New month, new feature!
I will now be posting weekly “roundups” of links related to productivity, technology, and the Christian life. These are things I think you will find interesting or helpful in your journey to become a better steward of the life God has given you.
So, here’s the first edition of Reagan’s Roundup.
Jonathan Edwards’ Note-Taking System
This is a great walkthrough of the actual system Jonathan Edwards used to record his “Miscellanies.” And it turns out it’s still a great method of keeping a record of your thoughts on various Bible passages. If you’re a physical notebook person, you’ll enjoy this.
Growing Despair Among American Men
Life expectancy is dropping in America, and at least among men, one of the primary reasons is being attributed to meaninglessness. “The decline in life expectancy is occurring in part due to deaths from despair. From 2007 to 2017, the mortality rate from drug overdoses increased 82%, to 21.7 deaths from 11.9 per 100,000. Over the same 10-year period, suicide rates increased 24%, to 14.0 deaths from 11.3 per 100,000 resident population.”
Things I Wish God Never Said
“Have you ever caught yourself thinking or saying something along the lines of, ‘I wish that the Bible did not say this,’? In our words, we may say that we love Scripture, but practically-speaking we show little fruit. Our love for the Word can be selective and, in effect, we are saying that we do not actually love all parts of Scripture.”
How Porn Kills Healthy Sexual Relationships
“Neuroscience is clear: porn affects your brain. But it does more than that. It also affects your heart. That is, it changes how we relate to other people.”
How to Remember People’s Names
Several years ago I told someone I was bad at names and they responded, “No you’re not. You’re just bad at caring about people.” The truth is everyone is bad at remembering names. The trick is to try. This video presents some great strategies for helping us to care for people better by doing the simple act of remembering their names.
I Miss the Old Internet
“I miss the internet of the early 1990’s, back before the World Wide Web had been visited by more than just a few computer geeks, back when websites like Vane’s were the internet. Don’t get me wrong, many cool things can be found on the internet today. But, the voice of individuals has mostly been drowned out, except on commercialized websites like Facebook and Reddit, where the contents of their communications can be easily monitored and controlled.”
Alistair Begg on preaching, marriage, and long-term ministry
This is an interesting interview with a seasoned pastor. I always enjoy hearing about the minutiae of people’s lives and routines.
