Thoughts on Joseph and Genesis

Posted on June 29, 2010 by Peter

While reading the story of Joseph in Genesis today, I found myself angered when the chief butler forgot Joseph for two years (Genesis 40:23). No other element of the story is as aggravating: Jacob making public show of favoritism toward Joseph, Joseph’s adolescent error in sharing his dream with his brothers, the other sons of Jacob plotting to kill Joseph, Reuben’s frustrated plot to hide Joseph then sneak him back to Jacob, the sons of Jacob lying to their father about his favorite son’s fate, Joseph’s enslavement, and Joseph’s imprisonment for false accusations. None of them evoke the anger toward a man restored to prominence and who forgets an act of divine and personal benevolence for two years.

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Shadows of Truth: John Mayer’s Something’s Missing

Posted on June 24, 2010 by Peter

Watching the anime series Angel Beats recently led my thoughts to other non-Christian artists producing art that hints at truths that Scripture illuminates more clearly. Specifically, it reminded me of John Mayer’s song, Something’s Missing, perhaps the most blatant recent example of non-Christians sensing a mystery that calls to all people.

The concept of non-Christians recognizing the existence of a higher power or force but misunderstanding or even denying that spiritual “nudge” is nothing new. Paul writes about the very same in his letter to the Romans:

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How to get StarCraft II delivered on release date with no tax and no shipping

Posted on June 11, 2010 by Peter

Shopping around for StarCraft II but unimpressed with pre-order bonuses? Annoyed that the game costs $10 more than your average PC game and don’t want to spend a cent more than necessary? Not wanting to deal with the crowd at your local game store’s midnight release? Don’t want to pay for tax or shipping, but don’t want to wait until several days after release to play with your friends?

Good news, everyone! You can get StarCraft II delivered to your door on release date (July 27, 2010) for $59.99 USD–no tax, no shipping, and no other fees.

Here’s how:

Log in to Amazon.com and start a free 30-day Amazon Prime trial.
Add StarCraft II to your Amazon.com cart and proceed to checkout.
Select Release-Date Delivery at checkout.
Confirm the total as $59.99 USD. If the total is greater than $59.99 USD, clear your cart, review the steps above and try again.
Place your order.

It’s that easy!

If you decide to use this method to pre-order StarCraft II, please use this link and help support Brainstorm Warning.

If you don’t want your Amazon Prime membership to automatically renew, be sure to visit the Your Account page on Amazon.com, click Manage Prime Membership, and click the Do Not Upgrade button. If you choose not to renew, your trial will expire after 30 days and you will not be charged.

If your trial expires before your order ships, don’t worry; you lock in the shipping method and price at the time of your order. (I called Amazon.com customer support and they explicitly confirmed this.)

DISCLAIMER: Amazon.com is still offering free Release-Date Delivery for Amazon Prime members (both trial members and paid members) as of today (June 11, 2010), but there’s always the (slim) possibility they’ll pull the deal closer to StarCraft II’s release date. But if they haven’t pulled it by now, they probably won’t.