Weekend Links 1-19-18

A random collection of links for your weekend enjoyment:

Tim Challies wrestles with what the church should do in response to pastors who commit sexual sins. In the same post he deals with the prospect of Oprah Winfrey running for President.

Is listening to an audio book the same as reading a physical book? Here's an interesting perspective on that issue. (hat tip: Susan Wise Bauer) I don't usually listen to audio books unless I'm taking a lengthy road trip. However, I find them nearly as fulfilling as reading physical books.

Legendary broadcaster Keith Jackson passed away last week. It's fascinating that he almost wrote an autobiography. This quote was particularly interesting and a good word for broadcasters everywhere:

“There are times I turn on an athletic contest that I’m quite sure my profession has died. … If he wants to go into show business, he should go back to vaudeville and get his own stage. Amplify, clarify, punctuate. Don’t intrude. I live by that. I do not in any sense at any time try to intrude on what’s happening. I merely define it.”

Which is exactly why he was one of the best.

Another one of the best is being honored for his legendary career: longtime University of North Carolina play-by-play announcer Woody Durham is being inducted in to National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame. I had the privilege of working alongside him while at UNC. He is truly a class act.

Religious freedom is a hotly debated topic these days. So it's critical to understand what the separation of church and state truly means under the Constitution.

Odd story of the week: A new BBC documentary reveals that the Crown Jewels were hidden in a biscuit tin at Windsor Castle during World War II. The most interesting aspect of the story is the fact that Queen Elizabeth didn't know until she was told by the documentary presenter. 

Brad Meltzer is one of my favorite writers. He's one of the best at writing thrillers. But he also has a series of children's books called Ordinary People Change the World. His newest installment will profile Neil Armstrong.

Recommended reading: Apollo 8: The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon by Jeffrey Kluger

In the summer of 1968, the Apollo moon program was in shambles. Reeling from the Apollo 1 fire just eighteen months earlier that took the lives of three astronauts and in race for space dominance against the Soviet Union, NASA makes the daring decision to make the first manned trip to the moon by the end of the year. Jeffrey Kluger (who also co-wrote Apollo 13 with astronaut Jim Lovell) tells the amazing story of not only the three astronauts but hundreds of engineers and controllers that worked tirelessly to make the Apollo 8 mission (and ultimately the moon landing the next year) a success. A fantastic read.

Christmas Eve, 1968

Nearly fifty years ago, the crew of the Apollo 8 spacecraft did something remarkable by reading from the creation account in Genesis 1 during a live television broadcast on Christmas Eve, 1968. At the time it became the most watched program in television.

What is quickly forgotten is the fact that the crew wasn't supposed to be there at all. The flight was originally scheduled for April 1969 but was moved up once it was determined the Lunar Module would not be ready for the scheduled flight. NASA officials also made the risky decision to leapfrog the established flight schedule and have the crew fly to the moon. It was the first such mission attempted. For their achievements they were named Time Magazine's Person of the Year.

1968 was rough year in America. She had been rocked by the murders of both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. Rioting was taking place on a regular basis in the streets of her cities. Yet the simple broadcast of the Apollo 8 crew of Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders was just the uniting event that the country needed.

Daily Links 12-27-13

In today's edition: the story behind the iconic moonrise photo from Apollo 8, how we need men of gravitas, historic speeches no one has ever heard, and more.

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This week marked 45 years since the Apollo 8 moon mission which was the first mission to achieve lunar orbit. NASA has produced this video narrated by Andrew Chaikin, author of the excellent book A Man on the Moon, which explains how the crew managed to capture the photograph.



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On a related note, Rick Moran reflects on how Apollo 8 saved 1968. He's absolutely right that if the astronauts had tried the same thing today they would be fired.

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This is interesting: A list of speeches that no one has ever heard. Including the speech drafted by Richard Nixon's speechwriting team to be delivered in case the Apollo 11 moon landing failed.

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A call for men to be real men in this article entitled "Dude, Where's Your Gravitas?"

Our culture wants men to be featherweights when it comes to conviction, seriousness, responsibility, discipline, courage, and truth. The Creator of these men does not. He wants gravitas.

Gravitas comes from the Latin gravis, which means “dignity, seriousness, or solemnity of manner.” In line with the expectation upon men seen in the entire breadth of Scripture, it is my argument that every Christian man should aim, by God’s grace and for his glory, to be characterized by this trait, with the effect that people can look at him and say, “That is a man of gravitas. There is a solemn weight to the way he carries himself. He believes in truth. He walks in love, joy, passion, and conviction. There’s an undeniable winsome seriousness evident in his character, his words, his thoughts, and his motivations.”

Hat tip: Challies

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Three steps to becoming a more effective reader. I'm planning to do more reading in the coming year. Having a few books on my nightstand from Christmas doesn't hurt, either.

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How about a little coffee shop tourism? Here are 7 must-see shops.

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Christmas Eve 1968

It's a timeless message that was first shared by the crew of Apollo 8 on Christmas Eve 1968:



Merry Christmas to everyone.