• Singability. I’ll concede this point to Mr. Hubbs. Ours is indeed “vocal torture”
• Inspiring Language. I love the prose of the whole text of Key’s poem. The lyrics come from “Defence of Fort McHenry”, a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old amateur poetFrancis Scott Key (A Lawyer… which might explain the lofty prose) after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships in Chesapeake Bay during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812. While the first verse may lack inspiration. The same, I believe, cannot be said of the entire poem. I also submit the final verse of the poem as my example of inspiring language.
• Using words that people actually are familiar with. Personally, I think that words like Spangled. Perilous. Ramparts. Gallantly….etc. lift the prose of our anthem to a lofty state. Anthem should inspire beautiful and inspiring language.
• Actually mentioning the name of the country. Again, I concede this point to Mr. Hubbs.
• Not beginning and ending with a question. The song “ends” with a question because, again, we only sing the first verse of  a poem who’s last verse emphatically answers the question. As Mr. Key sat on the ship on the Chesapeake bay with “bombs bursting in air” the only way he knew about the outcome of the fight was by seeing our flag still waving. So in the night he asked the question, “… does that star-spangled banner yet wave…?

Oh say can you see by the dawn’s early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
‘Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: ‘In God is our trust.’
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Could we have picked a better anthem? Absolutely. Our anthem suffers from being a large poem that got chopped up. I guess this defense has been more a defense of the poem then the anthem but I just wanted to share my thoughts on the subject with you.

So excited to start using it!

I got:
- Nikon D90 (body)
- Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens
- Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR
- Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR
- Battery Grip and extra battery
- Nikon ML-L3 Wireless Remote
- Kata KT DR-466 DPS Digital Rucksack
- Aperture 3

I have had so much fun already as I’ve been testing it out.
I can’t wait to see the images this baby will help me create!

I mainly got it for pics of our son so I can show him off! ;0)

Over the last few days since Apple announced

Some folks have been warming to the idea and like some folks I know, I have been finding more and more uses for the iPad. This growing list of uses has cemented in my mind my desire to get this device. What follows are some of the uses I have come up with for the iPad as well as some general reasons why I think it is a worthwhile purchase. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me. This device is not for everyone. I do hope, however, to show that there is a place for the device.

The iPad is a great “coffee house” device. Sure it doesn’t multitask (more on this later) but it does what it does very well. As an e-book reader, this thing is amazing. No, it doesn’t have the “e-ink” technology but I, personally, don’t struggle with the eye strain from reading on an LCD. I think Amazon made this issue up to sell Kindles like scientists made up Global Warming. I’m joking of course…. well, sort of. (LOL) Jobs has said that it will have up to ten hours of battery life (which probably means more like eight) when reading..etc. Someone will say, “Well, the Kindle has a much longer battery life.” While this is true, when Walt Mossberg asked Jobs about this Jobs responded by saying that most people don’t read for more than ten hours in a stretch and they can just charge it at night. It can also be read in poor lighting unlike the Kindle. Laptops are nice but they require a certain position of sitting and placement when at a coffee shop or bookstore. Depending on your computer you may need to be close to a wall outlet. It’s also hard to recline or sit back in one of those comfy cushiony chairs/sofas with a laptop, in my opinion. One of the beauties of the iPad is that it is held just like a book, magazine, or newspaper. And as, inevitably, the plethora of accessory companies come out with products there will be some nice ways to carry it. imagine walking into your local coffee shop, not with a laptop bag but with a nice and slim case containing an iPad, settling down in a comfortable chair and reading the New York Times or a chapter of The Lord Of The Rings.

The iPad is a great Living Room Device. The uses I’m about to talk about are really what sold me on this device. I believe that the living room is where the iPad will shine! The iPad will make a great public internet machine that sits on your coffee table. Not being connected to your file network, it is a nice device for those times when friends you have over want to show you a site they like, or for checking a fact on Wikipedia or just casually scanning the internet. With the vast amount of already existing iPhone/iPod Touch apps like board games…etc. it would make a nice pass-and-play game device for entertaining. In the living room, the e-book capabilities also come back into play as you are sprawled out on your couch. I also think that developers will come up with some cool living room uses for the iPad too. It could make a sweet universal remote..etc. Apps will make or break this device (more on this in a bit).

Another niche use for the iPad is that it is a neat tool for Photographers. Imagine you were meeting a potential client at Starbucks to discuss a gig you could potentially be hired for. You could load up the iPad with an album of some of your best work and either let the potential client flip through the pictures or just play them a slide show. If they are interested, open up your website and show them your pricing. If they like what they see, open the calendar app and put the gig in your calendar.

Like the iPhone, applications are going to be what make this device amazing. The iPhone wouldn’t be such a powerhouse without some of the amazing apps and games that have been developed for it and the iPad will be no different. Apps have shaped what the iPhone is and apps will do the same for this device. As I mentioned above, anything from a universal remote type application to a pass an play board game type app to …well, just about anything. The uses for this device are only limited by the developers’ imaginations

The price of the iPad is another fantastic selling feature. Apple teased by floating a “less than $1000” price tag which is usually business speak for $999. But the $499 price point makes it very competitive. I, personally, don’t want a 3G model. I have my iPhone for times when I need to look up something when I’m out and about. When I’m at home i don’t need the 3G because I have WiFi. Also, what coffee house or bookstore, doesn’t have WiFi these days? As for the storage capacity, 16GB is plenty for storing apps and e-books. I have music on my iPhone so there is no need for it to be on the iPad. And Movies can be added on a “need” basis and taken off when not needed. Take the Kindle DX for example. It has the same size display (9.7”) but it is only a monochrome e-ink display and is simply an e-book reader with a few extras like PDF viewing. At $489, the Kindle DX is ten dollars cheaper but doesn’t come close to doing half of the things the iPad can do.

I also want to add that most of the issues I’ve seen people gripe about are software issues. Multitasking, Flash and a lot of other issues are software issues that can be added with updates and won’t render this device obsolete. I know people wanted a camera on the iPad but I don’t see a need for one. What cellphone doesn’t come with a camera? If you want to video chat use your computer.

The iPad is very compelling. It has a very open future that could lead it just about anywhere that developers want to take it. It is priced aggressively and is styled beautifully. (I would like to point out the lack of Apple Fanboy design worshiping in this post) Many people thought the iPod was silly and useless when it came out and here we are nine years after the iPod was introduced and Apple has sold over two hundred and fifty million iPods. It is very funny to look back and read some of the comments made about the iPod and it could be equally funny looking back at comments about the iPad in a few years.

This device isn’t for everyone but I believe it is for me and I will be getting one. What say ye? Am I wrong, stupid, naive, or all of the above? Feel free to comment.

“Leavened or un-leavened bread for the Lord’s Supper,” - Conversations with Doug Wilson from Daniel Foucachon on Vimeo.

What say ye?

“Sometimes happy endings are not happy at all, but they are still endings. This does not mean that they are the wrong endings, or that a better ending slipped by. Perhaps in a broken world, imperfect endings are at times the only way to close a story. They are the only endings that fit. They are the best endings.”

This got me thinking.

All of our “imperfect endings” point to the ultimate and perfect ending we look forward to in the return of Jesus Christ. The ultimate “putting to rights” of all things will brightly shine against the dark background of all that has taken place before. Christ and Him crucified became Christ and Him risen. Soon and very soon it shall be Christ and Him returned! The resurrection of Christ assures us of our resurrection. Tolkien spoke of the resurrection of Christ as a “eucatastrophe.”

“Eucatastrophe is a term coined by J. R. R. Tolkien which refers to the sudden turn of events at the end of a story which result in the protagonist’s well-being. He formed the word by affixing the Greek prefix eu, meaning good, to catastrophe, the word traditionally used in classically-inspired literary criticism to refer to the “unraveling” or conclusion of a drama’s plot. For Tolkien, the term appears to have had a thematic meaning that went beyond its implied meaning in terms of form. In his definition as outlined in his 1947 essay On Fairy-Stories, eucatastrophe is a fundamental part of his conception of mythopoeia. Though Tolkien’s interest is in myth, it is also connected to the gospels; Tolkien calls the Incarnation the eucatastrophe of “human history” and the Resurrection the eucatastrophe of the Incarnation.”*

I take one issue with what Tolkien said. I don’t believe that the incarnation was the eucatastrophe of human history. I do, however, believe it was the inauguration and guarantee of it. The great “re-raveling’ of the story will find it ultimate end in the parousia. In that moment, all shall be well.

Come, Lord Jesus

I close with a passage from C.H. Spurgeon

“Looking for Him”
********
C. H. Spurgeon

“Unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation”
(Hebrews 9:28).

This is our hope. He to whom we have already looked as coming once to bear the sins of many will have another manifestation to the sons of men; this is a happy prospect in itself. But that second appearing has certain peculiar marks which glorify it exceedingly.

Our LORD will have ended the business of sin. He has so taken it away from His people and so effectually borne its penalty that He will have nothing to do with it at His second coming. He will present no sin offering, for He will have utterly put sin away.

Our LORD will then complete the salvation of His people. They will be finally and perfectly saved and will in every respect enjoy the fullness of that salvation. He comes not to bear the result of our transgressions but to bring the result of His obedience; not to remove our condemnation but to perfect our salvation.

Our LORD thus appears only to those who look for Him. He will not be seen in this character by men whose eyes are blinded with self and sin. To them He will be a terrible Judge and nothing more. We must first look to Him and then look for Him; and in both cases our look shall be life.

*Preceding paragraph taken from wikipedia

The Lord’s Day should, for a Christian, be a day of resting and feasting. A day to celebrate all the good that the Lord has granted to us.

————————————————

Being a good host when having people over on the Lord’s Day is an important part of both the resting and the feasting.

In ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’, J. R. R. Tolkien portrays the Medieval incarnation of the host, in the form of Barliman Butterbur, patron of The Prancing Pony:

“Off he went at last, and left them feeling rather breathless. He seemed capable of an endless stream of talk, however busy he might be. There was a bit of bright fire burning on the hearth, and in front of it were some low and comfortable chairs.

“In a twinkling the table was laid. There was hot soup, cold meats, a blackberry tart, new loaves, slabs of butter, and half a ripe cheese: good plain food, as good as the Shire could show, and homelike enough to dispel the last of Sam’s misgivings (already much relieved by the excellence of the beer)”.

We meet Butterbur again in ‘The Return of the King’, when the hobbits revisit The Prancing Pony, discover that “no change for the worse had yet come upon the beer and the victuals”, and go on their way with this uplifting farewell: “I don’t doubt you’ll soon set all to rights. Good luck to you. And the oftener you come back, the better I’ll be pleased.”

The ability to communicate real, non-watered down, truths to children is a a more and more forsaken art these days. So many Christian children’s books these days simply tell kids to be nice or to share. Children need to hear the gospel as much as adults do and one of the best ways of communicating the truths of the Gospel to them is through stories and allegories. R.C. Sproul has written such a story. The Prince’s poison cup speaks about the cost of the cross for Jesus and our role in making that necessary.  I have posted the audio of the entire book here. It’s about 16 minutes long but I feel that it will be well worth the time spent. I’m working on some posts defending allegory and defending fiction and hope to have those out soon. For now, enjoy R.C. Sproul reading his book, “The Prince’s Poison Cup”

Download audio file (01%20The%20Prince%27s%20Poison%20Cup.mp3)

One was Ray Lewis. After his team won a wildcard playoff game in fairly convincing fashion he exclaimed “Isn’t God Awesome!?!” The other was Colt McCoy of the University of Texas. After injuring his arm early in the game, McCoy was forced to sit out of the National Championship ( a game he had stated that he dreamed of playing in his entire life) and watch his backup and the rest of his team lose to Alabama. In a post game interview he said, “I always give God the glory, I’d never question why things happen the way they do.  God is in control of my life and if nothing else I know I’m standing on The Rock.”

What strikes me about these “confessions” is the differences in the circumstances. How easy was it for Ray Lewis to praise God? I’m not commenting here on the sincerity or veracity of Lewis’ faith. I’m simply saying that it’s not difficult to praise God when all is well and your team wins a playoff game. This is in stark contrast to the confession of Colt McCoy. Colt had no earthly reason to praise God. He hadn’t played in the Championship game which according to some was the reason his team lost. As a senior entering the draft the injury could put his NFL career in jeopardy. Through all of this, though, he proclaimed that God was in control of his life and he wasn’t going to question Him. I’m sure many a television viewer on that night wondered if he didn’t receive a head injury in addition to his arm injury. What reason did he have to praise God? Wasn’t it God who did this to him?

It’s in those times when it should be absurd to praise God, when all earthly wisdom screams at us to complain and despair, it’s those times that our praise is at it’s most meaningful. Anyone can praise God when things go well for them. The difficulty comes in praising God when things don’t go well. A great example of this is Job. After being put through trials of unimaginable proportion he was still able to exclaim, “Though he slay me, I will hope in him.” This, too, is one of the many applications of the Desiring God Ministries/John Piper motto, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” Job was satisfied in God. And though I know nothing of the man’s faith, Colt McCoy was at least professing that he was satisfied in God as well.

In closing I can’t help but think of the praises that rang forth from those mentioned in Hebrews 11. “Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two,  they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.” (35b-38) Their praise of God and faithfulness to Him in the midst of these circumstances was absurd…. yet glorious.

I pray that God would teach me such absurd  faithfulness and praise.