Patrick Drury The Fantasy Football Guru!

Well Fantasy Football season has begun! And Patrick Drury was invincible last night. Its almost as if The Great Mike Ditka was whispering in his ear. Great job Patch!

I just wanted to start the topic of talking trash, this season! So here i go...

Gilmore you team is going to stinks this year and Bret is going to beat you!

Category: Post

Fall TV

The new fall television season is bearing down on us like a runaway something that bears down on people.

What shows are you looking forward to? For me, there's the returning favorites:

Scrubs - I love Scrubs. It's predictable, yeah, it wears it's formula on it's sleeve, yeah, but it's got heart and it features inventive directing and slapstick humor.













The Office - I have no words for how much I love this show. Remember that week at Reverb where they played the clip from The Office? I want to do a Reverb teaching series where we learn from The Office. Some dude wrote a book years ago about Christian lessons from The Andy Griffith Show - so why not The Office?






My Name Is Earl - I'm fascinated by this show. It regularly features things like suicide, prostitutes, toe-sucking, gambling-addiction, theft, violence, and a host of other strange and seedy subjects, yet at the end of every episode I feel like I've just watched the most heart-warming Hallmark special ever. How do they do that?




Then there's the new stuff:


Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip - Aaron Sorkin's new drama. This one takes a behind-the-scenes look at a Saturday Night Live style TV program. It stars Matthew Perry from Friends













30 Rock - Oddly enough, this is a comedy take on the same subject matter as Studio 60. It's a Tina Fey written comedy about the back-stage antics of a Saturday Night Live type program. I doubt network television can support two shows about such specific subject matter (even thought it can support a glut of doctor, lawyer, and cop shows). It'll be interesting to see which one (if either) catches the public's fancy first.

So what about you? Is there anything in the fall season you're looking forward to? Tell me what you're planning to watch.

Category: Post

Best summer movie

A couple of years ago I wrote a column about how I've only cried at a movie once.

Well, that just got shot to crap.














Little Miss Sunshine is the best summer movie of 2006. It beat the highly-nerd-enraging Superman Returns, it beat the funny-but-lacking-spirit Nacho Libre, it beat the totally-lost-everything-that-made-the-first-one-good Pirates of The Caribean II, and it beat the laugh-out-loud-but-highly-predictable Talladega Nights.

It beat them all and took their lunch money. I laughed, I cried, I nearly stood up and applauded.

I can't recommend this movie enough. It's got Steve Carell. Not playing Michael Scott, but doing one heck of an acting job. Go see it. Right now. I don't care what your boss/wife/parole officer says.

There are some heavy adult themes and some language, for those of you who like to know that sort of thing going in.

So what about you? Have you seen Little Miss Sunshine? What did you think? Was there another movie this summer that flipped your switch? Tell us about it.

Category: Post

Get Your Own Tickets!!!

Have you ever wanted to be a rock star? Not a fake one like the losers on Rock Star Supernova, but a REAL rock star? Me too. Well, now you can prove (read: lie) to your friends that you were a rock star back in the day! How you might ask? Show them the ticket stub from one of your big concerts! What ticket you ask? The one you can create at Concert Ticket Generator! It's super cool. Who cares if you're never going to be a rock star? Thanks to technology, you can now lie about the crazy things you did on your world tour and not suffer any of the brain damage!

Category: Post

Like Biggie Said...

Yes, I did go there on Sunday. Sorry, can't help it if Mr. Smalls and Mr. King Solomon happen to agree. I only speak the truth as I see it.

Did you walk away from Sunday's gathering thinking that you could use some more good advice when it comes to your finances? Our church community offers an intensive 13 week training course called Financial Peace University. This course is based on the teachings of financial counselor Dave Ramsey (www.daveramsey.com). A preview of the class is available on Monday, September 11th at 7:00 p.m. For More information or to register, contact Bryan Carter at 859-263-4633 x.228 or bcarter@xroadschurch.org.

Have any of us gone through Financial Peace or used Dave Ramsey's stuff before? What would you say to others who might be interested or looking for some help with their money?


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Reverb 8/27/06

The highlights from today's service:

-Jason's awesome cover of Ray LaMontagne's awesome cover of Gnarles Barkley's awesome song Crazy.

-Amy, Tim, and Kelly sharing their personal experiences (Amy, I really like the bit about moving into a neighborhood where your neighbors embraced your family so readily).

-"Bigee was right."

-Free money!

-They finally put the blog up on the screens to show everybody and the comment section they choose to preview features Amy consoling me about a rash.

What about you guys? What did you feel the high points were? What did you take away from the service?

Category: Post

!!!!!

Sally Foster just informed me, via email, that OK GO! will be performing the treadmill dance LIVE on the Video Music Awards on MTV. I generally avoid MTV (not on moral grounds, just on "I hate watching rich, whiney teenagers" grounds)but I will definitely tune in to see this. Maybe the entire Reverb community (all 250+ of us) could get together at Bret's house to watch it!

I'll bring some chips!

Category: Post

Reverb Radio Number 3 is live

Wondering what you're going to do with your weekend? Wonder no more! You can spend it listening to the majesty that is: Reverb Radio!

Our third episode is up and can be downloaded here. If you haven't subscribed to Reverb Radio, you can do so here.

As an added treat (and I use that word very loosely) here are some photos from last night's recording (click them to see bigger versions):













Bret and Lilly work out the kinks in the recording set-up.















Lilly tests the mike.














Sally regails us with her British accent.














Patrick rants!














Bret sleeps!







Category: Post

What do you like about Reverb

If you're reading this, then most likely you're a member of the Reverb community. If you're not - you should check us out sometime. We'd love to have you.

For those of you who are members of the community, take a minute and share with everyone else what it is that you like about Reverb. What is it that keeps you coming back every week? What is it about Reverb that resonates with you? We have a very consistent (and growing) collection of attenders and I'm curious what the draw is for each one of you. Include in your post how long you've been coming and why you decided to check it out in the first place. As always, feel free to be anonymous in your post.

I may fix it so that this post stays at the top of the blog for a while - so if you check us out regularly, be sure to look below for new post for the next few days. You don't wanna miss anything, do you?

Category: Post

Salaries of television dads

While we're on the subject of money - I thought you all might be interested in this site I found that lists in descending order the projected yearly incomes of various television fathers.

I can't believe Homer Simpson makes more money than I do...

Also, James Evans might be last, but he could have kicked the crap out of anybody else on the list. Don't let em get you down, James!

Category: Post

More really good advice on money

Don't throw money away.

Literally.

This morning I was working on my finances and realized I'd misplaced a $90 check for some freelance work. I looked everywhere for it - at home, at work, in my car. Couldn't find it. I was all set to be the call to an uncaring, faceless corporation and ask them to stop payment on the check and issue another one. I knew it would be a hassle and probably take months to get done.

Then, on a whim, I looked in my curbie. There it was. Sticking out of a garbage bag, covered in some... some orange liquid. Ugh.

I now have the check drying out between to paper-towel's.

Don't throw money away.

Category: Post

Really good advice on money

Our really good advice series continues this Sunday at Reverb. This week's topic? Money.

I'm looking forward to this one.

See, I'm not really a worrier. I sleep pretty good most nights. I don't fret about the future. I don't worry about what people think. I'm pretty laid back.

Until it comes to money. If there's one thing I worry about, it's money.

When I was first out living life on my own, I was terrible with money. I can remember not wanting to go to my mailbox because of all the overdraft statements from the bank and credit card bills. If I went to the ATM, I would never look at my receipt because I didn't want to know how much money I didn't have.

Then it finally all got to me and I made myself get serious about money. I started budgeting. Once I had budgeting down, I started saving. Then I realized saving wasn't going to do me any good unless I was out of debt.

Last January, I stared a get out of debt plan. I had two credit cards (one small, one large) and a truck loan to pay off. Now, eight months later, I've only got the truck payment left - and I should have it paid off in about nine months. Getting rid of those cards was a huge weight off my shoulders. I'd been carrying one of them around for ten years just paying minimum payments. TEN YEARS!!

I'm anxious to see what Fred has to show us about money from Proverbs on Sunday. But now, I'm more anxious to see what you guys have to say about money. How do you handle it? Do you avoid it? Are you anal about it? Did your parents teach you how to handle it? Have you had to teach yourself? What kind of goals do you have in your life in terms of finances? Tell us all about it. Remember - you don't have to give your name. Feel free to post anonymously if you have something to say but would rather remain private for now.

Category: Post

More faces

Okay, if you enjoyed seeing who the internet thinks Fred and I look like (see the post below this one), and want to see more Reverb/celebrity look-alikes, you can go here. Upload your own picture to the site, run the recognition program, save your results and email me the code, and I'll put yours up too.

Category: Post

The internet thinks Fred and I look like Heath Ledger

Mostly we try to post things on the Reverb blog that in some way relate to Reverb or the message series we're in.

But the internet is a big, cool place and sometimes we just have to post something cool we found. Like this:


Myheritage.com is a site that employs a facial recognition program. If you upload a picture of yourself to their site, their computer will tell you which celebrities look like you. Here's Fred's:



I tried it with Bret and GG, but I don't have good enough pictures of them.

Try it out. If you want, save your results and send the code to me. I'll put them on some webspace somewhere and link to them.

Category: Post

Reverb 8/20/06

Kelly Thorne suggested that it might be nice to start a post every week that gave people a chance to talk about the most recent Reverb service. And since this is a blog of the people and I am a benevolent blogger, here you go!

What did you think of this week's services? What kind of stuff did you leave thinking about? Did you have any interesting lunch conversations? What did you think about Fred's teaching? Or the music? Or the testimonies? Wasn't that first guy who talked about sex hot?

Personally, I liked Fred's point that the mystery of sex and "becoming one flesh" points us towards our creator and gives us a glimpse of him. I'd never really seen it from that angle before, so it gave me a lot to think about.

What about you guys?


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Adolescent romance/sex study

I found this on the net a few months ago and have been waiting for an opportunity to use it somewhere. This week's Reverb service relvolving around sex seemed like a good opportunity. Click on it for a larger version:


A group of sociologist studied the entire population of a high school for eighteen months and created a diagram detailing the networking of their dating/sexual relationships. An article about the study and an explanation of their findings can be found here.

I really don't have much to say on the whole thing. I just found it interesting. Feel free to tell me your take on it, though.




Category: Post

Getting Sex Advice At Church??

Absolutely! Talking about sex at church shouldn't seem like an oxymoron. After all, God created the parts, nerve endings, chemicals, and emotions that accompany them. Who better to tell us what to do with this part of our humanness?

In the book of Proverbs, Solomon has plenty to say on the subject. (And if you understand his story, you know that he knew what he was talking about.) So, let's start the conversation early. I'll throw out a couple of questions to get the ball rolling:

Q: Where have you learned about sex? What forces have shaped your views on physical intimacy?

Q: What messages (spoken & unspoken) have you heard from the church about sex?
Category: Post

Poll time!

It's been suggested that Fred saying "Wanna see something awesome?" would make a great ringtone for cell phones. Our R&D department is hard at work on making that a reality. In the meantime, though, we here at the Reverb Blog were curious what other types of Fred Merchandise you might like to see. So we decided a poll was in order.

What sort of Fred Merchandise would you like to see?

Select an option:

Fred "Wanna see something awesome?" ringtones?
A plush Fred doll
Fred iPod cases
FYBF clothing line (For You By Fred)
T-shirts (Fred spoke at Reverb and all I got was this lousy shirt)
Other

scratching itches

I've struggled with my job for years.

I like my job. I work at my dad's auto body repair shop. I write estimates and I deal with insurance companies. It pays my bills, allows me a fairly flexible schedule, and has given me a chance to see my dad in a light I never would have otherwise.

As I said, though, I struggle with it. I struggle with it because it's not creative. It doesn't scratch that itch I have at the back of my skull to create things. For now, though, my dad needs me and (at least for a couple more years) this is where I need to be, I think.

So I volunteer at Crossroads (or St. Awesomes' as I like to call it). I volunteer there, and I write a column for a newspaper, and I write skits, and I get up on stage whenever they'll let me. Those things scratch the itch.

I made a decision several years ago not to be defined by my job. My job is eight hours out of the day, but it's not what I love. What I love is people, and my church, and my friends, and writing, and God, and a cold beer, and sushi, and comic books, and new music, and the Food Network, and my nephews, and The Office, and books, and forgiveness, and fresh starts, and when my girlfriend straightens her hair and wears that black tanktop and a pair of jeans.

Those are the things that define me.

Fred's message yesterday really resonated with me when he said your work doesn't have to be your job. Your work can be the things that you put time into, the things you create. I've tried to live that way for a long time, but it's nice to be reminded.

So now tell us about your work. If it's your job - great. If it's not, though, that's great too. Tell us about the things you put your heart and soul into. The things that scratch that itch to create, the things that define you.



Category: Post

Head count

I'm curious as to who's reading the blog and how many of you there are.

Let's do a head check.

If you're reading this, post a comment in the comment section letting us know who you are and how you got here (Did you hear about the blog at Reverb, through a friend, the group email, or randomly). You don't have to tell us who you are if you want to remain anonymous, but we'd love to know who you are.

Even if you've obviously commented in other threads, let us know you're here. This kind of thing is very useful to Bret and I as we manage the site.

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We're Huge In France

The Reverb phenomenon is going global, one person at a time. Eric Crump has been a member of the Reverb community since it's inception. Last week his company transferred him to Paris. The one in France, not Kentucky. (By the way, why is it that our state has so many towns named after other places? Of course, left to their own devices, our forefathers came up with stuff like "Big Bone Lick". So maybe this isn't a bad thing.)

Anyway...Eric made the move this last week and sent us an email to let us know he has arrived and is beginning this new chapter of his life:

Bonjour,
I'm here in Paris and it's already been quite the adventure. My taxi driver was pulled over by the police on our way to my apartment. And I managed to lock myself out of my apartment because I forgot to memorize the code to get into the entrance. All that in the first 2 hours of being in Paris. I've been able to survive though.

I went to church today at the American Church of Paris. It went pretty well and I met a couple of people there. The service reminded me of the church I went to briefly in Mount Sterling. I'm going to try it out for a while. There is a newcomers thing on September 3. I want to check it out. The service today was about "Taking a Leap of Faith". Funny how God is ready with the message you need to hear. I hope you're having a good weekend and that Reverb goes well today. I'm looking forward to downloading Reverb to listen to. Thanks for posting the MP3 on the web!!!
Cheers!
Eric Crump

Would you take a minute and pray for Eric as he makes this transition? And who knows, maybe we've all just found a free place to crash the next time we're in Paris.
Category: Post

Reverb Radio Number 2

The second episode of Reverb Radio is ready for consumption. This week we discuss the happenings on the Reverb Blog, upcoming movies, CD and DVD releases, and a look back at Fred's message from last week. We're also excited to have David Bazan's song "How I Remember" from his latest EP as our song spotlight!

To download the song, go to http://reverbradio@libsyn.com and remember to leave us some feedback in the comments section here on the blog, or feel free to e-mail us at reverbradio@gmail.com.


Category: Podcast

Lending A Hand

Fayette County is opening a new school around the corner from our church facility. We've been calling for a few weeks offering to lend a neighborly hand and help them in any way we could. With the start of school only a few days away and much left to do, we finally got a call back asking for some help. This morning some folks from our church community went and did just that. Here's an email from Tim Stephan (a student minister at Crossroads) describing the experience.

Hey all,
Thanks for the help today for those that could make it. It was a tremendous success. We were able to empty the cafeteria full of boxes to locations, AND unload them and sort them for teachers and other staff. We spent a lot of the day putting computers together, and cleaning up boxes etc. The whole staff was so complimentary and kept saying what a blessing we were to them. Especially the computer guy, who would have had to do all that on his own.
So, if you still want to contribute, please do so. Being there today showed us they need a lot of help. Honestly, I don’t know what they would have done without our help. So, get over there if you have a few hours and contribute. I’m proud to be a part of a place that is serving outside the walls. They open next Wednesday.
If you have specific questions you can call Claire Batt at Athens, 421-1473 and let her know you’re coming.

If you plan to go: Take Todds Road from Man O War towards the church bldg; Turn right on Hays Blvd (the last road before I-75); Go to the four way stop and the school will be on your left.

Category: Post

Spoooooky

So I was scanning the internet yesterday looking for mentions of myself (like I do every night) and I stumbled across this page.

Click on the link and play the game (you have to have flash installed on your computer, I think). Go ahead, I'll wait.

Done? Pretty freaky, huh?

It's not really magic. There's actually some pretty simple math and some slight of hand behind it. If you really want it ruined for you and can't figure it out, email me and I'll tell you how it's done (in the interest of full disclosure, I didn't figure it out myself, someone else explained it to me).

Lots of times in life we find something we think is cool or meaningful, but once you see behind the curtain, we realize maybe it's not as great as we thought it was.

What's awesome about reading through Proverbs and seeing all the wisdom layed out for you, is that you can actively test it and see that it works. It's not a math thing or a card trick - it's genuine cause and effect. "Do this and this will happen." "Value these things and your life will look like this." No magic required.

Try it.

We'll wait.

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Prayer excerpt

I've been a part of a email chain for the past couple of weeks that's discussing the daily readings from Proverbs (in case you missed it, Fred is challenging everyone to read a chapter from Proverbs a day - specifically whatever chapter corresponds with that day's date). I haven't contributed much to the chain, mostly I've just sat back and read other people's comments.

Chris Stevenson (our very own Situated Giblets) posted a prayer to the chain this morning. I wanted to reproduce my favorite part of it here. Hopefully he won't mind:

"Thank you for being so intentional to teach us the value of wisdom and what it can do in our lives. Thank you for enabling us to not only grasp the message but for giving us repeated examples of application so that we have no doubt the meaning behind your teachings. Thank you for leaving it ambiguous enough to allow for intelligent conversation and application on each of the many seasons of life participating in this thread. Thank you for making it common enough that it applies to everyone no matter their current season of life."

Kind of captures the essence of Proverbs in a way, doesn't it?

Many of you had expressed concern that Chris was just another pretty face without much upstairs, but put your fears to rest. His model-like looks mask a big brain and some really good insights.

Category: Post

Do your shopping for me early

Larknews.com is a satirical website that prints fake Christian news stories. Kind of like The Onion, but about churchy type stuff. There's a lot of funny stuff on the site (and several bits that fall kind of flat), even it it might require you having a thick skin about your faith sometimes. The best thing on there, however is this t-shirt:


In case you can't read it, it says, "I'm with the puppet team."

If anyone is wondering what to get me for Christmas this year, now you know.


Category: Post

What are you watching?

Okay, so we did a "What are you reading?" thread, now it's time to cater to the non-readers in the crowd. It's time for a "What are you watching?" thread. Let's make this one about movies. We can do tv later, for now I want to know what movies you've seen recently, either in the theatres or on dvd. I'll start.

I finally broke down and got a Netflix account. I don't know why I held out so long. For $5.99 I can get up to 4 movies a month, keep them as long as I want and never have to pay a late fee. When I used to rent from Blockbuster I couldn't get a movie back on time if my life depended on it. So far, from Netflix, I've rented:

Syriana. Thought it was pretty good. Little hard to follow in places. Thought Clooney did a good job. I appreciate Clooney and the way he alternates between big Hollywood projects and smaller more artistic or activist works. That being said, Oceans 12 was maybe the worst movie I've ever seen.
















Winter Passing. Fifteen minutes into this movie I didn't think I was going to like it. It really ended up redeeming itself by the end, though. It also features Will Ferrel's only dramatic performance that I'm aware of (and dramatic may be stretching it a bit). Good movie. All about parent/child relationships and taking responsibility for your life.















What The #$*! Do We Know. That's actually the title of the movie, not me editing myself. It's a primer for Quantum Mechanics done as a movie. It stars Marlee Matlin (the deaf actress from Children of A Lesser God) and features interviews with experts in the fields of Quantum physics and various other areas. It focuses a lot on the individual's ability to change his reality and surroundings through positive thought and action. Interesting movie.












Next up on Netflix is Wake Up Ron Burgandy.

In theatres, I've seen Talladega Nights, Nacho Libre, You Me and Dupree, Superman Returns, The Breakup, Lady In The Water, and Pirates of The Caribbean 2. My favorites out of all of those was Nacho Libre and Talladega Nights. The others all kind of disappointed me on various levels.

I'll also be seeing Snakes On A Plane, The Borat Movie, and Jackass 2 when they come out.

Now you go.

Category: Post

Working For A Living...

This coming Sunday (8/13) we'll be getting some really good advice about work. But why wait a whole week to start the conversation? It's Monday and that means most of us are back on the job today. So take your state mandated 10 minute sanity break and tell us about your experiences with punching the clock by answering the following questions:

Q: What was your first job?

Q: What was the worst job you ever had?

Q: What was the best job you ever had?

Q: What kind of work do you do right now?

Q: If you had to change careers, what other type of work would you like to try?

Category: Post

You Want To See Something Awesome?

This may be the best video in the world!


Category: Post

Plenty of Pap on Tap

As I was reading Proverbs 4 this morning, two phrases stuck out to me:

1. Get Wisdom
2. Get Understanding

Of course, as followers of Christ we seek wisdom and understanding from the Bible. However, my thoughts began to expand and I started to thing about the information society we have become. I am overwhelmed with the continuous stream of content that is distributed to me on a daily basis via e-mail, the Internet, TV (with information crawlers at the bottom of the screen and informative pop-up side bars), radio, newspapers and magazines, all seeking to add information to my limited hard drive called a brain. Often, I find it difficult to discern between quality content that facilitates understanding and promotes wisdom from the pap and severely misguided information. So my question to you, the media savvy bunch you are, beyond the Bible, where do you seek out quality and accurate content/information? And what is your medium of choice (TV, Internet, radio, smoke signals)?

Category: Post

All the fortune, none of the msg

In case you've missed out on the fortune cookies the last few weeks at Reverb, fear not. The internet is here for you:

Virtual Fortune Cookies

Mine said, "He who spends too much time looking for stupid stuff on the internet will probably get fired."

Actually, my boss said that, but you get the picture.

Category: Post

The Colbert Report - Now with more Jesus!

Bret has a friend named Steve Beard who runs a website called Thunderstruck. Thunderstruck links to stories on the internet that deal with faith and pop culture. When I visited his site today I saw a quote by Steve Colbert from Comedy Central's hilarious Daily Show spin-off The Colbert Report. Here's the quote:

"I love my Church, and I'm a Catholic who was raised by intellectuals, who were very devout. I was raised to believe that you could question the Church and still be a Catholic. What is worthy of satire is the misuse of religion for destructive or political gains. That's totally different from the Word, the blood, the body and the Christ. His kingdom is not of this earth."

I thought that was a great quote.

It's tempting to get excited whenever you find out a celebrity or someone you look up to believes the same way you do. Unfortunately, that feeling is usually rooted in a whole "Look! I told you Christians were cool!" attitude, which really isn't very useful. The joy should come from the fact that one more person is aware of Jesus' love and trying to live it out in their daily lives. It should be the same feeling whether you find out a celebrity is a Christian or the guy that delivers your mail is.

The rest of the short interview can be found here.



Category: Post

If Solomon were alive today...

He'd be working for this website: iLounge.com.



iLounge is a vast repository for any and all knowledge pertaining to iPods, their use, and their accessories. It's so awesome that I think God must have been involved in it's creation somehow. Like maybe God went to some guy like he did with Solomon and said, "I'll give you one wish." And this guy said, "I want to know everything ever about iPods." And God was like, "Okay, cool."

There's so much info that it's a little hard to navigate at times, but if you can get in there and figure it out, you'll probably find an answer to whatever iPod questions you have.

Category: Post

What are you reading?

So I'm wondering what everybody else who attends Reverb is reading.

I thought about suggesting a book club, but that's just a little too Oprah. Instead just tell me what's on your nightstand. Not you, though, Bret, nobody care about the latest issue of Cat Fancy.

I'll start.

I'm almost finished with:

An Unlikely Prophet: Revelations On The Path Without Form - By Alvin Schwartz

These are the spiritual memoirs of Alvin Schwartz. Schwartz wrote Superman comics in the 40's and 50's. Sometime after he retired from that pursuit he claims a Tibetan monk came to him claiming to have been created wholely by another person's thoughts. From there Schwartz begins a journey through metaphysics and Tibentan philosophy. Interesting read.






I skip around a lot in:

Speaking My Mind: The Radical Evangelical Prophet Tackles the Tough Issues Christians Are Afraid to Face - By Tony Campolo

Pretty much exactly what the sub-title says it is. Although, I don't think most Christians are afraid to face certain issues as they're simply too lazy or unmotivated.







On deck:

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Sara's reading this now and wants me to read it so we can talk about it.










Category: Post

Finding apples

So I'm reading in Proverbs the other day, trying to make Fred proud of me, and I end up reading chapter 25 verse 11: "A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver."

I got an immediate sense of deja vu. I had read that phrase before, somewhere other than the Bible. So I started looking through my library (it's full of many leather-bound books and smells of rich mahogany...). I finally found The Science of God by Gerald Schroeder. Schroeder is a Jewish scientest who writes books intended to reconcile science with information found in the Old Testament.

In his book, he references Kabbalah a lot. Not trendy Madonna style Kaballah, but the real Kaballah - a Jewish religion that seeks to find deeper meanings from scripture.

In the book, Schroeder refers to scripture as "apples of gold in settings of silver" and explains that a casual reading of the scriptures is like a silver setting (or bowl) = very valuable. But a deeper reading, a reading that considers context and history is like a gold apple sitting in that silver bowl = even more valuable.

I like confluence. I like when one idea from one source lines up with an idea from somewhere else. This little tidbit has me ready to look deeper as I'm reading through the rest of Proverbs.


Category: Post