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Lighten Up, Christian

We like N.D. Wilson a lot. It's probably the two-initial thing. Or that he's a brilliant writer. Call it both. 

• We Christians are the speakers of light. We are the proclaimers of joy. Wherever we go, we are the mascots of the gospel, the imagers of the infinitely creative Father, and the younger brothers and sisters of the humbled and triumphant Word. We speak in this world on behalf of the One who made up lightning and snowflakes and eggs.

  Or so we say.

This is a great challenge. Love a good time the way God does. Read more.

The Irony of the Overprotected Child

Jeffrey S. Dill writes about a study he and his colleagues did of kids and the freedom their parents allow them.

• In the cover article of the latest issue of The Atlantic, Hanna Rosin offers an intriguing look at the tendency of contemporary American parents to over-supervise and overprotect their kids.

  As Rosin notes, most parents today perceive that their own childhoods were quite different than the way today’s children are growing up.  Childhood today is more structured, more scripted, more sterile, and presumably, safer (more on that presumption later).

I feel like this is important, but I'm not sure exactly what to do with it. Read more.

The Child of the Future

Cameron Cole of Rooted is writing about the child of the future. It's off to a good start.

• Championships require strong offenses and strong defenses. Coaches must adapt in order to compete in the future. Weakness on either side of the ball markedly limits a program’s prospects for championships.

  Like college football, the world for young people has changed dramatically. High exposure to media via technology and the deluge of mixed messages in the culture have created an incredibly difficult landscape for parents and children to navigate.

Great stuff. Doesn't hurt that he starts with a football analogy. Cause, you know, football. Read more.
 

The Ten Algorithms That Dominate Our World

Fascinating look at how data and algorithms are everywhere.

• The importance of algorithms in our lives today cannot be overstated. They are used virtually everywhere, from financial institutions to dating sites. But some algorithms shape and control our world more than others — and these ten are the most significant.

  Just a quick refresher before we get started. Though there's no formal definition, computer scientists describe algorithms as a set of rules that define a sequence of operations. They're a series of instructions that tell a computer how it's supposed to solve a problem or achieve a certain goal. A good way to think of algorithms is by visualizing a flowchart.

Eye opening. Read more.

Around the Warren:

Singing in the Dark

Helena Sorensen writes beautifully about standing against the darkness

• My children sing to themselves all day long. They hum snatches of hymns and folk tunes and theme songs. They transition seamlessly from “Frosty the Snowman” to Gungor, to Slugs & Bugs. It makes me happy to hear the joyful contentment in their sweet, small voices. But in the evening, after teeth are brushed and pajamas donned, after the noise machine has been turned to its “Rain” setting and the star-projecting turtle set to “Blue,” I turn off the lights. And then I sing to my children.

I love this picture in words. Read more.

"Noah's Ark" Makes an Old Tale New

Loren Eaton reminds us of an oldy-goody:

• Noah is back in the popular consciousness, largely due to award-winning-director Darren Aronofsky’s reimagining of the patriarch as a violent vegan who consorts with angel-indwelt golems. I haven’t seen it yet, so I’ll leave it to others to discuss the relative merits of the allegedly “least biblical biblical film ever made.” I’m glad it got released, though, if for no other reason than it ever so slightly increases the chances of audiences discovering Peter Spier’s sumptuous and sadly forgotten wordless picture book Noah’s Ark.

Check it out!

The Bossy Blue Jays

James Witmer writes and Aeden Peterson illustrates a tale in the backyard that challenges the stereotypes applied to blue jays.

• Snow lay thick upon the ground in the big old garden behind the big old house, and made it difficult for Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal to find the berries and seeds they were accustomed to. So, despite their preference for quiet meals in the deep bushes, the cardinals had lately been enjoying more social breakfasts under the bird feeder.

  The cardinals ate under the feeder because it was a tall and narrow tube, with nowhere they could perch. But the chickadees, nuthatches, and finches, who could perch, were good about scattering extra seeds onto the ground for their larger neighbors.

Love these pieces of short fiction. Read more.

Something to Do with Your Kids:

Goodness, I hate linking to Buzzfeed. So, warning, reading this may drag you into a stupid quiz about which power ranger you were (protip: everyone ends up the white ranger). But, this activity list is great. 33 under $10 activites for your kids this summer. Read more.

And Something Fun to Watch

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