Barnabas Piper's Blog, page 67

3 Things I Like this Week – June 8

Each week I share three things I like – It could be a book, a movie, a podcast, an album, a photo, an article, a restaurant, a food item, a beverage, or anything else I simply enjoy and think you might too. You can find a whole pile of things, especially books, I like and recommend HERE.

1. Covert Podcast

[image error]Covert is like a true crime podcast crossed with military history. It is documentary narrative of famous, covert military missions. They draw on participants, news reports, and declassified documents to create a compelling story. They provide fascinating details, but not so many that listeners get bogged down. Their first several episodes cover the mission to kill Bin Laden, which is a familiar story after movies like Zero Dark Thirty and a number of other releases, and they still managed to share additional details and background that were fascinating. It’s a great podcast. As a bonus, nobody on it sounds like they’re imitating Ira Glass either.

2. Godless

[image error]WARNING: This show is what Christians like to call “gritty.” That said, it is one of the best Netflix Originals to have been released in the past few years. Godless is the story of a town inhabited almost entirely by women after the men were killed in a mining accident, a cold and compelling outlaw villain laying waste to towns as he hunts a former member of his gang, and Roy Goode who is the soft spoken gunslinger who abandoned the villain. Of course, like any movie, or mini series in this case, the performances and writing are what make the story great. And every single actress and actor is superb. Jeff Daniels is a compelling villain who you love and loathe. Michelle Dockery is the leading lady in the best sort of unconventional way – not a supporting lady for male characters or a stereotype of any kind. Jack O’Connell plays Roy Goode and is brilliant as a complex character who is equal parts loyal and kind but also a gifted killer. Scoot McNairy plays the beleaguered town sheriff who is trying to regain a reputation for bravery and is maybe the most likable and sympathetic character. I could go on, but I won’t. Just watch it.

1. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

[image error]Gaiman’s work is hit or miss for me. I don’t always love his style or stories but this book was brilliant, and to make it even better he read his own audio book and it was pitch perfect. Gaiman’s voice and lilting style are perfect for sharing myths, a story style that is designed to be told not just read. Gaiman has reconstructed traditional Norse myths about Odin, Thor, Loki, and the rest and tells them like you might expect to hear around a roaring fire in a great hall bedecked with shields and swords. Set aside Marvel’s Thor and let yourself be pulled into Norway ten centuries ago and you will love these fantastical tales of heroism and treachery. It is wonderful remaking of lost legends.

Happy Rant Sports #11 – Ted Picks a Baseball Team, the NFL’s Anthem policy, and Boring NBA Finals

In this episode of Happy Rant Sports Ted and Barnabas suss out the following:

Ted listens to a series of excellent pitches from listeners for which MLB team he should adopt including team history, team uniform, team failure, and more.
Ted adopts an MLB team as his own.
The NFLs National Anthem Policy
Why should we care about these NBA finals?

We also want to thank our sponsor – 503 Sports. If you love defunct football leagues, minor league baseball, or are looking to order gear for your own team 503 Sports puts out quality gear. Check them out.

Be sure to visit HappyRantPodcast.com where you can:

Order fresh roasted coffee from Lagares Roasters
Order your Happy Rant swag from Missional Wear (Use code RANT to get discounts on swag and/or shipping)

Please consider supporting the podcast financially as well. We have set up a Patreon page, and your donations help us cover production costs, do live events, and grow the podcast by trying some new things. Oh, and of course there are perks for those who commit to helps us such as free books and coffee!

To listen you can:

Subscribe in iTunes.
Listen on Google Play
Listen on Stitcher.
Leave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).
Listen using the player below.

Episode #11

He Reads Truth: Believers Are Salt And Light

I have the privilege of contributing to He Reads Truth, a website of whose purpose is “To help men become who we were made to be, by doing what we were made to do, by the power and provision that God has given us to do it, for the glory of Jesus Christ.” They do this by providing scripture reading plans accompanied by reflections that can be accessed for free online or purchased as print books. For those of you looking to engage scripture in a fresh way – either because you are dried up or have been away from it, these studies/plans will refresh your soul and engage your mind.

What follows is one of the pieces I wrote for the Sermon on the Mount plan. You can find the full plan HERE.

Matthew 5:13-16, Isaiah 49:5-6, Luke 14:25-35, John 9:5, Colossians 4:2-6

If you are familiar with Southern cuisine you know that two ingredients make everything better: butter and salt. Literally every single food is improved by these divine gifts. They can even make kale edible—a miracle indeed. And did you know that a high sodium diet is biblical? Tell your doctors, gentlemen.

Okay, that’s not really true. Maybe it will be in the new earth one day, but not now. Salt is, however, a key ingredient in life, as prescribed by Scripture. It’s just a different sort of salt.

Jesus tells us that His followers are the “salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). Paul tells us our speech should be “seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4:6). To confuse matters, we are also called to be “a light for the nations” (Isaiah 49:6). So followers of Jesus are to be salt and light, but what does that mean?

Salt makes bitter foods palatable, and it accents flavors that might otherwise be missed. It complements both sweet and spicy flavors, and makes “blah” foods enjoyable. And all of these indicate what Jesus asks of us too.

Through Jesus, we are to be the ones who help others find hope and joy in bitter circumstances. Through Jesus, we should be the kind of people who see the delightful things of the world—the sweet and the spicy—and add the salt of the gospel in just the right way as to complement and highlight God’s work and truth in them. And through Jesus, we should add life and flavor to the mundane and the blah.

Light is another metaphor for the same thing. God uses us to shine the hope of the gospel into darkness, to drive it away and show a way forward. We refract the light of Christ so people see the colors of His beauty. We bring an ambiance of Jesus into the dim and dull, to give comfort and peace.

This call comes with a warning, lest we decide to try to be salt and light in our own power. For if we do that we will lose our flavor and become dim. And what is flavorless salt but simply annoying grit to be swept up and thrown out? What is a burnt-out light bulb but glass garbage? Should we decide that we no longer need to be flavored with salt and be reflectors of Christ’s light, or should we decide that we can be these in our own strength, then we, too, will become spiritually useless.

Thankfully the One who calls us to be salt and light provides limitless flavor and brilliance. He is an infinitely perfect source. We simply share it and shine it forth into a world dying to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8).

New Happy Rant: The Perfect Worship Service, Best Summers, and Ridiculous Work Requests

In this episode of The Happy Rant Ted, Ronnie, and Barnabas do a little conversational roaming over a variety of topics including:

What would be the perfect worship service?
What is the best summer they’ve ever had?
Ridiculous requests they’ve gotten at work

Be sure to visit HappyRantPodcast.com where you can:

Order fresh roasted coffee from Lagares Roasters
Order your Happy Rant swag from Missional Wear (Use code RANT to get discounts on swag and/or shipping)

Please consider supporting the podcast financially as well. We have set up a Patreon page, and your donations help us cover production costs, do live events, and grow the podcast by trying some new things. Oh, and of course there are perks for those who commit to helps us such as free books and coffee!

To listen you can:

Subscribe in iTunes.
Listen on Google Play
Listen on Stitcher.
Leave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).
Listen using the player below.

Episode #198

3 Things I Like This Week – June 1

Each week I share three things I like – It could be a book, a movie, a podcast, an album, a photo, an article, a restaurant, a food item, a beverage, or anything else I simply enjoy and think you might too. You can find a whole pile of things, especially books, I like and recommend HERE.

1. Superheroes Can’t Save You by Todd Miles

[image error]You might imagine that trying to teach Christology using classic super heroes might be hokey at best. And, well, you would be right in most cases. But not this one. Miles does a brilliant job of using fictional characters to illustrate misconceptions people have about Jesus. This is a book about eight classic, historical heresies. But mostly it is a book about Jesus. Miles is less interested in proving heresies wrong than showing why Jesus is great. He uses his scholarly chops to dismantle falsehoods and weave together compelling explanations and lessons, but he does so in plain language. And of course the superhero starting point is already accessible and inviting. I found this book to be refreshing, compelling, and profoundly helpful. It would make an ideal resource for a group study or the foundation for a lesson plan if you teach or preach. Check it out.

2. The Southern Engine Deli, Nashville

[image error]Nashville is a thriving food city. Whoops, I mean Nashville is thriving foodie city. That means we’ve found 432 artisan ways to serve ketchup or kale, but we kind of suck at the basics. Foodies are so intent on creativity that they unbasic the basics to such a degree they aren’t even recognizable any more. Not at the Southern Engine! This is a straight shooting, down the middle, stack the meat and cheese high, real life deli. I’ve tried at least a half dozen of the sandwiches on their menu and they are all amazing. To top it off they’re located in the exceptionally cool Marathon Motorworks building (now called Marathon Village so the bachelorette parties will come visit the shops) right on the edge of downtown and about 200 yards from where I work. If you are a Nashvillian or just visiting town stop by and get some grub.

3. The Cash App

[image error]Sadly, this is not an app where you simply go and find cash. That would be awesome, though. Cash is simply the easiest way to send money to other people or receive it from them. I realize people can use Apple pay or facebook or paypal or venmo or just about any bank app to do this now, but Cash is still the easiest app to use. It is simpler and has a cleaner user experience than any of the others. I use it all the time to pay people for all sort of things. Oh, and if you sign up using the link we can both get $5 when you use the app. So I guess it is sort of an app where they hand out money. And everyone loves free money

 

New Happy Rant: All Social Media All the Time

In this episode of The Happy Rant Ted, Ronnie, and Barnabas help readers with some pressing problems. In this day of social media pervasiveness people have developed some bad habits. This episode seeks to correct and instruct. They discuss the following:

What is the proper ratio of selfies to other photos for men?
Why do Christian ladies use “come hither” photos as avatars?
People’s use and abuse of the word “humbled”
Retweeting compliments

Be sure to visit HappyRantPodcast.com where you can:

Order fresh roasted coffee from Lagares Roasters
Order your Happy Rant swag from Missional Wear (Use code RANT to get discounts on swag and/or shipping)

Please consider supporting the podcast financially as well. We have set up a Patreon page, and your donations help us cover production costs, do live events, and grow the podcast by trying some new things. Oh, and of course there are perks for those who commit to helps us such as free books and coffee!

To listen you can:

Subscribe in iTunes.
Listen on Google Play
Listen on Stitcher.
Leave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).
Listen using the player below.

Episode #197

3 Things I Like this Week: May 25

Each week I share three things I like – It could be a book, a movie, a podcast, an album, a photo, an article, a restaurant, a food item, a beverage, or anything else I simply enjoy and think you might too. You can find a whole pile of things, especially books, I like and recommend HERE.

1. Outlander Packable Lightweight Travel Backpack

[image error]I recently returned from a trip to Cuba. Before I left I sorted through the pile of backpacks I have collected over the years – conference give-aways, business swag, backpacking equipment. None of them seemed like the right sort of day pack to carry around a hot, humid place for a week. They were too big, too heavy, or too branded. So I ordered this on a whim, and it was perfect. It’s light weight nylon, holds plenty but is compact, and it can fold up into itself about the size of a quart bag for packing. And it’s relatively inexpensive. If you’re looking for an ideal travel/hiking day pack this is ideal.

2. Good Thing by Leon Bridges

[image error]Leon Bridges debut album, Coming Home was sensational – a mix of Motown, R&B, blues, and soul. It felt perfectly, ideally classic – the kind of album lovers of Otis Redding, Bill Withers, or Marvin Gaye would appreciate. This, his second album expands on that. Bridges introduces new sounds and styles and shows off a different sort of creative range without losing any of the soul. There are about 5 artists whose work I will buy sight unseen and listen to ion repeat, and he is one.

3. Dentist Magic Trick

Nobody likes going to the dentist. Dentists don;t even like going to the dentist. But this one may have just earned (bribed?) himself a fan. The little boy’s reactions are fantastic.

 

Happy Rant Sports #10 – All Time Great Uniforms

In this episode of Happy Rant Sports Ted and Barnabas put on their aesthete harts and choose the best uniforms of all time. From defunct football leagues to 80’s baseball to WAY off the beaten path they choose the best looks in sports.

We also want to thank our sponsor – 503 Sports. If you love defunct football leagues, minor league baseball, or are looking to order gear for your own team 503 Sports puts out quality gear. Check them out.

Be sure to visit HappyRantPodcast.com where you can:

Order fresh roasted coffee from Lagares Roasters
Order your Happy Rant swag from Missional Wear (Use code RANT to get discounts on swag and/or shipping)

Please consider supporting the podcast financially as well. We have set up a Patreon page, and your donations help us cover production costs, do live events, and grow the podcast by trying some new things. Oh, and of course there are perks for those who commit to helps us such as free books and coffee!

To listen you can:

Subscribe in iTunes.
Listen on Google Play
Listen on Stitcher.
Leave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).
Listen using the player below.

Episode #10

New Happy Rant: Safe Spaces for Men, The Next Big Thing, and Things We’d Like to Rant About

In this episode of The Happy Rant Podcast Ted, Ronnie and Barnabas rant about the following topics:

The book you’d most like to write
Topics we wish we could rant about but can’t
We predict the next big thing in Evangelicalism
Safe Spaces for Men

Be sure to visit HappyRantPodcast.com where you can:

Order fresh roasted coffee from Lagares Roasters
Order your Happy Rant swag from Missional Wear (Use code RANT to get discounts on swag and/or shipping)

Please consider supporting the podcast financially as well. We have set up a Patreon page, and your donations help us cover production costs, do live events, and grow the podcast by trying some new things. Oh, and of course there are perks for those who commit to helps us such as free books and coffee!

To listen you can:

Subscribe in iTunes.
Listen on Google Play
Listen on Stitcher.
Leave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).
Listen using the player below.

Episode #196

3 Things I Like this Week: May 11

Each week I share three things I like – It could be a book, a movie, a podcast, an album, a photo, an article, a restaurant, a food item, a beverage, or anything else I simply enjoy and think you might too. You can find a whole pile of things, especially books, I like and recommend HERE.

1. Broadchurch

[image error]Broadchurch season 1 might be the best written TV show I have seen. Seasons 2 and 3 are not quite at the same level of brilliance, but they still far outpace nearly anything else being broadcast or streamed. If I had seen them first I still would have been hooked. It is a British police drama, but it is so much more than that. It’s a show that explores family and pain and loss and hope and healing. It is dark because evil is dark, but not gratuitous in any way (not language, sex, or violence). Evil is present but not visible. Characters are complex, but not in a “flawed hero” way – more like a flawed friend or well-intentioned idiot way. The setting, a small coastal English town called Broadchurch is perfectly bucolic and traditional without being Pleasantville, and it sets the scene for the dramas that unfold. The acting, specifically by David Tennant and Olivia Colman, is pitch perfect. More than anything, Broadchurch makes you empathetic for nearly everyone involved because there are no out-sized caricatures of villains or heroes or housewives or anything. It is tremendous.

2. Goo Goo Clusters

[image error]For those of you who, like me, consider yourselves to be adults and generally speak as such this is a difficult name to get past. But trust me. It’s worth it. Think of these as Baby Ruth bars but chewier, choclatier, bigger, and better in pretty much every way. I don’t think they have a market much outside the South, and that is a shame because they beat the trans fat out of pretty much any chocolate/peanut based candy bar out there. AAAAAAaaaaaaand there different varieties, including peanut butter if that is more your speed. And don’t mind the box – they do not come with a bite already taken.

3. Greg Maddux, Pitching Wizard

In our day of big fastballs and insane sliders, the subtlety of Maddux’s corner-painting mastery is mostly gone (Zack Greinke is probably the closest approximation). But he deserves 90 seconds of our time to remember how he owned the edges of strike zone for two decades. And by owned, I mean owned.