Weekend Links 12-8-17

A few items of interest for your weekend reading:

Author Stephen Mansfield explores the reasons why evangelicals so enthusiastically supported President Trump. His analysis is well worth reading. Also related: why Trump and other similar candidates are causing a crisis of faith among evangelicals.

Kevin DeYoung weighs in with Ten Questions to Ask for Voting in a Two Party 
System.

In the wake of recent sex scandals a great reminder that our hope is not in man.

Albert Mohler explains why Christians should support the death penalty. Be sure to read all the way through as his article carefully explains exactly when and why it should be supported.

Is this one of the greatest moments in the history of film? Probably. Now I need to go watch this again.

"Mary Poppins" is a Subversive Critique of Modernity. No, really, it is.

Want to be more productive? Stop doing these three things.

Finally, here is one song that is a must at Christmas:

Daily Links 5-6-14

Good morning! A few articles to help you start your day. In today's edition: the problem with seeking God's will, baseball in India, the woman who put herself in the nuthouse, and more.

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Matt Papa on the problem with seeking God's will:

I have spent too much of my life, and my prayer life, asking for God to lead me into His “perfect will”.  “God lead me”.  “Guide me”.  “Use me”.  “Bless me”.  While I know that God is a gracious, condescending God who meets us wherever we are, I something wonder if God has been up there saying…. 

“Um…yeah.  I’m Your Shepherd.  That’s what I do.” 

So there’s a problem revealed here.  If I really believed that God was good….that He was my dad who was all powerful and all knowing and all loving….then I wouldn’t be repeatedly begging him to lead me with this certain twinge of anxiety.  I would relax.  Dad’s got me.  Chill.

Hat tip: Challies

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Could it be that America's favorite books are its favorite movies?

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The new movie Million Dollar Arm (which judging by the previews looks really good) will open in theaters next week. But will the movie spark interest in baseball in India?

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A collection of the best C. S. Lewis quotes.

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Taking God at His word: an interview with Kevin DeYoung about his new book.

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The amazing story of Nellie Bly who once intentionally got herself committed to an insane asylum to expose brutal treatment of the patients.

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Daily Links 4-11-14

A roundup of links for your weekend reading pleasure. In today's edition: presidents and first pitches, what "essentialists" do, some neat wedding gifts, and more.

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The history of U. S. Presidents and ceremonial first pitches. This article will certainly enlighten you on how the practice got started.

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Say it ain't so: Hasbro has announced they are changing the rules for Monopoly.

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In praise of public libraries: a new book offers a wonderful collection of photographs of the most interesting libraries around.

Globe chandelier in the children's library, Central Library, Los Angeles, 2008

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NASA recently sold artifacts from the Apollo moon program at auction.

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Regular readers of this blog know that I frequently link to articles on improving productivity at work. But one author I have recently started following is Greg McKeown. I am intrigued by his upcoming book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. This article provides a nice summary of what his book is all about. Perhaps there is something to being an "essentialist".

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Kevin DeYoung reminds us that we need to pay careful attention to the issue of sexual purity. (Hat tip: Aaron Armstrong)

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Hollywood is missing out on an opportunity to tell some great stories. Six baseball biographies that would make great films.

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Five great kitchen tool wedding gifts you won't find in department stores.

Monogrammed cutting board by LetsEngraveIt

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Daily Links 4-9-14

In today's edition: handling differences online, a spy's toolkit, stop misusing the Bible, a book recommendation, and more.

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How to handle differences online. Generally speaking, the internet is not a place to debate issues but there are some useful tips here to consider.

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Why Wegmans is America's best grocery store. I can say from personal experience that it is far and away the best grocery store I have ever shopped at. It's (almost) worth moving just to be closer to one. It's even better than Trader Joe's (and that's saying a lot).

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I do not think that means what you think it means: five Bible verses you need to stop misusing.

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How Jane Austen's heroines find happiness. Some very interesting thoughts on the character traits of Austen's female characters. (Hat tip: Acculturated)

When it comes to book recommendations, my go-to guy is Tim Challies. It's not because I agree with everything he says (I do often but not always) but because he is such a thougtful, thorough book reviewer. So anytime he recommends a book I take notice. Here's his latest recommendation: Taking God at His Word by Kevin DeYoung.

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This is a neat infographic: the spy's toolkit.

Daily Links 4-7-14

A roundup of links to help you start your week off right. In today's edition: God is not a magic 8-ball, the benefits of real community, legal blogging, and more.

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Kevin DeYoung, from his book Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will:

God is not a Magic 8-Ball we shake up and peer into whenever we have a decision to make. He is a good God who gives us brains, shows us the way of obedience and invites us to take risks for Him. We know God has a plan for our lives. That’s wonderful. The problem is we think He’s going to tell us the wonderful plan before it unfolds. We feel like we can know—and need to know—what God wants every step of the way. But such preoccupation with finding God’s will, as well-intentioned as the desire may be, is more folly than wisdom. 

The better way is the biblical way. Seek first the kingdom of God, and then trust that He will take care of our needs, even before we know what they are and where we’re going. 

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Which classic movies have you seen? I would say the term classic is applied very loosely to this list. I only got 65 with the large majority of them being films that were released prior to 1980. My interests tend to skew towards older films, I guess.

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Quote of the week:

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10 reasons that community has more benefits than you think it might. Some good food for thought.

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Baseball has a lot to teach us about life. Here's yet another example: 4 Manly Lessons from the Minor Leagues.

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The Volokh Conspiracy is one of the best legal blogs on the web. Here's the fascinating story of how it has become one of the most influencial legal blogs around. (Hat tip: Glenn Reynolds)

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Daily Links 2-14-14

Here are a few links for your weekend reading enjoyment. In this edition: the great animation renaissance, some fascinating history about Abraham Lincoln, a Christian in Hollywood, and more.

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The greatest renaissance in Disney animation is due to a group of CalArts students who attended the school in the 1970s. This is their story.

It was a staggering number. In November 2012, the  Los Angeles Times reported that directors who had been students in the California Institute of the Arts’ animation programs had generated more than $26 billion at the box office since 1985, breathing new life into the art of animation. The list of their record-breaking and award-winning films—which include  The Brave Little Toaster, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Toy Story, Pocahontas, Cars, A Bug’s Life, The Incredibles, Corpse Bride, Ratatouille, Coraline—is remarkable. Even more remarkable was that so many of the animators not only went to the same school but were students together, in the now storied CalArts classes of the 1970s. Their journey begins, and ends, with the Walt Disney Studios. As director and writer Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille) observes, “People think it was the businessmen, the suits, who turned Disney Animation around. But it was the new generation of animators, mostly from CalArts. They were the ones who saved Disney.”

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Seven challenges of activity-driven churches. There is definitely a downside to having too many things going on at church.

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Houses sure to please any book lover as they are built out of books.

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This is an interesting bit of history. Months before President Abraham Lincoln was shot and killed he was almost shot and killed. 

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Kevin DeYoung offers some guidance to sports writers with some interesting results.

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Is it possible to be an actor and remain a faithful Christian? Yes, but it's not easy.

Daily Links 1-10-14

Here's a huge roundup of links to get your weekend started off right: some unusual things that have traveled into space, some neat history, perfect spaghetti marinara, and more.

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Over at Mental Floss, a list of 9 unusual things that astronauts brought into space. My personal favorite is the Silver Snoopy Lapel Pin.

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An interview with Glenn Harlan Reynolds over at National Review about the state of higher education and, of course, his new book.

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I always thought the first submarines appeared during the Civil War. Turns out I was wrong. The first submarine was actually invented during the Revolutionary War.

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Tips for becoming a successful writer.

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Kevin DeYoung shares the Ten Commandments of Twitter. Some great advice in this post.

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Chef Scott Conant shares his secrets for making the perfect spaghetti marinara. I've had this dish at Scarpetta Las Vegas (incidentally, one of the best meals I have ever had at a restaurant) and it is fantastic. If you start making spaghetti this way you will never want to prepare it any other way. Trust me on this.

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Is it possible to be a comedian without swearing or talking about sex? Jerry Seinfeld proves that it can be done. (Hat tip: Acculturated)

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A collection of nine sentences guaranteed to make a grammar nerd's head explode. English is tough.

Favorite Books of 2013

At the beginning of the year I set a goal for myself to read 25 books this year and blog about each one. Of course I did neither of those things. However, I did manage to read a few books this year that really had an impact on me. The following list (in no particular order) are the books that I read this year that stood out as my favorites. Not all of these books were published this year but were simply books I read during the year.

Mansfield's Book of Manly Men by Stephen Mansfield

Our culture has tried to redefine what it means to truly mean to be a man to the point that most men don't know what is expected of them. What does it really take to be a man? How can a man become his most masculine self? These are the questions that Stephen Mansfield addresses in this excellent book. It is a call to action for men everywhere to become the men that they are supposed to be. I heartily recommend this book.

A Higher Call by Adam Makos

As a history buff, I enjoy hearing stories of our past particularly those set against the backdrop of World War II. I think we often make the mistake of thinking that all Germans were Nazis and that there were no men of honor in their armed forces. Not true as we find out in this excellent book. This is a story about honor that we don't hear about much anymore. A small gesture in the midst of battle would forever change the lives of two men. This is a book that reads more like a novel than non-fiction.

Crazy Busy by Kevin DeYoung

Busyness is a trap that we all seem to fall into. Technology that is supposed to make our lives easier only compounds the problem. How do we become so frightfully busy? More importantly, what do we do about it? Kevin DeYoung offers some insight into the sin of busyness and challenges  us to think about how we use our time to avoid the trap of being too busy.

The Happiest Life by Hugh Hewitt

Those who are living truly happy lives are those who live their lives as givers. There are gifts that they give to others that serve as an encouragement to others and at the same time enrich their own lives. As we enter 2014, pledge to become a giver of the gifts that Hugh Hewitt outlines in this book. Follow the examples he provides through numerous personal anecdotes and see the tremendous change that will come about as a result.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

Our world cherishes and applauds the extrovert. We have this false picture that in order to be successful in life we need to be outgoing and gregarious all the time. But there is great power in being an introvert. In fact, introverts should be embracing who they are and realize there are tremendous assets in having an introverted personality. I found this book particularly encouraging as it helped me realize it was not only just okay to be an introvert but it is something I should embrace and use to my advantage.

Daily Links 11-12-13

Your daily roundup of interesting items from the web. In today's edition: the disappearance of the gentleman athlete, choosing a study Bible, ending the worship wars, and more.

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Emily Esfahani Smith argues that the gentleman athlete has disappeared (hat tip: Glenn Reynolds).

On a related note, Bobby Jones is another very gifted athlete that also epitomized what it meant to also be a gentleman athlete. His story is wonderfully documented in Mark Frost's excellent book The Grand Slam. Jim Caviezel also portrayed Jones in the movie Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius which is one of my favorites.

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Aaron Armstrong is encouraging folks to get serious about Bible study. The first place to start is picking the right Bible. More specifically, picking a study Bible. There are lots of good tips here on how to pick the right Bible for you.

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Thom Rainer believes there are signs that the worship wars are coming to an end. I especially agree with his second point regarding the resurgence of hymnody.

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What Shark Tank can teach us about capitalism. While I don't get to see this show often the few times I have watched it I have found it compelling television.

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Is all sin the same to God? According to Tim Challies, the answer is yes and no.

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Here's a handy chart of kitchen weights, measures and more.

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Kevin DeYoung offers ten errors to avoid when talking about sanctification and the gospel:

With lots of books and blog posts out there about law and gospel, about grace and effort, about the good news of this and the bad news of that, it’s clear that Christians are still wrestling with the doctrine of progressive sanctification. Can Christians do anything truly good? Can we please God? Should we try to? Is there a place for striving in the Christian life? Can God be disappointed with the Christian? Does the gospel make any demands? These are good questions that require a good deal of nuance and precision to answer well. 

Thankfully, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. The Reformed confessions and catechisms of the 16th and 17th centuries provide answers for all these questions. For those of us who subscribe to the Three Forms of Unity or to the Westminster Standards this means we are duty bound to affirm, teach, and defend what is taught in our confessional documents. For those outside these confessional traditions, there is still much wisdom you can gain in understanding what Christians have said about these matters over the centuries. And most importantly, these standards were self-consciously grounded in specific texts of Scripture. We can learn a lot from what these documents have to teach us from the Bible.