Apprentice 2 Jesus

Culture

  • When the large needs to learn from the small

    In the church context, that’s another conversation. And, let’s be honest, probably one that won’t be had in the near future. But there IS a context it SHOULD happen… and SOON. There are two situations linked in a way I think it’s time to say, “The large could learn from the small.” One article posted… Read more

  • Help us care. Help us pray!

    More persecution. How we need to lift up the Body of Christ in prayer! Bishop Angaelos, the general bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom, underscored the Ethiopians’ testimony. “Once again we see innocent Christians murdered purely for refusing to renounce their faith,” he said in a statement. “As Christians, we remain… Read more

  • Bigness and blessedness

    My constant mantra in ministry to keep me somewhat centered on Christ and not just the stuff we do is this: “It’s a both/and world.” It’s analog. It’s digital. It’s huge. It’s small. It’s “attractional.” It’s “missional.” There are simply places for both. In the world. In the church. Yet, in American Christianity, we keep… Read more

  • Some respect. Who knew?

    Nicholas Kristof is a columnist for The New York Times. I have admired his work when he goes to Africa and writes of the horror he witnesses constantly in that area of the world. He focused on the Sudan years ago and brought a lot of awareness to the genocide in that country. In this column… Read more

  • The devaluing of human life

    Usually when it comes to war and use of force, especially use of troops, media sources like The New York Times are fairly pacifist. (Depending on the president in office at the time and their political party, of course.) Generally speaking, many media outlets back off the calling for use of force. But this editorial in The… Read more

  • Lent is past

    “Social media fast” is over for me. To which I say with all sincerity… “Oh, Facebook, how I have not missed you… not one iota. The junk is still there.” Read more

  • When you can’t even read the Constitution

    I clearly hesitate to wade into arguments and battles that just can’t have any resolution in a public forum. They are also discussions I thoroughly like having in small groups or with individuals. But when an argument is so poor that it causes me to almost throw my computer across a room, I need to… Read more

  • Not so smart criminal of the day

    A drug ring gets busted in St. Paul, MN because customers finally notice a local pizza parlor didn’t seem to be open very much. And then there’s this: “On August 19, 2014, a concerned citizen made a report with the St. Paul Police Department that Papa Dimitri’s Classic Pizza and Ice Cream located at 466… Read more

  • Jews go away!

    Jeffrey Goldberg asks the question, “Is it time for Jews to leave Europe?” Somehow that is seen as an “intelligent” question. David Brooks has a more thoughtful response to the rising anti-Semitism brewing once again in Europe. Thousands of Jews a year are just fleeing Europe. But the best response is quarantine and confrontation. European governments… Read more

  • The Jewish (and Christian) Question

    Today is pull the pin and roll the grenade into the room day. Let’s start with an article detailing the genius marketing ploy of evangelical Christians to say America is a Christian nation. Have fun. Then the chilling one. Over the weekend I watched an older movie on Amazon Prime called “The Conspiracy.” It was… Read more