1. OK, I admit it, I like to read Ann Coulter and Annie Dillard.
2. The downside to losing more than 25 lbs is so little of my clothing fits. So no, that is not a pirate shirt or MC Hammer pants I am wearing.
3. Breathing in the cold Birmingham night air is free.
4. Even a thread of hope was enough to get me through the past week. Good to know.
5. Anyone else think we sometimes use spiritual language (‘for the gospel’, ‘to the glory of God’, etc.) to cut off honest discussion and to back off from making hard decisions?
6. We Reformed theological types may have much of the doctrine of Calvin but we have all the methodology of the Arminian. Which means we need more of the former so as to have none of the latter.
8. Have you ever realized you have a knack for something after years and years of being able to do it without realizing it? Because of a love of words, I can remember precise words and word usage and I notice subtle differences in sentence construction. For the most part it is a useless skill. And I just realized I have it.
9. This.
10. Is it OK to not want to be a part of a movement you think is good?
10. Matt, at first glance, I would say yes (though I maintain the right to change my mind). Just because a movement is good, doesn't mean you are required to be a part of it, or should want to be a part of it. The first example that comes to mind is one where there are multiple "good movements" happening at once. God may call you to be a part of one of them, and not the other, or you may simply want to be a part of one and not the other. Declining one isn't a bad thing. As with most decisions, it's more the position of your heart that's important and not the participation (or lack thereof) of any given movement. Even in a scenario where there is only one good movement happening, if God hasn't called you to it, or if you're not necessarily compatible with the movement, it would be ok to not want to participate.