LIVE FROM QUEEN CREEK...

HELLO, WORLD! I am typing at you live from Queen Creek, Arizona, where I am spending a quiet New Year's evening with family. Before I sign off, Happy New Year!!!

THE WISDOM OF ECONOMICS

Well, readers of my blog, I have a pithy saying to impart to you. It is this: Nothing puts the brakes on spending like running out of money!

Did you get that? Was its profundity overwhelming, so much so that you blinked and missed it completely?

I was so impressed with the wisdom of spending less than you make that I just had to share it with the world. In fact, I'm at a loss to elaborate on it! But I did want to point it out as a public service. Thanks for reading it (if indeed you are out there, and you ARE reading!).

Many blessings, few problems to you. Now I must get back to my self-directed Internet Experience.

LIVE 365

To Whom It May Concern:

If you want to try a new website for listening to music you want to hear, then listen to Live365.com! They have ALL genres of music and talk radio for free or pay. I recently discovered it by listening to iTunes and noticing that many internet stations were playing their music through Live365.com! Wow!

I hope everyone has a joyful and blessed Christmas season.

GIVE THANKS EVERY DAY

I trust the Lord gave you all a happy Thanksgiving Day. I feel that, as Christians, we should give thanks every day! Even though "it goes without saying," we need to be reminded, above all things, to be thankful to God for all things.

Right now, I am watching/listening to RC Sproul teach about the free will of man versus the sovereignty of God. I am thankful that I can do that. Christian instruction in sound Biblical doctrine is the most valuable activity we can engage in. Let us take every opportunity to do that.

Well, I have once again posted an entry here on what is probably the least-read blog on the Internet. I say that with a little sarcasm. I would hope that someone does leave a comment at the end of the posts. My desire to blog outpaces any response from readers (God bless you if you are one).

This concludes my latest attempt to blog successfully, that is, with real people(?) visiting. What can I do? Get a visitor counter? Eureka!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Well, I couldn't let today pass without first wishing any and all readers of my world-unfamous blog a Happy Thanksgiving. Now that I have completed that task, let me continue surfing and listening to Live365.com.


God bless and save the USA!

COUNTRY VS. NATION

One of my favorite activities, or inactivities if you consider sitting at a computer inactive, is to listen online to any of a number of favorite audio clips of music, sermons, lectures, or internet radio.

At the moment, I have RC Sproul on Ligonier.org's Flash Player, talking about Thanksgiving Day in our history as a nation and country. I consulted my Microsoft Encarta Dictionary for the difference between "country" and "nation." Country can refer to either the geographical area containing a political body of people, or to the people in that country (e.g., the whole country supported him). But nation refers to the people in that country. This is my humble, educated opinion.


Well, today finds me at my desktop window to the digital world, hunting and pecking out a spontaneous message to the vast reaches of cyberspace, a work of cyberprose to fellow bloggers abiding anonymously in the blogosphere. As you can see, I am quite capable of stretching an otherwise short blog post out to infinity, or at least nausea.

I feel it is imperative that I somehow at this point summarize my argument(s) and conclude this meandering entry into the digital blue yonder and say, Thanks for humoring this blogger.

Blog on!

RANDOM POST

Well, now, today finds me once again blogging for blogging's sake. I wonder if anybody is reading this. It is every blogger's dream to have a readership, someone besides him/herself who likes to visit and read their blog. Well, I find no evidence that there is any such person, Therefore, I have decided to post this entry.

"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." That, I believe, is a direct quote from the Bible. There, I just looked it up: Hebrews 10:31.

JUST A SPOONFUL OF SUGAR...

Okay, so this is another post to celebrate my ongoing maintenance of blog cred (weblog credibility, for the unwashed masses). I listen to Hugh Hewitt on the radio, and occasionally he uses the term "street cred" (credibility), for example. I have been trying to post blog entries, but Google's Beta Blogger (not beta blocker), or Blogger Beta, was having difficulty completing the task. So here I am again...posting up.

I am a happy surfer since I've discovered how to purchase and download songs from the Internet, using either iTunes, Windows Media Player's URGE, or Real Player. My, life is happy (not gay) once again, as I can fill the airwaves immediately surrounding my computer (and myself) with sounds of my choice. I am hereon no longer beholden and enslaved to the programming whims of complete strangers (and ninnies) who have no concept of what I like or deem appropriate for my listening pleasure.

For example, I have downloaded and played the theme song from The Pink Panther, songs from Mary Poppins, and listened to bluegrass gospel music! What fun! Makes me wonder what will motivate me to turn the TV back on. Probably boredom.

I urge everyone to purchase music this way. It's so much cheaper than buying a whole album, many of the songs on which I may not particularly like. But, avast, now there's legalized piracy!

Ahoy!

THAT'S A WRAP

Well, it seems a slight controversy has erupted over the definition of a sandwich. In a story at FoxNews.com, a sandwich shop in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts tried to prevent a Mexican restaurant from opening in the same shopping mall, citing a clause in their lease with the White City Shopping Center. It prevents another sandwich shop from opening in the mall.

The Panera Bread Co., a bakery and cafe chain, claimed that burritos are sandwiches, thus their claim against the restaurant. The definition as ruled by the judge in the case came down to two slices of bread versus one tortilla.

The judge wrote in his decision: "A sandwich is not commonly understood to include burritos, tacos and quesadillas, which are typically made with a single tortilla and stuffed with a choice filling of meat, rice, and beans."

Cambridge chef Chris Schlesinger said in an affidavit: "I know of no chef or culinary historian who would call a burrito a sandwich. Indeed, the notion would be absurd to any credible chef or culinary historian."

I agree. That's a wrap.

THE DAILY BLOG

Is it any wonder people don't blog EVERY DAY? Wow, what in the world would I blog about if I blogged every day? Whatever I want. Okay, let's say I blogged yesterday (which I did). Yesterday was Election Day! Did I say a word about that? No. I simply gushed about blogging for blogging's sake.

Now let's say I choose to blog TODAY (which I did). I am also listening to RC Sproul lecture on "Is God in a Rut?" I am simultaneously composing this blog entry, which you are reading now. The audio clip has ended. I must advance a plausible argument before starting the next paragraph, as this will greatly improve my credibility as a serious blogger.

Wannabes, retire! Sleep shall be thy help in thy quest for credibility tremendously!

You know, I really should go to bed rather than continue. This daily blogging business has me wondering if I can overcome fatigue and a drought of ideas--at least for today.

Nope.

THE WONDER OF IT ALL

I was mulling the phenomenon of blogging just now, and decided to post an entry fresh with inspiration. These moments are precious and few. Therefore, I must seize the opportunity to publish them. Pffff! Why not?

A healthy fear of saying something really stupid hangs over the conscientious blogger. He or she must exercise restraint when publishing comments over such a vast expanse of readership as the Internet. I fully realize that the interjection "Pffff!" is not necessarily stupid. But not elevating one's vocabulary above that is.

Well, I feel I have succeeded in putting forth a few lines of intelligent prose. Don't you?

One side note: I occasionally like to pose a question to the reader, assuming there is one. I like to think there is. But one can't be sure using such a unilateral medium as a desktop computer.

But I digress. How I love to say that, especially in print. Gutenburg, you reinvented life!

Whatever. Who in their right (or left) mind would want to read this blog of mine? I hold on to an ongoing hope that someone will post a comment saying:

"I read with interest your blog post dated _______, and found I agree/disagree on this/that point(s). Here's why..."

Is that so impossible? Hope springs eternal.

RUNNING THE NUMBERS

I see on my Blog Archive that 2006 is shaping up to be a pretty productive year, compared to 2005. I only had 27 posts then, compared to 35 and counting so far this year! What's up with 2004? Did I go on a cruise or what? Go to Townhall.com.

A NEW TEMPLATE

How do you like my new template? It's called "Denim." Blogger Beta offers new templates, so I chose this one. I always view improvements, no matter how small, as God's grace on a fallen world (Where Blogs Are Condemned to Stay The Same Forever).

Just kidding. I have no intention of "STAYING THE SAME". No sir. Not this kid. Not me. Uh-uh. Nope. Foggetaboddit.

Whew! How many negations was that? Too many. Well, I'm turning over a new template. I hope you like it. Too bad if you don't. I figure if I like it, you'll like it. We have too many self-serving bloggers out there who won't even ask their readership if they like it!

Now would be a good time for a shameless plug. You know, a hyperlink that will take you to a heretofore unknown-to-you website where you can see/hear/purchase something that will improve your life. Ah, we're back to "improvements" again. O the grace of God.

Anyway, I could steer you to a whole website full of outstanding, phenomenal, conservative, right-wing, Republican columns and blogs, articles and what-not. And like those blogs, I can hide the web address in a word ever so inconspicuously. It's more fun (so goes the wisdom) to mouse over the link to see the address before you click on it. Another minor improvement on the blogosphere, and cyberspace in general.

Well, I've wasted another block of cyber real estate to communicate with a vast, unimaginable readership of screen zombies. Oh, how I love to sound like Ann Coulter! She can slice wits with the best of them.

gottago/by4now/peace,out/getouttaheeya

AND NOW THIS

So this is Blogger Beta. Cool.

Where are the streamers and confetti? Oh, I see a few improvements around the Post Editor page. Woohoo! I can't wait until I finish typing this post so I can post it and see what happens, what new thing(s) will happen when I click on "Publish!"

Blogs are a writer-wannabe's dream come true. I can publish virtually anything (Get it? "Virtually?")

Anyway, this post is all about experimentation. Let's see what happens when I waste another several megabytes of bandwidth posting this cyber-drivel. Sorry, I don't mean to be so self-deprecating. But you get the point.

Let all viewers of cyberspace see the results!!!

NOTHING IN PARTICULAR???

Nothing in particular? Boy, that'll grab your readership right out of cyberspace like nothing else. Why would ANYONE want to read a blog about "nothing in particular?"

It seems to me this whole business of blogging has really gotten out of hand. I mean, people are just logging on and punching up the first thing that pops into their silly little heads! Next thing you know, they'll be blogging for themselves!!!

Well, I have come to the rescue with my no-nonsense approach to blogging. All I do is log in, click on "Blog This," and away I go. Once you know your way around, it gets easier.

So far, I must say that I have stalled pretty well. What do you think? I mean, this is nothing more than a creative outlet for me to vent my pent-up frustations about...

...NOTHING IN PARTICULAR!!!

THE DEVIL WAS AT THE U.N.!!!

As I read the headlines in my newsletter from Townhall.com, I realized the devil WAS at the U.N! President Hugo Chavez was right. He does take human form (2 Corinthians 11:14). However, Mr. Chavez got the devil's identity a little wrong. It was he who was doing the work of Satan. Calling a real Christian "the devil" only serves to reveal the allegiance of the accuser to the Accuser himself (Revelation 12:10).

Well, Mr. Chavez, what say you?

RELIGION OF PEACE UPDATE

Today's post has a link to a news report of an ex-Muslim who was shot by his former fellow muslims after he refused to chant Koranic verses in honor of the lunar and solar eclipses. Here is the link: World Net Daily

It seems that anybody who dares to report on the murderous activities of these fanatic, fascist Muslims around the world is liable to be killed also. After all, who would believe such "slander"? Imagine, Muslims killing people for not being Muslim! Or even worse, Muslims killing people FOR REPORTING IT!!!

Worse yet, there are different factions within Islam KILLING EACH OTHER in Iraq (and probably other places)!

My hat's off to the pope for merely quoting an historical document and watching "the enemy" flinch (deny history and threaten its messengers), thereby proving the truth. I'm not a Roman Catholic. But every now and then, the pope says things that I find to be historically accurate, and therefore get my attention.

One last note, the term "Religion of Peace" is a ubiquitous euphemism used as a tongue-in-cheek reference to the supposed peace-loving nature of the Muslim folks around us. Let's all keep informed about the latest scurrilous reports of "evil and inhuman" (and violent) behavior of these poor, misunderstood murderers.

"WE HAVE LIFTOFF!"

Congratulations to the Atlantis crew for a successful launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida!

In case you missed it, there is an excellent video clip at www.FoxNews.com.

REVIEW OF LIGONIER MINISTRIES' NEW WEBSITE

Regarding Ligonier Ministries' new website, I found a plethora of issues using Internet Explorer to visit it. Briefly, the website's functionality was fraught with problems. For example:

• The video player... didn't!

• The archive list in the media player (Adobe Flash Player) had no text, just lines and colors.

• The sound quality of Adobe Flash Player seemed inferior to Windows Media Player.

On the positive side, I found that using another browser (Opera) corrected the issues of functionality, not quality. I don't mind using Adobe Flash Player, except that I have to wait for the whole clip to play before I can pause it, because the player is buffering throughout the first play. If I pause before then, it automatically starts over. After that, I can use it like Windows Media Player (i.e. navigate in and out of the clip). Also, I don't have a progress bar until the entire clip is buffered. Just a little info for the prospective user.

If you're a Christian, this is a great website. If you're not, I pray that you become one.

I will visit it again to see if Internet Explorer still has those issues with the website. Happy surfing.

ACCOLADES TO HIM

Well, I did it! I posted a new entry to my blog! Hallelujah! This is the cry of every self-absorbed, egomaniacal blogger out there. What an accomplishment, especially after several attempts at publishing SOMETHING which demonstrates my perceived ability to blog. I write to entertain myself. I blog to entertain others.

I blog, therefore I am.

Where to go from here. I am on a roll! Don't stop me now! Nay, thou canst not stop me!!! I'm on a hormonally-induced high. I even consulted my Strong's Concordance to check whether that was the correct use of the word "canst."

Ah, but I can stop. Yea, I can slow down.

I would say that the best Editor is the Holy Spirit. He can stop any self-willed creature in its tracks if He chooses to do so. Always out of infinite love does God act. But I digress. No, He is always at the forefront, even when we fail to acknowledge Him!!! Praise and glory be to Him alone.

Well, I got that off my chest. What next? A tirade of Biblical proportions? That was it.

Sorry, next topic.

THE TROUBLE WITH BLOGGING

I have been thinking about this blogging thing. You know, how it works and doesn't work, depending on your savvy of navigational skills. I like to just post (compose, edit, critique, publish, repeat) and post. It really forces you to think and use your creative imagination, to get the proverbial "juices flowing." Feedback from reality (the monitor) is the best kind. Nothing like reading your work before and after publishing it!

Well, it seems I have a few ideas about how to better experience blogging at its best. I have a few writing and literary skills (real and imagined) which I like to use when I'm typing my blog posts (or journal entries). One thing I'm finding to be very important is formatting, i.e. not rambling from one topic to another in the same paragraph. One thought per paragraph, please! Large clusters of miscellany are hard to read, in my humble opinion. By the way, did you notice I typed out those oft-used phrases in text messaging, IMHO and BTW? Ah, English.

I also was thinking about individual posts, how composing them one at a time according to train of thought (or threads, if you will) would increase my chances of knowing what the heck I'm talking about in any given post. I may be over-analyzing this thing, but it's fun. I call it "pipelining", or lining up the posts, as I start and finish them out of sequence and publish them when I'm satisfied with their overall quality. This might help fight blog fatigue, which is the enemy of focused writing.

As I said, focus and fatigue are enemies. You may feel like rambling on and on about virtually everything once you've caught the blog bug. But knowing where to draw the line is very important. The philosophical ramifications of this are almost boundless. Notice how I said "almost boundless" because only God is infinite. But the next dog you see chasing its tail, ask whether it has learned anything or come to any conclusions.

Speaking of conclusions, here's one.

LIGONIER MINISTRIES

I am looking forward to seeing Ligonier Ministries' new website, which should be up in a few hours according to their temporary placeholder site.

SOME MISCELLANEOUS THOUGHTS

I titled this post as such because I had no cohesive theme with which to tie together the individual paragraphs. Hence, the "miscellaneous" nature of it. I desire to keep posting entries which capture the attention of someone passing over my blog. When, not if, I lack sufficient material for discussion, I resort to miscellany.

For example, I have been listening to The Pilgrim's Progress online here. You may or may not be a fan of that book, but I occasionally feel inspired to listen to it online or read it when I can.

I am revising this particular post several weeks after originally starting it. This is the beauty of selective posting, which means I start composing several entries before deciding which one to publish. I may or may not publish them all. In fact, I don't.

Well, the most important thing to remember about blogging is that you shouldn't put the first thing that pops into your head into the post, unless you're on a roll!

I thoroughly enjoy watching Dr. RC Sproul on his website, www.Ligonier.org.

This post is also an experiment. I want to see if the time stamp changes when I publish it several weeks after I start it. In this case, it was August 21.

Shakespeare Would Have Been Proud

 I have been wanting for some time to post an entry here, but have lacked sufficient cause and material to discuss. However, I have been spending exhorbitant amounts of time surfing, printing, and reading various articles relating to investment. May I direct you to The Motley Fool? It is an outstanding vehicle for learning all about investment and planning your financial future and freedom.

KUDOS TO FIREFOX

Kudos to Firefox!

Earlier this year, I suddenly noticed Firefox not completely loading web pages (only a couple of them). After downloading and reinstalling several times, I decided to install from CDROM-- which came with a book called "Firefox Secrets."

Well, this time, those web pages loaded correctly. So I updated the browser to the latest version (1.0.7). Now we're surfing!

SermonAudio.com - Order my steps Lord

SermonAudio.com - Order my steps Lord

Why does it not surprise me that ninety percent of the Reformed Christian sermons I hear that bless my soul are preached by Baptists? Let us take note of the fact that "many are the plans in a man's heart, but the LORD directs his steps." (Proverbs 16:9)

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY

IWASWONDERINGWHATWOULDHAPPENIFITYPEDTHISBLOGENTRYWITHOUT
SPACESORPUNCTUATION

Nobody would read it, right?

Well, anyway, have a safe Independence Day!

APOLOGY, ETC.

My apologies to anyone reading my blog. It seems the previous post was erroneously formatted after I posted it, and it now appears in two-toned psychedelia--complete with flaming-red hyperlinks. All my attempts at rectifying it have proven fruitless. Let's hope this post is more like the previous ones.

Well, I've just downloaded and installed Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2. I must say, it reminds me of Linux (in a good way), and of Apple, in the overall appearance of web pages. I would say they look more like the aforementioned's browsers than the old IE. All of the available features certainly increase the Cool Factor. Let us surf and see.

I encourage you to risk taking the time and effort to download and install different browsers to see the various ways--like automobiles--to get around the Information Superhighway.

Bravery (and money) will afford themselves the opportunity to explore the possibilities of desktop computing. We have only touched the tip of a philosophical iceberg.

But for now, it's bedtime...

NETSCAPE NAVIGATES!!!

Well, I have made a fairly pleasant discovery (so far) in using Netscape's Navigator web browser. One of the things I like about it is that on Hotmail, the text editor has a fully featured formatting toolbar. In Firefox and Opera, the toolbar does not appear. It seems that only Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator are the only two browsers I have which support that feature in Hotmail. Just a little bit of trivia.

Surf on, fellow bloggers!

SATURDAY NIGHT BLOG

Well, tonight finds me watching the Arizona Diamondbacks playing on TV, and me wondering why Blogger.com is having issues with my blog.

It seems the Dashboard and other behind-the-scenes pages at Blogger are okay. But I noticed the last couple of days, my blog has been de-formatted (temporarily?) I think I saw someone else's blog affected as well, but I'm not sure. I'm going to explore this further, and see if I can't change templates or something to get to the bottom of this. Not a problem. I'm just interested in what may have happened. Fun, fun, fun!

OPERA ROCKS!!!

 Hey, all of you low-tech, geek-wannabes (like me) who would like surfing in a new, different web browser! Here is Opera, which you may or may not like (I do). Because Firefox was having trouble completely loading some webpages, I thought I'd give Opera a re-try. It is a refreshing change. True, Firefox has many features which Internet Explorer DOES NOT. But Opera gives Firefox a run for its money.

Don't get me wrong: IE is still a good browser. But why drive a Ford when you can drive a...(fill in the blank)? Toyota? Honda? Lexus?

Just like Linux is touted as the solution to Windows, Firefox is touted as the solution to Internet Explorer. And in my case, Opera (and IE) is the solution to 
Firefox. Ah, choices. 

A RANDOM POST

Thanks to all who commented on my recent posts.  They are much appreciated.

Regarding the features and advantages of using the Tekka template from Blogger.com, I thought it was too stark but simple enough to do the job. However, when I found another template (Powell Street) at http://blogger-templates.blogspot.com, I liked it best of all the others on that page.

Here is a little lesson in hyperlinking from your blog post (which I learned while doing this one!):

1. Highlight the text you wish to hyperlink.
   
2. Click the Hyperlink button in the toolbar.
3. Enter the desired address of the hyperlink.
4. Click OK.
5. Depress the Bullet Points button in the toolbar, or else every new paragraph WILL BE A BULLET POINT!!! (This last one was for me because it is very tricky business to make a list like this.)
   

There. Now a new problem arises.  Every new line that you type will be completely hyperlinked until you do the following:

1. Go back and select (highlight) all the text that it (the Blogger Post Editor) is hyperlinking (that you don't want hyperlinked).
   
2. Click the Hyperlink button in the toolbar.
3. Delete any text from the address bar of the JavaScript pop-up window.
4. Click OK.

By double-spacing, you disable the bullet-point feature and return to standard paragraphs. Whew!

 I will now go back and follow my instructions to de-hyperlink this entire lesson!

POWELL STREET BLOG

Almost sounds like a horror movie, doesn't it? Actually, it's the name of the template I installed to make my blog more appealing. Whaddya think?

A Change of Template

I would like to announce that as of this posting, I have converted my blog to a new template called "Tekka," which I'm sure connotes a post-modernistic theme of high-tech "whatever" attitude. I say whatever because it was an arduous search through each and every template on Blogger.com before I arrived at this one, which is a fair compromise of all features I prefer in the appearance.

--Editor's note: Don't worry, I'll change my mind in the next post...

THIRTY-FIVE MILLION AND COUNTING

Okay, here is another post by this very occasional blogger. It takes a lot (apparently) of inspiration to get me to sit here and type a message to some indiscriminate mass of readership which I will (may) never see in this life. But because I am a Christian, and believe all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28)--whew--, this is hopefully not just another "futile" attempt at becoming one of the many (35 million) souls who yearn, nay, starve for attention from other human beings who read blogs. I must admit I read very few blogs, mainly HughHewitt.com and others associated with it.

Well, that's enough introductory blogposting. I'll just carry on with the rest of my post.

It seems there are 35 million blogs on the web today, according to Jeremy Wagstaff of the Wall Street Journal Online.

I had to start a new paragraph because the blog editor wouldn't stop underlining and hyperlinking my text! But I found out the underlining doesn't show up after the hyperlink in the published post.

In any event, let's try an experiment: FOX NEWS ...there, no underlining or hyperlinking after the hyperlink! Success.

As I was saying, here is an article (see the Wall Street Journal Online) about the glut (that's overabundance, for those of you in Rio Linda) of blogs on the Internet. There is no human way possible to read ALL THOSE BLOGS!!! Therefore, as Mr. Wagstaff suggests, one must consult an aggregator website such as BlogBridge.com. to make any sense of it all. Frankly, I haven't gone there myself. But if I just click the link, why I'll be there in mere moments... yecch! Chaff and wheat.

Anyway, if you are reading this, please post a comment (unless you're an automated comment generator from deep cyberspace).

ATHEISTS: READ THIS

American Vision has an excellent article by Gary DeMar about an atheist who refuses to use his own common sense to determine whether Christianity--or any historical event-- is proveable and therefore credible. His foolishness is so extremely evident that I encourage you to read at least a portion of this article to see for yourself how nonsensical atheism can be and is.

ARRIVEDERCI, AFGHANISTAN!

Today's post bears an irresistible pun in its title. I wish to congratulate Abdul Rahman on emigrating to Italy to flee a death sentence, either by the Court or by Islamic vigilantes, for becoming, by the grace of God, a Christian.

It is only in America, and in other places where Christians enjoy a measurable degree of freedom to worship and serve God, that we can openly rejoice when God provides an escape from an impossible situation. Hallelujah!

AMERICAN IDLE

I thought I might live-blog American Idol tonight. Everyone is singing Stevie Wonder songs, so it should be a good night.

1) Ace Young: I agreed with Randy Jackson--it was a so-so performance.

2) Kellie Pickler: Wow! All three judges sent her packing with a less than stellar performance rating.

3) Elliot Yamin: He sang very well.

4) Mandisa: She looks extremely poised and confident. Her singing is not spot-on notewise at the beginning of her song, but it sounded pretty good otherwise. Simon liked it! So did Paula. Randy didn't.

5) Bucky Covington: So far, so good. He's putting in a good performance. Randy liked it! Simon says, the hair must go! Otherwise, he gives it a thumbs up. Paula agreed with Randy.


6) Melissa McGhee: Beautiful girl. Good voice (Randy: she has "the pipes.").

7) Lisa Tucker: Looks good. Sounds very good. She could be a lock. Signed, sealed, and delivered!

8) Kevin Covais: Surprisingly good. Simon said it was "appalling." I totally disagree. I saw a good performance from someone you would not expect to be so stage-friendly and relatively cool. Good job!

9) Katharine McPhee: She has a better than average Idol voice.

10) Taylor Hicks: My favorite male singer this competition. Simon, as usual, delivered his barb/compliment, making it unanimous.

11) Paris Bennett: Good performance. All three agree!

12) Chris Daughtry: He was as good as, if not better than, Taylor Hicks.

That's it! Bedtime.

Here is a quick link to Renewing Your Mind.

Middle East Radio Forum

I just wanted to post this link to their website. It is an extraordinarily informative hour on the radio, when you can learn a lot about the Middle East and its history as it relates to the current turmoil. I hope you check it out. The host of the program has posted various links to other related websites for further enlightenment. You'll have to download and install Quicktime Player to listen if you don't have it. It's worth the trouble. But FYI: I had to try three times to download the setup files because of corrupt files which interrupted the download. It seemed to work reasonably well otherwise.
Middle East Radio Forum
Be back later with another interesting link!

Calvinism vs. Arminianism

For all you theology buffs who are interested in the debate between what John Calvin taught, which is by and large taught in the Bible, and what Jacob Arminius taught, I submit to you this link to an excellent--if not the best--expositional sermon on the Five Points of Calvinism. These points are, of course, not exhaustive of Calvin's theology, or of Biblical theology. They merely answer the five points raised by Arminius and his followers.

When, not if, you follow the link to the webpage of the sermon, be sure to click "Later" when asked if you wish to receive their email newsletter (if you do, then click "Continue"). Enjoy The Five Points of Calvinism.

Compass Direct

Today's post is a shameless plug for Compass Direct, a Christian website dedicated to informing the public about the severe persecution suffered by Christians around the world. It is an eye-opener for us Western believers who have been living in countries which were founded predominantly by Christians, and have experience only moderate political persection (culture wars) which rarely turns violent. Thank God we are a safe, though imperfectly so, harbor for a restless world. May God grant us His peace, grace and mercy in our time of need.

A FEW CHANGES

I tried a couple of things today to see if they would improve the appearance of my blog. One was to revert to my old title, "Pete's Blog," an unpretentious name for a novice such as myself. The other change was to insert a news feed in the sidebar. That was an experiment in HTML code 101. I'll leave it to the adventurous to see how I did that.

Well, I could post a hyperlink for fun here.

For Blogger.com users' future reference, use the hyperlink toolbar button, then change the text from its full web address to whatever you want. It will stay a hyperlink to that address. Pretty cool.

Music Hath Charms..

I don't know what to write about, but I have noticed that when I listen to great Christian music such as that found in the previous post, it can be incredibly inspiring. Earlier, I watched the trailer for End of the Spear, the movie about the murder of five missionaries to the Auca Indians of Ecuador. That certainly set me on a Christian course this evening. Here is the link: http://www.endofthespear.com/ It certainly is inspiring, especially if you have a high-speed connection because of all the "buffering."

One of these days, I'll figure out how to post a link without using "http, etc.," like other bloggers do. There. Now if you click on that link, you will find that I discovered (learned) how to do it. I'll leave it a trade secret unless you are familiar with Blogger.com.

Well, that leaves me with one more post which basically says what I want, but nothing else. Again, if you can swing playing audio of your choice through your computer while blogging, do it. It will inspire you to employ your whole brain! What a rush!

Until I feel inspired again...

P.S. As a disclaimer, the above photo was uploaded from my computer, not from the movie. If you have Windows XP, it's in the My Pictures folder, under Sample Pictures. This one is called, "Blue Hills." Obviously:)

Born Again Radio

I just wanted to post this link to Born Again Radio for "America's Best Christian Music.". I recommend the first and second buttons on the left to listen with Windows Media Player (32/48K wma). These sounded the best. I also recommend the Recommended Links page (http://faithchurchaz.org/documents/links.html) of Faith Church of the Valley's website (http://faithchurchaz.org) for a comprehensive list of hyperlinked resources for the multimedia addict as well as Bible scholar.

The title of my post being what it is, I must end it here and begin a new one to change the subject. So here I go...

GASP! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE???

You have just stumbled upon the most unread blog on the web!!! This is just a miscellaneous blogpost which says basically nothing except,"Hey!" I should visit other blogs and websites in order to draw inspiration for my own blog. I do enjoy posting things when I feel inspired to do so. Perhaps I just feel the need to publish. This is, after all, the Information Age.

We are living in the midst of what some are calling the Information Reformation (Hugh Hewitt, et al). I feel very fortunate (blessed) to be able to go online and read and/or write about it. But the real phenomenon is found in surfing the Net, not just talking about it. Not to slam commentaries about such things or abstract thinking in general. It is our God-given ability to reason that helps us to cope with the changes inherent in a living, breathing community of naturally creative human beings, guided of course by the unseen but discernable hand of God.

I must begin a new paragraph because I have no idea how to follow that last one. But it is an exercise in freedom and reason that I discuss these things. I seem to favor descending into a philosophical tone when writing about life in general, and I will always do so, given enough time. This is to soar with wings of eagles, to write freely but restrainedly, to chain the wild beast and make him perform well as though not a wild beast at all. Grrrr.

How does one wrap up such a post as this, a philosophical-wannabe treatise on hardly anything at all. I can sign off knowing the next post will be better.

Well...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Well, it looks like my new year's wishes are a little late. But better late than never. I trust all of you imaginary readers of my blog had a good holiday season. I did, especially since I discovered Mannheim Steamroller! Their Christmas CDs are peerless and worth listening to over and over. I recommend them to anyone who loves good, clean music.

Well, this is my second paragraph, and already I'm repeating myself ("Well"). Having run out of things to say, I must defer to any websites you may prefer to visit. Happy Surfing.