Category Archives: Personal

Reading Quiz Pegs Me

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I did it — I took the quiz. Like Rico, Jim West, James Spinti, I too am a Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm. Not quite sure if this is a good thing (I’m not sure whether “literati” sounds more ominous or more pretentious!), but the description pegs me in at least two areas:

You’re probably in the final stages of a Ph.D. or otherwise finding a way to make your living out of reading. You are one of the literati. Other people’s grammatical mistakes make you insane.

I’m just thankful that I’m not a book snob like Stephen Carlson and Loren Rosson. 🙂 If only I could be a dedicated reader like Mark Goodacre — it just sounds better.


Global Warming Sounds Good Right Now…

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It’s stinking cold up here in northern Alberta (Michael Pahl concurs). We’re going through a bit of a cold snap with temperatures around -25 degrees Celsius (that’s around -13 F for you Americans). We’ve also had a tonne of snow. It’s a sad day when you get excited by a forecast for -10 C weather by Thursday. And it’s only November! At least it’s a “dry” cold! 🙂

“Have you entered the storehouses of snow?” (Job 38:22)

Uh, yeah, I live in Edmonton!


Back from SBL

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I got back from Washington late last night to cold blizzard-like conditions in Edmonton. I could barely see the car ahead of me on the short highway trip into town from the airport. I was exhausted. I dragged myself out of bed today since I had to teach three classes (OT Literature, Intro Hebrew, and a senior course on Psalms).

I will probably write a post or two about SBL, but not tonight. Suffice it to say for now that I very much enjoyed this year’s SBL. I enjoyed meeting old friends (and seeing the new James Bond film with a number of them), making new friends and acquaintances, putting faces to the names of other bloggers, buying books (way too many!), and listening to some interesting papers (and some not so interesting).

For those who weren’t at SBL and still happened upon this blog, I trust you enjoyed (or at least tolerated!) my “Best of Codex” posts.


Off to Washington…

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I am flying to Washington shortly. While I may post a bit about the conference from Washington, don’t count on it! 🙂

While I am away, I am going to run a little “Best of Codex” series. These are posts that I consider somehow representative of what I do on this blog. Some of the “Best of” posts are ones that are popular, some are ones that I enjoyed writing, while others illustrate some of my academic interests.

Please note that this is not scientific or anything! These are just some of the 500+ posts that I have written in the year and a half since I started this blog. If I thought about it longer, I imagine there would be many posts I would deem better — I will save those for the next time I run a “Best of Codex.”

Have a great weekend!


Musings on A Generous Orthodoxy

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mclaren_go.jpgI recognize that this “theological” post is a bit off-topic for my blog (it has nothing to do with potties or Hebrew tattoos! :-)), but I figured I could branch out every once and a while!

My small group has just started working through Brian D. McLaren‘s A Generous Orthodoxy (Zondervan, 2004; Buy from Amazon.ca | Buy from Amazon.com) and we are all quite enjoying it. I have read most of it before, but will be working through it in a bit more detail with the group. I find McLaren an engaging and thoughtful read. He certainly is provocative and pushes the envelop in much of what he writes — something which I quite frankly find refreshing.

I recognize that McLaren has received quite a bit of flack for his views and that many consider the “emergent” movement suspect (for a kind response to critics of McLaren, see Scot McKnight’s post here). I am sympathetic to many of the themes and impluses expressed by McLaren and other authors associated with the emergent movement (if you can really call it a “movement”). I imagine much of my sympathy was fostered in the many theology courses I took with Stan Grenz at Regent College/Carey Theological Seminary. It was from Stan’s book Renewing the Center (Baker Academic, 2000; Buy from Amazon.ca | Buy from Amazon.com) that McLaren was first introduced to the term “generous orthodoxy” (Stan in turn got the language from Hans Frei). That being said, there are some aspects of McLaren’s work that as a biblical scholar/theologian I have some issues with (as McLaren himself anticipates!).

At any rate, if I feel so inclined I may post some musings on A Generous Orthodoxy in the upcoming months as we work through the book. So stay tuned (or if this isn’t your cup of tea, then I imagine there will be plenty of other posts for you to read!).


2007 Rugby World Cup Tickets On Sale

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RugbyCanada.jpgSo, if you are thinking of buying me a Christmas present, you can always buy me some tickets to the 2007 Rugby World Cup since tickets go on sale today. Of course, you would have to buy me airplane tickets to France as well, since that is where the World Cup is being held next year.

Team Canada will have an uphill battle since we will playing in Pool B along with Australia, Wales, Fiji and the winner of the top team from Asia. Australia will be the toughest challenge. I also like Wales, but that is more because I have Welsh heritage. Canada’s first game is against Wales in Nantes on 9 September 2007 and will then we play Fiji in Cardiff on 16 September, Asia 1 in Bordeaux on 25 September and Australia in Bordeaux on 25 September.

I can’t wait. Rugby is the best game in the world!

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God’s Coming Kingdom…

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As someone who has a couple pet rabbits, I couldn’t help but want to post this picture (and, no, they are not food, but companions to the lion cubs!).

bunnies_lions.jpg

6 The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf bunny and the tiger lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
9 They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:6).

(HT Reuters)


Mac Woes…

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sickmac.jpgMy poor Macintosh G4 Dual has been sick. 🙁

I’ve been without my Mac (and without Accordance Bible Software!!) since the power supply died over one month ago. I figured, “no problemo, I’ll just go an pick up a new one and have it up and running in a day.” But, sadly, the power supply in my G4 isn’t your typical power supply (I love my Mac, but I REALLY wish Apple used more standardized parts!). You can’t buy them just anywhere. In fact, there was none to be had in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. And guess what… new ones are unbelievably expensive. Rather than just pay the typical $50-75 dollars for a new power supply like normal people, this Mac needs power supplies that cost upwards of a few hundred dollars. In fact, some yoho at our local Mac store quoted me an unofficial $400 price over the phone and suggested I just buy a new computer! Argh!

To make a long story short, I found a used power supply on eBay and purchased it on October 4, 2006 for just over $100. “Great!” I thought, I should get the part in a week to ten days like the seller said and then I’ll be up and running. It was just delivered yesterday. Hmmm… it seems that “a week to ten days” means more like “a month”!! I was not impressed, to say the least. (Of course, now I have the moral dilemma on how to rate this seller on eBay)

At any rate, I installed the power supply and everything seems to be working fine and dandy.

Now I am happy. 🙂

My Mac is up and running with a new (used) power supply.

Accordance is up and running.

Things in my world are as they should be.


I’m Cool… Really (Nerd Test Shatter my Ego)

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I am nerdier than 64% of all people. Are you nerdier? Click here to find out!Well, I decided to take the nerd test to demonstrate to the masses just how cool I am (Of course I’m cool — I like U2 and Mac Computers). But, alas, I too am a nerd… but at least I am only a low-rank nerd (unlike Stephen Carlson who at 96 pts is a Nerd God as is Rick Sumner at 97). I still can’t believe that Jim West is not a Nerd :), while it doesn’t surprise me that Rick Brannan is a High Nerd (87 points), though I would have thought Loren Rosson would be a bit more nerdy than lightly nerdy!