TopekaStew

"The biggest challenge facing the church is to address the fragmentation and discontinuity of the American lifestyle." - Lyle E. Schaller I read the following this morning in Sam O'Neal's post at Out of Ur : Randy Frazee spoke on the call to community. According to Frazee, the average American family manages 35 separate relationships on a day-to-day basis—children, extended family, neighbors, government, school, friends, work, Starbucks employees, landlords, telemarketers, etc. And this is before that family gets invited to church, which usually adds another 6 connections—at least. As a result, Americans are knee-deep in the unprecedented phenomenon of grouped isolation—what Frazee refers to as "crowded loneliness." We are in desperate need of meaningful relationships, yet too busy and too pulled to maintain them. Thirty-five separate relationships? No wonder I'm so tired. What can we do? How will we ever conquer the busyness of life? I think one crucial...

My older brother called me yesterday. He was on his way to a training program put on the Crown Financial Ministries. He had that note of excitement in his voice that I remember from when we were kids. Now that I think about it, it reminds me of when he got his Yamaha 360. Not an impressive bike by today's standards, but he was in love. He wanted to sleep on it that night. Yesterday he was just calling to check in. It was a spur of the moment thing. Cell phones are good for that. We talked about ministry and about ambition and about submission to a Master who wants to draw us away from the love of the praise of men. And then we prayed. I'm a preacher. I set it as my goal to end nearly every phone conversation with church members with a "quick prayer." I don't know why, but many Christians are surprised by the request, but they almost always appreciate it. And lets be honest--we're Americans--the addition of "quick" provides relief. Yesterd...

This Sunday the Discovery Channel will release a documentary entitled, “The Lost Tomb of Jesus.” The film asserts that the tomb of Jesus may have been found in Jerusalem. What does this mean for us? Why should I pay attention? Let me give three reasons. "It doesn't get bigger than this." Those are the words used by James Cameron, the director of the film "Titanic," in support of the documentary. He's right. If their claim that they have found the bones of Jesus of Nazareth are true then our faith will have sustained a fatal blow. And that's why such claims always make the front page of every major newspaper. If Jesus of Nazareth did not rise from the grave and ascend into heaven then, as Paul wrote, “your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Cor. 15:17a, 18). “Make the most of every opportunity.” This documentary, like all the other films and discoveri...

In the New York Times today there was an article entitled, "Is Looking Your Age Now Taboo?" The article made me wonder, what would Christian's look like if we took the Bible seriously? Would we resist societal pressure to color our hair and use Botox? Your beauty should not come from outward adornment.... Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit... (1 Peter 3:3-4). I long to be a part of a church where older people looked wrinkled on the outside, but whose eyes sparkle with the wisdom and joy of souls steeped in the grace of God. But I have to admit that it's getting close to the time when I'll be tested on this. I've always said that I'm not going to color the gray out of my hair. Well, my head is starting to glisten with more and more gray. And there is most certainly a great deal of pressure in America to look young. I imagine it is very humbling to be referred to as an old man when one's...