Category Archives: culture

“…after seeing plenty of poor folks forced into economic crimes by their poverty, and after seeing plenty of rich folks so content in their riches that they forget that they need God or anyone else, I think we are all ready for something new.”
– Shane Claiborne, The Irresistible Revolution, (p. 172)

Read Proverbs 30:8-9

I live in a rich town. I am struck by this quote and how the Proverb speaks to me in this culture of wealth…

there is a big question being discussed on the John Templeton Foundation website… if you would like to consider some thoughtful answers to the question “Does the universe have purpose?” click here

(thanks Steve A. for the tip from the New York Times)

((several days till the 2nd birthday of Kingdom Travelin))

My job is in a high school. I try to teach seniors about God. I have been saying for a good deal of time that quite often, the reason so many young people “leave” the faith (Christian… uh.. evangelical-?ish??) in college is because it was not a real faith of their own to them to start with. This book I’m reading speaks to the point of this topic:

“I would suggest that in most cases he has not forsaken his faith. In reality, his faith was the faith of his parents; he simply lived within its limits while he was still at home. When he went away to school and those restraints were removed, his true heart was revealed. He had not internalized the faith. He had not entrusted himself to Christ in a life-transforming way. He did the “Christian” things he was required to do at home, but his actions did not flow from a heart of worship. In the college culture, he had nothing to anchor him, and the true thoughts and motives of his heart led him away from God. College was not the cause of his problem. It was simply the place where his true heart was revealed. The real problem was that faith never took root in his heart.” (Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, p.64)

I have not heard this stated quite as succinctly as this. This is what I have observed and suspected for a long time but not read put quite this way. Herein is the answer to seek to reach hearts with the Gospel. Nothing new here, just affirmation of what we knew to be true. I just wish I could generate some conversation about this. Maybe I can get something started through Facebook with some twenty-somethings. I would love to hear the agreements and disagreements from people who are close to this topic and have been there recently.

Driving home this afternoon from our GREAT retreat, I was thinking what a busy fall I’m in the middle of… the beginning of school, the bi-annual retreat, next up is interims (ugh), football games, a wedding to do in Oct, a CEO meeting in Oct. to get ready for in mid-Oct, a CEO trip to get ready for… man, it’ll be Nov. before I get to breathe…

I cleaned out my inbox, SO, I get this email from a friend. A fwd… (have I ever mentioned how annoyed I get at some fwds?) I often delete fwds, but I looked at this one. It was about British Muslims and the hatred that surrounds them. They carried placards of real hate. I was shocked and concerned. I invested some time researching this issue and discovered that most of the stuff out there is from “anti-” groups, either anti-God, anti-Muslim, anti-liberal, or anti-something. It was saddening. I wrote my friend that only the work of Jesus in hearts or His return will bring this to an end.

…sort of related…

From MSN.COM, “Greenspan charts our economic course in ‘The Age of Turbulence.” Who is Greenspan kidding? Please tell me an “age” during the existence of the human that WASN’T an ‘age of turbulence’?

next post will have some quotes from the talks at the retreat…