It’s Sunday evening. November 15th. And while walking home this evening from worship practice at church, I saw the first house on Seaford Road with a Christmas tree decorated in their window. ‘Tis the Season.
It will be a busy week for my crew and I–we have full schedules, plus I’m on work travel. Certainly your week will be busy as well; wherever you live. So, for now, sit back–relax–and enjoy some of the Good Stuff Items that I’ve come across this week:
From DesiringGod.org: France: A Fabric Torn by John Piper
The terrorism that wrecked havoc in Paris this weekend is atrocious. And it is hard to know what to do with atrocious events. I wrote some about that, and Luke 6, Here. But John Piper is much wiser than I ever will be; and I appreciated him addressing the events and pointing us back–always–to Christ.
Also From DesiringGod.org: Simultaneous Joy and Sorry
Again, from John Piper–a look at 1 Peter 1-2. I always look forward to new installments of Piper’s “Look at the Book” series. It’s like getting to sit down with him and have him walk you through a particular passage.
From ABC News: Homelessness in Hawaii Grows
Having lived in Hawaii, I can attest to the fact that Homelessness is at a crises point in the islands; particularly on Oahu. Hawaii has the highest rate per capita in the United states. When I lived there, it was not uncommon to have homeless people wander on to the church property in order to find someplace safe to sleep. And I remember one morning, when I went to the beach crazy early (around 6am), I encountered police waiting for a police van to arrive to take a homeless man away who had died during the night. The site was gut wrenching.
And the problem continues to grow. There have been quite a few articles lately, addressing the issue, in the wake of plans recently to dismantle homeless tent cities that have cropped up all over the islands. This is a piece from ABC that does a good idea of presenting the harsh reality of what these people face.
And check out these photos recently captured to try to bring attention to the crises: Associated Press: Homeless Struggle with the High Cost of Hawaii
From Challies.com: Theological Quizzes
These are fun, and incredibly nerdy. But more than just being fun and nerdy, they also provoke thought, and I think would prod excellent discussion in small groups. They are available either on-line or in a pdf format. Good Stuff.
Books:
I’m currently reading Marilynne Robinson’s newest collection of essays. She is scary smart, and excellent communicator, and I thoroughly enjoy reading her stuff: The Giveness of Things
Movies:
This weekend I took my smalls to see Spectre, the new James Bond movie. It was better than I thought it would be, but not tremendous. No, I’ll tell you what was tremendous: Elf. Watched it Friday night, and will probably watch it again before Christmas. Never gets old.
Infographic Overload:
I like the website “Information is Beautiful”. They highlight different infographics from around the world. Their Long List has been published for contendees of the annual award, and it is a nerd’s paradise. So many topics, graphically presented in such clever ways.
Music:
This week, I stumbled upon this song, by Hillson: His Glory Appears. Such a simple song.
And on the other end of the spectrum, here is a driving song from David Crowder: The Your Head, Weary Sinner. I like to run to this song.
