Today is Trade Deadline day in the Major Leagues. My team, the Bluejays, are expected to be “buyers” this year, indicating a desire to compete with the Red Sox and Yankees to win their division. With less than two hours to go, they have not made a move. As I hunted around, looking for clues…
The Pacific Campaign of the Second World War has always fascinated me. In many ways, it seemed like a nonsensical series of battles between the United States and Japan. As the Americans sought revenge for the devastation of Pearl Harbor, and as they sought to curtail Japanese aggression in the East, they fought their way…
Monday July 31, 2006 Weird: At the risk of sounding like a gossip page, I’ll mention this strange story of Mel Gibson being picked up for drunk driving and then launching into an anti-semitic tirade that blamed the Jews for all the wars in the world. End Times: Tim LaHaye, author of the “Left Behind”…
There are some sins that torment only some of us, while there are others that are universal. Pride is a universal sin. So is anger. And, unfortunately, I’m good at both of these. I do love to be angry. It feels good to be angry at times, and especially when the anger is righteous, or…
I really dislike rap music, or most rap music at any rate. For some reason, I have only rarely been able to appreciate it as a form of musical expression. I’d like to think that my powers of discernment have decided that this music is somehow inappropriate for Christians, but I think it’s more likely…
Last weekend the house next to us was given an extreme makeover. Our neighbor, who has three sons with varying disabilities, ranging from autism to dietary problems, was sent away for the weekend and returned to find her house completely renovated. The volunteers who gave of their time for this program did an incredible job.…
Friday July 28, 2006 Blog: Desiring God has begun a blog promoting the upcoming 2006 National Conference. You can visit it at natcon2006.wordpress.com/. The twofold purpose of the blog is: “To inform readers of news and information related to the conference and to introduce the speakers and subject matter of the conference prior to the…
This is my 1000th consecutive day of blogging. This occasion has given me the opportunity to reflect on what blogging has meant to me over the past years and what I expect to see and do in the future. I hate writing about myself. It seems so prideful. So arrogant. So empty. I’ve long been…
Thursday July 27, 2006 Humor: A prison inmate in New York is being charged after making bomb and anthrax threats. Sadly, he did so in his own name and with his own prisoner number. CNN reports on a not-so-great criminal mind. Family: Crystal at Biblical Womanhood has some good thoughts on recapturing the nobility of…
Twenty five years after its release, I finally read Jerry Bridges’ classic The Pursuit of Holiness (you can read my review here). I am glad to say that it only took me twelve to read The Discipline of Grace which has recently been republished by NavPress. A former ECPA Gold Medallion Book Award winner, this…
King for a Week is an honor I bestow on blogs that I feel are making a valuable contribution to my faith and the faith of other believers. Every week (or so) I select a blog, link to it from my site, and add that site’s most recent headlines to my left sidebar. While this…
Wednesday July 26, 2006 Blog: Two days after I wrote about encouragement, my biggest little sister experiences just such a moment. It’s a great story. Weird: Someone sent me a link to a new online finger meditation tool. You got it! It’s a mini labyrinth courtesy of Grace Cathedral, a Lutheran church in San Francisco.…
Over the past few weeks I have noticed a fair bit of discussion in the blogosphere about the subject of influence. Various bloggers have been attempting to define influence and to understand which bloggers are the most influential. This is a surprisingly difficult topic for influence truly is difficult to measure and define. It is…
Tuesday July 25, 2006 Theology: Justin Taylor has compiled a list of an excellent series written by Thabiti Anyabwile (no, I don’t know how to pronounce it either and no, my spell checker doesn’t recognize it) entitled “Things I Learned While at Capitol Hill Baptist Church.” Church: Meanwhile, in another corner of the blogosphere, Jollyblogger…
Early this morning I finally finished my slow and thoughtful reading of Jerry Bridges’ The Discipline of Grace. I rarely dwell so long on a single book, but because of the sheer quantity and quality of Bible-based teaching within this book, I felt compelled to read it slowly and meditatively. It was well worth the…
Monday July 24, 2006 Law: The Harris brothers are discussing Abraham Cherrix, a young man with Hodgkin’s Disease who wants to attempt natrual treatment but is being forced by the courts to undergo chemotherapy. Theology: BPNews has an article about Dr. Sam Waldron and his contention that the New Perspective on Paul corrupts the heart…
Having read fifty or sixty nonfiction books already this year, I began to crave some lighter, easier reading. And, in a case of great timing, an Advance Reader Copy of Stephen Lawhead’s Hood arrived in the mail just a few days ago. Lawhead, known for writing fantasy and historical fiction, has set his sights on…
Yesterday my son and I made our annual or semi-annual trip to the Rogers Center to take in a Bluejays game. We chose a good night. The Jays were playing against their arch-rivals the Yankees, and were playing before one of the biggest crowds in recent memory. The last time I was part of a…
Series – I had considered posting the third part of my series on children who die in infancy, but I’ve decided to hold off until next week. The discussion on the previous two entries continues to go strong, so I thought I would let that carry on before posting the third part. So stay tuned…
Friday July 21, 2006 Film: I don’t get out to the movies very often, but may make an exception for “World Trade Center.” Cal Thomas has declared it a world class movie, saying “Whatever one thinks of Oliver Stone, the man knows how to make movies. This is one of his best. It deserves an…