WIRED Magazine gives my Shout-Out a Shout-Out

WIRED Magazine published the "reader response" that I sent in regarding their May "Mystery" issue. I wasn't sure if they would include it, and they ended up working it in to the intro for the section:

Well, that was fun! We had a blast working with guest editor J.J. Abrams on our mind-bending May issue, which won over even the toughest of customers. "You intentionally issued a challenge to my powers of ratiocination and forced me to involuntarily feel a need for a decoder ring," wrote one, who says he'd nearly let his subscription lapse. "I fished out the discarded renewal notice and sent it on its way. May '09 = For. The. Win." Glad you're still with us, Ched Spellman! (via)

I'd like to take this moment to thank,

• Edgar Allan Poe, from whom I learned the word "ratiocination" when I read his "Murders of the Rue Morgue for a college course (Hard-Boiled Detective Fiction). Poe described these short stories as "tales of ratiocination."

• Twitter and @pbowden who introduced me to the concept of "for the win" (an "internet expression of enthusiasm") and its emphatic variant, "For. The. Win."

• J.J. Abrams, for being awesome.

• The Language Log, for clearing my conscience when I'm tempted to intentionally split my infinitives.

And for what it's worth, WIRED, you're welcome.

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Sleep Patterns

Here is a glimpse of what my post-Hope 5:00am looks like:

Alive. Alert. Awake. Enthusiastic.

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Time of Birth, A Poem

"Time of Birth, A Poem"

Thursday,
June 25,
4:50 pm:

The moment I realized
that God had given me
another woman
I would give
my life
for

Ched Spellman, 2009

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Chick-fil-a has good theology

Upon seeing my pregnant bride (37+ wks), they offered me a free "Father's Day milkshake" today.

Reminding me that life is life even in the womb.  

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The "Easy Sell" of Text-Driven Preaching

If you draw attention away from the text, then you draw attention away from Christ

—Steven Smith, "The Preacher's Spirit" in Southwestern News (Summer 2009), 27.

Dr. Smith bases this statement on the conviction that

1. God is revealed in Christ
2. Christ is revealed in the Scriptures
3. Therefore, your ministry should be text-driven

On the implications of such a commitment, he writes

So it's an easy sell. It's clear enough at least. The problem is not really with the sales pitch; it's the price tag. The cost of faithful exposition is a life-trajectory of challenging, soul-searching, gut-wrenching, and rewarding years in the study--high front-end investment with the greatest yield coming at the end . . .

All it demands is everything. Like I said, it's an easy sell.

—Smith, "An Easy Sell: How to Talk a 25-Year-Old Into Giving the Rest of his Life to Text-Driven Preaching." In Southwestern News (Summer 2009), 64.

Dr. Smith's charge echoes Paul's:

Preach the Word!

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Research Language Log (5): The German Monster Eats my Homework

When I was transferring 2.5 hours of my German translation homework from a jump drive, I "moved and replaced" in the wrong direction.

Big mistake.

That wooden, semi-readable bit of translated prose is now lost forever in the vortex of deleted random access memory.

In other words, the German Monster ate my homework.

He is a sly beast. I will slay him yet.

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Diminished Focus sometimes means Diminished Affections

Multitasking only makes sense when none of the tasks requires heart-engaged, loving attention.

—John Piper, "More on Not Using Twitter During Worship Services."

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Reading Aloud Improves your Depth Perception

One of the most basic tests of comprehension is to ask someone to read aloud from a book. It reveals far more than whether the reader understands the words. It reveals how far into the words — and the pattern of the words — the reader really sees.

—Verlyn Kinkenborg, "Some Thoughts on the Lost Art of Reading Aloud" (New York Times).

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If the Suit Fits . . .

The "Lawsuit Zeus," also known as "Johnny Sue-nami," filed a lawsuit this week in federal court seeking an injunction to stop the Guinness Book of World Records from naming him as the person who has filed the most lawsuits in the history of mankind.

—"Man sues book over most-litigious crown" (Spokesman Review)

So, the Guinness World Record Holder for "The Most Lawsuits Filed" is suing Guinness Book of Records for naming him as the person with the most lawsuits filed.

Now that's consistency.

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Nothing too small in us . . . to be ordained by God

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows (Matt 10: 29-31).

We cannot but admit that not even the least thing takes place unless it is ordered by God. For who has ever been so concerned and curious as to find out how much hair he has on his head? There is no one. God, however, knows the number.

Indeed, nothing is too small in us or in any other creature, not to be ordered by the all-knowing and all-powerful providence of God.

—Huldrych Zwingli (Protestant Reformer), The Defense of the Reformed Faith, 145.

These words remind me that God's providence enables me to trust.

I think this also means that a sustained "fear" of what may happen to me or my family exposes a lack of trust in God's sovereign hand and essentially demonstrates disobedience to Christ's command to "fear not."

Jesus argues that the truth about the lesser matter demonstrates the truth about the greater matter. Insignificant little birds do not escape the guidance of their creator, so why would I fear his neglect?

The sparrow flies and falls within the scope of providence. If a bird cannot fly high enough or travel far enough to escape the grasp of God's guiding hand, then why would I entertain the notion for myself?

An implication of this truth is that I'm not to worry, fear, or be anxious about what happens to my family; about my dad who is battling leukemia; or my daughter who is forming in my wife's womb. Jesus exhorts me to take my fear of chance and circumstance and transfer it into trust in providence and his good pleasure. Hope. Trust. Prayer. These are the actions appropriate in a world that he is guiding. Trifling matters do not exist in this world; only intricate details.

God is sovereign over sparows. So too, white blood cells and amniotic fluid.

"I believe; help my unbelief"

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Rockets-Lakers: So far, so good.

Update:

• Game 1: Hou 100, LA 92
  
• Game 2: Hou 98, LA 111 (Kobe mouths "I can't be stopped" after every basket, apparently forgetting Game 1)
  
• Game 3: Hou 94, LA 108 (The great wall of China goes down with a hairline fracture)
• Game 4: Hou 99, LA 87 (Rockets backcourt turns Houston into Clutch City)

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Bring on the Lakers!

Last night, the Rockets beat the Trailblazers to advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1997. Feel free to jump on the bandwagon now, before the meteoric rise blinds the Western Conference.

• Blaze through Portland: Check.
• Bulldoze the Lakers: Pending.

Kobe says he's the best, and L.A. is championship-bound.

In the words of Andy Bernard, "Oh it is on like a prawn who yawns at dawn."

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