tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55390864290089673602011-10-26T09:49:17.264-07:00Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.comBlogger281100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-25137544881906238902011-10-18T21:09:00.000-07:002011-10-18T21:09:47.487-07:00

Mr. Polo, When I first received your letter, I confess to having been a little alarmed. The Hong Kong postage, the brown paper, the blood red ink, all these and more awoke in my fevered imagination visions of a mad Chinaman, obsessed with this humble online blog. Only later did I realize that such exquisitely insane penmanship (perfectly executed), intelligent (though slightly delirious) writing

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-17976380311208791542011-09-12T11:46:00.000-07:002011-09-12T11:46:11.296-07:00

So for the past year, I've had a work in progress, a children's book entitled, When The Dickens Is Will Lillywhite? Since it is sometimes difficult to get feedback on such projects, I've decided to go ahead and post the first chapter on my blog. Other chapters will follow as I complete them. Hope you enjoy! Chapter 1 "Preposterous!" cried Will Lillywhite. The eight year old boy swept his desk

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-43452295397722792812011-08-27T18:28:00.001-07:002011-08-29T08:07:26.823-07:00

On our twenty plus hour drive across the Great Plains, my thoughts returned to that legendary trio of Lewis, Clark, and Sacajawea, and how they conquered the overwhelming odds to map the breathtaking vistas of the Western United States. It occurred to me that Hollywood had never given these three pioneers their proper place in the canon of film glory. To correct this, I have attempted something

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-47865751948285875282011-08-23T13:29:00.000-07:002011-08-23T13:34:17.938-07:00

Here are a series of great quotes from possibly my favorite series ever, Foyle's War. It chronicles the adventures of a steely detective with a hidden heart of gold named Christopher Foyle as he solves crimes along the British coast during the chaos of World War II. For those of you who haven't seen the series, go check it out! Andrew Foyle: [Looking at a fish his father just caught] What is

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-48214273559173460222011-08-11T07:18:00.000-07:002011-08-11T07:18:51.594-07:00

Have you ever wondered if prayer changes God's plans? In this wonderful excerpt from an oft neglected work, Letters to Malcolm, C.S. Lewis tackles that question with his usual wit and aplomb. He begins by criticizing a common view of God's sovereignty, championed by Alexander Pope, a famous English poet, that maintains that God works like a giant manager, making sure that "everything goes

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-61345056708771015702011-08-10T14:03:00.000-07:002011-08-10T14:04:10.964-07:00

"You can always count on Americans to do the right thing -- after they've tried everything else." - Winston Churchill Note: For those of you who are not familiar with the life of Winston Churchill, Paul Johnson (one of my favorite historians) has written a wonderful biography of him.  Churchill was a man who saw his own time with perfect clarity and was denied the power to do much about it

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-61054787013884797082011-08-08T20:29:00.000-07:002011-08-08T20:31:03.475-07:00

This original poem, inspired by the film The Thin Red Line (one of my favorites), was itself the inspiration for one of our favorite songs in concert, Beyond the River. Enjoy! A gentle sun is drifting down Through ivory clouds and mellow sky. Its hazy beams through emerald leaves Are gleaming in an open eye. An eye that looks into an eye, Blackened, starless, still, and dead. Emerging from its

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-45909175753142756062011-07-03T13:56:00.000-07:002011-07-03T13:56:36.411-07:00

My cousin's birthday was yesterday and since he won't be joining us for FASA this year (he's going to seminary), I've decided to post this little reminder of him! For David On His BirthdayOn this auspicious day in JulyI now will endeavor to tryTo craft a great ode for a DonicaWhom I'm glad is called David, not Monica His wit is the life of the partyHis shirts and his pants are quite smartyHis

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-51569843098372614952011-07-03T12:29:00.000-07:002011-07-03T12:29:42.706-07:00

Great hard hitting article by Mark Steyn.  Be sure and read it.

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-42034623482088470292011-06-12T05:23:00.000-07:002011-06-12T05:23:15.988-07:00

John Podhoretz is a great writer and a very penetrating film critic.  I enjoy a lot more films than he does, but his reasons for not enjoying them are always spot on.  In his review of the new X-Men movie, he raises some very stark issues about the portrayal of evil on screen, particularly as it relates to the Holocaust.  Food for thought... Read it here.

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-15198653807619176452011-06-06T06:54:00.000-07:002011-06-06T16:31:47.169-07:00

Marsha Hamilton lands the interview of the year with the god, Thor! Marsha Hamilton:  Hello!  My name is Marsha Hamilton, and I am here with the real life inspiration for the movie Thor... the god Thor!  Mr. Thor, thank you for sitting down with us today.  It's quite an honor! Thor: My title is the God of Thunder, not this "Mr…".   Marsha: Sorry, my mistake! Thor: Harrumph... Marsha: As our

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-73062299200560738572011-05-01T09:00:00.000-07:002011-05-01T09:00:02.081-07:00

Lord Peter Llewellyn decapitated a cigar, smelled the black dusty blood, struck a flame, and drew a deep, gaseous breath. He smiled in a silent chuckle. It was his favorite bad habit. Tapping the entrails from his stick of tobacco, he turned his attention to breakfast. In front of him lay a silver platter full of favorites: eggs, potatoes, bacon, and coffee, accompanied by three little bowls of

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-35657826276926623152011-04-29T10:06:00.000-07:002011-04-29T10:07:12.970-07:00

Just watched this clip of Ronald Reagan's amazing "Evil Empire" speech.  For those in my generation who have never watched the real thing, watch it! :)

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-70705517957328222102011-04-26T17:31:00.000-07:002011-04-26T17:31:56.768-07:00

The Modern motioned to the Cosmos and turned to his friend, The Clown.  "What say ye?" "What say you, you mean," he replied. "I was going for dramatic effect," said the Modern. "A question has more weight when asked with older words." "But clarity, my dear fellow, is the most important thing about a question." "I thought it was the answer." "Every question is an answer." The Modern paused. "I'm

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-54317798969456656812011-03-26T19:25:00.001-07:002011-03-26T19:27:33.660-07:00

"The Failure of Multiculturalism and How to Turn the Tide" Signore e signori, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends of the Magna Carta Foundation, molte grazie. Thank you for inviting me to Rome. It is great to be here in this beautiful city which for many centuries was the capital and the centre of Europe's Judeo-Christian culture. Together with Jerusalem and Athens, Rome is the cradle of our

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-42515475394215485732010-12-02T17:50:00.001-08:002010-12-02T17:53:07.658-08:00

I love bookstores. When I hear that Barnes and Noble has fallen on hard times, my heart aches. The bookstore is perhaps the one place in the shopping and entertainment experience where I feel most at home. Nothing thrills me more than browsing books I will never buy on the upshot that I might find that one classic I've been hoping to see in print. Of all the bookstores I've ever been to, Full

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-78257064522347941182010-11-30T09:16:00.000-08:002010-11-30T09:26:54.274-08:00

Once upon a time there was a boy who was born by a river. His world was small and the river was life. It's muddy banks, swirling waters, and raucous roar marked his daily existence. But his imagination, which was great, always dreamed of the course beyond the bend, and though he never ventured onto the river, he often waded downstream until his feet no longer touched bottom. But the river

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-23545152736436279802010-11-23T18:24:00.000-08:002010-11-30T09:27:25.234-08:00

Some time ago, I had a conversation with a dear friend of mine who was discovering the martial art of Aikido. Aikido, as some of you may know, is a martial art that uses the force of the opponent against himself. My friend explained to me that the Atonement might be seen in the light of Aikido. Jesus, he pointed out, used the power of Death against itself in order to defeat it. Aikido, in a sense

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-83570664177167059112010-07-01T06:02:00.000-07:002010-11-30T09:28:31.787-08:00

There has been a great deal of debate in recent years over the question of the Atonement, specifically the question of which idea or model of the Atonement is, in fact, the primary Biblical perspective. There is no need to go into the history of this debate here, though it is a fascinating topic in its own right. What concerns me is the primary difference between penal substitution and its

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-80889437009408015902010-06-29T16:43:00.000-07:002010-11-30T09:29:01.525-08:00

Most people in the world live in a tension between fear and pride. They are painfully aware of their own vulnerabilities and weaknesses and are driven by the world around them to create a persona that is free of these problems, one that may even be the opposite of them. These personas can take several shapes. In some cases, people parade their weaknesses as strengths, as in gang culture, or vivid

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-26656672926871179232009-12-05T07:23:00.000-08:002010-11-30T09:30:01.333-08:00

Once upon a time, a beggar was taken off the street, cleaned up, dressed in an Armani tuxedo, and placed in a nice white room with a beautiful view overlooking the villa where he was staying. The door opened, and a famous composer walked into the room wearing a white suit and white gloves. He handed the beggar a Stradivarius violin and bow and stood in front of the window. "You are a musician

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-25537617939559885602009-10-26T14:12:00.000-07:002010-11-30T09:30:54.674-08:00

This is a Meditation I shared at our church last Sunday. Enjoy! 'I am the bread of life which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.’ Then the Jews started arguing among themselves, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ Jesus replied to them: In all truth I tell you, if you do not

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-6644827837152056172009-09-29T15:34:00.000-07:002009-09-29T15:34:21.672-07:00

'Every discourse on the freedom of interpretation must start from a defense of literal sense.'

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-91810217606251213672009-09-28T14:13:00.000-07:002009-09-28T14:16:34.279-07:00

One of my favorite television series from earlier days was the swashbuckling Napoleonic period piece, Horatio Hornblower. The series won some awards and was vastly entertaining, primarily because of its winning title character. "Winning" is an appropriate term for Hornblower as he is depicted in the films; that is, he is an endearingly high minded fellow and also a highly successful

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-82456536397544438582009-09-27T13:06:00.000-07:002009-09-27T13:06:30.966-07:00

Christianity, contrary to almost every other belief system, believes that reality (and history) is personal. David Warren takes a look at the challenges of our world in a very personal way and strikes gold. Check out his article, Madmen at the Gates.

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-19598278446026181902009-09-27T13:01:00.001-07:002009-09-27T13:01:37.908-07:00

The opening chapters of Luke are so well known that it seems unlikely to find anything that won't seem redundant for this series. After all, this is the Christmas story. But when you take a closer look, a theme comes into play, a theme that is prevalent in Luke's narrative. I refer to the theme of "putting things right." One of the curious questions we can ask looking at the Gospels is where

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-28793245303801316322009-09-25T14:32:00.000-07:002009-09-25T14:32:12.099-07:00

'Dickens's characters are perfect as long as he can keep them out of his stories. Bumble is divine until a dark and practical secret is entrusted to him-as if anybody but a lunatic would entrust a secret to Bumble. Micawber is noble when he is doing nothing; but he is quite unconvincing when he is spying on Uriah Heep, for obviously neither Micawber nor any one else would employ Micawber as a

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5539086429008967360.post-47860670404067558672009-09-24T08:58:00.000-07:002009-09-24T14:27:45.553-07:00

I always find it rather remarkable how we Christians manage to overlook the most obvious things about the Good Book. If we opened up any other book, we would likely see its elements in their proper perspective immediately. We know, for instance, opening up a great book like Treasure Island that the book is all about a clever boy who discovers friendship, honor, and courage while discovering

Benjamin Wolaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911437600345409607noreply@blogger.com0