Sky Links 2-9-19

(Updated 2-10)

Why we should all stop saying “I know exactly how you feel”
-Celeste Headlee

“conversational narcissism.” Often subtle and unconscious, it’s the desire to take over a conversation, to do most of the talking, and to turn the focus of the exchange to yourself.

How to talk about politics constructively
-Celeste Headlee

Help make america talk again -Celeste Headlee

The case for Russia collusion … against the Democrats
-John Solomon

There is clear evidence now that shows Hillary Clinton’s family and charity profited from Moscow and simultaneously facilitated official government actions benefiting Russia that have raised security concerns.

And there’s irrefutable evidence that her opposition research effort on Trump — one that inspired an FBI probe — was carried out by people who got information from Russia and were consorting with Russians.

It would seem those questions deserve at least some of the scrutiny afforded the Trump-Russia collusion inquiry that is now two-plus years old.

John Solomon interview -Maria Bartiromo

The bigger scandal in Virginia occurred in newsrooms in 2017
-Larry O'Connor

In the wake of this week’s monumental meltdown of the three top officials in Virginia government (all Democrats), one is left wondering where the mainstream media were during the election of these politicians who are now severely damaged by deeds from their pasts that could have been revealed and reported on before their electoral victories.

To understand how, and perhaps why, the mainstream press ignored and neglected the headline-grabbing scandals gripping Richmond today, one must recall the era in which these Democrat embarrassments were elected.

Moses Has to Beg God Not to Kill Everyone?!
-Nick Lloyd

Exodus 32 (and the story of Jonah) are a good reminder to be cautious in assuming that our violent inclinations find any correlation with God. And we see that even in the Old Testament the picture of an angry God is more likely a “mask” put on him by others (a term used by Martin Luther) than the reality of his nature.

So let’s confess with Jonah a belief in the goodness and patience of God: “I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.”

And let’s be aware of when our own temperament and response is anything but God-like.

Yes, I’m Black And I Write For Conservative Media…Here’s Why
-Kira Davis

I’ve applied for jobs at left-wing publications. I think I have a pretty good record of making reasonable points. My work is never going to win a Pulitzer but I’m educated and expressive. I’m not someone you’d call “extremist” and I do make an effort to see all sides of a given issue. But just like most conservative publications don’t hire too many liberals, liberal publications don’t care to hire conservatives.

Add to that the fact that I’m a woman and I’m already fighting through a lot of noise and history to be seen as a competent writer.

Add to that the fact that I’m a BLACK woman and now the labels are stacking up against me. In liberal, mainstream media there are plenty of conversations happening about the difficulties in being “seen” when you’re a minority woman. I face all those same difficulties.

We’re always complaining about minority women not being given a voice and yet when I’ve tried to dip my toe into mainstream/left-wing media I’ve been shut down time and time again simply because I don’t fit a stereotype.

Why Ministers Shouldn't Walk Away From Social Media
-Mark Wingfield

Despite the well-known challenges, it is self-defeating for pastors in particular to declare their moral superiority to everyone else and walk away from social media. We may not like the present reality of how people communicate, but it is the present reality. When we opt out, we remove our voices from the conversation and fail to be informed about what others are doing and saying. 

What gave the Coptic Martyrs such steadfast courage?
-Francis Phillips

I have recently read The 21: A Journey in the Land of Coptic Martyrs by Martin Mosebach, an acclaimed German novelist, essayist and poet. He is a Catholic which makes sense when you read it; his reflections are too perceptive to have been written by someone without religious belief.

His book concerns an event that made worldwide news in February 2015, when 20 Coptic migrant workers from Egypt (the 21st, from Ghana, was “adopted” as a Copt when he chose to die with them) were beheaded on a Libyan beach on 15 February that year by black-clad, masked ISIS terrorists. It wasn’t possible to read the book quickly, or skip sections; this was partly out of respect for the story itself and partly because on nearly every page Mosebach has worthwhile things to say. This is not glib, dramatic or sensational journalism but a sober and insightful investigation into what lay behind the lives of these young men.

Mosebach is essentially asking the question we would all pose when confronting the fact of their martyrdom (it is reported that during their 43-day captivity before their executions they were offered the choice to live if they abjured their faith and embraced Islam but refused): what gave them the courage and the steadfastness to face their gruesome end with such patience and dignity, murmuring “O my Lord Jesus” as the knives were held to their throats? 

Remember Job
-Francis Frangipane

 The story of Job is not only about an innocent man suffering unjustly from a satanic attack; the bulk of the story concerns the suffering Job endured from his three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar (and later Elihu). These men, probably religious scholars of their day, were friends of Job. Yet during his distress they falsely judged him; they became his accusers.

.... Indeed, the book of Job is a portrait of people with a religious mindset who are self-assured they are right, who judge without having truly heard from God.

How the church interacts with a culture that is rapidly moving toward things like gender fluidity or same-sex marriage.  How does the church maintain holiness and still attract the unchurched?
-Carey Nieuwhof (panel discussion video)

(Unfortunate low level audio, with stereo mix)

Carey Nieuwhof, My Story (Leading Change)

Democrats Are Showing Us All Who They Really Are–Let’s Believe ThemPart One: Very Late Term Abortions & Infanticide
 -Brian Cates

We are now living in a unique era in American history. A political party that long ago embraced radical extremism on many issues was able to hide this from much of the public with the help of a mainstream media that was willing to turn itself into that political party’s propaganda arm.

Throughout the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and even into the 2000s, the Democratic Party was able to keep its mask of being a pro-American, mainstream political entity firmly in place. Starting with the election of Barack Obama in 2008, however, that mask began to slip.

The 10 Most Insane Requirements Of The Green New Deal
 -David Harsanyi

It is not hyperbole to contend that GND is likely the most ridiculous and un-American plan that’s ever been presented by an elected official to voters. Not merely because it would necessitate a communist strongman to institute, but also because the societal costs are unfathomable. The risible historic analogies Markey and Ocasio-Cortez rely on, the building of the interstate highway system or moon landing, are nothing but trifling projects compared to a plan that overhauls modernity by voluntarily destroying massive amounts of wealth and technology. That is the GND.

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Photo Credit: Spacebridge by longobord CC 2.0