Over on Ben Myers’ blogspot (http://faith-theology.blogspot.com/) he posted 2005 highlights from his year; that is, favorite new experiences in each category. I thought it would be interesting to see what our highlights were. I’ll start:

Travel highlight: Moving to MN. Was in Brussels in October. That was beautiful. But moving here was more special.
Dining highlight: Sofia’s Jazz Club (downtown Minneapolis), with Alan and Heather Rhoda, Selah and her man(!), and Mr. & Mrs. Mephi.
Movie: Didn’t see Capote or The Constant Gardener (I hear Weiss was very good in that) which I’m sure were both better than the stuff I did get around to seeing. Since I had the kids with me in the theater most of 2005, I’ll have to go with King King for sheer entertainment.
Documentary: Not sure it fits this category, but because it dealt with historical events: Hotel Rawanda.
Music: Switchfoot (OK, I’m secretly a shallow teen-ager).
Fiction: I don’t read fiction.
Poetry: William Cowper (English).
Theology: Jerry Walls’ Hell: The Logic of Damnation.
Autobiographies: I don’t read biographies.

Here’s a piece of Cowper:

Is virtue, then, unless of Christian growth,
Mere fallacy, or foolishness, or both?
Ten thousand sages lost in endless woe,
For ignorance of what they could not know?
That speech betrays at once a bigot's tongue-
Charge not a God with such outrageous wrong!
Truly, not I-the partial light men have,
My creed persuades me, well employ'd, may save;
While he that scorns the noon-day beam, perverse,
Shall find the blessing, unimprov'd, a curse.
Let heathen worthies, whose exalted mind
Left sensuality and dross behind,
Possess, for me, their undisputed lot,
And take, unenvied, the reward they sought:
But still in virtue of a Saviour's plea,
Not blind by choice, but destin'd not to see.
Their fortitude and wisdom were a flame Celestial,
though they knew not whence it came,
Deriv'd from the same source of light and grace
That guides the Christian in his swifter race.
Their judge was conscience, and her rule their law:
That rule, pursued with rev'rence and with awe,
Led them, however falt'ring, faint, and slow,
From what they knew to what they wish'd to know.
But let not him that shares a brighter day
Traduce the splendour of a noon-tide ray,
Prefer the twilight of a darker time,
And deem his base stupidity no crime;
The wretch, who slights the bounty of the skies,
And sinks, while favour'd with the means to rise,
Shall find them rated at their full amount,
The good he scorn'd all carried to account.

Tom

Post Edited (MephEternal) : 1/7/2006 7:33:56 PM (GMT-6)

Post Edited (selah) : 1/8/2006 6:34:04 AM (GMT-6)

Travel highlight: "3 days in Northfield" an out of body experience.

Dining highlight: Mickey's Diner, with two of my favorite people, there's nothing like a greasy burger and great company!

Movie: Crash- I was crabby for 3 days after watching this- I learned something about what I'm willing to forgive and what I don't want to deal with- good stuff.

Documentary: well, during semester break I watched Woodstock again- but that's a Rockumentary isn't it?

Post Edited (Starkman) : 1/10/2006 8:32:17 AM (GMT-6)

Post Edited (selah) : 1/12/2006 6:11:24 AM (GMT-6)

Travel highlights:

     -Apologetics cruise to Alaska in August with other people who listen to Stand to Reason on the radio. Got to meet Bill & Jan Craig, J.P. & Hope Moreland, and Craig & Kathy(I think?) Hazen, too… they all were super-nice people! Nobody wanted to leave when the cruise was over!

     -Trip to PA & MN in November & getting to meet some of the people on this board!

     -Trip to NYC for a family reunion to meet long-lost relatives I haven’t seen for over 15 years.

Bummer of the Year (I have to add this in contrast to Alaska):

      -Lost ALL of the 250 pictures I took with our digital camera on the cruise… the card just zapped when showing the pics to my mom.  I’m still not over it.  Don’t think I will ever be.

Dining highlights:

      -Dinner in a cool fancy restaurant during the family reunion: all expenses paid!

      -Sofia’s Jazz Club (downtown Minneapolis), with Tom and Anita Belt, Selah and her man(!), and Mr. & Mrs. Mephi. (With swing-dancing to boot!)  

Moment highlight: (Gotta add this one)

      -Teaching Tom & Anita, Selah & Man the basics of swing dancing on the way to the parking garage after Sofia’s… Just when we thought we were safe from observation, some college age students walked by us while we were searching for an explanation to give them for our behavior… wasn’t Anita on the floor laughing at that time while I was helping her up??? Meph, next time you both gotta stay just a bit longer!

Movie: Batman Begins. AWESOME soundtrack !

Documentary: Hotel Rwanda

Music:

      -Just before the new year rolled around, hearing Barber’s Adagio for Strings (my favorite orchestral piece of all time) played to Hip Hop music! That was absolutely cool to hear!

Fiction: None really.

Poetry:

      -Some of the poetry written by high schoolers in the book Hurt. Not “professional” poetry, but just their raw emotion. Helped me to remember how difficult high school was.