Category Archives: Humor

RANDY NEWMAN: REMEMBERING OUR FRIEND

Some of you know that we were in Boston last month to celebrate the graduation of our youngest son from Harvard Law School. As is our habit, we had dinner one night in the North End at one of their many, terrific Italian restaurants. As we were seated, my wife received a note that Randy had died. Overcome with grief I excused myself, went outside, and cried.

Doreen first met Randy nearly forty years ago. She and Randy worked together at Towson State University in the Baltimore, MD area. Because of Randy’s leadership in wanting to share the gospel, their small Cru staff team (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ) of three did more evangelism than schools that had many more Cru staff.

Randy and Pam recently moved to Austin. After leaving Cru, Randy transitioned to ministering through the C.S. Lewis Institute. We started meeting for fellowship and sharing a few, or more than a few, laughs. During one of our coffee shop conversations, a twenty-something guy introduced himself. He was disillusioned with the American church and so stopped going. It was wonderful to tag-team with Randy. Both of us have had our own concerns with the church. 

From Boston we flew to England. In the most unlikely of places, we heard about Randy. 

We attended a classic Anglican service (see picture) in the English countryside of Taynton which is part of the Cotswolds. After the service, we spent some time with the vicar who gave a wonderful message and shared his own concerns about the Anglican church. Tom studied at the evangelical school, Oak Hill College in London. I don’t remember what spawned his comment, but he told us that one of his favorite books in seminary was Randy’s Questioning Evangelism! That was a wonderful mercy of God and a great encouragement. 

Randy was rightly known as funny, clever at asking questions, but I would like to add, a great listener. Here is Randy interviewing me on my latest book. You will find his trademark humor and ability to ask great questions, but authors appreciate someone like Randy who was an active listener:

https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/questions-that-matter-podcast-dave-moore-discipleship-through-the-study-of-history/.

MEMOIR OF A GRATEFUL ACADEMIC

In 2016, I interviewed Professor Garrett Sheldon on his terrific book, The Philosophy of James Madison.

That interview can be found here: 

Staying Home on Election Day? What would James Madison Say?

Recently, Garrett asked about whether I would like to receive a copy of his memoir. Once it arrived, I immediately started to read.

Sometimes in lieu of a traditional book review, I will briefly list some of the things that I appreciated about a book. I am going to employ that approach here. I normally don’t alliterate, but it kind of came together this time:

Heart-breaking: The suicide of Garrett’s mom and the difficulties of dealing with his father.

Heart-warming: There are some wonderful people along the way that provide friendship and keep the author on a healthy trajectory.

Humorous: This book contains some funny anecdotes.

Heady opportunities: Garrett had the opportunity to brief a president of the United States, teach at some stellar schools around the world, and write books with top-notch publishers.

Humility: Even with the former reality, the author demonstrates a humility, even a healthy self-effacing attitude.

Holy-Spirit nimbleness: When Garrett found himself in some tough spots as a Christian, the Lord wonderfully provided him with the right words to say.

Whether you have interest in the life of an academic or not, you will be blessed by reading this story of God’s evident mercies and redemption.

 

SOCRATES’ CHILDREN

I have read many books by Peter Kreeft. His writing is always clear, informed, makes wonderful connections, and he peppers important truths with his signature humor.

This four-volume set is a marvel. Word on Fire puts together beautifully designed books, and it is on vivid display in this work.

I have already encouraged friends to pick up this set. Indeed, I am beginning a weekly discussion with a friend over its contents.

If you want to learn from a master communicator about matters of the utmost importance, then these volumes are highly recommended.

LEGOS AND PHILOSOPHY

I recently heard an incredible interview with a philosopher on the nature of time. She teaches at Notre Dame but check out how she combines both your loves in her Twitter description. Since our oldest still loves Legos and the younger brother loves philosophy, it was wonderful to see both together!

Meghan Sullivan
@MeghanS69635195
Philosopher, Fellow Traveler, Lego Enthusiast

TOP TEN CHRISTMAS SONGS FOR ATHEISTS

The criteria: Songs cannot have any mention of God, Jesus,

angels, saints, or miracles. Not even in Latin.

10. White Christmas

9. Jingle Bells

8. Sleigh Ride

7. Silver Bells

6. We Wish You a Merry Christmas

5. Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

4. Santa Baby

3, Carol of the Bells

2. Winter Wonderland

1. Deck the Halls. It’s totally gorgeous. It’s unrepentantly

cheerful — jolly, one might even say — with just a hint of

that haunting spookiness that makes for the best Christmas

songs. It celebrates all the very best parts of Christmas: singing,

 playing music, decorating, dressing up, telling stories, hanging

around fires, and generally being festive with the people we love…

And it doesn’t mention God, or Jesus, or angels, or virgin births,

or magical talking animals, or redemption of guilt through blood sacrifice,

or any supernatural anything. Not even once. Heck, it doesn’t even

mention Christmas.

https://www.alternet.org/2010 + Add New Category /12/10_best_christmas_songs_for_atheists/

WHAT HAPPENED TO BASEBALL?

Ken Burns takes a break from recounting Hornsby’s statistical brilliance — the three seasons he batted over .400, the two MVP awards, the second-highest lifetime batting average, etc. — to tell us a story about an umpire’s wit. This is the charm of Burns’s 1994 documentary series Baseball. The viewer is regaled for more than 18 hours with not only box scores and controversy but also the quips of those who populated the game. But a funny thing happens midway through the last two-hour episode, which covers the game from the ‘70s to the ‘90s: The wit disappears. It happened right as we stopped referring to teams as ball clubs and started calling them “organizations” and brands.

From: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/what-happened-to-baseball-wit