What'd I Just Do?
So, I was looking through American TV's ad this morning for their warehouse sale and noticed they had Mac minis (PowerPC) starting at $299. I called up and while my store did not have any, they had two in the St. Louis area — one 1.42 GHz/256 megs of ram and one 1.25 Ghz/256 megs of ram for $349 and $299 respectively. Both are the combo drive models, but that's not so bad.
I bought both of them. They're going for more than that on eBay, after all and they have a 15 day return policy if I get buyers remorse.
I thought I'd mention this truly great deal in case anyone has an American store in their area. Seems like a great deal. I have a sample copy of OS X Server that I'm going to put on one of them. Maybe the other will be an extra computer workstation or something, I'm not sure.
Left Behind: The Language of God?
I'm wondering if Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins think that God's linguistic abilities somehow got left behind in the 17th century, and, to boot, that God is a sound-byte type of God that only has a few things to say. Why do I wonder this, all of a sudden? Well, last summer I read the Glorious Appearing, the final part of the main 12-book Left Behind series. It annoyed me for a simple reason: Jesus was given a “speaking role” in it, but all he did was act like a Denziger theologian who is more than able to perfectly quote Scripture but not say anything new or directly phrased in response to what was going on “in the now.”
The fictional Jesus of Appearing, if anything, seemed rather like someone who would have fit well in a presidential debate: ask a question and get back a pre-assembled, stump speech answer. Other than the heavy push to make sure you knew the bad guys from the good guys, I think the authors came dangerously close to making the Antichrist seem more in tune with people than Christ. But, I got over it and moved on to better books.
Last weekend, I started reading the Rising. As a whole, I'd say this first part of the new prequel trilogy to Left Behind is actually more exciting than the final few novels of the main series, but again God is given a chance to speak and, in my opinion, He comes off rather stiff. While the Bible is wonderful, the God of the Left Behind world is made to feel distant because He only quotes Scriptures, he does not respond directly. It's as if LaHaye and Jenkins think God is a giant magic-8 ball that has preset answers.
It is fiction yes, but I'm left to wonder: why are they making God so unlike the real living Word? Are they just afraid to write fictional words into God's “mouth” or do they really find God that way in their own lives?
Yeah, That'll Sell Me on the Site
I got a spam today trying to sell me on a new software download site. Here's an excerpt:
Dear user,
We take this opportunity to announce you that a new free software portal has been released, where you can find a wide diversity of software to fit all your needs.
Our website is updated every day with day 0 state of the art free to download software, for both Macintosh computers and PCs.
Yup. I always like to go to places with “0 state of the art free to download software.” Betcha y'all want me to tell you the address so that you can go too, right?
Sin and the Resurrection
When I think about the glorious news of today, I find it hard to believe I could think one sinful thing or commit one evil act. How would that be possible in light of today? Even if tomorrow I'd fall back into my fallen, despicable state, how could I not spend the entirety of today focusing on our Savior's triumph over death?
And yet I realize, looking back, I was sinful throughout the day. There are numerous examples of things I should not have done today that I did. I was proud, I was deceitful, I was lustful. If only I could somehow finally excise all these things from my being, it would be so grand.
I am just so thankful that through the death and resurrection of Jesus I have hope despite my failings. Despite my failings even this day. Forgive me, Lord, for failing you this day.
“Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.”
—John Newton, Amazing Grace
Good Friday Meditation: Pilate's Truth
That was the truth confronting Pilate on that Friday nearly two thousand years ago. Not just a truth, but the ultimate in truth.
Truth is easier to deal with if it can be just pushed off aside; redefined into something more comforting: What is truth? There were many truths Pilate faced that day. He faced the truth that the leaders of Jesus’ own people were dead set to see blood, and that they would take whatever means necessary to get it. This was the truth that Pilate’s job was in danger from his constituents. All of Pilate’s goals and dreams were at risk; he was a man outside of his league who had been given a job of power through influential connections (Houston 76). Despite those connections, he was a bungling leader and truth was that it wouldn’t be hard for a few angry people to ruin it all for him. What if they tried to turn Caesar against him? A few years later just that would happen: a mob of people and an attempt to put down a feared uprising led to Pilate’s demise as a politician.
What is truth? Truth was that his wife had warned Pilate to avoid having anything to do with the death of Jesus. As a relative of Caesar’s, she clearly could weld some power over him if she wanted (Houston 81). But I think that’s only part of the story: it seems that her words rang true to Pilate. Jesus did seem innocent, strangely, peculiarly innocent – perhaps more so because he refused to do anything to defend himself. Pilate beheld the man, and saw a truth: he was innocent.
What is truth? Truth is that Pilate’s job was to uphold the laws of the land (Barth Outline 111). His job was to uphold the laws, but would he have a job if he upheld them? Situational truth arose, perhaps: it was truer that his job was at stake than that he was a defender of laws. Pilate had seen more than his fair share of bloodshed under his reign, why should one innocent man stand in the way of his continued power over Judea? Perhaps for a moment he puzzled at why he had to be stuck at this far flung outpost of the empire, but regardless of that, the truth was that this was his post and like it or not, Jesus stood before him and a mob awaited him outside. Maybe truth could be redefined just a bit.
Pilate wouldn’t know this, but truth had much to do with his place in the scheme of things. Truth, the truth of Jesus’ innocent death, would be attested to for all time because of his act. As the Apostle’s creed says: He suffered under Pontius Pilate. Pilate served a very important role to truth: he cemented the fact that the Word of God Incarnate, the Savior was not an abstract philosopher’s idea or some kind of supersized metaphor, but a real life, flesh and blood reality: in his contact with Pilate, Jesus broke away from merely being a figment of Israelite history and into the history of the whole world, at least as it was known at the time: the Roman Empire (112). No longer was the “Jesus Question” one that needed to be dealt with only by Jews; years before Paul became the great Apostle to the Gentles, the Gentile Pilate was forced reluctantly to ponder this matter of what to do with Jesus. He had to ponder truth.
What is truth? Pilate had to rationalize: he had to make “his” truth out of what he surely knew was a lie: if he simply washed his hands of the matter, he could be done with it. Truth is that the very act of washing his hands is what would immortalize him as the indecisive one: the one who betrayed truth, betrayed Jesus by indecision. His one memorable action was actively choosing inaction. Pilate was confronted by Truth incarnate and he instead made his own truth: if he didn’t take sides, if he just let everyone else sort things out, he could just go on with life. Truth isn’t that simple.
What is Truth? Truth is that Jesus was for Pilate, and yet Pilate lived a lie of self-deception. He really had no choice to make: had he chosen to side with Christ, he would have received the election that Jesus was going to earn for him on the cross. Maybe he’d have lost his outpost, or maybe not, but in a much more significant way, all would have been well. But Pilate deceived himself into thinking there was another choice. He was torn: as a power hungry statesman, he opted to the route of the corrupt, but, nevertheless, the ideal of the statesman still could not be entirely covered by his corruption: a glimmer of truth was in him and it forced him to declare Jesus innocent (112). He wasn’t blind to the truth, he blinded himself to it. Confronted with truth, he rejected it actively. The cast would be set for Pilate: Jesus was for Pilate, but Pilate would be known as against Christ for all eternity.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate. Pilate was not a man chosen by God to do this evil inaction. Instead, he was chosen, like everyone else to receive God’s good news. Yet, failing to do just that, God still turned what Pilate meant for evil into good. As Joseph said in Genesis 50:22, “You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people.” This thing was bigger than Pilate imagined, and though Pilate’s choice would condemn him to infamy, it was a meaningless choice (113). He was deceived from truth: God’s “superior will” was going to be done regardless of what Pilate chose to do, it was simply a matter of Pilate choosing on what side of that will he was to be known.
What is truth? That question still rings true today. Confronted with that question, beholding the man, what will you do with him?
Originally presented on Good Friday, April 14, 2006 at St. Paul’s Evangelical Church, St. Louis, MO. Primary among sources consulted were Dogmatics in Outline (New York: Haper Torchbooks, 1959) and Church Dogmatics volume 2.2 (Edinburgh, Scotland, UK: T. & T. Clark, 1957), both by Karl Barth. Also referenced was Where You There? Seeing Yourself in the Drama of the Cross by Tom Houston (Ventura, CA: Regal, 1987).
My Easter Bunny Name is...
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What's your Easter bunny name? Post it below.
Writers Block
It's funny. I have lots of ideas to blog when I don't have time to do so during the day, but then at night, my mind has been going blank lately. I should scribble my ideas down when I have them, I suppose.
Hopefully, I'll get more up tomorrow.
I hope you all had a nice Maundy Thursday.
Now I'm (more) Official
Well, I think that should take care of my pending business: the permanent Cranium Leakage linkage went up on over to your right a few minutes ago. That means asisaid has given up its life as just another independent blog in the sea of journals and become a major network blog!
Click the pretty graphic that the mad scientists over at Cranium Leakage designed to see what the official CL web site has to say. Of course you can also check out my blogroll, which has long linked to three of the four other active CL blogs (which are well worth reading, in my estimation).
Tee Hee Hee: I Made Some Spammers Mad
Well, my new SpamAssassin auto-rejection seems to be doing a good job. I got this automated letter letting me know I was removed from the EDEALSSUPER list (as if I ever cared to be on it to begin with). Note especially how impassioned it is about how this must have to do with the quality of my e-mail service. Content based bouncing of spam must be becoming common place enough that now spammers are trying to convince the user that the anti-spam savvy ISP is providing the user with bad service when the exact opposite is actually true.
From: LISTSERV@LISTSERV.VERSUS.COM
Subject: Your removal from the EDEALSSUPER list
Date: April 6, 2006 11:00:07 PM CDT
To: Address Removed -Tim.
Reply-To: EDEALSSUPER-request@LISTSERV.VERSUS.COMFri, 7 Apr 2006 00:00:07
You have been automatically removed from the EDEALSSUPER list
(eDealsSuper) as a result of repeated delivery error reports from your
mail system. This decision was based on the automatic error monitoring
policy in effect for the list, and has not been reviewed or otherwise
confirmed by a human being. If you receive this message, it means that
something is wrong: while you are obviously able to receive mail, your
mail system has been regularly reporting that your account did not exist,
or that you were otherwise permanently unable to receive mail. Here is
some information which may assist you or your local help desk in
determining the cause of the problem:- The failing address is TBUTLER@UNINETSOLUTIONS.COM.
- The first error was reported on 4 Apr 2006.
- Since then, a total of 2 delivery errors have been received.
- The last reported error was: Probe failed.
PLEASE DO NOT IGNORE THIS MESSAGE. While you can of course re-subscribe
DO NOT LET TECHNICAL PEOPLE CONVINCE YOU THAT THIS IS NORMAL. It is never
to the list, it is important for you to report this problem to your mail
administrator so that it can be solved. This problem is not specific to
the EDEALSSUPER list, and also affects your private mail. This means that
YOU HAVE PROBABLY LOST SOME PRIVATE MAIL AS WELL. Anyone trying to write
to you during the same time frame will probably have received the same
errors for the same reason. The EDEALSSUPER list is but one of the many
people who may have tried to write to you while your mail system was
malfunctioning.
normal for a mail system to claim that a valid, working account does not
exist, just as it would not be normal for the post office to return some
of your mail with “addressee unknown” when the address was written
correctly. It is true that some mail systems are less reliable than
others, and your technical people may be doing the best they can with the
tools they have. But, ultimately, the level of service that you are
receiving is the result of a business decision, and not something due to
a universal technical limitation that one can only accept. Reliable mail
systems do exist, and it is ultimately up to you to decide whether this
level of service is acceptable or not.
I'm Leaking Now!
I received word last night that my kind blogging neighbors Christopher, Craig, Michael voted me into their Cranium Leakage blog-thingie (a.k.a. “network”). I'll be adding my new Cranium Leakage seal to the side of my blog in the next day or two.
Thanks, guys! I'm quite honored!
Y'all can listen to the podcast featuring the business meeting that voted me in over at CL. It's a funny listen. 
It sounds like I'm going to end up being a call-in guest on the “show” someday — I wonder what they'll do to me? Yikes!
In case you're fretting: don't worry. Asisaid will still keep the same quality (or lack thereof) that you've come to expect. Although, in honor of this event, I think I am going to drop the medieval spellings I announced the other day.
