When we were in Tillamook, I picked up a little book off Doug’s mom’s bookshelf: the autobiography of Frederick Douglass. It was a fascinating read, and I consumed it almost in one sitting. I actually knew very little about his life and I found his story remarkable on so many levels. He details life as… Continue reading A voice of one calling
Category: Culture
Quotation of the Week
For this reason, the “user friendly†approach to church won’t work. There is no way to entice people off the streets with hymns that are based on advertising jingles and end up with the cross-bearing, self-sacrificial, burden-bearing Jesus. Evangelism cannot be based upon our basic selfishness (“Come to Jesus and get everything you want fixed.â€)… Continue reading Quotation of the Week
Sale
Doug and I made the pilgrimige up the I-5 corridor to Seattle last night with our kids sleeping peacefully in the back of our rented minivan (okay, I swore I would never desire one of these, but they are really, really nice to have). Doug and I know this particular stretch of I-5 quite well.… Continue reading Sale
Whitewashed
Doug and I have been watching the six-hour BBC production of Pride and Prejudice (courtesy of Doug’s sister) in bits and pieces during this past week. As we drove to the little coastal town of Garibaldi yesterday afternoon, Doug made the comment that watching this film has made him realize how much has been lost… Continue reading Whitewashed
Jesus at the box office
My friend Tyler wrote an excellent piece on the current trends in Hollywood toward making and marketing Christian movies. The financial success of Mel Gibson’s Passion marked the beginning of widespread studio interest in such films. Tyler has some great observations and thoughts that are definitely worth the read.
Eyebrows
I just finished our nighttime ritual of songs in our big bed before putting Mercy down to sleep in her room. As we were lying next to each other, Mercy reached out and began to trace her finger over my eyebrows. It was yesterday that she discovered eyebrows, apparently for the first time. It was… Continue reading Eyebrows
Quotation of the Week
“What are you doing to get word out about your church?” I hate this question. “How big is your church? ” I hate that question even more. One reason (amongst many) why I never wanted to pastor was I’m just not someone who is a “Church Pimp” – selling my church like its better than… Continue reading Quotation of the Week
Life in the slow lane
Living in Los Angeles, I rarely feel a sense of or ability to simply slow down. Life just feels fast, and most days I find myself scrambling and rushing, in spirit if not in body. Today, negotiating life in the coastal town of Tillamook, Oregon (home of the cheese factory and not much else!), I… Continue reading Life in the slow lane
Amendment
So yesterday I wrote about how there is no dress code so to speak here in Portland. Today we went to church and out to lunch in the Beaverton/Hillsdale area (a suburb of Portland), and I was amazed at the number of Volvo station wagons we passed on the road and the sheer volume of… Continue reading Amendment
The streets of Portland
I forgot how totally colorful Portland can be. There was the individual we shared an elevator with today at Pioneer Place who had the voice of a man, the body of a woman, and some impressive purple fur boots. There was the steady stream of pierced youth, smoking lots of cigarettes and using colorful language,… Continue reading The streets of Portland