The Latest
Monday, August 11th, 2008Read it here first: The latest ministry update.

Read it here first: The latest ministry update.
Great Comission vs. Field of Dreams. Sort of.
A great read on Disabled Christianity, both in terms of reaching & serving those with disabilities, as well as, for that matter, anyone.
“The passage states, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit…” …It doesn’t say, “Sit here and wait in Galilee and people will come.” It says go to the nations.
I am confident that relates to persons with disabilities as they are just members of the nations. We should go to them as we would go to any other member of the nations and invite them in. Jesus’ command is “Go” not “Build it and they will come” or “We will serve them if they come to us.”
There is a big difference between going and sitting and waiting.”
As proverbial wisdom teaches:
The one who states their case first seems right,
until another comes and states theirs.
This is a controversy clash that won’t go away.
“…allowing same-sex couples to force religious individuals or organizations to act out of accord with their faith is not cost-free either. Their dignity is no less affected. Unless claims rooted in equal protection under the law are to sweep away claims rooted in freedom of religion, a more sensitive balancing approach is essential…
If past rulings are any guide, it is religious rights that are likely to be “obliterated” by an emerging popular majority supporting same-sex relationships — and it seems unlikely that the California courts will intervene. That’s a shame.”
From opinions article in LA Times, contributed by Marc D. Stern - general counsel of the American Jewish Congress and a contributor to a forthcoming book, “Same-Sex Marriage and Religious Liberty.”
I know, for some of you this is the “way - too - late - where - have - all - my - photos - of - Isa - been” edition.

“Jesus was not just one more character in history, however important—rather, he was and is the founder of a new history, a new humanity, a new way of being human.”
-Douglas Wilson
Urban. Young Men. Students. Bonding. Incarnational. Relevant.
Based on a conglomeration of these things, I’ve been ushered into a on-the-fly introduction to hip-hop over the last month or two. In my own opinion, I’m about a decade slow (if not more) in this whole arena, but hey, the turtle beat the hare, so I’ve got a chance.
And since I’m serious about learning, I’ve attached (more…)
“In marriage God puts two people in a relationship that pushes all their unspoken beliefs and longings to the surface. This is the only way these things can be seen and dealt with… It is a very effective crucible. Sadly, half of all married Christians fail to understand this, and they jump ship.”
Russell Willingham - Author of Relational Masks
I have some birthday reflections to share as I prepare for my balding & gray-bearded future (someday, not today), but I wanted to link to a friend’s post on age-old question about “Why do bad things happen to good people?” I appreciate Eddy’s mind and the thoughts that he has added to this topic. Among several points, he puts forward that:
God is sovereign and is in control and has power over evil. Such a conclusion does not require (more…)
Read more about it in this week’s update.

“The church must face challenges such as the problem of ethnocentrism: The church of Christ surpasses all boundaries, but its members tend to stay within them and avoid the challenge of multi-ethnicity. Very often the church is good in giving abstract explanations of reality, but when it comes to the practical aspects, it tends to be conservative – thus failing to turn theory into practice.”
- Israel Peter Mwakyolile, author
Kathy Hernandez has an provocative post on this. She says:
Unlike a missionary, who may help indigenous people start their own businesses as a way to be self-sufficient, these businesses are designed to make money for the church. Assuming that the church pays appropriate taxes for their for-profit arms, it sounds like a good way for a church to raise money to do other good works besides just hitting up their members. (See the Wall Street Journal article The Backlash Against Tithing for why that’s getting tougher.)
And yet, something about this rubs me the wrong way. Perhaps it’s because it dilutes the mission of the church, or because it makes the church look like an exclusive investment club. Or perhaps it seems like a risky use of funds, but then again many churches by definition are a risky use of funds. It also bugs me that the church would compete against locals whom they seek to serve.
Weigh in with your thoughts.

• Laker’s pummel the Suns 119-98… and on the road, no less.
• Accent from the customer service rep. that I spoke with on the phone this morning - “Nueh Yeark”
• Isabel in bed by 9pm without any drama.
“If you want to go fast, go alone.
If you want to go far, go together.”
- African proverb
When I began full-time, vocational ministry, fundraising seemed to be - if I can share quite honestly - (more…)
