Here are some great posts from around the internet this past week. Seriously worth your time to read ‘em…
This one from Jamie Wright - “This Is My Brain On Hugs.” It makes me happy that I’m not the only one in the world who makes hugs completely terrible… Read More
There is a notable trend in the modern church today…
It’s a shift away from the blatant prosperity “God wants you to be rich” teaching towards this modified variation of it: “God wants you to be cool and successful.”
People feel cooler because they attend a cool church with a cool band and a super-cool pastor who hangs out with loads of really cool people.
There’s no need to always be talking about money – that’s passé now… Read More
Does Jesus prefer Pepsi or Coke?
Does Jesus like the Seahawks or the Saints?
Does Jesus answer “Dear baby Jesus” prayers?
Does Jesus really look so Caucasian?
Does Jesus always look so… Read More
In my years of growing up in my church’s youth ministry, I heard this question repeatedly, “Is it Christian?”
It was asked about cassette tapes and then CD’s.
It was asked about video games.
It was asked about movies.
It was asked about roller skating rinks.
If whatever we were evaluating did have the label “Christian” on it, then the green light of acceptability was given and we could enjoy the thing.
If it wasn’t “Christian,” it probably wasn’t going to be acceptable… Read More
In yesterday’s message, “We Fight Fair; We Repair,” we watched a 6 minute clip of the season finale of Derek, the BBC comedy produced by Ricky Gervais. I thought some of you might be interested in seeing the whole thing – so here it is (it’s sort of PG-13)… Read More
Here are a couple of posts I read online this week – I thought they were good and would be worth passing on to you. Check ‘em out…
This post from Micah Murray… Read More
Last week, I noticed this Tweet from a local Christian celebrity:
“I like guns, sports, red meat, cage fighting and yelling. It’s called being a man. Deal with it Seattle.”
Honestly, it annoyed me. Why?
Because it’s a reduced, overly-simplified, single story of what being a real man is all about – and it implies that Seattle-area males fit into a different single story (they’re vegan pansies).
I resist this type of single story because I know it does not represent the whole truth. Not even for the guy tweeting it. I believe he also has a gentle, romantic, peaceful, kind, and compassionate side – that is just as fully “man” as his testosterone-laden self-description.
Here’s how I scored on the 5 things you’re supposed to like in order to be called a man… Read More
Stories are powerful. They draw us in and they make us feel.
The experience of hearing or watching a story is processed in our brains differently than when we simply are given facts.
When we hear facts or read information, it hits our “language processing” parts of the brain where we decode words into meaning. And that’s it. Nothing special happens.
But when we hear a story, something very different happens. Not only are the language processing parts of the brain activated, but also the parts of our brain that we would use if we were actually experiencing the events of the story ourselves.
A good story can put your whole brain to work.
I remember some particularly memorable stories from my growing up years in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s… Read More
This time of year makes me think of a story that happened a few years ago…
Shari and I were on a double date with some friends. After dinner, the date took a nosedive when we ended up at Ross (you know, as in “Dress For Less”). I was trying to make the best of it by finding random, ridiculous items for sale in the store.
The girls walked around the store together, so I stuck with my friend. He found some socks to buy and we stood in line, waiting behind several people. I noticed a bin of VHS movies near the checkout line and one of them caught my eye: 1987’s Buns of Steel workout video… Read More
It is said that after Jacob wrestled with God, he walked with a limp.
So it has been with the Bible and me.
I have wrestled with the Bible, and it has left me with a limp.
But I am glad. I am glad because this limp has slowed me down a bit. It has humbled me. It has forced me to stop running so fast and sure down the path of certainty that I forget to listen, to pay attention, to ask questions, to build altars, to wait… Read More
