bierkergaard

In writing my book about the college transition, I have a part in a chapter about how books really helped me grow and mature. There was a time when I was 18 and 19 that I basically had to rethink everything that I believed and why. I guess I had an identity crisis of massive proportion. In the midst of that, I think a good word for me then would have been vulnerable. Like a tortoise without a shell, I was exposed. This made it hard for me to be at ease and relaxed with people...even people who had shown no inclination to wish me ill. Books were kind of like a pet. They gave me love and expected little in return. The idea that someone would share information, knowledge, and wisdom with me, and I didn't have to do much back besides buying a book or checking it out of a library, was a great deal. Over the years, I have developed a "Book Hall of Fame" in our library. On this one shelf are the books that have made a major difference in my life. All of the books are Christian. ...

Interesting article in Christianity Today about a Most Improbable Dialogue between Mormons and evangelical Christians. Despite our common cause with Mormons on many moral issues, theologically we will always remain divided and it comes down to the issue of Revelation and whether the Book of Revelation closed the Canon. The key verses is this: Revelation 22:18 "For I say to every man to whose ears have come the words of this prophet's book, If any man makes an addition to them, God will put on him the punishments which are in this book." Here is the Mormon take (and) then Matthew Henry's orthodox view below it: Mormon: "In the November 20, 1999 issue of the LDS Church News (p.14), an article entitled "Warning applies to the book of Revelation" quotes LDS president Howard Hunter, who, while serving as an apostle for the LDS Church, responded to this query by saying, "A careful reading of the words makes it clear that the warning against adding or ...

Russell H. Conwell 1843–1925 - Russell H. Conwell was the founder of the Temple University, one of the renowned universities. He is famous for his “Acres of Diamonds” speech/book which is the story of Al Hafed, a man who traveled the world and lost his life in the pursuit of diamonds when, at the same time, a large mine of diamonds were in his own backyard and he never bothered to look. ATTITUDE-“No matter what you do, do it to your utmost. I always attribute my success to always requiring myself to do my best.” He tells of how he went out on the roads selling books from house to house, and of how eagerly he devoured the contents of the sample books that he carried. ``They were a foundation of learning for me,'' he says, soberly. ``And they gave me a broad idea of the world.'' BEGIN - Conwell served as pastor of the Grace Church congregation for 43 years on North Broad Street in Philadelphia. One day, a young man approached him and requested Conwell on helping him wit...

On Saturday, Oct 31, Halloween, Lina and I decided to host our last-ditch efforts to run an Oktoberfest. We kind of had to slap it together last minute like a Fire Sale. A day later, it would be Novemberfest--and that is not just Germanic enough for my bones. By November, Germans are back to their taciturn ways for the next ten months...creating the need for the Oktoberfest--a drinking equivalent of the primal scream. We kept the function to four...Lina, me, my Dad, and Rob...the Best Man at my wedding who is back from mission work in Alaska. It seems that my Pops, in his older age, seeks not to attain Gadfly status amongst my friends. He prefers to keep things small and in the Fam. I get it. Rob is considered Family at this point. He can walk through my front door without knocking. He might get a blast of bear mace though if he does it after dark. Lina and I made a run down to Central Market in Lancaster city @ Clyde Weaver's and obtained five super-sized German brauts. We are st...