Daily Links 1-17-14

Here are a few links to kick off your weekend reading. In today's edition: why we need lovely films, why Citizen Kane is considered the best film ever made, how to be a gentlemen and why, and more.

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Peter Robinson weighs in on Saving Mr. Banks and calls it a lovely film. It's the kind of film that we need. I'm planning to see it this weekend.

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Why is Citizen Kane so special? Read the article to find out. For one thing, it broke all the rules of filmmaking. For another, it's simply a great story.

True story: when I was in college I once met Ruth Warrick who made her film debut in Citizen Kane as Charles Foster Kane's first wife Emily. I was acquainted with her grandson at the time and he introduced me to her. However, I had not seen the film yet and had no idea that she had such a famous professional resume. All the things I would have loved to been able to ask her about this film if I had only had the chance....

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Food for thought: six deadly enemies of marriage. This is well worth a read.

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I'm always on the lookout for books to read but this recommendation from Dr. Albert Mohler about a book about books is particularly interesting.

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This is a yummy post: 11 desserts that changed the world.

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Mark Tapson on how to be a gentleman and why:

Because being a gentleman elevates you above the mass of men around you. Not in the shallow sense that knowing how to order a drink with confidence makes you more suave than the other guys in the bar; but in the substantial sense that conducting yourself according to an honorable code of behavior sets you apart from the crowd and sets the standard for other men. It isn’t about your looks, the kind of car you drive, your financial standing, your education, or any other superficial factor; it’s about, if I may borrow from Martin Luther King Jr., the content of your character. And character, to borrow from Heraclitus, is destiny.

He also offers eight simple rules for men who want to become gentlemen. Good stuff.

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Quote of the day:

Daily Links 12-19-13

In today's edition: how Tom Hanks became Walt Disney, fun facts about Mary Poppins, the psychology of grocery stores, and more.

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Tom Hanks portrays Walt Disney in the new movie Saving Mr. Banks which opens nationwide tomorrow. Here's the story behind how he transformed himself into the entertainment icon:

“This film portrays a side of Disney we haven’t seen before,” Director John Lee Hancock reveals.

“It’s not the Walt we know from The Wonderful World of Disney, which was fun to explore,” Hancock continues, “but, someone had to play Walt Disney, become Walt Disney. Who would that be? There was really only one person that all of us could think of—Tom. I wasn’t trying to put a rubber mask on Tom and make him look exactly like Disney. I wanted Walt Disney to come from inside. Tom is such a fine actor that that’s where he begins his work—from the inside. 

“Tom grew his own mustache,” Hancock continues in describing Hanks’ physical “transformation” for the role. “There’s a lot of voice work, the way he walks, the body position, the way he holds his hands, the way he touches his mustache. How he phrases things and lets sentences roll off the end. He simply became Walt Disney to me and I was completely amazed.”

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And, since we are on the subject of Mary Poppins, here are 21 things about the film you probably didn't know.

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This looks like a fun site: Pulp! the Classics.

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Yes, the way your grocery store is laid out is designed to mess with your head:

As we’ve seen in Guy’s Grocery Games, navigating a grocery store is not an easy feat. You go in for milk and leave with six bottles of wine (on sale!) and a bag of chips. Our friendly grocers are just honest businesspeople trying to sell some food. We would never accuse them of Jedi mind tricks. 

Okay, yes we would. No consumer arena has been as psychoanalyzed as much as the grocery store. Like any responsible business owner, grocers have studied their consumers and learned what makes us tick. Often referred to as “the racetrack,” a grocery store is designed to get you into the “track” and make you go as slowly as possible through every aisle. Most of the major products have been strategically placed to maximize your time and money spent.

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The incredible story of one of the most amazing pieces of music every written, George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (complete with links to the song).

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Some words of wisdom from Casey Stengel

Daily Links 12-18-13

Good morning! In today's roundup of links: bestowing a long overdue honor, surprising ways to make decisions, Frozen, Saving Mr. Banks, Tim Keller on pastors who write books, and more.

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Tony LaRussa, Bobby Cox, and Joe Torre are all being inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame next year for their managerial careers and rightly so. But there's another inductee who is receiving some long overdue recognition as well: Roger Angell. Follow the link for a sampling of his terrific work. (Hat tip: Book Riot)

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Six surprising ways to make decisions. It's an interesting list.

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Another interesting review of Mansfield's Book of Manly Men: An Utterly Invigorating Guide to Being Your Most Masculine Self.  Perhaps most interesting is that it is written by a woman.

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Disney celebrates sisterly love in Frozen. Haven't seen it yet (at least as of the writing of this post) but plan to take the family soon.

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Speaking of Disney, another movie I am looking forward to seeing is Saving Mr. Banks. Here's a list of 10 things you should know about this real life story.

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Tim Keller on whether pastors should consider writing as part of their ministry and when they should start to write books:

Pastors can write as a valid part of pastoral ministry. It is part of the ministry of the Word. The ministry of the Word does not mean only the spoken word. But when they should write is the question.

I don't think ministers should produce much in the way of book-length writing in the first half or even two-thirds of their ministry. Why? 

1. Because they are still growing in their wisdom and understanding of the Word, and they are likely to change their mind on some things. 

2. Because (yes) it will distract them from the two main ways they can grow into wise and skillful ministers with something to say. Those two things are regular preaching/teaching and a lot of pastoral involvement. 

3. I think younger ministers should earn their credibility through building up some fruitful and effective ministries. That takes literally all one's time for a long time. They should not divert valuable time for ministry to writing. I know that if a young minister sees his church grow rapidly he will be bombarded with offers to write books, but even if his church grows to thousands of people by the time he is in his early 30s, he is still not really time-tested, nor does he yet have the insights and knowledge of the Bible he will have later.

4. If you wait to write until you are older, the writing will go much faster, because you will have reams of material and many layers of thought about a lot of subjects and texts. Writing a book in your 50s will go twice as fast and be twice as good as if you try the same book in your 30s. It's just good stewardship to wait.

Hat tip: Justin Taylor via Twitter

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.  

Friday Tweet Recap

It's Friday and it means that it's time for another recap of items that I tweeted recently that caught my attention. Enjoy the links!

Have you ever wondered whether to accept a LinkedIn invitation from someone? Here's some good advice on deciding whether to accept or decline.

If you are like me and work online then e-mail can be your worst enemy. Here are some tips on how to manage your e-mail.

First he was a rock and roll musician. Then he became a hero.

My daughter (who is an aspiring writer) shared the four worst pieces of advice for young writers.

How baseball saved a relationship between a father and son.

The original outfield obstruction.

The Home Run Derby is a fixture at baseball's annual All Star Game festivities. But it was a television show first.

Here are nine traditions that have been lost from baseball.

You don't see this every day: a bunt double.

It's the dream of every blogger to have a post go viral. Here's how one blogger did it without even really trying.

Outfitted and equipped for working at a coffee shop.

Ten really cool lifehacks from 100 years ago.

39 Hidden Mickeys found in Disney animated movies.

This movie looks like it will be really good: Saving Mr. Banks.

10 fabulous pieces of Shakespeare swag.

Can't make it to Monticello? Now you can visit it via Google Street View.

Yesterday was Independence Day. Here are reflections on two great speeches from Abraham Lincoln and Lou Gehrig (yes, there is a connection). Bonus: here's a color photo of Gehrig from that speech.

Young George Washington's experience one July 4th went on to shape our quest for independence.

How to apply the craftsman's work ethic to our everyday lives.

Dumb criminal alert: robber fails to get money from convenience store clerk and the wanders off to the Mug Shot Saloon for a drink (you can't make this stuff up).

One of the most overlooked amendments to the Constitution is the Third which prohibits the quartering of soldiers in citizens' homes during peacetime. This was a common problem in Colonial America especially in Boston. So it doesn't normally come up in the normal course of litigation. However, one homeowner decided to assert his Third Amendment rights against the police who wanted to use his home for a stakeout. It will be interesting to see whether the court agrees with the homeowner's argument.

Whatever you might think of his policies or his time as President you would have to agree that George W. Bush is a decent person. One of his big priorities while he was president was helping the people of Africa. It still is as can be seen from these photos of his recent trip there to do relief work. More photos here.

The cheeseburger is certainly an All American dish but who knew that each state had it's own unique burger?

Speaking of food, I'm all for trying to get a free meal but this is insane (and somehow incredibly cute at the same time).

That's it for this week. Have a great weekend!