Category: Christianity

Quiet

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I got a little carried away with myself this week and ordered about 10 books off Amazon. On some completely random topics. LIke books of poetry, books about writing, a book about Narnia, a collection of ancient Egyptian literature, a book on physics/science, and then the one on introverts. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain. I started reading that one at the library before I had actually received the book, so that was the first one I read  when my long-awaited package came. Ok, a disclaimer. I had to wait about…

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The Strength of Sorrow

We all want to be happy, don’t we? In fact, in a way, we’re all somewhat hedonistic. We see happiness as the ultimate goal. We think this is the best that we can get in this life. There are so many people desperate for happiness that they will fill their bodies with drugs, legal and illegal, just to feel happiness again. Happiness is a beautiful thing, I don’t deny it. It is wonderful to be happy. But maybe we’re all too eager to silence the sorrow we inevitably face in this life. Because it is through sorrow that we discover…

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In Defense of Liberty

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My latest post, The Lesser of Two Evils, resulted in quite the controversy. I had a feeling about that, so I wasn’t completely surprised. I really hesitated to publish it because I knew the topic was so loaded. I have compiled a list of arguments against my position, and I’d like to take the time to respond to each of those.   1) A person must use the “lesser of two evils” principle and vote for the candidate who has the best chance of winning.  I don’t see why this is necessary. We are called to do what is right. As long…

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Imagine

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I guess this post title was inevitable, considering that I’m listening to John Lennon’s Imagine as I type, and considering that the book I will be reviewing is called Imagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer, haha. I’m sorry it is so unoriginal, but I guess I’m not being very imaginative tonight. Warning: This isn’t going to be a completely proper book review (maybe that statement isn’t necessary since I don’t ever do proper book reviews anyways, haha). (Edit: As it turned out, I hardly even mentioned the book Imagine, so this post turned out to be even less of…

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Why Bother Learning?

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I haven’t been very active on here this week, but my school schedule has been pretty hectic. Yeah. I know. You don’t believe me. Fine. Let me delineate… – I read two chapters of The Consequences of Ideas, on Rene Descartes and John Locke. – I finished reading Oliver Twist, about 225 pages. – I read the preface and first two chapters of The Industrial Revolution by T.S. Ashton. – I’m reading The Mortification of Sin by John Owen, am currently on Chapter 7 of 14. – I started Insanely Simple by Ken Segall, a book on Apple and their…

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You Don’t Have To Yell

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So I’ve mentioned my appreciation of Chris Rice, but in case you missed it the first time, I’m posting another of my favorite songs, titled You Don’t Have to Yell. I have included the full lyrics below, but would like to highlight the lines that I especially like, or more accurately, the verse: Everybody take a breath Why are all your faces red? We’re missing all the words you said You don’t have to yell Draw your lines And choose your sides Cause many thing are worth the fight But louder doesn’t make you right You don’t have to yell……

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For What Will Tomorrow Bring?

The congregation of Grace Reformed Baptist  had the great pleasure of having our own full-time pastor back in the pulpit preaching on Sunday after he had been on leave due to health issues. It was really good to have him back! Although our other pastors have filled in well and although we’ve enjoying having guest preachers, it just wasn’t the same. Anyways…his sermon was on James 4:13-17, Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—yet you do not know what tomorrow will…

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Punch Lines and Ironies

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So I used to be a pretty diehard classical music fan, as many people can attest. 🙂 “What…it was written after 1900? It must be no good.” But I’ve grown to appreciate modern music, much to my own surprise. And more surprising than that, one of my favorite artists is a contemporary Christian musician, Chris Rice. I have very little respect for the contemporary Christian music scene…it just seems like in trying to please everyone they have lost the best of both secular and Christian music. My impression is that they write second-class music that’s supposed to sound like secular…

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Obedience, Not Success

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I like to peruse a few theological websites on Sundays in order to catch up on the recent posts and happenings in the Reformed circles. I ran across this article at Ligonier.org, Should Christians Refuse to Pay Taxes When They Are Used to Finance Abortions? by R.C. Sproul Jr.  This is a topic I often think about so I was curious to hear new thoughts on it. I have struggled with the thought of knowing my money is going to used for something that is immoral. This bothers my conscience. I find it hard to imagine standing before God and reconciling it….

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Review of Ligonier National Conference 2012, Part 1

Most of my readers are probably familiar with the Mises Institute and their Austrian Scholars Conference. However, the Ligonier Conference I attended this past weekend fits into a little different category. It is a conference put on by Ligonier Ministries of Orlando, Florida. It is named Ligonier because the whole thing started about 40 years ago in Ligonier Pennsylvania. It is a center of Reformed theology and teaching. Most of the people involved with it are Presbyterian and while I’m a Reformed Baptist, we agree on many other points of doctrine. My church, Grace Reformed Baptist, uses some of their teaching…

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