The Link 9.11.09: Phoenix Rap, The Admiral’s Faith, and Remembering 9/11

1.  I hadn’t heard much Phoenix rap before this week, but now I have.  And now you can too.  Check out iSix5, a Christian rap out of Phoenix.  A buddy here at TEDS hipped me to them and I liked their stuff.  Straight gospel, good writing, strong beats.  Also, they submit to the leadership of their churches, which means their churches are involved in their music.  That’s terrific.

2. One day after posting about Michael Jordan (who’s about to become a member of the basketball Hall of Fame), I give you a fun story about what it’s like to guard him (and Lebron James).

3. All basketball all the time: here’s a great story about the on and off court impact of outspoken Christian, David Robinson, also joining the HOF.  Jordan was a great ballplayer; Robinson was that (though less so), but most importantly, a great man.  Read this and aspire to it, guys:

Robinson’s priorities now revolve around service. He heads up fundraising for The Carver Academy, remains active in his church and takes a hands-on approach, along with his wife Valarie, in raising three teenage boys.

Amen.

4. This is a great rock song.  If all rock sounded this cool, I would listen to it more.  As it is, with my current level of coolness, I have to listen to hip-hop.  You understand, I’m sure.

5. This is a must-read study of President Obama’s clever rhetorical devices.  Is “defusing” an adjective?  A snippet:

10) Couple attacks on your critics as unworthy hacks with calls for civility. If you favor “a civil conversation,” you can better dismiss your opponents for their “bickering” and “games.”

Another humdinger from Thomas Sowell:

One of the secrets of being a glib talker is not getting hung up over whether what you are saying is true. You must give your full attention to what is required by the audience and the circumstances of the moment, without letting facts get in your way and cramp your style. Obama has mastered that art.

May it never be said of a Christian that we are “glib talker[s].”  Whether people agree or disagree with us, let them never so accuse us of this significant character flaw.

6. We close with a NYT live-blog of the NYC  9/11 remembrance ceremony.  Eight years ago, I still remember exactly where I was when I heard: in the Bowdoin College library.  I still get chills thinking about it.  It is right that we think about 9/11, and it is right that it in some way affects our prayers today.

–Have a great weekend, all.