Daily Links 2-19-14

In today's edition: how to work smarter not harder, a closer look at one of the most popular worship songs, deleting your way to productivity, and more.

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It's often said you should work smarter, not harder. Here are five unusual ways to do just that.

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This was an interesting profile of Bill Murray. The most striking thing is that he had no plan to become an actor. Yet there is no doubt he's one of the best out there.

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A pizza restaurant owner is making sure that folks in need are getting a good meal:

He was once homeless in Detroit. But now a man in Des Moines, Iowa is using his newly opened pizzeria to give back to those who are struggling. 

On Monday nights, Derrick Walton closes the doors to his restaurant,Chef D's Rock Power Pizza, to the general public and opens it to those who are in need of a hot meal. And it's not just a piece of pizza, but a full dinner with a protein, starch, vegetable and dessert. He wants those who are hungry and in need to leave with a full stomach. 

Walton says it's part of a promise he made himself, that if he ever was able, he'd give back.

"I want to keep this going every Monday. This is not just once a month, this is every Monday," says Walton.

This is a very cool idea.

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One of the most popular songs being sung in church is Matt Redman's "10,000 Reasons". There's plenty of reasons why it is so popular. Trevin Wax takes a closer look at the song and what it means.

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Why you never truly finish a book. This is good insight on what books mean to us.

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Deleting your way to productivity. Some good tips in this article about getting rid of things that hinder you from getting things done.

Daily Links 10-7-13

Learn less and work more, the importance of sound theology, value of the mundane, reflecting on the career of Mariano Rivera, and more in today's roundup of links. 

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An Australian tycoon has some simple advice: learn less and work more. (Hat tip Mike Rowe)

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What we believe matters:

Ideas are powerful, something we tend to forget in this postmodern age. They can be the fertile seedbed for love and relationship, or they can be a toxic, suffocating brew. For instance, if you believe that a friendly overture is a ploy to use you sexually or financially, this relationship will not bloom. Instead, if you believe that this overture is sincere and caring, there is a much better chance that something will blossom out of it.

The same is true regarding our beliefs about God. Mega-church pastor, Carlton Pierson, had believed that God was eager to throw people into hell, and the best protection against this was going to church. Pierson had placed his faith in an unbiblical, unloving god. Consequently, he rejected this unappealing god in favor of the other extreme – an utterly non-just god who will bring everyone to heaven, without any consideration of their lifestyle.

What we believe about God determines our relationship with Him. There are certain beliefs that undermine this relationship. Paul mentioned one of them – self trust:

·        Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision [to become a Jew and to keep the law, partially trusting in your good deeds to get you into heaven], Christ will be of no benefit to you. And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. (Galatians 5:2-4)

Paul warned that if Christ is just one of several objects of our trust, we are not trusting in Him at all! Why such harsh words? Why is it so wrong for the one who trusts in Christ to also trust that his good deeds have secured him a place in heaven? Isn’t God overly picky and demanding?

If relationship and love depend upon right ideas/beliefs, then our Lord has every reason in the world to insist that we understand certain realities.

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Romans 8:38 means everything works together for good. Even the mundane.

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10 really cool Etsy stores for book lovers.

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This baseball season marked the end of the storied career of Mariano Rivera. Here are some reflections from one fan about what he meant to them. (Hat tip: Challies)

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Three questions to wrestle with while choosing worship songs.

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There's now scientific evidence of the effects of addiction to pornography:

Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart once famously wrote that while “hard-core pornography” is hard to define, “I know it when I see it.” Most of us would agree.

But what about addiction to pornography? Can we know this when we see it? For years people have debated whether we can actually become addicted to pornography. Yet the effects of sexual addiction—defined as “obsessive sexual behavior regardless of the growing negative consequences for the person or their relationships”— are hard to miss.

According to Patrick Carnes of the Gratitude Program at Pine Grove Behavioral Health and Addiction Services in Mississippi, perhaps eight percent of adult men and three percent of adult women become sexually addicted at some point in their lives, and many of them become addicted through pornography.

For those who demand detailed, scientific evidence of a malady we see every day, well, now we have it. Cambridge University scientists say that compulsive porn users show the same kind of changes to the structure of their brains as those addicted to alcohol or drugs.

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Here's a recipe for book envy: Libraries of the rich and famous. What's striking to me is the wealth of books that these folks own. Also the libraries are just plain cool.

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Recently, three blind swimmers accomplished an unusual feat: they escaped from Alcatraz.

A trio of visually impaired swimmers from Phoenix, Ariz., made history this morning when they dove into the chilly San Francisco Bay and braved the waters to successfully escape Alcatraz.

Nineteen-year-old Katie Cuppy, 17-year-old Max Ashton and 25-year-old Tanner Robinson finished the 1.5-mile open-water swim from Alcatraz Island to the foot of the Hyde Street Pier in San Francisco today, according to the Foundation for Blind Children’s Twitter account.

This was the first time blind and visually impaired teammates competed in the 2013 Alcatraz Invitational Swim, a Foundation for Blind Children news release said.

The swimmers have been outspoken that their decision to swim at the 18th Annual Alcatraz Invitational was to tackle the idea that vision loss is just a diagnosis, not a disability.

“I kind of want to prove that blindness isn’t a barrier,” Cuppy told the Arizona Daily Sun. “Blindness isn’t the end of the world.”

Hat tip: Right Field

Daily Links 9-19-13

Picking worship songs, the despised Nook, and more in today's roundup of links.

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Picking the Right Key For Your Congregation. As any worship leader will tell you, one of the trickiest things is figuring out the right key to sing songs in that will be comfortable for everyone. This article has some good tips for worship leaders to follow.

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Last week's shareholder meeting at Barnes and Noble was not a pleasant affair. Part of the problem is that the Nook is not well liked. One shareholder said this: “Look, no one is happy with Nook, we know we need a new e-reader strategy but it’s not easy when you look at [the competitors] we’re up against.”  (hat tip Book Riot)

For what it's worth, I prefer the Kindle.

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No time for a cup of coffee? No worries. Soon you will be able to spray caffeine on your skin.

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Here's the latest chapter in the ongoing war on boys: how to make school better for boys. Given this is from the woman who wrote the book on this subject it's worthy of your attention.

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The complete guide to making money in your spare time. There are plenty of options depending on how much effort you want to put into it.

Worship Thoughts: Finding New Worship Songs

It's a challenge that every worship leader faces: how to find fresh new worship songs for your church to sing. To make matters worse, the abundance of new music being churned out makes it difficult for a worship leader to sort through it all and make a wise decision about what to use. I've been there and can certainly sympathize with this struggle. So here are a few tips on how to make the process of finding new songs easier.

First, don't listen to the hype from publishers. Every record company that publishes worship music will try to push a particular song or CD as "the best worship song ever" or something like that. Don't listen to them. Don't buy into the hype. Instead, try to listen to songs with an open mind and decide what will work best for your congregation.

Second, just because it's new doesn't  mean you suspend your guidelines for picking worship songs. As a worship leader, you should have certain criteria that you use to select worship songs.The rules aren't suddenly irrelevant because you are dealing with new songs. You should still follow the same guidelines as you do for picking any other worship song.

Third, look to artists/writers/publishers that are responsible for the songs you are currently using in church. Although past history is not always a predictor of future success, it can be a good guide in evaluating new music. For example, let's say that there is a writer who has written a number of the songs you're currently using. If he or she suddenly has a new CD come out, you would probably be wise to give it a listen. It's not guaranteed that you will want to use their songs. But the fact that you have used other songs by that writer is a good indicator that new songs might also be worth considering in your services.

Fourth, listen to the song first for what it is and then for whether it's something you can use. One of the issues I struggled with in evaluating new songs was immediately trying to determine whether it was a song my worship team could handle. However, the better thing to do is determine whether the song is a good song and then determine whether it can be used with your congregation. Since your worship team is going to likely have a different makeup than the band whose CD you're listening to some degree of modification will be needed to make the song work for your church. It's better to listen to the song and determine whether it's a good song on its own merits before deciding whether it's appropriate to use in your church.

Fifth, remember that it's more than likely you will end up using a very small fraction of the new music that comes to your attention. When I led worship I would often receive sampler CDs from different publishers. It was not unusual for me to use only 1-2 songs out of every 4-5 CDs I would receive. In other words, I utilized a very small percentage of the total music that I received. Part of that has to do with the fact I'm picky about what I use. It's also partly due to the fact that there is a high volume of worship music being produced but very little of it fit my needs.

Leading worship is both a terrific honor and tremendous responsibility. It's a job that is not to be taken lightly. Worship songs whether new or old should be selected carefully. As worship leaders we are also teachers. It's important to remember that whatever we are singing we need to be sure that it is teaching the truth of God's Word.

For previous posts in this series, click here.