Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Another main theme of the gathering was what a great witness it would be to the world if they saw Christians have healthy, loving friendships between women and men. As Jim Henderson later commented, “It would be powerful for the church to actually ‘lead’ this conversation but I don’t
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Friendship Between Men and Women: Sacred Friendship Gathering, Part 3
Part 1 Part 2 One woman at the gathering shared that virtually all the men she spoke to, including some respectable guys, said that “all men are alley cats”. (I take “alley cat” to mean that the person can’t control their sexual desire and will always indulge themselves when the opportunity presents itself.) This was
Do You Vote Out of Fear?
Fortunately in this country, we can vote without fear of being shot for selecting the wrong candidate. However it’s still possible to vote in fear. Do you vote for something, or against something else? I get the impression that many people vote based on a fear of the “other team” winning more than on supporting
Friendship Between Men and Women: Sacred Friendship Gathering, Part 2
Part 1 One point of emphasis from the conference was in the need for people—Christians especially—to understand that friendships between men and women are actually possible and healthy. One single woman shared about how she had kept men at a distance in order to try and “guard her heart”. She later realized that she was
Friendship Between Men and Women: Sacred Friendship Gathering, Part 1
This past weekend I attended the Sacred Friendship Gathering. There was so much goodness squeezed into 24 hours that it was—and is—difficult to take it all in and comprehend all of what happened. First of all, I want to express how impressed I was with the group of people who assembled there (close to fifty
Being Loved
I’d like to suggest that being loved is an action. However, I think it is commonly viewed as a state of being instead. Our perception is that if we have friends and family then we are in a state of being loved. But I’m suggesting this isn’t quite right. I think being loved is something
Does Your Theology Distance God?
I think I may have figured out one reason I’m turned off people start talking about popular theology (or at least one popular theological viewpoint). I feel that a lot of popular theology seems to have to do with being impressed with God from afar. It’s kind of like if someone were to talk about
Shrewd as Snakes: Condescension as Cover for Insecurity
Going along with my previous post, while it might appear that the one condemning others may be boldly standing against sin, this is ironically a sign of insecurity. A person who is insecure about how good they are may try to show the faults of others to “prove” that others are no better. A person
Shrewd as Snakes: Condemning Sin or Belittling Others?
Sometimes the biggest problem with a message isn’t the main point itself. The overall message may be right and true. However the speaker or author can make major errors along the way. Many wrongs can be hidden in this way, but the ends does not justify the means. Most people miss these problems, yet they
Shrewd as Snakes: Forceful Messages
There are some messages I have heard which might be described as powerful, strong, or forceful. There is a world of difference between a message which is powerful because it boldly speaks the truth, and one which seems strong because of the aggressiveness of the messenger. This is a very dangerous situation, because a convincing