Adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu

In the interests of efficiency I'm going to be doing stuff on Facebook. So this blog is over (for the time being anyway). Those who know who I am can look me up. If you don't know me, well you're not going to be missing much.

O Sing a song of Bethlehem

O Sing a Song of Bethlehem

O sing a song of Bethlehem, of shepherds watching there,
And of the news that came to them from angels in the air.
The light that shone on Bethlehem fills all the world today;
Of Jesus’ birth and peace on earth the angels sing alway.

O sing a song of Nazareth, of sunny days of joy;
O sing of fragrant flowers’ breath, and of the sinless Boy.
For now the flowers of Nazareth in every heart may grow;
Now spreads the fame of His dear Name on all the winds that blow.

O sing a song of Galilee, of lake and woods and hill,
Of Him Who walked upon the sea and bade the waves be still.
For though like waves on Galilee, dark seas of trouble roll,
When faith has heard the Master’s Word, falls peace upon the soul.

O sing a song of Calvary, its glory and dismay,
Of Him Who hung upon the tree, and took our sins away.
For He Who died on Calvary is risen from the grave,
And Christ, our Lord, by Heaven adored, is mighty now to save.

C.S. Lewis blog

There's a new CS Lewis blog that looks interesting

Reasonable Faith Newsletter

While William Lane Craig's intermediate level works have been a great help to me, I also enjoy his regular newsletters. He is one busy person. See the December newsletter here

Kindling a new revolution: a book lover’s dream or nightmare?

Amazon’s new e-reader, Kindle, is probably the coolest electronic device I’ve seen recently (or possibly ever). Check out the video on the Amazon site. And Newsweek has a story about it. Will it catch on? Will it mean the death of the paper based book? Am I technically proficient enough to use one? And most important of all: Can I afford it?

And yet, I still love the feel of paper pages, stiff book bindings, and the smell of binding glue. I even somewhat enjoy grousing about the inadequate binding quality of some of the books I own. Maybe I can simply enjoy the benefits of both the digital and analog worlds. After all, the important things are the thoughts behind the scribblings, not the manner in which those scribbling-represented thoughts reach our brains through our eyeballs (I wonder if anyone will invent or has invented something similar for Braille readers).

Jacques Barzun

I recently bought From Dawn to Decadence for some light evening reading. The following two articles are about Barzun. (read) and (read)

One Blog Away from Death

Why do I spend so much time reading different blogs? Christian blogs, philosophy blogs, theology blogs, atheist blogs, political blogs, book blogs, friends’ blogs, church blogs, famous people’s blogs, etc. I’m one step away from spending the bulk of my time watching lame videos on YouTube. (I did watch one called something like What if George Lucas directed the Lord of the Rings – mildly funny). Is there something in me that tends towards voyeurism? Do I need to know what’s happening in the lives or minds of other people? Just because someone has written something somewhat interesting must I read it? I’m spending way too much time in front of a computer screen and not enough time reading, or listening to Bach, or doing daily chores. There’s simply the soft whitish-blue glow of a flat screen monitor, pounding me with its extremely low frequency radiation. There’s the sound of the computer fan humming away oblivious to my near addiction.

I often think what it would be like living in a monastery. I wonder if Protestants have anything like monasteries. My picture is of a group of people spending time studying the Bible and other great books, growing their own food, making wine, discoursing on the great questions of life, spending time in contemplative prayer and meditation, performing music. Perhaps this sort of life is too insular. Don’t Christians need to be out in the world sharing the gospel? I guess that could be one of the core activities. Anyway, my inner luddite is showing himself. I’m already technologically incompetent. May I should just go with the e-flow and hope I don’t end up face down in a silicone sludge.

The computer has replaced the television as my primary time waster. Before, at least, there would eventually be nothing interesting showing on my 30 (or so) channels, so that, by dint of boredom, I’d turn the thing off. Not so with the computer. At least, not so with one that has a broadband internet connection. The paradox here is this: there is so much interesting stuff on the web that I could not possibly read it all. Thus I’m relegated to simply skimming along the surface in a futile attempt to read as much of it as possible. The end result is that I retain very little of what I read. And this can take hours upon hours of time. Springsteen complained about 57 channels with nothing on? Try myriad upon myriad of cyber sites with too much on and no way to absorb it all. I open multiple windows with different bits of information only to see a blur. I long for the days when all we had were books. Even if you read more than one, there was at least a physical limit. And you could only read one at a time (for the most part).

So my point? Nothing. Just a clump of electrons lighting up your life.

Around cyberspace

It's time again for another of my regular, infrequent posts which consists only of links to other sites.

Doug Groothuis on being literate

An interview with Rosalind Picard

John Stackhouse on Santa Claus

Praise for C.S. Lewis

A Cumulative Case for the Resurrection of Jesus

Wearing your emotions on your computer screen

Emoticons are 25 years old.

This week's random quote - Tennyson

More things are wrought by prayer
Than this world dreams of.
Wherefore, let thy voice
Rise like a fountain for me night and day.
For what are people better than sheep or goats
That nourish a blind life within the brain,
If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer
Both for themselves and those who call them friends?
For so the whole round earth is every way
Bound by gold chains about the feet of God.

Alfred Lord Tennyson

Favourite Hymn #3

O Sacred Head Now Wounded

O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded with thorns, Thine only crown;
O sacred Head, what glory, what bliss till now was Thine!
Yet, though despised and gory, I joy to call Thee mine.

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered, was all for sinners’ gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior! ’Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor, vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

Men mock and taunt and jeer Thee, Thou noble countenance,
Though mighty worlds shall fear Thee and flee before Thy glance.
How art thou pale with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn!
How doth Thy visage languish that once was bright as morn!

Now from Thy cheeks has vanished their color once so fair;
From Thy red lips is banished the splendor that was there.
Grim death, with cruel rigor, hath robbed Thee of Thy life;
Thus Thou hast lost Thy vigor, Thy strength in this sad strife.

My burden in Thy Passion, Lord, Thou hast borne for me,
For it was my transgression which brought this woe on Thee.
I cast me down before Thee, wrath were my rightful lot;
Have mercy, I implore Thee; Redeemer, spurn me not!

What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.

My Shepherd, now receive me; my Guardian, own me Thine.
Great blessings Thou didst give me, O source of gifts divine.
Thy lips have often fed me with words of truth and love;
Thy Spirit oft hath led me to heavenly joys above.

Here I will stand beside Thee, from Thee I will not part;
O Savior, do not chide me! When breaks Thy loving heart,
When soul and body languish in death’s cold, cruel grasp,
Then, in Thy deepest anguish, Thee in mine arms I’ll clasp.

The joy can never be spoken, above all joys beside,
When in Thy body broken I thus with safety hide.
O Lord of Life, desiring Thy glory now to see
,Beside Thy cross expiring, I’d breathe my soul to Thee.

My Savior, be Thou near me when death is at my door;
Then let Thy presence cheer me, forsake me nevermore!
When soul and body languish, oh, leave me not alone,
But take away mine anguish by virtue of Thine own!

Be Thou my consolation, my shield when I must die;
Remind me of Thy passion when my last hour draws nigh.
Mine eyes shall then behold Thee, upon Thy cross shall dwell,
My heart by faith enfolds Thee. Who dieth thus dies well.

Flew's New Book

Former dean of intellectual atheists, Antony Flew, has written a new book about his turn to theism/deism (or just deism).

Is Jesus your boyfriend?

John Stackhouse opposes the fluffy, trite, and emasculating qualities of certain contemporary worship songs. In one comment (#30), he writes:

" My son tells me that his clever friends at Wheaton College call these songs “Susie songs.” You can spot a “Susie song” if you can substitute “Susie” for “Jesus” and both the lyrics and mood of the song stay pretty much the same…!"

This week's random quote

According to CNN, one in four adults say they read no books at all in the past year, which reminds me of a quote by Mark Twain:

"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them."

Information Overload

Alan Jacobs tells us that "the 'information flood' has a longer history than we suppose." He provides a nice quote from Francis Bacon:

"Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention."

Dawkins and the trilemma

Vic Reppert has a short response to Richard Dawkins' criticism of C.S. Lewis' trilemma argument for Christ's divinity.

Random quote of the week - Thomas a Kempis

Try to be patient in bearing with the defects and infirmities of others, whatever they may be. Remember that you also have many failings which others must bear.

If you cannot make yourself what you would like to be, how can you expect to have anyone else exactly as you would like them?

We would willingly have others perfect and yet we do not amend our own faults.

-Imitation of Christ, Book One, chapter 16

Inerrancy and the Resurrection

William Lane Craig has written a clear and helpful piece on the resurrection.

New Lewis Books

Bruce Edwards recommends a few new works on C.S. Lewis.

Favourite Hymn #4

Praise My Soul The King of Heaven


Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven;
To His feet thy tribute bring.
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Evermore His praises sing:
Alleluia! Alleluia!Praise the everlasting King.

Praise Him for His grace and favor
To our fathers in distress.
Praise Him still the same as ever,
Slow to chide, and swift to bless.
Alleluia! Alleluia!Glorious in His faithfulness.

Fatherlike He tends and spares us;
Well our feeble frame He knows.
In His hands He gently bears us,
Rescues us from all our foes.
Alleluia! Alleluia!Widely yet His mercy flows.

Frail as summer’s flower we flourish,
Blows the wind and it is gone;
But while mortals rise and perish
Our God lives unchanging on,
Praise Him, Praise Him, Hallelujah
Praise the High Eternal One!

Angels, help us to adore Him;
Ye behold Him face to face;
Sun and moon, bow down before Him,
Dwellers all in time and space.
Alleluia! Alleluia!Praise with us the God of grace.