Sam, (with Reina), Rose

                            Sam and Tim in front of their leaf pile

                            Find Sam and Tim in the leaf pile!

Update: Looks like I posted these pictures just in time. I put this post up late Monday night and woke up this morning to snow. That’s New England for you!

Richard Rubin writes about Frank Buckles, the last surviving U.S. veteran from Word War I. “Of the two million soldiers the United States sent to France in World War I, he is the only one left.”

Stephen Purcell reflects on the positive side of disillusionment. “Of course it isn’t necessarily bad to be disillusioned. After all, doesn’t the word mean ‘getting free from illusions’? Perhaps dis-illusionment is a necessary part of growing in the truth.”

ABC presents The History of Mario. “In 1982, our unprepossessing little rescuer Jumpman was given a cheerful name rarely seen in the annals of heroes: Mario – in a sequel game called Donkey Kong Jr. In 1983, little Mario was given a shot at his own game, Mario Bros.” (HT: Neatorama)

Christianity Today surveyed more than 1,000 self-identified Christians 18 years of age and older on their religious beliefs and practices and identified five kinds of Christians in America. “Portraits of five distinct segments emerged from the study. We have named them Active, Professing, Liturgical, Private, and Cultural Christians.”

Bradley Wright offers a sociological review of Reveal, Willow Creek’s new book sharing the results of a three-year study on spiritual growth. “Spiritual growth doesn’t happen best by becoming dependent on elaborate church programs but through the age old spiritual practices of prayer, bible reading, and relationships. And, ironically, these basic disciplines do not require multi-million dollar facilities and hundreds of staff to manage.”

J.A. Ingold provides a helpful and comprehensive series of posts on selling books in the church. “Having books available for purchase in the church increases their accessibility. Many people, including church members and visitors, think more of spiritual matters when they are in the church than when they are about their daily business. Placing in the church something they can take with them to spur continued meditation on spiritual matters can be a great aid.”

Thomas D. Jones of Popular Mechanics discusses the benefits of running into problems with the International Space Station. “The space station is giving us a graduate-level course in how people and machines can survive in space for the long term. We’re pushing our own limits, forcing ourselves to react quickly to the unexpected, and gaining invaluable experience for dealing with surprises that surely await us on the Moon, the asteroids and Mars. We surely can’t live on other worlds if we can’t manage an outpost a couple of hundred miles from home.”

David Brickner (Executive Director of Jews for Jesus) comments on Ann Coulter’s statement that “Christians want Jews to be perfected.” “I imagine that people who were offended by Anne Coulter’s desire for Jews to be perfected felt she meant that Jews are imperfect while Christians are perfect. But when we realize it is our standing before God that is perfected or completed in Christ, it is no longer a matter of being Jewish or Gentile. In Jesus, God has declared us righteous; that kind of completeness or perfection is not achieved through our own efforts but though God’s mercy and by the righteousness of Christ. Without Jesus, whether we are Jewish or Gentile we are imperfect, incomplete and frankly, without hope.”

Physicist Garret Lisi proposes a theory of everything. “Lisi’s inspiration lies in the most elegant and intricate shape known to mathematics, called E8 – a complex, eight-dimensional mathematical pattern with 248 points first found in 1887, but only fully understood by mathematicians this year after workings, that, if written out in tiny print, would cover an area the size of Manhattan. E8 encapsulates the symmetries of a geometric object that is 57-dimensional and is itself 248-dimensional. Lisi says ‘I think our universe is this beautiful shape.’” (Note: Click on the picture for a larger image.)

If you enjoy Beatles music or the Beach Boys, you should give Rick Alitzer’s new Scripture Memory CD a listen. The CD is called “Scripture Memory – Pop Symphonies.” Rick writes:

Three years in the making, “Scripture Memory – Pop Symphonies” has been a labor of love for me. It was my desire to make a Scripture Memory record that you would actually enjoy listening to. I decided to do my best to make an excellent record in hopes that you would listen to it multiple times. After repeated listening, the scriptures would be forever lodged in your brain.

Strings, horns, pianos, walls of guitars, stacks of vocals. the kitchen sink approach (hey, it’s me), all to coerce you to listen, again and again. Think Beatles with Beach Boy harmonies and Queen/George Harrison guitar solos.

Rick is offering the CD at a great introductory price of only $10. You can listen to samples of the CD here and even download one of the full songs for free.

Here are some endorsements for the CD:

“This is the Sgt. Pepper’s of Scripture memory verse albums. Imagine Beatles and Beach Boys and Britpop styles, mega production, stacked vocals and a symphonic approach. Imagine pop melodies that stick in the brain and then marry that to words straight from Scripture. This is a great way of learning Bible verses while enjoying great music. ” Mike Rimmer – Cross Rhythms

“Rick Altizer creates a pop-rock masterpiece to memorize scriptures by!” Phantom Toolbooth – 5 Stars

“Rick Altizer has managed to make one of the best pop albums of the year. Imagine the Beatles using only scripture for lyrics and you’ve got a great idea of what Pop Symphonies is all about.” Dr. Tony Shore – Obvious Pop

“Pick of the Litter. Number 1 Pick.” Doug Van Pelt – HM Magazine

Related post: Seeds Family Worship Scripture Memory CDs

Stocking stuffer. The Sony Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto recently broke the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest Christmas stocking. The super-sized stocking measured 90 feet 1 inch in length and 37 feet 1 inch from heel to toe. The stocking was filled with toys to be donated to the Salvation Army.

Grand bagel. The Westin Hotel in Times Square is selling a $1,000 bagel to help raise scholarship funds. “The bagel is topped with Alba white truffle cream cheese and goji berry infused Riesling jelly with golden leaves. The white truffle … is the second most expensive food in the world … It’s grown from late autumn to winter beneath certain oak trees in the Alba region of Italy, where trained pigs and dogs are called upon to find the delicacies.”

Rich chocolate. “A New York eatery is offering a $25,000 dessert bulging with top-grade cocoa, edible gold and shavings of a luxury truffle. The Frrrozen Haute Chocolate was declared the most expensive dessert in the world on Wednesday by the Guinness World Records. The dessert is a frozen, slushy mix of cocoas from 14 countries, milk and 5 grams of 24-carat gold topped with whipped cream and shavings from a La Madeline au Truffle.” So, you can follow up your $1,000 dollar bagel for breakfast with a $25,000 chocolate dessert. Is all the food in New York this expensive?

Related post: $1,000 Pizza (in, where else, New York)

Strange update to story on $25,000 dessert:

A week after Serendipity 3 announced it had achieved the world record for the most expensive dessert, the famed Upper East Side ice-cream parlor and restaurant has been closed by the health department for a rodent and insect infestation.

(Video links and transcript below)

Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee has attracted a lot of attention in recent weeks, especially among evangelical Christians. I know I have been looking at him more closely as I consider which candidate to vote for in the upcoming primaries.

On Sunday, November 4, Huckabee preached a sermon at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. Jeremiah 29:11 was the Scripture text for his message: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

In his opening remarks, Huckabee made it clear that this was a personal not a political message.

I want to share really more of a message from my heart then about just politics, and I know that sometimes when people like me come to a church, the expectation is, okay, he’s going to use this to politicize. I want to assure you, I’m not … I want to … distance myself from ever making the pulpit a place where I would try to somehow take advantage of it in that way.

You can view the video of the message at the three links below. I have also included a transcript of the videos if you would rather read Huckabee’s sermon. He has a great illustration using the Arkansas Razorbacks at the end.

Video links:

• Part 1 of Mike Huckabee’s sermon on video
• Part 2 of Mike Huckabee’s sermon on video
• Part 3 of Mike Huckabee’s sermon on video

Update: You can also view all three videos at The Huck Report.

Related posts:

• Hillary Godmother
• Still Leaning Towards Fred
• The Cluster Approach to the GOP Nomination
• The MPR Select a Candidate Quiz
• Memo to Evangelical Leaders on Romney
• Rasmussen Reports Daily Presidential Tracking Poll
• Ravi Zacharias on Electing the Next President
• Should Christians Call Mormonism a Cult?
• Rudy, John, Mitt . . . and Fred?

(Click the link below to read the transcript of Mike Huckabee’s sermon.)

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Robotic goat. “Unlucky gamblers at the Edogawa Kyotei boat race course in Tokyo have a new way to ease their frustrations after botching a bet — they can feed their losing tickets to a robotic goat … The 1.6-meter tall Rocky Mountain goat, which has a thick coat of white fur and ticket-detecting sensors in its mouth, devours about 500 tickets per day — many of which would otherwise end up on the floor.” Sounds like a creative way to combat litter. I wonder how many people would be willing to feed the goat their hard-earned cash instead of their losing tickets? (same difference)

Flying cow. Imagine Charles and Linda Everson’s surprise when a cow landed on the hood of their minivan while driving down the highway. According to police, the 600-pound cow fell two hundred feet off a cliff before hitting the vehicle. The cars’ occupants were okay, the cow not so much.

Fat Santa. Santa has been told he must slim down, or face eviction from British shopping centers at Christmas. Bluewater Shopping Centre in Greenhithe, Kent, has even set-up a Santa boot camp to help with the weight loss program. Apparently some people think Santa’s round belly is setting a bad example for the kids after a medical report was released stating that by 2050 more than 50 percent of Brits will be obese.

Here are ten great Bible verses for World Kindness Day (a day to practice random acts of kindness).

1. “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.” (Proverbs 12:25)
2. “He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.” (Proverbs 19:17)
3. This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:23-24)
4. “[God] has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” (Acts 14:17)
5. “God’s kindness leads you toward repentance.” (Romans 2:4)
6. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” (1 Corinthians 13:4)
7. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
8. “… the incomparable riches of [God's] grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:7)
9. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Epehsians 4:32)
10. “When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.” (Titus 3:4-6)

Recommended Books on Kindness:

Al Mohler gave this great advice for bloggers in his keynote address at the GodBlogCon conference in Las Vegas last week. This would apply equally well to commenting on other people’s blogs.

Don’t write anything you wouldn’t want your parents, children, pastor or lost neighbor to read.

Works for me. My parents and children already read my blog. I am the pastor at my church, but my fellow elders read my blog. And I am always praying that my lost neighbors (locally and globally) will be reading the blog, too. We should always remember that our words have the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21), and guard our written and spoken words accordingly.

Al Mohler’s whole address is well worth the listen as he weaves the fascinating history of Christian influence in media from the scrolls and codices of ancient times to the printing press, radio, TV and internet.

Note: I notice Justin Taylor at Between Two Worlds also has a post on appropriate blog commenting today, too.

The Washington Post has an interesting article on how Christian groups are using technology to bring the Bible to the more remote regions of the world.

RONG DOMRIEX, Cambodia — Tel Im, a barefoot 13-year-old, sat cross-legged on a bamboo bench, eager for her reading lesson … Six months ago, Im couldn’t read a word and had never heard of Jesus. Now, thanks to a literacy program run by the local chapter of an international Bible group, she has a book — the Bible — that she can read, and she says she wants to become a Christian.

Using technological devices ranging from simple cassette tapes to solar-powered audio players and an iPod-like gadget called the Bible Stick, Christian groups are spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year to make one of the world’s oldest books accessible in remote corners of the planet.

Complete versions of the Bible can now be downloaded onto cellphones in parts of Africa. To reach those who can’t read — nearly one-fifth of the world’s population, according to the United Nations — Christian groups are rapidly increasing production of audio and video versions.

HT: Between Two Worlds