Jessica Rey
Impressed by and thankful for this 10-minute talk by Jessica Rey on the “evolution of the swimsuit,” the effect it’s had on men, and a call for modesty. A message not often heard today. (She’s a former Power Ranger, by the way.)
“Modesty isn’t about covering up our bodies because their bad. Modesty isn’t about hiding ourselves; it’s about revealing our dignity. We were made beautiful in [God's] image and likeness.”
You can watch her talk here.
Anyone who wants to become a better writer will love this book by Noah Lukeman — A Dash of Style: The Art and Mastery of Punctuation (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2006). It is beautifully written, engaging, helpful, and concise. Punctuation is not so much a science as it is an art. Each decision is relative, but that doesn’t mean it’s thoughtless — at least it doesn’t have to be.
Here’s a taste from the Introduction (pp. 13-14):
“This book will offer a fresh look at punctuation: as an art form. Punctuation is often discussed as a convenience, as a way of facilitating what you want to say. Rarely is it pondered as a medium for artistic expression, as a means of impacting the content—not in a pedantic way, but in the most profound way, where it achieves symbiosis with the narration, style, viewpoint, and even the plot itself…. There is an underlying rhythm to all text. Sentences crash and fall like the waves of the sea, and work unconsciously on the reader. Punctuation is the music of language.”
Fantastic article in The Wall Street Journal by former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on rules for meetings. Good reading for anyone in leadership, not least pastors and elders.
(1) the first consideration for meetings is whether to call one at all;
(2) avoid meandering sessions;
(3) pay close attention to who is invited and avoid making meetings large;
(4) start and end meetings on time;
(5) encourage others to give their views, even if it may ruffle some feathers;
(6) “Nothing betrays imbecility so much as insensitivity to it”;
(7) keep in mind that when new ideas are broached in a meeting, there is often an instinctive and immediate opposition;
(8) when ending a meeting, make a practice of summarizing the salient points and take-aways, making sure that all participants know precisely what actions you intend to be taken and by whom.
Read the article here.
Good stuff. I already ordered Rumsfeld’s book, “Rumsfeld’s Rules: Leadership Lessons in Business, Politics, War and Life.” It’s added to my already-exponentially-growing summer reading list.
Edward Robb Ellis (1911-1998) maintained a diary for almost 70 years, starting in 1927 when he was seventeen-years-old. He was an ordinary guy who lived through turbulent times and met some amazing people in the course of his life.
I came across this book at a bookshop in Boston a few years ago while on vacation. As one who loves keeping a journal, I remember reading the introduction by Pete Hamill and falling in love with the simple beauty of journaling he describes:
“The diarist has one essential goal: to freeze time.
“With each entry, he or she says that on this day, a day that will never again occur in the history of the world, I lived. I lived in this city or that town, upon which the sun shone warmly or the rain fell steadily. I ate breakfast, walked city streets or country roads, drove a car or entered a subway. I worked. I dreamed. Other human beings said witty things to me, or stupid things, or brutal things; or I the same to them.
“I laughed. I wept. The newspapers told me about the fevers of politics, distant wars, and who won the ballgames. I experienced a work of art or read a novel or heard music that would not leave my mind.
“I was bored. I was afraid. I was brave. I was cowardly. I endured a headache. I broke my leg. I loved someone who did not love me back. I suffered the death of a loved one.
“This day will never come again, but here, in this diary, I will have it forever. Casual reader, listen: I, too, have lived.”
— Pete Hamill, “Introduction,” in Edward Robb Ellis, A Diary of the Century: Tales from America’s Greatest Diarist, reprint (orig., 1995; Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Sterling Publishing Co., 2008), p. 1.
Margaret Thatcher was once asked, in the middle of an interview, to jump. She refused: “I make great leaps forward, not little jumps in studios.” This is incredibly awkward to watch, but I love what it reveals about her convictional leadership.
“From the age of seven I felt weak,” says J. I. Packer.
“This is Packer’s testimony to the reality of weakness. I have now reached the point in life where inevitably I am wearing out physically; I can’t have many more years to go…. I find myself feeling weak.”
I loved the book promo (see below) on Packer’s forthcoming book, “Weakness Is the Way” (expected: May 31, 2013). Few men have impacted me more than this man and his many books. I just pre-ordered it for $7.73 on Amazon.
Here are two of the endorsements:
“If you, like me, struggle with discouragement over your weaknesses, you need to read this book. We all long to be admired for our strengths, yet we all find ourselves, ‘beset with weakness’ (Heb. 5:2). Does this mean we’re stuck living with discouragement? No! There is an escape to joyful freedom. Dr. Packer knows the way. Walking us through 2 Corinthians, he shows it to us so that we, like Paul, can ‘boast all the more gladly of [our] weaknesses.’”
—Jon Bloom, President, Desiring God Ministries; author, Not by Sight: A Fresh Look at Old Stories of Walking by Faith
“Even the title of this book flies my heart straight to Jesus, kindling afresh my desire to see him as he is. I’m reminded each day that only God’s strength can sustain and empower me for service, yet I’m tempted to crave worldly strength. Weakness Is the Way emboldens those beset with weaknesses by means of the truth that our human frailty becomes real spiritual strength in and through Christ alone. This is ‘life with Christ our strength.’ How could we ever want to live any other way?”
—Gloria Furman, Pastor’s wife and mother of four; cross-cultural worker; author, Glimpses of Grace
