Sunspots 714

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Christianity: Christianity Today reports on a survey that indicates that regular church attendants are healthier and happier than non-attenders.
He Lives has a thought-provoking post on some words or phrases -- should Christians say them?
(And Politics) Relevant points out that politicians often have a hard time quoting the Bible. Nancy Pelosi thinks she is, but she isn't.


Computing: You probably don't need Gizmodo to report that there were more robocalls than ever in 2018.

Gizmodo also reports that robots can play Jenga well. (See a bit of the videos included, if you don't know Jenga.)

Health: Gizmodo, reporting on a study published in the British Medical Journal, says that eating a good breakfast doesn't seem to help you lose weight.

Gizmodo also tells us about some remedies for the common cold that don't work, and, in some cases, shouldn't be used at all for the disease (like antibiotics), and a few that do help people to feel better.
 
Politics: FiveThirtyEight considers the questions of whether Iowa, New Hampshire and/or South Carolina will hold Republican primaries or caucuses in 2020.

The Atlantic reports that President Trump tweeted some extreme estimates (or extreme exact figures) on how many illegal immigrants we have, what it is costing us, and how many people voted illegally in Texas.

Relevant reports on the faith of Cory Booker, Democratic candidate for President.

Science: Science Alert explains the relationship between global warming and the polar vortex.

Scientific American reports on the migration of painted turtles. 

About the amazing eyes of the mantis shrimp, which can see colors, and polarization, that, as far as we know, no other creature can see.
 
The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, I believe, it is public domain. 

Thanks for looking!

The Art of Divine Contentment: An Exposition of Philippians 4:11 by Thomas Watson. Excerpt 4

Let me put you upon a serious trial. Some of you have heard much, — you have lived forty, fifty, sixty years under the blessed trumpet of the gospel, — what have you learned?

You may have heard a thousand sermons, and yet not learned one. Search your consciences.
1. You have heard much against sin: are you hearers; or are you scholars? How many sermons have you heard against covetousness, that it is the root, on which pride, idolatry, treason do grow? One calls it a metropolitan sin; it is a complex evil, it doth twist a great many sins in with it. There is hardly any sin, but covetousness is a main ingredient of it; and yet are you like the two daughters of the horse-leech, that cry, “give! give!” How much have you heard against rash anger, that is a short frenzy, a dry drunkenness; that it rests in the bosom of fools; and upon the least occasion do your spirits begin to take fire? How much have you heard against swearing: It is Christ’s express mandate, “swear not at all.” (Mat. 5. 34) This sin of all others may be termed the unfruitful work of darkness. It is neither sweetened with pleasure, nor enriched with profit, the usual vermillion wherewith Satan doth paint sin.

Swearing is forbidden with a subpaena. While the swearer shoots his oaths, like flying arrows at God to pierce his glory, God shoots “a flying roll” of curses against him. And do you make your tongue a racket by which you toss oaths as tennisballs? do you sport yourselves with oaths, as the Philistines did with Samson, which will at last pull the house about your ears?

Alas! how have they learned what sin is, that have not learned to leave sin! Doth he know what a viper is, that will play with it?

Thomas Watson lived from 1620-1686, in England. He wrote several books which survive. This blog, God willing, will post excerpts from his The Art of Divine Contentment: An Exposition of Philippians 4:11, over a number of weeks, on Sundays. My source for the text is here, and I thank the Christian Classics Ethereal Library for making this text (and many others) available. The previous excerpt is here.