religion

What’s your life… in a six word story?

Smith Magazine has “Six-Word Memoir” series and is asking:

“Everyone has a story. Can you tell yours in six words?”

Here’s mine:

I’m asking, seeking. knocking these days.

What’s your six-word story?

I’m going to say this upfront. I haven’t seen the new Christian movie “To Save a Life.” And I’m probably not going to. I’m biased, and jaded towards Christian media. But for those of you who have seen it, I’d love to have your reviews here.

My only request: be honest. Don’t handicap your review because it’s a Christian film. Be honest.

Here’s a video response to Billy Graham Association’s “I Believe.com” campaign. It’s all over the net and Facebook (and being pushed by Christianity.com). They’re calling for us to “take a stand!”

Really? Do we need to take yet another stand?

Up for another round up of great Christian signs?

Here are 5 keys to making a great Christian sign:

1) Try to be clever, but make sure to reference death or sin

[HT: Brian Buchanan]

2) It doesn’t matter if you make any sense as long as you mention Jesus

3) Try to be culturally relevant, but you error, make sure you end up being pervy and creepy

[HT: SaintSimeon]

4) Try to make sure you miss the point entirely

[HT: Lifesigns]

5) If all else fails, ruin your attempted wit by misspelling key words

[HT: CrummyChurchSigns]

Here are some of the more unique and useful vending machines I’ve seen:

Who doesn’t need live bait reel fast?

Instant maturity? Instant class. Just fifty cents…

How many churches package Jesus cheaply? At least, this way, you’re being honest. Get your religious bling here…

I was excited today to pick up our new Mud Hut sign. I commissioned a vintage sign painter 5 months ago to paint it. It’s been a ton of effort and harassment to get this done. So when I went to pick it up today, I was excited. I took it home, and was so proud, until someone notices a slight typo…

Epic FAIL… well unless we want to have a place for dogs to hang out.

The sign is back being currently fixed. Hopefully, it will be done on Saturday…

“Christianity suddenly became a much more intellectual enterprise after the Protestant Reformation, when churches split into different denominations over theological ideas. Preachers and teachers tried to attract followers with compelling insights and ideas. The focus of the faith shifted from the heart to the head, leaving the stomach behind.

Today, congregations are trying to provide more than intellectual nourishment by putting restaurants and coffee bars in their buildings. In our polarized and fractured society, people of different backgrounds are invited to come together in these houses of God to have conversation over a meal or a drink — in spite of their differences.” USA Today

There’s nothing wrong with reaching out to people in different ways. But why does the church have to be the restaurant… or the coffee house? Why do we have to lure people inside the church to have a conversation? Couldn’t we just go to, you know a real restaurant or an actual coffee house? Is it because those places seem less safe? What if someone heard me talking about Jesus in Starbucks? The horror.

I don’t know how many times I’ve head people say that they need to bring someone to church so that they can “hear the Gospel.” Then I typically reply, “Are you a Christian? Don’t you know what the Gospel is?” And at that point, the conversation ends, with that person giving me a weird look, like I’m crazy.

As Christians, we get into this four wall mentality like somehow our faith only takes place inside the church. We make the building the focal point, but the majority of ministry as Christians, should happen outside the church, not in it.

So if this is true, then why are we doing our best to make sure that never happens?