Someone once said "the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." I've taken the first as a blogger.

As a way of giving you some insight & background as to what factors (books, movies, experiences, etc.) have influenced me in the last fifteen years or so, I offer the following, in no particular order...

Books:

• The Bible - I'll be periodically sharing verses when I feel led...but I won't preach, so don't get up & leave. It's the Holy Spirit's job to do that, not mine. :-)
• "I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist" by Norm Geisler & Frank Turek. I've never been an atheist, but this is a tremendous work for anyone to read, regardless of your faith (or lack thereof). Well written, thoroughly researched & documented.
• "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel. Another terrific book, as written by an investigative journalist who was once an atheist.
• "What Would Jesus Say" by Lee Strobel. Organized in about ten chapters, each devoted to a particular person (real & fictitious), e.g. Donald Trump, Rush Limbaugh, Bart Simpson, Madonna, Mother Teresa, et al.
• "Games People Play" - Eric Berne? I may have this one confused with "I'm OK, You're OK". Both of these books, as secular books go, are pretty insightful.
• "The Unseen Hand" by Ralph Epperson. Wow, for someone who hated history when I was younger and saw it as unimportant, this really changed my view of it.
• "Dumbing Us Down" by John Taylor Gatto. Well written by a former New York school teacher who won awards for Teacher of the Year, but excelled by refusing to conform to the status quo. Gives an interesting history of public eduction, which will open your eyes, if you don't already know it.
• "The Federal Siege at Ruby Ridge" by Randy Weaver. If you trust the government, you won't after you read this book. What a travesty.

There are probably more books that have had an influence on me, but this will suffice for the time being. I can't do this all in one day, nor would I want to. So, tomorrow, I'll add more titles, as well as a list of movies & websites.