FRIDAY FIVE: Underappreciated Presidents, St. Augustine, Dash Cam, Cold War Pod, Paul David Tripp

Here’s a quick recap how the Friday Five is formatted for your viewing/reading pleasure.

1. Three Martini Lunch Hilariously Reviews America’s Underappreciated Presidents. Jim Geraghty and Greg Corombos, hosts of the Three Martini Lunch, brilliantly review America’s underappreciated Presidents. I won’t ruin it for you as you just need to give it a listen–but I will say their assessment of President’s Logan’s presidency is spot on. Better yet, you need to subscribe to their podcast. It’s probably the funniest political pods in existence, and the President’s Day edition didn’t disappoint.

2. How a Fifth-Century Church Father Saved My Faith. Over at the Gospel Coalition, Alisa Childers, wrote a moving piece a few weeks ago detailing how Augustine’s Confessions renewed her faith in God. In her column, she writes, “In Augustine, I met a man so impassioned with love for God that his soul seemed to bleed every word on to the page. I discovered a man who lived centuries before me, but articulated a commitment to Jesus that felt so current and familiar that I could have written it myself.” It’s a great read and worth five minutes to understand her story and Augustine’s continuing impact.

3. Z-Edge Dash Cam Front & Rear Touch Screen Dual Dash Cam. Korean drivers are on the whole the worst drivers I have encountered. I have shared the roadways with a wide range of international drivers including Iraqis, Poles, Romanians, Kuwaitis, Germans, French, Belgians, Mexicans, and Californians, so I feel like I have a leg to stand on here. Several friends recommended we install dual dash cams in our vehicles to protect us in case of an accident while we live in the Republic of Korea. Because Korea’s economy soared in a short amount of time with US and other massive foreign direct investment after the war, Korean roads were inundated with automobiles. However, the Koreans did not have decades of automotive safety customs and courtesies to build on in contrast to many countries in the west. Korea transformed from a mostly agrarian society prior to the Korean War to a rapidly industrialized nation. As a result, the people didn’t have the luxury of developing safe driving practices and disciplines. Their drivers often function like wild west cowboys on wheels. The thinking often goes like, “Red light? Meh, no problem. I’ll blast through it, and as long as I don’t hit anyone, I’m good.” Anyways, this dash cam on Amazon is only $150, relatively easy for car mechanics to install, and very user friendly. It can work as sort of a back up camera too. You can also save an additional $40 if you apply the coupon before adding it to your cart.

4. The Cold War: What We Saw. Bill Whittle and the Esoteric Radio team have once again put forth an outstanding podcast. This FREE multi-part series is especially relevant as Bernie Sanders appears to be headed to victory in the Democratic party primary fight. Sanders represents the Soviet collectivist ideology that America resisted for 50 years during the Cold War. It’s an excellent history of the Cold War and worth a listen. I give it five stars.

5. Paul David Tripp Explains How Confession and Humility Lead to Hope. “Confessing weakness is the doorway to hope. It marks the end of self-reliance and the beginning of letting grace do in you what you could never do for yourself or on your own.”