{rant}
I’m going to break ranks tonight and go on a little rant. You can thank my bride for the fact that I do this very infrequently – I know she will remind me that this is not what you signed up for!
Okay, that done …. If you forward an e-mail that contains exaggerations, intentional lies, or just inaccurate information, are you guilty of gossip? Those who practice such things are deserving of death according to Romans 1:29-32! If we don’t verify it, are we guilty? Can we blindly click forward and tell God we didn’t know?
My reason for this rant is a growing number of inaccurate, urban legend, and slanderous e-mails forwarded to me by those who say they follow Jesus. I do not actually question that they desire to follow Jesus, but I am sure Jesus would not forward gossip! The e-mail that put me over the top was one I received today which seemed to me to be an attempt to scare white voters into voting against Obama. I don’t think this was the intent of the person who forwarded the e-mail to me, but I rather strongly suspect the person who crafted the e-mail was attempting to doing that. The e-mail contained bits of truth, held together with inaccuracies, innuendos, and outright lies.
Just something to think about before you share what falls into your Inbox!
So a same sex couple in New Mexico wanted to have a commitment ceremony.
They started looking for a photographer and contacted one via e-mail.
In returned they received: “We do not photograph same-sex weddings. But thanks for checking out our site! Have a great day!”
The couple was hurt, devastated and apparently angry. They sued the photographer for discrimination.
At the hearing, the photographer said that when he and his wife formed the company two years ago, they made it company policy not to shoot same-sex ceremonies, because the ceremonies conflicted with their Christian beliefs.
“We wanted to make sure that everything we photographed — everything we used our artistic ability for, everything we told a story for or conveyed a message of — would be in line with our values and our beliefs,” he said.
The couple won the case and the photographer was forced to pay the $6,600 in attorney fees.
Who was in the right here? Was anyone? What would you have done if you had been the photographer? What would you have done if you had been the couple?
How do you think Jesus would have handled the situation?
July 12th folks from encounter – as well as anyone else interested will spend a day working in and around Daniel’s Den in Waxahachie. Daniel’s Den is a ministry in Waxahachie, with the goal of reaching and helping the homeless of Ellis County.
There are a number of ways folks can help:
the back porch screen needs to be repaired
lots of caulking needs to be done
furniture needs to be moved
edging and mulching the front yard (mulch is free but trucks are needed)
flowers planted in the front
new lid (and or box) for trash box to keep dogs out of trash cans
fence needs to be built in the rear of the property
banana boxes needed to help organize garage sale items
garage sale items need to be organized
door needs to be painted and installed
items need to be moved from the old shelter location to the new one
shelves need to be installed in pantry
items needed:
8′ ladder
twin bed and mattress sets
2 full size mattresses (mattress only)
flowers
fencing
caulk and caulking guns
shelves
In addition to the regular work that day, if you’re interested in helping put together food and drink for those working that day, please let us know as well.
If you see something you’re interested in and would like to help, please let me know.
I have enough social networks that I ignore now – do I really need another one? Well…. maybe, maybe not.
I saw something about Roov.com a week or so ago but kinda bypassed it – thinking “great another Christian MySpace and Facebook.”
But Lee shared a post about Roov and I’m definitely more intrigued. Seems that Roov is more about building off-line communities than online communities.
It’s a social networking site that works locally. It connects people in the same geographical area based on interests AND it gets people off the computer and into each others’ FACE – as they hang-out and do fun stuff together. As social networking gains popularity, a few people have questioned whether this phenomenon is actually making us more isolated. I mean, we may have 300 friends now, but very, very little depth, and less human interaction. ROOV is a welcome remedy to that, using the internet to help you meet & connect in real life – facilitating conversations and experiences that have real depth and meaning.
I just joined ROOV.com, a new website to connect the Body of Christ. Why? Well, it sure wasn’t because I needed to be a part of another social networking site. No, in fact, it’s because ROOV is like the antithesis of what social networking sites represent these days – narcissism. Unlike facebook or myspace (which aren’t bad – I use both), ROOV doesn’t center around an individual’s profile. In fact, profiles don’t even exist. They center around groups and issues that matter, like “orphans and refugees” or “Impact Africa,” for example. I don’t think you’ll find any “I lost my digits” groups on this site – at least, I hope not.
Their goal is to connect people online so that they can connect offline. As someone who spends over 10 hours a day on the internet (that’s probably a conservative figure), this is something I need to do – unplug, detach, and really connect with flesh and blood.
I’m excited to find out more. Apparently you need to be involved in a local church body though – and encounter isn’t on the list yet – but hopefully I’ll get confirmation in the next day or so (or 5 min would be preferred) and I can explore the site for myself.
The site is also apparently limited to the US for now, and limited to the cities participating as well.
Are there ways that you are building off-line communities with the current “social networking standards” like MySpace and Facebook? Are there ways we can better utilize those tools?
btw – just got an email from Roov – they’re “reviewing the church you submitted. We’ll be getting back to you shortly.”
Just a quick plug for the podcast.
Episode 1.3 went live last night. I spoke with Dave McHam who’s heading up an after school ministry in Waco and has plans/vision to bring a similar ministry to Waxahachie.
I also flew solo this week, so Thomas’ Scottish charm will be noticeably missing – but if you choose to listen, we’ll tell you how you can win Shawn McDonald’s new CD, “Roots.” So tune in and check it out.
a. what does it really mean to “meditate on Scripture”?
b. do we really pray with hope?
c. Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.†– Matthew 9:35-38
d. what is meant by “the gospel of the kingdom”?
e. how do we see the multitudes or our culture as a whole?
f. how did Jesus show compassion?
g. how should we show compassion?