Holiday Snaps: 16/3
Bleary-eyed Sunrise
Holiday Snaps: 15/3
Forbidden Fruit
Holiday Snaps: 14/3
Hanging On
Holiday Snaps: 13/3
4 Years of Beauty
Holiday Snaps: 12/3
Lion Cub in My Front Yard
Holiday Snaps
I’m now officially on annual leave from Trinity for the next two weeks!
However, in order that I actually put my mind to something constructive each day, I’ve decided to post a ‘photo of the day’.
I’ll be taking a few photos from wherever I end up on my travels (even if that’s only from the lounge room to the back yard) and then posting my favourite daily pic for your viewing pleasure.
First up will be my trip to Warburton with Renée and Chester.
Let’s see how this goes…
Review: The White Horse King by Benjamin Merkle
The White Horse King: The Life of Alfred the Great, written by Benjamin Merkle.
This book is an historical account of the life of Alfred the Great (849-899), born the fith son of King Aethelwulf and never expected to rule… Alfred becomes the only English king ever to be known as “the Great”.
The book chronicles one of the most tumultuous periods in English history: the era of the rapacious Vikings and their almost irresistible invasion and conquest of the British Isles. Reading like a mythical adventure story, Merkle guides us through historical scenes that would be almost unbelievable if they weren’t grounded in thorough historical investigation.
Merkle repeatedly references the puzzling lack of faith that modern scholars have in the historicity of the story of King Alfred, and manages to counter such unbelief with strong historical evidence while never descending into dull ‘fact-by-fact’ historical analysis.
Personally, I was absolutely enthralled by this book! Merkle’s way of weaving the story together was masterful and his ability to recount the Viking invasions in harrowing ‘full-colour’ was likewise impressive.
I also appreciated the author’s attention to Alfred’s Christian faith; the way that his faith shaped his politics and warfare, and Alfred’s subsequent desire to see Christianity influence the people of his realm.
I’ve given this book 5/5 stars because it managed to combine solid historical analysis with brilliant storytelling style.
Recommended for: Anyone interested in (English) history, leadership, war, politics, great men of history.
Update: Just for fun, a favourite quote:
“At that time, more than three centuries before the time of Robin Hood, the Anglo-Saxon name of Nottingham was Snotengaham, apparently named after an earlier chieftain named Snot. Luckily for the modern-day residents of the city, the “S” was eventually dropped from the name, and so, rather than Snottingham, the city is now called Nottingham.”
I’m Being Stalked By Infant Baptism
Should we baptise babies?
This is one debate where I’ve never really landed solidly on one side or the other – but right now - Infant Baptism is stalking me.
Do you have an opinion on infant baptism? Share it below.
Richard Bauckham on God, Evil & Closure
“[The resurrection of Jesus] bursts open the constraints of nature and history, promising an overwhelming good of a kind that will not, like any immanent theodicy, leave out the dead, the victims of history whose fate can never be justified by any product of history. Closure — meaning a finally satisfactory resolution of the problem of God’s goodness in the world — is found in trust and hope, not in some explanation of the world that makes sense of evil, and still less in the claim of human power to eradicate the evil that human reason has understood.”
Agree? Disagree? Give me your thoughts…
Sigh No More
Some beautiful lyrics from “Sigh No More”, the title track from Mumford and Sons’ latest that speaks to me about the rewards that await the man who overcomes fears and past hurts and chooses to love a woman:
Love it will not betray you
Dismay or enslave you, it will set you free
Be more like the man you were made to be
There is a design, an alignment, a cry
Of my heart to see
The beauty of love as it was made to be
Buy the incredible album “Sigh No More” here [iTunes].
PhysiSpiritual Discipline
In 2010 my plan is to strive ahead in two major areas:
1. Spiritual Training for my family. Renee and I will be beefing-up our family devotions both in depth and regularity. I reckon this is the key change we need to make this year. The commitment and conviction have never been lacking, but the execution has. So far, we’re flying-high and God is blessing us as we draw close to Him.
2. The other thing I’m striving for is physical fitness. Renee led the way in this department in 2009; committing to run 90 mins every day as I have sat at home working on my beer gut… NO MORE! Running each day gives me a great sense of accomplishment, and (when we can make it happen between two crazy work schedules) running together makes the experience all the more enjoyable.
So, there you have it. The Smith’s are taking it up a few notches in PhysiSpiritual Discipline!
Guest Review: “Nothing in My Hand I Bring”
Reviewed by Matt Scheffer
This is a great Aussie book by pastor Ray Galea. He grew up Maltese Roman Catholic. He then read the Bible and discovered lots of discrepancies between what the Catholic church said and what the Bible said. He understood the gospel from the Bible, then left the Catholic church.
This book describes his journey to Christ, and the painful journey out of the Catholic ‘identity’ and then what his faith in Christ means now.
The book also compares key doctrines of the Catholic church: Mary, Scripture, Salvation and the Roman Catholic Mass- and he critiques them in light of the Bible.
It is a fairly short book, some parts are quite repetitive, but he explains the gospel of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone and speaks candidly about his upbringing.
Ideal for: Christians to better understand the differences between Catholics and Protestants (And why those differences are still there today!) It is also a helpful book to give a Roman Catholic person.
Review: “Fearless”
“FEARLESS” by Max Lucado
As a reviewer for Thomas Nelson Publishers, I receive very few disappointing books – however, I have been disappointed by this one.
But let me get one thing straight before I tell you why…
I’m a big fan of Max Lucado. When I was a new Christian, Lucado’s gift-book titled “The Cross” formed my understanding of the Atonement in a significant way. I appreciate his ‘easy-reading’ writing style. I appreciate his warmth and ability to ’spin a good yarn’.
However, I was left feeling under-whelmed by this book.
It’s my belief that if an author is going to tackle the subject of suffering (or ‘fear’), that author must be willing to go DEEP. To go deep into the scriptures, deep into the issues and causes behind suffering, deep into the purposes and providence of God. Unfortunately, what I heard from Lucado was mainly platitudinous story-telling and superficial teaching.
That may sound harsh, but I had such high hopes for this book.
One reviewer has labeled Lucado “skillful as a surgeon” in his treatment of the topic… That he is skillful is without doubt – but as a surgeon I require him to go deeper into the flesh. It may require more time (the book is only 200 pages), it may require more detail, but as a surgeon [going deep] is what must be done.
Review: “God and Guinness”
“THE SEARCH FOR GOD AND GUINNESS: A Biography of the Beer that Changed the World” by Stephen Mansfield.
I review books for Thomas Nelson Publishers and so I’m always excited when a new book is published for review…
However, I’ve never been more excited than when I heard that Stephen Mansfield was writing a history of beer-brewing in general, and (Arthur) Guinness in particular.
I have been brewing beer for nearly 10 years, so I’d already researched the material offered in his short history of brewing. However, I found myself drinking-in every word because Mansfield managed to make the history of brewing sound so exciting, pivotal, triumphant!
I particularly enjoyed his treatment of the Guinness brewing company. I was unaware of the company’s noble roots and its subsequent endeavours for social justice, fair treatment of workers, etc. After reading this book I have enormous respect for the Guinness family and the Guinness brand.
Unfortunately, (very unfortunately!) beer has received a bad name in Christian circles over the years. It has gone from being a drink that was cherished by the most godly men, to a mere vehicle on the journey to drunkeness. This book goes a long way to restoring beer’s one-time glowing reputation.
As a Christian, a pastor and a beer lover – I can wholeheartedly recommend the book.
Hobbies: BUTCHERY
I love butchery. It doesn’t make me a deviant. I just like to be able to cut up my own meat. It makes me appreciate it more. Try it. And if you can’t bare the thought of eating meat that hasn’t come to you shrink-wrapped and pre-prepared… you should probably go vegetarian.
Section 5 is the part of the animal seen in the photos below. Attached to the backbone, the Porterhouse cut makes up one half of the steak when you buy a T-Bone. Below, I've opted for pure Porterhouse with no backbone. The other part of the T-Bone is the fillet, which is much more expensive.
4kg Porterhouse Cut
15 mins later: 19 premium Porterhouse steaks for $25. Beat that at Woolworths...
