Looking Back

Thursday afternoon I took back the bicycle I had borrowed from Bernard Brown. I got a little bit lost, spent a few minutes visiting with the village blacksmith, but finally found my way back to the right path. When I got to his house, it seemed like just a few days had gone [...]

from Malcom by George MacDonald

That night the weather changed, and grew cloudy and cold. Saturday morning broke drizzly and dismal. A north-east wind tore off the tops of the drearily tossing billows. All was gray–enduring, hopeless gray. Along the coast the waves kept roaring on the sands, persistent and fateful; the Scaurnose was one mass [...]

Religious Wars

The Reformation Era by Robert D. Linder
Westport, CN and London: Greenwood, 2008

I have just finished reading Robert Linder’s new book on the reformation and plan to write a formal review. Dr. Linder is distinguished professor of history at Kansas State University.
A couple years ago he graciously agreed to speak to a small conference [...]

Photo of the Week

The people of Buckie can’t imagine what it would be like to live over 1000 miles from any ocean, like I do.  We do have sunsets, though.

Enn and Out

I can’t imagine a greater contrast than the behavior of Westminster Theological Seminary and the attitude of F. F. Bruce (whose autobiography I recently reviewed). F.F. Bruce guided the evangelical community away from anti-intellectualism and showed the value of historical research in the Bible. He showed that a historical-critical approach to the Bible [...]

Train of Remembrance

I hope I don’t get in trouble for plagiarizing myself!  I posted this note on my “Theological German” blog:
The Train of Remembrance is making its way through German cities, commemorating German children who were deported by the Nazis.  The German government seems to be dragging its feet in supporting the traveling exhibit.
Margaret, who keeps us [...]

Traveling Mercies

If you have ever walked out on a speech by Tony Campolo, this book is not for you. Anne Lamott’s Traveling Mercies is one of the reading selections I brought along.
Anne grew up in San Francisco in the 60s and 70s with secular parents who were devoted to progressive causes. She did have [...]

Kiva Loan Repaid

From the reader who earlier recommended Kiva:
“exciting stuff! My christmas loan is being paid back already.”
Here is the letter from Kiva:
Dear [Kiva Sponser],
The business you have loaned to, trade of vegetables run by Hayom
Ayomov, has made a repayment of $91.00. The total amount repaid is now
$364.00. This repayment will be divided amongst all the lenders [...]

More on F.F. Bruce

I’ve almost finished the autobiography of F. F. Bruce, In Retrospect: remembrance of Things Past. The book was published in 1980, I have seen it before, but it took a trip to Scotland to get me to read it. I should have come to Scotland sooner!
Professor Bruce describe how he switched from being [...]

Passing the Torch

The Final Four interrupted my posts about Buckie, F.F. Bruce, Doric, and other related matters. If the Lord wills, as James his brother taught us to say, tomorrow I will get buck to such matters.
As I was following the American basketball tournament this week (watching online in the middle of the night), there was [...]

CLASSIC JAYHAWK VICTORY

Super Mario Chalmers
helped the Jayhawks come back from a 9-point disadvantage to  tie the score and then go on to an overtime victory over Memphis.
It was a great game, neither team gave up, they both fought bravely to the end.  Roy Williams showed up wearing his Jayhawk jersey and spoke at halftime.
There are other things [...]

My Bonnie Jayhawks

Jayhawk Sasha Kahn
and one of his biggest fans
I took a nap Saturday afternoon so I would be fresh for church in the morning. Then I set my alarm for about 1:30 am and got up to watch the big game online. Round one of the Final Four. I saw the last two [...]

Dialect Difficulties

I’ll write a wee bit more about F.F. Bruce, in a proper post tomorrow. Right now I note an amusing comment that I can certainly relate to. He mentioned his struggles in Vienna to communicate in German, and to understand the Viennese dialect. He had a professor with a strong Berliner accent, [...]

F. F. Bruce

F.F.Bruce
I am about 17 miles from Elgin (hard ‘g’ as in again), the hometown of the world famous biblical scholar F. F. Bruce.
I am tempted to write an epic poem about “Frederick the Bruce.”
If my grasp of Gaelic and Doric advances at a miraculous pace, and if the Muse of history visits me–I just might [...]

Buckie

I’m having a wonderful time, although I was greeted with news of a tragedy that affects the whole town. There was a terrible accident in which three people were killed and one remains in critical condition. One of the victims was an 8-year-old boy, two were his great aunt and grandmother, and one [...]