CHICAGO, IL (April 1, 2016) — Many Covenanters routinely share links to social media articles and videos with one another that Covenant News Service believes may be of interest to others. Each Friday we post five of them. Following is a sample of those submissions—their inclusion does not represent an endorsement by the Covenant of any views expressed.

Arms and the American West

The author in this conservative publication posits that people who argue for their Second Amendment right to own guns are more influenced by cowboy mythology than by the historical document.

From the article: “Guns have their best advocate in the cowboy of old. He is still one of our central heroic figures, though a flawed one, and his erstwhile reliance on weaponry is still romanticized. We see his influence on everything from modern individual ideas of defense of the homestead to our leaders’ conduct in foreign affairs.”

What Would Jesus Craft?

Ross MacDonald has put together What Would Jesus Craft?: 30 Simple Projects for Making a Blessed Home, a mix of satire and fondness for his childhood experiences in the church. If you are a DIY person considering your next project, you might find an idea for your next conversation piece here. Whether you believe the book is blasphemous or on-point is in the eye of the beholder.

From the article: “There’s the ‘Time-to-Obey-the-Lord Clock,’ a slice of tree trunk where Jesus’ hands point to the word ‘pray’ at every hour. And there’s the ‘Eye-See-You-in-Hell Mirror,’ a giant, mosaic reflective eyeball framed with the words, ‘Missed seeing you at church last Sunday.’ ”

Late Sleepers Are Tired of Being Discriminated Against. And Science Has Their Back.

We should not take this lying down. Note to my boss: I’d like to change my hours because this job is killing me.
From the article: “But most striking to me wasn’t the health implications of messing with your clock. It was the stigma late sleepers feel in a society ruled by early risers. Simply put: These late sleepers are tired of being judged for a behavior they cannot easily control. If they can’t change their sleep patterns, maybe society should become more accepting of them.”

Also, the article also includes a video on why you should drink coffee right before you take a nap.

Street View Guy Traveled 500,000 Kilometers to Capture Thailand’s Countryside

A Thai triathlete named Panupong Luangsa-ard spent two years traveling through his country and taking photos for Google’s Street View service. It is estimated he traveled an estimated 500,000 kilometers (more than 310,000 miles), walking about 500 kilometers (310 miles) of it with a large camera contraption strapped to his back. The article includes images of the photographer doing his job, as well as what he photographed.

From the article: “While collecting just the tea plantations and strawberry fields, he burned through four pairs of shoes.”

The Hidden Psychology of Failure

Now there is scientific evidence that if you fail fast and often while seeking to innovate there is a good chance that your business is on the way to success. Although the report focuses largely on specific industries, especially software development, the idea also can hold true for the church, which must keep adapting to a changing world and which too often reflects the rest of the world in its fear of failure.

From the article: “Failing isn’t bad for business. It just leads to something else happening, which, if carried out correctly builds upon that failure.… Even the mighty Apple had its share of failures, such as its early hand-held computer, The Newton, which Steve Jobs swiftly killed off.”