Here is an interesting infographic about the differences between being predominently left or right brained:
HT: Online College
Left Brain, Right Brain?
Author: Martin
Plant Jesus Not Churches
Two posts on Facebook this afternoon have got me animated…..
The first was a friend who posted a link to an article on Tall Skinny Kiwi’s blog entitled ‘9 reasons NOT to plant a church in 2012‘. The other was the posting of a YouTube video from NewForms Media, via Mission Britain/ SimpleChurch UK, called Dandelion Wind (see below):
What TSK writes makes a lot of sense, and I think we, the church, need to take notice of his warning. I especially think this is the case over here on the right hand side of the Atlantic pond, specifically as far as I am concerned, here in the UK.
If the vision that is given in Dandelion Wind is to happen in this increasingly post-modern and post-Christian culture, then I feel we need to accept that ‘church’ planting, as in setting up a bunch of Christians as a new church in a new place to be a catalyst to reach the surrounding community, just doesn’t work in the same way that it used to do.
Unless, of course, you are satisfied with occasional addition rather than dandelion multiplication…..
We need to think again. We meed to find a ‘new’ way to communcate the love of God in Jesus to our increasingly God-less nation.
The answer?
How about we focus on planting Jesus into people’s lives as TSK suggests and then see what happens….who knows, we might see ‘Dandelion Wind’ multiplication after all….just in a way that we didn’t expect.
Thoughts?
Speeding Around The World in Under 5 minutes Time Lapse
What an incredible world we live in….
As detailed on the YouTube page:
17 Countries. 343 Days. 6237 Photographs. One incredible journey. Follow the adventure at http://kienlam.net/around-the-world and http://kienlam.net
After I quit my job last year, I packed a bag, grabbed my camera and bought a one way ticket to London. 17 countries later, I compiled this time lapse of the many amazing places I came across. Original Music: “Places and Faces” by William Lam. Will is an extremely talented musical composer whose range is barely touched in this composition he wrote specifically for the video. He’s also my little brother. Visit http://kienlam.net to download the MP3.
The High Price of Materialism
This short video was posted by a friend on Facebook – have a look and see what you think….
It is also posted on the website for ‘The Centre for a New American Dream‘ who introduced it as follows:
In this short animation, psychologist Tim Kasser discusses how America’s culture of consumerism undermines our well-being. When people buy into the ever-present marketing messages that “the good life” is “the goods life,” they not only use up Earth’s limited resources, but they are less happy and less inclined toward helping others.
The animation both lays out the problems of excess materialism and points toward solutions that promise a healthier, more just, and more sustainable life.
What do you think?
Personally, I think it would be hard to develop ‘intrinsic values’ within a secular culture that encourages an unhealthy obsession with the ‘self’….but when you consider it from a Gospel and Kingdom of God perspective then it all sort of makes more sense…creativity and generosity rather than consumption and greed….sounds like heaven to me 🙂
HT: Darius Namdaran
Odd Thomas: The Incarnation
Christmas Blessings
Can I wish you all a blessed and happy Christmas and, Lord willing, a wonderful year in 2012.
Simon’s Cat – Fowl Play
A Christmas themed Simon’s Cat – always good for a laugh….
…and here is one I missed from a month or so ago, introducting Simon’s kitten.
‘One’ – Reflection by Richard Rohr
Here is an interesting short film clip of Richard Rohr for the ‘ONE’ project where he is asked what he would say to the world if he had their undivided attention for one minute…
His conclusion is that he would tell the world to come ‘closer to death’, to let the pain of others ‘get inside of them’, to be more willing to share the hurt and vulnerability of others.
What do you think?
HT: Mike Friesen (FB)
Occupy Wall St – The Revolution Is Love
How about this as an expression of the Kingdom of God….
This is the biblical vision of the Kingdom of God…the guy just doesn’t realise it. This is what Jesus came and died to achieve. This is what the world is like with Jesus as King…he just doesn’t articulate it in that way.
It’s bigger than the church…because the church is just part of the Kingdom of God – admitedly it’s God’s chosen vehicle to express His Kingdom mission (which it doesn’t do very well), but the Kingdom is still much bigger – God is doing so much more through restitution, reconciliation, recreation and resurrection….and Jesus is the singularity at the centre of it all – whether people realise it or not…..
The ironic thing is that this is what the church is (or should be) preaching…but no-one will recognise it as the gospel because the way that the church has historically expressed it is just NOT perceived as good news by so many people in our contemporary culture….
A Review: ‘Peace Be With You’ by David Carlson
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading ‘Peace Be With You’ by David Carlson, due to the fact that I only picked it up because I was intrigued by the basic premise behind it, mainly, the desire to consider the response and reaction to the horror of 9/11 from a monastic perspective.
Carlson, professor in Religious Studies at Franklin College, Indiana in the USA, wrote the book as a result of three personal encounters with the monastic community, that seemingly occurred by coincidence, during the years after that fateful day in September 2001, or three ‘knocks on the door’ as he calls them. As such, the book is written with two specific questions in mind. “Firstly, how did monks, nuns and retreatants respond when first learning of 9/11? And second, how have they continued to respond to our world of violence and terror, given their spiritual resources and training?”
Carlson attempts to answer these questions by conducting a series of interviews with men and women living the monastic life from across the denominational spectrum, recording their answers and opinions, and then summarising the themes and reactions that he found. Each interview provided him with a different but complimentary perspective of the attocity, which together allowed him to form a window through which he was able to perceive a better way to deal with hurt, pain and conflict.
The book is inspiriational and enlightening, although at times a little hard going. However, I’m glad I read it, and can honestly say, hand on heart, that my personal response to the events of 9/11, and my general outlook on life for that matter, is different because of it.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the US Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Deliberate Disciple 