Wednesday, June 26, 2002
Whew! I finally replied to the emails that have been languishing in my mailbox (where there is much weeping and gnashing of teeth...). I feel pretty bad about losing track of them and not responding earlier, but I suppose it's better to be very, very late than to never respond at all.
Meanwhile, having stupidly taken a three-hour nap before going to bed, I've been up most of the night. Aided by two cups each of tea and hot chocolate and a can of Sprite, I'm still fairly alert (what? who said that? the gnomes are stealing my underwear!). I've also been catching up on my reading. So far, I've read Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, I'm mid-way through The House of the Dead by Fyodor Dostoevsky, and I've got Cakes and Ale by W. Somerset Maugham (author of The Razor's Edge, one of my favorite books, and one vastly superior to Catcher in the Rye's pointless angst) and Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo next in line. Meanwhile, I'm also working on reading all of the Old Testament (I'll admit to skimming portions of Leviticus and Numbers...), and I'm also half-way through Lee Strobel's The Case for Faith. Basically, Strobel goes and interviews noted apologists such as Peter Kreeft, Norman Geisler, and Ravi Zacharias (among many others) for their answer to some of the toughest criticisms of faith in general and Christianity in particular. It sorta-kinda pretends to be unbiased, but it's obvious to everyone, including the author, that it's a book of apologetics. In any case, since the answers come from the best, they're pretty persuasive. In any case, it's a must-read for Christians interested in defending their faith to atheists and agnostics. Along with Vincent Carroll and Dave Shiflett's Christianity on Trial, it's part of a one-two punch that should leave most critics reeling.
Meanwhile, having stupidly taken a three-hour nap before going to bed, I've been up most of the night. Aided by two cups each of tea and hot chocolate and a can of Sprite, I'm still fairly alert (what? who said that? the gnomes are stealing my underwear!). I've also been catching up on my reading. So far, I've read Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, I'm mid-way through The House of the Dead by Fyodor Dostoevsky, and I've got Cakes and Ale by W. Somerset Maugham (author of The Razor's Edge, one of my favorite books, and one vastly superior to Catcher in the Rye's pointless angst) and Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo next in line. Meanwhile, I'm also working on reading all of the Old Testament (I'll admit to skimming portions of Leviticus and Numbers...), and I'm also half-way through Lee Strobel's The Case for Faith. Basically, Strobel goes and interviews noted apologists such as Peter Kreeft, Norman Geisler, and Ravi Zacharias (among many others) for their answer to some of the toughest criticisms of faith in general and Christianity in particular. It sorta-kinda pretends to be unbiased, but it's obvious to everyone, including the author, that it's a book of apologetics. In any case, since the answers come from the best, they're pretty persuasive. In any case, it's a must-read for Christians interested in defending their faith to atheists and agnostics. Along with Vincent Carroll and Dave Shiflett's Christianity on Trial, it's part of a one-two punch that should leave most critics reeling.
