U2 By U2

If you haven't already picked up the new U2 By U2, you're missing out. Of course, if you aren't a U2 fan, you have other issues. Seriously, this is only the third publication in twenty years that carries any kind of U2 authority about the philosophy, life and music of U2. The Unforgettable Fire (also an outstanding album) is now outdated and Bono in Conversation with Mitchka Assayas is, as the title says, mainly about Bono.

U2 By U2 is choc full of photography, complemented by rich biography. A collectable, weighing in at close to 5 lbs, the book belongs on any U2 fan's shelf. Let me know your thoughts on the book, should you pick it up.

Update on Robie

Thank you for your comments and prayers. Both Owen and Robie are doing very well. Yesterday Robie had a level 2 sonogram to check out the lemon-sized cist. Two nurses and one doctor all confirmed that it is a fibroid- a muscular outgrowth of the uterus. Apparently, 70% of women have them and they serve no purpose (that we know of). Robie has a doctor's appointment in November to follow up on the "melanoma suspicious" cells, which must mean that the doctor isn't too concerned about them.

We have been encouraged by the responses of our friends and family. It's good to be loved.

News on the baby--it's a girl! She is due in February and is forming well and on schedule. With gratitude and praise...

Mark Noll: Evangelicals and Theology of Culture

In the recent issue of Christianity Today, church historian Mark Noll has written an outstanding article on the historical influences of the 20th century upon Evangelicals: "Where we are Now and How we Got Here." Tracing the wandering steps of evangelical theological integrity and cultural sensitivity, Noll alerts us to the historical influences that push evangelicals from Church-against-Culture to Church-transformer-of-Culture.

Read it here.

Raising Kids to Torah

The recent issue of N.Y. Times magazine reports the success of child psychologist Wendy Mogel's book,The Blessing of a Skinned Knee: Using Jewish Teachings to Raise Self-Reliant Children. The book attempts to countner declining parental attention and deficient parenting methods with wisdom from the Torah and the Bible.

Mogel writes: “Jewish wisdom holds that our children don’t belong to us,”“They are both a loan and a gift from God, and the gift has strings attached. Our job is to raise our children to leave us. The children’s job is to find their own path in life. If they stay carefully protected in the nest of the family, children will become weak and fearful or feel too comfortable to want to leave.”

See the magazine for more.