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Coffee Break – 09.28.2015

Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration

On this day in history: In 1542, San Diego, CA, was discovered by Portuguese navigator Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. In the world of sports, on this day in 1892, the first nighttime football game in the U.S. took place under electric lights. The game was between the Mansfield State Normal School and the Wyoming Seminary. And in 1941, Ted Williams becomes last player to hit .400. Read more about that here.

Coffee Break

BeanSafe Coffee Storage – How do you store your coffee and keep it as fresh as possible? By using something like the BeanSafe. The headline links to a review on I Need Coffee, but you can buy the stainless steel and the polypropylene on Amazon.

Why Are Phone Keypads Laid Out As A Grid? – Have you ever wondered why the numbers on your phone are arranged the way that they are? There’s a reason for that, but before it became standard, a lot of other variations were considered. This article and video are very interesting.

Ferrolic – Ferro fluid and magnets. And the result is stunning. It is almost like living art. This is fascinating to watch.

Ink: Written By Hand – I love to write. I have several vintage fountain pens, and numerous modern ones too. I have a few old, classic typewriters as well. But there is something special about ink on a page. This video attempts to define that.

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Memorize Scripture: Philippians 2:25-26

Along with Timothy, Paul decides to send Epaphroditus back to the church in Philippi. He is the messenger that they sent, and Paul desires to send him home to continue the work there.

You can see his thoughts on this in Philippians 2:25-26:

Philippians 2:25-26

Epaphroditus is from Philippi. And the church there sent him to Paul, to care for his needs, and to probably bring along the financial gift that they had gathered for him. This is all that we know of Epaphroditus. Along with 4:18, this is the only mention of his name, and we are left to guess just how helpful he was to Paul.

Apparently, Paul thinks highly of this man. He pays Epaphroditus a series of five compliments in this one verse alone, so his value to Paul was great. It may have been his intent to become Paul’s permanent helper, but his sickness prohibited it. That has been conjectured by many theologians, but there is simply no way of knowing for certain.

However, if that is the case, Paul’s glowing commendation of him would go a long way to eliminating any criticism of his return home instead of staying with Paul in Rome.

Paul gives five positive comments about Epaphroditus. Three of these give insight to his relationship to Paul, and the other two show his connection to the church.

Urgent Prayer Request

It is with great humility and thankfulness that I ask for your prayers.

This week I was diagnosed with skin cancer after a biopsy on the edge of my ear. At this point, my doctor is unsure just how serious it may or may not be. There are two kinds of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma and melanoma. He said that it is not basal cell, but he also did not say that it is melanoma either. More will be determined when they remove it from my ear, hopefully next week.

This is especially frightening to me since I lost my father to skin cancer that metastasized to his brain in 2011. Part of me wants to scream at the injustice of this (I lost my brother, father, and grandfather to various cancers, and my mother is a cancer survivor. Couldn’t we be done with cancer?!). On the other hand, I rest assured that God’s purpose for my life will be refined through this. Through trials such as this, God builds character and faithfulness, and I look forward to what he can bring from this.

I know, in comparison to other varieties of cancer, this is more mild and has a high success rate in treatment. Nevertheless, I covet your prayers, both for healing and for my family as they struggle to understand what God can accomplish through this. Pray especially for my kids. Their experiences with cancer, in my dad and brother, have been very frightening, and they will need as much strength as possible to rely on God through this.

Also, pray for my wife. She is the strongest woman I know, and she does so much for our family. This is additional stress that she must cope with, on top of mothering a very busy family.

And finally, pray for me. Pray for healing. And also pray for peace that I may accept the fact that this is something that must be dealt with and strength to endure until it is finished.

Thanks for being a part of this community. I am deeply thankful for each and every one of you!

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Book Review – 7 Women by Eric Metaxas

7 WomenBiographies are some of my favorite books to read these days. Often, I enjoy reading full length biographies. But sometimes, a simple snippet is enough to whet my appetite.

Such is the case with Eric Metaxas‘ new book, 7 Women. Based on the same premise as his earlier book, 7 Men, in this book, Metaxas takes a look at seven individuals, in this case women, and what made them great.

The seven women he briefly examines include Joan of Arc, Susanna Wesley, Hannah More, Saint Maria of Paris, Corrie ten Boom, Rosa Parks, and Mother Teresa.

In each case, Metaxas looks at the life of these women, and strives to determine what it was that made them great. He could have included a lot of women who did great things, things that men had already accomplished, but that wasn’t his goal. These individuals were each unique in what they accomplished, regardless of gender. So what made them so great?

Each of these seven women command a chapter in the book, and each one is riveting. After reading each mini biography, I thought that Metaxas couldn’t top it in the next chapter, but he managed to make each and every entry into this book incredibly interesting. I was spell-bound through each chapter, and I will seek out more information on several of these lives in the future. My interest has been piqued.

I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of 7 Women and read about these great individuals. You will be inspired. You will be challenged. You will be encouraged. And you will enjoy it.

Question: Who are some of the lives you enjoy reading about the most? What biographies would you recommend that I read next? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

If you are interested in reading 7 Women, by Eric Metaxas, you can purchase it at Amazon.com in print or for Kindle. You can also pick up a copy of 7 Men, both in print and for Kindle as well.

I received this book free from Harper Collins Christian Publishing as part of their BookLook Bloggers review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

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Coffee Break – 09.21.2015

Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration

On this day in history: In 1866, H.G. Wells, pioneer of science fiction, is born in Bromley, England. In 1937, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit was first published. And in 1942, the U.S. B-29 Superfortress makes its debut flight in Seattle, Washington. It was the largest bomber used in the war by any nation.

Coffee Break

Brewing Ratios For Dummies – Understanding how much coffee to use compared to water can be confusing for many. This article gives a good breakdown of the coffee to water ratio, and how to understand it.

The Proper Way To Eat Hot Dogs – So many people mess this up… Who knew there was proper etiquette for eating hot dogs?

The Beauty Of Everyday Foods Shot With A Macro Lens – Since we’re on the topic of food, here are a few great shots of foods close up… Very close up.

Edge Of Stability – This is an incredible collection of some timelapse storm footage. It is stunningly beautiful.

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Memorize Scripture: Philippians 2:23-24

Paul is sending Timothy to the Philippians, and soon. His desires, however, and even his expectation, is that he himself will be able to go to them as well.

You can see his desire in Philippians 2:23-24:

Philippians 2:23-24

Paul is sending Timothy to the church in Philippi. Timothy is concerned for the believers in Philippi. His efforts for the gospel are first-rate. He is the logical choice to send.

And, in fact, Paul expects to do just that, as soon he sees how things will go with him. Just what he means by this is uncertain.

The most obvious conclusion is that Paul’s legal problems are being referred to, and that may well be the case. He is in prison, and needs the help that an outsider, such as Timothy, could give. And with his trial looming in the uncertain future, it may be expedient to only send Timothy once things in that area have been nailed down. The added benefit to this is that Timothy would be able to bring the Philippians news of Paul’s continued imprisonment or imminent release.

Another consideration, though, is that Paul may have been referring to personal needs, or a concern for the church. It may surprise many that at this point, Paul is probably in his 70s or even 80s. And prison is no easy thing for anyone, even without the frailties of age. Granted, Paul’s imprisonment in Rome may have been more of a “house arrest,” but he still would have needed the assistance Timothy could give, and he may not have had anyone else that he could depend upon.