Friday, March 29, 2002
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
by Mark Twain
Like I was telling the boys at the Grace CyberCafe Message Board, I read Huck Finn years ago, when I was a boy, and finally got around to rereading it now that I'm a bit older and wiser. I never really enjoyed it much as a young'un, but now I think it's just great. What more can I say? It's funny, engaging and makes one question the status quo. We put it on our shelf in an attempt to get a nice library of children's books, but I'm keeping it there for my own entertainment.
LibraryThing link
Like I was telling the boys at the Grace CyberCafe Message Board, I read Huck Finn years ago, when I was a boy, and finally got around to rereading it now that I'm a bit older and wiser. I never really enjoyed it much as a young'un, but now I think it's just great. What more can I say? It's funny, engaging and makes one question the status quo. We put it on our shelf in an attempt to get a nice library of children's books, but I'm keeping it there for my own entertainment.
LibraryThing link
Thursday, March 21, 2002
Revelation
by Louis A. Brighton
Some people are just fascinated by the book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible. Myself, I don't care for it. I mean I dutifully read it if it shows up in my daily Bible readings, but left to my own inclination, I would read the first three chapters and then skip to the end when the New Jerusalem descends from heaven and the dwelling of God is with His people and we all live happily ever after. The plagues and the wrath I don't like to think about. It gets even worse when I hear some of the interpretations that Christians have come up with to try to explain it all. (I myself am an amillenialist, and so disagree with a lot of my fellow Christians. At least the vocal ones.) Anyway, this book is a commentary on Revelation put out by Concordia Publishing House, the publishing arm of my own denomination. I got it because I've been buying their commentary series and I am quite obsessive when it comes to book collections. I also had a glimmer of hope that this volume might help me wrap my puny mind around the scripture and better appreciate it. Well, guess what? I still much prefer the book of Acts or I and II Samuel. (I'm hoping the commentaries for those books will come out in my lifetime, but that's a separate gripe.) While Revelation is a fine commentary, it just didn't impress me like Concordia's commentary on Luke. Anyway, if you're unlike me and looking for a commentary on Revelation, check it out. Brighton has his own opinions and interpretation, (like anyone else, I suppose) but he also respects the text and it's Author.
LibraryThing link
Some people are just fascinated by the book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible. Myself, I don't care for it. I mean I dutifully read it if it shows up in my daily Bible readings, but left to my own inclination, I would read the first three chapters and then skip to the end when the New Jerusalem descends from heaven and the dwelling of God is with His people and we all live happily ever after. The plagues and the wrath I don't like to think about. It gets even worse when I hear some of the interpretations that Christians have come up with to try to explain it all. (I myself am an amillenialist, and so disagree with a lot of my fellow Christians. At least the vocal ones.) Anyway, this book is a commentary on Revelation put out by Concordia Publishing House, the publishing arm of my own denomination. I got it because I've been buying their commentary series and I am quite obsessive when it comes to book collections. I also had a glimmer of hope that this volume might help me wrap my puny mind around the scripture and better appreciate it. Well, guess what? I still much prefer the book of Acts or I and II Samuel. (I'm hoping the commentaries for those books will come out in my lifetime, but that's a separate gripe.) While Revelation is a fine commentary, it just didn't impress me like Concordia's commentary on Luke. Anyway, if you're unlike me and looking for a commentary on Revelation, check it out. Brighton has his own opinions and interpretation, (like anyone else, I suppose) but he also respects the text and it's Author.
LibraryThing link
Labels: CheckItOut, ConcordiaCommentary
Sunday, March 10, 2002
The Gorilla and the Fairy
by Carol Young
I strongly recommend that you buy this book..... What's that? Why should you buy this book? Um, well, the author's a friend of mine. ... I said, the author's a friend of mine. I know, I know, I'm violating all sorts of objective journalistic ethics. If I were an objective journalist instead of an electronic pre-press operator, I'd feel really bad. Seriously, I really can't give you any sort of review. This book is a fable about domestic violence and recovery. Since I am neither an abuser or an abusee, I could not relate to the tale. Carol has told me that a couple of women who have been in such a sitation have read the book and have found it really helpful. I can take Carol's word for it because she is one of the sweetest people the good Lord has ever created and is not one to glorify herself. Anyway, good or bad, this is a psychological/counseling type book and they usually aren't much good to those outside its targeted audience. I ended up wondering more about the gorilla and his lack of redemptiveness. But like I said, Carol's an angel, so go ahead and buy a copy even if you just trash it right away. Better yet, just send her the money and let her sell the book to someone else.
LibraryThing link
I strongly recommend that you buy this book..... What's that? Why should you buy this book? Um, well, the author's a friend of mine. ... I said, the author's a friend of mine. I know, I know, I'm violating all sorts of objective journalistic ethics. If I were an objective journalist instead of an electronic pre-press operator, I'd feel really bad. Seriously, I really can't give you any sort of review. This book is a fable about domestic violence and recovery. Since I am neither an abuser or an abusee, I could not relate to the tale. Carol has told me that a couple of women who have been in such a sitation have read the book and have found it really helpful. I can take Carol's word for it because she is one of the sweetest people the good Lord has ever created and is not one to glorify herself. Anyway, good or bad, this is a psychological/counseling type book and they usually aren't much good to those outside its targeted audience. I ended up wondering more about the gorilla and his lack of redemptiveness. But like I said, Carol's an angel, so go ahead and buy a copy even if you just trash it right away. Better yet, just send her the money and let her sell the book to someone else.
LibraryThing link
Labels: OnMyShelf
Saturday, March 09, 2002
All God's Children and Blue Suede Shoes
by Kenneth A. Myers
SIGH! Thanks to this book, I'm going to feel guilty about watching TV or listening to the radio all week. AGC&BSS is a look at popular culture from an intellectual and Christian perspective. Basically, Myers argues that popular culture is shallow, lacking morality and defines our society. Unlike high or folk culture, which have definite roots in the past, pop culture is a culture of the moment, created of things to be discarded when the new one comes along. Now, I've heard about this general topic for years. My first recollections are lectures and articles about things in the culture that were supposed to be bad for you. Some were a call to avoid those things entirely, others were a way to enjoy the spirit of the media or activity while keeping away from overt sin. More recently, I've read and heard opinions criticizing the popular culture itself. Overall, I've experienced these arguments without feeling convicted. They either spoke of excesses in which I didn't indulge or were so far in left field that I couldn't take them seriously. Well, now Mr. Myers has come along and I have stopped to think that maybe he's right. It's not that this book is so radical or great, but rather I think that I've reached a point where I can understand what he's talking about. Over the past few years, without meaning to, I've been rejecting popular culture in my life. (It's all my wife's fault...) I pretty much elimanted TV watching when I started working evenings. I stopped worrying about the latest and greatest computer equipment when I couldn't afford to keep up. I started getting into folk music when I discovered that neighborhood festivals were cheaper and more family friendly than the big rock concerts. Now I read this book that talks about some of the things I've left behind and I realize that I really don't feel that I've lost anything. Instead I wonder if I should not be seeking something more for myself, my children, perhaps even my community. (Or maybe this is all another diversion -- another turn in the vaudeville show of the modern American experience. We'll see.) Anyway, I would recommend that y'all check it out.
LibraryThing link
SIGH! Thanks to this book, I'm going to feel guilty about watching TV or listening to the radio all week. AGC&BSS is a look at popular culture from an intellectual and Christian perspective. Basically, Myers argues that popular culture is shallow, lacking morality and defines our society. Unlike high or folk culture, which have definite roots in the past, pop culture is a culture of the moment, created of things to be discarded when the new one comes along. Now, I've heard about this general topic for years. My first recollections are lectures and articles about things in the culture that were supposed to be bad for you. Some were a call to avoid those things entirely, others were a way to enjoy the spirit of the media or activity while keeping away from overt sin. More recently, I've read and heard opinions criticizing the popular culture itself. Overall, I've experienced these arguments without feeling convicted. They either spoke of excesses in which I didn't indulge or were so far in left field that I couldn't take them seriously. Well, now Mr. Myers has come along and I have stopped to think that maybe he's right. It's not that this book is so radical or great, but rather I think that I've reached a point where I can understand what he's talking about. Over the past few years, without meaning to, I've been rejecting popular culture in my life. (It's all my wife's fault...) I pretty much elimanted TV watching when I started working evenings. I stopped worrying about the latest and greatest computer equipment when I couldn't afford to keep up. I started getting into folk music when I discovered that neighborhood festivals were cheaper and more family friendly than the big rock concerts. Now I read this book that talks about some of the things I've left behind and I realize that I really don't feel that I've lost anything. Instead I wonder if I should not be seeking something more for myself, my children, perhaps even my community. (Or maybe this is all another diversion -- another turn in the vaudeville show of the modern American experience. We'll see.) Anyway, I would recommend that y'all check it out.
LibraryThing link
Labels: CheckItOut
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