Your weekly installment of things we’ve been reading (and watching) around the web.
Infographic of the Week
All the “One Another” Commands in the New Testament, Jeffrey Kranz. We’re still working hard to make sure “greet one another with a holy kiss” makes a comeback at the Summit. But it’s an uphill battle.
Articles of the Week
Top Ten Dumbest Things to Say During a Building Campaign, Thom Rainer. Honorable mention for #11: “What we really care about around here is building monuments, not reaching people.” Okay, these aren’t that dumb. Most pastors make statements like the ones Rainer points at for pretty good reasons. But it takes more than “good reasons” to make a wise decision.
An Open Letter to the Gay Community, Heather Barwick. “I still feel like gay people are my people. I’ve learned so much from you. You taught me how to be brave, especially when it is hard. You taught me empathy. You taught me how to listen. And how to dance. You taught me not be afraid of things that are different. And you taught me how to stand up for myself, even if that means I stand alone. I’m writing to you because I’m letting myself out of the closet: I don’t support gay marriage. But it might not be for the reasons that you think.”
How to Get Things Done: Four Tips From a White House Staffer, Eric Barker. It’s easy to get inundated with productivity lists, so we try to limit those here. But this one stuck out, because it’s all about how to get things done on a team. A major frustration of other productivity articles is that they basically counsel you on how to devote uninterrupted time to your work (and to delegate, delegate, delegate). This is much needed advice at times, but how do you get things done when you don’t have those luxuries? James Waters, White House staffer, helps us out.
Why Snake People Aren’t Growing Up, Chris Martin. Those of us born between 1980 and 2000—what is increasingly called the “snake person” generation—get dumped on quite a bit these days. Some of that is unwarranted, a brand of nostalgia about “the good old days” mixed with a touch of bitterness. But as Martin points out, many critiques hit home. And he’s figured out why: we have no idea what it means to “grow up.” (Also, note the special @FakeJDGreear cameo about halfway through. It’s quite a zinger.)
On The Lighter Side
The Twenty Most Popular TED Talks of All Time. If you don’t have hours to sink on fascinating videos, then ignore this. Because it will consume you. You’ve never wasted time and felt so smart at the same time.
Wisdom For Your Weekend is presented to you by Chris Pappalardo, with occasional guidance from J.D. Greear. This is our attempt to reflect Proverbs 9:9: “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.”
