What’s Going On Right Now (6/8/11)

Summer grass by magnusfranklin
Image by magnusfranklin

Okay, are you ready? There’s little fluff and much substance in this week’s batch of links. I’d love to have some great conversation, in the comments or in person, about these topics…

What’s Going On Right Now (6/2/11)

Am I the only one who wonders how it can be June already?!

Summer freshness! by Axel-D
Image by Axel-D

My iPhone’s browser crashed yesterday and lost some of the links I was saving for today. That’ll teach me not to bookmark ’em 😛

Books I Read This Month (May 2011)

Books by shutterhacks
Image by shutterhacks

Okay first yes, I really did read all these books just this month. I was trying to read 13 in order to catch up to where I should be in my goal to read 100 books this year (since I didn’t decide on that goal until late March). Turns out that when I’m trying to read (and picking short books), I can just keep going…

The Magician’s NephewThe Horse and His Boy and The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis, of course!

Assured by God: Living in the Fullness of God’s Grace by Burk Parsons (good reminders)

God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew (great Christian biography)

All By My Selves: Walter, Peanut, Achmed, and Me by Jeff Dunham (funny and informative)

Bossypants by Tina Fey (very funny)

Do the Work by Steven Pressfield (don’t bother)

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (classic for LOST Book Club)

When Sparrows Fall by Meg Moseley (surprisingly rare well done modern fiction)

Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island and Anne of Windy Poplars by L. M. Montgomery (delightful as always)

The Holiness of God by R. C. Sproul (finally read this classic of the faith, and I’ll be reading it again)

Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women by Harriet Reisen (a good biography)

This Is a Book by Dimitri Martin (Very funny and until I read it I was unaware the man was A GENIUS)

The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel (give this one a big ol’ pass)

Familyhood by Paul Reiser (poignant and enjoyable)

{Amazon Affiliate links}

Don’t forget to friend me on GoodReads to read my reviews and share your own books! I don’t think I’ll finish anything tonight but I’m already working on a few books that will be in next month’s list. 🙂

What’s Going On Right Now (5/26/11)

Summer Afternoon by ashoct28
Image by ashoct28
  • “It was too much, really. It’s one thing to titillate progressive theatergoers with scenes of physical abuse and psychological torture and lines like “You’re f—ing f—ed.” But David Mamet had at last gone too far. He’d turned into a f—ing Republican.” Read this fantastic piece on converting David Mamet in the Weekly Standard.
  • I’ve often had to explain why I love LOST so much, and this post does a great job of getting at some of the reasons: The Six Year Journey to WTF?!
  • Did you know the USDA has finally revised their cooking temperature recommendations? You now officially only have to cook whole meat to 145 degrees. Finally I can quit explaining to my non-cooking friends why yes, it really is okay to eat pink pork. 🙂
  • There’s a lot of psychology in sales and marketing, and you need to stay alert, know how to bargain, when, and the real value of your finds. Here’s a great post on when a discount isn’t really a discount.
  • Fabs writes a great post on when saying less is saying more with advice from the great C. S. Lewis himself, who was a succinct, excellent and very prolific writer.
  • The Gospel Coalition blog had a great post on why nostalgia is no solution; in the recent batch of TV shows depicting the 50s and 60s, we must remember that while feminism has done damage, objectification of women wasn’t biblical either.
  • If you’re a new freelancer, Jennette Fulda has pulled together some information and resources from her research as she’s tried to find post-COBRA coverage with a chronic health condition. It’s a good place to kick off your own search and save a little bit of time!

What’s Going On Right Now (5/20/11)

summer... by Robb North
Image by Robb North

Tim Challies writes about date nights and devotions:

But what if we are missing the point? What if the point of devotions is less about learning about God and more about spending time with God? What if it’s less about Bible study and more about building relational intimacy? What would change about our devotions if instead of trying to learn about God, we focused instead on spending time with God, time spent hearing from him through his Word and speaking to him through prayer?

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Amazon is now selling more Kindle books than print books… hardcover and paperback combined!

For all you photography lovers, here’s the history of Nikon’s first digital camera (in 1988!).

“Even Thor has grown richer through acquaintance with Jesus,” writes Lars Walker in his review of the film.

You’ve already heard the world is ending tomorrow, but have you heard Vladimir Putin is St. Paul? This has been an episode of Really?! With Seth And Amy. 🙂

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides comes out today!

What’s Going On Right Now (5/16/11)

Beach by shazwan
Image by shazwan

(Moving from spring images to summer ones… I don’t know about where you are, but it was 97 degrees here last week!)

Speaking of, John Piper reminds us to think rightly about summer.

“You are immortal until your work is done” has always been one of my favorite maxims on the sovereignty of God. Fabs writes about famous Christian last words.

I’m sure by now you’ve heard about Ann Voskamp’s bestseller One Thousand Gifts (and some of the controversy that surrounds it). This review about its romantic panentheism is the best and most comprehensive I’ve read. (Found through Everyday Mommy’s blog, where she’s also conducted some great biblical discussion of the book.)

Tim Challies is resurrecting Reading Classics Together, and in June we’ll begin Christianity and Liberalism {Amazon Affiliate link}. Looking forward to it!

It was with sadness last week that I read Presbyterians (PCUSA) have removed celibacy as a requirement for single pastors. I wonder how they think “submitting joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life” allows for this. More here, like “Those attempts to invent new morality look for me like attempts to invent a new religion — a sort of modern paganism.”

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Seth Godin talks about the future of libraries. I agree–mostly– and think the Orange County Library System is doing a great job moving forward. I sure hope they keep all those “dead books”, though!

Continuing a thread of recent posts, over on Front Porch Republic Mark Mitchell writes about the attributes of a gentleman. I hadn’t thought about it before, but among several interesting points he notes that the concept of a gentleman only appears in Christian societies. (That makes sense.)

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I’m looking forward to a week where I can reset my clock a little bit and gather my scattered thoughts. The weekend, Lord willing, brings in sweet time with friends and a beautiful violin recital at Saint Andrew’s.