Ken Christensen

2010-10-27T11:38:00.000-07:00

What a treat! A friend of mine, who knows of my interest in my Stone-Campbell religious heritage, gave me an authentic, leather-bound Program of the International Celebration and Conventions of the Disciples of Christ (Christian Churches). The 207-page program was published in 1909 by the American Christian Missionary Society, Cincinnati, Ohio.

The program measures about 5" x 7" and is in great shape. It was once the property of my friend's grandfather, born in 1867, and a member of the Disciples of Christ.

The Centennial Convention was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for an entire week, Monday, October 11 through Sunday, October 17, 1909. The final worship service was conducted at the baseball stadium, Forbes Field, where the Lord's Supper was served and celebrated by thousands.

The program book is an excellent addition to my library and I am absolutely thrilled to have it in my collection.

2009-09-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

Today was a big day for Lincoln Christian College & Seminary in Lincoln, Illinois, as it officially changed its name to Lincoln Christian University.

2009-05-21T09:59:00.000-07:00

I've recently finished reading William A. Simmons' book, Peoples of the New Testament World: An Illustrated Guide. It is a 352 page book published by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. in 2008.

I wanted to read a book that would provide a good introduction to groups such as the Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, Tax Collectors, Samaritans, Hebrews, and Hellenists that reflected current scholarship. I found what I was looking for and more in Simmons' book.

The book includes over 600 footnotes, most of which include annotations, and is enhanced by the inclusion of numerous charts, maps, illustrations and photos. While it would make an excellent textbook for an introductory college course on the New Testament, I intend to use it as a reference to supplement bible commentaries and dictionaries.

2009-05-16T20:34:00.000-07:00

I just want to thank all who have been contacting me about the my family tree. One big challenge is that my grandfather Arthur G. Christensen and at least one of his brothers changed the spelling of their last name to Christensen from Christianson. I have yet to learn why.

I have been in contact with a number of second cousins I've not seen since I was a child, or worse, have never met. With help they've been providing, I expect to be able to release an update to the the family tree to the Internet soon.

2009-04-04T14:03:00.000-07:00

My father-in-law, Joseph C. Loyd, died Sunday, March 22, 2009. He was 90 years old at the time of his death.

Joe lived most of his life in or near Council Bluffs, Iowa, and after serving in World War II, began a long career with the United States Postal Service as a rural route mail carrier. Fortunately, he was able to retire early and lived the life of a happy retiree for over thirty years.

Joe loved to fish and did so at Lake Corpus Christi, near Mathis, Texas, where he and his wife Helen would spend six "winter months" each year for many of their retirement years. I asked him once how many days he went out on the lake to fish. He replied, "Every day the weather allows."

Each year, Joe and Helen would return to Council Bluffs from Texas with a freezer full of fish fillets, which he would share with their church family, East Side Christian Church, in Council Bluffs. Joe fried the fish for everyone and a good time was had by all.

Faith was important to Joe. He served as Elder at East Side Christian for many years, including those leading right up to his death. Joe a was good man, husband, father, grandfather, and father-in-law. He was loved by many and is greatly missed.

Here is a link to the obituary of Joseph C. Loyd.

2009-02-10T20:42:00.000-08:00

I finished Joseph M. Webb's little book, Preaching Without Notes. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it for both seminarians and preachers. I placed a little review on my LibraryThing page.

The John M. Webb Lectureship 25th Anniversary is March 17-18, 2009 at Lincoln Christian College and Seminary in Lincoln, Illinois. Dr. Joseph M. Webb and Dr. John D. Webb are featured speakers at the lectureship.

2009-01-21T16:37:00.000-08:00

I've finished reading Louis R. Patmont's book, The Mystery of Iniquity, a 1933 book about international communism. I placed a little review of it on LibraryThing.

Next on my list to read is Max Ward Randall's book, We Would Do It Again, a much newer book published in 1957.

2009-01-15T20:27:00.000-08:00

On January 15, 2009, I released a PDF letter to the Minnesota Bible College (now Crossroads College) class of ’65 and other alumni. I call it Alumni Connecting! My plan is to release it by the 15th of every other month in 2009.

The letter shares news of the Crossroads College family -- administrators, faculty, staff, students, and alumni. It is not an official voice of Crossroads College, but is intended to be positive and supportive.

If you are an alumnus of Crossroads College (including former names) and would like to be put on the distribution list, contact me.

2008-12-06T14:13:00.000-08:00

I've recently read an autobiography by Gordon Sorenson, Just An Average Kid From Iowa: A Journey in Faith. The book is a real treat and recommended for people who want to read an entertaining and inspiring true-life story. There is little that is average about the book or the author. Here's a link to my site on LibraryThing, where I discuss the book further.

2008-11-29T10:26:00.000-08:00

My primary blog site is NorwayKen's Blog, which may be accessed by clicking on the link in the right panel.

2008-11-18T20:07:00.000-08:00

Today I added two groups to my Facebook account: 1) Crossroads College and 2) Crossroads College Men's Basketball.

2008-10-15T21:33:00.000-07:00

I am finally putting a post to Blogger. It is possible I will start using it more than I have in the past, due to the functionality it provides.