May 27 2008
Prince Caspian: Two Thumbs, Way Up
I saw the latest Narnia offering tonight, and have to say that it’s the best action/ adventure/ fantasy flick I’ve seen in quite a long time. I would rank Prince Caspian at least on par with the Lord of the Rings films, and probably better, in many respects. It was also a much better film than The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, and it’s even reasonably close to the original story, though the producers took a few artistic liberties. The faith message was pretty clear – there is a time for less ‘doing’ and more faith.
Even Joe Carter at Evangelistic Outpost seemed to appreciate it, and he doesn’t like anything.
May 23 2008
I’ve Never Spoken to a Mere Mortal
It’s true. This came up in our Truth Project study, and then I caught it today at Jolly Blogger. The point is that we, and everyone we have ever known, have eternal souls. Those souls will ultimately reflect incredible beauty and majesty, or unspeakable horror and corruption. This is from C.S. Lewis, not surprisingly.
It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would strongly be tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal.
— C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, HarperOne, pp. 14-15.
If that’s the case, how should we respond to those we meet?
May 22 2008
Sarah Palin for President
Alaska governor Sarah Palin definitely has her priorities in order. She recently gave birth to a son, Trig Paxson Palin, who she knew early in her pregnancy would suffer from Downs Syndrome.
Over a month ago, her office announced that the 44-year-old and her husband, Todd, were expecting their fifth child in May. It was a secret the beguiling brunette, a runner, managed to keep from even her staff.
Then, April 18, she surprised us again by giving birth a month early to Trig Palin, 6 pounds, 2 ounces. In true Sarah fashion, her amniotic fluid leaked in Texas, she gave a speech at a Republican Governors Association convention as scheduled anyway, and then returned to Alaska to deliver.
Immediately the family made this announcement: “Trig is beautiful and already adored by us. We knew through early testing he would face special challenges, and we feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives.”
“We’ve both been very vocal about being pro-life,” Palin said. “We understand that every innocent life has wonderful potential.”
As if that wasn’t enough, she has directed the Alaska State Attorney General to sue the federal government to prevent the listing of polar bears as a threatened species. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne listed the species in response to pressure from the global warming crowd and enviro groups that seek to stop oil development at any cost. Polar bear populations have soared in recent years, so Kempthorne’s decision is doubly ludicrous.
From a FoxNews piece:
[Governor Palin] and other Alaska elected officials fear a listing will cripple oil and gas development in prime polar bear habitat off the state’s northern and northwestern coasts.
Palin argued that there is not enough evidence to support a listing. Polar bears are well-managed and their population has dramatically increased over 30 years as a result of conservation, she said.
Climate models that predict continued loss of sea ice, the main habitat of polar bears, during summers are unreliable, said Palin, a Republican.
I hear John McCain is looking for a running mate, but I think Gov Palin’s integrity and sense of duty to her family and her country would overshadow McCain.
May 21 2008
Greatest Novel Ever Written
KingDavid has posted what he considers to be the great novel ever written (The Count of Monte Cristo). I respect KD, but he’s way out to lunch on this one. True, an assessment of ‘the Greatest Novel Ever Written‘ would be weighted to books I’ve actually read, so here’s my cut at the top five greatest novels of all time (that I’ve read):
- A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Nobility, honor and grace in the midst of the horrors of the French Revolution.
- David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. A brilliant story that showcases coming of age while overcoming fierce adversity.
- Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. What can I say? Sweeping magnificence by an incredibly perceptive and inventive author.
- Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. Simply classic. The sequels uniformly stank.
- Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein. Another brilliant novel that shows nobility and honor, but also hints at how easily we can be drawn into fascism. The movie was pretty much an abomination.
What are your top five?
May 19 2008
Faith in Art
This is one of my favorite pieces, though not much is known about it. It’s called, “Entry of Christ into Jerusalem,” and the Wiki entry says it’s from:
Museum for Byzantine Art (Inv. 1590; acquired 1889; from the collection of Sir Andrews), Bode Museum, Berlin.
The description says,
Entry of Christ into Jerusalem (central panel from a triptych), Constantinople, 10th century; ivory
Again, I’m continually amazed at God-given talents. God is a creative God, and, in fact, Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” So God is creative, and because we were made in his image, it’s not surprising that we have inherent creativity within us.
May 19 2008
Prickly City Gets McCain, Too
May 19 2008
We Finished the Colfax Half Marathon
The spousal entity and I (and a few friends) managed to limp across the finish line at the Colfax Half Marathon in Denver yesterday. I won’t say how we did, but we crossed the line with some of the best marathoners around. Okay, that’s probably because the half marathon and full marathon shared the last few hundred yards of the course.
I will say that people who run for fun oviously have some strange brain chemistry going on. I think we’ll be living on Motrin for a few days…
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