prayer request for skye teresa

Hi, all.

Thanks so much for your friendship, prayer & support for us and Skye. Skye is being tested again tomorrow & Tues at Hopkins, both for kidney function and for reflux in both kidneys. We are asking God to totally heal her. It's our understanding that's the only way her kidney function will be restored. At the least, please pray that her right kidney will still be functioning at a high level and that she will not show reflux at all. The best news we have so far is that she has not had one SINGLE BOUT of pain on her left side since February! That in itself is so wonderful, I cannot tell you. Before then she had a full day of serious pain in her left side every 4-6 weeks [for 3 years]. We are very thankful for this and also that she is still active and basically feeling well.

Aside from the above, please pray for excellent nurses, veins that cooperate (she has lousy veins from my side of the family), and swift test results so we're not left wondering (her doc is on vacation until the end of July).

We will let you know as soon as we have answers. Thanks again,

beth :o

- background on skye's condition

sort of out of pocket

ramping up to new gallup job is time-consuming! blogging may very well be quite light.

i'm enjoying the change. I'm blessed with a beautiful new office in downtown DC. I've lived in the DC area since 1988 but have spent very little time in DC so it's a neat exploratory time. I'm using the train to commute daily. Gallup is a great organization and the people are truly wonderful.

rexmiller.net

my friend rex miller of millennium matrix fame has launched a new site!

Tim Russert - 1950-2008

The tragic passing of Tim Russert has resulted in a veritable flood of statements praising his political passion and journalistic acumen. Sometimes such a passing results in hyperbole. That such encomiums are justified is indicated by the praise that Time Magazine gave him when they recently chose him as one of the top 100 most influential people for 2008.

UPDATE: There's so much good material online and on tv now about Tim and his life. I just noticed a particularly insightful piece on USA TODAY's site by Michael Gartner, who was President of NBC News from 1988 to 1993 and persuaded a particularly reluctant Tim Russert to take on the Moderator role at Meet the Press.

Newsweek Editor Jon Meachem has also posted a piece on Russert's religiosity.

Books on the Emerging Church

A-List Emerging Church blogger Andrew Jones holds forth.

Emerging, Emergent, & Missional

Dave Dunbar, President of Biblical Seminary, goes on record with a helpful piece regarding distinctions between the terms emerging, emergent, & missional (pdf).

Dave's piece prompted Scot McKnight to ask his readers to weigh in.

I've commented on the emerging church/emergent distinction in a number of places:

• are there emerging church shibboleths?
  
  
• resonances with the emerging church
  
  
• the emerging church is protean
  
  
• tony jones on the emerging/emergent distinction
  
  
• toward an emerging church primer
  
  
• history of the emerging church and emergent
  
  
• is the distinction between the emerging church and emergent obscurantist?
  
  

ht: steve knight

The Future of Emergent Village

"Having accomplished much more than we’d expected, we, the Emergent Village Board of Directors, feel we are at a crossroads as an organization. As we look ahead to the future, we are seeking input and counsel from three groups of people.

• First, we are asking people who are highly committed to Emergent Village to give us their counsel.
• Second, we would value input from people who value the emergent conversation.
• And third, we would also like friendly critics to offer their input."

- see the entire post and a link to their brief survey here.

New Online Resources

• I Howard Marshall's New Testament Theology
  
• Craig Keener's Bible Background Commentary

ht: Justin Taylor

Einstein's God

I posted a review on Walter Isaacson's recent Einstein: His Life and Universe on Leadership Network's Book Blog.

Our Continuing Search for the Quintessential Baltimore Diner

kenny sheppard provides details here.