Monday, May 31, 2004

Book Review: Bleah

The Heart Reader, by Anonymous. This is a typical evangelical novel (read "not very good"), by an author who has has written "several CBA bestsellers" and who is donating the royalties for this work to charity. The slim volume is an attempt to show us how to be evangelical, by listening to God's voice and hearing what He is saying to us about those around us, and about their needs. The portrayal of the heart of the Father is the strongest aspect of this work, but the portrayals of the characters are below average. It would not be so bad a book if the author put his or her name to it; a book presented anonymously has to not just meet the minimum standards, but far and away surpass them. This work does not.

Thursday, May 27, 2004

Music Update: Soul-Junk

A tremendous site for a tremendous act. Soul-Junk plays a unique (not unusual, not rare, but actually unique) musical style, a bizarre conglomeration of sounds. Most of their songs put Scripture to this odd music, and the combination is striking -- and sometimes cacophanous. They occassionally play festivals, but mostly stick around SoCal. The site includes dozens of the band's MP3s, as well as numerous works of art. Check it out.

Tuesday, May 18, 2004

I Have Got To Visit Here Some Day

I have mentioned before by love for Mary, the Mother of our Lord, a stance with puts me on the outs among my Protestant friends. But nonetheless, I ran across a notation recently of a place I need to get sometime. And it is even not to far away from me. The Marian library at the University of Dayton hold over 85,000 books and pamphlets. I would like to study and read and reflect and maybe even write about Mary more in depth one day, and if I ever do, this is a reosurce worth remembering.