Hey guys,
A couple of my friends and I are putting together a conference for university age(ish) students for next year. Before we get too into it though, we need to know what people our age want in a conference. So we've put together a survey-- if you could take a couple seconds (literally) to fill it out...that would be great.
http://www.freesurveysonline.com/fso/AskSurvey.fso?Survey=5875&CheckID=5293
Thanks!
Monday, May 23, 2005
Sunday, May 15, 2005
just a quote
I found this quote today..."When you're on a really long voyage, you have to get beyond asking, "Are we there yet?" and instead start asking, "Are we making progress?" -- Brian Mclaren
Something to think about.
Something to think about.
Friday, May 13, 2005
Groundhog Day
I remember getting my sweet little car in 2001, at which point that tiny racer was 13 years old. The first question people ask when you bought a car in high school was either: so what kind of rims are you going to get? or the classic: what kind of stereo you got in that thing? In some strange post-fall way, these questions provided us with a sense of worth.
A feeble attempt to buy friends left many of us with little cash in the old bank account and an overpriced cd player in the dashboard. I was having this conversation about a week ago with a couple friends from school, discussing how odd it seems now to have found value (even if we wouldn't have admitted it at the time) in a frame of metal (aka: my mustang, which alas has become its most vicious nickname- a rustang). Not that I don't desperately seek the approval of others now but maybe its in different way, in fact I know it is. Now it's in the approval of the reading material on my bookshelf or in wanting someone to ask what I got on my term paper (upon occasion..) or the classic, 'so, how many goals you score that game?'... (a question that was severely lacking this past year). All of this to say that I'm still trying to figure out this whole finding my complete value in and only in Christ- thing. I'm still learning...after all that money spent...
It's a learning curve that involves starting over everyday. I remember speaking with a good friend at camp last summer about the Christian life and how when I was young I thought "its easy to be a Christian when you're older, it just happens"...I didn't think that "I'll just be a Christian when I'm older and not be one now" but it just seemed easier. One of the biggest things I'm reminded of every single day of my life that sometime between the time I close my eyes at night and open them in the a.m, my life has started over. It's like this strange version of Groundhog Day because I'm given the chance to try another day at life. It's not totally the same because the people change, the setting changes but the purpose and the idea that today I either live the life I'm called to or I don't....the choice is there every morning.
I guess I thought there'd be a lot more continuity in the Christian life but bless the Lord that it's new everyday. This is one of the good parts about being a Christian...if yesterday I screwed it up...today is brand new. Now, I've heard it said that that is the greatest part of being a Christian-- 'there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.."etc, but lets be honest here, I don't think the point of that passage was a "get out of sin free card"... No-- God still desires personal holiness everyday, but the good part is that everyday is a new opportunity embrace the life we're called to.
From A to B...but I'm not sure how I got here. I hope you all are well.
A feeble attempt to buy friends left many of us with little cash in the old bank account and an overpriced cd player in the dashboard. I was having this conversation about a week ago with a couple friends from school, discussing how odd it seems now to have found value (even if we wouldn't have admitted it at the time) in a frame of metal (aka: my mustang, which alas has become its most vicious nickname- a rustang). Not that I don't desperately seek the approval of others now but maybe its in different way, in fact I know it is. Now it's in the approval of the reading material on my bookshelf or in wanting someone to ask what I got on my term paper (upon occasion..) or the classic, 'so, how many goals you score that game?'... (a question that was severely lacking this past year). All of this to say that I'm still trying to figure out this whole finding my complete value in and only in Christ- thing. I'm still learning...after all that money spent...
It's a learning curve that involves starting over everyday. I remember speaking with a good friend at camp last summer about the Christian life and how when I was young I thought "its easy to be a Christian when you're older, it just happens"...I didn't think that "I'll just be a Christian when I'm older and not be one now" but it just seemed easier. One of the biggest things I'm reminded of every single day of my life that sometime between the time I close my eyes at night and open them in the a.m, my life has started over. It's like this strange version of Groundhog Day because I'm given the chance to try another day at life. It's not totally the same because the people change, the setting changes but the purpose and the idea that today I either live the life I'm called to or I don't....the choice is there every morning.
I guess I thought there'd be a lot more continuity in the Christian life but bless the Lord that it's new everyday. This is one of the good parts about being a Christian...if yesterday I screwed it up...today is brand new. Now, I've heard it said that that is the greatest part of being a Christian-- 'there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.."etc, but lets be honest here, I don't think the point of that passage was a "get out of sin free card"... No-- God still desires personal holiness everyday, but the good part is that everyday is a new opportunity embrace the life we're called to.
From A to B...but I'm not sure how I got here. I hope you all are well.
Sunday, May 08, 2005
conversation starters...
Ah yes, another mothers day. A day to celebrate those wonderful women (in my case named Linda) who we have come to know as 'Mom'. In the Lewis household it is also a day to bring Grandma over and invite the rest of the relatives to pay homage to the woman who birthed them. In the living room of the Lewis homstead, the roundtable discussion lingered around road construction and the people who had recently died (as per usual) when someone suddenly remembered that the hot gossip around town was that a gay choir would be performing at a local church next week.
Dear Lord, the things you hear when children have been raised on Jerry Falwellish propoganda. And so, the debate turned from this choir to the institution of gay marriage (which everyone was against...including me...not sure if i needed to say that but just for clarifications sake) and then back to the gay choir. At this point I hadn't said anything and then it came out from my 80 year old great aunt-- What does the preacher think? I scanned the room for someone who resembled a minister but with no clerical collars in sight I realised that the question was directed towards me.
And so I began to talk about gay marriage and pointed out that I think that we see more emphasis on the poor and social justice in the Bible than on what to do about homosexual marriage, but for some reason we're not having a heated discussion about why millions of children die from AIDS in Africa each year. The conclusion of my little speech ended with a statement "i don't know why we're so focussed on this and not other things"--to which i heard an alarming response from another person present "do you want the homosexuals to take over the country?".
Silence.
In my head i'm thinking, 'what?, what does that even mean?'. Luckily someone noticed that they were late for another family gathering and had to get going which broke up the conversation, but i'm still thinking about what it means. I have a feeling that a generation is rising that is not going to parade a gay choir in front of a church like some sort of solidarity statement but is also not going to protest outside of the church where a gay choir is performing. A generation who isn't afraid of homosexuals taking over the country because we're confidentent that love is the greatest commandment, not correction or rebuke. If we're living out this love then fear mongering or prejudice isn't even an option. Maybe, just maybe we'll be the generation who sit the gay choir beside the guy who cheats on his income taxes, or the person who struggles with alchoholism or lust, or sit him beside me...or you.
Dear Lord, the things you hear when children have been raised on Jerry Falwellish propoganda. And so, the debate turned from this choir to the institution of gay marriage (which everyone was against...including me...not sure if i needed to say that but just for clarifications sake) and then back to the gay choir. At this point I hadn't said anything and then it came out from my 80 year old great aunt-- What does the preacher think? I scanned the room for someone who resembled a minister but with no clerical collars in sight I realised that the question was directed towards me.
And so I began to talk about gay marriage and pointed out that I think that we see more emphasis on the poor and social justice in the Bible than on what to do about homosexual marriage, but for some reason we're not having a heated discussion about why millions of children die from AIDS in Africa each year. The conclusion of my little speech ended with a statement "i don't know why we're so focussed on this and not other things"--to which i heard an alarming response from another person present "do you want the homosexuals to take over the country?".
Silence.
In my head i'm thinking, 'what?, what does that even mean?'. Luckily someone noticed that they were late for another family gathering and had to get going which broke up the conversation, but i'm still thinking about what it means. I have a feeling that a generation is rising that is not going to parade a gay choir in front of a church like some sort of solidarity statement but is also not going to protest outside of the church where a gay choir is performing. A generation who isn't afraid of homosexuals taking over the country because we're confidentent that love is the greatest commandment, not correction or rebuke. If we're living out this love then fear mongering or prejudice isn't even an option. Maybe, just maybe we'll be the generation who sit the gay choir beside the guy who cheats on his income taxes, or the person who struggles with alchoholism or lust, or sit him beside me...or you.
Sunday, May 01, 2005
channel surfing fiasco
It's been a while since i last blogged. I could attribute it to the final push of papers/exams that took place but honestly I really wasn't inspired to write, until tonight.
I'm back at home for an extended period for the first time in 2 years. A funny thing happens to me when I'm at home- I watch a whole lot more t.v. I hate t.v. most times and really just watch sports and Seinfeld during the year but at home I'm always reminded what kind of retarded things are on t.v.
Tonight I swore at this stupid little box that sat 3 feet away from me. Normally I don't swear but tonight a couple of people deserved it (if ever someone deserved to be sworn at...). Firstly, this woman on CNN told America that cheating on your spouse was a natural instinct of human beings and that she doesn't feel guilt for ruining someone's life, in fact she expects people to have ramped sex because its 'only natural'. You know those times when you feel God's heart break? I almost threw up.
The second time I swore at the t.v. happened about 5 minutes later when I was flipping through the channels and came to BET where some white guy (ironic?) was quoting scripture. Interesting I thought-- and then his book flashed across the screen, "How to be Rich and Have Everything You Ever Wanted". You *&^% #$%*&", I said. Prosperity gospel also makes me sick. Of all of the things to preach on this guy is telling a gullible generation of single moms that these 7 steps (1- do more, 2- think more etc...seriously, these are the steps...) will literally cause them to be millionaires, because a millionaire is the desire of God for each believer.
I have trouble believing this. In fact, like I said, it makes me sick. Now, I have nothing against tangible blessings in a persons life.--to whom much is given, much is expected...but to say that a person should not be content with their state and should try to become a millionaire--as if that is some kind of desirable lifestyle--i think is a big mistake. after all, it is harder for a camel to enter through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Was Jesus pulling our legs on this one?
Now, maybe, just maybe this guy should be more concerned about being rich... and how not to be rich. I hope one day he writes a book called - 'how to give up everything you ever owned and still be happy'? To me, that sounds more like the gospel of Jesus than any word spoken on BET tonight. This guy on t.v. and Rich Ruler could have been friends. If only Jesus would have told the Rich Ruler that to inherit eternal life he had to follow 7 steps that would lead to vast reaches and the achievementt of his life long dreams. Why is it that materialism has taken the place of social action, of helping the poor, the widow, the orphan--no, instead this guy wants everyone to have a yacht. I would sadly expect this attitude from Hollywood or maybe at Times Square but from someone with the Word of God? Lord help us.
Well, that was a nice little rant to begin the month of May.
I'm back at home for an extended period for the first time in 2 years. A funny thing happens to me when I'm at home- I watch a whole lot more t.v. I hate t.v. most times and really just watch sports and Seinfeld during the year but at home I'm always reminded what kind of retarded things are on t.v.
Tonight I swore at this stupid little box that sat 3 feet away from me. Normally I don't swear but tonight a couple of people deserved it (if ever someone deserved to be sworn at...). Firstly, this woman on CNN told America that cheating on your spouse was a natural instinct of human beings and that she doesn't feel guilt for ruining someone's life, in fact she expects people to have ramped sex because its 'only natural'. You know those times when you feel God's heart break? I almost threw up.
The second time I swore at the t.v. happened about 5 minutes later when I was flipping through the channels and came to BET where some white guy (ironic?) was quoting scripture. Interesting I thought-- and then his book flashed across the screen, "How to be Rich and Have Everything You Ever Wanted". You *&^% #$%*&", I said. Prosperity gospel also makes me sick. Of all of the things to preach on this guy is telling a gullible generation of single moms that these 7 steps (1- do more, 2- think more etc...seriously, these are the steps...) will literally cause them to be millionaires, because a millionaire is the desire of God for each believer.
I have trouble believing this. In fact, like I said, it makes me sick. Now, I have nothing against tangible blessings in a persons life.--to whom much is given, much is expected...but to say that a person should not be content with their state and should try to become a millionaire--as if that is some kind of desirable lifestyle--i think is a big mistake. after all, it is harder for a camel to enter through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Was Jesus pulling our legs on this one?
Now, maybe, just maybe this guy should be more concerned about being rich... and how not to be rich. I hope one day he writes a book called - 'how to give up everything you ever owned and still be happy'? To me, that sounds more like the gospel of Jesus than any word spoken on BET tonight. This guy on t.v. and Rich Ruler could have been friends. If only Jesus would have told the Rich Ruler that to inherit eternal life he had to follow 7 steps that would lead to vast reaches and the achievementt of his life long dreams. Why is it that materialism has taken the place of social action, of helping the poor, the widow, the orphan--no, instead this guy wants everyone to have a yacht. I would sadly expect this attitude from Hollywood or maybe at Times Square but from someone with the Word of God? Lord help us.
Well, that was a nice little rant to begin the month of May.
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