Quick Takes

Random thoughts including interesting items surfin' the blogs....

C. S. Lewis and Calvinism....Mark Dever sifts through some letters written by Lewis to discover what he thought about the key points of Calvinism. An interesting read.

It's an issue that hits a little too close to home since I was personally involved once in a situation involving plagiarism in the pulpit...still it's terrific insight on a growing problem in the church.

I'm just trying to imagine how my life might have been different before I got married if I had received this kind of sound advice.

Just finished reading....A Man on the Moon by Andrew Chaikin. Perhaps the most thoroughly detailed history I have ever read on the Apollo moon landings. A must read for anyone who wants to learn more about the people that made one of the greatest achievements of history possible.

Also just finished reading....First Off The Tee by Don Van Natta, Jr. A wonderful look at Presidents and the game of golf. A key quote from legendary golfer Jimmy Demaret: "If the people wish to determine the best candidate [for president], put all the contenders on a golf course. The one who can take five or six bad holes in a row without blowing his stack is capable of handling the affairs of the nation." Not a bad idea.

Speaking of Presidential politics....I really wish this guy would run. I'd vote for him in a heartbeat.

While we're at it...any chance we can make this happen?

James Lileks has found the solution to the childhood obesity problem.

House is one of my favorite television shows (and one of the best on the air). However, I didn't know it could be used as a way to illustrate fallacies with certain doctrines such as the way Strange Baptist Fire did with the doctrine of free will. (Thanks to Mike for the tip)

Each month, 9 Marks offers free interviews with leading pastors, theologians, and evangelical leaders (free to download). This month's interview is with Joshua Harris and is well worth the listen.

Fun with audiobooks...we just finished listening to Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events on audio. The books are extremely smart and well-written, chock full of literary references throughout the entire series. Most of the books are read by Tim Curry (and those are by far the best of the series).

Just finished reading to the kids...Peter and the Shadow Thieves by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. The second of the Peter Pan "prequel" novels (the first was Peter and the Star Catchers) is another delightful adventure involving pirates, a desert island, some strange creatures and the mysterious starstuff. These are great books to read aloud to your kids. The final installment is supposed to appear this fall and we can't wait.

Fun (but not necessarily real) technology: The Fundamentalist answer to the iPod. (Thanks Mike for the tip)

Finally, here's a sure-fire way to save money on groceries.