Curated content for Christians
Misadventures in Babymaking – I found this episode of the Freakonomics podcast particularly interesting. It discusses the surprising beginnings of China’s ultra-destructive one-baby policy. Protect Our Children – Thom Rainer: “Those who have read my articles or heard me speak probably know at least two things about me: I’m an avid college football fan, and…
Too Healthy? – Some reflections on lessons learned from MLJ: “It’s important to learn from the past and to recognize that most problems have a way of coming full circle. This seems to be the case when it comes to the health of the church and of individual believers.” Amazon’s Lending Library – Trouble is…
Into the Light – “A few years ago, a friend of mine was keeping a very serious temptation in the dark. His friends and his pastor often asked questions about things that didn’t line up, but instead of seeing those questions as evidence of God’s mercy at work in his life, my friend continued to…
Unemployment – The Guardian has an interesting (and revealing) article about the true picture of U.S. unemployment. “US unemployment data is set to show the jobless rate steady at 9.1% – but a broader analysis puts the true rate at 16.5%.” The Passion of Gaga – “Lady Gaga is not just a stage name; it’s…
Supply-Chain Secrets – I found this article just fascinating. It deals with Apple’s ability to completely control the supply chain and, with it, to gain huge advantages as a company. For/Against Calvinism – Monergism Books is offering a great discount on the For and Against Calvinism 2-pack (one book by Roger Olsen, one by Michael…
The Lost Art of Meeting a Spouse – “When it comes to finding your soul mate, lots has changed in the last several years. With the rise of online dating, over 30 million people are now looking for love online. In fact, online dating sites have now passed up every other way married couples meet,…
I am on my way to Sacramento, California this morning (with a ridiculous wake-up time of 3:55 in order to make it to the airport for 5:00 in order to make it to my flight at 7:00 in order to make my Chicago connection at 10:00 in order to get to Sacramento by 12:30 in…
Idealized Domesticity – I really enjoyed this article, largely because of the way it cuts to the heart of a matter. “In trying to help women feel better about doing laundry instead of office work, though, these authors have set up an unbiblical alternate ideal. Their musings about sacramentalism, euphoric experiences during mundane chores, or…
World Population Grows (Older) – “On this crowded, hot, trampled planet, one of the most vexing trends is something countless numbers of us see when we look in the mirror: We’re going gray. The United Nations has declared that the human population will hit 7 billion Monday, and an expanding percentage of those people are…
Harper + Nelson – “The publishing world, and particularly the Christian publishing world, is abuzz because of the announcement today that HarperCollins (the third largest trade publisher in the United States) has purchased Thomas Nelson (which claims to be the seventh largest trade publisher). With Zondervan and HarperOne already under the umbrella of HarperCollins (which…
3 Ways to Make the Reformers Proud – This is a good and clever article from The Cripplegate blog. “Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Melanchthon, Bucer, Farel, and countless others lived and died to leave a legacy of passion and proclamation. They showed that when you love Jesus and his word, you would rather die than keep…
Guidance – Paul Tautges has been posting a series of articles on the subject of guidance. He goes into subjective and non-subjective means of guidance. If you went through my recent series, you’ll know that my emphasis is a bit different, but I think the series are largely complementary. Church and Technology – “Tyndale University…
The Rules of Publishing – “Amazon.com has taught readers that they do not need bookstores. Now it is encouraging writers to cast aside their publishers. Amazon will publish 122 books this fall in an array of genres, in both physical and e-book form. It is a striking acceleration of the retailer’s fledging publishing program that…
Pastors Who Write Books – Here is some good advice from Barnabas Piper for pastors who want to write books of the sermon series. “When I receive proposals for books or book ideas from pastors I often get something like this as an accompanying comment: “I am the pastor of a X,000-person church, and based…
The Things He Wanted to Do – John Piper writes about Steve Jobs. “The wisdom Steve Jobs learned, he said, was this: Do a couple things, and do them well. You don’t have time for much. And most of things are not lasting. So do two or three things, and do them amazingly. Not a…
5 Reasons God Calls Us to Wait – Paul David Tripp on some of the reasons that God may call us to wait. “In ministry you will be both called to wait and also find waiting personally and corporately difficult. So it is important to recognize that there are lots of good reasons why waiting…
Love Wins Companion – Rob Bell is releasing a companion to Love Wins. Here’s some classic publisher hyperbole: “In The Love Wins Companion, Rob Bell offers commentary on the positive and negative attention his groundbreaking book is receiving, delivering a crucial supplement to one of the most important books since the Bible.” The Three Musketeers…
Hating Tebow – Denny Burk writes about why so many people hate Tim Tebow, the young, Christian quarterback for the Denver Broncos. “There are a lot of people out there pulling against Tebow, and I am not talking about football or the big game on Sunday. What I am talking about are the cynics out…
Open Doors – Here’s an update from Frontline Missions. “This is the calm before the whirlwind. A time to prepare to step through the long passage that will lead to eight countries in the next few weeks. In Ethiopia and along the banks of the White Nile, we will shoot the fifth episode of Dispatches…
Joy Has Dawned – The Getty’s have a new Christmas album out and they are giving away one of the tracks as a free download. The song is a nice, Irish smash-up of “Joy Has Dawned” and “Angels We Have Heard on High.” The whole album is well worth the purchase. Celebrity Pastors – I…