By the way, I have said repeatedly that I think the resolution and the background article written by Michael Riley were fair and well-written.

_______

John Piper honored his father in this message on June 19, 2005, a message which I took in as part of my preparation for preaching on parental instruction this Sunday. Piper rehearses the spiritual legacy he inherited from his father, who he describes as (a) a graduate of Bob Jones University (from where he received a Doctorate of Divinity in 1956), (b) an itinerant evangelist (a ministry which Piper defends), and (c) "the happiest man I've never known," despite a great tragedy Piper relates.

In addition to passing on the spiritual lessons learned from his father---11, to be precise!---Piper addresses fundamentalism several times during the message. He says "we were fundamentalists without the attitude." He notes that the standards he learned from his dad are essentially the same he practices today, and he defends their importance. He even quotes Dr. Bob Jones Sr.: "Do so fast you don't have time to don't." Though Piper speaks very highly of fundamentalists, he does share that it was sad for him and his father to see fundamentalists sometimes wield the truth in an unloving way.

One more thing: about 30 minutes in he throws in a Driscoll-ism that probably would have shocked his dad but which cracked me right up---and it's accurate.

Piper's dad impacted him with Bible truth. It's edifying to hear him rehearse the lessons he learned and fascinating to hear him speak of his fundamentalist heritage.

My 9 frame walk cycle!!!!!

O.K thank you... thank you... enough with the clapping o.k cut it out... lol you guys rule but,

it didn't really take 2 days... it just took 10 seconds... but its so good I'm adding it to the animation page anyway! I hope you like it!

ADDED: New animation HARD FIGHT!!!

1. Historical Development of the Doctrine of the Trinity

A. God the Father
Deity recognized & established during the OT period
B. God the Son
Revealed in OT, but not clearly
Revealed fully in NT as the the Son of God
Deity 'established' by early church
C. God the Holy Spirit
Revealed in OT & NT, but not clearly
Activity realized in early church
Divinity 'established' by Early Church Fathers ca 4th century

2. Trinity and the Holy Spirit

A. Images of the Spirit of God
Affirmation - John 4:24
B. Wind - ruach
The Red Sea Exodus 14:21
Judgement Isaiah 40:7
Destroying Pride various
Refreshment Hosea 6:3
C. Breath - ruach
Creation breathing into Adam
Prophecy Dry Bones
In Creation various
D. Charism & the Prophetic Office
E. Divinity Question regarding the Holy Spirit

3. Trinity as Naming God - Robert Jenson
4. Barth

Barth's doctrine of the Trinity, as far as it is represented by McGrath, centers on the idea that the knowledge of God the Father and God the Son is predicated on the activity of God the Holy Spirit.

We shall try to make sense of that Sunday.

Solo Deo Gloria,
jason

Le contrat cadre ISDA (1992 ou 2002) est la pièce maîtresse de la documentation. Le principe fondamental de l’ensemble contractuel ISDA est le principe du negotium unique (« Single Agreement »). Ce concept peut être appréhendé en considérant chaque élément formant l’ensemble.

Ainsi l’ISDA 1992 comprend un contrat standard pré-imprimé de 18 pages et 14 articles, auxquels sont jointes une annexe ou Schedule (la « Schedule ») qui comprend des stipulations de crédit, mais surtout des clauses électives ou élaborées sur-mesure pour chaque type de situation. La Schedule permet d’adapter l’ISDA standard: c’est la Schedule que les parties vont travailler et amender (en opérant des choix de clauses applicables, en amendant des clauses de l’ISDA standard, ou en introduisant de nouvelles clauses telles que celles qu’ils extraient de l’ISDA 2002) au cours de leurs négociations : si l’ISDA standard peut être comparé à un bloc de pierre brut, la Schedule est le ciseau du sculpteur.

L’ensemble formé par l’ISDA standard et sa Schedule est le contrat cadre définissant les conditions juridiques générales sur le fondement duquel des transactions spécifiques seront passées. Ces transactions spécifiques (« Transactions ») seront formalisées dans des documents appelés « Confirmations ». A chaque Transaction correspond donc une Confirmation, étant précisé qu’il existe également des Master Confirmations qui permettent de définir des termes génériques applicables à une catégorie homogène de Transactions passées sous un même ISDA (en pratique les Master Confirmations sont mis en place pour les produits les plus standards, en l'occurence les dérivés sur titre de capital ("Equity Derivatives") et les Credit Default Swaps ("CDS"). Lorsqu'un Master Confirmation existe, un Transaction Supplement, document succinct, est rédigé pour chaque Transaction spécifique.

On distingue encore deux types de Confirmations : la Long Form et la Short Form. La Long Form, sans entrer dans les détails, est une Confirmation conclue entre des contreparties qui n’ont pas conclu d’ISDA (par exemple parce que le volume des Transaction entre elles ne le justifie pas, ou parce qu'elles n'en ont pas eu le temps). La Long Form contiendra donc des stipulations reproduisant un ISDA, ce qui la rend plus conséquente qu’une Confirmation normale c'est-à-dire une Short Form.

L’ensemble contractuel ci-dessus décrit (ISDA standard + Schedule + Confirmations) est un negotium unique ainsi que stipulé à l'Article 1 (c) du Master ISDA:

Single Agreement. All Transactions are entered into in reliance on the fact that this Master Agreement and all Confirmations form a single agreement between the parties (collectively referred to as this "Agreement"), and the parties would not otherwise enter into any Transactions.

L'ensemble des Transactions passées sous un ISDA s'intègrent à un seul et même contrat. Notons également que la Credit Support Annex ("CSA") documentant les garanties conférées à la contrepartie ISDA, s'intègre également dans l'ensemble contractuel décrit.

Avant d'aller plus loin il est essentiel de souligner le rôle cardinal joué par ce principe de negotium unique en matière de réduction des risques par le truchement de la technique de la compensation. Un nombre important de Transactions peuvent en effet être conclues par les contreparties à un ISDA : en cas de manquement contractuel d’une partie, les parties peuvent, en vertu du principe de negotium unique et selon les modalités fixées dans l’ISDA, calculer un solde compensé sur l’ensemble de ces Transactions. Le risque systémique et les risques de cherry picking sont ainsi limités.

Cette technique de compensation déclanchée par un manquement contractuel et désignée dans le jargon sous le vocable « Close-Out Netting ». Son principe est que lors de la survenance d’un manquement contractuel autorisant les parties à résilier l’ensemble ou certaines des transactions en cours, ces transactions résiliées sont évaluées sur une base compensée, un solde compensé unique étant dû par une contrepartie à l’autre in fine. Cette compensation a lieu de la même manière que dans l’exemple des banques A et B : elle prend en compte à la fois les opérations dans la monnaie et celles hors de la monnaie, de telle manière que les obligations individuelles de chaque partie sous-jacentes à chaque opération sont, par effet de la résiliation, remplacées par un unique solde compensé dû par une seule partie.

Les clauses relatives aux règles de compensation figurent à l’article 6(e) de l’ISDA 1992 et seront vues plus en détail ultérieurement.

J’étudierai dans un prochain post un droit contractuel de compensation plus large que le Close-Out Netting. Ce droit dit de « Set-Off » est souvent inclus dans la Schedule d’un ISDA 1992, et il figure dans le pré-imprimé ISDA 2002.

Le droit applicable à un ISDA est généralement le droit anglais ou le droit US. Lorsque deux contreparties d’un même autre pays concluent un ISDA, il est cependant courant qu’ils désignent comme applicable le droit de ce pays et désignent les tribunaux de ce pays comme compétents pour connaître des litiges naissant à l’occasion de l’ISDA à l’article 5 de la Schedule. En France, les contreparties françaises utilisent une autre documentation que l’ISDA, qui est rédigée en français, c’est la documentation FBF. Une semblable documentation nationale existe également en Allemagne.

L’ISDA 1992 bénéficie de la sécurité conférée par les consultations juridiques rédigées par des cabinets d’avocats situés dans différentes juridictions - c’est l’ISDA qui leur a confié cette mission. Les consultations portent principalement sur l’appréhension par le droit de chaque juridiction de:

· la validité du Close-Out Netting ;

· la possibilité de résilier des Transactions en cas d’insolvabilité d’une contrepartie ;

· la mise en œuvre de la clause de Résiliation Automatique ;

· l’impact qu’a le fait de conclure des Transactions par l’intermédiaire de succursales situées dans différentes juridictions ; et

· des garanties.

]]> http://kesjendi.wordpress.com/?p=104 Wed, 09 Apr 2008 19:07:30 +0000 KesJenDi http://kesjendi.wordpress.com/?p=104 Il parait que nous ne rions pas assez chaque jour, et ce n'est pas avec ce qui suit que je détend mes zygomatiques, au contraire.

Par contre, et sans avoir besoin de la fameuse console de jeu qui permet d'entraîner son cerveau, je me livre à des exercices de calcul mental et à un travail de la mémoire régulièrement, grâce au MEDEF et à la fine équipe.

Ainsi, lorsque j'entends comme ce matin Daniel Bouton [fr] (en sa qualité de président de la Fédération Française des Banques) expliquer devant la commission des finances de l'assemblée nationale que les pertes des banques françaises dues à la crise des subprimes sont évaluées à 14,4 milliards d'euros [fr], je ne peux m'empêcher de diviser mentalement par 2 et de comparer insidieusement avec les économies souhaitées par Nicolas Sarkozy en dépeçant réformant l'état [fr].
Mais le sieur Bouton ne s'arrête pas là et poursuit son propos en expliquant que ces pertes ne sont que portion congrue et n'illustrent en rien une quelconque dérive d'un système financier qui perd toute raison dans sa recherche frénétique de toujours davantage de profits.
A peine du bout des lèvres consent-il à admettre qu'il y a bien pu y avoir quelques dysfonctionnements que le régulateur saura bien vite encadrer, pour permettre à l'ensemble de continuer ainsi tout en rassurant les bonnes gens.
Vous aurez compris que je ne retranscris pas fidèlement son propos mais le synthétise en reformulant, c'est un exercice pas inintéressant auquel je me livre régulièrement.

Je dois avoir l'esprit tordu pour continuer ainsi ma gymnastique neuronale, mais ce serait dommage de gâcher la matière qui est à ma disposition aujourd'hui.

J'en termine avec mon exercice favori de travail de la mémoire pour faire en sorte d'avoir présentes en tête les lignes qui précèdent, la prochaine fois que Laurence Parisot nous resservira un de ses gimmicks favoris : "les forces vives qui croulent sous le poids des taxes et impôts".

A idéia é fazer um cadastro dos integrantes de cada torcida organizada para enibir atuação de torcedores que agem violentamente nos jogos.

Atitude válida por parte da federação.

Notícia:
http://www.fbf.org.br/portal/index.php?p=noticias.php&idSCat=90&idN=5720

Solo Deo Gloria,

jason

Solo Deo Gloria,

Jason

Solo Deo Gloria,

jason

Grace & Peace,

jason

Solo Deo Gloria,

Jason

Solo Deo Gloria,

Jason

Solo Deo Gloria,
Jason

So, I'll roast mid week and have some well rested beans.  Brewing in the Chemex and dispensing into a double lined thermal carafe.  The logistics will be a bit tough, so I'm going to <gasp>pregrind some</gasp>, probably early that morning.  That way, I'll have enough for a couple of pots and can catch up on grinding with a Zass in between.   Hopefully, someone will step up and help with the second Zass.

Solo Deo Gloria,

Jason

The background for much of the Jesus chapter is anchored in controversies that spanned the fourth and fifth centuries and involved both the Eastern and Western church. In fact, it is the first 'installment' of what would lead to the Great Schism of 1054. Here's the general background and a summary of the Definition of Chalcedon. For even more information that you could ever want to know, you have the Medieval Sourcebook on the Council of Chalcedon.

With that 'background', we'll stick to the outline provided by McGrath, but I'll most likely use different material. Here's a snapshot:

1. The Names of Jesus in the Scriptures

Messiah
Three-Fold Office:

Prophet
Priest
King

Lord
Son of God
Son of Man
God

2. Jesus...

Savior of mankind
To be Worshipped
Reveals the Father
Mediates between God and Man

3. Chalcedonian Definition

hypostasis

Until Sunday,

Solo Deo Gloria,
jason

Suggested Reading: Genesis 1-3; Job 38-42.
Timaeus by Plato

Outline:

1. Creation in the Old Testament

Idea of ordering chaos, tohu va vohu
Creation ex nihlo
Contra Gnosticism and Dualism

2. Doctrine of Creation

Temptation to merge creation and creator
"Critically world-affirming spirituality"
Affirms God's authority over the world
Affirms goodness of creation - tov meod
Not perfect: sin, evil and death as signets of the fallenness of creation, Romans 8:22-23
Problem of evil

3. Models of God as Creator

Emanation - Positive v Negative
Construction - Positive v Negative
Artistic Expression - Positive v Negative

4. Natural Theology

The Problem?

5. Engaging...

The Gallic Confession; Overview
The Belgic Confession; Overview

Solo Deo Gloria,
jason

Then, late morning, wife and I took the young-uns to meet Ronny at the grand re-opening of our local McDonalds. Number 1 rode her bike in a short parade, number 2 rode a trike, and number three rode daddy's back - for almost two hours, standing on asphalt, in 90+ degree heat, and 10,000% humidity. Well, maybe not that humid, but it sure felt like it. Afterwards, we go home, lunch, and crash. Out on a few errands.

Sunday morning, 6AM, I am reviewing and finishing up prepping for Sunday School class. A new challenge - teens. First time. I was subbing, teaching from J.M. Boice's Foundations of the Christian Faith on the first table of the law. I actually thought it went very well, all things considered.

Sunday evening, apple picking at the neighbors, coffee roasting in the shop, and helped the wife make apple butter. Roasted some El Salvador #19 Monte Carlos PB (no longer listed at SM's), Mexico Oaxaca Pluma - Tres Oros, some Monsooned Malabar and some delicious Guatemala Antigua Peabery Especial. Sunday morning, I went to church with my trusty Nisan-Thermos cup filled with fresh French press Timor Organic Maubesse. Wonderful stuff.

With coffee, life seems just a bit sweeter.

Solo Deo Gloria,
jason

Now, after presenting the materials in Sunday School yesterday, something hit me. As I performed a post-mortem during the worship service (I know, I should have been more attentive to the proclamation of the word, but I am a bit quickly self-critical), something hit me. Perseverance, as I presented it, is more of a distinctive of the Reformed tradition than a universally accepted doctrine, an essential. Distinctive in that, when I commence my theology at God the Father, I more quickly and, may-haps, easily, reach certain points, such as perseverance. This, most certainly, is not to say perseverance in ascriptural and a formulation strictly from a theological system. Rather, when the character of God is the primary building blocks of a theology, as opposed to God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit, I can more quickly see the sovereignty of God over His good creation. And His sovereign electing and preserving of his people. Starting elsewhere, that is a much more difficult proposition.

After worship, I grabbed some tomes from my shelves, and found another nugget on which to chew, which seems to support my conclusion. In his Systematic Theology, Charles Hodge stated the following:

"If men were predestinated to eternal life on the ground of their repenting and believing through their own strength, or through a cooperation with the grace of God which others fail to exercise, then their continuance in a state of grace might be dependent on themselves. But if faith and repentance are the gifts of God, the results of his effectual vocation, then bestowing those gifts is a revelation of the purpose of God to save those to whom they are given."

Ruminate on the nugget of the late Dr. Hodge, and on my meager attempts to express something similar and related. I also wish to discourage anyone from abandoning the idea of perseverance as simply a part of another, a different Theological System. It grows out of the scriptures, and can be a great comfort to believers, as I'm sure it was to the faithful in Colossae. I will still do my best to answer the questions that were raised, and I will entertain any 'offline' (with respect to class) questions/discussions/arguments/non-fatal-duels, etc.

Solo Deo Gloria,
jason

What follows are the notes for a Sunday School session on these verses.

Colossians 1:21-23
Context

Historic crossroads of east and west
Ancient melting pot culturally
Greco-Romans, Jews, and Phrygians present
1). G-R's ? religion and philosophy (Stoic, Epicurean, Platonic)
2). Jews ? Judiasim
3). Phrygians ? Mystery religions

All this works against the believers in Colossae

Outline ? Courtesy Hans Bayer/CTS

I. 1:1-14 - Description, establishes context
vv 13&14: transferred from one kingdom to another

II. 1:15-20 ? Hymn of Christ
A. Outgrowth of and Embed in instruction above
B. Highlights the work of Christ and its application to believers

III. 1:21-22 ? Instruction in Christ
A. Reminds Colossian believers of the source of their existence, faith

IV. 1:23 ? Signal of something to come
A. Privilege of holding salvation/responsibility to continue in the faith
B. III & IV together issue a Divine Promise with Human Responsibility

Conclusion on vv 21-23: True believers are reconciled to God the Father through the sacrifice of the Son, in order that one may be presented before the father holy, blameless (unblemished), and irreproachable (blameless) so long as one persists in the faith.

The Question:

Perseverance of True Believers ? what does it mean?

Practical Promise of Security ? God will finish the work He started in you
Paul -
1 Corinthians 1:8-9: 8who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ephesians 1:13-14: 13In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it,to the praise of his glory.

Philippians 1:6: 6And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 4:18: 18The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen

New Testament -

John 5:24, 6:39, 1: 24"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
39"And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day."

Hebrews 7:25: 25Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

1 Peter 1:3-5: 3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5who by God?s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Words of Warning for True Believers ? Responsibility of True Believers
Paul -
Colossians 1:23: 23if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

NT -
Gospels ? Very few, if any, warnings for believers; rather, the positive side: exhortation to continue in the faith.

Heb 2:1: 1Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

2 Peter 3:17: 17You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.

Synthesis of Biblical Materials ? Applying the Truth to Life
There is a dualistic sense to the Christian life - there is an objective truth, then the living reality. For instance, you as a true believer are, right now, righteous before God because of the righteousness of Christ. But do you feel righteous all the time? When situation x is happening?

1). Already/Not yet
2). Diving Sovereignty/Human Responsibility
3). Nature of the Church ? Observation and truth don't always reconcile.
4). Marks of Salvation ? fruit, fruit, and more fruit (cf John 15, Matt 10:22)

Perseverance is usually associated with the Canons of Dordt, and is usually not represented very appropriately. Let's consult with the eminent theologian John Murray, from Redemption Accomplished and Applied, pp 151ff:

In order to place the doctrine of perseverance in proper light we need to know what it is not. It does not mean that every one who professes faith in Christ and who is accepted as a believer in the fellowship of the saints is secure for eternity and may entertain the assurance of eternal salvation. Our Lord himself warned his followers in the days of his flesh when he said to those Jews who believed on him, "If ye continue in my word, then are ye truly my disciples, and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31, 32). He set up a criterion by which true disciples might be distinguished, and that criterion is continuance in Jesus' word. .... It is the same lesson that is the burden of Jesus' teaching in John 15 in connection with the parable of the vine and the branches. "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch and is withered" (John 15:6). The crucial test of true faith is endurance to the end, abiding in Christ and continuance in his word.

This emphasis of Scripture should teach us two things. (1) It provides us with the meaning of falling away, of apostasy. It is possible to give all the outward signs of faith in Christ and obedience to him, to witness for a time a good confession and show a great zeal for Christ and his kingdom and then lose all interest and become indifferent, if not hostile, to the claims of Christ and of his kingdom. It is the lesson of seed sown on rocky ground (cf Mark 4:5, 6, 16, 17)...There is, of course, a great deal of variation within this class of people. Some appear to be converted, they boil over with enthusiasm for a little while, and then suddenly cool off. They disappear from the fellowship of the saints. Others do not show the same enthusiasm; their attachment to the faith of Christ has never been one of very pronounced character. But in the course of time it becomes precariously tenuous and finally the tie is completely broken - they walk no more in the path of the righteous. (2)We must appreciate the lengths and the heights to which a temporary faith may carry those who have it. This is brought to our attention to a certain extent in the parable of the sower....To a greater extent it is brought to our attention in the language of the epistle to the Hebrews when it speaks of those ?who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit and tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come? (Heb. 6:5,6)....A doctrine of perseverance that fails to take account of such a possibility and of its actuality in certain cases is a distorted one and ministers to a laxity which is quite contrary to the interests of perseverance. Indeed it is not the doctrine of perseverance at all.?

Here is the blurb I've been working on for a Newsletter announcing the class:

Theology. It's the stuff of cigar smoke filled parlors, musty libraries, and old white men. "It's irrelevant to my walk, relationship with Christ." "I've got my Bible and the Holy Spirit, who could ask for more!" I can't agree with these statements, and I hope you don't either, whether that is true now, or after, I'll leave to you.

These complaints are not uncommon responses from many Christians today when you bring up theology. It's viewed by many as ancient, dull and irrelevant to modern life. Theology should be none of the above. It is far from dull; just query Servetus. Begin burned at the stake, or a Crusade or two may not be as exciting as March Madness or the Super Bowl, but it is relevant to who you are as a creation of God, as a follower of Christ.

Why the creed? We at Faith Bible Fellowship sometimes recite the Apostle's Creed. On even rarer occasions, we recite the Nicean creed:

We believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

Why recite these? Are they not dead words?

No, they are not dead words. They are confessions, statements of what you and I, as Christians, believe. We all agree that God created because the early creeds insisted that a Christian believe that. They set the standard for admission to the church, the minimum requirements for admission to the fellowship. But how do they relate to me today?

As the Creed starts with "I believe", McGrath starts with faith. What is faith? It's a term used in many ways and by many people today. On at least one side, it is trusting God. Just as the story of Isaac displays Abraham's faith in God, so should we. And that, we do for many of the 'big ticket' items. But we really only give it lip service for the small things, like giving "us this day our daily bread." So, what does it mean to trust God, to believe in God in 21st Century America?

This may not solidly answer your objections, but I adjure you to come and join the discussion. The best way to hash out what Theology means for you and I today is by coming willing to listen, a cursory familiarity with the text, and the willingness to openly discuss, exchange ideas and objections in fellowship.

Shalom.

Solo Deo Gloria,
Jason

Solo Deo Gloria,
Jason

One of the events recorded in this passage is how all the inhabitants around Jerusalem suddenly became smaller in their own eyes because of what God had done at Jerusalem. It really has resonated with me how we view ourselves in relationship to God. We are infinitely valuable - Christ, the second person of the Godhead, after all, died for our sins. That is value.

Then, last night, I was looking at the bookshelves. I picked up this small book, Children of the Living God. It was so small, I'm surprised I saw it. It was seminary text that I didn't get around to reading during my studies. So, I started reading it, getting only a few pages in. But I must say that Sinclair Ferguson did a masterful job when writing this book. The warmth of God shines through as he digs into scripture, highlighting how all Christians are sons and daughters of God. One very good metaphor regards the differentiation of God's dealings with men and women in the Old Testament era and the New Testament era. He likened it to the OT era being more like small children, highly regulated and having few liberties. The NT, by contrast is the adult child, free from the confines of youth and dealing with the Father on a different, more intimate level. I must say, after six pages or so, I have been truly inspired to a new level of devotion to my Father.

Solo Deo Gloria,
Jason

For that,
Solo Deo Gloria,
Sola Gratia,
Jason

On other fronts, I'm reading the "Handbook of Christian Apologetics"
with a group at church. I was skeptical at first, but I have been
pleasantly surprised. It is a very stretching book, dealing heavily
with logic and argumentation. Unfortunately, I was not educated in the
traditional classics, so I'm a bit lacking in this department. However,
it is a good exercise. It would have been quite beneficial earlier
though. One of my former co-workers and I used to have good theological
discussions, exchanging ideas, perspectives, understandings. He's moved
on and I have only sporadic connections now. Maybe it'll work through
email, but I'm a bit skeptical.

Solo Gratia,
Jason