tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46370004976141082072024-02-19T05:31:52.487-06:00Thoughts of a TheophileTimothy Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055722969246770165noreply@blogger.comBlogger181125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637000497614108207.post-61855866980140653522011-03-09T09:29:00.003-06:002011-03-09T09:47:36.060-06:00For those about to fast, I salute you!Well, today is Ash Wednesday!
So, for those of you who will be choosing to fast from something for the next 40 odd days I wish you nothing but the best. I hope you (and I) will be be challenged, strengthened, and encouraged.
And to get you thinking here is a stanza from T. S. Eliot's poem, "Ash Wednesday":
And pray to God to have mercy upon us
And pray that I may forget
These matters Timothy Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055722969246770165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637000497614108207.post-25176191169835696792011-03-03T09:10:00.007-06:002011-03-03T09:45:25.702-06:00To Fast or Not to FastThis next Wednesday (March 9th) is "Ash Wednesday." This day marks the beginning of Lent.The practice of Lent (fasting for 40 days leading up to Resurrection Sunday) has its origins in the Early Church era (approx 100-300 AD). Resurrection Sunday (i.e. "Easter" Sunday) was a day when the Church most often held baptisms and so, for those wishing to be baptized into the Church, it was required Timothy Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055722969246770165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637000497614108207.post-33535899137194955512011-02-22T14:11:00.007-06:002011-02-23T08:05:11.721-06:00A look behind as well as aheadFor those of us still enclosed in the icy clutches of winter it's nice every now and then to look back the previous summer's activities in order to anticipate next summer's.In the last couple of week's I've spent a significant amount of time day-dreaming about what sort of camping/canoeing trips I might be able to pull off this upcoming summer (Lord willing, of course!). Last September Timothy Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055722969246770165noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637000497614108207.post-90327063362791662312011-02-16T08:40:00.008-06:002011-02-23T08:09:48.686-06:00Theological IntoxicationI think my favourite thing about going through the Psalms in the LXX is that everything is just phrased slightly differently. It makes you stop and take notice of things that you might not otherwise. Switching from one translation to another often has that effect. What I've been struck by most recently has been the language of intoxication.Here are a couple examples of what I'm talking about:"Timothy Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055722969246770165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637000497614108207.post-91823888191852984292011-02-09T21:27:00.003-06:002011-02-09T21:34:51.581-06:00Sometimes you just beat yourselfTeam Canada (ranked 80th in the world) played Greece (ranked 10th) today. All in all it was an impressive game for the Canucks who played a solid, equal match against the Greeks. In fact, aside from a few breakdowns, I think Team Canada had more quality chances than the Greeks.Unfortunately, we beat ourselves with a horrendous giveaway. *sigh*It was still a good game!Timothy Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055722969246770165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637000497614108207.post-55224446357701201572011-02-01T08:38:00.002-06:002011-02-01T08:43:44.013-06:00...like a weaned child...As I continue to meander through the Psalms I, once again, stumbled upon Psalm 131 and thought it tied in nicely with the last post and the idea of relaxing, having full confidence in God as our parent (although, certainly not a father in this case!).Anyway, our household currently has a nursing child in it, so this simile is particularly poignant for me.Timothy Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055722969246770165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637000497614108207.post-76739922678697689802011-01-27T13:31:00.002-06:002011-01-27T13:59:44.963-06:00Just Relax!I think we all have times in our lives when we seriously just need to relax... just let things rest in the hands of God and relax. I don't necessarily claim to know how to do this very well but there have definitely been times in my life when I've needed to relax and, no doubt, there will continue to. I was reminded of this a few weeks ago as I have continued to read through the Psalms in the Timothy Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055722969246770165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637000497614108207.post-82179325110570255332011-01-19T10:37:00.004-06:002011-01-19T11:15:32.064-06:00Don't Ever Interrupt MeSome of you have probably already seen the latest offering from the delightfully bizarre and unceasingly creative Julian Smith:Aaah, so true!It also reminding me of a quote from Adam S. McHugh's book Introverts in the Church:"Many introverts do not do well with interruptions, either when we are speaking or reflecting... Introverts may become even more frustrated when people mislabel their Timothy Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055722969246770165noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637000497614108207.post-76265648000219756342010-12-30T13:46:00.005-06:002010-12-30T14:31:37.154-06:00Take Your PickThe big race starts in just a couple of days!Looking for a 3-peat are Volkswagen with their race Touareg:We've already seen BMW's newest entry (the Mini... which is really just as much X3 as it is Mini). But they've also got their usual fleet of X5s:The French Team Dessoude will be entering their usual selection of Nissans: (the interesting stuff starts at about 2:20)And, of course, Robby GordonTimothy Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055722969246770165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637000497614108207.post-32927614384232834372010-12-28T13:08:00.004-06:002010-12-28T13:25:49.784-06:00Get Ready for it...For me one of the biggest highlights of the sporting year is the annual Dakar Rally.For those of you unfamiliar with this extraordinary event, it is a 16 DAY rally race including motorbikes, quads, SUVs, and big trucks. This year the rally returns to Argentina and Chile. Normally I've been a Mitsubishi guy, but with Mitsubishi's withdrawal a few years ago I've taken up cheering for the BMW Timothy Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055722969246770165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637000497614108207.post-34859672054206035382010-12-23T15:23:00.006-06:002010-12-24T08:46:07.393-06:00A Christmas MeditationThis is a brief excerpt from Augustine's Confessions as he ponders the meaning of Jeremiah 23:24 which says, "Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord." (my emphasis)[1.3] (all the "you"s are referring to God) "Do heaven and earth, then, contain the whole of you, since you fill them? Or, when once you Timothy Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055722969246770165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637000497614108207.post-46221440940288057422010-12-16T09:01:00.007-06:002011-03-03T14:43:55.423-06:00Chritsmas, Trees, and the Beginning and End of TimeIn past Christmas seasons I've blogged about all sorts of different aspects of our Christmas traditions. Usually I just pick a pet peeve and sort of "have at it." In typical post-modern fashion I've picked apart perceived portions of the narrative that I think are inaccurate; things like the non-existent inn, the time frame of the magi, the date of Christmas itself, and the whole "x"mas Timothy Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055722969246770165noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637000497614108207.post-65203802160445119652010-12-15T07:46:00.005-06:002010-12-15T08:40:32.551-06:00Yesterday, and the Day BeforeSo, as I hinted at yesterday, this last Monday we took a trip into the forest to find, cut down, and bring home our Christmas tree. It's become a bit of a Christmas tradition in our family. [Some of these pictures were just taken with my phone, so please forgive the lack of quality]There was a fair bit of snow, so it was a lot of fun driving in.It was a beautiful day. The temperature was about Timothy Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055722969246770165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637000497614108207.post-25879102393623647242010-12-14T13:08:00.003-06:002010-12-14T13:10:20.946-06:00YesterdayTimothy Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055722969246770165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637000497614108207.post-40626721318699542692010-12-08T07:53:00.004-06:002010-12-08T08:59:05.267-06:00I found a Unicorn!Yup, I found a unicorn... in the BIBLE!Well, sort of. I've been reading through the Psalms for my regular devotions, and to mix it up I've been reading them in the Septuagint (LXX); yes, I'm on a bit of a LXX kick. Anyway, just yesterday I was reading through the famous Ps 22 when I bumped right into a unicorn. Needless to say, neither of us were expecting it, but neither me nor the unicorn Timothy Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055722969246770165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637000497614108207.post-63280012839546106982010-12-07T08:48:00.001-06:002010-12-07T08:50:24.979-06:00Jesus, History, and the Greek NTHere's a great little clip (OK, it's about 10 min.) of BW3:Jesus and History from CPX on Vimeo.Timothy Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055722969246770165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637000497614108207.post-9814297273726858142010-12-03T08:43:00.004-06:002010-12-03T08:57:55.622-06:00Yes, this is funnyMichael F. Bird strikes again!Here he's doing a silly little promo for the SBL's (Society of Biblical Literature's) new critical Greek Text of the New Testament. They are doing their best to give the NA27/UBS4 a run for their money! And yes, in case you weren't sure, this is funny.And while we're at it, I want to share a link with you that may prove to be extremely valuable for those who care.Timothy Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055722969246770165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637000497614108207.post-5988712103634136172010-12-01T08:01:00.006-06:002010-12-01T08:49:07.448-06:00All is Calm?"Silent night, holy night, all is calm..." Really? Calm? Have you ever seen a woman in labour? And I can't help but think that adding a bunch of stinky shepherds to the mix is going to help anything. "How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is giv'n..." Wondrous, yes. Silent, not likely!"It came upon the midnight clear..." Well, I suppose it could have; it just doesn't say. All Timothy Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055722969246770165noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637000497614108207.post-73642071404528065332010-11-24T08:06:00.005-06:002010-11-24T14:04:26.682-06:00Word DesignsA while ago I discovered a website by a guy named Jim LePage. Jim is a graphic designer and has been doing a project simply called "Word." Basically, he's been doing "book covers" for each book of the Bible. He's come up with some pretty interesting stuff. Check it out: here. Click on the picture to see a larger view and a write-up/reflection on his thoughts as to why he did what he did for Timothy Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055722969246770165noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637000497614108207.post-75856619903607419872010-11-20T08:26:00.002-06:002010-11-20T08:32:56.199-06:00Hearing Music Everywhere!I ran across Charles Spearin's "The Happiness Project" a while ago (I think it was on CBC Radio 2's "the Signal"). The idea totally intrigued me: He had interviewed a whole bunch of his neighbours about what they thought it meant to be happy in life. Then he listened to the natural tonality in their conversations and turned it into music.I know it's totally outside of most of our musical boxes,Timothy Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055722969246770165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637000497614108207.post-36948105584523186232010-11-17T07:53:00.004-06:002010-11-17T08:49:06.011-06:00The New NIVSome of you may be aware that the NIV has been undergoing an overhaul. Well, the revision is pretty much done and, while it won't be in print until next year, they have given the text to BibleGateway.com so that people can preview it. So, head on over to BibleGateway (click here) and check out a few of your favourite verses.Just for clarity: the revision has been referred to as the "NIV2011" Timothy Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055722969246770165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637000497614108207.post-38665928495955028142010-11-11T14:00:00.002-06:002010-11-11T14:07:37.702-06:00Yup, more Dawn Treader ClipsHere's the full theatrical tailer:And here's a clip of Lucy, Edmond, & Eustace "transitioning" into Narnia:Timothy Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055722969246770165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637000497614108207.post-24084683214178644572010-11-09T09:23:00.002-06:002010-11-09T09:28:43.242-06:00On Servant LeadershipA good word from Brother Francis:"'I came not to be served but to serve' (Mt. 20:28) says the Lord. Those who are appointed to rule over others may not boast of their position any more than if they were to be assigned to the duty of washing their brothers' feet. And if they are more disturbed about the possibility of losing their position than they would be about losing the duty of foot-washingTimothy Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055722969246770165noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637000497614108207.post-54786889262178085872010-11-08T09:27:00.003-06:002010-11-08T09:29:53.395-06:00"No one Touches the Tail"Here's the first "Dawn Treader" TV Spot:Timothy Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055722969246770165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637000497614108207.post-52467199663862267172010-11-03T07:51:00.003-06:002010-11-03T08:01:32.936-06:00The Greater GoodRecently I ran across this quote by John Cassian (360-435 AD) which I found interesting:"There is a great difference between those who put out the fire of sin within themselves by fear of hell or hope of future reward and those who from the feeling of divine love have a horror of sin itself and of uncleanliness and keep hold of the virtue of purity simply from the love and longing for purity. Timothy Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055722969246770165noreply@blogger.com0