Seriously, MJ? You're "the light of the world"?
I think not.
10.13.2009
10.11.2009
Out of Africa, Part Two
This week on Listening In, the second part of my conversation with the Rev. Dr. Anthony Steinbronn, who with his family spent a number of years in Africa as missionaries.
This week, the conversation centers around his family's cultural learnings during their time in Africa, and the readjustment that was necessary when they returned to the States. It was a big adjustment for all of them-- especially the kids. Most disconcerting? The amazing number of choices we have, in stores, on television, and on the radio.
Tony talks about how he's grateful that his kids, because of their time in Africa, were and are able to examine the things of this culture with a more critical eye than most. They can take the good from the cultures of Africa and the culture of the States, and leave the bad.
I really had a great time talking with Tony. This is the second of three shows-- there was just too much good stuff to squeeze into only two. Listen in, and let me know what you think.
What are some of the challenges you face, living as a follower of Christ within the culture that surrounds you?
This week, the conversation centers around his family's cultural learnings during their time in Africa, and the readjustment that was necessary when they returned to the States. It was a big adjustment for all of them-- especially the kids. Most disconcerting? The amazing number of choices we have, in stores, on television, and on the radio.Tony talks about how he's grateful that his kids, because of their time in Africa, were and are able to examine the things of this culture with a more critical eye than most. They can take the good from the cultures of Africa and the culture of the States, and leave the bad.
I really had a great time talking with Tony. This is the second of three shows-- there was just too much good stuff to squeeze into only two. Listen in, and let me know what you think.
What are some of the challenges you face, living as a follower of Christ within the culture that surrounds you?
10.04.2009
Out of Africa
This week on Listening In: Out of Africa. Part one of my conversation with Lutheran pastor and missionary, Rev. Dr. Anthony Steinbronn.
We had a great talk a few weeks ago, about the years his family spent in Africa and the impact it had on their lives together, on their practice of the Christian faith as a family and as individuals, and what it was like returning to the United States-- where our secular and religious cultures are very different from those in Africa.
One of the biggest differences between Africa and the US? Our practice of hospitality. Tony and I compared stories of moving around the country and struggling to break into new communities, find friends, make meaningful connections with other Christians.
In Botswana, he pointed out, that wasn't even a possibility. For the African, Tony said, "Time begins when you're with other people." Life doesn't really begin until you're in relationship with others.
The New Testament writers understand this need for hospitality-- because it serves up God's grace in a simple and much-needed way. And it's something, I pointed out to Tony, that perhaps Westerners could do well to learn from our African sisters and brothers in the faith. Hospitality. Welcoming the other, in the name of and for the sake of Jesus Christ.
When's the last time you did that? I know I could use a refresher.
Check out the show-- and let me know what you think!-- then, come back next week for part two of our conversation.
We had a great talk a few weeks ago, about the years his family spent in Africa and the impact it had on their lives together, on their practice of the Christian faith as a family and as individuals, and what it was like returning to the United States-- where our secular and religious cultures are very different from those in Africa.One of the biggest differences between Africa and the US? Our practice of hospitality. Tony and I compared stories of moving around the country and struggling to break into new communities, find friends, make meaningful connections with other Christians.
In Botswana, he pointed out, that wasn't even a possibility. For the African, Tony said, "Time begins when you're with other people." Life doesn't really begin until you're in relationship with others.
The New Testament writers understand this need for hospitality-- because it serves up God's grace in a simple and much-needed way. And it's something, I pointed out to Tony, that perhaps Westerners could do well to learn from our African sisters and brothers in the faith. Hospitality. Welcoming the other, in the name of and for the sake of Jesus Christ.
When's the last time you did that? I know I could use a refresher.
Check out the show-- and let me know what you think!-- then, come back next week for part two of our conversation.
9.28.2009
What does it mean to be human?
I watched "Surrogates" last night. Bruce Willis' latest flick, while maybe not the best movie of the season, has some great action scenes-- and poses some surprisingly insightful questions about what it means to be human.
In a world where humans never leave their homes, and interact only through robotic surrogate bodies (which have been upgraded from their human counterparts in looks and physical abilities), what is the uniquely human experience?
The answers given in the film for that question might seem predictable-- love between spouses, shared grief over the loss of a child. But it's the film's exploration of suffering and death in connection to the human experience that most intrigued me.
Robots don't suffer-- in the movie, there's a great scene where Bruce Willis' surrogate continues pursuing a criminal even after his own arm has been ripped off, and his abdomen is a tangled mess of wires and dripping hydraulic fluid. They don't die-- their operators simply unplug and walk away, leaving their surrogates where they stand, frozen like so many mannequins.
But humans do suffer. Humans do die. And in the film, it's not even questioned why-- it just is a fact of human existence. And it's a good thing.
In the film, there's no redemption from the suffering, except in the shared experience of that suffering with other humans. Bruce Willis' character discovers this as he reconnects with his wife, in the flesh and not through their surrogates.
As a follower of Christ, I know a different redemption-- one that does come through suffering. Not my own suffering, born from my own sin and the brokenness of a sinful world. No. My redemption-- the redemption of the whole entire creation-- comes through the suffering of Jesus Christ upon the cross. His suffering and death is what matters, because it takes the eternal sting out of my own.
There are a couple more themes in Surrogates that I want to process-- such as the "creator" who begins to regret his "creation" and the ethics of surrogate life. There's a big assumption in the film that having surrogates would somehow make the world a safer, less violent place which I completely disagree with.
There's a show somewhere in all of that-- check back later, when I've had a bit more coffee and time to process.
In a world where humans never leave their homes, and interact only through robotic surrogate bodies (which have been upgraded from their human counterparts in looks and physical abilities), what is the uniquely human experience?
The answers given in the film for that question might seem predictable-- love between spouses, shared grief over the loss of a child. But it's the film's exploration of suffering and death in connection to the human experience that most intrigued me.
Robots don't suffer-- in the movie, there's a great scene where Bruce Willis' surrogate continues pursuing a criminal even after his own arm has been ripped off, and his abdomen is a tangled mess of wires and dripping hydraulic fluid. They don't die-- their operators simply unplug and walk away, leaving their surrogates where they stand, frozen like so many mannequins.
But humans do suffer. Humans do die. And in the film, it's not even questioned why-- it just is a fact of human existence. And it's a good thing.
In the film, there's no redemption from the suffering, except in the shared experience of that suffering with other humans. Bruce Willis' character discovers this as he reconnects with his wife, in the flesh and not through their surrogates.
As a follower of Christ, I know a different redemption-- one that does come through suffering. Not my own suffering, born from my own sin and the brokenness of a sinful world. No. My redemption-- the redemption of the whole entire creation-- comes through the suffering of Jesus Christ upon the cross. His suffering and death is what matters, because it takes the eternal sting out of my own.
There are a couple more themes in Surrogates that I want to process-- such as the "creator" who begins to regret his "creation" and the ethics of surrogate life. There's a big assumption in the film that having surrogates would somehow make the world a safer, less violent place which I completely disagree with.
There's a show somewhere in all of that-- check back later, when I've had a bit more coffee and time to process.
8.02.2009
How Does Your Garden Grow?
New show up at The Crossroads Radio Network-- a reflection on the spiritual side of gardening, and how growing my own food has brought me just a little bit closer to Jesus.
Here are some pics from the garden, from seedlings to harvest:
The garden has become a place for quiet reflection and prayer, time spent in God's creation-- getting my hands dirty and working in the soil, keeping the garden beds weed and pest-free, and figuring out what to do when God blesses me with an abundance of cucumbers. Sort of like my own spiritual life. Minus the cucumbers, of course.
St. Paul uses body imagery, not garden imagery-- but I see the growth that happens in our bodies/gardens/faith-lives as following a similar order. He writes in his letter to the Christians in Ephesus, chapter 4:
Each part does its work so that the body of Christ may be built up. So that we might reach unity in the faith. So that we might reach unity in the knowledge of the Son of God. So that we might become mature-- grasping the very fullness of Christ.
God's creation is put together in an amazingly ordered fashion. The seed falls in the ground. The plant begins to grow. As the old Christian hymn goes, based on Jesus' teaching in Mark 4 "First the blade and then the ear, then the full corn shall appear..."
And the amazing thing is that the God of creation, who has ordered the universe and causes seeds to grow-- this same God has ordered my life, and caused faith to grow in my heart. He is the master gardener who tills the soil of my life, plants in me the seed of his word, waters me with his love and forgiveness, and ultimately brings about the harvest of new life in Christ.
I'm looking forward to enjoying the harvest from this year's garden-- and trying my hand at fresh preserving so that we can enjoy the veggies into the winter months. We're already planning for next summer's garden, having learned from this year's first try. And I'll continue to enjoy the quiet reflection my time in the garden offers, as I offer myself up to the care of my Lord, Jesus Christ.
Do you garden? How does your spiritual life connect with your time spent in creation, working the soil? Send me your thoughts at profoundblog[at]gmail.com
Peace!
Here are some pics from the garden, from seedlings to harvest:
The garden has become a place for quiet reflection and prayer, time spent in God's creation-- getting my hands dirty and working in the soil, keeping the garden beds weed and pest-free, and figuring out what to do when God blesses me with an abundance of cucumbers. Sort of like my own spiritual life. Minus the cucumbers, of course.
St. Paul uses body imagery, not garden imagery-- but I see the growth that happens in our bodies/gardens/faith-lives as following a similar order. He writes in his letter to the Christians in Ephesus, chapter 4:
It was [God] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Each part does its work so that the body of Christ may be built up. So that we might reach unity in the faith. So that we might reach unity in the knowledge of the Son of God. So that we might become mature-- grasping the very fullness of Christ.
God's creation is put together in an amazingly ordered fashion. The seed falls in the ground. The plant begins to grow. As the old Christian hymn goes, based on Jesus' teaching in Mark 4 "First the blade and then the ear, then the full corn shall appear..."
And the amazing thing is that the God of creation, who has ordered the universe and causes seeds to grow-- this same God has ordered my life, and caused faith to grow in my heart. He is the master gardener who tills the soil of my life, plants in me the seed of his word, waters me with his love and forgiveness, and ultimately brings about the harvest of new life in Christ.
I'm looking forward to enjoying the harvest from this year's garden-- and trying my hand at fresh preserving so that we can enjoy the veggies into the winter months. We're already planning for next summer's garden, having learned from this year's first try. And I'll continue to enjoy the quiet reflection my time in the garden offers, as I offer myself up to the care of my Lord, Jesus Christ.
Do you garden? How does your spiritual life connect with your time spent in creation, working the soil? Send me your thoughts at profoundblog[at]gmail.com
Peace!
7.24.2009
6.29.2009
Reality Bites
This week on Listening In: "Reality Bites." A conversation with Charlotte about reality TV, humankind's love of gossip, being perpetually stuck in junior high, and how Jesus really is the only hope we have in the face of it all.
Listen live, or on demand at the Crossroads Radio Network.
Listen live, or on demand at the Crossroads Radio Network.
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