Thoughts from OS Guinness

What follows is a quote from OS Guinness issuing a valid challenge for everyone to remember that our minds need to be exercised:

"Anti-intellectualism is a disposition to discount the importance of truth and the life of the mind. Living in a sensuous culture and an increasingly emotional democracy, American evangelicals in the last generation have simultaneously toned up their bodies and dumbed down their minds. The result? Many suffer from a modern form of what the ancient stoics called 'mental hedonism'-having fit bodies but fat minds."

New Government

It is official.. Canada now has a new government. The Conservatives, led by Stephen Harper, have ousted the Liberals and are forming a minority government. And yes, I'm just regurgitating old news now ;)

This is a big news due to the long standing reign of the Liberal party when it came to federal elections.

What is interesting to me is how well the Conservatives did in Quebec! Definately a suprise.

Too Many Books Too Little Time

As is listed on this page, I'm currently reading six books at a time. This, in my opinion, is a few too many to retain any sort of ideal concentration on any one of them. I really think anything more than three at a time is a bit overwhelming.

However now the dilema is now compounded. My Amazon.ca order has arrived. This promises to be tempting, as there are a number of books in that order that I REALLY want to get to.

So I'm trying to have enough patience to finish up with at least one or two of my current books before I start plowing through some of the new ones.

The order I speak of includes books such as "Easy Chair, Hard Words" by Doug Wilson, "Scripture Alone" by James White, "Surreal Numbers" by Donald Knuth, and "Manly Dominion" by Mark Chanski.

John Piper

Apparently, John Piper has cancer. I'm sure he would appreciate our thoughts and prayers as he goes through a surgery to hopefully remove it.

John's books have been a great blessing to me, and many others. I pray that God gives him grace to deal with this trial of cancer. It seems as if every day I hear about another person who is diagnosed with cancer!

Hiatus

After a brief hiatus, I'm back! Happy New Years!

A few good quotes about the New Year, resolutions, and New Year's eve:

"An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves." - Bill Vaughan

"Glory to God in highest heaven,
Who unto man His Son hath given;
While angels sing with tender mirth,
A glad new year to all the earth." - Martin Luther

"Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account." - Oscar Wilde

"Yesterday, everybody smoked his last cigar, took his last drink and swore his last oath. Today, we are a pious and exemplary community. Thirty days from now, we shall have cast our reformation to the winds and gone to cutting our ancient shortcomings considerably shorter than ever." - Mark Twain