As I was doing some reading in the Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch, a thought jumped out at me in the article Family Relationships: stoning is a unique form of capital punishment because it requires the entire community to accept the responsibility for putting someone to death and it prevents any one person from having to serve as the executioner. It’s like a firing squad that way. I wonder how the debate on the death penalty woud change if we each had to help execute convicts…
Month: December 2005
I Just Coined a New Word
Gumnastics:
(1) as a noun, the fascinating facial contortions of a toothless person
(2) as an adjective (gumnastic), of or pertaining to the facial motions of the untoothed
College Factoid
“The average age of an undergraduate student is 26, reports the American Council on Education. But the average age of an undergraduate living on campus is 20, the group says.” (source: Alcohol makers on tricky path in marketing to college crowd)
Overwhelming Generosity
Paula and I loved our first microwave. It had this awesome dial that did everything. You didn’t need to punch a number–you just turned the dial and magic happened.
One sad day our microwave died. Food stopped warming yet the microwave kept churning, leading us to surmise that radiation was seeping into our chromosomes.
So we got a replacement microwave from a friend. It was great, but the light didn’t work and the food didn’t rotate. And we often suspected that radiation was still seeping into our chromosomes (but only half of them owing to the lack of rotation).
And that’s just one reason we’re so grateful for last night: many of the Assemblies of God churches in the South Bay threw a Christmas party to celebrate AG US Missionaries. We and the Harlows were the recipients of outrageous generosity. Dana got books, stuffed animals, a play tea set, a stroller, some garb, and an enormous ladybug pillow (with matching sheets and cover).
And we got a fully functional microwave. No more radiation-steeped DNA, no more inexplicable tans, just hot tasty food on demand.
And the icing on the cake? Not too long ago an alumnus of our ministry gave me a PSP (a completely unexpected and much appreciated gift).
We are blessed beyond measure. Say what you will about the hierarchy of the Assemblies of God, the tremendous generosity of our laypeople is unmatched.
Because I Like Quoting Myself
Here is the thought that has been my eschatalogical anchor for at least five years: we will be just as surprised by the details of the Second Coming as were the Pharisees by the details of the First.