Robie and I had a wonderful trip to San Francisco–many thanks to my folks caring for our kids while we were gone! We saw the sights, had an afternoon in Sauscilito, caught a Giants game when Bonds hit his 761st homer, drove breathtaking Hwy 1, spent a day in Santa Cruz, where we rode a roller coaster and I showed Robie where I learned to surf. We also visited Elm Street Mission where I served the homeless of Santa Cruz ten summers ago.

It was joyful, restful and fun…refueling for us in a number of ways.

This new book looks like a great reference tool. Tom Oden gives it a hearty endorsement:

Ron Heine has written Reading the Old Testament with the Ancient Church for a wide variety of readers: pastors, New Testament and patristics scholars, and general lay readers. This is a very helpful introduction to the ways the ancient Christian writers viewed the Scriptures. Heine comes to the subject with a significant grasp of both primary sources and contemporary scholarship. The argument is illuminating and inspiring.”–Thomas C. Oden

Read an excerpt here.

Well, I am not exactly sure where a post about the world of gaming fits between Abraham Kuyper and Richard Mouw; But after watching these interesting 60 minuets clips on gaming prodigy “Fatal1ty”, I thought it was worth looking at just how elaborate the gaming world has become. Personally, I am completely in the dark when it comes to video games and gaming culture. Undoubtedly, gaming is big business. Hundreds of millions of people game worldwide, and recent reports show that worldwide sales of video game consoles and software are expected to reach $30 billion this year – that’s more than twice the revenue of the NFL, the NBA, and Major League Baseball combined. What do we make of this massive industry that adds thousands to its revenues and devotees daily? Some evangelicals have called the gaming a cultural a harmful epidemic, and many are critical of the gaming community for what seem to be good reasons. However, after watching these clips I am thinking more openly about the hobby or sport that has millions of followers. Maybe there is something to be said for the cyber athlete like Jonathan Wendel who refines his skills and takes seriously his training and commitment to gaming excellence…see article.

I will be in San Fran with my lovely wife until Tuesday. My thoughtful brother, Luke Dodson (Masters from Oxford in Sociology), has agreed to guest blog a few posts. I’ll look forward to reading them when I am back. Enjoy!