Wrong Worship

What is it they say? You laugh to keep from crying, I think it is…?

LOL! – EP

Alone – Traffic Jam benefit concert

The GLOBAL TRAFFIC JAM on 11-11-11 is meeting its projected goal: 300 bands in 30 countries on November 11th, to raise awareness in the fight against child trafficking and slavery. Many more bands and solo artists are welcome to participate. Please let your musicians friends know of this amazing opportunity for exposure, while helping rescue children around the world.

A good friend Kylie B., TV producer and film wizard, did the concert visuals for Nate Feuerstein‘s Alone. My awesome friend and painter, Taryn Trousdale stars!

Alone – Concert Visuals from Kylie B. on Vimeo.

Nate Feuerstein concert details:

Date & Time: Fri Nov 11 11 05:15 PM
Location: Grand Rapids, MI US 2500 Division Ave S, Grand Rapids, MI 49507
Venue: TRAFFIC JAM: Benefit Concert

It was a lot of fun helping out with film-stuff again! -EP

hear, hear!

shallow small group

 

A brilliant take on – as a commenter below says – “what not to do.” Awesome find, Nells! – EP

we need more uninspired christians

cross-posted from Real Spirituality

by Mark Parker

I’ve enjoyed over the past few weeks watching in person or via social media as I and my fellow ministers have experienced and celebrated mountaintop experiences. We have come together in person or virtually to be inspired by some of the best communicators in my fellowship.

But this morning the phone rang.

It was a man in Colorado who works with a Mennonite community there. These people bring the “orphaned” children of prisoners into their home and raise the children while the parents are incarcerated. Upon release, the family that cared for the children helps the parents integrate back into society. And they reunite the parents and children.

I’ve never seen anything about that on Twitter. I’ve never heard of a “take a convicts kid into your home” seminar. Not sure they even know the word missional.

The contrast was disturbing: people humbly changing the lives of “problem” children versus . . . well, versus people just like me:

• Tweeting about helping the poor on a $200 iPhone with a $70/month data plan.
• Working at elite schools and churches while calling for social justice.
• Choking up at pictures of white guys surrounded by happy African children he has just helped in his one-and-done mission trip—ignoring the kids he’s never visited living in the slum he drove past as he went from his suburban home to the airport.

Through books and blogs and tweets and conferences, we never have to leave the mountaintop. We are addicted to inspiration, regardless of how insubstantial. We want to have the emotional rush of being called to something greater, but not have to do the hard stuff to actually be part of that greater thing. As much as I like them, I have to admit that sound bites rarely facilitate the reign of God.

Talk is cheap. Tweets are cheaper. And there are plenty of both to anesthetize me to the reality of hurting children whose parents are incarcerated, or who live in nearby slums, or live anywhere and need Good News.

May we never be satisfied with the allure of mere human inspiration. Let us seek God as he works, and become a part of what he is doing.

****

Reminds me of  Oswald Chambers. -EP –

Worldliness is not the trap that most endangers us as Christian workers; nor is it sin. The trap we fall into is extravagantly desiring spiritual success; that is, success measured by, and patterned after, the form set by this religious age in which we now live.

popular evangelicals discuss the afterlife

by matt mewhorter

Hilarity. -EP

on osama

You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away men’s initiative and independence. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.

-William J. H. Boetcker

For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. – Ezekiel 18:32

Sometimes I forget this — my God is merciful. -EP

UPDATE, 5/13/2011:

Stephen Prothero, author of American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon, says in a CNN blog entry

“Poll on bin Laden’s death reveals a disposable Jesus“

Only 53% of those surveyed say the United States should follow the golden rule and not use any methods on our enemies that we would not want used on our soldiers. Oddly, support for the golden rule in this case was actually lower (47%) among white evangelicals.

In other words, when Jesus said, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12), he didn’t really mean “everything.” He thought there should be an exception in the case of waterboarding your enemies.

One thing that struck me hard while researching my 2003 “American Jesus” book was how malleable Jesus is in the American imagination. Instead of lording over American life, telling us what to do, he seems to be taking orders from us, carrying our water.

Something about our culture has to change… -EP