What Drinking Coffee Does To You – I drink a lot of coffee. And I’m pretty picky about what coffee I typically drink, though I have been seen with an occasional cup of Folger’s or some other mainstream brand (gasp!). People often say things to me about coffee, such as “Do you know what that does to you?” Yes. I do know. And here’s a brief list with a few of both the good and bad things that coffee brings with it.

Dream Homes Built For Books And The Nerds Who Love Them – I am a self-admitted bibliophile. I love books. Some of these dream homes just made their way onto my bucket list.

One Reason I Don’t Play The Lotto – Time recently posted an article detailing the pitfalls that plague the big lotto winners. But the temptation of easy money is simply too strong for many. The Borrowed Light blog gives a compelling reason to skip over the temptation to buy a ticket: God’s provision.

You Can Get In My Face – Accountability seems to have largely disappeared in the church. It’s as if no one wants to open up and allow others the permission to call them out when they see sin in their lives. Kimberly Wagner shares a pointed article on the True Woman blog about this. While the blog is aimed at women readers, the principles here apply to us all.

Marriage Bliss – Or Not – One of the books on my list to read is Timothy Keller’s book, The Meaning Of Marriage. It’s on my Amazon wish list, if you are interested in placing it in my hands… This review, on the Not So Common Sense Blog, caught my attention and has moved the book from my “that looks like a good book to read” list to my “I think I really should read this book” list. You might want to add it to your list as well.

The Lost Art Of Modesty And Humility – Our kids are growing up in a different world that the one we saw, or our parents saw. As a nation, we have shifted away from humility towards pride and arrogance. The potential ramifications of this are staggering and mind-blowing. Tim Elmore has a few suggestions and tools that can help us teach our kids what humility is, and how to live it.

The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken. – Samuel Johnson

3 Ways To Drink Great Coffee While Traveling This Holiday Season – One of the worst tragedies to ever occur in the coffee industry was when food service companies started marketing it in hotels, convenience stores, and most restaurants. You can easily taste the staleness of coffee roasted and ground too long before. It’s tragic. So this Christmas, when you travel, you can take your own excellent coffee with you. Here are three suggestions on how to make this happen easily.

2012 Coffee Lover Gift Guide – In keeping with the season, Dear Coffee, I Love You has posted their 2012 coffee lover gift guide. Much on this list seems extravagant, but it’s fun just the same. And there are a couple if items that I would love to find under the tree Christmas morning…

Scenes From World War II Photoshopped Onto Today’s Streets – History is a favorite subject of mine. And when someone takes history and merges it successfully with today, I’m intrigued. That’s the case here: old photos have been merged with new, showing portions of a bygone era in a modern setting. It brings history to life. At the end of the article, you’ll find a link to another artist with similar ideas. Check it out.

5 Benefits Of Admitting You’re Wrong – I don’t know about you, but I find myself wrong about something frequently. Most of the time, though, I don’t want to admit it. Geoffrey Webb identifies five benefits that can only come when you let go of your pride and admit you are wrong. Only then can you say “you were right,” and open the door to forgiveness and restoration.

Excellence In Preaching – One of the main parts of my job as a minister is communication. And much of that communication centers around the most important message there is. So, it only makes sense to make sure I am the most effective that I can be in that communication. Simon Vibert looks at some of the most dynamic preachers of today, seeing how they combine the timelessness of God’s Word with today’s culture in a timely and effective manner. And it’s only 2.99 on Kindle right now $9.29 on the Kindle, or $12.00 in print.

Is Everyone A Leader? – One of my favorite blogs is written by Tim Elmore. His articles about growing leaders hit me where I live, both in my family and personal life, as well as in my youth ministry. In this post, Tim identifies eight excuses people resort to when they can’t lead. I’ve had discussions centered around several of these with teens in my ministries, and am trying to instill leadership qualities in my own children as well.

I’ve learned that everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while climbing it. – Andy Rooney