Category Archives: links

Links To Go (September 26, 2018)

Our Verseless Bibles

Chapters help us understand a paragraph’s role in the larger narrative. Paragraphs help us understand what a sentence means. Sentences help us understand individual word meanings. The account taken as a whole, then, has instructive value, not necessarily a verse standing by itself. That’s why at Stand to Reason we follow the rule “Never read a Bible verse.” Always read a paragraph (at least) before drawing conclusions about meaning.


How do you get church visitors and what do you do with them

Here is what I think I learned — or at least was reminded that I know.
There are a lot of people I know. Some of them are looking for answers about life or Jesus.
There are special things going on in my life and in my fellowship that I can talk about.
Some of them will visit with me if I ask.
Give them a Bible. Ask if they have questions. Answer them.
Get to know them. Listen. Have coffee. Grab a meal. I buy.
Say something about Jesus. Ask to share more stories.


Say it in a Sentence

He said I wasn’t ready to preach until I could state what my sermon was about in one, clear sentence. That piece of advice transformed my preaching (more on that in this interview).
I immediately drove home and re-worked my sermon for that night. I worked on the message until I could “say it in a sentence.” I went from being a scattered communicator to a clear communicator.


Your Photos Are Getting in the Way of Your Adventure

The key is to be conscious of how, when, and why we’re taking photographs—to preserve a moment, to capture a feeling, or to publish on social media? And, once in a while, as I learned at Taos Pueblo, it’s helpful to leave your camera or phone behind and be fully present in the moment. Afterwards, encourage your children to find other ways to preserve the memory, by writing stories or poems or drawing pictures.


Why I’m done with Chrome

From my perspective, this comes down to basically four points:

  1. Nobody on the Chrome development team can provide a clear rationale for why this change was necessary, and the explanations they’ve given don’t make any sense.
  2. This change has enormous implications for user privacy and trust, and Google seems unable to grapple with this.
  3. The change makes a hash out of Google’s own privacy policies for Chrome.
  4. Google needs to stop treating customer trust like it’s a renewable resource, because they’re screwing up badly.

American Weirdness: Observations From an Expat

It’s not that there isn’t a variety of toothpaste in Paris, where I live. France is a developed country with a market economy—well, mostly a market economy—and its own large supermarket chains. But there’s something about the toothpaste aisles of the United States that I always find jarring, and that I find emblematic of America’s over-the-topness: the dozens of varieties of everything—everything!—when fewer varieties might suffice.


Caterer saves wedding when officiant breaks ankle

An Ohio wedding was saved in the 11th hour by a catering manager who stepped in to replace the injured officiant.


Links To Go (September 24, 2018)

Substantial racial stereotyping toward young children of color found among white adults who work with them

Lead author Naomi Priest, associate professor of the ANU Centre for Social Research & Methods, said the study found high levels of negative racial stereotyping toward non-whites of all ages among adults working or volunteering with children. Highest levels of negative attitudes were found toward blacks across all stereotypes measured (lazy, unintelligent, violent and having unhealthy habits), with Native American, and Hispanic/Latinx seen as similarly negative on several stereotypes. These were most pronounced toward adults, but seen even toward young children aged 0-8 years.


Key facts about young Latinos

  1. Young Latinos are largely U.S. born.
  2. The population of the youngest Latinos, those under 18 years old, grew by 22% from 2006 to 2016, a Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data finds.
  3. Latinos accounted for 25% of the nation’s 54 million K-12 students in 2016, up from 16% in 2000.
  4. Hispanic intermarriage rates tend to be higher among younger adults than they are among older adults.
  5. About 14% of Americans ages 18 to 35 with Hispanic ancestry do not identify as Hispanic.
  6. Many young Hispanics speak English … yet Spanish is a part of the lives of Hispanics of all ages.
  7. Many young Hispanic adults heard Spanish spoken at home while they were growing up, and today they speak Spanish to their children.
  8. Though Spanish use is widespread, most young Latinos said you don’t have to speak Spanish to be considered Latino.
  9. Young Hispanic adults believe in core parts of the American dream.

Why are so many teenage girls appearing in gender clinics?

Dr Littman thinks that some adolescents may embrace the idea that they are transgender as a way of coping with symptoms of a different, underlying issue. Almost two-thirds of the children had one or more diagnoses of a psychiatric or developmental disorder preceding the onset of gender dysphoria; nearly half had self-harmed or experienced some trauma. This is consistent with other studies of gender dysphoria when it sets in during puberty. Some people distract themselves from emotional pain by drinking, taking drugs, cutting or starving themselves. Dr Littman suggests that, for some, gender dysphoria may also be in this category.


How I Get Involved in Telling the Jesus Story

I certainly get there are people much smoother and better at this than I am.
But I have resolved not to wait until the time is perfect. I cannot tell you how many times I have shared Jesus with people that have known Christians as neighbors and friends but never had any of them say anything to them.
Even visitors at church who never understood what the next steps were.


Mobilizing People for Mission

Our goal needs to be to mobilize and encourage the different parts of the body to work together on mission, while utilizing our different gifts and opportunities. We want to encourage people to be bold enough to speak about what Jesus has done for them, and we also want to help them have realistic next steps for their friends to hear the gospel clearly explained.


Five Key Reasons Churches Become More Unified

  1. They have a community outward focus.
  2. They come through a crisis.
  3. They have leadership that keeps them on track.
  4. They have a low tolerance for gossiping and bullying.
  5. They have a clear and actionable vision statement.

Let’s bring back the Sabbath as a radical act against ‘total work’

When taken seriously, the Sabbath has the power to restructure not only the calendar but also the entire political economy. In place of an economy built upon the profit motive – the ever-present need for more, in fact the need for there to never be enough – the Sabbath puts forward an economy built upon the belief that there is enough. But few who observe the Sabbath are willing to consider its full implications, and therefore few who do not observe it have reason to find any value in it.


The risk of the Bixby button

The problem is that Bixby buttons are also stepping stones on the way to cruft. Once you create a dedicated sign or button or resource, it’s very difficult to uncreate it. The few who count on it will scream if you try to take it away. The elegance and efficiency of the tool you built will forever be hampered by the fact that you have to support a Bixby button.


How to win friends – and keep them

Yes, friendships take time, work and kindness. But the handful I have are good for more than my health; they are good for my soul. An hour with a friend is pure oxygen, the relief of being seen and known and seeing and knowing in return. I cherish that, in my own clumsy, careless way, but now I’m determined to cherish it more actively and more carefully. If I were my friends, I’d be sourly sceptical about this miraculous conversion; thankfully, they’re far better friends than I am.


Not All Moms Cry at University Drop-Offs

So much of parenting comes with pressure to do certain things, make certain choices. We can be judgmental to the point of cruelty toward other parents.
The ones who cry? Weak, mushy, unprepared, overly emotional, too attached.
The ones who don’t cry? Cold, pushing the kid out, unloving, distant.
I call bull-oney on all that. I’m done with “supposed to” and “should”. I faced enough of that in our decision to send the kids to boarding school, or way back to when we moved to Somaliland in 2003. Faced enough of it when I gave birth in Djibouti, when I used disposable diapers, when I breastfed or pumped or bottle-fed, when I just wanted to get to the end of the day with everyone mostly fed and mostly clean.


‘For me, this is paradise’: life in the Spanish city that banned cars

The benefits are numerous. On the same streets where 30 people died in traffic accidents from 1996 to 2006, only three died in the subsequent 10 years, and none since 2009. CO2 emissions are down 70%, nearly three-quarters of what were car journeys are now made on foot or by bicycle, and, while other towns in the region are shrinking, central Pontevedra has gained 12,000 new inhabitants. Also, withholding planning permission for big shopping centres has meant that small businesses – which elsewhere have been unable to withstand Spain’s prolonged economic crisis – have managed to stay afloat.


Links To Go (September 12, 2018)

Teens Would Rather Text Their Friends Than Talk to Them in Person

But teens also seem to be a bit more savvy online than adults may give them credit for: 72% of those surveyed said they believe tech companies manipulate users to spend more time on their devices. And for as much hand-wringing as adults do over the amount of time teens spend on their phones, they’re looking right back across the void. A full 33% of those surveyed said they wished their parents would spend less time using their devices.


Fidget spinners, weighted blankets, and the rise of anxiety consumerism

Here is the truth that goes largely unspoken in the growing space where capitalism meets mental health: None of it actually solves the underlying problem, even if it helps assuage the symptoms.


Is Social Justice a Gospel Issue?

As in so many controversies, we must be quicker to define our terms than to define our opponents. No doubt, there are real disagreements worth exploring and exposing. But there also may be more agreement than some might initially imagine.
Depending on our definitions, social justice and the gospel may be miles apart, or they may be as close as loving God by obeying his commands (John 14:15).


Jesus’ Controversial Approach to Food and Eating

This Supper we celebrate today is a way to remember the ways Jesus approached eating.
He welcomes all to this meal, even those who believe they’re too sinful. Are we willing to receive God’s welcome even if we feel unrighteous? Are we longing for those we consider unrighteous to join this meal with us?


Eight Differences between Church Giving and Church Dues

The attitudes in which church members gave were easily divided into two categories: church giving and church dues. In simplest term, church giving is an act where the member lets go of the funds with no reservations. He or she truly gives the money to God through the church. Church dues, though, have strings attached. They are not as much gifts as they are membership dues to receive certain rights and perks.


Ethiopia-Eritrea Border Reopens, 20 Years After War And Bad Blood

Some analysts have compared the events to fall of the Berlin Wall, NPR’s Eyder Peralta reported. Families that were separated on either side of the border are finally able to reconnect.


Meet the other empty nesters. They’re dogs and they miss the kids, too

Terri Bright, director of behavior services at MSPCA-Angell , said that not only do dogs “absolutely” miss people, but a depressed dog acts like a person who’s down.
They don’t eat as much. They sleep more. They’re not as enthusiastic. “They seem sad, but they can’t tell us,” she said.


Links To Go (September 10, 2018)

Runs in the Family

“If you would have told me to pick who my father was, there’s no way I would have picked him because I might have thought I wasn’t worthy for him to be my father,” McCullough says. “I felt like my blessings came full circle because I’d always wanted to be somebody like him.”


The Bible Condemns American Slavery

It is very important for Christians to be able to say this clearly: American slavery is clearly condemned by the Bible, without equivocation or qualification. The Bible is a perfect book in the sense that it contains all that is necessary for life and godliness, and this includes all of the ethical information needed to navigate the cultural complexities of this world in a way that honors both Christ and the image of God in man. The Bible does not condone American slavery and it certainly does not regulate it. It forbids it.


Is It God’s Will to Always Heal?

Think about the logic of this view. If you just had enough faith, then you would be healed. But you are not healed; therefore, you must not have enough faith.
Do you see how debilitating this idea is? Not only is the sick person’s body failing, but—on this view—so is his faith.
Now let me say it as plainly as I can: If you believe it is God’s will to always heal in this life, then you have misunderstood the Bible and you have a false view of God.


“But The Good News Is . . .”

As I write this post, these thoughts make me want to consider the impact I have on others in conversations. I don’t want to leave someone’s presence with them feeling even more burdened and troubled than before the conversation.


Hidden Gems

Do we expect that Sunday school teachers should have a degree? Should only professionals distribute communion? Does a deacon need to wear a suit and tie? If you’re looking to train up someone to preach, why is the lawyer in your congregation any more qualified than the plumber? Could somebody with a history of drug abuse be your next worship leader?


A solution to stalled

When a project appears to be in limbo, in a permanent holding pattern, where sunk costs meet opportunity costs, where no one can figure out what to do…
Cancel it.
Cancel it with a week’s notice.


Many Facebook users don’t understand how the site’s news feed works

But a new Pew Research Center survey finds that notable shares of Facebook users ages 18 and older lack a clear understanding of how the site’s news feed operates, feel ordinary users have little control over what appears there, and have not actively tried to influence the content the feed delivers to them.


Want to Be as Productive as Possible? Try the Pomodoro Technique

The concept is this: When you sit down to complete a task, set a timer for 25 minutes. Work on that single task continuously for that time period, without pausing for interruptions or breaks—which means no Facebook, no email, and no trips to the bathroom. If you have a thought you need to return to, just write it down, then keep working. When that 25 minutes is up, give yourself a five-minute break. You did it! If you can, complete this cycle four times, then take a longer break of 30 or so minutes.


25 Brilliant Life Hacks You Need to Try

These life hacks will help you clean, cook, organize, and just live more efficiently.


Thoughtful American Airlines Captain Delivers 40 Pizzas to Stranded Passengers

American Airlines Flight 2354 from Los Angeles to Dallas-Fort Worth was rerouted to Wichita Falls on Thursday after thunderstorms hit the area, leaving 159 people stuck until the next day.
That’s when when the plane’s captain decided to order 40 boxes of Papa Johns and deliver it to passengers himself.


Links to Go (September 3, 2018)

John McCain and the Lost Art of Decency

Show me a politician—any politician, anywhere—who still talks that way in the 21st century, or will ever talk that way again. In that sense, McCain’s death marks the passing not only of a spirited public servant, but the disappearance of a certain brand of decent self-awareness in public life, a recognition that politics isn’t a reality show, or any kind of show, but a real and serious business on which millions of lives and the fates of nations depend.


How Cultural Attachments of Yesterday Diminish Our Effectiveness Today

  • The culture in which we now reside is vastly different than the one most of us were born into.
  • Many of our “expertly” applied forms are simply not working.
  • Evangelism in a postmodern context is predicated on listening well.
  • Diaspora populations are increasingly normative, and increasingly important.

15 Common Sacred Cows in Churches

To the delight of some and to the chagrin of others, I conducted an informal social media poll to find out what the audience deemed the most common sacred cows in their churches. The answers were voluminous. Some of the conversations were hilarious. Some people just got mad. Imagine that.
Here are the top 15 responses by frequency.


New Music Is Not Worth Fighting For – So What Is?

So what is worth fighting for?

  • Becoming a friendly church is a cause worth fighting for
  • Reaching new people is a cause worth fighting for
  • Getting greater involvement in worship is a cause worth fighting for
  • Going deeper in prayer is a cause worth fighting for
  • Better discipleship is a cause worth fighting for
  • Reaching new generations is a cause worth fighting for
  • Respecting previous generations is a cause worth fighting for
  • Scriptural integrity is a cause worth fighting for
  • Reaching out to the poor is a cause worth fighting for
  • Becoming a more loving church is a cause worth fighting for

America Soured on My Multiracial Family

But hovering just outside the frame—and sometimes intruding directly into our lives—is a disturbing reality. There are people who hate that our family exists. Actual racists loathe the idea of white parents raising a black child, and ideological arguments about identity raise questions about whether a white family’s love can harm a child of a different race. And, sometimes, people even question whether adoptive parents truly love their children, claiming that parents adopt to “virtue signal” or simply to ostentatiously demonstrate their open-mindedness.


New Mark Manuscript Is Earliest Yet

Even though it is not quite so early as many hoped, P137 is still a significant find. Its date range makes it likely the earliest copy of Mark’s gospel. The fact that the text presents us with no new variants is partially a reflection of the overall stability of the New Testament text over time.


Psychologists have surprising advice for people who feel unmotivated

Giving advice, as opposed to receiving it, appears to help unmotivated people feel powerful because it involves reflecting on knowledge that they already have. So if you’re completely clueless about the resources or strategies necessary for progress, asking for help is probably the best first step. But if you (like most of us), know what you need to do, but are having trouble actually doing it, giving someone advice may be the push you need.