Month: March 2009

Recent Twitter micro-blog posts on Willimon, Peterson, Hauerwas, Parenting, Obama, TV and Ash Wednesday
Dear People who watch my Blog,

I have been using Twitter since August to write down micro-blog posts. I have tried to keep them around the theme of church leadership like my blog. Each “tweet” is only 140 characters. I try to provide something of value and not just tell you what I had for breakfast. Anyway, I just thought I would post the last 20 here as a sampler platter. See below.
- You can follow me by setting up a Twitter account. You yourself need not actually post any tweets, you can just follow people.
- Or, you can subscribe to my tweets by RSS feed such as Google Reader.
- Or you can just click on my Twitter page and scroll through my posts.
- I have also attached a Microsoft Excel document with all my past Tweets if you want to scroll through them this way. Download CSV file of all AndyRowell Twitter posts up until today
Twitter user advice:
- I used storytlr to make the backup CSV (Excel) document.
- http://tinyurl.com/ is a website which makes a long url into a short url. For example: http://www.andyrowell.net/andy_rowell/2009/03/advice-about-duke-thd-and-phd-programs-in-theology.html can be changed into http://tinyurl.com/bkatdf
- There is a TinyUrl Creator Firefox Add-On which helps you do this easily. You have to be using Mozilla Firefox which is a great (free) internet browser (faster than Internet Explorer). In Firefox, once you have TinyUrl Creator installed, you just go to Tools . . . TinyUrl Creator . . . From Current URL
You can see my Twitter category for my past thoughts on Twitter. I used to think it was really narcissistic but I now think it is not that much more narcissistic than writing blogs, doing Facebook, writing articles, writing books and striking up a conversation with someone. In each case, you have something to say and you hope the interaction might be edifying to someone so you put it out there.

Last 20 Twitter posts ("Tweets"):

The most recent Twitter micro-blog post is at the top.

AndyRowell
1. 2 of 2 part tweet: Hauerwas: "Yes those things. But he [Willimon] has people mad at him–he is doing a good job!"2 minutes ago from web
2. 1 of 2 part tweet: Hauerwas thinks Willimon is doing a good job as bishop. I said, "But he is focusing on leadership and effectiveness!"4 minutes ago from web
3. I have been thinking about our children learning more from our example and values than our parenting style. That gets you thinking.8 minutes ago from web
4. Hauerwas told me a dissertation on church practices with Yoder & Newbigin or a 1 Corinthians theological commentary could work. He's kind.9 minutes ago from web
5. What do I mean that Hybels and Hauerwas are not that far apart? Read Resident Aliens coauthor Will Willimon's blog http://tinyurl.com/ybj692 11:59 PM Mar 10th from web
6. Someday maybe I will write a book on Eugene Peterson and get to pore over all his work in the process.11:43 PM Mar 10th from web
7. My prof Hauerwas called Hybels & Willow Creek heretical at the end of http://tinyurl.com/b9jp6c That's too bad–they are not that far apart.11:42 PM Mar 10th from web
8. William Stringfellow was mentioned by Eugene Peterson, Ken Carder, Ben Myers and Halden Doerge this week. Seems like a guy I should read.11:32 PM Mar 10th from web
9. Andy is reading a lot of Karl Barth and D. Bonhoeffer these days. See also a few funny quotes by our kids at http://www.andyrowell.net/k…11:14 PM Mar 10th from web
10. I did a long new blog post Advice about Duke Th.D. and Ph.D programs in theology http://tinyurl.com/bkatdf answering FAQ's I get.8:01 AM Mar 7th from web
11. Comparing Stanley Hauerwas and Stanley Grenz http://tinyurl.com/b9so3n 11:39 PM Mar 4th from web
12. Today in Local Church in Mission we are watching portions of ABC 20/20 on Appalachia http://tinyurl.com/cxn252 8:47 AM Mar 4th from web
13. Snow day–no school at Duke–high today of 33 but Friday high of 67 forecast.8:14 AM Mar 2nd from web
14. Bonhoeffer ponders Romans 9:1f. Paul is willing to be damned for the sake of his people. He loves God that much (Sanctorum Communio 184-5).11:35 PM Feb 27th from web
15. Reading Bonhoeffer's dissertation Sanctorum Communio on ecclesiology. http://tinyurl.com/b9r8hk A tough read; ideas also in Life Together.11:21 PM Feb 27th from web
16. "Nielsen’s . . . reports that the average American watches more than 151 hours of TV per month, an all-time high." http://tinyurl.com/cmv4nx 9:38 PM Feb 25th from web
17. Nielsen gives the latest stats about TV watching. No sign of decline. http://tinyurl.com/b2rcbt 9:35 PM Feb 25th from web
18. My review of book "No Perfect People Allowed" by John Burke. Stories about church where outsiders find Jesus. http://tinyurl.com/bzze2t 9:00 PM Feb 25th from web
19. Obama's style: "on the one hand . . . on the other hand." I think that is generation X (a tad relativistic), professorial, & collaborative.8:54 PM Feb 25th from web
20. Best line from Ash Wednesday service: Allan Poole on distractions that impede our relationship with Jesus, "What do you like the taste of?"8:44 PM Feb 25th from web
March 12, 2009
Eggs and Getting Big–a couple good lines by Ryan today

A couple good lines by three year old Ryan today:
1. I made scrambled eggs as part of our supper because Ryan requested "eggs" and this is typically how we eat eggs. But he didn't want them. Why you might ask? Because, "I don't want these eggs. I would like to eat the shells of eggs after dinosaurs hatch out of them."
2. About putting his stuff away, "Ryan, you need to do that because you are getting older and adults do that." Ryan, "But I might shrink and become a baby again. I cry sometimes so I am still a baby. I don't want to clean things up."

Other developmental updates:

Meanwhile I am watching the boys Sunday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon on
my spring break while Amy is away with a friend on a "retreat"
sometimes known as a "girls weekend away." So we had a party last
night and watched Duke (sadly) lose to UNC in the final game of the
regular season. We moved all the furniture so the the TV was in the
center of the living room, moved all of the couches and chairs around
it. Then we pulled out all the toys, opened up the sandbox in the
backyard, ate nachos and enjoyed the game while the kids ran wild.
Good stuff.

Jacob at 17 mos is obsessed with balls–golf-ball sized marble, soccer ball, and tennis ball. He is starting to say more, "Dirty"–pronounced "dorty" and Accident–pronounced "Assdent" [no comment] and will try lots of words.

Did I mention Ryan locks and unlocks doors, can almost use a screwdriver, turns lights on and off, does zippers, goes to the bathroom independently, opens and closes the fridge and gets drinks, opens and closes the shed, climbs ladders, walks on windowsills, screws on lids, and takes exquisite "nurturing" (Amy's word) care of the unfortunately named 'she but a boy" Fanny the Fox beanbag stuffed animal? He is competent enough–I wonder if we could find him a job. I had he and Nate and Savannah, the Barkovich twins, paint the back fence today with water and paintbrushes.

Ryan is really into containers these days. He puts things in Easter baskets, backpacks, baskets, jars with lids, strollers, dump trucks, boxes, even his pillow-case and carries them around with him. I used to think he was hoarding toys away from Jacob–but I think it is more related to his developmental stage–exercising his will in ways that organize his world. (I don't know where he gets it? Note: my recent post on my regular blog: 23 things to put in your computer bag) Scary! My mom often recalls the line when opening gifts at Christmas when I was four, I said about all the new presents, "Where are we going to put all of this stuff?" I have never been seriously accused of having OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) but I think of administering resources effectively as a major aspect of leadership. Denial? 🙂

Ryan continues to get put in time-out for using his abilities for anti-Jacob maneuvers and for the occasional defiant disobedience. Someone told me that discipline is for the purpose of getting the kid's attention–that makes some sense to me. I also thought today that maybe a worthy definition of parenting is not just preparing children for independence but preparing them to be good when no one is watching.

Ryan loves melon and orange bell peppers, granola cereal, peanut-butter and honey sandwiches, milk, and chips.

Jacob eats anything everything.

March 9, 2009
Six-Point Plan for Raising Happy, Healthy Children by John Rosemond

I have found myself talking about this book this week after reading it. After talking about it with some other guys at church I wrote them this email because I couldn't remember the name of it.

Here is the book I read this week. It was updated in 2006. Like I said, it was pretty good.

The New Six-Point Plan for Raising Happy, Healthy Children by John Rosemond

P.S.
I don't want to necessarily endorse everything in this book! I just
couldn't remember the name and so I thought I would send it when I
looked it up! It is worth reading as one source of input. Like I
said, I can understand why Amy's mom as an elementary guidance
counselor gave it to parents. It gives you ideas on how to shape up
your kids and her mom dealt with lots of misbehaving kids.

I understand from others that he is a newspaper columnist.

When you are new at something–Ryan is almost 4–it is good to have input.

Rosemond says stuff like, "If you walk into the room and one kid is crying and you can't figure out what happened, just put them both in their rooms for five minutes. They both probably deserve it and they will sort it out among themselves next time!" I thought that was pretty smart (and humorous). (That is not an exact quote).

He has lots of practical ideas. They say that a counselor or therapist helps people who are hurting think through their options. Books like Rosemond have a similar function–they remind you that there are different ways to approach parenting. I look forward to reading other takes.

March 9, 2009