While I have been swamped this last week with many things, it has been good to ponder the cross and the resurrection. This post toward the end of the week was also helpful. I pray you enjoy it as well.

Check it out  here. Thanks Steven for pointing me to it.

I will be back with new thoughts on Monday. See you then.

Michael

Hello again everyone. We have missed you, but now we are back and can get back to business.

I really cannot explain what has been happening, because I do not know completely. The tech people that care for this site have tried to explain it to me, but I don’t think my mind works that way. Sorry Radez, Jaime and Mike Adams. :) They could probably explain things to you better than I can.

Anyway, we are back and posts should resume fairly quickly. The only thing you should know is that it may not be really consistent for a few more days. There was a death in my family and we will be traveling. This means inconsistent internet service. Please be patient as we work through all of this.

Thanks and it was glad to see you on the site.

Michael

When I listen to some of the arguments currently being made surrounding the latest Democratic National Convention, I’m reminded of a child who, given a cake that doesn’t meet his standards, wants to throw it in the garbage in protest and eat it too. The situation is this: The DNC stripped Florida and Michigan of their delegates in response to the defiant rescheduling of their respective primaries, rendering their elections meaningless. It has now become a very real possibility that without the seating of those delegates, the primary process will not elect a nominee at this stage. Both states are now attempting to capitalize on this leverage, in order to somehow regain a say in the party’s decision. Interesting (to me) as all of the circumstances surrounding this situation are, I’ll spare you any further details.

So, what valuable lesson can all of us take from this whole mess? Read the rest of this entry »

I am late with my thoughts on Oprah and her new book pick. This is not due to laziness on my part, but rather conviction. Let me explain.

I have completed a rather thorough critique of the first chapter that stands for the truth with strong language and firm convictions. I don’t pull any punches. This is the first of a series of reviews on this book that I am going to offer. Then I read a short letter written by John Newton  (of Amazing Grace fame). Now I have to rewrite my critique before I post it because I did not handle it in a way that accurately represents my Lord.

I am sorry for the delay, but it is necessary. In the mean time, I would encourage all of you to go and read this letter that has convicted me. It may not apply to you, in that you already do this well. If that is the case, I would love to spend more time with you so I can learn. If you, on the other hand, are like me, you need to hear this so that when you critique others you do it in a way that will bring glory and honor to Christ.

You can read the letter here called On Controversy. It is very good and I have much to learn.  While greatly desire to warn people about falsehood, I still must do it in a way that seeks to persuade those in error.

Off I go to edit. Please pray for me as I do this and hopefully I will have the new version up quickly.

In Him, Michael

Here is the big finale for our book. This week’s comments were written by Sarah Herbert. Thanks, Sarah, for finishing this up with such a good post. Enjoy this last one and feel free to comment on the whole book now. Turning it over to Sarah…

As I was reading through these final chapters of the book Twilight, I was anxiously waiting to see what would happen. As the book rises to its exciting climax and resolution our author brings about a few more ideas to discuss. These are just a few that came to my mind; any other thoughts you might have now that all has been revealed? Read the rest of this entry »

Well, it has begun. A revolution is coming and Oprah hopes to help bring it. The question we should be asking is if we want it to come. That is the major reason I am reading her latest book club pick and have even registered on her website! See what lengths I go to for all of you?

I have read the first chapter of this new book and hope to post on it by the end of this week, so watch out for it. First, there will be the last post on Twilight tomorrow. In anticipation for the things I am putting together, I wanted to send you to another comment on Oprah and this book. Chuck Norris, of all people, has written a column on the whole thing that is very helpful. You can check it out here or here. Thanks for the tip Laura!

I would love to know what you thought if you have read the chapter or if you saw the online event Monday night. Feel free to comment on it here on when I get the next post up.

Have a great day. Michael

It has fallen upon me to make the announcement that on July 5th of this year Discerning Mind will be losing one of its most valued contributors. Sarah Herbert, a long-time friend to both me and Mike Feather, will no longer be sharing her insight with the readership of this blog. Sarah is an incredible young woman whose wisdom, love for the Lord, and ability to read very quickly has benefited us all.

Fortunately, this will not be a total loss. After said holiday weekend, we will be reading the thoughts of the newly named Sarah Robbins as the two of us begin our new lives together as a married couple. Sarah accepted my proposal on February 23rd in the beautiful mountains of Sedona, AZ, reminding me yet again that my God loves me greatly, is infinitely merciful toward me, and gives me far more than I deserve. You can read her side of the story and see the picture here.

Well, we have moved into our new place and we are loving it. There is much to do, but the process is going well. One problem that I did not anticipate is that we are without TV. That is not necessarily a bad thing. It will mean more reading and other things, but it makes commenting on TV shows very difficult. That being the case, I will be commenting much more on books I am reading, including Scripture.

This Thursday we will be completing our discussion of Twilight. Read the rest of this entry »

Finally, the “Jericho” blogs begin. The first order of business will be to handle a few housekeeping issues. 1) Though I’d planned to write a collective post after every other episode, there were such distinct and important themes in the first two that I’m going to at least start out by discussing these individually. 2) There is no possible way to write about the things going on now without giving away some big surprises from the end of the first season. If you’re planning on watching the first season, I’d do so before reading any of these posts. 3) You can watch said first season at the bottom of this page on the official CBS website. With all of that out of the way, let us begin our discussion on “Reconstruction”.

Read the rest of this entry »