On this day in history: In 1867, Lucien B. Smith patented the first barbed wire. In 1876, Lt. Col. Custer and the 210 men of U.S. 7th Cavalry were killed by Sioux and Cheyenne Indians at Little Big Horn in Montana. The event is known as “Custer’s Last Stand.” And in 1968, Bobby Bonds, of the San Francisco Giants, hit a grand-slam home run in his first game with the Giants. He was the first player to debut with a grand-slam.
Today Is National Leon Day!
Leon is Noel backwards, and it’s 6 months until Christmas!
5 Lies About Decaf You Probably Believe – I don’t drink a lot of decaffeinated coffee, but since I started roasting my own coffee, I have found that a high quality decaf doesn’t taste as bad as most people think. In fact, I have roasted several pounds of a Costa Rican decaf that is a fruity explosion of flavor in your mouth. But that stuff you buy at the grocery store? Get rid of it and find some better decaf. You’ll be glad you did.
Puzzling Gravestones – While I probably wouldn’t ever do this, it is kind of… puzzling.
A Man’s Introduction To Color – Most men I know are notoriously bad when it comes to matching their clothing. That’s because they do not understand color. Check out this explanation from RMRS, and step up your men’s fashion game!
View Of Earth – This was a live view of Earth from the International Space Station, posted on NASA’s Twitter. It’s a beautiful view!
Spring – Summer officially began last week, but around here there are still a lot of the signs of spring. We have some vines blooming down the road from our house that are beautiful. So here’s a time lapse video full of reminders of spring.
Today In Church History
On June 25th, 1115, in an isolated valley in Champagne, France, Bernard of Clairvaux founded the famed monastery of Clairvaux, after which he is named. Read more about him here.
Romans – How well do you know Paul’s letter to the Romans? This is a short quiz with only seven questions, but you may be surprised at your results. Let me know your score!
Worshiping A Golden Calf On Sunday Morning Is Deceptively Easy – We tend to place idolatry into that era of Old Testament people and culture, and think that it doesn’t happen anymore. And while not many of us have a golden statue in our homes or town squares that we bow down to, idolatry is just as prevalent as ever, and it is insidiously deceptive. We slip into this sin more often than we’d like to admit.
Deep Time – The god Of Our Age – Speaking of idolatry, this article identifies one of the most prevalent beliefs that we cling to in place of the God of the universe. And in comparison to the true God, this false god is a cruel master indeed.
Wrestling With The Biblical Text: When We Don’t Like What It Says… – I found this to be a very interesting article. I tend to take a very literal view of Scripture, believing that God told us exactly what he meant when he spoke through the biblical authors. But there are obviously passages that are more metaphorical or cryptic, and understanding them becomes more difficult. So what do we do with passages like these? This article points out various responses, but really doesn’t land on any particular one. The point, I think, is that we need to be as aware of what we are reading as we can possibly be. Keep reading, keep digging, keep seeking. And pay attention to what you’re reading.
Marriage And Divorce – This is a very good article about the motivations behind marriage and divorce. Simply put, Greear’s premise is that marriage is not about us, but divorce is. That is very true, but there is a lot of gray area when it comes to this. Sometimes, it’s just not so simple, as you can see if you read the comments after the article. However, if both the husband and the wife understand that marriage is not about them, not even about each other, but about God, then a lot of these problems (maybe not all, or all the time) disappear. Whether you agree with his post or not, it’s good food for thought.