[
  {
    "id": 0,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "You may not want to talk with me right now. I’m reading Ron Chernow’s biography of George Washington and anything you say will definitely be related to courageous deeds or good tailoring.\n",
    "dateiso": "2026-03-23 21:48:10 -0700",
    "date": "9:48 p.m. on Mar 23, 2026",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2026/03/23/you-may-not-want-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2026%2F03%2F23%2Fyou-may-not-want-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "All the paintings I did in January. 🎨\n",
    "dateiso": "2026-03-07 20:37:04 -0700",
    "date": "8:37 p.m. on Mar 7, 2026",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2026/03/07/all-the-paintings-i-did.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2026%2F03%2F07%2Fall-the-paintings-i-did.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 2,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Watching shooting stars and the lunar eclipse this morning with my daughter. Lovely.\n",
    "dateiso": "2026-03-03 20:27:55 -0700",
    "date": "8:27 p.m. on Mar 3, 2026",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2026/03/03/watching-shooting-stars-and-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2026%2F03%2F03%2Fwatching-shooting-stars-and-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 3,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Sunset out in Marana. Eastside, Westside.\n\n",
    "dateiso": "2026-03-03 08:39:48 -0700",
    "date": "8:39 p.m. on Mar 3, 2026",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2026/03/03/sunset-out-in-marana-eastside.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2026%2F03%2F03%2Fsunset-out-in-marana-eastside.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 4,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Finished reading The Dip. Main idea: If you compete, only aim to be the best. Not just better than most. But first ask if you have the time, talent, resources, and focus to get through the dip. If not, quit and be the best elsewhere. If you do, commit and push through! The rewards are are huge. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2026-01-08 16:32:16 -0700",
    "date": "4:32 p.m. on Jan 8, 2026",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2026/01/08/finished-reading-the-dip-main.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2026%2F01%2F08%2Ffinished-reading-the-dip-main.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 5,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I finished reading: Smart Brevity by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, Roy Schwartz. Not everything needs to be brief, but most things do. This book can help. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2026-01-08 16:15:10 -0700",
    "date": "4:15 p.m. on Jan 8, 2026",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2026/01/08/i-finished-reading-smart-brevity.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2026%2F01%2F08%2Fi-finished-reading-smart-brevity.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 6,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Day 3 Strada Easel Challenge - Tucson mountains. My first plein air of a sunset. Can’t wait to try again.\n",
    "dateiso": "2026-01-03 23:35:14 -0700",
    "date": "11:35 p.m. on Jan 3, 2026",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2026/01/03/day-strada-easel-challenge-tucson.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2026%2F01%2F03%2Fday-strada-easel-challenge-tucson.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 7,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Day 2 Strada Easel Challenge\n",
    "dateiso": "2026-01-03 18:31:35 -0700",
    "date": "6:31 p.m. on Jan 3, 2026",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2026/01/03/day-strada-easel-challenge.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2026%2F01%2F03%2Fday-strada-easel-challenge.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 8,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Day 1 Strada Easel Challenge.\n",
    "dateiso": "2026-01-01 23:59:59 -0700",
    "date": "11:59 p.m. on Jan 1, 2026",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2026/01/01/day-strada-easel-challenge.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2026%2F01%2F01%2Fday-strada-easel-challenge.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 9,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Finished reading: In the Hands of the People by Jon Meacham 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-12-26 18:18:00 -0700",
    "date": "6:18 p.m. on Dec 26, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/12/26/finished-reading-in-the-hands.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F12%2F26%2Ffinished-reading-in-the-hands.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 10,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🔗 Goodbye “Big Eva,” Hello “Gig Eva”\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-11-17 08:08:00 -0700",
    "date": "8:08 p.m. on Nov 17, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/11/17/goodbye-big-eva-hello-gig.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F11%2F17%2Fgoodbye-big-eva-hello-gig.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 11,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "On Repeat: Alexandra Whittingham | Letters from Paris\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-11-05 09:00:03 -0700",
    "date": "9:00 p.m. on Nov 5, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/11/05/on-repeat-alexandra-whittingham-letters.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F11%2F05%2Fon-repeat-alexandra-whittingham-letters.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 12,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I’m reading: Right Kind of Wrong by Amy C. Edmondson. She helpfully distinguishes between different kinds of mistakes. This is a more useful thing than I realized when I started this book.\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-09-17 22:30:54 -0700",
    "date": "10:30 p.m. on Sep 17, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/09/17/im-reading-right-kind-of.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F09%2F17%2Fim-reading-right-kind-of.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 13,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I started reading: The Grief Recovery Handbook, 20th Anniversary Expanded Edition by John W. James, Russell Friedman. About halfway through. So far very good.\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-09-17 22:27:56 -0700",
    "date": "10:27 p.m. on Sep 17, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/09/17/i-started-reading-the-grief.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F09%2F17%2Fi-started-reading-the-grief.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 14,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2025-08-05 16:13:40 -0700",
    "date": "4:13 p.m. on Aug 5, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/08/05/161340.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F08%2F05%2F161340.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 15,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Finished reading: A Heart Aflame for God by Matthew C. Bingham. Bingham does an excellent job synthesizing the Reformed perspective on spiritual formation and interacting with other views. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-08-02 21:51:49 -0700",
    "date": "9:51 p.m. on Aug 2, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/08/02/finished-reading-a-heart-aflame.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F08%2F02%2Ffinished-reading-a-heart-aflame.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 16,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Finished reading: The Doodle Revolution by Sunni Brown. I loved working slowly through this book; learned a lot. I even adjusted my sermon prep process as a result. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-06-27 23:58:29 -0700",
    "date": "11:58 p.m. on Jun 27, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/06/27/finished-reading-the-doodle-revolution.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F06%2F27%2Ffinished-reading-the-doodle-revolution.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 17,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Reading: Saving the Reformation by W. Robert Godfrey 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-06-12 08:38:37 -0700",
    "date": "8:38 p.m. on Jun 12, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/06/12/reading-saving-the-reformation-by.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F06%2F12%2Freading-saving-the-reformation-by.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 18,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Reading: How to Lead Your Family by Joel R. Beeke 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-06-12 08:37:39 -0700",
    "date": "8:37 p.m. on Jun 12, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/06/12/reading-how-to-lead-your.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F06%2F12%2Freading-how-to-lead-your.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 19,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Is there a mail client that is better than Apple Mail? I feel like I can’t get signatures to work consistently correct, search is slow and has trouble finding things. Copy and paste creates weird formatting sometimes.\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-06-09 22:59:45 -0700",
    "date": "10:59 p.m. on Jun 9, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/06/09/is-there-a-mail-client.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F06%2F09%2Fis-there-a-mail-client.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 20,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2025-05-06 22:08:00 -0700",
    "date": "10:08 p.m. on May 6, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/05/06/220800.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F05%2F06%2F220800.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 21,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Finished reading: The Pastor and the Modern World. R. Kent Hughes’ chapter is gold. Although there’s not a single word about A.I., preacher’s wondering if and how to use it will find this chapter very helpful. It’s a must read. Also, Alfred Poirier introduces Gregory of Nazianzus’ thoughts on pastoral ministry—ancient wisdom from modern times. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-05-06 13:45:55 -0700",
    "date": "1:45 p.m. on May 6, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/05/06/finished-reading-the-pastor-and.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F05%2F06%2Ffinished-reading-the-pastor-and.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 22,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Finished reading: Feeding the Mouth That Bites You: Parenting Teenagers into Adulthood by Kenneth Wilgus. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-05-05 18:49:23 -0700",
    "date": "6:49 p.m. on May 5, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/05/05/finished-reading-feeding-the-mouth.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F05%2F05%2Ffinished-reading-feeding-the-mouth.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 23,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Why McDonald\u0026rsquo;s Coffee Tastes So Good\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-05-05 08:30:28 -0700",
    "date": "8:30 p.m. on May 5, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/05/05/why-mcdonalds-coffee-tastes-so.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F05%2F05%2Fwhy-mcdonalds-coffee-tastes-so.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 24,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Finished reading: Sanctification of the Sabbath by Robert Haldane. This one came from her church as mini library. I’ll put it back next week for those who might like to read it. His main purpose is to prove two things, which I think he does. 1) Our duty to observe a day of rest every seven days day comes from its institution in creation before the mosaic economy. 2) The pattern of 6+1 always remains the same, but God changed the Sabbath from the seventh day of the week to the first day of the week. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-05-04 22:44:01 -0700",
    "date": "10:44 p.m. on May 4, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/05/04/finished-reading-sanctification-of-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F05%2F04%2Ffinished-reading-sanctification-of-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 25,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Finished reading: Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall B. Rosenberg 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-04-24 11:35:51 -0700",
    "date": "11:35 p.m. on Apr 24, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/04/24/finished-reading-nonviolent-communication-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F04%2F24%2Ffinished-reading-nonviolent-communication-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 26,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Currently reading: Writing with Style by Lane Greene 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-04-15 07:10:44 -0700",
    "date": "7:10 p.m. on Apr 15, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/04/15/currently-reading-writing-with-style.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F04%2F15%2Fcurrently-reading-writing-with-style.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 27,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": " ",
    "dateiso": "2025-03-20 22:51:04 -0700",
    "date": "10:51 p.m. on Mar 20, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/03/20/225104.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F03%2F20%2F225104.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 28,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Small talk does some big jobs. Here’s one:\n Instead of resenting small talk, I now see it as a gateway to a more meaningful connection. After some soothing chitchat, I now feel more confident about taking risks and asking questions that I might have once worried were too far afield.\n Read more in the Wall Street Journal.\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-03-14 22:06:17 -0700",
    "date": "10:06 p.m. on Mar 14, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/03/14/small-talk-does-some-big.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F03%2F14%2Fsmall-talk-does-some-big.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 29,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Finished reading: The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament by Leon J. Wood 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-03-08 20:58:23 -0700",
    "date": "8:58 p.m. on Mar 8, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/03/08/finished-reading-the-holy-spirit.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F03%2F08%2Ffinished-reading-the-holy-spirit.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 30,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Kinnor",
    "text": "Four interesting facts about the kinnor.\n The kinnor was invented by Jubal (Genesis 4:21) and is the first musical instrument mentioned in the Bible. It was the instrument that David played for Saul. Chinnereth/Kinneret—an ancient city—might have it\u0026rsquo;s name because it looked like a kinnor. The kithara, which I\u0026rsquo;ve posted about before, is probably a derivate word and instrument as well. The Greek translation of the Old Testament translates kinnor as kithara in twenty out of forty places. (Sachs, The History of Musical Instruments, 106)  ",
    "dateiso": "2025-03-08 20:30:13 -0700",
    "date": "8:30 p.m. on Mar 8, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/03/08/kinnor.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F03%2F08%2Fkinnor.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 31,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2025-03-05 11:47:33 -0700",
    "date": "11:47 p.m. on Mar 5, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/03/05/114733.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F03%2F05%2F114733.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 32,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "“I’m Sorry” Isn’t Enough: Why Acknowledging the Hurt Is Vital to a Real Apology",
    "text": "A key part of a real apology—one people often overlook—is acknowledging the hurt. And that usually requires more than just, \u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;m sorry I hurt you.\u0026rdquo; You need to be specific.\nFor example, imagine a dad who’s late to his son\u0026rsquo;s piano recital—for the third time.\nInstead of saying, \u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;m so sorry I was late. I won\u0026rsquo;t do it again,\u0026rdquo; he might say: \u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;m really sorry I was late to your recital. If I were in your shoes, I’d wonder if my dad really cared about me. I’d probably feel embarrassed too, seeing all the other kids' parents there but not mine. Is that how you felt?\u0026rdquo;\nNow, consider how the son might respond. He could confirm: \u0026ldquo;Yeah. Exactly.\u0026rdquo; This confirms that the father got it right. Without this confirmation he might remain uncertain about how his son felt, even after an accepted apology.\nThe son could also correct the father\u0026rsquo;s thinking. The son might say, \u0026ldquo;Well, I know you care about me, but I was definitely embarrassed.\u0026rdquo; Or maybe he\u0026rsquo;d add something: \u0026ldquo;Yeah, it didn\u0026rsquo;t feel like you cared, and I was embarrassed. But your being late also made me mad and distracted me from playing well. Now my teacher is disappointed.\u0026rdquo;\nIf the father hadn\u0026rsquo;t asked, he might have remained in the dark about something he really needs to know. But since he asked, the father got clarity about what happened and the state of his relationship. It will help him to know what to do differently next time. And even motivate him in the future to show up on time.\n_There are other benefits to acknowledging the harm and seeking confirmation. _\nFor one, it shows humility. The father admits that even while apologizing, he might not fully understand what he did. This humility can help rebuild trust.\nAcknowledging harm also shows love. Sometimes we apologize to make ourselves look or feel better. People hate this and it makes the situation worse. Our apologies should be loving, not self-serving. Acknowledging the specific impact of your actions helps the other person know you truly care.\nFinally, acknowledging harm gives the person you hurt what they need. When relationships break, most people don’t want gifts or grand gestures. They want to be heard. They need to know that you know how your actions affected them. Acknowledging specific harms helps that happen and is huge for restoring trust.\nSo if acknowledging the hurt is so important, why do we skip it in our apologies?\nIt\u0026rsquo;s because we are afraid. We are afraid we\u0026rsquo;ll make things worse by bringing up “the bad thing.” We worry it will just reopen wounds. And sometimes, the truth hurts—it\u0026rsquo;s scary to face what we did. So this step feels risky.\nSo yes, there\u0026rsquo;s some risk involved, but avoiding this step is also risky. When we try to ignore or smooth over the harm we\u0026rsquo;ve caused, the hurt person feels even more unloved and trusts us even less. And if we don\u0026rsquo;t truly understand what\u0026rsquo;s happened, we may think we\u0026rsquo;ve apologized for what we\u0026rsquo;ve done, when—in reality—we haven\u0026rsquo;t.\nSo the next time you need to apologize, consider this step. Admitting and confirming the harm we cause helps rebuild trust, respects the other person’s feelings, and opens the door to deeper healing.\n Related Posts: How to Say I\u0026rsquo;m Sorry, What does it mean to forgive? The 4 Promises of Forgiveness\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-02-21 16:23:10 -0700",
    "date": "4:23 p.m. on Feb 21, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/02/21/apology-key-acknowledge-the-hurt.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F02%2F21%2Fapology-key-acknowledge-the-hurt.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 33,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "How to Say Sorry",
    "text": "When we hurt others, we should apologize. An apology helps set things right.\nThis doesn\u0026rsquo;t mean that every mistake warrants a grand apology. Over-apologizing for small missteps cheapens the value of apologies that truly matter. For minor errors, a simple and genuine “Pardon me” or “I’m sorry” is best.\nBut when you\u0026rsquo;ve hurt someone in a big way, your apology should match. Ken Sande\u0026rsquo;s Seven A\u0026rsquo;s of a Biblical Confession, help us get that right.\n Address everyone involved (All those whom you affected) Avoid if, but, and maybe (Do not try to excuse your wrongs) Admit specifically (Both attitudes and actions) Acknowledge the hurt (Express sorrow for hurting someone) Accept the consequences (Such as making restitution) Alter your behavior (Change your attitudes and actions) Ask for forgiveness  Notice how each \u0026ldquo;A\u0026rdquo; is critical in it\u0026rsquo;s own way. Of course, don\u0026rsquo;t be overly rigid about these, but think about what goes wrong when one of these is left out.\nConsider these examples. Can you find the A\u0026rsquo;s?\nScenario 1: During a stressful project deadline, you lose your temper and yell at two of your colleagues, Sarah and Alex, in front of the entire team.\nApology: Before the meeting ends, you say, \u0026ldquo;Hey, guys, before we finish, I need to apologize to Sarah, Alex, and everyone on the team. I was feeling frustrated about the deadline and lost my temper today. I yelled, which disrespected each of you. It probably felt horrible, and I know it put a lot of tension in our meeting. I really messed up, and I\u0026rsquo;m sorry. Let me make amends by taking on some extra work for the team this Friday, and in the future, I\u0026rsquo;ll manage my stress better. Please forgive me. Yelling at you was way out of line. You deserve to be treated with respect, even in stressful moments.\u0026rdquo; Then you offer a private, personal apology to Sarah and Alex, perhaps with a short note in their mailboxes or with a conversation in the hall after the meeting.\nScenario 2 You borrowed your neighbor Robert’s lawnmower and then damaged it after rushing and not paying attention to where you were mowing.\nApology: \u0026ldquo;Robert, I\u0026rsquo;m sorry to say I was rushing, not paying attention, and hit some rocks. Now the blades are broken. I\u0026rsquo;ll get them fixed ASAP—I\u0026rsquo;ve already ordered the new ones. I bet you are mad because the mower is so new, and know you were planning on mowing your own lawn today and now you can\u0026rsquo;t. I\u0026rsquo;m really sorry. I\u0026rsquo;ll make sure to mow your lawn for you as soon as it\u0026rsquo;s repaired. And I\u0026rsquo;ll be careful if you ever let me borrow something in the future. Will you please forgive me?\u0026rdquo;\n Related posts: What does it mean to forgive? The 4 Promises of Forgiveness, “I’m Sorry” Isn’t Enough: Why Acknowledging the Hurt Is Vital to a Real Apology\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-02-21 13:36:37 -0700",
    "date": "1:36 p.m. on Feb 21, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/02/21/how-to-say-sorry.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F02%2F21%2Fhow-to-say-sorry.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 34,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Robert McBride, a classical composer from Tucson, was born today in 1911. His Mexican Rhapsody was submitted in 1935 for his Masters of Music at the University of Arizona.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2025-02-20 10:39:16 -0700",
    "date": "10:39 p.m. on Feb 20, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/02/19/robert-mcbride-a-classical-composer.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F02%2F19%2Frobert-mcbride-a-classical-composer.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 35,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "The spying is not stopping. Can you please start using Signal?",
    "text": "Last fall a major Chinese hack began, collecting text messages, phone calls, and other data on Verizon, AT\u0026amp;T, T-Mobile, and many other networks around the world. By December, Yahoo News reported that\n The scope of the data breach — which Microsoft has nicknamed “Salt Typhoon” — is so significant that officials are unable to provide a timeframe for when the threat will be under control.\n The FBI warned that everyone should be using encrypted apps for communication.\nI also use Signal. It has everything I need: messages, calls, video calls, group chats, etc. I\u0026rsquo;d use Apple\u0026rsquo;s encryption which is on Messages and FaceTime, but Apple\u0026rsquo;s encryption doesn\u0026rsquo;t work when connecting with friends who use Android.\nWell, it\u0026rsquo;s mid-February now and the threat is still not under control. Just a few days ago, Wired reported that spies are still hard at work and not even slowing down.\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-02-18 14:47:21 -0700",
    "date": "2:47 p.m. on Feb 18, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/02/18/the-spying-is-not-stopping.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F02%2F18%2Fthe-spying-is-not-stopping.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 36,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📚 Currently reading: Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell. I read one of her books last year, and so I put an audio version of this on in the car to listen to with my daughter. We weren’t expecting all the cello references! It feels like there will be more. Enjoying this so far.\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-02-14 14:24:21 -0700",
    "date": "2:24 p.m. on Feb 14, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/02/14/currently-reading-rooftoppers-by-katherine.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F02%2F14%2Fcurrently-reading-rooftoppers-by-katherine.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 37,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2025-02-13 17:34:37 -0700",
    "date": "5:34 p.m. on Feb 13, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/02/13/173437.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F02%2F13%2F173437.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 38,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Currently reading: How to Save the World: Disciplemaking Made Simple by Alice Matagora 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-02-11 09:36:46 -0700",
    "date": "9:36 p.m. on Feb 11, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/02/11/currently-reading-how-to-save.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F02%2F11%2Fcurrently-reading-how-to-save.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 39,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "How AI affects thinking skills and if it matters:.\n “The data shows a shift in cognitive effort as knowledge workers increasingly move from task execution to oversight when using GenAI,” the researchers wrote. “Surprisingly, while AI can improve efficiency, it may also reduce critical engagement, particularly in routine or lower-stakes tasks in which users simply rely on AI, raising concerns about long-term reliance and diminished independent problem-solving.”\n ",
    "dateiso": "2025-02-10 10:50:39 -0700",
    "date": "10:50 p.m. on Feb 10, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/02/10/how-ai-affects-thinking-skills.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F02%2F10%2Fhow-ai-affects-thinking-skills.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 40,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "☄️ Bol Bol!\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-02-08 21:17:12 -0700",
    "date": "9:17 p.m. on Feb 8, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/02/08/bol-bol.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F02%2F08%2Fbol-bol.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 41,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Is understanding this paragraph part of the test? 🤨\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-02-08 20:06:49 -0700",
    "date": "8:06 p.m. on Feb 8, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/02/08/is-understanding-this-paragraph-part.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F02%2F08%2Fis-understanding-this-paragraph-part.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 42,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Currently reading: Uncommon Service by Frances X. Frei and Anne Morriss 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-02-04 19:34:13 -0700",
    "date": "7:34 p.m. on Feb 4, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/02/04/currently-reading-uncommon-service-by.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F02%2F04%2Fcurrently-reading-uncommon-service-by.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 43,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🎨 So proud of my wife! Check out all these paintings Della did last month. Big images and sale links at dellachelpka.art. Follow her on socials @dellachelpka.art\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-02-01 18:03:59 -0700",
    "date": "6:03 p.m. on Feb 1, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/02/01/so-proud-of-my-wife.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F02%2F01%2Fso-proud-of-my-wife.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 44,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Arizona Luminaria wrote about yesterday‘s Point In Time Count, where volunteers helped count and survey the homeless in Tucson.\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-01-31 09:51:11 -0700",
    "date": "9:51 p.m. on Jan 31, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/01/31/arizona-luminaria-wrote-about-yesterdays.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F01%2F31%2Farizona-luminaria-wrote-about-yesterdays.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 45,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Currently reading: Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L\u0026rsquo;Amour 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-01-30 19:24:43 -0700",
    "date": "7:24 p.m. on Jan 30, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/01/30/currently-reading-education-of-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F01%2F30%2Fcurrently-reading-education-of-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 46,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "What To Do When Management Won’t Take Your Side—Or Even When It Does | The Hedgehog Review\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-01-28 21:39:04 -0700",
    "date": "9:39 p.m. on Jan 28, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/01/28/what-to-do-when-management.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F01%2F28%2Fwhat-to-do-when-management.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 47,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "What Is the Shephelah?\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-01-28 21:24:12 -0700",
    "date": "9:24 p.m. on Jan 28, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/01/28/what-is-the-shephelah.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F01%2F28%2Fwhat-is-the-shephelah.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 48,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The Linda Ronstadt Music Hall. Tucson Symphony Orchestra and Girls Chorus performed Mahler’s 3rd Symphony there last night.\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-01-25 06:52:10 -0700",
    "date": "6:52 p.m. on Jan 25, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/01/25/the-linda-ronstadt-music-hall.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F01%2F25%2Fthe-linda-ronstadt-music-hall.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 49,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🏀 Goodbye Josh Okogie, and thanks.\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-01-20 16:23:48 -0700",
    "date": "4:23 p.m. on Jan 20, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/01/20/goodbye-josh-okogie-and-thanks.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F01%2F20%2Fgoodbye-josh-okogie-and-thanks.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 50,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "The Christian Church as Family",
    "text": "Norman Hubbard:\n Put yourself in the shoes of a traveler to ancient Tyre, a city conveniently located where the modern city of Tyre is, in Lebanon. How would you find a church in the first century? There would be no signs. The mechanic at the local Tyre Shop probably couldn’t help. You couldn’t even ask for a “church.” The word “church” (ekklesia in Greek) was a common term that meant “civic gathering.”\nYou could also forget about asking where the “Christians” gathered. For a time, no one used this term at all. When it came onto the scene (see Acts 11:26), it was almost certainly a slur. In some cases, it could have been lodged as a criminal accusation (see 1 Peter 4:15-16). Asking someone at the Tyre Shop where to find a “Christian church” might have sounded like you were searching for a civic gathering of anti-imperial agitators.\nSo if you wanted to find a Christian church 2,000 years ago in places like Tyre, you could start by asking where the Jewish synagogue was\u0026hellip;. But how would you know whether the synagogue assembly was a group of Christians? You could start by looking at the composition of the group and then listen to what they called each other.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2025-01-18 22:06:38 -0700",
    "date": "10:06 p.m. on Jan 18, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/01/18/the-christian-church-as-family.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F01%2F18%2Fthe-christian-church-as-family.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 51,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Reading: Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America by Steve Inskeep 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-01-15 21:55:43 -0700",
    "date": "9:55 p.m. on Jan 15, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/01/15/reading-differ-we-must-how.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F01%2F15%2Freading-differ-we-must-how.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 52,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2025-01-15 00:49:58 -0700",
    "date": "12:49 p.m. on Jan 15, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/01/15/004958.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F01%2F15%2F004958.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 53,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Reading: On Settler Colonialism: Ideology, Violence, and Justice by Adam Kirsch 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-01-14 08:42:47 -0700",
    "date": "8:42 p.m. on Jan 14, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/01/14/reading-on-settler-colonialism-ideology.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F01%2F14%2Freading-on-settler-colonialism-ideology.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 54,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "The Best Books I Read in 2024",
    "text": "From a few different categories, here are the best books I read in 2024.\nApologetics: Bridge Building Apologetics by Lindsey Medenwaldt was a thoughtful, non-overwhelming book with lots of practical advice. It includes a great chapter on prayer. She has a slightly Charismatic understanding of the Holy Spirit, but not without much good that I would happily affirm. This would be a good book to read and implement with friends.\nGovernment: Over Ruled: The Human Toll of Too Much Law by Supreme Court Justice, Neil Gorsuch, and Janie Nitze was depressing, and stunning in the level of evidence for the thesis. I learned a lot and think there are implications for church as well as civil government.\nCommunication: I\u0026rsquo;m trying to shore up some weak areas by following the advice of Matt Abrahams in Speak Faster, Talk Smarter. I look forward to seeing how much I progress in 2025.\nLeadership: The Manager\u0026rsquo;s Handbook: Five Simple Steps to Build a Team, Stay Focused, Make Better Decisions, and Crush Your Competition by David Dodson. I don\u0026rsquo;t have any competition to crush, but that really isn\u0026rsquo;t the content or animus of this excellent book.\nSpecial Topics in Ministry: Domestic Abuse I\u0026rsquo;ll mention two. Ready Refuge: A Cross-Denominational Guide for Church Leaders on Intimate Partner Violence by Hannah Fordice and When Home Hurts by Jeremy Pierre and Greg Wilson.\nBiblical Studies: I basically took a masterclass from J. P. Fokkelman last year by slowly working through all the examples in Reading Biblical Narrative: An Introductory Guide. That was a very profitable exercise!\nCitizenship: We can\u0026rsquo;t keep our written rights unless we keep our unwritten responsibilities. In helping to prepare my son for adulthood, he and I discussed our way through The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens by Richard Haass.\nPreaching: I read several good books in this category, one was John Currie\u0026rsquo;s The Pastor as Leader: Principles and Practices for Connecting Preaching and Leadership. The sub-title accurately describes the unique contribution of this book.\nTheology: None Greater: The Undomesticated Attributes of God by Matthew Barrett. The forward by Fred Sanders is also very good.\nPriorities: An Unhurried Life: Following Jesus' Rhythms of Work and Rest by Alan Fadling was a re-read. I\u0026rsquo;ll probably read it again this year.\nFiction: The Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell was the best fiction book I read in 2024 because it was the only fiction book I read in 2024. Still, I did enjoy it and continue to think about the story from time to time. What fiction should I read in 2025? Recommendations on the shorter-side, please.\nHappy New Year!\n",
    "dateiso": "2025-01-01 17:40:52 -0700",
    "date": "5:40 p.m. on Jan 1, 2025",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2025/01/01/the-best-books-i-read.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2025%2F01%2F01%2Fthe-best-books-i-read.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 55,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Beautiful tomatoes.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-12-31 17:21:12 -0700",
    "date": "5:21 p.m. on Dec 31, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/12/31/beautiful-tomatoes.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F12%2F31%2Fbeautiful-tomatoes.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 56,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Christmas: History or Legend",
    "text": "If you have some downtime and would like to listen to an interesting podcast, in this one, Shane Rosenthal does man on the street interviews asking people what they think about Santa Claus, Rudolph, and Jesus—legend or history?\nwww.humbleskeptic.com/p/christm\u0026hellip;\nThe responses are interesting to listen to, and he compares them to how early Christian apologists like Justin Martyr spoke about the Christian Faith. Whereas modern people tend talk about their upbringing or personal sense of truth as reasons for believing, Justin Martyr talked about history and prophesy.\nCheck out the episode. You might gain a helpful way to bring up Jesus with your friends. And there’s lots of great links attached as well.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-12-25 17:18:54 -0700",
    "date": "5:18 p.m. on Dec 25, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/12/25/christmas-history-or-legend.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F12%2F25%2Fchristmas-history-or-legend.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 57,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Watch this more than once. You\u0026rsquo;ll catch more each time.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2024-11-14 22:32:30 -0700",
    "date": "10:32 p.m. on Nov 14, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/11/14/watch-this-more.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F11%2F14%2Fwatch-this-more.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 58,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Out in beautiful Avra Valley.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-11-14 18:06:35 -0700",
    "date": "6:06 p.m. on Nov 14, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/11/14/out-in-beautiful.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F11%2F14%2Fout-in-beautiful.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 59,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "There is a lot to love about the Mushroom Color Atlas and it\u0026rsquo;s website.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-11-08 07:48:26 -0700",
    "date": "7:48 p.m. on Nov 8, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/11/08/there-is-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F11%2F08%2Fthere-is-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 60,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "A Dyslexia-friendly edition of the ESV is coming this January. I just pre-ordered it. This will be a blessing to one of our kids and many others who struggle with Dyslexia. Thank you, @crosswaybooks.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-11-04 22:35:33 -0700",
    "date": "10:35 p.m. on Nov 4, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/11/04/a-dyslexiafriendly-edition.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F11%2F04%2Fa-dyslexiafriendly-edition.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 61,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Tucson Louie\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-11-03 05:52:28 -0700",
    "date": "5:52 p.m. on Nov 3, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/11/03/tucson-louie.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F11%2F03%2Ftucson-louie.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 62,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I didn’t win, but one of my photos was chosen as a finalist entry for the new Pima County Library cards!\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-11-01 19:29:48 -0700",
    "date": "7:29 p.m. on Nov 1, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/11/01/i-didnt-win.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F11%2F01%2Fi-didnt-win.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 63,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Reformation Day Symphony\n ",
    "dateiso": "2024-10-31 22:03:14 -0700",
    "date": "10:03 p.m. on Oct 31, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/10/31/220314.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F10%2F31%2F220314.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 64,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "In God Calls Samuel, I preach on communion and communication. We long for communion with God; we find it when we attune to his word in Christ—listening and responding. Matt 4v4: \u0026ldquo;\u0026lsquo;Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-10-02 09:29:57 -0700",
    "date": "9:29 p.m. on Oct 2, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/10/02/in-god-calls.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F10%2F02%2Fin-god-calls.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 65,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Currently reading: Over Ruled: The Human Toll of Too Much Law by Neil Gorsuch and Janie Nitze 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-09-26 18:12:57 -0700",
    "date": "6:12 p.m. on Sep 26, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/09/26/currently-reading-over.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F09%2F26%2Fcurrently-reading-over.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 66,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "A big gopher snake getting warm.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-09-25 09:19:34 -0700",
    "date": "9:19 p.m. on Sep 25, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/09/25/a-big-gopher.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F09%2F25%2Fa-big-gopher.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 67,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "\u0026ldquo;for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come\u0026rdquo; (1 Timothy 4:8)\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-09-20 19:48:26 -0700",
    "date": "7:48 p.m. on Sep 20, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/09/20/for-while-bodily.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F09%2F20%2Ffor-while-bodily.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 68,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🚲 If you loved riding a bike as a kid but now find it intimidating, you need to meet Grant Petersen.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-09-19 20:25:25 -0700",
    "date": "8:25 p.m. on Sep 19, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/09/19/if-you-loved.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F09%2F19%2Fif-you-loved.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 69,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Suddenly, Poetry!",
    "text": "Sometimes in the Bible, the narrator of a story will include some poetry that might surprise you. Often it\u0026rsquo;s in the form of heightened speech like a prayer, a blessing, or a song. Tomorrow I\u0026rsquo;m preaching on such a passage in 1 Samuel 2:1-11—Hannah\u0026rsquo;s prayer. How are we supposed to read passages like these?\nPoetic passages found in narrative prose are more important than you may realize because they provide keys for interpretation and mark important developments. Here\u0026rsquo;s how S. M. Baugh explains it commenting on the songs Revelation 5:\n Songs may seem like a mere adornment to us, but in the ancient world songs were often key to understanding developments in a drama\u0026hellip; classic tragedies and comedies often featured only a few actors playing various parts and a chorus that would sing and dance periodically during the performance. The choral songs were not for entertainment only. The were interpretive and helped to explain what was going on in the play to the audience. Analogously, the songs in Revelation 5 have an interpretive function to help us understand what is going on in the vision of the Lamb.\n And now some more J. P. Fokkelman from Reading Biblical Narrative:\n Poetry embedded in prose has various functions. It articulates the material, contains a lesson, or offers a point: it intensifies the meanings already hovering in the air or implicitly present in the surrounding prose; or it formulates a conclusion in order to add a point of its own to the prose. The poetry embellishes and enriches or intensifies the prose, and is usually conspicuous, like a pearl within its setting. These functions are largely subservient to the prose, but sometimes the situation is reversed and we find it is the prose that has been geared to the verses.\n Hannah\u0026rsquo;s prayer in 1 Samuel 2:1-11 is one of these kinds of poetry in prose passages. And it\u0026rsquo;s really important. You can see that in Fokkelman\u0026rsquo;s insight that the books of Samuel are \u0026ldquo;supported by three pillars of poetry\u0026rdquo; which hold up the beginning (1 Samuel 2), exact middle (2 Samuel 1), and end (2 Samuel 22) of the story.\nI will share more about this in my sermon tomorrow.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-09-14 15:57:11 -0700",
    "date": "3:57 p.m. on Sep 14, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/09/14/suddenly-poetry.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F09%2F14%2Fsuddenly-poetry.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 70,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Feeling trapped by your circumstances? Depressed, anxious, not eating\u0026hellip;that\u0026rsquo;s how the book of 1 Samuel begins. Listen to Hannah\u0026rsquo;s story and the hope it reveals in my recent sermon, Hannah\u0026rsquo;s Rising. I pray and read the scripture first. Sermon starts @ 7:27.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-09-14 15:26:04 -0700",
    "date": "3:26 p.m. on Sep 14, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/09/14/feeling-trapped-by.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F09%2F14%2Ffeeling-trapped-by.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 71,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "In Revelation 5:8, John reports seeing four creatures and twenty-four elders, holding golden bowls of incense and kitharas. A kithara (κιθάρα), sometimes spelled cithara, is often translated \u0026ldquo;harp\u0026rdquo; in English. Here is someone playing a modern day replica.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2024-09-14 13:18:38 -0700",
    "date": "1:18 p.m. on Sep 14, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/09/14/in-revelation-john.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F09%2F14%2Fin-revelation-john.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 72,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I\u0026rsquo;m super proud of Della. She recently entered a portrait of our dog Buttercup into a painting competition and it turned out amazing. Vote for it if you want. Della\u0026rsquo;s Instagram post has a video clip of the painting you can see.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-09-12 12:25:27 -0700",
    "date": "12:25 p.m. on Sep 12, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/09/12/im-super-proud.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F09%2F12%2Fim-super-proud.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 73,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Max Richter summarizes the state of classical music and why he took a different path.\n When I went to university, in Edinburgh, I was like, “Let’s just forget about that for a minute and concentrate on Boulez.” Classical music is a very historical artform, in the sense that all classical music is built on what’s come before: At the beginning of the 20th century, tonality explodes, you get into serialism, and then you get into more and more deterministic music. So Boulez serializes everything: rhythm, duration, dynamics, all structural elements—everything is an expression of a formula. It was considered a historical imperative to do the next step in that, if you were a serious composer. If you were an idiot, then you could write tonal music [laughs] but no one would play it. Which is one of the reasons I started making records. No one’s going to play this, so I better just try and record it myself.\n  [Tehillim] is peak Reich, where everything comes together. It’s a setting of the Psalms for his ensemble and vocals, and it’s just the most fantastically put-together, virtuosic, beautiful, expressive sonic object. His music, and the music of Arvo Pärt, were triggers for me to move away from the modernist compositional language—the super-complex idea of every piece as a technical manifesto—and towards having a conversation, speaking intelligibly, and connecting.\n Read the full article: \u0026ldquo;Max Richter on the Music That Made Him\u0026rdquo; (HT: Marginal Revolution)\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-09-12 12:05:08 -0700",
    "date": "12:05 p.m. on Sep 12, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/09/12/max-richter-summarizes.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F09%2F12%2Fmax-richter-summarizes.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 74,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2024-09-03 22:39:27 -0700",
    "date": "10:39 p.m. on Sep 3, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/09/03/223927.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F09%2F03%2F223927.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 75,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Have you listened to the Humble Skeptic podcast yet? In the first episode, Shane explores faith and doubt through an investigation of his dad’s account about being in Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” bar.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-09-03 22:31:25 -0700",
    "date": "10:31 p.m. on Sep 3, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/09/03/have-you-listened.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F09%2F03%2Fhave-you-listened.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 76,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Measure twice, cut once (Bible study version)",
    "text": "Application is key when reading the Bible.\nThe Apostle James famously wrote \u0026ldquo;be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves\u0026rdquo; (James 1:22).\nBut here\u0026rsquo;s a bit of irony: sometimes people fail to do what James says because they don\u0026rsquo;t hear what James says. Many people think James is advocating for doing over hearing. But read his words again; he\u0026rsquo;s arguing for doing over not doing. Good actions don\u0026rsquo;t come from avoiding the word but from applying it, including James 1:22.\nBiblical scholar J. P. Fokkelman warns about this in Reading Biblical Narrative: An Introductory Guide:\n After some reading and searching we like to have a finished interpretation in front of us and are (too) easily satisfied with a total picture based on only partial observations of the textual characteristics. In this way we commit ourselves, and forget to check our results rigorously against the text itself once more, some time during the procedure.\n This reminds us to be careful about jumping to conclusions. If we don\u0026rsquo;t, our ignorance, bias, and laziness will get the better of us. And mishearing can lead to misdeeds.\nInstead, check your conclusions. The next time you read the Bible and arrive at some conclusion about what you\u0026rsquo;ve read, ask yourself: What exactly in this passage makes me think what I think? What might I be missing?\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-09-03 10:16:08 -0700",
    "date": "10:16 p.m. on Sep 3, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/09/03/measure-twice-cut.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F09%2F03%2Fmeasure-twice-cut.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 77,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": " ",
    "dateiso": "2024-08-30 10:07:03 -0700",
    "date": "10:07 p.m. on Aug 30, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/08/30/100703.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F08%2F30%2F100703.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 78,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🎵 Listening to Copper State, an Arizona-inspired, jazz-country album from Arthur Vint \u0026amp; Associates released today. It\u0026rsquo;s great. (HT: Tucson Sentinel)\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-08-30 09:59:19 -0700",
    "date": "9:59 p.m. on Aug 30, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/08/30/listening-to-copper.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F08%2F30%2Flistening-to-copper.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 79,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Christianity Today says that Crossway and the Gettys are working on a new hymnal. Hymnworks is helping according to its website.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-08-30 07:46:55 -0700",
    "date": "7:46 p.m. on Aug 30, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/08/30/christianity-today-says.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F08%2F30%2Fchristianity-today-says.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 80,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Violin Narrator: Chloe Chua’s Butterfly Lovers",
    "text": "While working on my upcoming sermons for 1 Samuel this morning, I heard a new version of the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto released last month by Chloe Chua and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.1 As I\u0026rsquo;ve been preparing for those sermons, I\u0026rsquo;ve been thinking a lot about how to read narratives well. So it caught my attention when I read in the Apple Music notes that Chloe Chua describes her role on the violin in the pieces on this album as that of a narrator telling a story.\nAs a narrator, Miss Chua introduces Butterfly Lovers in a quiet, intimate way that is beautiful and inviting. The beginning feels less theatrical than other versions, which surprised me, but I loved it. Instead of feeling like I was watching a movie (and I like movies), I felt like a child hearing a story from a masterful storyteller.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s a clip from the opening.\n Perfectly in control of her pitch and pacing, over the course of the first movement, Chua slowly reveals a world unlike our own. It\u0026rsquo;s magical and unfamiliar, yet full of emotions that you know well—love, longing, wonder, desperation. By the second movement, she has drawn you in so completely that you\u0026rsquo;ve forgotten where you are. And now you are in for a ride of surprises, adventure, and loss, all leading to a climatic resolution.\nThere is a story you can read that goes along with all of this. At the end, the main characters are transformed into butterflies. In Ms. Chua\u0026rsquo;s retelling, this is a quiet, beautiful moment. There\u0026rsquo;s intensity in the softness. You lean in closer to catch every detail. Then it ends. And in the final ten seconds of silence, left on the track, all you can do is breathe, listening as the last shimmers of that magical world fade away.\nBut if you are like most children who enjoy the spell of a great storyteller, you\u0026rsquo;ll soon be hitting play, asking for her to tell it again. Good stories well-told have this effect. They draw us in, take us on a journey, change us, and leave us eager to do it all over again.\n  I\u0026rsquo;ve shared recordings of this piece before.\u0026#160;\u0026#x21a9;\u0026#xfe0e;\n  ",
    "dateiso": "2024-08-27 12:23:55 -0700",
    "date": "12:23 p.m. on Aug 27, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/08/27/violin-narrator-chloe.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F08%2F27%2Fviolin-narrator-chloe.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 81,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "What does it mean to forgive? The 4 Promises of Forgiveness",
    "text": "What do you you mean when you say \u0026ldquo;I forgive you\u0026rdquo;? What commitments should you be making to the other person?\nIn Chapter 10 of The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict, Ken Sande outlines four promises you should have in mind when you forgive someone. And his wife, Corlette Sande, suggests a rhyme to help you remember them.\nCombing the two and tweaking a few things for clarity,1 here\u0026rsquo;s what you get:\n Good Thought: I will not dwell on this incident. I will ask God to forgive you. Hurt Not: I will not use this incident to hurt you. I will not take revenge, but trust God to make things right in his way and time. Gossip Never: I will not gossip about this incident. Friends Forever: I will not let this incident become a wall in our personal relationship. I will let love be genuine and seek to live in peace with you, as much as it depends on me.  Applying these promises requires wisdom and wise counsel. Sande notes,\n the four promises are a human attempt to summarize the key elements of God\u0026rsquo;s marvelous forgiveness of us. As a human device, they are limited and imperfect and should not be used in a rigid or mechanical fashion.\n But any difficulty in applying them, does not mean we should neglect them.\n Related posts: How to Say Sorry, “I’m Sorry” Isn’t Enough: Why Acknowledging the Hurt Is Vital to a Real Apology\n  I\u0026rsquo;ve made a few minor changes to the original \u0026ldquo;Four Promises\u0026rdquo; as suggested by Sande. For example, the second sentence on #2 and the second sentence on #4 are helpful things Sande suggests elsewhere that I think are best to state up front. The most significant modification is the first part of #2. In the chapter, Sande originally suggests: \u0026ldquo;I will not bring up this incident again and use it against you.\u0026rdquo; Later, he addresses the question, \u0026ldquo;Can you ever mention sin again?\u0026rdquo; by saying, \u0026ldquo;the commitment not to bring up the offense again and use it against the offender should not be used to prevent you from dealing honestly and realistically with a recurring pattern of sin.\u0026rdquo; Rather than setting a rule and the offering exceptions, I think it\u0026rsquo;s better to more strictly follow Corlette\u0026rsquo;s gloss and state the promise this way: \u0026ldquo;I will not use this incident to hurt you.\u0026rdquo; Framing the decision to bring up the incident—or not—in terms of how to uphold the rule, rather than when it’s appropriate to break it, reduces confusion and strengthens the commitment.\u0026#160;\u0026#x21a9;\u0026#xfe0e;\n  ",
    "dateiso": "2024-08-23 14:09:34 -0700",
    "date": "2:09 p.m. on Aug 23, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/08/23/what-does-it.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F08%2F23%2Fwhat-does-it.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 82,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "NASA Guide to Air-filtering Houseplants infographic by lovethegarden.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-08-23 13:07:23 -0700",
    "date": "1:07 p.m. on Aug 23, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/08/23/nasa-guide-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F08%2F23%2Fnasa-guide-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 83,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Sunset at the Cortaro Equestrian Center.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-08-13 23:40:19 -0700",
    "date": "11:40 p.m. on Aug 13, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/08/13/sunset-at-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F08%2F13%2Fsunset-at-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 84,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Nearness vs. Accessibility: Trade-offs in Bible Translation",
    "text": "What are you missing when you read a good translation of the Bible instead of the original? This is hard question to answer, but biblical scholar J. P. Fokkelman gives the best answer I\u0026rsquo;ve read.\nIn Reading Biblical Narrative, Fokkelman writes:\n The Bible reader who is dependent on a translation will lose sight of some details. This is a pity, but not fatal. In a book which by definition has to leave Hebrew and Greek aside, I cannot demonstrate the sophisticated word plays and phonetic patterns regularly used by the narrator to underline his points. I cannot appeal to the effects of rhyme and alliteration, and some word repetition disappears in a translation as well. This means that I will have to leave out almost all references to the style in the original. It cannot be helped; at levels above that of phonemes and word formation there will still be enough linguistic material to observe for us to remain in the narrator’s tracks. In a translation we can still observe how sentences are grouped, who is allowed to speak when, how the narrator presents his subject matter, what is the valuable object which the hero is after, what makes the characters tick, whether the events are dynamic enough, which reversals take place, etc.\n I think this is exactly right.\nYou might say that what is lost in translation is nearness. It’s like viewing the Mona Lisa from a distance. While you won\u0026rsquo;t be able to make out the brushwork, certain color transitions, or the tiny details that create her smile, you still see the actual painting and it can still move you. Good translations are like this.\nAlso, unless you are good at reading Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic, you probably aren\u0026rsquo;t trading nearness for distance, you\u0026rsquo;re trading inaccessibility for accessibility. In other words, you aren\u0026rsquo;t losing anything at all with a translation, you are only gaining.\nEvery day, about 30,000 people choose to see the Mona List behind a rope and in a crowd instead of not seeing the painting at all. What if I told you that you had access right now to the life-changing word of God. Would you read it?\n\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-08-12 12:58:00 -0700",
    "date": "12:58 p.m. on Aug 12, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/08/12/nearness-vs-accessibility.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F08%2F12%2Fnearness-vs-accessibility.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 85,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Interesting stat regarding the recent Arizona primary elections: \u0026ldquo;Statewide, there were 131 races with only one candidate, which comes to about one-fourth of all the seats that were up for grabs in the primary elections.\u0026rdquo; (Tucson Agenda)\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-08-12 08:51:12 -0700",
    "date": "8:51 p.m. on Aug 12, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/08/12/interesting-stat-regarding.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F08%2F12%2Finteresting-stat-regarding.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 86,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Finished reading: Bridge-Building Apologetics by Lindsey Medenwaldt. Audio available on Libby. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-08-10 00:28:20 -0700",
    "date": "12:28 p.m. on Aug 10, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/08/10/finished-reading-bridgebuilding.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F08%2F10%2Ffinished-reading-bridgebuilding.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 87,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2024-08-08 22:52:44 -0700",
    "date": "10:52 p.m. on Aug 8, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/08/08/225244.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F08%2F08%2F225244.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 88,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "See how one of the most important rooms in America has been decorated over the years. It\u0026rsquo;s hard to choose a favorite.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-08-07 22:35:22 -0700",
    "date": "10:35 p.m. on Aug 7, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/08/07/see-how-one.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F08%2F07%2Fsee-how-one.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 89,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Edinburgh Theological Seminary is currently offering a great set of classes for less than $65.\n David Nixon: Unashamedly Christian Zachary Purvis: The Parables of Jesus: What Are They and Why Are They So Misunderstood? Daniel Sladek: “Bizarre Food” or Spiritual Feast? Understanding Leviticus   Open to anyone, the Saturday Courses are an excellent way of gaining more than would normally be offered in church on Sunday whilst being less demanding than a full-time theological course.\n And if you’re not in Scotland, you can take them online.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-08-07 11:59:49 -0700",
    "date": "11:59 p.m. on Aug 7, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/08/07/edinburgh-theological-seminary.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F08%2F07%2Fedinburgh-theological-seminary.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 90,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Finished reading: Christ-Centered Biblical Theology: Hermeneutical Foundations and Principles by Graeme Goldsworthy. Solid read. I have a better view of the Davidic Covenant now. CCBT is best for those familiar with the BT field. If you are a beginner, check out From Eden to New Jerusalem. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-08-03 01:56:14 -0700",
    "date": "1:56 p.m. on Aug 3, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/08/03/finished-reading-christcentered.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F08%2F03%2Ffinished-reading-christcentered.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 91,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Good news: Apple Maps is now available on the web.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-07-25 14:05:48 -0700",
    "date": "2:05 p.m. on Jul 25, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/07/25/good-news-apple.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F07%2F25%2Fgood-news-apple.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 92,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Amazing time-lapse video of a storm forming over Tucson. Watch for when the rain starts to fall.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-07-25 07:51:44 -0700",
    "date": "7:51 p.m. on Jul 25, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/07/25/amazing-timelapse-video.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F07%2F25%2Famazing-timelapse-video.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 93,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "From Psalm 137:1\n The rest of the psalm describes why they wept, including the sorrow caused by a brother. I\u0026rsquo;ll be preaching on these topics this Sunday.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-07-23 10:47:00 -0700",
    "date": "10:47 p.m. on Jul 23, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/07/23/from-psalm-by.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F07%2F23%2Ffrom-psalm-by.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 94,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "QUIZ: What generation are you when texting? - CNN\nIf you don’t know how texting practices and expectations vary among age groups, this is a fun way to learn.\n(via @JoshNicholas)\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-07-23 07:16:07 -0700",
    "date": "7:16 p.m. on Jul 23, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/07/23/quiz-what-generation.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F07%2F23%2Fquiz-what-generation.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 95,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I bought some strawberry tamales on a whim. They’re good! They remind me of strawberry shortcake.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-07-21 22:16:55 -0700",
    "date": "10:16 p.m. on Jul 21, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/07/21/i-bought-some.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F07%2F21%2Fi-bought-some.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 96,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "MARS prof, Paul Ipema, on catechism preaching:\n importance common objections guidelines  ",
    "dateiso": "2024-07-16 19:24:23 -0700",
    "date": "7:24 p.m. on Jul 16, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/07/16/mars-prof-paul.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F07%2F16%2Fmars-prof-paul.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 97,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🌈 Did you know you can report rainbows in the iOS weather app?\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-07-16 17:47:25 -0700",
    "date": "5:47 p.m. on Jul 16, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/07/16/did-you-know.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F07%2F16%2Fdid-you-know.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 98,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Days away from leaving the nest, these two braved Sunday’s storm.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-07-16 17:43:34 -0700",
    "date": "5:43 p.m. on Jul 16, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/07/16/days-away-from.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F07%2F16%2Fdays-away-from.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 99,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Paul, Envoy Extraordinary by Malcolm Muggridge and Alec Vidler\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-07-09 10:55:29 -0700",
    "date": "10:55 p.m. on Jul 9, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/07/09/paul-envoy-extraordinary.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F07%2F09%2Fpaul-envoy-extraordinary.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 100,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Excellent book: None Greater: The Undomesticated Attributes of God by Matthew Barrett. The forward by Fred Sanders is also very good.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-07-07 20:21:25 -0700",
    "date": "8:21 p.m. on Jul 7, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/07/07/excellent-book-none.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F07%2F07%2Fexcellent-book-none.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 101,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🔗 graphic: the most common PIN codes\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-07-06 08:03:46 -0700",
    "date": "8:03 p.m. on Jul 6, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/07/06/graphic-the-most.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F07%2F06%2Fgraphic-the-most.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 102,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Have any tips for keeping dogs calm during fireworks? I just found this: Calm Your Canine: Dog Calming Music: Through a Dog\u0026rsquo;s Ear\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-07-04 13:42:46 -0700",
    "date": "1:42 p.m. on Jul 4, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/07/04/have-any-tips.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F07%2F04%2Fhave-any-tips.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 103,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "7 Keys to Generous Giving",
    "text": "I slow-preached through 2 Corinthians 8-9 earlier this year. In these chapters, Paul addresses the important topic of giving in the church. Here are seven key principles from those chapters to guide your own giving.\n1. Be a cheerful giver.\n \u0026ldquo;Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver\u0026rdquo; (2 Corinthians 9:7).\n Grumpy givers think their giving is a personal loss. Cheerful givers think their giving is a gain. Grumpy givers feel forced. Cheerful givers feel free.\n2. Remember the mission.\n \u0026ldquo;For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God\u0026rdquo; (2 Corinthians 9:12).\n Your donations supply the needs of the saints and overflow in thanksgivings to God. Typically, the more money we have, the more ministry we can do.\n3. Make up your mind.\n \u0026ldquo;Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver\u0026rdquo; (2 Corinthians 9:7).\n Seek God\u0026rsquo;s wisdom, and then make a decision! Decide how much and how often you will give.\n4. Follow Through.\n \u0026ldquo;So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have\u0026rdquo; (2 Corinthians 8:11).\n Now follow through. Good intentions aren’t good enough, implement your plan. These days, automatic bank transfers and online giving often makes this very easy. You just have to set it up.\n5. Be blameless.\n \u0026ldquo;For we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man\u0026rdquo; (2 Corinthians 8:21).\n Pursue integrity and excellence in your own finances and help the church do the same. Pray for your leaders and church financial team.\n6. Trust in God.\n \u0026ldquo;And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work\u0026rdquo; (2 Corinthians 9:8).\n Put your faith in God\u0026rsquo;s promise to provide. He will ensure you have everything you need and plenty more to share with others.\n7. Praise God for his Provision.\n \u0026ldquo;You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God\u0026rdquo; (2 Corinthians 9:11).\n As God provides for us and through us, our thankfulness grows. Express it—when you see the provision of God, join with others in the praise of God.\nWhich of these do you need to do today? Ask God to help you and thank him when he does.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-07-03 12:07:07 -0700",
    "date": "12:07 p.m. on Jul 3, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/05/28/be-a-cheerful.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F05%2F28%2Fbe-a-cheerful.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 104,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "So many good books on sale right now at Reformation Heritage Books.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-06-29 11:21:57 -0700",
    "date": "11:21 p.m. on Jun 29, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/06/29/so-many-good.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F06%2F29%2Fso-many-good.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 105,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Connection is Key",
    "text": "Michael Reichert, \u0026ldquo;Here’s What I’ve Learned About Raising Boys in My 30 Years as a Child Psychologist\u0026rdquo;:\n We know what a child needs to flourish. We’ve just been slow to apply it to our sons. A few years ago, my research team surveyed nearly 1,500 boys between the ages of 12 and 18 in six countries, as well as 1,200 of their teachers, and asked what was working in their education. In their responses, the teachers focused on the details of their lessons, but the boys wrote, often with deeply moving expressions of gratitude, about the personalities, quirks, and gifts of their teachers and coaches. They told us clearly that they need connection to do their best, whether in the classroom or on the field.\n Read the rest.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-06-28 10:07:39 -0700",
    "date": "10:07 p.m. on Jun 28, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/06/28/connection-is-key.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F06%2F28%2Fconnection-is-key.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 106,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Tips for leading worship:\n You\u0026rsquo;re not performing nor leading a performance. You are guiding people in the worship of God. Help them attend to Him. Give time and instruction to help everyone transition between movements in the service. Watch the kids to find a good pace.  What else?\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-06-25 13:37:41 -0700",
    "date": "1:37 p.m. on Jun 25, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/06/25/tips-for-leading.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F06%2F25%2Ftips-for-leading.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 107,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Michael Horton has been working on a big project, and the first volume is out now. Shaman and Sage: The Roots of “Spiritual but Not Religious” in Antiquity.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-06-25 07:38:37 -0700",
    "date": "7:38 p.m. on Jun 25, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/06/25/michael-horton-has.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F06%2F25%2Fmichael-horton-has.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 108,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Want to see a javelina yawn?\nYour browser does not support the video tag. Here is a link to the video instead.  ",
    "dateiso": "2024-06-17 22:19:06 -0700",
    "date": "10:19 p.m. on Jun 17, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/06/17/want-to-see.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F06%2F17%2Fwant-to-see.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 109,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "“She generally gave herself very good advice (though she very seldom followed it)” — Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-06-06 09:51:27 -0700",
    "date": "9:51 p.m. on Jun 6, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/06/06/she-generally-gave.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F06%2F06%2Fshe-generally-gave.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 110,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The New English Translation (NET) of the Bible includes translation and text-critical notes, many more than other versions. Learn more:\n The Usefulness of the NET Bible – The Reformed Reader Blog NET, NIV, ESV: A Brief Historical Comparison | Bible.org  ",
    "dateiso": "2024-06-04 09:13:47 -0700",
    "date": "9:13 p.m. on Jun 4, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/06/04/the-new-english.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F06%2F04%2Fthe-new-english.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 111,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I lost some steam on the photo challenge because of a spike in pastoral and family needs. The Day 16 challenge to post a flâneur didn\u0026rsquo;t help either. lol\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-05-23 06:38:46 -0700",
    "date": "6:38 p.m. on May 23, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/05/23/i-lost-some.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F05%2F23%2Fi-lost-some.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 112,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📸 Day 15 of 30 | small\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-04-15 22:06:39 -0700",
    "date": "10:06 p.m. on Apr 15, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/04/15/day-of-small.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F04%2F15%2Fday-of-small.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 113,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📸 Day 14 of 30 | cactus\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-04-14 20:53:05 -0700",
    "date": "8:53 p.m. on Apr 14, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/04/14/day-of-cactus.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F04%2F14%2Fday-of-cactus.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 114,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📸 Day 13 of 30 | page\nLooking at John Owen’s commentary on Hebrews to prepare for tonights’s sermon on Hebrews 11v30-31.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-04-14 15:55:38 -0700",
    "date": "3:55 p.m. on Apr 14, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/04/14/day-of-page.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F04%2F14%2Fday-of-page.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 115,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📸 Day 12 of 30 | magic\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-04-14 15:18:02 -0700",
    "date": "3:18 p.m. on Apr 14, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/04/14/day-of-magic.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F04%2F14%2Fday-of-magic.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 116,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📸 Day 11 of 30 | sky\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-04-14 00:33:18 -0700",
    "date": "12:33 p.m. on Apr 14, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/04/14/day-of-sky.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F04%2F14%2Fday-of-sky.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 117,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📸 Day 10 of 30 | train\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-04-14 00:25:35 -0700",
    "date": "12:25 p.m. on Apr 14, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/04/14/day-of-train.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F04%2F14%2Fday-of-train.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 118,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📸 Day 9 of 30 | crispy\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-04-14 00:04:42 -0700",
    "date": "12:04 p.m. on Apr 14, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/04/14/day-of-crispy.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F04%2F14%2Fday-of-crispy.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 119,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📸 Day 8 of 30 | prevention\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-04-13 22:05:27 -0700",
    "date": "10:05 p.m. on Apr 13, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/04/13/day-of-prevention.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F04%2F13%2Fday-of-prevention.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 120,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📸 Day 7 of 30 | well-being\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-04-13 21:46:01 -0700",
    "date": "9:46 p.m. on Apr 13, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/04/13/day-of-wellbeing.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F04%2F13%2Fday-of-wellbeing.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 121,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I haven\u0026rsquo;t forgotten my photo challenge. I had some trouble renewing my micro.blog account over the last week, but it\u0026rsquo;s fixed now and I can start catching up.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-04-13 09:22:50 -0700",
    "date": "9:22 p.m. on Apr 13, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/04/13/i-havent-forgotten.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F04%2F13%2Fi-havent-forgotten.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 122,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📸 Day 6 of 30 | windy\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-04-06 15:28:38 -0700",
    "date": "3:28 p.m. on Apr 6, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/04/06/day-of-windy.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F04%2F06%2Fday-of-windy.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 123,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📸 Day 5 of 30 | serene\nEven though I was sick at the time, I enjoyed this quiet moment painting a watercolor of my bicycle at this beachside park.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-04-05 11:05:43 -0700",
    "date": "11:05 p.m. on Apr 5, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/04/05/day-of-serene.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F04%2F05%2Fday-of-serene.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 124,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🎵 Johnny Costa Plays Mister Roger’s Neighborhood Jazz very well.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-04-04 14:14:12 -0700",
    "date": "2:14 p.m. on Apr 4, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/04/04/johnny-costa-plays.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F04%2F04%2Fjohnny-costa-plays.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 125,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🎵 Jay Nelsestuen, thanks for the the introduction to Djesse. After a month I\u0026rsquo;m still on volume 1, but\u0026hellip;wow.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-04-04 13:18:13 -0700",
    "date": "1:18 p.m. on Apr 4, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/04/04/jay-nelsestuen-thanks.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F04%2F04%2Fjay-nelsestuen-thanks.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 126,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📸 Day 4 of 30 | foliage\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-04-04 09:45:23 -0700",
    "date": "9:45 p.m. on Apr 4, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/04/04/day-of-foliage.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F04%2F04%2Fday-of-foliage.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 127,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Thoughts on private communion and ministry to the homebound",
    "text": "Presbyterians don\u0026rsquo;t do solo communion. This may seem strange if you think of communion as a purely private and personal act, but that\u0026rsquo;s not all that is going on. As Chad Van Dixhoorn writes, commenting on Westminster Confession of Faith 29:3-4, \u0026ldquo;this meal is intended to celebrate communion with Christ, but also with fellow Christians.\u0026rdquo;\n A second related reason why the Westminster assembly disapproved of private communion is found in the Bible itself: not only did the individualistic approach of the Corinthians earn an apostolic rebuke (1 Cor. 11:20; c.f., 17-22), it seems to have been the settled pattern of the first Christians to \u0026lsquo;gather together to break bread\u0026rsquo; rather than to eat in isolation (e.g., Acts 20:7).\n (There\u0026rsquo;s also a third reason.)\nBecause communion calls for community, these truths lead us away from the communion alone option and toward a more helpful practice. For those who are homebound, either sick or taking care of the sick, the church can help by planning small, in-home worship services. For members at Covenant, we aim for every quarter. If someone can\u0026rsquo;t come to church, bring the church to them.\nYes, it requires some organizing, so currently, an elder and I team up. The elder schedules with other members to join us, and prepares the bread and wine; I prepare and then lead the service. Another idea: A small group—like a Bible study or home fellowship or even a service team—could skip its usual routine and worship with the homebound members instead. Get someone to prepare the communion elements, invite the minister, and worship together.\nThe worship is simple, intimate, and reverent. Often we sit around a kitchen table or a hospital bed, sometimes we stand. I keep things brief for the sake of the sick but speak to the heart and pray that the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. He always does.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-04-04 09:27:43 -0700",
    "date": "9:27 p.m. on Apr 4, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/04/02/should-you-take.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F04%2F02%2Fshould-you-take.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 128,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "For several years Julie Beck has been publishing articles in The Atlantic on friendship. Check out: The Friendship Files.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-04-03 11:49:54 -0700",
    "date": "11:49 p.m. on Apr 3, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/04/03/for-several-years.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F04%2F03%2Ffor-several-years.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 129,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Some folks in Tucson are hoping to reduce homelessness with a tiny-home village. This is a bold experiment from which I suspect we will learn a lot.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-04-03 11:34:17 -0700",
    "date": "11:34 p.m. on Apr 3, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/04/03/some-folks-in.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F04%2F03%2Fsome-folks-in.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 130,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📸 Day 3 of 30 | card\nA special birthday card from a friend who loves the American West as much as I do.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-04-03 08:38:49 -0700",
    "date": "8:38 p.m. on Apr 3, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/04/03/day-of-card.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F04%2F03%2Fday-of-card.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 131,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Arizona Gives Day 2024",
    "text": "I shared the following with my church this morning:\n Each year on Arizona Gives Day, Arizonans donate money and pledge volunteer hours to support the non-profits that support our communities. The impact that these non-profits have in our lives is huge. And they need our help.\nBeing involved in your community is an important part of being a Christian, and there is freedom in the Lord to decide whom and how it’s best to bless.\nBut sometimes we get stuck knowing how to start. So let’s help each other out.\nIf you have a non-profit—religious or non-religious—that you’d like to recommend, please share it below, especially if you are personally connected somehow (donations, volunteering, received help from, etc.).\nTo kick things off and keep things short, I’ll just share just three (not easy!) of my favorites:\n Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization Christian Family Care Watershed Management Group  Happy Arizona Gives Day!\n But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. (Jeremiah 29:7)\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-04-02 13:15:01 -0700",
    "date": "1:15 p.m. on Apr 2, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/04/02/arizona-gives-day.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F04%2F02%2Farizona-gives-day.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 132,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📸 Day 2 of 30 | flowers\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-04-02 08:20:10 -0700",
    "date": "8:20 p.m. on Apr 2, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/04/02/day-of-flowers.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F04%2F02%2Fday-of-flowers.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 133,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "For April I’m sharing a photo a day for the Micro.blog April 2024 Photo Challenge. No foolin’.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-04-01 13:11:09 -0700",
    "date": "1:11 p.m. on Apr 1, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/04/01/for-april-im.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F04%2F01%2Ffor-april-im.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 134,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📸 Day 1 of 30 | toy\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-04-01 12:58:58 -0700",
    "date": "12:58 p.m. on Apr 1, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/04/01/day-of-toy.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F04%2F01%2Fday-of-toy.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 135,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Big Resurrection Day at Covenant. In addition to our regular service, we also had two reaffirmations of faith, two baptisms, and a delicious, brunch-based lunch. It’s wonderful to see and enjoy all the Lord is doing.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-03-31 18:19:07 -0700",
    "date": "6:19 p.m. on Mar 31, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/03/31/big-resurrection-day.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F03%2F31%2Fbig-resurrection-day.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 136,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Forums of Five: Sources of Help and Inspiration",
    "text": "I\u0026rsquo;ve put together a new program at Covenant called Forums of Five. Forums of Five aims to provide our members with an easier path for fostering close friendships in the church. Here\u0026rsquo;s why. Each Forum of Five consists of either five men or five women who build friendships with each other as peers for the purpose of mutual Christian care. Forums start with a fun Day Away and then meet monthly for a year to share life\u0026rsquo;s ups and downs and support each other through prayer.\nFinding and developing close friendships is not new. And I\u0026rsquo;ve drawn from several sources to form the initial plan for the ministry and am looking forward to how things take shape. I\u0026rsquo;m sure we\u0026rsquo;ll learn and change as we go. But I\u0026rsquo;d like to take a moment and recognize some experiences, books, and people I\u0026rsquo;ve learned from that have helped me get this far.\nMy first experience with something like this was in a ministry called Forums of Four. Now you know where I got the name. My church in college adopted this program from the Navigators. Forums of Four sought to foster personal spiritual growth within the context of small-group Bible study and accountability.\nCurrently, I\u0026rsquo;m blessed to belong to a small group of pastors organized and supported by Romans 12 Ministries. I\u0026rsquo;ve also received some training from them (esp. Glen Elliott) in how to facilitate these groups. They use Soul Strength: Rhythms for Thriving by Alan Ahlgrim as a source for direction and help. I borrowed a helpful set of discussion questions from this book.\nBefore reading Soul Strength, I benefited from several other books and articles that address soul-care in the context of close friendships. One important source of inspiration is the Puritan spiritual practice called Private Conference, which I describe in a blog post. It\u0026rsquo;s a mode of conversation-based soul care. Another book is Find Your People: Building Deep Community in a Lonely World by Jennie Allen. It\u0026rsquo;s a great book and the one I\u0026rsquo;d recommend to most people. Lots of practical tips. A nice supplement to this book is The Art of Neighboring: Building Genuine Relationships Right Outside Your Door by Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon. Its focus is on offering Christian friendship to those that don\u0026rsquo;t yet know Jesus.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;ve enjoyed those and want more, next on my list of recommendations, and another source for forming my ideas on Forums of Five, is John Townsend\u0026rsquo;s book People Fuel: Fill Your Tank for Life, Love, and Leadership. It describes the kinds of relationships we ought to have in our lives and how to foster them, particularly in the context of leadership. It includes building a \u0026ldquo;life team\u0026rdquo;—\u0026ldquo;an intentionally selected set of people who become your primary source for relational nutrients.\u0026rdquo;\nFinally, in a book Similar to Soul Care, called Leaders that Last: How Covenant Friendships Can Help Pastors Survive, Gary Alfred Ells and Gary Kinnaman describe the importance and use of small friend-groups for a sustainable pastoral ministry. One of the members of a group highlighted in the book was my childhood pastor and has himself been a model for me in various ways.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-03-30 11:44:20 -0700",
    "date": "11:44 p.m. on Mar 30, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/03/30/forums-of-five.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F03%2F30%2Fforums-of-five.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 137,
    "type": "post",
    "title": " I'm in a good church. So why am I lonely and what can I do?",
    "text": "Loneliness is the sorrowful feeling being disconnected from others when a connection is felt to be needed. Or to use a standard definition, loneliness occurs when the quantity and quality of connections we have is less than we want. It is commonly accompanied by despair and anger.\nSometimes our loneliness makes sense. Perhaps a close friend passed away or you moved and don\u0026rsquo;t know anyone yet. But other times, loneliness is confusing. For example, sometimes people don\u0026rsquo;t understand why they feel lonely, even though they belong to a friendly church community. \u0026ldquo;People know me and I know them. They care about me and I have meaningful ways to contribute. So why do I feel alone?\u0026rdquo;\nThere are various reasons you might feel lonely. One of them may be that even though you have a broad network of friends, you lack a few close friends. Psychologists connect this to two kinds of loneliness: social and emotional.\n Social loneliness refers to longing for an absent social network, whereas emotional loneliness refers to longing for an absent intimate, close, and emotional attachment (Weiss, 1973).1\n When we feel lonely despite being part of a healthy community, it is often because we are experiencing \u0026ldquo;emotional loneliness\u0026rdquo;. We are connected to a broader social network, but lack the handful of intimate relationships that we also need.\nThe need for intimate relationships is not new, nor are the challenges for gaining them. To form, sustain, and grow close friendships, it\u0026rsquo;s always required lots of tenacity over lots of time. Now add to that technology-driven culture shifts (example) that have made community building difficult, along with the loss of role models and helpful cultural norms, and making close friends is even harder today.\n Combining the results of both studies, [professor Jeffery Hall] estimated it takes between 40 and 60 hours to form a casual friendship, 80-100 hours to transition to being a friend and more than 200 hours together to become good friends.2\n If you use your time wisely, that\u0026rsquo;s about 1,280 church coffee breaks, on the low end.\nBut despite the challenges, having close friends is still important. People with healthy, close friendships live longer, are wealthier, get sick less, and have better mental health. As Augustine taught, friendship is essential for life and many others would testify to this: David and Jonathan, Basil and Gregory, Chrysostom and Olympias, John Cassian and Germanus, John Calvin and William Farel, Olympia Fulvia Morata and Lavinia della Rovere, C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkein. Here\u0026rsquo;s what Ambrose has to say:\n Preserve, then, my sons, that friendship ye have begun with your brethren, for nothing in the world is more beautiful than that. It is indeed a comfort in this life to have one to whom thou canst open thy heart, with whom thou canst share confidences, and to whom thou canst entrust the secrets of thy heart. It is a comfort to have a trusty man by thy side, who will rejoice with thee in prosperity, sympathize in troubles, encourage in persecution. What good friends those Hebrew children were whom the flames of the fiery furnace did not separate from their love of each other! Of them we have already spoken. Holy David says well: “Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant, inseparable in their life, in death they were not divided.”3\n So what can you do if you want to foster more close friendships in your life? Here are some suggestions to get your stated. And check out the reading recommendations below for even more ideas.\nBegin with prayer. Ask God to help you see what he\u0026rsquo;s already doing. Pray for a heart that is open and non-judgmental. Pray for growing skills and abilities in hospitality. Learn to welcome others as Christ has welcomed you. (Romans 15:7).\nSet your expectations. Don\u0026rsquo;t look for one person to be everything in your life. Don\u0026rsquo;t expect close friendships to happen fast. Don\u0026rsquo;t expect everything to work the first time you try. Establishing close friendships is like planting trees. You need to prepare the ground, diligently care, and then some time later enjoy the shade and fruit. Fortunately, you don\u0026rsquo;t need years to find a close friend.\nSpend time with groups of people. Is there a church picnic? Go. A bible study? Go. A team to serve on? Sign up. These are great places to get to know new people. But don\u0026rsquo;t stop there! As you make these initial connections, arrange things outside of these events to go deeper. See if a couple of people want to grab ice cream after the Bible study. Arrange a weekend hike with some folks on your new team. Or invite a handful of people to your house for lunch after church. Doing things in small groups like this is easier than asking for one-on-one time with people you don\u0026rsquo;t yet know well.\nRead. Find Your People: Building Deep Community in a Lonely World is a book about the various kinds of communities we need in life, including a small circle of intimate friends. This is the book I recommend most people read for thinking about friendship in general and for getting lots more of practical tips on how to build community. A nice supplement to this book is The Art of Neighboring: Building Genuine Relationships Right Outside Your Door by Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon. Its focus is on offering Christian friendship to those that don\u0026rsquo;t yet know Jesus.\nForums of Five. At Covenant, we help our members overcome these challenges with a program called Forums of Five. Forums of Five are small groups in our church that help foster close friendships between our members. Each group consists of either five men or five women who build friendships with each other as peers. Forums start with a fun Day Away and then meet each month for a year to share life\u0026rsquo;s ups and downs and support each other through prayer. If you have a program like this available to you, sign up.\n  onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.11\u0026hellip;\u0026#160;\u0026#x21a9;\u0026#xfe0e;\n phys.org/news/2018\u0026hellip;).\u0026#160;\u0026#x21a9;\u0026#xfe0e;\n www.ccel.org/ccel/scha\u0026hellip;\u0026#160;\u0026#x21a9;\u0026#xfe0e;\n  ",
    "dateiso": "2024-03-30 11:16:11 -0700",
    "date": "11:16 p.m. on Mar 30, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/03/30/im-in-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F03%2F30%2Fim-in-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 138,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Not All Authority Is the Same",
    "text": "The New Oxford American Dictionary defines authority as, \u0026ldquo;the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience\u0026rdquo;. Here\u0026rsquo;s a chart to think through different types of authority. In this chart you\u0026rsquo;ll see two references to the Westminster Larger Catechism. Here are the questions I reference along with links to relevant Bible passages.\nWestminster Larger Catechism 130, Bible references\n Q. 130. What are the sins of superiors? A. The sins of superiors are, besides the neglect of the duties required of them, an inordinate seeking of themselves, their own glory, ease, profit, or pleasure; commanding things unlawful, or not in the power of inferiors to perform; counseling, encouraging, or favoring them in that which is evil; dissuading, discouraging, or discountenancing them in that which is good; correcting them unduly; careless exposing, or leaving them to wrong, temptation, and danger; provoking them to wrath; or any way dishonoring themselves, or lessening their authority, by an unjust, indiscreet, rigorous, or remiss behavior.\n Westminster Larger Catechism 129, Bible references\n Q. 129. What is required of superiors towards their inferiors? A. It is required of superiors, according to that power they receive from God, and that relation wherein they stand, to love, pray for, and bless their inferiors; to instruct, counsel, and admonish them; countenancing, commending, and rewarding such as do well; and discountenancing, reproving, and chastising such as do ill; protecting, and providing for them all things necessary for soul and body: and by grave, wise, holy, and exemplary carriage, to procure glory to God, honor to themselves, and so to preserve that authority which God hath put upon them.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-03-20 23:35:23 -0700",
    "date": "11:35 p.m. on Mar 20, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/03/20/not-all-authority.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F03%2F20%2Fnot-all-authority.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 139,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Conversation-Based Soul Care: Notes on \"Private Conference\"",
    "text": "Caring for the souls of others is an essential part of living as a Christian. During the Reformation, one tool for providing that care was sometimes called “private conference”. Private conference was a broad (and not very descriptive) term, used to describe conversations and moments in conversations, in which one could get and provide spiritual encouragement and support. These conversations might happen because of a moment of need, or as a regular, intentional part of spiritual growth.\nExamples and benefits of this practice were described in 1678 by John Bunyan in his popular allegory Pilgrim’s Progress. Historian Charles E. Hambrick-Stowe writes:\n In Bunyan\u0026rsquo;s Pilgrim\u0026rsquo;s Progress private conference is what makes Christian\u0026rsquo;s journey at all possible. Time and again as destruction is imminent the advice and comfort of a fellow pilgrim enable him to press on. Private spiritual counseling guided individuals through the conversion experience; screened church members and led them to make a public profession of faith; enabled parents to bring their children and servants to the experience of grace, and saints to help one another grow in grace.\n In Pilgrim\u0026rsquo;s Progress, Christian needed the help of spiritual conversations for his journey, in the beginning, middle, and end. And so do we. And so do our neighbors. As Christians we should be actively seeking these moments of soul care for ourselves and helping to provide them for others. Learning more about the practice of \u0026ldquo;private conference\u0026rdquo; may be of some help.\nLearn More:\n Rebecca Carhart, A Forgotten Spiritual Practice: Puritan Conference and Implications for the Church Today Charles E. Habrick-Stowe, The Practice of Piety: Puritan Devotional Disciplines in Seventeenth-century New England Joanne J. Jung, Godly Conversation: Rediscovering the Puritan Practice of Conference  ",
    "dateiso": "2024-03-20 12:30:44 -0700",
    "date": "12:30 p.m. on Mar 20, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/03/20/conversationbased-soul-care.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F03%2F20%2Fconversationbased-soul-care.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 140,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "AZ, our Presidential Preference Election is today. Democrats and Republicans can vote for the probable candidates, or they can protest vote for whom they wish were the nominee. Here’s the deal on Independents.\nNote: the primary on July 30th is for candidates other than president.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-03-19 07:00:39 -0700",
    "date": "7:00 p.m. on Mar 19, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/03/19/az-our-presidential.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F03%2F19%2Faz-our-presidential.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 141,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "typography links\n Learn to kern, with a fun game. macOS Sonoma has an improved typography palette. Test your colors against accessibility standards. I love Libertinus, an extended family of free, full-feature fonts that can handle Greek, Hebrew, Latin, and more.  ",
    "dateiso": "2024-03-18 22:33:50 -0700",
    "date": "10:33 p.m. on Mar 18, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/03/18/typography-links-learn.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F03%2F18%2Ftypography-links-learn.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 142,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Should we take the Bible literally?",
    "text": "I think the answer to this question is found in another question:\nDo you want people to take you literally?\nIt depends, right? Generally, you mean what you say, and you want people to believe you.\n• If you say you are going to the store, that means you are going to the store.\n• If you say you want a puppy, that means you want a puppy.\nBut we know that sometimes people take us too literally, which means they think we are saying something we are not. Like when you say, “just a minute”, and then someone starts counting down from 60. So annoying! Unless, of course, they are joking. Then you are the annoying one for taking them too literally.\nThe key here is intentions. We want to be heard in the way we intend to be heard. The same is true for God. When God is telling us history in the Bible, we should take it as history. When God is telling us a parable, we should take it as a parable.\nHow do you know which is which? The same way other people know what you mean: by listening. By paying attention to both what is said and the way it is said, we can learn how to read the Bible.\nFiguring out what God intends might not always be easy, but it will get easier the more we get to know him and the better we get at listening.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-03-17 00:03:27 -0700",
    "date": "12:03 p.m. on Mar 17, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/03/17/should-we-take.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F03%2F17%2Fshould-we-take.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 143,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I loved Tyler Cowen’s interview with Masaaki Suzuki. Now I’m curious about enka, the music of Tori Takemitsu, and thanks to Mr. Cowen’s links, Music, Modernity, and God.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-03-13 10:41:19 -0700",
    "date": "10:41 p.m. on Mar 13, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/03/13/i-loved-tyler.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F03%2F13%2Fi-loved-tyler.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 144,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Infinite Craft at neal.fun is fun. My son showed it to me last night. He even made some never-seen-before creations. I tried to do that too, but couldn’t do it. However, I was pretty pleased with myself for creating Darth Sauron.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-03-01 09:44:31 -0700",
    "date": "9:44 p.m. on Mar 1, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/03/01/infinite-craft-at.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F03%2F01%2Finfinite-craft-at.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 145,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Remembering Peter Schickele and P. D. Q. Bach",
    "text": "Peter Schickele died this last January. I never knew him, but I learned a lot from him. Through his funny albums and radio show, perhaps the central lesson was a reminder of that there is real joy of not taking yourself too seriously while also honoring and enjoying classical music and other fine things in life. There are plans to re-release his radio show as a podcast. I hope that happens.\nIf you want to get to know him, there were a several memorials shared in January. Here\u0026rsquo;s one example: Fresh Air shared a remembrance along with an interview he did with Terry Gross in 1985. It\u0026rsquo;s a great introduction to Schickele, his life, and his larger-than-death character, P. D. Q. Bach.\nOr you can just jump in like I did in the 80s and 90s by listening, laughing, and being a little confused. Here are a few of my favorites that I\u0026rsquo;ve rediscovered over the last couple months.\n P. D. Q. Bach: Oedipus Tex \u0026amp; Other Choral Calamities, includes Classical Rap Einstein on the Fritz from 1712 Overture \u0026amp; Other Musical Assaults Four Folksong Upsettings Twelve Quite Heavenly Songs  Enjoy!\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-03-01 00:20:04 -0700",
    "date": "12:20 p.m. on Mar 1, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/03/01/remembering-peter-schickele.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F03%2F01%2Fremembering-peter-schickele.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 146,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Last week, ChatGPT went off the rails for a minute, but still\u0026hellip;\n the fact that the most popular AI tool in the world and arguably the primary reason we’re currently in the middle of an AI boom can suddenly go off the rails without warning is a great reminder that we can’t trust these tools blindly.\n Read the full story.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-02-26 07:16:00 -0700",
    "date": "7:16 p.m. on Feb 26, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/02/26/last-week-chatgpt.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F02%2F26%2Flast-week-chatgpt.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 147,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Red Light Green Light, Sunset\n\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-02-20 22:14:58 -0700",
    "date": "10:14 p.m. on Feb 20, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/02/20/red-light-green.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F02%2F20%2Fred-light-green.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 148,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": " When analyzing Millennials, Gen Z, and other gens, we should be more cautious. I wasn\u0026rsquo;t able to make it, but the men at church discussed this article about worship at our most recent breakfast. Shane Lems on what to expect from Alan Strange\u0026rsquo;s new book, Empowered Witness.  ",
    "dateiso": "2024-02-20 14:41:06 -0700",
    "date": "2:41 p.m. on Feb 20, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/02/20/when-analyzing-millennials.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F02%2F20%2Fwhen-analyzing-millennials.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 149,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I learned a new chess rule! You can’t pass through a check when castling. ♟️\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-02-19 23:39:25 -0700",
    "date": "11:39 p.m. on Feb 19, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/02/19/i-learned-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F02%2F19%2Fi-learned-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 150,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Is there an official recording of yesterday’s NBA All-Star game that I can watch? 🏀\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-02-19 16:03:56 -0700",
    "date": "4:03 p.m. on Feb 19, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/02/19/is-there-an.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F02%2F19%2Fis-there-an.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 151,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": " Learning to predict better from the Samotsvety group. Austin Kleon shows how to make a zine from one sheet of paper. Eight ideas to get you through a temptation without cracking under the pressure and giving into sin.  ",
    "dateiso": "2024-02-16 21:50:34 -0700",
    "date": "9:50 p.m. on Feb 16, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/02/16/learning-to-predict.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F02%2F16%2Flearning-to-predict.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 152,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2024-02-15 15:53:02 -0700",
    "date": "3:53 p.m. on Feb 15, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/02/15/155302.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F02%2F15%2F155302.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 153,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Wavelength has an Android app available now. They are polishing the app and asking for feedback. I hope they can get things working smoothly soon. Having access to both Apple and Android users makes Wavelength much more useful.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-02-09 07:23:30 -0700",
    "date": "7:23 p.m. on Feb 9, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/02/09/wavelength-has-an.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F02%2F09%2Fwavelength-has-an.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 154,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "🌵 Notes about CTE Programs in Arizona",
    "text": "A few quick notes on public career and technical education (CTE) programs in Arizona.\n🚂 This is entry 3 of the blogtrain CTE.\n In Arizona, CTE Programs are overseen by districts. There are 14 Career and Technical Education Districts (CTED) in Arizona. Each CTED is set up a little differently based on what is available in the area and student numbers. The acronym for these districts was once JTED, and it still floats around. For example, our program in Pima County is called Pima JTED. So no need to be confused. CTED and JTED are the same thing. CTE Programs are primarily taught either at CTED campuses and on the campuses of some local high schools. Students in homeschools, private schools, and public schools may take advantage of CTE programs. Classes at CTED campus usually last 2.5-4 hours, meeting 2-3x per week and are an academic year long. Besides a few fees (uniform, material) classes are free, and sometimes even include free community college tuition. ",
    "dateiso": "2024-02-05 17:26:37 -0700",
    "date": "5:26 p.m. on Feb 5, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/02/05/notes-about-cte.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F02%2F05%2Fnotes-about-cte.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 155,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "How to Get Started with CTE",
    "text": "Tips on how to pick a career and technical education (CTE) program while in high school and when to get started.\n🚂 This is entry 2 of the blogtrain CTE.\nBecause CTE is underrated, many people don\u0026rsquo;t know about it or understand it well. That was true of my wife and I when our firstborn entered high school. And because we have five kids and didn\u0026rsquo;t want to forget everything by the time the next kid was ready, I have been documenting our learning as we go. Occasionally, people ask us for help, so I\u0026rsquo;m sharing what we\u0026rsquo;ve learned about getting started with CTE, and I hope it helps.1\n📆 When should we get started? Most programs take 1-2 years to complete. This means:\n Some schools offer CTE programs for Freshmen and Sophomores, making it possible for a student to complete multiple programs during their high school years. Learn about your options as soon as possible, even before your Freshman year and certainly during it. Start by finding out if a program fair is offered near you. There you will get to see different programs, ask questions, and learn about the application/enrollment timeline. If you can\u0026rsquo;t make it to a program fair, contact the your local CTE office directly to ask questions. Sometimes school guidance counselors at the Jr. High and Sr. High levels are able to help. Spots can fill up quickly, so you’ll want to be ready. Apply before the year your program starts.  🤷‍♂️ How do we pick a program? We have used the following approach to help our kids pick a program. Admittedly, this is a maximalist approach, but from this guide, you can see that\u0026rsquo;s the kind of guy I am. You may not need to do this much. Just try to keep it fun—mostly that means not rushing, nor taking too long to decide.—and, of course, kids will want/need varying levels of guidance. Be a good listener.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s what we have done:\n Pray.2 Decide what program locations are workable for your family. For us, this meant finding a location we could reliably get to after school since at the time the high school did not offer CTE on campus. Figure out what programs at those nearby locations offered an industry-recognized credential or certification. Not all tech programs do this. One can learn a skill without getting a credential, but an industry-recognized credential is usually more valuable. Pick a program that sounds fun to the student. This quiz helped start some good conversations in our home. While letting the student\u0026rsquo;s interest be the primary driver, ask the student to also consider (1) what might provide a helpful life skill? and (2) what might be an under-supplied skill in a growing field (since those skills would likely provide the most potential earnings and job security)? Once the student picks something, have him or her watch a few “day in the life” videos on YouTube and talk with a couple people who do the job. Decide.    This CTE guide is my own, but it has been graciously reviewed by a two CTE administrators in two different Arizona counties. I appreciate their input. That said, things change; so your best bet is always to contact your local CTE district for up-to-date information. Click the reply button to send me corrections or other feedback.\u0026#160;\u0026#x21a9;\u0026#xfe0e;\n \u0026ldquo;Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God\u0026rdquo; (Philippians 4:6).\u0026#160;\u0026#x21a9;\u0026#xfe0e;\n  ",
    "dateiso": "2024-02-03 22:39:26 -0700",
    "date": "10:39 p.m. on Feb 3, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/02/01/how-to-get.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F02%2F01%2Fhow-to-get.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 156,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": " D. G. Hart and John Muether, \u0026ldquo;Turning Points in American Presbyterian History\u0026rdquo; Peter Schickele died on January 16. A reminder about the importance of living life with \u0026ldquo;in-person\u0026rdquo; people.  ",
    "dateiso": "2024-02-03 08:40:44 -0700",
    "date": "8:40 p.m. on Feb 3, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/02/03/dg-hart-and.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F02%2F03%2Fdg-hart-and.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 157,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Why Your High Schooler Should Enroll in CTE",
    "text": "One of the most underrated options for high schoolers is career and technical education (CTE).\n🚂 This is entry 1 of the blogtrain CTE.\nHigh school CTE programs get kids ready to enter specific careers after graduation. And there are many to choose from. For example, in Pima County, Arizona, where we live, our son is training to become a firefighter. Others are getting ready for nursing, VR game design, HVAC repair, and so much more. More than that, in some states, career and technical education is offered for free to high schoolers.\nHere some reasons why we are taking advantage of CTE with our kids:\n CTE teaches kids can cool, practical things that are useful inside and outside of their chosen career fields. Depending on the program, kids can also earn college credit. CTE prepares students for immediate employment after graduation, should they want or need it. Maybe they enter the workforce right away. Maybe they just want a better-paying summer job during college. CTE empowers kids with a sense of accomplishment. CTE gives confidence in learning new things. CTE gives access to mentors. CTE can save thousands of dollars. The career and technical training some pay for out-of-pocket after high school is offered for free during high school. Similarly, because CTE allows students to explore a career field before they graduate, if they discover they don\u0026rsquo;t like it, they have discovered that for free, again saving thousands of dollars in college tuition and wasted time. Kids who add CTE to other areas of skill and knowledge, especially areas that are not closely related, receive many benefits including greater financial stability, much like double-majors who do the same. Also see: Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstien.  How high schoolers use their education is up to them. But CTE programs provide enormous value and should not be ignored. In a future post, I\u0026rsquo;ll give some advice on how to get started.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-02-01 12:33:06 -0700",
    "date": "12:33 p.m. on Feb 1, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/01/31/a-high-school.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F01%2F31%2Fa-high-school.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 158,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Selfie-portrait! 🤓🎨 This was a fun change of pace this evening. I liked painting the blue so much I decided to put the cactus in the border instead of the background.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-01-29 22:48:11 -0700",
    "date": "10:48 p.m. on Jan 29, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/01/29/selfieportrait-this-was.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F01%2F29%2Fselfieportrait-this-was.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 159,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-01-15 12:44:50 -0700",
    "date": "12:44 p.m. on Jan 15, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/01/15/124450.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F01%2F15%2F124450.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 160,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Promises Made in Time: Overview of Westminster Confession of Faith 7",
    "text": "🚂 This is entry 4 of the blogtrain The Covenants of God.\nThe story of how God fulfills the Covenant of Redemption is found in Chapter 7 of the Westminster Confession of Faith. It\u0026rsquo;s an excellent summary. I\u0026rsquo;ll quote each section and make a few comments.\nFor another overview of the covenants, check out \u0026ldquo;Understanding Biblical Covenants Is As Easy As 1, 2, 3\u0026rdquo; by Kevin DeYoung.\nSections 1-2 The story of begins with God’s promising life “to Adam; and in him to his posterity, upon condition of perfect and personal obedience” (WCF 7.2). This is a covenant of works, although we ought to recognize the \u0026quot; voluntary condescension on God’s part\u0026quot; (WCF 7.1).\n The distance between God and the creature is so great, that although reasonable creatures do owe obedience unto him as their Creator, yet they could never have any fruition of him as their blessedness and reward, but by some voluntary condescension on God’s part, which he hath been pleased to express by way of covenant. (WCF 7.1)\n  The first covenant made with man was a covenant of works, wherein life was promised to Adam; and in him to his posterity, upon condition of perfect and personal obedience. (WCF 7.2)\n Section 3 But Adam failed in his obedience.\n Man, by his fall, having made himself incapable of life by that covenant, the Lord was pleased to make a second, commonly called the covenant of grace; wherein he freely offereth unto sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ; requiring of them faith in him, that they may be saved, and promising to give unto all those that are ordained unto eternal life his Holy Spirit, to make them willing, and able to believe. (WCF 7.3)\n Because of his disobedience, the reward was not attained by the first covenant and was made unattainable by his failure. However, God made a second covenant where the principle of reward was grace instead of works.\nThe second covenant is is called a covenant of grace with reference to mankind because the promised reward of life is based not on our obedience but on God’s grace given to us through Christ.\nWe must receive the reward of life through Christ is because he is the “second” or “last” Adam.\n With whom was the covenant of grace made? The covenant of grace was made with Christ as the second Adam, and in him with all the elect as his seed. (LC 31)\n Jesus makes grace possible for us through his obedience to God. Unlike Adam, who disobeyed and earned death for his posterity, Jesus obeyed and earned life for his posterity. “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous” (Rom 5:19). Through his suffering, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law” (Gal 3:13); “by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities” (Isa 53:11).\nImportant! —Notice how “life and salvation by Jesus Christ” in 7.3 belongs to the “fruition of [God] as their blessedness and reward” in 7.1. This is important for understanding the nature of our life and salvation, especially when we keep in mind the Covenant of Redemption.\nSection 4  This covenant of grace is frequently set forth in Scripture by the name of a testament, in reference to the death of Jesus Christ the Testator, and to the everlasting inheritance, with all things belonging to it, therein bequeathed. (WCF 7.4)\n The first claim here is that “the covenant of grace is frequently set forth in Scripture by the name of a testament.” We’re going to leave aside for now and deal with it in another blog post.\nBut I do want to highlight though is how section 4 points us to a second reason why we need Christ. Not only is he the second Adam who earns for us the reward of life through his obedience, he is also the offspring of Abraham and the heir of the promise who bequeaths to us an inheritance in his death. Remember what Galatians says:\n “Now the promises were made to Abraham and his offspring. It does not say “And to offsprings,\u0026quot; referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring” who is Christ. (Gal 3:16)\n Paul says the offspring (i.e. Christ) receives an inheritance, but it does not come by the law: “for if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise” (Gal 3:18). Happily,\n “the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe\u0026hellip;. for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith\u0026hellip;. And if you are Christ’s then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Gal 3: 22, 26, 29).\n Thus, Christ is both the promised one and the heir of the promises. When we put our faith in him, as Abraham did, we become heirs as well.\nAbraham was saved because instead of relying on his works, his faith was in the promise of God, which was counted to him as righteousness. And in God’s wisdom, the promised offspring would also be a second Adam.\nSections 5-6 God’s gracious promises would be revealed and fulfilled overtime, like the blooming of a flower. The flower is the same from bud to bloom but looks different at different moments in time, similar is the covenant of grace.\nSection 5 explains the covenant of grace in the Old Testament first, particularly post-Moses.\n This covenant was differently administered in the time of the law, and in the time of the gospel: under the law, it was administered by promises, prophecies, sacrifices, circumcision, the paschal lamb, and other types and ordinances delivered to the people of the Jews, all foresignifying Christ to come; which were, for that time, sufficient and efficacious, through the operation of the Spirit, to instruct and build up the elect in faith in the promised Messiah, by whom they had full remission of sins, and eternal salvation; and is called the old testament. (WCF 7.5)\n Section 6 Finally, we read about the covenant of grace in the New Testament, particularly in the post-ascension, post-Pentecost era before Jesus returns.\n Under the gospel, when Christ, the substance, was exhibited, the ordinances in which this covenant is dispensed are the preaching of the Word, and the administration of the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper: which, though fewer in number, and administered with more simplicity, and less outward glory, yet, in them, it is held forth in more fullness, evidence and spiritual efficacy, to all nations, both Jews and Gentiles; and is called the new testament. There are not therefore two covenants of grace, differing in substance, but one and the same, under various dispensations. (WCF 7.6)\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-01-13 22:24:21 -0700",
    "date": "10:24 p.m. on Jan 13, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/01/13/promises-made-in.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F01%2F13%2Fpromises-made-in.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 161,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": " Fish and Ships: Zach Purvis takes us to sixteenth-century Brazil with French Reformed missionary Jean de Léry. How to prevent someone from stealing your iCloud account. What are we eating in ancient Roman Palestine?  ",
    "dateiso": "2024-01-13 20:32:37 -0700",
    "date": "8:32 p.m. on Jan 13, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/01/13/fish-and-ships.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F01%2F13%2Ffish-and-ships.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 162,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": " Among liberals, there’s just way higher levels of anxiety. The only level of religious attendance where that abates is those liberals who attend religious services every week. Conservatives are just less mentally anxious, and that goes even lower when it comes to those who attend monthly or more.\n Ryan Burge writes about this and other interesting stats in \u0026ldquo;Political Ideology, Religious Attendance And Mental Illness.\u0026rdquo;\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-01-13 00:16:17 -0700",
    "date": "12:16 p.m. on Jan 13, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/01/13/among-liberals-theres.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F01%2F13%2Famong-liberals-theres.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 163,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "A Mexican Gray Wolf looking comfy\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-01-10 22:31:14 -0700",
    "date": "10:31 p.m. on Jan 10, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/01/10/a-mexican-gray.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F01%2F10%2Fa-mexican-gray.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 164,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": " This internet train station will get you to some of the more interesting and fun parts of the web. Help for those who have a hard time telling people about Jesus. What does it take to develop your own ideas/style/taste? Answers from the world of watercolor.  ",
    "dateiso": "2024-01-09 11:51:59 -0700",
    "date": "11:51 p.m. on Jan 9, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/01/09/this-internet-train.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F01%2F09%2Fthis-internet-train.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 165,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": " Tucson 1: Wow. This photo of Adam Sandler playing basketball at the McKale Center is amazing. Tucson 2: A video of a coyote howling on top a Mustang went viral this week. It\u0026rsquo;s cool. Next time, make the Mustang a horse instead of a car. Honoring the \u0026ldquo;Weaker Vessel\u0026rdquo;: explanation and advice  ",
    "dateiso": "2024-01-06 11:46:24 -0700",
    "date": "11:46 p.m. on Jan 6, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/01/06/tucson-wow-this.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F01%2F06%2Ftucson-wow-this.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 166,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "I Rode El Burrito Sabanero All December: 5 Things I Learned",
    "text": "Early in December I was eating breakfast at Seis, and they were playing Spanish-language Christmas music in the restaurant. Some songs I recognized from English versions, some I didn\u0026rsquo;t, but I loved almost all of them instantly. An employee told me the music was from an online stream. So after I left, I found something similar on Apple Music and started my journey. A few weeks later, here\u0026rsquo;s what I know.\n El Burrito Sabanero is one of the catchiest songs you\u0026rsquo;ll ever hear. If you\u0026rsquo;re looking for an earworm to eat your current earworm alive, this is your worm. My favorite version is by La Rondallita. A close second for \u0026ldquo;Catchiest Song\u0026rdquo; is Los Peces en El Río. It sounds to me a like a traditional folk melody and is quite beautiful. The Gipsy Kings rock out on it. Pandora\u0026rsquo;s 80s synths are fun. But the best one is by Gaby Moreno backed up by a really swinging jazz band, violin included. Just like in English, you can find ridiculous but awesome covers of well-known song, like this version of the Little Drummer Boy. Did you listen to the end for the drum solo? As I mentioned, there are tons of classics you already know. I loved this norteño version of Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I also loved the big band versions by Luis Miguel on Navidades and the chill jazz takes on the Christmas EP Matisse released this year. I also enjoyed hearing new-to-me songs, like the super salsa Ya Se Ven las Bombillitas by Victor Manuelle and the smooth tones of ranchera singer Lucha Villa in Tu Adiós Es Mi Navidad.  In his end of the year classic, El Año Viejo, Tony Camargo with his band and backup singers will blow your socks off. He sings with joy about the good things he got over the last year. For me, one of the best things I got last year was an introduction to a lot of great songs and artists. And now I can dig into their non-Christmas music! It\u0026rsquo;s going to be a blast.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-01-03 10:30:20 -0700",
    "date": "10:30 p.m. on Jan 3, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/01/02/this-christmas-i.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F01%2F02%2Fthis-christmas-i.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 167,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "If you\u0026rsquo;re looking for a good commentary on Revelation, you already have one if you have an ESV Study Bible. The notes on Revelation are written by Dr. Dennis E. Johnson, former NT Professor at Westminster Seminary California and author of Triumph of the Lamb: A Commentary on Revelation.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-01-02 21:50:34 -0700",
    "date": "9:50 p.m. on Jan 2, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/10/10/if-youre-looking.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F10%2F10%2Fif-youre-looking.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 168,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Pagan Prophesy Watchers: Sources to Go Further",
    "text": "For my last sermon in the Jesus and His World Series, I preached about the magi yesterday and spoke about Jesus and his relationship to magic. Please give it a listen and also check out the following resources to go further.\nAgain, William A. Simmons book Peoples of the New Testament World helped me better understand the main topic, in particular the chapter \u0026ldquo;Charlatans, Exorcists, and Magicians—The Challenge of Syncretism.\u0026rdquo; His writing style is so clear and he includes so much good information.\nAlso, I echoed Greg Lanier\u0026rsquo;s point that we need to be careful about letting popular imagination influence too much our understanding of what happened. He goes into greater detail than I did in \u0026ldquo;We Three Kings of Orient Aren\u0026rsquo;t\u0026rdquo;. Great article.\nFinally, I briefly mentioned that the star may be a comet. Though I didn\u0026rsquo;t get into this aspect of it, and I\u0026rsquo;m not an astronomer, even an amateur one, I find Colin Nicholl\u0026rsquo;s case compelling (astronomers do too) enough to believe what he says, and a really interesting read overall.\n",
    "dateiso": "2024-01-01 12:21:44 -0700",
    "date": "12:21 p.m. on Jan 1, 2024",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2024/01/01/pagan-prophesy-watchers.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2024%2F01%2F01%2Fpagan-prophesy-watchers.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 169,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The bats were out at sunset doing BMX tricks. So cool. The artist is Stephen Fairfield. 🚲\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-12-27 23:32:32 -0700",
    "date": "11:32 p.m. on Dec 27, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/12/27/the-bats-were.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F12%2F27%2Fthe-bats-were.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 170,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🔗 55 years ago today, Tucson\u0026rsquo;s Frank Borman saw \u0026lsquo;Earthrise\u0026rsquo;\n As they circled the moon, they read from the Book of Genesis in a live telecast from the orbiter:\n“In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.”\nBorman ended the broadcast with, “And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you — all of you on the good Earth.”\n ",
    "dateiso": "2023-12-24 20:23:17 -0700",
    "date": "8:23 p.m. on Dec 24, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/12/24/years-ago-today.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F12%2F24%2Fyears-ago-today.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 171,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": " Music: The Incomparable Bola Sete by Bola Sete. Learn about Theo Global. I\u0026rsquo;m excited to see what they do in 2024. AI hallucinations are not a problem. (Via Tyler Cowen) Fredx3: 18 Theses on the Father and the Son  ",
    "dateiso": "2023-12-22 12:39:00 -0700",
    "date": "12:39 p.m. on Dec 22, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/12/22/music-the-incomparable.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F12%2F22%2Fmusic-the-incomparable.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 172,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "We haven\u0026rsquo;t gone full Winterhaven yet, but the new Christmas lights we got from Costco are working great, and we love all the decorations in our neighborhood.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-12-22 08:39:30 -0700",
    "date": "8:39 p.m. on Dec 22, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/12/22/checking-the-lights.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F12%2F22%2Fchecking-the-lights.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 173,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Covenant Name Confusion",
    "text": "🚂 This is entry 3 of the blogtrain The Covenants of God.\nThink of all the names you have. Or all the names you call your pet. The covenants in the Bible have lots of nicknames too. The Covenant of Works, for example, is also called Covenant of Life, Covenant of Creation, and First Covenant.\nWhy so many names?\nIt\u0026rsquo;s because each name points out something different about the covenant. Just like your mom might call you \u0026ldquo;Sweetheart\u0026rdquo; because she thinks you\u0026rsquo;re sweet, or your coach might call you \u0026ldquo;The Executor\u0026rdquo; because he knows you can execute a play, we can use different names to highlight different aspects of a covenant.\nOf course, having too many names can get confusing, especially if they have close meanings or sound the same. You know those parents who decide it\u0026rsquo;s cute to name their kids David, Daniel, Danielle, and Daniella? But whatcha gonna do? Sometimes these things are just too fun to pass up.\nSo, how do we avoid covenant name confusion? Simple: ask what part of the covenant does the name highlight?\nFor example, consider the different names for the Covenant of Works:\n Covenant of Creation highlights the context of the covenant. Covenant of Life highlights the reward of the covenant. Adamic Covenant highlights the non-divine party of the covenant. Covenant of Works highlights the means of reward of the covenant. The First Covenant highlights its place in the order of covenants.  The various names can be confusing at first, but as you get to know the covenants better,it will get easier, especially if you are thinking about what\u0026rsquo;s behind the names.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-12-21 10:43:04 -0700",
    "date": "10:43 p.m. on Dec 21, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/12/21/covenant-name-confusion.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F12%2F21%2Fcovenant-name-confusion.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 174,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Listening to Navidades: Luis Miguel. What a singer! If only the album cover had less cheese rizz. 🎵\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-12-16 17:16:16 -0700",
    "date": "5:16 p.m. on Dec 16, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/12/16/listening-to-navidades.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F12%2F16%2Flistening-to-navidades.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 175,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "The Covenant of Redemption",
    "text": "🚂 This is entry 2 of the blogtrain The Covenants of God.\nAKA: pactum salutis, foedus redemptionis\nDefinition: “the pre-temporal, intra-Trinitarian agreement among Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to plan and execute the redemption of the elect.”1\nHistory of the Doctrine: To learn about the development of the doctrine among the Reformed, you can read Richard Muller\u0026rsquo;s Toward the Pactum Salutis: Locating the Origins of a Concept for free.\nThe Westminster Confession of Faith does not use the term Covenant of Redemption but addresses the concept in 8.1:\n It pleased God, in his eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, his only begotten Son, to be the Mediator between God and man, the Prophet, Priest, and King, the Head and Savior of his church, the Heir of all things, and Judge of the world: unto whom he did from all eternity give a people, to be his seed, and to be by him in time redeemed, called, justified, sanctified, and glorified.\n Key Evidence: Scripture points to the existence of such a covenant in several ways. Drawing from David Dickson (1583–1663), a Scottish minister who helped define the doctrine, Guy M. Richard, professor at RTS in Atlanta, points to these lines of biblical evidence (there are others). I’ve supplied some of the example proof texts.:2\n Our salvation in terms of transaction (Acts 20:28; 1 Cor. 6:20; Eph. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:18) The titles of Jesus (“propitiation”, Romans 3:25; “covenant”, Isaiah 42:6) The appointment of Christ (Acts 2:23; Psalm 2:7; Luke 22:29 διατίθημι is a frequently a term of legal assignment as is done in a last will and testament) How Jesus talks about his mission (John 5:36-7; 6:37-39; 10:18; 17:4, 6-9, 24-25) The dialogue between the Father and the Son (Hebrews 10:5-10; John 17; Psalm 2)  The Roles of The Persons\n The Father appoints the Son as covenant surety (Eph 1:4-10; John 6:57, 20:21; Luke 22:29) and promises to reward him for fulfillment (Deut 17:19-20, 29:1). The Son is the surety of the covenant (Heb 7:22; Rom 4:25), meaning he “assumes the legal responsibilities on behalf of another.”3 He assumes human nature, is born under the law, etc. (Gal 4:4; Heb 2:10-15). The Holy Spirit is the bond of love between the Father and the Son. He anoints the Son in his work (Isa 61:1; Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38). He applies the work of redemption by making the word a reality in the incarnation and in inscripturation (John 14:26, 15:26).  What difference does this make?\n It reveals to us the attributes of God so that we might worship him. It reassures us of our hope in Him. It reminds us of the deep and loving union we have with God. It helps us to understand the Covenants of Works and Grace.    J. V. Fesko, The Trinity and the Covenant of Redemption, 131.\u0026#160;\u0026#x21a9;\u0026#xfe0e;\n Guy M. Richard, The Covenant of Redemption.\u0026#160;\u0026#x21a9;\u0026#xfe0e;\n J. V. Fesko, The Trinity and the Covenant of Redemption, 134.\u0026#160;\u0026#x21a9;\u0026#xfe0e;\n  ",
    "dateiso": "2023-12-15 22:40:23 -0700",
    "date": "10:40 p.m. on Dec 15, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/12/15/the-covenant-of.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F12%2F15%2Fthe-covenant-of.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 176,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Some Books on the History, Shape, and Reliability of the Bible",
    "text": "I enjoyed today’s book discussion on Scribes and Scriptures by John D. Meade and Peter J. Gurry. Scribes and Scriptures is an informative book that balances the material well and presents it a logical order.\nOn page 266, they state the popular thesis against the Bible well: Detractors claim “the Bible is just too human to be trusted: the text is too fluid, the canon too subjective, and translations too biased.” Meade and Gurry show how this claim isn’t true through a careful accounting of how the Bible came into being with regard to text, canon, and translation.\nDuring the discussion I mentioned a few other resources worth looking into if you want to read more.\nIf you had trouble getting through the text and canon sections of Scribes and Scriptures because of the amount of unfamiliar material, try Know How We Got Our Bible by Michael M. Reeves and Charles E. Hill. It’s an similar book that is less dense on these topics and has a little more to share on the history of the English Bible.\nCan We Trust the Gospels? by Peter J. Williams is a small volume that focuses on Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. He deals with transmission (chapter 5) and authorship (chapter 2), but addresses other questions such as \u0026ldquo;Do we have Jesus’ actual words?\u0026rdquo; and, \u0026ldquo;What about contradictions?\u0026rdquo; He also helps the reader connect the dots between the historical data and the implications for one’s own belief. This is a very good book.\nFor a thorough treatment of issues regarding canonicity—New Testament in particular— try Canon Revisited: Establish the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books and The Question of Canon by Michael J. Kruger. Free video lectures, audio lectures and a blog are available.\nIf you found the Protestant-Roman Catholic canon history fascinating—Luther and Cardinal Cajetan agreed about the boundaries of the Old Testament canon(!)—and would like to do a deep dive in a primary source, try Disputations on Holy Scripture by William Whitaker (1546-1596). Meade and Gurry cite this book at least once. Whitaker explains and refutes the post-Trent Roman Catholic arguments with deep insight and learning.\nFinally, try Paul and First-Century Letter Writing: Secretaries, Composition and Collection by E. Randolf Richards to learn more about the writing and distribution processes of the epistles.\nHappy reading.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-12-07 19:26:04 -0700",
    "date": "7:26 p.m. on Dec 7, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/12/07/recommending-books-on.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F12%2F07%2Frecommending-books-on.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 177,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Some Books I'm Using for 1st Century Background",
    "text": "Through this December, I’m preaching a series called Jesus and His World. I\u0026rsquo;m focusing on some of the different groups in Jesus’ world that the gospels highlight and what implications this has for today.\nWe’ll be thinking about religious rulers, Herod, angels, and more. Come join us or listen in.\nThere are a few resources that I’m relying on for historical background. I used Peoples of the New Testament World: An Illustrated Guide by William A. Simmons a lot for my sermon on the Romans. It’s so great: lots of primary sources references with clear and interesting chapters.\nI’m also regularly turning to these for general historical background:\n Backgrounds of Early Christianity by Everett Ferguson Dictionary of NT Background C. G. Kruse ed. Craig A. Evans and Stanley E. Porter Dictionary of Jesus \u0026amp; Gospels ed. Joel B. Green, Jeannine K. Brown, and Nicholas Perrin Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary ed. David Noel Freedman ",
    "dateiso": "2023-12-05 21:37:21 -0700",
    "date": "9:37 p.m. on Dec 5, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/12/05/some-books-im.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F12%2F05%2Fsome-books-im.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 178,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "The Covenants of God: Introduction",
    "text": "🚂 This is entry 1 of the blogtrain The Covenants of God.\nWhat is a covenant? A covenant is a solemn promise that establishes a relationship.\nOur subject: The Bible tells us about several major covenants God has made. Our focus will be on them, including:\n Covenant of Redemption Covenant of Works Covenant of Grace Covenant of Common Grace Abrahamic Covenant Mosaic Covenant Davidic Covenant New Covenant  Our aim: The goal of this series is to learn what these covenants are, how they relate to each other, and what implications they have for our relationship with God and others. These questions define the field of study called Covenant Theology.\nWhy Covenant Theology Matters Covenant Theology is Fundamental Covenants are in the Bible a lot. The word covenant appears 319 times in the ESV, often in key verses.\nBut covenants matter even where there word isn\u0026rsquo;t explicitly used. That\u0026rsquo;s because God uses covenants as an internal structure for Scripture: understanding them is key for correctly understanding the Bible. William Tyndale urged:\n “The right way, yea, and the only way, to understand the scripture unto salvation, is that we earnestly and above all things search for the profession of our baptism, or covenants made between God and us.”\n When you read the Bible with a view to the covenants, you engage in “a way of reading the whole Bible that is itself part of the overall interpretation of the Bible that it undergirds,” as J. I. Packer put it.\nNew Testament scholar, S. M. Baugh, says it this way:\n Other theologies display the structure of more parochial interests — for example, liberation theology or feminist theologies — but Covenant theology is an attempt to capture the theology of the whole of Scripture. Covenant, then, is not itself a locus (topic) of our theology like the Trinity, Christology, or justification. Rather, covenant is a main organizing principle of our theology and correlates with all — or nearly all — the loci.\n Covenant Theology is for Wisdom God uses covenants to provide direction and meaning to the movement of time: understanding them is key for correctly understanding the past, present, and future. For example, Jeremiah 31:31-32:\n “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD.”\n Covenant Theology is for Worship Lastly, Covenants help us better understand God, our relationship with him, and our relationship with the world he has made. For example the following passages show the connection between covenant and community. See Hebrews 10:24-31; 1 Corinthians 11:17–34, 12:12–13:13; Ephesians 2:11–22, 4:1–16.\nRecommended Reading Covenant by Michael Horton is a brief article that quickly explains the basics.\nSacred Bond: Covenant Theology Explored by Zach Keele and Michael Brown is the best introductory book on the subject. In this series, I mostly use their definitions for the covenants.\nCovenant and Kingdom in the New Testament by S. M. Baugh is a lecture series that explains the connection between these two important biblical concepts.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-12-02 22:16:10 -0700",
    "date": "10:16 p.m. on Dec 2, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/12/02/gods-covenants-introduction.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F12%2F02%2Fgods-covenants-introduction.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 179,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "How Henry Kissinger Mentored Chris Christie on Foreign Policy",
    "text": "Chris Christie explains how of their sessions worked in his recent interview on The Dispatch Podcast.\n They planned a monthly, two-hour meeting. Kissinger would send Christie reading to do before the meeting. In the first hour and forty-five minutes, Kissinger would ask Christie questions about the reading and discuss them. In the last 15 minutes, Christie could ask anything he wanted.  This is a powerful way to teach and learn. It requires a lot from both sides but can be highly rewarding.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-12-01 21:24:08 -0700",
    "date": "9:24 p.m. on Dec 1, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/12/01/how-henry-kissinger.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F12%2F01%2Fhow-henry-kissinger.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 180,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Goofy door face",
    "text": "My wife found this crazy guy on the inside of our car door. Here are 3 other things I’d like to share.\n  Isaiah’s Job: “his real job was not to convert the masses but to brace and reassure the Remnant.”\n  Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes) and John Kascht enter into an intense art collaboration project and talk about how it went.\n  Have you tried a horchata latta yet? Seems like a good idea to me.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2023-12-01 01:21:55 -0700",
    "date": "1:21 p.m. on Dec 1, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/12/01/goofy-door-face.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F12%2F01%2Fgoofy-door-face.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 181,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Do you pay Arizona State taxes? You can help our family BIG time.",
    "text": "Because of the Arizona Tax Credit benefits, you can help us afford our kids' school tuition with no financial loss to you. Here\u0026rsquo;s how:\n Ask: How much do I typically owe on my Arizona State taxes? Donate that amount to ACSTO, recommending our family as scholarship recipients. Claim that donation on your taxes next year as a tax credit.  That\u0026rsquo;s it! To donate, just CLICK THIS CUSTOM LINK, then sign in.\nBecause the amount of your donation can be deducted from your taxes, there\u0026rsquo;s no financial loss for you, but it\u0026rsquo;s a big financial help for us. You can donate as little as $10 and make a difference.\n FAQ 1: What if I under-donate? Then you\u0026rsquo;ll owe some on your taxes, but less.\nFAQ 2: What if I over-donate? You can carry the credit over and reduce your taxes next year.\nFAQ 3: What if I don\u0026rsquo;t have the money to donate right now? No problem. Instead of donating everything at once, spread things out by setting up easy monthly donations. This is a good option even if you do have the money to donate now because it keeps you from having to remember to take advantage of this next year.\n I know this takes a little bit of your time, but please don\u0026rsquo;t let this benefit go unused. Click here to donate and recommend our kiddos for scholarships. Thanks!\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-11-27 21:00:37 -0700",
    "date": "9:00 p.m. on Nov 27, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/11/27/do-you-pay.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F11%2F27%2Fdo-you-pay.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 182,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Is Bach the greatest achiever of all time? He’s certainly one of the most inspiring.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-11-27 19:48:18 -0700",
    "date": "7:48 p.m. on Nov 27, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/11/27/is-bach-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F11%2F27%2Fis-bach-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 183,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "My daughter Clara and I had a blast yesterday making this Thanksgiving rap video!\n\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-11-24 21:56:52 -0700",
    "date": "9:56 p.m. on Nov 24, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/11/24/my-daughter-clara.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F11%2F24%2Fmy-daughter-clara.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 184,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Currently reading: Scribes and Scripture by John D. Meade and Peter J. Gurry. I\u0026rsquo;m doing this with some others. If you want to read and then join a lunchtime book discussion on December 7 from 12-1pm (MST), I can send you a link. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-11-08 13:05:38 -0700",
    "date": "1:05 p.m. on Nov 8, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/11/08/currently-reading-scribes.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F11%2F08%2Fcurrently-reading-scribes.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 185,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🔗 Should We Capitalize Divine Pronouns? - Bill Mounce\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-11-06 12:37:57 -0700",
    "date": "12:37 p.m. on Nov 6, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/11/06/should-we-capitalize.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F11%2F06%2Fshould-we-capitalize.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 186,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The annual Reformation Day Party was lots of pun.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-10-31 22:14:53 -0700",
    "date": "10:14 p.m. on Oct 31, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/10/31/the-annual-reformation.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F10%2F31%2Fthe-annual-reformation.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 187,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Who is Al Seinfeld? Can he still save the world?\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-10-30 21:59:25 -0700",
    "date": "9:59 p.m. on Oct 30, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/10/30/who-is-al.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F10%2F30%2Fwho-is-al.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 188,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🔗 How many friends do Americans have? A survey crunched the numbers - NPR\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-10-29 08:46:09 -0700",
    "date": "8:46 p.m. on Oct 29, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/10/29/how-many-friends.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F10%2F29%2Fhow-many-friends.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 189,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "War Crimes, Genocide, and Crimes Against Humanity, Explained - Emma Rogers - The Dispatch\n Understanding that these terms have specific legal definitions affects how we understand the conflict, how we draw comparisons to other tragedies, and what we expect from any future peace negotiation.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2023-10-25 08:57:43 -0700",
    "date": "8:57 p.m. on Oct 25, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/10/25/war-crimes-genocide.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F10%2F25%2Fwar-crimes-genocide.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 190,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The new Eegee’s pretzel rueben sandwich is a winner.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-10-18 14:43:04 -0700",
    "date": "2:43 p.m. on Oct 18, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/10/18/eegees-new-pretzel.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F10%2F18%2Feegees-new-pretzel.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 191,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Wolfgang Musculus on the joy and fear of the Lord.\n Note, how joy in God, and fear of God, are combined. By joy the sadness and anxiety of diffidence are excluded, but by fear, contempt and false security are banished. So Ps. ii, \u0026ldquo;Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.\u0026rdquo;\n ",
    "dateiso": "2023-10-15 15:38:54 -0700",
    "date": "3:38 p.m. on Oct 15, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/10/15/wolfgang-musculus-on.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F10%2F15%2Fwolfgang-musculus-on.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 192,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "We were up on Mt. Lemmon earlier this week and saw the leaves starting to change colors. According to this map, the peak will be around October 23 with other parts of Arizona going until mid-November. What a beautiful time of year.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-10-15 14:56:36 -0700",
    "date": "2:56 p.m. on Oct 15, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/10/15/we-were-up.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F10%2F15%2Fwe-were-up.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 193,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I forgot how much I love The Sons of the Pioneers. But that\u0026rsquo;s fixed now and I\u0026rsquo;ve been listening all day. 🎵\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-10-14 21:56:56 -0700",
    "date": "9:56 p.m. on Oct 14, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/10/14/i-forgot-how.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F10%2F14%2Fi-forgot-how.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 194,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🔗 What are the five solas?\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-10-10 10:55:06 -0700",
    "date": "10:55 p.m. on Oct 10, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/10/10/what-are-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F10%2F10%2Fwhat-are-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 195,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Can we trust the Gospels?",
    "text": "Finished reading: Can We Trust the Gospels? by Peter J. Williams.\nIt’s a calm, thoughtful book that persuasively answers Yes, we can trust the Gospels. Williams offers evidence and reason to help you think through questions about changes in the text, whether or not we have Jesus’ actual words, the reliability of the authors, and more.\nThe book is eight short chapters, written at about a high school level.\nIf you are hesitant about Christianity because you aren’t sure the Bible is reliable, this book will help.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-10-09 08:45:39 -0700",
    "date": "8:45 p.m. on Oct 9, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/10/09/can-we-trust.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F10%2F09%2Fcan-we-trust.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 196,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "My daughter’s sculpture of Bilbo with the dwarves in barrels.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-10-05 23:01:24 -0700",
    "date": "11:01 p.m. on Oct 5, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/10/05/my-daughters-sculpture.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F10%2F05%2Fmy-daughters-sculpture.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 197,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Modern Reformation has unlocked 30+ years of archives on their redesigned website. 🤩\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-10-04 16:32:31 -0700",
    "date": "4:32 p.m. on Oct 4, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/10/04/modern-reformation-has.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F10%2F04%2Fmodern-reformation-has.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 198,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "30 People in the New Testament Confirmed. Evidence for political and religious individuals.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-10-03 12:59:44 -0700",
    "date": "12:59 p.m. on Oct 3, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/10/03/people-in-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F10%2F03%2Fpeople-in-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 199,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Beyond Bread (Oracle/Ina) went the extra mile for their bike rack. They do the same for their food.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-28 17:20:07 -0700",
    "date": "5:20 p.m. on Sep 28, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/28/beyond-bread-oracleina.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F28%2Fbeyond-bread-oracleina.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 200,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Getting Real About the Family\n Most of us know children who come from a single-parent household who are thriving in adulthood. Likewise, we probably know parents who are happier than they would have been had they either stayed in or entered into a marriage with a partner they didn’t love\u0026hellip;. Most of us freedom-loving Americans would like to leave the matter there, but ultimately that’s a dodge.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-28 11:28:44 -0700",
    "date": "11:28 p.m. on Sep 28, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/28/getting-real-about.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F28%2Fgetting-real-about.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 201,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Sharing a meal is one of the best ways to help a friend. But what if you\u0026rsquo;re short on time? Adina Bailey has 6 great suggestions. And here\u0026rsquo;s a seventh: leftovers. Someone from church did this for us yesterday. And after a busy day with several sick kids at home, it was a big, yummy help.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-21 10:53:49 -0700",
    "date": "10:53 p.m. on Sep 21, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/21/sharing-a-meal.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F21%2Fsharing-a-meal.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 202,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Apple Reminders now auto-organizes grocery lists into shopping categories. It works great!\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-20 14:33:04 -0700",
    "date": "2:33 p.m. on Sep 20, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/20/apple-reminders-now.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F20%2Fapple-reminders-now.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 203,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Many people could benefit from learning this list of helpful questions (organized by use type).\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-20 10:58:15 -0700",
    "date": "10:58 p.m. on Sep 20, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/20/many-people-could.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F20%2Fmany-people-could.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 204,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📷 blog challenge | Day 20: disruption\nOn a date with Della when this little guy showed up.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-20 10:20:42 -0700",
    "date": "10:20 p.m. on Sep 20, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/20/blog-challenge-day.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F20%2Fblog-challenge-day.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 205,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📷 blog challenge | Day 19: edge\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-19 20:03:23 -0700",
    "date": "8:03 p.m. on Sep 19, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/19/blog-challenge-day.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F19%2Fblog-challenge-day.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 206,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🔗 10 Things You Should Know about the Most Famous Blessing in the Bible\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-19 07:15:18 -0700",
    "date": "7:15 p.m. on Sep 19, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/19/things-you-should.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F19%2Fthings-you-should.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 207,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📷 blog challenge | Day 18: fabric\nI got to try this 14’ quilting machine the other day. Amazing.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-18 14:46:44 -0700",
    "date": "2:46 p.m. on Sep 18, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/18/blog-challenge-day.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F18%2Fblog-challenge-day.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 208,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📷 blog challenge | Day 17: intense\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-17 22:40:17 -0700",
    "date": "10:40 p.m. on Sep 17, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/17/blog-challenge-day.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F17%2Fblog-challenge-day.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 209,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📷 blog challenge | Day 16: oof!\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-16 22:29:55 -0700",
    "date": "10:29 p.m. on Sep 16, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/16/blog-challenge-day.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F16%2Fblog-challenge-day.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 210,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Confused about legal immigration? Play the Green Card Game to learn more. See if you could become a permanent resident in the United States.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-16 15:27:46 -0700",
    "date": "3:27 p.m. on Sep 16, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/16/confused-about-legal.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F16%2Fconfused-about-legal.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 211,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📷 blog challenge | Day 15: red\nFor the past few years we’ve been going to the fair that occasionally pops up at the Tucson Outlets. It’s pretty fun!\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-15 21:58:02 -0700",
    "date": "9:58 p.m. on Sep 15, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/15/blog-challenge-day.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F15%2Fblog-challenge-day.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 212,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📷 blog challenge | Day 14: statue\nSomeone figured out how to combine art, whimsy, and self storage. Someone should win an award.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-14 20:46:18 -0700",
    "date": "8:46 p.m. on Sep 14, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/14/blog-challenge-day.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F14%2Fblog-challenge-day.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 213,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "If it’s been a while since you’ve thought through the doctrine of baptism, I highly recommend Baptism by Guy M. Richard. It’s clearly written, uses biblical arguments, and covers all the major questions: meaning, mode, who should be baptized, etc. We have a copy in our church library. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-14 19:28:36 -0700",
    "date": "7:28 p.m. on Sep 14, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/14/if-its-been.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F14%2Fif-its-been.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 214,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📷 blog challenge | Day 13: glowing\nI couldn’t find a good picture for yesterday’s challenge: “panic”. But I think this is a great one for today. I took the picture last year a few days after Christmas.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-13 16:19:48 -0700",
    "date": "4:19 p.m. on Sep 13, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/13/blog-challenge-day.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F13%2Fblog-challenge-day.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 215,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📷 blog challenge | Day 11: retrospect 🚲\nSince Christmas I’ve been slowly turning a 1982 Univega Gran Turismo frame into a super fun everyday bike. It’s a love-project that comes from my grandpa to my dad to me.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-11 22:57:59 -0700",
    "date": "10:57 p.m. on Sep 11, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/11/blog-challenge-day.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F11%2Fblog-challenge-day.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 216,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📷 blog challenge | Day 10: cycle 🚲\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-10 20:39:31 -0700",
    "date": "8:39 p.m. on Sep 10, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/10/blog-challenge-day.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F10%2Fblog-challenge-day.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 217,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "The Belt of Truth and Problem of Identity",
    "text": "I’ve been thinking about the intersection of truthfulness and identity this week. Partly because I’m preparing a Sunday School lesson for tomorrow which includes the Belt of Truth from Ephesians 6, and partly because on Wednesday I got to hear my buddy John Besson give a sneak peak of his and his wife’s forthcoming book, Trading Faces. It’s all about the identities we cling to and live by.\nIdeas about truth and identity aligned for me when I found this thought-provoking article by Steve Rathje: Why People Ignore Facts: When it comes to reasoning, identity trumps truth. Rathje argues that our need for \u0026ldquo;identity-consistent beliefs\u0026rdquo; is often more important to us than \u0026ldquo;accurate beliefs.\u0026rdquo;\nThis is an insightful and important point, and Rathje backs it up with proof. For example, he tells how people are even willing to lose money just to avoid reading articles that challenge their beliefs. In one experiment, folks had to choose between reading opinions they agreed with for a chance to win $7 or reading some opposing opinions for a shot at $10. Nearly two-thirds chose to lose the extra money. And it didn’t matter which political party they belonged to, people “were equally likely to avoid information they disagree with.”\nSo how do overcome this and get yourself and others to be more open to the truth, even when it might conflict with a core-identity? That answer, according to NYU professor Jay Van Bavel, who is quoted in the article, is that we need to make truth seeking a core part of our identity. In other words, if you want to be a truth-seeker, believer, and practitioner, you’ve got to embrace truthfulness as a part of who you are.\nThis is where the armor of God comes into play. What Van Bavel suggests is exactly what God does for us in Ephesians 6 when he tells us to put on the whole armor of God, the first piece of which is the belt of truth.\n “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil\u0026hellip;. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth.” (ESV)\n A more literal translation is something like wrapping your waist/girding your loins with the truth, like a solider getting ready for battle. This is illustrated in this great infographic from The Art of Manliness. The soldier takes the extra material from his tunic, wraps it around his core, and thus increases his mobility, strength, and protection.\nWhen we wrap our core with the truth, we increase the mobility, strength, and protection of our hearts—mentally, emotionally, relationally. But there’s a problem sneaking in the background. If your core identities are built on lies, adding truthfulness to them will be an ineffective way to build them up because truth tends to take them down. It exposes them for what they are.\nConsider how many core-identities consistently over-promise. They tell us we can find our deepest meaning and satisfaction in life by being a mom, a student, a good employee, or whatever else. And so we act accordingly. We pour everything we have into these things. But these weak identities are like a rusty buckets. They sort of hold water but because they are cracked, weakening, and full of holes, every time you pour in your energy into them, what happens? All that effort keeps leaking out. Your kids act out and get hurt. The exam you studied for wasn’t even important. The team you are on at work made you look bad.\nThe problem with inviting truthfulness to a leaky bucket identity situation is that it will expose ourselves as more vulnerable that we pretend to be. And without an better alternative, our only option is fear and despair. That\u0026rsquo;s why the more common response is denial: ignore the problem and try to keep the bucket full by working harder and faster. This may work for a while, but eventually the bucket totally breaks or you do (burnout, panic attacks, etc.)\nWeak core identities require willful ignorance and self-deception, lest the truth expose them for what they are and then they fall apart. That makes the suggestion of adding truthfulness to your core identity a false hope.\n Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord” (Jeremiah 17:5).\n So what\u0026rsquo;s the solution? It\u0026rsquo;s a fundamental change of core-identities, with God at the center. God accomplishes this by reconciling our relationship with him in Christ—the one who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6)—so that instead of fighting him and trusting ourselves, he becomes our chief end and ultimate happiness, and as such, we can then draw from his infinitude of blessings and strength. Forever.\n You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)\n The truth is that without Christ, we resort to self-protective ignorance and deception. But when abiding in God becomes our ultimate purpose and deepest happiness, we naturally become truth-seekers instead of truth-deniers.\nThat\u0026rsquo;s why Paul can say:\n “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil\u0026hellip;. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth.” (Ephesians 6:10-11, 14)\n When we put on the armor of God and stand in the strength of his might, the truth is not an accessory, we wrap around our rusty-bucket identities. Instead the truth becomes a natural and essential part of how we live in Christ.\n For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. (Psalm 36:9)\n ",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-09 15:36:14 -0700",
    "date": "3:36 p.m. on Sep 9, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/07/im-starting-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F07%2Fim-starting-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 218,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "In Apple Maps you can get directions and travel estimates via different transportation modes, including bicycle.\nIn Apple Calendar you can set your travel time to an appointment based on location and transportation mode, but not including bicycle.\nWhy no bike? 🚲\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-09 12:38:58 -0700",
    "date": "12:38 p.m. on Sep 9, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/09/in-apple-maps.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F09%2Fin-apple-maps.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 219,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📷 blog challenge | Day 8: language\nBody language and symbolic communication all on one hilarious door.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-09 11:53:37 -0700",
    "date": "11:53 p.m. on Sep 9, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/09/blog-challenge-day.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F09%2Fblog-challenge-day.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 220,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📷 blog challenge | Day 8: yonder\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-08 23:23:23 -0700",
    "date": "11:23 p.m. on Sep 8, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/08/blog-challenge-day.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F08%2Fblog-challenge-day.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 221,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📷 blog challenge | Day 7: panorama\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-07 07:10:19 -0700",
    "date": "7:10 p.m. on Sep 7, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/07/blog-challenge-day.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F07%2Fblog-challenge-day.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 222,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📷 blog challenge | Day 6: well\nAt our Bible study tonight, one of the kids requested that we sing It Is Well With My Soul\n Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, let this blest assurance control, that Christ has regarded my helpless esstate, and has shed his own blood for my soul.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-06 22:46:45 -0700",
    "date": "10:46 p.m. on Sep 6, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/06/blog-challenge-day.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F06%2Fblog-challenge-day.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 223,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Tucson Sentinel: Tucson\u0026rsquo;s Molly Holzschlag, known as \u0026lsquo;the fairy godmother of the web,\u0026rsquo; dead at 60 | Obituary\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-05 21:22:54 -0700",
    "date": "9:22 p.m. on Sep 5, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/05/tucson-sentinel-tucsons.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F05%2Ftucson-sentinel-tucsons.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 224,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📷 blog challenge | Day 5: forest + bonus haiku\nI took this pic of a giant tree growing on top of a ginormous California Redwood stump.\nO how we can stand On the shoulders of giants Long after they’ve gone.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-05 06:42:43 -0700",
    "date": "6:42 p.m. on Sep 5, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/05/blog-challenge-day.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F05%2Fblog-challenge-day.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 225,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Finished reading: Crossroads: a step-by-step guide away from addiction, by Edward T. Welch. Welch’s approach is helpful and theologically well-grounded. Many insights clearly expressed. Those who work through this with a friend, group, or counselor will find much more success than those who don’t. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-02 19:48:26 -0700",
    "date": "7:48 p.m. on Sep 2, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/02/finished-reading-crossroads.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F02%2Ffinished-reading-crossroads.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 226,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Finished reading: The Enemy Within: Straight Talk about the Power and Defeat of Sin by Kris Lundgaard. I\u0026rsquo;m using this book, along with others, for A Practical Guide on How to Fight Sin—a class I\u0026rsquo;m teaching right now. I\u0026rsquo;ve already read this book several times and can\u0026rsquo;t recommend it highly enough. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-09-02 16:44:02 -0700",
    "date": "4:44 p.m. on Sep 2, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/09/02/finished-reading-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F09%2F02%2Ffinished-reading-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 227,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Listening: K-LOVE 90s. On Music and iHeart. 🎵🩵🎸\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-08-29 10:15:36 -0700",
    "date": "10:15 p.m. on Aug 29, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/08/29/listening-klove-s.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F08%2F29%2Flistening-klove-s.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 228,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The Utter Folly of the Cross by Jeremy Treat reminds us why it is so shocking— especially in the first century—that people follow and worship Jesus.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-08-27 06:31:10 -0700",
    "date": "6:31 p.m. on Aug 27, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/08/27/the-utter-folly.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F08%2F27%2Fthe-utter-folly.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 229,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🎵 Because of @craigmcclellan and music discover on Micro.blog, I am now a fan of The Arcadian Wild. Thanks!\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-08-25 23:30:03 -0700",
    "date": "11:30 p.m. on Aug 25, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/08/25/because-of-craigmcclellan.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F08%2F25%2Fbecause-of-craigmcclellan.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 230,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Scottish Presbyterian, Thomas Boston, (1676-1732) was a big fan of Martin Luther. Boston writes:\n \u0026ldquo;That great man of God, a third Elias, and a second Paul, (if I may venture the expression) though he was no inspired teacher, was endued with a great measure of the spirit of them both . . .\u0026rdquo;\n ",
    "dateiso": "2023-08-23 00:06:58 -0700",
    "date": "12:06 p.m. on Aug 23, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/08/23/scottish-presbyterian-thomas.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F08%2F23%2Fscottish-presbyterian-thomas.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 231,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "James Fisher:\n Q. 25. How should we glorify God in eating and drinking?\nA. By taking a right to the supports of natural life, through the second Adam, the heir of all things, who has purchased a covenant right to temporal, as well as spiritual mercies, for his people, 1 Cor. 3:21-23; and thankfully acknowledging God for the same, 1 Tim. 4:4, 5.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2023-08-22 14:01:20 -0700",
    "date": "2:01 p.m. on Aug 22, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/08/22/james-fisher-q.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F08%2F22%2Fjames-fisher-q.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 232,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Getting ready for a wedding! Genesis 2:18.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-08-19 14:54:28 -0700",
    "date": "2:54 p.m. on Aug 19, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/08/19/getting-ready-for.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F08%2F19%2Fgetting-ready-for.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 233,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Can you do tent camping with a family of seven? Yes! And if you survive the night, everyone looks so sweet and comfy in the morning.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-08-18 07:17:27 -0700",
    "date": "7:17 p.m. on Aug 18, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/08/18/can-you-do.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F08%2F18%2Fcan-you-do.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 234,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Retiring the #GirlBoss  by Lois McLatchie suggests a there may be positive change in the air for women.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-08-17 21:20:35 -0700",
    "date": "9:20 p.m. on Aug 17, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/08/17/retiring-the-girlboss.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F08%2F17%2Fretiring-the-girlboss.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 235,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🎙️Guy Waters does a great job in this interview explaining how and why the Sabbath is important. If this is something you’ve been wondering about, this interview is a great place to start.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-08-16 20:39:23 -0700",
    "date": "8:39 p.m. on Aug 16, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/08/16/guy-waters-does.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F08%2F16%2Fguy-waters-does.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 236,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Tucson-based classical composer Joshua Nichols has released an album of piano music called Metropolis. And the more I listen to it the more I love it. One reviewer wrote:\n Joshua’s style invokes and balances the unique ‘cart blanch’ approach to 20th and 21st century and the beauty of prior periods of the classical art music. His music is a unique blend of tonal practice with the allure of modern compositional style, coupled with a mature sense of timing, phrase, melody, harmony, and drama. You will also hear his unapologetic influences from music history.\n A good description. 🎵\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-08-15 12:24:43 -0700",
    "date": "12:24 p.m. on Aug 15, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/08/15/tucsonbased-classical-composer.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F08%2F15%2Ftucsonbased-classical-composer.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 237,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The world can feel very big sometimes.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-08-15 06:13:48 -0700",
    "date": "6:13 p.m. on Aug 15, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/08/15/the-world-can.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F08%2F15%2Fthe-world-can.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 238,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "If you heard my talk on Gregory of Nazianzus this week (and for orthers who might be interested), the autobiographical poems I mentioned are available in a digital edition that you can borrow for free. If you’re looking for something entertaining and edifying to read this Sunday, give one a try.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-08-12 22:51:06 -0700",
    "date": "10:51 p.m. on Aug 12, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/08/12/if-you-heard.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F08%2F12%2Fif-you-heard.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 239,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "archives.design, collected and curated by Valerie Marier, is “a digital archive of graphic design related items that are available on the Internet Archives.” Very cool. (via)\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-08-12 21:31:47 -0700",
    "date": "9:31 p.m. on Aug 12, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/08/12/archivesdesign-collected-and.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F08%2F12%2Farchivesdesign-collected-and.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 240,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Grandpa doesn\u0026rsquo;t like AI Boyfriend! but why??? lol [via]\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-08-09 10:03:19 -0700",
    "date": "10:03 p.m. on Aug 9, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/08/09/grandpa-doesnt-like.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F08%2F09%2Fgrandpa-doesnt-like.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 241,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Updated: My links page for Alan Strange\u0026rsquo;s commentary on the OPC\u0026rsquo;s Book of Church Order. The hits keep coming.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-08-09 09:29:48 -0700",
    "date": "9:29 p.m. on Aug 9, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/08/09/updated-my-links.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F08%2F09%2Fupdated-my-links.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 242,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Tonight’s sunset.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-08-07 19:16:39 -0700",
    "date": "7:16 p.m. on Aug 7, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/08/07/tonights-sunset.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F08%2F07%2Ftonights-sunset.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 243,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Review: \"The OC — A New Burned Over District” – the Context for “The Jesus Revolution”",
    "text": "From the 1960s to the 1990s, a Christian scene in Orange County, CA created an enormous amount of influence and buzz. This was particularly true for those there, but many others have also felt the water from this California wave. One important happening during this time, the birth of Calvary Chapel, is captured in the recent movie Jesus Revolution, which was released this week on Netflix. But this wasn\u0026rsquo;t the only thing happening in the OC during this time.\nFor those who are interested in Jesus Revolution or in this era more broadly, I recommend you read Kim Riddlebarger\u0026rsquo;s, series of blog posts on his life in Orange County during these years.\nRiddlebarger is a Reformed pastor and former White Horse Inn co-host. He describes this era and place in an intimate and balanced way. He describes how it shaped him and the people around him, and what it was like to be a Reformed minister in the midst of it.\nThe descriptions are interesting and also entertaining—like the part about TBN giving away copies of the Heidelberg Catechism (until it didn’t) or the behind the scenes history of the very memorable Robert Schuller episode on the White Horse Inn.\nHis posts also helped me better understand my own history. I came to see that growing up in the 1980s and 90s, my wife and I belong to a generational cohort that experienced the last part of this big California wave. We recognized (and still have) some of the Bible covers, t-shirts, and “contemporary” Christian music that Riddlebarger references.\nI also realized that growing up in Phoenix created another point of connection with this history. Despite the differences and distance, I think Phoenix can be thought of as \u0026ldquo;Orange County adjacent\u0026rdquo; in some significant ways, and not just in geography. During these decades, there were similarities in politics, immigration, tech, and more. This means that from a historical perspective, religious influence from the OC would be expected as well.\nAs I reflect on this, I remember how common it was for ministry teams, youth groups, and individual Christians to travel to Orange County during this time to hear speakers, attend youth conferences, and worship at Christian music festivals. I did this and know others who did too. And when we came home, we often brought some of that scene with us.\nPhoenix was also a targeted place for the spread of OC buzz. For example, after the first TBN station in Santa Ana, in the mid-70s TBN purchased its second broadcast station in Phoenix, just a mile and a half down the street from where I grew up. Watching channel 21 was a regular (and usually boring) part of my growing up. The first Calvary Chapel in Phoenix started in 1978.\nRiddlebarger\u0026rsquo;s personal telling throughout brought up my own memories and reflections about the past. And toward the end of the series, he had me thinking about the present and the future of my own ministry with his reflections on the OPC congregations that are also part of the story and remain so even after the influence and buzz of the OC has faded.\nThe series starts here:\n“The OC — A New Burned Over District” \u0026ndash; the Context for \u0026ldquo;The Jesus Revolution\u0026rdquo; — The Riddleblog.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-08-05 16:53:46 -0700",
    "date": "4:53 p.m. on Aug 5, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/08/05/review-the-oc.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F08%2F05%2Freview-the-oc.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 244,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🔗 Soft tech by Helena Jaramillo.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-08-05 14:07:12 -0700",
    "date": "2:07 p.m. on Aug 5, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/08/05/soft-tech-by.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F08%2F05%2Fsoft-tech-by.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 245,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Monsoon-wise, Tucson photographer Ray Cleveland is having a very good season. [via] 📷\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-08-02 14:22:47 -0700",
    "date": "2:22 p.m. on Aug 2, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/08/02/monsoonwise-tucson-photographer.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F08%2F02%2Fmonsoonwise-tucson-photographer.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 246,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Paul and Timothy tell the Christians in Corinth that they must work with them in their ministry of the word, even though they are hundreds of miles apart. Learn how and why this was possible without the internet in my sermon last Sunday on 2 Corinthians 1:11-14.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-08-02 09:24:07 -0700",
    "date": "9:24 p.m. on Aug 2, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/08/02/paul-and-timothy.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F08%2F02%2Fpaul-and-timothy.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 247,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "A picture of Mo’s. We try to go whenever we visit Oregon.\nAnd yet, just outside the restaurant was this sign pointing us the way home to Arizona.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-08-02 09:19:38 -0700",
    "date": "9:19 p.m. on Aug 2, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/08/02/091938.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F08%2F02%2F091938.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 248,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "If you don’t know the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto, get yourself some headphones and 30 minutes of headspace to listen to this beautiful piece. There are so many wonderful versions! Here’s a great one. And there is something magical about the violin cello duets in this one. 🎵\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-07-28 00:31:56 -0700",
    "date": "12:31 p.m. on Jul 28, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/07/28/if-you-dont.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F07%2F28%2Fif-you-dont.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 249,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Nursery Care at Covenant",
    "text": "We recently started a nursery at Covenant for 0-3 year olds. We found loving volunteers, updated our child protection policy, provided training, etc. It took some time but it was worth it. Lara d\u0026rsquo;Entremont explains why by showing the kind of blessing it can be. She starts like this:\n Dear Nursery Worker,\nI came into your nursery with a lot of baggage. Not just a heavy diaper bag slung over my shoulder and a toddler clinging to my side. I came with grief from miscarriages. I came with sorrow from leaving the church we used to call home. I came with fear and uncertainty if this would be the place we could call our church.\n Read: Dear Nursery Worker: Thank You For Loving Our Family Like Christ\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-07-26 12:35:48 -0700",
    "date": "12:35 p.m. on Jul 26, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/07/26/nursery-care-at.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F07%2F26%2Fnursery-care-at.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 250,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Now is a good time to build yourself your own little internet homestead. It\u0026rsquo;s so fun. I use Micro.blog, which is offering a summer special right now, $1/mo for 4 months.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-07-25 20:20:44 -0700",
    "date": "8:20 p.m. on Jul 25, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/07/25/now-is-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F07%2F25%2Fnow-is-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 251,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "If you need some comfort and encouragement, listen to the sermon I preached last Sunday morning. If you want to hear about how foolish it is to think you can control people, even if you have more power than anyone else, listen to my sermon from the evening.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-07-25 07:05:40 -0700",
    "date": "7:05 p.m. on Jul 25, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/07/25/if-you-need.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F07%2F25%2Fif-you-need.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 252,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Here's a godly way to pray for rain.",
    "text": "I know it’s hot right now and easy to complain. But what would happen if we replaced complaining with praying? Like this from the Book of Common Prayer:\n O God, heavenly Father, who by thy Son Jesus Christ hast promised to all those who seek thy kingdom, and the righteousness thereof, all things necessary to their bodily sustenance; Send us, we beseech thee, in this our necessity, such moderate rain and showers, that we may receive the fruits of the earth to our comfort, and to thy honour; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.\n It\u0026rsquo;s a good prayer, right?\n It\u0026rsquo;s a good prayer because it is a pray to the Father through the Son; this the primary way God directs us to pray. It\u0026rsquo;s a good prayer because it seeks for something that is according to God\u0026rsquo;s will. It\u0026rsquo;s a good prayer because it is trusting and humble before the Lord; it recognizes God\u0026rsquo;s power over nature, and seeks God\u0026rsquo;s will and glory even above the immediate need. It\u0026rsquo;s a good prayer because it doesn\u0026rsquo;t think of our temporal needs as more important than our eternal needs and ends.  I know it\u0026rsquo;s hot, and for many it\u0026rsquo;s not a mere inconvenience. We can help others keep cool by sharing water, giving away Eegee\u0026rsquo;s, and donating fans to those in need. But there\u0026rsquo;s no better way to deal with the heat and lack of rain than to appeal to the Lord of rain himself.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-07-22 10:13:42 -0700",
    "date": "10:13 p.m. on Jul 22, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/07/22/heres-a-godly.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F07%2F22%2Fheres-a-godly.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 253,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The Golden Nugget reached 225,000 miles this summer. I’m thankful for all the adventures our family has had in this van.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-07-21 21:52:51 -0700",
    "date": "9:52 p.m. on Jul 21, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/07/21/the-golden-nugget.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F07%2F21%2Fthe-golden-nugget.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 254,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "The Lord of the Rain",
    "text": "Exodus 9:33 So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and stretched out his hands to the LORD, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured upon the earth.\nJob 5:8 \u0026ldquo;As for me, I would seek God, and to God I would commit my cause.\nJob 5:10 He gives rain on the earth and sends waters on the fields;\nPsalm 65:9-10 You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.\nPsalm 147:8 He covers the heavens with clouds, prepares rain for the earth, makes grass grow on the hills.\nJeremiah 5:23-24 But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away. They do not say in their hearts, \u0026ldquo;Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives the rain in its season, the autumn rain and the spring rain, and keeps for us the weeks appointed for the harvest.\u0026rdquo;\nJeremiah 14:4 because the ground is cracked. Because there has been no rain on the land the farmers are dismayed; they cover their heads.\nJeremiah 14:22 Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is you, LORD our God. Therefore our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this.\nJoel 1:19-20 To you, O Lord, I cry. For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flames have burned all the trees of the field. Even the wild animals cry to you because the watercourses are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.\nActs 14:17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”\nJames 5:17-18 Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-07-20 16:10:29 -0700",
    "date": "4:10 p.m. on Jul 20, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/07/20/the-lord-of.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F07%2F20%2Fthe-lord-of.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 255,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Russ Roca’s paintings are an inspiring reminder that many things are best enjoyed at a slower pace. Bicyclists will especially enjoy them. 🎨 🚲\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-07-19 19:13:29 -0700",
    "date": "7:13 p.m. on Jul 19, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/07/19/russ-rocas-paintings.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F07%2F19%2Fruss-rocas-paintings.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 256,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Memorizing the Westminster Shorter Catechism is one of the best things you can do. Read this article in New Horizons to get some inspiration and see how one of our families at Covenant is getting after it. Way to go!\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-07-19 00:25:35 -0700",
    "date": "12:25 p.m. on Jul 19, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/07/19/memorizing-the-westminster.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F07%2F19%2Fmemorizing-the-westminster.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 257,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I took one of the dogs for a late night walk to enjoy the quiet and the smell of rain.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-07-18 08:28:18 -0700",
    "date": "8:28 p.m. on Jul 18, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/07/18/i-took-one.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F07%2F18%2Fi-took-one.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 258,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "We got to watch Sound of Freedom tonight. Go see this movie! Generous people have even provided free tickets.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-07-17 22:30:02 -0700",
    "date": "10:30 p.m. on Jul 17, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/07/17/we-got-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F07%2F17%2Fwe-got-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 259,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Do We Actually ‘Hear’ Silence? | Scientific American\n Does the brain actually “hear” silence as an input processed by its auditory system in the same way it does a car horn? Or does the organ instead infer these empty spaces by inserting place markers between sounds that are then perceived as the silent bits?\n One time I was in an informal class with Yo-Yo Ma. He told us to “play the rests.”\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-07-17 11:39:54 -0700",
    "date": "11:39 p.m. on Jul 17, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/07/17/do-we-actually.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F07%2F17%2Fdo-we-actually.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 260,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "If you like J. C. Ryle’s writing, you will want to read his recommendation of the puritan Thomas Manton. As Ryle explains his admiration for Manton, you also get a sense of what makes Ryle tick, and what he thinks makes a good man, writer, theologian, and preacher. It’s an inspiring portrait.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-07-17 10:29:09 -0700",
    "date": "10:29 p.m. on Jul 17, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/07/17/if-you-like.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F07%2F17%2Fif-you-like.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 261,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Listening to Tanto Tempo by Bebel Gilberto and waiting for the monsoons to samba over Tucson. 🎵\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-07-13 16:06:09 -0700",
    "date": "4:06 p.m. on Jul 13, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/07/13/listening-to-tanto.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F07%2F13%2Flistening-to-tanto.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 262,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I took this picture of a balloon man in Eugene, OR. He was giving life and purpose to balloons in order to bless others. God does this when he re-forms people in Christ—“we are his workmanship”. If your life right now involves some painful twists and turns, consider: could God be re-forming you?\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-07-11 21:48:26 -0700",
    "date": "9:48 p.m. on Jul 11, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/07/11/i-took-this.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F07%2F11%2Fi-took-this.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 263,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "One of my all time fav things is Growing Native by Petey Mesquitey. These 5 min. celebrations of life in the borderlands have storytelling like G.K’s news from Lake Wobegon but are true and have more cactus. Long time fans will enjoy the Tucson Sentinel’s recent profile of the man behind the mic.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-07-09 00:59:01 -0700",
    "date": "12:59 p.m. on Jul 9, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/07/09/one-of-my.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F07%2F09%2Fone-of-my.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 264,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Want to fight perfectionism and dementia while boosting confidence and creativity? Do things you\u0026rsquo;re bad at.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-07-06 23:59:38 -0700",
    "date": "11:59 p.m. on Jul 6, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/07/06/want-to-fight.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F07%2F06%2Fwant-to-fight.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 265,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Fred Sanders considers the doctrine of God found in the Declaration of Independence.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-07-05 01:19:00 -0700",
    "date": "1:19 p.m. on Jul 5, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/07/05/fred-sanders-considers.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F07%2F05%2Ffred-sanders-considers.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 266,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Happy Independence Day! 🇺🇸\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-07-05 01:05:57 -0700",
    "date": "1:05 p.m. on Jul 5, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/07/05/happy-independence-day.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F07%2F05%2Fhappy-independence-day.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 267,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "American citizenship gives a person many valuable rights, but maintaining those rights requires Americans to fulfill certain obligations. Consider this a little more via Hans Zeiger’s review of The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens by Richard Haass. 📚 🤝 🇺🇸\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-07-03 23:40:49 -0700",
    "date": "11:40 p.m. on Jul 3, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/07/03/american-citizenship-gives.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F07%2F03%2Famerican-citizenship-gives.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 268,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Here’s my first try at painting with watercolor. It was fun and I’d like to learn more. Painters, what’s a great book to get me started? 🎨\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-06-28 18:28:53 -0700",
    "date": "6:28 p.m. on Jun 28, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/06/28/heres-my-first.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F06%2F28%2Fheres-my-first.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 269,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I explored the themes of loneliness and solitude in a recent pair of sermons. The first is on the sorrow of loneliness in Psalm 102; the second considers the godly practice of seeking solitude through Jesus’ example. I hope they are helpful to you.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-06-28 08:11:57 -0700",
    "date": "8:11 p.m. on Jun 28, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/06/28/i-explored-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F06%2F28%2Fi-explored-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 270,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Who else loves snuggling paper towels?\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-06-28 07:58:22 -0700",
    "date": "7:58 p.m. on Jun 28, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/06/28/who-else-loves.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F06%2F28%2Fwho-else-loves.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 271,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "If your the kind of person that just wants things to work, you might want to get off the internet superhighway for a while. Get some snacks, stretch your legs and take the dog for a walk. Because before Web 3.0 is built out, we’re going to struggle with a lot of construction, bad drivers, and getting lost. It’s going to be rough.\nJames Vincent explains what is happening in his article, “AI is killing the old web, and the new web struggles to be born.”\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-06-27 07:23:42 -0700",
    "date": "7:23 p.m. on Jun 27, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/06/27/if-your-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F06%2F27%2Fif-your-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 272,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Jacob Phillips writes about an often unidentified cause of the crisis of loneliness.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-06-27 06:38:59 -0700",
    "date": "6:38 p.m. on Jun 27, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/06/27/jacob-phillips-writes.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F06%2F27%2Fjacob-phillips-writes.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 273,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Good News from Iran: A Million New Christian Believers [via RCL]\n The house church participants, including recent converts, know very well that the aftermath of such raids can also be perilous: continuing threats of violence, lost employment, expulsion from school or university, confiscated cash, and the endangerment of other family members. And everyone knows that sexual violence against a mother, wife, girlfriend, or daughter is likely to follow. Still, with all this in mind, Iranian house church Christians are extraordinarily courageous.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2023-06-21 22:32:02 -0700",
    "date": "10:32 p.m. on Jun 21, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/06/21/good-news-from.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F06%2F21%2Fgood-news-from.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 274,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Bruce Waltke and Fred Zaspel offer some good pointers on how (and how not) to read the Psalms.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-06-20 15:12:47 -0700",
    "date": "3:12 p.m. on Jun 20, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/06/20/bruce-waltke-and.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F06%2F20%2Fbruce-waltke-and.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 275,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "An interesting aspect of presbyterianism in the OPC: congregations fund denominational work (like the General Assembly) directly instead of through the presbyteries. While there are weaknesses and strengths to this arrangement, it does reflect the kind of independence and interdependence that congregations have in the OPC.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-06-17 20:35:08 -0700",
    "date": "8:35 p.m. on Jun 17, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/06/17/an-interesting-aspect.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F06%2F17%2Fan-interesting-aspect.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 276,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "In Recovering the Art of Persuasion Shane Rosenthal says that we’ve been poorly trained by TV how to argue and persuade.\n When media professionals end up having important conversations for us, they typically do so in brief segments, frequently interrupted by advertisements. Advocates of various positions are chosen to make segments more compelling, and the more fireworks the better! …\n  Whether we realize it or not, we’ve all been mentored and catechized by these “conversation surrogates.” So when differences of opinion emerge among friends and relatives, it seems natural for us to raise our voices, ridicule the other side, offer caricatures, and throw bombs.\n We are also overly dependent on “conversational suragates”. Many times the best person to persuade your friend is you.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-06-15 08:28:45 -0700",
    "date": "8:28 p.m. on Jun 15, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/06/15/in-recovering-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F06%2F15%2Fin-recovering-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 277,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Listening: Bridges: Works for Violin and Piano by Greek Composers by Danae Papamattheou-Matschke \u0026amp; Uwe Matschke. I’m not crazy about one piece but the rest is amazing. 🎵\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-06-14 14:00:32 -0700",
    "date": "2:00 p.m. on Jun 14, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/06/14/listening-bridges-works.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F06%2F14%2Flistening-bridges-works.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 278,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Russ Roberts and Tyler Cowen discuss the risks and impact of AI. This is the best discussion I’ve heard thus far on this topic.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-06-14 09:08:17 -0700",
    "date": "9:08 p.m. on Jun 14, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/06/14/russ-roberts-and.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F06%2F14%2Fruss-roberts-and.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 279,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Buttercup and Teddy enjoying their longness.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-06-12 08:38:34 -0700",
    "date": "8:38 p.m. on Jun 12, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/06/12/buttercup-and-teddy.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F06%2F12%2Fbuttercup-and-teddy.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 280,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Want a quieter soul?",
    "text": " Don’t get too attached the things of this world. Be resolute about seeking a peaceful soul and quickly repent when your passions get the better of you. Stay away from things that you know will provoke you. Learn to pause. Ask the Holy Spirit to grow meekness in you. Frequently examine yourself to see how you are improving. Spend time with meek and quiet people. Study the cross of Christ. Meditate much on death.  These are Matthew Henry’s suggestions in his book on meekness. He concludes: “we all wish to see quiet families, and quiet churches, and quiet neighborhoods, and quiet nations; and it will be so, if there be quiet hearts; and not otherwise.”\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-06-10 20:24:21 -0700",
    "date": "8:24 p.m. on Jun 10, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/06/10/want-a-quieter.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F06%2F10%2Fwant-a-quieter.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 281,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "A history of Tucsonans visiting Sabino Canyon. A visit to Sabino Canyon always ends up becoming a highlight of the week/month/year.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-06-10 16:55:41 -0700",
    "date": "4:55 p.m. on Jun 10, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/06/10/a-history-of.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F06%2F10%2Fa-history-of.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 282,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "2023 OPC General Assembly Daily Report\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-06-10 09:10:50 -0700",
    "date": "9:10 p.m. on Jun 10, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/06/10/opc-general-assembly.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F06%2F10%2Fopc-general-assembly.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 283,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Explore the ministry of Titus with maps",
    "text": "Imagine that after working together with Paul to bring the gospel to the island of Crete, Paul leaves you there so that you \u0026ldquo;might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town.\u0026rdquo; It\u0026rsquo;s hard to know what \u0026ldquo;every town\u0026rdquo; means, but historians think there were about 15 major population centers at the time. To consider the task, you can explore all of Crete\u0026rsquo;s towns, temples and topography with the Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire.\nThinking about the geography of Crete can help us better understand what Titus' ministry was like and think about our own ministry in our own places. As Charlotte Mason said, \u0026ldquo;The peculiar value of geography lies in its fitness to nourish the mind with ideas and furnish the imagination with pictures.\u0026rdquo;\nConsidering the size of Crete in comparison to your own ministry area can provide perspective. For me that means noting that Crete is roughly one-third the size of Pima County. To visualize the dimensions, I can imagine traveling east to west from Sells to Willcox, and south to north from Green Valley to Casas Adobes at its widest part.I made a map that compares Crete to Arizona to visualize this.\nBased on what I know so far, if Titus focused on developing leaders in these 15 cities (with approximately 12 distinct stops since some towns were close together), he could potentially visit every town and return to the starting point in less than 30 days, assuming a brisk walking pace. However, this plan allows only one day per stop, which is not much considering the assignment Paul lays out in his letter. Additionally, this plan assumes that the Christians in each town would be ready to receive Titus upon arrival, which can be challenging even with modern tools like email and GPS.\nSo if I were Titus, knowing only what I know now, here\u0026rsquo;s how I would handle it:\n Allocate 3 days at each stop for substantial discipleship time. Plan a day of travel between each stop. Plan on 3 days for sailing back to the starting point. Include 10 extra days for margin.  With this plan, you could spend quality time discipling every 60 days in each town and have the opportunity to worship there on the Lord\u0026rsquo;s Day at least once per year, maybe even twice. Although I\u0026rsquo;ve never been to Crete, ancient or modern, this seems feasible to me and likely to produce good results.\nI also think such a plan could be adapted to fit other places around the world as long as there was commitment from local Christians in making time in their schedules to meet with the missionary and preparing hospitality for him in advance.\nWhat would you do if you had Titus' job? And what if you were one of the local Christians on Crete, how could you help him during his time on the island?\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-06-09 12:13:00 -0700",
    "date": "12:13 p.m. on Jun 9, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/06/09/explore-the-ministry.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F06%2F09%2Fexplore-the-ministry.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 284,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I’m building a custom commuter bike, and I got one step closer yesterday by overhauling this amazing derailleur. It’s a Sachs Huret Duopar Eco from the early 80s. 🚲\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-06-07 07:49:00 -0700",
    "date": "7:49 p.m. on Jun 7, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/06/07/im-building-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F06%2F07%2Fim-building-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 285,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Being flexible and intentional is part of good parenting. John Beeson shows how this applies to leading your kids spiritually through each stage of childhood.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-06-06 23:23:33 -0700",
    "date": "11:23 p.m. on Jun 6, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/06/06/being-flexible-and.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F06%2F06%2Fbeing-flexible-and.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 286,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Learn about the inspiring story of Enoch..\n The life and translation of Enoch display not only how it is that we come to please God but also what the reward is for those who live and seek God by faith. The reward is God Himself.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2023-06-06 22:51:14 -0700",
    "date": "10:51 p.m. on Jun 6, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/06/06/learn-about-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F06%2F06%2Flearn-about-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 287,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "If you struggle with discontentment, you probably struggle with coveting. Jen Wilken shows how they are connected and offers some help.\n In a list of clear prohibitions, the tenth word is unexpected. For all the other nine, our neighbor could hold us to account fairly simply by gathering witnesses to testify to our compliance or lack thereof. But here, at the end of the list, we find a sin of a different nature. Idol-making, Sabbath-breaking, dishonoring authority, murder, theft, adultery, and slander can all be identified by an onlooker, but not so covetousness. Covetousness hides in the heart. The Ten Words progress from “Don’t do it” to “Don’t say it” to “Don’t even think about it.”\n ",
    "dateiso": "2023-05-31 08:45:30 -0700",
    "date": "8:45 p.m. on May 31, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/05/31/if-you-struggle.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F05%2F31%2Fif-you-struggle.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 288,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The saguaros are blooming.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-05-30 22:45:14 -0700",
    "date": "10:45 p.m. on May 30, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/05/30/the-saguaros-are.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F05%2F30%2Fthe-saguaros-are.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 289,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Currently reading: The Compelling Community by Mark Dever 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-05-30 07:24:29 -0700",
    "date": "7:24 p.m. on May 30, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/05/30/currently-reading-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F05%2F30%2Fcurrently-reading-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 290,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The Bible mentions the balm of Gilead as a famous healing agent. Here’s how to harvest it.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-05-26 07:12:48 -0700",
    "date": "7:12 p.m. on May 26, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/05/26/the-bible-mentions.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F05%2F26%2Fthe-bible-mentions.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 291,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Joshua Gibbs [via Short Letters]\n anyone who thinks that the way around ChatGPT is another bullet point on the school honor code is delusional. Sorry, but some things have to change. Homework needs to change. Writing assignments need to change. We need to take ChatGPT for what it is: a referendum on modern, non-classical teaching.\n Occasionally, I hear of a presbytery or session that gives theology exams as a take-home test. That should stop immediately.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-05-26 06:47:05 -0700",
    "date": "6:47 p.m. on May 26, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/05/26/joshua-gibbs-via.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F05%2F26%2Fjoshua-gibbs-via.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 292,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Kieth Wessel:\n Jesus’ ascension provides us with an awesome view from above—a glimpse of glory that assures us he has our lives and all things under control.\n Read more for several encouraging insights on the ascension of Christ.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-05-21 22:39:14 -0700",
    "date": "10:39 p.m. on May 21, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/05/21/kieth-wessel-jesus.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F05%2F21%2Fkieth-wessel-jesus.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 293,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I’m happy to have found a Safari extension called Hush. It silences the constant cookie offers—a terrible thing for IRL, but needed right now for the web.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-05-20 16:38:06 -0700",
    "date": "4:38 p.m. on May 20, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/05/20/im-happy-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F05%2F20%2Fim-happy-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 294,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "a quiet morning seeking a more quiet spirit\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-05-18 14:57:23 -0700",
    "date": "2:57 p.m. on May 18, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/05/18/a-quiet-morning.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F05%2F18%2Fa-quiet-morning.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 295,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Letters to a Younger Ruling Elder, No. 3: The Importance of the Devotional Life\n I have seen the eldership ruined more times by men, not because they were poor elders, but, sadly, because they were poor Christians.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2023-05-18 06:41:32 -0700",
    "date": "6:41 p.m. on May 18, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/05/18/letters-to-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F05%2F18%2Fletters-to-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 296,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "If you dug a tunnel down to the other side of the world, you’d end up in…\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-05-12 21:17:53 -0700",
    "date": "9:17 p.m. on May 12, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/05/12/if-you-dug.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F05%2F12%2Fif-you-dug.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 297,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Axios: Top 5 AI fears: Geoffrey Hinton and AI insiders sound alarm.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-05-02 08:30:04 -0700",
    "date": "8:30 p.m. on May 2, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/05/02/axios-top-ai.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F05%2F02%2Faxios-top-ai.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 298,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "You can pray the imprecatory psalms. PCA minister Benjamin Kandt explains how and why in 22 Reasons to Pray the Cursing (Imprecatory) Psalms.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-04-07 11:16:51 -0700",
    "date": "11:16 p.m. on Apr 7, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/04/07/you-can-pray.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F04%2F07%2Fyou-can-pray.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 299,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Updated: my Book of Church Order commentary links page. Alan Strange is cruising! He finished the Form of Government and is working on the Book of Discipline now.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-01-04 14:18:39 -0700",
    "date": "2:18 p.m. on Jan 4, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/01/04/updated-my-book.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F01%2F04%2Fupdated-my-book.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 300,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Here is my book review of The Unfolding Word: The Story of the Bible from Creation to New Creation by Zach Keele.\n",
    "dateiso": "2023-01-04 13:42:32 -0700",
    "date": "1:42 p.m. on Jan 4, 2023",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2023/01/04/here-is-my.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2023%2F01%2F04%2Fhere-is-my.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 301,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Goodnight, 2022.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-12-31 18:32:11 -0700",
    "date": "6:32 p.m. on Dec 31, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/12/31/goodnight.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F12%2F31%2Fgoodnight.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 302,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "The Normalizing of the Nones",
    "text": "Despite what some assume, the percent of those who say they have no religion in America is not fated to increase. In fact, the percent of Nones, as they are called, hasn’t climbed at all in the last six years but has remained at about 20%.\nThis explains a shift I’ve noticed: being unaffiliated with a religion is no longer cool. I’m not saying it’s uncool to be a None, but like drinking Starbucks or wearing Crocs, it’s not an edgy alternative anymore. It can’t be when the Nones now comprise two out of ten slices of the American pie.\nFiguring out what you owe God based on what other humans think is cool is a bad idea. So as the Nones are normalized and lose their cool, it’s a good time for all of us to re-examine how we relate toward God and why.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-12-12 11:04:04 -0700",
    "date": "11:04 p.m. on Dec 12, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/12/12/the-normalizing-of.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F12%2F12%2Fthe-normalizing-of.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 303,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "What is prayer?",
    "text": "Prayer ≠ mediation. Prayer ≠ spiritual desire\nHow so, George?\n “Prayer is not meditation, because meditation is communing with our own souls, prayer is communing with God. Nor yet can it be said that prayer is nothing else but a spiritual desire; for prayer is the sending up of our desires to God, being put in order.\u0026quot;\n What often is true is that mediation leads to spiritual desire which leads to prayer.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-12-09 11:19:51 -0700",
    "date": "11:19 p.m. on Dec 9, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/12/09/what-is-prayer.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F12%2F09%2Fwhat-is-prayer.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 304,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🎧 Listening to The Drive Home by Austin Britton. His newest single.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-11-29 19:17:25 -0700",
    "date": "7:17 p.m. on Nov 29, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/11/29/listening-to-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F11%2F29%2Flistening-to-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 305,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Finished reading Memoir and Remains of Robert Murray M\u0026rsquo;Cheyne by Andrew Bonar a few days ago. I was very blessed by it. To get a taste for yourself, read this mini bio about his short life and the lessons we can learn from it. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-11-24 17:55:11 -0700",
    "date": "5:55 p.m. on Nov 24, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/11/24/finished-reading-memoir.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F11%2F24%2Ffinished-reading-memoir.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 306,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "You are a theologian",
    "text": "Gerhard O. Forde:\n Suffice it to say for now, though, that all of us are theologians in one way or another. Being a theologian just means thinking and speaking about God. True, we may not do much of that. We might go for days or weeks without a thought of God entering our heads, but that is usually impossible. Things happen. Accidents. Tragedies. Deaths and funerals. Natural disasters. Illness. Loss. Suffering. Disappointment. Wrongdoing. And so on and on. There is also good fortune. Perhaps unexpected success or escape from danger or certain disaster. Experience of great beauty or pleasure. Sheer grace. Chance encounters that determine our lives. Love. We begin to wonder. God pops into our thinking and conversation. We may cry out in agony, “Why God?” or in relief, “Thank God!” Or we may just use God’s name in cursing. Sooner or later we are likely to get thinking about God and wondering if there is some logic to it all in our lives, or some injustice. We become theologians.\n The question is: What kind of theologian are you? And what kind of theologian are you encouraged to be?\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-11-12 18:02:18 -0700",
    "date": "6:02 p.m. on Nov 12, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/11/12/you-are-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F11%2F12%2Fyou-are-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 307,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Did you take your grace supplement today?",
    "text": "Gerhard O. Forde:\n Of course our theologian of glory may well grant that we need the help of grace. The only dispute, usually, will be about the degree of grace needed. If we are a “liberal,” we will opt for less grace and tend to define it as some kind of moral persuasion or spiritual encouragement. If we are more “conservative” and speak even of the depth of human sin, we will tend to escalate the degree of grace needed to the utmost. But the hallmark of a theology of glory is that it will always consider grace as something of a supplement to whatever is left of human will and power. It will always, in the end, hold out for some free will. Theology then becomes the business of making theological explanations attractive to the will.\n That last line is a kicker.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-11-10 11:53:51 -0700",
    "date": "11:53 p.m. on Nov 10, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/11/10/did-you-take.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F11%2F10%2Fdid-you-take.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 308,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "You can’t quit sin",
    "text": "Gerhard O. Forde writes:\n The theologian of glory is like one who considers, curing addiction by optimistic exhortation. The theologian of the cross knows the cure is much more drastic. [Luther] likens the theology of glory to the thirst, for money, or wisdom, or power, and so forth, and declares that the souls insatiable “thirst, for glory does not end by satisfying it, but rather buy extinguishing it.\n And breezily telling someone they can quit sin and giving them more things to do doesn’t help. In fact, it makes things worse.\n The supposed optimism of the theology of glory turns against itself. When the addict discovers the impossibility of quitting, self-esteem plummets. The addict to tries to hide the addiction and puts on a false front. Superficial optimism breeds ultimate despair.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2022-11-09 09:37:10 -0700",
    "date": "9:37 p.m. on Nov 9, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/11/09/you-cant-quit.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F11%2F09%2Fyou-cant-quit.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 309,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Heidelberg Disputation \u003e 95 Theses",
    "text": " Heinrich Bornkamm argues that, as far as the theology of th Reformation is concerned, the Heidelberg Disputation is the most influential of all Luther\u0026rsquo;s disputations. It is theologically much more important and influential, for instance, than the Ninety-five Theses even though the Ninety-five Theses caused more of an ecclesiastical and political stir. It is safe to say that the theological theses of the Disputation remain determinative and a center of attention even down to the present day… The theological influence of the Heidelberg Disputation is indicated by the fact that Luther’s audience at Heidelberg included no less than six future reformers, among them leaders such as Martin Bucey and Johannes Brenz…\n Gerhard O. Forde\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-11-08 13:03:16 -0700",
    "date": "1:03 p.m. on Nov 8, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/11/08/heidelberg-disputation-theses.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F11%2F08%2Fheidelberg-disputation-theses.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 310,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Currently reading: On Being a Theologian of the Cross by Gerhard O. Forde 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-11-08 11:23:28 -0700",
    "date": "11:23 p.m. on Nov 8, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/11/08/currently-reading-on.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F11%2F08%2Fcurrently-reading-on.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 311,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "I’m preaching again",
    "text": "Yesterday I started a new preaching series through Titus, which I’m really excited about. The first sermon was an overview of the letter. I share the five things that I think Paul wanted Titus to focus on and suggest some ways book applies to people not named Titus.\nIn the evening, picked up where I left off in Ezekiel. I addressed some important things about anger. Give it a listen.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-11-07 22:04:44 -0700",
    "date": "10:04 p.m. on Nov 7, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/11/07/im-preaching-again.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F11%2F07%2Fim-preaching-again.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 312,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "3 great podcast episodes on faith and science",
    "text": "White Horse Inn - the historical relationship between faith and science might surprise you\nClear+Vivid - Alan Alda interviews one of the greatest American scientists, Francis Collins, about communicating science and pursuing it in light of his Christian faith\nStand to Reason - the epistemological relationship between science and faith for Christians\nBonus! Belgic Confession:\n Article 2: The Means by Which We Know God We know him by two means: First, by the creation, preservation, and government of the universe, since that universe is before our eyes like a beautiful book in which all creatures, great and small, are as letters to make us ponder the invisible things of God: his eternal power and his divinity, as the apostle Paul says in Romans 1:20. All these things are enough to convict men and to leave them without excuse. Second, he makes himself known to us more openly by his holy and divine Word, as much as we need in this life, for his glory and for the salvation of his own.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2022-09-19 22:45:01 -0700",
    "date": "10:45 p.m. on Sep 19, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/09/19/great-podcast-episodes.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F09%2F19%2Fgreat-podcast-episodes.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 313,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "What I'm Doing on My Study Leave",
    "text": "This week I began a three-month sabbatical. In another sphere of life, you’d call it a Professional Development Leave. I\u0026rsquo;m calling it a Study Leave.\nWhatever you call it, it’s happening because of the generous love, faithful service, and forward-thinking of the members of Covenant. This is a church-wide investment in my growth as a minister for the benefit of the whole church.1 And we’re excited to see what God is going to do during this time.\nSo what am I up to? While the lion’s share of my regular duties are being met by our elders and a guest minister, Pastor Kim Kuhfuss—all of whom I couldn’t be more happy about—I am spending focused time on growing in a three key areas: capability, character, and compassion.\nCapability One broad goal I have is to improve my ability to think and serve theologically in local church ministry. To do that, I am reading throught he works of Gregory the Theologian. I like to think of this as another pastoral internship. I chose Gregory because he is an interesting and important example of what I’m seeking to grow in. It helps that Gregory wasn’t afraid to share. “Arguably more than any other Father of the Church, Gregory draws attention to the way he thinks, the prayers he makes, the sufferings he endures, the illnesses he bears, the enemies he fights, and the causes he champions.” (Andrew Hofer, “The Stoning of Christ” in Re-Reading Gregory of Nazianzus: Essays on History, Theology, and Culture, 144-145.)\nI am also working on learning more Greek with the help of my friend, David Noe, and his amazing Moss Method. Knowing Greek better will help me with my Gregory reading. It will also help me to be more like Gregory and other church fathers (and mothers), who are role models for their deep knowledge of the scriptures and intimacy with God.\nCharacter As I grow in my abilities as a minister, I want to do so in a way that reinforces my core commitments and values. Pastoral skills, like apps on a computer, are useless without a solid internal operating system. This means that in addition to studying, I’m working on strengthening healthy habits and routines in my personal and family life. I’m talking about spending time with God in scripture-rich prayer and mediation, connecting with family and friends, staying on top of household tasks, and giving sleep, diet, and exercise their due.\nImproving my workflow is a big part of this as well. I’m good at generating and drafting ideas, but want to improve my ability to store, retrieve, and share them.\nBy making some good things more automatic in my life, I can reduce stress, increase integrity, and expand my capacity to serve others.\nCompassion Building my capabilities and character ultimately serve and flow from the most important area for growth: compassion, or more generally, love. If anything is developed in me during my sabbatical, my prayer is that it would be devotion to the Lord out of a growing faith in and hunger for his devotion to me. I want to grow closer with God and from the overflow, love others more.\nSide benefits Documentation: The temporary transfer of my work to the elders and Pastor Kuhfuss meant I had to document some things so that others could work while I was gone. This will benefit us in several ways even after I return.\nPerspective: The study leave helps all of us at Covenant get outside of what\u0026rsquo;s normal. It gives us opportunities to see things in new ways, of which there can be many benefits.\nEncouragement: One member described my study leave as a big hug from the church. It sure feels like that. And it’s very motivating.\n  David VanDrunen’s article, Sabbaticals for Pastors, helped our church to think about why and how to make this kind of investment from a church perspective.\u0026#160;\u0026#x21a9;\u0026#xfe0e;\n   ",
    "dateiso": "2022-08-05 10:48:51 -0700",
    "date": "10:48 p.m. on Aug 5, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/08/05/why-im-doing.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F08%2F05%2Fwhy-im-doing.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 314,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Let’s not separate “going to church” from “being the church”. John Beeson explains why.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-08-02 16:51:08 -0700",
    "date": "4:51 p.m. on Aug 2, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/08/02/lets-not-separate.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F08%2F02%2Flets-not-separate.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 315,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "One of my favorite stories: 25 WWII German POWs escape (sort of) from a prison in Phoenix\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-08-02 00:17:26 -0700",
    "date": "12:17 p.m. on Aug 2, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/08/02/one-of-my.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F08%2F02%2Fone-of-my.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 316,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Do you know how can I search multiple audio book collections (Librivox, Audible, Kobo, Open Culture, Libby, Gutenberg, etc.) with a single search?\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-08-01 16:10:26 -0700",
    "date": "4:10 p.m. on Aug 1, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/08/01/do-you-know.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F08%2F01%2Fdo-you-know.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 317,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The rhinoceros is an amazing creature. We visited this one at the Tucson Zoo on Tuesday.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-07-30 22:00:23 -0700",
    "date": "10:00 p.m. on Jul 30, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/07/30/the-rhinoceros-is.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F07%2F30%2Fthe-rhinoceros-is.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 318,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Three examples of AI applied to historical research.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-07-30 09:04:58 -0700",
    "date": "9:04 p.m. on Jul 30, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/07/30/three-examples-of.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F07%2F30%2Fthree-examples-of.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 319,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Alfons Schmid released a major update this week for Notebooks App. It just keeps getting better.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-07-30 08:15:14 -0700",
    "date": "8:15 p.m. on Jul 30, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/07/30/alfons-schmid-released.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F07%2F30%2Falfons-schmid-released.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 320,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2022-07-27 07:54:53 -0700",
    "date": "7:54 p.m. on Jul 27, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/07/27/075453.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F07%2F27%2F075453.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 321,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Finished reading: George Washington On Leadership by Richard Brookhiser 📚 Fantastic book. Washington continues to lead and inspire.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-07-26 23:22:56 -0700",
    "date": "11:22 p.m. on Jul 26, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/07/26/finished-reading-george.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F07%2F26%2Ffinished-reading-george.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 322,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Huntington Beach on Independence Day.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-07-22 08:21:23 -0700",
    "date": "8:21 p.m. on Jul 22, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/07/22/huntington-beach-on.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F07%2F22%2Fhuntington-beach-on.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 323,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "the pleasant conditions of creative work",
    "text": "I finished reading: If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland. 📚\nUeland says you can’t create anything good out of fear, griding away and trying to satsify the criticis. Instead, you must be childlike: “happy, truthful and free.”\nShare things as you really see them. And you can learn to see them by taking a long, carefree walk alone everyday—a good tip, among others.\nInterestingly, she talks about stifling imagination and creativity as a sin. “Menial work at the expense of all true, ardent, creative work is a sin against the Holy Ghost.” She admits that she may not be a reliable theologian, but assuming she means imagination guided by virtue, I think she has a point.\nThe book is about writing, but Ueland addresses all kinds of creative work. Mozart, Van Gogh and others make appearances.\nSo Della and I have been having fun talking about our work as artists in light of the book: painting, writing, music, etc. This way of working comes more naturally to her, but I’m learning.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-07-21 20:45:36 -0700",
    "date": "8:45 p.m. on Jul 21, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/07/21/the-pleasant-conditions.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F07%2F21%2Fthe-pleasant-conditions.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 324,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "How the cross helps you win",
    "text": "Rule 17/22 from Erasmus' Enchiridion via Fred Sanders\n The one remedy that is most efficacious against every kind of adversity and temptation is the cross of Christ, which is at one and the same time an example for sinners, a solace for those who are distressed, and an armament for those who are engaged in the fight.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2022-07-18 23:03:42 -0700",
    "date": "11:03 p.m. on Jul 18, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/07/18/how-the-cross.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F07%2F18%2Fhow-the-cross.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 325,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "When fighting sin is hard",
    "text": "Rule 15/22 from Erasmus' Enchiridion via Fred Sanders\n Do not compare the hardship of the battle with the pleasure of sin, but compare the present bitterness of the battle with the future bitterness of sin that accompanies the defeated; then compare the present sweetness of vice, which allures you, with the future sweetness of victory and tranquillity of mind that accompanies the stalwart fighter.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2022-07-18 22:59:12 -0700",
    "date": "10:59 p.m. on Jul 18, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/07/18/when-fighting-sin.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F07%2F18%2Fwhen-fighting-sin.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 326,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Finished reading: Geronimo\u0026rsquo;s Story of His Life by Geronimo. Tough man. Lots to learn from his story. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-07-11 08:49:02 -0700",
    "date": "8:49 p.m. on Jul 11, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/07/11/finished-reading-geronimos.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F07%2F11%2Ffinished-reading-geronimos.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 327,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📚 A couple weeks ago I heard The Life of Saint Macrina by her brother, Gregory of Nyssa, for the first time . It’s not long and worth a listen. She and her family often chose confessing Christ over anything else.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-07-08 14:15:45 -0700",
    "date": "2:15 p.m. on Jul 8, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/07/08/a-couple-weeks.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F07%2F08%2Fa-couple-weeks.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 328,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Test your history skills with Wikitrivia. You only get three lives.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-07-07 00:41:03 -0700",
    "date": "12:41 p.m. on Jul 7, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/07/07/test-your-history.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F07%2F07%2Ftest-your-history.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 329,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🔗 tosdr.org—Terms of Service; Didn\u0026rsquo;t Read—summarizes what you agreed to when you signed up for __________.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-06-28 12:38:53 -0700",
    "date": "12:38 p.m. on Jun 28, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/06/28/tosdrorgterms-of-service.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F06%2F28%2Ftosdrorgterms-of-service.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 330,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "What were the “high places”? Ellen White:\n It may then be easiest to understand high places not as a reference to temporal space, but to a “higher” theological place.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2022-06-27 06:47:26 -0700",
    "date": "6:47 p.m. on Jun 27, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/06/27/what-were-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F06%2F27%2Fwhat-were-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 331,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "What’s the best app for listening to LibriVox recordings?\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-06-24 19:52:20 -0700",
    "date": "7:52 p.m. on Jun 24, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/06/24/whats-the-best.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F06%2F24%2Fwhats-the-best.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 332,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🎵 I love this string arrangement of Mock Morris. My dad taught us to play this in Jr. High. So fun!\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-06-23 12:30:29 -0700",
    "date": "12:30 p.m. on Jun 23, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/06/23/i-love-this.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F06%2F23%2Fi-love-this.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 333,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Ever wonder what to think of “Of David” or “Of Asaph” in the Psalms? And what about the collection as a whole? James M. Hamilton Jr. has an idea I like about who wrote the Psalms.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-06-23 08:06:43 -0700",
    "date": "8:06 p.m. on Jun 23, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/06/23/ever-wonder-what.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F06%2F23%2Fever-wonder-what.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 334,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "test",
    "text": "Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-06-13 08:00:31 -0700",
    "date": "8:00 p.m. on Jun 13, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/06/13/test.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F06%2F13%2Ftest.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 335,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in Nineveh? Here’s some evidence.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-05-13 07:21:09 -0700",
    "date": "7:21 p.m. on May 13, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/05/13/were-the-hanging.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F05%2F13%2Fwere-the-hanging.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 336,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The Nictone Theological Journal is finally back.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-05-06 19:45:06 -0700",
    "date": "7:45 p.m. on May 6, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/05/06/the-nictone-theological.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F05%2F06%2Fthe-nictone-theological.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 337,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Read through the Shorter Catechism tonight with 20+ others from church. I took small breaks along the way to answer questions and the Mrs. made some burritos for us to eat about halfway through. Fun evening.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-04-24 21:40:44 -0700",
    "date": "9:40 p.m. on Apr 24, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/04/24/read-through-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F04%2F24%2Fread-through-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 338,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Fred Sanders:\n When you make a plan to kill a public person, the kind of public person who is animated by a powerful inner force, you’d better make sure to kill him\u0026hellip; there’s that powerful inner force to deal with: what if, by killing him, you just let it out?\n ",
    "dateiso": "2022-04-17 21:52:09 -0700",
    "date": "9:52 p.m. on Apr 17, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/04/17/fred-sanders-when.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F04%2F17%2Ffred-sanders-when.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 339,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "It\u0026rsquo;s Good Friday. I\u0026rsquo;m thinkinng about sympathy, empathy, and the cross.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-04-15 20:05:41 -0700",
    "date": "8:05 p.m. on Apr 15, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/04/15/its-good-friday.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F04%2F15%2Fits-good-friday.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 340,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Sympathy, Empathy, and the Cross",
    "text": "It’s Good Friday and I am reminded how good it is that the Son of God partook of flesh and blood, suffered when tempted, and ultimately died. He did this so that we might be delivered from death and helped in every way as he works in our lives.\n For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)\n This also reminds me of the recent conversation we had at our Westside Fellowship on 1 Peter 3:8, where God calls us to exhibit this same kind of sympathy in our lives towards others.\nBut should we really? Perhaps you’ve heard some people say we need to reject sympathy and strive for empathy instead. Or perhaps you’ve heard others say that empathy is the one that is dangerous and needs to go in favor of sympathy or compassion.\nThe problem is that because of several factors, we’re in a moment where there is a lot of confusion about these terms. If this is something you’d like to be less confused about, this article by Jonathan Worthington will help.\n🔗 Navigating Empathy\nOne fascinating thing Worthington points out is that the English word empathy does not correspond to what you’d think would be the corresponding Greek word. The Greek word, ἐμπάθεια (empátheia), rarely occurs in Greek and originally meant something quite different from what anyone is proposing today, namely, a kind of intense emotion such as deep sadness, anger, or sexual passion that had nothing to do with how one “felt with” another person. Today, in Modern Greek, it just means “hatred or malice.” Which is why Paul would not have used this word to describe the compassionate feeling of another’s emotions—it just didn’t mean that. And it doesn’t mean that in English either.\nSurprisingly, our word does not come from the Greek, but the German word Einfühlung, which meant to project oneself into something else, as in art appreciation. “When Edward Titchener converted Einfühlung from art appreciation to British psychology, he should have gained a Greek-ish term “eispathy” instead of borrowing εμπάθεια. But he didn’t.”\nSo our English word isn’t directly related to the Greek, but to the German. Our word involves: “moving yourself into someone else’s mental and emotional shoes to walk around from their perspective for a time, especially to help them.” Which is a necessary and godly thing to do.\nThe bottom line, however, is that no matter what you call it in English, is that “Jesus understands and experiences our perspective and emotions from our vantage point, without losing truth or becoming enmeshed, so as to help us in the most effective way for our good.”\nAnd because he did this, we can confidently come to the throne of grace to receive mercy and grace to help in time of need (Heb 5:16), even if what we are needing is a more loving, Christ-like heart.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-04-15 16:58:00 -0700",
    "date": "4:58 p.m. on Apr 15, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/04/15/sympathy-empathy-and.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F04%2F15%2Fsympathy-empathy-and.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 341,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Here\u0026rsquo;s Thomas Murphy\u0026rsquo;s plan for memorizing scripture in 15 minutes a day.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-04-15 16:57:35 -0700",
    "date": "4:57 p.m. on Apr 15, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/04/15/heres-thomas-murphys.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F04%2F15%2Fheres-thomas-murphys.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 342,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "How to Memorize Scripture in 15 Minutes a Day, Thomas Murphy",
    "text": "In Pastoral Theology: The Pastor in the Various Duties of His Office, Thomas Murphy shares a plan on how to memorize scripture. Here is a slightly paraphrased summary of the plan: Repeat a passage of scripture 15X/per day, reviewing the previous twenty-five passages 1X/day.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s how to get started:\n Get a blank book. Write down at least 25 scriptures passages with their verse references and number them. Choose passages of various lengths and topics. Repeat the first passage 15x/day for two weeks. Repeat the second passage 15x/day for two weeks and reviewing the first passage 1x/day. Continue the process with the third, reviewing all previous passages 1x/day. Continue this pattern. Once the first 25 are completed, write down another 25. From now on, drop the oldest passage every time you add a new one, so that each day you repeat a new passage 15X/per day and review the previous twenty-five passages 1X/day.  ",
    "dateiso": "2022-04-14 14:08:09 -0700",
    "date": "2:08 p.m. on Apr 14, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/04/14/how-to-memorize.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F04%2F14%2Fhow-to-memorize.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 343,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🎧 Listen to Billy Collins tell Alan Alda about writing poetry. He has great advice for creative work of all kinds.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-04-07 20:11:50 -0700",
    "date": "8:11 p.m. on Apr 7, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/04/07/listen-to-billy.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F04%2F07%2Flisten-to-billy.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 344,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "C. B. Radio Store in Eloy, AZ.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-04-02 19:25:01 -0700",
    "date": "7:25 p.m. on Apr 2, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/04/02/c-b-radio.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F04%2F02%2Fc-b-radio.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 345,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "We’re big fans of BRBC Family Camp at Covenant. Check out the new website I made for this year. Registration is now open!\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-04-02 19:20:40 -0700",
    "date": "7:20 p.m. on Apr 2, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/04/02/were-big-fans.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F04%2F02%2Fwere-big-fans.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 346,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2022-03-30 16:24:58 -0700",
    "date": "4:24 p.m. on Mar 30, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/03/30/162458.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F03%2F30%2F162458.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 347,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2022-03-22 07:23:03 -0700",
    "date": "7:23 p.m. on Mar 22, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/03/22/072303.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F03%2F22%2F072303.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 348,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "a values-based definition of minimalism\n\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-03-21 20:35:01 -0700",
    "date": "8:35 p.m. on Mar 21, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/03/21/a-valuesbased-definition.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F03%2F21%2Fa-valuesbased-definition.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 349,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Caleb Miller on expressing uncertainty in the pulpit:\n A consistent practice of avoidance, or refusal to admit concerns publicly, especially from the pulpit, gives the impression in the long run that doubt and uncertainty are things to be shamed and ignored, perhaps even feared, rather than patiently and pastorally addressed out in the open. If doubt itself becomes something to be feared, it becomes nearly impossible to tackle a problem authentically. On the other hand, a consistent practice of acknowledging any and all uncertainties, rehearsing each and every last unknown, especially from the pulpit, can lead to its own crippling disaster. If doubt is something idealized and venerated, a near-weekly occurrence and constant refrain demonstrating “authenticity,” telling our congregation so regularly that we actually nurse private doubts about the reliability of the biblical testimony, they will invariably begin to follow our lead. They will begin to lose confidence in the Scriptures, in us, or both.\n Good observations. The core problem is that both of these approaches undermine the gospel. I look forward to reading more of his thoughts in forthcoming articles.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-03-17 09:53:25 -0700",
    "date": "9:53 p.m. on Mar 17, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/03/17/caleb-miller-on.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F03%2F17%2Fcaleb-miller-on.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 350,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Good idea: Intentionally spiraling out - Austin Kleon\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-02-27 20:52:17 -0700",
    "date": "8:52 p.m. on Feb 27, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/02/27/good-idea-intentionally.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F02%2F27%2Fgood-idea-intentionally.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 351,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Apparently, Morning Doves have color matching skills.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-02-21 17:18:42 -0700",
    "date": "5:18 p.m. on Feb 21, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/02/21/apparently-morning-doves.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F02%2F21%2Fapparently-morning-doves.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 352,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Love this video of a couple #tucson burritos head home.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-02-11 22:51:28 -0700",
    "date": "10:51 p.m. on Feb 11, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/02/11/love-this-video.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F02%2F11%2Flove-this-video.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 353,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I\u0026rsquo;m sharing with you the best advice I\u0026rsquo;ve received on how to revise your writing. Check it out.\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-02-08 18:48:19 -0700",
    "date": "6:48 p.m. on Feb 8, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/02/08/im-sharing-with.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F02%2F08%2Fim-sharing-with.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 354,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "How to Revise Your Writing",
    "text": "This document started as my notes from Amy Nichols’ lecture, “Make it Lean, Make it Strong: Revision Techniques” @ the 2016 Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference, which was excellent. Since then, I have added notes from other places and included thoughts of my own.\n“Revision is re-vision. It takes time.” (Amy Nichols)\n 0. Complete First Draft  As you write keep a notebook. Make notes for later things: revisions, research. Use notes in brackets like this: [FIX THIS]. Celebrate after completing your draft. Take a break. Play cello, garden, whatever. “It would be crazy to begin revising immediately after finishing the first draft, and counter to the way the mind likes to create. You’re exhausted. You deserve a vacation. Go away from the project for at least a week.” (Kenneth Atchity)  1. Quick Copy edit, Fix Easy Things, Note Harder Things  Once you’ve forgotten enough, go back to the beginning and read out loud. Fix minor things and things on your notepad. Take a break. Let it cool off. Let it grow cold.  2. Do a Deep Edit   Print it out. Go somewhere different.\n  Read it out loud. Pay attention to your gut. Box things that don’t work. Label the boxes if you know what’s wrong (e.g. pacing, voice, boring, too fast, too much backstory). Here are some things to look for.\n places where you lose visual; telling rather than showing Over-explaining word overuse passive voice adjective storms adverbs look esp. for misplaced modifiers; dangling participles; gerunds; and parallel structure. (via Jenna McGuiggian) white-noise words (very, really, a few) too many facial expressions pet words to watch for (just, looked) POV slips was + ing verbs too many similarly structured sentences things that need foreshadowing try to find your real first line    For bigger ideas that can’t be easily attached to a place in the text, put it in a notebook, like plot holes, research needed, logic leaps. Also, use the notebook to record surfacing subconscious thoughts.\n  Ask at end points: what did this section do? Is it in the right place?\n  Write down your outline on notecards. Put note cards onto a sticky magic wall. Put plot timelines on a calendar if necessary.\n  Take a break: Recharge. Let the questions and things you are considering get into your subconscious. These will germinate and pop-up when you are blow drying your hair, brushing your teeth, sweeping. Doing repetitive things with your hands seem to be best.\n  3. Big Picture   When you are willing to take a look again, go back and start with the easy things.\n  Look for structural problems: Is it logical, progressive? Is something missing? Are there sub-plots that need strengthening/eliminating? Should chapters be swapped?\n  Ask: Can I make changes that would take the reader to unexpected places.\n  Look for pacing: color code action and reflection\n  Take a break.\n  4. Keep Going  Keep repeating the above pattern of work and rest until it’s done, that is, when you find yourself flying through the reading, proud of the things you wrote. Use the last several drafts for the real nitty-gritty stuff. Make sure to use Bryan Garner’s Usage Guide, a thesaurus, and a dictionary. Now put a fork about in it, send it out, then celebrate. Hooray!  Other Advice For setting your mind:\n Is this piece worth revising? Do I want to spend time on it? Be known for it? Is it important to me that I say what I’m trying to say here? Write like a gypsy. Edit like a banker. Alt: for writing drink whisky, for editing drink coffee. “Revision is just as important as any other part of writing and must be done con amore.\u0026quot; (Evelyn Waugh) “The process of writing is a process of inner expansion and reduction. It’s like an accordion: You open it and then you bring it back, hoping that additional sound—a new clarity—may come out. It’s all for clarity.” (Jerzy Kosinski)  For concision:\n Say things once well and don’t say anything else when in doubt, cut Are sentences doing as much as possible?  For structure:\n Does the introduction feel fresh? A good intro “lays out the terms of the argument, and in my opinion, should also in some way imply the stakes.” (David Foster Wallace, Quack This Way) The middle: “It lays out the argument in steps, not in a robotic way, but in a way that the reader can tell (a) what the distinct steps or premises of the argument are; and (b), this is the tricky one, how they’re connected to each other.” (David Foster Wallace, Quack this Way) Don’t neglect transitions! “My guess would be if I were an argumentative writer, that I would spend one draft on just the freaking argument, ticking it off like a checklist, and then the real writing part would be weaving it and making the transitions between the parts of the arguement—and probably never abandoning the opening, never letting the reader forget what the stakes are here. Right? Never letting the reader think that I’ve lapsed into argument for argument’s sake, but that there’s always a larger, overriding purpose.” (David Foster Wallace, Quack This Way) Is there anything from the conclusion that can be removed, say, the last paragraph? Do major sections end strong? Do major sections make you want to turn the page when you reach the end?  For unity and strength and beauty:\n To be verbs tells rather than show. Which “to be” verbs can I eliminate? (be, am, is, are, was, were, has, have, had, should, would, could, shall, will, might, must, may, can, do, did, and does) (Jenna McGuiggan) “Don’t say it was “delightful”; make us say “delightful” when we’ve read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers “Please will you do my job for me?” (C. S. Lewis) vary sentence and paragraph structure Fix “ugh” passages, boring passages Remove beautiful passages that don’t need to be there, over-explanation, things that don’t feel real Ask: Am I surprised or bored? Is there humor? Find and change images that are undefined or unimaginable. Is there any place where you can add dialogue? Try to connect emotions to external things (objects, actions). Read about Freddish Remember: “Not Every Sentence Can Be Great But Every Sentence Must Be Good”. Cynthia Newberry Martin suggests that if it’s kind of boring you can add detail (unusual, personal, or a dash of vagueness), add unusual repetition (different forms of the same word, the same word as different parts of speech), incorporate the character’s voice, add a surprising or unusual perspective, use sentence fragments, use compression, delete a sentence. See the article for examples.  For voice:\n the voice of the narrator (and other speakers) must be authentic. (Narrator may not always be the writer.) “Like all other aspects of writing, voice is a made thing. You don’t ‘find’ your voice; you make it\u0026hellip;the real work of creating strong voice is the work that takes places off the page. It requires focusing on two aspects: internalization of subject and vulnerability in approach.” (Jennifer Sinor) Watch out for “presenting one’s own qualifications for inclusion in the group than transmission of meaning\u0026hellip;We reserve a special kind of amused scorn for people who are trying to signal inclusion in a group to which they do not rightfully belong.” (David Foster Wallace, Quack this Way) “My guess is this: officialese, as spoken by officials, is meant to empty the communication of a certain level of humanity. On purpose.” (David Foster Wallace, Quack This Way) “You do not create a style. You work and develop yourself; your style is an emanation from your own being.” (Katherine Anne Porter) “Altogether, the style of a writer is a faithful representative of his mind; therefore, if any man wish to write a clear style, let him be first clear in his thoughts; and if any man would write in a noble style, let him first possess a noble soul.” (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe) “Have something to say and say it as clearly as you can. That is the only secret of style.” (Matthew Arnold) “Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you’ve got to say, and say it hot.” (D. H. Lawrence) “Like all other aspects of writing, voice is a made thing. You don’t ‘find’ your voice; you make it\u0026hellip;the real work of creating strong voice is the work that takes places off the page. It requires focusing on two aspects: internalization of subject and vulnerability in approach.” (Jennifer Sinor) “Voice takes time. You cannot internalize your subject or name your stake in a story quickly. You must live with your subject, learn its movements, its manners. And voice comes forth through revision, each draft coming closer to what you really want to say.” (Jennifer Sinor)  For unity:\n Is there more than one main voice/point of view? Is verb tense consistent throughout? If the piece isn’t working, try a different tense. (Jenna McGuiggan)   Is the voice consistent?  Go deeper. Here are some of the best things to read. The Writer’s Portable Mentor: A Guide to Art, Craft, and the Writing Life by Priscilla Long\nCrafting Voice by Jennifer Sinor\nA Writer’s Coach: An Editor’s Guide to Words the Work by Jack Hart\nThe Holy Book of Literary Craft\nPolitics and the English Language by George Orwell\nQuack this Way: David Foster Wallace and Bryan A. Garner Talk Language and Writing\nBecoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande\nAdvice to Writers: A Compendium of Quotes, Anecdotes, and Writerly Wisdom from a Dazzling Array of Literary Lights complied and edited by John Winokur\nNot Every Sentence Can Be Great But Every Sentence Must Be Good by Cynthia Newberry Martin\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-02-08 17:48:00 -0700",
    "date": "5:48 p.m. on Feb 8, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/02/08/how-to-revise.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F02%2F08%2Fhow-to-revise.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 355,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📚 Mister Rogers\u0026rsquo;s Simple Set of Rules for Talking to Kids - The Atlantic\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-02-07 06:50:43 -0700",
    "date": "6:50 p.m. on Feb 7, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/02/07/mister-rogerss-simple.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F02%2F07%2Fmister-rogerss-simple.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 356,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "\u0026ldquo;If you see yourself as a \u0026lsquo;little sinner\u0026rsquo; you will inevitably see Jesus as a \u0026lsquo;little Savior\u0026rsquo;.\u0026rdquo; — Martin Luther\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-01-31 16:01:43 -0700",
    "date": "4:01 p.m. on Jan 31, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/01/31/if-you-see.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F01%2F31%2Fif-you-see.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 357,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "candy canes from this year’s Winterhaven Festival of Lights #tucson\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-01-31 12:24:12 -0700",
    "date": "12:24 p.m. on Jan 31, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/01/31/candy-canes-from.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F01%2F31%2Fcandy-canes-from.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 358,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2022-01-13 22:35:27 -0700",
    "date": "10:35 p.m. on Jan 13, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/01/13/223527.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F01%2F13%2F223527.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 359,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2022-01-04 19:56:58 -0700",
    "date": "7:56 p.m. on Jan 4, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/01/04/195658.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F01%2F04%2F195658.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 360,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Finished reading: Is Hell For Real? by Erik Raymond. Short, sensitive, biblical, and clear. It is a perfect introduction to this sober topic. Thanks @erikraymond. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2022-01-03 12:25:54 -0700",
    "date": "12:25 p.m. on Jan 3, 2022",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2022/01/03/finished-reading-is.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2022%2F01%2F03%2Ffinished-reading-is.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 361,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Non-parent mentors matter. And the upcoming school break is a good time to invest in a teen you know. So send a text and schedule something today.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-12-13 10:44:59 -0700",
    "date": "10:44 p.m. on Dec 13, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/12/13/nonparent-mentors-matter.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F12%2F13%2Fnonparent-mentors-matter.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 362,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Currently reading and loving: Reformed Preaching by Joel Beeke 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-11-26 19:29:10 -0700",
    "date": "7:29 p.m. on Nov 26, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/11/26/currently-reading-and.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F11%2F26%2Fcurrently-reading-and.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 363,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Finished reading: The Unfolding Word by Zach Keele 📚 Watch for a coming review.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-11-18 21:24:54 -0700",
    "date": "9:24 p.m. on Nov 18, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/11/18/finished-reading-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F11%2F18%2Ffinished-reading-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 364,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "An important link (#2) in my better leading, better meeting blogchain was missing. It’s fixed, so now you get more reading recs.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-11-11 12:33:22 -0700",
    "date": "12:33 p.m. on Nov 11, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/11/11/an-important-link.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F11%2F11%2Fan-important-link.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 365,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "common curse or common grace?\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-11-10 15:53:09 -0700",
    "date": "3:53 p.m. on Nov 10, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/11/10/common-curse-or.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F11%2F10%2Fcommon-curse-or.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 366,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I\u0026rsquo;m enjoying the new Paleo Protestant Pudcast by @oldlife this week. Check it out. anchor.fm/darryl-ha\u0026hellip;\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-10-12 09:34:43 -0700",
    "date": "9:34 p.m. on Oct 12, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/10/12/im-enjoying-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F10%2F12%2Fim-enjoying-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 367,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Idea: Grade multiple choice exams for accuracy AND confidence like this\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-10-07 11:29:55 -0700",
    "date": "11:29 p.m. on Oct 7, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/10/07/idea-grade-multiple.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F10%2F07%2Fidea-grade-multiple.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 368,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Grade multiple choice exams for accuracy AND confidence like this",
    "text": "Instructions: Circle the correct answer. If you are unsure which is the correct answer, mark that by putting a (+) next to the question.\nGrading: Incorrect, sure - 0 points Incorrect, unsure = .25 points Correct, unsure = .75 points Correct, sure = 1 point\nExplanation: Because your goal is to get the right answers and be accurately confident about them, there are three things that can reduce your overall grade: wrong answers, underconfidence, and overconfidence. Marking which questions you are unsure of lets your overall grade reflect both these goals. Accurate answers and accurately assessed confidence gain you the most points.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-10-07 09:19:52 -0700",
    "date": "9:19 p.m. on Oct 7, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/10/07/grade-multiple-choice.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F10%2F07%2Fgrade-multiple-choice.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 369,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2021-10-02 10:56:41 -0700",
    "date": "10:56 p.m. on Oct 2, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/10/02/105641.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F10%2F02%2F105641.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 370,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🎵 Consider Abraham\n\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-09-28 19:34:03 -0700",
    "date": "7:34 p.m. on Sep 28, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/09/28/consider-abraham.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F09%2F28%2Fconsider-abraham.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 371,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Takeaways from George P. Shultz on trust 13 page PDF:\n take the jobs you can do well, then do them keep standards high no empty threats care about the people you serve build trust, then inspire set good missions and equip to win speak with authority on moral issues  ",
    "dateiso": "2021-09-14 18:14:54 -0700",
    "date": "6:14 p.m. on Sep 14, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/09/14/takeaways-from-george.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F09%2F14%2Ftakeaways-from-george.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 372,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Updated my OPC Form of Government Commentary page.. Dr. Strange has added commentary on meetings, ordination, installation, and more.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-09-08 12:04:58 -0700",
    "date": "12:04 p.m. on Sep 8, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/09/08/updated-my-opc.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F09%2F08%2Fupdated-my-opc.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 373,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🎵 Ever wish you could have just one more day?\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-09-07 13:24:32 -0700",
    "date": "1:24 p.m. on Sep 7, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/09/07/ever-wish-you.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F09%2F07%2Fever-wish-you.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 374,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "What kind of idealist are you? There’s a kind you don’t want to be.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-08-31 10:26:04 -0700",
    "date": "10:26 p.m. on Aug 31, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/08/31/102604.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F08%2F31%2F102604.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 375,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "What kind of idealist are you?",
    "text": "“Idealistic people who have moralistic notions about how people should behave without understanding how people really do behave do more harm than good…. as well-intentioned as they are, impractical idealists are dangerous and destructive, whereas practical idealists make the world a better.” —Ray Dalio\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-08-31 10:24:32 -0700",
    "date": "10:24 p.m. on Aug 31, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/08/31/what-kind-of.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F08%2F31%2Fwhat-kind-of.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 376,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Some Fundamental Thoughts on Leadership",
    "text": "Good leadership limits mistakes, creates opportunities, and increases flourishing at every level. This is because leadership, a system of thought and practices, plays the central role for the five other systems necessary of organizational effectiveness.\nBut how can one improve as a leader and become more effective? One key part of that process is developing and clarifying your own model for thinking about leadership. Gaining a deeper understanding of what leadership is and how it works can, for one benefit, help you decide what to focus on in your development and avoid a haphazard approach to learning. This post briefly describes a few fundamental aspects of leadership, as I understand them.\nFor much of this post, I share and draw on the work Bob Anderson and Bill Adams, particularly from their book, Mastering Leadership. I also modify their model by both addition and subtraction. For example, I think the model needs a stronger center, which ought to be union with the Triune God. And I think the model suffers from the category of leadership development called, Unitive, so I remove it. I hope to explain my thinking on these important points some time. That said, the rest of their work is very helpful and aligns with the teaching of the Bible.\nSimply put, leadership is the skill of helping someone or some group get somewhere. Individuals can lead; groups can lead too. Sometimes an individual does both within the same for the people they lead. For example, in the Form of Government for the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, we read that “Ruling elders, individually and jointly with the pastor in the session, are to lead the church in the service of Christ” (FG X.3).\nAccording to research by Anderson and Adams, there are four promises of leadership. They are always expected by those being led, even if they deny it. These promises can be viewed as the essential tasks of any leader.\n Set the right direction and create meaningful work Engage all stakeholders and hold them accountable for performance Ensure that processes and systems facilitate focus and execution Lead effectively and maintain relationships of trust to achieve desired results.   Read more (blog post): The promise of leadership: clear the high bar of expectation\nSometimes before you install an app on your phone you have to upgrade your operating system first. It\u0026rsquo;s like that with leadership. Without a fundamental internal maturity, specific and important leadership skills will always lack effectiveness.\nLeadership begins with leading oneself—“Leadership is the deployment of self into circumstances”—and extends to leading other individuals and groups of people, even things like animals (shepherd) or plants (arborist).\nBecause leadership begins internally with respect to our relationship to God and fuctions within emotional systems, self-differentiation matters. Self-differentiation is what allows leaders to stand strong, even when others disagree, while still remaining meaningfully connected to those they lead. Not all leaders, however, are mature in this way. Many lead, not many lead well.\nThe differences between mature and immature leadership are named and described well by four levels of leadership in Mastering Leadership. Those levles are egocentric, reactive, creative, and integral. Here is how Anderson and Adams describe it:\n Egocentric Leadership. My way or the highway. I am my needs and my needs are primary and I’m not capable of noticing this. Reactive Leadership. I know the rules of my communities and am trying to conform. I am reacting to them. I define myself not from the inside out, but from the outside in, by my relationships (I’m okay if people like me or need me), by my work (I’m okay if I get results), by my intelligence (I’m okay if I’m I can use my smarts to be valuable). I get my worth and security for X, where X is a strength. I do things and try to be things in order to avoid conflict or trouble. Creative Leadership. I am following my own path and vision with integrity, which may mean contradicting norms, risking failure, and disappointing others. The development of self and others is prized. “The leader now takes responsibility for authoring the vision, enrolling others in the vision, and helping them discover how the vision enables them to fulfill their personal purposes collectively. High engagement.\u0026quot; Integral Leadership. I am a creative leader with a bigger focus. I can see my work fits into society. I am a microcosm of the system I am trying to lead change, the good and bad.  Reactive minds only react to their surroundings; their movement goes from external to internal. Creative minds act on their surrounding based on what is inside; their movement is internal to external. A reactive mind tries not to lose. It makes its choices based out of fear and removing perceived problems. Once the perceived threat is removed, the work stops. The goal is to maintain a comfort zone, or rather, the zone of tolerable conflict. Where a reactive mind plays not to lose, a creative mind plays to win. It makes its choices out of how to achieve its vision.\nHere are some good questions from Mastering Leadership to assess yourself:\n what do you care enough about to stand for now? What is non-negotiable for you? In any given moment, does the context define how you show up or informing how you show up? If your soul could speak, what would is say about what is important to you and why? How is the system shaping you, and how are you shaping it.  Read more (blog post): Five Levels of Leadership\nOf the various leadership dimensions that can be measured, children begin with all of them measuring in the egocentric level. Most people grow beyond this but stop at the reactive level. Good leaders shift many reactive traits to creative. Very good leaders shift most reactive traits to creative. Great leaders shift all to creative and think very broadly. To meausre your own leadership maturity and effectiveness, take the Leadership Circle Profile.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-08-30 14:48:13 -0700",
    "date": "2:48 p.m. on Aug 30, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/08/30/some-fundamental-thoughts.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F08%2F30%2Fsome-fundamental-thoughts.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 377,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Finished reading: Faithful and Fruitful: Essays for Elders and Deacons. Straightforward essays on a wide range of special topics including pastoral review, hospitality, and avoiding burnout. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-08-29 16:26:24 -0700",
    "date": "4:26 p.m. on Aug 29, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/08/29/finished-reading-faithful.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F08%2F29%2Ffinished-reading-faithful.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 378,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Happy birthday #Tucson! Looking pretty good for 246 (maybe 4,000).\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-08-20 20:50:29 -0700",
    "date": "8:50 p.m. on Aug 20, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/08/20/happy-birthday-tucson.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F08%2F20%2Fhappy-birthday-tucson.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 379,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "La Luz del Dia in downtown Globe, AZ. Breakfast burrito: 👍🏻(x2). Best enjoyed with friends.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-08-20 16:34:48 -0700",
    "date": "4:34 p.m. on Aug 20, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/08/20/la-luz-de.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F08%2F20%2Fla-luz-de.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 380,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Reformed Evangelism: “the promise of the gospel…together with the command to repent and believe, ought to be declared and published to all nations and to all persons promiscuously and without distinction, to whom God out of His good pleasure sends the gospel.” (CoD II:5.)\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-08-19 09:42:08 -0700",
    "date": "9:42 p.m. on Aug 19, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/08/19/reformed-evangelism-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F08%2F19%2Freformed-evangelism-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 381,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "When John Calvin helped with the refugee crisis in Geneva, he was thinking about people made in the image of God. Learn more in this good article by Chris Woznicki and Jesse Gentile. § Twtr: @CWoznicki @JesseGentile\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-08-19 09:21:04 -0700",
    "date": "9:21 p.m. on Aug 19, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/08/19/when-john-calvin.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F08%2F19%2Fwhen-john-calvin.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 382,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🎵 Listening to Hank this AM… I Heard My Mother Praying for Me\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-08-18 08:42:12 -0700",
    "date": "8:42 p.m. on Aug 18, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/08/18/listening-to-hank.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F08%2F18%2Flistening-to-hank.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 383,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Fred Sanders:\n Imitating the Trinity as Trinity is not a biblical way of talking. We are told to imitate God the Father in his relationship to humanity; to be imitators of God as beloved children; to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect (sending his rain on the just and the unjust). But most of the equipment of trinitarian theology points to ways in which God differs from us, not ways in which God is like us.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2021-08-17 09:17:40 -0700",
    "date": "9:17 p.m. on Aug 17, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/08/17/fred-sanders-imitating.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F08%2F17%2Ffred-sanders-imitating.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 384,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Following up on my sermon today from 1 Corinthians 5, here’s a good article by Carl Trueman that’s worth your time: Discipline, Dirty Hands, and the Silent Abolition of Christianity.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-08-15 21:10:53 -0700",
    "date": "9:10 p.m. on Aug 15, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/08/15/following-up-on.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F08%2F15%2Ffollowing-up-on.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 385,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "If you need a study Bible for older kids, mine like using the ESV Student Study Bible. It\u0026rsquo;s a good all-around study Bible, especially for jr high and high schoolers.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-08-11 09:59:13 -0700",
    "date": "9:59 p.m. on Aug 11, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/08/11/if-you-need.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F08%2F11%2Fif-you-need.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 386,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Being especially charming isn’t necessarily terrible for pastoral ministry, but it isn’t necessary either. Read more at 9marks.org.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-08-09 22:10:17 -0700",
    "date": "10:10 p.m. on Aug 9, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/08/09/being-especially-charming.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F08%2F09%2Fbeing-especially-charming.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 387,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "New post: For deeper relationships, learn to A.T.T.U.N.E.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-08-07 07:26:50 -0700",
    "date": "7:26 p.m. on Aug 7, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/08/07/new-post-for.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F08%2F07%2Fnew-post-for.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 388,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Communication Basics: A.T.T.U.N.E. to Bids",
    "text": "Connection is an essential element of healthy relationships. And connections start with bids. Dr. John Gottman calls a bid “the fundamental unit of emotional communication”. Bids “can be a question, a gesture, a look, a touch.” Here are few things to know about bidding, according to Dr. Gottman, as found in The Relationship Cure and other writings.\nClear Bidding vs Fuzzy Bidding Clear bidding strengthens relationships. Fuzzy bidding downgrades the possibility for connection, and usually occurs in order to avoid emotional risk. Gottman gives an example of a woman asking: “Would you hold me for a while?” This is a clear bid. But “It feels kind of cold in here don’t you think?“ is a fuzzy bid. It might result in him getting her a blanket. She avoids being hurt by a “no”, but doesn’t get what she really wants and can feel hurt about that.\n3 ways to respond to a bid There are three possible responses to a bid. You can turn toward, turning against, turn away.\n Turning toward: a positive emotional response Turning against: a negative emotional response Turning away: a non-response  Good relationships involve lots of emotional connection, which is made by turning toward bids as much as possible, with good dollops of playfulness and enthusiasm. Playfulness and enthusiasm are important because these are “how we express delight in the other person.”\n“Bid Busters”, as Gottman calls them, include:\n Being mindless instead of mindful Starting on a sour note Harsh criticism instead of constructive criticism Flooding Having a crabby mind instead of a thankful mind Avoiding conversations you need to have  Bust the bid-busters by learning to ATTUNE  “I’ve come to see this connection with the other person as the bedrock of communicating.” — Alan Alda\n To avoid and overcome bid-busters, Gottman says you must attune to the other person.\nA-attend (undivided attention)\nTT-turn toward (physically)\nU-understand (attempt to understand what they are saying and why it’s important to them)\nN-nondefensively listen (two ears, one mouth; listen twice as much; don’t interrupt)\nE-empathize (U-\u0026ldquo;understand\u0026rdquo; is the intellectual part, this is the emotional part; discern what the other person feels and why; emotions, even painful ones, are opportunities for intimacy and connection)\nIf you want to know more about why this works and build your skills of attunement. I\u0026rsquo;d suggest you do the following.\nAttune to God. “\u0026hellip;behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him” (Matt 17:5). Start by learning to attune to God through his word and works. Nothing is more important than “hearing with faith” (Galatians 3v2, 5). “\u0026hellip;behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”\nRead Alan Alda’s book, If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?” and play the improv games he suggests. He shows how to listen with your eyes as well as our ears. Alda introduces his ideas in his 2015 interview with Diane Rehm.\nWork through the chapters of Gottman’s book, The Relationship Cure that cover bidding. Much of the content from Gottman in this post comes from this book.\nLearn about emotions from a Christian perspective.\nGet attuned to your own emotions. One way to do this is to strengthen your ability to identify and name your emotions. One of the best ways to do this by using the Yale Mood Meter. Take Yale’s free online 10 hour emotions class to dig deeper. Image Source: @the_kid_factory on Instagram\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-08-06 21:20:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:20 p.m. on Aug 6, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/08/06/for-deeper-relationships.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F08%2F06%2Ffor-deeper-relationships.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 389,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "we all got conflict. here are some things you should know and tips for what to do about it.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-08-06 19:17:35 -0700",
    "date": "7:17 p.m. on Aug 6, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/08/06/we-all-got.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F08%2F06%2Fwe-all-got.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 390,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Things you need to know about conflict and how to make peace",
    "text": "Whatever kind of relationship you have, invest in it when there isn\u0026rsquo;t conflict. For married life, see these examples.\nConflict is part of life under the sun. Since you will have to face it, instead of fearing it, learn how to work through it in a way that honors God.\nAccording to John Gottman, what most often destroys are defensiveness, contempt, stonewalling, criticism. He calls these the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse because they are harbingers of the end of a relationship. Using these, even when used against you, will increase conflict not lessen it. This is true for other types of relationships too.\nKnow that not all problems/conflicts are the same. Perpetual problems are problems that are difficult to solve, but you can live with them. According to Gottman, in stable marriages, spouses decide to just live with them, mitigate their impact, and approach them with good humor. In unstable marriages, spouses get grid locked and feel increasingly hurt, rejected, and lonely. When you find yourselves grid locked, it is usually “a sign that you have dreams for your life that aren’t being addressed or respected by each other”. Determine what those dreams are, taking breaks as necessary and perhaps with help. As you do, work toward finding ways to support and honor each other’s dreams. Solvable problems should be tackled right away. What applies to marriages above, also applies to other kinds of relationships.\nResource: The Gottman 19 Areas Checklist for Solvable and Perpetual Problems\nWhen there is a conflict, we get anxious. Learn to notice anxiety in yourself by noticing “a spinning mind, a racing heart, or a tightening gut” (Steve Cuss). This is important because when you\u0026rsquo;re flooded with anxiety, you make poor decisions that make things worse. So, if you’re feeling anxious, deal with it—often before you deal with the conflict itself. This is part of getting the log out of your own eye. You might do it in the moment or you may need more time. Deep breathing, prayer, walking, and easy reading unrelated to the problem can help you calm down. If you need a break during a hard conversation, Gottman suggests saying something like this: “You know what, I’m having a hard time listening to you right now, and I will come back in 30 minutes so we can continue to talk.” These words are effective because they take responsibility for your own emotions while staying connected to the other person.\nDon’t deal with anxiety by over-functioning or under-functioning. Over-functioning is when you take over something that someone else should do for themselves, this includes feeling and thinking. Coercion, abuse, and manipulation are extreme examples of over-functioning. Milder forms look like giving unwanted advice or doing someone else’s work for them. Under-fucntioning is letting someone take over something you should do for yourself—including your thinking and feeling. Connecting your happiness with someone else’s happiness is one example. Refusing to point out or admit problems because it might create conflict is another. Instead of dealing with conflict in these ways, we ought to do what we should, leave to God and the other person what they are responsible for, and remain lovingly connected throughout the whole process. A psychological term for this is self-differentiation, read this summary to learn more. I learned this framework from Murray Bowen\u0026rsquo;s ideas, which Brené Brown explains well.\nSo what does peacemaking look like? Ken Sande has distilled the Bible’s teaching on conflict resolution into a memorable “4 Gs.” These steps will help you be a peacemaker instead of a peacebreaker or a peacefaker, as Sande puts it.\n Glorify God. How can I honor God in this situation? Get the log our of your eye. How can I own my part of this conflict? Gently restore. How can I help others own their contributions to this clash? Go and be reconciled. How can I pass along God’s forgiveness and help reach a reasonable solution?  Learn more about these biblical steps in Sande\u0026rsquo;s book, The Peacemaker: Student Edition, Handling Conflict Without Fighting Back or Running Away. There is a larger version of this book as well, but this edition will suffice for most people.\nNo matter what type of relationship you\u0026rsquo;re concerned about, you can follow this basic process alongside of Gottman’s great tips for dealing with the \u0026ldquo;Four Horseman\u0026rdquo; I mentioned above.  Learn to apply the advice above in church, friendships, work, your neighborhood, and family life. It may save your relationships from failure and create some of the most fulfilling relationships of your life. But remember, it\u0026rsquo;s not your job to solve every problem. Your job is to approach conflict in obedience to God, trusting that he will use even the most challenging trials for good.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-08-06 18:12:00 -0700",
    "date": "6:12 p.m. on Aug 6, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/08/06/dealing-with-conflict.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F08%2F06%2Fdealing-with-conflict.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 391,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Currently reading: If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?: My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating by Alan Alda 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-08-06 15:47:55 -0700",
    "date": "3:47 p.m. on Aug 6, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/08/06/currently-reading-if.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F08%2F06%2Fcurrently-reading-if.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 392,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Putting public hand washing stations outside of the restrooms is a great idea. This one is at @TheTapAndBottle (North). I think the downtown #tucson @cartelcoffeelab has one too.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-31 19:59:59 -0700",
    "date": "7:59 p.m. on Jul 31, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/31/putting-public-hand.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F31%2Fputting-public-hand.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 393,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Finished reading: From Embers to a Flame: How God Can Revitalize Your Church by Harry L. Reeder, III 📚Not just for those feeling down about their church. Reeder gives a biblical model for church life with practical applications that can help many. Good for elder training.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-31 00:12:38 -0700",
    "date": "12:12 p.m. on Jul 31, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/31/finished-reading-from.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F31%2Ffinished-reading-from.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 394,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Finished re-reading: The Pastor Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision by Gerald Hiestand and Todd Wilson 📚 Two ideas I want to try: have project focus and put together a writing/reading group for support; schedule study leave for focused work.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-30 23:46:31 -0700",
    "date": "11:46 p.m. on Jul 30, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/30/finished-rereading-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F30%2Ffinished-rereading-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 395,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Finished reading: A Practical Guide to Culture: Helping the Next Generation Navigate Today’s World by John Stonestreet 📚 A good starting point for overwhlemed caregivers.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-30 13:58:15 -0700",
    "date": "1:58 p.m. on Jul 30, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/30/finished-reading-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F30%2Ffinished-reading-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 396,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The Onym Guide is a really fun and helpful resource for people who like words, with some sweet web design to boot. Officially it is: “an on-going open source attempt to organize the best tools and resources for naming things.”\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-29 21:53:09 -0700",
    "date": "9:53 p.m. on Jul 29, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/29/the-onym-guide.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F29%2Fthe-onym-guide.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 397,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-28 17:47:01 -0700",
    "date": "5:47 p.m. on Jul 28, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/28/174701.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F28%2F174701.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 398,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Went on a beautiful, rainy hike in the Santa Catalina Mountains today with some folks from Covenant. So refreshing. We even saw a deer.\n\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-24 17:27:45 -0700",
    "date": "5:27 p.m. on Jul 24, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/24/went-on-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F24%2Fwent-on-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 399,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "On top of Mt. Lemmon\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-21 22:01:06 -0700",
    "date": "10:01 p.m. on Jul 21, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/21/on-top-of.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F21%2Fon-top-of.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 400,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "New post: Married? Use these 8 ways to cultivate your life together.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-21 09:54:26 -0700",
    "date": "9:54 p.m. on Jul 21, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/21/new-post-married.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F21%2Fnew-post-married.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 401,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Married? Use these 8 ways to cultivate your life together",
    "text": "It’s one thing to interconnect your and your spouse’s lives , it’s another to cultivate a life together. Both are important, this post is about the latter: how to cultivate a life together.\n1. Have shared values and goals It’s hard to cultivate a life together if you are heading in different directions and in different ways. Why are you married? What do you want your future to like? What values and principles guide you on your way? These things should be known, agreed upon, celebrated, and protected. Re: core values, Donald Miller via Ken Blanchard says you should have three.\n2. Create rituals Another way to cultivate a life together is through rituals. By ritual, I mean a kind of repeatable, predictable series of actions that strengthen the relationship. You may connect these to time, as with birthday parties or watering the plants together on Wednesdays. Or you may connect them to events, as with celebration dinners after work promotions or the sharing of presents after coming home from trips. Some rituals will be common within your culture and others will be particular to your marriage.\nDr. John Gottman suggests some key rituals that can make a big difference in a marriage: partings, reunions, goodnight kiss, weekly date, state of the union. Click the clink and learn about these with your spouse. Decide which of them, or others, you’d like to incorporate into your married life.\n3. Nurture romance Romance is also important for cultivating a life together. By this I mean you should cultivate feelings of love, desire, joy, hope and longing for each other. Of course, some of the chemistry that happens between two people is automatic and mysterious, but it can also be learned, fostered, matured.\nLeaning into romance and learning how to romance is an important for building connection. It demonstrates love and blesses our partner. If you struggle with this, it may help to learn what attracts and what inhibits attraction. Learn also to respect and enjoy masculinity and femininity. The Man’s Guide to Women by husband and wife teams, Gottman and Abrams, can help. You can be sure that it starts with admiration and affection. There are lots of good ways to do this, an admiration journal is one good idea.\n4. Have sex Sex is both ritual and romance. It’s not the only tool in the toolbox for building connection with each other, but it’s an important one. Married people should have sex and should make it about more than private parts: the best sex is an intercourse (communion, exchange) of the mind and body and heart.\nCouples should have sex frequently, neither demanding nor withholding from one another. See 1 Corinthians 7v1-5. Research suggests 1-2x per week might be a healthy, average baseline for most people.\nLearn how to talk about sex with each other. Find out what preferences or concerns each has regarding initiating sex, frequency, satisfaction, etc. Gaining knowledge of each other’s bodies and souls, working through problems together, and finding solutions to those problems will increase your intimacy.\n5. Resolve conflict You can expect conflict to be a part of your life together. If you are afraid of it and don’t handle it well, conflict will drive you a part. This means that you must learn how to face conflict and work through it in a way that honors God. As you do that, you will discover how God uses resolving conflict to draw you closer together. Not only in the resolution, but in the process too.\n6. Have fun and make memories Because life is hard, it’s easy to make your marriage only about slogging through problems. But life is also beautiful and fun. Enjoy it and each other along the way. CelebratE the ordinary and the extraordinary. Look for opportunities to make memories, tell inside jokes, play games, laugh.\n7. Do things together It’s okay and necessary to have different interests, responsibilities, and hobbies. You can support your spouse in these without taking them as your own in the same way. But it’s also important to have things you do together. It’s impossible to cultivate a life together if you’re actually never together. So while it may be more efficient to take two cars and split the errands, don’t always choose efficiency first. Some of life—a lot of life—needs to be about connection and relationships first.\n8. Worship together Worship, like sex, has the potential to reveal and affect the deepest parts of yourself. If you’re not sure about this, read the Psalms. Of course, as with sex, in worship you can just go through the motions, or you can choose to make worship, and the broader church family life, a meaningful and enriching part of your life together. Communion with each other in the presence of God is a great blessing.\nI realize that for various reasons not all couples can worship together. The same is also true for the other categories listed above. And if you find things here that are impossible for you, remember that that’s okay. It’s not your job to control your spouse or do things that only God can do. Discontent and contempt are surefire ways ways to do the opposite of cultivating a life together. So don’t go down that road.\nMost of these ideas are activities you and your spouse can do to cultivate a life together, but none of them will make a difference if your heart’s not in it. So start there. Pray for help, warm your heart toward your spouse, and take one courageous step towards deeper connection today.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-21 09:47:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:47 p.m. on Jul 21, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/20/dont-only-allow.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F20%2Fdont-only-allow.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 402,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Change can be difficult and sometimes it should be avoided. But change is often an inevitable and even a desirable part of life. When change is required or desired, we should help each other through the change, supporting and honoring each other as this happens.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-20 12:04:02 -0700",
    "date": "12:04 p.m. on Jul 20, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/20/change-can-be.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F20%2Fchange-can-be.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 403,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "It’s interesting to think about the relationship between relationships. Today I answer: can I have friends and be married?\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-20 09:40:48 -0700",
    "date": "9:40 p.m. on Jul 20, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/20/its-interesting-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F20%2Fits-interesting-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 404,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Honey, where are my paaaaaaaants?\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-19 22:13:20 -0700",
    "date": "10:13 p.m. on Jul 19, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/19/honey-where-are.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F19%2Fhoney-where-are.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 405,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Can I be married and have friends?",
    "text": "Yes. You can be married and have friends. In fact, you should.\nYou can have other types of relationships too. Sure, when a man and woman marry they separate from their parents and form a new family unit. But this doesn’t mean you never call your mom. God made us capable of having different types of healthy relationships at the same time. And this includes friends.\nSo you can be married and have friends, and you should. Here are a few reasons why.\nFirst, God didn\u0026rsquo;t design you and your spouse to always be alone-together. Both the individuals in a marriage and the marriage itself exist within a broader system of other important God-ordained relationships, which begin with the triune God himself and also include children, church, extended family, friends, neighbors, colleagues. Sometimes you will foster these as a couple (double-dates, going to visit family, church) and sometimes you will approach them separately (ladies’ night out, employee’s lunch, time alone with God).\nSecond, we need friends to not be lonely. Although spouses should seek friendship with each other, most of us need a few close friends to not feel lonely. Loneliness can be caused by not having enough friends, not having close friends, or both. We also need different kinds of friends in our life. (Here are some more facts about loneliness and things that can help overcome it.)\nThird, good relationships tend to fuel other good relationships. Good friends will help you be a better spouse, and a good spouse will help you be a better friend. The flip side is also true. Bad relationships tend to fuel bad relationships. But the solution to bad relationships is not to avoid friends or never get married. Instead, cultivate all of your relationships in a godly way, working through problems as they arise.\nGod designed you and your spouse to have multiple healthy relationships in your life. Pursuing these, especially your relationship with God, can decrease your loneliness and improve your marriage. So if you’re married and do not have friends, ask yourself why. Talk to your spouse about it. And do what you can to support each other developing healthy relationships in and out of the home.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-19 17:49:00 -0700",
    "date": "5:49 p.m. on Jul 19, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/19/can-i-be.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F19%2Fcan-i-be.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 406,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I\u0026rsquo;m sharing some more thoughts on marriage in the coming days. Next up: some presuppositions for a good marriage.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-19 09:45:25 -0700",
    "date": "9:45 p.m. on Jul 19, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/19/im-sharing-some.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F19%2Fim-sharing-some.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 407,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Essential Beliefs for Building a Healthy Marriage",
    "text": " \u0026ldquo;Marriage is to be between one man and one woman: neither is it lawful for any man to have more than one wife, nor for any woman to have more than one husband, at the same time.\u0026rdquo; (WCF 24.1) \u0026ldquo;Marriage was ordained for the mutual help of husband and wife, for the increase of mankind with legitimate issue, and of the church with an holy seed; and for preventing of uncleanness.\u0026rdquo; (WCF 24.2) Mutual help includes every part of life (spiritual, physical, financial, etc.) and should always be a part of our glorifying and enjoying of God. (WSC 1) Though marriage is useful and can help achieve certain ends, it must also be cultivated as a communion of love and joy. It needs to me about more than \u0026ldquo;the self-realization of the partners\u0026rdquo;. Neither party ought to define themselves only by the other person or the marriage itself, but live first and foremost in union with God, walking with integrity before him. So instead of starting with how do I keep my spouse happy or get what I want, start with what has the Lord for me here, and how can my principles help me move in that direction. This means you need to get really clear on who God is and who you are. Which means you need to actively develop your relationship with him. The marriage should be cultivated in harmony with the broader order of the world. Generally, there are differences between the sexes (anatomical, psychological, social, etc.), and also similarities (anatomical, psychological, social, etc.). Some of these are the result of genetics others are the results of conditioning or cultural expectations. Culturally inherited roles that go against God\u0026rsquo;s design must be rejected. Culturally inherited roles that do not go against God\u0026rsquo;s design may, and often should, be accepted. Regarding the government of the marriage, the Bible says that husbands are called to lead and wives should submit to that leadership. The Bible does not say exactly how that should work for each couple. So ech couple will need to wisely find good ways to work that out. Each person has influence over the whole relationship but not complete influence. You, your spouse, and your marriage will never be perfect. You\u0026rsquo;ll always be solving problems and some problems will be unsolvable. A good marriage requires shared aims and boundaries and practices for your marriage. Share these by talking about them. Don\u0026rsquo;t aim for and cultivate an assumed relationship that only you may know about or want. A good marriage requires both people to be deeply committed and connected to each other. A good marriage is an ever-deepening connection between two people. Connection comes from trust, affection, and understanding over time.  ",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-19 09:24:31 -0700",
    "date": "9:24 p.m. on Jul 19, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/17/some-presuppositions-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F17%2Fsome-presuppositions-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 408,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Currently reading: Design for Preaching by H. Grady Davis 📚 An unusual and good book on preaching from 1958. For the influence Davis' book had on him, Haddon Robinson said, \u0026quot; I owe him a great debt.\u0026quot;\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-18 14:42:23 -0700",
    "date": "2:42 p.m. on Jul 18, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/18/currently-reading-design.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F18%2Fcurrently-reading-design.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 409,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-17 22:17:47 -0700",
    "date": "10:17 p.m. on Jul 17, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/17/221747.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F17%2F221747.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 410,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I put together a great list of questions for pre-marital counseling, but married people can use them to improve their marriage as well.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-17 10:50:56 -0700",
    "date": "10:50 p.m. on Jul 17, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/17/i-put-together.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F17%2Fi-put-together.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 411,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Conversation Starters for a Stronger Marriage",
    "text": "Whether you are already married or about to be married, you can grow closer by discussing the following questions. Togehter, you\u0026rsquo;ll reflect on the present, reflect on the past, and dream about the future.\nReflect on the Present Share about your partner: (These are from John Gottman\u0026rsquo;s \u0026ldquo;love map\u0026rdquo; questions and really important. Learn why.)\n Name your partner’s two closest friends. What was your partner wearing when you first met? Name one of your partner’s hobbies. What stresses your partner right now? Describe in detail what your partner did today or yesterday. What is your partner’s fondest unrealized dream? What is one of your partner’s greatest fears or disaster scenarios? What is my favorite way to spend an evening? What is one of your partner’s favorite ways to be soothed? Name a person your partner dislikes. What is your partner’s ideal job? What medical problems does your partner worry about?  Share about your relationship right now:\n How much time do you spend together? How do you spend your time together? What is going well in your relationship right now? Describe one of your favorite times together. How has this relationship brought challenges for you personally? What concerns you about your relationship right now or in the future?  Reflect on the Past  Are you willing to be open about the past? What questions do you have about your partner’s past? If you\u0026rsquo;ve been together a while, what has worked well in your relationship in the past? What didn\u0026rsquo;t? What worked well in your parents’ marriage? What didn’t? What about in the household? What worked well in your past relationships? What didn’t? What about the household?  Dream about the Future  What are your personal goals for the future? What do you hope to accomplish, do, see, experience, become? Why do you want to get married? When do you want to get married? How sure are you that you want to get married right now? Who supports your marrying each other? Who doesn’t? How will your marriage affect your other relationships in life? What benefits do you think/hope will come from your marriage?  Wrapping up  What was a challenging moment for you during this discussion? What did was something you learned about what your partner values? What was something valuable about this conversation for you?  ",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-17 10:45:00 -0700",
    "date": "10:45 p.m. on Jul 17, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/17/get-a-better.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F17%2Fget-a-better.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 412,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Daniel A. Cox: \u0026ldquo;The percentage of men with at least six close friends fell by half since 1990, from 55 percent to 27 percent. The study also found the percentage of men without any close friends jumped from 3 percent to 15 percent, a fivefold increase.\u0026rdquo;\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-17 10:13:20 -0700",
    "date": "10:13 p.m. on Jul 17, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/17/daniel-a-cox.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F17%2Fdaniel-a-cox.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 413,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Took this on 1 June when the saguaro still had lots of fruit. Can you find the owl?\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-16 20:04:32 -0700",
    "date": "8:04 p.m. on Jul 16, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/16/took-this-on.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F16%2Ftook-this-on.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 414,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "David Burris is right. We have some unhelpful conceptions about authenticity that need revising.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-16 18:12:16 -0700",
    "date": "6:12 p.m. on Jul 16, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/16/david-burris-is.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F16%2Fdavid-burris-is.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 415,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "During a bad part of the pandemic, I did some research on loneliness. Here\u0026rsquo;s what I learned.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-16 17:30:28 -0700",
    "date": "5:30 p.m. on Jul 16, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/16/during-a-bad.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F16%2Fduring-a-bad.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 416,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Facts about loneliness and things that can help",
    "text": "Facts About Loneliness Everyone likes to be alone; no one likes to be lonely.\nBeing alone is fine. We need time by ourselves.\nBeing lonely is not fine. We are made to be social.\nLarge portions of Americans are disconnected from normal connecting institutions. And many report chronic loneliness. Social media is generally hurting more than helping loneliness. But COVID-19 has not made a big difference.\nFor several reasons, loneliness is a particular problem for men.\nLoneliness is the sorrowful feeling of having become disconnected from others when a connection is felt to be needed. To use standard definition, loneliness occurs when the quantity and quality of connections we have is less than we want. [Source.] It is commonly accompanied by despair and anger. More on definitions of feelings.\nPeople can be lonely in different ways. \u0026ldquo;Social loneliness refers to longing for an absent social network, whereas emotional loneliness refers to longing for an absent intimate, close, and emotional attachment (Weiss, 1973).\u0026rdquo; [Source] Knowing which a person is feeling can help know how to help them.\nMeaningful connection is also a biological need.\nLoneliness is terrible for your physical health, worse than obesity. [Holt-Lunstad, 2010]\nLoneliness is likely to increase your risk of death by 26% (Holt-Lunstad, 2015).\nLoneliness is worse for you than obesity. (Holt-Lunstad, 2010)\nFrom my experience as a pastor, many people have odd and unrealistic expectations ideas about friendship.\nPeople don\u0026rsquo;t know how to be alone in a healthy way. Learn more in Digital Minimalism.\nPeople are looking for connection in other people that only God can provide. Ironically, this makes you \u0026ldquo;needy\u0026rdquo; which is a big turn off to potential friends.\nThings that can help 👍 Measure loneliness in yourself or others then take appropriate steps.\nLearn about loneliness cycle and how to break it.\nLearn 10 ideas to combat loneliness and some more ideas and a few more.\nLearn about how to develop friendships and what we know from social science\n15 friends\nLearn how to cultivate (or not) different kinds of relationships. John Townsend offers some helpful categories in which to think about friendships and other relationships. Townsend talks about coaches, comrades, casuals, colleagues, care(-fors), chronics, and contaminants.\nKevin Vost on the historic understanding of friendship, especially by Medieval theologians [subscription needed and worth it]\nOther good articles and books How many friends do we really need to be happy?\nPeople Fuel: Fill Your Tank for Life, Love, and Leadership by John Townsend\nThe Biggest Threat Facing Middle Age Men Isn\u0026rsquo;t Smoking or Obesity. It\u0026rsquo;s Loneliness\nHow to Nurture Real Friendships that Grow and Thrive\nNavigating Frienship in the Local Church\nAre Short-term Friendships Worth the Investment\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-16 17:10:00 -0700",
    "date": "5:10 p.m. on Jul 16, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/16/facts-about-loneliness.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F16%2Ffacts-about-loneliness.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 417,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "check out this giant list of movies filmed in Tucson.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-13 17:04:51 -0700",
    "date": "5:04 p.m. on Jul 13, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/13/check-out-this.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F13%2Fcheck-out-this.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 418,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Currently reading: The Trinity: An Introduction (Short Studies in Systematic Theology) by @scottrswain 📚\u0026quot;\u0026hellip;we were baptized into God\u0026rsquo;s triune name so that we might learn to praise God\u0026rsquo;s triune name.\u0026quot;\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-12 22:25:53 -0700",
    "date": "10:25 p.m. on Jul 12, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/12/currently-reading-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F12%2Fcurrently-reading-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 419,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Classics education is a big deal. Without it, there would’ve been no Fourth of July.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-07 15:42:45 -0700",
    "date": "3:42 p.m. on Jul 7, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/07/classics-education-is.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F07%2Fclassics-education-is.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 420,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "One down with a big win. Go Suns! 🏀\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-06 20:50:22 -0700",
    "date": "8:50 p.m. on Jul 6, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/06/one-down-with.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F06%2Fone-down-with.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 421,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Get inspired by Lisa Przystup’s Tucson Road Trip in The Strategist via @VisitTucsonAZ.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-06 09:19:47 -0700",
    "date": "9:19 p.m. on Jul 6, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/06/get-inspired-by.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F06%2Fget-inspired-by.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 422,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-04 19:44:09 -0700",
    "date": "7:44 p.m. on Jul 4, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/04/194409.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F04%2F194409.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 423,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Finished reading: Leading God\u0026rsquo;s People: Wisdom from the Early Church for Today by Christopher A. Beeley. So good. On my top ten list now for pastoral theology books. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-04 15:53:01 -0700",
    "date": "3:53 p.m. on Jul 4, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/04/finished-reading-leading.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F04%2Ffinished-reading-leading.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 424,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "“At what schools does Christ, as a prophet, train up his disciples? At the school of the law, the school of the gospel, and the school of affliction.” — James Fisher\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-03 14:43:59 -0700",
    "date": "2:43 p.m. on Jul 3, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/03/at-what-schools.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F03%2Fat-what-schools.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 425,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Currently reading: How to Tell a Joke: An Ancient Guide to the Art of Humor (Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers) by Marcus Tullius Cicero 📚 Heard about this book/series on the great Ad Navseam podcast.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-03 10:56:14 -0700",
    "date": "10:56 p.m. on Jul 3, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/03/currently-reading-how.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F03%2Fcurrently-reading-how.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 426,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🎙 Listened: Praying in a Time of Pandemic with Christopher Beeley. Very good. What is prayer, why you should pray, how to pray.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-02 12:41:26 -0700",
    "date": "12:41 p.m. on Jul 2, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/02/listened-praying-in.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F02%2Flistened-praying-in.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 427,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I\u0026rsquo;m starting a new blogchain called Decision Help. Check out the first entry: Discernment (discrimination, sound judgment).\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-01 22:23:49 -0700",
    "date": "10:23 p.m. on Jul 1, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/01/im-starting-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F01%2Fim-starting-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 428,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Discernment (discrimination, sound judgment)",
    "text": "This is entry 1 of the blogchain Decision Help.\n Discernment is a gift of God (1 Cor 12:10) that allows us to accurately identify causes and predict likely futures. Discernment is the process of thinking, feeling, and praying through an issue that results in decisions about the way things are or have been, the way things should be, and possibly, about how one ought to move in the present to a desired future.\nDiscernment grounds our decisions in reality—God’s providence and principles. Bad decisions are the outgrowth of lacking discernment. When we fail to see the world correctly, we make choices that go against the grain of reality and bear painful consequences. According to John Cassian (Conference 2.2-3), \u0026ldquo;the blessed Antony\u0026rdquo; makes this point by way of Jesus' words about the eye as the lamp of the body in Matthew 6:22-23:\n For this is discretion, which is termed in the gospel the “eye,” “and light of the body,” according to the Saviour’s saying: “The light of thy body is thine eye: but if thine eye be single, thy whole body will be full of light, but if thine eye be evil, thy whole body will be full of darkness:” because as it discerns all the thoughts and actions of men, it sees and overlooks all things which should be done. But if in any man this is “evil,” i.e., not fortified by sound judgment and knowledge, or deceived by some error and presumption, it will mike our whole body “full of darkness,” i.e., it will darken all our mental vision and our actions, as they will be involved in the darkness of vices and the gloom of disturbances. For, says He, “if the light which is in thee be darkness, how great will that darkness be!” For no one can doubt that when the judgment of our heart goes wrong, and is overwhelmed by the night of ignorance, our thoughts and deeds, which are the result of deliberation and discretion, must be involved in the darkness of still greater sins.\n When we fail to see the world correctly, we stumble. But when our decisions flow from discernment, that is, when they are grounded in reality, our decisions can become steps to success. “By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches” (Proverbs 24v3-4). Wisdom, of course, is guided supremely by the scriptures, by which God discerns \u0026ldquo;the thoughts and intentions of the heart\u0026rdquo; (Hebrews 4:12). And by success, I don\u0026rsquo;t mean mere material success. Discretion, as John Cassian put it, is also the mother, guardian, and regulator of all the virtues.\nSo if you want to choose the right path, you must first learn to see.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-07-01 22:10:00 -0700",
    "date": "10:10 p.m. on Jul 1, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/07/01/discernment-discrimination-sound.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F07%2F01%2Fdiscernment-discrimination-sound.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 429,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "This weekend, listen to Carl Trueman‘s short lecture on The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self. He is expanding on themes from his recent best-seller.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-06-25 07:36:31 -0700",
    "date": "7:36 p.m. on Jun 25, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/06/25/this-weekend-listen.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F06%2F25%2Fthis-weekend-listen.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 430,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Love my card.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-06-20 21:39:24 -0700",
    "date": "9:39 p.m. on Jun 20, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/06/20/love-my-card.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F06%2F20%2Flove-my-card.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 431,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Tonight’s sunset.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-06-12 22:39:19 -0700",
    "date": "10:39 p.m. on Jun 12, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/06/12/tonights-sunset.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F06%2F12%2Ftonights-sunset.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 432,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🎵Listening: Skip, Hop, and Wobble. One of my all-time favorite albums.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-06-12 11:46:00 -0700",
    "date": "11:46 p.m. on Jun 12, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/06/12/listening-skip-hop.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F06%2F12%2Flistening-skip-hop.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 433,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "This week in the Confession Overview Class, I\u0026rsquo;ll be teaching on baptism, the Lord’ Supper, and church censures. We start at 11:15am after morning worship on Sunday.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-06-11 08:51:00 -0700",
    "date": "8:51 p.m. on Jun 11, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/06/11/this-week-in.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F06%2F11%2Fthis-week-in.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 434,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The Anchor Devotional I wrote for today is about why God\u0026rsquo;s authorship of the Bible is important.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-06-05 10:18:17 -0700",
    "date": "10:18 p.m. on Jun 5, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/06/05/the-anchor-devotional.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F06%2F05%2Fthe-anchor-devotional.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 435,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Some people say the Bible doesn\u0026rsquo;t need to have God as its author in order for it to be helpful. That\u0026rsquo;s like saying you don\u0026rsquo;t need a love letter to be from your spouse in order to make you happy.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-06-05 09:56:56 -0700",
    "date": "9:56 p.m. on Jun 5, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/06/05/some-people-say.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F06%2F05%2Fsome-people-say.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 436,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Currently reading: Leading God\u0026rsquo;s People: Wisdom from the Early Church for Today by Christopher A. Beeley 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-06-04 21:09:19 -0700",
    "date": "9:09 p.m. on Jun 4, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/06/04/currently-reading-leading.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F06%2F04%2Fcurrently-reading-leading.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 437,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "“When Christians trust God, they find themselves doing things that otherwise seemed impossible.” (From my devotional today in Anchor.)\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-06-04 14:56:45 -0700",
    "date": "2:56 p.m. on Jun 4, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/06/04/when-christians-trust.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F06%2F04%2Fwhen-christians-trust.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 438,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Watch out Denver. Here come the Suns! 🏀\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-06-04 11:54:44 -0700",
    "date": "11:54 p.m. on Jun 4, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/06/04/watch-out-denver.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F06%2F04%2Fwatch-out-denver.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 439,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Big topics covered this Sunday in the Confession Overview Class. For example: How can you experience communion with God? And what does that even mean? Join us after worship, 11:15am-12:00pm. Here is the updated handout.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-06-03 17:41:53 -0700",
    "date": "5:41 p.m. on Jun 3, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/06/03/big-topics-covered.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F06%2F03%2Fbig-topics-covered.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 440,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "It amazes me that God uses human teachers to help us grow, but he does. As Paul said to the Thessalonians, “You became imitators of us and of the Lord…. And so you became a model to all the believers.” Whom are you imitating? Why? Who is imitating you? Is it good that they are?\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-06-03 13:43:23 -0700",
    "date": "1:43 p.m. on Jun 3, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/06/03/it-amazes-me.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F06%2F03%2Fit-amazes-me.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 441,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Currently reading: The Christian Family by Herman Bavinck 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-06-02 16:54:56 -0700",
    "date": "4:54 p.m. on Jun 2, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/06/02/currently-reading-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F06%2F02%2Fcurrently-reading-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 442,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Found a nest of quail eggs.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-06-02 16:16:26 -0700",
    "date": "4:16 p.m. on Jun 2, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/06/02/found-a-nest.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F06%2F02%2Ffound-a-nest.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 443,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Got a great intern coming from @wscal to officially start the Covenant Summer Internship Program next week. Thx to churches across the @OrthodoxPC for helping us make this possible and to an anon supporter in #Tucson for funding the housing. Y\u0026rsquo;all are amazing. Praise God!\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-06-02 10:28:51 -0700",
    "date": "10:28 p.m. on Jun 2, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/06/02/got-a-great.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F06%2F02%2Fgot-a-great.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 444,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "This is so exciting. Go Suns! 🏀\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-05-31 05:54:02 -0700",
    "date": "5:54 p.m. on May 31, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/05/31/this-is-so.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F05%2F31%2Fthis-is-so.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 445,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "R. Scott Clark: “Are P\u0026amp;R Churches “Wholly Inadequate” To Investigate Abuse?”\n “This is not a binary choice. The church should fulfill its vocation to address sin but it should do so with all the resources it has to hand.”\n ",
    "dateiso": "2021-05-29 13:24:29 -0700",
    "date": "1:24 p.m. on May 29, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/05/29/r-scott-clark.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F05%2F29%2Fr-scott-clark.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 446,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "At Glover Ranch tonight. Saw paintings by students of @dellachelpkaart. Reminded me of the filmmaking comeback in Marana. Southern Arizona is great place for art.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-05-28 23:08:45 -0700",
    "date": "11:08 p.m. on May 28, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/05/28/at-glover-ranch.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F05%2F28%2Fat-glover-ranch.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 447,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "It\u0026rsquo;s time for home economics to make a comeback.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-05-28 12:36:55 -0700",
    "date": "12:36 p.m. on May 28, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/05/28/its-time-for.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F05%2F28%2Fits-time-for.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 448,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Reading: Thoughts on Family Worship by James W. Alexander. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-05-27 17:20:05 -0700",
    "date": "5:20 p.m. on May 27, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/05/27/reading-thoughts-on.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F05%2F27%2Freading-thoughts-on.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 449,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2021-05-26 21:13:35 -0700",
    "date": "9:13 p.m. on May 26, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/05/26/211335.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F05%2F26%2F211335.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 450,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "As authoritative, powerful, helpful, and life-giving as God’s Word is, I hope you’re in a church where you get to hear lots of the Bible. @LigonDuncan explains more about the public reading of Scripture. Advice for pastors included. (Tweet)\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-05-26 09:52:47 -0700",
    "date": "9:52 p.m. on May 26, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/05/26/as-authoritative-powerful.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F05%2F26%2Fas-authoritative-powerful.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 451,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "This Sunday at Covenant, I continue my overview the Westminster Confession of Faith after worship. Coming up: oaths and vows; civil govern; marriage and divorce. Here are the notes..\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-05-21 19:02:44 -0700",
    "date": "7:02 p.m. on May 21, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/05/21/this-sunday-at.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F05%2F21%2Fthis-sunday-at.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 452,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "In Christ, we are also children of God and walk in the way of our Father. \u0026ldquo;Walk with God, before God, and after God” via @fredfredsanders\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-05-21 09:47:47 -0700",
    "date": "9:47 p.m. on May 21, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/05/21/in-christ-we.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F05%2F21%2Fin-christ-we.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 453,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Good: Jehoshaphat walked in all the way of Asa his father. Glorious: Jesus walked in all the way of God his father.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-05-21 08:58:07 -0700",
    "date": "8:58 p.m. on May 21, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/05/21/good-jehoshaphat-walked.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F05%2F21%2Fgood-jehoshaphat-walked.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 454,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Feedback can be very valuable for pastors or any kind of leader, but it can be hard to get, especially if you want it fast. Here are a few ideas I\u0026rsquo;m sharing that might help.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-05-20 17:38:20 -0700",
    "date": "5:38 p.m. on May 20, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/05/20/feedback-can-be.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F05%2F20%2Ffeedback-can-be.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 455,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "How To Get Immediate Feedback From a Group",
    "text": "This is entry 4 of the blogchain Better Leading, Better Meeting.\n I was inspired by this post to share some ideas about how you can get immediate feedback from a group. before, during, or after a class or a meeting.\nMost digital communication platforms offer both public and private ways to communicate quickly, including sharing feedback. One way to extend their use beyond the obvious is to decide on an agreed upon emoji code for evaluating. Also, some tools, like WebEx Meet, already have a sophisticated polling features already built in.\nFor in-person events, I sometimes have people use hand signs to indicate how they feel or think about a question. This is less distruptive and time consuming than using paper; also easier than voice votes for those who are more shy.\nIf you want to offer more privacy or even completely anonymize responses, digital solutions can help. There are some very fancy and expensive options, but many are overkill for what I need. One simple option is to have a students simply text you their responses. Get them ready by having each person send you a quick text at the start of class. A silly emoji is fun. If you don\u0026rsquo;t want to share your phone number you could get a new one for the course at no cost or you could use a web-based messaging service like tawk.to. Sharing a QR code that will take people to a pre-made online survey is another option.\nAn option that allows for anonymous but public responses is to share a publicly editable document from the cloud with the group. You could write a question, then have them write their answers. Just like this. As before, it’s good to practice the tech before you use it that way people feel free and ready to respond when they need to.\nOf course, you can learn a lot from simply listening and watching and asking good questions.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-05-20 17:17:00 -0700",
    "date": "5:17 p.m. on May 20, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/05/20/how-to-get.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F05%2F20%2Fhow-to-get.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 456,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Here is the secret to contentment:\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-05-20 08:51:51 -0700",
    "date": "8:51 p.m. on May 20, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/05/20/here-is-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F05%2F20%2Fhere-is-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 457,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Trueman and VanDrunen are teaching one-week classes at @wscal this summer and you can listen in. Modern Self + Political Theology. Sign up!\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-05-18 09:38:36 -0700",
    "date": "9:38 p.m. on May 18, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/05/18/trueman-and-vandrunen.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F05%2F18%2Ftrueman-and-vandrunen.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 458,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Christians, I\u0026rsquo;ve got some good news: \u0026ldquo;you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.” —1 Corinthians 1v7\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-05-15 20:20:27 -0700",
    "date": "8:20 p.m. on May 15, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/05/15/christians-ive-got.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F05%2F15%2Fchristians-ive-got.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 459,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "A good prayer: “Be thou my dignity.”\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-05-14 17:27:15 -0700",
    "date": "5:27 p.m. on May 14, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/05/14/a-good-prayer.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F05%2F14%2Fa-good-prayer.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 460,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. (Psalm 116v15)\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-05-13 15:20:33 -0700",
    "date": "3:20 p.m. on May 13, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/05/13/precious-in-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F05%2F13%2Fprecious-in-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 461,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Can’t find the Lost \u0026amp; Found. Now what?\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-05-13 09:27:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:27 p.m. on May 13, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/05/13/cant-find-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F05%2F13%2Fcant-find-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 462,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "With the Trinity Psalter Hymnal App I’m able to sing with piano accompaniment during pastoral visits.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-05-12 14:31:25 -0700",
    "date": "2:31 p.m. on May 12, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/05/12/with-the-trinity.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F05%2F12%2Fwith-the-trinity.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 463,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Egg is sus.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-05-11 08:52:09 -0700",
    "date": "8:52 p.m. on May 11, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/05/11/egg-is-sus.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F05%2F11%2Fegg-is-sus.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 464,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "In yesterday\u0026rsquo;s Confession of Faith class, I taught about assurance, the law of God, and Christian liberty. Check out the class notes.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-05-10 13:17:50 -0700",
    "date": "1:17 p.m. on May 10, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/05/10/in-yesterdays-confession.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F05%2F10%2Fin-yesterdays-confession.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 465,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Now available: the Trinity Psalter Hymnal as an iOS app, recordings included. Android on the way.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-04-26 11:47:15 -0700",
    "date": "11:47 p.m. on Apr 26, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/04/26/now-available-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F04%2F26%2Fnow-available-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 466,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Read: David VanDrunen’s reflections on race and racism. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-04-23 10:01:27 -0700",
    "date": "10:01 p.m. on Apr 23, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/04/23/read-david-vandrunens.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F04%2F23%2Fread-david-vandrunens.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 467,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Themelios 46.1 is out. Contentment, canonicity, civics, and more.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-04-21 07:31:42 -0700",
    "date": "7:31 p.m. on Apr 21, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/04/21/themelios-is-out.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F04%2F21%2Fthemelios-is-out.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 468,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Hooray! Tucson is reopening pools and splash pads.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-04-15 22:44:01 -0700",
    "date": "10:44 p.m. on Apr 15, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/04/15/hooray-tucson-is.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F04%2F15%2Fhooray-tucson-is.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 469,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Register today to watch Arthur Brooks and Richard Wolff debate Socialism or Capitalism? tomorrow. Should be interesting.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-04-14 09:39:39 -0700",
    "date": "9:39 p.m. on Apr 14, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/04/14/register-today-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F04%2F14%2Fregister-today-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 470,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Casa Grande!\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-04-13 22:04:28 -0700",
    "date": "10:04 p.m. on Apr 13, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/04/13/casa-grande.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F04%2F13%2Fcasa-grande.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 471,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Now that you know why posting for “free” on MySpaceBook isn’t a good idea. Check out Micro.blog. I just paid for another year, again. Totally worth it. Micro.blog is the easy way to #indieweb.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-04-06 22:00:07 -0700",
    "date": "10:00 p.m. on Apr 6, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/04/06/now-that-you.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F04%2F06%2Fnow-that-you.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 472,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Beyond Feature/Bug Dualism:\n I don’t trust computers. I work with them, I use them, I program them, and I can generally understand how they operate. But I never trust them fully, no matter how much I’m supposed to.\n Because “bugs are as normal as features.”\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-04-06 09:09:59 -0700",
    "date": "9:09 p.m. on Apr 6, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/04/06/beyond-featurebug-dualism.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F04%2F06%2Fbeyond-featurebug-dualism.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 473,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Read: Compel Them to Come In: Calvinism and the Free Offer of the Gospel by Macleod, Donald 📚 So good!\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-04-02 19:10:36 -0700",
    "date": "7:10 p.m. on Apr 2, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/04/02/read-compel-them.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F04%2F02%2Fread-compel-them.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 474,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Riverview Park in Mesa, Ariz.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-03-14 21:54:46 -0700",
    "date": "9:54 p.m. on Mar 14, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/03/14/riverview-park-in.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F03%2F14%2Friverview-park-in.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 475,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Confessing: “As there is no sin so small, but it deserves damnation; so there is no sin so great, that it can bring damnation upon those who truly repent.”\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-03-13 19:30:19 -0700",
    "date": "7:30 p.m. on Mar 13, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/03/13/confessing-as-there.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F03%2F13%2Fconfessing-as-there.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 476,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Currently reading: Church Leadership and Strategy by Harold L. Senkbeil 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-03-11 12:31:57 -0700",
    "date": "12:31 p.m. on Mar 11, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/03/11/currently-reading-church.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F03%2F11%2Fcurrently-reading-church.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 477,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Added: chapter links “local church and its session\u0026quot; and \u0026ldquo;regional church and its presbytery” to my OPC Form of Government Commentary page.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-03-08 13:24:53 -0700",
    "date": "1:24 p.m. on Mar 8, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/03/08/added-chapter-links.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F03%2F08%2Fadded-chapter-links.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 478,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "What\u0026rsquo;s a virtual book festival look like? We\u0026rsquo;re about to find out. Rooting for you @TFOB.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-03-05 10:50:26 -0700",
    "date": "10:50 p.m. on Mar 5, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/03/05/whats-a-virtual.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F03%2F05%2Fwhats-a-virtual.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 479,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "From Axios: Americans agree about more issues than they realize.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-03-02 07:58:59 -0700",
    "date": "7:58 p.m. on Mar 2, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/03/02/from-axios-americans.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F03%2F02%2Ffrom-axios-americans.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 480,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Reformed University Fellowship at the University of Arizona is a great ministry. Give online to help support it.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-02-27 20:47:46 -0700",
    "date": "8:47 p.m. on Feb 27, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/02/27/reformed-university-fellowship.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F02%2F27%2Freformed-university-fellowship.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 481,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Looking forward: Tucson\u0026rsquo;s Hotel Congress prepping for post COVID-19 world with expansion plans via @tucsonstar\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-02-19 11:27:28 -0700",
    "date": "11:27 p.m. on Feb 19, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/02/19/looking-forward-tucsons.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F02%2F19%2Flooking-forward-tucsons.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 482,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Today at Covenant, I\u0026rsquo;m teaching on chapters 6-10 of the Westminster Confession of Faith. We’ll meet after worship around 11:00am MST. If you\u0026rsquo;re not in the area, join us on the live-stream. View the notes.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-02-14 06:29:00 -0700",
    "date": "6:29 p.m. on Feb 14, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/02/13/tomorrow-at-covenant.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F02%2F13%2Ftomorrow-at-covenant.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 483,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Class: Overview of the Westminster Confession of Faith",
    "text": "This is the web version of the paper handout for class. In each class, I answer previous questions, briefly overview the structure of the chapter, read key verses, then read and comment on at least one section from the chapter. My goals for the class are to overview the confession, entice you to learn more on your own, and give you opportunites to get your questions answered.\nFor an excellent written commentary, read Confessing the Faith: A Reader\u0026rsquo;s Guide to the Westminster Confession of Faith and the corresponding study guide by Chad and Emily Van Dixhoorn.\nChapter 1: Holy Scripture  the reason for Holy Scripture (1) the books of Holy Scripture (2-3) the authority of Holy Scriputre (4) the testimony concerning Holy Scripture (5) the sufficiency of Holy Scripture (6) the clarity of Holy Scripture (7) the sharing of Holy Scripture (8) the interpretation of Holy Scripture (9) the judgment of Holy Scripture (10)  2 Timothy 3v14-16: But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.\nRomans 15v4: For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.\nChapter 2: Of God, and the Holy Trinity  the nature of God (1) the supremacy of God (2) the unity of persons as God (3)  Jeremiah 10v10: But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation.\nRomans 11v36:\tFor from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.\nProverbs 16v4: The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.\nChapter 3: Of God’s Eternal Decree  all things that happen are ordained by God (1-2) salvation and damnation are also ordained by God, to the exat number (3-4) reasons for God’s ordaining the salvation of some from their sin (5) the means are foreordained too (6) reasons fo God’s ordaining some to the consequences of their sin (7) how we ought to treat this “high mystery” (8)  Isaiah 46v10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’\nRevelation 4v11: Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.\nEphesians 1v11: In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will\nJob 23v13: But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does.\nActs 2v23: this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.\nChapter 4: Of Creation  the creation of the world by God (1) the creation of man by God, under God, and over his creatures (2)  Genesis 1v1-3 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.\n1 Corinthians 8v6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.\nOPC Report on Views of Creation: www.opc.org/GA/creati\u0026hellip;\nChapter 5: Of Providence  God upholds and directs all things (1) God uses second causes (2) God uses means but isn’t bound to them (3-4) God’s providence extends to the fall (4) Reasons why God’s people suffer hard providences (5, 7) Reasons why wicked people suffer hard providences (6)  John 10v29: My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.\nMatt 10v29-30: Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.\nDaniel 4v34-3: At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”\nChapter 6: Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment Thereof  the fact of the fall (1) the effects of the fall (2) the spread of the fall to others (3) the spread of the fall in ourselves (4) the remains of the fall in the re-born (5) the guilt of the fall (6)  Rom 3v23: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,\nProv 20v9: Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin”?\n1 John 1v8, 10: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us\u0026hellip;. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.\nJohn 3v6: That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.\nChapter 7: Of God’s Covenant with Man  knowledge of God through covenant (1) the Covenant of Works (2) the Covenant of Grace (3-4) different administrations of the Covenant of Grace (5-6)  Job 9v32-33For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him, that we should come to trial together. There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both.\n2 Cor 3v6-8: who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory?\nJer 31v31-33: Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.\nGal 3v7-9: Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.\nChatper 8: Of Christ the Mediator  the offices and work of Jesus for mankind (1) the incarnation of the Son of God (2-3) the obedient suffering of Christ (4) the satsifaction and reward of justice (5) the benefits given to all the saints (6) on the two natures of Christ the Mediator (7) not a partial, but a fullly effectual atonement (8)  1 Pet 1v19-20: but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you\n1 Cor 1v30: And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,\nHeb 2v14, 16-17: Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.\nChapter 9: Of Free Will  God has given mankind a free and able will (1) before the fall: able to do good or fall after the fall: will hates the good (3) power of grace in this age: free from natural bondage to sin, but with remaining corruption (4) power of grace in the age to come: free to good alone (5)  Eccl 7v29: See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.\nJas 4v7: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.\nCol 3v10: and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.\nJohn 6v44-45: No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—\nJohn 15v5: I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.\nGal 5v17: For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.\nChapter 10: Of Effectual Calling  the elect come freely by the call of God in Word and Spirit (1) this effectual call is by grace alone (2) a note on elect infants and others uncapable of outward calling (3) none can be saved who aren’t called (4)  Rom 8v30: And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.\n2 Tim 1v9-10: who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,\nEzek 36v26-27 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.\nJohn 6v37: All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.\n1 Cor 16v22: If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed.\nChapter 11: Of Justification  how we are justified by God and how we are not (1) the role of faith and other saving graces (2) what Christ did in justifying us (3) when we are justified (4) what happens when we sin after we are justified (5) in substance we share the same justification with Old Testament saints (6)  Titus 3v5-7: he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.\nPhil 3v9: not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—\nRom 3v22-28: the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.\nChapter 12: Of Adoption “All those that are justified, God vouchsafeth, in and for his only Son Jesus Christ, to make partakers of the grace of adoption, by which they are taken into the number, and enjoy the liberties and privileges of the children of God, have his name put upon them, receive the Spirit of adoption, have access to the throne of grace with boldness, are enabled to cry, Abba, Father, are pitied, protected, provided for, and chastened by him, as by a father: yet never cast off, but sealed to the day of redemption; and inherit the promises, as heirs of everlasting salvation.” (1)\nEph 1v5: he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,\nJohn 1v12: But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,\nGal 4v4-5: But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.\nRom 8v17: and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.\n1 Pet 1v3 -4: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,\nChapter 13: Of Sanctification  how we are sanctified and what happens when we are (1) how much we are sanctified in this life (2-3)  Titus 3v5: he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,\nEph 5v26: that [Jesus] might sanctify [the church], having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,\n2 Cor 7v1: Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.\n1 Thess 5v23-24: Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.\nPhil 3v12: Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.\n14. Of Saving Faith  What is the use of saving faith and how does God give it to us? (1) What does saving faith involve? (2) The ups and downs and hope of faith. (3)  Heb 10v39: But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.\nEph 2v8: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,\n1 Thess 2v13: And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.\nActs 16v31: And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”\nGal 2v20: I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.\n1 John 5v4-5: For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?\n15. Of Repentance Unto Life  it’s nature and necessity in preaching (1-2) the necessity of repentance in the Christian life (3) the hope of repentance (4) repenting of particular sins (5) public and private repentance (6)  Acts 11v18: When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”\nProv 28v13: Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.\nJas 5v16: Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.\n1 John 1v9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.\n16. Of Good Works  good works are only what God commands (1) what happens when they flow from faith (2) God who enables our good works, calls us to be active in doing them (3) How good can we get in this life? (4-5) Does God accept imperfect good works? (6) Is there anything good in the works of unbelievers? Also, a succinct definition of good works. (7) Here are some rhymes I wrote to help you remember. Which is your favorite?  I’ve done a good work When faith was the source, God’s word set the course, And it’s end was the glory of God.\nA work that is good Flows from faith in the gospel, Agrees with what’s lawful, And is done for the glory of God.\u0026quot;\nHeb 13v21: equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.\nHeb 11v6: And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.\n2 Pet 1v5-8, 10: For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ\u0026hellip;.Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.\nPhil 4v13: I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (See John 15v4-6)\n17. Of the Perseverance of the Saints  God perseveres those whom he effectually calls (1) What perseverance depends on (2) How saints fall away sometimes (3)  Phil 1v9: And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.\nJohn 10v28-29 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.\nRom 8v30-34 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.\n1 Thess 5v23-24: Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.\n1 John 3v9: No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. (c.f. Luke 8v11; WCF 18.4)\nEph 4v30: And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.\nPs 51v8, 12: Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice\u0026hellip;.Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.\n1 Cor 11v32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.\nFor a slightly longer explanation fo the doctrine, with refutations of common errors, read this section of the Canons of Dordt.\n18. Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation  true believers may be assured of their being in a state of grace (1) that assurance is infallible because of its foundations, which are many (2) infallible assurance does not come equally to all or at the same time, but it comes to those who seek it, through the ordinary ways; it is important that we seek to have it (3)  Matthew 7v22–23: On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”\n1 John 5v13: I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.\nHebrews 6v11, 19: And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end,… We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,\n2 Corinthians 1v21–22: And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.\nPsalm 31v22: I had said in my alarm, “I am cut off from your sight.” But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help.\n19. Of the Law of God  The nature of the covenant of works, the form of the law, given to mankind (1) The continuing and binding nature of the law, and the Ten Commandments (2) the nature of the ceremonial laws to the people as a church under age (3) The nature of the judicial laws to the people as a body politic (4) The binding nature of the moral law on all people (5) Use of the law to believers (6) The sweet connection between law and grace in the lives of believers (7)  Rom. 13v8-9: Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”\nHeb. 9:v10: but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.\n1Pet. 2v13-14: Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.\n1Cor. 9v21: To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.\nRom. 3v19: Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.\nRom. 3v31: Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.\nRom. 7v22: For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being,\n20. Of Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience  what Christian liberty really is (1) God is Lord of the conscience; false lords (2) “under the pretense of Christian liberty” (3) Christian liberty and lawful power/authority (4)  Gal. 1v4: who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,\nGal. 5v1: For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.\n2Cor. 3v8: will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory?\nJames 4v12: There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?\nMatt. 15v9: in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”\nJer. 8v9: The wise men shall be put to shame; they shall be dismayed and taken; behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, so what wisdom is in them?\n1Pet. 2v16: Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.\nHeb. 13v17: Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.\nMatt. 18v15-18: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.\n22. OOf Lawful Oaths and Vows  definition of an oath (1) using God’s name (2) how to take an oath and how not to (3-4) definition of a vow (5) how to make a vow and how not to (6-7)  Deut 10v20: You shall fear the LORD your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear.\nExod 20v7: “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.\nPs 66v13-14: I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will perform my vows to you, that which my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.\nEccl 5v2, 5: Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few\u0026hellip;. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.\n23. Of the Civil Magistrate  that God has ordained civil magistrates and for what (1) that Christians may serve for civil gov’t, even in war (2) Limits of and other duties of civil magistrates (3) The duty of Christians to civil magistrates (4)  Rom 13v1-7: Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.\n1 Pet 2v13-14: Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.\nMatt 22v21: They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”\n24. Of Marriage and Divorce  who marriage is for (1) reasons for marraige (2) whom Christians should marry (3) rules on consanguinity and affinity (4) rules on adultery and divorce (5-6)  Matt 19v4-6 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”\n2 Cor 6v14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?\nRom 7v3: Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.\n1 Cor 5:1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife.\n25. Of the Church  What is the invisible church? (1) What is the visible church? (2) What has Christ done fore the visible church? (3) -What are the marks of a true church? (4) What about bad stuff in the church? (5) Who is the head of the church? (6) Colossians 1v18: And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.  1 Corinthians 12v12-13: For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.\nRevelation 7v9: After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,\nEphesians 4v11-13: And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ\n26. Of the Communion of Saints  What does it mean to have communion with Christ and with other saints like us? (1) What duties do we have as a church? (2) Does communion with God mean that we become identical with God or with other saints? Explain. (3)  Eph. 4:15v16: Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.\nEph. 3v16-18: that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,\nHeb. 10v24-25: And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.\nActs 2v42, 46 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers\u0026hellip;. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,\n27. Of the Sacraments  What are sacraments? (1) What is the connection between the ordinary elements and the things they signify? (2) The power of the sacraments. (3) The number of the sacraments (4) What’s the relationship between OT and NT sacraments? (5)  Rom. 4v11: He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well,\nCol. 2v11-12: In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.\n1Pet. 3v21: Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,\n1Cor. 10v16: The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?\n28. Of Baptism  what Jesus ordains baptism for (1) the outward element: water (2) which mode should we use (3) who should be baptised (4) neglecting or contemning baptism (5) efficacy of baptism (6) how often (7)  Matt 28v19: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,\nRom 6v3-4: Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.\nCol 2v11-12 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.\n1 Cor 12v13: For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.\n29. Of the Lord’s Supper  what Jesus ordains the Supper for (1) how it relates to sacrifice (2) how it should be served (3-4) how they relate to Christ (5) on transubstantiation (6) worthy reception (7) unworthy reception (8)  Heb 9v25-26 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.\n1 Cor 11v23-34: For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.\n30. Of Church Censures  the government of the church is distinct from civil government (1) the power of the church government (2) what church censures are for (3) the four censures (4)  Isa 9v6-7: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.\nJohn 18v36: Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”\nHeb 13v7, 17, 24 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith\u0026hellip;.Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you\u0026hellip;.Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy send you greetings.\nMatt 18v17-18: If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-02-13 20:13:00 -0700",
    "date": "8:13 p.m. on Feb 13, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/02/13/class-overview-of.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F02%2F13%2Fclass-overview-of.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 484,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "What would “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” sound like if it were a Tchaikovsky violin concerto? Like this.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-02-12 08:52:20 -0700",
    "date": "8:52 p.m. on Feb 12, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/02/12/what-would-can.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F02%2F12%2Fwhat-would-can.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 485,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "“We are more sure to arise out of our graves than out of our beds. “ —Thomas Watson\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-02-11 22:53:24 -0700",
    "date": "10:53 p.m. on Feb 11, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/02/11/we-are-more.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F02%2F11%2Fwe-are-more.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 486,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Hymn: “Saviour, if of Zion\u0026rsquo;s city I, through grace, a member am, let the world deride or pity, I will glory in thy Name: fading is the worldling\u0026rsquo;s pleasure, all his boasted pomp and show; solid joys and lasting treasure none but Zion\u0026rsquo;s children know.” My sermon: A Church With Joy\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-02-10 10:42:09 -0700",
    "date": "10:42 p.m. on Feb 10, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/02/10/hymn-saviour-if.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F02%2F10%2Fhymn-saviour-if.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 487,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "What is our “moment\u0026quot; and how should Christians live in it? Check our Joseph Minich\u0026rsquo;s mini-series, The Woke and the Red-Pill.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-02-10 10:19:09 -0700",
    "date": "10:19 p.m. on Feb 10, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/02/10/what-is-our.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F02%2F10%2Fwhat-is-our.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 488,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Cool: the greatest books according “an algorithm [that creates] a master list based on how many lists a particular book appears on. Some lists count more than others.””\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-02-09 16:38:44 -0700",
    "date": "4:38 p.m. on Feb 9, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/02/09/cool-the-greatest.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F02%2F09%2Fcool-the-greatest.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 489,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "socks of many colors\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-02-08 17:12:09 -0700",
    "date": "5:12 p.m. on Feb 8, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/02/08/socks-of-many.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F02%2F08%2Fsocks-of-many.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 490,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "In some places, the last thing people are thinking about is going outside. But if you happen to be in Tucson right now, or somewhere else with good weather, remember that 4th and 5th graders (and their families) can get a free pass into federal parks, forests, and more. 🌲\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-02-03 16:15:14 -0700",
    "date": "4:15 p.m. on Feb 3, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/02/03/in-some-places.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F02%2F03%2Fin-some-places.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 491,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” –Romans 12:12\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-29 18:02:18 -0700",
    "date": "6:02 p.m. on Jan 29, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/29/rejoice-in-hope.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F29%2Frejoice-in-hope.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 492,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Here are some things I believe about mentoring. What\u0026rsquo;s important to you?\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-29 16:22:48 -0700",
    "date": "4:22 p.m. on Jan 29, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/29/here-are-some.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F29%2Fhere-are-some.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 493,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Some things I believe about mentoring",
    "text": "re: mentorships in general  Good mentors share the mental models and key skills that really make a difference. Good mentors also show how to use them and give supportive+challenging opportunities for mentees to practice. Mentoring can be done directly or indirectly, with an individual or in groups. Direct mentoring requires work on the part of the mentor and the mentee. The relationship should be well defined and periodically reviewed. The standards for a successful relationship ought to be determined ahead of time with room for gut intuition on both sides. Assessments and written objectives can help track progress. Try to pick goals well; find the goldilocks zone for learning. Set the bar in the right place. You can’t learn everything at once; deciding what should be learned and in what order is important, a skill in itself. Some aspects of the Christian life should be learned by studying life under the sun. But what is learned in the common kingdom is not always compatible with the ministry of the Kingdom of Heaven. One must be wise. Mentoring works only when both parties are emotionally engaged and motivated, and both have the available time, resources, and skills. A good mentor is more than a cheerleader, though they need to be that too. Mentees need mentors who are willing to give honest feedback; have insight into what to work on, how, and in what ways, all backed by solid pedagogy and prayer. Feedback is “superficial and incomplete” if it only tracks and corrects behavior. Feedback should also probe “beneath behavior to the assumptions and mind-sets that underlie it.”  re: suffering  Pain + Reflection + Prayer = Progress “The priest’s shortcoming simply cannot be concealed. On the contrary, even the most trivial soon get known. The weakest athlete can keep his weakness secret as long as he remains at home and pits himself against nobody; but when he strips for the contest, he is soon shown up.” —On the priesthood, III.14, Chrysostom There will be ups and downs. Learning always has its challenges. As a mentor, because you will ask others to learn from you, you need to know what it feels like to be a learner yourself. You need to know how to overcome obstacles, internal and external, and not give up. It takes time and hard work to learn new skills and develop new instincts. Baxter was right when he said, “Sloth will tie the hands of many.”  re: faith  Hiding is the worst. You develop only if you bring your full self, imperfections and all. You develop only if you are willing to make mistakes in the context of honest practices. Training is an act of service and love dependent on the Holy Spirit who grows us. Both parties must learn to be humble and depend on the Holy Spirit for growth. Mentees should be humble. A good mentee will do his best to take things off his mentor\u0026rsquo;s plate, to learn through service. Ideal mentees are not those who are already formed, but those who are willing to work hard, respect their mentor, and push themselves toward a goal with both direct and indirect mentorship. Pray. Pray. Pray. Growth isn’t magical. It’s doing the daily grind well. It’s suffering, getting knocked down, learning from it and doing it again. But unless we grow in the Spirit, we grow in vain. So every step is taken in prayer and dependence. In this way, the Holy Spirit changes us and uses us. A lot of it is slow and steady. But sometimes there are exceptional periods of struggle and other times exceptional periods of obvious usefulness and excitement. Either way, we serve God.  Six Pillars of a Good Mentorship And here are the six pillars of a good mentorship according to Ken Blanchard and Claire Diaz-Ortiz. Good list.\nMission. What does each person hope to get out of this relationship? There is value on both sides. It’s important to create a mission and guiding principles for the relationship.\nEngagement. There must be a plan in place for how the relationship and its mission will be sustained. What communication method does each party prefer? What will be sustainable? What will meet the goals? Commitment to regular meetings is important.\nNetwork. Each should help the other cultivate relationships, but respecting each other’s contacts is essential. Ask for introductions.\nTrust. Trust is key for any healthy relationship. Stay connected. Be dependable. Use clear, honest communication. Don’t abuse the mentor’s time. Don’t embarrass the mentee.\nOpportunity. Bring value to the other person. Create opportunities for each other that further the mission of the mentorship.\nReview and Renewal. Decide when to check in. You don’t have to end the relationship, you can back-burner it. There will be seasons when it is needed and seasons when it is not.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-29 14:22:00 -0700",
    "date": "2:22 p.m. on Jan 29, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/29/some-things-i.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F29%2Fsome-things-i.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 494,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Liked: Why Does It Take So Long To Explain Infant Baptism?\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-28 23:15:28 -0700",
    "date": "11:15 p.m. on Jan 28, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/28/liked-why-does.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F28%2Fliked-why-does.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 495,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Our sunset tonight.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-28 18:03:39 -0700",
    "date": "6:03 p.m. on Jan 28, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/28/our-sunset-tonight.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F28%2Four-sunset-tonight.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 496,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Tucson’s snow in 2019 was a lot of fun.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-25 22:22:00 -0700",
    "date": "10:22 p.m. on Jan 25, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/25/tucsons-snow-in.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F25%2Ftucsons-snow-in.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 497,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Snow tomorrow in Tucson? Yes, please!\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-25 17:04:35 -0700",
    "date": "5:04 p.m. on Jan 25, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/25/snow-tomorrow-in.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F25%2Fsnow-tomorrow-in.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 498,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "How to: Replace typed fractions with real fractions on iOS and Mac. It\u0026rsquo;s a work around. A toggle switch would be nice.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-25 11:06:38 -0700",
    "date": "11:06 p.m. on Jan 25, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/25/how-to-replace.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F25%2Fhow-to-replace.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 499,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Join me today from 12:45-1pm MST to hear the comandment Solomon receives from his dying father. It\u0026rsquo;s a command that Jesus fufills for us. Click to join: link.covenantopctucson.org/web-room\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-25 10:35:13 -0700",
    "date": "10:35 p.m. on Jan 25, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/25/join-me-today.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F25%2Fjoin-me-today.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 500,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Beautiful evening sky; hoping for rain next week.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-23 21:47:03 -0700",
    "date": "9:47 p.m. on Jan 23, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/23/beautiful-cloudy-evening.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F23%2Fbeautiful-cloudy-evening.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 501,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The gadget scene in spy movies can help you understand Ephesians 6:10-18. Great insights from Emily Van Dixhoorn.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-21 13:35:18 -0700",
    "date": "1:35 p.m. on Jan 21, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/21/the-gadget-scene.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F21%2Fthe-gadget-scene.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 502,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Adonijah\u0026rsquo;s plot to be come king is foiled and he fears for his life. As promised, Solomon will be king. Join me for Afternoon Prayer, 12:45-1:00pm MST.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-21 11:47:00 -0700",
    "date": "11:47 p.m. on Jan 21, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/21/adonijahs-plot-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F21%2Fadonijahs-plot-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 503,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Afternoon Prayer meets in 15 minutes for 15 minutes: 12:45-1pm MST. Join us as we begin reading and praying through 1-2 Kings. Join here: link.covenantopctucson.org/web-room\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-19 12:30:48 -0700",
    "date": "12:30 p.m. on Jan 19, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/19/afternoon-prayer-meets.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F19%2Fafternoon-prayer-meets.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 504,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Excellent overview of 1-2 Kings.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-19 12:15:56 -0700",
    "date": "12:15 p.m. on Jan 19, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/19/excellent-overview-of.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F19%2Fexcellent-overview-of.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 505,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Wish you knew the history of 1-2 Kings better? Here\u0026rsquo;s an idea:\n Challenge yourself with this quiz. Come join me online to read and pray through 1-2 Kings. Meeting every Mon-Thurs from 12:45-1pm MST. Starts today! Retake the quiz. See how much you\u0026rsquo;ve grown.  ",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-19 09:45:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:45 p.m. on Jan 19, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/19/wish-you-knew.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F19%2Fwish-you-knew.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 506,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "We loved our first visit to Agua Caliente Park. \n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-19 09:05:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:05 p.m. on Jan 19, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/19/we-loved-our.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F19%2Fwe-loved-our.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 507,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The Meaning of Martin Luther King Jr. Day shared in poems, essays, songs, and more.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-19 07:37:00 -0700",
    "date": "7:37 p.m. on Jan 19, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/19/the-meaning-of.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F19%2Fthe-meaning-of.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 508,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Westminster Daily - Of the holy Scripture, part 8\n “that, the Word of God dwelling plentifully in all, they may worship him in an acceptable manner; and, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, may have hope.”\n A good description the goal of the ministry of the word.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-13 06:58:52 -0700",
    "date": "6:58 p.m. on Jan 13, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/13/westminster-daily-of.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F13%2Fwestminster-daily-of.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 509,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Big goals for 2021! Buttercup is trying to maximize her productivity by maintaining an optimal work-life balance and focusing on her core values. But then she ate some cat poop.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-11 15:46:32 -0700",
    "date": "3:46 p.m. on Jan 11, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/11/big-goals-for.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F11%2Fbig-goals-for.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 510,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The Bible provides the best news from the most reliable source. You should read it. Learn more at Westminster Daily.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-09 16:30:36 -0700",
    "date": "4:30 p.m. on Jan 9, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/09/the-bible-provides.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F09%2Fthe-bible-provides.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 511,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Getting a drink.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-09 10:37:50 -0700",
    "date": "10:37 p.m. on Jan 9, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/09/getting-a-drink.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F09%2Fgetting-a-drink.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 512,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Because the work of the Holy Spirit by and with the Word, the Church is the pillar and buttress of the truth. Read more in today’s Westminster Daily.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-08 20:59:55 -0700",
    "date": "8:59 p.m. on Jan 8, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/08/because-the-work.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F08%2Fbecause-the-work.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 513,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Hallelujah!\n ",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-08 08:49:16 -0700",
    "date": "8:49 p.m. on Jan 8, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/08/hallelujah.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F08%2Fhallelujah.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 514,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "ICYMI: Alan Strange is writing a commentary on the OPC Form of Government.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-07 16:14:37 -0700",
    "date": "4:14 p.m. on Jan 7, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/07/icymi-alan-strange.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F07%2Ficymi-alan-strange.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 515,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "A Commentary on the OPC Book of Church Order by Alan Strange",
    "text": "*I dedicate this post to my friend and ruling elder co-laborer, B. F., who learns from the past to serve in the present.*  The Book of Church Order of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church is a rich document and, like other church orders, the work of generations. But it doesn\u0026rsquo;t always explain it\u0026rsquo;s conclusions or word choices.\nWell, good news: in June 2020, Ordained Servant, a publication of the OPC, started publishing a commentary on the OPC’s Form of Government written by Alan Strange. (2022 Update: Strange is now adding commentary on the Book of Discipline.)\nDr. Strange is a minister in the OPC and a church history professor at Mid-America Reformed Seminary. He specializes in American Presbyterian history and, having served on the OPC Appeals and Complaints Committee for many years, he has a rich and practiced understanding of presbyterian church government. As such, he\u0026rsquo;s one of the best people to be writing this commentary.\nA good commentary on the BCO provides several benefits. It enriches our understanding of our church order, strengthens our trust in it, and helps us apply and improve it. A commentary can also serve ecumenical purposes by helping us to know which differences between us and other denominations matter and which ones don\u0026rsquo;t.\nCommentaries on church orders have been written before. For example, on the Dutch Reformed side, Martin Monsma and Idzerd Van Dellen published a commentary on the church order of the Christian Reformed Church, updated in 1967. And there are some great essays edited by J. De Jong in Bound Yet Free. A commentary similar to the Monsma, Van Dellen volume was written by W. W. J. Van Oene for the Canadian Reformed Churches, which is now available online. See also the commentaries by Biesterveld and Kuijper, and van Rongen.\nYou can also find several commentaries and commentary-like works on the Presbyterian side of the Reformed world. The PCA Historical Center has a good bibliography of some these works; of special note is the commentary on the PCA’s church order by Morton Smith. R. B. Kuiper\u0026rsquo;s The Glorious Body of Christ comes close to a commentary on the OPC form of government, but it doesn\u0026rsquo;t have the section by section commenting that Alan Strange is doing.\nStrange has already clarified a few things for me and I\u0026rsquo;m excited to read more. This commentary will be a valuable to the church for many years. I pray for the Lord’s blessing on his work.\nThe commentary is being published serially in Ordained Servant. As a resource for myself and others, I am linking to the available chapters.\nForm of Government 1-2: Christ, the King and Head of the Church; The Church\n3-4: The Nature and Exercise of Church Power; The Unity of the Church\n5-6: Offices in the Church; Ministers or Teaching Elders\n7-11: Evangelists; Pastors; Teachers; Ruling Elders; Deacons\n12: Governing Assemblies\n13: The Local Church and Its Session\n14: The Regional Church and Its Presbytery\n15: The Whole Church and Its General Assembly\n16-17: Congregational Meetings; Congregations without Pastors\n18-20: Moderators; Clerks; Ordination and Installation\n21: Licensing Candidates to Preach the Gospel\n22: Calling a Minister\n23a: Ordaining and Installing Ministers (Part 1)\n23b: Ordaining and Installing Ministers (Part 2)\n24: Dissolving Ministerial Relationships\n25: Electing, Ordaining, and Installing Ruling Elders and Deacons\n26-27: Divesting from Office; Missions\n28-29: Ministers Laboring outside the Church; Organizing and Receiving Congregations\n30-32: Organizations of Members of the Church; Incorporation and Corporations; The Constitution and Its Amendment\nBook of Discipline 0: Preface\n1-2a: The Nature and Purposes of Discipline; Jurisdiction (Part 1)\n2b: Jurisdiction (Part 2)\n3a: Steps in the Institution of Judicial Process (sec 1-3)\n3b: Steps in the Institution of Judicial Process (sec 4-6)\n3c: Steps in the Institution of Judicial Process (sec 4-7)\n4a: The Trial of Judicial Cases; Rules for Those Involved\n4b: The Trial of Judicial Cases; Rules for Evidence\n4c: The Trial of Judicial Cases; Rules of Trial Proceedings\n5: Cases without Full Process\n6: Censure and Restoration\n7-8: Appeals; Dissents and Protest\n9: Complaints\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-07 12:24:00 -0700",
    "date": "12:24 p.m. on Jan 7, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/07/a-commentary-on.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F07%2Fa-commentary-on.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 516,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The main reason I believe and obey the Bible is because God is the author of the Bible.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-07 09:14:11 -0700",
    "date": "9:14 p.m. on Jan 7, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/07/the-main-reason.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F07%2Fthe-main-reason.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 517,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Buttercup and the chickens are getting comfortable with each other. These things take time.\n\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-06 09:27:51 -0700",
    "date": "9:27 p.m. on Jan 6, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/06/buttercup-and-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F06%2Fbuttercup-and-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 518,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Where can you learn how to glorify and enjoy God? Click for the answer.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-05 21:54:38 -0700",
    "date": "9:54 p.m. on Jan 5, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/05/where-can-you.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F05%2Fwhere-can-you.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 519,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Just before quoting from Proverbs 3, Hebrews 5:12 says: “And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?” This is one example of how the Bible teaches you how to read the Bible.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-05 21:10:48 -0700",
    "date": "9:10 p.m. on Jan 5, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/05/just-before-quoting.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F05%2Fjust-before-quoting.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 520,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "“A clear conscience is the sure sign of a bad memory.” — Mark Twain\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-05 20:51:02 -0700",
    "date": "8:51 p.m. on Jan 5, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/05/a-clear-conscience.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F05%2Fa-clear-conscience.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 521,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Westminster Daily - Of the holy Scripture, part 2\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-04 21:40:26 -0700",
    "date": "9:40 p.m. on Jan 4, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/04/westminster-daily-of.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F04%2Fwestminster-daily-of.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 522,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Burton Barr Cental Library in Phoenix is still offering curbside pickup, but I wish I could have gone inside. Lots of memories there.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-04 20:20:11 -0700",
    "date": "8:20 p.m. on Jan 4, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/04/burton-barr-cental.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F04%2Fburton-barr-cental.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 523,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Westminster Daily - How doth it appear that there is a God?\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-03 21:51:04 -0700",
    "date": "9:51 p.m. on Jan 3, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/03/westminster-daily-how.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F03%2Fwestminster-daily-how.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 524,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Reading Holy Helps for a Godly Life would be a good way to start your year.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-03 15:24:30 -0700",
    "date": "3:24 p.m. on Jan 3, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/03/reading-holy-helps.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F03%2Freading-holy-helps.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 525,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I start preaching 2 John tomorrow morning. It should be on the podcast later in the day. Interesting tidbit: Karen Jobes gives some good reasons to think that it may have been a cover letter to 1 John.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-02 20:31:00 -0700",
    "date": "8:31 p.m. on Jan 2, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/02/i-start-preaching.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F02%2Fi-start-preaching.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 526,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "OPCers in HI, AZ, and CA: @pscopc posted some important updates today regarding several upcoming meetings.\n",
    "dateiso": "2021-01-01 12:11:24 -0700",
    "date": "12:11 p.m. on Jan 1, 2021",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2021/01/01/opcers-in-hi.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2021%2F01%2F01%2Fopcers-in-hi.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 527,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "After the workout after the win, Suns forward Jae Crowder in Arizona Republic: “That\u0026rsquo;s what I\u0026rsquo;ve been preaching to the guys. Make the days count and it will pay off at the right time. Just continue to stay with the grind.\u0026quot; 🏀\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-12-30 10:43:51 -0700",
    "date": "10:43 p.m. on Dec 30, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/12/30/after-the-workout.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F12%2F30%2Fafter-the-workout.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 528,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Liked: Were Joseph and Mary ‘poor’?\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-12-25 13:57:03 -0700",
    "date": "1:57 p.m. on Dec 25, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/12/25/liked-were-joseph.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F12%2F25%2Fliked-were-joseph.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 529,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Rainer predicts more church fostering in 2021\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-12-24 17:47:17 -0700",
    "date": "5:47 p.m. on Dec 24, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/12/24/174717.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F12%2F24%2F174717.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 530,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Rainer predicts more church fostering in 2021",
    "text": "Thom S. Rainer:\n Church fostering will move into the early adoption stage. Church fostering takes place when a healthier church helps a less healthy church for a defined period, usually less than a year. We anticipate 30,000 churches (meaning 15,000 foster churches and 15,000 fostering churches) will enter into this relationship in 2021. Again, this trend portends well for the overall gospel witness of local congregations.\n Sharing resources to support other churches is common in the OPC when it comes to church planting. Similar models could be easily adapted for this kind of foster situation.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-12-24 17:43:15 -0700",
    "date": "5:43 p.m. on Dec 24, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/12/24/rainer-predicts-more.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F12%2F24%2Frainer-predicts-more.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 531,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Working together, scientists across disciplines were able find, produce, and even taste fruit from seeds thousands of years old. In Tucson, we’re blessed to have Native Seeds/SEARCH doing similar work every day for the seeds of our region.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-12-22 11:02:07 -0700",
    "date": "11:02 p.m. on Dec 22, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/12/22/working-together-scientists.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F12%2F22%2Fworking-together-scientists.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 532,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Hooray! Now you can use @AmazonSmile on a browser or in the Amazon mobile app. I support Westminster Seminary California with my purchases. You should too. @wscal is doing great work.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-12-21 11:15:54 -0700",
    "date": "11:15 p.m. on Dec 21, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/12/21/hooray-now-you.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F12%2F21%2Fhooray-now-you.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 533,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "a Hamilton parody just in time for Christmas… Jesus Christ of Nazareth 🙂✨\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-12-21 10:38:47 -0700",
    "date": "10:38 p.m. on Dec 21, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/12/21/a-hamilton-parody.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F12%2F21%2Fa-hamilton-parody.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 534,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "\u0026ldquo;The Spirit did not lead Jesus above natural life with its exposure to dangers, trials, temptation, and suffering, but deeper and deeper into it. We may with profit consider this in our own trials and temptations.\u0026rdquo; From:Rediscovering the Holy Spirit by Michael Horton. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-12-19 21:16:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:16 p.m. on Dec 19, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/12/19/the-spirit-did.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F12%2F19%2Fthe-spirit-did.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 535,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "A good definition of biblicism + resource page from @heidelblog.net.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-12-18 11:02:25 -0700",
    "date": "11:02 p.m. on Dec 18, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/12/18/a-good-definition.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F12%2F18%2Fa-good-definition.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 536,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "“Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24). Any ideas?\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-12-16 13:10:52 -0700",
    "date": "1:10 p.m. on Dec 16, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/12/16/let-us-consider.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F12%2F16%2Flet-us-consider.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 537,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "On this day 1 year ago\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-12-10 17:23:53 -0700",
    "date": "5:23 p.m. on Dec 10, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/12/10/on-this-day.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F12%2F10%2Fon-this-day.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 538,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "So thankful for the way @opchomemissions supported Covenant when we were a church plant. Watch to hear from two current church planters about ministry during COVID-19. Watch on Vimeo.\n \n",
    "dateiso": "2020-12-10 11:48:36 -0700",
    "date": "11:48 p.m. on Dec 10, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/12/10/so-thankful-for.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F12%2F10%2Fso-thankful-for.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 539,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Near the UFO junkyard in Ocotillo, CA.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-12-09 22:24:41 -0700",
    "date": "10:24 p.m. on Dec 9, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/12/09/near-the-ufo.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F12%2F09%2Fnear-the-ufo.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 540,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Strange\u0026hellip; there doesn\u0026rsquo;t seem to be an emoji for video calls. Do these work: selfie 🤳 or a handshake+smartphone w/arrow combo 🤝📲?\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-12-08 12:24:33 -0700",
    "date": "12:24 p.m. on Dec 8, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/12/08/strange-there-doesnt.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F12%2F08%2Fstrange-there-doesnt.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 541,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Baseball Sunset in Oro Valley 1\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-12-07 21:12:04 -0700",
    "date": "9:12 p.m. on Dec 7, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/12/07/baseball-sunset-in.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F12%2F07%2Fbaseball-sunset-in.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 542,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I started a sermon series yesterday called The Promised Messiah. #1 The Last Word; #2 Mediator of a New Covenant.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-12-07 16:25:13 -0700",
    "date": "4:25 p.m. on Dec 7, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/12/07/i-started-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F12%2F07%2Fi-started-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 543,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Take heed: David French on The Crisis of Christian Celebrity\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-12-06 15:10:11 -0700",
    "date": "3:10 p.m. on Dec 6, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/12/06/take-heed-david.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F12%2F06%2Ftake-heed-david.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 544,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "David French on Christian Celebrity",
    "text": "David French:\n I’ve known a number of Christian public figures who haven’t fallen—men and women who’ve lived decades in the public eye and have lived with integrity. And while they’ve come from different backgrounds and different strands of Christian theology, they’ve typically shared two common convictions.\n  First, they don’t trust their virtue.\n  Second, they don’t believe they earned their fame.\n You don’t need to be a celebrity to take this advice.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-12-06 14:11:42 -0700",
    "date": "2:11 p.m. on Dec 6, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/12/06/david-french-on.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F12%2F06%2Fdavid-french-on.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 545,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "We hear more about angels during Christmas, but they\u0026rsquo;re around all year. I wrote a short post about one way God uses angels to encourage believers, especially during times of persecution.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-12-05 12:50:15 -0700",
    "date": "12:50 p.m. on Dec 5, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/12/05/we-hear-more.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F12%2F05%2Fwe-hear-more.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 546,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Lord Sabbaoth and His Angelic Encouragements",
    "text": "When we suffer for the name of Christ, we need biblical encouragement. And one form of biblical encouragement involves angels.\nConsider the Thessalonian church. When Paul wrote to them his second letter, he noticed their “steadfastness and faith\u0026quot; even while they endured “persecutions and in the afflictions” (2 Thessalonians 1:4). To encourage them not to give up on their Lord, Paul wrote:\n This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” (2 Thessalonians 1:5–8)\n Paul’s point about the angels is worth noting and repeating, as Martin Luther did in the second verse of his famous hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”:\n Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing, were not the Right Man on our side, the Man of God\u0026rsquo;s own choosing. Dost ask who That may be? Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Sabbaoth, His name, from age to age the same, and He must win the battle.\n Have you ever sung this and wondered why we call Jesus “Lord Sabbaoth”? Sabbaoth is not the word sabbath. Sabbaoth is an English transliteration of a Hebrew word that means “hosts”, which refers to the angelic army of the Lord. And so Lord Sabbaoth is simply another way of saying Lord of Hosts, the commander of his angelic army. Although mighty, the angels are still the servants of Christ which he uses for our benefit. “Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14)\nIn false religions, gods are often divided up between different parts of creation, but Jesus, the true God, is lord of all. “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible” (Colossians 1:16). By knowing that Jesus is more glorious than the glorious armies of angels that he commands, we know that in the battle of good and evil, he will surely win.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-12-05 12:00:00 -0700",
    "date": "12:00 p.m. on Dec 5, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/12/05/lord-sabbaoth-and.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F12%2F05%2Flord-sabbaoth-and.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 547,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The sermon is an important part of worship. Here’s how to make the most of it.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-12-04 12:02:17 -0700",
    "date": "12:02 p.m. on Dec 4, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/12/04/the-sermon-is.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F12%2F04%2Fthe-sermon-is.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 548,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Learn about the @OrthodoxPC work in Mbale, Uganda. See how long-term committments make a difference. Faith and patience: it takes time for seeds to grow. Watch on Vimeo.\n \n",
    "dateiso": "2020-12-03 10:04:28 -0700",
    "date": "10:04 p.m. on Dec 3, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/12/03/learn-about-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F12%2F03%2Flearn-about-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 549,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "light shimmering off Buttercup’s jet black fur\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-12-02 22:54:33 -0700",
    "date": "10:54 p.m. on Dec 2, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/12/02/light-shimmering-off.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F12%2F02%2Flight-shimmering-off.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 550,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Tomorrow I will finish preaching the Gospel of John and will be sad to say goodbye to Frederick Dale Bruner, who, via his 1,200+ pg commentary, has been my main (non-divine) conversation partner on John for the last two years. Huge impact. Thank you, Dr. Bruner.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-11-28 16:49:22 -0700",
    "date": "4:49 p.m. on Nov 28, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/11/28/tomorrow-i-will.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F11%2F28%2Ftomorrow-i-will.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 551,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Finished The Art of Neighboring by @jayrpathak and Dave Runyon. Great into. Deals with common struggles, helps avoid missteps, and is full of good advice you can use today.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-11-28 15:19:37 -0700",
    "date": "3:19 p.m. on Nov 28, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/11/28/finished-the-art.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F11%2F28%2Ffinished-the-art.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 552,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "When Jesus comes “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4), but until then there is heartbreak even on the holidays. My heart goes out those who sat next to empty seats this Thanksgiving.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-11-27 15:57:45 -0700",
    "date": "3:57 p.m. on Nov 27, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/11/27/when-jesus-comes.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F11%2F27%2Fwhen-jesus-comes.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 553,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” #psalm103v2\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-11-26 09:10:40 -0700",
    "date": "9:10 p.m. on Nov 26, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/11/26/bless-the-lord.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F11%2F26%2Fbless-the-lord.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 554,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Learn about New Horizons, the OPC\u0026rsquo;s monthly magazine. Watch on vimeo.\n \n",
    "dateiso": "2020-11-25 16:07:51 -0700",
    "date": "4:07 p.m. on Nov 25, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/11/25/learn-about-new.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F11%2F25%2Flearn-about-new.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 555,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Thanks to Christ Reformed Church in Washington, D.C., we now have a collection of links to most of the tunes used in Trinity Psalter Hymnal. You can use these to sing along. And if you can’t read music, these will help you learn the tunes.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-11-23 17:51:26 -0700",
    "date": "5:51 p.m. on Nov 23, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/11/23/thanks-to-christ.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F11%2F23%2Fthanks-to-christ.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 556,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "“If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18).\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-11-21 12:37:25 -0700",
    "date": "12:37 p.m. on Nov 21, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/11/21/if-possible-so.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F11%2F21%2Fif-possible-so.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 557,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Congratulations and thanks to David C. Noe for his new book, God or Baal: Two Letters on the Reformation of Worship and Pastoral Service.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-11-20 16:10:45 -0700",
    "date": "4:10 p.m. on Nov 20, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/11/20/congratulations-and-thanks.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F11%2F20%2Fcongratulations-and-thanks.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 558,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Where your clothes come from.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-11-19 17:27:26 -0700",
    "date": "5:27 p.m. on Nov 19, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/11/19/where-your-clothes.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F11%2F19%2Fwhere-your-clothes.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 559,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "This week Zondervan video courses are 50% off.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-11-19 11:26:45 -0700",
    "date": "11:26 p.m. on Nov 19, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/11/19/this-week-zondervan.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F11%2F19%2Fthis-week-zondervan.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 560,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Postmodernism: Some Corrections and Clarifications by Elena Shalneva\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-11-18 21:53:27 -0700",
    "date": "9:53 p.m. on Nov 18, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/11/18/postmodernism-some-corrections.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F11%2F18%2Fpostmodernism-some-corrections.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 561,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Not all knowledge of Jesus is the same. Jonathan Edwards put it well: “There is a difference between having a rational judgment honey is sweet, and having a sense of sweetness.”\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-11-17 15:55:50 -0700",
    "date": "3:55 p.m. on Nov 17, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/11/17/not-all-knowledge.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F11%2F17%2Fnot-all-knowledge.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 562,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Here’s last night’s sermon on Genesis 22, the sacrifice of Isaac, where we discover that closeness with God sometimes includes hard things.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-11-16 17:22:33 -0700",
    "date": "5:22 p.m. on Nov 16, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/11/16/heres-last-nights.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F11%2F16%2Fheres-last-nights.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 563,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "“Love is that liquor sweet and most divine, which my God feels as blood and I as wine.” (George Herbert). I invite you to listen to the sermon I preached this morning on the death of Jesus and drink up.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-11-15 15:06:56 -0700",
    "date": "3:06 p.m. on Nov 15, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/11/15/love-is-that.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F11%2F15%2Flove-is-that.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 564,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2020-11-14 23:03:08 -0700",
    "date": "11:03 p.m. on Nov 14, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/11/14/230308.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F11%2F14%2F230308.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 565,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Attended a memorial service tonight where this quote by C. H. Spurgeon could have been the theme: \u0026ldquo;If I may die as I have seen some die, I court the grand occasion. I would not wish to escape death by some by-road if I may sing as they sang.\u0026rdquo;\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-11-13 20:29:03 -0700",
    "date": "8:29 p.m. on Nov 13, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/11/13/attended-a-memorial.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F11%2F13%2Fattended-a-memorial.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 566,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I used to plant my flowers in my friend Tom’s yard, but I let them die and started all over because Mr. Zuckerberg said I could use his nicer yard for my space. But I don’t like his yard anymore. Anyone else have a yard I can use? How do I keep this from happening? 😭\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-11-13 14:04:57 -0700",
    "date": "2:04 p.m. on Nov 13, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/11/13/i-used-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F11%2F13%2Fi-used-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 567,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Not every email needs military-level precision, but it usually helps. Here are some email rules I use (and sometimes break).\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-11-11 12:28:01 -0700",
    "date": "12:28 p.m. on Nov 11, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/11/11/not-every-email.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F11%2F11%2Fnot-every-email.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 568,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Good email rules I sometimes break",
    "text": "Use one subject per email thread with a good subject line.\nKeep it short. Five sentences or fewer usually works. For longer emails, consider writing your email like an Axios article or putting the bottom line up front.\nLearn better ways to express reoccurring needs.\nShare documents and other files with a link to the cloud. For a free, no-registration option, pCloud Transfer works.\nUse email when may need to find your message in the future or when formatting helps clarify your message. Again, see Axios.\nDon’t email when you should call or text.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-11-11 12:11:00 -0700",
    "date": "12:11 p.m. on Nov 11, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/11/11/good-email-rules.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F11%2F11%2Fgood-email-rules.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 569,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "When I feel anxious, I use these words from Psalm 62: \u0026ldquo;For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.” Sometimes I feel better, sometimes I have to wait. Both are good for me.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-11-09 11:51:52 -0700",
    "date": "11:51 p.m. on Nov 9, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/11/09/when-i-feel.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F11%2F09%2Fwhen-i-feel.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 570,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "What would you do to ensure the integrity of an election? Here’s Arizona’s 2020 plan.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-11-06 21:08:25 -0700",
    "date": "9:08 p.m. on Nov 6, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/11/06/what-would-you.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F11%2F06%2Fwhat-would-you.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 571,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Why China might have had the largest unknown modern Calvinist revival movement in recent history » MercatorNet\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-10-20 06:23:55 -0700",
    "date": "6:23 p.m. on Oct 20, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/10/20/why-china-might.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F10%2F20%2Fwhy-china-might.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 572,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "New to me. Left to right: 🧼, 💦 , 💨.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-10-17 14:29:28 -0700",
    "date": "2:29 p.m. on Oct 17, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/10/17/new-to-me.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F10%2F17%2Fnew-to-me.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 573,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Q. How can you prevent instantly loosing all your stuff on Facebook/Instagram/Kindle, like these people? A: #ownyourowndata\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-10-06 13:27:16 -0700",
    "date": "1:27 p.m. on Oct 6, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/10/06/q-how-can.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F10%2F06%2Fq-how-can.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 574,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Curious about how Micro.blog can be used for business? Check out what I\u0026rsquo;m doing for @dellachelpkaArt. And if you\u0026rsquo;ve got feedback, I\u0026rsquo;m all ears.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-10-05 15:14:43 -0700",
    "date": "3:14 p.m. on Oct 5, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/10/05/curious-about-how.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F10%2F05%2Fcurious-about-how.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 575,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Some popular thinkers on shame have been helpful to me, but they could be much more helpful if they remembered that not all shame is the same.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-10-05 09:22:28 -0700",
    "date": "9:22 p.m. on Oct 5, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/10/05/some-popular-thinkers.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F10%2F05%2Fsome-popular-thinkers.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 576,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Not all shame is the same",
    "text": "Yesterday morning I preached John 19:1-6 about the shaming of Jesus. If I may add a little something, there’s an important distinction about shame that I’d like to make explicit.\nWhen we experience shame, it matters who is disgracing us and why they are doing it because some shaming should be despised and other shaming should lead us to repentance. This is important to note because it’s often missing in the work of some popular thinkers on this subject. These thinkers can be helpful, but they can also leave you confused or worse if you don’t include this distinction.\nShaming that we should despised is any shaming that would seek to make us ashamed of Jesus, who himself was did not fear or kowtow to the world’s demands.\n Hebrews 12:2: \u0026ldquo;looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.\u0026rdquo;\n  1 Peter 4:16: \u0026ldquo;Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.\u0026rdquo;\n  Mark 8:38: \u0026ldquo;For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.\u0026rdquo;\n We should never be ashamed of Jesus, his covenant, his kingdom, or the life he calls us to lead. But that doesn’t mean we should never feel shame at all. When God shames us, though painful, it is essential to let ourselves feel it and then respond with repentance. Read these rebukes from Jeremiah and Paul to people who refused to feel holy shame.\n Jeremiah 6:15: \u0026ldquo;Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown,” says the LORD.\u0026rdquo;\n  Philippians 3:19: \u0026ldquo;Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.\u0026rdquo;\n When we feel ashamed because of our sins, we shouldn’t harden ourselves against the feeling. Instead we shuold respond to the convicting shame of God with repeantnace. We may be tempted to hide our shame instead, but the good news—which Paul is not ashamed of (Romans 1:16)—is that when we respond to godly shame with honesty about our sins, repentance for them, and faith in Jesus, God does not penalize us but forgives and restores us. “For the Scripture says, \u0026lsquo;Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame\u0026rsquo;\u0026quot; (Romans 10:11).\nHere\u0026rsquo;s my sermon if you haven\u0026rsquo;t heard it yet: The Shaming of Jesus. It\u0026rsquo;s about 30 minutes long.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-10-05 09:05:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:05 p.m. on Oct 5, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/10/05/not-all-shame.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F10%2F05%2Fnot-all-shame.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 577,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "At the Imperial Sand Dunes this summer.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-10-03 09:47:13 -0700",
    "date": "9:47 p.m. on Oct 3, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/10/03/at-the-imperial.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F10%2F03%2Fat-the-imperial.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 578,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Over-functioners, beware of 1 Thessalonians 4:11.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-10-02 17:00:18 -0700",
    "date": "5:00 p.m. on Oct 2, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/10/02/overfunctioners-beware-of.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F10%2F02%2Foverfunctioners-beware-of.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 579,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "God connects us to each other in many ways. One way is through our shared watersheds. @WaterHarvester explains how and with beautiful maps in Watershed Maps Are Community Maps. Who\u0026rsquo;s in your rainborhood?\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-09-30 23:54:11 -0700",
    "date": "11:54 p.m. on Sep 30, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/09/30/god-connects-us.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F09%2F30%2Fgod-connects-us.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 580,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Life is full of surprises. According to my source, what unicorn fairies do is sort papers.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-09-29 21:37:54 -0700",
    "date": "9:37 p.m. on Sep 29, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/09/29/life-is-full.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F09%2F29%2Flife-is-full.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 581,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "In a.m. sermon last week, Peter denies Jesus and then something amazing happens.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-09-26 15:06:21 -0700",
    "date": "3:06 p.m. on Sep 26, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/09/26/in-am-sermon.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F09%2F26%2Fin-am-sermon.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 582,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2020-09-23 18:53:04 -0700",
    "date": "6:53 p.m. on Sep 23, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/09/23/185304.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F09%2F23%2F185304.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 583,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "From bud to blackberry and everything in between, a lovely picture by @BestofTimes.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-09-19 14:27:52 -0700",
    "date": "2:27 p.m. on Sep 19, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/09/19/from-bud-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F09%2F19%2Ffrom-bud-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 584,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2020-09-18 20:21:09 -0700",
    "date": "8:21 p.m. on Sep 18, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/09/18/202109.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F09%2F18%2F202109.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 585,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Here are a few of the books that have helped me improve the organizational and discipleship structures at Covenant.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-09-18 15:39:04 -0700",
    "date": "3:39 p.m. on Sep 18, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/09/18/here-are-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F09%2F18%2Fhere-are-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 586,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Read these to improve your church’s organizational and discipleship structures",
    "text": "Comprehensive Treatments Although leadership is essential for shepherding the oranizational and discipleship structures of the church, the strucutres/systems/cultures—and not leadership—are the focus of this list. Each of these books offers something unique, but any one of them will help a great deal if read and applied well.\nThe Book of Church Order of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church\nHearers and Doers: A Pastor’s Guide to Making Disciples Through Scripture and Doctrine by Kevin J. Vanhoozer\nThe Trellis and the Vine: The Ministry Mind-shift That Changes Everything by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne\nThe Whole Systems Approach: Involving Everyone in the Company to Transform and Run Your Business by W. A. Adams, Cindy Adams with Michael Bowker\nAn Everyone Culture: Becoming a Deliberately Developmental Organization by Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey\nExtra Credit:\nThe Gospel Commission: Recovering God\u0026rsquo;s Strategy for Making Disciples by Michael Horton\nEvangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus by J. Mack Stiles\nSpecific Topics If you are looking for help with a specific topic, there are so many good resources. But here are a couple good places to start:\nFaithful and Fruitful: Essays for Elders and Deacons ed. by William Boekestein and Steven Swets\nVarious articles in Ordained Servant. Check the subject index.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-09-18 15:24:00 -0700",
    "date": "3:24 p.m. on Sep 18, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/09/18/read-these-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F09%2F18%2Fread-these-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 587,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The new podcast Ad Navseam is fascinating. Funny too. My son and I listened together today and loved it. And since he’s reading the Iliad at school, the timing with the current miniseries is perfect.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-09-17 15:51:08 -0700",
    "date": "3:51 p.m. on Sep 17, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/09/17/the-new-podcast.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F09%2F17%2Fthe-new-podcast.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 588,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Listening to Gautier Capuçon play Debussy. So beautiful.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-09-12 12:09:11 -0700",
    "date": "12:09 p.m. on Sep 12, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/09/12/listening-to-gautier.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F09%2F12%2Flistening-to-gautier.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 589,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "God punished Sodom and Gomorrah for several reasons, one is to teach us some things we need to learn.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-09-09 16:20:24 -0700",
    "date": "4:20 p.m. on Sep 9, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/09/08/god-punished-sodom.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F09%2F08%2Fgod-punished-sodom.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 590,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The greatness of Jesus on display during his arrest gives us confidence in his victory and love for us. Listen to my morning sermon from last Sunday to hear more.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-09-08 15:29:15 -0700",
    "date": "3:29 p.m. on Sep 8, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/09/08/the-greatness-of.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F09%2F08%2Fthe-greatness-of.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 591,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Beautiful beans from Bonita Bean in Willcox, AZ.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-08-27 18:00:32 -0700",
    "date": "6:00 p.m. on Aug 27, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/08/27/beautiful-beans-from.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F08%2F27%2Fbeautiful-beans-from.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 592,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "re: your request @drantbradley I think you\u0026rsquo;ll like Bible Reading With Your Kids: A Simple Guide for Every Father.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-08-26 19:18:44 -0700",
    "date": "7:18 p.m. on Aug 26, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/08/26/re-your-request.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F08%2F26%2Fre-your-request.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 593,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "AZ Republic: Receive unsolicited seeds from China? Arizona officials want you to turn them in\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-07-27 21:14:19 -0700",
    "date": "9:14 p.m. on Jul 27, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/07/27/az-republic-receive.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F07%2F27%2Faz-republic-receive.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 594,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "ETS et al. meeting online this year is a bummer in some ways, but good for folks like me who can attend now.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-07-15 11:32:52 -0700",
    "date": "11:32 p.m. on Jul 15, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/07/15/ets-et-al.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F07%2F15%2Fets-et-al.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 595,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Monsoons arrived on Saturday.\n\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-07-13 10:02:19 -0700",
    "date": "10:02 p.m. on Jul 13, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/07/13/monsoons-arrived-on.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F07%2F13%2Fmonsoons-arrived-on.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 596,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Ouch! The key pad at the gas station was so hot today I had to take breaks typing my PIN.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-07-09 17:55:01 -0700",
    "date": "5:55 p.m. on Jul 9, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/07/09/ouch-the-key.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F07%2F09%2Fouch-the-key.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 597,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I published a new issue of Covenant Chronicle today. Updates about the church. Lots to praise God for. This marks the re-emergence of our print church newsletter that ran out of steam a while back. Though not as pretty, I pray that this e-version will be more sustainable.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-07-09 13:12:41 -0700",
    "date": "1:12 p.m. on Jul 9, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/07/09/i-published-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F07%2F09%2Fi-published-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 598,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I want to live someday “in that world where such absurd and inhuman distinctions are unknown\u0026quot;, just like Theodore Sedgwick Wright.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-07-07 09:19:39 -0700",
    "date": "9:19 p.m. on Jul 7, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/07/07/i-want-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F07%2F07%2Fi-want-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 599,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Dr. Steve Baugh is a role model for me in so many ways. #deepwork is one of them, which comes out some in his conversation with @rscottclark about 37 years of teaching the Greek NT.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-07-06 16:21:15 -0700",
    "date": "4:21 p.m. on Jul 6, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/07/06/dr-steve-baugh.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F07%2F06%2Fdr-steve-baugh.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 600,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "To better understand what it means to be \u0026ldquo;not of this world\u0026rdquo;, read What Did Jesus Mean by \u0026ldquo;The World\u0026rdquo;? by @Nick_Batzig.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-07-05 15:11:18 -0700",
    "date": "3:11 p.m. on Jul 5, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/07/05/to-better-understand.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F07%2F05%2Fto-better-understand.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 601,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Took the kids up to Mt. Hopkins today. We stopped just up the road from from the Smithsonian Whipple Observatory. Down the hill, this momma and calf were on the open range.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-07-03 22:11:42 -0700",
    "date": "10:11 p.m. on Jul 3, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/07/03/took-the-kids.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F07%2F03%2Ftook-the-kids.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 602,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "John Calvin:\n To sum up everything in a word: The cross of Christ finally trumps in believers’ hearts—over the devil, the flesh, sin, and the wicked—when their eyes are turned to the power of the resurrection.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2020-07-03 07:47:58 -0700",
    "date": "7:47 p.m. on Jul 3, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/07/03/john-calvin-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F07%2F03%2Fjohn-calvin-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 603,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I\u0026rsquo;m going to try syndicating my posts to Twitter for a while.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-07-02 15:01:28 -0700",
    "date": "3:01 p.m. on Jul 2, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/07/02/im-going-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F07%2F02%2Fim-going-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 604,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Pirate Lorem Ipsum",
    "text": "Prow scuttle parrel provost Sail ho shrouds spirits boom mizzenmast yardarm. Pinnace holystone mizzenmast quarter crow\u0026rsquo;s nest nipperkin grog yardarm hempen halter furl. Swab barque interloper chantey doubloon starboard grog black jack gangway rutters.\nDeadlights jack lad schooner scallywag dance the hempen jig carouser broadside cable strike colors. Bring a spring upon her cable holystone blow the man down spanker Shiver me timbers to go on account lookout wherry doubloon chase. Belay yo-ho-ho keelhaul squiffy black spot yardarm spyglass sheet transom heave to.\nTrysail Sail ho Corsair red ensign hulk smartly boom jib rum gangway. Case shot Shiver me timbers gangplank crack Jennys tea cup ballast Blimey lee snow crow\u0026rsquo;s nest rutters. Fluke jib scourge of the seven seas boatswain schooner gaff booty Jack Tar transom spirits.\nvia pirateipsum.me\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-07-02 10:34:04 -0700",
    "date": "10:34 p.m. on Jul 2, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/07/02/pirate-lorem-ipsum.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F07%2F02%2Fpirate-lorem-ipsum.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 605,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Jump over to whimsical.club. With so many overly-serious websites these days, it’s fun to explore some “websites that spark joy.” HT: @chrisaldrich\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-07-01 05:32:43 -0700",
    "date": "5:32 p.m. on Jul 1, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/07/01/jump-over-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F07%2F01%2Fjump-over-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 606,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Photo by Clara\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-06-27 17:47:34 -0700",
    "date": "5:47 p.m. on Jun 27, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/06/27/photo-by-clara.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F06%2F27%2Fphoto-by-clara.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 607,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I’ve tried to follow the directions  but can’t figure out how to get canonical urls automatically added to tweets that have been cross-posted from micro.blog. @help any suggestions?\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-06-26 21:57:19 -0700",
    "date": "9:57 p.m. on Jun 26, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/06/26/ive-tried-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F06%2F26%2Five-tried-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 608,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Did you know you can follow and even reply to some blogs that are not directly connected to the Micro.blog network?\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-06-25 10:18:11 -0700",
    "date": "10:18 p.m. on Jun 25, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/06/25/did-you-know.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F06%2F25%2Fdid-you-know.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 609,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I\u0026rsquo;m designing a course on Christian maturity and discovered the Workload Estimator 2.0. If you are a teacher, bookmark this. Students might find it helpful too for planning their schedules.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-06-25 09:08:21 -0700",
    "date": "9:08 p.m. on Jun 25, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/06/25/im-designing-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F06%2F25%2Fim-designing-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 610,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2020-06-20 22:33:58 -0700",
    "date": "10:33 p.m. on Jun 20, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/06/20/223358.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F06%2F20%2F223358.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 611,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Over the next two of days, I’m attending Acton University Online. There are so many interesting sessions that choosing my schedule was tough. I’m excited for tomorrow.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-06-16 21:13:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:13 p.m. on Jun 16, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/06/16/over-the-next.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F06%2F16%2Fover-the-next.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 612,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Gospel of John, 17v3:\n And this is eternal life, that they know you, the ony true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.\n Epistle to Diognetus, 12v4:\n For neither is there life without knowledge nor sound knowledge without true life.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2020-06-16 11:40:00 -0700",
    "date": "11:40 p.m. on Jun 16, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/06/16/gospel-of-john.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F06%2F16%2Fgospel-of-john.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 613,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Last\u0026rsquo;s night\u0026rsquo;s sermon was on these words from Genesis 17:1: \u0026ldquo;walk before me and be blameless.\u0026rdquo; Listen to hear what that looks like, why we should, and how such a wonderful thing is even possible.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-06-15 08:12:35 -0700",
    "date": "8:12 p.m. on Jun 15, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/06/15/lasts-nights-sermon.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F06%2F15%2Flasts-nights-sermon.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 614,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "This morning I preached John 16:25-33. In this passage, Jesus tells us three truths that steady our hearts and give us peace.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-06-14 11:36:14 -0700",
    "date": "11:36 p.m. on Jun 14, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/06/14/this-morning-i.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F06%2F14%2Fthis-morning-i.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 615,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2020-06-13 10:21:35 -0700",
    "date": "10:21 p.m. on Jun 13, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/06/13/102135.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F06%2F13%2F102135.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 616,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Meredith Kline on p. 318 of Kingdom Prologue:\n \u0026hellip;divine demand for godliness is therefore found in covenants of works and grace alike. The precise kind of conditionality carried by the imposed obligations differs, however, in these two types of covenants.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2020-06-11 17:41:01 -0700",
    "date": "5:41 p.m. on Jun 11, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/06/11/meredith-kline-on.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F06%2F11%2Fmeredith-kline-on.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 617,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Lessons on Counseling, Marriage, Gender Roles, and More (Todd Bordow)",
    "text": "Todd Bordow is the pastor of Cornerstone OPC in Houston. He has degrees from Westminster Seminary California (M.Div.) and Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando (D.Min.). He blogs occasionaly at Kingdom Kompilations.\nIn the following episodes of the Glory-Cloud Podcast, Pastor Bordow talks wtih Chris Caughey about several challenging and controversial issues church leaders face, especially in conservative churches. Bordow is a careful exegete with a deep commitment to Scripture. He also speaks from years of experience and demonstrates genuine love for Christ and Christ\u0026rsquo;s flock.\nSo I\u0026rsquo;ve complied this mini-series here for easy reference. He begins with some thoughts about pastoral counseling in general.\n☞ 154 – Critique of Nouthetic Counseling\n☞ 155 - Counseling Continued\n☞ 156 – Counseling Continued – The Elephant in the Room\n☞ 157 – Counseling Cont’d – Narcissists \u0026amp; Manipulators\n☞ 158 – Counseling Cont’d – Men \u0026amp; Women\n☞ 159 – Counseling Cont’d – Men \u0026amp; Women II\n☞ 160 – Women \u0026amp; Church Leadership\n☞ 161 – Marriage\n☞ 162 – Myths \u0026amp; Mistakes About Gender Roles\n✿ Bonus article: Women in the Church by S. M. Baugh\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-04-16 19:23:00 -0700",
    "date": "7:23 p.m. on Apr 16, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/04/16/lessons-on-counseling.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F04%2F16%2Flessons-on-counseling.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 618,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Video Conference Etiquette + Skills Checklist",
    "text": "This is entry 3 of the blogchain Better Leading, Better Meeting.\n Meeting with people on the Internet has a specific set of blessings and challenges, just like other ways of meeting. And like other others meetings, how you act and treat others will depend on the context. Are you goofing around with your friend or interviewing for a job? Are you hosting the meeting or attending it?\nHere are eight guidelines for video conference meetings that lean toward the formal where you are the attendee. Use wisdom to adjust to your particular video conference.\n Remember that we connect and communicate a lot with our eyes. Your attention shows care. To give this kind of attention, look into the camera. This works best if you put the camera at eye-level. This is not always easy, so be patient with others. As with in-person meetings, guard against distraction. For example, be careful about using technology for any purpose other than engaging in your meeting. Web conferences lean toward informality. Watch out for this if you’re attending a more formal meeting. For example, avoid playing with backgrounds or experimenting with other features during the meeting. Give thought to what you wear and what is within audio/visual range. In general, keep your audio muted when you’re not speaking. Be courteous during techno-lags in the conversation. People may look funny if the video freezes, just wait for the video to resume. Moving a little slower in a meeting and checking in often a benefit to everyone. Do not use the private chat feature unless the host has encouraged it. Connect a little early and be prepared to start on time.  If you are new to video conferencing, read these tips for better video conference calls. If you are new to a particular platform, download the software needed (desktop is better than mobile) and test it out to get familiar with the features. You could practice with a friend, or try out a real Webex meeting or Zoom meeting online. Practice is your best friend. This will give you time to find and fix problems before the meeting and fully participate once the meeting begins.  Bonus: Skills Checklist for Attendees  Do I know how to mute and un-mute myself? Do I know how to start and stop my video? Do I know how to share and stop sharing content? Do I know how to switch between the different viewing options? Do I know how to raise my hand (virtually)?  ",
    "dateiso": "2020-04-10 13:23:00 -0700",
    "date": "1:23 p.m. on Apr 10, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/04/10/suggestions-for-video.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F04%2F10%2Fsuggestions-for-video.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 619,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🍎🥩🍌🍐🍉🍖🥚🍇🍓🥬🍆🥑🍗🥛 USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue salutes the heroes in the US food supply chain.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-03-20 20:44:00 -0700",
    "date": "8:44 p.m. on Mar 20, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/03/20/usda-secretary-sonny.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F03%2F20%2Fusda-secretary-sonny.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 620,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Clara sings! A better way to wash your hands.",
    "text": "Instead of counting to 20 when you wash your hands, sing a hymn. It’s a practical way to trust in God instead of getting anxious. And since each verse of the hymn I picked lasts about 20 seconds, even if you sing fast, it helps you do the job well while glorifying God. We are learning verse 1 this week. Join us! My amazing daughter, Clara, will show you how. #handwashhymn\n\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-03-18 11:18:32 -0700",
    "date": "11:18 p.m. on Mar 18, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/03/18/clara-sings-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F03%2F18%2Fclara-sings-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 621,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The Berlin Phil is offering free streaming of its concerts. And starting Monday with Carmen, the Met is going to be streaming a free opera every night. Thank you, musicians!\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-03-14 08:55:00 -0700",
    "date": "8:55 p.m. on Mar 14, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/03/14/the-berlin-phil.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F03%2F14%2Fthe-berlin-phil.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 622,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Want to limit germ spread during communion?",
    "text": "Passing communion trays is a very common practice, but it doesn’t seem to be the best way if you are trying to limit the spread of germs. So are there other ways to serve communion in accord with God’s word and Christian prudence?\nConsider the history of the Reformed churches. Though not without some controversy, the history of the Reformed churches shows a variety in practice.\n At the heart of the Reformed understanding of the Lord’s Supper is the sharing of the sacred meal. The medieval Mass put the emphasis on reciting the canon through which the miracle of transubstantiation took place and the consecrated host was offered up as a sacrifice for the living and the dead. As Reformers taught it, the communion was the focal point of the service. The sign Jesus gave was the sharing of a meal and as the Reformers understood it the visual sign should look like a meal shared by the communicants. Various approaches were taken by churches to make the celebration look more like the sharing of a meal. In Strasbourg, right from the start, the altar was replaced with a table. People came forward and stood around the table as the ministers passed the bread and wine to them. In Zurich a table was set in the middle of the church in front of the pulpit. While the people remained in their seats the bread and the wine were passed to them. The church was centered around the baptismal font, the pulpit, and the table. In the Rhineland, the Netherlands, and Scotland special tables were set up in the front of the church and the people left their seats, sat down at these tables, and passed trays of bread and the cups from one to another. Hughes Oliphant Old, in Holy Communion in the Piety of the Reformed Church\n For more details on this history, see B. B. Warfield\u0026rsquo;s article, The Posture of the Recipients at the Lord’s Supper: A Footnote to the History of Reformed Usages., and also Liturgical Space: Christian Worship and Church Buildings in Western Europe 1500-2000 by Nigel Yates.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-03-13 11:43:00 -0700",
    "date": "11:43 p.m. on Mar 13, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/03/13/want-to-limit.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F03%2F13%2Fwant-to-limit.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 623,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Check out the Coronavirus Misinformation Tracking Center by NewsGuard.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-03-05 09:23:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:23 p.m. on Mar 5, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/03/05/check-out-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F03%2F05%2Fcheck-out-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 624,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "How Hughes Oliphant Old Got Better at Praying",
    "text": "I suspect all Christians would like to improve in their ability to pray. I know I would.\nEven though we don’t believe prayer is a performance, it is still something that can be done well or done poorly or somewhere in between.\nBut how can you improve? I’ve read various books on prayer—old and new—and they are good in so many ways, but I’ve often felt like there is a missing piece. I ask questions like: “Is there a method for using A Method for Prayer?“\nIf you’ve ever felt like this, here’s what you need to know: In order to improve at anything, you need to gain awareness of what you are aiming for in relation to where you are, alongside practice in attaining it. Books like Matthew Henry’s classic, A Method for Prayer, can help if you use them in the right way.\nYou get a sense for what this looks like in Leading in Prayer: A Workbook for Ministers. In this book, Hughes Oliphant Old describes the kind of things he did to improve his prayers and provides sample prayers, with plenty of margin space for note taking, to help us improve too.\nHere’s what Old did and suggests:\n He set aside time to pray. For example, he used Saturday mornings to prepare prayers for Sunday. The puritans prayed well because they prayed a lot. They prayed alone, with their families, and in their churches. He learned through emulation. Like an apprentice painter that learns to paint by first painting the great works of art done by others, Old used prayers he admired from others for his own praying. He used the Psalms and the prayers of the Reformers and church fathers, for example. Old also practiced his ability to identify the qualities of good prayers (tone, parts, logic, imagery, etc.) and the deficiencies of bad prayers. Well-known books on the topic offer lists and explanations to help you with this. But it’s good to learn through close, personal observation as well. Old would also practice by rewriting or reworking prayers to fit modern English and the particular needs of the moment.  Essentially the same advice is given by Samuel Miller, Isaac Watts, and others but with more power and detail than I\u0026rsquo;ve done here.\nBased on these four types of exercises, you could devise a 1-2 week plan of assignments for yourself. Then when you finish, reflect on what you’ve learned, and then do it again, work on something else, or tweak your plan and try again.\nThis kind of practice will help you improve your prayers and should not be disregarded lightly. But remember: In learning to emulate the patterns of holiness, guard yourself from becoming a mere mimic. Having the appearance of godliness but denying its power is not the goal.\nThis kind of irreverent mimicry is mockery. It happens when we trust in our own strength rather than the Spirit, and it happens when we aim to please man rather than serve God.\nInstead, when you pray, offer yourself fully to God in your prayers. Seek to do his will from a sincere heart. And when you sense your weakness, rely on the Spirit to help you. Because, as it says in Romans 8:27, he will intercede for you according to the will of God.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-02-29 14:46:00 -0700",
    "date": "2:46 p.m. on Feb 29, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/02/29/how-hughes-oliphant.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F02%2F29%2Fhow-hughes-oliphant.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 625,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Paul (Ephesians 4:26):\n Be angry and do not sin.\n Also true: Love and do not sin. Hate and do not sin. Desire and do not sin. Spurn and do not sin. Hope and do not sin. Assert and do not sin. Despair and do not sin. Fear and do not sin. Celebrate and do not sin. Sorrow and do not sin.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-02-15 13:56:00 -0700",
    "date": "1:56 p.m. on Feb 15, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/02/15/paul-said-be.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F02%2F15%2Fpaul-said-be.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 626,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Day 11: Plain\nClick through to see how @dellachelpkaArt turned this plain wall into a work of art..\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-02-11 22:06:00 -0700",
    "date": "10:06 p.m. on Feb 11, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/02/11/day-plain-i.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F02%2F11%2Fday-plain-i.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 627,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Day 10: Sign\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-02-10 21:29:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:29 p.m. on Feb 10, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/02/10/for-day-sign.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F02%2F10%2Ffor-day-sign.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 628,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "For Day 9: Lull\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-02-09 14:01:00 -0700",
    "date": "2:01 p.m. on Feb 9, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/02/09/for-day-lull.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F02%2F09%2Ffor-day-lull.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 629,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "For Day 8: Contrast\u0026hellip;this coloring book cover. 😆\n\u0026lt;img src=\u0026ldquo;https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/4821/2020/b8ff1ceb85.jpg\u0026quot; width=\u0026ldquo;600\u0026rdquo; height=\u0026ldquo;600\u0026rdquo; alt=\u0026ldquo;\u0026ldquo;Happy Times with God\u0026rsquo;s Creation\u0026rdquo; coloring book cover features fox hunting its prey\u0026rdquo; /\u0026gt;\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-02-08 19:10:00 -0700",
    "date": "7:10 p.m. on Feb 8, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/02/08/for-day-contrastthis.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F02%2F08%2Ffor-day-contrastthis.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 630,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I’m late to the photoblog challenge, but I’ve got a great one for today’s word: Above.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-02-07 09:56:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:56 p.m. on Feb 7, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/02/07/im-late-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F02%2F07%2Fim-late-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 631,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Read Players First: Coaching from the Inside Out by John Calipari and Michael Sokolove. I think this might be the first sports book I’ve ever read!\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-02-06 23:46:00 -0700",
    "date": "11:46 p.m. on Feb 6, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/02/06/read-players-first.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F02%2F06%2Fread-players-first.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 632,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Churches Should Protect Their Data. Tips and Links!",
    "text": "Dear Church leaders,\nHow are you doing at protecting the valuable data of your church and its members? Whether it’s less private information like the church bylaws, or very private information like membership directories, financial transactions, and personal messages, churches have a responsibility to keep its data safe.\nOf course, there’s no such thing as perfect security, but there is such a thing as due diligence. And some of us aren’t doing a very good job.\nLet me encourage you in this way: start thinking about protecting information online like you would offline. For example, if you wouldn’t counsel a couple whose marriage is falling apart in the middle of a public coffee shop, then neither should you send sensitive emails to that couple over that coffee shop’s public WiFi.\nThe data we possess as leaders of the church is valuable and we should treat it as such. Losing data, because of a hardware crash or a thief can be very expensive to recover and can even alter some people’s lives.\nThis means that as leaders we need to follow good practices, like the ones listed below. We also need to help shape a culture in our churches that thinks about safety not only in the nursery and in the classroom but also on the Internet. Because as a body what we do effects each other, and the good work you do can be undone if others in the church don’t their part.\nEveryone can learn more at stopthinkconnect.org. But let\u0026rsquo;s get some things done today.\nHere are three simple things you can do today.\n Start using a browser and search engine that protect your privacy rather than ransack it. Download Brave and switch your default search engine to DuckDuckGo. Secure your email accounts with good passwords and turn on two factor authentication (apps like Authy are better than SMS messages which are better than nothing). Here’s how. Start using a password manager today. Bitwarden is great and offers free and super-cheap accounts. Don’t wait to start. You can adjust your system to meet your needs as you go, and if it Bitwarden doesn’t work for you, it’s easy to export your data and move it somewhere else.  Here are three things you could do this month.\n Secure your home and church networks. Backup your data so it can be recovered in case of loss. Having local, physical backups and offsite electronic backups is a good idea. I like Backblaze. Install a VPN on your mobile devices. If you don’t know what that is, make it easy on yourself and just sign up for Tunnelbear. Again, you can always switch later.  Having fun? Want to level up?\n Lock down your privacy settings. Start with your most important accounts and devices first. Get away from businesses that require your personal data to make money. Visit nomoregoogle.com and ethical.net to find better tools. Own your own data. Instead of giving away your data for free to social media companies, take back control of your online presence by having your own website and posting there first. This once was difficult, but now it’s easy and cheap with services like Micro.blog and Blot.im.  Learning to use the Internet safely is empowering. And it’s easier than the other ethical alternative: disconnecting from the internet. Because if you can’t use it safely, then you shouldn’t use it.\nIf you are feeling overwhelmed, just go back to the things you can do today. The tools I suggest are well-respected, easy to use, and inexpensive. And if you don’t like them, you can always switch later. You’ll feel good having taken a step in the right direction.\nTo learn more, follow the links above and consider subscribing to a couple blogs to keep current on the issues.\nSee you online.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-01-28 10:01:00 -0700",
    "date": "10:01 p.m. on Jan 28, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/01/28/dear-church-leaders.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F01%2F28%2Fdear-church-leaders.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 633,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Happy Data Privacy Day. Learn more: staysafeonline.org.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-01-28 09:07:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:07 p.m. on Jan 28, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/01/28/happy-data-privacy.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F01%2F28%2Fhappy-data-privacy.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 634,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Keep Current on Cybersecurity with These Four Blogs",
    "text": "Cybersecurity needs and threats change. If you want to keep current on recent threats, get tips for online safety, and read other cybersecurity related news, consider subscribing to one or more of these blogs. They\u0026rsquo;re good for non-professionals like me.\n staysafeonline.org/blog/ krebsonsecurity.com www.schneier.com threatpost.com  ",
    "dateiso": "2020-01-27 22:35:59 -0700",
    "date": "10:35 p.m. on Jan 27, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/01/27/keep-current-on.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F01%2F27%2Fkeep-current-on.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 635,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "My daughter and I are learning about God\u0026rsquo;s amazing planet Saturn.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-01-22 20:40:00 -0700",
    "date": "8:40 p.m. on Jan 22, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/01/22/my-daughter-and.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F01%2F22%2Fmy-daughter-and.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 636,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Reflecting on Attachment Theory in Light of Scripture",
    "text": "This is entry 6 of the blogchain TBRI.\nTBRI is rooted in attachment theory, as seen in this animation.\nI’ve done some more reading and thinking about attachment theory and it’s level of helpfulness in light of the Bible’s teaching. And I plan to share some of my conclusions thus far. But until then, here are some short essays worth considering.\n  www.ccef.org/wp-conten\u0026hellip;\n  mbird.com/2016/10/a\u0026hellip;\n  The first is a careful and solid review of a popular book called God Attachment. The second was more enjoyable to read, though I wished it was more precise in a few places. It contains an overview of attachment theory ( the first does too) and several helpful theological observations.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-01-14 03:12:00 -0700",
    "date": "3:12 p.m. on Jan 14, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/01/14/reflecting-on-attachment.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F01%2F14%2Freflecting-on-attachment.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 637,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "If all goes well, these pieces of birch plywood are going to become tap dance practice pads for my kids.\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-01-11 20:52:00 -0700",
    "date": "8:52 p.m. on Jan 11, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/01/11/if-all-goes.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F01%2F11%2Fif-all-goes.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 638,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Rebecca McLaughlin (tweet):\n Friends sometimes tell me they wish they had my faith. When this happens, I gently point out that they do: they just put it in other things. Faith isn\u0026rsquo;t an extra app that some people have. It\u0026rsquo;s our core OS.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2020-01-08 18:31:00 -0700",
    "date": "6:31 p.m. on Jan 8, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/01/08/rebecca-mclaughlin-rebeccmclaugh.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F01%2F08%2Frebecca-mclaughlin-rebeccmclaugh.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 639,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Notebooks is about to get several major upgrades. According to Screen Time, it competes with Brave for my most used app. I still agree with what I wrote almost a year ago. And these upgrades are going to make it even better. Yay!\n",
    "dateiso": "2020-01-04 10:42:00 -0700",
    "date": "10:42 p.m. on Jan 4, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/01/04/notebooks-is-about.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F01%2F04%2Fnotebooks-is-about.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 640,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "A Toolbox of Helpful Phrases for Parents and Other Caregivers",
    "text": "This is entry 5 of the blogchain TBRI.\n Words are powerful tools to help get kids back on the right track. So it\u0026rsquo;s helpful to have a toolbox of reliable phrases you can turn to again and again when responding to behavior problems or potential behavior problems.\nThe following phrases are recommended and modeled by Karen Purvis in these TBRI training videos, especially Chapter 4. Watch them if you can because it\u0026rsquo;s helpful to see these words used in real life.\nI\u0026rsquo;ve separated them into engagement-types, but don\u0026rsquo;t be rigid. Many can be used in multiple categories, so be curious and try things. And remember to keep your relationship goals in mind in addition to your behavioral goals.\nLevel 1 (Playful Engagement) Words  \u0026ldquo;Would you please try that again with respect?\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;Let me see your eyes.\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;Give me eyes.\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;Try nice words.\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;Can you try that again?\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;Would you like a redo?\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;With respect.\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;Gentle and kind.\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;Use your words.\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;Are you asking or telling?\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;What do you need?\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;How\u0026rsquo;s your engine running, buddy?\u0026rdquo;  Level 2 (Structured Engagement) Words  \u0026ldquo;Sweetheart, you have two choices\u0026hellip;\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;Sweetheart, if you\u0026rsquo;re asking for a compromise you need to do it with good words.\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;No hurts.\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;Listen and obey.\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;Can you calm your engine on your own or do you need help?\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;What did you do wrong? How could you do it right?\u0026rdquo;  Level 3 (Calming Engagement) Words  \u0026ldquo;Let\u0026rsquo;s (get and ice cream cone/do some art/take a nice walk) and talk about this.\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;You need to think about what you did wrong and how you can do it right. When you\u0026rsquo;re ready. You say ready. I\u0026rsquo;ll be right here.\u0026rdquo;  ",
    "dateiso": "2020-01-01 09:10:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:10 p.m. on Jan 1, 2020",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2020/01/01/a-toolbox-of.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2020%2F01%2F01%2Fa-toolbox-of.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 641,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Empowering Things that Have Helped Our Kids",
    "text": "This is entry 4 of the blogchain TBRI.\nMeeting the physical and connection needs of a person—big or little—can help with a wide range of behavior problems and other challenges. Here are some things TBRI suggests that have been helpful to my family.\nPhysical Needs  Give healthy food every two hours. Keep hydrated. Learn and practice deep breathing. (I like the idea of \u0026ldquo;bubble breaths\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;smell the pizza\u0026rdquo;, which I learned of elsewhere. Use sweet smells and tastes to calm down. Purvis suggests putting cotton balls in a film roll container (if you can find one!) with a drop of vanilla. Have regular physical activity like walking, running, dance. Build in regular mini-moments of exercise like a quick set of push-ups or a few laps around a basketball court. Build self-awareness. How is your engine running? If it\u0026rsquo;s running to fast, what can you do to calm down? Running too low, what can you do to rev it up? Running just right? Great! Chew gum. Suck water out of a water bottle.  Connection Needs  Watch carefully for physical signs of stress (shallow breathing, tight hands, dilating pupils, tight face). They are feeling stress and will probably react soon. Watch the environment carefully. Is something overwhelming, too loud, going on too long? Ask, what does this child need right now? Watch for physical signs of stress in yourself. Practice calm presence. This models and leads the way. Provides reassuring safety among other things. Use valuing eye-contact. Can I see your eyes? Use proximity, get close. Get down on their level. Time-ins instead of time-outs. Take time together doing activities they enjoy. Purvis calls these \u0026ldquo;bridge activities\u0026rdquo;. Find a time and space the child enjoys. Use this to connect and practice good things. Make sure to reconnect after coming down from a conflict. Let me see your eyes. I love you. What do you need? You can ask for a compromise. Healthy touch is very powerful. Firm, calming touches that reassure love are huge. Give full attention whenever possible. If not possible, give it for just a few seconds: I want to hear what you have to say, but I need to do X right now. Let\u0026rsquo;s talk about it when I\u0026rsquo;m doing Y. Teach how to use words and listen well. Learn to use and teach them to use certain scripts. Practice with role play and mirrors.  ",
    "dateiso": "2019-12-31 23:53:00 -0700",
    "date": "11:53 p.m. on Dec 31, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/12/31/empowering-things-that.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F12%2F31%2Fempowering-things-that.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 642,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Essential Skills and Beliefs for TBRI",
    "text": "This is entry 3 of the blogchain TBRI.\n After working my way through an online TBRI course, I\u0026rsquo;ve concluded that there is an essential set of skills and beliefs that TBRI rests on. I doubt the importance and veracity of a few things it promotes, and I think TBRI neglects the most important element of bad behavior: the sinful heart.\n And Jesus said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (Mark 7:20-23)\n Still I find the following list of core skills and beliefs that TBRI promotes to be true and very beneficial.\n  For kids, you should normally aim for a connected, playful level of engagement. (I think same is true for adults.)\n  Achieving and maintaining this kind of engagement requires both proactive and responsive strategies.\n  Care for the whole person. This is related to mercy and empowerment. A person’s needs are physical and non-physical. Responsive correction is most effective when a person is empowered and connected.   It is important to be present and mindful of your own needs, as well as the needs of the person you are trying to help. Long-term success depends on it.\n  Learning works well in a calm, alert state. Respond to bad behavior, but use proactive strategies too.\n  Be deliberate and clear about your level of expectations; be ready to raise and lower the bar as needed.\n  Teaching how to use words to solve conflicts is a good idea. Learning to use words well empowers us to solve conflicts in good ways and reduces dependence on ineffective and destructive strategies.\n  Remember that with people from hard places, co-regulation is often necessary before self-regulation is possible.\n  Remember that just because someone is safe doesn’t mean they feel safe. Stress hormones, for example, don’t magically disappear just because someone hears “get over it.”\n  Learn and use I.D.E.A.L responses, which requires knowing how to escalate the level of response and how to get back to connected, playful engagement.\n  This list is a high bar for those who aim to be helpers. And it doesn’t even address a variety of spiritual needs. But putting these things into practice is important and worth the effort.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-12-31 17:36:51 -0700",
    "date": "5:36 p.m. on Dec 31, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/12/31/essential-skills-and.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F12%2F31%2Fessential-skills-and.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 643,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "We had a great time a few days ago at the Winterhaven Festival of Lights. It was put on for charity this year by these amazing Tucsonans for the 70th time!\n\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-12-29 23:30:00 -0700",
    "date": "11:30 p.m. on Dec 29, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/12/29/we-had-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F12%2F29%2Fwe-had-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 644,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Read Ultralearning by Scott H. Young. It’s a great book for anyone wanting to improve their ability to learn.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-12-28 01:11:00 -0700",
    "date": "1:11 p.m. on Dec 28, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/12/28/read-ultralearning-by.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F12%2F28%2Fread-ultralearning-by.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 645,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "For Classics Nerds: The PM Recites A Bit Of The IIiad From Memory (In Greek!) - The Heidelblog\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-12-25 12:02:00 -0700",
    "date": "12:02 p.m. on Dec 25, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/12/25/nice-for-classics.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F12%2F25%2Fnice-for-classics.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 646,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "We’re feline festive over here.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-12-24 15:13:00 -0700",
    "date": "3:13 p.m. on Dec 24, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/12/24/were-feline-festive.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F12%2F24%2Fwere-feline-festive.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 647,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Last Saturday I went to Cello Christmas 2019 hosted by super-teacher Mary Beth Tyndall. About 40 cellists playing Christmas tunes, a scroll decorating contest, and lots of smiles.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-12-23 09:27:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:27 p.m. on Dec 23, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/12/23/last-saturday-i.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F12%2F23%2Flast-saturday-i.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 648,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "John Calvin: music is “a gift of God”\n “…among the other things which are appropriate to recreate man and give him desire, music is either the first or on the the chief ones, and we must deem it to be a gift of God intended for this use.”\n From a letter he wrote about worship.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-12-19 17:47:00 -0700",
    "date": "5:47 p.m. on Dec 19, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/12/19/john-calvin-music.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F12%2F19%2Fjohn-calvin-music.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 649,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🕵️‍♂️ on the trail of an ink thief!\n\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-12-19 12:38:22 -0700",
    "date": "12:38 p.m. on Dec 19, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/12/19/on-the-trail.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F12%2F19%2Fon-the-trail.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 650,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I read Music, Singing, and Emotions: Exploring the Connections in Themelios. What a great essay.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-12-17 09:39:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:39 p.m. on Dec 17, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/12/17/read-music-singing.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F12%2F17%2Fread-music-singing.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 651,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Someone should write a Christmas carol based on Rev 21:16 and call it Angles from the Realms of Glory.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-12-14 18:29:00 -0700",
    "date": "6:29 p.m. on Dec 14, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/12/14/someone-should-write.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F12%2F14%2Fsomeone-should-write.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 652,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "It won’t be long now.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-12-13 18:40:00 -0700",
    "date": "6:40 p.m. on Dec 13, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/12/13/it-wont-be.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F12%2F13%2Fit-wont-be.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 653,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Twitter aims to build an open standard for social networks - Axios\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-12-11 13:10:00 -0700",
    "date": "1:10 p.m. on Dec 11, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/12/11/twitter-aims-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F12%2F11%2Ftwitter-aims-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 654,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Aquinas on Emotions: A Summary of Peter King’s Research",
    "text": "Peter King has written a top-shelf article on Thomas Aquinas\u0026rsquo;s view of emotions. This is my summary of some of his key findings.\nWhat is an emotion? Thomas Aquinas believed that emotion is “a semi-autonomous faculty of the soul”. An emotion is something the soul experiences, not something the soul does.\nEmotions are reactions you experience when you perceive something. This apprehension of a thing can happen either mentally or physically. A person, for example, can feel joy either by imagining chocolate or by tasting chocolate.\nEmotions are reactions, but they can also cause things too. Fear can motivate you to run. It can also make your teeth chatter.\nCan we control our emotions? Although an emotion is a reaction, that is, something causes it, Aquinas thinks we have some control over the emotions we experience. Emotion “is not completely in our power since it precedes the judgment of reason,\u0026quot; but \u0026ldquo;it is in our power to some extent.” King suggests that in this way, emotion is like sight. You can only see what you see, but you can also direct your eyes to look at something. This means that the experience of an emotion or the power of an emotion can be somewhat what controlled (i.e. willed).\nOne way we control our emotions is through thinking and reasoning. This is because how we interpret things can affect how we feel. Imagine you see a large dog and become afraid. You are afraid because you interpret his size as a danger to you. But if you discover that the dog is a therapy dog used in hospitals to calm children, your fear may change into a desire to pet him. The dog has not changed, only your understanding of the dog. And because your understanging has changed, your feelings have followed. If it only it were always this easy!\nHow many emotions are there? Sometimes, we talk about emotion in terms of movement. “I feel love toward my wife,” for example. Borrowing from physics, Aquinas thinks about all emotions as types of movement directed towards good or evil.\nAquinas identifies eleven main emotions. The emotions directed toward what we perceive as good are love, desire, hope, despair, and joy. Emotions directed toward what we perceive as evil are hate, aversion, confidence, fear, sorrow, and anger.\nEmotions directed toward (perceived) good  Love is the emotional stance we have toward something good. Desire is the emotional pull we have toward something good. Hope is the emotional stance we have for a difficult but attainable good. Despair is the emotional stance we have for a difficult but unattainable good. Joy is the emotion of having attained something good.  Emotions directed toward (perceived) evil  Hate is the emotional stance we have toward something evil. Aversion is the emotional push we have away from something evil. Confidence is the emotional stance we have toward an avoidable evil. Fear is the emotional stance we have toward an unavoidable evil. Sorrow is the emotion of having attained something evil. Anger is the emotion of having attained a difficult or even insurrmountable evil.  Notice the pairs, except for anger, which is unique. Read King\u0026rsquo;s article to understand why.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-12-10 10:51:14 -0700",
    "date": "10:51 p.m. on Dec 10, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/12/09/aquinas-on-emotions.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F12%2F09%2Faquinas-on-emotions.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 655,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "An Invitation to Hope",
    "text": "An old man named Zecharaiah is filled with the Holy Spirit. He prophesies about the miraculous births of two children: one his son, the other his Savior. And he blesses God. For hope is on the way.\nBut it it is not a new hope, it is the fully flowered hope of old\u0026hellip;\n \u0026ldquo;This flow’r, whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air, dispels with glorious splendor the darkness everywhere. True man, yet very God, from sin and death he saves us and lightens every load.\u0026rdquo; — Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming\n These are among the many lovely and mysterious things we Christians will consider tomorrow when come together to worship God. If you don\u0026rsquo;t yet enjoy the hope of God in these things, consider joining us at Covenant, or anywhere that Christ is preached.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-12-07 17:26:00 -0700",
    "date": "5:26 p.m. on Dec 7, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/12/07/an-invitation-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F12%2F07%2Fan-invitation-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 656,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Better Leading, Better Meeting: What to Read",
    "text": "This is entry 2 of the blogchain Better Leading, Better Meeting.\n At the most general level, any good book on leadership will give you insights that you can apply to meetings. At the most specific level, you’ll find resources that share advice for specific kinds of meetings such as family worship, coaching, or teaching. For organizational meetings, Lucid Meetings has created an insightful taxonomy of organizational meetings and offers advice on each kind.\nIn between these two levels of guides are books that focus on meetings but in a more general way. These books are where you ought to start. They provide advice for any gathering and a framework into which more specific advice can fit.\nIf you’re not in a hurry, start with The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Private Parker.1 It’s very good. If you have an important meeting soon and need some advice and right now, skim Let’s Stop Meeting Like This: Tools to Save Time and Get More Done by Dick and Emily Axelrod,2 and then study it later as soon as you can. If if your meeting is tomorrow, the Economist summarizes the most important points in How to Lead Better Meetings.\nFinally, I recommend Five Gears: How to Be Present and Productive When There Is Never Enough Time by Jeremie Kubicek and Steve Cockram.3 It’s not directly about meetings, but it provides basic categories for thinking about the different ways we spend time with others.\nNot all learning, however, comes from books. Nothing can replace serving with and under leaders who can show you the way you want to go and are the kind of person you want to be. Leaders like this have blessed me beyond what I can say.\n  Find The Art of Gathering on Worldcat.\u0026#160;\u0026#x21a9;\u0026#xfe0e;\n Find Let’s Stop Meeting Like This on Amazon.\u0026#160;\u0026#x21a9;\u0026#xfe0e;\n Find Five Gears on Worldcat.\u0026#160;\u0026#x21a9;\u0026#xfe0e;\n   ",
    "dateiso": "2019-12-07 11:35:00 -0700",
    "date": "11:35 p.m. on Dec 7, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/12/07/better-leading-better.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F12%2F07%2Fbetter-leading-better.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 657,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Meeting are Gatherings",
    "text": "This is entry 1 of the blogchain Better Leading, Better Meeting.\n You can lead better meetings and engage in them more fruitfully if you can learn to think of meetings more broadly. I find using the word gathering is helpful.\nA gathering is any setting in which people connect with each other for a period of time. A gathering may happen accidently at a bus stop or purposely at a bridal shower. A gathering may happen once a year in person or every day on the phone. And in gatherings we do all kinds of things:\n We decide. We review. We celebrate. We worship. We confront. We explore. We learn. We experience.  Thinking broadly about meetings/gatherings allows you to discover patterns in human nature that exist across domains: not only in how people think, act, or feel, but in how they do these things together. This means a doctor can learn how to care for patients by watching a mechanic take care of a customer. A dinner party host can learn from a dance teacher.\nMeetings are relational events. They are about people first and tasks second. We (1) meet (2). Learning this is an essential step to improving any kind of meeting, and it reveals new sources for wisdom.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-12-06 19:22:00 -0700",
    "date": "7:22 p.m. on Dec 6, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/12/06/meeting-are-gatherings.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F12%2F06%2Fmeeting-are-gatherings.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 658,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "👎 Social Network + Like Button - Moderation = Incentive to Game the System. @manton explains in Purchasing Fake Likes.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-12-06 11:01:38 -0700",
    "date": "11:01 p.m. on Dec 6, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/12/06/social-network-like.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F12%2F06%2Fsocial-network-like.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 659,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "How do you wait on God?\nAmong other helpful points, @mwerickson writes:\n Unlike generalized “waiting for the world to turn” or “waiting for a miracle,” waiting on the Lord is based upon what we know of who God is – His character – and what God does – His activity.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2019-12-05 21:41:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:41 p.m. on Dec 5, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/12/05/how-do-you.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F12%2F05%2Fhow-do-you.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 660,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "What is Productivity?",
    "text": " Productivity is a measure of your output divided by your input.\n  Output is measured by the importance of the accomplishment to your goals. A person who outputs lots of unimportant stuff is still unproductive. Importance, not sheer volume, is how output ought to be measured.\n  Input is measured by the time, energy and attention you have available. Sometimes this translates to speed. Other times it translates to ease or sustainability. Big impact, given your limited capacity, is the goal of productivity.\n From: What\u0026rsquo;s the Point of Productivity? - Scott H Young\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-12-03 22:55:24 -0700",
    "date": "10:55 p.m. on Dec 3, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/12/03/what-is-productivity.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F12%2F03%2Fwhat-is-productivity.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 661,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🦃 My daughter loves to choreograph, my son has a lot of energy, and we’re all thankful for the turkey. Happy Thanksgiving!\n\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-11-28 12:37:12 -0700",
    "date": "12:37 p.m. on Nov 28, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/11/28/my-daughter-loves.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F11%2F28%2Fmy-daughter-loves.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 662,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Mercy and Empowerment",
    "text": "This is entry 2 of the blogchain TBRI.\n When my wife comes home with groceries in the car, the kids and I will help her unload them and bring them into the house. Even the littlest ones participate.\nAnd while I like to challenge them—\u0026ldquo;Do you want to try and carry that milk by yourself?\u0026quot;—I’m careful not to overburden them. I also empower them to fulfill their task. If it’s dark outside, I can turn on a light. If an item is fragile and unusual, I can show them how to hold it. If it’s a large bag of dog food, we can carry it together.\nThe Bible says that God has compassion on his children in a similar way.\n “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Yahweh shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:13–14).\n  “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).\n TBRI teaches that this principle of mercy + empowerment must undergird the things we ask of kids from hard places. And I think it must undergird all our expectations of others, no matter the kind of relationship (cf. 1 Peter 3:7).\nIf you owned a trucking company, would you ask a driver to drive if he hadn’t slept for 24 hours? It wouldn’t matter whether the lack of sleep was the driver’s fault or not, you simply wouldn’t require someone to drive who didn’t have the necessary sleep.\nLikewise, if a child’s brain is filled with stress hormones—whether you think it should be or not—it’s not right time to have a reasoned discussion about why one shouldn’t flip out over a broken crayon. The driver must sleep before he can drive; the child must calm down before he can reflect.\nGetting kids from hard places to do the things they need to do can sometimes feel impossible, and sometimes it is impossible. That’s why getting really good at mercy and empowerment is essential for me.\nIt has to start with the right attitude. Remembering how merciful God is with me ought to help. And learning more about the effects of trauma is also key. Empowerment is about first knowing what’s going on in a person and then accommodating accordingly, especially according to grace.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-11-27 21:56:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:56 p.m. on Nov 27, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/11/27/when-my-wife.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F11%2F27%2Fwhen-my-wife.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 663,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "How to Improve Your Thinking and Conversations",
    "text": "Learning how to think and have good conversations are two skills you can and should improve.\nThey’re also related because thinking is relational. Learn how to think and you’ll improve your conversations. Learn how to converse and you’ll improve you thinking. Do both and you’ll make the world a better place.\nTo get you started, @joshuapsteele has shared advice from two worthy guides.\n Advice from Alan Jacob’s book, How to Think Advice from Morton Adler’s book, How to Speak, How to Listen  Read through these summaries, then study the books. Just don’t try to learn everything at once. You’ll get overwhelmed and quit. Instead, just pick one thing and start putting it into practice. When you’re doing better, come back and try another.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-11-27 12:46:00 -0700",
    "date": "12:46 p.m. on Nov 27, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/11/27/how-to-improve.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F11%2F27%2Fhow-to-improve.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 664,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "How Much Does A Turkey Really Cost?",
    "text": "How much do you really pay for a turkey after you subtract the weight of the non-edibles like packaging, bones, and blood.\nWith Thanksgiving two days away, and the nearby Walmart selling whole turkeys for $0.68 per pound, I decided to find out.\nSo I bought a 16.07 lb. Jennie-O, removed the packaging, drained the blood, washed the skin,1 cooked the turkey, and then pulled the meat off while it was still hot out of the oven.\nHow much meat did I collect? I got 5.1 lbs, which means that instead if $0.68, I paid $2.14 per pound.\nOf course, the broth, neck, giblets, and gravy packet (except the plastic bag) are all edible. But for my purposes today, I’m going to count these as bonuses.\n  Oops. Don\u0026rsquo;t wash the turkey!\u0026#160;\u0026#x21a9;\u0026#xfe0e;\n   ",
    "dateiso": "2019-11-26 22:40:00 -0700",
    "date": "10:40 p.m. on Nov 26, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/11/26/how-much-does.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F11%2F26%2Fhow-much-does.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 665,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📚 Looking forward to reading @manton’s forthcoming book, Indie Microblogging.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-11-26 20:13:23 -0700",
    "date": "8:13 p.m. on Nov 26, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/11/26/looking-forward-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F11%2F26%2Flooking-forward-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 666,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "What is TBRI?",
    "text": "This is entry 1 of the blogchain TBRI.\n TBRI stands for Trust-Based Relational Intervention. It\u0026rsquo;s a set of ideas and practices championed by Drs. Karyn Purvis and David Cross of the Texas Christian University Institute of Child Development. TBRI aims to help meet the needs of \u0026ldquo;children from hard places\u0026rdquo;; where other interventions are failing, TBRI helps kids with big challenges reach their potential.\nAs such, TBRI serves an important role in interrupting and in healing. It helps to interrupt the cycles of abuse and neglect that lead to broken families, expulsion from schools, unstable employment, prison time, and out-of-wedlock kids who will face similar challenges. It helps bring about important, life-improving behavioral changes. In the places where TRBI has been adopted, including large school districts, TBRI has made a big difference.\nMy wife and I learned about TRBI when we were looking for help in parenting a child we adopted. Our parenting strategies that had worked well for our other kids, have not worked well with this kiddo. So over the next few months, even as we explore other possibilities, we are trying to master the fundamentals of trauma-informed care through TBRI and give it a solid chance in our home.\nTo start learning the fundamentals, we downloaded and listened to most of the 2018 Empowered to Connect conference. This conference provided an overview and some encouragement, but we needed something a little more direct and systematic. So we are currently working our way through this excellent self-guided video course with some coaching support from Mario Sanchez, a licensed counselor and TBRI practicioner in Tucson.\nAs we learn, I\u0026rsquo;ll post occasional notes on our learning adventure here.\nI\u0026rsquo;m not sure where this will lead or how much TBRI will help our family, but I do know that as we seek to learn what we can from the research into human development and the thoughtful moral applications of others, we can\u0026rsquo;t take our eyes off God. In everything we must depend on his grace alone, trusting in his wisdom and power, not ours. So this, from Psalm 74, is my prayer:\n Have regard for the covenant, for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence. Let not the downtrodden turn back in shame; let the poor and needy praise your name.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2019-11-23 14:12:00 -0700",
    "date": "2:12 p.m. on Nov 23, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/11/23/tbri.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F11%2F23%2Ftbri.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 667,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🎨 Nice! This easy to use tool can tell you if certain color combos meet web accessibility standards or not. And when they don’t, it suggests close alternates that can pass the test.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-11-22 17:45:15 -0700",
    "date": "5:45 p.m. on Nov 22, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/11/22/nice-this-easy.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F11%2F22%2Fnice-this-easy.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 668,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⚠️ Don’t leave your lightsaber on the floor. It’s dangerous!\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-11-17 19:53:00 -0700",
    "date": "7:53 p.m. on Nov 17, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/11/17/dont-leave-your.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F11%2F17%2Fdont-leave-your.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 669,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "How to Change the Order of Posts in a Category (Micro.blog + Hugo)",
    "text": "Like most blog themes, my current theme uses reverse chronological order to display posts. Newest posts show first.\nI like this, but I wanted the opposite to happen when the posts are displayed as part of a category. This would allow me to create blogchains (like these) where readers could read a series of posts in the order in which they were written.\nHappily, blogs hosted on Micro.blog can customize their themes. Here\u0026rsquo;s I did that to display category posts with the oldest posts showing first.\n  Find the custom templates custom theme.\n  In the config.json file, between the first and last curly brackets in the file, add the following:\n \u0026quot;taxonomies\u0026quot;: { \u0026quot;category\u0026quot;: \u0026quot;categories\u0026quot; }    Click \u0026ldquo;Create New Template\u0026rdquo;\n  Add the following file name and code, then click \u0026ldquo;Update Template\u0026rdquo;:\n  I figured this out using the following Hugo help pages. They also explain how you can order your posts in other ways, such as alphabetically or by length.\n Content Management: Taxonomies Lists of Content in Hugo  ",
    "dateiso": "2019-11-05 14:00:00 -0700",
    "date": "2:00 p.m. on Nov 5, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/11/05/change-the-order.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F11%2F05%2Fchange-the-order.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 670,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "American Cursive",
    "text": "I’m on a learning adventure to master the fundamentals of cursive penmenship. It\u0026rsquo;s a relaxed adventure. More of a stroll, actually.\nMy kids are fellow travelers, some ahead and some behind me. They are learning a cursive script at school and leave artifacts of their learning around the house, which impress and encourage me. Yesterday, my son was having some Outside Time during which wrote his name on some concrete with a piece of found charcoal.\nSo, one or two evenings week, I\u0026rsquo;ll sit at the dining table with my wife. And while she works on her art, I\u0026rsquo;ll work through another lesson in The Art of Cursive Penmenship: 86 lessons by Master Penmen and composer of American Cursive, Michael R. Sull.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-11-05 11:16:00 -0700",
    "date": "11:16 p.m. on Nov 5, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/10/28/american-cursive.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F10%2F28%2Famerican-cursive.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 671,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🗺 Explore the future of blogging and the Internet by adding to this group blogchain. Or, if you prefer, just read along.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-10-31 16:46:31 -0700",
    "date": "4:46 p.m. on Oct 31, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/10/31/explore-the-future.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F10%2F31%2Fexplore-the-future.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 672,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🧺 Beautiful day for a picnic! We had a relaxing time and got to meet some more of our great neighbors.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-10-27 16:49:50 -0700",
    "date": "4:49 p.m. on Oct 27, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/10/27/beautiful-day-for.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F10%2F27%2Fbeautiful-day-for.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 673,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2019-10-25 20:35:57 -0700",
    "date": "8:35 p.m. on Oct 25, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/10/25/203557.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F10%2F25%2F203557.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 674,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📚 Read: about Aquinas on emotions. Excellent\u0026hellip;and fascinating.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-10-24 21:45:14 -0700",
    "date": "9:45 p.m. on Oct 24, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/10/24/read-about-aquinas.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F10%2F24%2Fread-about-aquinas.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 675,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⛪️ Great sermons yesterday at Covenant. Listen to Phil Kruis\u0026rsquo;s exhortation from 1 Timothy to godliness and contentment, and Paul Johnson contrast the kingdom of Christ with the kingdoms of this world from the book of Esther.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-10-21 10:37:28 -0700",
    "date": "10:37 p.m. on Oct 21, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/10/21/great-sermons-yesterday.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F10%2F21%2Fgreat-sermons-yesterday.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 676,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📚 Members of my church are sharing books with each another through Inventaire. The UI could use some attention, but overall it’s working well.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-10-16 20:46:27 -0700",
    "date": "8:46 p.m. on Oct 16, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/10/16/members-of-my.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F10%2F16%2Fmembers-of-my.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 677,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Improving Our Communication System at Covenant",
    "text": "Over the next few months at Covenant, we are working to improve and align the various ways we share information at church. This includes how we use church bulletins, announcements, and the website, and more.\nWhy it matters: Having a good communication system within a church is important. A good communication system helps get the right information to the right people at the right time. It helps new members better integrate into the body. It helps people trust the information they receive. It helps people know how the church is doing and helps enable them to contribute to it’s growth and maturity.\nA little background: Our first, big growth-step in this area happened eleven months ago when we began offering everyone an easier way to communicate with the whole church. We used a bare-bones set up with Outlook to make this happen.\nSince offering this, we’ve faced some challenges that have generated some great feedback. We’ve also seen and heard about the ways that increased sharing within the church has helped us grow as a church body. Prayer requests and event planning have been especially beneficial.\nWhat\u0026rsquo;s new: So based on what we’ve learned so far, we are now taking the next step and have built two new tools to replace and improve on our current email system.\nCovenant Chronicle: First, we are reviving our church newsletter. This will be a simpler version of what we’ve produced in the past and will be sent 2-4 times a year. This will be a public, big-picture update for the whole church, longtime friends, and anyone interested in hearing what we\u0026rsquo;re up to.\n We hope this will keep our friends in the loop without sending an email deluge every time we decide to have have a meal together.  Covenant Connect: Second, we have created an online private forum called Covenant Connect. This will be for members and regular attenders of Covenant to stay connected with each other and all the activities of the church. Covenant Connect will provide:\n ways for members to control the flow of information and make sure they get what they need improved moderation (most posts generously approved within 24-hours) a place for members to learn the ropes, called The Guide the ability for teams to work together and preserve their work polling, easy site-feedback, and many other features  The tech: For those who are interested, we are using Discourse to build the forum and Buttondown for the newsletter.\nPrayer request: Please pray that we’ll find success using these tools; that God will improve our ability to connect with each other as we find and share information in ways that please Him.\n “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it gives grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29).\n Thanks for reading!\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-10-14 11:21:00 -0700",
    "date": "11:21 p.m. on Oct 14, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/10/14/improving-our-communication.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F10%2F14%2Fimproving-our-communication.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 678,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🌵 We saw a bunch of these little guys last Saturday at the Tucson Reptile and Amphibian Show. They don’t stay little!\n\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-10-12 08:00:00 -0700",
    "date": "8:00 p.m. on Oct 12, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/10/14/we-saw-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F10%2F14%2Fwe-saw-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 679,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "👩‍💻👨‍💻 Let’s take some personal responsibility for our media landscape and diet. Jim VandeHei of Axios gets personal.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-10-01 10:00:51 -0700",
    "date": "10:00 p.m. on Oct 1, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/10/01/lets-take-some.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F10%2F01%2Flets-take-some.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 680,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📖 Last night in Going Deeper, I taught the distinction between archetypal and ectypal theology. The great Francis Junius wrote a few excellent chapters about this distinction in De Vera Theologia, which has been translated into English and is available for free online.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-09-26 10:00:00 -0700",
    "date": "10:00 p.m. on Sep 26, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/09/26/last-night-in.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F09%2F26%2Flast-night-in.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 681,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🧔🏻 Check out my new learning page. Thank you Jared Pereia for the idea.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-09-25 12:02:32 -0700",
    "date": "12:02 p.m. on Sep 25, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/09/25/check-out-my.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F09%2F25%2Fcheck-out-my.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 682,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Being Spiritually Mature is Important",
    "text": "According to Ephesians 4, it is God’s will that the church grow and become more mature. That the body of Christ, with all it’s members\n “attain to the the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”\n And many other scriptures make this point. For example:\n “Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age” ( 1 Corinthians 2:6).\n  “Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son” (2 John 9).\n  “Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature” (1 Corinthians 14:20).\n  “\u0026hellip;if you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples” (John 8:31).\n ",
    "dateiso": "2019-09-24 11:21:00 -0700",
    "date": "11:21 p.m. on Sep 24, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/09/24/being-spiritually-mature.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F09%2F24%2Fbeing-spiritually-mature.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 683,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "✍🏻 @Dellachelpkaart’s peaceful meditation on the 23rd Psalm, which I preached last night. \u0026ldquo;The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.\u0026rdquo;\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-09-23 20:28:00 -0700",
    "date": "8:28 p.m. on Sep 23, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/09/23/dellachelpkaarts-peaceful-meditation.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F09%2F23%2Fdellachelpkaarts-peaceful-meditation.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 684,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📷 Lots of barrel cactus.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-09-21 17:57:15 -0700",
    "date": "5:57 p.m. on Sep 21, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/09/21/lots-of-barrel.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F09%2F21%2Flots-of-barrel.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 685,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "❤️ this picture of my daughter in front of a giant moon. @dellachelpkaArt made it with charcoal!\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-09-16 20:03:00 -0700",
    "date": "8:03 p.m. on Sep 16, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/09/16/this-picture-of.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F09%2F16%2Fthis-picture-of.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 686,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📚 Read The Whole Systems Approach by Bill and Cindy Adams. Great book! It helped me to better see the systems that comprise organizations. I feel more equipped to serve in various contexts after reading this book.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-09-14 22:45:47 -0700",
    "date": "10:45 p.m. on Sep 14, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/09/14/read-the-whole.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F09%2F14%2Fread-the-whole.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 687,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Class: Going Deeper",
    "text": "Going Deeper is designed to help you mature in Christ through\n twice per month, in-person classes a weekly online reading group  Attending Going Deeper will help you grow in your thinking as a Christian so that you may love more deeply and walk more wisely, “fully assured of the will of God” (Colossians 4:12), which is important.\nYou can join the classes, the reading group, or both. Both are free and you can join anytime. Regular attenders will become familiar with large portions of Reformed systematic theology.\nTwice-monthly Classes The best part of Going Deeper are the in-person classes. We meet from 6:00pm-7:30pm on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month in central Tucson: 3131 N. Country Club Rd, suite 209.\nEach class focuses on a different aspect of the Christian faith. Through prayer, study, and discussion, we consider the Bible’s teachings and the implications for our faith and life in Christ. Our time is divided into four parts based on a model I learned from Michael Horton.\n Drama. We will begin by remembering a few of God’s works and note their connection to his larger plan of redemption. Doctrine. I will teach 1-2 important doctrines related to the theme, paying careful attention to note the essential distinctions and priorities that Scripture makes. The live-lectures will be available only in class. Doxology. We will sing to God in response to what we have heard and then prayer together along the lines of our theme. Discipleship. We’ll discuss how what we’ve learned applies to our personal walks in the Lord as well as our life together.  Weekly Online Reading Group Those who would like to supplement the classes, or who are unable to attend them, can join the online reading group where we discuss sections from Michael Horton’s, Pilgrim Theology: Core Doctrines for Christian Disciples.\nThe reading group meets on Thursdays from 12:30-1:00pm at https://meet.jit.si/goingdeeper. If for some reason I can’t attend the reading group on a particular day, I’ll mention it on my blog and encourage you to still meet with any others who’d like to discuss.\nParticipants are required only to finish the assigned reading from Pilgrim Theology before the reading group meets.\n   Date Assigned Page Numbers     10/3 25-36   10/10 36-50   10/17 51-62   10/24 62-71    ",
    "dateiso": "2019-09-14 22:19:00 -0700",
    "date": "10:19 p.m. on Sep 14, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/09/14/class-going-deeper.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F09%2F14%2Fclass-going-deeper.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 688,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Class: Covenant Life",
    "text": "Starting next Wednesday, I will be teaching a micro-class called Covenant Life. We’ll meet twice: on 9/18 and 10/2 from 6:00-7:30pm at 3131 N. Country Club Rd, suite 209.\nWho Should Come  Anyone desiring or exploring church membership at Covenant should attend. Anyone who would like to hear a fresh overview of what God is doing at Covenant and how you can be a part of that. Your children! I want to talk a little with your kiddos too about what it means for them to be members of the church along with their parents. Childcare will be provided for the remainder of the class.  What You’ll Learn  why we have church membership the expectations of church membership our doctrinal distinctives why we worship the way we do how our church is run the history of our church how to grow as a disciple at Covenant  I’ll also provide interesting readings for you and opportunities to ask your questions.\nThis is a great opportunity to find out what it means to follow Jesus with us at Covenant. I hope you will come and bring a friend.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-09-14 22:13:00 -0700",
    "date": "10:13 p.m. on Sep 14, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/09/14/class-covenant-life.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F09%2F14%2Fclass-covenant-life.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 689,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📚 Read: Catholicism Made Me Protestant by Onsi A. Kamel in First Things\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-09-11 10:10:49 -0700",
    "date": "10:10 p.m. on Sep 11, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/09/11/read-catholicism-made.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F09%2F11%2Fread-catholicism-made.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 690,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🇭🇰 There are so many remarkable things about the protests in Hong Kong.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-09-03 09:16:51 -0700",
    "date": "9:16 p.m. on Sep 3, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/09/03/there-are-so.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F09%2F03%2Fthere-are-so.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 691,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🎨 Maybe a tenth of the whole mural at Olé Mexican Grill. Who painted this? It’s so fun.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-08-31 08:12:54 -0700",
    "date": "8:12 p.m. on Aug 31, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/08/31/maybe-a-tenth.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F08%2F31%2Fmaybe-a-tenth.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 692,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🎨 Another beautiful sunset in Tucson.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-08-19 19:34:23 -0700",
    "date": "7:34 p.m. on Aug 19, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/08/19/another-beautiful-sunset.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F08%2F19%2Fanother-beautiful-sunset.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 693,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⛪️ In John 7, John says that the Holy Spirit had not come because Jesus was not yet glorified. What did he mean and why is this important? Today, I jam packed a long morning sermon with answers to these questions.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-08-18 20:46:26 -0700",
    "date": "8:46 p.m. on Aug 18, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/08/18/in-john-john.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F08%2F18%2Fin-john-john.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 694,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Your Amazing Body",
    "text": "A lady recently commissioned my wife to paint a helmet for her foster daughter. As usual, Della poured her heart into her painting and it turned out beautifully, including this amazing and famous verse 14a from Psalm 139.\n I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (ESV)\n  אוֹדְךָ עַל כִּי נוֹרָאוֹת נִפְלֵיתִי (HMT)\n While the helmet work was in progress, Della showed the painted verse to a friend who asked us what we thought the verse meant. In particular, she wondered, \u0026ldquo;What does it mean that we are fearfully made?\u0026rdquo;\nOr, to put it another way, how should this little girl think about herself when she wears her helmet? How should other people think about her when they see her and her verse?\nPart of the difficulty of understanding this verse comes from the translation I copied above and others like it. This translation tends to focus our attention on the verb made, which does not have an equivalent Hebrew word in the original but added for clarity. The result is that it seems to suggest that God was filled with fear and wonder when he made us, but that\u0026rsquo;s not what this verse means.\nIt might help to know that the phrase fearfully and wonderfully made is translated from only two words.\n נוֹרָאוֹת is a participle working like an adjective that means fearfully. נִפְלֵיתִי is a verb with a passive sense that means made to be distinct.  Because of the nature of the second word, the verb, fearfully, is less about God\u0026rsquo;s making and more about what he has made. So I\u0026rsquo;d suggest this as a better translation:\n “I praise you because I am a made fearfully distinct.”\n For this translation, I was helped by O. T. scholars Bruce Waltke and Erike Moore, who suggest \u0026ldquo;fearfully extraordinary\u0026rdquo; as another possible translation.\nBut now that we know how fearfully works grammatically, what does it mean?\nThis might help: Think about what you would mean if you entered a room and said that it was \u0026ldquo;fearfully dark\u0026rdquo;. You would not be describing the actions of the room or the actions of darkness, but how something about the darkness of the room made you feel fear. Something similar to that is going on here. Verse 14 isn’t saying that God was afraid when he made David, but that David felt a sense of fear when he considered his amazing body that God had made.\nBut why be afraid? It\u0026rsquo;s because what David felt was more than just shaking in his boots. In other parts of the Bible, for example, instead of \u0026ldquo;fearful\u0026rdquo; translators will use the word “awesome”. Here\u0026rsquo;s one example:\n When you did awesome things that we did not look for, when you came down the mountains quaked at your presence. (Isaiah 64:3)\n This particular fear that David felt has a longer name, in the Bible. It\u0026rsquo;s called the fear of the LORD, or the fear of Yahweh. And the fear of Yahweh is a bigger idea and feeling than just being afraid.\nThe fear of Yahweh is a combination of reverence, awe, fear, and love for God whenever his awesome power settles into our consciousness. It’s the feeling you get when you stand on the edge of his Grand Canyon or under his galaxies and stars on a dark night. It\u0026rsquo;s the feeling you get when you consider that God became man to die for sinners like you and me. And it is the feeling you get when you stop, as David did, and think deeply about what God did when he gave you your amazing body.\nReflecting on our bodies in this Godward way is good for so many reasons.\n It combats our tendency to serve and love creation (idolatry) more than the Creator. It teaches us to deeply value ourselves and each other as the amazing creations we are; just like these foster parents are doing for this little girl in this difficult moment in her young life. And reflecting on our bodies in this way, also multiplies our love for God. We see an example of that at the end of this verse. David’s reflection on God’s work in making his body leads David to conclude that all God’s \u0026ldquo;works are wonderful and that his soul knows it very well.\u0026rdquo;  It makes me smile to think that this little girl gets to walk around with this particular verse on her head.\nYou may not get to wear a crown like hers, but you do have an amazing body made by the almighty God. And when you understand the story of God, the world, and you, you\u0026rsquo;ll learn to praise and fear him for it, just like David did.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s some more of Psalm 139:\n For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.\n Read the whole Psalm at esv.org.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-08-16 14:45:00 -0700",
    "date": "2:45 p.m. on Aug 16, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/07/25/a-lady-recently.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F07%2F25%2Fa-lady-recently.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 695,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📕 You can now get a PDF of the Trinity Psalter Hymnal. Very handy.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-08-09 09:25:40 -0700",
    "date": "9:25 p.m. on Aug 9, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/08/09/you-can-now.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F08%2F09%2Fyou-can-now.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 696,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🌴 I’ve seen prickly pear growing out of rain gutters before but never on the side of a palm tree.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-08-05 18:45:00 -0700",
    "date": "6:45 p.m. on Aug 5, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/08/05/ive-seen-prickly.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F08%2F05%2Five-seen-prickly.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 697,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📚 In another translation gift from David Noe, Beza writes a fervent letter to a Polish prince about the Trinity and against those who were leading people astray.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-08-03 08:55:30 -0700",
    "date": "8:55 p.m. on Aug 3, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/08/03/in-another-translation.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F08%2F03%2Fin-another-translation.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 698,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🧘‍♂️ Mindfulness is Loaded with (Troubling) Metaphysical Assumptions by Sahanika Ratnayake is spot on. Ed Clowney wouldn’t disagree, and he goes further by explaining how the metaphysical support for the (good) assumptions Ratnayake makes is found in Christian theology.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-07-27 13:24:00 -0700",
    "date": "1:24 p.m. on Jul 27, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/07/27/mindfulness-is-loaded.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F07%2F27%2Fmindfulness-is-loaded.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 699,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🎯 Kevin Vanhoozer explains the goal of doctrine:\n The goal of doctrine is to help people understand the story of which they are a part—the drama of redemption—so well that they know what to say and do to correspond and continue it, even though the cultural scenery has changed.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2019-07-23 11:20:19 -0700",
    "date": "11:20 p.m. on Jul 23, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/07/23/kevin-vanhoozer-explains.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F07%2F23%2Fkevin-vanhoozer-explains.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 700,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📚 Finished: Scaling Leadership by Robert Anderson and William Adams. It\u0026rsquo;s very similar to Mastering Leadership and better in a few ways.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-07-22 20:35:00 -0700",
    "date": "8:35 p.m. on Jul 22, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/07/22/finished-scaling-leadership.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F07%2F22%2Ffinished-scaling-leadership.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 701,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🤔 Think about this: Jesus is one person with two natures. You can understand what that means by considering how the Bible says Jesus knows or doesn’t know certain things.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-07-19 12:55:01 -0700",
    "date": "12:55 p.m. on Jul 19, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/07/19/think-about-this.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F07%2F19%2Fthink-about-this.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 702,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📚 Kevin Vanhoozer has a lot of great ways of explaining the connection between doctrine and discipleship in his new book for pastors. Loved it.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-07-17 18:53:28 -0700",
    "date": "6:53 p.m. on Jul 17, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/07/17/kevin-vanhoozer-has.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F07%2F17%2Fkevin-vanhoozer-has.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 703,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Me and my sweetie. ❤️\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-07-17 12:32:39 -0700",
    "date": "12:32 p.m. on Jul 17, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/07/17/me-and-my.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F07%2F17%2Fme-and-my.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 704,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "When it Rains it Pours",
    "text": "A nervous exit into a parking lot and now we are standing on the side of Ft. Lowell Rd. It only rained for a few minutes, but now the road is a river. Cars are dying and getting stuck and the tow trucks are circling like sharks. Well, helpful sharks. This part of Tucson needs some rainwater harvesting infrastructure bad.\n\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-07-13 21:36:41 -0700",
    "date": "9:36 p.m. on Jul 13, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/07/13/when-it-rains.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F07%2F13%2Fwhen-it-rains.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 705,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "💯 I’m trying to help someone very special to me level up as a freelance professional. So I took Seth Godin’s Freelancer Course. He makes a lot of great points. It was a helpful, clarifying, and encouraging introduction.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-07-12 22:29:57 -0700",
    "date": "10:29 p.m. on Jul 12, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/07/12/im-trying-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F07%2F12%2Fim-trying-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 706,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📚 I wanted to read a book of poetry on my vacation. So glad I chose Nine Horses by Billy Collins. Now I think I’m going to see how much progress I can make in his online class over the next few days.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-07-11 17:45:31 -0700",
    "date": "5:45 p.m. on Jul 11, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/07/11/i-wanted-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F07%2F11%2Fi-wanted-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 707,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📚 I read Andrew Thomson’s bio of Thomas Boston. Boston was zealous in man-fishing, intimate with God, loving toward family and flock, persevering in learning, and patient in trials. Few have influenced my life and ministry as much as Boston, and I’ve still a lot to learn.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-07-08 15:28:57 -0700",
    "date": "3:28 p.m. on Jul 8, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/07/08/i-read-andrew.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F07%2F08%2Fi-read-andrew.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 708,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "😲 I can’t believe how easy it was for our dachshund to blast up and down this steep hill. He did the full trip about ten times in a row!\n\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-07-08 09:13:39 -0700",
    "date": "9:13 p.m. on Jul 8, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/07/08/i-cant-believe.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F07%2F08%2Fi-cant-believe.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 709,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🔊📚 Finished listening to another amazing Laura Ingalls Wilder book, On the Banks of Plum Creek.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-07-07 20:37:19 -0700",
    "date": "8:37 p.m. on Jul 7, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/07/07/finished-listening-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F07%2F07%2Ffinished-listening-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 710,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📚 Finished reading Mastering Leadership by Bob Anderson and Bill Adams\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-07-06 21:50:51 -0700",
    "date": "9:50 p.m. on Jul 6, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/07/06/finished-reading-mastering.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F07%2F06%2Ffinished-reading-mastering.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 711,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "😋 My son is harvesting our grapes today. Look at this juicy bunch!\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-07-06 12:13:30 -0700",
    "date": "12:13 p.m. on Jul 6, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/07/06/my-son-is.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F07%2F06%2Fmy-son-is.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 712,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🇺🇸📚 Watched fireworks from the roof tonight with my kids and read some pieces in What So Proudly We Hail, a superb anthology on what it means to be American. Get yourself a copy! And happy 4th!\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-07-04 21:41:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:41 p.m. on Jul 4, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/07/04/watched-fireworks-from.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F07%2F04%2Fwatched-fireworks-from.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 713,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🦞 Celebrate crawdads!\n\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-06-26 19:53:28 -0700",
    "date": "7:53 p.m. on Jun 26, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/06/26/celebrate-crawdads.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F06%2F26%2Fcelebrate-crawdads.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 714,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🐾 Watching the ground squirrels from the window in my study.\n\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-06-25 18:08:28 -0700",
    "date": "6:08 p.m. on Jun 25, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/06/25/watching-the-ground.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F06%2F25%2Fwatching-the-ground.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 715,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2019-06-24 20:47:50 -0700",
    "date": "8:47 p.m. on Jun 24, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/06/24/204750.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F06%2F24%2F204750.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 716,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "💪🏻 I met and passed my goal of 40 push-ups. It was easier than I thought it would be; the encouragement helped. Thanks!\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-06-24 10:04:13 -0700",
    "date": "10:04 p.m. on Jun 24, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/06/24/i-met-and.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F06%2F24%2Fi-met-and.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 717,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⛺️ The first campground was full. The second had one old man camping in his van and a zillion frogs. Still, we pitched the tent, that is until @dellachelpkaart nearly stepped on a rattler. “Lot of them out here,” the old man told us. Our final campsite was a La Quinta. So comfy!\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-06-23 17:37:18 -0700",
    "date": "5:37 p.m. on Jun 23, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/06/23/the-first-campground.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F06%2F23%2Fthe-first-campground.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 718,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📚🔈 My family and I finished listening to The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder. What an amazing story.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-06-22 23:09:30 -0700",
    "date": "11:09 p.m. on Jun 22, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/06/22/my-family-and.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F06%2F22%2Fmy-family-and.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 719,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "💪🏻 A week ago, I could only do 26 pushups spread out over three sets. Today, I did 36. I’m surprised how fast that happened! I’m almost at my goal of 40.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-06-22 10:15:26 -0700",
    "date": "10:15 p.m. on Jun 22, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/06/22/a-week-ago.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F06%2F22%2Fa-week-ago.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 720,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⏸ Let’s just stand here for a moment.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-06-19 22:16:07 -0700",
    "date": "10:16 p.m. on Jun 19, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/06/19/lets-just-stand.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F06%2F19%2Flets-just-stand.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 721,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "💌 I updated my Now Page yesterday. And if you want the extended play version, subscribe to my (relaunched) newsletter. It’s written and sent with love.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-06-17 21:18:29 -0700",
    "date": "9:18 p.m. on Jun 17, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/06/17/i-updated-my.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F06%2F17%2Fi-updated-my.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 722,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "When Can My Child Receive the Lord's Supper?",
    "text": "Covenant Kids Your child is already a precious member of the church. He (or, she, as the case may be) has already been marked by baptism as belonging to God and is considered by your elders to be one of Christ’s sheep under their care. But as a church we rightly long to see him, and all the other children, profess the faith as their own and show the fruits of faith in their life, giving all praise to God for his glorious grace! We also desire that in that professed and lived-out faith, they would join with us and other “professors” around the Lord’s Table so that the faith that they have been given by God would also be nourished by God as he has intended. So it is more than fitting for parents to ask: “When can my child take communion?” It is not just a question about communion; it’s a question about observable growth in grace.1\nLooking for the Fruit of Faith So when can a baptized child of the church begin to take communion? I’ve already begun to give an answer, but let me be a more specific. Your child can take communion when they have assured the session, so far as it is possible, that they have a credible profession of personal faith. To ascertain this, the session will work and talk with your child to determine three things: (1) if he possesses the doctrinal knowledge requisite for saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, (2) if he is relying on the merits of Christ alone for their salvation, and (3) if he is determined by the grace of God to lead a Christian life.2 In seeking to know these things the session is not looking for a fully mature faith. We admit to the table and membership of the church even adults who lack the marks of maturity and yet are clearly believers. These requirements, therefore, are not the requirements for a fully mature faith. Instead they are the requirements for a faith that is observable enough and consistent enough in its knowledge, expression, and fruits to be considered credible.\nObviously, this is not something that can be determined by a theology exam or a catechism recital, but only by prayer, loving observation, and conversation with your child, as he or she opens up their heart and life to others in general and to their elders in particular. There is no specific upper or lower age requirement, but many children seem to be ready somewhere between 10-16.\nIf you think your child may be ready, or close to ready, or possibly ready it is best to seek counsel from your elders. Tell them what kinds of things you are hearing and seeing and ask if it might be wise to enroll them in a new communicant’s course. After talking with you and your child, sometimes the session may determine it would be best to wait, continuing to pray with, teach, and encourage your child until a future time. Or it may be decided to enroll them in the course, which will be used to get to know them better and prepare them to understand the vows they will use to profess their faith before the church.3 After this course, it may be decided to that more time should be given for the God to work and make the child’s faith more clear, or it may be decided to proceed to bring them before the congregation.\nSo as parents how do you know if your child might be ready? Prayerfully consider questions like these:\n Why does my child want to enter into this changed relationship with the visible church? Does my child know how great his sins and misery are? Does my child understand the deceitfulness and dangers of sin? Does my child know how he is delivered from all his sins and misery? Does my child believe he is personally delivered from his sins and misery? Does my child demonstrate love, devotion, and thankfulness to God for his deliverance? Does my child demonstrate a personal commitment to serve Christ’s kingdom and bear witness to the gospel? Does my child demonstrate a willingness to recognize sin, confess and repent of it, and strive toward obedience by faith? Does my child demonstrate a personal eagerness to commune with God through his means of grace: the Word, the sacraments, and prayer? What does he know about these things? Does my child demonstrate a personal desire to obtain the promised fruit of the Spirit that flows from faith? Is my child characterized by those fruits: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control? Would others agree with this assessment (siblings, other relatives, classmates, fellow church members)?  Brining Them to Jesus Whether your child is ready now to take communion or not, there are several things you can do that will please the Lord and bless your child.\nFirst, be proactive and certainly don’t hinder them. As Paul said, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph 6:4). This isn’t some kind of future advice for when your kids are older, this is for right now. If we wait for something to happen, or worse hinder them in their progress in faith, then we are failing to fulfill our job as prayers, exemplars, and encouragers of and for our children. As Jesus said in Mark 10:13-16, he desires to bless even the youngest of children (Mark 10:13-16), “do not hinder them.” So let’s bring them, right now, to Jesus. They need him and his salvation as much as we do.\nYou can bring them to Jesus by way of prayer. Matthew Henry, the prolific seventeenth-century Presbyterian minister, suggests several possibilities in his book on prayer.4 Pray that they would remember their Creator in the days of their youth (Eccl 12:1); that from the womb Christ would be formed in their hearts (Gal 4:19). Pray that they may be kept from the vanity to which the young are often subject and be restrained from walking according to the ways of the heart and the desire of the eyes for which things God brings judgment (Eccl 11:9). Pray that God would make them self-controlled (Titus 2:6), and that the word of God would abide in them that they may be strong and overcome the evil one (1 John 2:14). Pray that they would hold fast to the pattern of sound words (2 Tim 1:13) and continue in what they have learned (2 Tim 3:14).\nAs you pray for them, you can also teach them how to pray these things for themselves and for others. This is another way to bring them to Jesus: take them by means of instruction. Teach them to pray; teach them to worship. Bringing them to worship so that they might hear the Word of God read, sung, prayed, preached, and administered in the sacraments. Take advantage of opportunities of Christian education and fellowship offered in the church. And at home find time each day together to read the Bible, sing hymns, and hide God’s word in their hearts by memorizing Scripture and catechism questions.\nFinally, bring them to Jesus by means of a godly example. Show them what it means to love and trust Jesus. Live lives of integrity, marked by spiritual priorities. Talk often about the gospel, Christ’s majesty, his love for sinners, his power to save, the greatness of his promises, the trustworthiness of his word, his willingness to receive sinners.\nThese are the things you promised to do in the questions you were asked at their baptism, the fourth being this: “Do you promise to endeavor, by all the means that God has appointed, to bring [name of child] up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, encouraging (him/her) to appropriate for (himself/herself) the blessings and fulfill the obligations of the covenant?” At times, this holy effort may be wearisome, and may seem to produce little fruit. But trust in God. You will be a better parent and more fully display the gospel to your kids if you bring them to Jesus not on the basis of your works, but on the basis of his promises. Without him we can do nothing (John 15:5), but he is the one who strengthens us to do all his holy will (Phil 4:13) and even uses in the blessing of those whom he has called and marked as his own (2 Tim 1:5, 3:15).\n  A 2002 issue of Ordained Servant contains a few similiar articles to this one.\u0026#160;\u0026#x21a9;\u0026#xfe0e;\n These requirements are quoted from OPC Book of Church Order DPW IV.A.3.\u0026#160;\u0026#x21a9;\u0026#xfe0e;\n An example of such a course is Jesus is My Lord and Savior: Public Profession for Covenant Youth by Rev. Dr. Greg Reynolds\u0026#160;\u0026#x21a9;\u0026#xfe0e;\n From this prayer for the young. See also this parent\u0026rsquo;s prayer for their children.\u0026#160;\u0026#x21a9;\u0026#xfe0e;\n   ",
    "dateiso": "2019-06-15 14:01:00 -0700",
    "date": "2:01 p.m. on Jun 15, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/06/15/when-can-my.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F06%2F15%2Fwhen-can-my.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 723,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🍔 From an Arizona softball game a few weeks ago. I didn’t know you could do this with bread.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-06-15 13:13:42 -0700",
    "date": "1:13 p.m. on Jun 15, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/06/15/from-an-arizona.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F06%2F15%2Ffrom-an-arizona.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 724,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "A Simple Liturgy on Ephesians",
    "text": "Verses for a Prayer of Invocation\n “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)\n  \u0026ldquo;Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.\u0026rdquo; (Psalm 19:14)\n Blessing, Praising, and Prayer for Insight\n Ephesians 1:1–23 In Christ Alone, TPH 265  God Delivers us from Death to Life\n Ephesians 2:1–22 Not What My Hands Have Done, TPH 435  Paul’s Mission and Prayer for the Church\n Ephesians 3:1–21 Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, TPH 265  The Church in Image and Action\n Ephesians 4:1–5:2 The Church’s One Foundation, TPH 404  New Saints in a Sinful World\n Ephesians 5:3–21 O Light That Knew No Dawn, TPH 221  Exhortations for Christian Households\n Ephesians 5:22–6:9 Oh, Blest the House, TPH 548  Prepared for Battle and Conclusion\n Ephesians 6:10–24 Soldiers of Christ, Arise, TPH 540  Verse for Closing Prayer\n “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph 3:17-19)\n  Notes:\n The verses given for the prayers are not to be read, although there’d be nothing wrong with that. They are there to help you shape and direct your prayer. Matthew Henry provides a good example of how this can be done. Read his prayers and notice how he weaves together verses from the Bible to express his heart to God. TPH = Trinity Psalter-Hymnal. You can look for more or different hymns, even in other hymnals, using hymnary.org. The passages should be read with the text with the goal of communicating the meaning of the text, though without additional comment. So, no sermon, just good reading. Daniel I. Block calls this “expository reading” in his book, For the Glory of God: Recovering a Biblical Theology of Worship, 191. Block says: “Expository reading means reading the Scriptures so that their literary qualities are appreciated, their message understood, and their transformative power experienced.”  Visit christopherchelpka.com/simple-liturgies/ for more simple liturgies like this one.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-06-15 11:51:13 -0700",
    "date": "11:51 p.m. on Jun 15, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/06/15/a-simple-liturgy.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F06%2F15%2Fa-simple-liturgy.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 725,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Finished Reading Diakonia Studies by John Collins",
    "text": "As I understand it, Diakonia Studies: Critical Issues in Ministry is a kind of updating and commentary and clarifying and restating of Collins’s earlier work on this subject. If you want to figure out this book, carefully read the introduction.\nAnd wow, I can see now why Collins’s works come up so much in the recent secondary literature on deacons. He does a ton of primary source work that leads to unconventional conclusions. And if he’s right, that many of us are operating on a misunderstanding the diakonia word-group, then this is a really big deal.\nI wish I could write a full-review, but I really need to just get on with appropriating his work. I’ll just say that while there are conclusions in this book I disagree with and arguments that I find week, most of his major points seem right and help answer some common and thorny questions surrounding the office of deacon, among other things. And I’m so thankful for the amount of work he’s done on this topic, both inside and outside the Scriptures. Lots to think about. I’m really glad I read this.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-06-14 19:18:00 -0700",
    "date": "7:18 p.m. on Jun 14, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/06/14/finished-reading-diakonia.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F06%2F14%2Ffinished-reading-diakonia.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 726,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I suppose that when you create your own Indiepaper read-later feed on Micro.blog, you could share it with others. So it\u0026rsquo;s not locked. But is it discoverable? cc: @manton @cleverdevil\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-06-14 18:06:26 -0700",
    "date": "6:06 p.m. on Jun 14, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/06/14/i-suppose-that.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F06%2F14%2Fi-suppose-that.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 727,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🎵 For your summer playlist: My friend, Austin Britton, singing and playing his heart out on his album A Light for the Next Hour. Get yourself a copy @austinbrittonmusic.com.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-06-13 20:53:28 -0700",
    "date": "8:53 p.m. on Jun 13, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/06/13/for-your-summer.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F06%2F13%2Ffor-your-summer.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 728,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⛪️ One of my elders asked me to write another ready-to-use liturgy in case I get sick or some planned pulpit supply falls through. I did that and created a page to collect these.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-06-13 12:22:34 -0700",
    "date": "12:22 p.m. on Jun 13, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/06/13/one-of-my.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F06%2F13%2Fone-of-my.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 729,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "A Simple Liturgy on The Holiness of God in His Temple",
    "text": "Verses for an Invocation Prayer:\n “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” (Ex. 15:11 ESV)\n  “O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart;” (Psalm 15:1–2 ESV)\n  “For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf” (Heb. 9:24 ESV)\n  “ If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Col 3:1-4 ESV)\n Creed: Westminster Confession of Faith 2.2 (TPH, 921)\nHymn: Now unto the LORD, All You Sons of the Mighty (TPH, 29A)\nExpository Reading: Isaiah 6\nHymn: A Shoot Will Spring from Jesse’s Stump (TPH, 302)\nLord’s Prayer: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”\nHymn: Holy, Holy, Holy! (TPH, 230)\nExpository Reading: Hebrews 9, Revelation 4-5\nHymn: By the Sea of Crystal (TPH, 473)\nVerses for Prayer Asking for God’s Blessing:\n “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” (Eph 1:3–4 ESV)\n  But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit (Jude 1:20 ESV)\n  Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 20, 24–25 ESV)\n Hymn: Doxology (TPH 567)\n Notes:\n The verses given for the prayers are not to be read, although there’d be nothing wrong with that. They are there to help you shape and direct your prayer. Matthew Henry provides a good example of how this can be done. Read his prayers and notice how he weaves together verses from the Bible to express his heart to God. TPH = Trinity Psalter-Hymnal. You can look for more or different hymns, even in other hymnals, using hymnary.org. In “expository reading,” one reads the text with the goal of communicating the meaning of the text, though without additional comment. So, no sermon, just good reading. I learned this term from Daniel I. Block in his book, For the Glory of God: Recovering a Biblical Theology of Worship, 191. Block says: “Expository reading means reading the Scriptures so that their literary qualities are appreciated, their message understood, and their transformative power experienced.”  Visit christopherchelpka.com/simple-liturgies/ for more simple liturgies like this one.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-06-13 11:51:00 -0700",
    "date": "11:51 p.m. on Jun 13, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/06/13/a-simple-liturgy.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F06%2F13%2Fa-simple-liturgy.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 730,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📚 We have different reasons but Daisy loves books too.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-06-12 10:06:30 -0700",
    "date": "10:06 p.m. on Jun 12, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/06/12/we-have-different.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F06%2F12%2Fwe-have-different.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 731,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📚 Currently reading: Diakonia Studies: Critical Issues in Ministry by John N. Collins\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-06-11 20:34:00 -0700",
    "date": "8:34 p.m. on Jun 11, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/06/11/currently-reading-diakonia.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F06%2F11%2Fcurrently-reading-diakonia.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 732,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Four Types of Meetings According to Patrick Lencioni",
    "text": "For me, the most helpful point Patrick Lencioni makes in Death by Meeting is what he calls \u0026ldquo;Meeting Stew.\u0026rdquo;\n The single biggest structural problem facing leaders of meetings is the tendency to throw every type of issue that needs to be discussed into the same meeting, like a bad stew with too many random ingredients.\n This kind of meeting frustrates people because those who attend will have different and even conflicting goals. Some will want the soup to be fancy, others will want something plain and soothing, still others are hoping for a dessert. But this kind of mishmash gives no one what they want and lets everybody down.\nSo what you need, Lencioni writes, is \u0026ldquo;different meetings for different purposes.\u0026rdquo; There are four types.\n The daily, 5 minute check-in. Focuses on connecting priorities to daily actions. The weekly, 45-90 minute tactical meeting. Each member does quick reporting on top priorities, reviewing progress, and deciding tactical issues to meet short-term objectives. The monthly, 2-4 hours strategic meeting. The team gets to debate, discuss, and analyze fundamental issues that were previously put in the \u0026ldquo;parking lot\u0026rdquo;. The quarterly, 1–2 day off-site review. The team completes a comprehensive strategy review, a team review, a personnel review, and a competitive and industry review.  Lencioni discusses the particular challenges to each of these meetings. He also recognizes that some organizations may struggle to follow this advice because of their circumstances. This is true for the various service teams at Covenant, including the session, whose members worship together weekly, but live far enough apart that make frequent meetings throughout each month impossible.\nThere are a few possible solutions in my opinion:\n choose fewer objectives and/or do them more slowly; aim for sustainability over speed have certain \u0026ldquo;easy\u0026rdquo; meetings via video/voice calls; have longer meetings, combining, say, types two and three, but break these longer meetings up into distinct parts  And while I\u0026rsquo;m having fun applying a business book to the church, I\u0026rsquo;ll say Lencioni\u0026rsquo;s advice is good for families too. Having daily and even more frequent check-ins is essential for my wife and me, as are long, uninterrupted times for discussing big decisions. We haven\u0026rsquo;t yet implemented the quarterly, off-site review but that sounds fantastic!\nRead: Lencioni, Patrick. Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass A Wiley Imprint, 2004.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-06-11 12:23:30 -0700",
    "date": "12:23 p.m. on Jun 11, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/06/07/four-types-of.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F06%2F07%2Ffour-types-of.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 733,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Calling God “Father”",
    "text": "Let’s do a little theology.\nIn the Nicene Creed we call God, “Father.”\nAccording to Scripture, there are several true ways we can understand the name “Father” as it applies to God. Each reflects something important about God and about ourselves in relationship with him.\nFirst, we can call God “Father” as the creator of the world and the world to come. The Triune God is our maker. He makes us in his image and puts us into a covenant with him. Luke calls Adam, “the son of God” in Luke 3:38. In this sense, we can therefore call all three persons of the Trinity “Father” as Isaiah does in Isaiah 9:6 when he prophesies about Jesus:\n For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.\n Second, we can call God “Father” when we refer to the first person of the Trinity. In this way, he is called “Father” in relation to the Son, the second person of the Trinity. This occurs many places in Scripture. Here is one from John 6:40 where Jesus says:\n For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.\n Finally, Christians alone can call God the Father “Father” as those who have been adopted through the Son into sonship and thus unto an eternal inheritance. Ephesians 1:3–5, 11:\n Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will\u0026hellip; In him we have obtained an inheritance.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2019-06-08 21:52:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:52 p.m. on Jun 8, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/06/08/calling-god-father.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F06%2F08%2Fcalling-god-father.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 734,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Sustained Focus is Not a Fad",
    "text": "The necessity of focusing may be more difficult in the digital age, but it is not a new problem.\nWriting in 1827, Samuel Miller, the presbtyerian minister and Princeton professor, wrote some points on the necessary habits of a good minister. One of them was \u0026ldquo;the habit of close and fixed attention in study.\u0026rdquo; Lacking this habit is the most \u0026ldquo;fatal defect in a student,\u0026rdquo; he wrote. Without it, one \u0026ldquo;will never look deeply into any thing; will never accomplish any thing which deserves the name of investigation.\u0026rdquo;\nSo if you lack the ability to focus, you should \u0026ldquo;try to attain it,\u0026rdquo; Miller says. And don\u0026rsquo;t give up if you struggle.\n Try again and again. It is richly worth all the agony of effort that you can possibly make for its acquirement. Make incessant efforts, then, until you succeed, to summon your powers to concentrated action; to shut out, at pleasure, all extraneous objects; to go from step to step without interruption; and to keep fast hold of the thread which you first seize until you trace it to the end. From the moment you open a book, or take your pen in hand, give undivided attention to what you are about, until you close the one, or lay down the other.\n Why work so hard to learn to focus? Because having such a skill will produce great results. Miller points to none less than Isaac Newton as proof, which he explains more in a letter that he wrote to his sons.\n We are told of Sir Isaac Newton, that when questioned respecting the peculiar powers of his own mind, he said, that if he had any talent which distinguished him from the common mass of thinking men, it was the power of slowly and patiently examining a subject; holding it up before his mind from day to day, until he could look at it in all its relations, and see something of the principles by which it was governed. His estimate was probably a correct one. His most remarkable, and certainly his most valuable, talent consisted, not in daring, towering flights of imagination, or in strong creative powers; but in slow, plodding investigation; in looking at a series of facts, from day to day, until he began to trace their connection; to spell out their consequences; and ultimately to form as system as firm as it was beautiful.\u0026quot;\n I love this description of what focus and meditation on an idea involves. Clearly, Miller spoke from experience and the lessons he learned from those who came before him.\nSo while we may have new kinds of challenges, staying focused is an old probelm. It\u0026rsquo;s a skill every student must learn if he or she is \u0026ldquo;to accomplish any thing which deserves the name of investigation.\u0026rdquo;\nFor more context and lots more advice on studying and many other things read: Miller, Samuel. Letters on Clerical Manners and Habits. New York: G \u0026amp; C Carvill, 1827, 251–252.\nAnd thanks to James M. Garretson for his book, An Able and Faithful Ministry: Samuel Miller and the Pastoral Office from which I first learned of these passages in Miller\u0026rsquo;s writing. See chapter twenty of his book for a summary of Miller\u0026rsquo;s views on \u0026ldquo;clerical manners and habits.\u0026rdquo;\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-06-08 07:53:00 -0700",
    "date": "7:53 p.m. on Jun 8, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/06/07/sustained-focus-is.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F06%2F07%2Fsustained-focus-is.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 735,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🍸 Lift a glass to this beautiful olive tree. It’s about 65 years old. I wrote a little meditation on Psalm 128:3 with this tree in mind.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-06-07 20:50:00 -0700",
    "date": "8:50 p.m. on Jun 7, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/06/07/lift-a-glass.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F06%2F07%2Flift-a-glass.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 736,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Review: Scripture Doctrine of a Call to the Work of the Gospel Ministry",
    "text": "William Plumer (1802–1880) was a southern Presbyterian minister and professor. He held various positions within the church to help men prepare for the gospel ministry. And in conjunction with one of those roles, he wrote this essay on how one might determine whether he is called to the work.\nPlumer explains that there is some difficulty in determining this, and that one’s conviction of God\u0026rsquo;s call may strengthen or weaken, even after becoming a minister. Nevertheless, there are points we can draw from both Scripture and common sense than can help with discernment.\nHe sets the tone in the preface when he encourages his readers to not even read the essay unless they are willing to consider the question of their calling with a humble, reverent, and deliberative spirit.\nAfter this, he distinguishes between the general and special call of the believer to Christian ministry. And then writes breifly on each of the various and necessary evidences for a call. These include:\n earnest desire, sense of personal weakness but also confidence in God’s grace, a high view of the office, the consent of the church and the authorities in the church, a wise discernment of various providences, the essential qualifications for the office: “piety, prudence, knowledge, and the power of communicating knowledge in an appropriate manner,” and conviction of duty.  In the last few pages, Plumer concludes with a list of reasons why some men resist a call and why some men pursue a call without warrant. This list can help those considering the call to calibrate their consciences. It can also help sessions and presbyteries shepherd the men under their care.\nRead: Plumer, William S. Scripture Doctrine of a Call to the Work of the Gospel Ministry. Philadelphia: Russell and Martien, 1832.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-06-07 12:08:00 -0700",
    "date": "12:08 p.m. on Jun 7, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/06/07/review-scripture-doctrine.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F06%2F07%2Freview-scripture-doctrine.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 737,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Four Things Jesus Does With Miracles",
    "text": "Jesus once fed more than 5,000 people using only five loaves of bread and two fish. With something as amazing as that, you’d be right to think that there are a number of things Jesus’ accomplishes with miracles. Here are a few:\n Jesus’ miracles comfort people who are trapped and oppressed in the world. Jesus’ miracles warn those who are too much in love with the world. Jesus’ miracles show how God uses ordinary things to accomplish extraordinary ends. Jesus’ miracles point to his suffering and exaltation.  I explained all this and read the record of this particular miracle in the sermon I preached last Sunday morning. Give it a listen. It’s about 30 minutes.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-06-06 21:37:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:37 p.m. on Jun 6, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/06/06/four-things-jesus.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F06%2F06%2Ffour-things-jesus.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 738,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "👋 Meet Watchman Wee. He was created by my dad, a meticulous craftsman who always keeps a bit of whimsy close by. I love that about my dad.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-05-30 19:15:55 -0700",
    "date": "7:15 p.m. on May 30, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/05/30/meet-watchman-wee.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F05%2F30%2Fmeet-watchman-wee.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 739,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "👁‍🗨 It’s the middle of the night. Do you know who your iPhone is talking to? from The Washington Post\n Apple promises privacy, but iPhone apps share your data with trackers, ad companies and research firms\n Good news: you can limit the tracking.\nUPDATE: WSJ published a similar article.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-05-30 08:21:00 -0700",
    "date": "8:21 p.m. on May 30, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/05/30/its-the-middle.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F05%2F30%2Fits-the-middle.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 740,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🌀 “the household gods utter nonsense”\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-05-29 23:17:00 -0700",
    "date": "11:17 p.m. on May 29, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/05/29/the-household-gods.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F05%2F29%2Fthe-household-gods.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 741,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🐌 Loading problems for my website are fixed now. Thanks to the Micro.blog slack community, esp. @mikehaynes for the help.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-05-29 13:03:14 -0700",
    "date": "1:03 p.m. on May 29, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/05/29/loading-problems-for.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F05%2F29%2Floading-problems-for.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 742,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Multiple Names for God",
    "text": "The beginning of the Nicene Creed refers to God as Father and Almighty.\n I believe in one God, the Father Almighty\n What do those two names mean to you?\nFor one, they are ways you can know God. Names are one way God describes himself to us. As Basil, a fourth century church father, pointed out in Against Eunomius:\n There is no one name that is adequate to give complete description of God. Rather, there are many names for him, each of which has its own particular meaning…. Taken together they afford us only a small and unclear knowledge of God’s nature, but this is still adequate enough for our purposes.”1\n Our purposes are to glorify God and enjoy him forever. His names help us to do that. With his names he comforts us, he humbles us, and he causes us to sing the with the angels:\n “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Rev. 4:8, ESV)\n   Cited in Ancient Christian Doctrine via Accordance.\u0026#160;\u0026#x21a9;\u0026#xfe0e;\n   ",
    "dateiso": "2019-05-28 16:25:00 -0700",
    "date": "4:25 p.m. on May 28, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/05/28/multiple-names-for.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F05%2F28%2Fmultiple-names-for.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 743,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🌱 Inspired by the Johnny Appleseed of hollyhocks, I now have a bag of seeds and am on a mission.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-05-27 12:08:21 -0700",
    "date": "12:08 p.m. on May 27, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/05/27/inspired-by-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F05%2F27%2Finspired-by-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 744,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ If you’d like to better understand Jesus’s relationship to the Father, or the Trinity in general, listen to last week’s sermon. Tomorrow, I will preach again from John 5. This time, I’ll teach more about the Spirit.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-05-25 21:22:49 -0700",
    "date": "9:22 p.m. on May 25, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/05/25/if-youd-like.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F05%2F25%2Fif-youd-like.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 745,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "I Believe. Amen.",
    "text": "The Nicene Creed contains core doctrines of the Christian Faith. It puts forth a set of objective truths about the triune nature of God, the work of Christ, the church, and more.\nBut those truths are framed in a personal way. The creed begins with these important words: I believe (in Latin, it’s Credo, hence “creed”), and it ends with Amen, which comes from Hebrew and means, \u0026ldquo;it is truly so.\u0026rdquo; These words that frame the creed are important to me because they remind me that these objective truths from God are also very personal.\n I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made. Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets. And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.\n When I recite the Nicene Creed, I’m not listing a set of doctrines, I am stating my relationship to those doctrines. It’s the difference between saying trees, and saying I climb trees. And actually, in the case of the creed, it’s more than even that because I’m not primarily professing my faith in the doctrines but in the One who has revealed them.\nSo when I say, I believe, I’m not reading a grocery list of truths I found in some historical parking lot; I’m confessing what I truly believe and in Whom I truly believe.\nThis makes the Amen at the end of the creed equally precious to me. It’s the ancient way we say, Yes! I truly mean and agree with what I have said I believe. And, as such, a truly spoken Amen never really ends a confession of faith. The Amen is an exclamation point; it pushes my faith forward by demanding faithfulness.\nIn other words, if I believe is true, then the rest of what I do ought to conform to the truths I say I believe. Otherwise, I don’t really believe them.\nSo Lord, may my actions that follow my confession of faith, flow from the faith I confess. Amen.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-05-25 16:57:00 -0700",
    "date": "4:57 p.m. on May 25, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/05/25/i-believe-amen.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F05%2F25%2Fi-believe-amen.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 746,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ How a journalist pretended to be scientist and fooled the media into reporting that chocolate helps people lose weight.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-05-24 21:17:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:17 p.m. on May 24, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/05/24/how-a-journalist.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F05%2F24%2Fhow-a-journalist.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 747,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "A Pastoral Rule for Today",
    "text": "I finished reading A Pastoral Rule for Today: Reviving an Ancient Practice. Drawing lessons from pastors of the past, the authors show how pastors today need structure in their ministries and suggest ideas toward that end. There were major and minor lessons throughout the book and lots of overlap (in a good way). Here were some major lessons:\n On the importance of theological friendship from Augustine. On the conduct of ministers among other pastors and among the congregation from Bendict. On the dual duties of service and contemplation from Gregory the Great. On the specific structures and practices of doing pastoral ministry jointing from Calvin. On the value rich conversation and the care required for edifying speech from Wesley. On the significance of disciplined and devotional study from Newman. On the education of seminarians in the context of community from Bonhoeffer.  ",
    "dateiso": "2019-05-22 09:04:18 -0700",
    "date": "9:04 p.m. on May 22, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/05/22/a-pastoral-rule.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F05%2F22%2Fa-pastoral-rule.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 748,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Review of Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport",
    "text": "Most of us are accustomed to a maximalist approach to technology. As long as it’s new and has some value to us, we adopt it. But according to Cal Newport, that sets the bar way too low and is leading to all kinds of negative consequences.\nCal Newport, a computer science professor at Georgetown University, has written several books about what it means to do valuable work in ways that don’t lead to burnout. In his latest book, Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World, Newport focuses on how our approach to technology needs to change.\nNewport calls his approach: digital minimalism. The digital minimalist doesn’t reject technology—Newport still has an iPhone—but chooses his or her tools carefully and optimizes them. As he puts it, digital minimalism is\n “a philosophy of technology use in which you focus your online time on a small number of carefully selected and optimized activities that strongly support things you value, and then happily miss out on everything else.”\n Like Marie Kondo, Cal Newport, is helping us to understand that there’s a cost to having things that clutter up our lives. Even though digital things may not take up much physical space, they still require a lot of mental and emotional space. Digital minimalism is, in part, about becoming sensitive to the cost of our digital tools.\nDigital Minimalism, is not all philosophy though. The book also offers lots of practical advice on how to become more focused and reduce “the hum of low-grade anxiety”—or worse—“that permeates [our] lives”.\nFor example, Newport believes that we use digital distractions to try and fill our true need for high-quality leisure, like eating a bowl of mints, one after another, when what you really need is some homemade chicken noodle soup. And these low-quality leisure activities tend to exhaust us instead of refresh us. They tend to make us feel less human and more lonely. I believe distraction has its place, but learning the difference between low-quality and highly-quality leisure is important. Newport gives examples and suggests ways to incorporate more high-quality leisure into your life.\nHe also gives this helpful advice: make sure you find high-quality leisure activities before you start “decluttering the low-value digital distractions from your life”. Why? Because removing these distractions without filling the need first “will be unnecessarily unpleasant at best and a massive failure at worse.” (UPDATE: An article on his blog explains this and gives some examples of people who have followed this advice.)\nSanely, Newport never promises that if you adopt digital minimalism that everything in your life will be perfect, the kind of overpromising that is common in self-improvement books like this. But he does think that digital minimalism will make a difference for the better. And he’s right about that. Being a digital minimalist hasn’t saved my soul but it has decreased my anxiety, increased my productivity, and improved my focus. It has helped me be a better husband, father, and pastor.\nI’ve been on the path of digital minimalism for a few years now. Amoung other things, I’ve canceled or discontinued use of most of my social media accounts. I’ve reduced the number of podcasts, RSS feeds, newsletter subscriptions, etc. to about 15% of what it was. And I’ve optimized my phone to limit its ability to distract me. But the pull to a maximalist or reactive approach to technology, or life in general, is strong for me. So I appreciated the way Digital Minimalism strengthened my resolve and suggested new ways to grow.\nI highly recommend you read this book and consider this approach for yourself.\n Find Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World via WorldCat.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-05-21 14:59:00 -0700",
    "date": "2:59 p.m. on May 21, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/05/21/review-of-digital.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F05%2F21%2Freview-of-digital.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 749,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "🎵 Finzi, Parry, and Bridge: today is a great day for listening to English string orchestra music.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-05-20 09:27:13 -0700",
    "date": "9:27 p.m. on May 20, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/05/20/finzi-parry-and.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F05%2F20%2Ffinzi-parry-and.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 750,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ Spring flowers in the backyard.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-05-19 14:10:00 -0700",
    "date": "2:10 p.m. on May 19, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/05/19/spring-flowers-in.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F05%2F19%2Fspring-flowers-in.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 751,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Tears of Love",
    "text": "David sang,\nMy heart became hot within me.\nAs I mused, the fire burned;\nThen I spoke with my tongue.\nWithout meditation\nHe would have been a cold man\nWho looks at a fire from a distance,\nAnd sees the flames, but never gets warm.\nBut David saw God\u0026rsquo;s dancing truths,\nMoved closer, and in meditative praise,\nPut out his palms.\nWhen you feel the heat from meditation,\nDon’t leave. Muse on the truths\nUntil you are warmed\nAnd ready to speak to God.\nFocus your thoughts on a heavenly thing.\nTreasure its source, virtue, and blessing.\nThen plant it like a seed in the soil of your heart,\nAnd ask: “How this might bear fruit in me?”\nDivine fruit.\nBe resolute.\nAs bold as a puritan.\nLike Watson, who said:\nLeave not your mediations of God\nTill you find something of God in you.\nFor godly musing\nMelts the heart when it is frozen\nAnd makes it drop into tears of love.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-05-18 21:25:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:25 p.m. on May 18, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/05/18/tears-of-love.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F05%2F18%2Ftears-of-love.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 752,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ I’ve had a my own website for almost two decades. But since I moved it to Micro.blog about a year ago, I’ve enjoyed it more and used it more than ever. The main reason for this is that @manton has designed Micro.blog to be simple and fast.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-05-17 13:00:00 -0700",
    "date": "1:00 p.m. on May 17, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/05/17/ive-had-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F05%2F17%2Five-had-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 753,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ My most valuable app got a major update. Accordance Mobile 3.0 is snappier, the UI is so much better, and there are many other upgrades. @AccordanceBible knocked it out of the park.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-05-17 10:43:00 -0700",
    "date": "10:43 p.m. on May 17, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/05/17/my-most-valuable.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F05%2F17%2Fmy-most-valuable.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 754,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Love Incorruptible in Ephesians 6:24",
    "text": "Paul ends Ephesians, with the following benediction: ἡ χάρις μετὰ πάντων τῶν ἀγαπώντων τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ. What does this mean?\nThe English Standard Version translates this verse: “Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible”. And so, perhaps you’ve wondered: How can anyone love with incorruptible love? There’s a good answer to that, but it may be the wrong question. That’s because in Ephesians 6:24, “incorruptibility” probably doesn’t refer to the love given to Jesus, but to Jesus himself. As my friend, S. M. Baugh, translates it: “Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ, who dwells in incorruptibility.”\nDr. Baugh gives two reasons for this in his commentary on Ephesians. First, while it’s grammatically possible, there is no reason to link the prepositional phrases ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ back to the earlier participle phrase “all those who love”. The word order suggests, however, that ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ should be connected to its most recent antecedent: “our Lord Jesus Christ” instead. Second, the incorruptibility of Christian love was not a major theme in Ephesians, but the incorruptibility of Jesus was. Through Jesus, whom God raised from the dead and seated at his right and in the heavenly places, we are blessed with every spiritual blessing. In him we receive a glorious, incorruptible inheritance of life together worshiping the Trinune God. Ephesians begins with these things in mind, and with this benediction it ends with this way too. “As [Christ] dwells in incorruptibility,” writes Baugh, “so shall all his people dwell together evermore.” This is “the central message of Ephesians.”\nAnd we can add another reason. Throughout the Bible, we see that the purpose of God’s pronouncing benedictions on his people is to bless them with his glory and the gifts of salvation. So naturally, these blessings tend to spotlight God’s work for us, not our work for him. We have that in the ESV translation, but it’s stronger in Dr. Baugh’s.\nBefore God loved us in Christ, we were corrupt and corruptible, able to decay and even already dead. “But God,” Paul writes in Ephesians 2, “being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.”\nEphesians also teaches us that this salvation changes us. It turns us from enemies of God into friends with him and each other. It puts peace our hearts and it teaches us a new way in Christ. It incorporates us into a new body, with Christ himself as our living head. And as such, in this salvation we learn a new way to live: a way that is marked by love and sustained by the grace of our incorruptible Lord from his incorruptible kingdom.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-05-16 20:01:00 -0700",
    "date": "8:01 p.m. on May 16, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/05/16/love-incorruptible-in.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F05%2F16%2Flove-incorruptible-in.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 755,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ If you know a kid learning Latin, tell them they can win $150 and a beginning Greek course from the amazing Dr. Noe.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-05-14 09:54:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:54 p.m. on May 14, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/05/14/if-you-know.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F05%2F14%2Fif-you-know.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 756,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ You think making pancakes is soooo easy. 🥴\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-05-11 20:09:22 -0700",
    "date": "8:09 p.m. on May 11, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/05/11/you-think-making.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F05%2F11%2Fyou-think-making.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 757,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "John Cassian Explains Suffering",
    "text": "John Cassian (ca. 360-435) was a world-travelling ascetic who thought a lot about suffering. And in his work, On the Death of the Saints (conference 6, chapter 11), he takes an aside to consider why God brings trials into our lives, both believers and unbelievers.1\nHere’s my summary of Cassian\u0026rsquo;s reasons for suffering, along with a verse for each reason. He includes some of these verses and many others in the work I\u0026rsquo;m summarizing, which you can read online or in Accordance.\nGod uses suffering for probation.  And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. (Deut. 8:2 ESV)\n God uses suffering to warn us.  When a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise; when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge. (Prov. 21:11 ESV)\n God uses suffering for punishment and justice.  The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. (Ezek. 18:20 ESV)\n God uses suffering to reject us, which is “worse than all other punishments”  The bellows blow fiercely; the lead is consumed by the fire; in vain the refining goes on, for the wicked are not removed. Rejected silver they are called, for the LORD has rejected them. (Jer. 6:28-30 ESV)\n God uses suffering to improve us.  We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. (Rom. 5:3–4 ESV)\n God uses suffering to prove his work in us.  You have been grieved by various trails, so that the tested genuine of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in the praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:7 ESV)\n God uses suffering to manifest his glory.  “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (John 9:3 ESV)\n   For more thoughts on the trials of Christians in particular, read Joel Beeke’s exposition of Westminster Confession of Faith 17.3.\u0026#160;\u0026#x21a9;\u0026#xfe0e;\n   ",
    "dateiso": "2019-05-11 12:36:00 -0700",
    "date": "12:36 p.m. on May 11, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/05/11/john-cassian-explains.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F05%2F11%2Fjohn-cassian-explains.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 758,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Preventing Shootings at Church",
    "text": "What can a church do to prevent a shooting in their congregation?\nHere are a four practical ideas drawn from Safe Schools Arizona: An Action Plan to Enhance the Safety of Arizona Schools and Communities. A plan David French calls,\n perhaps the most intelligent policy response to school shootings (and, honestly, mass shootings more generally) that I’ve ever read.\n Here are the ideas taken from the Ducey\u0026rsquo;s plan:\n Mental health first aid training Confidential, centralized reporting tip line [Procedures for handling tips] Ducey\u0026rsquo;s plan assumes these are already in place Lockdown training [and] clear procedures that differentiate between active shooter drills [and] fire drills  ",
    "dateiso": "2019-05-11 08:08:00 -0700",
    "date": "8:08 p.m. on May 11, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/05/11/preventing-shootings-at.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F05%2F11%2Fpreventing-shootings-at.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 759,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ Beautiful California.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-05-08 08:26:00 -0700",
    "date": "8:26 p.m. on May 8, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/05/08/beautiful-california.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F05%2F08%2Fbeautiful-california.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 760,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ I love these lines in Michael Perry\u0026rsquo;s “O God Beyond All Praising”:\n And whether our tomorrows be filled with good or ill, We’ll triumph through our sorrows and rise to bless you still.\n If you want to memorize poetry, espcially rhyming poetry, consider finding a good hymnal.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-05-05 20:22:00 -0700",
    "date": "8:22 p.m. on May 5, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/05/05/michael-perry-in.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F05%2F05%2Fmichael-perry-in.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 761,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ A family picture\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-05-02 21:48:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:48 p.m. on May 2, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/05/02/a-family-picture.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F05%2F02%2Fa-family-picture.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 762,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ Alan Jacobs (@ayjay) on Snakes and Ladders:\n I have come to believe that this is what almost all of our culture is about now: working the refs.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2019-05-01 09:09:14 -0700",
    "date": "9:09 p.m. on May 1, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/05/01/alan-jacobs-ayjay.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F05%2F01%2Falan-jacobs-ayjay.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 763,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Show Me the Evidence",
    "text": "When the other disciples told Thomas that they had seen Jesus, risen from the dead, Thomas didn’t believe them. Their testimony to the truth wasn’t good enough for him.\nWas this diligent truth-seeking or something else? And can we rely on the testimony of others about Jesus?\nMichael Kruger addresses that second question in his excellent post, Can We Believe God’s Word is True Because our Parents Told Us? I draw from this article to answer the first question in my sermon this morning on John 20:24–31.\nThe testimony concerning Jesus is trustworthy. I hope that you will believe it. Because as John says:\n Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-28 21:25:27 -0700",
    "date": "9:25 p.m. on Apr 28, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/28/show-me-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F28%2Fshow-me-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 764,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Two Shortcuts for Quickly Sharing Books with WorldCat",
    "text": " Shortcut: WorldCat Search Shortcut: WorldCat Markdown Link  Until recently, I used Amazon almost exclusively for sharing links to books. But you may have noticed that in the last month or so I’ve been linking to WorldCat instead. WorldCat still shows you where to find a book on Amazon but it also offers other options, including which nearby libraries have what you’re looking for. I got this idea from @craigmcclellan who shares music in a similar way.\nAnd thanks to Craig and his @theclassnerd co-host Robby Burns, I also learned how to create Shortcuts on iOS. So now, when I want to share a book on my blog, here’s what I do.\n Look up a book on WorldCat through their website or through the WorldCat Search Shortcut, which will find your book on WorldCat after you scan its barcode. With the book’s WorldCat page open, I run WorldCat Markdown Link. This copies a pre-formatted markdown link for the page to my clipboard. Then, I paste the link.  If this looks useful to you, download the Shortcuts and try it for yourself. You can modify them to suit your needs.\nAt the moment, these Shortcuts work perfectly in Safari. In the future, I’d like to get the same results on other browsers. If you can figure out how to do that, I’d love to hear from you.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-25 13:05:00 -0700",
    "date": "1:05 p.m. on Apr 25, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/25/two-shortcuts-for.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F25%2Ftwo-shortcuts-for.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 765,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ My mother is so creative. And she puts tons of love into her work. Congrats, Mom, for finishing this amazing quilt!\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-24 09:55:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:55 p.m. on Apr 24, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/24/my-mother-is.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F24%2Fmy-mother-is.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 766,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ Listen to my two sermons from last Sunday on what Christians can expect concerning their resurrection bodies and why that matters: one and Two.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-23 12:58:33 -0700",
    "date": "12:58 p.m. on Apr 23, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/23/listen-to-my.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F23%2Flisten-to-my.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 767,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ Chelpkid Number 3:\n “If you could snap your fingers and have anything if you want, what would you wish for? I would wish for infinity wishes, but if that was against the rules, I’d wish for a genie because a genie can still give you three wishes, and I just like the lamp.”\n ",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-22 08:41:51 -0700",
    "date": "8:41 p.m. on Apr 22, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/22/chelpkid-number-if.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F22%2Fchelpkid-number-if.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 768,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Two Resurrections",
    "text": "⍟ Because Jesus’ rose from the dead, all who belong to him will be resurrected too.\nWestminster Shorter Catechism:\n Q. 38. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection? A. At the resurrection, believers being raised up in glory, shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgment, and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoying of God to all eternity.\n So one reason Christians celebrate the resurrection that has happened is because of the resurrection that will happen.\nHappy Easter.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-21 06:58:00 -0700",
    "date": "6:58 p.m. on Apr 21, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/21/two-resurrections.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F21%2Ftwo-resurrections.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 769,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ I hiked about 6.5 beautiful miles east of Tucson this morning with my son and some men from church. We went to Bridal Wreath Falls and had a great time.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-20 20:05:00 -0700",
    "date": "8:05 p.m. on Apr 20, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/20/i-hiked-about.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F20%2Fi-hiked-about.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 770,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-16 09:55:26 -0700",
    "date": "9:55 p.m. on Apr 16, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/16/095526.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F16%2F095526.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 771,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ Read this mini-lesson about ancient copies of the Bible.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-15 23:37:40 -0700",
    "date": "11:37 p.m. on Apr 15, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/15/read-this-minilesson.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F15%2Fread-this-minilesson.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 772,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ The power of the devil can be terrifying, but Christians overcome him “by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony”. Be encouraged in the fight with my sermon from last night. I read a lot from Revelation.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-15 11:09:45 -0700",
    "date": "11:09 p.m. on Apr 15, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/15/the-power-of.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F15%2Fthe-power-of.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 773,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ Congrats to Crema Coffee! Now open for business in northwest Tucson (near Bookmans on Ina). Go say, hi. They use beans from Exo Roast.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-15 09:38:14 -0700",
    "date": "9:38 p.m. on Apr 15, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/15/congrats-to-crema.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F15%2Fcongrats-to-crema.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 774,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ After his resurrection, Jesus said, “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Tomorrow, I’ll explain from the book of Genesis how Jesus was right. Want to learn more? Come to my class tomorrow from 11:30am–12:00pm at Covenant.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-13 18:28:02 -0700",
    "date": "6:28 p.m. on Apr 13, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/13/after-his-resurrection.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F13%2Fafter-his-resurrection.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 775,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "How I Learned to Prune Mesquite and Palo Verde Trees",
    "text": "This is the story about a 45-minute video on how to prune Mesquite and Palo Verde trees by Angelo Romeo. Feel free to stop reading, but if have at least one Mesquite or Palo Verde tree that you need to prune and don\u0026rsquo;t feel confident about doing it, you might want to read on.\nLike most people around Tucson, I have several Mequites and Palo Verdes around my home. I love how they look and I want them to grow larger, especially on the west side of my home so I can have more shade on my house during the hot summer.\nI know that pruning is an important to get big healthy trees, but I’ve been unsure how to do it. And because I don’t want to hurt the trees, slow their growth, or reduce their lifespan, I\u0026rsquo;ve been hesitant about doing anything. Worse yet, I’ve also been unwilling to pay someone to do it for me. Call me stuck.\nThen I met Angelo Romeo. Anglelo is a professional tree trimmer and licensed arborist here in Tucson. After teaching me a few things, he told me about an an instructional video he made for folks like me so that I’d could learn what to do and prune the trees myself.\nAngelo was a natural teacher and obviously knew what he was doing. So even though I had read pruning guides before and still felt unsure about what to do, I decided to give Angelo a shot and pay the $12 for the 45-minute download\nTotally worth it. In addition to teaching the principles and techniques behind pruning, he also gives advice about tools, planting, and watering too. There’s no fluff or hard sales pitch. It\u0026rsquo;s not fancy in anyway. It\u0026rsquo;s just a really helpful guide. You can preview it on YouTube.\nAfter watching the video I was excited to give it a try. It was fun and I\u0026rsquo;m happy with the results. So happy, I\u0026rsquo;ve been talking about tree trimming a little too much and I wrote this post.\nIf none of this fits your life, you can just be happy for me! But if this sounds like something you could use, go pay Angelo a few bucks for his hard work and get the video from his website.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-13 11:28:15 -0700",
    "date": "11:28 p.m. on Apr 13, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/13/how-i-learned.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F13%2Fhow-i-learned.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 776,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "When Jesus Won’t Do a Miracle",
    "text": "Lutheran pastor, Johannes Brenz (1499–1570), writes in his Commentary on John:\n It is not a true faith which is conceived from miracles and wonders or signs. For miracles are merely seals and witnesses. A seal certifies nothing new except what has already been committed to writing. In the same way, witnesses say nothing new, but they bear witness to things which have been heard or seen. Thus, miracles do not confer faith, and they do not take something uncertain and make it certain, but they confirm something that is already certain. They do not make believing persons out of unbelieving persons, but they confirm already believing persons in their faith.\n This is why Jesus sometimes reproves people who ask him to do miracles or show them signs.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-13 08:34:31 -0700",
    "date": "8:34 p.m. on Apr 13, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/13/when-jesus-wont.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F13%2Fwhen-jesus-wont.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 777,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ If you are looking for ways to improve your teaching, check out my little guide called Links for Improving Your Teaching. I added new links and revised it yesterday; so if you’ve seen it before and found it helpful, it’s worth another look.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-13 07:37:51 -0700",
    "date": "7:37 p.m. on Apr 13, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/13/if-you-are.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F13%2Fif-you-are.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 778,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Conversations on Focus and Distraction ",
    "text": "Here are three thoughtful conversations about focus and distraction. They approach the subject from different angles; all are worth listening to.\nI had some trouble getting the right links to share with you. Hopefully they will work. If not, search the web using the information below. You’ll be able to find them.\n How to Stop Hustling So You Can Achieve What Really Matters | Donald Miller interviewing Michael Hyatt on Building a StoryBrand Distracting Ourselves to Death | Michael Horton interviewing T. David Gordon on White Horse Inn Cal Newport Has an Answer for Digital Burnout | Ezra Klein interviewing Cal Newport on The Ezra Klein Show  ",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-12 10:10:52 -0700",
    "date": "10:10 p.m. on Apr 12, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/12/conversations-on-focus.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F12%2Fconversations-on-focus.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 779,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ Seth Godin’s Avacado Principles are ripe and ready to use. 🥑\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-11 21:41:26 -0700",
    "date": "9:41 p.m. on Apr 11, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/11/seth-godins-avacado.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F11%2Fseth-godins-avacado.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 780,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ It’s probably true.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-09 14:12:12 -0700",
    "date": "2:12 p.m. on Apr 9, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/09/its-probably-true.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F09%2Fits-probably-true.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 781,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ Will and Lee brought down the house at the Tucson Folk Festival this afternoon! This is how they started the show. Check out youngmacdonaldband.com to see where they\u0026rsquo;re playing next.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-06 18:27:03 -0700",
    "date": "6:27 p.m. on Apr 6, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/06/will-and-lee.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F06%2Fwill-and-lee.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 782,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "5,860 Households",
    "text": "According to the Post Office, there are 5,860 households within a half-mile of the church I pastor. If I introduced myself to 10 a week, it would take me more than 11 years to meet them all.\nUPDATE: I\u0026rsquo;m not discouraged, just getting some perspective. I think these numbers lead to a lot of interesting questions.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-06 08:28:57 -0700",
    "date": "8:28 p.m. on Apr 6, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/06/according-to-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F06%2Faccording-to-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 783,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ Lots of beautiful bells.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-05 08:22:48 -0700",
    "date": "8:22 p.m. on Apr 5, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/05/lots-of-beautiful.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F05%2Flots-of-beautiful.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 784,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ What would be a great set of classic texts to read on the doctrine of the Trinity? Fred Sanders gives his answer in this annotated reading list.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-04 22:51:54 -0700",
    "date": "10:51 p.m. on Apr 4, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/04/what-would-be.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F04%2Fwhat-would-be.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 785,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Appreciate Worship to Participate in Worship",
    "text": "When you understand what worship is, it’s easier to be active and truly present in worship.\nLike learning the rules of baseball before you go to your first game, learning why we worship the way we do can help you better appreciate and participate in what’s going on. Conversely, not knowing can make the experience boring and even frustrating.\nSo if you want to be more present in worship, take some time to learn about worship.\nThere are some things on my Recommending Page you can read. And I preached a sermon last Sunday to get you going in the right direction. Give it listen.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-04 14:23:38 -0700",
    "date": "2:23 p.m. on Apr 4, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/04/appreciate-worship-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F04%2Fappreciate-worship-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 786,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ Giant butterfly at Brandi Fenton Memorial Park\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-03 13:20:25 -0700",
    "date": "1:20 p.m. on Apr 3, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/03/giant-butterfly-at.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F03%2Fgiant-butterfly-at.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 787,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Introducing Young MacDonald",
    "text": "Let me introduce you to a teenage Americana band that will knock your socks off, our good friends, Young MacDonald.\nWill and Lee MacDonald are brothers who play gypsy jazz, bluegrass, and lots more on their violin and cello.\nA couple days ago, they were staying up late answering questions and performing live on KXCI’s Locals Only. Listen to the show! You will not regret it. These boys are amazing.\nyoungmacdonaldband.com\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-03 09:27:10 -0700",
    "date": "9:27 p.m. on Apr 3, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/03/introducing-young-macdonald.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F03%2Fintroducing-young-macdonald.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 788,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "The Story of Reality",
    "text": "This Sunday at Covenant, a young man we’ve been mentoring for a few months is going to profess his faith and be baptized. We’re so happy for him!\nOne of the things he says made a big difference for him in becoming a Christian was a book by Greg Koukl called the The Story of Reality: How the World Began, How It Ends, and Everything Important that Happens in Between, which he came across while working at a local library.\nIf you’re interested in learning more about Christianity you might want to read it for yourself. The Kindle version is on sale at Amazon right now. And, of course, you might find it in your local library too.\nSadly, many people would rather assume things about Christianity than take the time to learn how and why Christians see the world the way they do.\nBut if you are a curious person, I encourage you to take the time and learn more about the Christian faith. It might change the way you see things. It might even change your life.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-02 13:24:11 -0700",
    "date": "1:24 p.m. on Apr 2, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/02/the-story-of.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F02%2Fthe-story-of.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 789,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "The “Lost” Books of the Bible Were Never Lost",
    "text": "Michael Kruger, author of Canon Revisited writes on his blog:\n So, no one hid or suppressed these books. On the contrary, early Christians were quite open about the problems with these books and overtly stated why they should be rejected as part of the biblical canon.\n Read the whole thing: What about the ‘Lost’ Books of the Bible?\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-04-01 12:32:56 -0700",
    "date": "12:32 p.m. on Apr 1, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/04/01/the-lost-books.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F04%2F01%2Fthe-lost-books.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 790,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The center of a clay tile mural handmade by Gail Roberts. You can see her amazing art all over Tucson.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-03-30 19:13:37 -0700",
    "date": "7:13 p.m. on Mar 30, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/03/30/the-center-of.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F03%2F30%2Fthe-center-of.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 791,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ According to this WaPo story, you should breathe through your nose.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-03-29 08:39:19 -0700",
    "date": "8:39 p.m. on Mar 29, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/03/29/according-to-this.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F03%2F29%2Faccording-to-this.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 792,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Dog? at (32.7299, -114.6378)\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-03-28 22:13:45 -0700",
    "date": "10:13 p.m. on Mar 28, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/03/28/dog-at.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F03%2F28%2Fdog-at.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 793,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ I learned a little more tonight about how to make my website more accessible to people with visual impairments. This is a fun topic! Now my links are underlined (mostly), and I’m looking forward to making a few other changes.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-03-26 22:51:42 -0700",
    "date": "10:51 p.m. on Mar 26, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/03/26/i-learned-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F03%2F26%2Fi-learned-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 794,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "How to Read Opposing Arguments",
    "text": "A Play-by-Play Description\nFred Sanders, professor of theology at Biola, on Twitter:\n Clarity ensues. But as I\u0026rsquo;m paraphrasing their own arguments, I notice that their case is stronger than I remembered. And as I type in some short quotes, I notice that they are coming at the whole issue from a different set of animating questions and concerns than I am.\n Quality scholarship often goes slower than you’d like, but the work is so much better.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-03-23 16:20:58 -0700",
    "date": "4:20 p.m. on Mar 23, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/03/23/how-to-read.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F03%2F23%2Fhow-to-read.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 795,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Incline Your Ear, Listen Diligently to Me",
    "text": "\u0026ldquo;Paying Attention in Worship\u0026rdquo;\nJohn Muether, professor of church history and dean of libraries at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, writes in Tabletalk:\n The stakes may be higher than we think. As distraction dulls our senses, it can lead even believers to indifference about heavenly matters. The book of Hebrews (which many commentators believe was originally a sermon) speaks powerfully to our digital age when it warns, “We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it” (Heb. 2:1).\n There is a lot to lose and a lot to gain. Isaiah 55, from which this post is titled, calls our attention to this as well.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-03-22 22:35:17 -0700",
    "date": "10:35 p.m. on Mar 22, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/03/22/incline-your-ear.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F03%2F22%2Fincline-your-ear.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 796,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Pictures of the Yuma Territorial Prison",
    "text": "I took these photos of the Yuma Territorial Prison. Another picture worth seeing is the mug shot of Pearl Hart, a media savvy prisoner who was part of a scandal (or was it a con?), that got her a pardon and early release on the condition that she’d leave and never return to Arizona.\n\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-03-22 12:17:33 -0700",
    "date": "12:17 p.m. on Mar 22, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/03/22/pictures-of-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F03%2F22%2Fpictures-of-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 797,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Our Visit To Yuma, AZ",
    "text": "Dear Covenant,\nAs you know, this last Saturday through Monday I went with my family to Yuma. While there, my wife was able to take an art class with a master painter from Canada (here’s what she’s working on), my kids and I spent time together exploring this unique part of our state, and on Sunday we were able to spend the day getting to know the mission work better.\nThough I’ve not been able to visit very many times, Yuma OPC is close to my heart. I helped get the mission work started in the early days and our congregation has done what it can from a distance to help see a new church planted in this part of the state. In the pictures below, you’ll notice that they are still using the logo Bryce designed a few years ago.\nThe last time I was there, I was with a group of us from Covenant that went to help pass out flyers around town for the mission work, but I had to get back to Tucson quickly that day and wasn’t able to worship or even visit with the saints for very long. So I was happy for the extended time we had last Sunday.\nThe mission work meets at First Presbyterian Church, a generous and friendly congregation of the PCUSA that allows the OPC to use the entire basement of their building, which includes a kitchen, a classroom, an eating hall, and a meeting room. Last Sunday, the meeting room was packed with more than eighty people. A quarter of the congregation were visitors, many who were Canadians preparing to head back to Vancouver and other places.\nI was invited to preach, which I did, and worshipped with the others there. It was exciting to see what God has done since the earliest days when all this was just an prayer request. And it was a joy to connect with old friends as well as meet new ones.\nThe afternoon was spent getting to know Pastor Baker and his family better. They treated us to a St. Patrick’s Day lunch of corned beef stew, cornbread with butter, and some of the best cupcakes I’ve ever had, thanks to Pastor Baker’s middle daughter.\nThroughout the afternoon, while the kids played, we talked about evangelism and pastoral ministry. Lessons we’ve learned; lessons we’re trying to learn. We all agreed that we were mutually blessed by the encouragement, fresh ideas, and fellowship.\nThen, back to church in the evening. This is when the mission work has their Sunday school. The small children met separately, while Pastor Baker helped the rest of us through some catechism questions, singing, prayer, and a lesson. He taught about the sacrificial death of Christ. And I was reminded of how many terms we have to describe Christ’s sacrifice and how important it is for us to understand them. It’s something I’ll be reflecting on going forward.\nBy the time we said our goodbyes, we were already excited about our next time together, when the Bakers visit Tucson.\nThank you for your prayerful support this weekend, for donating your money to home missions, and for your zeal for the evangelistic mission of Christ’s church.\nEncouraged,\nPastor Chelpka\n\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-03-21 10:57:04 -0700",
    "date": "10:57 p.m. on Mar 21, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/03/21/our-visit-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F03%2F21%2Four-visit-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 798,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Helicopter on a stick.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-03-18 22:29:25 -0700",
    "date": "10:29 p.m. on Mar 18, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/03/18/helicopter-on-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F03%2F18%2Fhelicopter-on-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 799,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Golden fried alligator.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-03-16 11:03:31 -0700",
    "date": "11:03 p.m. on Mar 16, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/03/16/golden-fried-alligator.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F03%2F16%2Fgolden-fried-alligator.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 800,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ I’ve posted an update on what I’m doing now.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-03-15 14:08:26 -0700",
    "date": "2:08 p.m. on Mar 15, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/03/15/ive-posted-an.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F03%2F15%2Five-posted-an.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 801,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⍟ I wrote some summary notes on John Owen and Herbert Croft’s thoughts on deacons. Their books on the nature of the church were published in London only a year apart from one another.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-03-15 09:29:38 -0700",
    "date": "9:29 p.m. on Mar 15, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/03/15/i-wrote-some.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F03%2F15%2Fi-wrote-some.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 802,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Review of Think Again: How to Reason and Argue by Walter Sinnott-Armstrong",
    "text": "Every so often I find it helpful to read a book about reasoning. It was about that time again when Alan Jacobs recommended Think Again: How to Reason and Argue in his newsletter, so I decided to get a copy.\nHere’s what @ayjay said about the book:\n “In my book How to Think, my goal was to encourage my readers towards a thoughtful disposition rather than give them methodical guidance. But since my book came out, Walter Sinnot-Armstrong has published Think Again, which provides a lot of that step-by-step direction, and does so very well indeed. When I was giving a talk at Duke last year I met with Walter and his students, and I was pleasantly surprised at how neatly our books converged.”\n I had previously read and enjoyed Jacobs’ book, so this seemed like a great idea.\nSinnott-Armstrong’s book is an introduction to the principles of good reasoning. He teaches you how to identify, analyze, evaluate, and make arguments. He helped me remember things I had forgotten and understand some things I was unclear on.\nIn addition to addressing how to reason and argue, Sinnott-Armstrong explains why it’s important. One reason is that civil, reasoned discussion, “gives us more chance of arriving at mutual understanding and respect as well as true beliefs and good policies.” (46) It has the potential to reduce polarization.\n “Most people see arguments as ways to persuade other people or to beat them in some kind of verbal fight, debate, or competition. That view is not all wrong, but it is limited and incomplete. Some people do present arguments as displays of prowess or power, but arguments can also play more constructive roles in social interactions.” (56)\n Learning how to reason and argue can teach us how to “get beyond name-calling and figure out how strong an argument really is”; we aim to “reconstruct the argument as charitably as possible and then ask how strong it is in its best form.” (199) In this way, arguments can lead to good results like learning, humility, and compromise..\nBy teaching how to do more than merely assert, Think Again can help you reach those noble goals.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-03-13 08:52:11 -0700",
    "date": "8:52 p.m. on Mar 13, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/03/13/review-of-think.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F03%2F13%2Freview-of-think.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 803,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Review of How to Think by Alan Jacobs, Plus Quotes",
    "text": "The following is a repost from my November 2017 review on Goodreads.\n Alan Jacobs. 2017. How to Think: A Survival Guide for a World at Odds. Currency. WorldCat link.\nI loved How to Think and highly recommend it for anyone who is committed to knowing the truth or helping others know the truth (e.g. journalists, politicians, scholars, pastors, etc.).\nThinking well requires one to take a certain posture towards the truth, oneself, and others. The posture toward “others” is a main idea of this book. Alan Jacobs shows how thinking is always relational. And he describes how truth seeking and community ought relate to each other and what happens when they don’t—a topic of central importance to me as pastor.\nHere are some choice quotes:\n “The more useful a term is for marking my inclusion in a group, the less interested I will be in testing the validity of my use of that term aginast—well, against any kind of standard.”\n  “The only real remedy for dangers of false belonging is the true belonging to, true membership in, a fellowship of people wo are not so much like-minded as like-hearted.”\n  “The problem, of course, and sadly, is that we all have some convictions that are unsettled when they ought to be settled, and others that are settled when they ought to be unsettled.”\n  “As I’ve said before: Thinking is hard.”\n ",
    "dateiso": "2019-03-12 21:55:04 -0700",
    "date": "9:55 p.m. on Mar 12, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/03/12/review-of-how.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F03%2F12%2Freview-of-how.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 804,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Thanks to @ayjay, I read Think Again: How to Reason and Argue by Walter Sinnott-Armstrong. This is an introductory book on the principles of good reasoning. But WSA teaches more than how to reason and argue, he also explains why. I\u0026rsquo;ll write a little more on this tomorrow.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-03-12 17:21:32 -0700",
    "date": "5:21 p.m. on Mar 12, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/03/12/thanks-to-ayjay.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F03%2F12%2Fthanks-to-ayjay.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 805,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Private Conversations in a Very Public World",
    "text": "Prof. Kate Klonick teaches her students about privacy with a \u0026ldquo;creepy assignment\u0026rdquo;.\nShe has them go to public places and then learn what they can about a person by watching, listening, and googling. What her students learn is that our privacy is protected in public partly by being unknown to others. But, with the power and accesibility of the internet and its tools, it\u0026rsquo;s like we\u0026rsquo;re all living in a small town. Which is why Prof. Klonick advises us to\n \u0026ldquo;Treat every place as if it were a small town, and give everyone the privacy that you would give to your neighbor — and that you would want your neighbor to give to you.\u0026rdquo;\n That\u0026rsquo;s excellent advice. Let me suggest three ways to do that.\nFirst, when possible, move private converastions to private places. This applies to both viritual spaces and physical ones.\nSecond, keep your voice down. Just because that guy over there is wearing headphones or holding a book, it doesn\u0026rsquo;t mean he\u0026rsquo;s not listening. And if you\u0026rsquo;re sharing secrets, you can guarantee he is listening.\nThird, start noticing how some public and semi-public places work well for private conversations and some don\u0026rsquo;t. As a pastor who does disciples people over a large metro area, I keep a list handy of the places I find that offer privacy. Here are some examples from my list:\n \u0026ldquo;Wide, open park with paved paths. Not much decision making necessary for choosing which direction to go. Easy to see who is around you.\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;Free. Quiet garden. Take the path on the left and find the bench by the back wall.\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;Burgers. Loud music and kitchen noise. Open floor plan with lots of space between tables.\u0026rdquo;  ",
    "dateiso": "2019-03-12 10:12:04 -0700",
    "date": "10:12 p.m. on Mar 12, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/03/12/private-conversations-in.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F03%2F12%2Fprivate-conversations-in.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 806,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "On a short walk at Thono Chul between classes.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-03-11 17:50:40 -0700",
    "date": "5:50 p.m. on Mar 11, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/03/11/on-a-short.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F03%2F11%2Fon-a-short.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 807,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "At the Ann Day Community Park.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-03-11 08:36:25 -0700",
    "date": "8:36 p.m. on Mar 11, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/03/11/at-the-ann.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F03%2F11%2Fat-the-ann.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 808,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "This is my sermon from this morning about Jesus’ conversation with a Samaritan woman. She wants to know what any of us could ask of God, “What do you have to do with me?” And he promises her something only God could give. Read the story in John 4.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-03-10 23:02:34 -0700",
    "date": "11:02 p.m. on Mar 10, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/03/10/this-is-my.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F03%2F10%2Fthis-is-my.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 809,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Hymnary.org Helps You Find Better Hymns Faster",
    "text": "Hymnary.org is a fantastic tool for researching church music and for finding songs to sing in worship. I focus this article on finding songs for worship, and I\u0026rsquo;ll start by explaining how this works at my church.\nPicking Hymns At Covenant At Covenant, we use the Trinity Psalter Hymnal for our corporate worship. The Trinity Psalter Hymnal has about 700 songs to choose from, which is great but potentially overwhelming. Especially since our aim at Covenant is to match each hymn to its particular place in worship and to a main theme in the sermon. And there are other factors too.\nSo, for example, if a prominent theme in the sermon is the spread of the gospel, and we need a song to follow our confession of sin and assurance of pardon, then Psalm 51 might be a good choice. First, because Psalm 51 is a song about the grace of repentance. And second, because it includes the line: “Then I’ll teach your ways to sinners; rebels will return to you. From the guilt of blood, O free me, God, my God and Savior true.”\nWithout Hymnary.org, finding an appropriate match will depend on your memory of the hymnal and the usefulness of the indices.\nAs you might guess, sometimes it’s hard to find what you are looking for. In a pinch, you can pick a standard like Holy, Holy, Holy or Be Thou My Vision and move on. But now that the metadata and texts of the songs in the Trinity Psalter Hymnal are online and searchable at Hymnary.org, you have a better option.\nCase Study: Baptism Songs Imagine you are preaching a short sermon series on baptism, and you want to sing hymns that match this theme. If this were my church, and I planned on a five-week series, I would need about 18 hymns, less than that if we repeated some of the songs. So let’s say you are looking for 13 hymns related to baptism.\nYou might begin by looking up “baptism” in the topic index of the hymnal. There you would find that the index directs you to the seven hymns in the baptism section (189–195). Assuming you’re happy with them all, that’s only about half of what you need. And there’s another problem: about five of the seven are directly related infant baptism. Nothing wrong with infant baptism, but you’re probably only going to use some of these in a sermon series that focuses on baptism more generally.\nSo, not having enough songs yet, you think to look up “water” in the index. Good move! Under WATER OF LIFE you’ll find four more hymns, and these are all real winners:\n Come to the Waters Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say  So now you have, at the most, eleven hymns. Which means you’re still short. Also, it would be nice to have more options to choose from, especially some psalms, since you have none on your list so far.\nFull-Text Searching Now watch this.\n Go to the advanced search of Hymnary.org. Under Texts, type water in the field called “Full Text” Under Hymnals, type TPH2018 in the field called “Hymnal, Number” Under Result Type select Instances1  This is how you search the text of every hymn in the Trinity Psalter Hymnal for the word “water”. Click search and you get 51 results!\nNot all 51 are relevant but many are. For example, you’d find these songs you hadn’t found before:\n O Day of Rest and Gladness, which reminds us that holy worship is the place where “gospel light is glowing with pure and radiant beams, and living water flowing with soul-refreshing streams.” The Church’s One Foundation, which begins “The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ, her Lord; she is his new creation by water and the Word” Psalm 46, which includes: “God’s city is forever blest with living water welling; since God is there, she stands unmoved ‘mid tumults round her swelling. God speaks and all is peace, from war the nations cease; the Lord of hosts is nigh. Our father’s God Most High is our eternal dwelling.”  Things are looking good. You might have a list now of 13 songs related to baptism, but there are other things to consider as you make your choices: familiarity, musical factors, order of worship, etc. And so it would be helpful to have a few more options.\nNo problem. If you expand your search to other relevant words, like “wash” or “cleanse”, you’ll find songs like Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder, which has talks about being washed with Christ’s blood in all five verses, and Psalm 51 —again!—which prays “wash me, make pure within, cleanse, O cleanse me from my sin”. And there are several other hymns that will make your search worthwhile.\nSearching Across Indices Dianne Shapiro, the content manager at Hymnary.org, told me about another popular way to get more results: Use the indices of other hymnals to find songs in a particular hymnal. In other words, suppose a certain song is not included under the topic of baptism in the Trinity Psalter Hymnal, but it has been indexed under baptism in a different hymnal. By following some simple instructions, Hymnary.org can discover those connnections for you.\nFirst, login and add the Trinity Psalter Hymnal under “My Hymnals\u0026quot;. This way an icon will appear next to any results that are found in the TPH after any search.\nSecond, in an advanced search type “baptism” in the Topic field, without specifying the hymnal you’re searching for. Select “texts” under Result Types. Now when you search, all the hymns in every hymnal tagged with “baptism” will appear. And any result that is found in the TPH will have a special icon next to it, even if the TPH did not itself tag that hymn with “baptism.” So clever!\nFor a topic search on “baptism”, you’ll get over 1,000 results. But you don’t have too dig through all of those because many appear on the first page that are found in the TPH. In fact, the first one found in the TPH is Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing, which, amazingly, has not come up under any of our other searches thus far—it’s a real gem. And it’s not the only one.\nConclusion All this writing may make searching seem difficult. But just give it a try. It’ll take you less than ten minutes to figure out, especially if you follow my examples.\nAnd, of course, it’s possible to fuss too much with this. But if you don’t have the hymnal memorized yet and are regularly looking for hymns, then learning how to use the basic search features on Hymnary.org is worth the time. The website will help you find better hymns and find them faster.\n  Hymnary.org distinguishes between “instance” and “text”. For example, the TPH includes the text, Psalm 23 and two instances of that text: 23A and 23B. An “instance” is the full-text for each song in the hymnal. Thanks to Dianne Shapiro, Content Manager at Hymnary.org, for helping me with this distinction and other parts of this post.\u0026#160;\u0026#x21a9;\u0026#xfe0e;\n   ",
    "dateiso": "2019-03-08 15:49:43 -0700",
    "date": "3:49 p.m. on Mar 8, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/03/08/hymnaryorg-helps-you.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F03%2F08%2Fhymnaryorg-helps-you.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 810,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "How We Choose What to Sing at Covenant",
    "text": "The following guidelines help us choose our songs for worship each Sunday at Covenant Orthodox Presbyterian Church.\n Choose songs from the Trinity Psalter Hymnal Choose each song based on its place in the order of worship. Each song should respond to what comes before it. Let the first song in the morning respond to our confession of faith, the second to God’s pardon of our sins, the third to his word in the sermon, the fourth to communion. Follow the same pattern for the evening service. Choose songs that foreshadow or reflect sermon themes. Give shorter songs preference over longer songs when the Lord’s Supper is served. Include at least one psalm (1-150). Use the index in the TPH to find psalms by theme. You can also use this table. In the evenings we sing the psalm that is read. If there are a couple tune options we pick from those. Otherwise we just sing what’s in the book Choose familiar songs and tunes. Repeating a song in the same month is fine, even preferable. Never choose songs that share the same tune in the same service. Aim for musical variety. A weaker selection of songs would have all the singing in the same meter or mode. A stronger selection would vary these. Be sensitive to significant aspects of our current congregational life, i.e. season of the year, shared trials or celebrations. Add #409 after the reception of a new member. Conclude with the Doxology in the morning and the Gloria Patri in the evening. Use your memory, the table of contents, indices, and advanced search at Hymnary.org to help you find hymns. Also the digital versions of the Trinity Psalter Hymnal are useful.  ",
    "dateiso": "2019-03-08 13:06:19 -0700",
    "date": "1:06 p.m. on Mar 8, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/03/08/how-we-choose.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F03%2F08%2Fhow-we-choose.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 811,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "On the recent @monday episode, @macgenie and @manton discussed how and why M.b is not set up up for private groups/channels right now. My question is what do I do with the large, private group I moderate on FB? I’d love to find a new home, but where?\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-03-05 19:24:02 -0700",
    "date": "7:24 p.m. on Mar 5, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/03/05/on-the-recent.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F03%2F05%2Fon-the-recent.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 812,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "My church has a long name: Covenant Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Here\u0026rsquo;s a short explanation of what it means.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-03-05 14:37:22 -0700",
    "date": "2:37 p.m. on Mar 5, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/03/05/my-church-has.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F03%2F05%2Fmy-church-has.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 813,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "What the Gospels Say",
    "text": "I asked my students taking New Testament Survey to read half of one of the gospels, then write at least one paragraph answering this question: “According to what you read, who is Jesus and what is his mission?”\nI loved reading these micro-papers about Jesus. There was nothing fancy about them. They were mostly simple recitiations of how the gospel writers themselves directly answer this question. But the plain truth about Jesus is so beautiful and encouraging! It brought me joy to see that truth affirmed in each summary I read.\nHere’s what they found:\n Jesus is God. Jesus is human. Jesus is so good! Jesus fulfills the Old Testament prophesies. Reactions to Jesus are strong. Jesus forgives sins. Jesus helps people in big ways: healing, exorcism, raising from the dead! Jesus has great authority in his teaching. In his words, in his actions, and in the testimony of others—God the Father, John the Baptist, angels, and even demons—who Jesus is and what his mission is is very clear.  For next week, I asked my students to read the rest of the gospel they started, and think about the various ways people react to Jesus in the gospels.\nWhen’s the last time you read one of the gospels from beginning to end?\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-03-04 17:17:49 -0700",
    "date": "5:17 p.m. on Mar 4, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/03/04/what-the-gospels.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F03%2F04%2Fwhat-the-gospels.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 814,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Why Reformed Preachers Read the Fathers",
    "text": "Reformed preachers study the writings of our church fathers for many reasons.\nOne reason is that new heresies are just the old ones, brought again by Satan to harm the church.\nThis is why the great Puritan, William Perkins, admonished preachers to “get help from orthodox Christian writers, not only from modern times but also from the ancient church.”\nReading our church fathers reminds us that no error is new under the sun, and it readies us to handle these pernicious problems.\n“We do not need to look for any novel way of rejecting and refuting heresies;” Perkins wrote, “the ancient ones found in the Councils and the Fathers are well-tested and still reliable.”\nSee William Perkins, The Art of Prophesying, 24 for these quotes and for a list of ancient heresies matched with the ones Perkins was facing in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-03-04 09:05:56 -0700",
    "date": "9:05 p.m. on Mar 4, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/03/04/why-reformed-preachers.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F03%2F04%2Fwhy-reformed-preachers.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 815,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I’m not sure what I’m listening to because I don’t know Danish, but it’s so beautiful. These kids sing with their hearts.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-03-02 14:37:03 -0700",
    "date": "2:37 p.m. on Mar 2, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/03/02/im-not-sure.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F03%2F02%2Fim-not-sure.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 816,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "How to Preach like a Child",
    "text": "Sometime preachers are told, “Preach to the children.” The idea is that if you speak in a way children can understand then everyone will understand.\nThis is good advice, but I’d like to add something. What if we didn’t only preach to the children but we also preached like a child?\nThis is the advice Samuel Miller gave his students at old Princeton. He thought that if you wanted to find “the most perfect specimen” of preaching style, you should look to children.\nIn a book about Miller’s pastoral theology, James M. Garretson gives us this quote by Miller that explains the thought:\n “If we could suppose a little child sufficiently intelligent and forcible, to get up and tell his story, with all the unaffected ease and gracefulness of children; without a thought of himself, but supremely intent on making himself understood, and pouring out the matter which he had to deliver with his whole heart, without any flourish or effort, we should have, as to this point, the most perfect specimen.”\n The advice that says preach to the children wants the preacher to be more clear. Samuel Miller’s advice to preach like a child includes clarity but goes further. It goes deeper too since it asks the preacher to pay attention not only to his words but also to his heart.\nOf course, we don’t want childish preaching or preachers. And kids have plenty of speaking faults: too much detail, a lack of clear distinctions, a heart too easily deceived.\nBut, as Garretson summarizes, what children have, which “adults must apply themselves to attain”, is simplicity that is unpretentious and eloquence that is unaffected.\nThat’s what it means to preach like a child.\n For more of Samuel Miller’s pastoral theology, read An Able and Faithful Ministry: Samuel Miller and the Pastoral Office by James M. Garretson.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-28 11:30:50 -0700",
    "date": "11:30 p.m. on Feb 28, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/28/how-to-preach.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F28%2Fhow-to-preach.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 817,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Long-term project I’ve been putting off. And my wife wants this done. Do you think I can DIY this? Maybe I should hire someone. Tips?\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-27 09:00:20 -0700",
    "date": "9:00 p.m. on Feb 27, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/27/longterm-project-ive.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F27%2Flongterm-project-ive.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 818,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "How (Not) to Think About Time",
    "text": "We think about time a lot, but not always in the best ways. Seth Godin explains.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-26 21:58:50 -0700",
    "date": "9:58 p.m. on Feb 26, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/26/how-not-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F26%2Fhow-not-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 819,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Arizonans, My Family Needs Your Help",
    "text": "Two of our kids attend Veritas Academy of Tucson, which they love. But we need help paying their tuition. It’s is $4,812 per student.\n👉 Here’s what’s amazing. You can help pay for their education with no cost to you.\n Make a donation to Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization. Write Chelpka Family in the recommendation field. Use the donation as a dollar-for-dollar tax credit on your state taxes.  It’s that easy. And it would mean the world to us.\nFor 2018 taxes, married couples filing jointly can claim up to $2,213 of their total taxes owed, single taxpayers up to $1,107. To donate click here.\nThanks so much!\nChristopher and Della\nP. S. Please don’t wait, the school year is over half done and we need Veritas to be fully funded. They do a great job for our kids! If you can, make your donation ASAP.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-26 11:02:23 -0700",
    "date": "11:02 p.m. on Feb 26, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/26/arizonans-my-family.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F26%2Farizonans-my-family.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 820,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Tower Records and Apple Music",
    "text": "When I was growing up in Phoenix, I used to buy classical music CDs from the Tower Records on 40th Street and Thomas. Inside the store, there was a special room just for classical music. The walls and door were made of soundproof glass so that as soon as the door closed you could only hear the clacking of CD cases as you looked through the shelves, and maybe the sound of Yo-Yo Ma’s cello or Christopher Parkening’s guitar playing through the speakers. But perhaps the best part was that in that room you could find anything you wanted. You could find new things too. This was because the collection was huge and because it was organized by humans who knew what they were doing.\nWhile each store was unique, Tower Records had a reputation for devoting special attention to the way it sold classical music. In San Francisco, there was a classical annex across the street from its main building. In New York, the Tower Records at Lincoln Center was a hot spot for buying classical records and meeting the artists who made them. Somehow, Tower Records realized that classical music had to be treated differently from the rest of their catalog.\nPerhaps they saw how information-rich classical recordings are. One album might have multiple composers, arrangers, soloists, orchestras, and maybe even conductors. There may be multiple works, each broken into parts, and spread over a few CDs in a set. Add to this the liner notes, which were often as good or better than any well-researched encyclopedia or journal article you might read.\nAll this information makes the experience of listening more enjoyable and opens up new listening possibilities. But it also makes cataloging and database management a pain. And, sadly, since Tower Records closed, I’ve rarely seen the information management side of classical music done well, in brick-and-mortar stores or on the new streaming services.\nOur streaming services don’t know how to deal with the thousands of pieces called “Adagio”, or how to treat a movement not like a symphony. They often don’t even display full titles. And there are other problems.\nMitchel Broussard, for example, points out how Apple Music\n treats classical music too narrowly as a genre, mishandles and strips the rich information that accompanies classical music recordings, breaks up tracks, and more.  But happily, this can be fixed. As Broussard points out, there are many practical steps Apple Music can take. For example, they can “build better composer pages and offer more categories”. He also suggests, hiring human curators and companies that know what they’re doing. Perhaps, there are some Tower Records people hanging around somewhere?\nAfter I moved away from home, music became easily available over the internet; first, through illegitimate services like Napster and Limewire, then later through paid subscriptions like Spotify and Apple Music. These changes improved our access to classical music. And that’s great. But somehow, with the exception perhaps of NPR deejays, no one seems to know how to deliver that music in an organized way.\nFor an executive at Apple Music looking to make their mark, this project is being served on a silver platter. Let’s hope someone is listening.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-25 19:10:01 -0700",
    "date": "7:10 p.m. on Feb 25, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/25/tower-records-and.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F25%2Ftower-records-and.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 821,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "\u0026ldquo;Mind-blowing\u0026rdquo; is so overused, it\u0026rsquo;s _______________!\n staggering startling stunning stupefying a different synonym for “mind-blowing” that doesn’t start with “st”  ",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-22 17:02:52 -0700",
    "date": "5:02 p.m. on Feb 22, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/22/wow-that-word.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F22%2Fwow-that-word.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 822,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📷 Today, it snowed in Tucson! This is what it looks like outside the window of my study.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-22 10:00:10 -0700",
    "date": "10:00 p.m. on Feb 22, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/22/today-it-snowed.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F22%2Ftoday-it-snowed.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 823,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I deleted my LinkedIn and MeWe accounts tonight. 🥳\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-21 22:41:25 -0700",
    "date": "10:41 p.m. on Feb 21, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/21/i-deleted-my.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F21%2Fi-deleted-my.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 824,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "When You Overpromise",
    "text": "Have you ever overpromised on some work you were doing for someone else?\nAugustine did that when he promised to preach 1 John in a certain amount of time. Things probably started fine, but as he was going along he realized his plan was no good. So at the end of sermon number six of what would become a ten-part series, he tells his listeners, “I am afraid the epistle itself will not be finished during these days as I promised, but as the Lord will, it is better to reserve the remainder, than to overload your hearts with too much food”.\nEveryone makes planning mistakes, even Augustine. When you do, follow his example.\nInstead of barreling forward, be humble. Keep your priorities straight, readjust as necessary, and let everyone know what’s going on.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-21 10:46:27 -0700",
    "date": "10:46 p.m. on Feb 21, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/21/when-you-overpromise.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F21%2Fwhen-you-overpromise.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 825,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "There is too much going on right now! 🤪\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-20 15:44:50 -0700",
    "date": "3:44 p.m. on Feb 20, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/20/there-is-too.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F20%2Fthere-is-too.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 826,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Why Am I Suffering?",
    "text": "Sometimes, when you\u0026rsquo;re in the middle of pain and suffering, it is difficult to trust that God is good. He promised me salvation! So, where is it?\nTake, for example, the criminal described in Luke 23 who was being crucified alongside Jesus. As he was being crucified, this man recognizes that he is not like Jesus. He sees that he is guilty and is \u0026ldquo;receiving the due reward\u0026rdquo; for he sins, but that Jesus was an innocent man. The criminal also recognizes that Jesus is the merciful God, and is capable of saving him, even though Jesus is himself, at that moment, dying.\nThe man said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”\nAnd Jesus said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”\nWhen Jesus says these words, Jesus gives the criminal mercy, forgiveness, and the promise of paradise in God\u0026rsquo;s presence. Today.\nAnd yet, what about the man\u0026rsquo;s suffering right now? What was is this forgiven sinner to think of the salvation he had been promised when he could barely pull air into his lungs anymore, when his whole body screamed with pain, when the shame of his sins was still displayed for every passerby to see?\nThis, John Calvin writes, \u0026ldquo;reminds us that we ought not to judge of the grace of God by the perception of the flesh; for it will often happen that those to whom God is reconciled are permitted by him to be severely afflicted.\u0026rdquo;\nIn other words, suffering in this life doesn\u0026rsquo;t make God\u0026rsquo;s promise of paradise false. In fact, Calvin warns that we need to guard ourselves against doubting God in these moments. Because, if we don\u0026rsquo;t guard ourselves, we might allow \u0026ldquo;the severity of pain hinder us from tasting the goodness of God.\u0026rdquo;\nThis is an important point. Calvin is not merely saying that God will come through in the future, so hang on. That\u0026rsquo;s true, but he\u0026rsquo;s also saying that if we hold on to the promise of the merciful God, then we will experience God\u0026rsquo;s goodness and mercy even now in our sufferings, even during a crucifixion. As Calvin says,\n \u0026ldquo;all our afflictions ought to be mitigated and soothed by this single consolation, that as soon as God has received us into his favor, all the afflictions which we endure are aids to our salvation. This will cause our faith not only to rise victorious over all our distresses, but to enjoy calm repose amidst the endurance of sufferings.\u0026rdquo;\n Paul testifies to this in Romans 5 when he explains that \u0026ldquo;since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.\u0026rdquo; This work of God in Christ gives us peace and allows us to rejoice \u0026ldquo;in the hope of the glory of God.\u0026rdquo; But there\u0026rsquo;s more!\n \u0026ldquo;Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.\u0026rdquo;\n I doubt that after hearing Jesus' promise, the pain in the crucified criminal\u0026rsquo;s body went all away. But I have experienced in my own life and have heard in the testimonies of other Christians that what Paul says is true. God does give comfort and perseverance to those who suffer. And that he uses those sufferings for our salvation. You can trust him.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-20 13:50:46 -0700",
    "date": "1:50 p.m. on Feb 20, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/20/why-am-i.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F20%2Fwhy-am-i.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 827,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "δύο αἴλουροι\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-20 06:47:48 -0700",
    "date": "6:47 p.m. on Feb 20, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/20/064748.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F20%2F064748.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 828,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Advice on Preaching Law and Gospel",
    "text": "Charels Spurgeon once lamented how many Christians, especially ministers, don\u0026rsquo;t get the relationship between the law and gospel right.\n “O, when will all professors, and especially all professed ministers of Christ, learn the difference between the law and the gospel? Most of them make a mingle-mangle, and serve out deadly potions to the people…”\n But how do you avoid this? That\u0026rsquo;s a big question, but John Calvin offers some good advice in his comments on 1 John 2:12.\n “Holiness of life ought indeed to be urged, the fear of God ought to be carefully enjoined, men ought to be sharply goaded to repentance, newness of life together with its fruits, ought to be commended; but still we ought ever to take heed, lest the doctrine of faith be smothered,— that doctrine which teaches that Christ is the only offer of salvation and all of blessings; on the contrary, such moderation ought to be presented, that faith may ever retain its own primacy. This is the rule prescribed to us by John: having faithfully spoken of good works, lest he should seem to give them more importance than he ought to have done, he careful he calls us back to contemplate the grace of Christ.”\n According to Calvin, it’s not enough to preach both the law and the gospel. They must also be proclaimed in right relation to one another.\nUnderstanding what the law and gospel are and how they are related is essential for Christian preaching. Ministers should be expert in them. Here are some things you can read to avoid the mingle-mangle:\n Edward Fisher, The Marrow of Modern Divinity Sinclair Ferguson, The Whole Christ John Colquhoun, A Treatise on the Law and the Gospel  ",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-19 09:14:54 -0700",
    "date": "9:14 p.m. on Feb 19, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/19/advice-on-preaching.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F19%2Fadvice-on-preaching.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 829,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Get Digital Minimalism",
    "text": "I just wrote a review on Cal Newport’s new book, Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World. I\u0026rsquo;ll either post a link to the review or publish it here in the future.\nBottom line: The only people I know who don’t need to read this book are those who have already adopted his ideas, which is hardly anyone. Do yourself a favor and get this book.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-18 12:57:26 -0700",
    "date": "12:57 p.m. on Feb 18, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/18/get-digital-minimalism.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F18%2Fget-digital-minimalism.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 830,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Hospitality Requires “Systems, Not Just Smiles”",
    "text": "Ti Adelaide Martin specializes in hospitality. She recently opened New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute and was featured in the Wall Street Journal. See: “How to Host a Dinner Like a Pro”\nIn that feature, she offers some advice. Hospitality requires, she says, “systems, not just smiles.”\n \u0026ldquo;Having that system in place makes it easier for us to be warm and gracious and hospitable, and to connect.\u0026rdquo;\n The Bible tells us to be proactive about hospitality. We need to think about it in advance and be prepared for it. For example, wealthy Christians are commanded in 1 Timothy 6:18 “to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready [or, willing] to share.” And while hospitality is a particular blessing and calling for the wealthy, God says in Romans 12:13 that all Christians must “seek to show hospitality”. We must not neglect it, according to Hebrews 13:2. Seeking is the opposite of neglecting. Seeking is proactive. And interestingly, in Romans, Paul may intend an even stronger verb than seek.\nThe word that “seek” translates in Romans 12:13 is διώκειν, which usually means to pursue, chase, or drive after something. In some contexts it can mean to prosecute or persecute. This is probably the case when Paul uses διώκειν in the following verse: “Bless those who persecute [διώκοντας] you, bless and do not curse them”. If verse 14 refers to persecuting—and all English versions translate it this way, probably because of Matthew 5—it is a quite a thing to pair this kind of pursuit with the verse before about pursuing hospitality. In that case, Paul would be saying something like, “pursue the goal of showing hospitality, and when others pursue you with the intent to harm you, bless them.” If it doesn’t mean that and instead means, “Bless those who pursue you in showing you hospitality. Don’t curse them!”, then this also strengthens God’s call to be hospitable.\nEither way, God tells us to be hospitable and that it\u0026rsquo;s not good enough to just let hospitality happen. This is because hospitality falls into the broader category of love, as it does in Romans 12. Διώκετε τὴν ἀγάπην—Pursue love—says 1 Corinthians 14:1. Christ’s love for us was proactive, purposeful, and planned. Those who have been born of God will love others in a similar way.\nThis is why systems are important. Systems for being hospitable make the occasional regular; they ensure that what might be overlooked will be attended to instead. Systems make hospitality easier for the host and a greater blessing for the guest. Of course, each organization, restaurant, church, family, etc., will need to find systems that fit their particular needs and goals, but having those systems they must.\nIn my church and in my family, we have some good systems in place. But there is room for growth. What about you? What systems do you have in place that make a big difference for you and for those whom you seek to serve?\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-16 14:27:08 -0700",
    "date": "2:27 p.m. on Feb 16, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/16/hospitality-requires-systems.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F16%2Fhospitality-requires-systems.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 831,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I surprised my kids yesterday with personalized dance bags. Fun and organized! 😁\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-16 09:36:37 -0700",
    "date": "9:36 p.m. on Feb 16, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/16/i-surprised-my.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F16%2Fi-surprised-my.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 832,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Idelette was “the best companion of my life”, wrote John Calvin. Her biographers call her “a woman of some force and individuality”. As you might guess, their marriage makes quite a story.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-15 16:21:02 -0700",
    "date": "4:21 p.m. on Feb 15, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/15/idelette-was-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F15%2Fidelette-was-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 833,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Me and my sweets. Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤️\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-14 12:08:33 -0700",
    "date": "12:08 p.m. on Feb 14, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/14/me-and-my.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F14%2Fme-and-my.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 834,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "“Hey, guys! I’m at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show for a few more days!”\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-13 18:45:06 -0700",
    "date": "6:45 p.m. on Feb 13, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/13/hey-guys-im.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F13%2Fhey-guys-im.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 835,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "If you love typography or the Bible or languages, you’re going to love Dodecaglotta. If you love all three, you better sit down before you click the link.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-13 12:13:57 -0700",
    "date": "12:13 p.m. on Feb 13, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/13/if-you-love.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F13%2Fif-you-love.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 836,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Is Capitalism Based on Greed?\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-12 19:51:45 -0700",
    "date": "7:51 p.m. on Feb 12, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/12/is-capitalism-based.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F12%2Fis-capitalism-based.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 837,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Della hand-painted this for my mom. It’s a little creamer pitcher.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-11 19:50:44 -0700",
    "date": "7:50 p.m. on Feb 11, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/11/della-handpainted-this.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F11%2Fdella-handpainted-this.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 838,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "You’ve got to watch Dave Tull singing “Texting and Driving” while he plays the drums. If anyone can text and drive, it’s this guy. Just kidding. Don\u0026rsquo;t do it, Dave. But, if you like the song, there’s a better version on cdBaby.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-08 21:12:32 -0700",
    "date": "9:12 p.m. on Feb 8, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/08/youve-got-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F08%2Fyouve-got-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 839,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Is there an easy way to pull all my posts off Facebook and add them to my blog without changing the post dates?\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-07 17:32:39 -0700",
    "date": "5:32 p.m. on Feb 7, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/07/is-there-an.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F07%2Fis-there-an.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 840,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Here is my Sunday morning sermon on John 2:1-12, where Mary says, “Do whatever he tells you.” I include a long quote from Luther that I found in F. D. Bruner’s commentary on John. I rarely quote so much in sermons, but the quote is so good.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-07 14:57:54 -0700",
    "date": "2:57 p.m. on Feb 7, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/07/here-is-my.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F07%2Fhere-is-my.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 841,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence - Imprimis\n “I soon realized that in all my years as a journalist I had never seen a story where the gap between insider and outsider knowledge was so great, or the stakes so high.”\n ",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-07 13:05:11 -0700",
    "date": "1:05 p.m. on Feb 7, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/07/marijuana-mental-illness.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F07%2Fmarijuana-mental-illness.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 842,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "If you haven’t seen my I Recommend page recently, take a look. I’ve added new links and lots more commentary over the last few weeks.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-07 07:06:47 -0700",
    "date": "7:06 p.m. on Feb 7, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/07/if-you-havent.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F07%2Fif-you-havent.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 843,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Taken just before the dentist said, “That’s one of the weirdest cavities I’ve ever seen.”\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-06 18:14:09 -0700",
    "date": "6:14 p.m. on Feb 6, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/06/taken-just-before.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F06%2Ftaken-just-before.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 844,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Augustine on humility:\n “For those who would learn God’s ways, humility is the first thing, humility is the second, humility is the third.”\n ",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-02 15:48:15 -0700",
    "date": "3:48 p.m. on Feb 2, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/02/augustine-on-humility.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F02%2Faugustine-on-humility.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 845,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Ten Reasons I Write Everything in Notebooks App",
    "text": "New writing apps are multiplying like rabbits, and the old standbys keep improving. Frankly, it’s hard to pick a bad app for your writing. That said, I want to throw some flowers on the stage for the iOS version of Notebooks App by Alfons Schmid. Only because I’m thankful for it and find it so useful. Thank you, Herr Schmid!\nHere are ten reasons why I’ve been doing all my long- form writing, note-taking, and even some PDF management in Notebooks.\nFirst, like 1Writer, iA Writer, Ulysses, and others, Notebooks allows me to write in Markdown. You don’t have to write in Markdown but it works great if you want to.\nSecond, Notebooks works well for any kind of writing: long essays, grocery lists, meeting notes, whatever. I’ve never liked having two or more apps for my writing because I just want to write without thinking where it goes. But you need to with most apps. Writing an essay in Apple Notes feels wrong, so does putting a grocery list in Scrivener. But either one feels fine in Notebooks.\nThird, Notebooks offers flexible organization. You can dump everything in one place, or separate your writing into a million notebooks and sub-notebooks (notebook=folder). And because Notebooks will use the first words you type for a title, if you don’t choose a custom title, you can get writing right away without having to decide what to name your work.\nFourth, Notebooks’ search features are also strong, and you can use hashtags and other features to find things.\nFifth, the iPad version of Notebooks allows me to zoom the text with a finger gesture. This is really important for me because I often want to type in a certain size and then quickly increase the size of everything proportionally, for preaching or teaching, without fiddling with formatting.\nSixth, Notebooks lets me download style sheets, edit them, or write my own. I love this. I spent a little time getting things looking like I want and then never mess with it again. I just start typing and the formatting takes care of itself. This is a time multiplier.\nSeventh, Notebooks offers a variety of syncing options. This is useful for all the obvious reasons. One option for syncing is through Dropbox. Using Dropbox allows me to share these files with others from the cloud. And there are many other ways to share directly from the app.\nEighth, with Notebooks I can also work with PDFs. I can download a PDF directly into the app, mark it with my Apple Pencil, and then email it out again without leaving the app. This feature is a few extra bucks add-on but totally worth it, especially since it also allows you to search the texts of PDFs as well. This makes Notebooks great for more than writing.\nNinth, Notebooks has a dual-pane mode on the iPad. This may not seem like a big deal, but I use it all the time. Within the same app, I can open a PDF I’ve marked and take notes about it in another window. Or I can brainstorm a quick list, then write from that list in another pane.\nTenth, Notebooks App features a lot more. It is also really fast. It has customizable timestamps, a web browser, fancy todo list capabilities, integrations with other popular apps, and more. To learn what else is possible, the app’s website has tons of information. And Jai Bentley-Payne of @appademic has written some long posts about Noteboooks.\n DEVONThink and Notebooks: Alternatives to Evernote Note Taking, Research and Organisation with Notebooks iOS Note Taking Automation with Notebooks, Workflow etc Creating Smart Reading Lists on iOS with Notebooks  Every now and then, I need to do some special formatting with a document and I’ll use Pages or Mellel. I also haven’t done any collaborative editing in a while, so I’m not tied to programs that have rich collaboration features.\nBut at the moment, my needs are pretty simple: I need a place to quickly write anything I want without fussing about formatting and still get good looking documents at the end. Notebooks is meeting those needs very well.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-02 13:20:57 -0700",
    "date": "1:20 p.m. on Feb 2, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/02/ten-reasons-i.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F02%2Ften-reasons-i.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 846,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I like your new profile pic @blot.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-02-01 14:34:17 -0700",
    "date": "2:34 p.m. on Feb 1, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/02/01/i-like-your.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F02%2F01%2Fi-like-your.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 847,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "techcrunch.com\n \u0026ldquo;Nasty FaceTime bug could allow others to eavesdrop on your microphone or camera\u0026rdquo;\n Better disable FaceTime until this gets fixed.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-01-28 21:05:35 -0700",
    "date": "9:05 p.m. on Jan 28, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/01/28/techcrunchcom-nasty-facetime.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F01%2F28%2Ftechcrunchcom-nasty-facetime.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 848,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Three Lectures on the Trinity",
    "text": "Reformed Theological Seminary Orlando has posted the three main lectures of the inaugural Paideia Center Conference on SoundCloud. I was blessed to attend this year 📷 and am glad they are making these recordings available.\nIn The Bible and the Trinity, Scott Swain showed from Revelation 4–5 how the doctrine of the Trinity is not some unformed, inchoate set of data or ideas in the Bible that needs to be made comprehensible by the church. Rather, the doctrine of the Trinity in the Bible is formed, normative, and eloquent. The Bible speaks of God masterfully and fluently; ecclesiastical expressions are just trying to catch up.\nIn Trinitarianism in the Fourth Century, D. Blair Smith connected the reading that was done ahead of the conference with some other writings by Gregory of Nazianzus and Basil of Caesarea to make some observations about the doctrine during this period. It’s my aim to become familiar with Gregory in the coming years. I’m looking forward to hearing and reading more from Dr. Smith on early Christianity.\nIn Reforming God?, Carl Trueman answers the question: How did the Reformers handle the doctrine of God in the Reformation; did they reform it? He employs and argues for some important methodological principles in historical theology. And he asks some very serious and provocative questions about ecumenicity among current “evangelicals”. His talk reminded me of this stunning and disconcerting assertion I read in D. A. Carson’s Pillar NT Commentary on John (p. 117) a few months back when I was preparing a sermon on John 1:1.\n “In fact, if John had included the article, he would have been saying something quite untrue. He would have been so identifying the Word with God that no divine being could exist apart from the Word. In that case, it would be nonsense to say (in the words of the second clause of this verse) that the Word was with God.”\n The discussion concerning some points Trueman made during the conference is continuing on and offline; it is worth following.\n Derek Rishmawy, Trueman Called It Carl Trueman, Some Thoughts on Systematic Theology as Poor Relation, Part One and Part Two  ",
    "dateiso": "2019-01-23 09:21:35 -0700",
    "date": "9:21 p.m. on Jan 23, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/01/23/three-lectures-on.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F01%2F23%2Fthree-lectures-on.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 849,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "With the Humble is Wisdom",
    "text": "This morning, I sent the following letter (edited here) to my students taking New Testament Survey. Perhaps it will help you in whatever you are learning right now. Thanks to @readerjohn for sharing the blog post I link to below.\n Dear Students,\nFor those who may be struggling with the writing assignments or class discussion, I’d like to encourage you with a few thoughts.\nFirst of all, I know these things are hard. I’m asking challenging questions, and I’m asking for your best work. Second, I know that writing and classroom discussion tends to expose weaknesses in our thinking, which is humbling.\nBut remember: you are in a safe place. You are doing a good job and we are all learning together. It’s okay to make mistakes. Make mistakes! And if you really want a great experience from this class, it’s going to take humility.\nYou might think this something to avoid. But don’t. Because “when pride comes,” says Proverbs 11:2, “then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.”\nSo if you’re smart about it, the learning that humbles will be the learning that strengthens. So take courage! Lean into your assignments and you will enjoy the benefits. As Francis Bacon said, “Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man.”\nI love learning with you, Pastor Chelpka\nP. S. If you want to grow in your ability to read and write, and you liked that Bacon quote (not 🥓, but still\u0026hellip;😋 ), check out J. Budziszewski’s advice on how to be full and exact and learn what you can.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-01-22 15:08:33 -0700",
    "date": "3:08 p.m. on Jan 22, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/01/22/with-the-humble.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F01%2F22%2Fwith-the-humble.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 850,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "We’re mailing these to all the families in our church with young kids (ages 3–12). It’s a great book.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-01-22 14:34:00 -0700",
    "date": "2:34 p.m. on Jan 22, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/01/22/were-mailing-these.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F01%2F22%2Fwere-mailing-these.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 851,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Woody Guthrie\u0026rsquo;s Fan Letter To John Cage and Alan Hovhaness (1947) - Open Culture\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-01-19 08:13:36 -0700",
    "date": "8:13 p.m. on Jan 19, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/01/19/woody-guthries-fan.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F01%2F19%2Fwoody-guthries-fan.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 852,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Updated my Now Page. Check it out to see what I’m up to these days. 🤠\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-01-18 17:46:49 -0700",
    "date": "5:46 p.m. on Jan 18, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/01/18/updated-my-now.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F01%2F18%2Fupdated-my-now.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 853,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Links for Improving Your Teaching",
    "text": "It\u0026rsquo;s easy to get in a teaching rut and rely too much on what\u0026rsquo;s comfortable. But those who use a wider variety of teaching strategies and tailor them to their teaching objectives will tend to have more success in making the material stick.\nOne way to think through the available options is to consider a distinction Mark Strom makes in Lead with Wisdom between conversation and communication. As he uses these terms, conversation involves \u0026ldquo;creating shared meaning,\u0026rdquo; whereas communication involves \u0026ldquo;sharing created meaning\u0026rdquo;. He says:\n I don\u0026rsquo;t want to be precious about this. At a certain level communication and conversation are synonyms. Yet the distinction is not just playing with words. The bigger picture is our assumptions about knowing and meaning.\n In Strom\u0026rsquo;s distinction, conversation allows knowledge to come about inductively and the process tends to \u0026ldquo;be a doorway to new meaning and new knowledge\u0026rdquo; and the formation not only of a single mind, but a community.\n Conversation tends to assume that knowledge and meaning take shape through interaction. Conversations highlight how meaning is tied to relationship.\n Communication, on the other hand, is about \u0026ldquo;sharing created meaning\u0026rdquo;.\n [Communication] suggests there already exists some knowledge that others need to know. We need to communicate: clearly, concisely, and relevantly. This is crucial in every kind of enterprise. Sometimes things are straightforward, and the last thing we need is a never-ending process of consultation that\u0026rsquo;s supposed to deliver consensus. Communication tends to assume that knowledge and meaning are things to be discovered and passed on.\n When I apply this distinction to teaching, conversation maps onto a set of techniques and philosophies about learning often called \u0026ldquo;active-learning\u0026rdquo;. Simply put, in active-learning students to learn by doing, and conversation is often involved, which requires asking good questions in a way that is formative, and cultivating a classroom culture that is condusive to discusion.\nAs a heads-up, I’ll tell you that there are various misconceptions about what active-learning means, and it’s something of a buzzword. So be careful. And if you’re a pedagogy nerd, you might find it useful to learn about the constructivist ideas behind this term. For that, Virginia Richardson’s overview and evaluations of the constructivist movement is helpful. But for those who want to get going faster, Cynthia J. Brame’s executive summary on active-learning is a great place to start.\nSometimes, active-learning advocates speak too strongly, which makes people ask questions like \u0026ldquo;Is it ever OK to Lecture? The answer is, yes. Of course it\u0026rsquo;s okay to lecture.\nIn a classroom setting, lecturing is the predominant form of what Strom calls \u0026ldquo;communication.\u0026rdquo; Lectures are especially good at passing on information, i.e. sharing meaning with others.\nOf course, for this to happen, lectures need to be engaging, and the students need to know how to learn. And I\u0026rsquo;m not talking about VARK learning styles, a pedagogy idea that \u0026ldquo;keeps getting debunked\u0026rdquo;.\nUnsurprisingly, mixing these two modes—conversation and conversation—in various proportions is usually best. The precise proportions will depend on your educational objectives. Bloom\u0026rsquo;s Taxonomies of educational objectives can help you choose your objectives.\nTo know whether or now you are achieving your objectives or to get suggestions on how you might do it better, you\u0026rsquo;ll need evaluation tools for both assessing the learning and assessing your teaching. There are many options to choose from. Getting and giving good immediate feedback is one of the best ways to achieve better learning outcomes.\n *I updated this article in April 2019 with some new links. And to improve its clarity, I made significant revisions to the whole post. I added some links about learning (from the students perspective) in May 2019 and, in August, a couple links related to asking good questions. In March 2020, I added an excellent guide to cultivating better classroom discussion from The Chronicle of Higher Education. In May 2021, I added a paragraph about getting and giving feedback.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-01-18 09:27:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:27 p.m. on Jan 18, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/01/18/learning-about-activelearning.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F01%2F18%2Flearning-about-activelearning.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 854,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "“The Top 6 Places To Try Sparkling Banana Milk” and other ridiculous headlines with this food hype generator.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-01-16 20:54:32 -0700",
    "date": "8:54 p.m. on Jan 16, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/01/16/the-top-places.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F01%2F16%2Fthe-top-places.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 855,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Isaac Watts Impresses Me",
    "text": "Whenever I read Isaac Watts, I feel like I see in him the kind of pastoral disposition I want.\nHis heart is always evident, but he’s never effusive. He’s a careful scholar, but for a broad audience. He is creative in the theological connections he makes, but he’s never wild. A good example of this last one is the connection he makes between the Trinity and the office of deacon in his book on the Christian church. He says, in part,\n let them remember and rejoice, that they represent the Character of our Lord Jesus, as he is intrusted with all Supplies from the Hands of the Father, and distributing unto the Church invisible.\n In case you\u0026rsquo;re curious, here\u0026rsquo;s an outline of the rest of his sermon on deacons:\n the office (the work of deacons, the reason for the office, the duration of the office, the way in which they become installed), how they may perform their duties well, encouragements in the task.  ",
    "dateiso": "2019-01-16 08:24:17 -0700",
    "date": "8:24 p.m. on Jan 16, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/01/16/isaac-watts-impresses.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F01%2F16%2Fisaac-watts-impresses.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 856,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "James M. Wilson on The Office of Deacon",
    "text": "You may be familiar with Samuel Miller\u0026rsquo;s book on on the ruling elder. As far as I know he didn\u0026rsquo;t write a parallel work on deacons, but in 1869, such a work appeared, with a nod toward Miller\u0026rsquo;s work, written by James M. Wilson. It\u0026rsquo;s called The Deacon: An Inquiry into the Nature, Duties and Exercise of the Office of the Deacon, in the Christian Church. (Miller does address the distinction between elders and deacons in his book.)\nI found a hard-copy of Wilson\u0026rsquo;s work this while perusing the shelves at RTS-Orlando. Yay for physical libraries! His book does as the title promises and includes tons of data from Reformed and Presbyterian history. He uses exegesis and historical examples to prove his points.\nHere are a couple of things I noted:\nWilson is decidedly in favor of putting all the temporal needs of the church—both individual and corporate (my distinction, not his)—in the hands of the deacons, who are subject to the session. No trustees! But I wonder, does he really think that everything temporal belongs to the work of the deacons? This seems unscriptural and impractical. I don\u0026rsquo;t think I\u0026rsquo;m misreading him, but it\u0026rsquo;s hard to imagine he\u0026rsquo;d hold such an extreme position.\nOn the necessity of the diaconate, he says that ensuring that this ministry is completed well and according to the will of Christ is important and should not be neglected. Why? Because it “concerns, intimately, the activity and efficiency of the Christian church in the promotion of the great ends of her organization: the diffusion of the gospel in its purity; and the accomplishment of those works of charity and benevolence, by which she is to reflect before the world, and upon it, the image of the grace and compassion of her beneficent Redeemer.” (55)\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-01-15 17:16:15 -0700",
    "date": "5:16 p.m. on Jan 15, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/01/15/james-m-wilson.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F01%2F15%2Fjames-m-wilson.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 857,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": " “No one is afraid to climb the heights, at least not if they have brave hearts and high courage. But the heart that is little from lack of love does not dare to undertake any great task, and does not venture to climb the heights.” (Margaret Porette)\n No lack of love for Leo!\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-01-14 20:24:45 -0700",
    "date": "8:24 p.m. on Jan 14, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/01/14/no-one-is.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F01%2F14%2Fno-one-is.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 858,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I learned a lot at the Paideia Center’s conference on the Trinity this week. Thanks to RTS in Orlando for hosting us. Here are some pictures I took of the campus.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-01-12 22:11:21 -0700",
    "date": "10:11 p.m. on Jan 12, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/01/13/i-learned-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F01%2F13%2Fi-learned-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 859,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Is Sunscreen the New Margarine? - Outside Online You can guess what this is about. And you already suspected it was true you, didn’t you?\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-01-12 12:45:40 -0700",
    "date": "12:45 p.m. on Jan 12, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/01/12/is-sunscreen-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F01%2F12%2Fis-sunscreen-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 860,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Post-vacation: here’s what I’m doing now.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-01-11 05:58:51 -0700",
    "date": "5:58 p.m. on Jan 11, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/01/11/postvacation-heres-what.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F01%2F11%2Fpostvacation-heres-what.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 861,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Thanks to an @appademic article, I found and read “On Intellectual Craftsmanship” by C. Wright Mills today. At the end of my vacation and the start of a big research project, this was a perfectly timed.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-01-07 21:58:29 -0700",
    "date": "9:58 p.m. on Jan 7, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/01/07/thanks-to-an.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F01%2F07%2Fthanks-to-an.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 862,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "A few feral chickens by the night blooming cereus.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-01-07 19:53:56 -0700",
    "date": "7:53 p.m. on Jan 7, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/01/07/a-few-feral.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F01%2F07%2Fa-few-feral.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 863,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I went to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum with two of my kids and about forty other people from church. The raptor free flight was, as always, amazing. We got to see the first public flight of a red-tailed hawk. And these are some of pictures I took of a great horned owl.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-01-05 21:44:05 -0700",
    "date": "9:44 p.m. on Jan 5, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/01/05/i-went-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F01%2F05%2Fi-went-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 864,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Snow in Tucson! My sweetie and I had fun taking the kids to play in the white stuff this morning.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-01-02 15:06:55 -0700",
    "date": "3:06 p.m. on Jan 2, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/01/02/snow-in-tucson.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F01%2F02%2Fsnow-in-tucson.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 865,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "With the new screens, the iPhone is almost a Klingon P.A.D.D. now. Should Apple go all the way?\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-01-01 23:22:53 -0700",
    "date": "11:22 p.m. on Jan 1, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/01/01/with-the-new.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fwith-the-new.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 866,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "My son wants to know why K’Tesh is wearing the Roblox logo.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-01-01 22:45:04 -0700",
    "date": "10:45 p.m. on Jan 1, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/01/01/my-son-wants.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fmy-son-wants.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 867,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Twenty years later, I’m relearning this awesome game and playing it with my son. Wow, time flies.\n",
    "dateiso": "2019-01-01 16:25:13 -0700",
    "date": "4:25 p.m. on Jan 1, 2019",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2019/01/01/twenty-years-later.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Ftwenty-years-later.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 868,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I added a kind of blogroll to my Now Page. Blogrolls are a great way to discover and help others discover useful things.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-29 15:12:25 -0700",
    "date": "3:12 p.m. on Dec 29, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/29/i-added-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F29%2Fi-added-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 869,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Now I have a now page.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-28 15:23:48 -0700",
    "date": "3:23 p.m. on Dec 28, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/28/now-i-have.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F28%2Fnow-i-have.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 870,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I am determined to play the first movement of the a-minor Saint-Saëns cello concerto in tune and up to speed before the end of my vacation. Watch out! 🤨\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-27 13:16:55 -0700",
    "date": "1:16 p.m. on Dec 27, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/27/i-am-determined.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F27%2Fi-am-determined.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 871,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Good news! You don’t have to wait until 2019 to start reading the Bible.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-26 14:15:10 -0700",
    "date": "2:15 p.m. on Dec 26, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/26/good-news-you.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F26%2Fgood-news-you.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 872,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Magnets: A Common Apple Magic Trick\n As a young kid, I thought magnets were about the coolest things ever. Here in my 30s, I feel the same way.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-26 11:44:38 -0700",
    "date": "11:44 p.m. on Dec 26, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/26/magnets-a-common.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F26%2Fmagnets-a-common.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 873,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Leo is having a very cute Christmas.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-25 16:20:33 -0700",
    "date": "4:20 p.m. on Dec 25, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/25/leo-is-having.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F25%2Fleo-is-having.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 874,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Christmas Eve fondue!\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-24 21:58:26 -0700",
    "date": "9:58 p.m. on Dec 24, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/24/christmas-eve-fondue.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F24%2Fchristmas-eve-fondue.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 875,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Should My Church Use GitLab?",
    "text": "I’m trying to learn how to use GitLab. I know it’s designed for developers, but I think it may be useful for my church as a repository for important documents, a wiki for sharing various policies and guidelines, and maybe as a project management tool too.\nWhat do you think? Do you think it’s a good idea?\nAny advice, articles, or videos you’d suggest for a total noob? The intro support videos at GitLab were a little too advanced for me.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-24 14:00:43 -0700",
    "date": "2:00 p.m. on Dec 24, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/24/should-my-church.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F24%2Fshould-my-church.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 876,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Feel the fun.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-24 12:11:19 -0700",
    "date": "12:11 p.m. on Dec 24, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/24/feel-the-fun.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F24%2Ffeel-the-fun.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 877,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Salt River Canyon\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-21 11:14:26 -0700",
    "date": "11:14 p.m. on Dec 21, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/21/salt-river-canyon.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F21%2Fsalt-river-canyon.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 878,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I just added Conscience: What It Is, How to Train It, and Loving Those Who Differ by Andrew David Naselli and J. D. Crowley to my I Recommend page. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-20 12:25:00 -0700",
    "date": "12:25 p.m. on Dec 20, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/20/i-just-added.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F20%2Fi-just-added.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 879,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Christopher Green’s talk on project management and teamwork is really good. And it includes some surprising advice about working faster. Pulling from the Right: How an Agile Team Organizes Work\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-18 10:13:38 -0700",
    "date": "10:13 p.m. on Dec 18, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/18/christopher-greens-talk.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F18%2Fchristopher-greens-talk.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 880,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "My dad’s beautiful handwriting.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-17 22:32:32 -0700",
    "date": "10:32 p.m. on Dec 17, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/17/my-dads-beautiful.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F17%2Fmy-dads-beautiful.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 881,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Do You Believe in the Trinity?",
    "text": "Tomorrow, we have three people joining our church. One is a new believer. Yay!\nTo join, each will affirm five questions, including this one related to the Trinity:\n Do you believe in one living and true God, in whom eternally there are three distinct persons—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—who are the same in being and equal in power and glory, and that Jesus Christ is God the Son, come in the flesh?\n Some people doubt the value of this doctrine and may even wonder if it should be required for membership. “Isn’t this better left to the theologians?”\nThe answer is no. As theologian Fred Sanders explains in 5 Myths about the Trinity,“the Trinity is too important to be left to theological experts.”\nIf you aren’t so sure, read @fredfredsanders article and see what you think.\nAlso, we’d love it if you would pray for these souls and our whole church.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-15 21:50:33 -0700",
    "date": "9:50 p.m. on Dec 15, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/15/do-you-believe.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F15%2Fdo-you-believe.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 882,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Your Blog Doesn’t Have to Be on Facebook or Twitter Anymore",
    "text": "About ten years ago, a lot of people started to abandon their own blogs and personal websites because it was so much easier to blog and microblog on other sites like Facebook and Twitter. But in the last year or so, two things have happened that are making many people want reclaim their own space on the web.\n We’ve learned a lot about the downsides of social media silos. Here\u0026rsquo;s just the most recent problem. Blogging is way easier than it once was, especially if you choose an almost frictionless option like I did by hosting my blog on Micro.blog. My friend @Nathanrhale just opened up about why he’s considering it too. And there are other good options as well.  If you’re curious and would like to learn more, start by reading Manton Reece’s final post in his helpful series, 12 Days of Microblogging.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-14 23:22:41 -0700",
    "date": "11:22 p.m. on Dec 14, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/14/your-blog-doesnt.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F14%2Fyour-blog-doesnt.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 883,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Reading the various reflections tonight on the closing of the Weekly Standard reminds me of all the nice things people say after a person has died. A little late guys, but it’s still good to hear.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-14 21:54:23 -0700",
    "date": "9:54 p.m. on Dec 14, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/14/reading-the-various.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F14%2Freading-the-various.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 884,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Warning: this lost baby javelina might melt your heart.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-14 11:26:26 -0700",
    "date": "11:26 p.m. on Dec 14, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/14/warning-this-lost.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F14%2Fwarning-this-lost.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 885,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Robot celebrities are going to redefine the media, according to me, based on this.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-14 08:10:42 -0700",
    "date": "8:10 p.m. on Dec 14, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/14/robot-celebrities-are.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F14%2Frobot-celebrities-are.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 886,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I am enjoying @manton‘s current “12 days of microblogging” series. If you are curious about blogging in general or Micro.blog in particular, these are worth reading. For example, check out number 7 on linkblogging.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-12 22:53:18 -0700",
    "date": "10:53 p.m. on Dec 12, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/12/i-am-enjoying.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F12%2Fi-am-enjoying.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 887,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Our Trip to Concho Valley OPC",
    "text": "This last weekend I took some of my kids to the White Mountains. We went to celebrate with the saints of Concho Valley Orthodox Presbyterian Church their becoming a new church within our presbytery.\nIn a passage I preached on during a special service, the Bible says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice.” It is one of the ways we use our bodies as Christians, especially within the body of Christ.\nSo we travel, shake hands, hug, and sing. We praise God together.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-11 15:05:16 -0700",
    "date": "3:05 p.m. on Dec 11, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/11/our-trip-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F11%2Four-trip-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 888,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "You can greatly improve your knowledge of the Bible by memorizing these brief outlines of the Old Testament books. It may seem like a lot, but my Bible survey students are just about finished and will be ready for their final next Monday. Way to go!\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-11 07:33:59 -0700",
    "date": "7:33 p.m. on Dec 11, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/11/you-can-greatly.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F11%2Fyou-can-greatly.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 889,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Christopher! Exercise is Really, Really Important",
    "text": "Exercise Wins: Fit Seniors Can Have Hearts That Look 30 Years Younger 🖇\nEvery now and then I need a reminder that regular exercise is important. And now is one of those times.\nThankfully, this morning I heard Patti Neighmond’s report about a study on aging and exercise. It makes one of the best cases for lifelong exercise I’ve ever heard. And it put me back on track.\nThe study compared the health of three groups: old people who were lifelong exercisers, old people who were not lifelong exercisers, and young people who were exercising as much as the old exercisers.\nThe results were remarkable. The health and quality of life for the lifelong exercisers was significantly better than those of their non-exercising peers. One 82-year-old, David Costill, has been exercising since he was in high school. Now,\n when Costill looks at his friends, he says he finds he can do a lot more physically than they can. “If I’m out with a group of my peers, guys who are near 80, and we’re going someplace, it seems to me they’re all walking at half speed.”\n So in addition to the immediate benefits of exercise, we can also look forward to the future.\nIt might even help to think of exercise like money. With each push up, you invest in a fund with an extraordinarily good rate of return. To greatly improve your quality of life in the future, make regular investments today.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-10 11:35:40 -0700",
    "date": "11:35 p.m. on Dec 10, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/10/christopher-exercise-is.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F10%2Fchristopher-exercise-is.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 890,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Check out Michael Kruger’s great list of books on the nature/authority of Scripture. He annotated it too. Although, he forgot to add his own excellent books, which are must-reads. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-10 09:30:46 -0700",
    "date": "9:30 p.m. on Dec 10, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/10/check-out-michael.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F10%2Fcheck-out-michael.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 891,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "My daughter thinks, “He’ll have a short but good life.”\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-09 21:54:32 -0700",
    "date": "9:54 p.m. on Dec 9, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/09/my-daughter-thinks.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F09%2Fmy-daughter-thinks.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 892,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I’m looking forward to reading Cal Newport’s thoughts on digital minimalism.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-04 11:54:32 -0700",
    "date": "11:54 p.m. on Dec 4, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/04/im-looking-forward.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F04%2Fim-looking-forward.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 893,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "J. Todd Billings and Stephen Shaffer explain how pastors who tend to their theology strengthen their service to the church.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-04 11:08:54 -0700",
    "date": "11:08 p.m. on Dec 4, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/04/j-todd-billings.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F04%2Fj-todd-billings.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 894,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "To help my Old Testament studetns learn how to read Song of Songs, I shared with them Billy Collin’s 45-second Introduction to Poetry. You might want to listen to it too.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-03 22:20:12 -0700",
    "date": "10:20 p.m. on Dec 3, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/03/to-help-my.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F03%2Fto-help-my.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 895,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Do you pray for librarians? Read John Dury’s (1596–1680) job description of the Reformed Librarie-Keeper and you’ll see why you should. 📚 🙏\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-03 08:30:19 -0700",
    "date": "8:30 p.m. on Dec 3, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/03/do-you-pray.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F03%2Fdo-you-pray.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 896,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Musical Masterpieces Recomposed",
    "text": "Only a month and a half ago I heard a new recording of Bach’s Cello Suites, which had been “recomposed” and performed by Peter Gregson. And now this, thanks to @pauljacobson, a recomposed version of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons by Max Richter!\nSo I guess this is thing, at least at Deutsche Grammophon, the label behind both albums. Are there other examples of this?\nI have a lot of writing to do today and look forward to re/listening to both these albums.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-12-01 07:51:02 -0700",
    "date": "7:51 p.m. on Dec 1, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/12/01/musical-masterpieces-recomposed.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F12%2F01%2Fmusical-masterpieces-recomposed.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 897,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "How To Change Your Micro.blog Font (To Display Multiple Languages)",
    "text": "With websites hosted on Micro.blog, you can edit the default themes by adding custom CSS. Here’s how I edited my CSS so that my website would properly display ancient Greek and Hebrew as well as English. You can use this as starting point to take your website\u0026rsquo;s typeface in any direction.\nFirst, I chose a Google Font that could handle all three languages in regular, bold, and italic. After a bunch of testing, I learned that there are only two options that do this well: Arimo (sans-serif) and Tinos (serif).\nThen, to overwrite the default font settings, I simply pasted the code below for Tinos to the top of my CSS, clicked Update CSS, and I was done!\nIn case you prefer Arimo, I\u0026rsquo;m including the code below. And if you don’t care about Greek or Hebrew and simply want to change to another font, you can generate your own code from a host of choices at fonts.google.com.\nFor Arimo @import url(\u0026quot;fonts.googleapis.com/csshttps://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Arimo:400,400i,700\u0026amp;subset=greek-ext,hebrew,latin-ext\u0026quot;); body { font-family: Arimo, sans-serif; }  For Tinos @import url(\u0026quot;fonts.googleapis.com/csshttps://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Tinos:400,400i,700\u0026amp;subset=greek-ext,hebrew,latin-ext\u0026quot;); body { font-family: Tinos, serif; }  Update: The original code I posted did not use double quotes around the url. This created an invalid url and caused the browser to default to a system font. The code works properly now.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-11-30 18:28:32 -0700",
    "date": "6:28 p.m. on Nov 30, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/11/30/how-to-change.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F11%2F30%2Fhow-to-change.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 898,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "The Incarnation and God’s Eternal Presence",
    "text": "And the Word became flesh. Καὶ ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο.\nThese words in John 1:14 testify to the incarnation of the Son of God, and it’s what Christians celebrate and remember at Christmas. But the importance of the incarnation extends beyond Christmas. In his letters, John says that confessing that Jesus has come in the flesh is required for being a Christian.\n By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, (1 John 4:2 ESV)\n  For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. (2 John 1:7 ESV)\n What makes believing in the incarnation so important? The Bible gives many reasons.\nThe incarnation is the self-revelation of God and godliness (1 Tim 3:16). It fulfills the Davidic Covenant (Rom 1:3). And it brought the Son under the law (Gal 4:4), to obey the law (Phil 2:7–8), and yet be condemned by it (Rom 8:3) for the sake of those who were under the power of the death and the devil (Heb 2:14), to give them life (John 6:51) that they would be holy and blameless before God (Col 1:22).\nJohn’s focus, however, is on something else related to these things but worthy of special meditation too. John tells us that in the incarnation we received the glorious, gracious presence of God.\n Καὶ ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν, καὶ ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς μονογενοῦς παρὰ πατρός, πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας.\n  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.\n After writing that the Word became flesh, John adds καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν, and he dwelt among us. The word, εσκήνωσεν, evokes images of settling down and pitching one’s tent in a place. Specifically, it is a reference to the tabernacle in the Old Testament, which was the place where God dwelled with his people; the place where he was sought and was found. It was sometimes called the Tent of Meeting.\nBecause of his presence in that tent, the tabernacle was a place to be loved by his people. King David sings in Psalm 26:8 “O Yahweh, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.”\nAnd you’ve got to read this from Psalm 27:4–6 where the idea is continued:\n One thing have I asked of Yahweh, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of Yahweh all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of Yahweh and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to Yahweh.\n David’s songs gives expression to the glorious blessing of being in the presence of God. In the presence of God we find beauty and knowledge, protection and honor, satisfaction and joy. Is that something you desire—to be in the presence of God, to see him as he is?\nAmazingly, what the Bible teaches is that what was anticipated and enjoyed by David and others under the Old Covenant would be eclipsed by an even greater experience of God’s presence in the New Covenant. Not because God gets better, but because he would reveal himself more fully through the incarnation and the incarnate work of the Son. Moreover, for all who believe in the Son, God’s presence would be eternal. They would seek, find, and enjoy him all the days of their eternal life. As it is was prophesied in Ezekiel 37:27–28 concerning the New Covenant:\n My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the nations will know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.\n If you would like to know more, you can listen to my sermon on John 1:14–17.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-11-30 12:20:06 -0700",
    "date": "12:20 p.m. on Nov 30, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/11/30/the-incarnation-and.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F11%2F30%2Fthe-incarnation-and.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 899,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "What non-dance items would you put in your dance bag?\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-11-30 10:51:50 -0700",
    "date": "10:51 p.m. on Nov 30, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/11/30/what-nondance-items.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F11%2F30%2Fwhat-nondance-items.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 900,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Helping Men Find Good Work",
    "text": "I learned about two new studies today that I can\u0026rsquo;t wait to study more closely.\nThe first is Harry’s Masculinity Report, USA 2018, a survey of 5,000 American men. Its results show that what makes men happy is good work. “The strongest predictor of a positive mindset in men—by far—is satisfying employment.”\n Men at work are men at peace: everything else flows down from satisfying employment. Men who have high job satisfaction are more likely to feel optimistic, happy, motivated, emotionally stable, in control and confident.\n But, as you know, many working-class men have trouble finding satisfying employment, or even any kind of employment. According to a second report released this week, Work, Skills, Community: Restoring Opportunity for the Working Class, 1 in 4 working-class men are unemployed.\n“Work, Skills, Community” helps us understand the job problem—for men and women—better, and not just unemployment, but underemployment and unsatisfying employment too. The report identifies and defines core areas of concern based on lots of data-analysis and listening, in-person, to real humans. And it proposes thirty-four specific policy recommendations that could make life better, even happier, for all of us.\nAnd there’s one more thing.\n“Work, Skills, Community”, is a bipartisan report, convened by Opportunity America and produced by two of America’s leading think-tanks, AEI and Brookings.\n We listened and negotiated and ultimately compromised with one another.\n This is good because at the policy-level, we need research-based solutions that are also politically practical and able to help people when they need it, which is now.\nTwo-years of collaborative study and decision-making have gone into producing “Work, Skills, and Community”, a report on a serious and immediate problem. Now it’s time for the rest of us to read it.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-11-29 13:23:44 -0700",
    "date": "1:23 p.m. on Nov 29, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/11/29/helping-men-find.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F11%2F29%2Fhelping-men-find.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 901,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Guess what I get to read? 😁\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-11-25 22:22:30 -0700",
    "date": "10:22 p.m. on Nov 25, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/11/25/guess-what-i.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F11%2F25%2Fguess-what-i.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 902,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "When Telling Off the Devil, You Don’t Need to Say Much",
    "text": "Be bold. Don’t hesitate.\nIn a sermon on John 1:14, Martin Luther tells us how to beat back the devil when under his attack.\n Little is gained against the devil with a lengthy disputation, but a brief word and reply such as this is effective: “I am a Christian, of the same flesh and blood as my Lord Christ, the Son of God. You settle with him, devil!” Such a retort would soon make him depart.\n When under attack, let Christ be your strength. People who dialogue with the devil don’t usually win. Jesus being the exception, send the devil to him.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-11-24 23:40:35 -0700",
    "date": "11:40 p.m. on Nov 24, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/11/24/when-telling-off.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F11%2F24%2Fwhen-telling-off.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 903,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "ProtonMail is 50% off!\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-11-23 08:30:31 -0700",
    "date": "8:30 p.m. on Nov 23, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/11/23/protonmail-is-off.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F11%2F23%2Fprotonmail-is-off.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 904,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "How To Give Thanks During a Civil War",
    "text": "The following is Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863:\n The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.\n  In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict, while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.\n  Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.\n  No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.\n  It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity, and union.\n  In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.\n  Done at the city of Washington, this 3d day of October, A. D. 1863, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.\n  ABRAHAM LINCOLN.\n ",
    "dateiso": "2018-11-22 10:18:20 -0700",
    "date": "10:18 p.m. on Nov 22, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/11/22/how-to-give.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F11%2F22%2Fhow-to-give.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 905,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "😋 Some Thanksgiving veggies, with marshmallows.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-11-21 17:33:31 -0700",
    "date": "5:33 p.m. on Nov 21, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/11/21/some-thanksgiving-veggies.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F11%2F21%2Fsome-thanksgiving-veggies.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 906,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "A Tucson sunset and moonrise at Christ the King Episcopal Church.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-11-20 22:28:43 -0700",
    "date": "10:28 p.m. on Nov 20, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/11/20/a-tucson-sunset.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F11%2F20%2Fa-tucson-sunset.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 907,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📚 I’m excited to read Loving God with Our Minds: The Pastor as Theologian today. Gonna start with Brian Daley’s chapter on Gregory of Nazianzus, then Moltmann’s “Praying with Eyes Open”.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-11-20 10:09:33 -0700",
    "date": "10:09 p.m. on Nov 20, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/11/20/im-excited-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F11%2F20%2Fim-excited-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 908,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "👍🏼 Manton Reece - Breaking up Facebook is up to us\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-11-19 16:43:45 -0700",
    "date": "4:43 p.m. on Nov 19, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/11/19/manton-reece-breaking.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F11%2F19%2Fmanton-reece-breaking.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 909,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "If you eat more mozzerella cheese, can you increase the number of doctorates awarded to civil engineers? No. But there are a whole lot more spurious correlations for you to laugh at.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-11-17 13:36:33 -0700",
    "date": "1:36 p.m. on Nov 17, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/11/17/if-you-eat.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F11%2F17%2Fif-you-eat.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 910,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "A Simple Liturgy for When the Pastor Isn’t at Church",
    "text": "What do you do when the pastor isn’t at church to preach and lead worship on Sunday?\nThis happened to Covenant last Sunday.\nAbout two hours before I was supposed to be at church, I had some severe pain and ended up in the emergency room. I was hoping I could get out quickly and still get to church on time, but when I learned the estimated wait times on lab results—and the pain hadn’t abated—I realized that wasn\u0026rsquo;t going to happen.\nI’m feeling fine now, but there are other times in the life of the church when a pastor can’t be present, like during his vacation or study leave, or during a pastoral search process. And mission works without a church planter often face this probelm. So what’s a church to do? Especially, when there is no associate minister or nearby pastor in another church to help.\nOne option is to have ready-to-use liturgies on hand that don’t require preaching. It’s not ideal, but it’s not a bad option at all. I put one of these together at the beginning of the year, and an elder used it one of our two services last Sunday. It went well, but we quickly realized that having more of these on hand would be a good idea.\nWhat follows is the (slightly revised) email and liturgy I sent to my elders ten months ago. Feel free to copy and adapt it for your own needs. And if you write one of these, please share!\n Subject: A Simple Liturgy, In Case I’m Not There\nDear brothers,\nI thought it might be useful for you to have a ready-to-use liturgy in case I am unable to lead worship for some reason. So, I put one together for you. If you like, you could print out a copy and keep it at church somewhere you can find it. I suggest a locked glass case with a hammer hanging on a hook nearby. Just for fun.\nFor the King, Christopher\nInvocation and Prayer: “Our Heavenly Father, you are holy, wise, and powerful above all things. By your grace we are forgiven our sins and made alive in Christ. We pray that as we meet with you now, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you would make alive those who are dead in sin, and that those who are already born again would be built up in the true Christian faith. O Holy Spirit, transform all you hear your Word, so that we may not just be hearers of the Word, but doers of the word as well. We pray in the name of our only mediator, Jesus Christ our glorious Lord. Amen.”\nHymn: To God Be the Glory (THR, 55; TPH, 236)\nExpository Reading: John 12:1-19\nHymn: Psalm 110 (THR, 313; TPH 110B)\nLord’s Prayer: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”\nHymn: Jesus! What a Friend for Sinner! (THR, 498; TPH 456)\nExpository Reading: John 12:20-36a, 13:1-28, 18:1-19:30\nHymn: Lift High the Cross (THR, 263; TPH 287)\nPrayer for God’s Blessing: “Almighty God, we praise you for revealing your glorious grace to us in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Teach us to believe it and follow after him. And we ask that you would keep us from stumbling and present us blameless before the presence of your glory with great joy. And to you, the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever more. Amen.”\nNotes:\n THR = Trinity Hymnal Revised; TPH = Trinity Psalter-Hymnal. In “expository reading,” one reads the text with the goal of communicating the meaning of the text, though without additional comment. So, no sermon, just good reading. I learned this term from Daniel I. Block in his book, For the Glory of God: Recovering a Biblical Theology of Worship, 191. (The liturgy above is modified from one he recounts in fn. 54 on that page.) Block says, “Expository reading means reading the Scriptures so that their literary qualities are appreciated, their message understood, and their transformative power experienced.”  Visit christopherchelpka.com/simple-liturgies/ for more simple liturgies like this one.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-11-16 12:48:00 -0700",
    "date": "12:48 p.m. on Nov 16, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/11/16/a-simple-liturgy.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F11%2F16%2Fa-simple-liturgy.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 911,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Guess who said this about Martin Luther.\n ”That great man of God, a third Elias, and a second Paul, (if I may venture the expression) though he was no inspired teacher, was endued with a great measure of the spirit of them both\u0026hellip;”\n Hint: A Scottish Presbyterian.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-11-16 10:04:48 -0700",
    "date": "10:04 p.m. on Nov 16, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/11/16/guess-who-said.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F11%2F16%2Fguess-who-said.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 912,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone?”\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-11-15 10:48:03 -0700",
    "date": "10:48 p.m. on Nov 15, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/11/15/two-are-better.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F11%2F15%2Ftwo-are-better.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 913,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "String Musicians, Christmas Kaleidoscope is the Christmas Music Book You Need to Buy",
    "text": "It’s almost Christmastime, and if you’re a string player wanting to play some Christmas music this year, I’ve got a great recommendation for you.\nBuy for yourself, and anyone you might want to play, with Robert S. Frost’s Christmas Kaleidoscope books: Book 1 and Book 2. I have been playing from these books every Christmas since the mid-90s and I’m still not tired of them. Here’s why they work so well.\nYou can find a book for your instrument. There is a book available for violin, viola, cello, bass, and piano. There is even a conductor’s score.\nThe books work GREAT with ensembles. With the Christmas Kaliedoscope books, you can put together any kind of string ensemble you want. This is possible because every book has a melody line and two harmony parts. The melody line is listed as A; the harmony parts are B, C, D, and E. Violin and viola have the A, B, and C parts in their books. Cello and bass have the A, D, and E parts. This means that when playing with others it is easy to pass the melody around, and you can switch to different harmony parts as you please, no matter what instrument you’re playing. The possibilities for interesting arrangements are endless.\nThe publisher once produced books for every instrument. As far as I can tell, only the string books, piano, and conductor’s score are available now. But perhaps if you’re an internet super-sleuth, or if you want to clean my garage, you might be able to find the ones for winds and brass.\nBetween the two books, you get a solid collection of classic Christmas songs. The two books give a total of 30 songs including Silent Night, Here We Come A-Caroling, Angels We Have Heard on High, The First Noel, and We Wish You A Merry Christmas. You can see the complete table of contents for Book 1 and Book 2.\nThe books are not difficult. If you’re familiar with the difficulty grading system publishers sometimes use, Books 1 and 2 are graded at levels 1 and 2, respectively. Essentially, this means that Christmas Kaleidoscope can be played by anyone except the most beginning of beginning players. So, even if you’ve had only a few months of playing your instrument, you can definitely learn most of these songs, especially in Book 1.\nBut anyone will enjoy playing these pieces. Though the songs aren’t difficult, Robert Frost\u0026rsquo;s arrangements are so well-written that professionals enjoy playing and improvising from them too. I know this from personal experience.\nBottom line: The Christmas Kaleidoscope books give you a solid collection of Christmas songs that you can play as solos or with your friends, all while creating different arrangements every time you play. You will enjoy playing them and your audience will love listening.\nFor my cello students, here are direct links to Christmas Kaleidoscope Book 1 and Book 2. For everyone else, use this link to search. May you have a very merry, music-making Christmas. 🎁\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-11-14 22:42:35 -0700",
    "date": "10:42 p.m. on Nov 14, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/11/14/string-musicians-christmas.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F11%2F14%2Fstring-musicians-christmas.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 914,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Prof. Libbie Groves’s dramatic recitation of Jonah (in biblical Hebrew!) is both funny and serious, just like the book. Check it out! You’ll enjoy it even if you don’t know Hebrew.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-11-09 22:53:59 -0700",
    "date": "10:53 p.m. on Nov 9, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/11/09/prof-libbie-grovess.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F11%2F09%2Fprof-libbie-grovess.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 915,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "An Easy Way to Type Ancient Greek and Hebrew on an iPad",
    "text": "I’m using an Apple Smart Keyboard with a 10.5” iPad Pro running iOS 12.1.\n1. Connect a keyboard. You can’t access Greek accents or Hebrew niqqud (vowels, dagesh, shwa, etc.), with the iOS touchscreen keyboard.\n2. Add Greek and Hebrew keyboards. Settings \u0026gt; General \u0026gt; Keyboard \u0026gt; Keyboards \u0026gt; Add New Keyboard\u0026hellip;\n3. Change Greek to Greek - Polytonic and Hebrew to Hebrew-QWERTY. Settings \u0026gt; General \u0026gt; Keyboard \u0026gt; Hardware Keyboards \u0026gt; Greek \u0026gt; Greek - Polytonic. Follow the same for Hebrew, but choose Hebrew - QWERTY.\n4. Wherever you are typing, choose a font that contains Greek, Hebrew, and English letters. Times New Roman is already installed and capable of this.\n5. Switch keyboards—not fonts—using the global key on your keyboard. Or use whatever switching command you’ve set up.\n6. Learn to use the keyboards. Especially learn the option+number keys for Hebrew niqqud and the option+punctuation keys for Greek accents.\nBonus Tips!  Under the keyboards menu (see Step 2), you can click “edit” and then drag the keyboards into your preferred order. If you like, you can install other capable fonts. For example, Accordance has a font package you can install using the AnyFont app. And the font, Cardo, can be installed directly from FontSquirrel.com.  ",
    "dateiso": "2018-11-08 17:47:04 -0700",
    "date": "5:47 p.m. on Nov 8, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/11/08/an-easy-way.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F11%2F08%2Fan-easy-way.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 916,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Today, I’m going to learn Hebrew like my daughter eats spaghetti.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-11-07 07:45:41 -0700",
    "date": "7:45 p.m. on Nov 7, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/11/07/today-im-going.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F11%2F07%2Ftoday-im-going.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 917,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Learning about discourse analysis in Biblical Hebrew this morning.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-11-06 09:40:08 -0700",
    "date": "9:40 p.m. on Nov 6, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/11/06/learning-about-discourse.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F11%2F06%2Flearning-about-discourse.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 918,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "His first time seeing pumpkin seeds in a pumpkin. “Awesome!”\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-11-04 20:19:50 -0700",
    "date": "8:19 p.m. on Nov 4, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/11/04/his-first-time.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F11%2F04%2Fhis-first-time.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 919,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Pie eating contest. Ready, set, no hands!\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-11-03 19:19:22 -0700",
    "date": "7:19 p.m. on Nov 3, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/11/03/pie-eating-contest.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F11%2F03%2Fpie-eating-contest.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 920,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Google+, Mike Elgan, and the Future of the Internet",
    "text": "In order to reestablish the Internet as thee online social network, we need to study social network silos like Facebook and Twitter. Learning from them will allow us to build on their strongest features and avoid their worst.\nBut don’t forget Google+.\nThough it’s being shut down, it is as important to learn from what fails as it is from what succeeds. Moreover, Google+ had many successes that were copied by others. And, at its peak, it achieved wider systemic integration with various aspects of the Internet—albeit the internet of Google—than Facebook or Twitter have ever achieved. For these reasons, Google+ deserves attention and analysis by who share the IndieWeb dream.\nTo get a taste of what I mean, read Mike Elgan’s, Goodbye, Google+: A eulogy for the last great social network.\nMike Elgan is a good person to write about this. Not only is he a longtime tech writer, he has been one of the most important users on Google Plus during all its ups and downs. And it was his advocacy of the platform that caused many to join in the first place. He understood what made it work. And why, for so many people at the time, it made sense move blogging and even emailing over to Google’s social network.\nElgan has now gone #backtotheblog and even has an account on Micro.blog. Hi, @MikeElgan! But I’m glad he’s reflecting on what made Google+ work as a social network. The more we do that, the better positioned we will be for making the social network that is the Internet even better.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-11-03 11:55:23 -0700",
    "date": "11:55 p.m. on Nov 3, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/11/03/google-mike-elgan.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F11%2F03%2Fgoogle-mike-elgan.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 921,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Good Customer, Bad Customer",
    "text": " Everyone with a bank account, cellphone or online shopping habit has at least one CLV score, more likely several. And most people have no inkling they even exist, let alone how they are used, what goes into them or how accurate they are.\n On Hold for 45 Minutes? It Might Be Your Secret Customer Score by Khadeeja Safdar, Wall Street Journal\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-11-02 10:46:51 -0700",
    "date": "10:46 p.m. on Nov 2, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/11/02/good-customer-bad.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F11%2F02%2Fgood-customer-bad.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 922,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Re-Scheduled Gregory of Nazianzus Reading Group",
    "text": "Because I’m trying to get over an illness, I am rescheduling the last session of the Christian Theology Reading Group. It’s canceled for tonight and has been rescheduled for November 17, 2:00-3:30pm, meeting at my house instead of the library. If you need directions, please get in touch.\nIn the meantime, you catch up on missed readings and consider registering for the Paideia Center Winter Conference where Gregory’s work, among other things, will be discussed.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-11-01 10:31:57 -0700",
    "date": "10:31 p.m. on Nov 1, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/11/01/rescheduled-gregory-of.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F11%2F01%2Frescheduled-gregory-of.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 923,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Is Reformed worship boring?",
    "text": "Imagine that for your whole life you had only eaten dinner at Medieval Times, the stadium seating dinner-theater event with knights, horses, and lots of yelling. And imagine that every time you went to Medieval Times, you were told that this is what eating dinner is all about. You weren’t just getting fed with the food but also with the energy and excitement. This wasn’t just entertainment; this was life. And the power of this moment was going to carry you through to the next event.\nNow, imagine your shock when one day you meet a family who, instead of going to Medieval Times every day, chooses to stay home for a dinner. And then—surprise!—they invite you to come over one evening.\nThe night arrives, you show up, and everything you expected is instantly confirmed. Instead of jousting, falconry, and the passion of the crowd, there’s just a short prayer, some squirmy kids, Bible reading, and very ordinary conversation about a very ordinary day.\nAs my former historical theology professor, R. Scott Clark, explains in response to a Twitter conversation, what I’ve described is similar to the paradigm crash many people experience who come to Reformed worship for the first time. Of course, some love it instantly, but others may have a hard time adjusting. I’ve seen both.\nIf you’re trying to wrap your head around Reformed worship, read Dr. Clark’s post. It might help you understand what is going on.\nPhotos by James Kirsop (Hillsong Worship Conference) and Experience Kissimmee (Medieval Times), on flickr\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-10-31 15:15:15 -0700",
    "date": "3:15 p.m. on Oct 31, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/10/31/is-reformed-worship.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F10%2F31%2Fis-reformed-worship.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 924,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Can an iPad Pro replace your laptop? It works for me.",
    "text": "For a little more than a year now, I’ve been successfully using my 10.5” iPad Pro + Apple Pencil + Smart Keyboard as laptop replacement. I wanted to try this as a way to save money that could be spent on more expensive laptop choices. MacStories.net’s iPad Diaries gave me hope that this might be possible, and they were right.\nThere are some things I wish were different. First, most apps that have a MacOS counterpart are more limited on iOS. This has not been a major problem. Though, I wish DEVONthink had a more robust iOS app.\nSecond, with this version of Pencil and iPad, I have no place to connect the pencil to the iPad. When I pointed this out to the folks at the Apple Store, I chuckled when they suggested I buy a leather sleeve for the pencil. What? You want me to lose the pencil and its fancy sleeve? Anyway, Apple knew this was a problem and may have solved it in today’s update. I solved the probelm with this excellent $15 case, which may still be necessary depending on how strong that new pencil magnet is. You don’t want to accidentally disconnect and lose your pencil when you slip your iPad into your bulging briefcase.\nThird, after a while, the keyboard started to have trouble connecting to the iPad. The connection problems were tolerable for a while so I didn’t take it in. When the keyboard stopped working last week, it was out of warranty and I had to replace it. I guess that’s my bad; maybe.\nFourth, some features on some websites still don’t work as well as they should on iOS, but it’s rare.\nThat said, I’m willing to tolerate these things for a few reasons. First, as a mentioned before, I want to save money. Second, besides being cheaper, there are some advantages the iPad has over a laptop.\n  It’s helpful having a super-portable camera and a full keyboard integrated into one machine. In this way, the iPad merges the benefits you would get separately from a iPhone and a laptop/desktop.\n  Working with documents, especially signing and sharing, has never been so easy. Before, if you sent me something to sign and return, I would need to print, sign, scan, upload, and then email it back to you. This would involve a computer, a printer, and a thumb drive. Now I just sign and email on the same device. Sure, the Pencil is different than the IPad, but they feel connected in a way a computer and a printer don’t.\n  I am a pacer. If I have a long talk with my dad on the phone, I may walk miles. I like talking to my dad. The iPad allows me to walk and work if I want. I’ve written whole sermons using a combination of the iPad’s built in transcription capabilities and its on-screen keyboard. A laptop would be too awkward and heavy for this.\n  But for me, the biggest benefit is how the iPad is less obtrusive than a laptop in various social situations. Some of the time, my iPad is on my desk, as pictured here. But I also use it in a whole bunch of other contexts. That’s only possible because the iPad is less likely to interrupt and obstruct social connections. For one, it’s smaller. It’s also more easily moved in and out of reach. And because it has a variety of working positions, it can be adapted quickly to fit different kinds of contexts, even changing ones. For some people this won’t matter very much, but doing the things I do as a minister, it’s a big deal. It makes the iPad a really flexible and useful machine.\n  ",
    "dateiso": "2018-10-30 17:06:54 -0700",
    "date": "5:06 p.m. on Oct 30, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/10/30/can-an-ipad.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F10%2F30%2Fcan-an-ipad.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 925,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Tomorrow, I’m going to start preaching through the amazing gospel of John. If you’d like to hear these sermons, paste our podcast feed into your favorite podcast app. We post a new sermon, usually two, every Sunday. covenantopctucson.org/feed/podc\u0026hellip;\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-10-27 21:07:15 -0700",
    "date": "9:07 p.m. on Oct 27, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/10/27/tomorrow-im-going.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F10%2F27%2Ftomorrow-im-going.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 926,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "You can identify some cat breeds by the cat’s pawsition.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-10-23 13:32:16 -0700",
    "date": "1:32 p.m. on Oct 23, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/10/23/you-can-identify.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F10%2F23%2Fyou-can-identify.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 927,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Anyone want a pizza burrito?\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-10-22 13:54:51 -0700",
    "date": "1:54 p.m. on Oct 22, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/10/22/anyone-want-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F10%2F22%2Fanyone-want-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 928,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Covenant colors in Tucson.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-10-22 11:08:42 -0700",
    "date": "11:08 p.m. on Oct 22, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/10/22/covenant-colors-in.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F10%2F22%2Fcovenant-colors-in.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 929,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "\nI saw the Salton Sea for the first time on my way home from presbytery yesterday. And since I only had one pair of shoes with me, I had to do some cleaning before church this morning. Also, I learned after we left the sea that the mud is probably toxic.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-10-21 19:31:34 -0700",
    "date": "7:31 p.m. on Oct 21, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/10/21/i-saw-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F10%2F21%2Fi-saw-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 930,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Has anyone invented a spam filter for phone calls? I could really use one. 😩\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-10-17 11:47:40 -0700",
    "date": "11:47 p.m. on Oct 17, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/10/17/has-anyone-invented.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F10%2F17%2Fhas-anyone-invented.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 931,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Thomas Watson has some good advice on how to read and search the Scriptures.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-10-16 15:27:45 -0700",
    "date": "3:27 p.m. on Oct 16, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/10/16/thomas-watson-has.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F10%2F16%2Fthomas-watson-has.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 932,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "This is my former professor, W. Robert Godfrey, as drawn by my seven-year-old. Note the handsome striped tie. He’s giving a lecture on the ancient church, in case you can’t tell.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-10-15 21:40:50 -0700",
    "date": "9:40 p.m. on Oct 15, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/10/15/this-is-my.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F10%2F15%2Fthis-is-my.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 933,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Q. What do you call four bullfighters in quicksand? A. Cuatro sinko.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-10-15 18:51:30 -0700",
    "date": "6:51 p.m. on Oct 15, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/10/15/q-what-do.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F10%2F15%2Fq-what-do.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 934,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "It’s been fifteen months since the accident. But after many repairs, Matt Haimovitz is getting his cello back. No more waiting, but now, it’s like watching a loved one come out of a coma.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-10-13 12:58:28 -0700",
    "date": "12:58 p.m. on Oct 13, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/10/13/its-been-fifteen.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F10%2F13%2Fits-been-fifteen.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 935,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "No school today and it was raining. So while the ground was easier to dig, the kids expanded our backyard rainbasin.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-10-12 14:26:06 -0700",
    "date": "2:26 p.m. on Oct 12, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/10/12/no-school-today.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F10%2F12%2Fno-school-today.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 936,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I’m bad about overusing the word like. The Linguistic Evolution of ‘Like’ helps explain why.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-10-12 10:25:34 -0700",
    "date": "10:25 p.m. on Oct 12, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/10/12/im-bad-about.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F10%2F12%2Fim-bad-about.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 937,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "This one is for @MichaelHorton_:\n “Connected with this general view are the facts that he “learned obedience by the things which he suffered,” his “strong crying” and “tears,” the fact at the “entreated,” that he “was heard” and that he was God-fearing.” These things are a marvelously constructed drama dealing with us.”\n 💬 Gregory of Nazianzus, Oration 30.6\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-10-11 09:51:38 -0700",
    "date": "9:51 p.m. on Oct 11, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/10/11/this-one-is.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F10%2F11%2Fthis-one-is.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 938,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Ryan McGraw on Corporate Prayer: Why and How",
    "text": "Today, I read Ryan McGraw’s exegetical defense for corporate prayer and its necessity for preaching. He bases his argument on John 14:12–14 and a certain pattern in Acts. Pretty convincing. It should be read along with his other essay-booklet, How Should We Pray at Prayer Meetings, which gives good advice on the specificity of prayer requests, the focus of our prayer, avoiding vain repetition, and more.\nWith that, let me encourage members and friends of Covenant to attend our 9:00am prayer meeting each Sunday before worship.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-10-10 20:20:34 -0700",
    "date": "8:20 p.m. on Oct 10, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/10/10/today-i-read.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F10%2F10%2Ftoday-i-read.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 939,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Charm, writes Joseph Epstein, is \u0026ldquo;a disappearing luxury\u0026rdquo;. Which is sad because charm makes our world brighter, lighter, and sweeter. Perhaps it’s not too late?\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-10-10 00:16:09 -0700",
    "date": "12:16 p.m. on Oct 10, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/10/10/charm-writes-joseph.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F10%2F10%2Fcharm-writes-joseph.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 940,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The dictionaries won’t tell you this, but when a scream and squeak have a baby, it’s called a screak. A screak is the high-pitched sound an un-oiled hinge makes when you open it. It’s the sound that gives you goosebumps when a fork scratches a plate the wrong way. And it’s also the sound my youngest makes to entertain herself.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-10-09 17:43:05 -0700",
    "date": "5:43 p.m. on Oct 9, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/10/09/the-dictionaries-wont.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F10%2F09%2Fthe-dictionaries-wont.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 941,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "If you do work that benefits your community, you can dramatically increase your impact by collaborating with other helpers. Learn more about the collaborative impact approach. It’s important.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-10-09 17:12:11 -0700",
    "date": "5:12 p.m. on Oct 9, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/10/09/if-you-do.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F10%2F09%2Fif-you-do.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 942,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I’m trying to get faster at arranging a little pile of Hebrew Strong Verbs into a chart. I give myself bonus points when the kitten is involved.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-10-06 01:22:44 -0700",
    "date": "1:22 p.m. on Oct 6, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/10/06/im-trying-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F10%2F06%2Fim-trying-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 943,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "It’s #NationalPoetryDay and my son, Samuel, is about to turn twelve. Time moves so fast! Here he is reciting a poem shortly after his third birthday. So precious! I love my son! ❤️\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-10-04 11:48:22 -0700",
    "date": "11:48 p.m. on Oct 4, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/10/04/its-nationalpoetryday-and.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F10%2F04%2Fits-nationalpoetryday-and.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 944,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I’m learning Latin so that I can read untranslated books. But, as this video shows, there are many good reasons to learn Latin.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-10-04 08:09:39 -0700",
    "date": "8:09 p.m. on Oct 4, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/10/04/im-learning-latin.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F10%2F04%2Fim-learning-latin.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 945,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Learn to teach; teach to learn.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-10-02 13:51:57 -0700",
    "date": "1:51 p.m. on Oct 2, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/10/02/learn-to-teach.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F10%2F02%2Flearn-to-teach.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 946,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The U. S. economy is massive. The GDP for just the Tucson metro area—where I live—was $39 billion in 2017. If we were a country, according to the same data sets used in the article, we’d rank right behind Tunisia in GDP.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-10-01 22:49:21 -0700",
    "date": "10:49 p.m. on Oct 1, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/10/01/the-u-s.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F10%2F01%2Fthe-u-s.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 947,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Brent Orrell: “Amid the fast-forward distractions of our high-tech world, studying more durable subjects may be one of the best investments you can make.”\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-10-01 10:17:09 -0700",
    "date": "10:17 p.m. on Oct 1, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/10/01/brent-orrell-amid.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F10%2F01%2Fbrent-orrell-amid.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 948,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Wouldn’t it be great if you could read an conversation between Bryan A. Garner and David Foster Wallace about language and writing? Well, you can! It’s called Quack This Way. I finished it this morning, and it‘s as good as it sounds.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-29 08:36:41 -0700",
    "date": "8:36 p.m. on Sep 29, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/29/wouldnt-it-be.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F29%2Fwouldnt-it-be.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 949,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "In Christian Dogmatics, @jtoddbillings writes that ministers are \u0026ldquo;representatives of the unity of the community gathered” (p. 352). I’m not sure I understand. 🤔\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-28 20:21:19 -0700",
    "date": "8:21 p.m. on Sep 28, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/28/in-christian-dogmatics.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F28%2Fin-christian-dogmatics.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 950,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-28 11:03:24 -0700",
    "date": "11:03 p.m. on Sep 28, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/28/180324.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F28%2F180324.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 951,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": " “Let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe”\n 💬 Hebrews 12:28\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-27 22:00:04 -0700",
    "date": "10:00 p.m. on Sep 27, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/27/let-us-be.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F27%2Flet-us-be.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 952,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": " Wisdom is reading and living the patterns of life well.\n 💬 Mark Strom, Lead with Wisdom\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-23 16:28:45 -0700",
    "date": "4:28 p.m. on Sep 23, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/23/wisdom-is-reading.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F23%2Fwisdom-is-reading.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 953,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I’m reading Divine Rule Maintained by Stephen Casselli and was blown away his description of England’s education system in the 17th cent. I thought I knew how impressive this was; I had no idea. Here’s just one example: By 12 or 13 years old, grammar school students were expected to have already read and understood, in Latin, the major classical authors. An “incomplete list” would include: “Livy , Terence, Isocrates, Justin, Caesa, Erasmus, Virgil, Epictetus, Plutarch, Ovid, Tully, Hesiod, Jomer, Pindar, Xenophon, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Horace, Seneca, and Quintilian.”\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-22 18:44:44 -0700",
    "date": "6:44 p.m. on Sep 22, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/22/im-reading-divine.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F22%2Fim-reading-divine.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 954,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "So, I’ve been learnig and using Notebooks on my iPad all week and am loving it.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-21 18:07:38 -0700",
    "date": "6:07 p.m. on Sep 21, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/21/so-ive-been.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F21%2Fso-ive-been.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 955,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "“Siri, if I’m still using social media in six months, remind me to read this article by @ayjay again.”\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-21 08:02:34 -0700",
    "date": "8:02 p.m. on Sep 21, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/21/siri-if-im.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F21%2Fsiri-if-im.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 956,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "They were getting ready for school in the bathroom when I overheard one sibling say to another, “Maybe you’re supposed to play with it, that’s why it’s called a toilet.”\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-21 07:40:47 -0700",
    "date": "7:40 p.m. on Sep 21, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/21/they-were-getting.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F21%2Fthey-were-getting.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 957,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Thanks to @appademic for sharing these workflows for study and research.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-20 15:50:22 -0700",
    "date": "3:50 p.m. on Sep 20, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/20/thanks-to-appademic.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F20%2Fthanks-to-appademic.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 958,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "What happens when a we fail as a community to hear a true accusation or wrongly believe a false one? Elizabteh Bruening considers the first in the Washington Post. Tim Steller considers the second in the Arizona Daily Star.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-20 13:28:27 -0700",
    "date": "1:28 p.m. on Sep 20, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/20/what-happens-when.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F20%2Fwhat-happens-when.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 959,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "This mostly vacant mall in #tucson is going to get redeveloped as a town center. 👏\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-20 06:35:54 -0700",
    "date": "6:35 p.m. on Sep 20, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/20/this-mostly-vacant.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F20%2Fthis-mostly-vacant.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 960,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Scrivener’s zoom feature is very useful for those who speak/teach/preach from an iPad. So, I made a little video to show how it works. Apple has a similar feature in Page (it is in Presenter\u0026rsquo;s Mode), but it’s not as easy to use.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-19 17:46:14 -0700",
    "date": "5:46 p.m. on Sep 19, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/19/scriveners-zoom-feature.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F19%2Fscriveners-zoom-feature.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 961,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-18 22:31:20 -0700",
    "date": "10:31 p.m. on Sep 18, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/18/053120.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F18%2F053120.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 962,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Watched the CSO perform Beethoven’s 9th tonight with the kids. You can too! With your own kids, of course. #csobeethoven\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-18 21:39:53 -0700",
    "date": "9:39 p.m. on Sep 18, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/18/watched-the-cso.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F18%2Fwatched-the-cso.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 963,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Cool. With iOS 12, Voice Memos are now available on iPad.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-18 15:53:27 -0700",
    "date": "3:53 p.m. on Sep 18, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/18/cool-with-ios.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F18%2Fcool-with-ios.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 964,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Have an opinion on Scrivener vs Notebooks (for iPad)? I’d love to hear it!\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-17 21:27:14 -0700",
    "date": "9:27 p.m. on Sep 17, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/17/have-an-opinion.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F17%2Fhave-an-opinion.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 965,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-14 16:31:13 -0700",
    "date": "4:31 p.m. on Sep 14, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/14/233113.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F14%2F233113.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 966,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Good news! We’re installing a new elder at Covenant this Sunday.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-14 15:42:34 -0700",
    "date": "3:42 p.m. on Sep 14, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/14/good-news-were.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F14%2Fgood-news-were.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 967,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "WaPo: In a discovered letter, Ronald Reagan writes to his dying father-in-law about Jesus.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-14 14:39:19 -0700",
    "date": "2:39 p.m. on Sep 14, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/14/wapo-in-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F14%2Fwapo-in-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 968,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Read @MichaelHorton_’s chapter in Locating Atonement: Explorations in Constructive Dogmatics (ed. @FredFredSanders and Oliver Crisp). Lots of great stuff on incarnation, theosis, Irenaeus, Calvin, and more. And, wow, Origen’s theology was a disaster. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-12 19:42:39 -0700",
    "date": "7:42 p.m. on Sep 12, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/12/read-michaelhortons-chapter.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F12%2Fread-michaelhortons-chapter.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 969,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I had a good time meeting teachers and students at the Quest Carnival tonight. Yummy food trucks! This year I’m teaching Old Testament Survey and cello. Classes start Monday, but there is still time to sign up.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-06 21:31:07 -0700",
    "date": "9:31 p.m. on Sep 6, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/06/i-had-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F06%2Fi-had-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 970,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Watch out for these three enemies of productivity: excitement, frustration, and fear. Advice from C. S. Lewis.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-04 17:03:52 -0700",
    "date": "5:03 p.m. on Sep 4, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/04/watch-out-for.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F04%2Fwatch-out-for.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 971,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⛪️ I preached from John 1 for my third sermon on wisdom.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-03 22:27:54 -0700",
    "date": "10:27 p.m. on Sep 3, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/03/i-preached-from.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F03%2Fi-preached-from.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 972,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Celebrate Labor Day with Mark Twain, Mother Jones, Samuel Gompers, and more!\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-03 08:39:27 -0700",
    "date": "8:39 p.m. on Sep 3, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/03/celebrate-labor-day.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F03%2Fcelebrate-labor-day.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 973,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Fowler’s Modern English Usage is Still Super-Duper",
    "text": "Two weeks ago, I got a copy of the amazing Garner’s Modern English Usage. I thought it might replace my second edition of Fowler’s Modern English Usage. But there’s is too much fiddle-fiddle in Fowler to give it away. Like this, from the entry on “reduplicated words”:\n Many—perhaps most—of these words have a disparaging or contemptuous flavour. A few examples of those that are, on the contrary, colourless, though some of them onomatopoeic, are boogie-woogie, chiff-chaff, crinkum-crankum, criss-cross, flip-flap, hokey-pokey (in one of its senses), hurdy-gurdy, ping-pong, roly-poly, rub-a-dub, pitter-patter, see-saw, tick-tack, walkie-talkie, and zig-zag.\n And this is only about a twelfth of the whole essay!\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-01 16:16:30 -0700",
    "date": "4:16 p.m. on Sep 1, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/01/fowlers-modern-english.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F01%2Ffowlers-modern-english.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 974,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Last night, I finished Loving the Poor, Saving the Rich: Wealth, Poverty, and Early Christian Formation by Helen Rhee. 📚 It’s rich with interesting details and is helping me reflect on my own theology and practices.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-09-01 09:36:15 -0700",
    "date": "9:36 p.m. on Sep 1, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/09/01/last-night-i.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F09%2F01%2Flast-night-i.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 975,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Tucson loves her murals. This one is at the Spay Neuter Clinic (Grant/Stone).\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-30 13:16:48 -0700",
    "date": "1:16 p.m. on Aug 30, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/30/tucson-loves-her.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F30%2Ftucson-loves-her.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 976,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "A 📷 from my study: a nostalgic clown bank.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-29 18:31:03 -0700",
    "date": "6:31 p.m. on Aug 29, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/29/a-from-my.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F29%2Fa-from-my.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 977,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": " Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.\n 💬 Dr. Seuss\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-28 20:00:18 -0700",
    "date": "8:00 p.m. on Aug 28, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/28/unslumping-yourself-is.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F28%2Funslumping-yourself-is.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 978,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Christian Theology Reading Group (Tucson, Fall 2018)",
    "text": "If you are in Tucson and interested in discussing classic Christian texts, please join me this fall for a theological reading group at the Martha Cooper Public Library. We will be discussing the five orations in On God and Christ by Gregory of Nazianzus.\nGregory of Nazianzus, also known as Gregory the Theologian, was a pastor who was instrumental in defending the faith in the fourth-century and beyond. He may well be the most cited author in the Christian east, second only to the Bible. Gregory was also a prolific poet, having left us around 17,000 lines of poetry. His skill in theology and language are evident throughout his works.\nYou can learn more about Gregory this fall by exploring On God and Christ with us. Our meetings are free and open to the public at the Martha Cooper Public Library. If you can, please read the assigned text before each meeting so that you can participate in the discussion.\nSeptember 13, 2018 (6:30–8pm)\n Oration 27, “An Introductory Sermon Against the Eunomians” Oration 28, “On the Doctrine of God” Discussion Questions [Link]  October 11, 2018 (6:30–8pm)\n Oration 29, “On the Son” Oration 30, “On the Son”  November 1, 2018 (6:30–8pm) (Cancelled due to illness) UPDATE: November 17, 2:00–3:30pm @ the Chelpka Home\n Oration 31, “On the Holy Spirit”  Note: Any similarities between our group and the reading groups of the Paideia Center of Reformed Theological Seminary are totally on purpose. In addition, I plan to attend the center’s conference in January and hope you will too. However, this group is unaffiliated with the Paideia Center.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-28 14:35:14 -0700",
    "date": "2:35 p.m. on Aug 28, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/28/christian-theology-reading.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F28%2Fchristian-theology-reading.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 979,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "My church has a new website! What do you think?\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-25 12:02:16 -0700",
    "date": "12:02 p.m. on Aug 25, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/25/my-church-has.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F25%2Fmy-church-has.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 980,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "We woke up to a zillion flying ants in our atrium!\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-25 08:44:19 -0700",
    "date": "8:44 p.m. on Aug 25, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/25/we-woke-up.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F25%2Fwe-woke-up.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 981,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Man Refuses To Join Local Gym, Claims He’s Just Part Of The ‘Universal Gym’\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-24 17:53:44 -0700",
    "date": "5:53 p.m. on Aug 24, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/24/man-refuses-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F24%2Fman-refuses-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 982,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📷 from my study: Leo enjoys the new couch.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-23 12:12:57 -0700",
    "date": "12:12 p.m. on Aug 23, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/23/191257.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F23%2F191257.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 983,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "NewsGuard uses a set of criteria to tell you if a news organization is trustworthy. And they just made plugins available for Chrome and Microsoft Edge. I’m curious to see how this develops.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-23 07:08:56 -0700",
    "date": "7:08 p.m. on Aug 23, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/23/newsgurad-uses-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F23%2Fnewsgurad-uses-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 984,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I’m working to improve my Hebrew over the next few months with help from Matthew Patton. Thankful for my brother and for MTIOPC. Now, let’s get some results!\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-21 11:05:33 -0700",
    "date": "11:05 p.m. on Aug 21, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/21/im-working-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F21%2Fim-working-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 985,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Wow. A father and son record their scary drive through a wildfire.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-20 16:23:46 -0700",
    "date": "4:23 p.m. on Aug 20, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/20/wow-a-father.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F20%2Fwow-a-father.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 986,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📷 from my study. This honeycomb party-ball hangs over my desk. Someday, I might replace it with a plant or a used chandelier.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-20 13:30:49 -0700",
    "date": "1:30 p.m. on Aug 20, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/20/from-my-study.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F20%2Ffrom-my-study.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 987,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I finished The Writer’s Diet by Helen Sword. It is a brief guide to writing well. And it explains how to properly use the WritersDiet online test. Very helpful! Has anyone read her other books? 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-20 08:52:05 -0700",
    "date": "8:52 p.m. on Aug 20, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/20/i-finished-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F20%2Fi-finished-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 988,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⛪️ My a.m. sermon on Psalm 104; the first in a series on wisdom.\n O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.\n 💬 Psalm 104:24\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-19 16:02:37 -0700",
    "date": "4:02 p.m. on Aug 19, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/19/my-am-sermon.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F19%2Fmy-am-sermon.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 989,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Finished: Wisdom Christology by Daniel J. Elbert IV. He answers the question, “Why seek wisdom in Christ?” by introducing readers to six important passages of Scripture. If you’ve never thought about this subject before, this book is a good place to start. (25-page preview) 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-18 14:30:22 -0700",
    "date": "2:30 p.m. on Aug 18, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/18/finished-wisdom-christology.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F18%2Ffinished-wisdom-christology.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 990,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "dare, drill, cram, hide, ambush, sling, haunt, walk, grapple, trade, sing, purr, absorb, suffuse, contract, plow, approach, convert, uproot, defy, and cleave\n21 Verbs You Can See\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-18 12:51:50 -0700",
    "date": "12:51 p.m. on Aug 18, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/18/dare-drill-cram.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F18%2Fdare-drill-cram.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 991,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I like the new Indiepaper integration. Since “read later” articles can be accessed within one’s account, I wonder if they could be accessed within the app someday. Thanks @manton for all your hard work.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-17 14:03:22 -0700",
    "date": "2:03 p.m. on Aug 17, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/17/i-like-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F17%2Fi-like-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 992,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I finished Paul’s Theology of Preaching: The Apostle’s Challenge to the Art of Persuasion in Ancient Corinth by Duane Litfin. It’s a masterwork of biblical exegesis. He reveals a gospel-shaped rhetoric that is perfectly tailored for preaching. Loved it. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-16 17:42:29 -0700",
    "date": "5:42 p.m. on Aug 16, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/16/i-finished-pauls.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F16%2Fi-finished-pauls.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 993,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "This guy is perfectly mimicking our grape vine, just not on the grape vine.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-15 09:52:37 -0700",
    "date": "9:52 p.m. on Aug 15, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/15/this-guy-is.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F15%2Fthis-guy-is.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 994,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Master, the scribes are getting restless.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-12 15:57:14 -0700",
    "date": "3:57 p.m. on Aug 12, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/12/master-the-scribes.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F12%2Fmaster-the-scribes.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 995,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Cloudy With a Chance of Wisdom",
    "text": "Proverbs tells us that fools ignore the world God has made. They live their lives against the grain and then suffer for it. Wise people, on the other hand, reflect on the world, learn from it, and tend to succeed.\nBut you can’t reflect on something you haven’t observed. Wisdom starts with paying attention. You have to look around and spend time noticing things.\nIf that makes sense to you but you’re not sure what to look at, Gavin Pretor-Pinney, a U.K. graphic designer who founded the Cloud Appreciation Society, suggests in his TED talk that you look at—you guessed it—the clouds.\nMost of us, he says, ignore the clouds until they block the sun. And then we notice them only as “annoying, frustrating obstructions,” before we “rush off and do some blue-sky thinking.”\nThat being said\u0026hellip;\n most people, when you stop to ask them, will admit to harboring a strange sort of fondness for clouds. It\u0026rsquo;s like a nostalgic fondness, and they make them think of their youth.\n  Who here can\u0026rsquo;t remember thinking of looking and finding shapes in the clouds when they were kids? You know, when you were masters of daydreaming.\n  It\u0026rsquo;s just that these days, us adults seem reluctant to allow ourselves the indulgence of just allowing our imaginations to drift along in the breeze. And I think that\u0026rsquo;s a pity. I think we should perhaps do a bit more of it.\n  I think we should be a bit more willing, perhaps, to look at the beautiful sight of the sunlight bursting out from behind the clouds. And go wait a minute - there\u0026rsquo;s two cats dancing the salsa, or seeing the big - the big, white, puffy one up there over the shopping center looks like the abominable snowman going to rob a bank.”\n These were the clouds outside my study window tonight.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-11 19:31:11 -0700",
    "date": "7:31 p.m. on Aug 11, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/11/cloudy-with-a.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F11%2Fcloudy-with-a.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 996,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Excerpt: Notes Nearing Ninety: Learning to Write Less by Donald Hall (HT: aldaily.com)\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-10 23:10:31 -0700",
    "date": "11:10 p.m. on Aug 10, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/10/excerpt-notes-nearing.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F10%2Fexcerpt-notes-nearing.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 997,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I had planned to start teaching A Stronger Servant last week but had to postpone in order to prepare for my new sermon series on wisdom. These sermons and this class should be mutually reinforcing. I’m getting pretty excited about it.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-10 17:39:12 -0700",
    "date": "5:39 p.m. on Aug 10, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/10/i-had-planned.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F10%2Fi-had-planned.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 998,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Definition of the wisdom of God:\n That perfection of God by which He uses His knowledge for the attainment of His ends in the way that glorifies Him most.\n 💬 Geerhardus Vos\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-09 16:33:36 -0700",
    "date": "4:33 p.m. on Aug 9, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/09/how-geerhardus-vos.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F09%2Fhow-geerhardus-vos.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 999,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I just noticed that the Kindle editions of Vos’ Reformed Dogmatics are 80% off right now, only $5.99 per volume! They’re usually about $25/ea. I bought all five and I’m so happy to finally have these.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-09 11:33:34 -0700",
    "date": "11:33 p.m. on Aug 9, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/09/i-just-noticed.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F09%2Fi-just-noticed.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1000,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Want free Greek/Latin lessons taught by an A+ classicist and educator? Check out latinperdiem.com by my friend, David Noe (Calvin College).\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-09 10:32:43 -0700",
    "date": "10:32 p.m. on Aug 9, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/09/want-free-greeklatin.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F09%2Fwant-free-greeklatin.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1001,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "In that last Gregory quote, Gregory was commenting on the book of Jonah. I thought I was done preaching on Jonah for now, but a farmer asked me: Aren’t you going to preach on the last four words, “and also much cattle”? So, one more week. 😊\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-08 22:21:13 -0700",
    "date": "10:21 p.m. on Aug 8, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/08/in-that-last.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F08%2Fin-that-last.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1002,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I’ll have whatever he’s having tonight 👉 @ayjay\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-08 21:45:03 -0700",
    "date": "9:45 p.m. on Aug 8, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/08/ill-have-whatever.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F08%2Fill-have-whatever.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1003,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": " For God alone of all things cannot be escaped from or contended with; if He wills to seize and bring them under His hand, He outstrips the swift, He outwits the wise, He overthrows the strong, He abases the lofty, He subdues rashness, He represses power.\n 💬 Gregory of Nazianzus\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-08 17:28:19 -0700",
    "date": "5:28 p.m. on Aug 8, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/08/gregory-of-nazianzus.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F08%2Fgregory-of-nazianzus.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1004,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📚 I loved Duane Litfin’s big-picture intro to Greco-Roman rhetoric in part one of this book. I’ve read a lot of other books on both ancient and modern rhetoric; I wished had read this one first. Oh well, now to part two: preaching and rhetoric according to Paul.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-07 21:39:27 -0700",
    "date": "9:39 p.m. on Aug 7, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/07/i-loved-duane.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F07%2Fi-loved-duane.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1005,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Use your frequent flyer miles to help families separated at the border (HT: Lifehacker)\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-07 11:15:09 -0700",
    "date": "11:15 p.m. on Aug 7, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/07/use-your-frequent.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F07%2Fuse-your-frequent.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1006,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "My wife just turned a big dream into a reality and finished painting the first of THREE large murals at Tucson Dance Academy. So proud of her! See the progress shots at Della Chelpka Arts. She’s amazing! 🤩\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-06 17:56:32 -0700",
    "date": "5:56 p.m. on Aug 6, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/06/my-wife-just.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F06%2Fmy-wife-just.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1007,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "It would be better for us to talk about attributes of canonicty instead of criteria of canonicty. Michael Kruger gives reasons for this in his book Canon Revisited, which he summarized on his blog today.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-06 13:11:37 -0700",
    "date": "1:11 p.m. on Aug 6, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/06/it-would-be.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F06%2Fit-would-be.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1008,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📚 Finished reading: Divine Covenants and Moral Order: A Biblical Theology of Natural Law by David VanDrunen. Theologians and ethicists, read this book!\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-05 07:32:26 -0700",
    "date": "7:32 p.m. on Aug 5, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/05/finished-reading-divine.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F05%2Ffinished-reading-divine.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1009,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Google has released its 2018 Scholar Metrics. You can see the most-cited articles from among the journals indexed by Google from Jan 2013 to July 2018. Here are the top 20 journals matching “theology” and the top 20 for “religion”.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-04 15:25:57 -0700",
    "date": "3:25 p.m. on Aug 4, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/04/google-has-released.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F04%2Fgoogle-has-released.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1010,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "A new version of the Westminster Shorter Catechism is under way. And anyone can help. 🚀\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-02 15:22:52 -0700",
    "date": "3:22 p.m. on Aug 2, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/02/a-new-version.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F02%2Fa-new-version.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1011,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "⛪️ In my recent sermon on Psalm 139, I compare Jonah’s feelings about the presence of God to David’s. You can learn a lot about true spirituality this way.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-02 12:23:40 -0700",
    "date": "12:23 p.m. on Aug 2, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/02/in-my-recent.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F02%2Fin-my-recent.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1012,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "My son wants to teach himself how to code. He’s eleven. Any suggestions?\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-08-01 09:20:04 -0700",
    "date": "9:20 p.m. on Aug 1, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/08/01/my-son-wants.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F08%2F01%2Fmy-son-wants.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1013,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "\u0026ldquo;How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?\u0026rdquo;\n— Wisdom in Proverbs 1:22\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-31 16:17:05 -0700",
    "date": "4:17 p.m. on Jul 31, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/31/how-long-o.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F31%2Fhow-long-o.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1014,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I\u0026rsquo;m planning to preach a series of sermons on the subject of wisdom. To prepare, I\u0026rsquo;m reading and thinking a lot about the book of the Bible called Proverbs. What else would you suggest?\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-30 13:12:40 -0700",
    "date": "1:12 p.m. on Jul 30, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/30/im-planning-to.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F30%2Fim-planning-to.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1015,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "“Like any other life-sustaining resource, language can be depleted, polluted, contaminated, eroded, and filled with artificial stimulants\u0026hellip;. it needs the protection of those who recognize its value and commit themselves to good stewardship.”\n—Marilyn Chandler McEntyre\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-30 08:26:54 -0700",
    "date": "8:26 p.m. on Jul 30, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/30/like-any-other.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F30%2Flike-any-other.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1016,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "My son and I looked up what family the badger is in. It’s in the mustelid family, which includes weasels, ferrets, and wolervines. They are characterized by having short legs and a long body.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-27 09:18:44 -0700",
    "date": "9:18 p.m. on Jul 27, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/27/my-son-and.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F27%2Fmy-son-and.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1017,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Our lab mix and dachshund had themselves a real good time cornering this guy tonight. Thankfully, we were able to stop it before anyone got hurt.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-27 01:02:43 -0700",
    "date": "1:02 p.m. on Jul 27, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/27/our-lab-mix.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F27%2Four-lab-mix.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1018,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📚 Life in the Trinity and The Trinity and the Covenant of Redemption are two books that need to fall in love and have lots of babies.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-26 15:49:30 -0700",
    "date": "3:49 p.m. on Jul 26, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/26/life-in-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F26%2Flife-in-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1019,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "📚 Finished reading: Life in the Trinity: An Introduction to Theology with the Help of the Church Fathers by Donald Fairbairn.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-26 15:47:36 -0700",
    "date": "3:47 p.m. on Jul 26, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/26/finished-reading-life.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F26%2Ffinished-reading-life.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1020,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Finished Reading: From Topic to Thesis: A Guide to Theological Research by Michael Kibbe. It’s a well-written guide that helped fix a few friction points I’ve experienced in my own research method. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-24 16:53:30 -0700",
    "date": "4:53 p.m. on Jul 24, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/24/finished-reading-from.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F24%2Ffinished-reading-from.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1021,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Some of the young adults at Covenant are challenging themselves to memorize Jonah 2. Way to go! I think I’ll join you and post a video link after I get it down.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-24 14:30:43 -0700",
    "date": "2:30 p.m. on Jul 24, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/24/some-of-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F24%2Fsome-of-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1022,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Ever thought deeply about the story of Jonah? It’s a simple story, but its simplicity has a way of clarifying life—our priorities, our choices, our relationship with God. Here is the sermon I preached yesterday on the final chapter of the book.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-23 21:29:08 -0700",
    "date": "9:29 p.m. on Jul 23, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/23/ever-thought-deeply.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F23%2Fever-thought-deeply.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1023,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Lampham’s: Where Writers Work\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-23 06:58:28 -0700",
    "date": "6:58 p.m. on Jul 23, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/23/lamphams-where-writers.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F23%2Flamphams-where-writers.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1024,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "On meditation:\n There is as much difference between a truth remembered, and a truth meditated on, as between a cordial in a glass, and a cordial drunk drown.\n — Thomas Watson, meditator, metaphor-lover, Puritan\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-20 09:06:21 -0700",
    "date": "9:06 p.m. on Jul 20, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/20/there-is-as.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F20%2Fthere-is-as.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1025,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I finished Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations today and I’m trying to take his advice: “To read attentively—not just to be satisfied with ‘just getting the gist of it.’ And not to fall for every smooth talker.” 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-19 16:00:17 -0700",
    "date": "4:00 p.m. on Jul 19, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/19/i-finished-marcus.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F19%2Fi-finished-marcus.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1026,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Dance classes have started again for the Chelpkas and all five kids are involved now. They love it so much and work hard. I’m very proud of them.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-18 22:14:07 -0700",
    "date": "10:14 p.m. on Jul 18, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/18/dance-classes-have.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F18%2Fdance-classes-have.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1027,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The reading spree continues! 📚 Today I finished On the Apostolic Preaching by Irenaeus and Gregory of Nazianzus by Brian Matz.\nI picked up Irenaeus’s book hoping to learn something about preaching in the early church. What I got was a reminder that the Bible has an “integrity and purity” manifest in its unified message about the Son of God. Preachers who want to expound that message and preach Christ with confidence need to be competent in the various connections the Old and New Testaments make with each other. Also called Proof of Apostolic Preaching, it’s a nice little handbook on biblical theology from the late second-century.\nGregory of Nazianzus was a pastor-theologian in early fourth-century. I read Matz’s book as a part of a larger project to become familiar with the church father designated by the Council of Chalcedon as Gregory the Theologian. Expect to hear more about Gregory in the coming months.\nIn other ancient news, I’m almost done with Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations and have a lot to say about it. Not sure where, when, or if to say it, but there’s a lot of food for thought anyway. For that, I’m thankful.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-17 19:14:36 -0700",
    "date": "7:14 p.m. on Jul 17, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/17/the-reading-spree.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F17%2Fthe-reading-spree.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1028,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Over the weekend I finished Eugene Peterson’s memoir, The Pastor. I highly recommend it. 📚 At one point, his son points out (as a compliment) that he only preaches one sermon. That might be said of his books too: there is only one. And as a memoir, his is particularly good. After I have more time to think, I look forward to sharing about it and offer some critique as well.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-17 13:30:40 -0700",
    "date": "1:30 p.m. on Jul 17, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/17/over-the-weekend.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F17%2Fover-the-weekend.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1029,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "On being anxious :\n Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow—only today of its strength.\n — Charles Spurgeon, 19th century English preacher\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-16 07:39:20 -0700",
    "date": "7:39 p.m. on Jul 16, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/16/anxiety-does-not.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F16%2Fanxiety-does-not.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1030,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "“Let’s make lunch for Mommy! I’ll pick the ingredients.”\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-15 13:26:23 -0700",
    "date": "1:26 p.m. on Jul 15, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/15/lets-make-lunch.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F15%2Flets-make-lunch.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1031,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "I finished Saving Eutychus: How to Preach God’s Word and Keep People Awake today. By Gary Miller and Phil Campell, it’s a breezy read with lots of practical advice on how to preach more clearly. It helped me. Recommended.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-14 13:08:59 -0700",
    "date": "1:08 p.m. on Jul 14, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/14/i-finished-saving.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F14%2Fi-finished-saving.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1032,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Singing this at church tomorrow:\n What thou, my Lord, has suffered was all for sinners’ gain:\nMine, mine was the transgression, but thine the deadly pain.\nLo, here I fall, my Savior! ‘Tis I deserve thy place;\nLook on me with thy favor, vouchsafe to me thy grace.\n  What language shall I borrrow to thank thee, dearest Friend,\nFor this, thy dying sorrow, thy pity without end?\nO make me thine forever; and should I fainting be,\nLord, let me never, never outlive my love to thee.\n By Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153)\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-14 10:52:59 -0700",
    "date": "10:52 p.m. on Jul 14, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/14/singing-this-tomorrow.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F14%2Fsinging-this-tomorrow.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1033,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The number of people in 2015 that watched a Bob Ross marathon: 5.6 million.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-14 10:16:11 -0700",
    "date": "10:16 p.m. on Jul 14, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/14/the-number-of.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F14%2Fthe-number-of.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1034,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "The snuggle is real.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-13 07:26:20 -0700",
    "date": "7:26 p.m. on Jul 13, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/13/the-snuggle-is.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F13%2Fthe-snuggle-is.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1035,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "“You can observe a lot by watching.” —Yogi Berra\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-12 13:54:06 -0700",
    "date": "1:54 p.m. on Jul 12, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/12/you-can-observe.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F12%2Fyou-can-observe.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1036,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Mini-review of The Covenantal Life by Sarah Ivill",
    "text": "For a class I’m teaching on covenant theology (i.e. the study of God’s promises), I read The Covenant Life: Appreciating the Beauty of Theology and Community by Sarah Ivill. It’s a book written for Christian women to help them learn about God’s Covenant of Grace and what it means to live by it, as individuals and as part of a community. It’s a nice introduction to covenant theology. Men can enjoy it too. 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-11 13:02:28 -0700",
    "date": "1:02 p.m. on Jul 11, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/11/mini-review-of.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F11%2Fmini-review-of.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1037,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Currently reading: The Pastor: A Memoir by Eugene H. Peterson 📚\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-11 08:16:24 -0700",
    "date": "8:16 p.m. on Jul 11, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/11/currently-reading-the.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F11%2Fcurrently-reading-the.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1038,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "",
    "text": "Tim Herrera: “Our brains tend to prioritize immediate satisfaction over long-term rewards.”\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-10 23:00:15 -0700",
    "date": "11:00 p.m. on Jul 10, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/10/tim-herreraour-brains.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F10%2Ftim-herreraour-brains.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1039,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "Quotes from Lead with Wisdom: How Wisdom Transforms Good Leaders into Great Leaders by Mark Storm",
    "text": "Of the many books on leadership I’ve read, Mark Strom’s Lead with Wisdom: How Wisdom Transforms Good Leaders into Great Leaders is one of my favorites. That’s why it is a part of the leadership development going on at my church.\nLead with Wisdom is both profound and practical. Like most books on leadership, you can get some great tips/reminders with a quick skim, but this one deserves a careful read. And then a re-read six months later. And then every so often when you get in a slump. Anyway, that is how it has been for me.\nHere are just a few of the places marked in my copy.\nWhat is wisdom?\nWisdom is reading and living the patterns of life. How do you find wisdom? Personally I find it helpful to think in terms of attentiveness and presence. Wisdom asks me to pay attention to life; to notice and wonder and consider. Life is so big. Sometimes I can’t start ‘out there’; I have to start ‘in here’. It isn’t natural for me to pay attention or to be present to what is happening around and within me. I’m too busy. Too distracted. But sometimes, without warning, a door opens to wonder. I start to pay attention. Stillness becomes possible. I may find myself uncommonly present to others and to the world, its beauty and its travail. That is where my learning starts. Leadership doesn’t require a fancy title and a corner office. Position is only a context for leading. What to do before a meeting:   Take some time on your own. Put your notes away. Think about the people. See them as people, not colleagues. Imagine them flourishing. Commit to being present to bless.   When leading people, language matters: ...official labels or definitions rarely carry the key meanings. We find those in the informal language: in the anecdotes, analogies, and metaphors that people use to assure themselves they know what’s going on. These might be true and strong, or false and weak. If a leader is to stimulate change, she must get inside this language and—subtly—strengthen or subvert it as appropriate. Mission statements require meaningful stories. Until there is a story, there is no vision. Until there is an argument for that story, there is no strategy. The three factors of a good reputation: Competence gets us in the game. Integrity keeps us there. Brilliance gives us the edge. ",
    "dateiso": "2018-07-05 16:06:13 -0700",
    "date": "4:06 p.m. on Jul 5, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/07/05/quotes-from-lead.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F07%2F05%2Fquotes-from-lead.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1040,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "21 Prayers for Mealtime",
    "text": "I found a collection of mealtime prayers in a Bible that once belonged to my wife’s great-grandmother. (There’s no attribution information other than that.) I formatted it to fit a single page and did some light editing, mostly to update the English. The prayers are all short but rich in biblical piety. That makes them pretty kid-friendly. And our kids do love the chance to pick one from the list and lead the family. Maybe you can use it too. A PDF download link is at the bottom.\n  For the continuing of your lovingkindness unto us, we give you all thanks, O Lord. Fulfill all our needs and save us, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.\n  You have saved and preserved us, O Lord. May we by our lives never bring reproach upon the name of Jesus, but ever learn to live for you, and to your honor. Amen.\n  Lord, may you never cease your kindly care over us, and may we also continue unceasingly to bless you for all your past and present blessings. Amen.\n  Do bless our meal today, and may your Spirit fill us with gratitude for all these abundant blessings. Amen.\n  Give us grace to be grateful for the blessings which you have so bountifully spread before us today. In your own name we pray. Amen.\n  O God who satisfies our mouths with the good things, we praise you for your gracious providence, and invoke your blessing as we partake. Amen.\n  We give you thanks for life and all its blessings. Give this food to nourish our bodies, and your Word of Truth to sustain our souls. Amen.\n  Keep us ever humble, Lord, that we may be the ready recipients of your goodness. Deliver us from pride and wickedness, and supply our wants. Amen.\n  O Lord, we thank you for life and the joy of living, for health and strength, and for these blessings fresh from your hand of love. Through Jesus Christ. Amen.\n  All things come to you, O Lord, and for these and all your blessings we give hearty thanks, in the name of Christ our redeemer. Amen.\n  Bless, O Lord, this provision of your goodness to our use, and us to your service, for Christ’s sake. Amen.\n  Thanks be to you, O Lord, for these and all the blessings so generously provided. We thank you in the name of Christ. Amen.\n  Lord, we thank you for this food. Sanctify it to our use, pardon our sins, and save us for Christ’s sake. Amen.\n  O God, your mercies are fresh every day and call forth each day anew our voices of thanksgiving. Through Jesus Christ. Amen.\n  We thank you, our Heavenly Father, for these your good gifts. Bless them to our use, sanctify us and save us, for Christ’s sake. Amen.\n  Our Father, we ask you to bless the food before us to our physical needs, and feed our spirits with your truth, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.\n  Dear Lord, accept our sincere thanks for these new blessings, and hear us in our prayer for pardon. In Jesus’ name we ask you. Amen.\n  The strength of the hills, and the depth of the sea, the earth and its fulness belongs to you; and yet to the lowly you bend your ear, so ready to hear their humble petitions. Amen.\n  We are ever conscious, Lord, of our sinfulness and our constant need of you. Support our lives by your grace, and bring us safely to your heavenly home. Amen.\n  Cover all our sins with you pardon, O Christ, and make us strong to overcome all sins, especially the sin of ingratitude. In all these bounties help us to see you, and glorify you. Amen.\n  Lord, you art a fountain that never fails. Fail us not in this, our physical need. And help us to call on you for the daily supply of spiritual power we need. Through Christ. Amen.\n  » Download 21 Prayers for Mealtime as a one-page PDF.\n",
    "dateiso": "2018-03-16 09:43:00 -0700",
    "date": "9:43 p.m. on Mar 16, 2018",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2018/03/16/prayers-for-mealtime.html",
    "timelinelink": "https://micro.blog/conversation.js?format=jsonfeed\u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christopherchelpka.com%2F2018%2F03%2F16%2Fprayers-for-mealtime.html"
  },
  {
    "id": 1041,
    "type": "post",
    "title": "The Productive Pastor",
    "text": "Everyone wants a pastor who works hard and works smart. Productive pastors make good use of limited resources. And they bless the church with the ministry of Christ. So we ought to encourage our ministers to be good stewards of their gifts. But we must never encourage them to pursue productivity at any cost.\nThis is a real danger. Because while being productive is a virtue, we live in an age that is obsessed with productivity. Working hard is good, but the modern world has turned working hard into a religion and has made productivity its god. And if we are not wise to this, we may encourage our ministers to work in a way that does more harm than good. For, as Pascal warns, when we “pursue virtues to their extremes on either side, vices present themselves.”\nLike any false religion, the modern cult of productivity loves to promise more than it can deliver. Guardian reporter Oliver Burkeman gives an example of this in his excellent article, “Why Time Management Is Ruining Our Lives.” In the late nineteenth-century housewives were promised that “labour-saving machines” would give them more free time. But as their efficiency in housework increased so did society’s expectations for cleanliness. “Now that the living-room carpet could be kept perfectly clean, it had to be; now that clothes never needed to be grubby, grubbiness was all the more taboo.” Ministers face a similar situation today. Now that they have access to millions of books, they are expected to access them. And if a minister can host his own radio shows, publish his own books, and mentor people around the world, why shouldn’t he? Perhaps he should. But no one can do everything, or even most things. And those who try to do it all, often find that it backfires.\nJohn Pencavel, a Stanford professor analyzing data on munitions workers during WWII, found that after forty-nine hours of work in a week, gains in productivity decreased. According to the Harvard Business Review, one study found that “managers could not tell the difference between employees who actually worked 80 hours a week and those who just pretended to.” Moreover, studies also show that overwork can lead to “all sorts of health problems, including impaired sleep, depression, heavy drinking, diabetes, impaired memory, and heart disease.”\nThe cult of productivity also dehumanizes us. Whereas God sanctifies our humanity, the idol of productivity destroys it. One way the modern productivity movement dehumanizes us is by mechanizing us. Think of how the priests of productivity use the language of machines and assembly lines to talk about how you should “streamline your laundry” or “optimize your digestion.”\nJ. Gresham Machen once said that he loved to climb because it refreshed his soul and helped him “escape…from the heartless machinery of the world.” But these days, even our rest and recreation must bow to the god of productivity. Once a midday nap was a time for quiet, prayer, and refreshment. Now you should probably feel guilty for that nap, or at least “hack it” to get more done when you wake up.\nMachen once climbed the Matterhorn in Italy. It became a treasured memory. “We sat on the Italian summit, with our feet over Italy and our backs to a little wall of summit snow, and let our eyes drink in the marvelous beauty of the scene. What a wonderful help it is in all discouragements, what a blessed gift of God, to be able to bring before the mind’s eye such a vision as that.”\nSadly, many ministers today—Machen’s men included—are no longer fleeing from the mechanized world but have taken its ideas into their ministry and into the church. I include myself among them for all the times I’ve considered food, sleep, or bodily exercise as “necessary evils” instead the blessed gifts of God.\nBefore leaving this point I must add that sometimes mechanization is only a cover for something even worse: deification. Just as a minister is not a machine, neither is he God. The world, however, suggests otherwise. Daily, we are told that creaturely limits can be overcome, or at least nearly so, by simply working harder and making smarter choices. This cultural impulse is strong. So strong, in fact, that in a recent New York Times article on the benefits of running, the writer felt compelled to remind her readers that “running does not make people immortal.” Good to know!\nThe truth is we all have limitations and we need to admit that. Ministers included. Only God knows everything, can fix anything, and can be everywhere at once. As Zach Eswine writes in The Imperfect Pastor, we needn’t repent that we’re not God, only for trying to be. But when ministers refuse to repent for trying to be God, they inevitably harm everyone around them. Because ministers don’t burn out like a light. They burn out like a fuse on a bomb.\nAdmitting our limits means respecting that we are creatures. It also means respecting that we are diverse. God didn’t make all men the same. Some ministers are healthy; some are sick. Some men need eight hours to prepare a sermon; others need sixteen. And our life circumstances can also affect the shape of pastoral ministry. B. B. Warfield’s life is an example of this.\nBenjamin and Anna were newlyweds in Germany when they got caught in a thunderstorm that caused Anna severe trauma to her nervous system and eventually made her bedridden. But Benjamin loved his wife. So because of her fragile condition, he made the choice to stay close to home throughout his career. This likely increased B. B. Warfield’s literary output—he “has done about as much work as ten ordinary men,” Machen said. But as Warfield’s friend Francis Patton remembered, his choice also made him unable to preach, take part in the debates of the General Assembly, serve on church boards, and take other speaking engagements.\nStill, it can be hard to admit one’s limitations. The Wall Street Journal reported that “out of every 100 people who believe they only need five to six hours of sleep a night only about five people really do.” Why is it so hard to admit our limits?\nOne reason is that it requires us to be humble and admit our need for others. I think of the apostles who, in the early part of their ministry, had to face the fact that under their watch a scandal arose: some widows were not receiving church funds because they were Greek. Remarkably, the apostles did not double down and fix the problem themselves. Instead, they told the church to find other men to help so that they could devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word. In doing this, the apostles had to tell the church that they were unable to solve a problem that needed to be solved, that they had to rely on other people and trust that God would supply the need. That takes humility.\nToday, some ministers find themselves in a similar situation. They have a particular calling and yet find their schedules filled with duties that more properly belong to ruling elders, deacons, and non-ordained members too. It may be tempting to just try harder, but sometimes humility is what is really needed.\nOf course, it will be asked: What about when there is no help? What about church plants, for example, where there are no local elders or deacons and the church is small? It’s a good question and it gets us to the second reason why it’s hard to admit the limitations of pastoral ministry.\nWhen we admit our limitations we are forced to make difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions. If help cannot be found, it may require stopping activities that feel important, godly, and even necessary. Just as Jesus did when he would stop healing people in order to be alone and pray. So it may be that updating the church directory must wait another year. Or perhaps the number of meetings should be limited. Or maybe starting an evening service should be postponed until the pastor is a faster at preparing his sermons. Every church will be different and will have to find their own way to live humbly before the Lord.\nOf course, not everyone needs to slow down and do less. Honesty will require some ministers and churches to be more zealous and effective than they currently are. We must be good stewards of all God has given us, our individual gifts and our corporate gifts.\nBut if we are honest, we will learn to recognize that God has given us gifts and limitations. This is humbling on both accounts, but it is also a double blessing because it teaches us to lean on God for all that we have and all that we don’t; to trust Him for all the things we can’t do, and by faith, do all that we can.\n  This article was originally published in New Horizons 38, no. 6 (June-July 1017): 10-11.  ",
    "dateiso": "2017-08-04 16:04:53 -0700",
    "date": "4:04 p.m. on Aug 4, 2017",
    "permalink": "https://www.christopherchelpka.com/2017/08/04/the-productive-pastor.html",
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  }
]