locdog takes a good look at Halloween, link via Josh Claybourn

-Peace

Google thinks Jesus is ...

link via Bene Diction.

-Peace

Mark continues his Muggle Moment ...

Not sure what to say other than:

Mark needs to undertand what is and is not allegory

Mark should read the books he intends to comment on. It drives me nuts when people who haven't read the Bible comment on it, same goes for "Harry Potter".

and yes most non-Xian books won't look to God for the ultimate answer, what a shock. Course that would apply to entertainment, sports, news media as well. So why pick on "Harry Potter"?

-Peace
Dave
PS Nowheresville USA takes Mark to task for his postion on Halloween, well worth a read.

Mike's Spot On The Wall

• Busy Yet Fun
  It has been very busy at work. I'm working on an e-commerce interface for our college bookstore and there's a lot of work.
  
  In the evenings I'm reading the Gandalara Cycle. It's a great series that has quite a story around it as well as in it. The original author who began the series contracted meningitis but worked out the plot details with his wife who completed the series after he passed away. In spite of that I find the story quite moving and beautiful.

Mike's Walk

• Dealing With Sorrow
  
  Today is a long one but worth it. I warn in advance, some of this is hard teaching and not all of it will aply to where you are, but read it.
  
  I'm often subject to depression. Sometimes it seems so deep I cannot escape it.
  
  Many people in the bible had to deal with it also: David (Ps. 6:6; 13:2; 38:9), Jeremiah (Lam. 1:12), Jesus (Isaiah 53:11). So what can I do about it?
  
  I can remember:
  
  
  
  
  • God sees it
    
    Ps. 10:14; Exodus 3:7
  
  
  • God regulates the measure of afflictions
    
    Psalms 80:5; Isaiah 9:1; Jeremiah 46:28
  
  
  • Determines the continuance of
    Genesis 15:13,14; Numbers 14:33; Isaiah 10:25; Jeremiah 29:10
  
  
  • Does not willingly send
    Lamentations 3:33
  
  
  • Man is born to
    Job 5:6,7; 14:1
  
  
  • Saints appointed to
    1 Thessalonians 3:3
  
  
  • Consequence of the fall
    Genesis 3:16-19
  
  
  • Sin produces
    Job 4:8; Proverbs 1:31
  
  
  • Sinners corrected by
    Psalms 89:30-32; Isaiah 57:17; Acts 13:10,11
  
  
  • Always less than deserved
    Ezra 9:13; Psalms 103:10
  
  
  • Good results of:
    Genesis 50:20; Exodus 1:11,12; Deuteronomy 8:15,16; Jeremiah 24:5,6; Ezekiel 20:37
  
  
  • Tempered with mercy
    Psalms 78:38,39; 106:43-46; Isaiah 30:18-21; Lamentations 3:32; Micah 7:7-9; Nahum 1:12
  
  
  • To be expected
    John 16:33; Acts 14:22
  
  
  • Comparatively light
    Acts 20:23; 24; Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17
  
  
  • Temporary
    Psalms 30:5; 103:9; Isaiah 54:7,8; John 16:20; 1 Peter 1:6; 5:10
  
  
  
  • Joy under
    Job 5:17; James 5:11
  
  
  
  • End in joy and blessedness
    Psalms 126:5,6; Isaiah 61:2,3; Matthew 5:4; 1 Peter 4:13,14
  
  
  
  • Often arise from the profession of the gospel
    Matthew 24:9; John 15:21; 2 Timothy 3:11,12
  
  
  
  • Exhibit the love and faithfulness of God
    Deuteronomy 8:5; Psalms 119:75; Proverbs 3:12; 1 Corinthians 11:32; Hebrews 12:6,7; Revelation 3:19
  
  
  
  • I can fight it with the oposite spirit:
    Isa 61:3
  
  
  
  • And God will make it better:
    Ps. 30:11; Re 7:17

Muggles are unfailingly literal, deaf to metaphor, blind to the central reality of what Chesterton calls "the poetical side of man" -- that behind the ordinary facade of atoms and death lurks an enchanted world indeed. The literal-minded critic has no choice but to defend Muggles, since to do otherwise would be to raise the possibility of a world beyond the reliable borders of a strictly literal interpretation of human existence.

Harry Potter vs the Muggles - Myth, Magic & "Joy"
By Mike Hertenstein

I think Mark Byron was having a Muggle Moment.

Update: A Reply to Mark's comment

Just to make things clearer for Mark, since I don't think he read the article, his Muggle Moment is along these lines

understanding poetry and myth primarily as vehicles of doctrine, which [muggles] presume to sift out and graph as one-to-one correspondances, i.e. the Star Wars' Force = Eastern religion, or, to raise our present subject, the magic of Harry Potter connects precisely with dark supernatural powers.

On the elitism charge:

Yes, in "Harry Potter" only a few poeple are Wizzards and Witches, but in "Harry Potter" there are good Wizzards and Witches and evil Wizzards and Witches, there are good muggles and evil muggles. In the books being a wizzard doesn't equal having access to God. Mark is trying to make a 1 to 1 map from his world view, that for the most part I share, and the "Harry Potter" world. The aproach just doesn't work. Might as well make the same compairson to the NBA. The NBA is bad cause we all can't be gifted enought to be in the NBA but we all can have the gift of the Holy Spirit. Mark: read the article, and then read Harry Potter.

Update:
Mark read the article, but still misses the point, but as least he gives it good go. A for effort, I'll reply tonight.

-Peace

The fear of the LORD leads to life:
Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.

- Proverbs 19:23

That's my prayer this morning as I head into an interview with a potential client, oh the joys of consulting.

-Peace

Salon has in interesting article on the History of Halloween: Primeval terror (since 1929)

-Peace

Why is it that a large number of Christians are afraid of Halloween? Many try to ignore it. Others celebrate it by other names. For instance our church had a "Fall Costume Party" for the kids on Saturday. But we don't seem to engage it. Here are a couple of ideas I posted back in 96 when I was the web slinger for IVCF at the U of A.

1. Carve a cross in your pumpkin
   
2. Go tricker or treating for the Food Bank
   

We had a lot of fun with the Food Bank project, though IVCF at the University of Manitoba out did us by raising 3000 pounds of food in one night.

The nice thing about carving a cross in your pumpkin is it's something anyone can do.

Know of other good ways to transform Halloween? Let me know in the comments.

-Peace
Dave

PS Gotta love the WayBackMachine

As many as 100,000 Christians are in concentration camps, enduring regular torture. Executions are common.

- Saints in Waiting – the Christian Martyrs of North Korea by Martin Roth