Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived 
Rob Bell/11

This attempt by Bell is a great reason why everyone aspiring to publish a book should have multiple people help with editing! Bell's excursion into heterodoxy wouldn't have been so alarming had he admitted it was just that, instead of claiming orthodoxy. Attempting to put the doctrine of 'hell' out for discussion, I see few people who are discussing the subject not much more than 9 months after the book was released. All it did was generate a bit of short-term controversy and make Bell a bunch of $$$. IMO this book was embarrassing, and should only be read by those people (like myself) who cannot resist slowing down at the scene of an accident to see what kind of damage has happened. I hope Bell rebounds from this kind of notoriety, because his spoken words are actually very good and worthy of serious consideration.

Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality 
Don Miller/03

I used to really enjoy reading Don Miller's blog, but that was before I read Blue Like Jazz, now I can't take him seriously. I thought this book was like eating marshmallows, or Rice Crispies, or anything else that had no substance. I kept wondering why this book is one of the most popular Christian titles in recent years? Why did I pay $$ for it? Who do I contact for a refund?
To say that this is a popular book would be an understatement :s
I finished this book back in August and I am still sitting, trying to figure out if was all a clever marketing ploy designed to make some cash for him. Besides a few impressive philosophical one liners, I was shocked at the immaturity of someone considered a leader in the Emergent movement. Miller is smart, of that I've not much doubt, therefore, it seemed like he was cleverly (not in a good way) writing with a clear demographic in mind. Lets just say I thought Love Wins had some solid theology compared to this one :s

Commentary on Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics 
Thomas Aquinas

Maybe a classic, but too repetitious for my liking. There are aspects of Aristotle I enjoy, and there are aspects of Aquinas I enjoy, but this is not one of them. I was forced to read this as part of a university course called Thomas Aquinas and the Thomastic Tradition. I struggled chapter after chapter to stay awake long enough to actually complete my readings. I am thankful we were not tested formally on this work, as instead, we had to write a major paper on any aspect of Aquinas' theology.

Jenny & I were (and still are, for that matter) pretty saddened by the premature death of our mouse, Charlie. But we wanted to give a home for some more of God's wonderful creatures so we started scouring Kijiji and UsedPEI.com to see who needed a home.
I used to have rats when I was in high school, and they were amazing pets. They are probably by far the best starter pet to have in a home, and they are the best small animal by far.

Milo & Casper came to us from Kinkora on Boxing Day, their owners just not having enough time to provide adequate care for them. They are extremely social critters, with hearts that have the potential to be as good-as-gold. Milo is the sweetest rat I have ever seen. He is incredibly gentle and loving; it's weird. He has been handled from birth and is very comfortable around humans. Casper has not been handled as much, and as he is very nice, he is not as comfortable being handled as Milo is.
They are about a year old, and rats generally live to between 2 and 3 yrs, so we may have them for a year, maybe a year and a half? 
I am excited to learn from these guys, as domesticated rats have so much personality.
And our family grows, a little bit.

I have never done well with the death of a pet. Spot (dog), Bandit (dog), Venom & Thanos (rats), and now Charlie (mouse), are some of the rough spots I've tread in my life regarding animals. When I was young I used to want to be a veterinarian, until I realized I couldn't be around animals in pain.
In the past couple of years, my passion for animals has fired up like it has never been before. We turned vegetarian mid-August/11, then vegan a couple of weeks later. I've found myself obsessed with moths, like I used to be when I was a child. Sonnen (our hamster) has invoked a wonder within us for small animals. Charlie and his unfortunate story grabbed at our hearts in such a way that we had to take him home with us, which we did on September 29. I won't recall the struggles he had before and after we met him, as they have been documented on this blog, but it is safe to say, once again, that life was never fair to Charlie.
We took him in to see Dr Nielsen this morning. By this time his scratching had resumed awful proportions, and his right ear was bleeding again. She took him and ended his discomfort.
We took him out to Milltown Cross (the Line Rd to be exact) where my Mom lives, and where I buried my best friend a little over 13 yrs ago, and put him in the ground near that amazing dog.
We are sad now; we lost an amazing living being in Charlie. He reshaped my whole paradigm regarding small animals (especially mice), and neither of us will be the same for having had the chance to spend some of our lives together.
There is not enough support systems for people who grieve over the loss of a pet, and I hope this changes; maybe I will help change it. There should be more for people in these times. Death makes life feel hollow.
I said a brief eulogy for Charlie at the gravesite; recognizing the fact that God had given him the breath of life, as He did to man, and that now it had been taken away; that God has compassion on all He has made; and that Charlie might be received back to his Maker, to live a life eternal that he did not get to live here in the temporal. I actually firmly believe that animals will inhabit the coming Kingdom; how that will work out logistically, I don't know, but I am convinced God has it worked out.
Until then, I leave Charlie in the hands of God, and St Francis of course. Take good care of him guys, until we meet again.
Goodbye Charlie, we love you, and will never forget you

Using sandpaper to try and file Charlie's nails down didn't really work; I think it made his feet hurt so he wouldn't go on his wheel. The itching has also not gotten better at all. We get to a point where his wounds are almost healed and he opens them up again. His poor ears have been reduced to about half the size of what they were. The only times it appears he is at peace is when he is sleeping, snuggled into Jenny or I.
Tomorrow, Dr Nielsen returns from her holiday time-off and we will try to get an appointment with her. It doesn't look good though. I truly do not know what else we could do for him. I am hoping for a miracle in the next 12 hrs or so, but am also content that if one doesn't happen then Charlie will return to That which he came from.
It's in His hands now. Father, Your will be done.

If you own a Kindle, YOU NEED THIS app, seriously. Ever see an article online that you want to put on you Kindle? I don't know what you do to get it there, but I copy and paste it to Word, and either convert to PDF and manually transfer, or transfer as a Word doc. This changes EVERYTHING. Installing it as an extension to Chrome, Firefox, or even Android, it creates a button on your toolbar; once clicked it automatically converts it to an extremely nice format and sends it as an email to your Kindle email, which automatically send it to your Kindle (when your wireless is on). It works like a charm and is invaluable, and FREE!!! Crazy! I recommend you do it NOW, NOW, NOW.
The only thing, remember to use your '******@free.kindle.com' rather then '******@kindle.com' for transferring. This may sent save you a couple bucks depending on your Kindle email settings. Anyways, enjoy!

Things are slow-going in the recovery process. It seems like there is progress, then there seems like there's not. There are times throughout the day where he attempts scratching but a little, but other times are incessant. The wound on Charlie's right shoulder is not cooperating with any treatment and resists healing. We determined that Charlie's nails are razor sharp and even a quick scratch here and there is enough to prohibit the wounds from healing. I read online that people put sandpaper in their small animal's cages to file down the nails, so that is what we are trying. If his nails are less sharp and pointy, maybe that will hinder the cutting associated with his scratching. 
Dr Nielsen is back to work on the 22nd (the same day I get all my wisdom teeth out) and we will take Charlie in and see what she has to say. If she is content and optimistic with the progress then we will continue on our demanding recovery schedule, if not, well.............we did every possible thing we could for him. We want Charlie to be happy, comfortable and at peace; and we want to be fair to him, not giving him a constantly uncomfortable life. We would miss him, sure, but that is secondary to 'his' needs. Sometimes, there is only so much you can do. Sometimes, life is unfair. Sometimes, life actually sucks. Sometimes, death is preferable to life.
I never gave mice enough credit before; they can be the most amazing pets. I can't get over how much Charlie likes to burrow into my arms to sleep. He is so vulnerable, like many of the guinea pigs, rats, bunnies, gerbils, hamsters, and other small animals entrusted to our care. I thank God for Charlie; he has truly changed our lives.
We, humanity, need to start taking better care of animals. Much of the treatment we have given them throughout history is a blight on our existence.

If you don't know who Christopher Hitchens is (was) then you would do well to get out more.
I'm not sure what my first exposure to Hitchens was, but of the New Athiests (most notably, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and he) he was definitely the one I took more interest in. I found his demeanor to be much less childish than Dawkins or Harris; he seemed to have actual questions and concerns at the heart of his arguments rather than immature pettiness. His wit was undeniable and rarely matched, and his writing, sharp. I regretfully did not have much exposure to the vastness of his expertise save from God Is Not Great and debates/discussions against the likes of Rev. Al Sharpton, Todd Friel, and William Lane Craig. While I found (and still find) his scientific arguments against intelligent design rather compelling, I thought his Biblical exegetical skills were poorly developed and disappointingly lacking.
The Church needs men in this world like Christopher Hitchens; for one, to unconditionally, selflessly love. And two, to hammer out what we think, or believe, to be true. Without the unorthodox there is no orthodox.
I don't presume to judge where Christopher Hitchens exists right now. I wasn't there when he went face to face with God. It's not my call.
I do hope though, that some of the faithful will develop a kind of backbone like Hitchens had.

Jenny and I have been trying to function on 4hrs sleep each a night while we strive to restore Charlie to health. We each take 2hr shifts at night starting at approx 11pm.
As you can see from the above picture, Charlie's right shoulder still has a pretty good gash on it. Not letting him scratch it, and keeping it dosed with antibiotics/steroids  and olive oil is definitely making a difference. It was much worse a few days ago, and is even better today. A little setback happened yesterday as Charlie managed to get a scratch in and opened up a small scab that had formed on his other shoulder; but that is minimal and I hope we can clear that one up again within a day or two. He is scratching a lot though, and I think the healing wounds must be extremely itchy.
As I spend upwards of 16hr/day with Charlie I am seeing a personality emerge that I would never have thought could exist in a mouse. I have said before how good-natured and docile he is, but he is also extremely attention/contact craving. He now does the majority of his sleeping in my hand or nestled in the crook of my elbow. I will set him back into his cage to get some food or drink and when he is done he will waddle back out and climb up into my lap, looking for a place to nuzzle in. He will look up into my face often, and I wonder what is going on in that little head of his.
The odd time he will lift his back leg to scratch and then slowly lower it, like he knows he is not supposed to scratch. 
It is amazing the things that are revealed when one takes the time to look. Charlie is helping me grow as a person, and as a Christian. He is helping me cultivate compassion to such an extent as I have never thought possible. God is using him, a wee little mouse, to form character and Christ-likeness in me. What are we doing with those little things God has given us to steward? How faithful are we being? With what else is He willing to entrust us with given our past experiences? 

We are currently on night #3 of our constant care with Charlie.  Sleep is one of those luxuries we don't have so much of anymore, but Charlie's wounds are slowly improving. His ears are still painful to look at, but they always will be now, but his left shoulder is almost healed. At some point yesterday he got a little scratch in and flicked the scab that was on there off. His skin underneath is intact, even if a little tender. His right shoulder is improving by the day, but it is still open. The size of the wound is smaller now than it was yesterday, and hopefully in another 24hrs it will be smaller still.
Charlie spent quite a bit of time sleeping earlier today; it was the most he's slept in quite a few days. He is also running on his wheel, a lot! This is something that he hasn't been doing for weeks now! I think because of the major infections in his ears the sqeaking of the wheel caused him pain, but we oiled that wheel up, and at this stage of his recovery he is fully back into it!
He is still scratching quite a bit though. The skin on the left shoulder is pretty pink and tender looking, and the right shoulder is still open.  He has such a gentle spirit though. When he scratches we have to gently nudge him to get him to stop. He is visibly annoyed at us for it, squinting his eyes at us and sometimes sqeaking, but not once has he tried to bite us. He takes it in stride and is always willing to crawl up onto our hand after the itch has gone.
We are so grateful for everyone who has passed on words of kindness and hope to us these past few days. It gives me some small fraction of hope for humanity when people can take sympathy on a little mouse. Your compassion is duly noted, by us and by God.
We so want Charlie to get better, not to expect that he will live forever, but just so he can enjoy a spoiled life like a domesticated mouse in our care should. He has many days left in his life, and we want them to be happy and full.

Life has not been kind to our little Charlie. Born to be food, he was meant to be ingested by a snake. After days without food and water in what must have been a terrifying ordeal, his owners took him from the snake cage and decided to keep him. For reasons hidden to us he ended up at the PEI Humane Society where Jenny & I immediately became attached to him. We took him home not long after. Issues were already noticeable, as you can see from the little red mark on his nose in the picture above; there was another bigger mark on his upper back between his ears.
Thinking the cause of these wounds to be allergies, we changed his diet and in the course of the next week or so we saw his wounds heal! But soon after that we noticed him scratching enough to concern us so we ended up down at the Charlottetown Veterinary Clinic on Kirkwood for a checkup. It was determined Charlie had mites and that this was the cause of his discomfort. After a couple day wait for the vet to get the right dosage of medication for a creature as small as a mouse, we were confident this would solve the problem. A few days after that though, I came home from school to see Charlie's ears covered in blood. After a call to the vet, they said that they couldn't do anything else but continue on the meds they had already given us. To leave Charlie in this state however, was unacceptable to us, so I took Charlie to the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC) on the campus of UPEI. They cleaned Charlie's ears and surmised that both ears had infections to the degree that they had not seen before. They gave us topical and oral meds to give him and sent us on our way.

Our first visit to the AVC was on Nov.29 (two weeks ago), and after 4 return visits and lots of $$$ Charlie is far from recovered. We simply cannot get him to stop scratchin. He has opened up wounds in his ears and on his back and shoulders and incessantly scratches them. It got so extreme that last Friday (the 9th) I called Dr. Nielsen (his amazing Danish doctor, along with the one-of-a-kind Dr. Desmarchelier) and arranged to have him put down because I couldn't stand to see him suffer. After the call I remembered comments on a Facebook post from a couple of friends saying that extra virgin olive (or coconut) oil was the way to go in regards to his treatment. As a last resort we loaded Charlie in the car and met Dr Nielsen at the AVC for a check-up. We switched his meds, and diet, yet again, and started him on olive oil rub-downs. Yesterday we noticed him squeaking in pain when he scratched his wounds and thought it must be because the wounds are moist and tender from the olive oil treatment. We decided that if Charlie has any chance at all at a recovery then he needs constant 24hr care to make sure he doesn't hinder his healing by scratching. 
I was on duty yesterday morning as Jenny ran some errands, then Jenny took the afternoon duty as I went to my nephew's birthday party, then Jenny took an evening duty as I worked on my 20 pg research paper for one of my courses, and then I stayed up all night til 5am this morning, discouraging Charlie from wound scratching and dousing him with olive (sometimes coconut) oil as needed. Jenny woke up early to let me get a couple hrs sleep, and here I sit now, keeping a watchful eye over a little creature who deserves better than what life has given him.
We have been openly mocked for our treatment of this little creature, by those that should know better. It hurts, but only a little, because I care little about how other people view my family. I love Sonnen and Charlie and have yet to see just how far I would go to to prove that. It is to our shame that the majority of Christianity have had such a low view of animals. Francis of Assisi, John Chrysostom, Basil, Ambrose, Jerome, Isaac the Syrian, Theon, Moses the Black, John Moschus, John the Eunuch, Simeon Stylites, Macarius, Philip Neri, (just for starters), and according to Andrew Linzey, 2/3 of all the medieval saints had relationships with the animal kingdom that far exceeds our own selfish anthropocentric lifestyles. There is a huge problem when we view trillions of sentient beings as nothing more than inconveniences, resources, appetizers, or main courses.
We will continue to monitor Charlie around the clock, cancelling appointments, enduring ridicule and the like, until he either fully recovers, or we can nothing else for him. 
The oil actually seems to be soothing his skin and helping heal his wounds, as they seems slightly better today than yesterday.
We want Charlie to be a mouse and do mouse things, and are committed to seeing this through to the end. Please pray with us for his recovery. He would thank you if he could, because he is the most kind-natured creature you would ever meet, and he deserves better than what he is going through.