Threads from Henry's Web

Author: henry

  • The Return of Threads

    My company, Energion Publications, had difficulties with our hosting company, and it was traced to an apparent load created by this blog. Since it seemed top hard to convince the hosting company that a moderately successful (at best) blog such as this one would hardly be causing the difficulties they claimed, I simply chose to move the blog to its own domain with another host.

    The URL from Threads from Henry’s Web is now henrysthreads.com. I have redirected the old URL to this one, but I would appreciate people updating their bookmarks or blogroll links. The feed address is still http://feeds.energion.net/ThreadsFromHenrysWeb (provided through Feedburner), to which other feed addresses, such as http://energionpubs.com/wordpress/?feed=rss2 will be redirected. However, it might prevent future problems if you update your subscriptions to that address.

    My new host is HostGator.com, and my observation thus far is that it is a much faster host in any case than my previous company. I would be interested in comments from any readers who may notice changes in performance, or any errors that might have resulted from the transfer.

    Thanks for your patience!

  • Mistakes Leading to Death

    This article certainly raises some troubling issues, though I have yet to understand why one should equate ceasing to artificially sustain life with euthanasia or assisted suicide.

    What I wonder, however, is if the same people who are so concerned about erroneously identifying someone as in a vegetative state are similarly concerned about the possibility of human error leading up to the death penalty. This is one area where I think the Catholic church is more consistent–they would oppose all of the above.

    The idea of someone dying because of a mistake is troubling, yet we must admit that such deaths are likely to be frequent, no matter what we do.

  • Civilian Trials for Terrorists = Good Idea

    I think Ed Brayton makes the case.

  • You Want Me to Take WHAT Literally?

    Check out this cartoon at Exploring Our Matrix.  I suspect it’s much easier to take things literally if you don’t actually have to do anything about them!

  • Xiphos – formerly GnomeSword

    I’m quite late on this one, for which I apply the preselected excuse that I have been very busy.  I first noticed the change in name and the upgrade of the software when I upgraded my Ubuntu installation from 9.04 to 9.10.  Then today I found a post on Xiphos at futurebible.org, and so I thought I’d link to it.

    This open source Bible study package has been getting better and better over the years and if you aren’t afraid to buy a few premium books for it (ones you pay for), it can be excellent.  Right now I’m lusting after the REB for Xiphos, (sorry, that is for e-Sword, which I have installed on a different machine) which I will buy soon (but I will buy it soon, just for e-Sword, rather than for Xiphos).

    A notable new feature is the lookup of place names via BibleMap.org.  You simply right-click on the place name and choose Lookup Selection -> Browse in BibleMap.org, and it will take your browser to the note on that location.  This could be quite useful in studying.  As is the trend in software, being connected to the internet is becoming more and more of an essential.

  • The Meaning of Christ the King Sunday

    … an excellent short article by Geoffrey Lentz.

  • What the Bible and the U. S. Constitution Have in Common

    Find out at A Pilgrim’s Progress. (HT: Dave Black Online.)

  • I Get Mail from UM Communications

    I’m yielding to temptation and including an “I get quoted” story, because I’d like to call attention to the article in question.

    Today when I went to Bible study at my church, First UMC of Pensacola, my pastor handed me a large envelope. Since I wasn’t expecting anything I was a bit surprised. Inside there were three copies of Interpreter magazine, again a surprise because I couldn’t think of any reason I’d get one.

    But then I found the article by Kathy Noble, “Lord, Save Us” (pp. 33-34), in which she quotes me about the movie. It’s very generous to send me three copies since I’m quoted, but I appreciate it very much. A few people in the study group said they hadn’t looked at their Interpreter yet, but would now.

    This movie will challenge the way we think and do ministry. You can find out more at Lord, Save Us (the movie), and/or join the discussion at Interpreter Magazine.

  • What About All the Spiders?

    A commenter asks why I have all the spiders in my header and even suggests that there would be many other cool pictures I could use, thus avoiding the spiders.

    Let me tell you the story of this blog. Actually it started before I began using blogging software. I would just post essays. A friend of mine took a gorgeous picture of a spider’s web with dew on it. The name “Threads from Henry’s Web came to me looking at that picture. So I used that picture for some time. But it was early digital and only 640 pixels in width, so it’s just a bit low resolution. I mixed it with some new pictures of the spider that is now living outside my office.

    As a child I was quite crazy about spiders, collecting dead ones and their webs, taking pictures, and generally watching and identifying the live ones that I could. I do have some sympathy for my mother. My older brother and one sister loved snakes, and then I came along with a thing for spiders.

    Anyhow, with that background, the picture and the “world wide web” the rest was pretty much inevitable.

    So I’m going to keep my spiders, and perhaps get pictures of a few more …

  • Incentive Bonuses Equally Divided?

    The idea of equally dividing incentive bonuses between all teachers, good, average, or bad apparently makes sense to the Boston Teachers’ Union. They want to block incentive bonuses given to teachers based on performance and instead divide the money between all teachers equally.

    Note also that the money is coming from private foundations. That’s at least one teacher’s union that is not helping to improve education.

    (HT: The Agitator.)