Category: religion

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materialism, mammon and simplicity

Materialism and money is an issue and a threat in my life.  I hate to admit it but it is.  I wrestle with it nearly every day.  I read once that a person spends about 80% of their time awake engaged with MONEY:  earning it, spending it, and dreaming about it.  There are days it overwhelms me and there are days I feel like I have a great understanding and mastery over money but only for it to rear it’s beastly head again. 

We’re all consumers.  Every single one of us so how would you respond to this question?

In our society, we’re surrounded by the push to consume. We’re constantly bombarded with the newest gadget or trinket we supposedly cannot live without. How do we combat the pull toward materialism, and what does simplicity look like in the 21st Century? Continue reading “materialism, mammon and simplicity”

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change the world

One of the greatest gifts that we have as human beings is the ability to dream.  So, I ask you this simple question: 

However small or large, simple or complex, organic or organizational, local or global, how are you dreaming to change the world?

Don’t be afraid or timid.  Please share your thoughts so that we can inspire one another to keep dreaming…and personally be compelled from dreaming to doing.

In addition to living out my calling as a pastor of this glocal church, leading this neighborhood cafe and music venue, loving my wife, and nurturing my three children, Fighting Global Poverty is what my wife and I are dreaming about.  3 billion people live on less than $3/day and about 27,000 children die every day due to the complexities of global poverty.  That = a child every 3 seconds = 20 children every minute.  Continue reading “change the world”

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a church review to humble you

A year ago this time, 31 members from the staff of The Stranger – “the alternative paper to Seattle’s alternative paper” – visited 31 churches all around the larger Seattle area and wrote reviews of the 31 churches.  Quest must be special because Dan Savage, the editor of the Stranger and infamous sex advice columnist [Savage Love], visited Quest.

Our review along with the review of other churches were brutal, hilarious, and actually insightful because sometimes, churches have no idea how stale and awkward we can be because we’ve been “inside” for so long.   Continue reading “a church review to humble you”

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the hope in the steven curtis chapman’s family tragedy

* Guest column I wrote for the Seattle Post Intelligencer.

The accidental and tragic death of Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman’s youngest daughter – 5 year old Maria Sue – was very difficult to process.  There was the initial shock, then confusion, then anger, and then the need to ask some hard questions.  [Another post on Lessons we Can Lear About Compassion].

Yesterday, I wrote a post entitled, “Tragedy in Steven Curtis Chapman’s Family.”  Little did I know that it would be the most read blog entry [for that day] in the entire WordPress blogosphere.  Just yesterday alone, that entry was read 10,104 times and 9000+ new visitors stopped by the blog.  Continue reading “the hope in the steven curtis chapman’s family tragedy”

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tragedy in steven curtis chapman’s family

* Part II:  The Hope in this Tragedy | Part III: Life Lessons from the Memorial Service

* Guest column I wrote for the Seattle P.I. [published on June 9]

May 21 | Incredibly painful and tragic news in what was meant to be a celebratory week for the Chapman family.

“Just hours before this close knit family was celebrating the engagement of the oldest daughter Emily Chapman, and were just hours away from a graduation party marking Caleb Chapman’s completion of high school. Now, they are preparing to bury a child who blew out 5 candles on a birthday cake less than 10 days ago…” [Jim Houser, Chapman’s Manager]

As a parent, my heart just aches for Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman.  Their youngest child – 5 year old Marie Sue [adopted from China] – was struck and killed in an accident by an SUV driven by their teenage son [in their driveway].  They have six children of which three are adopted from China.  Their foundation and ministry – Shaohannah’s Hope – advocates for international adoption.  Read official news below. Continue reading “tragedy in steven curtis chapman’s family”

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strategically fighting poverty

Please take a few minutes to read this.  We can’t save the world but we can make a difference. 

It’s in the news all around us:  the situation in Darfur; the cyclone catastrophe in Burma/Myanmar; unfathomable hunger in North Korea; the food crisis in numerous places around the world, and the list can and do go on.  Over 3 billion people live on less than $2/day; About 1 billion live on less than $1/day; Nearly 1.1 billion people do not have access to clean water; About 27,000-30,000 children die daily due to poverty.  Staggering and numbing statistics.

While it’s awkward to make a public appeal and broadcast of our vision, that is the decision that we’ve made – for better or worse.  Continue reading “strategically fighting poverty”