Searching for Meaning and Purpose...

As I look at all the ways the government is moving in to "take care of the 'least of these,'" I'm struck by some of the unintended consequences. Do the poor need an advocate? Yes! Do they need people to actually "do" something? Absolutely! Is faith shown by what we do? It needs to be! But, if the government steps in (a la healthcare, welfare, etc.) what does it actually do to the people who receive help? What kind of culture does it create? What unintended consequences do these people with good intentions create? First, if you look at the end result of welfare at its extremes there are two choices: become successful and get off welfare or become entitled to a lifestyle beyond your means and never do anything. Now, if you ask anyone in a major relief organization who works with people (for instance, World Vision's Haiti team), they set definite timetables and expectations. In fact, World Vision already has a date when they will no longer be...

Have you ever read a book and felt like it had been specifically written just for you, just for right now? I just finished Steering Through Chaos by Scott Wilson, and it is that kind of book! Some of the principles are familiar to someone who seems to continually be in churches that are transitioning, but some of the things he says are new, fresh, and extremely timely. Right now we're in the process of trying to revitalize a church in decline because they had been comfortable with the way they had done things and not put any thought towards the future. In fact, there was so little forward thought that the building itself is falling apart (in many cases, very literally!) because nothing had been done to change it since the '60's. Now, as their youth and worship pastor, I find myself in the middle of the transitional process as one of the major reasons we are transitioning is the contemporary service I head! If that service wasn't growing there would be no need to ...

I've been astounded at the lack of tolerance exhibited by those who claim to be tolerant. First, there was a hubbub over the Focus on the Family ad that ran during the Super Bowl: Now the same folks are mad about another simple ad that was subsequently yanked by the NCAA because they're apparently afraid of looking intolerant!. Wait, aren't these some of the same people who rail against censorship (like, every professor at every university in the NCAA), or is that just me? Oops, didn't mean to poke that hole in their bubble of illogical thought... Here's a simple question: why does a positive message from a group (any group) become something objectionable? I mean, if a group of GLBT people got together and released the same kind of ad, would the NCAA yank it because it is objectionable to people of certain faiths? Or better yet, if and Islamic family group posted a similar ad would there be the same kind of outcry against their "homophobic, anti-woman...