Wounded Knee

In an effort to raise funds for our Classical Christian schools in Iraq, the Wounded Knee Running Team is currently in training for December's half marathon sponsored by St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Memphis. Then we'll attempt the big one this spring: the Country Music Marathon. Pray for us as we train. Contact us if you'd like to help sponsor our effort.

One Man's Meat

What I'm reading these days is, as per usual, widely and wildly varied:

Journals and Periodicals: Every week I read World magazine first. I'll refer to Newsweek, Time, and The Economist. But World is always my first reference point. Even when I disagree with the articles, I am invariably challenged to think. Susan Olasky's recent interview with Anne Lamott, for instance, was amazingly informative and provocative. I also read The Spectator every week--mostly to get Paul Johnson's literate take on the world and its goings on. As far as monthlies, I try to read Runner's World and MacWorld from cover to cover. And Credenda Agenda, Every Thought Captive, Homeschooling Today, and Table Talk are always consumed cover to cover. I'm excited about the new publication of Preston-Speed called The Captain. It promises to provide plenty of Hentyesque historical vignettes and historical yarns.

Books: I am currently rereading Iain Murray's masterful biography of Jonathan Edwards (Banner of Truth). It is now even available in paperback! I am working my way through Jeff Meyers' magnum opus, The Lord's Service (Canon). It is worth every minute of the decade long wait for it to finally come out in a permanent form. Gregg Strawbridge's encyclopedic anthology of articles on paedobaptism, The Case for Covenantal Infant Baptism, is a real gem (P&R). I'm already halfway through it. I've always appreciated the work of Gene Getz. His new book, Elders and Leaders, just arrived today (Moody). I can't wait to dive in. My friend Mike Card, just gave me a copy of Awed to Heaven, Rooted to Earth, a collection of prayers by Walter Bruggemann (Fortress). I can already tell it is changing the way I pray. And the newest book from R.C. Sproul Jr., Bound for Glory, also just arrived (Crossway). R.C. Jr. never fails to make me laugh, think, and repent all at once. His basement tapes, his newsletter, and even his blog tend to keep me up nights. I'm teaching through James Jordan's seminal work, Primeval Saints (Canon). Jim rocks my boat every time I read him, no matter how many times I read and reread and re-reread him. Just for fun, I am also reading The Clerkenwell Tales, by Peter Ackroyd (Chatto and Windus). It is a sort of sequel to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Brilliant!

Bibles: I have been using the remarkable English Standard Version (ESV) for nearly two years now. It is as readable as the NIV, but without the plethora of innacuracies. It is as accurate as the NASV, but without the wooden syntax. With a translation committee that reads like a who's who of the Reformed and Evangelical worlds, led by none other than J.I. Packer, it is a translation that is hard to resist. And now that Crossway has added a wider-margin, larger-print version, it is the perfect preaching Bible--I got my new one today. I've even begun to convert my Scripture memory program to the ESV.

Panther's Roar

Can you hear that? It is the roar of the new Panther version 10.3 of the OS X operating system. The best way to describe it is simply, "wow." Although not due in stores until the evening of October 24, I've had a chance to see this technological marvel in action this week. If you thought that Jaguar version 10.2 was the fastest, cleanest, easiest-to-use, quickest-to-learn, and most-reliably crash-proof computer platform you've ever seen, just wait until you see this one. It dazzles. It boggles. It roars.

According to the press-kit, Panther delivers over 150 features and innovations. Some of these are invisible to the ordinary user. But others--like the new Exposé toggle feature which allows users to have instant direct access to any open window or file on their desktops--are huge and unmistakable advances. The new-look Finder is also a grand leap forward--it is incredibly well-designed and gets users to their favorite files and folders in a single click. The greatly enhanced Mail program with its top-notch Spam Filter is just unbeatable. And the system's better-than-ever seamless Windows compatibility provides the proverbial icing on the cake.

Once again, the innovators at Apple have outdone themselves. If you were wondering if you really should upgrade, wonder no more.