Archive for August, 2008

Mike’s Fix-It Efforts Continue

Published
by
Mike
on August 29, 2008
in General
. 27 Comments

Late yesterday afternoon, a woman had a can of paint taken from one of our Lowe’s stores in Abilene.

And I found the culprit.

For context, you might want to refer back to my post, “I Can’t Fix Stuff.”

After work, I ran to Lowe’s to get a gallon of paint for my storage shed. While the paint was being mixed, I disappeared down an aisle to find a roller. As I returned, the kind man said, “Your paint is on the counter.” So I grabbed it, came home, and rolled it on.

Just as I got to the bottom of the bucket, I saw the words “interior paint.” Not good. I had explicity asked for exterior paint. I couldn’t believe they’d given me the wrong can.

But, knowing myself and my “fix-it” history as I do, another possibility popped into my mind. I called Lowes, asked for the paint department, and spoke to a kind young woman there.

“Has anyone reported a missing can of paint this afternoon?”

“Actually, yes. We mixed a can of interior paint for a woman, but then when she returned we couldn’t find it.”

“I think I found it. I got the wrong gallon by mistake.”

“Don’t worry — that happens all the time,” she lied. “Just bring it back in.”

“Now the bad news. I’ve already put the whole gallon on.”

“Didn’t you notice that it was the wrong color?”

“Well, both cans of paint fell into my VERY broad category called ‘tan,’” I explained.

I think I could hear her muffling a laugh.

Join My Brother on Lake Volta

Published
by
Mike
on August 28, 2008
in General
. 4 Comments

I’d like to encourage you to follow my brother’s journey up to Lake Volta. The plight of child-slaves in Ghana was spotlighted last year when my sister-in-law, Pam Cope, appeared on Oprah.

But the tragedy continues. And their passion is fueled by kingdom concerns. As the rule of God breaks in, child-slaves should be released.

You can follow his words here. I’m including below his first entry:

While in Ghana this last week, I was able to break off from the art and music camp for a few days and go up north to see firsthand how the children are being trafficked out onto the lake, to talk at length with our rescue partners, and to see the progress of the new rehabilitation center that will be used for the kids that we rescue. Over the next couple of days I hope to take you on a journey. My prayer is that somehow I can convey to you a part of what I saw.

While there is a wide range of estimates about how many children there are actually on the lake, I can just tell you this - they are everywhere. At one point I looked around me and counted 25 canoes. As we went from boat to boat I realized that there were at least two trafficked children in each canoe. While that is just 50 children, you have to understand that Lake Volta is the largest man made lake in the world. The little section we could see represents less than 1% of the total of the whole lake. I feel the number could easily be in the thousands.

Please come back over the next few days and I will take you on a journey that the whole world needs to see.

- Randy

Why Did the Bridge Collapse?

Published
by
Mike
on August 27, 2008
in faith and grief
. 38 Comments

A year ago this month, a bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed. Why?

Here are two accounts from well-known Twin Cities ministers — one from a Calvinist and one from a non-Calvinist.

I continue to be puzzled with how one squares Calvinism with the apparent open-endedness of the world (including the choices the Bible calls on us to make) and with the problem of evil.

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Read this amazing conversion story about the author of “Basic Instinct.”

Birthday Memories

Published
by
Mike
on August 26, 2008
in Megan, family and memories
. 30 Comments

Megan Diane Cope (born August 26, 1984)

Teaching (About) Jesus

Published
by
Mike
on August 25, 2008
in General
. 4 Comments

Fall classes started up today. I can’t describe the privilege of teaching about Jesus and the four gospels to 310 students. Today there were there with new iPhones and iTouches in hand. I’m optimistic that these will add to rather than detract from the teaching experience.

Here are nine of my teaching assistants — a talented bunch. I’ll lecture on Mondays and Wednesdays to the whole class, and then they meet on Fridays in groups of 31 with the TAs. In other words, it couldn’t happen without these TAs (all grad students in the College of Biblical Studies with over 18 hours of grad work behind them).

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I think this was my favorite Olympics in a long time. I’m glad it’s over so I have my evenings back!

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You can’t make this stuff up.

21st Century Restoration Movement(s)

Published
by
Mike
on August 22, 2008
in General
. 99 Comments

One last time I want to grab a few quotes from one of the articles in One Church: A Bicentennial Celebration of Thomas Campbell’s Declaration and Address. This one, written by Greg Taylor editor of New Wineskins and coauthor (along with John Mark Hicks) of Down in the River to Pray: Revisioning Baptism as God’s Transforming Work, is entitled “The 21st Century Restoration — Will We Join It?” It’s a thoughtful, challenging piece.

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The worldview that Churches of Christ have a privileged place above denominations, insider knowledge of scripture, and a unique place in history is flawed.

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. . . My wife and I believe and teach our children that we are part of the larger body of Christ, and that God is much bigger than Churches of Christ and the Stone-Campbell Movement. . . . We want to fellowship with and participate in the life of Christians worldwide and in various denominations. We want to focus on Christ and why the world cannot live without him, to unite and be faithful to Christ’s prayer that we can be one (John 17). Living in Uganda and fellowshiping with people of diverse ethnicity, denominations, and politics did more than anything to change my worldview. People with all these differences can and will journey together in Christ. This is not just part of the gospel — it is the result of God’s work in Christ and our duty to be faithful participants.

Our worldview is different from that typical of two or three generations of Churches of Christ. For example, my ten-year-old daughter asked, “What’s the difference between that Methodist church and ours?” I said there are no differences important enough to explain right now. “Both believe Jesus is God’s Son and the Holy Spirit lives in us.”

The world is changing and our worldview ought also to change. Rather than asking, “Are the Baptists or the Catholics right?” millions are asking a question on a completely different plane: “Is Jesus the Lord or should I follow Muhammad?” I’m more concerned to tell Muslims and sinners about Jesus than I am debating matters of precise doctrinal formulations with fellow Christians. I’d rather show a wanderer the gospel of Jesus than “convert” an Episcopalian’s view of scripture to mine.
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Unity will expand the kingdom of God, help us become missionaries in every land and culture, and bring people to Christ, who teaches that unity and love draw people to himself.

Your Truck Can Stay — If It’s a Cadillac

Published
by
Mike
on August 21, 2008
in General
. 13 Comments

I followed this link from Larry James’s blog. Best I can tell, it isn’t a joke. It seems like something from The Onion, but I believe this is really true.

Here’s why the guy was told he couldn’t park his truck in his own driveway unless it was Lincoln calibur: “It’s our belief that Lincoln markets to a different class of people.”

Candlelight

Published
by
Mike
on August 21, 2008
in General
. 10 Comments

The Candlelight devotional was rained out Tuesday evening, so we had it last night. It was my 14th time to get to speak there, but it was unique in this: there was no wind. No wind. Right here in West Texas. So all the candles stayed lit to the end of the devotional. Here are some pictures from my iPhone:

I Know It LOOKS Like Gum . . .

Published
by
Mike
on August 19, 2008
in family
. 16 Comments

There is a very private place where my granddaughter and I go: to the Jeep. It’s a place with rockin’ music from Pa-Pa’s iPod, a cool tin container to put coins in and then dump them out and then put them in and then dump them out, and with a secret compartment that contains an “illegal substance.” (Note to my son the doctor: I know, technically, that little girls don’t need gum. But I give it in such small quantities that I think it can’t possibly do any harm. Plus, I usually try to keep soft candy instead. Just happened to be out again.)

Here are a few shots from today. (She’s returning to NC with Mommy tomorrow.) The last look on her face might convey the sense that we both know it’s a bit naughty.


Is It Really Time for School to Start?

Published
by
Mike
on August 19, 2008
in General
. 14 Comments

Tonight is the Candlelight Devotional — one of my favorite times to speak each year. I can’t believe it’s that time again! We’ve had about five inches of rain the past few days and more is expected today. In all the years I’ve spoken, we’ve never had to move inside. We’ll see . . . .

I’ve been attending classes at ACU for the past week to try to get ready for the mobile learning initiatives. I like the possibilities. The frightening thing is that I’ll be walking into a class with 310 students who are mostly under twenty years old — most of whom are fluent in technology and iStuff. I don’t want to be the fifty-two-year-old prof who’s losing control while asking, “Does anyone know how to turn this thing on?”

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Harding just announced that my friend Monte Cox has been named the new Dean of the College of Bible and Religion. Great appointment!

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I came to the egalitarian position kicking and screaming. My biblical studies took me there. Besides my own message on the topic, several other resources explain how that position rings true to the gospel. You might explore the books by John Stackhouse, Carroll Osborne, Stanley Grenz, N. T. Wright, and Craig Keener that I’ve mentioned a few times before.