Things I am thinking about today.

Apr10

http://www.earlyafricanchristianity.com/ An interesting subject: The African heritage of Christianity, and the historical and religious connection between Christianity and Islam. Also, I just received an email of an interesting book study on a similar subject, if anyone is interested.

Hi friends. I’d like to extend an invitation for you to join us on a journey to “explore a new path between two faiths.” Ralph and I have decided to read a book and interact via email (or a blog if someone wants to set one up) as we read it. The book is called, Pilgrims of Christ on the Muslim Road by Paul-Gordon Chandler. This book explores how 2 faiths – Islam and Christianity – can not only coexist, but also enrich each other. “Chandler demonstrates the importance of removing Western cultural and religious trappings associated with Christ in the minds of Muslims, and encourages all to follow a Christ who first walked the Middle Eastern road.”

Here is a schedule for how we’ll read and interact on the book.

Monday, April 14 – Chapter 1 – Pilgrimage to Faith

Monday, April 21 – Chapter 2 – Journeying among Muslims

Monday, April 28 – Chapter 3 – Discovering Home

Monday, May 5 – Chapter 4 – Salaam on Islam

Monday, May 12 – Chapter 5 – A Muslim Disciple of Christ

Monday, May 19 – Chapter 6 – Resurrecting the Eastern Christ: Embracing the Semitic Face of Jesus

Monday, May 26 – Chapter 7 – Opening a Middle Eastern Book: Returning the Christian Scriptures to their Middle Eastern Origin

Monday, June 2 – Chapter 8 – Once upon a Time: Telling Eastern Stories of Faith to Muslim Audiences

Monday, June 9 – Chapter 9 – Questions to a Muslim Christian Pilgrim: An Interview with Mazhar Mallouhi

So, if you think you’d like to join us, get the book, start reading it and let me know so I can add you to the email/blog list. Also, feel free to invite any of your friends to join us. Maybe when we’re finished reading it we can all get together to have a final discussion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migraine Because I have a bad one that is not going away. 😦

http://www.parkstreet.org/ I want to get more involved at church again, but see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migraine for why I haven’t been in a while.

www.intervarsity.org/donate I am at 62% and needing to get up to 70% to get on campus and get a salary. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migraine as to why this is taking longer than I’d hoped.

The quote of the week goes to my six year old housemate Zachary, who cheerfully told me, “Sometimes I don’t know what I like more: God, toys, Pokemon cards…”

God is good.

How are you?

Easter Sunday, March 23rd, 2008

Mar23

Some significant numbers in my life today:

Sunset in Boston tonight: 7:01 p.m.

Days till my 34th birthday: 43

Days until Riley and Jacquie’s wedding: 41

Days late I am in submitting my rewrite to Christianity Today: Four.

What I will be doing in twelve days…

Mar2

Sans the attic, Tyler and David… 😦 But avec Graeme, Ashlee, Riley, Jacquie, Jordon and Aaron. Hopefully Aaron. I’m not sure whether R2D2 will be there.

“Bagshot Row is an artistic community which seeks to apply the values and lessons of true, good, and beautiful art to both the spiritual and practical elements of life. Originating in Dubuque, IA and founded by Graeme Pitman, David Kern, Tyler Smith, Justin Phelan, and Riley Miller, Bagshot Row is a mixture of faith, literature, word (both in essay/blog/musing and poetry), photography, prayer, design, music all bound up in the belief that our very lives can be worship. We meet infrequently on Thursday nights at 9pm to discuss things we have written or read or sometimes just to hang out in an attic.”

String theory may be the unifying link Einstein was looking for.

Mar1

Today I finally figured out how to watch The Elegant Universe online at http://www.pbs.org.

In other news, I am up to about the middle of season three in LOST, up to book VI in The Brothers Karamazov, have forgotten at least half of the Greek I learned in seminary but followed along fairly well to my CD of John 1 read aloud, created my own version of Cuban black bean soup (I substituted lime juice for lemon juice and added carrots and potatoes), and used all my tiles in my Scrabulous game with Riley. All in all a good day, though you may notice a conspicuous lack of fund raising. In my defense, my printer is out of black ink and I am getting over the flu.

How was your day?

Boston logic.

Feb28

These two subway entrances were directly across the street from each other.

Yes, they both say, “Back Bay: Entrance Across the Street.”

Don’t worry, I somehow managed to get home okay, despite the feeling of being caught in an Escher drawing.

More amazing things my amazing friends are doing.

Feb26

Riley is writing a heart-breakingly beautiful series of poems on his thoughts and wrestlings with this sad, wonderful, terrible world. http://adamicheritage.blogspot.com/

Tyler (T Clair), my writing partner, interviewed Steven Delopoulous (formerly of Burlap to Cashmere). You can listen to the interview at http://www.intothehill.com/

As for me, I had fun going out for Chinese food, with Chinese people, on the Chinese New Year. Here are some pics. If you don’t know me personally, I am the only non-Asian in the group.