This is an incredibly powerful story of a man returning a photo to the daughter of the man he shot during the war. I can’t imagine the horrors of the war in which all of these people were involved. I don’t know the man’s whole story. Certainly in war, killing is part of what happens.
And yet this story speaks of how painful that is. This story speaks to us to think of “enemy” in a different light. This story I think reminds us that we want no enemies and we want no wars. That doesn’t mean these things will happen in our sin broken world, but it does remind us to look at things through a different set of eyes.
And most importantly of all, it begs the questions. Who do you need to forgive? Who do you need to ask forgiveness of? All is possible through Christ who gives us the ultimate forgiveness.
Tags: enemies, forgiveness, war
So what’s your story? What’s your testimony?
I’m a Lutheran pastor and I know a lot of our readers are Lutherans who probably aren’t real comfortable with the whole concept of testimony, but listen for a moment.
Lee Strobel shares one of the experiences that started opening his heart toward faith and it was through the testimony of a man, Gary, he was covering for an article. Gary had been a hardened gangster for most of his young life.
Tags: Lutherans, story, testimony, Unexpected Adventure
Don’t you hate interruptions. I must admit that I’m not the most patient person in the world and this crops up in all kinds of places, but have you ever thought that some of the interruptions that make impatient people like us frustrated, might actually be placed there by God. Maybe he’s trying to create opportunities. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Unexpected Adventure, witnessing
After the announcement last night that Jon and Kate were getting divorced and the massive amount of Facebook statuses that have been changed to reflect this earthquake, I felt compelled to write about the Gosselins. Thankfully, I read Eugene Cho’s blog first: If I was Jon & Kate’s pastor. I really couldn’t have said it any better! Nice job, Eugene.
As are many right now, I’m thinking about fathers. Thus the three generation picture above, complete with Twins jerseys. There’s some humor to that, but I’d also like to include some more serious thoughts.
First, I think on my own dad and the powerful force he’s been in my life. An example of love and character, a model of the faith. “Heavenly Father, I thank you for this man.”
I think on my own children and the blessing, honor, and responsibility it is to be a Father. ”Lord let me seek to reflect your love for your Son and your children here on earth as I care for those you’ve entrusted to me”.
Finally, I think on those without fathers, or without the father they’ve wanted- those who mourn, those who’ve been disconnected from fathers by sin. “Lord God, please raise up men in the lives of these, your children, to model a father’s love, and even moreso, let them see, even through this sin-cracked world, your love, the love of the truest Father of all.”
I received this forward on the first Father’s Day celebration. Looking through some other history, it’s probably not what led to the continued celebration, but it is a story that helps us understand the heart of Father’s Day, which is not about commercialization, but instead about fatherly love.
Last week we offered a class at church to teach people about Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other web 2.0 giants. People came & they learned a lot. But I kept getting questioned by people why ‘the church’ should care about these things. I had some witty remarks in person, but here on Faith Emergence, I can point you to a video that might help you understand why EVERY SINGLE PERSON needs to learn and use social media. The past is the past.
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Tags: Facebook, LinkedIn, Social network, twitter, Web 2.0
Here’s a video that captures some of the heart and passion that go into this question. “Are we a Christians nation?” Related to this- were we ever? Or, do we still want to be one? Read the rest of this entry »
For all of you who have ever hit a creative roadblock while sitting at your computer…
You can do it! Get creating!
First seen at Churchy Media
Tags: creativity, post it notes, stuck
Every once in a while I like to ask my wife, Erin, to provide a bit of the ‘female’ perspective here at Faith Emergence. Once again, she’s been asked to review a new book that’s coming out, and this time it was a book that she’s been waiting for: Sisterchicks In Wooden Shoes.
Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes
A Sisterchick by definition is: a friend who laughs with you till you cry and cries with you till you laugh; a gift from God.
I am a sisterchicks fan to begin with, so when I was asked to review the new Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes by Robin Jones Gunn, I was excited. Robin does such a good job of taking you to different places around the world, which is nice because I don’t get to go there myself. In this book in the series, the best friends happen to be pen pals and Summer from the U.S. flys away to meet her never-before-seen pen pal Noelle in the Netherlands. Robin also does a good job of mixing silly girlie adventure with an appreciation for God and what He does in our lives. While Summer is busy making faux pas after faux pas and learning Dutch culture, she also slows down enough to enjoy the “sacredness of the everyday” and to give up some of her controlling nature and recognize God’s hand in her life.
A good, easy summer read and it even has discussion questions at the end of you are in a book club!
Check out Erin’s other reviews:
Tags: Faux pas, Netherlands, Robin Jones Gunn, United States, US
John posted about camp once and since that’s where I am, let’s think on camp again.
What’s the value of camp do you think? For kids, youth, adults, families?
Our kids seem to soak up different elements, what do you remember best about. . .
the teaching you experienced?
the counselors who mentored you?
the games you played?
the food?
I think camp in whatever form you experience it is a blessing. It’s a chance to get out of familiar contexts and interact with other peers or family in a new way. It’s a place where you know the whole time is about drawing closer to God, and when you’re away from the buzz for a while, nature seems to have a special way of drawing us closer to our Creator.
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