The Best Time For Your Coffee – Ever had a cup of coffee and it felt like the caffeine just didn’t kick in? That’s because our body actually has periods during the day when it absorbs and metabolizes caffeine more readily than others. This article from Neuroscience DC gives all the details.

School Wasn’t Canceled For Bad Weather In 1882 – Christmas break ended over a week ago, but our school missed an additional week due to last week’s polar vortex. Some have wondered if our prominent school cancellations are proof that we’ve gone soft. Take a look at this article from The Atlantic, examining life in the 1880s compared to today.

Mountain Landscape Carved Into Encyclopedia Britannica – People using everyday things for creative purposes rank pretty high in my estimation. This artist is no exception. He’s carved a landscape into a series of encyclopedias. It’s beautiful, and his attention to detail is amazing. And these encyclopedias probably get more looks than the ones in my school library ever did…

How To Get People To Read The Bible Without Feeling Dumb – With the start of a new year, many are interested in reading through the Bible. But the Bible is a difficult book, and it can be hard to understand. When we say that reading the Bible is easy, we may be doing a disservice to those who have a hard time getting through the harder passages and books. The reality is, reading the Bible takes continual discipline and work. This post explains that, and we’ve put together a tool that helps you accomplish it.

Pastoring In A Facebook World – There seems to be a lot of talk about dumping Facebook. And a lot of teens are doing just that, simply because their parents and grandparents are on there. But with a large majority of the people in our churches on Facebook, pastoring can be quite difficult. Here are a few of the ways social media makes it harder.

What Would Polygamy Do To Society? – With all the recent changes to the definition of marriage and family, it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that polygamy would be the next big thing to hit the news. A cursory reading of the book of Genesis shows why this is a bad idea. And this article gives a few more reasons.

3 Critical Truths About Our Money – One of the things we tend to not be very good at is generosity. And before you get upset with me for saying that, because you are good at generosity, think about our culture, both in America and globally. We really aren’t very good at generosity, are we? These three truth about money and a biblical understanding of it are severely needed in our culture today.

You cannot love a fellow creature fully till you love God. – C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce

Roast Your Own Coffee – A few years ago, I started to roast my own coffee at home. I’ve never looked back, and have found myself turning up my nose at things I once found enjoyable (Starbucks). While I don’t exist solely on my own roasts, I do use them pretty heavily. I order my beans from Sweet Maria’s, and use a Poppery II popcorn popper as described in this article.

X-Rays Of Nature – Simply stunning! Arie van’t Riet is a medical professional who takes x-rays of normal everyday things found in nature. The results are simply stunning.

Why The Amish Dress Like They Do – We live near an Amish community, about thirty minutes away. We lived in the heart of Amish communities in Indiana several years ago. But I never really understood the reasoning behind much of their lifestyle. This post helps to alleviate that a bit.

Maps Of The Seven Deadly Sins In America – This is fascinating. The means used to gain the info are a bit faulty, but it would be incredibly difficult to gauge such things with any degree of accuracy. Still, it’s an interesting look at where certain types of sin are more likely to flourish than others.

Why I Write – Someone asked me this very question just a few days ago. After realizing that I posted more than 250 times to my blog in 2013, and wrote in my journal daily, as well as other writing opportunities, I decided to examine why I write. Jeff Goins summarizes it nicely.

9 Reasons To Pray – As a minister, one of the biggest things I see in people’s lives, and in my own all too often, is the reliance upon ourself instead of on God. We talk big about prayer, but we don’t pray all that much, it seems. Here are nine good reasons to pray.

5 Ways You Can Bomb A Sermon – This article is primarily written with people who speak to youth in mind. But the principles fit to those who preach to other ages as well. Both the third one and the fifth one speak loudly to me, since I’m fairly new to preaching on a weekly basis to the congregation as a whole. And while I know the other three, it’s helpful to hear them again as a reminder. It’s not about me.

If God had granted all the silly prayers I’ve made in my life, where would I be now? – C.S. Lewis

An Illustrated World Of Coffee – Interested in seeing an interactive map of global coffee trends? Then look no more. Here is a fun look at those trends, along with some great info about each coffee culture, brew methods and more.

Adventures Of A Serial Trespasser – Some of the most interesting places are the places we’ve abandoned or forgotten about. Bradley Garrett takes photos of these places. There are some pretty interesting shots, and a few where I question his sanity.

America’s Ancestry By County – This is an interesting map showing the predominant origins by county. I found it interesting, but not surprising, to see the counties I’ve lived in over the years. Although it’s dated somewhat (2000), this is a thought-provoking image.

Another Way To Read The Bible – With the beginning of a new year just around the corner, many people will be looking at beginning a Bible reading plan. Here are some great thoughts to keep in mind as you seek the best way to absorb God’s Word into your life.

7 Perspectives On Prayer – Too often, we neglect our prayer lives in favor of something we can “do.” These seven perspectives help eliminate that idea from our thinking.

The Best Way To Improve Your Preaching – It’s simple, really. And it’s applicable in every area of our lives. Be in love with Jesus.

How To Spot A Father Of Young Children – As a dad of young kinds, I can attest to how accurate this can be…

The martyrs shook the powers of darkness with the irresistible power of weakness. – John Milton

Coffee Lover Holiday Gift List – Looking for a Christmas gift for that person who loves coffee? Here’s a great list of ideas. And there might be some sales after Christmas, if you want to pick up something for yourself…

The WestJet Christmas Miracle – When you watch the news, you can easily get down with all of the negativity. So when something truly incredible happens, it can be a breath of fresh air. WestJet has created that with their Christmas miracle. This has been sweeping through social media, so you may have seen it there. Even so, it’s worth seeing again.

10 Important Facts About A Christmas Story’s Leg Lamp – This movie has become a holiday staple in our home. And the leg lamp has developed quite a niche in our culture. But there may be some things about it that you never knew. Consider this your education.

50 Years of 50 Toys – There have been multiple changes to the toys kids get for Christmas through the ages. This infographic gives fifty years’ worth of iconic toys. I remember many of these. And I was shocked to see the abrupt change in prices that came with the middle of the last decade or so.

Dugger Family Favorite Christmas Traditions – My family has several key traditions for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s always interesting to see what others do as a family as well. The Duggers are a family that most of us know of, so a peek into their traditions is especially interesting.

5 Suggestions For Finding More Christmas Joy – Too many people miss out on the joy surrounding Christmas and the holiday season. Ron Edmondson gives five quick ways that you you can make sure you don’t miss out this year.

The Season Of Giving – One of the things I strive to instill in my kids (and myself) at this time of year is that it’s more blessed to give than to receive. This brief post gives some encouragement in that, and links to some ideas for promoting that in your family.

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. – Luke 2:7

10 Amazing Coffee Facts – These short snippets of coffee information were originally posted on National Coffee Day, back on September 29. I just stumbled across it this week. Fun information to know, if you are into the coffee culture.

The Heavens (And Octopuses) Are Telling Of God’s Glory – Several years ago, I watched a video about the mimic octopus. For years, no one even knew it existed, since it could blend into its surroundings and mimic other creatures so effectively. This video shows several similar skills that octopuses have. Pretty impressive!

Bizarre And Deadly Lake In Tanzania Turns Birds Into Stone – Due to the super high alkaline nature of this lake, animals are calcified into stone. Nick Brandt takes these birds and bats, and sets them in living poses for his photography. It’s surreal and sorta Poe-ish.

20 Tips For Personal Devotions In The Digital Age – We live in a culture that is inundated with the media in all its forms. In the midst of a busy digital culture, how do you keep your spiritual life in order? David Murray offers twenty tips to help.

18 Obstacles To Personal Devotions In The Digital Age – The day before he posted the twenty tips, David Murray identified eighteen obstacles to keeping our eyes focused on Christ in the digital age.

Why I Use Illustrations – I met a guy in a coffee shop a few weeks ago who proceeded to critique my preaching skills once he heard that I was a minister. To my knowledge, he’s never heard me share a message, but that didn’t stop him from telling me his opinions. His biggest soap box was about the use of illustrations. This article shares how effectual illustrations can be in teaching and preaching.

A Unique And Helpful Ministry For Stay At Home Moms – I recently examined 1 Timothy 5, where Paul exhorts Timothy concerning the care of widows. Often, stay at home moms aren’t targeted as helpful ministry partners, simple because they seem so overwhelmed by the pressures of raising their kids. The post explains why they might just be the best resource for a ministry to widows.

The less we read the Word of God, the less we desire to read it, and the less we pray, the less we desire to pray. – George Muller

The Beauty Of Kenya From Verve Coffee Roasters – Kenya produces some of the world’s most flavorful coffee. Verve Coffee Roasters have produces a short video displaying the coffee industry from this nation. Very well done.

The Art Of Sculpted Bananas – Who knew that this was an art? Is it even really an art? So, a few bananas, a lot of creativity and a box of pins and you can create one of these for yourself. I wonder how long ti will last before going bad…?

The Russia Left Behind – Once one of the world’s super powers, Russia, part of the former Soviet Union, has been slowly decaying. As you leave the larger cities for the country, you see significant problems and issues that are best described in other centuries. This photo essay takes a deep look at life in the parts of Russia most of us never see, from St. Petersburg to Moscow.

Why I Am A Six Day Creationist – While I don’t always agree with everything I read on this site, I found this to be concise, yet covering the simple basics of why Young Earth Creation makes the most sense of both biblical and scientific data.

Biblical Personal Finance – Since I joined the ranks of senior ministers a few months ago, one of the biggest needs I’ve seen in our community, and talked with others about from all over the country, is helping others with financial needs. Many times, those needing help are in genuine need. But frequently, better management of their money would solve most of their problems. Here are four simple principles of biblical personal finance.

Keep. On. Praying – Often, when we don’t get the answer to our prayers immediately, or we get a different answer than the one we want to receive, we give up. This brief post encourages us to keep on praying.

5 Tips To Be A Better Dad This Week – I’m always striving to be the best dad that I can be. Here are fives ways to do that this week. And every week. As Ron states, the key is to be intentional as a dad. Or as a mom. And this is a great week to start.

Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in thee. – St. Augustine of Hippo

Healthy Homemade Coffee Ice Cream Recipe – It’s never too cold for ice cream. And when you add coffee to it, that makes it even better. When we make it, we’ll leave the vodka out. That ruins the flavor, in my opinion, and isn’t necessary for a great bowl of ice cream.

Chicken Promote Luxury Cars – Hopefully, the next fifty-five seconds will help put a smile on your face. Mercedes-Benz got creative with… you guessed it. Chickens!

Surreal Landscapes From Around The World – We live in a world where God’s creative variety surrounds us. Here are some incredible shots of this planet we live on, and the beauty it contains.

The Death Of History’s Most Notorious Heretic – “Who is church history’s most notorious false teacher? It might not be possible to answer that question definitively. But if we were to create a top-ten “most wanted” list, the name Arius would undoubtedly be near the top.” Church history fans will enjoy this.

State Of The American Church – I hear statements all the time that say something to the effect that the church in America is dying. While we are in a state of transition, is the church here in the US really dying? Ed Stetzer has some great thoughts on this topic.

Real Men Journal – One of my spiritual disciplines is the habit of journaling. I use several formats in doing this, depending on my day-to-day, need-to-remember type things, using Field Notes, to my full-scale, leave-a-legacy journaling. Here are my thoughts on that. This article gives more great input on the idea.

The Ultimate Secret To Effective Writing And Preaching – Since we’re on the subject of writing, this post briefly describes what makes your writing, or your preaching, or anything else for that matter, great. Ready for the secret?

Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience. – Francis Bacon