“The first African-American inducted into the N.C. Journalism Hall of Fame,” Vivan Edmonds, publisher of The Carolina Times, has passed away. Her father started the paper in 1922 and continue to report the news and write his opinions even as a cross burned against him. “You took your life in your hands when you spoke out, when you challenged the power structure,” said a reporter from Raleigh-Durham, N.C. area.
All posts by Phil
Pratchett is Slowing Down
NY Daily News has this feature on Terry Pratchett, whose Alzheimer’s is worsening. “I used to touch type as fast as any journalist does and my spelling was pretty good. Now I hunt and peg and my spelling is erratic,” he told The Times of London. “I can spell ‘transubstantiation’ and in the next bit I can’t spell ‘color’ because it’s as if bits of the network are switching on and off.”
He says he will to write, just “more carefully.”
Two Stories from Our Paris Desk
Bestselling French novelist says, “What city could be more romantic than London?” Incroyable! Mais attente, that’s not all. He also rejected the critics who don’t like his writing. Speaking of himself, he said, “Critics say that Marc Levy is an author one reads in the subway… Nothing makes me happier than being read in the subway. If I allow people to get out of the tunnel, in a small way, I’ve done my job.”
In other news, the director of the History Channel in France has a new book on how the French endured the Nazi occupation, and it isn’t flattering. Author Patrick Buisson said, “It may hurt our national pride, but the reality is that people adapted to occupation.” By adapted, he means, fornicated in many ways and, I assume, for various reasons. “The result [is] that the birth rate shot up in 1942 even though 2,000,000 men were locked up in the camps.”
I don’t post this to take cheap shots at the French. On the contrary, I wish they would repent of throwing out the Huguenots and get back to building healthy lives for the glory of God.
Refusal to Comply
A British writer “who specialises in Islamist extremism” is refusing to cooperate with authorities who want him to turn over his notes and sources for an upcoming book on a suspected terrorist. I gather the writer and his legal team want to expose the truth, but not in connection with police. I’m not sure I understand the rationale here.
That Grand Old Flag
For a bit more on Memorial Day, let’s wave that flag.
No Time to Waste
I have been absent during the past two weeks, and it was not planned ahead of time. I’m still not back in a close-to-normal routine today, but to be honest, I don’t want to go back to what used to feel normal. I want renewal, revival, growth. I want old things to wither and new things to take root. Maybe I should design a new face for the blog.
But about my absence–my father-in-law died suddenly early Monday, May 12. My sister-in-law, who is a great nurse practitioner, called us to pray while he was still having chest pains, and then afterwards to tell us he had passed away. We were praying the Lord would have mercy, and He did, just not the way we anticipated.
I’m glad I heard all of the tributes he received from friends and supporters at his funeral at Briarwood Presbyterian (PCA). He was the administrator for Partners in Asian Missions, so he had thousands of friends around the world. Hearing their praise and prayers repeatedly stirred me. I’m thankful to be in his family.
Of course, that week was harder on my good wife than it was on me, but the Lord has not left us to grieve alone. He has been with us as we walked through the valley of the shadow of death. Surely goodness and mercy . . . surely goodness and mercy . . .
Added to this trial, we’ve had a couple material disappointments. A week ago Friday, I decided to finish off the homemade ice cream and found it melted in the freezer. Our six-year-old refrigerator had short-circuited. We finally got a replacement delivered today, so we’ve been the week without a fridge. And when I returned from work last Thursday, we discovered our glass exterior door (the one outside our front door) had shattered. At first, we thought of vandals, but we have learned it was an accident.
So, I’ve been out of the office blogwise. I appreciate your prayers and even for taking the time to read this post. Let me pass on a message from my other sister-in-law, who is a great homemaker in America’s northern-most state, about her dad and the influence he has had on us.
No Time To Waste – My Father’s Life
Susanna Biederman
Sunday, May 18, 2008 at 10:16am
For those of you who don’t know already, my dad died and went to be with Jesus on May 12. I went to Alabama and Texas to be with my family for the funeral and burial. It was very comforting to hear what my dad’s closest friends had to say about him. But I think my cousin, Becca, put into words better than anyone else. Here is what she wrote…
My uncle, Jerry Sharpe, passed away earlier this week. Well, actually, to be truthful, for some unknown reason, God decided that it was time Jerry joined Him in Heaven and took him. It was a sudden heart attack, a surprise to all of his family.
Uncle Jerry was an amazing man. He leaves behind a legacy as a husband, a father, an uncle, a brother-in-law, a grandfather, a pastor…. I will miss getting his updates and prayer letters from his travels throughout Asia where he worked with national pastors. I will miss having him at those times when our extended family gets together to celebrate life in some way – whether Christmas or anniversaries or birthdays or summer vacations.
I find myself grieving for my cousins who are now without him, for Jean, his new wife that I haven’t even met, for my mother who treasured him as a brother-in-law. And I find myself grieving for myself; I will miss him. In some ways, he influenced my willingness to come to Asia. He challenged me in some way every time I had a conversation with him – challenged me not to settle for anything less than being sold out for Christ. And I don’t think he even realized that was what he was doing. He just did it.
So this week, as I’ve been grieving and pondering his life and influence, and wishing I could be with my family for the funeral, I’ve also been reminded how short our lives are. We don’t have much time – we really don’t! We don’t have time to focus on the little things that distract us from living for the big picture. We don’t have time to waste on the big things of this world that distract us from the little things that matter. We don’t have time to not pour out ourselves into the relationships that God puts in our lives. We don’t have time to not risk everything in order to go and make disciples of all nations. We don’t have time to not fix our eyes on Jesus and run after Him in passionate pursuit. We don’t have time to not live out our lives fully, wholeheartedly, completely devoted to pursuing God and His purposes for us. We don’t have time to not be on fire for Him. We just don’t have the time to not make our lives count.
Your Performance May Vary
Had any trouble pulling out this blog lately? The vast technical team that keeps this blog running is working on a potential problem, but they want to hear about your experience good or bad. I guess they don’t want to take Lars and my word for it. I’d ask who pays the bills around here, but that would just escalate the tension. So, has BwB been slow on your end?
A Confession
I was a teenage Elvis impersonator. There are worse things.
Manifesto
Jared makes a good point on the Evangelical Manifesto released this week. “Evangelicalism won’t be reformed by a long document full of distinctions signed by a who’s who, particularly if that who’s who thinks signing this thing is one of the most meaningful things they can do.”
I wonder if this manifesto isn’t largely a reaction to the public statements of people like the Evangelical Environmental Network.
Now Leaving Sleepytown
The Ugly Mug Coffee Company has a good advertising campaign, possibly the most important element any coffee company can have–even more important than great tasting coffee.