Blogging: Posts that have received over 500 views

I blog mostly because I want to say something, whether anyone reads it or not. I hope that I am also blogging for God's glory. Sometimes I wonder if it's worth the effort, but a recent experience indicates that at least some of it is. The experience is that Blogger, which I have used since beginning this blog, keeps track of the number of views, and comments, on each post. I was posting on a biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and looked up some previous posts on him, and was amazed to note that those two posts had received over 400 views each. Those posts are here and here. (In case you are wondering, there are over 2,000 posts on this blog. Most of them have received a few dozen views.)

What is a view? I'm not sure, but suppose that, at minimum, someone clicked on the blog post's page. 400 views does NOT mean that 400 people actually read the post, or even glanced at it.

So what posts have received over 500 views? Here's an annotated list, including:

A post on what's wrong with the political left, and the right, is here.

A number of "Sunspots" posts have received over 500 views. Some of these are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here here and here.

A post on "Homosexual Activism and Public Opinion" has received over 500 views. So has one on "Sexual Sins not Mentioned in the Bible."

A post on the moral universe of Game of Thrones has also received over 500 views.

One of my posts (number 65 of such) quoting G. K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy has received over 800 views. 

A post on "What is a Christian novel," made the cut.

The Sunspots post of January 11, 2017, has received over 500 views. I'm not sure why. So has the Sunspots for May 3, 2017.

A post on "Farewell Speeches from Bible Characters" has received over 500 views.

A post on Jehoshaphat's prayer, in 2 Chronicles 20, which is almost entirely a quotation from the World English Bible, a public domain modern version, has received over 900 views. 

Scriptural Principles that Relate to Science has more than 500 views. 

A post on computers and the mind-body problem (and soul uploading) has more than 500 views.

A post on whether animals ate meat before the Flood has had over 500 views.

A post on whether it rained before the Flood has received over 500 views.

A post pointing out that everyone interprets the Bible, especially Genesis 1, (or depends on the interpretations of other people) rather than just reading it, met the criterion.

A post on whether a Christian must be a Young-Earth Creationist, about a dialogue between Karl Giberson and Albert Mohler, has had over 500 views.

My review of Soul Surfer, the movie, has received over 1300 views.

A rehash of a post from The BioLogos foundation, on whether natural selection can produce new genetic information, has received over  500 views. (It can.)

Musings on the color, green, covering a lot of topics briefly, has had over 1490 views.

A poster, based on Philippians 4:8, one of my favorite verses, made the list.

Here's a poster, showing pattern for prayer, based on the ACTS acronym, which has received over 1400 views. A similar post (I shouldn't have done this twice!) has received 750 views so far.

An essay on Tolkien's writing, entitled Galadriel, Fëanor, and the Silmarils, has gotten over 1000 posts.

An essay on whether Elizabeth Moon's The Deed of Paksenarrion novels, which are fantastic literature, are Christian or not, meets the criterion. An essay on these novels, themselves, was at 497 views on July 5, 2015.

An essay on sword and sorcery fiction -- Tolkien's work is an example, but my no means the only one -- and why there is such, and why it is popular (at least with some people).

An essay on Grass, a science fiction work by Sherri S. Tepper, made the list.

A post entitled "Abortion - Some Thoughts for Christians" made the list.

So did a poster on what photosynthesis does, which has been viewed nearly 900 times.

So did a poster on How Computers Work.

A list of the ways that God reveals Himself to us, with Bible references, has been viewed over 1800 times.

A discussion of cases, in the Bible, where the woman was the spiritual head of the family, has received about 700 views.

I copied one of the hymns of Charles Wesley, which are in the public domain. It's about repentance. The post has received over 900 views. I've never heard that song used in church.

A post on what I see as a Christ-figure, in Watership Down, by Richard Adams, made the list.

There was a post that took an anti-abortion organization to task for claiming that a human embryo has a heartbeat at 18 days of development (it doesn't) that has received over 2000 views.

A post on the question of whether there was rain before the Flood has gotten over 2600 views.

This post, with discussion, and a poster, suggesting that we should be very careful as to what we say about end times, has received over 1100 views.

A post acknowledging the death of Norman Borlaug, Nobel-prize-winning botanist, met the criterion.

A post considering some speculation about how many people died in the Flood has received over 3400 views.

I invented what I call the 90% rule for marriage. It met the criterion.

A post on the Resurrection, Superstition, and the Second Law of Thermodynamics met the criterion.

A meditation on the "Hallelujah Chorus" from Beethoven's Christ on the Mount of Olives has been viewed over 500 times.

Two posts on homosexuality have been viewed many times. One is on the question of whether homosexuality is innate or acquired. The other looks at what the Bible says about homosexuality.

A post from my teaching days, on biological ethics, and the concepts of moral agency and moral considerability, has received over 700 views.

A post with a song I wrote, on the Golden Rule, met the criterion.

A post on passages where memorial stones are mentioned in the Bible has been viewed over 1300 times.

A compilation of places, in the book of Acts, where a church engaged in prayer together, has been viewed over 1200 times.

"What's Wrong with Young-Earth Creationism" -- there are problems with all views of origins -- has been viewed over 1600 times, and received over 20 comments by others.

A post on what I believe about origins has been viewed over 800 times.

A book review of a book about questions of enhancing humans, for athletic competitions and other reasons, met the criterion.

A compilation of the prophet Hosea's references to Ephraim has been viewed over 1400 times.

A post on what the Bible says about light has been viewed over 2800 times.

A discussion of the dwarves in The Last Battle, by C. S. Lewis, has been viewed over 600 times.

A compilation of what the Bible says about figs has been seen over 1600 times.

A one-sentence quotation, on what sin is, from Susanna Wesley, mother of John and Charles (and others) has been viewed over 700 times.

A post on the sea as a symbol of evil in the Bible, based on a book by David Snoke, has been viewed over 1500 times. Another discussion of this topic, without references to Snoke, has been viewed over 1600 times.

A discussion of what the Bible says about tattoos is my most popular post, as it has been viewed over 36,000 times, and has received at least 50 comments by others.

I pointed out a candidate for the "most sexist verse in the Old Testament," and that post has met the criterion.

A post that says that "I believe that the universe was designed intelligently" has been viewed over 2000 times.

A post highlighting quotations on joy, from C. S. Lewis, Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin, and George MacDonald, all authors of fantastic literature, has met the criterion.

A discussion of religion in The Left Hand of Darkness, an award-winning science fiction novel by Ursula K. Le Guin, has received over 700 views.

A post considering the question of whether Louis Pasteur disproved abiogenesis (sometimes known as spontaneous generation) has been viewed over 2100 times.

I claim that Christ didn't come as a baby -- be careful about throwing rocks my way! Read the post first. It has been viewed over 1000 times.

A post agreeing that The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman, is openly atheistic, but saying that there are worse dangers than blatant atheism, has been viewed over 600 times.

Charles Wesley's hymn, "I Know that My Redeemer Lives," has been viewed nearly 1200 times.

A post on the occurrences of the fruit, pomegranate, in the Bible, has been viewed 1000 times.

A post on the occurrences of the word, basket, in the Bible has been viewed nearly 1900 times.

A post on Athaliah, one of the most wicked women in the Bible, perhaps the wickedest, has received over 600 views.

One of my Sunspots, for no reason that I know of, has gotten over 500 views.

A brief criticism of Al Mohler's argument for YEC, from He Lives, has gotten over 500 views. 

Some thoughts by Antonin Scalia, US Supreme Court justice, on gun regulation, met the criterion.

A post, mostly quoting 2 Corinthians 1:1-4, has also met the criterion.

A post on the idea of play, in the Bible, has been viewed over 2700 times.

Two posts, here and here, on the agnosticism of Christopher Paolini, author of Eragon, and related works, have accumulated over 2000 total views.

A post on why living things have cells has received over 2600 views.

The post that has received more views than any other, save one, is on what the Bible says about light. It has gotten over 15,700 views.

A post on trees in the Bible has been viewed nearly 2000 times.

A musing on the subject of whether I am earnestly seeking God, which is mostly a quotation of the first four verses of Psalm 63, has been viewed 1000 times.

A comparison of Young-Earth Creationism and Intelligent Design has received nearly 600 views.

I have asked the question, "Isn't God a great artist?" with a photo of lichens, and that brief musing has received over 700 views.

An important post on environmental stewardship in the Bible has received 5486 views, as of November 25, 2014.

A post on what John Wesley had to say about the idea of the image of God has met the criterion.

A post on almond flowers in the Bible, and what they looked like (with a photo, not by me) has received nearly 4000 views.

A post on Joseph's cup, and divination (telling the future) has met the criterion.

A post on "Looking for Something," using a parable in Luke 15, has been viewed over 900 times.

"I believe in evolution: so do you" has met the criterion.

A bible study on what the New Testament church actually prayed for has been viewed over 1000 times.

To my amazement, a photograph of mimosa flowers has been viewed over 1200 times.

"Confessions of a Freecell Addict" has received over 700 views.

One of an occasional series, on women in the Old Testament, is on five sisters - Mahlah, Noah, Milcah, Hoglah and Tirzah - has been seen over 500 times.

A post on the Christianity -- or not -- of Star Wars, has been viewed over 2700 times.

A post on Tamar, a woman of the Old Testament, has been viewed over 600 times.

A description of travel from Greenwood, South Carolina, to North Augusta, South Carolina, has been viewed over 900 times.

A post on inbreeding in the Old Testament has been viewed over 3600 times.

A free scan of a public domain woodcut of the Last Supper has had over 600 views.

"Technology: some Biblical basics" has met the criterion.

A post on the colors purple, scarlet and crimson has met the criterion.

Abishag: beauty contestant and bedwarmer received over 3000 views.

Hathach: lessons from a eunuch has been viewed over 600 times.

A post, showing a chart giving the Biblical evidence for being a Christian has been viewed over 500 times. 

"How to treat aliens, foreigners and strangers" has been viewed over 500 times. 

A post on "God's creativity" has been viewed over 800 times. 

A post on the (they say) 7 C's of history, by Answers in Genesis, has been viewed over 500 times.

I've been gone. Sorry.

Approximately a month ago, our computer died. During the replacement process, I discovered that somehow I hadn't backed up the file with my Google password as part of it. After many attempts, Google has allowed me to use a new password, which I am now doing, thank God!

Thanks for reading, if anyone is. I hope to post more soon. However, I'm still getting acquainted with a new (to me) keyboard, a new (to me) operating system, Windows 11, a new HTML file creator, and trying to figure out where OneDrive has found and/or saved (or not) my files.

1,000 posts!

This is my 1,000th post.

Thanks, readers, however sporadic or faithful!

The hardest thing about blogging is having something to say that's worth reading.

Whoops! Wrong.

It's getting people to read what you have said. You have made both a lot easier, and I haven't always posted something worth reading, by a long shot.

If you have time on your hands, I suggest that you look at one or more of the 17 "Significant posts," just to the right of this. I consider such matters as what the church prayed for in the New Testament, what makes a novel Christian, the Narnia books, our fascination with photography, origins, the Bible and science, and things I'm thankful for.

The first post was nearly three and a half years ago.

Thanks to God for the ability and facilities needed to do this.

Thanks for reading.

Hiatus

I am preparing for some extended family-related travel, and don't expect to be posting much for a while. I may occasionally post a Sunspots, and have a few more of the hymns of Charles Wesley to post (I could use one of his a day for several years, if I had access to his entire output!).

Also, I may not be able to respond to all of your comments, or to follow other people's blogs, as much as I usually do.

Thanks for reading.

Three years. Thanks, Blogger!

My oldest surviving post was posted three years ago today.

Thanks, Blogger! I appreciate this free service.

Thanks also to all my readers, even any who have never commented.

The 16 posts that I consider most important are listed, as links, to the right of this sentence. The titles are more or less self-explanatory, except that "Did You Get It?" is about taking pictures as part of an experience.

Thanks for reading! God bless you all.

Travel hiatus coming

God willing, we will be traveling soon. I don't expect to post much, except, perhaps, a Sunspots or two, and another hymn of Charles Wesley, for the next several days.

Article on social networks

There's a thoughtful article in The New Atlantis about social networks, mostly MySpace and FaceBook.

As the author concludes: "Social networking websites may make relationships more reliable, but whether those relationships can be humanly satisfying remains to be seen."

This blog isn't part of a social network, or, if it is, it's a small network that's seldom used. Some blogs, using Blogger, or similar services, are more so. Nonetheless, I am always grateful when anyone comments on a post.

Thanks for reading, whoever you are (if you are anyone!).

Be grateful: Topics I haven't considered

Be grateful. This blog has had no posts, at least recently, about:

Paris Hilton

Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez

Immigration legislation

American Idol, or any other current TV show

With one exception, endorsements of any particular politician or party

Macintosh computers

Eternal Security

Investments

Recipes

Maybe next time. . .

Thanks for reading! (Bloglines tells me that 21 people subscribe to this blog through that service alone, which probably means that one person per week, on the average, reads a little of it.)

Gene Wolfe and J. R. R. Tolkien

I have been doing my bit to fill cyberspace, with this blog, for over two years, for which set of privileges I thank God.

I frequently wonder just what I am going to post. Sometimes the timing isn't right. Sometimes I haven't had, or taken, time to polish up some topic. A few times, I just haven't posted, for various reasons. No doubt there are numerous occasions when you, my hypothetical reader, and I, would have been better off if I hadn't posted at all, but never mind.

Inspiration (or something less) often comes from what I see on someone else's blog, or on some other web page. Today is one of those times.

I subscribe to Claw of the Conciliator, which covers, like this one, a multitude of things, occasionally including fantastic literature, which is why I subscribe. The title comes from a book by Gene Wolfe. (See here for my one post -- so far -- on this great author of fantastic literature.) Wolfe's term, Conciliator, was not chosen by accident. Wolfe, who has won numerous awards from mainstream organizations concerned with excellence in fantastic literature, is a Christian. One of the aspects of his fiction is the extensive vocabulary he employs. One word, that I supposed he made up, which occurs in the book indicated, is fuligin, which means "so black that you can't really see it." It turns out that he hadn't made it up. I don't know where he got it.

A recent post on the Claw of the Conciliator blog, to my wonder and amazement, points to a web page, which consists of an article by Gene Wolfe (published with permission) on how he discovered Tolkien's writing, (here's my web page on Tolkien) and quotes a letter from Tolkien (an even greater writer of fantastic literature, also a Christian) to Wolfe. Wolfe had written Tolkien, characteristically, asking where his terms, orc and warg, had come from. Tolkien wrote back, and explains. Tolkien, in this case, at least, like Wolfe, did not make up these words, or did not make them up from nothing. He was a student of languages, and used words from ancient tongues as roots for some of his words. (He also made up his own languages, but that's another story.)

Thanks, Elliot, for the tip. Thank you, hypothetical reader, for reading!

Should I be Person of the Year?

Time has named "you*," the computer user, as the person of the year. The subhead of the cover story says "In 2006, the World Wide Web became a tool for bringing together the small contributions of millions of people and making them matter." That would be me, I guess, and probably you, too.

*This link to this specific story may not last long.

OK. Besides this blog, we have an active Flickr account. I have a web page, or pages. I have contributed a little content to the Wikipedia, and reviewed a book or two for Amazon. I have sold items on eBay. I have an account with Project Gutenberg, and am set up to begin to join the many proofreaders. I guess that qualifies me, even though I haven't uploaded any videos to YouTube, and I don't have a MySpace account (and don't plan to do either anytime soon). You probably do all these things, and more, making your "small contributions," too.

But Person of the Year? Well, that's Time's judgment, not mine. Somehow, what I do seems pretty ordinary. How about the framers of the Constitution of the US, who put in free speech? How about those who made it possible to use glass, harnessed electricity, found out about semiconductors, discovered quantum physics, and wrote computer languages? Aren't they the ones who really deserve this?

Have my "small contributions" really done anybody, even me, any good? They keep me occupied, my wife says. Perhaps I have uplifted someone, or informed them, or even reflected Christ in some small contribution way. I hope so.

I read much of the Time article and sidebars on-line. Later, I saw the magazine, next to the checkout line of our local grocery. It has a mirror on the cover. I picked up the periodical, and looked into the mirror. It was a cheap mirror. I suppose that was me reflected, but not very well. As Paul said, "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." (1 Corinthians 13:12, ESV) Fuzzy as I am, and ordinary as I am, I don't deserve to be person of the year. Sorry, neither do you. Only one Person does -- Jesus Christ, the eternal Lord and Savior of the world, the one who reflects God perfectly.

Thanks for reading.

Merry Christmas, and blogger milestone

This post is the first one I posted which is still available, two years ago today, on December 24, 2004. (I removed a few of the earlier posts, and re-posted them.)

The previous post of today was my 600th existing blog post.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and God's best to you, whoever you are!

Thanks for reading.

Announcement: Labels finished!

I am using Blogger Beta, which has several nice features. One of these is labels, which occur at the end of each post. (This one has Blogging as its only label.)

Labels are so that you (or I) can find previous posts on more or less the same subject. If you click on a label, you should see all, or at least the beginning of "all," if there are a lot of posts with the same label, of the posts with that label.

I am pleased to announce that I have finished labeling all of my posts. This one is the 567th post still available (I have deleted a few), so it took a while. I'm glad to have finished it. Thank God. Some of you, depending on how you access this blog, may have wondered why you have seen groups of old posts show up from time to time. Adding labels requires re-publishing the posts. This should be over, and you shouldn't see anything like the previous activity. I may add a label or two, or otherwise tweak previous posts, but not on the same scale, at least for a while.

Thanks for reading.

Brother Lawrence on using the Web

The Practice of the Presence of God, about Brother Lawrence of the Cross, written in the late 1600's, is a short book, available in several places on the web, including here. It details how Brother Lawrence found ways to be in constant communion with God in his daily tasks. I have read that the book is the second most widely read, after the Bible. I don't know if that is true. Brother Lawrence never heard of the Internet, of course, but it strikes me that I need to practice God's presence in my activity on the web. Here's an excerpt, which, if I substitute appropriately, is a guide to doing that. May I do so.

He noted that in the beginning of his novitiate he spent the hours appointed for private prayer in thinking of God so as to convince his mind and impress deeply upon his heart the Divine existence. He did this by devout sentiments and submission to the lights of faith, rather than by studied reasonings and elaborate meditations. By this short and sure method he exercised himself in the knowledge and love of God, resolving to use his utmost endeavor to live in a continual sense of His Presence, and, if possible, never to forget Him more.

When he had thus, in prayer, filled his mind with great sentiments of that Infinite Being, he went to his work appointed in the kitchen (for he was then cook for the community). There having first considered severally the things his office required, and when and how each thing was to be done, he spent all the intervals of his time, both before and after his work, in prayer.

When he began his business, he said to God with a filial trust in Him, "O my God, since Thou art with me, and I must now, in obedience to Thy commands, apply my mind to these outward things, I beseech Thee to grant me the grace to continue in Thy Presence; and to this end do Thou prosper me with Thy assistance. Receive all my works, and possess all my affections." As he proceeded in his work, he continued his familiar conversation with his Maker, imploring His grace, and offering to Him all his actions.

When he had finished, he examined himself how he had discharged his duty. If he found well, he returned thanks to God. If otherwise, he asked pardon and, without being discouraged, he set his mind right again. He then continued his exercise of the presence of God as if he had never deviated from it. "Thus," said he, "by rising after my falls, and by frequently renewed acts of faith and love, I am come to a state wherein it would be as difficult for me not to think of God as it was at first to accustom myself to it."

Thanks for reading. Practice the Presence of God.

A Model for Christian political blogging: Philiphronos

Laura, at Pursuing Holiness, posted a challenge to those who blog about political issues, and claim to be Christians. She quotes from I Peter 3:14-16, which includes: "However, make your defense with gentleness and respect." (I'm not sure which version she is using.) Then, she says:

If we are called to make our defense of our faith with gentleness and respect, how much more should we do so with respect to minor issues like the politics of our nation or any of the temporary governments of this world?

Indeed.

A good plan. I don't think I major in politics here at Sun and Shield, but it comes up occasionally. I hope I have followed this pattern, and I intend to do so from now on.

Laura, who is working in conjunction with another blogger, invites other bloggers to join them in various ways, for example by adding the Philiphronos blog to your blogroll. Instructions (which may not work for all blog platforms) are included.

I thank Bonnie, of Intellectuelle, for the link to this material.

Thanks for reading.

Yet another travel hiatus

We plan to be away for a little over two weeks, and I don't expect to have time to post much, or, perhaps, enough time to read your posts as well as they deserve (if at all). I hope to post Sunspots, and installments of Diary of an Old Soul, during that time.

Thanks for reading.

What's really important

A couple of months ago, I got an e-mail message from someone who had found my web pages on uploading souls. Presumably, the correspondent had found this page through a search. He asked me what my name was (I had unintentionally not given my name on the page -- I have corrected that now) because he wanted to refer to it. He also said that he had noticed, from the content of the page, that I must be a Christian, and that he had been pleasantly surprised by my spirit of tolerance toward other views, or words to that effect. He was under the impression that Christians are typically close-minded and intolerant. (Actually, I was just trying to be a good academic, and present various views fairly. Also, I was trying to explore the issue, without having any particular axe to grind.)

There are dangers in being too tolerant. There are some things that are just plain wrong, even monstrous, which should not be tolerated. There are some things that are just plain good, and must be affirmed. But there are also dangers in being intolerant. That seems to have been the problem, or at least one of the problems, of the Pharisees, in Jesus' time.

I have my views on many subjects, including, to name a few, origins, treatment of the poor, Middle East events, health insurance, and stem cell research. Of course, I think all of my views are the correct ones. But I must not forget what is important. (besides, I could be wrong!) The most important thing I can display, in this blog, and in my daily life, is the love of Christ toward others. That will attract others to the Christian life. My position on origins won't. Further, I need to love Christian people who disagree with me about these and other issues. Jesus said that the sign, to non-Christians, that Christianity was the solution to the world's problems would be how Christians loved one another. I could go on and detail how certain Christians have given Christianity a bad name by their strident support of various political, ethical, and even theological positions, and their intolerance for other positions, or their ignorance of science, but I won't. I, personally, need to give Christianity a good name by showing Christ's love to those who claim to be Christians, even if I think they are unenlightened, and by showing that same love to those who have never heard of, or met, Christ. That's what's really important. May God forgive me where I have failed in these endeavors.

I posted resolutions for this blog on January 1, 2006. Those haven't changed. They are partly about the issues of this post. One of my best posts was probably "on Evangelical blogging," which covers some of the same issues. I need to remind myself of these ideas occasionally.

Thanks for reading.

Simple Pleasures meme, sort of

I have been tagged by Julana, from Life in the Slow Lane, who asked that I list some simple pleasures. I'm not very aggressive, and don't tag others for memes*, but if you want to participate, please do. Let me know that you did, please, by commenting.

In no particular order:
1. Listening to classical music.
2. Reading. I enjoy reading many things over again, and good new material. I like passing some of it on to you.
3. Eating good food, including ice cream, the good green salads that everyone in my family but me can make well, chocolate, and lots of other good stuff.
4. Seeing flowers and birds and trees.
5. Watching and listening to anything my grandson does.
6. Mowing the grass, washing the dishes, and doing other things where you can see results quickly.
7. Traveling with my wife, anywhere from a few blocks away to a few time zones away.
8. Going to the grocery store or the library.
9. Attending church.
10. Interacting with others by e-mail, blogs, and Flickr photos.

What about you?

Thanks for reading! I hope it was a pleasure.

*in blogger-ese, some post that is passed on by other bloggers. See here or here for more information on the concept, in society at large.

4 x 4 meme

Julana tagged me for this meme.

Here goes.

I'm supposed to list 4 jobs I've had.
I was a bean picker for my parents, at 3 cents a pound. This was while in late grade school and in high school. I could pick 200 pounds a day, and so could two of my brothers.
I was a pigeon and dove sexer (don't ask how this was done) for the Genetics Department of the University of Wisconsin. My research for a doctorate was on the genetics of blood antigens in such birds, and was pretty unimportant, except that I got a doctorate. We had to set up matings to do genetics, and we had to know the sex to do matings.
I was a professor at Southern Wesleyan University for 41 years. I taught biology, and some computer, math, physics, physical science, statistics and research, plus helped with a few inter-disciplinary seminars, and once each I taught health education and science fiction.
I'm currently an assistant babysitter for my grandson. (To my wife)

4 places I've lived:
Rural Sawyer County, Wisconsin. The high school I attended had only 15 members in my graduating class. My first school was a one-room country school. I believe I was the first male who finished that school to ever graduate from high school.
Madison, Wisconsin, while in graduate school. I spent six years there, which is more than most people take, but I wasn't in a hurry. I discovered C. S. Lewis in the children's section of the university library. I was involved in a newly planted church (which closed a few years after I left Madison.)
Dayton, Tennessee, while on a year's sabbatical at Bryan College.
San Diego County, California, while babysitting. (Our daughter has been deployed to a military base six hours away, and our son-in-law travels a lot.)
(I know, that's four, but . . .) We have lived in Pickens County, South Carolina, for most of our lives.

4 vacations I've taken:
For our twenty-fifth anniversary, we drove from Michigan to near Toronto, where we caught a train to Nova Scotia, where we spent several days. That was a good vacation. On the way back to Michigan, we happened upon Stratford, Ontario, and fell in love with the flowers, etc., there. Since then, all of our immediate family have spent a few days there, sometimes seeing a play or two (there is a Shakespeare festival there, nearly year around) and sometimes not. That's two vacations.
For our retirement, our daughters and sons-in-law planned, and helped finance, a trip to Washington and Oregon, with side trips to near Victoria, BC, and to extreme NW California.
Since my family lived in the Midwest, we didn't take vacations of any length, except to see my parents and whoever was living near them for several years after we married. But the four of us did go to Florida once, and, among other things, visited the Everglades and saw a coral reef from a glass-bottomed boat.

4 vehicles I have owned.
See here for more information on this matter.
My first car was a 1964 GMC Handi-van, with no A/C, and manual transmission.
We have owned a couple of Taurus station wagons, and three Honda sedans, plus a few other cars, mostly Chrysler products.

If anyone wants to do this, because of reading this, please do so. If you would be so kind, comment that you have, giving the URL if possible. If you want to, tag four other persons to do the same.

Thanks for reading.

Three Questions: maybe this is a meme

On National Public Radio recently (sorry, I can't remember what the program was, or who was being interviewed) I heard a woman say that she was going around asking people three questions.

Here they are:
What do you live for?

What would you die for?

What would you kill for?

I know the answers I'd like to give, which are:
I live for Jesus Christ alone.

I would die rather than betraying my faith, and I would die to protect my family.

I would kill only if necessary to prevent some great evil.

How would these answers hold up in real life? I'm not sure, except for the first one, and I know I live too much for me.

Think about it. I'd be interested in your reaction. If anyone wants to make this into a meme, complete with tagging others, do so, please.

Resolutions for 2006 blogging

I hereby resolve to:

1) post regularly, unless, of course, I have more important things to do, or am providentially hindered

2) read at least one post, that I wouldn't have otherwise, from the Christian Carnival, every week

3) comment (if the blog allows) on every post I read, as opposed to glance at, and make sure that the comment makes it possible for the blogger to identify which post I was commenting on.

4) be charitable to views I don't agree with, and to ignorance (which isn't always the same thing!)

5) acknowledge all comments to my blog, unless the commenter hasn't left any kind of clue that allows me to do so

See also here, for previously posted guidelines for this blog, which are part of this resolution. See also my Flickr resolutions, if you wish to.

God's best in this new year. Thanks for reading.