Here are a few of the things I enjoyed reading and watching this week on the Internet.
I was a big fan of the TMNT cartoon when I was little, and, thanks to YouTube, my kids have been getting into it. They love it, and I'm getting to relive what it was like to watch it the first time. When you're a parent, it's fun to show your kids what you grew up.
This was big news this past week. In an interview with Emma Watson, J.K. Rowling revealed that, in hindsight, she wishes she would have put Hermione and Harry Potter together in the end. I remember when I first started reading the series, I couldn't understand why the main hero of the story wasn't with the main girl of the story. I think it made sense for Hermione to end up with Ron in the end as the series went on, however. It's interesting to hear an author like Rowling re-imagine something she created.
Jon Acuff is one of the best social media and blogging experts around. One of the things he's really good at doing through his blog is encouraging the readers that he knows tune in to his platform on a regular basis. This post was great because he shares how slow going his success took, encouraging others that reaching their dreams is possible. It just takes time.
It was sad that Philip Seymour Hoffman died. He was a great actor who was in some of the movies I've enjoyed the most. I had just watched him in Catching Fire the week before. His death was tragic because he had everything that most people wish they had, and yet it apparently wasn't enough. Blaine Hogan is the creative director of Willow Creek Church, and he shares his own personal journey with addiction in this short essay.
I've been following Ben Arment for several years since he started the Story Chicago Conference (Sadly, I've never been). He sends out an email to his subscribers, and his email this week was really good. He talks about not avoiding big "asks" just because we think people will say no. He calls that saying no for other people, and we should give people the chance to hear our ideas. If your not on his email list, you should go here and sign up.
I only watched a little bit of the Bill Nye and Ken Ham creation debate, but I learned much more about it from how much it was talked about on Twitter the next day. I personally find myself in the Intelligent Design camp, and this commentary on the debate captures some of the thoughts of what could have been better in the debate. Ham relies on biblical arguments to debate someone who doesn't accept the Bible as any type of authority. I like how Luskin points out actual scientific arguments in favor of design, which leads to the possibility of a Designer. I personally believe that science is all about exploring and making discoveries about the world God created, so science can't be in conflict with faith. I don't personally hold to a young earth view.
Books I'm Reading This Week
What's Your Worldview? by James N. Anderson
This book reads like a choose your own adventure book. Anderson guides readers through a series of questions, and depending on how you answer, you'll be led toward the next question on the path to discovering your worldview. Buy it at Amazon.com
SEO Made Easy by Evan Bailyn
This is a book that uncovers the search engine optimization techniques that will make your website more likely to show up high in Google's search results. The format's great and you'll learn important things to avoid. Buy it on Amazon.com
Futureville by Skye Jethani
This book continues to blow me away. Jethani tears away the false assumptions of American Christianity, some of which I didn't even realize I held. This book makes much of Jesus. Buy it at Amazon.com
The Shadow Throne by Jennifer Nielsen
I'm loving this book so far as it wraps up Jaron's journey. I hope to finish in the next week. Buy it at Amazon.com
Photo Credit: Nathan E Photography via PhotoPin CC
Photo Credit: Nathan E Photography via PhotoPin CC
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