My post the other day comparing the competitive market of U.S. sports and the current situation of the Church drew a number of helpful responses. But also some misunderstanding. My fault, I think, as words like “competition” can be highly charged among church folk. So I thought I would clarify just what I meant a bit and invite a continued conversation. Let me start, though, by saying what I didn’t mean. I don’t mean that congregations should try to compete with sports…or theater or television or whatever. I’m not calling for entertainment evangelism or employing flashy gimmicks of any kind. In fact, I was not inviting...
Matthew 9:9-13
posted by DJL
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax-collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw...
Making Hard Choices
posted by DJL
Occasionally, when I have a hard time deciding between options on a menu, I have joked that while I’m great with big decisions – whether to get married, buy a house, or change jobs – I can get paralyzed by the prospect of choosing between (as I had to do just the other day) General Tso’s Chicken or Pad Thai. That’s not entirely true, of course. I sometimes agonize over big decisions as well! ☺ Which is maybe one of the reasons I find the whole topic of understanding how we make choices so interesting. In this TED Talk, lawyer-turned-philosopher Ruth Chang invites us to think differently about how we make hard decisions. Several...
Matthew 9:2-8
posted by DJL
And just then some people were carrying a paralyzed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” Then some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said,...
Church and The World Cup: Competition
posted by DJL
The Church Lives and Does Ministry in a Competitive Environment Even as I watch the World Cup with 25 million other U.S. soccer enthusiasts, taking delight in what many are describing as one of the most thrilling World Cup’s in years, I continue to wonder why soccer has taken so long to grab a permanent place in the hearts of American sports fans. I mean, around the globe soccer – or, more accurately football – is the world’s favorite sport. But even though soccer has been played here for a century – the U.S. actually finished third in the first World Cup in 1930 – it’s struggled for decades to secure the kind of attention and...