James's Weblog

I greatly enjoyed reading about Euan Murray's decision not to play for Scotland against Argentina this coming Sunday. You can read it in the Telegraph and in the Sydney Morning Herald.

I have written a little app that automatically sets my computer wallpaper to the National Geographic Photo of the Day each morning.

Today's picture, entitled "Alpine Climbers, Midi-Plan Traverse, France" is stunning.

Are they predicative, attributive, substantive, etc.? These questions matter, because an adjective placed in the wrong place can imply the wrong meaning.

Was this the correct headline?

What did those MPs think they were up to? Gamekeeper turned poacher?

A piece of news that would easily not go noticed, but I noticed it.

Seeing the company name makes me remember the Nairobi - Mombasa Road, with endless driveways off the road signed "KPC. Pumpstation number 26", or similar.

Anyway, a real tragedy when things like this happen. Let's pray for those affected.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14879401

As I look at Psalm 6, in preparation for this coming Sunday evening, I went back to visit a blog post by Adrian Reynolds over at The Proclaimer.

He says this, which is very helpful indeed:

Some sobering words from Chris Green (paid link) as he comments on 2 Timothy 4:10

Matthew 28:19 has a command ("go and make disciples"), followed by two participles: "baptising... , and teaching...".

Here's France (paid link) again:

The order in which these two participles occur differs from what has become common practice in subsequent Christian history, in that baptism is, in many Christian circles, administered only after a period of ‘teaching,’ to those who have already learned. It can become in such circles more a graduation ceremony than an initiation. If the order of Matthew’s participles is meant to be noticed, he is here presenting a different model whereby baptism is the point of enrollment into a process of learning which is never complete.

This coming Sunday, I am preaching on the closing verses of Matthew's gospel, Matthew 28:16-20.

Here's R T France (paid link): ... Enjoy!

The risen Jesus, vindicated over those who tried to destroy him, is now established as the universal sovereign, and his realm embraces not only the whole earth, which was to be the dominion of the ‘one like a son of man’ in Daniel’s vision, but heaven as well. At the beginning of the gospel, Satan offered Jesus sovereignty over the whole earth, but his offer was refused (4:8-10); now Jesus, going the way of obedience to his Father’s will even to the cross has received far more than Satan could offer. (Page 1113)

With a hat-tip to The Good Book Company Blog, here is an assortment of creative suggestions to help families learn Bible verses together.

http://www.girltalkhome.com/blog/seeds-of-character-winners

I love this quotation from Gerard Wilson (paid link). He's commenting on Psalm 5.

By relentless goodness I mean that from the beginning, God’s only intent was and still is to bless his creation. Judgement and mercy, therefore, are not two competing characteristics of Yahweh but are two inseparable consequences of his holiness. Relentless goodness is the flip side of incompatibility with evil. (Page 167)