I still remember a time when nearly everyone I knew relied on a desktop at work (or at school) as well as at home. Not only did everyone have a desktop, those machines were the primary way people did any and all computing -- including online endeavors. Within a few years stories of that world will amaze younger crowds as much as stories of cell phones in huge carry bags amaze today's smart phone users. Recent statistics indicate the move to mobile is as or more dramatic than most Read More …
Who Are You? (#1366)
Last week I modified the words of what I found to be an intriguing Facebook status, and used the new version as a status update. My version read "Share your insight: use 1 word to describe me. (Don't repeat any words already used.)" According to the results, I am keen, organized, smart, pensive, brilliant, intelligent, focused, diplomatic, efficient, gregarious, contemplative, energetic, thoughtful, innovator, friend, spirited, believer, son, and minister. Additionally - Read More …
Review of The December Project (#1365)
Meet the Author Sara Davidson is the New York Times bestselling author of eight books, including Loose Change (1997) and Leap!: What Will We Do with the Rest of our Lives? (2008). Additionally, her writing has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, Harper's, The Atlantic, Esquire, and Rolling Stone. Book Basics (available tomorrow - March 25) Living in a community known for its unusually large numbers of Read More …
Sermon: Seeing is Believing (#1364)
Sermon Text: John 9:1-141 Sermon Excerpt This morning is all about blindness – the lifelong physical blindness of one man born blind and a bad case of temporary spiritual blindness in a group of religious folks. Perhaps we should begin with what appears the easier form of blindness: the physical lack of sight. The man born blind has lived his entire life without being able to see his surroundings. If he had hopes that he might someday see, those had likely died off years Read More …
The Opposite of Love (#1363)
Gene Robinson, the first openly gay Anglican bishop and author of Why God Believes in Love, is the newest columnist at the Daily Beast. In his initial piece he suggests that his perspective will be one of a critical insider. Robinson writes: Love is the central theme of the Bible, and yet we find it so hard to live lives of love. The enemy of love is not hate, but fear. When confronted by those who seem filled with hate, I try to ask “What are they afraid of?” with Read More …
Happy Bday Internet (#1362)
I am here to offer a belated birthday wish to our dear friend the internet on the occasion of its 25th birthday, which was celebrated earlier this month. While computing was a part of my early education experiences, going online came later. My initial online endeavors were an exercise in curiosity and an attempt to be a part of the leading edge. Somehow in just a few decades I traveled from a world in which the internet was interesting but had no real purpose to a reality in which Read More …
Divorce & Cohabitation (#1361)
New research released by the Council on Contemporary Families suggests that most people have misunderstood the role cohabitation plays in the divorce rate because they have been asking the wrong questions of the data. Rather than comparing those who cohabit before marriage to those who do not, researchers should be considering whether or not cohabitation is actually a significant factor in the longevity of a marital relationship. Initial findings suggest that "the age Read More …
Drive-Through Prayer (#1360)
After last week's piece about a drive-in church, the idea of drive-through prayer doesn't seem strange at all. Estero United Methodist Church, a church near where I live, is providing drive-through prayer every Wednesday evening from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m through April. Since they are located on a busy road, discipleship director John Halley considers it to be "one way to put ourselves out there and to give folks the opportunity to come by and receive the blessing of Read More …
Successful People (#1359)
Eric Barker, the founder of the Barking Up The Wrong Tree blog, recently shared what he believes the world's most successful people have in common. He suggests that we can become like them if we: Stay Busy Just Say No Know What You Are Build Networks Create Good Luck Have Grit Make Awesome Mistakes Find Mentors. So What? I love this list! I would not argue that a single item should be removed. I do, however, think that some organizations (including Read More …
Review of The Non-Violent Radical (#1358)
Meet the Author Charles McCollough is an ordained United Church of Christ minister with a Ph.D. in theology, and an extensive background in art. He worked for many years on the national staff of the UCC in the areas of adult education and social justice. While pursuing that work, he studied sculpture at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Johnson Atelier, the Princeton Association, and Mercer College. McCollough has taught and/or served as an artist in residence in numerous seminaries, Read More …