cozart.org

So I am working on some software that will help me keep track of the books that we have here at the house. I have been wanting to track them for a number of reasons, but mainly it just gives me a chance to get back into coding doing something that “should” be relatively easy.

I was curious, if you could track pretty much anything that amazon.com tracks, what would you be most interested in? Mainly I am looking for some random statistics that can be displayed on the main page of bookshelf. (That is the name that I have given the project.) For example, total number of pages in our library is already in the works.

Let me know what you think.

So I am totally stealing this picture from Laura’s blog, but it had to be done:

She took it yesterday as I was reading to Wyatt. I think he was more interested in falling asleep, but I’ll pretend that he was anxious to learn about history.

I know I mainly post pictures, so to get a detailed insight into how we are doing, Laura does a far better job of writing things out.

The picture speaks for itself…

Ok, so maybe I acted a bit hastily when I shut off the comments section to unregistered users. That has been reverted back to letting anyone comment after speaking to Chad about it. Come to find out it was the feeble-minded roommate Adam that thought he would be funny. So Chad: Sorry to confuse you.

If you were wondering where the lack of updates were lately, I had the privilege of going to Ruidoso and Cloudcroft with my parents. It was nice to get away from work, and to catch up on some reading. Plus, the weather was in the fifties and sixties most of the time, which is a relief from the 100+ degree temperatures here in San Angelo.

Instead of reading some deep theological books like I probably should have, I decided to start the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling. There was some recent discussion about whether or not these books contained Christ-like images of Harry, or if it encouraged the practice of witchcraft and magic. At first I was hasty to conclude that I would not allow my future children to read these books, but after thinking about it for a while, I figured the best way to come up with an educated conclusion is to read the books.

Its amazing how easy to read these books are, but I guess that should be expected as they are targeted to a younger audience, not adults. That being said, they are also addictived. I read the first three books in three days. That has to be a record for me or something. Anyways, to make a long story short, I see these books as just pure fiction, with no deeper purpose other than entertainment. As far as letting my kids read them in the future, I will make sure that they understand that the books are purely fictional and that they should be read as such. It is nice to fantasize about flying around playing quidditch, but thats what it is, pure fantasy. I’m actually looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

I wish I had pictures to post of the weekend, but Lori still has my camera, so that was a lost cause. But I should recover that this weekend from her death-grip on it. It is still mine, and I don’t have to share it….yet.

I did it! I finished a complete book! If you remember from a previous post that I have just been starting books lately and not finishing them, I made a resolution to correct this. So last night I sat down and finished up the last 47 pages of Exodus. I must say that it was worth it.

The author presents first a look at Episcopalians, dedicating one chapter to the more liberal views of mainline Episcopalian churches, then using the second chapter to discuss what the titles “The Departing Episcopalians.” These are members of the Episcopalian church that are leaving the Episcopal Church USA for the more conservative Anglican Communion. Using interviews with priests/bishops from both sides, the author gives the reader first-hand accounts of both sides.

It was the next three chapters that really spurred me on to read this book: The Roman Catholics, The Orthodox Church, and the Southern Baptists. While I may not agree with all the Catholics or Orthodox believers theologically believe or practice, it was somewhat encouraging to read of their commitment to the traditional teachings of the church. As for the chapter on Southern Baptists, the author showed how a group of conservative believers, through the grace of God, brought their denomination from the brink of liberalism back to its traditional beliefs, summarized best by saying that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. I guess I should note that I have a soft spot in my heart for the Southern Baptist denomination as I was brought up in an SBC church, and have lately become somewhat of an Albert Mohler fan. (As if you couldn’t tell from previous posts)

Overall, I’d probably suggest this book to most people I know. It is definitely not a book on theology, but it does present some of the core beliefs of each of the denominations. It was a definite encouragement to see that believers are seeing that they are not being fed by these conforming churches, but instead God is drawing them to churches that remain focused on Him and his Word.

If you have any suggestions for books I should read in the future, definitely leave me some comments. Next up: 9 Marks of a Healthy Church

Onto more personal things:

1. Personally, I think that xanga needs some work. I go from a wordpress site to an xanga site and am disappointed everytime. I understand that not everyone has their own domain, but they should. Or does someone offer wordpress hosting? Thats a thought…

2. Hotlinkers beware! I’ve noticed that a number of people have been hotlinking to my lightning image. While it is flattering that they are using the image that I took, hotlinkers suck. So sometime soon, be prepared for that image to be changed…

3. Did anyone notice how bad the html is on the pages above? See what I mean about xanga… Note: Not all xanga users destroy html like this, so don’t think that I am attacking all users of xanga…

4. Donations for a late birthday present to me are now being taken! Paypal welcome. Contact me at slade at cozart d0t org for more information.

5. Comments are welcome…so DO IT!

I bought Battlefield2 on Wednesday. It has definitely exceeded my expectations, and EA has regained some of their reputation after the flop that was Battlefield: Vietnam. The only complaint that I have is that promotions take forever.

BK (DNS may not be working yet) has put up a new wordpress blog. I don’t know what will be up there, but it will give me something new to read on my morning internet fixes.

I’ve been trying to read more lately, and I’ve developed a weird habit of starting a book, reading about 100 pages, then moving on to another book. I’m not real sure what I am thinking, but hopefully this fad will pass and I can finish all the ones that I have started. The first few pages of this book is pretty interesting. I’ll let you know if I recommend it…after I finish it, of course.

Don’t forget to check out the links on the side of the page. They are there for you to clicky-clicky on, and you might find something you like.

Oh, forgot to mention this a while back, but a guy has posted a number of John Piper sermons here for anyone who is interested. You will have to know how to use torrents in order to get them. If you need help, call India.

Disclaimer: As this is a “Random Musings” post, grammar is not important. (So don’t try to use this against me Caleb).