Weekend Links 2-21-20

It's quite the plethora of links for this weekend's reading:

In 1920, a group of men gathered at a YMCA in Kansas City to attempt to organize a professional league of black baseball players since they were not welcome in the Major Leagues. Here is a terrific profile of the man who was the driving force behind this league: Rube Foster.

This is a fascinating article about a baseball player you've likely never heard of and one man's mission to make his legacy known. Find out more about John Donaldson who is one of the greatest pitchers of all time.

Whenever Joe Carter publishes an article I pay attention. In his latest he helps you know whether you've made an idol out of politics. I think that we are often much more guilty of this than we would like to admit.

I could easily fall down this internet worm hole: old book illustrations from the 19th and early 20th century. 

Speaking of worm holes, another great site to explore is Atlas Obscura  Here are a couple of fun entries I found this week. First, the owner of New York's oldest phone number. If you know anything about music you should be able to figure out the answer before clicking the link

I've enjoyed a number of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe novels. So when I discovered this existed I was particularly excited: a plaque that marks the likely location of Nero Wolfe's New York brownstone. 

This is an example of something I've always known but never known the reason why: Why actors won't say Macbeth in the theater. 

Eyewitness to history: meet the man who worked behind the counter at Woolworth's during the 1960 sit-in in Greensboro, NC.

My favorite Agatha Christie novel And There There Were None is getting a new screen adaptation. As good as the novel is the film adaptations have not been all that great. The best adaptation I have seen is the 2015 BBC version. I am curious to see how they handle the novel in this new film.

The greatest mysteries of life are revealed through ordinary circumstances at least according to G. K. Chesterson's Father Brown. 

Long read of the week: Baseball, Fiction, and Life: Roger Angell's Era-Spanning Career at The New Yorker, The amazing thing is that he is still going strong at ninety-nine.

Answering the important questions: Is coffee good for you? 

Having seen and enjoyed this year's Best Picture Oscar winner I found this article extremely interesting: The real star of Parasite is the house.

Movie magic: thanks to a cameo in Parasite this snack company's sales have taken off.

Finally, this seems appropriate given that tomorrow marks the first spring training games of the baseball season:

“Old Days”George Carlin explains the differences between Football and Baseball.#comedy #1970s #SNL #entertainment #nostalgia

pic.twitter.com/lUoThQkEMk

— Tom's Old Days (@sigg20) February 18, 2020

Daily Links 12-31-13

In today's roundup:  how to make perfect lemonade, how to be your most productive, who belongs in Baseball's Hall of Fame, and more.

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According to this post, the secret to making perfect lemonade is to rub sugar on the lemon peels first. This looks like it is worth a try.

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This seems a little counterintuitive: schedule your most important tasks of the day at 5 p..m.  The only thing I am likely to be focused on at that point will be quitting for the day.

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Peter Gammons weighs in on who he thinks belongs in the Hall of Fame.

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There's been a lot of discussion about the fact that kids are leaving church in droves particularly once they reach college age. However, here are three notable characteristics of kids who don't leave church.

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A fascinating list of 11 things you won't see in movie theaters any more. I am actually old enough to remember when some of these things were common in theaters.

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The history behind the ad campaign that tried to convince people that coffee was bad for kids.

Daily Links 11-11-13

Giving C. S. Lewis his due, the best time to drink coffee, Saving Mr. Banks, and responding to critics of Strange Fire in today's link roundup.

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November 22nd will mark the 50th anniversary of the death of C. S. Lewis. According to Christianity Today, he will finally receive a recognition that is long overdue:

On the anniverary of his death, Lewis will be commemorated with a memorial plaque in Westminster Abbey's Poets' Corner, which honors authors and other cultural figures whose work has shaped English society. A two-day conference on Lewis's works will begin the preceding day.

Alister McGrath, the latest to examine Lewis biographically, believes this anniversary year will solidify Lewis's reputation as an apologist and classicist. At Oxford's recent literary conference, McGrath's sold-out talk on Lewis led to requests for him to give three more. 

"We've minimized Lewis's importance [in the UK], and we have catching up to do [with U.S. evangelicals]," said the author of C.S. Lewis: A Life. "Lewis is here to stay; that debate is over. Now there is this sense of, 'There is more to learn from Lewis, so let's read him again.' "

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More on C. S. Lewis: why he is still relevant fifty years after his death.

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There's no question that coffee helps you stay alert. But did you know there is a best time to drink coffee, scientifically speaking? (Hat tip: Challies)

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John MacArthur answers his critics regarding Strange Fire. For example, why MacArthur chose to emphasize what is essentially a second-level issue of doctrine:

These questions remind me of an article Thabiti Anyabwile wrote during the Strange Fire Conference, in which he explained why this issue is so important. He wrote, “First, we have to admit that there’s a correct and an incorrect position on this issue. Somebody is right and somebody is wrong… . Second, we have to admit that how we view this issue substantially impacts the nature of the Christian life. It matters. It’s not an inconsequential idea. Someone worships God appropriately, someone doesn’t… . Third, we have to admit that this issue practically impacts Christian worship and fellowship. It’s not only a private matter, but a corporate one as well.”

I agree with all of that. This is an issue of critical importance because it affects our view of God as well as our understanding of how to live out the Christian life, both individually and corporately. 

I don’t think, however, that this issue is unclear in Scripture. The fact that Christians disagree on what the Bible teaches does not mean that there is a lack of clarity in Scripture, but rather in Christians. The Word of God is our authoritative rule for faith and practice—meaning that it is perfectly sufficient for teaching sound doctrine and governing right living. Certainly, an orthodox pneumatology fits under that umbrella. 

On the one hand, I would agree that this is a second-level doctrinal issue—meaning that someone can be either a continuationist or a cessationist and still be a genuine follower of Jesus Christ. I have always maintained that position, and I reiterated that point several times during the conference. I have good friends who consider themselves continuationists, and I am confident that these men are fellow brothers in Christ. But that doesn’t excuse the seriousness of the error. In fact, I would appeal to my continuationist brethren to reconsider their views in light of what Scripture teaches. 

On the other hand, I am firmly convinced that this secondary issue has the very real potential to taint a person’s understanding of the gospel itself. In such cases, it becomes a primary issue. For example, charismatic theology does corrupt the gospel when it expresses itself in the form of the prosperity gospel. Moreover, the global charismatic movement happily shelters other heretical movements—such as Catholic Charismatics and Oneness Pentecostals. Taken together, the number of charismatics who hold to a false form of the gospel (whether it is a gospel of health and wealth or a gospel of works righteousness) number in the hundreds of millions, which means they actually represent the majority of the global charismatic movement. That is why we took such a strong stand both at the conference and in the book. 

Be sure to read the whole thing. More to come on this subject.

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One of the movies that I am really looking forward to seeing is Saving Mr. Banks which tells the story of how Walt Disney convinced author P. L. Travers to allow him to make a movie version of Mary Poppins. The film focuses in part on the writing of the songs that would make up the memorable soundtrack. The songs were written by Richard and Robert Sherman (portrayed in the movie by B. J. Novak and Jason Schwartzman). Thankfully the duo had the opportunity to work closely with Richard Sherman throughout filming.  

Daily Links 8-29-13

Your daily dose of links to start your day off right.....

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10 Easy Ways to Save Money Tonight.  These are some great suggestions. I wish I had thought of them.

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10 really cool food trucks (hat tip Neatorama). I love the idea of food trucks a lot. Unfortunately we don't have them where we live. But I wouldn't hesitate to partake of any of these trucks' offerings.

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How to Make the Perfect Cup of Coffee (hat tip Instapundit). Now I knew it took effort (certainly much more than I put into it each morning) but I had no idea just how much of an exact science this is.

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The Content of Our Character. Yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" Speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D. C. Dr. Albert Mohler offers some reflections on what the speech means to Christians fifty years later. Here is an interesting tidbit that I didn't know about the speech that speaks to Dr. King's great gifts as an orator:

Interestingly, the most famous words of his speech were not included in his manuscript. King had arrived in Washington the day before and had prepared his speech in a room at the famous Willard Hotel. In The Dream: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Speech that Inspired a Nation, author Drew D. Hansen provides parallel texts of Dr. King’s manuscript and of his actual words. When he reached the pinnacle of his oratory, King simply departed from his prepared text and launched his speech into history.

“I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.”

Dr. King spoke of a dream “that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.” And he spoke personally: “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.”

I Must Have My Coffee Before Speaking With You

This is me first thing in the morning.

via Between Letters

Buy Coffee and Support the Troops

I've got to hand it to former Marine (is there really such a thing as a former Marine?) Hank Salmans. He took his love for coffee and turned it into a business that does more than makes a profit. He uses it to support the troops. Here's to Hank and I hope he sells a lot of coffee. By the way, the names of the blends are really cool.

You can buy his coffee directly from his website.

It makes me want to buy some.

Hat tip: Instapundit