I’d like to introduce you to our new twin neices, Kennedy Renee and Kaydance Elaine Shepherd. They were born this morning around 8am. Kaydance needed a little more attention(nothing serious) from the nurses so we didn’t get to hold her yet, but we did get to hold Kennedy. Both the girls and their mom Fawn are doing good. Here are some pictures:
If you are a regular reader here it’s no mystery that I come from a protestant christian religious tradition. But there are a number of things in other religious traditions that I really appreciate and admire. Thought I would share some of them here.
I really appreciate the comtemplation and monastic traditions in the Catholic church. I’m a fan of eastern meditation. I love the body/mind connection that is a part of things like Yoga and Tai Chi(and the other Qi Gong traditions) that are from Hinduism/Buddism/Taoism. And I marvel at the Langar of Sikhism and think it is a wonderful expression of the kingdom of God.
I just finished reading Brian McLaren’s new book The Secret Message of Jesus. It brings together all of the stuff that a lot of us have been looking at for the past few years and makes it understandable. He draws a ton from N.T. Wright and Dallas Willard and a lot from Walter Wink, Walter Brueggemann and brings in some preterist understandings. Reading it made me feel like I have been reading the right stuff these past eight years or so. If you are interested in what I believe, this is as close as it gets. Added to that, Brian just has a lot of personality and is a very good writer which makes reading his stuff enjoyable. It comes highly recommended.
Thought I would share a formative event from my past that not a lot of people know about. It was sometime in the 1995-1996 school year. I was a freshman at Virginia Tech and a part of the Baptist Student Union there. We went to a state BSU conference in Richmond where Tony Campolo was the main speaker. The group of us guys that were more conservative had some issues with what Tony was talking about. This led to a late night ranting and raving in our hotel room the first night. We were very loud and opinionated. I wasn’t the most fired up, but I was a part of it. So, the next day during our free time I needed to head up to the room to get something and who gets in the elevator with me but Tony Campolo himself. He struck up a conversation and was very friendly. He was heading to his room to get something as well. We both got off at the same floor, walked down the same hall, and opened doors right next to each other. Yep, Tony was in the room next to us the night before while we were ranting and raving about him. And you know hotel rooms, pretty thin walls. I’m sure that not only did he hear us being loud, but I suspect he could tell what we were being loud about. I got a real sinking feeling in my stomach as I was in the room. I came out of the room after a minute, the same time Tony came out of his. He picked up our conversation right where it left off, and we talked until we got back down to the lobby and parted ways. I don’t even know for sure if he could hear what we said, but I know that he showed me a TON more grace than we showed him. That chance encounter and short conversation on my first ever trip to Richmond(the city we now live in) was really the beginning of a lot of what God has done in my life since then. It was the beginning of freeing me from a lot of judgmental attitudes and changing my perspectives on things. I doubt that Tony will ever read this, but if you do Tony, thanks.
Our cute nephew Landon who was featured in the video in the last post celebrated his first birthday today. It, mothers day and a surprise baby shower for Fawn, are the reasons we are in Narrows, VA this weekend. In honor of his birthday, here is a video of him eating his cake(warning: it’s a little over 3 minutes long):
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