On 12/21/2011,
in faith, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, society,
by Daniel Christian
Matthew 2:4-6 — from Bible Gateway’s Verse of the Day
“When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’””
On 12/06/2011,
in Daniel S. Christian, digital audio, digital video, faith, hearts -- matters of the heart, music, relationships,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
This is not only a beautiful, powerful, popular hymn, but it is a creative, multimedia-based expression that brings glory to God! On a personal note I’ll never forget this hymn, as it was sung at my Grandpa Christian’s funeral years ago.
“Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
On 12/01/2011,
in faith, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, society,
by Daniel Christian
“[The Word Became Flesh] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
On 10/26/2011,
in faith, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, society,
by Daniel Christian
Questions for God from behind bars — from redletterchristians.org by Morf Morford
Excerpt:
What question would you ask God? I was naive enough to raise that question in my class at the county jail. These guys; felons, addicts, forty year old high school drop-outs, had some remarkable insights about who a believable god should be – and what He should be able to do – and how – or whether – it mattered that anything like God existed. Dinosaurs, injustice, seemingly unfair or exploitive actions by others – especially adults toward children – and why it was so much easier to be bad than to be good.
…
I left the worksheets behind and came into the jail with a large sheet of paper that I could stick to the bare wall and some markers. I had no lesson plan, no materials, no agenda. I took a big gulp and entered the jail with prayer and my blank sheet of paper. I asked the inmates what they needed to talk about.
On 10/26/2011,
in corporate / business world, ethics, faith, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, society,
by Daniel Christian
A devotion for Wall Street — from www.redletterchristians.org (a blog by Tony Campolo & friends) by Shane Claiborne; with a special thanks going out to Mr. David Goodrich for posting a URL to this item via LinkedIn
Excerpt:
A reporter recently asked me, “As a Christian leader, does your faith have anything to say about Wall Street?” I said, “How much time do you have?”
The Christian message has a lot to say to Wall Street.
Theologian Karl Barth said, “We have to read the Bible in one hand, and the newspaper in the other.” For too long we Christians have used our faith as a ticket out of this world rather than fuel to engage it.
In his parables, Jesus wasn’t offering pie-in-the-sky theology… he was talking about the real stuff of earth. He talks about wages, debt, widows and orphans, unjust business owners and bad politicians. In fact Woody Guthrie breaks it all down in his song “Jesus Christ”. The song ends with Woody singing, “This song was written in New York City… If Jesus were to preach what he preached in Galilee, they would lay him in his grave again.”
…
From the Start here page at RLC.org:
The goal of Red Letter Christians is simple: To take Jesus seriously by endeavoring to live out His radical, counter-cultural teachings as set forth in Scripture, and especially embracing the lifestyle prescribed in the Sermon on the Mount.
Ironically, it was a secular Jewish country-and-western disc jockey in Nashville, Tennessee who first suggested that title. During a radio interview with my friend Jim Wallis, that deejay declared, “You’re one of those Red-Letter Christians – you know, the ones who are really into all those New Testament verses that are in red letters!” When Jim said, “That’s right!” he answered for all of us. By calling ourselves Red Letter Christians, we refer to the fact that in many Bibles the words of Jesus are printed in red. What we are asserting, therefore, is that we have committed ourselves first and foremost to doing what Jesus said.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.
“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
On 10/18/2011,
in faith, graphics, hearts -- matters of the heart, history, relationships, religion, visualizing information,
by Daniel Christian
Infographic of the day: What are the darkest parts of the Bible? — from fastcodesign.com by Suzanne LaBarre; also Openbible.info
Openbible.info charts the Bible according to positive and negative sentiment–with some surprising results.
Excerpt:
What you end up with is a snapshot of the relative cheeriness–or gloom–of different sections in the Bible. As the designer tells it:
Things start off well with creation, turn negative with Job and the patriarchs, improve again with Moses, dip with the period of the judges, recover with David, and have a mixed record (especially negative when Samaria is around) during the monarchy. The exilic period isn’t as negative as you might expect, nor the return period as positive. In the New Testament, things start off fine with Jesus, then quickly turn negative as opposition to his message grows. The story of the early church, especially in the epistles, is largely positive.
In short, it gives you a bird’s-eye view of the tone of each book, something that’s easy to miss in a line-by-line reading. You could also use it as a guide of sorts to the darkest, juiciest parts of the Bible.
“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”
Also see:
- Wait . . . and Listen — by Chuck Swindoll
On 10/14/2011,
in faith, hearts -- matters of the heart, passions, relationships,
by Daniel Christian
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
From DSC:
I’m a broken person. As such, I don’t mean to post the piece of scripture above to be pointing figures at anyone or to be telling someone how to live and what to think. But my experience has been that God’s ways are often 180 degrees opposite from the ways of the world. So, often times, we need to be retrained in our thinking and in regards to our perspectives and assumptions (whether they involve faith-based items or not). Sometimes, the old tapes and messages need to be thrown away. That’s why I posted this item.
I also post this because I believe God knows how He made each one of us and which abilities, gifts, passions, talents He gave to each of us. I view my job as to identify the passions and gifts He gave to me and then go to work on developing them — while striving to use them in serving others. A fulfilling, WIN-WIN situation indeed.
On 10/13/2011,
in digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital video, engagement / engaging students, faith, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, story, storytelling, strategy,
by Daniel Christian
Transmedia in the church — check out the work of The reThink Group
From DSC:
I recently reflected that the materials that my wife is using for her pre-K through 5th grade ministry illustrates some serious use of transmedia in the church!
Check out the work of The reThink Group. For example, see whatisorange.org. I say transmedia because they are ultimately telling THEE story — the Gospel — across a multitude of channels and delivery methods. Just looking at the description below of one of these channels — Parent Cue app for the iPhone — lets you know that they are pursuing multiple channels to enlist the aid of parents in relaying the gospel message to their kids.
- A Parent Cue app for the iPhone
Our lives are busy. As parents, we want to prioritize our children. We want to do everything we can to invest in them relationally, to guide them developmentally and to help them grow in their faith in Christ. But it’s just so easy to get caught up in the urgent day-to-day business of life. This Parent Cue App provides you with simple CUES throughout the week that remind you to pause and make the most of everyday moments. Every month, Parent Cue will focus on one specific virtue, or life application. You will receive prompts for videos, activities, discussion questions and more that will help you connect with your child around this one key virtue. These prompts will come in the form of Drive Time videos, Hang Time activities, and Meal Time discussion starters to help you fit them into the day-to-day moments of your routine. There’s even a section just for you called Parent Time that’s filled with parent blogs, podcasts and more.
Beside the above app, they also have:
- studio252.tv
- Curriculum for youth — preschool, children, students — that contain videos, teaching guides, items for the refrig, and more
- A regularly updated blog that follows up on what they are trying to convey in their curriculum
- A monthly Parent Link Live podcast
- A yearly conference
- …and other channels/materials.
Wow! That’s a lot of information to keep coordinated, but The reThink Group is harnessing the power of multiple types of media/channels to positively impact the hearts and minds of children.
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”