Barnabas Piper's Blog, page 70

3 Things I Like this Week – March 22

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)

As someone who has written a lot of words and gotten paid to write a small portion of them I have learned the value of excellently written content. As someone who lives in America where many news outlets have sold their ethics and accuracy for clicks I have learned the value of good reporting. As a sports fan I love it when the two are combined. is just such a place. It is the best collection of sports journalists and is affordable too. It’s everything ESPN.com or SI.com should be – no bells and whistles and videos and personal interest stories, just sports writing. Pay the money. Read the articles. Support their model and the writers doing the work.

2) The Soul of Baseball by Joe Posnanski

[image error]Buck O’Neil is largely forgotten by baseball fans. That is, if you can forget someone you never heard of. Most people have never heard of him because Buck was a star before black players were allowed in MLB. He played in the Negro Leagues, and did so with skill and aplomb. And he did so with a vibrant and victorious spirit. In the midst of crushing racism, bigotry, inequality, and segregation O’Neil continued to shine. In this book Joe Posnanski skillfully lets Buck reveal himself to the reader through stories, quotes, and descriptions. Any baseball fan or fan of being uplifted this book is wonderful. A true hero’s tale.

3) MLB Does Sandlot

The Milwaukee Brewers meant nothing to me until this, a fantastic rendition of a great scene from the best sports movie.

7 Ways to Help Kids Keep Their Curiosity

Every child is born curious. How can they help it? They’re like little aliens entering a new planet in which everything is foreign. They only have two things working in their favor – they’re cute and they’re insatiably, indubitably curious. Children ask about everything, notice everything, remember everything (at least the things parents aren’t trying to teach them), and want a tactile experience of everything. In every instance and with every item a child wants to engage all five senses.

This causes a certain collection of problems, to be sure – ill-timed observations about that woman’s attire and repeated reminders that “we don’t put dog food in our mouths” to name a couple examples. These are all part of a parent’s experience of playing bumper on the bowling lane of life.

The greater problems arise later on, usually right around middle school, because children leave behind both of their working advantages. Their curiosity begins to fade and they’re definitely not cute any more. The latter problem resolves itself over a few years of pimples and gawkiness. The former problem persists, however. What was lively, vibrant curiosity calcifies into apathetic boredom and coolness.

Any parent should be dismayed by this, assuming we are not also calcified to the point of not noticing. The loss of curiosity is the loss of vibrancy and opportunity and potential and life. Yes people can live without it, but they cannot live without it. Curiosity is that thing which fuels the best relationships with God and people, drives every sort of creativity, and opens our eyes to the world around us for pleasure and for mission. To lose this driving force is to have an inertial existence marked by redundancy (rebranded as “predictability” to make it sound safe) and stretching only so far as their non-existent imagination can envision, which is to say as far as bed time.

That is no way to live, and we would not wish it on our children. But lest we do something on their behalf we may be dooming them to it. What follows are my best pieces of advice for raising curious children, or rather curious adults. (NOTE: Please don’t read this like a typical parenting book or blog in which the author prescribes several steps and implies, or declares, that following them will fix all that ails your child. Read as an ingredient list and the task is yours, chef, to create the right recipe for your child.)

1) Answer Questions

No matter the repetition and the oddity, answer your child’s questions. Yes, teach them the appropriate time and volume to ask. But answer. If you don’t know, admit it then help them find the answer. By answering or seeking answers you feed their minds. You show them that questions are good and asking leads somewhere. You give them permission to be curious, and a child with permission will seek to exercise it in every possible manner.

2) Ask Questions

Children are curious but ignorant. Your well-placed questions train them and direct them. It gets them thinking toward something and hints at the path to get there. Most importantly it models curiosity and gives them future permission to be an asker and seeker when they reach adulthood.

3) Invite Them In

You have hobbies; include your children. Show them how power tools work or your electric guitar or the KitchenAid mixer. Read them books (so many books) and take them fishing and to a ball game. If you enjoy a thing let them enjoy it with you and teach them about it. Two great things happen when we do this: we get time with our children and they build a storehouse of experiences and memories to draw on.

4) Take Them Out

No, not like a hit man, no matter how awful they are between arriving home from school and eating dinner. I mean take them out to places. Go hiking and to a ball game. Visit museums and cities. See a play and a movie and a concert. Feed them things that aren’t on the kids menu and that don’t have names in English. Go on missions trips. Visit people’s homes. Show them the myriad expressions of creative wonder God has sown in His world.

5) Notice and Explain

Kids notice plenty on their own, but they’re oblivious too. They miss the mountain for the pebble. Noticing is a muscle that needs to be exercised else it atrophies. So train your children’s noticing muscle to observe the world around them and soak things in. Exemplify noticing the odd and beautiful and terrible and sublime. You need the practice and they do to. Then explain what you notice, but keep it short. Nobody likes a lecture (which is why, in part, school is so bad for curiosity).

6) Have Wonder

When you notice be wowed. Share those moments with your kids. When you see a busker slaying on the guitar stop to watch, be amazed, and give your child a dollar to put in the case. When you’re driving home from soccer practice and the sun is setting revel in the oranges and pinks and golds with them. They need to know that the world is wonderful and will still be when they grow up too.

7) Reinforce Creativity

Don’t force it, but bolster and encourage it. Make time and space for it and supply their every need. Your child needs no more apps, but they could use an Amazon Pantry box, some scissors, and roll of packing tape. They could use a conversion of some of those Netflix hours to drawing/writing/dancing/singing/acting/composing/imagining/make believing hours. And then they could use your praise for their creativity and their boldness in it. Extol their effort and imagination and risk-taking. Don’t call them Picasso or Shakespeare if they’re not – but show them you’re proud of them. You want a child who will take bold, creative, imaginative risks in their work and life, right? This is where that begins.

[image error]For more thoughts/explorations/ponderings/pontifications on curiositty check out my book The Curious Christian: How Discovering Wonder Enriches Every Part of Life. If you are interested in seeing what kind of curious person you are (or are not) visit CuriousChristianBook.com and take the short assessment.

He Reads Truth: There Is No Fear in Love

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 1, 2, & 3 John plan. You can find the full plan HERE.

1 John 4:1-19, 1 Peter 2:1-3, John 15:18-21, Psalm 36:1-12

As a sweating Meatloaf (the singer, not the potluck dish) once belted out, people will “do anything for love.” We are fools for love, risking life and limb and bank account for it. It is the stuff of storybooks and Hollywood. Love overcomes fear and logic. It enables us to do amazing (and sometimes idiotic) things. It is incredibly powerful – whether the love of a woman, a parent’s love for a child, or a best friend’s loyal love.

There is a love that supersedes all that, though – the love that marks us as followers of Jesus. It is perfect love because it is God’s love, the love that moved Him to give up His Son to make us His own children. It is the love that sent the Holy Spirit to be our guide. It is the love that gives us the assurance of our place as His children and our freedom from His judgment. As children of God, our acts of love are because of this Perfect love. We love because we are loved. We are marked as God’s family by two things: professing Jesus as Lord of our lives, and this perfect love from God.

If our love for a partner, a child, or a friend can overcome our fears, what can this perfect love from God do? 1 John 4 tells us it drives out fear. It does not mask fear. It does not make us fools or steal our left-brain. It doesn’t mask the consequences for our actions. The perfect love from God sends fear fleeing.

As mortal, sinful people we will still be afraid, but might that not mean we have lost sight of God’s love for us in Christ? Might we, in those times of fear or worry, have lost touch with the Spirit who assures us of our place in God’s family? We have the single thing needed to never be shaped or defined by our fears again: the unfailing love of God.

Imagine a life not marked by insecurity or worrying what people will think. Imagine stepping up and doing those things our consciences prod us to do but our minds refuse to. Imagine realizing that the love we have from God is too great to keep to ourselves, so we simply tell others about it instead of clamming up.  

But we do not have to imagine. We are children of God because of God’s great love for us. We have His love in us – perfect love. We do not need to fear trials or persecution. We live in the shelter of God’s love and are defined by it.

Happy Rant Sports #6 – March Meh-ness and NFL Free Agency

In this episode of Happy Rant Sports Ted and Barnabas take one two of the most popular phenomena of the season:

The immense popularity of March Madness (and our disinterest)
NFL Free Agency – key early signings, the QB market, our favorite signings, and more
A deep affection for fullbacks

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)
Order your tickets for our next LIVE event – Together for the Rant – to be held in April.

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 #6

New Happy Rant: What To Call Men, Dealing With Bullies, and Writers Block

In this episode of The Happy Rant, Ted and Barnabas continue to slog through Ronnie’s sabbatical and bring you their best. This week they rant about the following:

Breaking down kiddo, bud, sport, champ, man, bro, and other names men call each other
Are bullies so bad? Why does every freak out about them?
Writers block – is it real and how do you deal with it?

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)
Order your tickets for our next LIVE event – Together for the Rant – to be held in April.

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 #18t

New Happy Rant: What To Call Men, Bullies, and Writers Block

In this episode of The Happy Rant, Ted and Barnabas continue to slog through Ronnie’s sabbatical and bring you their best. This week they rant about the following:

Breaking down kiddo, bud, sport, champ, man, bro, and other names men call each other
Are bullies so bad? Why does every freak out about them?
Writers block – is it real and how do you deal with it?

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)
Order your tickets for our next LIVE event – Together for the Rant – to be held in April.

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 #18t

Why Sports Books Are Worth Reading (and a List of The Best Ones)

When I was in elementary school we had a book fair every year. Growing up in the house of two authors and avid readers I never lacked for books, but there was something magnetic about buying new books (a feeling I still have today). I remember three books I bought with my hard earned snow shoveling money—biographies of Bo Jackson, Steve Young, and Troy Aikman. I already loved reading and playing sports—which explained my purchases – and from that point on I was hooked on sports books.

Unlike The Hardy Boys or Goosebumps books, I never outgrew this love. In fact, as I grew older and matured I found new reasons to love sports books. They are more than just a diversion or a silly hobby. They offer so much.

In so many ways sports are a microcosm of life. And the best sports books are a lens through which to view life from a new perspective and see greater truths. The mundanity takes on new vibrancy in well-told stories. Sports are shaped by cultural realities but somehow insulated from them too and all while influencing and shaping that same culture.

In the alternate dimension called sports, lives intersect that otherwise never would have connected and they influence each other. Uniform color supersedes skin color, class, and religion at least for a few hours each week. Conversations on buses to road trips or in stinking locker rooms leave indelible imprints.

Yet at the same time sports aren’t real life and don’t change the world. Such is their enigma and power. In short, sports are soil in which poignant and powerful stories grow.

These are the best sort of stories with heroes and villains, joy and pain, leaders and laggards, perseverance and trials, conflict and friendship, pain and hope, loss and victory. The writing ranges from sublime to pithy to profound with descriptions that pull you into a story and dialogue that puts the character in your living room. Like all the best stories these show-and-tell truth—albeit wrapped in pads or bouncing a ball.

We cannot forget the sheer enjoyment of reading such books. They are fun. They bring joy. Emotions well up, tears run down, pride swells, disappointment aches—all of which is exactly what we hope for from the books we love.

These books are gifts crafted by gifted people telling tales that match the best of literature. They echo of God’s creative touch and show stories both redemptive and in need of redemption. In the same way literature or nature or music move us to reflect or notice or feel something of God, so too can sports.

With this is in mind, here is an unordered list of my favorite sports books.

Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger

[image error]As a former high school football player I resonated with the players in this book. But what made the book great was the depiction of how football was life in west Texas. It was the driving force, the great hope, the lasting memory for so many characters. It fed the town and devoured it. The characters in this book, all real people, are memorable and seminal. They have whole-life stories of pain and power and pursuit. In all, the tapestry Bissinger weaves in this book is unmatched in realness, both wonderful and terrible.

Bo ys of Summer by Roger Kahn

[image error]Kahn grew up a Brooklyn Dodgers fan in New York and went on to become a legendary sports writer. This book tells the story of the Brooklyn Dodgers through the late 40s and early 50s – the Jackie Robinson years. He tells the story of the team and their seasons, their rises and falls, their not-quite championship seasons, and the one world series they finally achieved. To this point it is a magnificently written baseball book about an iconic team. But then Kahn profiles the players. He humanizes them and pulls back the curtain on men known only for exploits in spikes on the diamond. He visits their homes, sees their post-career struggles, and asks about race and conflict in baseball. Kahn brilliantly depicts the theatrical pageantry of baseball and the flesh-on-bones lives of its players.

Michael Jordan: The Life by Roland Lazenby

[image error]No player defined a sport or a generation like Michael Jordan did from the mid-80s to the late-90s. Widely considered the greatest basketball player in history—yeah, we see you Lebron…you’re closing in—Jordan was more than that. He was a brand and an international icon and a force of competitive nature. He was truly legendary, having achieved heights murked with myth and fable. What made Mike Jordan AIR JORDAN, though? That is the tale Lazenby tells and tells well. From his early days in North Carolina to his post-playing days Lazenby paints the portrait of His Airness. But this is no deification. It is a picture both bright and dark, both beautiful and ugly. Because, after all, the jump-man was just a man.

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

[image error]Rowing: not a sport most people follow closely or could name one competitor from. But rowing is the sport upon which this story hinges. With meticulous detail and engaging narrative Brown tells the story of the University of Washington men’s crew team leading up to the 1936 Berlin Olympics. It is a story of a team being created, coached by a classic hard-nosed leader, and achieving the pinnacle of their sport. The team earned the right to represent the U.S. in the Olympics that also served as the international unveiling of the Nazi power. And that is what takes this from an exceptionally written story about a team to something more. It is a story of America in a pivotal time in history, told through the lens of sports. It is the story of young American men coming of age, told through lens of sports. In that, it does what the best books do.

The Miracle of Saint Anthony by Adrian Wojnarowski

[image error]Everyone loves an underdog story, and Jersey City’s tiny struggling Catholic school of Saint Anthony is just such a dog. Except that for decades it was basketball powerhouse in the shadow of New York City. While the school struggled to stay open (and has since closed its doors), coach Bob Hurley lead team after team after team to titles. How can a drill-sergeant tough foul mouthed old Irish Catholic man successfully connect with and coach team after team of the poorest inner-city black kids? That’s the story Wojnarowski tells. Readers will love Hurley and hate him for his style and personality. They will love his players and want to scream at them (similar to Coach Hurley, actually). The Miracle of Saint Anthony displays the complexity of race, class, competition, communication, and dedication in sports and society. It is victorious and heart wrenching – the polar essentials of sports.

Moneybal l by Michael Lewis

[image error]Lest we think sports is a realm ruled by dumb jocks, Michael Lewis corrects us. Moneyball is the story of how the Oakland A’s found creative and smart ways to compete in baseball without the same means richer teams had to sign and retain talented players. Not only did they find a way to compete they changed the game of baseball altogether using analytics and finding under-appreciated assets where other teams scorned to look. What makes this book (like so many others) remarkable is that it’s a good story told brilliantly. Lewis is among the best at taking complex or boring concepts and simplifying them within the narrative so readers can understand and enjoy.

The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons

[image error]You’ve heard of fan fiction? Well, this is fan non-fiction. Simmons, whose moniker is “The Sports Guy” writes as someone who loves NBA basketball, and his passion is contagious. He ranks players, sorts through classic basketball debates, rearranges the basketball hall of fame, explores theories, and generally runs hither and thither through the history of the NBA. He does so with piles of research and knowledge supporting him and untethered access to NBA figures who share delightful anecdotes. For sheer enjoyment of a sport, The Book of Basketball is among the best. And it will teach you something too.

The Soul of Baseball by Joe Posnanski

[image error]Buck O’Neil is largely forgotten by baseball fans. That is, if you can forget someone you never heard of. Most people have never heard of him because Buck was a star before black players were allowed in MLB. He played in the Negro Leagues, and did so with skill and aplomb. And he did so with a vibrant and victorious spirit. In the midst of crushing racism, bigotry, inequality, and segregation O’Neil continued to shine. Posnanski skillfully lets Buck reveal himself to the reader through stories, quotes, and descriptions. Any baseball fan or fan of being uplifted this book is wonderful. A true hero’s tale.

I Never Had it Made by Jackie Robinson

[image error]Less of a pure sports book than the others, this volume is important for another reason. It shows the humanity and significance of sports figures in broader culture. Everyone knows Robinson “broke the color barrier” in baseball in 1947. But most people have rarely if ever considered all the other barriers Robinson – and every other person of color – faced before and after. In his own words he tells the story, replete with editorial asides and opinions. The reader gains a view into the sharp mind, hurt heart, and expansive gifts and drive of an American hero – not just a baseball one.

Playing Through the Whistle by S.L. Price

[image error]If Friday Night Lights describes how football is life in west Texas this book shows how football is a lifeline in Aliquippa, PA. NFL player and NFL player has come from this downtrodden former steel town – far more than makes sense for such a place. Is it something in the water? The culture? Price deftly lays out the history of the town through the rise and fall of the steel industry and the rise of the dynastic football program with it. This is as much the story of a struggling city as it is a football team, but football success has been the constant in a place hanging on for dear life. This is as much a story about working class America as it is about sports, but in that we see how much sports keeps working class America afloat.

This post was originally published at AthletesInAction.org and has been used with permission.

3 Things I Like This Week – March 15

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) Pixabay

[image error]Finding the perfect feature image to use with a blog or article can be such a pain, assuming I want to use an image with proper permissions at no cost. Usually I find an endless succession of the same selection of pseudo-hipster “entrepreneurs working in the same brightly lit coffee shop on the same Mac book pros OR endless opportunities to post pictures of lattes with foam art. So when a friend pointed me to Pixabay a while back I was pretty thankful. It is a stock-photo site, perfectly free, and sourced by individual photographers who upload their work. You can donate to the site or donate to particular photographers if you like, and if you have really high quality photographs you can upload those too. Their standards are high, so very few mediocre images make it on the site. It is my go-to for images for this blog or other stock photo needs I have.

2) Under Armour Running Shoes

[image error]“Are you a runner?” asked the salesman? I was almost ashamed to be asked this question. I hate running. I abhor running. It is the worst. Running is punishment doled out by coaches for fumbles or interruptions or tardiness or lack of focus. Running is what one does when a bear or mountain lion is chasing. Yet there I was buying running shoes because that is what one does in one’s 30s when one eats to much and sits too much and weighs too much. After burning through Reeboks (cheap junk) Nikes (fashion apparel) Asics (nice, but FUGLY) I ended up with Under Armour shoes. For a big guy with achy knees an flat “pronated (according to a podiatrist) feet they are the most comfortable running shoes I’ve owned. Under Armour has mastered design both for fit and style, and they offer durable shoes at very affordable prices up into the high end. If you are a runner you probably scoff at this. However, if you are a desk jockey who likes to eat and wants to earn those calories check them out.

3) Smoking Orangutan

Yeah yeah, I know it “sparked outrage.” But mostly it sparked guffaws for me. This ape smokes with more chill than some 2-pack-a-day guys I’ve known.

New Happy Rant: White Reformed Dude College Life, Bad Movies We Love, and More

While weathering Ronnie’s absence, Ted and Barnabas discuss the following:

An apology
White reformed college dude life
Bad movies that we love
What we are reading

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)
Order your tickets for our next LIVE event – Together for the Rant – to be held in April.

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 #186

What Pastors Should Know About Raising Pastors’ Kids [Video]

Unless pastors grew up as PKs they likely don’t realize all the pressure and expectation that rolls downhill onto their children. In this short video I recorded with For The Church I give some perspective and pointers to pastors and their spouses on how to help PKs navigate this life.

[image error]For more on the experience of PKs and how to minister to them check out my book The Pastor’s Kid: Finding Your Own Faith and Identity. I wrote it from the perspective of a PK and for the benefit of the church and its leaders.