Odds and Ends

So this is the first installment of this on HoldFast (although I've been doing it for several weeks over on my Xanga). Here's what the deal is: Tim Challies' A La Carte is one of my favorite places to go every morning to try and find something interesting that I otherwise would not have found. So I thought I'd put together my own. These are links to articles, videos, news flashes, and other such things around the blogosphere that I have collected over the week. This first installment is pretty hefty--there was a lot of good stuff this week! Enjoy.

Serious:

• I'll tell you what: I was going to get an iPod for graduation, but maybe I'll just get one of these babies. Here's a good press release for it, too. Will Mac's wonders never cease? (HT John Benefiel)
• Calvinists and Arminians argue about "Limited" versus "Unlimited" atonement, but Trevin Wax explains why they both miss the point. (HT Tim Challies)
• Mark Lauterbach at GospelDrivenLife has decided to stop viewing himself as a sinner. Wait, what? Before you judge, he has a very good point. Hear him out.
• If any of you missed Bush's address to the nation about Iraq a few nights ago, Justin Taylor has a very helpful breakdown of the speech into Q&A.
• Tim Challies meditates on accepting our "zealous immaturity" in the same way we accept a gift from a young child.
• The Thirsty Theologian posts his thoughts on what free will is and whether we have it. What he has to say lines up exactly with Jonathan Edward's definition: "the ability to do what one pleases." Excellent for those struggling with this issue.

Other:

• Dan Philips, like myself, has little use for John McCain, but this video he posted is both hilarious and makes a great point. Props to McCain!
• My favorite humor blog posted these nation mottos that made me laugh out loud. "France's motto: At least we have good food." HA!
• I knew women had good memories, but a perfect memory? This kind of creeps me out, actually. (HT Justin Taylor)
• After watching this video, I feel totally prepared to go be a better golfer.
• And Funny Class Notes (yes, they make a lot of appearances here) has posted two very funny and very convicting articles: Up with the Mission, Down with the Troops and Raising the Minimum Wage. Boy are they good.

Quotes:

• I read a marvelous essay by George Orwell this week called "Politics and the English Language" for my English class. The crux of the essay, which I'd encourage you to read in order to understand how politicians are able to twist language to their purpose, is contained in these two short sentences. Read and be enlightened:
  
  "What is above all needed is to let the meaning choose the word, and not the other way around. In prose, the worst thing one can do with words is surrender to them."
  
• Once again, Mark Dever strikes close to home in his chapter on 1 Samuel.
  
  "Some people desire to impress you with themselves....Others leave you impressed with their God."
  
  Am I like Saul, trying to impress everyone? Or am I like David, trying to make everyone impressed by my God? It's something to really think about.