Random Variables :: random thoughts deep and wide

Moving to...

randal — Tue, 04 Jan 2005 16:32:00 GMT

It finally happened. Got my own space for www.randalmatheny.com . Go and check it out. All my energies will be focused there from now on.

Bibliography for J. Randal Matheny

randal — Sun, 20 Jun 2004 15:50:00 GMT

This is the form of name (J. Randal Matheny) I use when publishing material. Though sometimes editors have dropped the first initial, and a couple of times it appeared with two "L's" on Randal. At least, the Lord and my mother know who I am.

Some articles have been lost in ancient history. In the 80s I wrote an article for Heartland Harvest and another or two for publications whose names even are obscured by the haze of years.

21st Century Christian

"Running Away," 55 (1 Oct 1992): 25.

Christian Chronicle

"Fifth Congregation in Brazil Ordains Elders," 54(1 Aug 1997): 26.

Global Harvest

"Starting a Congregation in Brazil," 1 (Summer 2004): 42.

Gospel Advocate

"Endless Supply of Power," 122 (24 Jul 1980): 462.
"Parachurches and the Local Church," 142 (1 Jul 2000): 22.
"Who's Doing the Work of the Church?" 141 (1 Dec 1999): 27.
"God Named Them Man" (submitted).
"Books by Brethren that Have Benefited Me" (submitted 2004 July 7; published, but I've not seen it).

Magnolia Messenger

"X-treme Thrills," Nov/Dec 2002: 17.

Power for Today

Various devotionals in the 90s. I found these:
"All Dressed Up with Somewhere to Go," 42 (Oct-Dec 1996): 7.
"Cutting Through the Resistance," 40 (Apr-Jun 1995): 86.
"Doves and Hawks," 40 (Jul-Set 1995): 18.
"Safe in God," 40 (Apr-Jun 1995): 17.
"Take Your Pick," 40 (Apr-Jun 1995): 10.
"The Lifted-Up Christ," 40 (Apr-Jun 1995): 41.
"The Name of the Game," 40 (Jan-Mar 1995): 48.
"The Signature of Death," 40 (Jul-Set 1995): 16.
"To See Jesus," 42 (Oct-Nov 1996): 55.

Voice of Truth International

"Brazil," .
"How to Stay Strong When Trouble Comes," vol. 38, pp. 81-82.
"The Valley of Trouble," vol. 39, pp. 94-95.
"Get a Life," vol. pp. 68-69.
"Growing," vol. 42, p. 57.

Miscellaneous

"Tired Out by the Journey," " in Chattels of the Heart, Patricia Wolf, ed. (Summer 2004): 15-16.
"Life that Matters," " in Chattels of the Heart, Patricia Wolf, ed. (Spring 2004): 4.
"The Least I Can Do," in Randy Cassingham, ed., The Best of Heroic Stories, vol. 2.

Book reviews

Secret to Waking Up the Pew Potatoes, by John-Mark Wilson, in Gospel Advocate, 145 (1 April 2003): 4.
Fire in My Bones, vol. 2, by Glover Shipp, in Gospel Advocate, 146 (1 July 2004): 4. (Brief, unsigned, mention given in Christian Chronicle as well.)

Works of Poetry (in chronological order)

2002

"The Man I Want to Be," in The Voice of Truth International, ed. J. C. Choate, vol. 32, inside cover.
"As Far as Grace May Last," in Time of Singing,, ed. Lora H. Zill, 28 (Winter 2001/2002): 34.
"Off the Paper," in Time of Singing, ed. Lora H. Zill, 28 (Winter 2001/2002): 31.
"Young David," in Möbius, The Poetry Magazine,, Jean Hull Herman, ed., (Spring & Summer, 2002): 15.
"No Greater Love," in Möbius, The Poetry Magazine,, Jean Hull Herman, ed., (Spring & Summer, 2002): 20.
"New York, September, 2001," in Möbius, The Poetry Magazine,, Jean Hull Herman, ed., (Spring & Summer, 2002): 35.
"As Far as Grace May Last," in Chattels of the Heart, Patricia Wolf, ed., (Summer 2002): 10.
"The Gurgling Brook," in Chattels of the Heart, Patricia Wolf, ed., (Summer 2002): 10.

2003

"Fallen Stars," in Paragould Daily Press, Feb. 8, 2003.
"Ruby Stones," in The Discerning Poet, Margaret L. Been, ed. (Summer 2003): 4.
"Deprived Addict," in Möbius, The Poetry Magazine, Jean Hull Herman, ed., 18 (Spring and Summer, 2003): 57.
"Your Will Be Done," in Möbius, The Poetry Magazine, Jean Hull Herman, ed., 18 (Spring and Summer, 2003): 70.
"A Water Basin," in Chattels of the Heart Patricia Wolf, ed. (Summer 2003): 16.
"Their Only Hope," in Christian Bible Teacher, Bob Connel, ed., 47 (August 2003): 184.
"Holding Out Hope," in Tiny Lights: A Journal of Personal Essay, Susan Bono, ed. (9th annual contest issue, vol. 9, no. 1): 11. [One of my many couplets.]

2004

"Both Prayer and Pains" in The Scripture Standard, Robert Marsden, ed., 71 (January 2004): 16.
"God Without Peer" in The Bible Meditator, Don Ruhl, ed. Accepted.
"Results" in Chattels of the Heart, Patricia Wolf, ed. (Summer 2004): 16.
"On the Jungle Floor" in Chattels of the Heart, Patricia Wolf, ed. (Autumn 2004): inside front cover.

Online

"20 Seconds to Die," in Daily Wisdom, 13 Jan 1999.
"Affirmatives" column on Morrock News Digest (February 2000-March 2002).
"Building on the Rock," in E-Youth.
Heartlight has published a handful of articles. Plop "matheny" in the search and read'em.
"I'm Proud to Be a Christian," on Heartlight's Prayer for the Nation, 21 Feb 2002.
"No Hesitation," also on Heartlight, but didn't show up in search.
"The Name," and "Paces" (April 2003) on ThisChristianLife.com.
Webzine for the Christian Woman

Tooth story

randal — Thu, 11 Nov 2004 16:32:00 GMT

I'm heading for my second trip to the dentist today. Back in Sept. a tooth broke and I got it fixed. Yesterday the resin filling came out. This morning the dentist (Next door to the office) fixed it in under 15 min. But I think it was a little high and though I wasn't chewing on that side, the top part broke. So back I go at 4h (or was it 4:30?). She didn't charge me this morning. Let's see if she does this afternoon.

Kerry fan philosophizes in German

randal — Thu, 04 Nov 2004 13:09:00 GMT

h**p://www.techcentralstation.com/110304U.html

These guys just don't know how to speak English without resorting to foreign words and phrases.

But they think the old news media are fair, too: "News coverage of the election was cautions [sic] and careful, ..."

And they still don't know why they lost.

It's Bush

randal — Wed, 03 Nov 2004 16:17:00 GMT

Kerry has admitted defeat.

The most decent thing he's done in 30 years.

Now we can sleep easy in our beds.

Off and On

randal — Wed, 03 Nov 2004 15:44:00 GMT

This is supposed to be my Afternoon Off.

So what am I doing in the office?

Taking swipes at my to-do list.

Poverty level?

randal — Wed, 03 Nov 2004 08:54:00 GMT

From a story on taxes:

"In 2004, HHS estimated the poverty level for a single person to be $9,310. For a family of four it was $18,850."

Do the math: that's $1545.83/m.

In Brazil multiply it by three to get reais: R$4712,50.

I know maybe one person here who makes that.

Don Quixote

randal — Wed, 03 Nov 2004 11:29:00 GMT

Finished the book on Monday. I'll admit I got tired of it before the end.

Innocuous content

randal — Wed, 03 Nov 2004 11:17:00 GMT

Most spam arriving in my inbox now is for Rolex watches. Not as bad as the pornographic stuff.

Election returns and flubs

randal — Wed, 03 Nov 2004 10:50:00 GMT

CBS News dot com called Nevada in the Bush column, and in their tools map promptly colored it blue.

FoxNews.com reported that the Bush campaign declared victory, with a brand new state voting:

Although Iowa, Nevada and Mexico had not yet made their results officials, Card said the GOP camp was counting those states in its column.

More truth than we know?

To see resources

randal — Mon, 25 Oct 2004 16:19:00 GMT

www.acton.org

"... a person needs quite a lot of human virtues to be able to see resources. First of all, one needs a certain passion for theoretical thought; that is, contemplation. Consider this example from the story of Ulysses and the giant cyclops Polyphemus in Homer's Odyssey: Ulysses and his companions are imprisoned in a hole by the cyclops and are overwhelmed by fear, becoming so passive that Polyphemus is able to take and eat a few of them. Ulysses speaks to his heart-believed to be the organ that controlled passions-and asks it to help. Ulysses then becomes calm as he is freed from the debilitating fear over his personal safety, and when he regains mastery over himself, he is able to see that a nearby pole, when sharpened, may become a weapon against the giant and that the sheep can be used as instruments to get out of the hole. Ulysses can now struggle against the giant-a symbol of nature-because he sees clearly and is no longer blinded by his passions. He can see because he was able to recover his contemplative attitude."

As bad as I thought

randal — Mon, 25 Oct 2004 10:58:00 GMT

"Browning ... tells us that what won him for Christ was this, that while others tried to soothe his angry conscience, and kept urging that, really, things were not nearly so bad as he was making out, Christ looked him in the eyes and told him bluntly that he was a desperate sinner, worse, much worse, even than he realized. And that, queerly enough as you might think, the man was not discomfited but heartened. Here at last, he felt, is one who understands and knows the facts. And since His desperate diagnosis is so accurate, may not His optimism also justify itself even in me. Well does He know what is in human nature, and yet, knowing the worst, He still has confident hope." --A. J. Gossip (1873-1954), The Galilean Accent (1926)

Indeed, Christ is the ultimate realist, and the ultimate optimist, for he, and he alone, is able to change our sordid reality into glory.

Off to teach ...

randal — Sat, 16 Oct 2004 18:32:00 GMT

Off to teach in a moment in the city of Guaratingetá, about an hour and a half away, where our brother Jorge has been teaching family members and neighbors. We hope it will develop into another congregation for our region, the third, after SJCampos and Taubaté, to reach the millions between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

J. Randal Matheny

randal — Tue, 27 Jan 2004 07:59:00 GMT

My Bible verse to express my aspirations, prayers, and hopes for 2004 is 2 Timothy 4.5: "But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry" (NIV).

Read James Burton's commentary on this verse.

Read about The Snuggery, my place of work, my partial bibliography, and even details of my bio.

LISTS

Christian Poets -- discussion, crits, poetry, and more.
Cloudburst Poetry -- a weekly, spirited poem of rhyme and meter in your inbox.
Forthright Magazine -- daily articles for spiritual edification.
UPLift -- get a lift with UPLift, fresh quotes, short verse, pithy perspectives, sometimes taken from Random Variables.
BZeal news and reports -- stay up to date with our work and the church's progress.

SITES

Christian Poets -- the real action is on the email list.
Forthright Magazine -- the online version, where you can pipe up.
Brazilian Zeal -- news of the work and church in Brazil.
Alcance -- our main Brazilian website.

HANGOUTS

Bible Study Forum -- Solid stuff.
church-of-Christ email group -- a really friendly and supportive bunch. I'm the most absent moderator. :)

CONTACT

Mailing address:
Caixa Postal 11
Sao Jose dos Campos, SP
12201-970 -- Brazil

Telephone: (11-55-12) 3942-7753

Messenger (seldom connected):
AOL/AIM: randalmatheny
Yahoo: randalmatheny
ICQ: 304284039
MSN: randal32916{{at}}hotmail.com

EMAIL ME: RIGHT HERE

A few links

Official site of city of São José dos Campos with photo gallery
My favorite state park, Crowley's Ridge
E. Hemingway's connection to Piggott, Ark.
Gainesville, Ark., church, where I was baptized (The Stonewall church building didn't have a baptistry.)
Hometown newspaper, Paragould Daily Press
Hospital where I was born, though it didn't look like that then. Non-IE users beware!)
Photos along the Crowley's Ridge Parkway

PLACES I HAVE LIVED

For years 1-18: In Greene County, Ark.: Hooker, Stonewall, Lafe, Marmaduke, Paragould.

Henderson, Tenn. (college, 1975-79)
Shiloh, Tenn. (1979-80)
Ashland, Miss. (1981)
Abilene, Tex. (1982-83)
Paragould, Ark. (Jan.-Nov. 1984)
Belo Horizonte (MG) Brazil (1984-94)
Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil (1995-present)

BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS

My reading list
My wish list

Readings of late

randal — Fri, 15 Oct 2004 12:07:00 GMT

As a distraction from work and relaxation, I read works not related to what I do. In the past, I've read Clancy, Grisham, and others of their ilk. Lately, for lack of more modern fiction, I've turned to older authors.

A few weeks ago, I read through the original Alice in Wonderland. Then a play of Ibsen's. Now I'm over halfway through Don Quixote, but I stopped for a while to zip through C.S. Lewis's A Horse and His Boy, which I finished yesterday.

This morning I picked up DQ again. Joel had read an excerpt of his for his school, so I started the unabridged edition, which we have in our home collection. Shortly after that, Joel rented the video, and we watched it at home. That dampened my enthusiasm to finish the book, but I plod on, like a valiant knight errant.

Church sign

randal — Thu, 14 Oct 2004 18:44:00 GMT

"Here is what we put on the church sign

God made Adam and Eve
Not Adam and Steve

'Nuf said, Manly"

New Greek-Portuguese lexicon

randal — Thu, 14 Oct 2004 12:53:00 GMT

Bought a new one today, by Carlo Rusconi, translated from the Italian. (Published last year.) Shows some Catholic bias, but seems to be good. Won't replace D&G's Shorter Lexicon, translated from English in 1984.

Was pricey at R$78,00 (about US$28.00), but I waved cash and took it for R$70,00, or US$25.00.

Nuf said!

randal — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 17:40:00 GMT

"We know who John Kerry is not."
--Gary Aldrich

Sticking to what is right

randal — Thu, 30 Sep 2004 14:54:00 GMT

Tony Blair said, in his annual speech Tuesday at the Labour party's annual conference in Brighton:

"I have changed as a leader.

"I have come to realise that caring in politics isn't really about 'caring.' It's about doing what you think is right and sticking to it."

I know a few brethren who need to change like Blair. Not that one ever stops "caring" (a leftist catchword). But that one does not let caring damage truth, for only by adhering to truth can one truly care for God and neighbor.

Don't you believe it

randal — Mon, 27 Sep 2004 12:05:00 GMT

"What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God." --Eleanor Powell

It's not true.

Go read, among other passages, 2 Corinthians 3:18.

The U.N. -- stay in and get taxed

randal — Fri, 10 Sep 2004 20:37:00 GMT

The U.S. and The U.N.: The End of a Bad Romance
by Bruce Herschensohn

If you're an American, you really need to read this.

Poem: A Yellow Flower

randal — Wed, 01 Sep 2004 13:47:00 GMT

Tim Smith gave us an exercise on the Christian Poets list a few days ago: take an irreverent look at a deep subject. What I ended up with may not qualify, but what with springtime breaking out in Brazil and elections nearing in October, I probably got more irreverent than deep.

And I'll let my Cloudburst Poetry subscribers pipe up on that one.

Building a life

randal — Wed, 01 Sep 2004 08:08:00 GMT

I sometimes leave material at the padaria on the square close to my office. One fellow picked up The Voice of Truth International and called to invite me to write a column in a construction magazine he's launching this month.

Article's written, sent off to friends for reactions, and to the revisor for tweaking. Let's see what they say.

Working mothers

randal — Mon, 30 Aug 2004 16:11:00 GMT

If the book review is this good, just think of how good the book must be: 7 Myths of Working Mothers: Why Children and (Most) Careers Just Don't Mix.

My reading list

randal — Wed, 23 Jun 2004 20:10:00 GMT

2004

Victory Over the Darkness, Neil T. Anderson. Ventura, Calif.: Regal, 1990.: Finished in August. I did a short review of this work here and here.
Restoring an Evangelistic Phenomenon, Roger E. Dickson. Winona, Miss.: Choate, 1986.: The subtitle "An Examination of New Testament Mission Messages" well describes the content of these 43 short chapters. A book every Christian should read. Not much here I'd differ with.
Redeeming the Times: Addressing Issues of the Church in the Present Age, Russell L. Dyer, Tommy F. Haynes, Jeff A. Jenkins, eds. Oklahoma City, Okla.: Clarity Pub., 2004.: Sixteen chapters deal with several hot topics, as well as with other topics not so high-profile, but which deserve good thought. The many typos and errors in the book frustrated my reading, but the content is good. I think Haynes went too far by saying, "The theory of essential doctrines being determined by the 'closeness to the cross' is foreign to scripture" (p. 64). Let us be careful that, in battling false doctrine, we don't throw the baby out with the bath water. Overall, though, a fine addition to our polemic literature.
God is the Audience, Owen Olbricht. Delight, Ark.: Gospel Light Pub. Co., 1991.: Finished 26 May 2004. Simple and forceful. We need more teaching like this centered on God.
Over the Vast Horizon: Authorized Biography of Guy N. Woods, Harrell Davidson. Obion, Tenn.: Harrell Davidson Publishing, 2003.: My first introduction to Guy N. Woods was his debate with a Pentecostal preacher in SE Mo., or west Tenn. when I was in high school. He effectively showed the error of that doctrine. Later, as a student at Freed-Hardeman University, I heard him direct the Open Forum. In Brazil, I had some contact with him on ham radio. So it was with interest I read his biography. It includes five of his meeting sermons and details his debates.