Weekend Links 1-26-18

A roundup of interesting stuff that I ran across this week:

I really appreciate Tim Challies' analysis of the Billy Graham Rule and its practical application. As usual, he has taken a very thoughtful approach to a thorny issue.

This is cool: Trash collectors in Turkey use abandoned books to build a library.

That time Edgar Allan Poe pranked New York City and inspired Jules Verne.

This is right on the money: America needs more gentlemen. Thank you Peggy Noonan for writing this column.

This is the first of what promises to be a fascinating series of articles: How should Christians think about "the news"?

Why this guide to "intelligent reading" should be on your to be read list. It's definitely on mine.

"Follow Your Heart" has to be without a doubt the worse advice you can give to someone. Don't believe me? Here are ten great reasons why.

Tweet of the week:

Congrats, Chipper! Enjoyed watching you play way back when. “Anybody who can't get pumped up to play in Durham needs to be kicked in the butt a couple times." #halloffamer #bullcity #durm https://t.co/WQwrSMtEoB pic.twitter.com/bMCls9H66G

— Mary Katharine Ham (@mkhammer) January 25, 2018

Congratulations to the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2018! Another fun note via Jayson Stark: with Chipper Jones' election to the Hall of Fame, he becomes part of the only foursome of teammates in the Hall of Fame that spent 10 or more years with the same club (the other three are John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, and Greg Maddux).

This speaks to me: 12 bookstores worth traveling for. I love visiting book stores when I go to different places.

What I'm Reading: The Rubber Band and The Red Box by Rex Stout.

I first became intrigued by the Nero Wolfe mysteries watching the A&E series A Nero Wolfe Mystery some time ago. Then last fall I read Fer-de-Lance and The League of Frightened Men (the first two Wolfe novels in the canon) and was immediately impressed by how well the TV series captured the essence of the books. Rex Stout managed to create one of the most interesting detectives in the history of mystery fiction. Each book has been tremendous fun to read so far. I count this series among the many that I am thoroughly enjoying.

Weekend Links 1-5-18

Some random links of interest for the first weekend of 2018:

For better or worse, most people learn history through popular culture. As Peggy Noonan points out, both the media and entertainment industries bear responsibility to treat history with respect. In other words, get it right.

This is interesting: a list of 22 things not to buy at the grocery store.

Tweet of the week:

The more fractured and tribalistic our culture wars become, the more Christians need wisdom in making public political alliances (e.g. party membership, aligning with a candidate or cause). Our alliances themselves (or lack thereof) have growing witness costs. God, give us wisdom

— Jonathan Leeman (@JonathanDLeeman) December 30, 2017

Speaking of Twitter, here is why MoonPie is the best account to follow on Twitter. You won't regret it.

How one company uses lava lamps to keep the internet secure. What's even more amazing is you can actually see it for yourself.

Newsmax recently released a list of the 100 most influential evangelicals in America and Tim Challies has a few thoughts about the list. Perhaps most interesting to me is his astute observations (as a Canadian) of the peculiarly American mix of evangelicalism and politics.

Here's some useful advice on how to read more books. For what's it worth, my goal is to read at least 52 books this year (at least one per week).

How World War II helped give birth to the softcover book. This is explored more fully in When Books Went to War by Molly Guptill Manning

Book recommendation of the week: Destiny of the Republic - A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard.

I love reading history books particular those about Presidents. I admit I knew little about President James Garfield and even less about how he died. The tragedy in his story is that his death could have easily been prevented except that it was his own doctors that were ultimately responsible for his demise. This is a fascinating book and one I would heartily recommend.