Today is Groundhog Day! This is perhaps one of my more favorite holidays, outside of the Big Three (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter). My plan is to watch the movie, Groundhog Day, with my family this evening.

The Popper Crop – Interested in roasting your own coffee? Here is a good rundown on how to do so using an air popcorn popper. However, the ultimate guide comes from Sweet Maria’s.

R2-D2 Bird – As a Star Wars fan, I really want this bird. This is awesome!

Solar Flare Timelapse – My boys received a starter telescope for Christmas. As a result, we have been checking out the stars and the moon in more detail. Along with watching the night sky, we’ve also been watching YouTube. This timelapse of our Sun is pretty amazing.

How Did Hitler’s Scar-Faced Henchman Become An Irish Farmer? – History intrigues me. Especially bits of history like this that never make it into the history textbooks. I found this to be very interesting.

Why The Church Needs Intergenerational Friendships – This article hits the truth about the generation gap pretty hard. I firmly believe that the church cannot be the church when it is segregated into age-based “cliques.” The need to branch out intergenerationally is critical.

One Indispensable Rule – When it comes to deriving interpretation and application of a Bible passage for our lives today, it is helpful to remember a few principles. Here is a brief explanation of one indispensable rule.

It is not the strength of your faith but the object of your faith that actually saves you. – Tim Keller

How has your January been? It’s been crazy around here, and getting more so as we get closer to the due date for our newest family member, arriving in February!

Kalita Wave Coffee Brewing Tutorial – I mainly brew coffee in my Chemex, or using my Hario V60 pourovers, but this is a very intriguing concept. I just may have to get one of these and give it a shot. You can find them on Amazon for very reasonable prices.

Google Power User – How well do you know the tricks and twists of Google? This is a very enlightening infographic.

Owls – One of my daughters absolutely loves owls. And it is easy to see why. Owls are amazing creations that God has given unique characteristics and abilities. Here are some amazing images of this amazing bird of prey.

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day here in the United States. That means the post office and banks are closed. So with nothing else to do, enjoy these interesting bits from around the web.

The Quantified Coffee Drinker – I hear lots of things about coffee, and how it affects people’s day, their sleep, their attitudes, and more. Here is a brief study one person did about how his coffee drinking habits affected his sleep. The results are interesting.

Movie Title Typos – What happens if you remove one letter from a movie title? Have you ever thought about that? Apparently, someone did. And they created a series of fake movie concepts on the result. Some of these are pretty funny. I think my favorite is Obocop.

Maggot To Fly Transformation – This video is both fascinating and slightly disgusting at the same time. But it is cool to look at how these tiny creatures transform from one form to another.

How has the weather been where you live? The past several days have been pretty cold around here. So grab a cup of hot coffee and enjoy this week’s selection of links.

7 Easy Tricks To Make Your Coffee More Eco-Friendly – In a day and age where people are concerned about our environment, we strive to use less, recycle, or upcycle. But how does this affect our coffee consumption? Here are some ways that you can be more eco-friendly and still enjoy your favorite beverage.

19 Secrets Of UPS Drivers – I love it when UPS or FedEx pulls into the driveway. I can hardly wait to see what they are bringing me. Here are a few facts about those guys and the work that they do. I never realized many of these. It makes me see those drivers in a whole new light.

Why It’s So Hard To Catch Your Own Typos – As a writer, I tend to get a little frustrated when I realize that I have published something with a mistake. It is incredibly difficult to spot your own typos. One solution is to have someone else proofread, but that isn’t always a viable option. Regardless of how you combat this, here is a look at why it is so difficult.

Between Days – This is a short documentary about a Bosnian couple who had been married for fifty years. Due to a series of strokes suffered by the wife, they had to live separately. This a touching story depicting the brevity of life.

Happy New Year! It’s 2015! I’m very excited about what this year has in store and the things that it will bring for my family and for myself. I am pretty excited about what I have planned for JeffRandleman.com, too!

French Press Tutorial – A lot of people I know like to use a French press, or a press pot, to make their coffee. Frankly, I prefer other methods, such as the Chemex, but if it is done right, a press can make a pretty good cup of coffee. Most people don’t take the time to learn the proper method though. Here is a brief tutorial, with a troubleshooting guide, showing how to get consistent coffee, every time.

Beautiful Chemical Reactions – The wonders of creation! There are beautiful things happening, even though we may not be able to see them. The reactions in this video are simply beautiful.

25 Precarious Cities – Beauty isn’t simply found at the molecular level. There is beauty in the architecture found around the world, especially when it is built right on the edge of nature’s beauty. Check out these cities on the edge.

Christmas has come and gone and 2014 is drawing to a close. With a new year just around the corner, here are a few articles and links to check out. May they be helpful and encouraging as you move into 2015!

Incredible Hyper-Realistic Cat Latte Art – Though I am not a big cat fan, these artistic expressions through the medium of my favorite drink are pretty impressive, assuming they aren’t photoshopped. If that’s the case, then I have one more reason to not like cats.

The Swiss Army Knife – For most of my life, I dismissed the Swiss Army Knife as a simple tool with a lot of blades and gadgets in it. I assumed they were all alike. And then I discovered the SAK Alox. I am sold on these little things, and have added a few to my collection. My favorite so far is the Cadet.

Passion Planner – I really have a soft spot for analog writing tools such as planners, journals, pens and old typewriters. The Passion Planner was a project I stumbled across on Kickstarter, and I pulled the trigger and sponsored it. They won’t ship until mid-January due to some logistical issues, but a downloadable PDF is available on their website for now. This looks like it could be a very practical tool.

In just a few days, we celebrate the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ. In light of that fact, for this Coffee Break, I invite you to take a few moments and simply reflect on the events of his birth, as foretold by Isaiah, and as reported by Luke. Enjoy the holiday, and remember the Savior. Merry Christmas!

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. – Isaiah 7:14 (NASB)

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them. – Luke 2:1-20 (NASB)