Is there a God?

the beach bum
Some preliminary thoughts, borrowed from various places:
--scientific evidence - fine-tuning, irreducible complexity, etc.
--philosophical evidence - moral principles, etc.
--historical evidence - evidence for the resurrection of Christ, etc.
--personal experience - mine & that of many others

Note: there are volumes published on each of these. I'd look here and here to start with. I'd also read Bill Craig's book Reasonable Faith.

This is (obviously) a very brief run @ this topic. I may develop my thoughts further later. Time's presently limited.

On an unrelated note, I'm off to the New Orleans Jazz Festival tomorrow, and to the USM Jazz Band concert tonight! A weekend seized for sure.

the beach bum

some spiritual struggles folks are having lately...

the beach bum

Here's a batch of issues I've heard folks ask lately, or that I have been asked about myself

--is there a God?

--exclusivity of Christianity

--hypocrisy of Christians

--eternal punishment

--the problem of evil

--balance between grace & truth

Each of these have been wrestled with by brilliant people through the ages. None of them are new. All of them are important issues to ponder.

I'll ponder them here in writing. Or at least refer to others' ponderings. *smiles*

Thanks for reading!
the beach bum

some websites worth visiting...

the beach bum
A somewhat random collection of websites worth visiting. The order is immaterial.
John Piper's Ministry
Campus Crusade for Christ
Greg Koukl's "Stand to Reason"
Anton Hein's "Apologetics Index"
Ravi Zacharias' Ministry
Townhall - A collection of fairly thoughtful conservative opinions
And of course, this one for things related to the Alabama Crimson Tide!

the beach bum

the beach bum

Can one blog about blogging? Can an expert blogger blog to clueless novice bloggers like me? I think the answer to both questions is yes. Now to find some of those suggestions...

Also this: how does one create a blog without just becoming an echo chamber of what others say? And is being a "collector", "echo-er", and "re-packager" necessarily a bad thing? I think not, regarding the second question. Still pondering the first.

Finally, the NFL draft is happening as I write. Fascinating process, especially to a sports fan like myself.

BTW, this is my first "blog this" post, as opposed to the regular blog editor. Still in the steep-learning-curve portion of this.

Why "the beach bum"?
Simple. Because I'm originally from Ft. Walton Beach, FL, home of the prettiest beaches in the world. (but I'm not biased...alright, yes I am!). Though I've not lived there in years, I still consider myself very much a beach bum. Back home, we would say that "I've got sand in my shoes." This means I'm hooked on the NW FL beaches.

I have a xanga site also. It's found here. That one is somewhat personal, and you'll find it focusing on my beloved students & other friends from the high school at which I teach.

Thus far, this blog is experimental. Topics that may be explored here include: politics - national, state, local; religious things; education; the arts. I also tend to be a story teller, using story to illustrate points I think are important.

Influences on my writing include John Grisham (though I tend to be more of a non-fiction guy), Jimmy Buffett--the beach bum's beach bum, Lewis Grizzard, various writers whose opinions are found here, Anton Hein's website, various students (whose comments & links may be found on the xanga site), Ravi Zacharias, and others.

God only knows where this blog will wind up. I'm kind of curious as to where the ride will take me. That's all.

the beach bum

Intro Post

This is a test of my limited blogging clues.
the beach bum