The perfect description of a bard

The "Storyteller"..."He was in truth a ruthless vagabond who made his way in the world by telling stories.His stories were not always new, but there was in the telling of them a special kind of magic.His voice could roll like thunder or hush down into a zepherlike whisper. He could imitate the voices of a dozen men at once; whistle so like a bird that the birds themselves would come to hear what he had to say; and when he imitated the howl of a wolf, the sound could raise the hair on the back of a listener's neck and strike a chill into their hearts like the depths of a Drasnian winter.He could make the sound of rain and wind and even, most miraculously, the sound of falling snow.His stories were filled with sounds that made them come alive, and through the sounds and the words with which he wove the tales, sight and smell and the very feel of strange times and places seemed also to come to life for his spellbound listeners...The best stories, of course, were saved for the dining hall when, after the evening meal was over and the plates had been pushed back, the old man would rise from his place and carry his listeners off into a world of magical enchantment."

From Pawn of Prophesy by David Eddings

"The breakdown of a vertical relationship with Yahweh  means the breakdown of horizontal human relationships and oppression.Thus, the lower status of  or injustices against women in Israel or in exile...do not represent God's intentions for women, but regrettable expressions of sinful and thus, cursed life." (Redeeming Women in the Grand Narrative of Scripture, by Junia Pokrifka).

Scholarly Journals?

Is anyone else into reading scholarly journals for fun? Maybe I'm just weird. I've been reading this great series lately. Published by Baylor University, Christian Reflection: A Series in Faith and Ethics had been great. With volume topics ranging from Immigration to the Sabbath, it covers a broad range of religious and social issues. This month's issue is on Women in the Bible, particularly focusing on feminism. I'm only on article one, but it has made me think about these issues in a new light.

If anyone wants a free subscription to this journal go to www.christianethics.ws.

The American Bible Challenge survey of the week:

Who is responsible for the first sin?
1. Adam
2. Eve
3. The serpent

Give the reason for you answer.

I say Eve. Even though the serpent brought the idea of sin into the world, Eve chose to sin and tempted Adam. Adam is not free of his irresponsibility.

A New Start

I have decided to blog again. My LiVEJOURNAL blog is long gone by now and my life is significantly different. I am inspired by my friend, +Cooper Davis, who consistently reminds me to start blogging again.

Rather than just an update on my life...BORING!...I want to focus this blog more on my passions for justice and missions. I will start with a disclaimer: while I desire to put my faith into practice, I often fall very short. Example- I haven't written to my Compassion kids in months and sometimes I want to put Matthew in the oven (not really, but sometimes).

Anyhow this is a new attempt to make some sense of the things I think about.