I'm still compiling my reflections on last night's IL Forum to Combat Human Trafficking, so in the meantime, how about something lighthearted and funny? I discovered How it Should Have Ended thanks to a Jay Bakker tweet the other day. Needless to say, I've spent a good deal of time watching these videos, showing them …
Is this salvation via consumerism or salvation for consumerism?
Honestly, I just don't know which it is. I suspect the answer, as always, is: both/and. As I tweeted earlier, I bought a t-shirt for a cause today. You can probably tell I'm feeling a bit ambivalent about it. Don't get me wrong. I love Not for Sale. They are doing amazing, important work. In …
Continue reading Is this salvation via consumerism or salvation for consumerism?
Reach globally, gather locally, end slavery
“Jesus said, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me… He sent me to liberate those held down by oppression.’” – Luke 4:18 Now is the time, the time is now...We need to get the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) passed through Congress and signed into law. This week, it’s back to anti-trafficking work. …
Continue reading Reach globally, gather locally, end slavery
Our church welcomes Muslims
I was interviewed recently for an article in Interpreter Magazine, a product of the United Methodist Church. It's the cover article for Sept/Oct and the online version just dropped. Woodridge UMC is one of three churches discussed in the article who are opening their doors to Muslim groups, including for them to worship. Here's a …
Fighting traffick
Learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. – Isaiah 1:17 It’s been a little while since I’ve written about human trafficking, so I think it’s time to correct that. You won’t often find them on the front page, but mainstream media stories about human trafficking (which …
Reference. Context. Inspiration.
Like I said, it's a powerful, moving episode from the greatest TV show of all time. (Apologies to Seinfeld and Battlestar Galactica - you're both incredible, I love you and you round out the top three...but you can't touch number one.)
I can be bothered. I am bothered.
Earlier this week, my friend, Steve Knight, shared a link on Facebook to a blog post by Ed Cyzewski. (Good grief, that’s a tortured sentence. Such is the destructive power of social media.) Ed writes: We still haven’t sought the guidance of female leaders as if the integrity of our witness and the reflection of …
Money wins, natch
Over two weeks ago (which I'm pretty sure makes it about 100 in blog years), Tim Swanson wrote an interesting retrospective on "Boyz N the Hood" which appeared in the Chicago Tribune. (Weirdly, it doesn't seem to exist on the Tribune website.) What I found most interesting was this paragraph, which was the third-to-last one …
Be an advocate. Please.
Summer is winding down, school begins soon for many and the weather is (finally!) outstanding, beautiful and inspiring. If you’re like me, that means your tolerance for reading some long missive from me is basically nil. Yet, the call to incarnate the love of God as experienced in the birth, life, death and resurrection of …
And now for something completely different…
Tired of all the debt ceiling talk? Ready for some good, clean, pure fun? Me too. 670 the Score's Dan Berstein tweeted this today. Enjoy! (How did we ever live without You Tube?!?)
All That I Can't Leave Unsaid 