Aaron Armstrong's Blog, page 35

Writing a bestseller, social contracts, & reading Annie Dillard

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All of us live around Nashville, but sometimes it takes traveling to Indianapolis to make magic happen. That’s what happens on this episode of Table of (mal)Contents, as Russ Ramsey joins us for a great chat about the art of writing, and that time he wrote a letter to Annie Dillard. Listen in as we discuss:

The magical time in the mid-90s when all the baseball players were juicingRuss’ book being endorsed by Leif EngerAre we doing readers a disservice by making them easier to read?The secret...

Links I like (4/26)

Signs of Hope for the Next Generation

Trevin Wax:

4 Ways Your Whole Bible Points to Jesus

Bryan Chapell:

We should be willing to learn principles of redemptive interpretation that the New Testament writers employed and exemplified. From these principles we learn that the more common approach to understanding the redemptive nature of all biblical texts is to identify how God’s Word predicts, prepares for, reflects, or resultsfrom the person and/or work of Christ.

A Different Kind of Exclu...

Nostalgia, mindless reading, and untapped holidays

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It’s a podcast crossover! Ronnie Martin of The Happy Rant joins us in-studio in exotic Indianapolis to talk nostalgia, Christmas and romance novels, and trying to read theology.

And by “in-studio” I mean “in the hallway outside the exhibit hall at TGC.”

Listen in as we discuss:

Why Ronnie enjoys romance and Christmas novelsWhat’s really nice about writing for kidsIf the name “Joseph” is cult-yWhat are the boundaries of Ronnie’s Christmas season?Is there a mindlessness to Christian living a...

“Moby Dick is the reason I went into British literature”

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A couple weeks’ back, we travelled to exotic downtown Indianapolis for TGC19. With so many book loving people in one place at the same time, we took the show on the road to chat with a few friends. On this episode, we’re joined by Karen Swallow Prior to talk books and British literature, theology, pets, and few other things too. Listen in as we discuss:

Will Dave’s cats join him in the new creation?How does reading help us become virtuous?What challenges do the current (and forthcoming) gene...

Links I like (4/12)

[image error] 3 Things I’d Tell My Younger Pastor Self

Dave Harvey:

But I would love to tell my younger self a few things about pastoral ministry. I’ve been in this for more than 28 years. Over the decades, I’ve learned some things I wish I would have known as a freshman pastor.

Love Actuarially

Jared Wilson:

You and I? We would be running the numbers way back. We would see how big the mountain was, how insurmountable the task promised to be. We would compare the pain of love against the relative worthin...

Online reading groups, platform-building, and pronouncing “against”

The Internet taught us something new: We’re missing out on some huge opportunities with online book clubs, courses, and whatnot. So we’re getting our thinking caps on as we workshop some ideas for the whatnot, and bring Dave’s daughter along for the ride.

Listen in as we discuss:

How does someone become an expert in anything?What online course should we each create?What books will you pay to be a part of online reading group to read with us? What books would be part of a heresy 101-type book...

Links I like (4/05)

[image error] Self-Righteousness Wears Many Disguises

Trevin Wax:

Today, we’re used to reading the worst possible motives into the character of the Pharisee. But Jesus’s original listeners would not have assumed that the Pharisee was the bad guy, not at first. They would have seen this Pharisee as a model citizen—a decent, upstanding religious man who was pious in his practice.

The Kingdom of God is for Sinners

David McLemore:

In God’s kingdom, there isn’t “us” and “them.” There’s just us and Jesus, and...

EPIC is now available!

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My latest book, Epic: The Story that Changed the World, is now available! On Monday at TGC19, almost every copy sold out, with only a couple remaining for Tuesday and Wednesday. If you’ve ordered a copy, you should be receiving it any time now.

[image error]Isn’t that nice?

A couple of quick things:

First, if you’ve received your copy, please do leave a rating and review on Amazon and Goodreads. Reviews really do make a difference in helping people know if this is the right book for their needs. Most im...

Good biographies vs bad ones, the Tolkien movie, and Canadian coffee

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We all love biographies and memoirs. Well, Dave and I (Aaron) do a lot more than Barnabas. But we all do love to talk about biographies and memoirs! And this week we’re joined by Dave’s daughter, Madelyn, who helps keep us on track as we discuss:

What makes a good biography and why we love themThe greatness of the word “bloviating”What makes a good memoir vs a bad oneWhy Christian biographies are so hard to writeThe national foods of CanadaHow Aaron really feels about Canadian coffeeHow we f...

Links I Like (3/29)

[image error] Theology Is Not a Hobby

Jeff Medders:

But the key to the Great Commandment is that we are commanded to love him. Not merely the study of him. Not only books about him, but God himself. And if we are honest, we can get these confused. A shelf of hardback books doesn’t fulfill the Great Commandment. Study of Scripture cannot be separated from loving God and others. If it is, we are washing the outside of the cup more than we realize.

The Indispensable Qualities of a Leader

Jim Richards:

This...