Prayer? - talk to me

I'm working on an upcoming message on prayer for The Ave and wondering if I could get some feedback on it. Here is my description for the message right now:

Prayer. The very word conjures up so many connotations for every person. Some people say that prayer is one of the most natural things any of us do, like breathing or eating. We all long to communicate with God, but what is prayer really all about? Does it change things? Are there ways that we tend to pray that aren’t really helpful at all? What’s going on here?

I'm wondering what some of your biggest questions or hang-ups about prayer are. Any questions or thoughts to help me here?

Collegiate Narcissism

If you haven't already read the article about the study on "the ME generation" of college-agers who are narcissistic, then you should take a look at it.

You could choose from:
- a news release from San Diego State Univeristy about the report itself
- MSN's article on the report
- NPR's audio interview with someone involved with the study
- NPR's audio interview with a student's reaction to the study

Of course, if you should read it and you are college-age then you are prooving true the gist of the article that you are obsessed with yourself.

I Have Issues

For those of you who enjoyed Brandon Brown's message at The Ave a couple of weeks ago, he has posted some excerpts from it at his blog, The Legend of the Brown Squirrel. You can read this specific post and interact with it here.

What Does God Think About Premarital Sex?

A recent article that I wrote about God's take on premarital sex from the Scriptures is now accessible on Elmbrook's new resource site, The Brook.

Check it out here.

Trip Me Up in Your Grace - a poem

i ache
weary

rushing after the air
to fall upon a cloudless sky
empty and crashing
like hunger's barely
sated burn

help me
awake true thirst and hunger
trip me up in Your grace

twist me
undo me
remake and renew me

i am never right until
seeing my wrong in Your light

be still, my soul, wait patiently
for the Lord
be still and know that He is God

8 August 2005

Hookups? - talk to me

A recent USA Today article was entitled "What's Up With Hookups?" and addresses the social phenomenon of hooking up in college age people. Take a look at this brief article and offer some feedback, if you are willing.

A Prayer

A prayer for today from The Book of Common Prayer (1979):

O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the ligh of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Kids and Porn

As we draw near to the Porn Nation events here in Milwaukee, I thought it would be worthwhile to point out some recent studies on porn.

A new study draws attention to the fact that young people from ages 10-17 are exposed to online pornography, the majority of them unwillingly.

Forty-two percent of Internet users aged 10 to 17 surveyed said they had seen online pornography in a recent 12-month span. Of those, 66 percent said they did not want to view the images and had not sought them out, University of New Hampshire researchers found.

In Awe - a poem

so beautiful and serene that
no string of words could capture adequately
the sights and sounds and scents and sensations of this time and place

thank You, Father,
for the eyes to see,
for the ears to hear,
for the nose to smell,
for nerves alive to feel,
for legs to walk,
for arms to lift and carry,
for all my body so alive and well.

when I see this beauty I am awed
by Your creative ways.

20 October 1996

Apprenticed to Jesus . . . what does it mean?

What does it mean to follow Jesus? What does it mean to be His disciple or apprentice?

Where are the ways in which our lives are different? Where are the ways in which our lives are the same?

I drink a cup of tea either way. But as Jesus' apprentice, what is at all different? I drive my car either way, but how am I changed? I sleep. I wake. I eat. I take a shower. I talk and laugh with friends. I listen to the radio. I look at people - different sorts of people - out my car window as I drive by. I go to the store and buy some snacks for people coming over for a meeting. I change my baby's dirty diaper. I make PB&J sandwiches for my kids' lunch.

All this - so normal - yet, how is it different, or the same, as an apprentice of Jesus?

Indistinguishable Us?

Just a follow-on comment about the recent Barna report that I mentioned yesterday.

A disturbing sub-text of the report is that Christians are virtually indistinguishable from non-Christians in all areas of life. Read this excerpt:

Faith commitments sometimes play a role in what people do - but less often than might be assumed. In comparing the lifestyle choices of born again Christians to the national norms, there were more areas of similarity than distinction. (Note that in Barna surveys, the born again segment is not based upon whether a person uses that label, but based upon their profession of faith in Christ and confession of personal sin.) Born again Christians are more likely to volunteer for their church; however, they are no more likely than average to help the poor and homeless. Born again Christians were also among the least likely groups to recycle.

Americans: Social Concern and Selfish Concern

A recent Barna report states that American lifestyles are both increasingly compassionate and self-oriented. Take a read over this reflection on our lives in terms of social concern and selfish concern.

How Not to Lose Your Faith in College

A recent article in Boundless Webzine, has the title given above for this entry. While I'm not into formulas for much of anything, I think that the suggestions given in this article are well worth our attention.

P. S.: If you've never taken a look at Boundless, you should at least give it a quick look. the magazine is aimed at helping young people to engage with the questions of our lives and day in a biblical manner.

Broken and Weak

You can read a recent article I've written entitled "Broken and Weak" at Relevant Magazine's web-site.

The main idea is how God reaches into our broken places to draw us into true strength. I hope it's an encouragement to you.