On this day in history: In 1493, Christopher Columbus, sailing near the Dominican Republic, mistakes manatees for mermaids. In 1793, Jean-Pierre Blanchard made the first successful balloon flight in the U.S. And in 1902, New York State introduced a bill to outlaw flirting in public.

Aeropress Traveling – I love my Aeropress. It is one of the most simple, and tasty, ways to make coffee on the go. It usually finds its way into my bag whenever I travel, whether that is an overnighter, or for a longer period of time. If you don’t have one, you need one. Here’s the one I have.

10 Tips To Look Smart Fast – I love to look my best. More and more, I dislike looking sloppy and shoddy, even around the house. Here are a few tips to looking your best, and in this case, smarter.

5 Common Mistakes People Make Spending Their Time – I am all about being efficient, and being productive. As a result, I have made several tweaks and changes to my daily routines that help me make the most of my time. But sometimes, it’s good to get the big picture overview. This article sums that up nicely.

Read Scripture: Ecclesiastes – One of the books we tend to skip over, if inadvertently, is the book of Ecclesiastes. But this short book in the middle of the Old Testament is full of practical wisdom and sage advice for our lives, even today in the twenty-first century!

Yesterday In Church History
On January 8, 1956, missionaries Ed McCulley, Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming, and Roger Youderian were killed by the Huaorani (Auca) Indians. And yet, in spite of this, efforts were continued to reach out to this people group, eventually resulting in the gospel being preached to them. Read more about it here.

10 Ideas And 10 Tips For Family Devotions In 2017 – One of the areas I struggle in, as a father, is coordinating a time for family devotions. Our family is so large, and so busy, it can be difficult to organize. One of my goals is to do better in the coming year. Tim Challies has some helpful tips and ideas.

Making The Most Of Your Bible Reading – With the start of a new year, many people start a new Bible reading plan, such as the one I offer for free here. But with any plan, you want to make sure you get as much out of the Scriptures as you can. Here are some great insights into that.

Read The Bible As Your Spiritual Food – Since we are on the topic of Bible reading this week, here is one more article that gives some great input into your daily Bible intake.