Daily Links 12-13-13

For your weekend reading enjoyment: the music of Mary Poppins, how to drive in icy conditions, the Lost Colony of Roanoke County may have been found, pigeons and bats as bomb guidance systems, and more.

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Richard Sherman, one of the composers of Mary Poppins reflects on the difficult time he and his brother Robert had on dealing with author P. L. Travers. It's hard to imagine the movie without their music.

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J. I. Packer's Knowing God is forty years old and still a beloved classic:

Forty years after its publication in 1973, Knowing God continues to bless readers around the world. It continues to inspire authors, too, as it does what very few books have been able to do: present page after page of carefully nuanced Christian doctrine in a style that people actually enjoy reading. 

In so many churches, even those that pride themselves on serious preaching, you will hear pastors pause apologetically to warn their congregations, "Now, I'm afraid we have to stop here for a moment for some theology."

(One wonders, of course, what they thought they were doing before that, and what they think they will be doing after the dread theological interlude….) 

J. I. Packer's Knowing God, however, makes no apology for theology. Or, rather, it does: itdefends the value of theology from its very first pages, both telling and showing that knowledge of God, while it might pose dangers to conceited souls that delight in condemning other people's doctrinal shortcomings, is nonetheless essential to knowing God: to loving and serving and enjoying this Person at the center of our lives and our cosmos.

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Six embarassing things that you do and why. Yes, I will confess to having done most of these things (but I won't say which ones).

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Don't tell PETA: how pigeons and bats were used in experimental bomb guidance systems during World War II.

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Researchers believe they may have unearthed clues that will help them figure out what happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke County. (Hat tip: Neatorama)

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Lifehacker tip of the day: how you can use the floor mats of your car to drive in icy conditions.

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In the 19th century, arsenic was the murder's poison of choice. Here's a fascinating article explaining its colorful history.

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Nine lies the media likes to spread about evangelicals. The author is right in stating that some of these lies are ones that some (but not all) Christians help perpetuate.