When I was in Thailand, I saw idols. They were outside bakeries and 7-11s. They would be sitting on shelves behind the cash register at restaurants. Cab drivers glued them to their dashboards and placed pieces of their lunch in front of them. I even saw them outside of brothels when a group of us did a prayer walk through the Red Light district in Bangkok. I watched as women offered food to these small statues surrounded by incense before…
There’s a scale in our bathroom. Every time I go in there to take a shower or do my business, I look at it and think, “I wonder what number would come back up at me if I were to stand on that thing.” Over the last year, it has brought nothing but depressing results. Beginning with the time that we went to weekly services last April, I’ve gained 20 lbs. I don’t like getting heavier for a variety of…
Gary Anderson says sin has a history. He’s not talking about the history of our personal sin — why we did it or what it’s enduring effects were. He’s talking about the history of the way we talk about sin. He says this is evident by the change of metaphors that are used to describe/define sin in the Old Testament. He explains why this is significant by employing the philosophical thought of Riccouer, who argues that the meaning of words…
An article asserting the superiority of Chinese mothers in comparison to their western counterparts has been making the rounds recently. I’ve had it emailed to me and I’ve seen friends posting it to their facebook walls. You can read the article “Why Chinese Mothers are Superior” online. The article is written by a Chinese mother (who happens to also be a Yale Law School professor and author) named Amy Chua. In the article she anecdotally argues for the superiority of…
“I would rather do the dishes, clean the house or any other chore than give our kids a bath.” That was me just a few months ago explaining why I wanted Mary to bathe our kids. I wasn’t lamenting bath time because I disliked the actual bathing of our kids. It wasn’t the crying and complaining that inevitably comes when I say, “it’s time to wash your hair.” I wasn’t avoiding it because I didn’t like washing, drying, lotion-ing up,…
Every year we celebrate Advent. We celebrate the coming of Christ to save the world. The only problem is he didn’t save the world and he doesn’t save me in the way I’d hoped. He doesn’t fix my problems. He doesn’t remove my pain. He doesn’t make life easier so I can live it the way I want. The real saving that happens is the saving that God intended to do from the very beginning. It’s a salvation of presence….
We’ve just started our series on identity and last week I preached on how what we believe shapes our identity. In preparation, I did some research on what Americans believe. It turns out someone has tried to categorize and synthesize a framework of belief commonly held by youth and young adults in America. After doing hundreds of phone interviews with teenagers for his book Soul Searching and then more research with young adults for his book Souls in Transition, he…
We are beginning a new series at New City this Sunday. I’m excited for it. It’s about identity, value and worth. We will look at three central areas of our identity with the goal of answering the question, “Who Are You?” In preparing for this week’s sermon, I came across this powerful Merton quote on being and doing. Enjoy. All men seek peace first of all with themselves. That is necessary, because we do not naturally find rest even in…
Last week, late night (fake) news hosts, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert announced their upcoming rallies to be held on 10.30.10. Stewart announced his rally first. The Rally to Restore Sanity is for people who think all this passionate dialogue about politics has gotten a bit too crazy. Colbert countered with his March to Keep Fear Alive, because he thinks we should stay afraid. After all, reason is just one letter away from treason. I agree with Colbert. Reason is…
I just came across an article about a male Gordon-Conwell student (the seminary I attended) who allegedly broke into a female student’s dorm room and setup a video camera with the intent of filming her. You can read about it on the Boston Herald or the Salem News sites. I feel badly for this young woman. I can’t imagine the feeling of invasion of privacy and the lingering effects of this incident. I also feel badly for the student that broke…