It's a Boy!

I don't know the details yet, but Blo (Mark) and his better half Dani have added number 5 to their brimming brood! Benjamin Levi was born late last night or this morning.

Congratulations, Blo and family!

Which (we hope) will be kind of like the "old" Thinklings weblog.

Those of you most invested, or even marginally invested, in the Thinklings community have probably already sensed something was "up." Well, it's going down now.

The original four Thinkling -- Jared, Bill, Eric, and Mark -- have been discussing for a while the idea of trying to "go back" and recover on the blog some of the content and spirit of our original conversations, going back to the pre-blog e-mail days. We have sort of felt bad about disappearing into our solo blog hidey holes, and in some cases, the personality of the blog as it is today has not exactly been conducive to inspiration for writing.

But we have been re-inspired and are committed very much to revitalizing The Thinklings blog. We believe this means changing it, not really to something new, but to something "old." If that makes sense.

We believe these changes will improve your experience in this forum, and we look forward to their only enhancing the reputation of The Thinklings as a thoughtful, peaceful, and edifying stop in the Christian blogosphere.

So what will be different?
A few things, some little, some sort of big.

1. Obviously, as you've already noticed, the banner theme and layout have changed. Thanks to honorary Thinkling (and the best little bro a guy could have) Stroke for working his graphic magic on that one for us.

2. The sidebar will change somewhat. New menu. Our bios have been updated. And so has the "favorite posts" section.
The favorite posts list is now not determined by current top comment-getters. This "top ten" will be picked by us, feature archived posts we would like to highlight, and will be updated whenever we feel like it. :-)

3. The blogroll has been cut back dramatically. If you're a regular around here, you're probably still on there. If not, please us know.

4. Comments on all archived posts are now closed.
We realize that's sort of a controversial change, but we believe it's a good one. (Comments on the archived "favorites" list will remain open, however.)

5. One major reason for these changes is our desire to re-focus the content and "tone" of the posts featured here. In hoping to recapture some of the spirit of the original Thinklings coversations, the content of the posts now will trend more devotional/spiritual and personal. But of course there will still be room for posts on "Lost" and movies and the requisite random pictures of monkeys.

6. Lastly, and probably most significant, our stable of bloggers is decreasing to five: Jared, Bill, Eric, Mark, and Phil.
This means there will no longer be any posts here from the honorary fellows or the other two founding Thinklings (Kenny and Asbell).

We realize this decision has some stepping-on-toes potential. Please know that there is nothing personal behind this decision. We aren't mad at anybody.
The honorary Thinklings -- Quaid, Stroke, Alan, Daniel, Thor -- have pretty much picked up the lengthy slack the rest of us left behind for a very long time (Quaid and Alan, we're looking at you). They are the ones who have pretty much carried the blog content-wise through some otherwise stagnant times. We hope everyone knows we appreciate their efforts very much and are thankful for their keeping the Thinklings blog productive and still one of the most linked to and most highly regarded weblogs in the Christian blogosphere.

We have alerted them to this development in advance, and all who have responded have done so graciously and with understanding, as was expected. We will feature any and all of their solo blogging efforts in our roll and will link to them gladly. They will always have a hallowed spot in the Thinklings "legacy" (hardy har har, right? :-) and a reserved spot in the community they helped pioneer.

Speaking of community . . .
We hope none of this dissuades you from continuing to read and participate in The Thinklings blog. We really do value our readers very much, and we trust these changes will only make your time spent here better.

We now returned to our regularly scheduled blogging. :-)

Comments are open.

I thought this would be appropriate to post this weekend. Ignore the glam rock hairdos ...

Name: Philip Schroeder
Hometown: San Antonio, TX
Place of birth: USAFB, Japan
Family stats: Wife: Melissa, Children: Joel (6), Joshua (4), James (2) and Jared (<1). Yep, 4 boys!
Occupation: Pastor
Age: 34
Denomination: Southern Baptist
Calvinist or Arminian: 5 point Calvinist (only because Jesus is a Calvinist :)
Eschatology: A-mil with post-mil leanings (and sympathy for hist pre-mil)
Favorite quote: What makes a principle a principle is our willingness to apply it to our own disadvantage. -Stephen L. Carter, Professor of Law at Yale, in the WSJ, 11-27-00)
Favorite movie: A Christmas Story, and lots others
Favorite book:Bible, The Dilbert Principle, Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
Nomination for honorary thinkling: John Piper, Dr. Seuss and D.A. Carson
Favorite author: D.A. Carson, C.S. Lewis, editors of WSJ editorial page
Favorite ice cream flavor: Mint Chocolate Chip, Black Raspberry
Style of music: Christian Heavy Metal, anything good that keeps my interest
Best artist: Tourniquet, Rich Mullins, Deliverance, Johnny Cash, Metallica
Worst artist: old D.C. Talk, U2, Point of Grace, pick a rapper, any rapper
Pet Peeve: local newscasts
First Car: Dodge Ram Charger
Childhood Memory: being caught lying to my Dad -it hurt.
Testimony: prayed sinner's prayer in Methodist church, became a disciple in my bedroom age 14 when I realized that God deserved all or nothing.
Which muppet most represents me: Gonzo
Best president: Ronald Reagan,George Washington, George W. Bush
Unusual fact: My ribs stick out perpetually; my second toe is longer than my big toe.
Area of expertise: The more I learn, the less I know...
Superpower: I can squeeze into very small spaces, thereby saving the day if we are ever stuck in a cave-in.
Thinkling title: The Social Scientist and Philosopher
Nickname: It's always in flux.
Education: B.A. from Baylor. Major: Religion, Minor: English M.Div. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Last Good Book(s) Read: Praying Backwards by Bryan Chapell
Last Good Movie(s) seen: Curious George, Wiseguy TV series on DVD, The Painted Veil, Astronaut Farmer

NAME: Kenny Panduku
EMAIL: wkpanduku@juno.com
HOMETOWN: Brownstown, MI
POB: Wayne, MI
FAMILY STATS: Anna wife, Carson 6, Caleb 4, Caden 11 months, & Colin the baby.
OCCUPATION: Pastor, Trinity Church in Bridgeton, Mo
AGE: 31
DENOMINATION: Free Will Baptist
CALVANIST or ARMINIAN: Arminian with Calvinist groanings
ESCHATOLOGY: Amil with Post mil sympathies
FAVORITE QUOTE: I am very sure that when i step to the pulpit to preach or the lectern to read, that it is not my words but my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Martin Luther
FAVORITE MOVIE:: Cars (mostly a joke but I did love this movie)
FAVORITE BOOK: Dissappointment with God by Phillip Yancey
LAST GOOD BOOK READ: I haven't read a good book in a long time.
NOMINATION FOR HONORARY THINKLING: D.A. Carson
FAVORITE AUTHOR: D.A. Carson
ICE CREAM FLAVOR: Butter pecan
MUSIC STYLE:: accoustical music
FAVORITE ARTIST: Jeremy Camp
WORST ARTIST:: Dixie Chicks
PET PEEVE: people driving slow in the middle lane of the highway(like an island)
FIRST CAR: 86 Chevy Nova
CHILDHOOD MEMORY: in the store, my dad used to sneak around corners to make me think he had left me...........
TESTIMONY: been in church all my life. never lived it until i was in college.
MUPPET THAT REPRESENTS ME: Animal or Gonzo????
BEST PRESIDENT: George W?:)
UNUSUAL FACT: I am afraid of spiders and sharks and dying at sea.
AREA OF EXPERTISE: Sports
SUPERPOWER: Eating
THINKLING TITLE: The Unabashed Commentator
NICKNAME: The Great Panduke
EDUCATION: B.S. in Youth MInistry from Free Will Baptist Bible College

Name: Eric
Nickname: Bird -- It's been a nickname since childhood. I don't remember how I got it.
Hometown: I'm originally from Houston but I live in Waco now.
Place of birth: The Women's Hospital in Houston.
Family stats: Brandi's my wife. Nathan's my eight-year-old boy; Daniel's my six-year-old and Abigail is my three-year-old.
Occupation: My day job is with brazossticks.com. I'm also a freelance photojournalist and news writer.
Age: 31
Denomination: I was raised Southern Baptist, but currently attend a non-denominational, evangelical church.
Calvinist or Arminian: I prefer monergist or synergist. :-) I'm on the fence but I lean toward monergism.
Eschatology: Since I've moved past the pop-eschatology of my youth, I've been in a state of flux.
Hobbies: Chess and Reading.
Favorite movie: Les Miserables (1998) and Dances With Wolves.
Favorite books: The Story of Christian Theology by Roger Olson and Lewis' Mere Christianity.
Favorite author: C. S. Lewis -- by far.
Favorite ice cream flavor: Bunny Tracks by Blue Bunny.
Style of music: I'm eclectic.
Best artist: U2 and King's X.
Worst artist: I'm not fond of rap.
First Car: 1990 Chevy Lumina.
Childhood Memory: Reading Mere Christianity for the first time -- talk about an epiphany! (I was 17.)
Testimony: Justified at seven; sanctified constantly.
Best president: Reagan, back when it was "morning in America."
Area of Expertise: Photography I guess, even though I don't think I know much about it sometimes.
Thinklings Role: To stay out of the way and let these guys be great.
Education: B.A. in journalism and political science from Baylor.
Last Good Book Read: The Confessions of St. Augustine
Last Great Movie Seen: Mario's Story

Name: Jared Wilson
Hometown: Houston, TX (adopted hometown -- like George Bush, Sr.)
Place of birth: Brownsville, TX
Family stats: wife, Becky. daughters, six-year-old Macy and four-year-old Grace.
Occupation: freelance writer, non-staff minister, agented novelist (as yet unpublished), and stay-at-home dad. would love for someone to pay me for doing any of these things someday.
Age: 32
Denomination: was raised Southern Baptist, but currently attend a non-denominational, evangelical church.
Calvinist or Arminian: Five-Point Calvinist
Eschatology: My eschatology has been in flux for several years. I'd probably describe myself these days as a post-tribulational amillennialist.
Favorite quote: "If, thinking of your frailty, you hold yourselves cheap, value yourselves by the price that was paid for you." -- St. Augustine
Favorite movie: CASABLANCA
Favorite book: Is the Bible too obvious? Anything by C.S. Lewis, Eugene Peterson, Paul Auster, N.T. Wright's stuff on Jesus and the Gospels, John Piper, Gary Thomas, John Ortberg, D.A. Carson. John Updike's Rabbit novels. Graham Greene's The End of the Affair.
Nomination for honorary thinkling: My mentor-pastor Mike Ayers
Favorite author: non-fiction -- Lewis; D.A. Carson; N.T. Wright; Dallas Willard; Alister McGrath.
fiction/poetry -- Lewis; Paul Auster; Chesterton; T.S. Eliot; J.R.R. Tolkien; Stephen King; Mark Twain; Arturo Perez-Reverte; John Updike.
Favorite ice cream flavor: cookies n' cream
Style of music: just about everything, but prefer singer-songwriter stuff regardless of genre
Best artist: U2, King's X, Rich Mullins, Charlie Peacock, The Beatles, Caedmon's Call, Galactic Cowboys, Willie Nelson, The 77's, The Lost Dogs, Andrew Peterson, The Prayer Chain, Poor Old Lu
Worst artist: k.d. lang, Rebecca St. James
Pet Peeve: bad driving, poor spelling, atheism, people who don't like U2
First Car: '85 Buick Skylark
Childhood Memory: being made fun of for stuttering (thankfully, I have escaped this former impediment)
Testimony: said "the prayer" at age 4, but didn't really mean it 'til age 12. though I hate to admit it, it was pretribulational propaganda that "scared the hell out of me." I guess it's good for something.
Which muppet most represents me: Kermit or Scooter
Best president: George Washington
Unusual Fact: how about dirty little secret? I am secretly very prideful and hate not to be recognized when I do something well, but I get very embarassed and feel guilty when someone actually does recognize that I did something well. Weird, huh?
Area of Expertise: among humans in general, very little. among the Thinklings, I guess it would be literature and/or film.
Superpower: super-neuroses. heightened sense of grammatical correctness.
Thinkling title: The Hub of the Thinkling Wheel
Nickname: Rod
Thinkling role: The Writer and Critic
Education: B.A. in English. (Minor: Religious Studies)
Last Good Book Read: I read so many there are too many good ones to mention.
Last Good Movie Seen: 3:10 To Yuma

Name: Michael Asbell
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Age: 44 (born Feb. 8, 1960 in Indianapolis, Indiana)
Family stats: Wife: Beth, married 15 years.
Children: Hannah, age 10,and Joshua, age 7.
Occupation: Sales Associate, Lifeway Christian Stores
Education: B.A. in Biology (David Lipscomb University, 1983). Completed all requirements except a thesis toward an M.A. in Biblical Studies at Lipscomb. I hope to go back and finish that degree in the near future.
Nickname: None, but some people simply use my last name, Asbell. Obviously this nickname doesn?t work well at family reunions.
Thinkling role: I get treated as the Wise Old Sage, but I?m really not sure why; I?m only one of those three things.
Area of expertise: I don?t know about expertise, but my areas of interest relating to the Thinklings are books, Biblical studies, especially Life of Jesus studies, and Second Temple Judaism.
Denomination: It is difficult, but I?m trying really hard to be a non-denominational Christian. I am a member of The Family of God at Woodmont Hills, a large, progressive, very independent thinking Church of Christ. It?s definitely not your old time, everyone-else-is-going-to-hell, Campbellite church.
Calvinist or Arminian: Arminian. I wanted to be a Calvinist, but it seems that God has ordained otherwise. I generally avoid these labels, and worry that they presuppose a false dichotomy.
Eschatology: A-millennial, with many Preterist and post-millennial elements. But I?m wondering what made Rev. 20.3 the litmus test for one?s eschatology.
Favorite quote: The amazing thing about Paul isn?t that he said and did all these wonderful things; it?s that he did it all without coffee. ? N. T. Wright, in a lecture on Romans at Regent College in Vancouver, B.C.
Another quote: It is certainly my opinion that a book worth reading only in childhood is not worth reading even then. ? C. S. Lewis
Favorite movie: Dances with Wolves, Braveheart, The Preacher?s Wife, It?s a Wonderful Life, Saving Private Ryan, The Miracle Maker, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Beauty and the Beast, The Iron Giant.
Favorite book: Jesus and the Victory of God, by N. T. Wright
Favorite author: N. T. Wright. When asked what I think about the book of Revelation, I?ve been known to say, "I?m not sure. Tom Wright hasn?t written on it yet." (Christianity Today article about Tom Wright)
Other highly respected authors: Scot McKnight, Craig A. Evans, R. T. France, Richard N. Longenecker, D. A. Carson
Favorite ice cream flavor: Do you really care?
Favorite musical artists: Michael Card, John Michael Talbot, Rich Mullins
First car: 1978 Pontiac Sunbird
Childhood memory: I had a wonderful childhood. Some of my best memories are whenever my Dad went out of his way to spend time with me, whether it was taking me fishing after work in the middle of the week, or backpacking on the Appalachian Trail in below freezing weather.
Testimony: I became a Christian when I was 17 years old. When I was 20, disillusioned with life at a secular university, I transferred to David Lipscomb College (now University) in Nashville. The exposure to Christianity there has changed my life forever.
Which muppet most represents me: Huh?
Best president: Abraham Lincoln
Pet peeves: People who think the rules don?t apply to them and dangerous drivers. Often these two are the same.
Hobbies: Reading, cooking, casual wildflower & bird watching, hiking and camping, armchair mountaineering.
Unusual fact: In much the same way normal people follow football or baseball, you will often find me surfing the web in order to follow news from the world of mountain climbing, especially Mt. Everest.

More Bio information is coming . . .

In the meantime, if you're interested (and if you are, what's wrong with you!) you can read a number of things about me, here.

Name: Mark
Hometown: Houston Texas
Place of birth: Houston Texas
Family stats: Wife: Danielle
Kids: Aaron 9, Bethany 7, Caleb 5, Elisabeth "Bess" 21 months, our 5th is due in April 2008
Occupation: Business Manager
Age: 39
Denomination: Southern Baptist
Calvinist or Arminian: Yes
Eschatology: Historical Premillennial / Prewrath
Favorite quote: "The Church exists for no other purpose but to draw men into Christ. . . If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became man for no other purpose. It is even doubtful, you know, whether the whole universe was created for any other reason." - C.S. Lewis
Favorite movie: Saving Private Ryan, LOTR, Last of the Mohicans
Favorite book: The Book of James (for now).
Beyond the Bible: The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard
Nomination for honorary thinkling: My awesome wife Danielle
Favorite author: JRR Tolkien, Wayne Grudem, John Stott, Ravi Zacharias
Favorite ice cream flavor: Black Walnut
Style of music: Christian Alternative
Best artist: Lifehouse, Delirious?
Others I like: Falling Up, Pillar, Red, Kutless, Chris Tomlin, David Crowder
I respect: Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman
First Car: Chevy Chevette
Testimony: "Testimony is not a synonym for autobiography. To witness is to speak of Christ." J.R.W. Stott
My testimony is a story about a glorious savior who chose me and wouldn't let go no matter how hard I tried to escape. I can't remember a time when He didn't hold me tight in His hand. Even when I was running away.
Which muppet most represents me: Ernie
Best president: Ronald Reagan "He won the cold war without firing a shot."
Unusual Fact: I startle easily when someone or something (my multiple alarms) wakes me up.
Area of Expertise: I'm a generalist. I know very little about a lot of different things.
Areas of interest: systematic theology, Biblical history, culture and geography, management philosophy, education leadership
Superpower: Invisibility
Thinkling title: The answer to this question is better left to my Thinkling brethren.
Nickname: Blo (childhood nickname)
Education: BBA - General Business from the University of Houston - Downtown
Last Good Book Read::
Last Good Movie Seen:: Amazing Grace, (Also, the 1989 Fred Savage movie, "The Wizard". The movie features a lot of old BoDeans songs and some classic Super Nintendo games. It was free on cable.)