Late OFF 1

The darkness hid the passing of the cloaked figure. With barely a sound, the silent walker slowly circled the feeble light thrown by a flickering lantern. With faintly glittering eyes, the hooded figure closed upon the raucous inn. Inside, the local celebrity was entertaining the crowd with the tales of his exploits while a crowd gathered around the fireplace. He was indeed full of stories of danger and intrigue. Of course due to his unsavory character traits, he was often the instigator of the evil of which he spoke.

As the phantom in the road approached the inn, the now visible eyes held pools of deep set hatred. If only those inside could have seen those eyes, they would have warned the jovial villain. Yet unnoticed went the audience outside the inn.

Yet there was a deed to be done. The figure had been sent by a larger group, a group that desired the bitter end of this uncouth and reckless storyteller. And so, with steady resolve the hooded visitor slipped into the side of the inn and settled near the corner. Slender fingers now gripped a small yet deadly dagger. As the stories and laughter filled the room, nobody took notice as the assassin moved in slowly closer. The time had almost come and the figure grew closer yet lingered just out of sight waiting for the final sign.

With a loud splash, the fire was extinguished by water cascading down the chimney. The dining hall was plunged into the darkness of midnight. Loud cries and exclamations splintered the darkness but the silent figure acted quickly. It took only a few minutes to rekindle a light but the light showed a dead and bloodied wolf. To this day the only clues were a scrap of red fabric and claims of a pig’s squeal on the roof.

Battlefield Thoughts

This weekend I was able to walk across some of the fields and hills surrounding Gettysburg, PA. It was upon these fields that over one hundred thousand Americans met in battle and over fifty thousand lost their lives. It was overlooking these fields a few days after the battle that Abraham Lincoln gave one of the well known speeches in American history. Yet, it was my first time to walk upon that land and it truly was a humbling experience.
Out of all that I saw, there was one scene which still lingers in my mind. The current landscape which I saw in early fall is filled in with imagination of what it looked like in the heat of July in 1863. I stood upon the intersection of rocks known now as "The Angle." As I look west from my perch upon this slight rigde, I can see the vast plain laid before me with a line of trees a mile away. On that last fateful day of the Battle of Gettysburg, it was from those trees that the final Confederate charge was led across the open field. With naught but occasional rail fences for cover, 12,000 men traversed that mile under a steady rain of cannon and rifle fire. In the end, only a small handful of men made to the line of Union defenses and scaled the small wall at the point at which I stood. There, after so much effort, they fought hand to hand in an attempt to seize control of some ground. But it was for naught as they were defeated along with all who made that charge.
Such bitter moments of bloodshed proved to be a turning point in the war. And as I stood upon that geographical spot of earth, I pictured the scene. Thousands of men walking and running towards an almost impossible goal, sacrificing their life in the face of fire from fellow countrymen. We remember the words of Lincoln, but we forget the eyes of the soldier. What motivation and circumstances brought the country to that point in history? Stubborn men convinced of the necessity of their belief extinquised the lives of thousands and wrote the darkest chapter of this country's short history.
As I stood upon that battlefield, I could not help but be torn by the thought of history and the questions it brings. What is courage? What cause is worth sacrifice? What motives and arguments fuel the fire of hatred? What is the cost of freedom? Whose freedom is most important? Does victory of arms validate an ideal? Where is legacy created?
It is ironic that Lincoln stated that few would remember his words while the actions of these men would live in memories. Instead, history has glorified his speech and reduced the lives of men to a battlefield diagram and description. History only has space for a few, but death captures everyone. It was a humbling experience to see the ground where so many individuals spent their last breaths and passed into the beyond. My short time of living will eventually matter very little. The eternity beyond death is the only place where true value can ever be realized. How will that impact my life today?

Book Review

I love to read and I love to write. However, I have never written a review of a book outside of the demands of a class. That is about to change as I write a brief review here of the book "I Don't Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist." While it is technically written to those who would claim to be Christians, the book approaches its thesis in such a way that anyone could read it. The main claim of the book is to show that atheism requires more intellectual assumptions than the belief in the God of the Bible. In order to prove this point, the authors, Norman Geisler and Frank Turek, work through a twelve step process to prove the existence of God as the Bible describes Him.
The premise in general is that any historical study requires what the authors call "judicial proof." The concept is that if anything is not observable, then only an investigation of evidence offers truth claims. In court, lawyers present evidence and testimony to prove a case. Likewise, this book claims that while the evidence will never completely prove the existence of God, it leads to a sufficient basis for belief.
The book proves its worth by presenting an overwhelming amount of evidence in a compelling and readable fashion. It provides a great tool for any Christian to learn and develop the confidence to explain their faith. And, it can effectively be given to a friend who is reluctant and would be open to some discussion. There are few books that really get me excited and this is one. I highly recommend the book and it is relatively cheap to buy if you desire.