Accordance

I've been using the Accordance Bible Software package for a number of months now in preparation for a review on OFB. I've liked it enough that I bought several modules that were useful for seminary studies. After years of trying to contend that SWORD was a nearly ideal Bible software system, I finally have to admit it isn't — no wonder I typically didn't even use it. Accordance blows it away and works well enough I've finally all but kicked the habit of preferring BibleGateway to my copy of MacSword. That's not to be harsh on the SWORD folks, they are a dedicated and talented bunch — they are simply working at some what of a disadvantage.

But the big point is that Accordance is really amazing. Accordance just gets a lot of things right with its unique, well thought out interface, and they have a lot of the best, most authoritative study resources available.

All that to say, I attended an Accordance all day seminar on Monday and am even more impressed having been introduced to more of what this program can do. Case and point: using Accordance's nicely designed drag and drop query builder, you can build a rule that will search for occurrences of the Granville Sharp Rule (two singular nouns governed by a single article and a conjunction). Unfortunately, my Greek text does not have nouns tagged as being common or proper, otherwise it would be perfect, for Accordance supports throwing in the final condition of Granville Sharp, namely that the nouns must be common. I suppose if you buy a different Greek module, then, it would be quite possible to run the full rule through. But even with that limitation on the standard Nestle-Aland/UBS module, this still demonstrates a breakthrough in easy, powerful searching — it's surely saves a lot of time when trying to do textual analysis!

I'm just amazed.

The Dems Should Bowl for the Nomination says Clinton

Check out this important announcement from Sen. Clinton.

On the Lighter Side

So I was talking about coconut being in something today. Therefore, Harry Nilsson:

Brother bought a coconut, he bought it for a dime
His sister had another one, she paid it for the lime
She put the lime in the coconut, she drank 'em both up
Put the lime in the coconut, she called the doctor, woke him up, and said

Doctor, ain't there nothin' I can take, I said
Doctor, to relieve this bellyache, I said
Doctor, ain't there nothin' I can take, I said
Now let me get this straight

Happy Easter!

He is risen!

I hope all of you had a great Easter.

Pilate's Truth

For Good Friday, I republished on OFB a meditation entitled “Pilate's Truth” which I originally presented during a Good Friday service two years ago and subsequently posted here. You can find it over at OFB.

Fallen Idol

I forgot to post on here that I placed a commentary on the Obama issue over at OFB the other day. Check it out here. I plan on running a series of presidential commentaries on OFB as we look towards the final Democratic primaries.

Jeremiah was My Pastor

Listen here for an amusing parody of “Joy to the World (“Jeremiah was a Bullfrog”), with reference to Rev. Jeremiah Wright. It's hardly a laughing matter, admittedly, when someone spews hate, racism and anti-semeticism, but still, everything has its lighter side, no?

Hat tip for the song: guess who.

The more serious take I have not given online until now: Sen. Obama has shown a troubling and absolutely huge lack of judgment belonging to Trinity UCC for the last twenty years. I've thought that for months, since I first became aware of the situation. I am glad the whole controversy has come to the top, because people should know and consider why a man wanting to be the leader of the free world would call a hateful man like Rev. Wright a mentor and his “spiritual advisor.” Neither McCain nor Clinton have close ties to anyone like this, and attempts to suggest that McCain being endorsed by someone like Hagee or Clinton being defended by Ferraro is on the same plain as Obama being guided by Wright is inexcusably disingenuous. Folks, you should be ashamed of yourselves for even attempting it.

The end result? Obama is a terribly slippery politician that belonged to the church to build up his base, a terribly judge of character who stayed at the church because he was incapable of understanding what Wright was doing, or he is lying and actually agrees with Wright's racist, anti-American opinions. Do any of those speak to someone we want as president?

Like everyone else, I was entranced by Obama at the DNC '04, where he gave his “Audacity of Hope” speech. Seeing him then, I am totally unsurprised that he is only steps away from the presidency now. But just the slightest understanding of Obama and his stands (politically and otherwise) ought to shake anyone from a naive, passive acceptance of his opinions.

World on Fire

For some reason, Sarah McLachlan's “World on Fire” is stuck in my head at the moment — actually, it has been for the last day. What's stuck in yours?

The world's on fire and
It's more than I can handle
I'll tap into the water
(I try to pull my ship)
I try to bring more
More than I can handle
(Bring it to the table)
Bring what I am able

I watch the heavens and I find a calling
Something I can do to change this moment
Stay close to me while the sky is falling
Don't wanna be left alone, don't wanna be alone

Waiting for a Plot

In a piece I found via Drudge on Village Voice, David Mamet describes Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot as “Twentieth century's greatest play.” Huh? Say again?

Waiting for Godot is one of the low points of literature in the twentieth century in my estimation — and it had to compete fairly hard to get that title! The only thing it accomplished was it served to help inspire the master playwright Tom Stoppard in his penning of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. A Stoppard play certainly is far more worthy of the designation of the twentieth century's best (although I would probably pick Arcadia as the particular play of choice). I'd also submit Miller's Death of a Salesman and Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author as worthy candidates.

But Waiting for Godot? No, that's merely a play where you are waiting for a plot.

I Like Mike, But McCain Ain't Bad

Well, I still like Gov. Huckabee and I still firmly believe he was the best candidate in any party. But, he has wisely chosen to cede to Sen. John McCain, and I believe that will be for the best. I do not agree with McCain on a number of points (particularly points like immigration, campaign finance reform and stem cell research) where he agrees with the Dems, but in general I agree with him vastly more than the Democrats. He's a mostly strong social conservative, he has the right plan for Iraq, and he is a fiscal conservative.

McCain will help keep our country not only safe, but also running smoothly. He reiterated tonight — very well, I might add — how Obama and Clinton both have visions for our country that return us to the big government plans of the past. These will hurt our economy and only place more government burden upon us. They were not right several decades ago and remain wrong today. Admittedly, President Bush has failed here, but I believe McCain has given every reason to believe he will correct the not-so-conservative failings of Bush.

With that in mind, I now place my (ever weighty!) endorsement on Sen. John McCain. Go Johnny go!