Poetry: A Guide on Where to Start

1. G.K. Chesterton--start with the "Ballad of the White Horse" and "Lepanto" but don't miss his short, humorous verse and his Christmas poems.
2. Hilaire Belloc--almost all of his poetry is worth reading, but especially his traveling verses.
3. Sir Walter Scott--nothing beats his great epics like "The Lady of the Lake."
4. Arthur Quiller-Couch--again, almost everything from Q is worth careful reading, but especially his local sea town tales and his verse parodies.
5. Alfred Noyes--you'll especially want to read his epics like "The Highwayman."
6. Q's edition of the "Oxford Book of English Verse" must not be missed (but make sure it's Q's and not one of the wretched modern updates).
7. And of course, Francis Palgrave's "Golden Treasury" is a classic collection.
8. Louis Untermeyer's wonderful anthology, "This Singing World," was my favorite for years and years.
9. "The Collected Poetry" of T.S. Eliot is not to be missed.
10. All of J.R.R. Tolkien's poetry is not available in a single volume, but whenever you can find collected anthologies, grab them--works like "Tom Bombadil" and "The Lays of Beleriand" are stunningly beautiful.
11. The various collections of verse from C.S. Lewis are also delightful--but, be sure to get an edition with some of his longer, more complex Medieval reflections.

Favorite Chuck Colson Books

1.     Born Again

2.     How Now Shall We Live, with Nancy Pearcey

3.     The Body: Being Light in Darkness, with Ellen Vaughn

4.     Why America Doesn’t Work, with Jack Eckerd and Lloyd Billingsley

5.     Kingdoms in Conflict, with Ellen Vaughn

6.     Against the Night: Living in the New Dark Ages, with Ellen Vaughn

7.     The Good Life, with Harold Fickett

8.     The Faith, with Harold Fickett

9.     A Dance with Deception: Revealing the Truth Behind the Headlines

10.  Burden of Truth: Defending the Truth in an Age of Unbelief

11.  Justice that Restores

Why Are These Lessons So Hard to Learn?

1.     Look before you leap.

2.     Aim before you shoot.

3.     Think before you speak.

4.     Get the facts before you judge.

5.     Verify before you crucify.

6.     Read the fine print before signing on the dotted line.

7.     Wait a day before you send the scorching e-mail.

8.     Context, context, context.

9.     Lend no credence to gossip.

10.  Get the story right from the horse’s mouth.

11.  Know what you know and who you know.

Eating in the UK

1. Pret a Manger: Charing Cross

2. Nero’s Coffee: St. James Piccadilly 

3. Barbacoa: St. Paul's

4. Wagamama’s: Tower of London

5. Jamie’s Italian: Brighton

6. The Cambridge Eagle 

7. The Borough Market: Southwark

8. West Cornwall Pasty: Victoria

9. Nandos Peri-Peri: Brighton

10. Maoz Falafel: Leicester Square

11. Jamie’s Italian: Covent Garden

Japan: One Year Later

Japan: One Year Later

Holy Week

The Shelf Life

Serious reading and classical methodologies: such things hardly represent the kind of wiz-bang razzle-dazzle doohickeries that excite the educational reformers, social planners, religious leaders, and political prognosticators these days. But then, who asked them anyway? They're the ones who got us into the current designer disaster of cultural disintegration and disarray--where all the profundities of a civilized moral order have become so much rubbish. So, how do we go about developing the habits of lifetime learning--reading, studying, and resisting the tyranny of the urgent--that we need in order to do the things we are called to do and to be the things we are called to be?

1. Read. “A broad interest in books usually means a broad interest in life.” Lyman Abbott
2. Read Deeply. “ Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. Richard Steele
3. Read Out of Your Time. “I hate to read new books. Contemporary writers may generally be divided into two classes—one’s friends or one’s foes. Of the first we are compelled to think too well, and of the last we are disposed to think too ill, to receive much genuine pleasure from the perusal, or to judge fairly of the merits of either.” William Hazlitt
4. Read Classically. “A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say.” Italo Calvino
5. Read Above Your Head. “You may perhaps be brought to acknowledge that it is very well worthwhile to be tormented for two or three years of one’s life, for the sake of being able to read all the rest of it.” Jane Austen
6. Read According to Plan. “It is a good plan to have a book with you in all places and at all times.” Oliver Wendell Holmes
7. Just Read: The Medium Is Nearly as Vital as Message. “If you cannot read all your books, at any rate handle, or as it were, fondle them.” Winston Churchill
8. Read All Along the Footnote Trail. “If a book is worth reading, it is worth buying.” John Ruskin
9. Read with an Eye to Leaving a Legacy. “A little library, growing every year, is an honorable part of a man’s history.” Henry Ward Beecher
10. Read with All Joy in the Journey. “When I get a little money, I buy books; and if there is any left, I buy food and clothes.” Desiderius Erasmus
11. Read Constantly (at least daily). “In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.” Mortimer Adler

"You can find all the new ideas in the old books; only there you will find them balanced, kept in their place, and sometimes contradicted and overcome by other and better ideas. The great writers did not neglect a fad because they had not thought of it, but because they had thought of it and of all the answers to it as well." G.K. Chesterton

“The oldest books are still only just out to those who have not yet read them.” Samuel Butler

A Busy Ministry

http://kingsmeadow.com

http://parishpres.org

http://grantian.blogspot.com

http://eleventary.blogspot.com

http://ppgi.blogspot.com

http://parishlife.blogspot.com

http://deruns.blogspot.com

http://www.ms-academy.org

http://csmedes.org

http://www.franklinclassical.com

http://newcollegefranklin.org

Favorite Indonesian Foods

1.     Satay

2.     Nasi Goreng

3.     Char Siew Wonton

4.     Popiah

5.     Roti prata

6.     Goreng Pisang

7.     Kalamansi Limes

8.     Rojak

9.     Ayam Penyet

10.  Sambal Belachan

11.  Nasi Lemak

Schaeffer 100 Conference

On the Nightstand

It seems I'm always reading several books at once. I read some for my work--so, for instance right now I'm reading "The American Colonial Mind and the Classical Tradition" by Richard Gummere and "Sailing the Wine Dark Sea" by Thomas Cahill. At the same time, I am working through Derek Kidner's "Genesis" and Victor Hamilton's "The Book of Genesis."
I am almost finished with Walter Isaacson's "Steve Jobs," which I got for Christmas. But, I couldn't help getting started on Rick Marschall's "Bully: The Life and Times of Theodore Roosevelt," also a Christmas gift.

My friend Mike Milton's new book, "Songs in the Night," came in the mail just a few days before Christmas--I started it the minute I opened the package. Likewise, I began reading the new N.T. Wright translation, "The Kingdom New Testament," right after I brought it home.
I try to read everything Douglas Wilson writes--which is a feat in and of itself. I always learn so much about writing--besides whatever it is that he happens to be writing about. But with his "Wordsmithy," a book of advice to writers, I am getting a double-dose.

After slogging through Umberto Eco's very dark "The Prague Cemetery," I thought I probably needed something really edifying to read next. So, I am re-reading Ian MacLaren's "St. Jude's."

And, for my devotions, I am slowly savoring the third volume of "Daily Scripture Readings" by Thomas Chalmers. So rich.

Next up: I gave copies of Niall Ferguson's book, "Civilization: The West and the Rest," to three different people for Christmas, but I didn't keep a copy for myself. So this week, by hook or by crook, I'm going to get over to Parnassus for that--and while I'm in that part of town, I'll also step into Logos to re-supply and re-provision.

Christmas Favs

1. "On Christmas" by G.K. Chesterton

2. "Christmas Stories" by Charles Dickens

3. "On the Incarnation" by Athanasius

4. "Nativity Hymns" by Isaac Watts

5. "The Birth of the Savior" by C.H. Spurgeon

6. "No Holly for Miss Quinn" by Miss Read

7. "Corrie's Christmas Memories" by Corrie Ten Boom

8. "The Fourth Wise Man" by Henry van Dyke

9. "Shepherds Abiding" by Jan Karon

10. "A New England Christmas" Henry Wadswoth Longfellow

11. "The Invention of Lefse" by Larry Woiwode

Christmas Wish List

1. “Civilization” by Niall Ferguson

2. “The Kingdom New Testament” by N.T. Wright

3. "Bully" by Rick Marschall

4. “Death of Kings” by Bernard Cornwell 

5. "Steve Jobs" by Walter Isaacson

6. “Holidays in Heck” by P.J. O’Rourke

7. "Thomas Manton" by Derek Cooper

8. “Songs in the Night" by Mike Milton

9. “King Rat” by China Mieville

10. "Columbus and the Quest for Jerusalem" by Carol Delaney

11. “Justification” by N.T. Wright

Favorite Quotes on Prayer

1. "Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work." Oswald Chambers.

2. “What the church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use—men of prayer, men mighty in prayer" E.M. Bounds

3. "Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons, but they are helpless against our prayers." J. Sidlow Baxter

4. "Talking to men for God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still." E.M. Bounds

5. "Satan trembles when he sees the weakest Christian on his knees." William Cowper

6. “The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying.  He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.” Samuel Chadwick

 7. “I would rather teach one man to pray than ten men to preach.”  Charles Spurgeon

8. “To make intercession for men is the most powerful and practical way in which we can express our love for them." John Calvin

9. "If you want that splendid power in prayer, you must remain in loving, living, lasting, conscious, practical, abiding union with the Lord Jesus Christ." C. H. Spurgeon

10. "The word of God is the food by which prayer is nourished and made strong." E. M. Bounds

11. "Prayer should be the breath of our breathing, the thought of our thinking, the soul of our feeling, the life of our living, the sound of our hearing, and the growth of our growing.  Prayer is length without end, width without bounds, height without top, and depth without bottom; illimitable in its breadth, exhaustless in height, fathomless in depths, and infinite in extension.  Oh, for determined men and women who will rise early and really burn for God.  Oh for a faith that will sweep into heaven with the early dawning of morning and have ships from a shoreless sea loaded in the soul's harbor ere the ordinary laborer has knocked the dew from the scythe or the lackluster has turned from his pallet of straw to spread nature's treasures of fruit before the early buyers.  Oh, for such.” Homer W. Hodge

Favorite Martin Luther Quotes

1. “Hier stehe ich; Here I stand; I can do no other. God help me. Amen!”

2. “If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every part of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, then I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Him. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all battlefields besides is merely flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point”

3. “I am more afraid of my own heart than of the Pope and all his cardinals. I have within me the great Pope: Self. I more fear what is within me than anything that might come from without.”

4. “Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.”

5. “For where God built a church, there the Devil would also build a chapel.”

6. “I am afraid that the schools will prove the very gates of hell, unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures and engraving them in the heart of the youth.”

7. “Music is the art of the prophets and the gift of God.”

8. “Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.”

9. “You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say.”

10. “There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage.”

11. “Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God.”

Paul Johnson Books Since 2003

1. The Vanished Landscape

2. Washington

3. Creators

4. Heroes

5. Churchill

6. Humorists

7. Jesus

8. New Journeys into Chaos

9. Civil War in America

10. Brief Lives

11. Socrates

What to Remember When Reading the Bible

1. Remember the one, central story: the whole Bible is about just one thing. The pattern of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration runs throughout the Old and New Testaments.

2. Remember that the Bible is its own best commentary. The Word interprets itself; Scripture explains Scripture.

3. Remember to read individual passages in their context—textual, literary, symbolic, historical, cultural, grammatical, and theological.

4. Remember that all Biblical revelation is intended to reveal. Always look for the most obvious literary sense of a text.

5. Remember that all Scripture is inspired and superintended by the Holy Spirit. So, every little detail matters.

6. Remember that Scripture has only one meaning but multiple applications—so, it is important to distinguish between indicatives and imperatives.

7. Remember that we read translations of the Bible. All languages have strengths, weaknesses, and peculiarities—and moving from Greek and Hebrew to one of our modern languages (such as 21st century American English) will always require some additional scrutiny and study.

8. Remember that we must always interpret experience in light of Scripture and history in light of revelation; not the other way around.

9. Remember that the New Testament lies hidden in the Old, and the Old Testament is revealed in the New.

10. Remember that “there is nothing new under the sun.” So, beware of innovative or novel interpretations of Scripture. Steer clear of new “discoveries” in Biblical revelation. We have a rich legacy of wisdom passed down to us from throughout church history so we should consult good commentaries whenever possible--and look to the “old paths” more often than not.

11. Remember that we should always read Scripture prayerfully, submitting to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

My Picks for Most Significant Archeological Discoveries

1. The Rosetta Stone

2. The Dead Sea Scrolls

3. Assurbanipal’s Library at Nineveh

4. Robinson’s Arch in Jerusalem

5. Kibbutz Ginnosar Boat

6. The Ebla Library

7. The City of Troy

8. Caesarea Maritima

9. Sodom and Gomorrah

10. The City of Pompeii

11. King Tut’s Tomb

My Favorite Street Foods

1. Bratwurst in Leipzig
2. Frites in Antwerp
3. Coffee in Bogota
4. Falafel in Jerusalem
5. Pain au Raisin in Paris
6. Lamb Kebab in Amman
7. Satay in Jakarta
8. Wienwurst in Vienna
9. Nathan's Coney in Brooklyn
10. Stroopwafel in Amsterdam
11. Haggis in Edinburgh

Essential John Stott Books

1. Your Mind Matters
2. Basic Christianity
3. Christian Counterculturalism
4. The Cross of Christ
5. The Living Church
6. The Message of Romans
7. Standing Firm in Truth
8. I Believe in Preaching
9. Culture and the Bible
10. Christian Mission in the Modern World
11. The Preacher's Portrait

Summer Reading, So Far

1. “The Greater Journey,” David McCollough
2. “The Righteous Shall Live by Faith: Romans,” R.C. Sproul
3. “Magic,” G.K. Chesterton
4. “The Mighty Weakness of John Knox,” Douglas Bond
5. “Portrait of a Spy,” Daniel Silva
5. “Poke the Box,” Seth Godin
7. “Reformed Dogmatics in One-Volume,” Herman Bavinck
8. “The Lives of Robert and James Haldane,” Alexander Haldane
9. “Enchantment,” Guy Kawasaki
10. “The Fort,” Bernard Cornwell
11. “An Ocean Full of Angels,” Peter Kreeft

Romans 12:21

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Why I Go to ACCS Every Year

1. Encouragement, encouragement, encouragement.
2. Book buying extravaganza.
3. Catching up with dear friends from all over the world.
4. Book buying extravaganza.
5. Practical help for teaching better, smarter, and more enjoyably.
6. Book buying extravaganza.
7. Refocusing our discipling vision.
8. Book buying extravaganza.
9. Borrowing great ideas from the best of the best.
10. Hearing Douglas Wilson wax eloquent.
11. Oh yes, and book buying extravaganza.

Where We'll Go in England

1. Brighton’s Medieval Lanes
2. Nash’s Royal Pavilions
3. All Hallow’s Barking at the Tower
4. Vespers at Bunhill Fields
5. Churchill's Chartwell
6. The Hever Castle Gardens
7. Southwark Cathedral
8. Poet’s Corner at Westminster
9. Ely Cathedral
10. Evensong at King's College
11. St. James Piccadilly

Where We'll Shop in England

1. Hatchard’s Bookstore
2. Stanford’s Maps
3. Waterstone’s Books
4. George Trumper’s
5. G. David Bookshop
6. Fortnum and Mason
7. Covent Garden
8. Regent’s Street
9. Cecil Court
10. High Street Lewes Books
11. W.H. Smith’s Stationers

Where We'll Eat in England

1. Pret a Manger
2. Nero’s Coffee
3. Barbacoa
4. Wagamama’s
5. Jamie’s Italian Kitchen
6. The Cambridge Eagle
7. The Borough Market
8. West Cornwall Pasty
9. Nandos Peri-Peri
10. Maoz Falafel
11. Fifteen London

After 20 Years, Why I'm Still Teaching

1. I get to love what I love in front of my students.
2. I inevitably learn more--even more than those I’m teaching.
3. I have a great excuse to buy more books.
4. And then, I have a great excuse to read more books.
5. I am forced to make real-life connections rather than simply pontificate in the theoretical.
6. I am provoked to think about the future and scrutinize the present through the lens of the past.
7. I am able to reacquaint myself with the best of our great legacy of art, music, and ideas.
8. I get the satisfaction of seeing the “lights come on.”
9. I am constantly prodded to hone my communications skills.
10. I get to bear testimony to the grace and mercy of God, in space, in time, and in me.
11. I am privileged to catch early glimpses of the future leaders of our culture in action.

Samuel Johnson's Dictum

"To be happy at home is the end of all labor."

Favorite Paul Johnson Books

1. Modern Times
2. The Birth of the Modern
3. To Hell with Picasso
4. Intellectuals
5. Art: A New History
6. Civil War America
7. Churchill
8. Jesus
9. Humorists
10. Heroes
11. Creators

Reagan at 100: Favorite Books

1. Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation, by Ronald Reagan: While nearly everyone else seems to be focusing on books about Ronald Reagan on the 100th anniversary of his birth, I am much more interested in books by Ronald Reagan. And though there are many, this slim volume tops the list. With afterwards by C. Everett Koop and Malcolm Muggeridge, this book epitomizes the courage, principle, and substance of the “Great Communicator.”
2. Reagan, In His Own Hand: The Writings of Ronald Reagan That Reveal His Revolutionary Vision for America, by Ronald Reagan and edited by Kiron Skinner, Annelise Anderson, and Martin Anderson: Comprised largely of short radio commentaries delivered during the pre-presidential period (1975-1980), this collection is quintessential Reagan.
3. Speaking My Mind: Selected Speeches, by Ronald Reagan: This collection is largely from the presidential years (1981-1989).
4. Reagan: A Life In Letters, by Ronald Reagan and edited by Kiron Skinner, Annelise Anderson, and Martin Anderson: Here all the warmth, humor, and greatness of Reagan is altogether evident.
5. Stories in His Own Hand: The Everyday Wisdom of Ronald Reagan, by Ronald Reagan and edited by Kiron K. Skinner, Annelise Anderson, and Martin Anderson: From laugh-out-loud-funny to can’t-help-but-weep, Reagan could tell a story better than nearly anyone but Will Rogers.
6. The Reagan Diaries Unabridged: Volume 1: January 1981-October 1985 Volume 2: November 1985-January 1989, by Ronald Reagan: Here are the essential historical archives.
7. A Shining City, by Ronald Reagan: This collection of 50 post-presidencial speeches, from his farewell address to his final public communication announcing his Alzheimer's disease provide a poignant postlude to an amazing career—I still remember the electric atmosphere he created at the 1992 GOP convention in the Astrodome.
8. Reagan’s Path to Victory, by Ronald Reagan and edited by Kiron Skinner, Annelise Anderson, and Martin Anderson: This collection of pre-presidential speeches reveals Reagan as a prolific and thoughtful writer, who wrestled with the whole range of modern cultural and political issues with principled good sense.
9. The Wit & Wisdom of Ronald Reagan, by Ronald Reagan and edited by James C. Humes: Even political enemies have to smile.
10. An American Life, by Ronald Reagan: This is how he wanted to be remembered.
11. I Love You, Ronnie: The Letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan, by Ronald Reagan: What an amazing love story.

Schaeffer at 99: Favorite Books

1. Two Contents, Two Realities OK. So, technically this is not so much a book as a booklet. But, it has been a tremendous influence in the shaping of my credo.
2. How Should We then Live? This one book (and then later, the accompanying film series) helped me shift my interest in History toward a more Biblical Moral Philosophy—which has defined my life and calling ever since.
3. A Christian Manifesto For me, this book is courage personified.
4. Baptism This tiny pamphlet is what finally enabled me to make the move from Reformed Baptist to Reformed Presbyterian.
5. Whatever Happened to the Human Race I was pro-life before this book. I was a pro-life activist after this book.
6. The Great Evangelical Disaster This is the book that convinced me that I must be a committed churchman, not just a committed Christian.
7. The God Who Is There, Escape from Reason and He Is There and He Is Not Silent This trilogy was the gateway for me into substantive Biblical and Reformed theology.
8. True Spirituality This has been one of the most influential books in the mapping of my inner life.
9. No Little People This book introduced me to Dutch Reformed theological categories—and has served as a foundation for virtually all the work I have done through the years.
10. Art and the Bible This book helped lay the groundwork for my way of seeing—and thus, my whole approach to ministry.
11. The Mark of the Christian This book has served as a great check on everything I write, say, or do.

The Shed Office

New Book Favs: 2010

1. The Chestnut King, N.D. Wilson
2. Herman Bavinck, Ron Gleason
3. Defending Constantine, Peter Leithart
4. Generous Justice, Tim Keller
5. What I Learned in Narnia, Douglas Wilson
6. The Fort, Bernard Cornwell
7. Colonel Roosevelt, Edmund Morris
8. Loving the Little Years, Rachel Jankovic
9. In the Company of Others, Jan Karon
10. Bonhoeffer, Eric Metaxis
11. Abortion: A Rational Look R.C. Sproul

New Music Favs: 2010

1. Still, Nathan Clark George and Mark Stoffel
2. My Cry Ascends, Greg Wilbur
3. Twelfth Night, HEM
4. The Distance In Between, Matthew Perryman Jones
5. Infinite Arms, Band of Horses
6. So Runs the World Away, Josh Ritter
7. A Good Day, Priscilla Ahn
8. Feedback, Derek Webb
9. In Feast or Fallow, Sandra McCracken
10. Raising Up the Dead, Caedmon’s Call
11. Broken Bells, James Mercer and Danger Mouse

What I've Learned from TR

1. The first prerequisite of true leadership is a happy home. The private life is the proving ground for the public life.

2. Leadership is the art of pursuing the ideal in the midst of a world that is something less than ideal—and never losing sight of either notion.

3. A leader is an idealist who is simultaneously blessed with a strong dose of reality.

4. A leader knows that what is really important in life rarely puts on airs of importance.

5. There is little extraordinary about the achievements of a genius, a prodigy, or a savant. Inevitably, a great leader is someone who overcomes tremendous obstacles and still succeeds.

6. A leader has the ability to take any circumstance and see it through the lens of happy providence. He is living proof the fact that laughter is indeed, the best medicine.

7. The efficacy of leadership depends, to a large degree, on the leader’s incognizance of the consequences of doing right.

8. A leader understands that failure is merely the backdoor to success.

9. A leader will always prefer to be faithful than famous.

10. A leader invariably lives his life as a sincere imitator of the best attributes of others. Heroes always have heroes.

11. With great privileges come great responsibilities. Blessings bring with them duties. And the joy of liberty is the most sober obligation ever entrusted to men or nations.

How to Deal with Critics

1. “Remember, it is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.” Theodore Roosevelt

2. "Receive constructive, helpful criticism; use it to grow, learn, change, and repent. Shrug off destructive, hateful criticism; just acknowledge it as a lamentable but inevitable part of life in this poor fallen world." Francis Schaeffer

3. “It doesn’t matter how many people don’t get it. What matters is how many people do. Ten percent of people will find a way to take anything you say or do personally. Expect it.” Tim Ferriss

4. “People are always least productive in reactive mode.” Samuel Smiles

5. “Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity.” Colin Powell

6. “If you are really effective at what you do, ninety percent of the things said about you will be critical.” Scott Boras

7. “If you want to learn, grow, and improve, you must be content to be thought foolish and stupid as you do.” Epictetus

8. “To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.” Elbert Hubbard

9. “The best way to counter-attack a hater is to make it blatantly obvious that their attack has had little or no impact on you. That, and showing how much fun you’re having. Don’t get angry, don’t get even--focus on living well and that will eat at them more than anything you can do.” Tim Ferriss

10. “No commendation is greater than the condemnation of one’s fiercest sworn enemies.” Theodore Roosevelt

11. “Keep calm and carry on.” Winston Churchill

Favorite Global Warming Moments

Bah Humbug: As Far As the Curse Is Found

1. Humbug is an old word of indeterminate etymology meaning “spectacle” or “hoax” or “jest,” often referring to some unjustified reputation or publicity.

2. Of course, the word is most often associated with Ebenezer Scrooge, a character created by Charles Dickens in The Christmas Carol. He famously dismissed Christmas declaring, “Bah! Humbug!” Interestingly, variations of the term make appearances in any number of European languages:

3. Humbug may well be derived from the Old Norse words hum, meaning “night” or “shadow” or “dark air,” and bugges, a variant of bogey, meaning “apparition” or "ghost."

4. In Icelandic, húm means “twilight.”

5. In Faeroese, hómi means “unclear.”

6. Humi in Swedish means “dark suspicion.” This word may well be derived from the Old Swedish verb hymla, still in use, which means “to conceal," "to hide," or "to evade the truth.”

7. In Old English and Anglo Saxon, hum means “to deceive.” And bugges is a word that appears in Wyclif’s earliest translation of the English Bible meaning “specter.” And that may well be derived from the much older Celtic word bwg, meaning “scarecrow.”

8. But, it could also be derived from the Early Italian, uomo bugiardo, which literally means “lying man.”

9. Uim-bog is supposed to mean “soft copper” in Ancient Gaelic—still used in Ireland as slang for “worthless money.”

10. In other words, “Bah! Humbug!” may very well be an apt declaration for Christmas (much to the chagrin of Scrooge): it is the declaration that Christ has come to expose the fraudulence, the impotence, the bugaboo nonsense of this poor fallen world; but even more, He has come to replace the dark specters, the apparitional hoaxes of sin, the evasions of the truth at the heart of sin.

11. Thus: He has come to make His blessings flow as far as the curse is found.

Favorite Christmas Books

1. On Christmas: Poems, Essays, and Stories by G.K. Chesterton
2. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
3. Corrie’s Christmas Memories by Corrie ten Boom
4. Shepherds Abiding by Jan Karon
5. No Holly for Miss Quinn by Miss Read
6. Village Christmas by Miss Read
7. The Gift of the Magi and Other Stories by O. Henry
8. Christmas Bells and Other Poems by H. W. Longfellow
9. Texas Night before Christmas by James Rice
10. The Fourth Wiseman by Henry van Dyke
11. Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien

Most Frequently Consulted Eschatology Books

1. “Revelation: Four Views: A Parallel Commentary” by Steve Gregg
2. “The Last Days According to Jesus” by R.C. Sproul
3. “An Eschatology of Victory” by Marcellus Kik
4. “Israel and the New Covenant” by Roderick Campbell
5. “Days of Vengeance: An Exposition of Revelation” by David Chilton
6. “Paradise Restored: An Eschatology of Hope” by David Chilton
7. “The Puritan Hope” by Iain Murray
8. “The Returning King” by Vern Poythress
9. “Heaven Misplaced” by Douglas Wilson
10. “Vindication of Jesus Christ: A Reader’s Guide” by James Jordan
11. “The Message of Revelation” by Michael Wilcock

What I Must Always Remember

1. Remember the one, central story: the whole Bible is about just one thing. The pattern of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration runs throughout the Old and New Testaments.
2. Remember that the Bible is its own best commentary. The Word interprets itself; Scripture explains Scripture.
3. Remember to read individual passages in their context—textual, literary, symbolic, historical, cultural, grammatical, and theological.
4. Remember that all Biblical revelation is intended to reveal. Always look for the most obvious literary sense of a text.
5. Remember that all Scripture is inspired and superintended by the Holy Spirit. So, every little detail matters.
6. Remember that Scripture has only one meaning but multiple applications—so, it is important to distinguish between indicatives and imperatives.
7. Remember that we read translations of the Bible. All languages have strengths, weaknesses, and peculiarities—and moving from Greek and Hebrew to one of our modern languages (such as 21st century American English) will always require some additional scrutiny and study.
8. Remember that we must always interpret experience in light of Scripture; not the other way around.
9. Remember that the New Testament lies hidden in the Old, and the Old Testament is revealed in the New.
10. Remember that “there is nothing new under the sun.” So, beware of innovative or novel interpretations of Scripture. Steer clear of new “discoveries” in Biblical revelation. We have a rich legacy of wisdom passed down to us from throughout church history so we should consult good commentaries whenever possible--and look to the “old paths” more often than not.
11. Remember that we should always read Scripture prayerfully, submitting to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

My Favorite Books on Puritanism

1. “A Quest for Godliness” by J. I. Packer
2. “Worldly Saints” by Leland Ryken
3. "Magnalia Christi Americana" by Cotton Mather
4. “The Puritans” by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
5. “The Reformation in England” by Merle d'Aubigne
6. “Cromwell” by Theodore Roosevelt
7. “The Puritan Hope” by Iain Murray
8. “The Golden Treasury of Puritan Quotations” by I.D.E. Thomas
9. “Of Plymouth Plantation” by William Bradford
11. "Visible Saints" by Edmund Morgan

My Favorite C.S. Lewis Books

1. Beyond Personality (later, included as a part of Mere Christianity)
2. An Experiment in Criticism
3. The Screwtape Letters
4. The Allegory of Love: A Study in Medieval Tradition
5. The Pilgrim's Regress
6. The Great Divorce
7. An Introduction to Paradise Lost
8. They Asked for a Paper
9. Surprised by Joy
10. Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Literature
11. Till We Have Faces

(Yes, yes, I do realize that the Narnia books are not on this list. But, well, the Narnia books did not make the list despite the fact that I really do love them. There are just so many other wonderful Lewis books ahead of them. Also missing are the Space Trilogy books, most of the essays, and a bevy of other worthwhile-reads. So, for this Eleventary tribute on the anniversary of his death in 1963, I've just listed my top eleven must-reads).

Favorite BBQ Joints

1. Red Baron's, Midland, TX
2. Rudy's, Leon Springs, TX
3. Smitty's, Crockett, TX
4. Salt Lick, Austin, TX
5. Angelo's, Fort Worth, TX
6. Goode and Co, Houston, TX
7. Sonny Bryan's, Dallas, TX
8. Red Bryan's, Dallas, TX
9. Dreamland, Tuscaloosa, AL
10. Arthur Bryant's, Kansas City, MO
11. Cafe Tejas, Franklin, TN

Favorite Ben Franklin Quotes

1. A countryman between two lawyers is like a fish between two cats.
2. A good conscience is a continual Christmas.
3. A learned blockhead is a greater blockhead than an ignorant one.
4. A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle.
5. All mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immovable, those that are movable, and those that move.
6. As we must account for every idle word, so must we account for every idle silence.
7. Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.
8. By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
9. Creditors have better memories than debtors.
10. Diligence is the mother of good luck.
11. Do good to your friends to keep them, to your enemies to win them.