Weekend Links I Like to Link to

• Because our children don't have enough undue praise: We're all number 1!

That's right, baby-girl. Not only do you get to EAT the cake, you can be the cake! Because that's what you are. You ARE the cake, baby-girl. Don't let nobody tell you otherwise.

h/t to Ypulse

• This guy thinks that: 1) The King James Version of the Bible is the only authentic version of the Bible; 2) pissing against the wall is manly; 3) the editors of such blasphemous modern day translations of the Bible as the New International Version not only don't piss against the wall, they do so sitting down! Shame on the emasculated editors of a translation of the Bible that no one really uses anymore!
  
  
  
  h/t to Terrance Crawford.
  
  
• Samurai Jesus? It's about time! On the rise of Manga depictions of the Bible:

The medium shapes the message. Manga often focuses on action and epic. Much of the Bible, as a result, ends up on the cutting room floor, and what remains is darker...
In "The Manga Bible," whose heroes look and sound like skateboarders in Bedouin gear, Noah gets tripped up counting the animals in the Ark: "That's 11,344 animals? Arggh! I've lost count again. I'm going to have to start from scratch!"

Abraham rides a horse out of an explosion to save Lot. Og, king of Bashan, looms like an early Darth Vader. The Sermon on the Mount did not make the book, though, because there was not enough action to it...

The book is meant to be a first taste of the Bible, which many feel too intimidated to read, Akinsiku said. Every few pages, a small tab refers to the biblical verses the action covers.

"For the unchurched, the book is to show that this thing, the Bible, is still relevant," he said, "because it talks about what human beings do when they encounter God."...

The goal of [niche-marketed] Bibles is not just to win people to Christ, but to particular ways of thinking, said Jason BeDuhn, associate professor of religious studies at Northern Arizona University. Akinsiku said the biblical message he wanted to underscore was justice, especially for the poor.

Again, h/t to Ypulse

• Interesting series at PoMoMusings on the Kingdom of God with guest authors like Brian McLaren, Phyllis Tickle, Ryan Dobson (yes, son of the Doctor James) and Tony Jones giving a fresh, new and - dare I say - for the most part emerging/post-modern spin on a topic that, quite honestly, I did not hear enough of growing up in the church (in fact, I think until the last couple years, mostly I only heard about heaven and/or hell). No one is going to agree with everything here, but these are good thoughts/questions to have. I look forward to reading through them in the coming weeks.
  
  
• Again, via Ypulse: the Choking Game

At least 82 youths have died from the so-called "choking game," according to the first government count of fatalities from the tragic fad.

In the game, children use dog leashes, bungee cords wrapped around their necks or other means to temporarily cut blood flow to their head. The goal is a dreamlike, floating-in-space feeling when blood rushes back into the brain.

As many as 20 percent of teens and preteens play the game, sometimes in groups, according to some estimates based on a few local studies...

CDC officials urged parents to be aware the fad exists, and to watch for possible warning signs like bloodshot eyes, marks on the neck, frequent and severe headaches, disorientation after spending time alone, and ropes, scarves or belts tied to bedroom furniture or doorknobs or found knotted on the floor.

Yeah, I'm still getting over the whole cutting phenom.

• OK, one last one from Ypulse:

Hip-hop duo ATMOSPHERE are... publishing their own children's book.Atmosphere rapper Slug has written the 40-page tome, which will be illustrated by sketches and accompanied by lyrics to the band's songs. The U.S. group will release the book with their new LP When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That S**t Gold later this year. (article, of which I quoted almost the entire thing)

Yessir! And don't forget, little men, to piss against the wall!

• It's like, sometimes you feel the weight of the world. And it's so heavy and it's bringing you down. Oh no. But you, gotta get up, you gotta get up:

Yeah, like that. Thanks, Pigeon John.