The Size of the Universe – WIRED takes a shot at helping us picture the size of the observable universe. Turns out it’s really, really big. “To try imagining how big, place a penny down in front of you. If our sun were the size of that penny, the nearest star, Alpha Centauri, would be 350 miles away. Depending on where you live, that’s very likely in the next state (or possibly country) over.”
Does Tech Feed Self-Centered Control? – One of the true joys of writing a book is seeing how other people interact with it and improve upon it. Paul Tautges has been doing just that. He looks at a particular bit of the book and says, “Let’s counsel ourselves by asking 8 idol-shattering questions about the love of control…”
Google: Behind the Numbers – Infographic du jour. Turns out that Google is big, too (but not quite as big as the universe).
Darwinism and the Next Generation – I enjoyed this article from Sean McDowell. I don’t advocate Intelligent Design, but what he says about Darwinism and materialism is really good.
Malcolm Gladwell: Collected – How did I not know about this set of books? Gladwell is an amazing author and these books are beautifully designed and illustrated.
Don’t Strive to Be Great – This is some great advice for preachers: don’t strive to be great. “What I am arguing against is the actual attempt to develop into a preacher with a reputation for being so unusually wonderful that people flock to you. There is a fine line here, to be sure: typically, gifted men attract larger audiences. Nothing wrong with that per se.”
Faithfulness is our business; fruitfulness is an issue that we must be content to leave with God.
—J.I. Packer