So these days I've been reading biographies. The church library has some pretty good ones, so I've been knockin' 'em off before droppin' to sleep at night.

First one was about Dorothy L. Sayers, popular detective novelist, scholar, and Christian apologist. Pretty tough broad, if you'll pardon the expression. Liked a good fight and was brilliant. I always loved her Lord Peter Wimsey novels.

The second was about William Wilberforce, the 18th and 19th century parliamentary powerhouse behind the banning of the British slave trade. Saw it as his Christian calling. Quite a godly man who suffered hugely for what was right, but also thoroughly enjoyed life. He read and studied, hard, whatever struck his fancy and was thought to be the best conversationalist of his day (at a time when people entertained themselves a lot with good conversation and by reading aloud). Loved his family and broke with the then-current idea that "children ought to be seen and not heard." Put family first, paid attention when his kids interrupted "important business" and, while visiting royalty earlier in life had gotten down on the floor to play with a child princess; one day she became Queen Victoria!

Quite a good corking yarn, and inspiring too. (The man also spent an hour and a half every day before breakfast having his devotions, by the way...)

Finally, I am now reading about yet another Brit, theologian J. I. Packer. He's kinda one of my heroes, or at least a writer I've greatly appreciated. If I got in our car and headed west for 12 hours, I could actually meet the man since he now teaches at Regent College in Vancouver.

So there you have it--keeping out of mischief on these cold, cold Calgary days and nights (though we're havin' another little warming trend in a day or two, they say...).