Back Home: Death in a Coal Mine

I was saddened this week to read about a young man getting killed in an accident at a coal mine in my home county back in southern Illinois. It brought back memories for me. When most people think about coal mines, they usually think about West Virginia and eastern Kentucky. I’ve learned that many people don’t realize that southern Illinois has one of the richest coal mining veins in the United States.

I can remember as a young boy going to spend the night at my Grandma and Grandpa’s house and Grandpa coming home from finishing the 2nd shift. He’d wake me up so I could join him for a midnight snack in the kitchen: Pringles and a bottle of cold Mountain Dew.

My Grandpa is in the middle. Grandpa would shower before our “midnight snack” in the kitchen.

I also remember in grade school getting news of a classmate’s Dad being killed in the mine. One of my Dad’s best buddies had his face crushed in mine accident. Several surgeries were required to reconstruct his face. One of my best friends spent several weeks in a hospital recuperating after nearly dying in a coal mining accident.

Lee Corning Interview: Reading the Whole Bible in Six Days

I met Lee Corning several years ago when he lived in Jacksonville Beach for a while. A native of suburban Chicago, Lee now lives in Dallas, Texas, with his wife Chelsy. Lee, 28, works in technology and trading. In January Lee decided to embark on a challenge: to read the entire Bible within 7 days. Having been raised in a devout Christian home (his mother is the author of Entrusted With a Child’s Heart and his father was chair of the elder board at Harvest Bible Chapel of Rolling Meadows, IL for twenty-three years), Lee grew up surrounded by a deep love and respect for God’s Word. Here at pastorbrett.com we post fairly frequently on the importance of Bible reading. I asked Lee if he would be willing to answer some questions about his experience of reading the Bible intensely over a short period of time. He graciously agreed.

 

PB: Thanks, Lee for being willing to do this interview. Where and when did you get the idea to try to the read the Bible in six days?  Why six days?

 

LC: I generally wake up around 3 or 4 a.m. to watch overseas markets for a little before the work day starts and get a little reading done or something in the educational realm. I had been reading lots of business books and biographies of industrialists and technology innovators. I was about halfway through the Steve Jobs biography and thought to myself, this guy is really just an excellent manipulator… and kind of a charlatan. I put that book down and thought, people really put this guy on a pedestal and he’s not even a good guy. I don’t want to be like this guy at all, which raises the obvious question of, “Whose life do you want to imitate/learn from?”

 

Testimony: Kirsten Powers

I don’t watch news on television, so I didn’t know Kirsten Powers prior to coming across her testimony, “Fox News’ Highly Reluctant Jesus Follower,” published in Christianity Today. Powers writes, “Of all people surprised that I became an evangelical Christian, I’m the most surprised.” It is powerful. Check it out…HERE.

 

Which Manuscript Family is Your English Bible Based Upon?

When it comes to the many thousands of manuscripts upon which our English New Testaments are based, there are basically two major “families” of manuscripts: the Byzantine family and the Alexandrian family.

The predominant view among conservative Bible scholars today is to prefer the ALEXANDRIAN family of manuscripts…

Book Review: Happy, Happy, Happy by Phil Robertson

How did I spend Veterans Day 2013? Aside from sleeping in, my daily Bible reading, installing a shelf in the garage, riding bikes with the family, taking the mower in to be fixed, taking Bryce on a Daddy date to the batting cages and Sonic, and eating three meals? I spent it reading Happy, Happy, Happy in its entirety.

It’s nearly a miracle that I waited this long to get my hands on this book. Ever since I first heard of Phil Robertson, I became enamored with his story and his lifestyle. A couple of years later, so did the rest of America, with the launch of the wildly popular reality TV show, Duck Dynasty.

Because I have been such a fan of the Robertson family, I was already familiar with much of his story. Yet reading the book was nothing close to a letdown. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it met my expectations. I was intrigued, inspired, encouraged, and even found myself laughing out loud a few times. Up next? Uncle Si’s Si-Cology!  *****5 of 5 stars

Book Review: “Intentional Walk” by Rob Rains

First off… I am a hard-core, lifelong Cardinals fan. I am also a follower of Jesus Christ. Put those two facts together and I was thrilled to get a copy of this book. But my expectations were too high. I picked this book with 5-star enthusiasm and 5-star expectations but could only give it a 3-star rating.

Now, as for what I liked… really enjoyed learning about the many Christians affiliated with the Cardinals, but two of the testimonies that stood out most were from Kyle McClellan and Skip Schumaker (both now former Cardinals). McClellan because of an analogy he shares about his dog greeting him at the door and Schumaker because of his conversion story and his involvement with raising money for a rare children’s disease (a genetic disorder). He became involved in this cause while watching some friends lose their child to the disorder.

More Dog and Cat Theology

Perhaps you’ve heard the famous dog and cat theology illustration…

Here’s what goes through a dog’s mind when he looks at his owner:

“You feed me, you pet me, you shelter me, you love me — you must be God!”

Meanwhile, here is what is going through a cat’s mind:

“You feed me, you pet me, you shelter me, you love me — I must be God!”

If you’ve had both as pets or have spent much time around them, you get the joke.

“What the Church Can Learn From the Abercrombie Controversy”

My latest column (not sports this time) is HERE.

Tim’s Restaurant

An inspiring story…

Pray for Steve Saint

 

Steve Saint, perhaps most well known in the evangelical community for being the son of Ecuador missionary martyr Nate Saint (d.1955), has compiled an impressive missionary resume himself. The leader and founder of I-Tec, based in nearby Dunnellon, Florida, Saint has a passion for helping nationals develop technology to help themselves and spread the Gospel message. One of the coolest inventions he has come up with is the Maverick flying car. I heard Steve speak live at the Desiring God National Conference back in 2005 and was truly touched by his story.

Last week Steve was participating in an experiment at their Dunnellon headquarters when a safety strap broke and seriously injured him. He was medevaced to Shands Hospital in Gainesville where he has experienced paralysis, hopefully temporary in nature. For updates go to I-Tec’s facebook page.

Here is man who has known much suffering. His father died a martyr’s death while Steve was yet a small boy. In the year 2000 his college-aged daughter, Stephanie, died unexpectedly from a sudden cerebral hemorrhage within nine hours of returning home from a summer on the mission field. And now this.

I’m sure he and his family would appreciate your prayers.