Posted by
Keith Arnold on Wednesday, October 11, 2006 1:08:42 AM
I've mentioned several of my friends at this site, hoping that you'll get to know them like I do. In my debut offering, I made mention of Pastor Steve, who has commented here, and who will be one of the subjects of a future post (shh! It's a secret!). I've also called your attention to Alex and Amanda (proprietors of
The Yepiz Zone and
Amanda's Blogsess, respectively, blogrolled on this page), who have just celebrated three years of a great marriage. Finally, you can't forget Pablo, over at
Pableezy's Sheezy (also blogrolled, though I'm not precisely certain what a "sheezy" is). I'm not sure how I managed to be blessed with friends all of whom are so vastly different from each other, and all of whom I love, but I'm not complaining.
Now I want to introduce you to three more, to whom the invitation to comment at the STAND has been extended, and I hope they'll feel free to comment any time they'd like - sort of a standing invitation, if you'll pardon the pun.
First, I've made the recent acquaintance of Dr. Fayyaz Khan, who publishes the blog
Islamic Renaissance. Dr. Khan, who blogs under the name Renaissance Scientist, is a remarkable individual: a doctor treating HIV patients in Lahore, Pakistan, and a talented writer. We've exchanged comments over at his site, where he and I have made something of a pact, and hopefully, a friendship. We both know we are likely to disagree, perhaps as often as we agree, but we're going to treat each other with the respect and civility that will promote understanding. Dr. Khan has had the courage to denounce terrorism; I can imagine that courage like that can offend countrymen of his who feel differently. We both are striving for personal devotion, integrity and goodwill within our respective faiths - he within the Islamic world, and I within the Christian world. Perhaps if he and I can demonstrate respect and understanding toward each other, readers of both our site will watch, and in our own way, perhaps the two of us can make a small part of the world a better place.
I know that the things I write at Islamic Renaissance will be viewed by his readers, and will reflect on Christianity and the West; just as what he might write here will be seen by my readers, and will reflect on Islam and Central Asia. I hope you'll welcome him if he participates here, and treat him with the respect he deserves. In a way, Dr. Khan and I are going to be ambassadors into each other's worlds, and I hope we can both be successful at it.
Second, let me introduce you to Mike, known also as Klassic Katz, author of the blog
Sword of Gideon. Mike and I had dinner together last week, and we probably could have talked for hours more than we did. Mike comes from a Jewish upbringing and is a passionate Christian. If you read his blog, you already know him from his writing. He has a real sense of history in his writing.
Mike has also started renewing my interest in Pac-10 football (I went pro a long time ago, and of course, being a graduate of the only school in the Pac-10 that, until recently, had no hope of ever seeing the inside of the Rose Bowl* again without buying tickets might have had something to so with it). We're talking about a road trip next year together for the Cal-USC game. No, I'm not taking bets, and don't even ask me about the point spread.
Finally, I've only today extended the invitation to a young lady I'll only refer to for now as "S," because she hasn't yet given me permission to mention her name. "S" used to work together with me in the insurance industry before she left to go to law school; she took my recommendation and went to Chapman, and if I recall correctly, she is taking Professor Hugh Hewitt's Constitutional Law class this term (I pushed her to specialize in Con Law, but that's not where her heart was). We're political opposites, and since I'm planning to do a series on the first ten amendments to the Constitution (that would be the Bill of Rights, for the uninformed) and another on the upcoming elections, I'm figuring her point of view will balance mine quite nicely. If she does take part in this discussion and you all ask her nicely, I could she "S" becoming a regular contributor here to the STAND. I could also ask Prof. Hewitt to make this a homework assignment for her, maybe in lieu of a midterm or something.
Welcome, friends. I cannot imagine a more diverse or a more fascinating group of people to have the privilege of knowing. Won't you join us?
- Keith
* Rose Bowl: the greatest of all college football games which, prior to the current dark ages marked by the creation of the BCS, annually hosted the matchup of the winners of the Pac-10 and Big 10 conferences. The BCS, according to legend, was created by Sauron during the Second Age, and when the One Ring is destroyed by being thrown into the Fires of Orodruin, the BCS will be undone along with Sauron's other artifices, ushering in a Golden Age.