c. scott andreas

If you subscribe to my RSS feed, you probably noticed a lot of noise around these parts yesterday. I’ve been working to tighten up my presence around the web – I write for about three different blogs and maintain profiles on a few different social networks, but they’re all very loosely connected.

Now, Paradoxica, Conversatio, and Facebook synchronize my blog posts by displaying local entries in their entirety and brief summaries of posts pulled from my other sites. Handy!

I’ve been wanting to do this for awhile and spent some time thinking it through on Sunday afternoon. Drop me an e-mail if you’d like some help doing something similar. If you feel like giving it a go, here’s what got me started.

After a little Googling, I found a (somewhat-buggy but functional) plug-in called FeedWordPress that imports items pulled from RSS feeds into WordPress’s local database as if they were posted locally.

Since I didn’t want full posts being displayed from the other blogs, I set up special feeds over at Feedburner that exclude previously-syndicated content to avoid a nasty infinite loop and trim posts to about 200 characters. Then, I pointed each blog’s FeedWordPress plug-in to the other’s and cranked up the juice. Voila!

Thanks to Forrest for a ton of swell icons (like the big [!] above). You might see them popping up here more often these days. Drop by his site and download a pack or three, then read a bit about the foods he fears. I’ve been meaning to teach him the error of his ways (there must be something redemptive about “Pork Brains with Milk Gravy,” no?)…but that’s low on the list.

I’m in Kokomo judging the Indiana HS State Debate tournament. Props to the school for providing free w-fi.

I owe a lot to debate. When I was in high school, it gave me something to do, something to care about, and something to strive for. I learned how to speak, how to argue, and how to see something through someone else’s eyes.

(I also owe any sense of fashion that I might have to a friend I met through debate while in high school.)

I’m concerned that “debate” as a high school activity is on the decline in this area. Here’s hoping for a rebound.

Update: Judged a couple good rounds. Back home safely. I’m satisfied.

Update 2:   My younger cousin Josh and his debate partner John just won the final round!  Huge congratulations to them on their victory and a hearty “thank you” for bringing the trophy back to Columbia City!

Rob Bell’s next book Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections Between Sexuality and Spirituality will be released in about a month. To remove all doubt, he titled the introduction, “This is really about that.” It’s an interesting project, to say the least.

You can check out a sample chapter on the book’s web site, or hop straight to Amazon if you’re feeling shoppy.

Here’s a snippet:

When Jesus talks about heaven and hell, they are first and foremost present realities that have serious implications for the future. Either can be invited to earth, right now, through our actions.

It’s possible for heaven to invade earth.
And it’s possible for hell to invade earth.

And another:

When a human being is mistreated, objectified, or neglected, when they are treated as less than human, these actions are actions against God. Because how you treat the creation reflects how you feel about the Creator.

To be a Christian is to work for the new humanity. Jesus commands his followers to feed and clothe and visit and take care of those who need it. They’re fellow image-bearers, they’re just like us, and when we love them, we’re loving God.

I’m looking forward to this. Evocative, maybe a little provocative. But almost certainly a good read.

technorati tags:marshill, robbell, sexgod

Every once in a while, I come across something so strange, so obscure, so tremendously trippy that I positively must share it with you. This is one of those times.

Here are two quotes from the trailer:

“Long ago there was a legend - when a person died, someone could free them from their sins. That was the Sin Eater.”

Later, a young girl in a teary voice: “I need the Sin Eater to eat my sins.”

I have no idea what is going on in this film, and cannot for the life of me make sense of the title. I understand that it is based on a book of some sort. But without context, it’s just hilarious.

You can watch the trailer here. I’m going to go eat something that doesn’t taste like hell. Hehe.

Update:  I’m being told that the film is quite good.  I’m intrigued.   - csa

I’ve discovered an incredible study tool called MacSword, and with it, a burning desire to study. I’m a bit surprised as things usually don’t work out like that (consider your treadmill or ab-rocker, for instance).

That said, I’m working my way through the book of Micah. Micah has fascinated me for a long time - the book is literally pregnant with meaning. I’m tremendously excited to have the tools I need to study it properly.

Check back in the coming days / weeks. This will be fun.

technorati tags:Micah, exegesis, tools

I just noticed that my RSS feed has not updated since I moved it to FeedBurner a few weeks ago.  Oops!

This site’s feed URL is now http://feeds.feedburner.com/paradoxica.  Please update your reader manually by re-subscribing to this site if you’re not getting updates.

Apologies all around!

I was checking out Logos’ digital reference library collection - someone mentioned that they had created a Mac version, which got me excited. They have a handy comparison chart that tells me why I should pay them $1379 instead of just $149.

But I saw this little note at the bottom:

**Note:Due to licensing restrictions, the New International Version is notincluded as a part of this collection if it is being shipped to one ofthe following countries: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,Cyprus, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany,Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Irish Republic, Italy,Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta and Gozo, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway,Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,Turkey, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Vatican City State, Yugoslavia.

Apparently Logos can’t distribute the New International Version…internationally!

I stumbled upon a Myers-Briggs personality test today. I took one while I was in 7th grade, but it came back negative (ha!).  Here’s how this one turned out:

You are an INFJ.

INFJs are gentle, caring, complex and highly intuitive individuals. Artistic and creative, they live in a world of hidden meanings and possibilities. Only one percent of the population has an INFJ Personality Type, making it the most rare of all the types.

Oh ho ho, thank you personality test! That’s exciting. Tell me more…

INFJs place great importance on havings things orderly and systematic in their outer world. They put a lot of energy into identifying the best system for getting things done, and constantly define and re-define the priorities in their lives. On the other hand, INFJs operate within themselves on an intuitive basis which is entirely spontaneous.

INFJs are concerned for people’s feelings, and try to be gentle to avoid hurting anyone. They are very sensitive to conflict, and cannot tolerate it very well. Situations which are charged with conflict may drive the normally peaceful INFJ into a state of agitation or charged anger.

It sounds like you know me…have we met?

Some INFJs report experiences of a psychic nature…This is the sort of thing that other types may scorn and scoff at, and the INFJ themself does not really understand their intuition at a level which can be verbalized.

(?) Not so much on that one. But I do see dead people. Better finish this one off.

Life is not necessarily easy for the INFJ, but they are capable of great depth of feeling and personal achievement.

Ha - I love it! “Life is not necessarily easy for the INFJ.” I feel like a creature on Nova or a superhero or something.

Potential career paths include “clergy / religious work,” “teacher / professor,” and “artist.” Oh, and “chiropractor.” I’m feeling pigeon-holed; I’ve been bouncing around the first three for quite some time now.

What’s your personality type?