Odds and Ends Continued

Some of you who have been reading for a while probably remember my Odds and Ends posts where I would link to funny or interesting articles that I read throughout the week. Those posts were time-consuming to create, and so when time got tight, they were the first thing to go. I do have a semi-replacement, though, that I thought I would let you guys know about:

Sam's Shared Items on Google Reader

Even if you don't use Google Reader (and come on, why don't you?), you can still view everything that I share via Reader on this page. I typically share one or two articles a day, so this is a good way to see a lot of good articles. Check it out!

Odds and Ends XI

Whew, it's been almost a month since my last Odds and Ends post, and I have a lot of great links to share with you guys.

Serious:

• Nathan Williams at Pulpit examines the concept of God's "foreknowledge", which is very applicable to the post I will soon be writing in response to Karyn about predestination.
• I linked to the Wilson-Hitchens debate taking place over on Christianity Today last time, but now the debate is over and someone has compiled all the arguments into one PDF. Wilson tore him apart nicely, I think.
• Joe Thorn explains why it is good for Christians to go to the movies, an argument I have been trying to make for years.
• Al Mohler reviews The Dangerous Book for Boys, which sounds like just what our effeminate culture really needs.
• Centuri0n points to a statement from a top NASA official that makes one of the most critical arguments against the whole global warming controversy: how do we know that the current temperature of the earth is the best?
• John MacArthur spent a week evaluating the Roman Catholic Church's claim to authority in interpreting the Scriptures.

Funny:

• This right here is the story of my life.
• Despair, Inc., the brilliant minds behind the Demotivators, have introduced something new: DespairWear. I want this one, please. Or maybe this one.
• This should be required viewing for all men: how to give a perfect man-hug.
• Marvel and DC superheroes gather after hours to discuss life...
• Google shows the benefits of Gmail...with puppets. (If you don't have Gmail, repent immediately and sign up. You won't regret it. I promise.)

Interesting:

• If you're like me and let your emails pile up on you, this article will be invaluable: how to clean out your Gmail inbox and keep it clean. I'm planning on implementing some of these suggestions today as I clean out the 300 emails in my inbox.
• A fellow Na attendee posted this video recap of the conference...I almost walked in on him interviewing someone in an elevator while I was there.
• C.S. Lewis explains why it is we enjoy reading...to which I give a hearty "Amen!"
• Steven Speilburg and Peter Jackson are producing a trilogy of Tintin films! I grew up on those books, so I can't wait to see what they do with them.
• I want one of these tables...will Bill Gates never stop?

Quotes:

One of my favorite humorists is Patrick McManus, who writes about hunting, fishing, camping, and all things outdoors. Reading one of his stories, no matter how many times I've read it before, never fails to bring a smile to my face. In one of his stories, "The Worry Box," he talks about an old man with whom he goes fishing, and they have the following exchange:

"Why are you always so cheerful?" I growled. "Must be because you have so few worries."

"Nope," he said. "It's because every morning this incredibly wonderful thing happens to me."

"I'm not so sure I want to hear this," I said, "but what's the incredibly wonderful thing?"

"I wake up again! Dad-gum if that don't make my day!"

If only we all had that view of life, I think we would all be a lot happier.

Odds and Ends X

Serious:

• Douglas Wilson responded to Christopher Hitchens' new book God Is Not Great with a very presuppositional post. Now they are engaged in an online debate hosted by Christianity Today that I have found very informative. Check them both out, and be further convinced in the effectiveness of presuppositionalism.
• Tim Challies asks the question "Is error in doctrine always sin?"
• William Saletan writes about the impact of ultrasound to the abortion debate.
• Pulpit makes a brief but convincing argument for the Lord's Day Observance view of the Sabbath, which goes along with this discussion here at HoldFast from a few months ago.
• Tim Challies also addresses the atheists who try to condemn themselves to Hell by blaspheming the Holy Spirit and contemplates the nature of the Unpardonable Sin (see key quote below).

Funny:

• This is for my fellow Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy fans: go to Google Calculator, type in "answer to life the universe and everything," and what do you get?
• One of Joel Osteen's sermons gets a commentary track that is extremely revealing...this guy scares me.

Interesting:

• People often ask me what "RSS" means. I tell them it's the best invention since the Internet. But if you actually want to know how it works, Challies gives a helpful overview. I use the built-in feeder in IE7, but Bloglines is also a great option.
• I've been following this intriguing project from the Washington Post: onBeing, a series of interviews with all different sorts of people. This week's video was a boy with Down's Syndrome, and is well worth watching (it's short, only a few minutes long).
• Pride and Prejudice condensed into ten minutes by two very talented NCFCA performers. John and I almost did one of these from The Hobbit, but had to drop out (remember my reference in my challenge to "having to back out of many other activities"? Yeah...).
• This game is addicting. I've made it to 16.5 seconds.

Quotes:

"Admittedly there is some level of disagreement about what exactly constitutes [the unforgiveable sin]. But the vast consensus is this: that the blasphemy against the Spirit involves ascribing the work of the Holy Spirit, accomplished through Jesus Christ, to Satan. To commit this sin you must know that Jesus Christ is God and, despite that knowledge, ascribe the Spirit's work through Him to the devil.

"Reverend Richard Phillips, pastor at First Presbyterian Church Coral Springs, Margate, Florida, says 'There is no sin so great that the precious blood of the Son of God -- of infinite value before God -- is not sufficient to pay for it. The issue is that forgiveness comes only to those who believe on the Lord Jesus. And someone who knows who Jesus is -- who realizes that his work is by the Holy Spirit -- and yet so refuses to believe that he actually ascribes the Spirit's work to the devil, cannot possibly be saved. Why? Because that person is not just ignorant, but they willfully, knowingly, reject Jesus as Messiah, as proved by the Holy Spirit. So this passage describes not someone who in a fit of anger or temptation commits blasphemy, but someone who refuses to believe on Jesus as the Messiah, even when he recognizes the Holy Spirit at work.'

"So the great irony, based on what the Bible teaches, is that this sin cannot be committed by one who considers himself an atheist! This sin presupposes seeing and acknowledging the work of God, but then attributing it to Satan." --Tim Challies, "Challenging the Blasphemy Challenge"

Odds and Ends IX

There have been a lot of good links I've found in a very short amount of time, so here's the next installment.

Serious:

• Hadley Arkes explains the significance of small steps in eradicating abortion, starting with Gonzales v. Carhart.
• On a related note, Tim Challies examines a woman being charged with first-degree murder for killing her two-hour old baby, and ponders why a journey through a birth canal changes the killing from acceptable to murder.
• Nathan Busenitz is beginning a series on guiding principles for Christians who blog.
• Tim Challies also explains the Calvinist doctrine of Limited Atonement (or Particular Redemption) and its relevance to our lives.

Funny:

• FCN writes a brilliant satire piece that declares Harry Reid's reelection bid is already lost. Really, I don't know how college freshman can write at this level.

Interesting:

• This is a personal item, but I had what was possibly the best day of my life so far last Sunday with a bunch of friends, and the amazingly talented Lydia Jane posted pictures of our excursion here. These are the days we remember all of our lives...
• Superchick is offering a free download of their song "Hero" in memory of the Virginia Tech Massacre. I think the song is worth the download.
• People can even make their books into art, as this website proves. Scary...
• For all of you who don't know the difference between your second cousin and your cousin twice removed, here is a diagram that will solve all of your problems.

Quotes:

"Although the law of sin is in believers, it is not a law to believers. Nevertheless, even when the rule of sin is broken, its strength weakened and impaired, and its root modified, yet it is still of great force and efficacy. When it is least felt, it is in fact most powerful." --John Owens, Sin and Temptation

Odds and Ends VIII

Serious:

• Easter was two weeks ago, and over at Pulpit Nathan Williams explained why the resurrection is so important to the gospel and our faith.
• Al Mohler praises the new "dinner party test" that seems to be reducing abortions in Great Britain: people don't like to say "I'm an abortionist."
• Centuri0n addresses the different forms of apologetics, and why people who can't identify the differences between them make lousy apologists (see key quote below).
• Tim Challies describes Satan's skill at perverting the good to make counterfeit pleasures.
• Centuri0n also explains why our churches should imitate Sonic (the restaurant) by focusing on our famous product and demonstrating its tastiness to the rest of the world.

Funny:

• Dave Barry is one of my favorite humorists, and every year he writes a "Year in Review" column for the Washington Post. I only just found this year's, so here it is in all of it's glory.
• Down at Southern Baptist, someone got pictures of the pick-up game of the decade: C.J. Mahaney, John MacArthur, and Thabiti Anyabwile versus three seminary students. The old guys even won a game!
• Gene Kelley's "Singin' in the Rain" is one of the classic film moments of all time...so of course it was a prime candidate for a Volkswagon commercial parody. Never thought I'd see Kelley pull moves like that...

Interesting:

• ESV is releasing the new Literary Study Bible which evaluates the Bible as literature. Intriguing...
• John Mark Reynolds posted the thirty books he thinks every college student should read, ten books everyone should read to be civilized, and ten modern books everyone should read. I have five of the ten civilized books down (seven if you count the one or two poems I studied of Donne and Wordsworth in Brit Lit). Not too shabby.
• Even telephones can be made into art...for example, a flock of sheep. What will they think of next?

Quotes:

"Many of these lousy apologists cannot identify these categories, and therefore they are constantly in the wrong mode of approaching people with their apologies for the faith. And most often, it’s not that they are erring on the side of being too philosophical for people: it’s that they are usually wielding a very big hammer to drive in a finishing nail, and sadly when they do get the nail in, they often have set the molding crooked, or upside down." --Centuri0n

Odds and Ends VII

Someday these posts might actually come on a regular day, on a regular week-by-week basis. Today is not that day, however. There's a good line-up this edition, though, so enjoy it anyways!

Serious:

• Phil Johnson blogged last week on why every Christian is a Calvinist of sorts, whether they believe it or not. I thought this was particularly applicable to the discussion we had a few weeks ago (and which I have every intention of restarting in the near future).
• The Washington Post published an editorial a few weeks ago which admits that the "surge" in Iraq may be succeeding. Coming from the Post, this means a lot.
• Dan Phillips explains why Christianity is a rational religion.
• Tim Challies compares Al Gore's "carbon offsets" to indulgences, and demonstrates the human desire for justice, even if perverted.
• David Limbaugh condemns the politicization of the recent firing of eight U.S. attorneys with his signature wit and insight.
• Al Mohler evaluates prominent postmodernist Stanley Fish and his statement that the Bible cannot be studied as just literature...and agrees wholeheartedly.
• Tim Challies talks about the gray points of life (like two girls born conjoined in the torso), and how we can treat them with biblical discernment.

Funny:

• FCN gives a guide to girl's cosmetics...which seemed particularly relevant since I was forced to wear some of this stuff during Godspell.
• Better be careful when you follow directions on Google Maps. It just might give you results such as these (look at step 20).
• Beatboxing is cool, especially in the kitchen. I'll have to try this recipe sometime.
• I guess the book is pretty difficult to use in some parts of the world...this reminds me of my mom's response sometimes when I'm helping her on the computer.

Interesting:

• In light of my recent Godspell performance, I thought this interpretation of "All for the Best" was very amusing. I would have given a lot to see our Judas do this.
• A library organization did a study to see which books appear the most on library shelves. Here is the very interesting breakdown...good to know the Bible was right at the top, but Mother Goose at number 3? That's a little strange.
• A Spanish family has photographed itself every year for the past 30 years...and the progression is pretty cool to watch.
• For my fellow David Crowder fans out there, this is great: a Bulgarian performance of "No One Like You."
• And for my fellow Narnia fans, Douglas Gresham (C.S. Lewis's stepson) discusses the filming of Prince Caspian and the effects of the Narnia books on the world.

Quotes:

My handbook for membership to my church (my Starting Point journal) had this wonderful little clarification in it that I thought was remarkably profound.

At regeneration, the power of sin is broken and we are made alive in Christ. In justification, the penalty of sin is removed as we are declared righteous in Christ. In sanctification, the pollution of sin is progressively removed as we are made holy in Christ.

Odds and Ends VI

So I've been sick all week, but am finally getting better (except for this nasty headcold that's decided to stick around). That explains my apparent abandoning of the Romans meditations...hopefully they'll be back next week. So in lieu of a more intelligent post, here are this week's Odds and Ends.

Serious:

• The Resolved Conference was a few weeks ago, and all the messages (from greats such as John MacArthur, C.J. Mahaney, and John Piper) are available as a free download here. Can't wait to listen to them. (HT Challies)
• This has been a good week for Dan Phillips. First there was his post about God's goodness that I mentioned a few days ago, and then he gave this meditation on the death of John Piper's father earlier this week (see below for key quote). May all our epitaphs be "What he had, he used."

Funny:

• The fight of the century! Barney versus Hip Hop Harry! Who will win? I think it's pretty clear cut (I've never seen little kids do moves quite like that before).
• FCN is convinced that George Washington didn't exist, and they're holding the Washington Seminar to discuss it. Anyone interested?
• For those of you who missed the Oscars, here is one of the most amazing choirs ever performing scenes from classic movies.
• My pal John Benefiel sent me this link...I dunno, you think Google might be spying on us?

Interesting:

• For my fellow Calvin and Hobbes fans, here's the entire collection in one searchable location. (HT Challies)
• I had no idea it was possible to stack cards like this.
• 13 things that make no sense to scientists...this is really cool. (HT Challies)

Quotes:

It's funny, isn't it? Some single people will get married, some won't. But all think about it. We think a lot about many things that may or may not ever happen to us. But the one thing that is about as statistically certain — our death — many seemingly never give much serious thought. --Dan Phillips

Comics:

Odds and Ends V

A real post is in the makings, but may not be done for a few days. Until that, enjoy these links.

Serious:

• Al Mohler discusses the TIME cover article on crisis-pregnancy centers as encouraging to the pro-life movement.
• Michael Flaherty, president of Walden Media, gave an excellent speech at Hillsdale a few months ago about reading books and redeeming Hollywood.
• The Wall Street Journal describes the deficiencies in the new Wilberforce movie Amazing Grace; namely, the way it downplays the role of faith in the whole anti-slavery movement. Not to diss the movie or anything, since my parents liked it and I plan on seeing it, but I find this disheartening. (HT Justin Taylor)
• Have you heard? James Cameron, Academy Award-winning director of Titanic, is out to prove that the bodies of Jesus, Mary Magdelene, and his children have been found. Thankfully, James White has details and the proper apologetic response to these charges. (HT Centuri0n)

Funny:

• There are new Demotivators! Here's my favorite, for your viewing pleasure:
  
  
• God Version 6.0 has been released. It's softer, non-judgmental, and totally compatible with any faith type! Plus it's been totally restructured! It's a sure-fire winner, get yours today! (HT Dan Phillips)
• Casey posted a way to find your gangsta name, Witness Protection name, and superhero name. I like my Star Wars name: Brasa Stroc (my complete results are in the fourth comment down).

Interesting:

• Greg Patillo is a beatboxing flute player...need I say more to convince you to watch him perform Inspector Gadget? (HT Kevin)

Quotes:

I'm reading an amazing book right now by Stephen Ambrose. It's his personal reflections as a historian, and I encountered this amazingly profound quote about our presidents.

The Washington Monument and the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials remind us that greatness comes in different forms and at a price. Jefferson, by his words, gave us aspirations. Washington, through his actions, showed us what was possible. Lincoln's courage turned both into reality.

Comics:

I used to always do this on my Xanga, but since I've mostly abandoned that, I'll start posting my favorite comics from the week on here. I will mainly be drawing on Pearls Before Swine, Frazz, The Buckets, and Monty, with the occasional Foxtrot and Peanuts thrown in. (Can anyone tell me where to find a daily online syndication of Calvin and Hobbes or Farside that doesn't cost money?)

Odds and Ends IV

Serious:

• Centuri0n discusses how to read the Bible and why anyone can read the Bible.
• John Piper explains why being pro-abortion should disqualify a candidate for public office. (HT Justin Taylor)
• Al Mohler chronicles the dangers of the self-esteem movement (doesn't surprise me a bit).
• Peggy Noonan explains why the presidential campaign races have started so early this year...is anyone else depressed by the notion of McCain, Guiliani, or Romney running against Hillary, Obama, or Edwards?
• WORLD magazine describes the rise of "Holy Hip Hop", and features our very own Curtis "Voice" Allen. Go Curt! (HT Challies)
• And for the rest of you who took 20th century philosophy with me last year (taught by the one and only Scott Somerville), here's an interesting article I found about Karl Barth.

Funny:

• David explains the thoughts that go through his head when he reads some Bible stories...I'll tell ya, this guy weirds me out sometimes.
• Want to know why I hate Macs? Charlie Brooker sums it up pretty succinctly in this article from the Guardian. (HT Challies)
• Anyone else looking forward to the release of The Bourne Ultimatum later this year? Supposedly, there's a new Bourne hotline set up for us addicts to help us cope with what may be a tragic ending.
• For my fellow Star Wars freaks, here's a good one: the coronation of the Pope has gotten a makeover.
• FCN describes their own Super Bowl experiences, which sound remarkably similar to mine...or not.
• And on the football theme, a letter to FCN describes the relationship between girls and football...I've seen this so many times (with four girls living next door) that it's almost not funny. Almost.

Interesting:

• Turns out that when you compare men's and women's desks, women's have four times the amount of germs on them. Take that, girls ;-)
• Crisis pregnancy centers now outnumber abortion clinics in the U.S. Praise the Lord!

Quotes:

Vicki Hearne, in an essay entitled "What's Wrong with Animal Rights", explains what Jefferson meant by "happiness" in the Declaration of Independence:

Happiness is often misunderstood as a synonym for pleasure or as an antonym for suffering. But Aristotle associated happiness with ethics--codes of behavior that urge us toward the sensation of getting it right, a kind of work that yields the 'click' of satisfaction upon solving a problem or surmounting an obstacle. In his Ethics, Aristotle wrote, 'If happiness is activity in accordance with excellence, it is reasonable that it should be in accordance with the highest excellence.' Thomas Jefferson identified the capacity for happiness as one of the three fundamental rights on which all others are based: 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.'

And I'm reading an introduction to quantum theory (Colin Bruce's Schrodinger's Rabbits) for fun, and this little tidbit just made me laugh out loud.

To illustrate, I am tempted to ask you to imagine a wall with two slits in it, and a gun capable of firing a cat toward the arrangement, but cats (even hypothetical ones) have already suffered enough in the cause of quantum physics, and Stephen Hawking has threatened to shoot people who mention Schrodinger's cat to him, so I will choose an alternative.

And now to leave you with a comic to show you exactly how not to respond to your mom.

Odds and Ends III (Super Bowl Edition)

Yes, I missed last week's installment, and this week's is late. I have more than enough to make up for the prolonged absence. So here goes:

Super Bowl:

• Well, I wanted to post this article before the Super Bowl, being a Bears fan who believed that Grossman would step up to the plate on the big stage. Sadly, I was wrong, but I still think this article about the true "Worst Super Bowl QBs" is pretty interesting.
• The Super Bowl ads were a little above average this year, but some of them were absolutely priceless. Here's my top 7: Chainsaw, Autograph, Karate, Great Apes, Not What It Seems, Comb-Over, and Auctioneer. What were your favorites?

Serious:

• Nick Cannon raps about his mother's decision to choose life 28 years ago in an incredibly powerful song (HT The Rebelution).
• Alex and Brett Harris wrote a fabulous article for Boundless about why Christians can't multitask, and not in a legalistic sense. I found this particularly convicting, especially as I'm listening to Glenn Miller and Billy Joel right now as I write this post.
• Fred Barnes shows the similarities between Iraq and Vietnam...and they aren't what you think.
• After reading this George Orwell essay a few weeks ago, I was amazed to come across this article by Jonah Goldberg applying it to the modern day. Very interesting.
• Tim Challies thinks about how his children respond to his instruction...and how we respond the same way to God.
• TIME Magazine interviews Al Mohler about his brush with death a few weeks ago and how it has affected his faith--every time I read about him, the more grateful I am that he is representing us to the world-at-large. What a great example.

Funny:

• I've been rediscovering the joys of Monty Python the past few weeks, and here are my favorite sketches: The Argument Clinic, The Ministry of Silly Walks, and Spam!
• FCN gives their version of Bush's State of the Union address last week.
• And speaking of Bush, here's a video of him and Steve Bridges, a George Bush impersonator, at a press dinner last year. Hysterical!
• Pecadillo presents the Ugly Dog Olympics. Did you know dogs could be this ugly?
• And Kevin, who makes it a habit to post very strange articles, has a collection of press releases from 2029 (scroll to the bottom of the post)...so true, so scary, so funny.

Interesting:

• Justin Taylor presents The Dawkins Delusion, an argument for the non-existence of Richard Dawkins. Satirical look at Dawkin's book The God Delusion.
• This guy is amazing...who knew you could keep a beat like that while singing a song?
• GirlTalk discusses why men are happier...and I must agree.

Quotes:

I was reading Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" last week for English, and he just had some amazingly profound statements. Here are three I found especially good (I know they're a little long, but they're worth it).

• History is the long and tragic story of the fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily. Individuals may see the moral light and voluntarily give up their unjust posture; but as Reinhold Niebuhr has reminded us, groups are more immoral than individuals.
  
• It is a strangely irrational notion that there is something in the very flow of time that will inevitably cure all ills. Actually time is neutral. It can be used either destructively or constructively. I am coming to feel that the people of ill will have used time much more effectively than the people of good will.
  
• As I continued to think about the matter I gradualy gained a bit of satisfaction from being considered an extremist. Was not Jesus an extremist in love? "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you." Was not Amos an extremist for justice--"Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." Was not Paul an extremist for the gospel of Jesus Christ--"I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." Was not Martin Luther an extremist--"Here I stand; I can do none other so help me God." Was not John Bunyan an extremist--"I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery of my conscience." Was not Abraham Lincoln an extremist--"This nation cannot survive eternally half slave and half free." Was not Thomas Jefferson an extremist--"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." So the question is not whether we will be extremist but what kind of extremist we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or extremists for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice--or will we be extremists for the cause of justice?

And that's all for this installment. Coming soon...further thoughts on being an extremist.

Odds and Ends II

Not half as much this week for a very simple reason: I'm cutting back significantly on my blog reading. After a long talk with my parents, we determined that I am spending too much time reading blogs (I'm subscribed to 70 in my RSS feeder, of which probably 50 update at least once a week). Thus, from this point on I am only going to be reading the following blogs (my favorites, and the ones I would suggest for you too):

• 10:31--The best youth ministry and the best youth pastor in the world
• Al Mohler--Great current events analysis...when he's healthy (updates have been scarce the past few weeks, but give him time and he'll be back; keep praying for his health)
• Tim Challies--Great theological articles and book reviews from the "#1 Christian Blogger"
• Between Two Worlds--The domain of Justin Taylor, provides links to articles and books of interest to Christians engaging their culture
• Pyromaniacs--The domain of Phil Johnson, Dan Phillips, and Frank Turk (i.e. Centuri0n), full of amazing, long articles on theological issues
• Biblical Christianity--The other domain of Dan Phillips, with more Pyro-type articles
• Centuri0n--The other domain of Frank Turk, with even more, longer Pyro-type articles every day
• Funny Class Notes--My favorite satire blog, always something funny every day
• Pulpit--Just started with this one, but as you can see by my last post, they have caught my attention, so I shall be a faithful reader at least until the spiritual gifts series is over
• New Attitude--Well, if I'm going, I should be reading its blog, right? Plus, you never know when they'll be handing out something free

So the other 60 blogs on my blogroll will just have to be ignored for the next month at least, and possibly to the end of the school year.

Now, that's most of this week's Odds and Ends, but I did run across a few good articles that I'll leave for you guys to chew on.

Serious

• Challies examines the state of abortion and genetic screening in our countries, and makes some fabulous points, bringing another great biblical voice to the topic.
• Centuri0n discusses the apparent dichotomy between God's offer of salvation and his election of sinners.
• How well do you know the words of Jesus? Take these quizzes and post your answers in the comments (My scores: Beginner: 9/10; Intermediate 8/10; Advanced 3/10).

Other

• This is specifically for all you other debate gurus out there, especially the NCFCA ones: how to define the terms of this year's resolution.

Quotes

• As you can tell, I've been doing a lot of reading of Old Testament Commentaries, and it's really exciting when you can see how the whole Bible fits into one whole! Here's a quote I ran into in An Introduction to the Old Testament by Raymond Dillard and Tremper Longman (assigned reading for the Pastor's College class I'm taking next week):
  
  What a collection of human beings in the book of Judges! Strange heroes they are--a reluctant farmer, a prophetess, a left-handed assassin, a bastard bandit, a sex-addicted Nazirite, and others. It is easy at a distance to point out the foibles and failures of the leading characters in this downwardly spiraling story. But...for all of their flaws, we are to learn from their faith. For it was in faith that Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, and Samson "conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised" (Heb. 11:32-33).
  
  I find it pretty amazing that people like Samson and Barak made it into the "Hall of Faith" in Hebrews. When I read about them, I don't see men full of faith, but men full of fear, doubt, and sin. But then I'm reminded that that's exactly what I am! And God can still use me in spite of it! What a wonderful truth.

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.