pinakidion.*

I’ve been through hurricanes before, so I knew that things would be difficult for New Orleans, but didn’t think much of it.

That is, until today. The heartwrenching reports coming out from there are almost impossible to bear.

I have a friend there and I do not know how he is doing. Please pray for everyone there.

UPDATE: I have written and received emails from two board members of the New Orleans Church of Christ. They do not know where everyone is, but are grateful for the offers of help. Personally, I found out that my friend is okay, news I passed along to the board members.

An account is being set up in Baton Rouge. I interpret that to mean that they can give and receive help through that account. As I find out more, I’ll let you know. Continue to pray.

If you haven’t already seen it, the band Ok Go has a great song. So, is it the song? A little. The fun thing is the video.

Now what indeed. The elders of the Boston Church of Christ have spoken. Two elders in LA have also spoken. I’m certain from conversations I’ve had that more will follow.

You would think that this would make me happy, because it is what I asked for.

I am sad that speaking out was necessary. I wish it had never happened.

***

I spent the weekend doing what was important to me. I spent hours with my wife talking about our family. With our first coming soon, sometimes we talk to each other without talking with each other. In other words, we talk about showers, baby stuff, evil appliances that won’t work, the cat, and other things. We don’t always talk about what we can do to help each other remain close to God.

I talked to one of the leaders I hoped would respond to Thomas. It was a good conversation for me.

I prayed quite a bit and thought about taking care of those things most important to me. Those thing include my own walk with God, my wife, my baby, my friends, and my family. When I go to Heaven, it’s God and the immortal souls of his children that will last forever, not the “Kingdom of God”, not my failures, not my blog.

So what am I going to do now? I’m going to pray. Why on earth do I think that I have it all figured out? I have opinions, but all of us have them. We also all have a heart and a brain. Despite evidence to the contrary, having heart, brains, and/or opinions does not make a person right. Only God is good, only He is just.

As to my opinions, here they are for what they are worth. If they help, I’m glad. If they don’t, I’m sorry. I’m offering them because I’ve been asked, not because I feel like I should be a “Kingdom Level” leader and I’m providing my political platform.

1. I believe that things will get worse.

The plan proposed by LA draws a line that doesn’t need to be drawn. If a church doesn’t sign their proposal, what happens to them? This may cause yet more fights. This is in addition to reactions to “The Portland Story” and the Boston elders. At best, reactions to any or all of these three documents will only reveal what others already believe. I doubt it that anyone will really be persuaded.

2. If the ICoC is from God, it will not disappear. If it is from men, it will not last.

3. The timing is not accidental. No, this isn’t “God is in control”. It is, however, acknowledging that God has something in mind, even if it may be what I do not want to happen.

Again, I’m going to pray. I don’t know what else to do.

It’s been a while and there is still very little reaction to Thomas’ calling of the remnant. Maybe cooler heads are mulling over a more reasoned response.

I would like to hope this is true.

UPDATE: It seems that maybe cooler heads may prevail after all. I found out about a discussion that promises to address the issues raised by this article. As such, let me encourage you to just skip the rest. More coming soon.

Meanwhile, I’m waiting. I’m waiting for people that set themselves up as leaders for “our fellowship” of churches to act like leaders.

You know, we all have our interpretation of HKL and subsequent fallout. Many, including me, have opined about various ramifications and hopes for the future. We’ve proscribed all kinds of treatments and solutions ranging from the drastic to the mundane. We even argued a bit with each other and got upset at perceived overreactions and underreactions on both sides. In short, it’s been like one of my family reunions - we get angry at each other, but we all come together at the end of the night.

However, there are some of that are seen as leaders across several churches. If you’re not sure you are in this category, ask yourself if you have been asked/paid to speak at a church that is not your own or remotely closeby. If you have, I’m talking to you. Just to be clear, let’s say that I am a member of the Twin Cities Church of Christ in Minnesota. If I am asked to speak in Texas or Arizona or Florida - places that are clearly NOT close to my home church - I am seen by others as a leader equivalent to the old World Sector Leader or Kingdom Teacher or Kingdom Elder titles. If this applies to you, again, I am speaking about you.

Say something. Everyone wanted to know your thoughts about how to deal with HKL, why do you think they don’t want to know your thoughts now? Are you waiting to tell them in person? Is that it? Here, Thomas rewrites history, distorts the truth and it goes unchallenged. Now, he is calling out a remnant - are you so greedy that you won’t say something until you’re asked to speak at your next seminar? Yes, I said greedy. Some of you go to 10 -12 conferences a year all over the world. If you don’t want to be seen as a worldwide leader, then STAY HOME AND STOP ACTING LIKE ONE. However, since you are, then do what leaders do: act.

A threat is coming to our fellowship of churches and the resulting silence is killing me. It’s also hurting many others that are afraid of Thomas, but like Voldemort, will not even says his name. People are afraid and they need to be comforted. If you really want the followership to act respectful and trust you, then DO SOMETHING. Say that it will be okay. Say that this church will not follow Thomas. Say that this church WILL follow Thomas. Say that Thomas has some good ideas. Say that Thomas is the paragon of eisegesis. Just say something, anything. Saying that certain principles are good/bad/indifferent will not cut it, people are not afraid of so-called discipling, they are afraid of Thomas McKean. Without saying Thomas McKean in your remarks, their fears will not be addressed.

Be like the Apostle John would said to Gaius that if he came into town, he would address what Diotrephes is doing. Why do we know about Diotrephes? Because the Apostle John called him by name, not by teaching. You think he showed up and said in a nice,even tone that “certain people” aren’t welcoming the brothers and “certain people” are gossiping maliciously and that those “certain people” need to stop?

Be like Paul who confronted Peter to his face, in front of everyone. He saw what was happening and he dealt with it.

I’m not railing on you because I enjoy it or because I am trying to heap coals on your head.

I am begging you. Please say something.

Even I, who says all kinds of things in criticism, still hopes in the trustworthiness of certain men and women. I will fight my own battles and I don’t need you to fight them for me. I’m not asking for that. I’m asking for you to just lead. Help us with our fears. Give us some hope.

If all of this sounds like too much for you - STOP TALKING ALL OVER THE WORLD AND STAY HOME.
If you decide to hesitate, then don’t look for support from me.
If you decide to do something, I will follow you.

In regards to his comments about killing Chavez, Mr. Robertson says:

I didn’t say ‘assassination.’ I said our special forces should ‘take him out.’ And ‘take him out’ can be a number of things, including kidnapping; there are a number of ways to take out a dictator from power besides killing him. I was misinterpreted by the AP [Associated Press], but that happens all the time.

For reference sake, here are his comments:

If he [Chavez] thinks we’re trying to assassinate him, I think we really ought to go ahead and do it. We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability. We don’t need another $200 billion war to get rid of one strong-arm dictator. It’s a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with.”

This is an apology?

I have just received the latest copy of the Portland Church Bulletin. The only article contains details of an upsetting nature. You can read the article on here.

In case the article disappears after MOAC 2005, it has been transcribed here:

Sadly, I feel compelled to report that Thomas McKean, evangelist of the Portland International Church of Christ, has called out a remnant of ’sold-out’ disciples in the former ICoC congregations. He acknowledges that this will cause short-term division, but appeals to 1 Corinthians 11:19 to say that these divisions are necessary. He has accused some churches of preaching “a different gospel” and believes that his churches will demonstrate God’s approval.

Considering the discussions on unity that were to take place at MOAC 2005, it looks like there is little to no chance for reconciliation. In light of that, I want to say something to certain leaders that I very rarely say:

I told you so.

I told everyone that would listen that this was too little, too late. I said in 2003 that something needs to be done. Remember me in Chicago? The first question asked to Gordon at the conference? I said, “What are we going to do about Kip?” It is on tape.

So now, I am part of a church that will be going through a very ugly and probably very public split. It probably will not be in my backyard for a year or two, but it is coming. And it makes me very sad.

I may not be around tomorrow, I need to go pray.

if they oppose the United States. So sayeth my old friend, Pat Robertson. It amazes me that once every year or so, he has to say something that sounds like it is from the Weekly World News.

If you ever wondered where my experience with top-down leadership from a delusional leader comes from outside the ICoC subculture, it was growing up in the shadow of Pat Robertson. At one point, I had hoped to attend CBN university (now Regent) to go to seminary. I enjoyed the 700 Club and all the other stuff. He created a family channel that showed the Waltons and other good programs and I enjoyed that.

Then he ran for President.

His campaign and the fallout from anyone saying that he should not have run, showed me what an insecure leader can be like. It also showed me the consequences of disagreeing with the head honcho of a relgious organization.

In any case, the entire article is here.

Well maybe the title is not so accurate, I’m not waiting for something to alleviate boredom like Vladimir and his partner.

I am, however, awaiting news from a little known conference.

In the meantime, thanks to Kelcy for a reference to the new article by Douglas Jacoby.

At first, I was thinking along the lines of “Well - Duh,” but then another thought struck me. You know, high pressure situations also create groupthink and many of the former ICoC congregations are in high-pressure situations. Some are learning how to be autonomous after years of decisions being made higher-up. In those churches, there can be members that are unhappy with either “slow progress” or “getting away from what made us great”. Evangelists are getting copies of the Portland Bulletin mailed to them talking about the great ‘turnaround’ in Portland. On top of all that, these leaders may be suffering a real identity crisis. After years of being defined by how ‘fired up’ they were and how many were getting baptized, all of a sudden, the only person demanding anything is themselves. I have witnessed such a painful experience and it is quite difficult.

In light of one or all of these pressures, how easy is it to let someone at a bigger church do some or all of your thinking for you? Seriously, there is pressure and it doesn’t feel like there is time to think through issues, why not just rely on someone else that has already done a lot of work? My church did it with our study series. I’ve seen other churches do it with everything from missions, to preaching, to church leadership. As an example closer to home, you ever rewrite an encyclopedia article as a report for school?

Outside of the ICoC subculture, groupthink has also created some issues. For example, in Matt 19:24 Jesus says that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. There are commentaries that mention a “Needle Gate” that is very low and narrow. It required the camel and rider to crouch in order to enter Jerusalem. I heard this a few times growing up and in the church. I’ve heard it preached as a way to present what Jesus really said similar to Luke 14:26. (You know, he’s not really saying hate, what he really means is …)

Back to the point, there was no Needle Gate. It doesn’t exist. The earliest mention of it is an eleventh century theologian. This continued throughout the Middle Ages. Late, Victorian tourists to Jerusalem were even ’shown’ the Needle Gate. Amazing what writers of commentaries resort to in order to get published. It is also amazing what we will quote in order to make the Bible say something that it does not. That, however, is a topic for another post.

Note the topic of this post before you reply.

Dear pinakidion,

You know, Cindy Sheehan didn’t need to do what she did. All she did was embarass herself and create doubt in the minds of soldiers serving overseas. Now, she has stirred up dissension in the American people. A very few in a vocal minority that are bitter about the war are creating trouble. At first there was sympathy, but now this is out of control. If allowed to continue, many well-meaning Americans will lose faith in their government. The protestors should be ashamed of themselves for destroying the faith of good, honest people who simply want to support the troops.

If she had a problem with George Bush, she should take it up with him. In fact, they have spoken twice already: why is she still bitter? She should just move on and let go of the past. All of this anger, bitterness, and slander will not erase the past. Bush has made apologies for the high casualty price of the war, shouldn’t Sheehan work with the President to find ways to keep soldiers more safe? After all, if Bush didn’t have to deal with all this criticism, more could have been done to protect the soldiers that are fighting now.

Even if she needs time to heal, she could have dealt with her pain without slandering the president. The president has a difficult job and we should do all we can to support and build him up. If she still feels that he has wronged her, she should just forgive him. After all, all of us make mistakes - no one is better than anyone else. A religious leader once said that if you’re so perfect, why don’t use throw the first stone? I think he was right. Throwing stones at the President does nothing to help our soldiers, help the war, or continue the purposes of the United States of America.

In short, she is not dealing with her pain and is only prolonging the pain for the rest of those that feel hurt by the war. She should just go home and talk it out with someone. In doing this, others can also deal with their pain privately and correctly.

Yours truly,
A Sold-Out Disciple

The Hesberian Gazetter will be renamed to the Encyclopedia Hesberica. I decided to do this after realizing that I stopped including geography and started writing encyclopedic entries. As best I can, I hope to use the style used by wikipedia.

The original world map has been redrawn. I found a program that will generate a variety of maps with any projection, at any size, any magnification, and all kinds of other features. It took a while to get a realistic looking world and the result was quite different from the original. As such, certain entries won’t make geographic sense, especially the discovery of the Ogdan Islands.

Oh well, more work for me.

This fall, my church is going through the Emotionally Healthy Church together. All the material is organized for small groups, sermons, congregational midweeks, and so forth.

Before continuing, I feel the need to explain something. The subtitle of the book is “A new paradigm for discipleship”. There are other words for discipleship, and I am going to use one of them. I will use the more theological word “santification”. The reason is not to quibble over words or insist that everyone should call it santification. I am doing this because the word discipleship in the ICoC subculture has so many assumed contexts and meanings, that a different word may serve the purpose of this article better. Again, this isn’t a slam against people using various terms to describe the same thing. Specifically, I am talking about the process by which Christians mature in their faith.

I am excited about studying a new paradigm for santification. Part of me is curious because it appears to be a novel approach. Keep in mind that I came from a church that said that maturty can only be accomplished in one way, high baptism rates. After 12 years of that, everything appears novel. A deeper part of me is interested at looking at a good model for santification instead of avoiding the bad model I’ve lived with for so long. Even I get tired of critique. More importantly, since I believe that a mature Christian does more than avoid sin, I look forward to becoming more mature in a deeper way than “not being like I was four years ago”.

Mostly, I just want to heal from some of the things that I have experienced at the hands of a few that claimed to be acting in the interests of God Almighty. I want to grow more mature in my faith, but I know that dealing with my past is a large obstacle. Knowing that I need to let go of the past is the beginning of the journey to use my experiences for the glory of God. However, whom among my friends in the ICoC subculture know how to do more than that? I suspect a precious few. I think my wife is one, she had dealt with her church ostracism at a critical time in her life. With professional, outside help, she was able to be healthy again. I think the chief editor of ICoC News is another that has found a way to be healthy.

I began my journey by writing down my thoughts here. I still write them here. I also continued with giving my life to others in serving and love. I found acceptance in my wife, church, and friends. I have a good relationship with the lead minister of my chruch and all members of leadership. My small group is full of people I enjoy, even if I don’t see them as much as I would like.

I’m sure this all sounds idyllic. I don’t want to overstate the things that have happened in my life. At the same time, there has been an overwhelming amount of blessing and encouragement for me.

However, all of this doesn’t help me to really deal with my past. It helps some, and I am not minimizing it. It’s just that things in my past and things our divisive brother in Portland are doing still hurt. In essence, I am doing what I have always been taught to do. The old paradigm for overcoming pain was to think happy thoughts and surround yourself with happiness. It was assumed that if you continually concentrated on happy thoughts and spent time in happy places, your emotions would change. Once your emotions changed, you’d stop hurting. I heard this preached in the pulpit and read it in a book or two. This way doesn’t help me, so I look for other ideas.

The six principles in the book are:

1. Look Beneath the Surface
2. Break the Power of the Past
3. Live in Brokenness and Vulnerability
4. Receive the Gift of Limits
5. Embrace Grieving and Loss
6. Make Incarnation Your Model for Living Well

Principle 3 is something I have read about in a book or two. Some of the other principles, however, are pretty much new to me, especially embracing grief and loss.

I am looking forward to seeing what happens in the near future.

Started on March 24, 2005 @ 16:04

The time has finally come when I can talk about my past and not be bitter about it. It is a time that I have prayed to come for several years. Thanks to the support of wonderful friends and my wife, the time has come to put all these things to rest and to leave them behind. I am determined that these things should not happen to anyone else, for any reason. I am also aware that some positive events may be minimized or overlooked. I am not trying to do this, but I am aware of my own biases.

I was raised in the United Methodist church. My father has taught Adult Bible study classes since I was a small child. He still teaches a small, but dedicated group. When I was twelve, I was asked if I wanted to be baptized and I said, ‘yes’. My father and I were baptized that day. At the time, my father had been going through some spiritual searching of his own.

I am not making this up.
I cannot even comment on it, I have no idea where to start.

Read about it here.

So you renew your checkcard and try really hard to tell your creditors about the new card number.

I forgot one.

I don’t pay for the service (3 year trial), but I pay for four domains once a year. Last bill before this one came July 2004. I wasn’t even married then, now I am married with child in utero.

Oops on me. We’re back until next August.

Rob Schuler writes about the Parable of the Minas. I suppose that more and more articles like this are bound to be written. Considering there are only small differences between my article stub and his complete treatment, I will probably not finish the W.O.R.K. article.

If you get a chance, there is an article on Thinklings that deserves a mention. My favorite part is the defense of monogamy. A critic would say that monogamy is like listening to the same record over and over. The response to the critic was that it is like listening to the same instrument, not the same record.

Just thought you may enjoy it.

Tonight I am sitting on the front porch of my house enjoying the cooler air. It’s amazing what a good wireless network can do for you.

Today, my wife and I unpacked most of the kitchen and tried to get all the parts we need to get the dryer working. The guy at Home Depot said that he didn’t have what I needed for the stove, so it’s back to square one, I guess. Having an old house can have some unforseen disadvantages.

In light of all this activity, it is good to sit here in the quiet and just enjoy the time.

Less than 24 hours ago, one of my best friends and I sat on the end of the porch praying about various things: my baby, his kids, our company, seeing the good things God gives us, being focused, etc. We were up way too late, but it felt good to simply pray with a great friend.

I hear some of my friends talk about “getting back” to various things in their Christian lives. Some want to get back to evangelism, others to Bible Study and prayer. Some want to get back to the security they felt a couple years ago. I think about some of the things I want to “get back to” only to realize that there is no getting back.

The context is quite different, but I think about Jesus telling someone that wanted to follow him that once he started that he couldn’t look back. Ever tried to walk backwards without the help of mirrors? It is possible, I can do it fairly well, but not in the new house, yet. The key is that you have know where everything along your path is located. It’s fairly straightforward to guesstimate where various things are based on what you can actually see. You will get to where you’re going walking backwards.

I get this image in my head that if I am trying to get back to anything, it’s like I’m walking backwards. I know that I’ll get to where I am going, because I’ve made the trip so many times. I know where all the potential obstacles are and I’ve become pretty good at estimate how much room I have, determining if I am walking backwards in a straight line, and I even notice new things after I’ve passed them by. I think if it wasn’t for a simple question, I’d even enjoy the trip quite happy that I can do it.

The question is, “Why am I walking backwards?”

I remember a time when reading and praying were automatic, but I also remember that I wasn’t getting anything out of what I was reading at all. Is that what I want to get back to? Getting into a familiar groove is very comfortable, but what I really want is to read and pray and be with God while I’m doing it. What good is a habit if you do not remember why you wanted to develop the habit in the first place?

I realize that I don’t need to get back to anything. Looking for that past moment of glory is only an act of self-deception. Things weren’t any better back then, they were just different. In light of that, I simply need to keep going with what I already know.

What I want is to pray and read and be at peace in my heart. Looking back at the past 24 hours, I’ve done all three. I would like to make this a habit. Freeing myself from some self-imposed judgement of past performance, I think I can get there.

I found an English translation of the Mishnah
with conservative commentary. I wanted to see the sources of the Rabbi and Talamidim article. So here is the complete mishnah from the piece quoted in the article:

Avoth 5 Mishnah 21

הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, בֶּן חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים לַמִּקְרָא, בֶּן עֶשֶׂר לַמִּשְׁנָה, בֶּן שְׁלשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה לַמִּצְוֹת, בֶּן חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה לַתַּלְמוּד, בֶּן שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה לַחֻפָּה, בֶּן עֶשְׂרִים לִרְדּוֹף, בֶּן שְׁלשִׁים לַכֹּחַ, בֶּן אַרְבָּעִים לַבִּינָה, בֶּן חֲמִשִּׁים לָעֵצָה, בֶּן שִׁשִּׁים לַזִקְנָה, בֶּן שִׁבְעִים לַשֵּיבָה, בֶּן שְׁמוֹנִים לַגְּבוּרָה, בֶּן תִּשְׁעִים לָשׁוּחַ, בֶּן מֵאָה כְּאִלּוּ מֵת וְעָבַר וּבָטֵל מִן הָעוֹלָם:

1. He used to say:
2. At five years of age the study of Scripture;
3. At ten the study of Mishnah;
4. At thirteen subject to the commandments;
5. At fifteen the study of Talmud;
6. At eighteen the bridal canopy;
7. At twenty for pursuit [of livelihood];
8. At thirty the peak of strength;
9. At forty wisdom;
10. At fifty able to give counsel;
11. At sixty old age;
12. At seventy fullness of years;
13. At eighty the age of “strength”;
14. At ninety a bent body;
15. At one hundred, as good as dead and gone completely out of the world.

The commentators make a note that these ages were probably meant as a guide for parents in teaching their children. In modern times, some the categories no longer apply. For example, it was typical for a man to become a rabbi at 40. These days, rabbis usually start at a much younger age. Also, 90 in our time is not necessarily the same quality of life of 90 in the times just after the temple was destroyed.

I haven’t found much online written by Shmuel Safrai, but I keep finding places where he is quoted. One such article appears quite interesting on the surface. It contends that Jesus was a Pharisee of the School of Hillel and that the Pharisees he blasts were Pharisees of the School of Shammai. Shammai, it seems, was a stern and strict interpretor of the Torah, the opposite of Hillel. However, it seems that Hillel, not Shammai appears to be quite strict in regards to dietary laws. In any case, reading the two of them going back and forth about eggs laid on festivals days (can they be eaten? Eduyoth 4:1), sewing tassles on bedsheets (Eduyoth 4:10), and when divorce is really divorce (Eduyoth 4:7) can help to understand Jesus’ words about straining at gnats and swallowing camels (Matt 23:24).

Personally, it appears to me that Jesus used a form of teaching that was familiar to the Jews in Galilee and Jerusalem. However, he did not follow the structure of it completely by asking “unschooled men” to be his students. He also made clear that although he was a teacher, no one after him was to be called teacher or rabbi (Matt 23:10). As such, when he called the apostles to teach the nations in the Great Commission, it seems to me that they were to teach that Jesus is the teacher and make students of Jesus. To the method, however, it appears that there is some flexibility. Paul used the Hall of Tyrannus for teaching Jews and Gentiles, but appears to have had a small group that followed him personally (Acts 19:9-10), as well as teaching in synagouges (Acts 17:2 and many other places). As such, I believe the methods of teaching and training described in the Bible are descriptive, not proscriptive. Paul was diverse in technique, I see no reason why we cannot be diverse as well.

A good article about the role of teacher and disciple. It helps illuminate some things in the text. It also explains Mathew 23:8-9, let no man call you rabbi.

Interesting indeed.

I’ve written quite a few drafts of articles since I began the blog. I’m going to list them here for two reasons. One is so that I don’t forget to finish them .The other is that if someone has any interest, I’ll be happy to send them the draft.

Keep in mind that draft on the blog means incomplete to me. It’s not like it needs a good edit, it just hasn’t been fully developed.

About Last Night - an older post about why I post about the ICoC Subculture

Mother May I? - a post about discovering that I still look for permission from others to live my life

Conduit spell - a World of Dira post about how wizards access areas of greater magic when they are not physically in those places

Another long gap - old post explaining that work was busy and that I was reading a review of my cousin’s paper on the USS Stark

HOPE Shell Game - a fairly recent post that details how HOPE Worldwide handles money for programs

26 questions - Questions those in the ICoC Subculture should ask themselves (not written by me)

Post # 181 - Blank post

Next Door to Greatness - a post about the ICoC Subculture’s desire to use famous people and places to look more important

My Christian History - an autobiography of my spiritual life

Risus paschalis - An article about the paschal laugh, or the Sunday after Easter

Who Paying for This? - An ICoC subculture article about the higher eschelons travel habits

Exegetical Example - An article about various exegetical tecehnique’s used on John 3:5

Research Verses that God Remembers Me - A personal study that prevents me from becoming a deist

A Tree and Its Fruit - A look at Matt 7:13-23

May the Force Be with You Part Two - an aborted article that continued the commentary of The Dark Side by Thomas McKean

First Father’s Day - My thoughts on my first Father’s Day (Baby in utero)

Post # 266 - Blank Post

W.O.R.K. - Commentary and exegesis about the parable of the minas, Luke 19:11-27

Anywho, more writing soon. Today I hope to write a World of Dira post. Maybe over the weekend, I can finish one of these others.