Terry Pruitt's Blog

I attempted to add RSS to my blog a while back. I'm a details type of person and can get caught up there if I'm not careful, and I was not careful. I've read some on RSS and the like and have recommended the article by Reuven M. Lerner on RSS . I have added a Feedburner RSS link to my blog. Feedburner has some nice features, such as a way to add a feed to MyYahoo. I'm a Yahoo fan by the way because it gives my family an added layer of protection against viruses. I don't know how the League Of Extraordinary Reformed Bloggers will read this new feed in the aggregator but I hope I will show up with likes of Parablemania, Challies Dot Com, or Tulipgirl.

I'm Pompom. It is probably because I have teens that I know who Strongbad is. Strongbad is what all the teens call it, but the official name on the website is Homestar Runner . The site has short clips made with Macromedia. The clips are funny. They follow the principle that I talked about in my earlier posting The Next Big Thing, the story is shorter than the normal TV video length. Which Homestar Runner character are you? this quiz was made by jurjyfrort

I have been working on my theological website little by little for a couple of years. I add pages that I think will really answer a question that others might not get answered other wise or create something I think is unique. I get a lot of hits on my Place Names of The Four Gospels page. I did a study of all the place names mentioned in the four Gospels and linked to webshot pictures. So I did a Google search to see who was linked to it. Surprize, no one. Then I checked my listing for other pages. I don't get a lot of hits on my New Perspective on Paul page however, I was linked by someone else, Worthy Find . So is linking or visiting more important? I don't know. But you might go by and check out the Worthy Find directory. The person who put it together is a part of the Open Dirctory project. If you want to see who links to you, just type the following in the Google search window... link:http://www."yoursite".com Replace yoursite with your site...

My pastor, the Jollyblogger , preached a sermon this past Sunday on how to be in but not of the world. He mentioned one reason that Christians had for a while checked out of the culture in America is their eschatology (study of the end times) said that they would be leaving soon. Most evangelicals believe that Christ could return at any time and take them from this phase of existence. Under this eschatological system getting people saved might make the most sense. I'm sure many pre-tribulationist, premillinialists would say that is a characterature, but at the same time it is sort of inescapable to say, if you don't know how much time you have left, you have to set priorities. Priority one is getting people into the kingdom. Have you noticed how the TV series LOST has pitted two eschatological courses of action against each other. Said wants to say on the beach because a ship or plane may come by any moment and save them. They are about to be extracted any moment. ...

During a recent trip for work I bought a Linux Journal to read on the plane. An article Resources for Syndication with RSS was helpful for me to understand what is going on. It is a little technical, but anyone who has hand jammed some html should be able to follow it with a little patience. After reading the article I had some observations. 1. RSS was created to make the world wide web machine readable. Being machine readable makes it possible for the machines (computers) to do some repetitive tasks for the people. Like for instance, go to the bookmarks of your favorite site to check out what's new. In essence, when a person writes a webpage or a blog with RSS he or she is writing two pages; one for human consumption and one for computer consumption. 2. The technology has not settled down into a groove yet. It's a little early in the life of the technology to get set on a particular variant. If you enjoyed the Windows versus Apple debate you will probably be...

I encourage you to check out the blog by Dr. James E. West. He is a pastor and scholar. He deals with linguistic, history of the text, and archeology. All favorite subjects of my own. He has some other resources on the web but you can get to those through his blog.

If you are interested in the short videos check out how Jerry and The Man of Steel go out to eat and go on vacation. Its more like misadventures than adventures. Could Jerry, Krammer, Elaine or George go on an adventure and it not turn to misadventure?.

I when through some online course materials with MIT's Open Courseware project on digital media. It is an excellent course from the stand point that the lectures are on video. The lectures are mostly talking heads but the variety of instructors and quality of what they say is outstanding. (What else would you expect from MIT?) A predictions that one of the professors talked about was that the next big thing on the Internet was video. At the time I thought that was not true. My objections to his idea was 1. We already have video deleivery systems that do an good job; TV, Cable, Video, DVD, Pay-per-View, and now TiVo. I don't think TiVo was a going concern when he made the lecture. 2. Most of our Internet connections go to a small screen at a desk. Video is a couch, not desk chair medium. 3. Who would put their content on the Internet for it to be peer-to-peer copied? The television and cable production studios are already putting it out there with cable T...

Other questions I have about LOST. Why doesn't any of the characters learn any Korean and why does the Korean couple not learn any English? I think learning to say hello is at least something that they would be through in a day or two. What was Kate's crime? Is she really guilty? The sixteen year old recording was on the tail section? Or am I hallucinating that Jack found both in the same spot? If the recording was going on sixteen years, why have they been there only seven days? What is the deal with all those dolls at the water hole? Why does Jack's torch drip flames? If the torch was dipped in a flamible liquid where did he get that? Is the reason Jack can't find his father's body is that Jack is dead, so both are now in eternity? If they are in eternity, where are the dead people on the plane? Why would you burn the bodies in the fusalage? I would take them out, burn them some where else, and use the fusalage as raw materials f...

Rebecca has done it again. Check out her entry on KJV Only. She has solid logic and is not strident in her tone. Some of my own thoughts on KJV Only is that it seems centered on having all the loose ends tied up. Textual criticism, this is not about being mean and critical, is the study of the text of the Bible and what the original text was. Some people who have studied this field have lost their faith in God's scripture and the God of the scriptures. I think the concern of the KJV Only folks is that we do not have to worry about the authority of scripture. They try to cut the confusion and help God out a little by selecting an authoritative text. Do I trust the United Bible Society to do that selection for me? Do I trust the translators of the NASB to do that. In essence, the KJV Only crowd have sided with a particular version of the Bible that was not particularly developed for this purpose of having an authoritative text. It was printed to have a printed Greek te...

I've noticed that some people see theology as a higher calling than Bible study. (By the way, I'm not talking about you in particular, I'm talking about a lot of people in general.) In other words, these folks find the Bible as a good source for their study of theology. To my mind, theology is one of the steps in studying the Bible. When we have studied a passage, do we understand all the definitions of the different concepts of a passage and are we logically consistent with other scripture at a surface level, and logically consistent with the teaching derived from scripture. If not we need to re-examine our interpretation of the passage. I just sat through an all day meeting. The group was made up of people from various backgrounds and a lot of issues were discussed in depth. I think how modern theological statements are done. We get one or two champions who hammer out a statement on an issue and then a large body votes it up or down. Possibly there will be am...

Studying Exodus I see how God took the children of Israel out of Egypt and then amazingly, he provided food, water, safety, and government. Manna, water from the rock, miraculous delivery in battle as Moses lifted his hands, and the 10 Commandments are all very unusual ways for these things to be provided. I think God did it this way coming out of Egypt to draw attention to his provision. We should remember though that all provision comes from God.

My Bible study is group has been studying "post cards of the Bible". We define that as any book under five chapters. So right now we are discussing Jonah . The whale (fish) gets discussed a lot when one talks about Jonah but the cross cultural interaction is also a part of the story. Jonah's story takes place before the northern Kingdom Of Israel were carried off by the Assyrians. In a sense Jonah is an example of interacting with the Assyrians. Jonah may witness to the Assyrians (Nineveh) by his righteous life or he may show the power of God in judging his sin. God gets his work done either way. Later on the Northern Kingdom would have their sin judged by God allowing the Assyrians to drag them off into exile. The Samaritian people would be a result of that conquest, a half Assyrian - half children of Israel mix of people. By the way, a small group of Samaritians still exists today. Another interesting observation is that Jonah mentions to these sea going p...

Listening to Ravi this morning I could really relate to something he said. I have been for so long attempting finish seminary and get ordained. It has been a long process and it seems like it is going to be a whole lot longer. Any way Ravi's comment was, the children of Israel were just a few days from the promise land but God took them on a 40 year tour to get there. The reason? They were not ready yet. I know for myself God has been maturing me and changing me. It is taking a long time, but I think he is wiser than me. He knows what I need.

Since I've been reading about biblical archeology I have had some thoughts banging around in my head. One of the thoughts, no one I've read says the same thing, but we can read into the archeology things that are not there. For instance, we might think all of ancient culture was pottery. Pottery and baskets were simply packaging. We fill up our landfill with packaging, and some might call us a consumer society, but movies and books are much more important culturally than packaging. Packaging is a part of our culture, but not the main feature. People and individuals who may have been important in a sense of God's covenant and revelation might have been relatively unimportant in comparison to other people. If we do not see evidence of these people in the dirt, it really does not matter. As the book of Hebrews says that they wondered around and dressed in skins. What kind of physical evidence would we expect would be left behind from such a nomadic society? Additi...

I have a few TV shows that I really like but the new series LOST has grabbed my attention. I think it is the element of mystery. Who are these people? What are their stories? What is the deal with these animals on the island? How do you get a distress call radio to transmit continuously for 16 year? Even in an episode telling a particular character's story, you don't get all the answers. The past Wednesday's episode featuring the character Locke we still don't know why he was disabled or why he was healed. We still don't know what he saw in the jungle. The episode featuring Kate the does not tell you much about her crimes, if she is indeed guilty. We just know she was/is a fugitive. (Are you still a fugitive if everyone outside the island? Can you be on the run if there is literally, no place to go?) Lost gives you the all the elements of a great mystery story. A ticking time bomb; where are they going to get food, water and other supplies? Lots of...

I just finished reading a couple of books on biblical archeology. Ancient Egypt and the Old Testament by Currid and Archeology and The Old Testament by Hoerth. I guess the most important point that I gleaned from the books was biblical archeology should be used to illustrate the life of the Bile times. For instance, the archeology can help to illustrate typical laws, religious practices and beleifs, social structures and laws. Archeology can not prove that God is good, nor can it disprove it. It can not prove the doctrine of inspiration. When I read a novel, I like to read it and get into the story. Reading about the environment of the Bible times helps me get into the "story".

We have been studying "Post Cards Of The Bible" in my Sunday night small group. By the way, all of you are invited to come. We have finished all New Testament books under 5 chapters and now we are into the Old Testament. Obadiah was the first Old Testament book we tackled, or should I say tackled us. Any way, I'm including some of our study notes. Outline of the Book of Obadiah Verse 1 Introduction: About Edom Verses 2-3 Pride Lifted Up Verses 4-9 You Will Be Desolated Verses 10-14 You Took Advantage Of Israel’s Disaster Verses 15-18 Turn Around Is Fair Verses 19-21 You Will Go Into The Hands Of Foreign Nations Permanently Principle: God will judge those who oppress those who are beaten down. Alternative: Just because someone is experiencing a crisis does not mean you should take advantage of his or her weak moments. Here is a artistic rendition of the rugged terrain in Edom . And here is a photograph of some of the cl...

In Romans chapter one Paul talks about his calling. He was called to be an apostle. He also addresses the issue of his apostleship as a calling to call the nations to Jesus Christ. Romans 1 1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God-- 2the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. 6And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. 7To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Emphasis mine. Our calling...

Abraham Lincoln You have a Bible and a library card what more could you possibly need? You prefer the Charlotte Mason Method of reading living books for everything: historical fiction, biographies, real histories, nature guides, etc. No soon-to-be-outdated textbooks for you. Visit my blog: What Type of Homeschooler Are You? brought to you by Quizilla

I'm still working to get an RSS feed to work on my blog. I did not realize the one from Blogstreet was not dynamic.

I have posted a new web page regarding the places named in Paul's letters . I have linked to pictures of the places and Wikipedia articles on the places when available. Some places had no good pictures that I could find and there were some articles lacking. I eventually want to create a database on the web which could be used as a dynamic reference.

I've been tracking my work outs with the President's Challenge website. Basically it is an automated log which has a easy to use interface for logging the level of your work out. If I want to do something light, it quickly logs a 45 minute frisbee work out gives you 131 points. If I run for an hour and 15 minutes to the airport overlook, I get a lot more points for that, 761. By the way, the airport overlook is what I did today. Today I started a group there called Blogger Fitness. If you want to join, go to the website and start your own profile. After you log on, hit the Your Groups tab. Once there add the group ID number 23235, the group name is Blogger Fitness. Look forward to adding members to the group. =========================================================== INVITATION TO JOIN Blogger Fitness GROUP =========================================================== YOU'RE INVITED TO JOIN THE PRESIDENT'S CHALLENGE! Pruitt Communications has st...

Recently I have heard many people say something about scripture that is not true. They seem to believe that the current modern translations are not from the original languages, that they are depending the Latin Vulgate and then the King James Version and what we have now are rewording of earlier English translations. Of course this is NOT true. While other ancient translations and modern translation are helpful in understanding how others understood scripture, the modern translation use the original language text as what they are translating. I find it strange and somewhat amusing that this falsehood would be oft repeated in casual conversation.

I have heard it said many times in recent years that history is written by the winners of wars. At times I have simply passed the phrase over, knowing that there is a certain truth. But I have started to re-examine the saying since the evolving meaning has come to mean that there is no lessons we can draw from history since it is just propaganda. There are many examples of history not being written by winners of some battle. Josephus was an ancient Jewish historian who was defeated by the Romans. He does seem to have written in a way that would be pleasing to the Romans. But he did not win those wars. After the U.S. Civil War there was plenty of people writing who were not on the side of the North. We could go on and on for examples. This phrase is one of those sayings that has an element of truth but when often repeated is a disaster. It makes people want to discount all history. There are no legitimate lessons from history for modern living. There is no need to study it i...

1 Samuel 2:1-10 By Terry L. Pruitt Introduction: The temptation for this passage is to read it as an underdog story in which one woman, Hannah, won over her competitor in her own family, Peninnah. That is my temptation at least. Perhaps you don't have the same temptation. These two women were both the wife of Elkanah. Elkanah's favorite wife was Hannah however Peninnah had the advantage because she was able to bearing children. In answer to prayer Hannah also is given a child, Samuel. This child she gives to the LORD as an act of gratitude for his deliverance from her shame. While in our day and age people don't always want children. Some are very content to be childless. We may be puzzled by someone placing all their self worth on this issue of being able to have children. People have many more capabilities than to have children. But the family was the center of life more ways than one in the Old Testament times. The family economic situation was base...