2 Things that annoy me, a cool quote, and conclusive evidence that I'm a nerd

It occurred to me, after writing that title, that it sort of resembles the table-of-contents-titles Puritans gave their books. Cool.

Anyways, sorry for not posting much lately.....you'd think that summer provides a bunch of time to get a gazillion things done, so you make a list of a gazillion and one things to do. I ended up accomplishing....oh, I'll be generous.......maybe.......4.5? [Doesn't it amuse you when researchers proudly report that the average family has 1.5 children? HA!] Oh well. Now that the school year's back, and I have more time to write :-), I'll try to write more boring posts like I did before.

Irritating thing #1: Lately I was thinking about churches that believe that children should remain with their parents at all times so that the fathers can oversee everything the kid learns there; therefore there's no separate Sunday schools, etc. Why on earth would you go to a church if you don't trust the teaching enough to let your kids to be taught by an elder without you being around? Why should you be learning there? The elders of a church are shepherds to the whole flock - both the adults and the children.

Irritating thing #2: I've been reading a book called The Civilization of the Middle Ages. I'm on page 40, and so far the author has taught me this about Christianity (among other things):

1. Our doctrines are borrowed from Platonic and Stoic philosophies. [Hmmmm......I guess he never read Colossians 2:8.....wouldn't it be strange for Paul to warn us against the very philosophies that he "borrowed" our major doctrines from?]
2. The Holy Spirit is the pre-incarnate Christ.
3. Christ didn't consider Himself THE Messiah.
4. Some guy tacked on the ending of Job later on because the story seemed too bleak.

Note to author: Maybe you should read the Bible before you tell people what it teaches.

On a more orthodox note, here's what I read this morning by Henry Scrougal:

The love of the world, and the love of God, are like the scales of a balance, as the one falls, the other rises: when our natural inclinations prosper, and the creature is exalted in our soul, religion is faint, and languishes; but when earthly objects wither away, and lose their beauty, and the soul begins to cool and flag in its prosecution of them, then the seeds of grace take root, and the divine life begins to flourish and prevail. (The Life of God in the Soul of Man, p. 113)

So true!

Later on this week I'll REALLY TRY to get a real post out, since the arduous first week of school is over. Here I come to the sobering evidence that I really am a nerd:

1. I was excited for school to start. Teenagers aren't supposed to be that way.
2. I made a list of medieval great books that I want to read this year, and the result was not the normal 8 or so. It wasn't 12. Nor 18. For crying out loud, IT WAS 24!!!!! I shocked myself! This is the bibliophile's version of the "your eyes are too big for your stomach" syndrome. How on earth am I going to pull this one off? This will take super-human capabilities to accomplish....and the last time I checked, I'm not extremely gifted like that. Yikes.
3. I enjoy reading the aforesaid books. And I used to wonder why I didn't have many friends.......

I need a 12-step program.