Wednesday Link List

The above seasonally-appropriate treatment of a VanGogh classic is by Dan Reynolds who works in a variety of media. You can learn more about owning the original or a $25 print by clicking the image or this link. 

A shorter list this week as my 74% American readership is preoccupied with travel, turkey, football and what one advertiser called “Thanksgathering.”

• Essay of the Week: Describing her self as “a modern woman,” she wants to make the case for male-dominated leadership in the church including male pastors.
• Worship Workshop: Good to hear Zac Hicks guesting on Janet Mefford Today. Enjoy all 53 minutes. (He said more in the first ten minutes than many worship leaders have heard in their lifetimes.) (If you only click one link this week, click this one.)
• Yesterday was the anniversary of something. Did you remember?  …
• …This writer did. 
• “Rock Princess” Lacey Sturm was part of Franklin Graham’s tours a few years back. She’s just released her second book.  Don’t know her? This UK Christian magazine story fills in the gaps.
  
• Church Clothes: “I was so embarrassed for my friend. I finally got her to go with me to church. She had no idea what we mean by ‘Sunday dress.’ You should have seen the condescending looks she got wearing her jeans. She won’t be back. I’ll probably find another church too.” 
• Dialing for Doctrine: Author Andrew Farley posts his 9.5 Theses.
  
• At Jesus Creed, a look at Timothy Keller’s recent book and the concept of true freedom.
  
• Phil Vischer repackaged eight minutes of a recent podcast where Christian Taylor asks if we should still use casting lots as a means of determining God’s will. 
• The Dallas Morning News knew their story needed a correction, they just weren’t sure what it was.
  
• Transgender Day of Remembrance: In some Episcopal churches last Sunday the service honored “transgender people killed because of their gender identity.”
• Quotation of the Week: (Not a faith-based source this week, but I couldn’t resist this.) “In truth, Americans are wedded less to democracy than to familiarity. They accept those undemocratic features of the Electoral College, and of American government in general, to which they’re accustomed. They value things as they are.” 
• New Publication of the Week: First issue print copies of Ekstasis sold out quickly. Subtitle: Art meets academia. (Loved the title for the piece on p. 22)
  
• Canada Corner 1: A provincial by-election in the country’s most populous province saw a young, home-schooled, ultra-conservative Calvinist elected in the Niagara Falls area riding at a time the Conservative party was trying to project a more moderate image…
• Canada Corner 2: The country’s national news magazine (equivalent to Time) reports on the growth of Evangelical churches versus Mainline Protestant…
• …But don’t mistake the above as a blanket declaration that all conservative churches are growing. This article makes a few important distinctions.
• Hands up everyone who believes in ‘Guardian Angels.’ There’s a lot of extra-Biblical reference to them but, “As you compare the claims of Scripture with the claims of early Christians, one thing is certain: God’s Word is much less emphatic and dogmatic about the[ir] existence.” (This article is >2 yrs. old but always relevant.)
• I wish the client for this advertisement was someone else, but there’s no denying the good intentions of this commercial involving “a Priest and his Muslim friend.” (I think Imam is the word they’re looking for.) …
• …A better execution of this theme would be found in the Twitter/Tumblr comic strip, Keep Calm and Muslim On. 
• Bee of the Week: Expensive stage effects may be hindering the harvest.
  
• For only $129 US you could be the owner of the Hipster Nativity Set shown below. The owner of the manger was apparently an early adopter of solar power. Click the image or this link to learn more.