17th century theologian Francis Turretin wrote eloquently about the beauty and order of the universe long before the Intelligent Design movement:

[He] is blind who does not see the most beautiful order everywhere and most wicked who does not acknowledge it. There is a suitable disposition of parts, so constant a concord of things so discordant, so harmonious an agreement and consent of creatures the most diverse, so swift and at the same time equable motion of the heavenly bodies and so immutable a stability and constancy of the order once established. So not only do the heavens declare the glory of God, but every blade of grass and flower in the field, every pebble on the shore and every shell in the ocean proclaim not only his power and goodness, but also his manifold wisdom, so near each one that even by feeling, God can be found.

Source: Francis Turretin, Institutes of Elenctic Theology, vol. 1, trans. George Musgrave Geiger, ed. James T. Dennison, Jr. (Philipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1994), 171-172. (HT: Kairos Journal)

If you enjoy listening to audiobooks, you might want to check out this deal. Each month, ChristianAudio.com offers a free audiobook download. This month’s free selection is The Confessions of Saint Augustine, by Augustine of Hippo (run time 12 hours, 48 minutes; normally $26.98). Use the coupon code AUG2008 to download the book for free this month only.

Here is a description from the site:

Saint Augustine’s contributions to Christian theology are second to no other post-apostolic author in the whole sweep of church history. Yet along side his doctrinal treatises, Augustine tells a story of his life devoted to Christ as his only satisfaction. The Confessions is at once the autobiographical account of Augustine’s life of Christian faith and at the same time a compelling theology of Christian spirituality for everyone. Among the most important classics in Western literature, it continues to engage modern readers through Augustine’s timeless illustrations and beautiful prose. Augustine’s Confessions is a book to relish the first time through and then profoundly enjoy over a lifetime of revisiting.

You can listen to a free audio sample from Augustine’s Confessions here.

                      (Photo from BiblePlaces.com)

The new ESV Study Bible Blog has a helpful article on the Gamla Synagogue which was built during the first century B.C and destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 67. The synagogue was never rebuilt which gives us a glimpse of what the synagogue would have looked like in the first century A.D. The structure measures 84 x 56 feet (26 x 17 m) and could have held a few hundred people sitting on rows of stone benches which lined the walls.

Here is a typical order of service for synagogue worship during the first century A.D. (from Luke, New American Commentary, by Robert H. Stein):

• Singing of a psalm
• Reading of the Shema (Deut. 6:4-9; 11:13-21)
• Prayers (including set prayers, like the Eighteen Blessings [the Shemoneh Esreh)
• Reading of the Law in Hebrew (then translated into Aramaic for those who didn’t know Hebrew)
• Reading of the Prophets in Hebrew (and in Aramaic)
• Sermon/teaching on the Scripture passages
• Concluding blessing/benediction by the ruler of the synagogue

Flying low. Pilots complain that airlines are forcing them to fly uncomfortably low on fuel. Less fuel means less weight, which reduces costs for the airlines but may increase safety risks for passengers and flight crew.

iPhone scam. German software developer Armin Heinrich created a program for the iPhone called “I Am Rich” which does nothing except display a large ruby on your iPhone’s screen. The product description reads: “The red icon on your iPhone always reminds you (and others when you show it to them) that you were able to afford this. It’s a work of art with no hidden function at all.” The program cost $999.99, and eight people actually purchased it before Apple removed it from their site. Now Heinrich can say, “I am rich.”

Lip synching at the Olympics. Remember the pretty Chinese girl in the red dress who sang so beautifully during the opening ceremony of the Olympics? Turns out it wasn’t her voice after all. “Miaoke, a third grader, was judged cute and appealing but ‘not suitable’ as a singer. Another girl, Yang Peiyi, 7, was judged the best singer but not as cute. So when Miaoke opened her mouth to sing, the voice that was actually heard was a recording of Peiyi. And it is unclear if Miaoke even knew.”

You never know what might follow your dog through the doggie door. The owners of this beagle came home to find their dog’s new friend all curled up on the couch.

From the Deep Creek (Maryland) Times; Photo of the Month for July

Update: Look what followed the cat through the pet door!
(Video length: 0:26)

HT: Neatorama

“He’s baaaaacccck!” As you may have gathered from yesterday’s post (Classic Definition of Vacation), I am back to work after several weeks of vacation. I enjoyed some quiet time at home with my family as well as visiting with relatives. I would like to thank my wonderful church family for granting me vacation time, the church elders who preached in my absence, and everyone who pitched in to “fill in the gaps” while I was gone. It’s good to be back! (And no, I have not shaved off my vacation beard yet.)

• How to Save Money at the State Fair. Some frugal tips at the Simple Dollar on saving money at the fair.
• California Court OKs Homeschooling. A state appeals court ruled Friday that parents have the right to homeschool their children even without a teaching credential.
• U.S. Men’s 4x100m Free Relay. Watch the video of this spectacular swim relay. This will easily be one of the most memorable moments of the whole 2008 Olympics.
• New Museum of Biblical Archaeology. Check out the new Woodland Museum of Biblical Archaeology where you can find sling stones, swords from 2000 BC, a sacrificial knife from the time of Abraham, and a battle-axe that dates at least 500 years before the time of Abraham.
• Scientists Create Stem Cells for 10 Disorders. Harvard scientists used ordinary skin cells and bone marrow from people with a variety of diseases, including Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and Down syndrome to produce the stem cells. Researchers said they plan to make the cell lines readily available to other scientists.

A vacation consists of:

Two weeks that are
too short, after which you are
too tired
to go back
to work, but
too broke
to afford not
to.  (Source unknown)

2 true. What say you?

NBC has been very protective of any online video of the Olympics this year. As fast as people can post the videos on YouTube, NBC keeps pulling them down. But you can see the official video of the lighting of the torch at NBC’s site. You will have to give them your zip code and cable provider in order to view the video, but no other personal information is required. If you like fireworks, you will definitely enjoy this video. (Remember, the Chinese invented fireworks!)

After you view the video, come on back here and leave a comment! Here is the link (opens in new window): Video of 2008 Olympic Torch Lighting at Opening Ceremony in Beijing

Steven Curtis Chapman and his family share with Robin Roberts of Good Morning America how their faith has helped them cope with the tragedy of losing their 5-year old daughter, Maria Sue, last May.

(Video length: 9:46)

 

See related posts:

• Maria Sue Chapman Memorial Service
• Steven Curtis Chapman’s Daughter Killed

The Big Picture has some great photographs from yesterday’s 2008 Olympics Opening Ceremony.

Peter Chattaway quotes T.S. Eliot, in his essay ‘Religion and Literature’, written in 1935. “The last thing I would wish for would be the existence of two literatures, one for Christian consumption and the other for the pagan world.”

Brad Wright explains the effect of measurement on behavior. “Just the act of measuring someone’s behavior, e.g., as is done in a survey, can change that person’s behavior by making them more aware of what they are doing … When we measure anything, whether in professional research or everyday-life, realize that we’re probably changing some aspect of it. If we want to change something, probably the first thing to do is to start measuring it.”

John Stackhouse mourns the disappearing of some Christian musical languages. “Christian contemporary rock is the main music language of ‘happening’ churches all over North America, Britain, Australia, and beyond. As simplistic as it certainly can be, both lyrically and musically, it has considerable range of expression when used by talented composers, singers, and instrumentalists. What it can’t do, however, is say everything that needs to be said.”

Nathan Busenitz quotes Cornelius Plantinga on the emptiness of life apart from God. “The truth is that nothing in this earth can finally satisfy us. Much can make us content for a time, but nothing can fill us to the brim. The reason is that our final joy lies ‘beyond the walls of the world,’ as J. R. R. Tolkien put it. Ultimate beauty comes not from a lover or a landscape or a home, but only through them. These earthly things are solid goods, and we naturally relish them. But they are not our final good. They point to what is ‘higher up’ and ‘further back.’

Justin Taylor answers the question: What if two theologians I respect disagree about Scripture’s meaning? “The answer to this is virtually the same as if the question had been, ‘What if two theologians I respect agree about Scripture’s meaning?’ In either scenario, the proper response is to imitate the ‘noble Bereans’ of Acts 17. These were Jews who listened to Paul and Silas proclaim God’s Word in their synagogue. We are told that ‘they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.’ In other words, they combined eager reception of teaching along with daily inspection to see if they were hearing was true.”

Obama says, “Don’t drill for oil; inflate your tires.” How about inflate and drill? At this rate, it’s either inflate your tires and drill for oil, or inflate the price of oil and drill your tires.

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