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Coffee Break – 08.17.2015

Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration

Coffee Break

Today is a significant day in history: In 1790, the capital city of the U.S. moved to Philadelphia from New York City. In 1859, A hot air balloon was used to carry mail for the first time. John Wise left Lafayette, IN, for New York City with 100 letters. He had to land after only 27 miles. In 1896, the Klondike gold rush was set off by George Carmack discovering gold on Rabbit Creek in Alaska.

15 Famous Coffee Fiends – It appears as if coffee lovers are in good company…

The Internet Doesn’t Exist – This article is a couple of months old, but the point made is interesting. “What we call the Internet—and what web writers so lazily draw on for their work—is less a hive mind or a throng or a gathering place and more a personalized set of online maneuvers guided by algorithmic recommendations.”

Dealing With Afternoon Sleepiness – The afternoon slump. It is something we all deal with from time to time, especially after a big lunch. But what can we do about it? Learn to work with it.

The Atlantic Slave Trade In Two Minutes – When we think of the slave trade of the last few centuries, we generally think of slaves brought to the shores of the United States and North America. But this two minute animation shows a bigger picture, and it is disturbing. To make matters even more interesting, each black circle is clickable, giving stats for the slave ship it represents.

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Memorize Scripture: Philippians 2:12-13

After quoting what may be an early Christian hymn, Paul turns to application. His use of the word “therefore” indicates this. And what comes next is extremely valuable instruction.

Take a look at this week’s passage in Philippians 2:12-13:

Philippians 2:12-13

Paul begins this passage with a linking word that connects what he is about to say directly back to the passage before it. In effect, this becomes the invitation to action that should be a direct result of what Paul has stated to this point.

What comes next though has been a source of disagreement for centuries. Paul make a statement that gives us a portion of the responsibility for our own salvation. He makes a statement that shows that we have a role to play.

If works could save us, then we would have no need for God’s grace in our lives. What we do would be enough to get us to heaven. But Paul, and several other New Testament writers, make a strong point that it is by God’s grace that we are saved.

But is that sufficient? Is there a need for human involvement in the process? Verse 12 seems to make this statement, giving the responsibility to the person. But verse 13 allows for God’s involvement at every level.

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Book Review – The Last Con by Zachary Bartels

The Last ConNot too long ago, I read a new author for the first time, Zachary Bartels. And while the story was very good, I wasn’t completely impressed with his first novel, Playing Saint.

However, I am glad I decided to read his next work. The Last Con reads like it is by a completely different author. This is one of the best suspense fiction novels I have read in a long time, and now I am excited to see what else Bartels can do.

The Last Con is about a man, Fletcher Doyle, was was a con artist and a thief. After being arrested and imprisoned for several years, he has finally been released and has returned home to his family and new-found faith.

When he and his family have the opportunity to participate on a mission trip to his old stomping grounds, he runs into trouble and is blackmailed back into a life of crime. But this time, his wife and daughter are involved.

Can Fletcher Doyle get out of this with his life? Can he protect his family? The Last Con is a page-turner from the very beginning until the end, and it is a difficult book to put down.

Full of suspense, The Last Con also plays on various secret societies and the mystery associated with them throughout history. In a lot of ways, this book reminds me of the movie, National Treasure, but on a grander scale, and with an element of faith involved.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Last Con. And my daughter is reading it now as well, and is enjoying it too. I highly recommend that you pick up a copy and read it. I’m certain you’ll like it, just like we did.

Question: Do you enjoy suspense fiction? If so, have you read either of Zachary Bartels’ books? If so, what did you think? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

If you are interested in reading The Last Con, by Zachary Bartels, you can purchase it at Amazon.com in print or for Kindle. You can also purchase Bartels’ first book, Playing Saint.

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 – 08.10.2015

Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration

Today is a pretty interesting day for me personally, since I am from Missouri: In 1821, my state became the 24th state to join the Union. In 1869, the motion picture projector was patented by O.B. Brown. And in 1927, Mount Rushmore was formally dedicated. The individual faces of the presidents were dedicated later.

Coffee Break

Coffee Ice Cream – August is hot. And so is coffee. Unless you make some coffee ice cream. This sounds like a great recipe to try.

LEGO Super Star Destroyer – I love Star Wars. And if I were into LEGOS as much as my kids are, I would buy up all the Star Wars sets I could find. But I’m not sure I could do this to them.

12 Things You Might Not Know About The Screwtape Letters – As a huge C. S. Lewis fan, this caught my eye. I have read most of these before, and some of them were included in the recent biography of C. S. Lewis that I read a few months ago. But this list is interesting nonetheless.

How Batteries Work – At first glance, I imagined this was about the simple batteries, such as Duracell or Energizer. But this video goes beyond that to cell phone and laptop batteries as well. Very interesting.

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Memorize Scripture: Philippians 2:9-11

In this week’s passage, Paul finishes what is likely a very early hymn or stanza about the majesty of Christ. In the first few verses, this hymn speaks of his humility and his sacrifice. In these final verses, we see his exaltation to majesty.

You can see this for yourself in Philippians 2:9-11:

Philippians 2:9-11

To this point, the focus has been on the humility Christ displayed in leaving behind his status and position at the right hand of God to become one of us, and being sacrificed for us. But now Paul shifts to the glory that God gives to Jesus because of this.

The opening word of verse 9 is “Therefore.” This means, based on what came before, now we see what the results are. This word ties the coming information directly back to the passage preceding it.

Another change is seen in who the focus is on. In the first verses, Jesus is the focus. But now, Paul shifts the focus to God himself, who transforms the humiliation of Jesus into glory.

A third difference in these verses is the number of Old Testament allusions compared with the first part of this hymn. These last verses contain more than the first ones do, displaying just how grounded this passage is in Old Testament theology.