Time for a quick review of the expanded edition of Between Heaven and Hell by Peter Kreeft:

Bubbly.

I mean that in the champagne sense, because this superb apologetics book sparkles so brightly and goes down so fast that you don't realize how heavy the argumentation actually is.

To set the stage for my glowing recommendation, you need to know that Between Heaven and Hell is written as a three-way conversation--a Socratic dialog, if you will--between J.F. Kennedy, Aldous Huxley, and C.S. Lewis. The fictional conversation is set on November 22, 1963, the historical date on which all three men died.

So a few hours after Kennedy, Huxley and Lewis pass away, they meet up in an unspecified location "somewhere between heaven and hell," and, at Lewis' bequest, begin a civil debate to discover the true nature of life. Kennedy represents materialism, Huxley Eastern religion, and Lewis the orthodox Christian faith. The dialog that Peter Kreeft creates is remarkable for its fluidity, its characterization, and its seamless incorporation of weighty theological and philosophical questions. Great ending as well.

In a word (other than "bubbly"), this book is brilliant. I like everything I've read by Peter Kreeft, and this is one of his masterpieces. A main advantage of the "expanded edition" was listening to Kreeft reflect on the book's history since its initial publication in 1982. One remarkable fact: Several people who knew C.S. Lewis personally have remarked to Kreeft that the demeanor of his faux Lewis fits the real man perfectly.

*** Between Heaven and Hell gets 3 of 3 stars--Don't miss it--and I have a hard time seeing how it could fail to cause enthusiasm in both seasoned and amateur apologists and lovers of C.S. Lewis everywhere. You better believe it's on the Master Book List.

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I'm pretty sure his nonverbals are communicating something along the lines of, "Just wait until I'm on my feet, friendo. My biceps are already as big as yours."

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Have you played with Wordle yet? Over time, this word-cloud-generating service could rise to the dignity of a verb form. ("So yesterday I Wordled it...") At this point, it's just plain fun.

I put Wordle's abilities to the test with the Introduction to G.K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy. And aside from creating a cool graphic, Wordle does indeed reveal the true colors of Chesterton's book. Notice words like "discover, romance, joke, fool, yacht" and "funny." You'll immediately get the right idea: This is not your average theology book. Which is why it's an inimitable classic that you should already have read twice...

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Aidan knows how to trigger useful surges of paternal affection. Strategy 1 involves grabbing my knees, and saying, "I'm with my DADDY!" At that point I get all teary-eyed and grab him so I can ruffle his hair and tell him that I love him and will always be there for him, even when turns 16 and starts growing facial hair and listening to his crazy rap music.

So I'm holding Aidan while drinking an Orange Julius with Lindsay and Sarah, my younger sister, when Aidan takes a sudden swipe at my glass and nearly knocks it out of my hand. My two front teeth avoid the collision only by jumping out of the way at the last second. Huh? So I ask the obvious question:

Me: Hey, why did you do that?
Aidan, without hesitation: SIN.

Not exactly what I was looking for. "Because I wanted to chip your front teeth," would have been more in line with what I was after. Or, "I wanted some more of that Orange Julius and thought I might slurp some out of the air as the glass flew out of your hand." Conclude what you want to, this does go to show one thing:

Aidan has his basic theology down cold. He could be teaching anthropology in some Christian schools...

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...that he's one bad dude. However, the facade is kind of undermined by his great sense of humor, not to mention the fact that he likes tickle parties.

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Some of you remember the uproar Lindsay caused when she spit out a critical review of Third, Portishead's new album, calling it "bad and trippy, weird and annoying."

Well, in the days since, Portishead has been getting extended play time on the stereo and my ipod earbuds--and I'm here to tell you that Lindsay's assessment was a little on the tough side.

Third is a demanding album, no question. The stalled-out beats and filtered vocals give the songs a dark, enigmatic flavor. However, in my experience, this initial opacity also makes the record an immersive listening experience. There are a handful of albums that I've felt compelled to play over and over again, as if there are musical mysteries to be unraveled. Portishead's Third is right up there with Funeral by Arcade Fire and Radiohead's In Rainbows.

Upshot: If you're willing to invest the time, Portishead's latest foray into vocal-anchored electronica is a fascinating trip (hop). Highly recommended.

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Some people say that the months before the baby starts talking are the least interesting. Limited mobility, limited communication, etc., but let me just point out that the smaller the baby is, the higher you can throw him in the air.

Asher's highest recorded throw measures in at 11' 8". On that occasion he threw down a 360 dunk. With a tennis ball--but still, it was impressive.

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We have just determined that my seminary days are over and I'm now a genuine graduate. Hallelujah.

For the last month I've been literally slaving away in my final class, a "preaching lab"--which, yes, is probably the most unusual "lab" you could ever hope to encounter. I presented a series of four messages which were graded on a very involved rubric that included stuff like cross references, theological terminology, historical backgrounds, appropriate gestures, voice inflection...you get the idea.

I gave my fourth message yesterday, and as of TWO MINUTES AGO, Lindsay and I examined the syllabus and determined that there's absolutely nothing to gain from putting together an optional fifth message. So voila, my accumulated grades have spoken, and I'm now a real graduate. HA! How do you like them apples, School? Told you I'd get the best of you in the end!!

To borrow and completely mis-apply some of C.S. Lewis' language, "The term is over: the holidays have begun." True, in this case, the holidays will involve copywriting, lots and lots of sweat expended in church planting, moving, and possibly a job search--but Man, it's good to be out of school.

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