Coffee Infused Socks – My love of coffee knows no bounds. Ministry of Supply has designed a new sock that contains coffee in the materials used to make it. This was a Kickstarter project, and I helped to fund it. Looking froward to getting my socks this fall!

What The Night Sky Would Look Like If The Other Planets Were As Close As The Moon – Astronomy has long been a fascination of mine. It’s probably a result of my love for science fiction. So, seeing these images of the planets in the sky sparks my imagination. Brings me back to some of the sci-fi greats I’ve read.

Incredible Self-Portrait Photography By A 14 Year Old – I love seeing people’s creativity. It’s amazing to see what people come up with. This is especially fun, since the creator is so young. Pretty fun stuff.

A Letter From Dad To His Special Needs Son – When a young couple in Australia found that their unborn son had sever disabilities, and would probably not survive, he wrote a letter. This five minute video shows some excerpts from the letter, and shows a lot of his heart. It’s worth taking five minutes of your day to watch.

3 Simple Steps For Studying The Bible – While there are as many different ways to study the Bible as there are people studying the Bible, this is a pretty simple approach to it. If you are looking for a way to start digging into what God has to say through his Word, this is a great tool to help you.

Another Big Mistake That Young Preachers Make – It’s easy to get so caught up in ministry that you ignore some of the most foundational elements of what makes ministry, well… ministry. Elements such as Bible reading, prayer, and others are crucial to maintaining a solid relationship with God so that you can be effective in ministering to others, whether you are in a paid ministry position or not.

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. – Winston Churchill

What’s Inside A Cup Of Coffee? – This brief video from Wired Magazine takes a look at the ingredients in a cup of coffee. Breaking them down to their scientific levels, these ingredients aren’t really that appealing. But when mixed together and in the perfect proportions, they create liquid happiness.

Mind-Blowing Carved Book Landscapes – It’s this type of thing that makes me wish I was more creative. i would love to try something like this. However, I probably don’t have the patience, or the eye for it. And if I tried, it might look more like something from the Flintstones.

The Periodic Table Of Middle-Earth – “Chemistry would have been a lot more fun in high school.” And it would make a great item to hang on the wall in my basement. That’s how much I like it.

The Ugliest Churches In The World – You often see beautiful images of the classic cathedrals and some really stunning images of more recent places of worship. But these, while functional, probably, aren’t that appealing to look at.

God Wants You To Bother Him – Do you ever think that you shouldn’t bug God with trivial pursuits when he has so much else, big stuff, to worry about? That’s not necessarily God’s perception of prayer; just ours. He wants us to come to him with everything we have. This short article reminds us of this reality.

10 Passages For Pastors To Memorize Cold – While it hasn’t been as hot as it normally is here in Missouri, that doesn’t mean that these passages should be neglected. Here are ten passages that, if you haven’t already memorized them, you should. Pastor or not.

Sometimes God will deliver you from trouble. Oftentimes he will deliver you through it. – Frank Viola

Baby Mugging – I’m not generally one to follow the trend on Facebook or Instagram, but I found this to be interesting. I just might have to try this with our little one… And maybe even the older kids? Hmmm…

LEGO Lord Of The Rings – Some people are extremely creative when it comes to LEGOs. The detail here is awesome. But I can only imagine what the cost was.

Stunning Images Of Our Closest Galactic Neighbors – NASA has stitched together thousands of images from Swift’s Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope, creating an incredible, high-res image of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. “The heavens declare the glory of God!” (Psalm 19:1)

How To Read A Book – As an avid reader, I’m always interested in tips and tricks that help me to assimilate and retain more of what I read. This is a really good article on reading analytically, with some great points. While I have no need to view every book I read in this light, I think this can be a helpful article when it comes to much that I read.

I Still Believe In Marriage – With the recent public activity concerning what constitutes a marriage, I think it’s more important than ever for the church to protect the sanctity of this institution. This post gives multiple succinct statements of belief concerning marriage.

5 Dangers To Avoid In Parenting – One of my passions is to be the best dad I can be to my six kids. Sometimes I do pretty good at this, other times I fail. This post describes five areas where many parents flirt with failure, and it encourages us to avoid these kinds of situations.

It matters not if the world has heard or approves or understands… the only applause we’re meant to seek is that of nail-scarred hands. – B. J. Hoff

Homemade Coffee Spice Bar Soap – My wife has occasionally told me she would like to try making our own soap. I was skeptical at first, with the hazards of lye and the effort involved for a result that may or may not leave me feeling clean. But I just might be able to get behind a soap like this one…

10 Incredible Cloud Formations – We have had some serious thunderstorms in my part of the country over the years. There is power hidden in thunderheads. There is beauty there as well. This post has ten different locations, with ten incredible formations.

Hyper-Realistic Bust Of Abraham Lincoln – Hollywood special effects can be simply amazing. This bust of Abraham Lincoln gives more attention to detail and specifics than anything I’ve ever seen. Now I want one of me…

22 Maps That Show How Americans Speak English Totally Different From Each Other – You may have seen a few of these floating around on Facebook recently. I found these interesting. I’ve spent time in ministry in Missouri, Indiana, Florida and New York, and have seen a few of these difference first hand. Some of the different pronunciations make me laugh, some are just confusing.

Developing A Mindset Of Stewardship – This fall, our church is going to take a good look at what God says about finances and giving in the Bible. We will be using Take God At His Word, a book written by Dr. Kregg Hood. His website contains lots of useful information about his books and his stewardship ministry. It’s worth looking at.

When Evangelism Looks Like A Protest – I found this short article to be enlightening. Although I’ve never really taken the time to examine this concept in depth, this article makes a lot of sense to me. We seem to have a preconceived impression of people who are standing on the streets holding signs as protesters. I’m not sure that’s the most effective way to spread the message of Christ.

All great Christians have been wounded souls. – A. W. Tozer

A New Shape For The Coffee Syphon – My favorite way to brew an excellent cup of coffee is using my Chemex. However, I would love to give on of these a try. However, at $300, I don’t think it will be added to my coffee stash anytime soon.

4 Coin Flips That Changed History – I wasn’t so sure I wanted to include this article, so I flipped a coin…

Splendid Landscapes Photography – I’m a sucker for great landscape photography. Shots like these are why I keep taking photos. I love the beauty of nature and seeing if I can capture a glimpse of it in a shot. These are simply incredible.

The Fine Art Of Selection – One of the biggest pitfalls in ministry is our inability to say “no.” In this post, Randy Alcorn gives some great pointers for keeping our priorities in order.

Is It Ever Ok To Lie? – I get asked all the time about hypothetical situations in which the question is asked, “Could lying be alright?” My answer is always the same: God will never be honored by our sin. This is a great post depicting that very idea.

The Power Of Prayer – You may have seen the photo that went viral of a military husband and his soon-to-be-bride praying together. Here’s the story behind the photo. It’s very inspiring.

The only thing of our very own which we contribute to our salvation is the sin which makes it necessary. – William Temple

Coffee, From Field To Cup – Growing up, I remember watching cartoon “documentaries” about different topics. Most of these were spoofs by Disney or Loony Tunes of real video shorts. This video reaches back into those days and takes a pseudo-retro look at how coffee makes it into my cup from the plantation. Pretty cool!

8 Quirky Houses Around The World – I’m becoming increasingly interested in creative architectural spaces. Some of the houses shown in this article would be incredibly awesome to live in. I especially like the Stone House (#1), the Oast Houses (#4), and the Kvivik Igloo (#7). Others were just a bit too crazy. Which one do you like?

Digital Library by YTA – Along the same lines as the creative houses, I found this article interesting as well. This is an office space/media room. The pine and concrete, with the industrial electric components strikes me as awesome. It just wouldn’t hold all my books…

A Biblical And Scientific Adam – It seems fewer and fewer people accept Genesis as a literal view of history these days. That makes it a rare occurrence to find an article affirming Genesis and the Creation account.

Get Rid Of These 6 Things – It’s easy to become distracted, especially in ministry. Using the Internet and other forms of media are a part of ministry in our times, but they can suck time away if you aren’t careful. This article points out six common distractions, and suggests that we might consider eliminating them.

A Surprising Way To Become More Generous – One of the most neglected teachings of the New Testament in the church of recent years has been in the area of giving. This is changing, thankfully, but many still have little or no education in this area. Allowing God to use you to bless others and use others to bless you are both sides of the same coin. This post helps to clarify that.

If God should have no more mercy on us than we have charity to one another, what would become of us? – Thomas Fuller

Why Coffee Is Called “Joe” – I find little tidbits of history intriguing. This small bite of the past explains why a cup of coffee is often referred to as a “cup of joe.” Interesting? Yes. Accurate? Who knows?

Slow Motion Shrimp Attack – The pistol shrimp has one of the fastest claw snaps ever seen. It snaps its claw so fast that it actually rips the water apart, creating one of the loudest sounds in the ocean. This video shows the claw action in slow motion.

The Sailing Stones Of Racetrack Playa – You may have heard of these before, but these stones continue to defy explanation. These stones move across the ground on their own, although no one has ever seen it happen. The tracks are visible, and studies have been made, but the explanation still eludes us. But they are still pretty fascinating.

14 Ways To Use The Bible – As a minister, the Bible is my main tool, both devotionally and professionally. One of the things I need to be certain of is that I use it and present it as effectively as I possibly can. Here are fourteen ways to use the Bible, and the passages they come from.

The Struggle To Trust God With My Child’s Salvation – I’ve had the privilege of seeing three of my kids make decisions for Christ, and hope to see the rest do the same one day. As a parent, helping them see the importance of this decision i perhaps one of the most crucial things I can do for them. This article reminds me that God is the one behind all of this, and I need to place my trust in him.

Outsourcing Our Job Description? A Plea To Fellow Ministers – One of the trends in ministry today is to purchase access (or plagiarize) other ministers’ sermons. Our time has tons of demands, and we simply don’t have enough of it to meet all the needs and still accomplish our goal in ministry. Or do we? This article challenges you to think about whether we are becoming a Wikipedia-style of ministry.

True greatness, true leadership, is found in giving yourself in service to others, not in coaxing or inducing others to serve you. – Oswald Sanders