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Weekend Reading: July 30, 2016

~ pjwenzel ~ Leave a comment

Good morning and welcome to the weekend reading.  This is a little later than I’d normally send this along, so I may have missed your early morning reading window. Therefore I am going to be brief today, and I hope you enjoy some of the articles and other good stuff I enjoyed this week.  Here goes…

Let’s begin with some of the presidential race. I appreciated this article by Wayne Grudem.  Grudem is one of the most respected evangelical theologians in America, and one of the smartest people you’d ever meet. He spoke out against Donald Trump during the primary campaigns (as he points out in this article), but now he makes the argument for why he will be voting for Donald Trump. I think he probably goes a step too far in saying that Christians could receive judgment for not voting at all for a Presidential candidate. The force of that argument loses some of its moral teeth when one considers that on the other side of the coin, Christians are considering whether voting for an amoral serial adulterer who changes his positions regularly, will be something they’re answerable for at the Judgement (the Russell Moore argument). Nevertheless, he makes points worth considering and praying over as you contemplate how to cast your ballot this November. (h/t Kate W.)

This past week the Democrats nominated Hillary Clinton as their nominee. Fellow Weekend Reader David Clementson has a column in Newsweek (and like five other publications) that compares the acceptance speech of Hillary to that of The Donald, using an analysis of language intensity to discern who had the best speech. Very interesting stuff here!

One of the consequences of Hillary winning the Democratic nomination was that Socialist Bernie Sanders chose to publicly endorse and support her. There have been several comments on this development, ranging from those who think Bernie has lost all his influence with his own supporters (who heckled and protested at the convention), to those who feel he will have a lasting impact on the campaign going forward.  Fred Barnes has a piece that evaluated Bernie’s impact, and the consequences of his decisions. Here’s an excerpt:

By the third night of the Democratic convention, speakers were pointing Clinton toward the center, away from Sanders, his followers, and their agenda. In the New York Post, John Podhoretz wrote that Clinton needed to remove “a Sanders-sized ball-and-chain” from her leg. His delegates caught on quickly to what this meant. They booed.

In a bit of irony, as the Dems were inside the convention hall proclaiming their desire never to erect walls (a pun aimed at border protection – and perhaps another example of how Trump’s message has dominated the campaign), outside the convention hall revealed a different story.

Before the Dem convention began in Philadelphia, a major security breach occurred at the Democratic National Headquarters (DNC), causing myriads of emails to be posted on WikiLeaks.  The FBI suspects that Russian government-sponsored hackers were the culprit, and the President refused to refute the suggestion that Donald Trump may have encouraged such an action. In fact, later in the week Trump seemed to encourage the Russians, this time facetiously remarking that they focus their technical abilities on finding the emails Clinton deleted during her time at the State Department!

“Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” Mr. Trump said during a news conference here in an apparent reference to Mrs. Clinton’s deleted emails. “I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press.”

Here’s a sample of the emails the hackers posted.

The upshot of this was that the Chairman of the DNC was sacked, and that Trump seemed to steal the thunder of the Dem convention before it even began.  Lord knows I have many a disagreement with Donald Trump, but its impossible not to acknowledge that he may be the most skilled earned media personality to have come along in a generation. The man simply has a brilliance for driving and dominating the news cycle.

Another interesting socio-political development that I noticed this week was Brigade. It’s a website where Facebook friends can visit and give answers to certain questions that are being discussed in the political arena today. It seems pretty much fraught with social disaster, and I’m not sure anyone can learn anything political here. But I wonder how influential it will get in the weeks and months to come…something to keep an eye on.

On to other topics…

Philip Holmes writes over at Desiring God, about ‘The Evangelical Drug of Choice‘. I think the Pokemon Go app has raised a lot of interesting discussion of this kind, and I’m still thinking about all the consequences of the technological age in which we live. Here’s a little snippet:

Our ability to access entertainment and escape from reality has swiftly and effortlessly encroached on every aspect of our lives. Impatiently waiting at a traffic stop? Grab your smartphone. Is your wife annoying you? Login to Netflix. Is the subject in class dry or irrelevant? Check your Twitter timeline. Bored? Instead of meditating and praying, we go searching for Pokémon.

And while I’m posting about DG, John Piper posted a while back about some lessons he wants us to learn from his trip to Europe. This is a good one to just quickly skim and think about. Remember that Europe has often been seen as a predicate to what America will be like in several decades.

Finally, I enjoyed this little ESPN profile on golfer Patrick Reed (h/t Marty G.). The way it’s written is typical sloppy sports writing (supposedly a list of 10 things about Reed, which are hardly discernible – the author would have been better off to simply write a standard column). Still, there are some really funny items buried in here that you’ll enjoy.  This is especially pertinent this week as PGA pros play in the final Major of the year. 

That’s it!  I hope you enjoy the weekend.

PJW

 

 

 

Weekend Reading: July 16, 2016

~ pjwenzel ~ Leave a comment

Good morning and welcome to this edition of the Weekend Reading!  As you may have noticed, I’m not as consistent with this post as usual being as it summer and their are additional travel demands on the weekends for me. That being said, I’ve got some good articles, videos, and books for you. Here’s what I found most interesting…

But first, let me just say a few words in response to the many questions about the recent state of affairs. It seems like over the last few weeks/months there have been a virtual explosion of terror incidents, race riots, paid protests, police shootings, and more. This is the world we live in right now, and as someone who works every day in politics, I know there isn’t going to be a political solution – especially not by the two standard bearers for the major parties in this country (how can lawless people speak out against lawlessness?).  I am reminded (and comforted) that there is only one solution to the mess, and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ – the gospel of peace. The whole world is at war with God, enemies of Him and how He wants us to live in this world. Our selfishness has led us to strive against Him and each other, and this is why Paul had this to say about the mission of the church on earth:

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:14-21 ESV)

Notice that he says, “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh.” This is the result of a new perspective on life. No longer were there Romans, or Galatians, or Asians for Paul. No more Democrats, Socialists, Whites, Blacks, etc. The whole world was full of people made in God’s image who needed to be reconciled to God and to each other.

Paul saw the strife in the world, and said that Christians were God’s agents of reconciliation. There are many C4 organizations, many good things that other religions do to help feed people – Christians do this and have led in this way globally for two millennia. BUT, the driving issue, the main need of our day is still the same as it was in Paul’s. People need to be reconciled to their Creator, and to each other.  If you’re a Christian reading this, then you have a response to the crazy times we live in. God’s own son stepped down into the midst of terrorism – into the midst of enemy occupied Jerusalem.  He stepped down into the midst of violence and bigotry and racism, and his message wasn’t just “let’s all get along.” His message was “repent” – be reconciled to God, and live as members of a kingdom that doesn’t share borders with Gaza, Turkey, Iraq or the U.S.   This is a message that transcended the politics of the day, as it does yet again in our day and age. If you’re a Christian, you are “an ambassador for Christ” and its up to you to share it.

On to a few news items…

One of the interesting technological sensations of the past few weeks has been the Pokemon Go app/game that thousands (millions?) are playing. The game caught fire so quickly that it has spawned some creative pols looking to capitalize. The Wall Street Journal gives the short summary: 

The craze that is Pokémon Go—a game played through mobile-phone cameras in which you hunt and capture tiny monsters that appear near where you are playing—has swept the U.S.,Australia, New Zealand and parts of Europe since it was released last week. The game is being rolled out nation by nation.

The game actually caused a stampede in Central Park.

Due to the game’s system of drawing players into real world locations to catch the various kinds of Pokémon, there have been occasions where a crowd has formed to obtain a rare part of the Pokédex. A video released Friday, which you can see above, shows trainers rushing into Central Park late Thursday night to catch the rare Eevee evolution, Vaporeon.

The game presents a lot of neat opportunities for this generation of gamers to get out into reality while completely ignoring the people around them and instead interacting with small iconic pixelated creatures. What can go wrong?

The other thing that you might have already seen was how Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg made several derogatory comments about Donald Trump. The New York Times (!!!) had an extremely harsh slap down in response – and for the right reasons, I might add (h/t Mr. Clemenston).  Key graph…

There is no legal requirement that Supreme Court justices refrain from commenting on a presidential campaign. But Justice Ginsburg’s comments show why their tradition has been to keep silent.

It’s been bandied about a lot over the last few weeks, but I think that Americans were shocked at the result of James Comey’s press conference exonerating Hillary R. Clinton from any indictment.  I will give you the first (and most important) two graphs from the Wall Street Journal: 

For our money, the most revealing words in FBI Director James Comey’s statement Tuesday explaining his decision not to recommend prosecuting Hillary Clinton for mishandling classified information were these: “This is not to suggest that in similar circumstances, a person who engaged in this activity would face no consequences. To the contrary, those individuals are often subject to security or administrative sanctions.”

So there it is in the political raw: One standard exists for a Democratic candidate for President and another for the hoi polloi. We’re not sure if Mr. Comey, the erstwhile Eliot Ness, intended to be so obvious, but what a depressing moment this is for the American rule of law. No wonder so many voters think Washington is rigged for the powerful.

After this, John Piper responded by taking on several issues including this one.

Separately, and on an unrelated note, I enjoyed this post by R.C. Sproul called ‘What is the Will of God for my Life?’

Fascinating Stuff: The Grim Task Awaiting Theresa May: Preparing for Nuclear Armageddon

Speaking of world affairs, Turkey is under a military coup right now. As one NBC commentator put it, it strange to see a NATO nation going through a military coup! But Foreign Affairs.com is probably correct on this one: Erdogan Has Nobody to Blame for the Coup But Himself.

Also, this was an interesting Op-Ed from the New York Times: The Theology of Donald Trump.  Key Graph:

Whether or not he has read a word of Nietzsche (I’m guessing not), Mr. Trump embodies a Nietzschean morality rather than a Christian one. It is characterized by indifference to objective truth (there are no facts, only interpretations), the repudiation of Christian concern for the poor and the weak, and disdain for the powerless. It celebrates the “Übermensch,” or Superman, who rejects Christian morality in favor of his own. For Nietzsche, strength was intrinsically good and weakness was intrinsically bad. So, too, for Donald Trump.

On to books!

Tim Challies had this book review of ‘The Jesus Storybook Bible’ which I found really interesting. My kids have loved this book for years!

And because I often have people asking me what I’m reading these days, I’ve created a Goodreads page here (you might have to search for my name) so you can see not only what I’ve read this year, but what I thought of it.  There hasn’t been time to review every single book (even the good ones), but you can always ping me if you have particular questions.  I’ve thought about starting a page for my daughter who is close to out-reading me this year! (proud dad moment there).

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and enjoy the beautiful weather and each other – get out into your community, and try to avoid the masses of stampeding Pokemon Go’ers.

PJW

 

Weekend Reading: May 7, 2016

~ pjwenzel ~ 1 Comment

Good morning, and welcome to the weekend. It’s Kentucky Derby Weekend – so if you’re at the Derby, enjoy – here’s your official fashion guide.

This will be a shorter post, since I’ve been on vacation this week with my family and have intentionally not read many articles. That being said, significant things happened, and I have thoughts on them…

The big political news of the week was, of course, that both Sen. Ted Cruz and Gov. John Kasich dropped out of the presidential primary campaign. This leaves Donald Trump a clear path to the nomination of the Republican Party.  It didn’t take long for Hillary’s first attack ad…and it’s brutal.

I’ve had several “friends” directly message me, complaining of my support of John Kasich, claiming that Kasich submarined Cruz’s bid. This, of course is nonsense. Ted Cruz lost for the same reason Kasich did – neither could win enough support to best their rivals. It’s as simple as that.

Several others have asked whether I will support Trump or what I will do now.  My thinking at the moment is basically this: Donald Trump – as well as many of his supporters – absolutely disgusts me on many levels. But their is a worthy consideration, albeit a pragmatic one, that we have to really mull over as Americans, that is the fate of the Supreme Court. We know that Hillary Clinton will radically transform the Court with horrific judges and horrific results. That is a certainty.  Even Trump, who Ted Cruz rightly called “amoral”, probably has better odds of picking decent justices.

The reason I bring this up is because as a Christian I really want to see a country where justice prevails. The Republic is slowly being dismantled, and a purer form of Democracy is being installed. Andrew Sullivan has an interesting article explaining this that you need to read through at least some of (this is what I’m scrolling through this morning, and its really worth a gander). Right now the choice is between the left (Hillary) where a small minority of loud Hollywood LGBT and Pro-Choice Feminist elites will rule the masses who disagree with their un-American philosophy, OR Donald Trump on the extreme right (not policy wise, but style-wise) who is using the anger (perhaps understandable anger) of the masses to amass his own power and remake an America that is ‘Great Again’ yet will lack all of the constitutional fundamentals (checks on power) and morals (sexual and ethical) that made the nation great in the first place.

As a side note in the broader conversation here, there was a story in the Washington Post this week entitled ‘Atheist group to sue House chaplain’.  He’s essentially upset that, as an atheist, he is being denied the opportunity to “solemnize the house” in prayer. The obvious question was never brought up in the WaPo article, which is: why in the world would he want to pray, and who would he be praying to???  This is the kind of nonsense that we’ll continue to see more and more of, and what is missing seems to be the appeal to common sense.

This story in the NY Times a week or so ago caught my attention: ‘In an Age of Privilege, Not Everyone Is in the Same Boat.’ One of the things stirring American indignation on both the left and the right is the way in which the disparity between the very rich and the everyday American seems to be growing in this country. It’s hard to argue this is not occurring, and this article (and others) prompted more thought on the matter.  I believe it is mainly because of the corruption in government in two ways: 1. the elites can afford lobbyists, have relationships with lawmakers, have teams of accountants helping them pay as little as possible etc. and 2. the middle classes, many of whom are small business owners, are having the government ruin them by overburdensome regulation. In a sense, it is tyranny by the poor and the rich, where the government is the tool but not the cause. Immoral indolence is the cause. The poor want the government (every other citizen) to pay their way so they don’t have to work, and the rich don’t want to pay their taxes either – many pay much less percentage wise than the middle class, simply by sheltering the money off shore etc.  The thing that bothers me is that the playing field in America used to be (more or less) level. Anyone could be anything – now when we say that phrase, the thought that pops up is the transgender “revolution.”  Maybe you disagree, or have additional ideas – feel free to share them!

On to other matters: A.I.  Jon Bloom writes, “some experts are predicting that sooner than we may expect, perhaps only 25–40 years from now, we may reach the era of Artificial General Intelligence(AGI), where an AI attains the rough equivalent to human intelligence (think C-3PO). And it’s this that has numerous prominent AI thinkers waving yellow and even red flags.”

R.C. Sproul writes an article titled ‘God is the Lord of History’, and this seemed an appropriate time to share this. I’d encourage you to thoughtfully read through what he has to say, though it doesn’t quell concerns, it does remind us of our hope.

That is all I have for you, I hope you have a great weekend. I’ll close with a reminder that was graciously (and timely) sent my way by Pastor Nick Nye this week:

The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will. (Proverbs 21:1 ESV)

PJW

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weekend Reading: April 29, 2016

~ pjwenzel ~ Leave a comment

Welcome to the weekend campers!  I’m in a slightly good mood because I get to spend a few days in Tennessee with my family and some dear friends starting tomorrow. For those of you who are new (I think there are a few of you), I hope you enjoy this weekly email/blog.  So let’s get this weekend reading going – this should be a fun addition…

Let’s start with some music, shall we?  BEAUTIFUL rendition of ‘He Will Hold Me Fast‘ by my peeps at Southern (and…while you’re on youTube…keep worshiping).  PLUS…a weekend reading aficionado, (and published author!!) David C. sent me this totally old school punk rendition of the Doxology by 5-iron Frenzy. Just. Fun.

While we’re in the arts…two poems/video by John Piper. First – a brand new one called ‘Beautifully True’ and an old one, called ‘The Calvinist’ – the latter is just plain pure good awesomeness.

One of the unique things about the readership of this weekly compilation is that it spans the political and religious landscape pretty widely. If you’re reading this, its likely that you’re either involved in politics, or I’ve met you at church or seminary. But what I love is how many politicos send me pieces on faith, and how many friends from church send me stories on politics! Here is one such story from my good friend Gregg, and I think you’ll enjoy it as well: ‘The Spirituality of Snoopy’.  Coolest graph…

Schulz converted to Christianity shortly after returning from a deployment in World War II, and the experience sparked a love inside of him for sacred literature. He became a voracious reader of theological commentaries, and the margins of his personal Bible were filled with hand-written notes. He was a long-time Sunday School teacher at churches in the Midwest and California, even leading one group through a study of the entire Old Testament.

Do I really need to disclaim this? Okay I will – I’m not saying Schultz was some kind of theological hero, but the story is definitely interesting and worth the read.

One of the coolest stories of the week was that scientists have discovered bright flashes of light in human eggs when they are fertilized. As the story says, “An explosion of tiny sparks erupts from the egg at the exact moment of conception.”  Of course scientists don’t use this new discovery to trumpet the sacredness of life,or the glory of the One who creates it, but rather they are celebrating a more refined capability of harvesting fertile eggs for IVF. It’s the kind of story you read with amazement and then a sort of disappointment (if that’s the right word). Hard to explain…check it out for yourself.

Let’s keep the controversy coming – the Atlantic (yes, a second article from them…I know, I know) has a fascinating story called ‘The Case Against Reality’.  For anyone who has ever studied any philosophy AT ALL, this will be fascinating. Let me just tell you that one of the first principles that must be present and foundational for all rational thought is the reliability of sense perception (and I am paraphrasing R.C. Sproul here).  This article and these scientists may seem groundbreaking, but from what I can tell, they’re rehashing Aristotle and Plato with their “forms” and “material” musings all over again. If you’re not a philosopher but need to start somewhere, start here and especially here.

Wonderful little post by Tim Challies this week: The Two Kinds of Conversations You Need to Have with Your Children. 

Put your thinking caps on: Should Christians Cremate Their Loved Ones? 

Now to politics…

It seems like this last week was a week of desperation, and dominance.  Kasich and Cruz formed an alliance, which Cruz then denied…sort of…and Kasich ignored…sort of. WaPo: RIP, Ted Cruz-John Kasich alliance.

Also, Ted Cruz announced that Carly Fiorina would be his VP/running mate. If you missed this, don’t worry because it won’t likely matter anyway.  But this story did peak my interest: The Mysterious Case of Ted Cruz PAC’s $1/2 Million ‘Donation’ to Help Carly Fiorina —- as the saying goes, follow the money!

Speaking of money (and this is depressing): AP: Rubio, Bush big donors shun Cruz and Kasich

One of the biggest races coming up is in Indiana. It’s a good bet that if Ted Cruz can’t pull out a win here, Trump will make it to 1237 (the magic number of delegates needed to win in Cleveland on the first ballot). So…here’s the insider scoop on Indiana politics (this is pretty inside baseball stuff).

Here’s a story on how PA really helped Trump…big time. The crux: Assuming Trump wins New Jersey’s winner-take-all primary (51 delegates) like he did in neighboring New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware over the last two weeks, he’d need 197 of the remaining states’ 451 delegates to hit 1,237.

A little human interest story here that was pretty interesting (whether you give a hoot about John Kasich or not), A Brother’s Mental Illness Influenced John Kasich’s Views

The other thing that happened this week was that Ted Cruz got in another kerfuffle with GOP leadership. WaPo headline: Cruz’s latest fight with fellow Republicans is a reminder: Many don’t like the guy.  Free from the restraint of office, former Speaker John Boehner lashed out at Cruz…BIG TIME. The headline: John Boehner : Ted Cruz is ‘Lucifer in the flesh’

There was even some word-art made to commemorate the quote…And of course the story wouldn’t be complete without this little gem: Satanists are furious that Boehner compared Ted Cruz to the Dark Lord (this is a real headline!!!)  I mean…wow…

I can’t believer this guy could be the GOP nominee: Trump asks Kasich to change spelling of his name…(no, this is not the Onion)

Speaking of (former) Speakers…this one is sad and stomach turning: Dennis Hastert gets 15 months in prison in hush money case.

FYI – the whole Olympics thing, it isn’t going super well: Bike lane falls in Brazil Olympic city, killing at least 2.  But, I do like the looks of this outreach opportunity! 

Back to more sanguine topics…this was good: What Does It Really Mean to Be #Blessed? Key graph:

One translation of the New Testament (ESV) has 112 references with the words bless, blessing, or blessed, none of which connect blessing to material prosperity.

And finally, the book list!  Here’s what I read/finished this week and what I thought about it…lots of poetry this week:

  1. Robert Frost – Collected Poems in the Everyman’s Library edition – I enjoyed this edition, and will come back to it again in the future. I’d give Frost 3.5 stars out of 5 maybe…
  2. The Songs of Jesus – Tim Keller (selected devotions) – Thanks to my friend Derek for this wonderful gift. These are really fantastic devotions through the Psalms.
  3. Best Thoughts – Henry Drummond – First, let me say that this collection of quotes has been some of the most influential of my Christian walk. I have an edition of Drummond that is over 100 years old and I couldn’t find that one to link to (my copy is falling apart). That being said, this should be the right link, and I would urge you to buy it, read it, and gain some perspective.
  4. Compass of Affection – Scott Cairns – in contrast to the Drummond, don’t buy this unless you’re in need of some poorly burning fire starter. What a disappointment this was. Weird theology, weird (non-existent?) meter. I don’t know…just stunk.
  5. Rudyard Kipling – Poetry from the Everyman’s Library Collection – I really really enjoyed this. I mean, what boy doesn’t like adventure stories? And this poetry distills those into rhyme. It’s more gritty than the short stories from Kipling you grew up reading, but its good. It’s real good.
  6. The History of the Medieval World – Susan Wise Bauer – Terrifically short and helpful book. It runs in the 650page range, so its not for the faint of heart. Would you think less of me if I told you I skipped or skimmed a lot of the Indian and Chinese history chapters? No? Good. Seriously though, this is a helpful companion for me as I have been reading through Edward Gibbon’s magisterial work on the fall of the Roman Empire (on Volume 4 right now and took a break to read Bauer). Her chapters are short, and great little summaries!
  7. The River of Doubt – Candace Millard – This one was fascinating. The only downside was the obsession Millard seemed to have with the Amazon’s “evolutionary” makeup, and its amazingly (accidental of course) symphonic complexity.  The rainforest seemed to be set against the protagonists, which in this book is Teddy Roosevelt. The story is worth reading, and especially so because of the wonderful character sketching the author details for us – thanks to my mother in law Trish for buying this one for me (sorry it took so long to finally read!).
  8. William Blake – Poetry from Everyman’s Library Collection – I have to admit that this one has been a challenge. I really like Blake one moment, and then the next I am baffled by him. He is undoubtedly a deep thinker, and if you’re reading poetry, you can’t go wrong to study his work. I’m looking forward to going back and re-reading him again.

That’s it! I hope you enjoy your weekend!

PJW

Weekend Reading: April 23, 2016

~ pjwenzel ~ Leave a comment

Welcome to the weekend from Forth Worth Texas!  Here is the best of what I read this week – I hope you enjoy!

Let’s get started with the news that Harriet Tubman will replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill.  I’m still processing this a bit, but Tubman seems like a good fit – and almost everyone agrees. The best (and mercifully short) story I read on this was from National Review called ‘What They Didn’t Teach You in School about Harriet Tubman’ – fascinating stuff and worth every minute of your time. Here’s an excerpt:

In short, Harriet Tubman was a black, Republican, gun-toting, veterans’ activist, with ninja-like spy skills and strong Christian beliefs. She probably wouldn’t have an ounce of patience for the obtuse posturing of some of the tenured radicals hanging around Ivy League faculty lounges. But does she deserve a place on our money? Hell yeah.

In addition to that short story, Joe Carter over at the Gospel Coalition has his ‘9 things you should know’ about Tubman. Some of this is overlapping info, but still a good scan.

Since we’re sort of on pop-culture,  you probably saw that Prince died this week. Drudge had made all his links purple in honor of the former rock star. Jon Bloom over at DG has a good and short perspective on the death. 

Continuing in the genre…the Wall Street Journal had an interesting piece this week called ‘Star Wars’ Fans Feel the Force Calling Them Back to Original Cuts.  The crux of the piece is how many fans hated the tinkering that Lucas did to the original three SW films, and have (on their own dime) made their own “fixed” versions.

Sometimes I link stories to the weekend reading from authors I don’t agree with much, but they may have something interesting (ahem…that’s you Jennifer Rubin over at WaPo). Other times bloggers have a great point and I enjoyed it.  But one savvy reader pointed out to me this week that maybe I should say something of a disclaimer?  After all, some of these folks can be a bit weird when your back is turned.  Well, this week a perfect example cropped up. Last week I linked to Joel Miller’s blog – he was talking about on books, and reading etc. But this week he wrote a crazy piece of messed up theology called ‘How God uses angels to assist our prayers’.  I read through it – he heavily relies on two scripture verses – taken out of context with a ton of assumptions built in – and tradition.  There is a rule of interpretation for the Bible that says the implicit is governed by the explicit. Makes sense doesn’t it?  Well a lot of people like to ignore it in order to build their case. I have many good Catholic friends (I think Miller is also a Catholic), but I would beg them to read and think on this scripture verse which is explicit:

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. (1 Timothy 2:1-6 ESV)

So that’s my little FYI/Disclaimer. I don’t always agree with everyone I link to 100% of the time!

I’m not much of a science nerd, but two weeks or so ago, Ken Ham came under fire for supposedly embracing the theory of evolution. Now, I will tell you right now that having studied a fair amount on this (not nearly as much as some), and having simply taken logic courses growing up, the theory of evolution itself seems so fraught with issues that I’m under why the scientific community still embraces it. Maybe its an anything but theism sort of attitude? Well, in this article from Tim Challies, it seem that Ham has not embraces full throated evolution. But the article was a helpful little guide/refreshed on the topic. And, it wasn’t too long!

I finally got to scan through this little beaut: When Ben Franklin Was Against Vaccines – fascinating stuff here, historically speaking!

Ligonier had something I enjoyed called ‘Attending the School of God’ – some good perspective here.

Best article I keep meaning to read but haven’t yet: Sunday Morning with the Simpsons

Okay – on to politics!

I found this run down of the presidential campaign in PA really insightful: Republicans fight for Pennsylvania’s free-agent delegates —- you can sense a little hostility in the air among the grassroots there…more on that here: Delegates face death threats from Trump supporters.

If you’re into the campaign process-style stories, then you need to read these ones that I found helpful:

Donald’s New York win might not be that big of a game-changer – the funny thing about this one is that its written by a NY Post reporter…since when did they ever write anything serious?  Kasich Camp in No Rush to Woo Delegates – if you’re a Kasich fan, this is disconcerting if its true…Underdog presidential candidates spend heavily to catch up —- follow the money honey!  RNC Rules Roadblock May No Longer be a Hurdle for Kasich…Graphing the Delegates – the vile Libs (and this site really is vile sometimes) over at Daily Kos have some interesting graphs on the delegate race for both parties. Donald Trump’s false claim that there have been no negative ads against Kasich —– obvious title and conclusion to this story, but interesting numbers breakdown…still I am amazed at how willing Trump is to lie about anything – even the obvious stuff.  I mean, the guy doesn’t even just obfuscate like a normal politician, he just says whatever he wants about anything he wants.

Okay – that’s enough of the process stuff.  But keeping on the theme of Trump saying stupid stuff…

John Kasich found himself in a world of hurt for saying he wouldn’t have signed the North Carolina bathroom bill (here’s a NY Times story on the Bill itself and the controversy).  He was making a (very poor) libertarian style argument about not writing these things into law and using the government to over litigate social affairs blah blah blah.  Al Mohler rightly blasted him for using that as a way to avoid taking a stand on the issue. Well, this week Donald Trump went even further saying that Donald Trump Says Transgender People Should Use the Bathroom They Want.  Not out of some libertarian or conservative bent, but because his a liberal on this issue.

How far are we going to go in this country on issues like this?  I think its SUPER obvious to say that as a dad I don’t want a transgender “woman” in the bathroom with my two young daughters. This ought to be a no-brainer. But in the country we have a proud history of protecting the minority in order to create a civilized society where no one’s rights are undermined or excluded. However, we have come to a point that reaches past that protection into a sort of tyranny of the minority. The LGBT community – which is a tiny fraction of the population – has wielded such fear among politicians, media types and now the average business owner, that their perverted lifestyle (I think that is an accurate term) affects every aspect of our society.  They will not be happy until every aspect – every public entity and every private entity – not only accepts their lifestyle, but celebrates it.

This is not a docile movement, it is not a silent revolution, it is not a peaceful sit in, these people are not the new Martin Luther King’s of our day.  If you are a Christian, then you know that celebrating the perversion of God’s creation is not something you can do. Christians must learn to be more than civil in this debate – they must be loving, gracious, and explicit in their explanation of the gospel and how it transforms our lives and perspectives. New laws probably will protect our society for a little bit, but what is needed is wholesale change on an individual level – a heart level. Lots to chew on there…

New Topic….Media types really need to not endorse anyone. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Another example of why – here we have Sean Hannity blowing a gasket on Ted Cruz on live TV.  TV personalities and reporters are often separated into two types of categories – those who are true journalists and those who are opinion writers/commentators. Clearly Hannity is in the latter category, but that doesn’t mean its a good idea to endorse a candidate – how can you objectively interview any of the others?  —– before you question my own objectivity, I will remind you that I get paid to work on campaigns, its what I do for a living. I’m literally paid to be biased…although I try not to be so much so that I’m blinded to the flaws of those I work for.

I hope you had a great week, and have a great weekend!  Thanks to all who wrote to me during the week, or sent me articles, CD’s, letters and more (I’m getting a lot of stuff these days from readers!).  I don’t print everything up here on the blog, but appreciate the insights and discussions (corrections!) from my friends.

PJW

 

 

 

Weekend Reading: March 5, 2016

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I’m visiting my family in Colorado, so I’m not going to be able to give you a full throttled weekend reading today. That being said, I’ve narrowed this down to a few stories you should be aware of…

Marshall Segal has written a very edifying post over at Desiring God about marriage. I liked this:

For us to love anyone well in this life, we must love Jesus first and foremost…Commitment to this King, though, comes with a call to prioritize our families — not ultimately and in every circumstance, but selflessly and consistently.

Very cool: Steph Curry Is On Pace To Hit 102 Home Runs

D.A. Carson interview presents a very mature perspective on elections, and if you’re rattled by the process right now, this would be edifying to watch. 

This week saw a very rambunctious GOP debate – an embarrassing display of rowdy political and quasi-sexual banter in which (in my opinion and that of many others) Ted Cruz and John Kasich came out looking best. It may have been a breakout moment for Kasich, as Frank Luntz’s focus group showed that 100% of his participants said Kasich won hands down.  As a gift to you, I’m not going to link to any of it – go enjoy your day!

PJW

Weekend Reading: February 19, 2016

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Welcome to the weekend – its FINALLY here!  Below are the stories, videos, blogs and more that I found most interesting throughout the week. And there was a lot going on, that’s for sure!

Inevitably the presidential contest will be taking up quite a bit of space in this post, but before we get there, I wanted to post this link from Challies on The Character of a Christian. This post focuses on Gentleness, and as I read it, I was struck with the contrast with the men campaigning for President (and their campaigns) and how we are called to behave as Christians. Now, politics is a rough and tumble business, but I think there’s a way to campaign while defending yourself without descending into pure attack mode 100% of the time (as we’ve seen with Bush, unfortunately). Here’s a key quote:

To be gentle is to be tender, humble, and fair, to know what posture and response is fitting for any occasion. It indicates a graciousness, a desire to extend mercy to others, and a desire to yield to both the will of God and the preferences of other people.

The second thing I wanted to point out was that – thanks to some feedback from concerned readers – I must correct some “hyperbole” on my part from last week’s post. I mentioned some of the dirty campaigning from Cruz world, and how it had brought my mind to a place where I could never support the Senator from Texas. I don’t think I was lying there, because that’s how I felt at the time, but it wasn’t a very circumspect statement. I could definitely support Sen. Cruz in two circumstances: 1. If he were the nominee of the GOP and 2. If he were alone in a contest against Donald Trump.  Everyone knows I am working for Gov. Kasich – and for someone whose been working for him quite a while here, I don’t think my bias has been overt whatsoever.

My goal with this weekend reading is to let you know from my perspective how things are going and what I read this week. I don’t have to be unbiased whatsoever, though I do try and be fair.  People may have difficulty squaring how, as an evangelical Christian, I can support Kasich over Cruz or Rubio or Carson (for example – Kasich is a Christian, but Cruz is an outspoken and articulate man of faith, as is Rubio, Carson is a 7th Day Adventist and while he’s a nice guy, that’s a whole ‘nother ball-o-wax).  To explain this more fully would require a longer post, but it has to do with character, the ability to actually get something done for our country, and actually with my concern for the lazy American church. For example, Cruz’ politics don’t bother me nearly so much as his brand of Christianity – a brand which conflates the kingdom of God with the kingdom of America, transposing and misapplying OT promises to America as a whole, instead of Israel and/or even the church specifically. These are purely theological concerns, and while not one of these 3 items is alone a deal breaker, together they make it difficult for me to support – but that’s just me, and where I’m at right now. Again, too much to unpack here..maybe another time!

Now, here’s what happened this week…

I’ve often said before that if you’re supporting Donald Trump at this point, its probably because you want real change and don’t trust politicians. You’re basically like the Obama voter of 2008. However, this week if you were paying attention, you might have lost all reason to support Trump.  He openly and strongly declared he was for the healthcare mandate (then walked it back on Twitter). So he’s for the cornerstone of Obamacare – but maybe now he’s changed his mind? Trump also said in the debate last Saturday that he was against the Iraq war from the beginning and that Bush lied about WMDs. Subsequently, reporters found that he actually supported it, and then was found praising its success.  And finally, he said he’d be “neutral” on Israel/Palestine. I’m pretty sure this has some of my Israeli friends concerned.

Now, separately, Trump got attacked by the Pope who basically said Trump wasn’t a Christian because Christians don’t focus on building walls between people (that is a generous summary). Marco Rubio gave an eloquent slap down to the Pope – pointing out that even Vatican City has a border and walls and the sovereign right to keep people out. But I think he missed the point – I think. Giving the Pope some measure of grace here, I think Kasich actually interpreted the statement correctly (thanks Michael Steele for pointing this out) in that the Pope was trying to say leaders need to be building bridges between people, and not walls etc. Kasich was then right to gently remind the Pope that as a sovereign nation we need a wall, and also that it probably wasn’t the right thing to judge Trump as a non-Christian based on his desire to build a border wall. This is exactly correct, and its why the Pope is misguided – not just politically, but perhaps even theologically. It was foolish to inject himself into American politics so clumsily. Now – I believe that the church is here to shine light on the world, and that means calling out politicians and leaders. But if you’re going to do it, do it for theologically correct reasons, in politically accurate contexts.  There are an ABUNDANCE of theological and just plain character issues with The Donald, why start with this???  And one must understand that the context of our border discussion here in America – which is not the context of the European border discussions. It was a missed opportunity, at the very least. And perhaps it showed a lack of Biblical discernment, I’ll leave that for you to judge. But it definitely showed him as a politically misguided figure.

What else happened this week?  A young man from GA drove up to a Kasich townhall in South Carolina, told his story to the candidate, and what happened next went viral. I think I saw 25 news stories and blogs about this momentary reprieve from the nastiness of the SC campaign, which was nice.

Also, Kate read this story to me about Ted Cruz’ stance on homeschooling. As a homeschooling father, this was interesting to me. No doubt that Cruz would be a very friendly President to homeschoolers! They also have interviews with Rubio and Carson on here as well.

Speaking of Cruz – his campaign hit Donald Trump this week on his support of Planned Parenthood. This is one of the controversial ads that Trump is threatening to file suit over for being a “lie”…not sure how you can dispute it though.

More bad email news for Clinton

Interesting story about how Clinton leads the Dem primary delegate count by several hundred votes – even though she’s behind on actually winning state’s delegates.  And here’s a sort of “process story” on how the national Democratic Party is working behind the scenes to ensure Clinton beats Sanders.

Non Presidential!

Creepy story about severed feet washing up on the west coast…seems a little mysterious to me.

THEOLOGY NERD ALERT: R.C. Sproul interviews D.A. Carson on how to do proper exegesis! I didn’t get to finish this, but what I saw was really good.

For DADS – Jen Wilkin tells us to “speak the truth” to our daughters. (h/t to Derek and Katie and Parris who sent me the article, and then engaged me in wonderful discussions about its merits and nuances).

For FUN: Bark like a dog! AND…chest bump! 

Of course there were two major events on the world stage last week. 1. North Korea launched a test missile, and 2. Justice Scalia died. There’s a lot to be said about the VERY odd circumstances surrounding the death of Scalia. Hard to know what to make of this right now, but its worth keeping an eye on…

Ridiculous: Glenn Beck says that God allowed Scalia to die in order to make sure Cruz becomes President…because he’s a true constitutionalist. Remember – Beck is a mormon, and mormons believe the founding documents were actually inspired by God (similar to the way the Bible was inspired).  Who else believes this? Cruz’ father. There’s more to say about this, but its really too odd and too ridiculous to sort through here and now.

Also, Charles Ryrie passed away.  My good friend Matt R. introduced me to Dr. Ryrie’s ‘Basic Theology’ and way of thinking.  Even though I don’t agree with much of Ryrie, a dispensationalist, I read this article from Denny Burk and it was very touching, and a neat insight into how godly this man was. 

National Review had two good articles on women in combat this week. First, why its not a good idea, and secondly, why Israel isn’t the example people think it is on this front.

And – How Christians Used to Fast During Lent (h/t Katie)

Finally, two items I haven’t gotten to yet but want to. 1. The Whale that Nearly Drowned the Donald and 2. Lord Of The Rings: How Music Elevates Story.

That’s it!  Have a great weekend!

PJW

 

Weekend Reading: January 23, 2016

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Good morning – and welcome to the weekend!  Here’s what I read this week, what happened that you may have missed, and what I found most interesting…

First I wanted to start with a reminder of how thankful I am. There are a lot of negative headlines, and stories that might make you shake your head this morning, but its at times like these when I find a dose of gratitude soothes my soul, and adds much needed perspective. This is how the author of Hebrews put it:

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:28-29 ESV)

On to the weekend clips!

Wonderful blog here by Meg Meeker on why daughters need their dads (h/t to my buddy Derek who passed this along). Some great stuff here. When I first became a dad, the first book my dad bought me was by Meg Meeker, and it was great.

I read two helpful and edifying blogs from Desiring God this week, both were from Dieudonne Tamfu, whom I had never read before. The first is called ‘Suffering is Our Story’ and though I found it basic, I also thought it a wonderful string of truth after truth that will reorient your day if you’ve been suffering. It caused me to look at past posts, and he’s got one that was good from a while back called ‘What Does the Rainbow Mean for Gays?’ this is also worth skimming.  The best scripture he quotes:

Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face. (Ezekiel 1:28)

…On to the HILARIOUS: ‘Undercover Boss Episode: Starkiller Base’

Tim Challies had a great blog post this week about parenting called ‘Before the Birds and the Bees’. He always provides a helpful perspective – especially as it concerns technology and children.

Speaking of Challies, he had a post about going “all in with E-books” that was probably way too long, but if you’ve ever thought about the pluses and minuses of e-books versus hardcover books, then you’ll find this interesting. Lot’s of pros, cons, and opinions offered that may help (or may just leave you where I am…using both).

There’s some notable controversy going on at Wheaton College about whether ‘Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God’ – get the full download from Justin Taylor here. 

Almost everything else I have is on the Presidential race, and the characters running for the highest office in the land. Here’s what happened this week…

In perhaps one of the most embarrassing speeches of her career, Sarah Palin endorsed Donald Trump’s bid for the Republican nomination. I actually like Palin, but this exposed a side of her that is not very praiseworthy.

Speaking of Trump, Matt Walsh has written what can only be described as a withering warning to Christians entitled, ‘Dear Christians, If You Vote for a Godless Man, You are Asking for Tyranny’.  I appreciated my dear friend Matt P. sending this along for consideration this week, and while the piece could have been written a little more succinctly, Walsh raises some valid points of consideration. This is a must read.

On the same topic, here’s a story from the Washington Times (warning: their website is so littered with ads that I apologize in advance for any frustration) about Donald Trump’s speech at Liberty University. What got lost this week amid people making fun of Trump for mispronouncing “second” Corinthians as “two corinthians” were the words of Jerry Falwell Jr.  Falwell is the son of the late Jerry Falwell (Sr.), who spearheaded a Christian cultural movement often referred to as ‘The Moral Majority’. What bothered me most about the liberty speech was not Trump’s complete lack of understanding Biblical references, it was the fawning words of Falwell, who held Mr. Trump up as the paragon of Christlikeness and virtue. If you read Walsh (above), you’ll recognize the implicit irony of these statements. While Walsh trained his fire on Trump, I want to bring to attention the words of Falwell, and make sure Christians contemplate the full weight of their praise, and the character of the man they are praising.  Falwell is the head of what may be the largest Christian university in the world, and he’s giving more than an endorsement to Trump, he’s practically nominating him for sainthood.  Given the character of the candidate, Falwell’s words are misleading, foolish, and even dangerous. At the very least, no Christian ought to ever consider this man’s words worthy of trust. He has tarnished whatever legacy his father had as an influence for good in the culture. He has shown himself a fool, and unworthy of the influential position he holds. If I were in any way associated with Liberty University, I would be calling for his resignation, and if I were a member of his church, I would be asking whether church discipline was a necessary next step. I cannot contemplate a more reprehensible comparison than Falwell’s – that of a man like Donald Trump who says seeking forgiveness is unnecessary, embodies the virtues of the Lord Jesus Christ, who died to ensure forgiveness could even be made available.

Trump took advantage of the moment, releasing a new radio spot here. This one was was blooper free – but this one wasn’t…

While we’re on the topic of the GOP nomination, and faith, Ted Cruz has been staking a lot of his candidacy on his faith – the Dallas News has a story about that. It’s the Dallas News though, so don’t expect a glowing write up. Similarly, Marco Rubio was confronted by an atheist in Iowa this week, and here’s how he responded. “I’m more interested in eternity…I believe that God, our creator, became a man…and then he died, and he died to remove sins that we couldn’t remove up to that point. They could only be covered, but they couldn’t be removed. And as a result I now have the free gift of the opportunity to live forever with my creator and I believe that passionately…” (h/t to my well-informed grammy for posting on FB!) NOTE to Jerry Falwell Jr.:  Since discernment isn’t your forte, these are the words of a Christian candidate.

The big story out of New Hampshire this week was that John Kasich has been making a lot of headway with voters. In 6 of the last 7 publicly released polls Kasich is in second place. I must have read 30 news articles about this over the course of the week, and the theme of most is that Kasich’s style is more of the “happy warrior” who presents a different viewpoint to the anger many pundits see in the GOP primary electorate. This is largely driven by his faith, and a sense that he’s not the be-all end-all and if he doesn’t win, “life goes on”! (Full disclosure, I am working for Gov. Kasich). NOTE to Jerry Falwell Jr.:  These are the words of a Christian candidate.

The other big story on the campaign trail this week came on the Democratic side of the nominating contest. Hillary Clinton is in some real trouble. Serious trouble. I thought Joe Carter did a wonderful job summarizing the latest email developments in a Facebook post earlier this week. (thanks to Derek S. for reminding me of his post).  Fox News story 1 and Fox News story 2. Here’s the liberal Washington Post story (even they can’t hide their concern).  This is serious stuff, and ought to be the biggest scandal since Watergate (there’s where I agree with Joe Carter).

That’s all I have!  Remember that even though we live in a fallen, corrupt world, we can be grateful for the fact that Christ reigns and will one day come back again to end the suffering and misery and waywardness of our leaders, our nations, and ourselves. Have a wonderful weekend!

PJW

 

Weekend Reading: December 12, 2015

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Good morning!  Today’s weekend reading will be an abbreviated version with just the crème de la crème of what I read this week. Here goes…

Really cool website where kids can learn the fundamentals of coding using Star Wars characters for practice. I’m not that much of a geek, but I think it could be a really neat exercise for your kids.

This is creepy – either our watch list is messed up, or we have something funky going on over at DHS (or both).

Never seen Star Wars eh? Don’t be that guy…(h/t Parris) I seriously died laughing when I saw this!

Important story that didn’t get a lot of coverage: Justice turns a mine accident into a crime but loses on its biggest charges

Liberty President Urges Students to Arm Themselves (h/t Rod K.)

Ex-Guantanamo detainee now an al Qaeda leader in Yemen (need I say more?)

Challies issued a 2016 reading challenge…I’m not sure I could do 100 next year, but that is on the bucket list!

Speaking of reading, here are the books I just completed that you might find worth checking out: Flashboys (has profanity, yet fascinating), The Aviators (great stories, hit or miss on the writing style though), Talk Like Ted (arrogantly written, but some good tips worth scanning, but not worth buying into every bit of “science” cited), Star Wars Aftermath (if you have the patience for manifold interludes, then you’ll enjoy), The Princess and the Goblin (kids classic, hilarious at parts and downright strange in others, but worth reading to them), Rescuing Ambition (a great read with some wise perspective, represents the best of what I’d term ‘christian living’ books). Ones I thought were just okay: Killing Patton, The Five Families, Fox Tossing.

That’s it! Enjoy your Saturday!

PJW

 

Weekend Reading: December 4, 2015

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Welcome to the weekend! After some time off last week, its good to be back working again and enjoying some crisp winter air!

First things first, I would like to invite you to click here and download a free advent devotional that I co-wrote a few years ago. Each year we make small updates or edits, and even though we’re a few days into the advent calendar, I hope you’ll find this small book encouraging. It’s really geared for families – for parents to read to their children – but I hope many people will profit from it!

A few weeks ago my brother sent along this interesting story about how Bedouin tribes have been stopping ISIS in the northern Sinai desert. It’s a fascinating microcosm of a larger war going on right now across the globe…and it reminds me of what this man did a century ago…

This headline startled me a bit: ‘TSA Investigation Finds 73 Workers on U.S.’s Terrorist Watchlist’ (h/t my Katie)

To the Presidential…Donald Trump getting skewered by the rest of the field for being, well, himself.  But apparently its not enough for a large portion of the GOP base to care – new polling here.

Mildly interesting story here on paintings, AMEX points, and rich people using one to obtain the other that you might enjoy (I did).

Also I got this sent to me from a liberal blogger – and its actually pretty interesting. It’s a YouTube video of the territorial history of the US.

Couple of big legislative actions in the last few weeks. First, the NSA is shutting down its phone records collection program (allegedly),  second, the Senate actually finally passed a bill repealing Obamacare. It will move back to the House before being sent to Obama for what is sure to be a veto. Good that Republicans in the Senate finally got their counterparts on the other side of the aisle to go on records as supporting the disastrous healthcare monstrosity.

The Wall Street Journal had a good discussion about the motives behind the San Bernardino terrorist attack.  First graph might be the best, “The killers in San Bernardino hadn’t even been identified Wednesday before President Obama, Nancy Pelosi and the rest of Progressive America had blamed the murders on the lack of ‘common-sense gun safety laws.’ The motives of the shooters apparently didn’t matter.”

Perhaps you’ve heard about the giant “donation” that Facebook founder Mark Z. was going to make – apparently inspired by the birth of his daughter…or was he?  Two different articles here to consider. One from the Wall Street Journal on how he’s going about this, and why its different than all other philanthropic endeavors in the past, and a second article from the Daily Mail attacking Zuckerberg for being a massive hypocrite (leading a tax-evading corporation that doesn’t pay its fair share, then taking the moral high ground trying to make the world a better place).  Thought provoking stuff…

Speaking of hypocritical CEOs, here’s a follow up piece (that is WAY too long) on that CEO who decided to pay all his employees a minimum wage of $70k per year. I read about this guy a few months ago, and now that there’s been some follow up I thought it would be interesting to learn more about it.

It seems like the closer we get to the Star Wars Episode VII debut, the more I stumble on stuff like this: The Anatomy of an R2-D2 Astromech Droid.  Pretty fascinating for you engineers out there.  And this has nothing to do with Star Wars, but seems like it should…Amazon is at it again…

And – did anyone else see this??? – NYT had a flight patterns chart (I think Challies posted this) that was super cool over the Thanksgiving holiday. What I noticed was that there were a ton of people going to FL, and many more leaving the big cities and heading for the heartland.

Now to some encouraging items – first, the folks at ‘Read Scripture’ have posted another video, this one is on Psalms (I’m a little late to the game on this, thanks to Derek S. for bringing it to my attention).

And thanks to Matt P. for sending along this great blog post by Francis Chan called ‘The Greatest Thing You Could Do Today’ – Good Summary quote, “There is no substitute for being alone with God. If you don’t have time, you need to quit something to make room. Skip a meal. Cancel a meeting. End some regular commitment. There is literally nothing more important you could do today.”

I also enjoyed another DG post, this one by Chad Ashby called ‘A Joyful Cog in His Giant Plan’. What really struck me was the patience of God. I am bad at waiting – I am a doer. If something isn’t getting done, it ought to be….RIGHT NOW.  If there’s free time, then its time that we could be doing something. All well and good, but it has a tendency to drive me toward impatience with others not as, errr, “motivated”…

There as a fantastic little piece over at Ligonier this week on John 3:16.  What does it say…and what does it NOT say? Find out here. 

Great post that every guy should read from Tim Challies called, ‘A Simple, but Life Changing Realization’ 

Lastly, speaking of Challies, he posted one of the Valley of Vision Prayers before Thanksgiving, and it’s really really good.  If you don’t have that book, buy it here. If you want to check out the post, you can do that here. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with the prayer in its entirety for your edification:

O My God,
You fairest, greatest, first of all objects,
My heart admires, adores, loves You,
For my little vessel is as full as it can be,
And I would pour out all that fullness before You in ceaseless flow.
When I think upon and converse with You
Ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up,
Ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed,
Ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart,
Crowding into every moment of happiness.
I bless You for the soul You have created,
For adorning it, for sanctifying it,
Though it is fixed in barren soil;
For the body You have given me,
For preserving its strength and vigor,
For providing senses to enjoy delights,
For the ease and freedom of limbs,
For hands, eyes, ears that do Your bidding;
For Your royal bounty providing my daily support,
For a full table and overflowing cup,
For appetite, taste, sweetness,
For social joys of relatives and friends,
For ability to serve others,
For a heart that feels sorrows and necessities,
For a mind to care for my fellow-men,
For opportunities of spreading happiness around,
For loved ones in the joys of heaven,
For my own expectation of seeing You clearly.
I love You above the powers of language to express,
For what You are to Your creatures.
Increase my love, O my God, through time and eternity.