Seriously.

Brother Jon,

Pretty lame that your wife hit you because someone on Hearthkeepers told her to.  To heck with them, I say.

Your friend,

Sean

Cranking it back up

Figured it was time to write something again on this blog.  So, I’ll start with an exegetical question for you.  How do you see Mark 1:1 functioning?  A title, a summary, only pertaining to the first few verses or the book as a whole?   What does “the beginning” refer to?  I am starting a study of Mark and trying to see what import this verse might have for the whole.  Thanks for your thoughts.

You da man,

Brother Jon

Happy Birthday to You

A “Happy 37th” to you, my dear brother.  Hard to believe this is the 13th year for us to celebrate our birthdays together (at least in spirit, if not in body).  As always, let us remember Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 16:

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.  Do everything in love.

The Lord’s blessings upon you, my friend.  I look forward to seeing you next week.

Grace and peace,

Jon

Answer me this

If BBQ is so bad for me, why does it taste so good?

If I already own more books than I could possibly read, why do I get this huge rush of adrenaline when I buy another one?

Why do some think Notre Dame’s football team is so much better this year?

Why do former KU basketball players get caught with marijuana at their NBA rookie camps?

Why does UVa schedule USC as their opening game?

Why does my wife’s blog get so much more traffic than mine?  (I already know the answer to this one)

How well will K-State do this year?  Opinions about the Aggies are not necessary.

How much yarn does it take for your wife to make you a pair of socks?

Which author has influenced you the most?

When will you start reading the Lord of the Rings again?  I know you say ‘Fall’ but that is kinda hard to determine down here in Texas.

Inquiring mind wants to know.

Brother Jon

Labor Day and Ellie Bean

Brother Sean,

Just wanted to know how your Labor Day went.  I labored the first half of the day and then enjoyed good food and good friends the rest of the day.  Unfortunately, one of those friends had to watch his team get beat last night.  I am glad K-State won this weekend because most of the other teams I have connection with lost.  Miss. State, Aggies, and my alma mater, Virginia, who hopefully were well compensated for being humiliated and beaten down.

Also wanted you to know we are joining with you and your family in thanksgiving to our God for the blessings of Ellie.  I still remember the phone calls from you when all the stuff was happening that day.  Thanks be to God for His great mercies!

Finishing up Surprised by Hope.  Don’t know if you have heard anything about it but it is pretty good.

Laboring, rejoicing, and reading,

Brother Jon

What is the gospel?

Brother Sean,

I have been pondering this question lately and would like your thoughts.  I asked it over on my other blog but value your insights, so wanted to make sure you saw the question.

Thankful for your wisdom,

Brother Jon

The Pit of Procrastination

Brother Sean,

Can you explain to me the allure of procrastination?  What good comes out of putting off doing what you know needs to be done, only to stress out about it as the deadline draws near?  Yet, again and again, I find myself ‘puttering’ (HT:  Eric Alexander) around, wasting my time, energy, and resources on the trivial to the detriment of the vital.  I used to think I did it for the rush I would get, the adrenaline kicking in to get it done on time.  Now, procrastinating simply lulls me to sleep.  The next thing I know days have passed without meaningful communion with Christ, meaningful conversation with my wife, or meaningful time with the kids.  I need to do something about this.  Maybe later.

Brother Jon

Diamond Notes

Brother Sean,

Just saw you on YouTube.  Way to keep score!  In all seriousness, Pudge must feel pretty bad going down on a called third strike that had his knees buckling.

In response to your previous post, I am truly sorry you never got into Yankee Stadium.  Though not quite the same, I can’t believe I never made it to Camden Yards while I lived in Northern Virginia.

We have been in the throes of baseball fever since Day 1.  The Braves have basically been heartbreakers all seasons, though some of that has been out of their hands, what with losing 3/5 of their opening day pitching rotation.  AMA is learning the hard lesson of how God uses baseball in our sanctification.

Maybe one day we can catch another game together (just no Captain Dynamite).

Jon

The Wall Between Us Is No More

Brother Sean,

I know it has really not been a wall between us but, regardless, it is no more.  I have finished reading The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  My question for you is “Why did I wait so long?”  I could have been enjoying this for so many years.  Only downside (if you can call it that) is that my enjoyment of the movies will be greatly diminished.

Thankful for going there and back again,

Jon