4 Questions for Your Attention
4 Questions for Your Attention So much information, so little time. We’re saturated with information today. How do we take it all in? What do we do with it? On the heels of our nation’s birthday, how does all this information affect what kind of citizens we will be? As believers, just what should be our attitude toward knowledge? Attention, Knowledge, and Citizenship Megan Garber of The Atlantic quotes Tim Wu, a law professor at Columbia Law School and the author of...
Read MoreUnity in a Divisive Age: A Life Hidden in Christ
The Unity of A Life Hidden in Christ In an era that requires living life out loud and online for all to see, how can we be hidden in Christ? Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together speaks across the ages into our divided present, advocating the believer’s Oneness with Christ Unity with Fellow Believers Unity of the Life Hidden in Christ. In this, the last of my posts on Bonhoeffer’s thoughts on unity, we’ll consider what it means to have the unity...
Read MoreUnity in a Divisive Age: Unity with Fellow Believers
Unity in a Divisive Age: Unity with Fellow Believers In this divisive age, even Christians find themselves at odds with each other. Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s words in Life Together encourage and challenge believers to consider their unity in spite of differences. In Part 1 of this series, we considered the believer’s oneness with Christ. Today we’ll be challenged by Bonhoeffer’s thoughts on unity with fellow believers. John W. Doberstein calls Bonhoeffer one who: is close to contemporary...
Read MoreFood for Thought on Friday
Food for Thought on Friday What’s lingering in your mind as you look back on this week? A few things caught in the queue here… Celebration! Thankfulness for a happily married life. We celebrated with a night out and plans for the future. There’s nothing better. A return to writing – of a different type. I’ve been doing academic writing for the last four years, in pursuit of my Ph.D. Now that I’ve passed, walked, and own the hat, I’m a bit free to do other types of writing, too....
Read MoreDigital Wellness, Applied Digitally
Digital Wellness, Applied Digitally William Wan of The Washington Post wrote last week, “In the modern economy of tablets and apps, our attention has become the most valuable commodity.” We scroll, we click, we post, we like – and our behavior exemplifies what B.F. Skinner called “variable rewards.” We keep looking and liking and sometimes, we get what we’re seeking. (Slot machines come to mind…) Looking for a remedy Now that we’re finally becoming aware of our behavior and its...
Read MoreUnity in a Divisive Age: Oneness with Christ
Unity in a Divisive Age: Oneness with Christ In a divisive age, dare we speak of unity? Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s words encourage me, especially today. His writings have strengthened believers over the centuries and stand ready to speak to our time. John W. Doberstein introduces Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s small but weighty tome, Life Together, by calling him “a writer of profound theological and Biblical insight and yet close to contemporary life and sensitive to reality, a...
Read MoreEngaging a Changing Culture with an Unchanging Message
Engaging a Changing Culture with an Unchanging Message It appears that Christians have lost what Ed Stetzer refers to as “the Christian’s home court advantage.” In Stetzer’s post entitled “How We Lead in Times of Cultural Shift,” he names the Christian’s next challenge as a challenge of leadership. How then shall we lead? As our culture shifts, how are Christians to lead? Stetzer’s first suggestion is that Christians “stop fighting for the perception of cultural dominance that...
Read MoreThe Natural World: In Praise of the Creator
The Natural World: In Praise of the Creator Hounded by headlines and deadlines, consumed with meetings and memos, plagued by the issues of the day…what is one to do? I say, take a walk. Pull up a chair on the front porch. And let the Creator apply the balm of nature. “The natural world can offer us more than the means to survive, on the one hand, or mortal risks to be avoided, on the other; it can offer us joy” (Michael McCarthy). Nature is not our god. Nature is certainly not our god,...
Read MoreWho’s at the wheel?
Who’s at the wheel? James Williams’s Sunday essay in The Guardian a few weeks ago begins with an apt metaphor. “Imagine that you’ve just bought a new GPS device for your car. The first time you use it, it works as expected. However, on the second journey, it takes you to an address a few blocks away from where you had wanted to go. On the third trip, you’re shocked when you find yourself miles away from your intended destination, which is now on the opposite side of town....
Read MoreA Grateful Family Heart
A Grateful Family Heart Ever wish your family showed a little more gratitude? You can nurture thankfulness in your family! Why wait until Thanksgiving? Here are few ideas to get your family in the mood for gratitude: Grab a notebook or a journal and label it the Family Gratitude Journal. Leave it on the kitchen table and encourage everyone to join in the thankfulness. To get started, choose a family time (a family meal, a special dessert) to kick off the journal. Be sure everyone...
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