Daily Links 3-20-14

In today's edition: achieving work/life balance, how to get better sleep, the idolatry of busyness, marriage and the comedian, and more.

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Achieving the balance between work and life is not about balance at all. Instead, it's about recapturing the natural rhythms of life.

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Praise for the traditional art of shaving. I changed to this "old" style of shaving a few months ago and haven't looked back. I believe it's the best way to get a great shave.

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6 tips for getting better sleep.Some great tips in this article.

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Fun facts to share: 15 interesting things about candy.

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The idolatry of busyness. The problem is that we get caught up in what we do rather than who we are.

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Sure, Play-Doh is fun for kids. But it was originally invented as a wallpaper cleaner. 

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Marriage and the comedian. How marriage has transformed Jerry Seinfeld. The main point of this article is that marriage makes you wiser. I can testify to that.

Daily Links 3-14-14

Daily links returns after an unexpected hiatus just in time for the weekend. In today's post: how the internet has changed the church, the Great Depression and Scrabble, advice from barbers, and more.

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The internet turned 25 this week. So here are 25 ways the internet has changed the local church.

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A collection of often misquoted movie quotes.

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Neat History: How one World War II pilot shot down a plane with a handgun.

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If it wasn't for the Great Depression, we wouldn't have Scrabble.

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The basics of tea:

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Four strategies for defeating busyness. I really needed to hear this advice this week.

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Advice on manhood from eight neighborhood barbers.

Daily Links 10-28-13

An always entertaining assortment of links served fresh daily. In today's post, the most famous book set in each state, giving up the news, busyness is the enemy of good, and more.

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Here's a roundup of the most famous book set in each state in the United States. What do you think of the selection from your home state? I'm not sure that I agree with the selection for Virginia. (Hat tip: Susan Wise Bauer)

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Long before we gave up cable (a story for another day) I had pretty much stopped watching the news. Part of the reason is much of the primetime programming isn't really news at all. Mostly my decision to stop watching the news came from this song by Chris Rice:

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Busyness is the enemy:

Charles Spurgeon wisely said, “Learn to say no. It will be of more use to you than to be able to read Latin.” And I not so wisely have turned myself into a pretzel trying to learn Latin. Not actually read Latin, of course, just do the mental equivalent of it. It takes its toll on my energy, my spiritual growth, my relationships, and my ability to do anything well.

I don’t see life slowing down anytime in the next weeks or months. In fact, I know I’m on the threshold of what could be one of the busiest or deepest growth seasons of my life. I want to be faithful with the time, to redeem it, to rest in it, to rely on the Father through it. But this is my confession—busy is the other four-letter word for me. I hate busy. It is just as much a thief of my soul as being “fine.”

Hat tip: Blogging Theologically

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A roundup of the ten best songs about baseball players.

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A neat collection of family tradition ideas.

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Aaron Earls asks some tough and necessary questions about teenagers and social media:

A 12-year-old girl in Florida committed suicide after she was repeatedly and relentlessly bullied online by classmates. Unfortunately, these types of stories are becoming more and more frequent with too many parents being caught unaware of what their child was enduring.

As a parent of three, one of which just started middle school this year, these stories make me want to lock him in a room until he's no longer a threat to himself or others. Or even more to the point, I want to perfectly shield him from other students who seemingly fail to recognize as human those different from them. 

But I know that's not possible. Being hurt is part of living and growing. Love, on some level, requires at least the possibility of pain. Love takes risks. That goes for him as he is growing and it goes for me as a parent. Loving him means I allow him to grow and I risk letting him be hurt. 

Having said that, loving him also means I do not remain blind to avoidable dangers that lurk in front of him. He may not see them, but it's my job to spot them and protect him as needed. One of the dangers that parents seem to continually be naive to is social media, until it is too late as was the case in Florida.

So I'm going to ask parents two questions about social media. Hopefully, this steps on toes and anger some people because something needs to change or we will continue to see deadly consequences of cyber bullying.

Daily Links 10-22-13

Churches are too busy, churches aren't preaching the Bible, C. S. Lewis' marriage, and more in today's roundup of links.

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Last week's Strange Fire conference caused quite the stir if my Twitter feed is any indication. People on both sides of the spiritual gifts issue were weighing in on the conference. Since I haven't studied the issue thoroughly I haven't taken a position. In fact, I spent the last several days wondering why this was being made an issue at this particular time and whether John MacArthur had committed a serious error in hosting this conference. Tim Challies offers his observations from the conference and I have to say that while it has not really helped me settle on a position on the issue of spiritual gifts it does at least shed some light on why this conference was so important and so timely.

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Most churches are too busy, according to Dr. Thom Rainer:

Most churches—more than eight out of ten—are busy. Too busy. These churches need to slim down their plethora of programs, activities, and ministries. They need to go on a busyness diet.

Dr. Rainer goes on to outline seven reasons churches need to reduce their busyness. If you are a church leader you would be well served to read the entire article and consider how your church can reduce its level of activities.

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Dr. Albert Mohler wrestles with the question of why so many churches hear so little of the Bible:

“It is well and good for the preacher to base his sermon on the Bible, but he better get to something relevant pretty quickly, or we start mentally to check out.” That stunningly clear sentence reflects one of the most amazing, tragic, and lamentable characteristics of contemporary Christianity: an impatience with the Word of God.

The sentence above comes from Mark Galli, senior managing editor of Christianity Today in an essay entitled, “Yawning at the Word.” In just a few hundred words, he captures the tragedy of a church increasingly impatient with and resistant to the reading and preaching of the Bible. We may wince when we read him relate his recent experiences, but we also recognize the ring of truth.

Galli was told to cut down on the biblical references in his sermon. “You’ll lose people,” the staff member warned. In a Bible study session on creation, the teacher was requested to come back the next Sunday prepared to take questions at the expense of reading the relevant scriptural texts on the doctrine. Cutting down on the number of Bible verses “would save time and, it was strongly implied, would better hold people’s interest.”

As Galli reflected, “Anyone who’s been in the preaching and teaching business knows these are not isolated examples but represent the larger reality.”

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Politically charged social media interactions can hurt your witness for Christ:

You can't blurt at a people and reach a people at the same time. This is true no matter how satisfying it feels to add your voice to the political rants on social media.

In the current political climate in our nation, with shutdowns and blame, I have watched the volume grow and the civility shrink.

I believe in the importance of civility for civility's sake. Yet, I think it goes even further than that if you are a Christian who wants to reach those disconnected from the church. In other words, I believe the way we handle political issues has a missional implication. So a few days ago, I posted this thought to Facebook (and a shorter version on Twitter):

"Statistically, the unchurched lean heavily Democrat. So—and I know it's just me talking crazy now—if you want to reach the unchurched, maybe constant Facebook/Twitter posts about how stupid Democrats are might be a bad idea."

The post was shared hundreds of times on both social media outlets and appeared to draw a largely positive response, so I thought it may be appropriate to elaborate a bit on this idea and why it's so important.

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A new biography of C. S. Lewis paints an inaccurate picture of his marriage to Joy Davidman according to this article. 

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Daily Links 10-4-13

Monopoly street view, how to clean up bacon grease, combating busyness, some interesting facts about The Princess Bride, and more in today's roundup of links.

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Ever wonder what the streets in the Monopoly board game actually look like? One blogger decided to take a trip through Atlantic City and put together a photo tour of the city.

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There have been quite a few complaints about the "one and done" format of baseball's wild card game. One proposal to make it better comes from Bob Costas (via Theo Epstein): schedule a day-night doubleheader and make the wild card teams play a best two out of three. The more I think about this idea the more it seems to have merit.

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After you've fixed your bacon and eggs for breakfast, how do you clean up the bacon grease? This is a clever tip on how to make your job easier. 

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Some practical tips on combating busyness. This is an area I struggle with all the time. (Hat tip: Challies)

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Without a doubt, The Princess Bride is one of the best movies ever made. Here are 26 interesting facts you may not know about the classic film.  (Hat tip: Mental Floss)

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One of my favorite songwriters is Sara Groves. In connection with her newest release, she recorded an acoustic version of one of her best known songs, Painting Pictures of Egypt. Check out the song here and find out a little more about the song.

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Five types of friends every guy should have. 

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I hadn't realized this until it was pointed out to me: five bookish moments from Person of Interest.

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Lancaster, PA is a lovely place to visit. Did you also know it once served as the nation's capital? Full story here. 

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Daily Links 9-27-13

Harnessing the power of introverts, the dangers of busyness, how a 1940's actress helped develop wireless technologies we enjoy today, and more in today's link roundup.

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One the best books I have read lately is Susan Cain's Quiet: The Power Of Introverts In A World That Can't Stop Talking. This article neatly summarizes her findings in the book and how businesses can apply its lessons.

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Three dangers of busyness. This looks like it's going to be a great book.

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Some fascinating facts about Walt Disney World that you may not know.

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Did you know that a 1940's Hollywood star helped make wireless technologies possible? It's a fascinating story.

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Recreating Ernest Hemingway's hamburger recipe. (Hat tip: Food Riot). I have to say that this looks delicious and may be well worth a try.

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Victor Davis Hanson on the decline of college:

For the last 70 years, American higher education was assumed to be the pathway to upward mobility and a rich shared-learning experience. Young Americans for four years took a common core of classes, learned to look at the world dispassionately, and gained the concrete knowledge to make informed arguments logically.

The result was a more skilled workforce and a competent democratic citizenry. That ideal may still be true at our flagship universities, with their enormous endowments and stellar world rankings. Yet most everywhere else, something went terribly wrong with that model. Almost all the old campus protocols are now tragically outdated or antithetical to their original mission.

Be sure to read the whole thing.