A True Man

My friends in high school would always talk about how this epic scene from To Kill a Mockingbird is certainly one of the greatest displays of manhood in cinema. We also always used to try and act this scene out with a straight face. Never worked.

Anyways, I was speaking on not repaying evil with evil and "turning the other cheek" and just had to show this because Atticus Finch is more of a man than you. Observe:

We're Not Dead Yet

For all of the writing on the death of Humanities departments and the trouble of finding a solid Ph.D system, there are some things that keep the disciplines within the department alive. And it might be that technology will save us nerds of the ancient books.

Patricia Cohen, an education reporter for the New York Times, wrote "Digital Keys for Unlocking the Humanities' Riches" for this morning's paper and I must tip my hat. I've always enjoyed Cohen's stuff because she's always following modern Humanities scholarship and tends to bring out some gems for us nerds.

It's a short article that illuminates some sweet digital trends in a subject typically marked by its arcane factions.

"The humanities, after all, deal with elusive questions of aesthetics, existence and meaning, the words that bring tears or the melody that raises goose bumps. Are these elements that can be measured?

'The digital humanities do fantastic things,' said the eminent Princeton historian Anthony Grafton. 'I’m a believer in quantification. But I don’t believe quantification can do everything. So much of humanistic scholarship is about interpretation.'"

Go on....

"In Mr. Scheinfeldt’s view academia has moved into 'a post-theoretical age.' This 'methodological moment,' he said, is similar to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when scholars were preoccupied with collating and cataloging the flood of new information brought about by revolutions in communication, transportation and science. The practical issues of discipline building, of assembling an annotated biography, of defining the research agenda and what it means to be a historian 'were the main work of a great number of scholars,' he said."

I'm OK with this and also realize that I won't be a part of the movement as Blogger is sometimes a little difficult for me to navigate. I'll stick to the books. But, hey, more power to 'em. Me likey.

P.S. How about that guy's coat in that picture? Yes, please...

The Washington Post Did Something Right

For some reason this video made me want an iPad and the Washington Post app. Great video.

Signature

Student: "Once you have a signature, can you do anything in the world?"

Me: "Actually, yes."


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

What A Conference Won't Teach You

I think there are a lot of great churches with a lot of awesome conferences that all communicate great and awesome things. In my short time as a pastor, I have looked at several churches who have "got it all together." They do community groups right, they have stellar preaching, they have great music, and they serve their community with consistency and eagerness. But I was challenged in a meeting the other day when one of our ministry partners complimented us on listening to the poor as a leadership strategy.

Recently, it's come to my attention that I can learn a ton at conferences and podcasts on church leadership and preaching. However, one thing I can't learn from these things is what I have learned from those who have way less than I do. When I listen to dudes at conferences I leave thinking, how can we beef up our strategies and systems as a church? My thought process is entirely centered on pulling us up as a church.

But when I leave a conversation with someone who has less than I do, who has an entirely different worldview than I do simply based on economic standing, I start thinking about how I can personally bring myself lower. I don't care about strategies and systems, I care about them. I start thinking about giving away more money and getting to know more people like that. It's a totally different thought process.

So instead of going to conferences twice a year, maybe we get to know the people in our community who have less than we do materially. Because I think we'll find out that some are rich in the things we lack.