Category Archives: Everyday Life

Topics related to the world we live in

Obfuscatory Asseveration o’ the Day

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(Don’t expect the “Obfuscatory Asseveration o’ the Day” to be a daily thing.)

“The core of the Christian message is the proclamation of a tectonic shift in cosmic reality inaugurated by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This proclamation radically relativizes all the empirical givens of this world, including all human institutions.” -Peter L. Berger

http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2008/005/10.14.html

I don’t know about you, but I didn’t find those two sentences all that helpful in terms of helping me better understand the core of the Christian message. I think this is what happens when one spends too much time in academia.

Velvet Elvis

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I decided to read Rob Bell’s Velvet Elvis, mainly to see for myself what kind of teaching he lays out.  I wish I could say my review is entirely unbiased, but unfortunately Rob Bell is well known and comes with a reputation.  For someone who values truth and clarity, that reputation is a tarnished reputation.  I’ll do my best to be fair and balanced, point out the good as well as the bad, and not miss the point of the book.

I’m writing this review one chapter at a time as I read the book, so I expect it may be a lengthy review.  Perhaps when I’m done I’ll do a second review that is more of an overall picture instead of an in depth analysis.

INTRO: “Welcome to my Velvet Elvis”

Bell begins the book with the explanation of the title, a Velvet Elvis painting in his basement, representing one artist’s representation of the King.  He explains that the Christian faith is like art, always changing, always a different perspective.  Just like an artist’s attempt to convey something meaningful in a way that connects with his audience, so our faith should adapt and change in order to be relevant to the current generation.

Continue reading →

Give for Free

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How would you like to donate to a cause without actually spending any money? The following sites will make (small) donations to a specific cause when a visitor clicks on a link.

http://www.thebiblesite.org/

At the site, click on the button that looks like this:

After clicking the button, you will be thanked “for your donation of one book of the Bible, which will be provided to a persecuted Christian who has never had their own copy of God’s Word.”

http://www.thehungersite.com

At the site, click on the button that looks like this:

After clicking the button, you’ll see that “you have given the value of 1.1 cups of food to the hungry.”

The Hunger Site is part of the GreaterGood Network operated by CharityUSA.com. Visit either site for links to their family of sites that allow you to make no-cost-to-you donations to charities supporting children’s healthcare, literacy, breast cancer prevention, animal rescue, and rainforest preservation.

Quote of the Day

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(Don’t expect the “Quote of the Day” to be a daily thing.)

“We are now in our fourth consecutive decade in which both of our major political parties are just totally FED UP with Washington. I frankly don’t see how Washington can survive this onslaught much longer.” -Dave Barry

http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/dave-barry/story/672195.html

Downward Mobility

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Google returns about 282,000 results in the English language for the phrase “upward mobility” or “upwardly mobile.”

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines “upwardly mobile” as “advancing or likely to advance in economic and social standing.” This is an important characteristic in our society. There are resources for those who want to be more upwardly mobile, and programs to help others become more upwardly mobile.

The other day my wife and I invited a neighbor over for dinner. “You don’t want to have me over,” he said. “I’m nobody,” he said.

That has stayed with me the last couple of days, particular as we read through Matthew and look at Jesus’ words and actions. “Blessed are the poor in spirit…those who mourn…those who are persecuted,” he said (Matthew 5:3-10).

James 1:27 says that a key component of pure and undefiled religion is to care for orphans and widows in their affliction.

The end of Matthew 25 is a summary of how our Christian life should be marked: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, welcoming strangers, and visiting the sick and imprisoned.

God is most definitely interested in those at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder.

Sometimes it makes me uncomfortable to be around people who are dirty, or needy, or just rough around the edges. “Why haven’t you learned societal norms or practical life skills,” I sometimes wonder in my head. “If I get too involved with you, it will suck up all my time trying to solve your many problems,” I think to myself.

How do I become more comfortable, more at-ease, better able to accept and be accepted by people who seemingly (by worldly standards) have nothing to offer? How do I become more willing to spend my time investing in people who can’t offer much in return? In short, how do I become more downwardly mobile?

Searching the internet for “downward mobility” or “downwardly mobile” yields about 99,600 results. I’m actually surprised to find that many. A lot of the results are articles that deal with how to solve the “problem” of people who find themselves moving “the wrong way” (down) on the socio-economic ladder. A few (here, here, and here) echo some of the sentiments I’ve expressed.

Henceforth, I wish to be a “Mobilite,” modeled after the apostle Paul, who was fine with either poverty or prosperity (Phil. 4:12) and fit in equally with both Jews and Gentiles (1 Cor. 9:21).