I think the answer to this question is found in another question:
Do you want people to take you literally?
It depends, right? Generally, you mean what you say, and you want people to believe you.
• If you say you are going to the store, that means you are going to the store.
• If you say you want a puppy, that means you want a puppy.
But 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.
The 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.
How 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.
Figuring 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.
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.
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.
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.
If you want to get to know him, there were a several memorials shared in January. Here’s one example: Fresh Air shared a remembrance along with an interview he did with Terry Gross in 1985. It’s a great introduction to Schickele, his life, and his larger-than-death character, P. D. Q. Bach.
Or 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’ve rediscovered over the last couple months.
- P. D. Q. Bach: Oedipus Tex & Other Choral Calamities, includes Classical Rap
- Einstein on the Fritz from 1712 Overture & Other Musical Assaults
- Four Folksong Upsettings
- Twelve Quite Heavenly Songs
Enjoy!
Last week, ChatGPT went off the rails for a minute, but still…
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.
Read the full story.
- When analyzing Millennials, Gen Z, and other gens, we should be more cautious.
- I wasn’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’s new book, Empowered Witness.
- 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.
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.
A few quick notes on public career and technical education (CTE) programs in Arizona.
🚂 This is entry 3 of the blogtrain CTE.
Tips on how to pick a career and technical education (CTE) program while in high school and when to get started.
🚂 This is entry 2 of the blogtrain CTE.
- D. G. Hart and John Muether, “Turning Points in American Presbyterian History”
- Peter Schickele died on January 16.
- A reminder about the importance of living life with “in-person” people.
One of the most underrated options for high schoolers is career and technical education (CTE).
🚂 This is entry 1 of the blogtrain CTE.
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.
🚂 This is entry 4 of the blogtrain The Covenants of God.
The story of how God fulfills the Covenant of Redemption is found in Chapter 7 of the Westminster Confession of Faith. It’s an excellent summary. I’ll quote each section and make a few comments.
- 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?