“Sez Who?”

I’m reading through Keller’s Reason for God and came upon this quote from the “late Yale law professor Arthur Leff” that perked my interest as Keller discusses the conundrum of human dignity:

When would it be impermissible to make the formal intellectual equivalent of what is known in barrooms and schoolyards as “the grand Sez Who?” In the absence of God…each…ethical and legal system…wil be differentiated by the answer it chooses to give to one key question: who among us…ought to be able to declare “law” that ought to be obeyed? Stated that baldly, the question is so intellectually unsettling that one would expect to find a noticeable number of legal and ethical thinkers trying not to come to grips with it…Either God exists or He does not, but if He does not, nothing and no one else can take his place…

The Problem with the World

In Philip Yancey’s introduction to G.K. Chesterton’s classic work, Orthodoxy, he writes:

When the London Times asked a number of writers for essays on the topic “What’s Wrong with the World?” Chesterton sent in the reply shortest and most to the point:

Dear Sirs:

I am.

Sincerely Yours,
G.K. Chesterton

 

Facebook Fallout

Dr. Mohler provides an insightful and convicting post on how the digitally savvy student suffers the life of the mind for the sake of maintaining his Facebook status, keeping track of how many cups of coffee Walter has had on Twitter, all the while trying to listen to a lecture on the horrors of suffering in India.  Here is his conclusion:

People who cannot maintain mental attention cannot know the intimacy of prayer, and God does not maintain a Facebook page. Our ability to focus attention is not just about the mind, for it is also a reflection of the soul. Our Christian discipleship demands that we give attention to our attention.

Read the whole thing.

Side-note: Ironically I both read and posted this article during class.  Ouch.

GINOBLI!!!

So you love technology…

Owen Strachan provides some helpful insights concerning the affects of technology upon the life of the Christian.  Here is his conclusion:

Enjoy your gadgets, then; use the incredible medical care available to many of us in this age; benefit from the advances that sprout up every day in our world. Use your GPS to find that elusive movie theater, your iPhone to order subs, your computer to find the Bible verse for your sermon, the email list to urge prayer for foreign missionaries. But do all of these things aware that you must shape your approach to technology, and that you must let permanent things, things originating beyond the age of the earth, to direct your life. Otherwise, it will not only be our gadgets that are impermanent. It will be, perhaps, our faith.

Read the whole post.

Is it really?

Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? (Matthew 5:25)

Reading these words, I found myself coming to the realization that based on how I manage my life, my answer would have to be, “Umm…no.”  No, more often than not, I am much more content to trifle with food, clothing, the new Mac laptops, my GPA, and on and on, rather than realizing the reality of the kingdom and seeking after it.

No my friends, life is much more than the food we digest and the clothes we adorn.  When we get dressed, there is the kingdom.  When we eat, there is the kingdom.  When we work, when we study, when we talk with our wives and fellowship with our friends, there is the kingdom.  So let us be first mindful of the kingdom and God’s righteousness, knowing that it is within the context of the kingdom that we live.

“Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”  I ask you, is it really?

Posts like these…

During the NBA Playoffs, posts like these (post 1, post 2) are one of my favorite things.

 

Oh, how some things never change…

We’ll see…

I think I’m going to blog more.  I think.  In the meantime, read my brother’s Ode to Black Coffee.

a not so uncommon dialogue…

The setting: Ched and Zach have been diligently studying the morning away while their wives spend the day shopping. Ched and Zach have just returned from a delightful lunch at Schlotzsky’s. The following dialogue is what ensued:

Ched: So what are you getting ready for this week?

Zach: Three midterms. You?

Ched: PhD entrance exams.

Zach: I see.

Ched: So you want to go to your place and watch an episode of The Office?

Zach: Totally.

Life Around the Office (1 of 1537)

I love The Office and I love my office, which happens to share some similarities with the former. Much like Dunder Mifflin, you never really know what could arise on any given day, such as preparing and presiding over a bird funeral (just to clarify, that happened on the show not my office…as of yet) to walking into your boss’ office only to find him listening to “The Power of Love” by Celine Dion (unfortunately, that pertains to my office). Because of the ever-present unpredictability and unrelenting hilarity that occurs within my office, I shall from time to time document particular “episodes” worthy of my three person readership. I guess we’ll see what happens…