don't waste your life

have you ever began reading a book for "fun" that eventually became a chore? have you started a book off fired up about what you may learn or take away from reading it only to find yourself struggling to get through the first 2 or 3 chapters? that's how i was with "don't waste your life" by john piper. usually the motivation for getting through a book like this becomes, "well i paid for it so i should finish reading it." that wasn't true with this once since i got it for free from the publisher's website. so i had to find my motivation elsewhere. it came from the contents of those first few chapters that were hard to get through. and it was worth getting through it.

1984

i've always wanted to read 1984. i definitely wouldn't say it's for everyone but it's worth a read if you're into the poliitical societal plight of mankind kind of thing. it reminds me alot of aldous huxley's "brave new world". it's not action packed or a particularly easy read but it's definitely one that will make you think about society and government and where our world is headed.

luckily orwell didn't get the year right, though it's definitely conceivable that much of the reality in the book could become a part of our reality in the not too distant future.

IMHO.

thr3e

i haven't read much fiction in a long time. probably the last fiction work i read was 3 left behind books ago. however, i needed something to read in traveling home and back so i picked up thr3e. it's a murder mystery thriller that is nonstop from the first page.

dekker interweaves a Christian theme including some pretty thought provoking philosophizing on good & evil and man's struggle against himself and doing what he doesn't want to do (romans 7:15-25).

if you want a fun book that is a quick read, slightly thought provoking, full of action and with a very surprising plot twist then this is a great one to check out.

IMHO.

three approaches to abortion

this is an excellent book if you are looking for a way to argue your reasoning against abortion beyond that found in scripture. unfortunately, when discussing this controversial topic with non-Christians, quoting scripture or using God at all will not get you very far. this makes sense, though doesn't make it any easier to deal with. in this book kreeft takes three different routes.

chapter 1 : "the apple argument against abortion"
in chapter one he uses a very logical, philosophical argument starting with his first point "We know what an apple is" and ending up at "Abortion is wrong." makes sense, right? it is a somewhat technical argument in which he does a very good job explaining skepticism and relativism and why it just doesn't work. there's a very good chance that you will never be able to use this argument with anyone because there aren't very many people you come in contact with who will be able to follow the logic of the argument without a great deal of explanatiion. this is, of course, assuming that you can follow the logic and then regurgitate it on the fly.

chapter 2 : "why we fight: a pro-life motivational roadmap"
this chapter is more of an inspirational-i can't believe it's gotten this bad-what do you mean why does it matter-why aren't you doing more kind of chapter. it's informative and kinda give some insight into some pro-life motivations.

chapter 3 : "what happens when an irresistable force meets an immovable object? a typical pro-life/pro-choice dialogue"
this is probably the most interesting of all the chapters. it's just what it says, a dialogue between two people. at times they get frustrated with each other because the conversation becomes somewhat of a personal attack. that is the essence of the argument against abortion though. it's an incredibly personal conviction that a baby's life is worth saving.

this book is great no matter which side of the argument you stand on. the author is most definitely pro-life, but the information and arguments presented are there for anyone seeking the truth.

IMHO.