The Big Picture has some great photographs from yesterday’s 2008 Olympics Opening Ceremony.

Peter Chattaway quotes T.S. Eliot, in his essay ‘Religion and Literature’, written in 1935. “The last thing I would wish for would be the existence of two literatures, one for Christian consumption and the other for the pagan world.”

Brad Wright explains the effect of measurement on behavior. “Just the act of measuring someone’s behavior, e.g., as is done in a survey, can change that person’s behavior by making them more aware of what they are doing … When we measure anything, whether in professional research or everyday-life, realize that we’re probably changing some aspect of it. If we want to change something, probably the first thing to do is to start measuring it.”

John Stackhouse mourns the disappearing of some Christian musical languages. “Christian contemporary rock is the main music language of ‘happening’ churches all over North America, Britain, Australia, and beyond. As simplistic as it certainly can be, both lyrically and musically, it has considerable range of expression when used by talented composers, singers, and instrumentalists. What it can’t do, however, is say everything that needs to be said.”

Nathan Busenitz quotes Cornelius Plantinga on the emptiness of life apart from God. “The truth is that nothing in this earth can finally satisfy us. Much can make us content for a time, but nothing can fill us to the brim. The reason is that our final joy lies ‘beyond the walls of the world,’ as J. R. R. Tolkien put it. Ultimate beauty comes not from a lover or a landscape or a home, but only through them. These earthly things are solid goods, and we naturally relish them. But they are not our final good. They point to what is ‘higher up’ and ‘further back.’

Justin Taylor answers the question: What if two theologians I respect disagree about Scripture’s meaning? “The answer to this is virtually the same as if the question had been, ‘What if two theologians I respect agree about Scripture’s meaning?’ In either scenario, the proper response is to imitate the ‘noble Bereans’ of Acts 17. These were Jews who listened to Paul and Silas proclaim God’s Word in their synagogue. We are told that ‘they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.’ In other words, they combined eager reception of teaching along with daily inspection to see if they were hearing was true.”

Abraham Piper had a fun discussion over at his blog on “What do you call your in-laws?” “For four years, I wasn’t comfortable calling Molly’s dad ‘Dad’ or ‘Bob.’ So I’d just start talking and hope he was listening.”

Tony Kummer gives some great tips on how to read the Bible aloud for children. “Bible reading is one of the most important activities you can do with children. I believe that every Sunday school session, family devotion and children’s church meeting should include a time of Bible reading. Since the Bible is God’s Word, we should do our best to listen to it.”

Vern Poythress warns against the potential idolatry of technology. “I love science, because it displays God’s wisdom (Proverbs 8:22-31). I love technology, because it shows what great gifts God has given to us, and what great human capacity God has given us to exercise dominion (Genesis 1:28-30). But I see hopes placed in science and technology that they cannot fulfill.”

Trent Hamm at The Simple Dollar shares about the single biggest money mistake he ever made. “The single biggest money mistake I’ve ever made was the day I decided that my future self would pay for stuff that I wanted (not needed, but wanted) now … This one choice, the seemingly simple decision to go for it and buy something I wanted without really thinking about the long term consequences, shaped my life in a negative fashion for years.”

John MacArthur gives his answer to the question: If God is sovereign, is He responsible for evil? “God is certainly sovereign over evil … It did not take Him by surprise. It is not an interruption of His eternal plan … But God’s role with regard to evil is never as its author. He simply permits evil agents to work, then overrules evil for His own wise and holy ends. Ultimately He is able to make all things–including all the fruits of all the evil of all time–work together for a greater good (Romans 8:28).”

Jim Martin encourages parents to give your children time. “One elementary school teacher told me recently about watching some parents pick up their children after school. The parents wait in line in their cars at the school until they get to the designated pick-up spot. Then the children can get in their car. This teacher told me about the number of parents who are talking on the telephone as their children get in the car. They continue talking on the phone as they drive away. This after not having seen their children the entire day. Children need time. There is nothing that a parent can buy that will substitute for giving a child time and attention.”

E. B. White writes about living in the country. “Just to live in the country is a full-time job. You don’t have to do anything. The idle pursuit of making a living is pushed to one side, where it belongs, in favor of living itself, a task of such immediacy, variety, beauty, and excitement that one is powerless to resist its wild embrace.”

Jim Martin has been blogging about what he has learned at 30 years of marriage. “During those years of being a family and being a married person, I probably tended to think that marriage was primarily about personal happiness. In particular, I wanted to make sure my spouse was happy. It would be many years before I realized that God was using our marriage to shape us into a certain kind of people.”

Scott Nehring gives a great tip on discerning a movie’s message. “All movies give the audience a message. This message can be, ‘crime never pays, ‘war is hell’, [etc.] … The way a film delivers this message is by posing a question at its opening and answering it at its very end. Within the first 3-7 minutes you will find a question, a conflict, is established – will the boy get the girl, will the treasure be found, will the hero learn to love, etc. At the end of the film, the last 3-7 minutes, you will find that question is answered.”

Sinclair Ferguson believes that the church is God’s greatest evangelistic tool to reach the lost. “That is perhaps the single greatest need we have as a community of God’s people. That there might be something about the very atmosphere of our fellowship together in the unity of the bonds of the Holy Spirit that makes people ask the question ‘Where on earth, or in heaven, did that come from?’ And if they’re not compelled to ask that question about our church, it’s an almost certain sign that there’s very little that’s heavenly about our community.”

J. C. Ryle asks the all important question, Do you pray? “It is essential to your soul’s health to make praying a part of the business of every twenty-four hours in your life. Just as you allot time to eating, sleeping, and business, so also allot time to prayer. Choose your own hours and seasons. At the very least, speak with God in the morning, before you speak with the world: and speak with God at night, after you have done with the world. But settle it in your minds, that prayer is one of the great things of every day. Do not drive it into a corner. Do not give it the scraps and parings of your duty. Whatever else you make a business of, make a business of prayer.”

Got an itchy back? Grab the nearest tree. This so reminds me of Baloo the Bear from the movie The Jungle Book. (Video length: 1:44)
 

Josh Etter quotes William Temple on salvation. “All is of God; the only thing of my very own which I contribute to my redemption is the sin from which I need to be redeemed.”

Tullian Tchividjian quotes Nicholas Berdyaev on beauty in the world. “All beauty in the world is either a memory of Paradise or a prophecy of the transfigured world.”

Jon Bloom looks at the miracle of Jesus feeding the five thousand. “When Jesus performed this wonder, he was giving Philip, the disciples, the boy, the crowd, and us a crucial lesson in kingdom supply-side economics. Namely, that God will supply every need of ours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). If we really believe this, our worries are over.”

Jeana shares ten things that don’t make sense to her. Here are the first few on her list. “1. How having four children quadrupled the love I have for my kids instead of dividing it into four. 2. How focusing on meeting my husband’s needs results in my needs getting met. 3. Why having a lot of ‘me’ time tends to make me more self-centered, not less. 4. Why serving other people makes me more content, not less.”

Justin Childers challenges you to figure out one intentional way to serve your church today. Here are a couple of his suggestions. “1. Call a member of your church that was not at church on Sunday (for whatever reason). Tell them you missed seeing them and summarize your pastor’s sermon for them. 2. Call or e-mail a family in your church with young children and offer to babysit for a few hours 3. Call an older member of your church and offer to bring lunch over to their house tomorrow.”

Michael Patton at Theological Word of the Day provides a helpful definition for theism. “Worldview that believes that an eternal God freely created all of existence (time, space, matter, celestial realms and bodies) out of nothing (ex nihilo) and that he continues to act within the creation in varying degrees. This is to be contrasted with atheism (the belief that there is no God), pantheism (the belief that all is God), polytheism (the belief in many gods), and deism (the belief that God does not interact with creation).”

Joe Carter reflects on celestial teapots, flying spaghetti monsters, and other silly atheist arguments. “Why exactly we are to prefer an unintelligent designer to an intelligent one is one of the questions that remains unanswered. Obviously, not all atheists believe that arguments must be intelligently designed; but that does not mean that arguments for intelligent design are without merit. Perhaps if they used their noodles for something other than creating spaghetti creatures they’d see that obvious point for themselves.”

Ken Keathley relates the interesting story concerning Jesse James and church discipline. “Jesse was a member in good standing when he led the first daylight bank robbery in Liberty, Missouri, a town about ten miles away. The church minutes record that deliberations to discipline Jesse were complicated by the concern that he might burn down the building … Two deacons were selected to go to confront him according to the guidelines of Matthew 18. The minutes of the next business meeting report that, for one reason or another, the deacons never could find the time to visit the notorious bandit. Then the minutes report that Jesse himself arrived at the meeting, and wishing to cause no embarrassment to the congregation, requested his name be removed from the roll. The church obliged.”

Lori Mehmen of Orchard, Iowa took the following photo of a tornado from outside her front door. Mehmen said the funnel cloud came near the ground and then went back up into the clouds. Besides tree and crop damage, no human injuries were reported. (Click here for more photos of the Mississippi Floodwaters in Iowa.)

Marc and Angel compile a list of 50 things everyone should know how to do. Here are the first five: 1) Build a fire, 2) Operate a computer, 3) Use Google effectively, 4) Perform CPR and the Heimlich maneuver, 5) Drive a manual transmission vehicle.

Ray Ortlund is cutting back on his blogging. “I need to make some adjustments in my own life. My oxygen is daily communion with Christ through the Bible and prayer. I need to protect my capacity for concentration there. From now on, I will blog on Friday afternoons only … Blogging is good. But my soul at rest in Christ is better.”

Nancy Beach wants to learn how to text message this summer. “One of my primary goals this summer is to learn how to text with my cell phone. I realize this does not sound like a significant goal, but for a mom of teens, it’s apparent to me that if I hope to communicate efficiently with my daughters, in a language they will respond to and much prefer, then it’s time to get with the program.”

Colin Adams quotes Billy Graham on his first time preaching. “When the moment came to walk to the pulpit in the tiny Bostwick Baptist Church, my knees shook and perspiration glistened on my hands. I launched into sermon number one. It seemed to be over almost as soon as I got started, so I added number two. And number three. And eventually number four. Then I sat down. Eight minutes – that was all it took to preach all four of my sermons!”

Ross Perot presents a series of charts examining government spending and the national debt, the 2007 federal budget, and the possible consequences of continued deficit spending. “The United States faces large and growing budget deficits mostly due to an aging population and rising healthcare costs. Unless we solve the problems caused by entitlement spending, there will be little money left to do anything else in the future.” (HT: Amy’s Humble Musings)

Frank and Anita Milford celebrated their 80th wedding anniversary (Oak) on May 26th. Anita said: “Couples these days don’t last long because they don’t take enough time for each other. There just isn’t enough respect. Our advice to young couples would be to make time for a little romance every day.” Retired dock worker Frank added: “We’re very proud of what we have achieved. When we started we had low wages and worked very hard. The war years were tough — a bomb even dropped on our house. But we have come through it. Young people today want it all too fast.”

Veggie-Tales creator Phil Vischer advises churches on how they can be more relevant for kids in the media/information age. “Focus on the things you can do that Nickelodeon and Disney can’t. You can tell a story – with eye contact and audience participation. You can hug. You can take kids on adventures outside – parks, pools, etc. You can make things together. Never assume that because kids sit in front of a screen at home, they should sit in front of a screen at church. Get up and move around. Sing. Years from now, those kids won’t remember what shows they watched or what video games they played. But they’ll remember the church worker that loved them.”

John Piper expresses gratitude for power restraints in the United States. “The Supreme Court rendered a decision last week concerning Guantanamo Bay … [which] was considered a rebuke to the Bush administration … Here is what amazes me and awakens thankfulness in my heart to God. I heard the president from Rome speak these words: ‘We will abide by the Court’s decision. That doesn’t mean that I have to agree with it.’ Don’t let this go by without wonder and gratitude. Here is the most powerful leader in the world standing in public in the middle of Europe and saying for the whole world to hear that some of his decisions are nullified and his authority is curtailed and that he will submit to it. Imagine such a thing in Myanmar or North Korea or China or Vietnam or in a half a dozen African regimes. Unthinkable.”

LibriVox provides free audio books from the public domain. “LibriVox volunteers record chapters of books in the public domain and release the audio files back onto the net. Our goal is to make all public domain books available as free audio books.” They have a pretty impressive catalogue so far with over 1,500 books.

Tim Challies shares 9 things he learned about God from Planet Earth. “While the films were not meant to draw attention to God, as I watched them I was continually drawn to marvel in the greatness of the Lord. As the films provided a tour of so many beautiful locations and as they gave close-up shots of such incredible creatures, I saw the hand of a Creator. I saw it everywhere.”

Seth Godin compiles a helpful list of 36 things to check before sending an email. Here are a couple of items from the list. “Am I forwarding someone else’s mail? (If so, will they be happy when they find out?) … Am I forwarding something about a virus or worldwide charity effort or other potential hoax? (If so, visit snopes and check to see if it’s actually true). Did I hit ‘reply all’? If so, am I glad I did? Does every person on the list need to see it?”

La Shawn Barber writes about a fascinating condition called “synesthesia.” Synesthesia is “a neurological and involuntary phenomenon in which people ‘see’ musical notes, numbers, letters, words, or other concepts in color. For some, these things have sounds, smells, or tastes associated with them … [There are also] other forms of synesthesia like spatial and conceptual. People with spatial synesthesia see numbers, days of the weeks, or months of the year in precise locations in space.”

Narnia scholar Devin Brown reviews the Prince Caspian movie. “Some critics have noted that Prince Caspian is a darker film than the first. It is. But since it is about a later time in the children’s lives, it is also more gray than the first and less black and white. And this is another way it is more like our world. Like us, the four Pevensies must spend much of their time and energy on this second adventure simply figuring out what they are supposed to do in a world that has grown more complicated.”

Craig Blomberg presents an underused argument for Jesus’ resurrection. “When a Jewish rebel leader was killed, one of only two things ever happened. Either the movement died out, or the movement’s adherents turned to a new leader, often a family member of the first one … What never happened … is that the rebel leaders’ followers continued to accept his claim about his identity, or the claims they had made for him … Suddenly, the first generation of Jesus’ followers stands out in dramatic, unprecedented contrast.”

Paul Krugman reflects on the new economics for creative works in the digital age. “If e-books become the norm, the publishing industry as we know it may wither away. Books may end up serving mainly as promotional material for authors’ other activities, such as live readings with paid admission … Bit by bit, everything that can be digitized will be digitized, making intellectual property ever easier to copy and ever harder to sell for more than a nominal price. And we’ll have to find business and economic models that take this reality into account.”

John MacArthur explains how the average person perceives post-modern culture. “When you talk about a postmodern culture, that’s an academic assessment of the culture. The average Joe doesn’t have any idea what that means. All he knows is he’s pretty much free to think and do whatever he wants. That’s how postmodernism filters down to the guy in the pew. It’s not a philosophy—it’s a lifestyle. The average guy just knows that the culture doesn’t care what he does. The movies he sees don’t make a moral judgment on anything except racism or somebody’s intolerance. So he’s free to do whatever he wants in the society, and nobody can tell him what to be or what to do, and the bottom line is that he should feel good about himself.”

Use the Antipodes Map to the find the other side of the world from any point on the globe. “In geography, the antipodes of any place on Earth is its antipodal point; that is, the region on the Earth’s surface which is diametrically opposite to it. Two points which are antipodal to one another are connected by a straight line through the centre of the Earth.”

The Christian Post reports on African witches coming to Christ through the Jesus film. “In a central African nation with a dark history of witchcraft, the Gospel message is breaking through and touching the hearts and lives of villagers, including witches. Screenings of the ‘Jesus’ film in the Central African Republic has led to tens of thousands of commitments for Christ, dozens of churches planted, and witches being freed from dark forces, according to The Jesus Film Project.”

Ray Ortlund shares a thought-provoking insight from the familiar Bible verse, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in …” (Revelation 3:20) “The church at Laodicea had to be told that Jesus was no longer inside. By now he was outside, standing at their door, knocking, asking to be welcomed back in. I wonder when he left them. I wonder why they didn’t notice. I wonder how they responded when they heard this knock on their door. I hope they ran to the door and threw it wide open.”

Craig Blomberg writes on the Shroud of Turin — again! “The case for the resurrection scarcely depends on the Turin Shroud (or any other ancient artifact) being proven to be the burial cloth of Jesus. But if a reasonable case could some day be made for such a conclusion, it would be dramatic corroboration of the biblical accounts of the crucifixion, complete with the nail marks in wrists and ankles (not palms and feet as typical in medieval artwork) and a puncture wound in the side the size and shape of an average Roman sword thrust.”

Roger Nicole writes about the apologetics of C. S. Lewis. “C.S. Lewis was very well prepared for this task because until late in his twenties he was a devotee of atheism without any reference to Jesus Christ and was twenty-nine years old before being converted and embracing a Christian world-and-life view. Thus, he was more knowledgeable than many Christian apologists who know the views that they dispute only from the outside. He also experienced personally the gravity of the problems that the atheist has to face and the way in which such problems may force a person of integrity to look beyond atheism for a suitable philosophical and religious outlook.”

Al Mohler challenges us to pay attention in a digital world. “Refuse the seductions of the mind-numbing allure of all things digital — at least long enough to think a great thought, hear a great lecture, enjoy a quality conversation (with a real, live face-to-face human being), listen to a great sermon, visit a museum, read a good book, or take in a beautiful sunset. People who cannot maintain mental attention cannot know the intimacy of prayer, and God does not maintain a Facebook page. Our ability to focus attention is not just about the mind, for it is also a reflection of the soul. Our Christian discipleship demands that we give attention to our attention.”

R. C. Sproul reviews former atheist Anthony Flew’s book, There is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind. “As a result of his reexamination of the evidence, Antony Flew has come to the conclusion that the universe was created by a self-existent, immutable, immaterial, omnipotent, and omniscient being. He states that he is not yet come full circle to affirming doctrines found in biblical revelation. He has thus far restricted his findings to natural theology. He indicates that he is open to more consideration of biblical revelation … Flew ends the body of the work itself with this statement: Someday I may hear a Voice, that says, ‘Can you hear me now?’”

Melissa Michaels identifies the biggest mistake people make that causes disorganization. “Not following simple daily routines and systems. It is really easy to spiral into disorganization and chaos in any area of life. Success all comes back to basically two things: systems or routines that make sense for our life and our goals, and daily discipline to maintain them.”

Frugal Dad shows how to teach your kids about money with only 4 quarters. “By giving my daughter something tangible to represent our income she was able to understand that there are things you have to pay for (food, shelter, transportation), and things you can choose to spend money on (gifts and entertainment). All categories must be paid for with a finite supply of money.”

Tim Keller describes the practice of frontline prayer. “Maintenance prayer meetings are short, mechanical and totally focused on physical needs inside the church or on personal needs of the people present. But frontline prayer has three basic traits: a) a request for grace to confess sins and humble ourselves, b) a compassion and zeal for the flourishing of the church, and c) a yearning to know God, to see his face, to see his glory.” (Tim Keller, “Kingdom-centered Prayer,” Redeemer Report, January 2006.)

Andrew Jackson of SmartChristian.com is reading the Qur’an (Koran). (No, he is not changing his site over to SmartMuslim.com.) “I am researching and writing a detailed proposal for my next book Islam Explained: What Muslims Teach and Practice … As part of my research, I am reading and studying the 114 chapters of the Qur’an … It reads quite different than the Bible. With revelation chapters named The Cow, The Cattle, The Spoils of War, The Ant, alongside Abraham, Children of Israel, Joseph, Jonah, Noah, and Mary, you can understand that it takes a while to get your footing.”

Allan Fisher explains the origin of red-letter Bibles. “The first red-letter New Testament was published in 1899, and the first red-letter Bible followed two years later … In the first red-letter Bible, the words ‘universally accepted as the utterances of our Lord and Saviour’ were printed in red. So were Old Testament passages that Jesus quoted or that were directly related to incidents to which he referred (with the relevant cross reference also printed in red). Old Testament verses containing prophetic references to Christ were identified with red stars.” (HT: Between Two Worlds)

Andrée Seu shares some thoughts on writing. “Dirty little secrets of the trade: Writers don’t know where they’re going till they get there; first drafts are always pathetic; there is no such thing as an original thought.”

Rick Phillips provides a nice look at the Lord’s Prayer. “Let me encourage you to look to the Lord’s Prayer for a well-balanced, rightly prioritized prayer life. And let me encourage you to pray. What a difference it makes to our lives when we spend time with the Lord, and what a pleasure it is for Him to fellowship with our trusting hearts.” (HT: ekklesia)

Adrian Warnock shares about three women who were healed in different ways. “God does heal today. Sometimes, like for my friend, it is a mysterious process that some observers might simply put down to the body somehow curing itself … Others are healed dramatically as Maggie Parker has been. But a final group are healed through the God-given skills of the doctors. We should rejoice and thank God no matter which method he uses to heal.”

Author L. B. Graham talks about the difference between science fiction and fantasy. “Fantasy revolves mostly around stories displaced in time that use “magic” or powers like magic to do things not ordinarily possible in reality. Science fiction, however, refers more to stories displaced in space, using technology to do things not ordinarily possible in reality … As I was developing my story, I kept thinking about blending these conceptions … So, I set out to build a world with an alternative technological basis that could approximate some aspects of a more modern world, even if fantastical powers were being also wielded and fantastical creatures were roaming the land and sea.”

Mortimer Adler explains what it means to own a book. “There are three kinds of book owners. The first has all the standard sets and best sellers — unread, untouched. (This deluded individual owns woodpulp and ink, not books.) The second has a great many books — a few of them read through, most of them dipped into, but all of them as clean and shiny as the day they were bought. (This person would probably like to make books his own, but is restrained by a false respect for their physical appearance.) The third has a few books or many — every one of them dog-eared and dilapidated, shaken and loosened by continual use, marked and scribbled in from front to back. (This man owns books.)”

David Wayne (the Jolly Blogger) comments on how only extremists in the church seem to get noticed by the press. “I wish these folks would send an undercover journalist to follow the folks at one of the ordinary, run of the mill, smallish churches of America, like mine. And I wish they would follow the folks for a few days in their normal everyday lives. What they would find is that most evangelical Christendom is made up of ordinary people, living ordinary lives, doing their best and trying to please God in the midst of it. I have no doubt a reporter would probably uncover some sin and some greatness, but for the most part he wouldn’t uncover much weirdness. Then again, I guess such a story would probably be too boring to sell.”

Tyndale Tech has a great round-up of links for using maps and geography in Biblical studies.

Bob Hyatt recommends the Cornell System for taking notes. “The Cornell System is a simple but powerful system for increasing your recall and the usefulness of your notes.”

John Mark Reynolds explains why he will not play Grand Theft Auto. “Much as I love gaming, I personally cannot justify playing Grand Theft Auto. This post is an attempt to get people who will thoughtlessly pick up this game to at least consider whether it is a good idea to play.”

Dawud Miracle shares the best advice on giving advice. “The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not, and never persist in trying to set people right.” (Hannah Whitall Smith – 19th century Christian writer)

Ray Pritchard encourages you to write out a prayer for a friend. “Write a prayer for a friend. Don’t just say, ‘I’ll be praying for you.’ Write out your prayer and send it to them. It doesn’t have to be long or fancy. A sentence or two is fine. Just write from your heart what you are praying to the Lord. Write it and send it. A written prayer is a wonderful gift to those you love.”

Andrew Jackson explains the Federal Budget Crisis. (Really!) “With all the tantalizing sound-bite spending and new program promises being thrown around like red meat to hungry lions by the present presidential candidates, it is crucial that all voters become informed voters concerning the real facts about the federal budget crisis, and how realistic and honest these dime-a-dozen promises really are.”

Joel Heck introduces readers to C. S. Lewis’ thoughts about life on other planets. “In his essay ‘The Seeing Eye’ (1963) … Lewis challenged the conclusion of the Russian cosmonauts, who concluded that there was no God, since they did not find Him in outer space … Lewis thought it unlikely that life existed anywhere else in our solar system, but that it was at least possible elsewhere in the galaxy. He argued that ‘those who do not find Him on earth are unlikely to find Him in space.’”

Journal Science publishes a paper by a trio of music professors on how geometry shapes the sound of music. “Geometrical music theory represents a culminating moment in the longstanding marriage of music and math. That marriage began when Pythagoras described pleasing musical intervals with simple mathematical ratios more than 2,600 years ago and further evolved during the Middle Ages when deep thinkers used those same ratios to model the ‘music of the spheres’ — what many at that time believed to be the literally harmonious movements of the sun, moon and planets.”

Wishlist Butler lets you create a wishlist that can track items across different stores. “Set up a wedding gift registry, a baby shower or a birthday wishlist in less than a minute and share this list with all your colleagues, friends and relatives!” (HT: Presurfer)

Photographer Bill Walsh encourages us to accept truth wherever it appears. “Christians should avoid quickly judging cultural expression as sacred or secular, because God reveals himself in both, through his common grace.”

Albert Mohler writes on marriage and the glory of God. “Marriage is about our happiness, our holiness, and our wholeness–but it is supremely about the glory of God. When marriage is entered into rightly, when marriage vows are kept with purity, when all the goods of marriage are enjoyed in their proper place–God is glorified.”

Pulpit Magazine tackles the question of when to baptize your kids. “The temptation for many parents is to rush their child’s baptism. Our elders here at Grace Church believe it is better to wait, and be absolutely convinced of a child’s conversion, than to baptize the child prematurely — and thereby potentially give an unsaved child a false sense of assurance.”

Chuck Colson reports on the demise of marriage in Britain. “In 2006, there were approximately 237,000 weddings in Britain—the fewest since 1895, when Victoria was still queen and Britain’s population was about half of what it is today. In fact, ‘the proportion of men and women getting married is below any level found since figures were first kept nearly 150 years ago.’”

Ray Pritchard shares six simple words. “A friend e-mailed me with the news that his mother’s cancer surgery had been successful. He ended his message with this statement: ‘God is God, good, and great.’ As I pondered his words I was struck at once by their simplicity and profundity. How much truth those six little words contain. They summarize an entire Christian worldview.”

Mark Roberts discusses the element of surprise involved in discerning God’s will in our lives. “God has continually surprised me in my life, calling me to ministries that I never anticipated. I suppose one might say that I wouldn’t be so surprised if I did a better job discerning God’s will in the first place. I agree. But I think most of us, if we are open to the Lord, will find that he surprises us over and over again as he directs our lives and ministries.”

Bob Hyatt explains why taking notes during a message makes a difference even if you never look at them again. “When we take notes … something happens. As we’re writing, we create spatial relations between the various bits of information we are recording. Spatial tasks are handled by another part of the brain, and the act of linking the verbal information with the spatial relationship seems to filter out the less relevant or important information.” (quoting from a Lifehack article)

Biology professor Michael C. LaBarbera has a fascinating article on the biology of B-movie monsters (lots of science, mathematics and physics involved). “Indeed, sufficiently small animals cannot be hurt in a fall from any height: A monkey is too big, a squirrel is on the edge, but a mouse is completely safe. The mouse-sized people in Dr. Cyclops could have leapt off the tabletop with a cry of ‘Geronimo!’ secure in the knowledge that they were too small to be hurt.” (HT: Presurfer)

Marc Heinrich at Purgatorio posts classic Christian comic book covers from the past. Incidentally, my Sunday School teacher was the son of Al Hartley who drew these comics. (Click on the covers for larger versions.)

Bill Gates in an exit interview: “I’m never fully satisfied with any Microsoft product.” Don Surber replies: “Neither are we!”

Bill Buckner finds grace 22 years later. This is the definite “feel good” story of the week. Check it out even if you are not a Boston Red Sox fan.

Doug Groothius updates his lessons learned from Francis Schaeffer (that I first blogged about here: Quick Takes – 7/21/2007). “Having recently reread many of the works of Francis A. Schaeffer, I am compelled to list several lessons he can teach Bible-believing Christians (and others) today.”

Christianity Today interviews Douglas Gresham on the upcoming Prince Caspian movie. “It’s a fabulous film. I’m very, very pleased. It’s a film that portrays probably even more strongly than the book the essential message of Prince Caspian, which is a return to truth and faith and honor and justice after a millennium of corruption in Narnia.”

Tim Keller describes some over-zealous Christians as not Christian enough. “Think of [those Christian] people you consider to be fanatical. They’re overbearing, self-righteous, opinionated, insensitive and harsh. Why? It’s not because they are too Christian but because they are not Christian enough. They are fanatically zealous and courageous, but they are not fanatically humble, sensitive, loving, empathetic, forgiving, or understanding—as Christ was.” (HT: On Earth as it is in Heaven)

John Percival reviews Tim Keller’s new book, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism. “If you have longed for a book to give a sceptical friend or to help you think about your faith in a deeper and more culturally engaged way then this is the book you’ve been waiting for … Keller starts with the concept of doubt and invites both believers and sceptics to examine and confront their doubts: for the believer, being honest about personal and cultural objections to faith; for the sceptic, being willing to question deeply cherished beliefs.”

Molly Piper offers her thoughts on How to Help Your Grieving Friend. “Not surprisingly, I’ve had lots of conversations with other families who have grieved a tragedy like ours and reflected on my own experience in the past few months … I thought I would try to relay some of the helpful things you can do to understand and help your friends who are grieving. Of course this is all from my own experience, and I certainly am not a grief expert in any authoritative way, I just know what I’ve gone through.”