Happy Reformation Day!

Today is the 490th anniversary of the day Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the church door at Wittenberg, Germany. This act would, in essence, ignite the Protestant Reformation and change both Western civilization and the world forever.

I find it odd that so few people, and especially churches, choose to celebrate (or at least recognize) this great day, but do have “harvest” celebrations, and so forth. While I have been aware of it for many years, I too seem to forget about it more often than not. Well, I have decided to make something more of it next year and I hope you will too (if you do not already). There are a number of great resources out there and I encourage you to check them out and be prepared for next year.

Unfortunately, I will miss this evenings activities because of a class I am taking. While I have nothing against candy and games, what I do regret missing is the homecoming of my brother-in-law Kyle and his wife, Kelli. They are flying in today from Scotland where Kyle is studying and I am glad to say that they will be around (or at least in this country) for much of the next year. If you are not familiar with Kyle, you need to check out his excellent new book, Metamorpha (Baker Books) and head over to metamorpha.com. These are spiritual formation resources that you don’t want to miss. I am glad you guys are home and look forward to spending as much time with you as possible.

Finally, while I would have liked to write more on Reformation Day, I have not had the time. Instead, I am sending you over to Challies.com. Tim Challies has started what he calls the Reformation Day Symposium where he accepts a number of articles related to Reformation Day and posts selected ones. I have only begun to read through them and I encourage you to do the same. There is a wide variety of topics and writing styles represented this year and I am sure you will be enlightened and encouraged as you make your way through them.

Happy Reformation Day!

e-Sword…

…the sword of the LORD with an electronic edge!

e-Sword is, in my opinion, the only free or low-cost Bible study software that is worth getting. I will not bother to review the software in great detail, because you can download it and try it out for yourself in no time. A few things I appreciate about this product include:

• Rick Meyers has faithfully developed this software for some time. He has demonstrated his desire to keep the product current while listening to the suggestions of his users.
• e-Sword simply offers more resources for free than any other comparable program I have found. Additionally, while add-ons are available for purchase, none are required given the free options (make sure to download the ESV version for FREE) and the only one I have purchased has been the NASBu Study Pack which included a plain version and a Strong’s Numbers version.
• While few, if any, of these programs are visually works of art (even among the expensive options), e-Sword is well-designed, customizable, and easy to work with. While aesthetics may be subjective, it is hard to knock e-Sword out of the running based on looks.
• While Rick has a life of his own, he has always personally responded to my inquiries with kindness and patience. I know that the e-Sword project and subsequent support takes up a lot of his time and I appreciate his faithfulness.

Is the program perfect? Of course not. Yet, it already stands out among even high priced software packages and I know that Rick will continue to develop the software as long as God leads him in that direction. If you have $100-$1500 to spend on Bible Study software, there are some good options out there. But don’t feel that you have to spend that kind of money to get the most out of your Bible study. Check out e-Sword. It is a great place to start and a pretty good place to finish.

There is a Pocket PC version of e-Sword available that might interest some people.

Unfortunately, e-Sword is not available for Macs (as far as I know). You might consider MacSword, which is a free and open-source Bible study program for the Mac. Unrelated to e-Sword, MacSword is based on the SWORD Project at Crosswire.

Are you prepared?

I’m not! But this post is not about me, it’s about you. So let’s pretend that I have multiple escape routes planned, a month’s supply of bottled water, churros and spam, and a 3^rd grade desk to hide under and refocus back on you.

Natural disasters and other emergencies have a tendency to remind us a little too late of the things we should have done. I live just a short drive from the Santiago fire that is still burning as I write this. In fact, I can see the flames from our neighborhood and smell the smoke from our house. We know a number of people who have been evacuated and even more who just missed having to leave their homes. What makes this tragedy particularly upsetting is that it was arson – someone did this on purpose.

Of course, regardless of where you live, you likely face or are threatened with the possibility of some type of natural disaster. Hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, floods, fires, earthquakes and so forth are a part of this life, and while some people might suggest you find a safer place to live, reasonable people know it is not as easy as that.

But it’s not only destructive natural disasters that we should be prepared for. More often it’s the minor inconveniences that get the best of us. Something as simple of a power outage can cause a lot of anxiety and frustration - especially when you find out the batteries are dead. Of course, this assumes you can even find your flashlight.

All of this is to say that we really should make the effort to be prepared for whatever situations arise. To this end, I have made a short list of resources that I would encourage you to check out. This list is by no means exhaustive, but I believe it should be all anyone needs to find peace of mind. Finally, I would also encourage you to share this information with anyone and everyone you know. While there are few things as heartbreaking as suffering through something that could easily have been avoided, we still find ourselves procrastinating preparedness.

Check out these resources, print up any checklists they offer and go buy your supplies. And don’t forget to plan for emergencies at work, in the car, at church or anywhere else you regularly find yourself. Make a plan with your family and be prepared, come what may.

• American Red Cross
• American Red Cross “Make A Plan” Page
• FEMA
• FEMA “Plan Ahead” Page
• AAA

Scripture Memory Music Done Right

Psalm 119.11 reads, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (ESV) There is no question that Scripture memorization is a vital part of the Christian walk. There is also no question that so much Christian music (as well as art, writing, etc.), while well meaning, often lacks in talent what it tries to make up for with heart. Because of this, I was so excited to find Rick Altizer’s Scripture Memory - Pop Symphonies. I want to thank Justin Merth over at In The Word for highlighting this in his blog. As Justin says, “This is good stuff.” In fact, this is great stuff! My wife can attest to the fact that I cannot stop talking about this album and I turn it up every chance I get.

Of course, if you are not a fan of this particular style of music, then you may not find it as appealing as I do. I, however, cannot help but think of some of my favorite music as I listen to these songs. Justin mentions the influences of George Harrison and Elvis Costello, which are readily apparent. But the comparisons do not stop there. I would add, late Beatles, Tom Petty, Elo (specifically Mr. Blue Sky), Pink Floyd (Brain Damage from Dark Side), Jellyfish (from Bellybutton), PFR (Pray for Rain) and a host of other artists.

Altizer brings together his love of Christ with his God-given musical ability to create an album that breaks free from the stereotypical Christian mediocrity. Head over to his site to hear a demo and then to CDBaby to read more about the Album and purchase the CD or MP3 for only $10.00 (as of 10/27/07). You will not regret getting these “songs” stuck in your head.

Welcome to Danland!

Thanks for stopping by. This is the first in what I hope to be a large number of posts about anything and everything that can find its way out of my head. Some of what you read here will be serious and some of it will cause you to seriously question my mental capacity. Some posts will frustrate you and hopefully others will encourage you. Some will cause you to laugh with me and others to laugh at me.

Regardless, everything I write I do so before the face of God, so I take full responsibility for it. Because of this, and because iron sharpens irons, I hope you will offer your comments, whatever they may be, so that through them we can all be edified and have a lot of fun along the way.

Thanks and please take a minute to read the About section to learn a little more about me and the blog.