Papers, Holidays, Reading and Exams

Apologies for the lack of posting and responding to comments. I have been wrapping up the semester and now Maggie and I are heading to Florida. It will be a wonderful trip: I'll see my new nephew, wear sandals and bask in 65-degree weather, and relax over my school books on the beach.

Until then, blessings and Happy Thanksgiving.

MTV's TRL Dies

What's a lazy, bored teenager to do? Hopefully something more worthwhile.

(Little known fact: My brother, a friend and I were asked while roaming NYC to be in the TRL audience in 2000 to see Puff Daddy and crew. We declined because we were on our way to the Late Show. I promise we didn't know that Letterman's guests were Mary Tyler Moore and Norah Jones because only three 56 year-old women would choose MTM over Diddy.)

U.S. Soldier Recounts Experience in Nazi Work Camp

Happy Veterans Day.

I am so thankful for the men and women who have defended this country and its ideals in uniform around the world. The life of a soldier is hard for me to imagine. They willingly put themselves in great danger for the sake of us who stay comfortably at home (often unaware), not to mention the months and years spent away from their spouses, children and loved ones, putting their life on hold indefinitely. Their families as well endure months of difficulty, loneliness, and fear. With honor and respect, they submit to those in authority even through questions and disagreements. Perhaps most impressive, they do all this for the sake of conflicts that are often far removed from American soil. They are able to connect their own security and life with that of those on the other side of the world.

I don't believe we can properly celebrate Veterans Day, however, without being sobered by the horrible realities of war. What is it that they face? Who exactly are they up against? What are the particulars of the sacrifice they make and why do they make it?

CNN posted a news article about Anthony Acevedo, a WWII veteran who spent months in a Nazi work camp, an experience he kept silent for decades at the behest of the U.S. Army. I am glad he broke the silence.

Read what he endured and thank God that the valiant efforts of American and Allied soldiers prevailed over the wickedness of Adolf Hitler's regime.

Dawkins the Deist?

Melanie Phillips of The Spectator reports on the second public debate between Richard Dawkins and John Lennox, held on Tuesday, October 21st at the Oxford Natural History Museum.

Apparently, in the opening statements, Dawkins said, "A serious case could be made for a deistic God." This is shocking -- so shocking it was neglected by Lennox during the debate. But Ms. Phillips was able to follow-up with Dawkins afterward.

Read on to find out what he said.

(HT: Chip Lewis)

Bush's Humanity

Continuing my recent posts highlighting favorable assessments of villianized public figures, read this Washington Post column. Michael Gerson commends to us George Bush's character and humanity. Again, Christians charity demands that we strive to give greater weight to positive reviews of others and negative reviews of ourselves.

Here's an excerpt worth reading:

But that humanity is precisely what I will remember. I have seen President Bush show more loyalty than he has been given, more generosity than he has received. I have seen his buoyancy under the weight of malice and his forgiveness of faithless friends. Again and again, I have seen the natural tug of his pride swiftly overcome by a deeper decency -- a decency that is privately engaging and publicly consequential.

Before the Group of Eight summit in 2005, the White House senior staff overwhelmingly opposed a new initiative to fight malaria in Africa for reasons of cost and ideology -- a measure designed to save hundreds of thousands of lives, mainly of children under 5. In the crucial policy meeting, one person supported it: the president of the United States, shutting off debate with a moral certitude that others have criticized. I saw how this moral framework led him to an immediate identification with the dying African child, the Chinese dissident, the Sudanese former slave, the Burmese women's advocate. It is one reason I will never be cynical about government -- or about President Bush.

For some, this image of Bush is so detached from their own conception that it must be rejected. That is, perhaps, understandable. But it means little to me. Because I have seen the decency of George W. Bush.

(HT: Denny Burk)

There Was an Election Last Night?

I'm sure there is much to read on the results of the election last night, profitable and otherwise. I will get to that this weekend after I turn in some assignments. Maybe I'll post some things I find, but here's something to encourage or challenge you in the meantime.

I had a wonderful day sitting under two pastors teaching about authentic gospel life and the church in the company of fellow brothers I dearly love. And guess what? The election didn't come up once!

Why? Because there are more important things to think about. Eternal things. Kingdom things. Gospel things.

Sarah Palin is a Braniac

Sarah Palin's credentials have been questioned and defended countless times in the past (can you believe it?) two-and-a-half months. One of those credentials is her intelligence. The truth is people cannot possibly gather her true intelligence, so they just look for cultural markers of intelligence -- her accent, her attractiveness, her personal convictions all weighing against her. I say this, mind you, full aware of my own heart's tendency to stereotype and cast her aside.


That's why it's helpful to hear an account of someone who's been a little closer to her than any of us have. Elaine Lafferty, a Democrat and former editor-in-chief of Ms. magazine (!!), gives a positive assessment of Palin's intelligence and native ability. While she's at it, she rebukes the cannabilizing comments of many feminists who hurt their cause in the comments about Palin.


Read it in full here. (HT: Middlebrow)


(And, just so you don't think I'm being self-serving, remember my positive comments about Bill Ayers a few weeks ago.)

Sleep and the Kingdom

Justin Mullins passed along to me a word about sleep and the Kingdom. (He thinks he heard it from John Piper, but isn't sure.) It was encouraging and challenging and so I pass it to you.

The Kingdom of God is why we go to bed late and wake up early.

May we remember that our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed, that we are in the last days, and our Savior could come at any moment. Let us work diligently without complaint but with anticipation, as if these were our last moments.