Archive for the ‘Books’ Category
“Twilight,” the Book: A Review
So I finally read Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, the vampire mega-hit that is so popular today with early adolescent girls. I give it a B-.
Until about the last twenty pages, the plot remained strong and engaging. I appreciate the unique remote Northwest setting, with its rain-drenched gloomy atmosphere. Vampires, it seems, do [...]
Leap Like Calves
Below is the homily I preached this morning in Kramer Chapel at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN. I think I overdid it a bit with the references, quotes and illustrations. As the dean said afterward, “well that was a post-modern romp.”
Text: Malachi 4: 1-6
This is the way the world ends
This is the [...]
Midnighters Coming to Television
Haven’t you ever wished you had one more hour in your day? Many of us have fantasized about having more time, when in fact, we already have all the time there is.
Not so in the Midnighters universe, an inventive trilogy of speculative YA fiction by Scott Westerfeld. I just finished reading book one, The Secret [...]
Book Review: “The Solace of Leaving Early”
I was vacationing along Lake Michigan at the historic Lakeside Inn with my family when my wife and I both finished the novels we were reading at the same time. Mine was a pulpy thriller by Robert Bloch (The Scarf) that Julie naturally had no interest in. But as she told me about the story [...]
“Paradox,” New Time-Loopy Series on BBC
Remember the Tom Cruise flick, Minority Report? It was based on the classic story by Philip K. Dick. Set in the near future, the police were able to detect future crimes and stop them from happening. The BBC will soon air a new series with a similar premise called Paradox. It actually sounds quite [...]
Attention Old Dungeons and Dragons Addicts
As a kid, I had friends who were really into a fantasy role-playing game called Dungeons and Dragons. I like Tolkien but was never into D & D. If you were a gamer or knew gamers, you need to check out a terrific book called The Elfish Gene: Dungeons, Dragons and Growing Up Strange. Author [...]
Concordia Lutheran High School Chapel Homily
Concordia Lutheran High School , Fort Wayne, IN
April 22, 2009
Text: 1 Cor 12:12-20; John 15:1-8
Just to introduce myself: I am Pastor Scott Stiegemeyer. I’m the Director of Admission at Concordia Theological Seminary. I go all over the country talking to young men about becoming pastors and young women about becoming deaconesses, but that is not [...]
Whole Brain Goodness
The human brain is a marvelous creation. Very complex. The most advanced scientists still have only one scintilla of an understanding of its workings.
One feature that has been long observed, and repeatedly supported, is that the two halves or lobes of the brain have different general functions. The left side governs speech, logic, linear thinking. [...]
The “Deffner Society” Will Awaken
Dr. Donald Deffner was one of my seminary professors when I attended Concordia Theological Seminary in the early 90s. He was a great prof. My favorite class with him was on evangelizing the intellectual. Deffner was all about striking up conversations with thoughtful people by engaging them via popular books and other media. He was [...]
What’s Your Favorite Sci-Fi Book or Movie?
I came across this blog post called 32 Sci-Fi Novels You Should Read. I’ve heard of almost all of them and I’ve read fourteen of them. Science Fiction is not my favorite genre, but I try to read three or four good sci-fi books a year. I’m behind schedule for 2008, having only read 2001: [...]
