In case you’re wondering, the reason I’ve never done a pun here based on sausage links — even though we’ve done lynx cats and cuff links and chain links — is because the necessary pictures are all really disgusting. Just so ya know.
Here’s where my epic adventures took me this week, though after the gazillion links posted here on Monday, I am a bit worn out…
- Shane Claiborne and Ben Cohen (of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream) hit the road to promote awareness of what the U.S. military spends and what they get for their giant spending.
- Got 15 minutes? Here’s the story of the pilot who was originally scheduled to fly the American Airlines flight 11 from Boston to Los Angeles on the morning of September 11th, 2001.
- Andrew Root looks at the possibility that while many senior pastors are still working in the youth ministry paradigm they were trained in, a new generation of youth pastors are longing for something else. Excellent piece, highly recommended.
- Speaking of youth pastors, that’s usually the next person who gets hired as a church grows, right? Ryan Townsend thinks perhaps the second hire should be an administrative pastor.
- Jeff Leake asks if [North] American Christianity is too individualistic. Sample: “… if you are not involved in a small group on a regular basis, how can you truly be honoring the body of Christ?” Actually that would include my wife and I currently.
- The Rapture’s song “Never Gonna Die Again” is from an album, In The Grace of Your Love. Sample lyrics: “Your love is higher, shining from above / Lift me high and hold me there, safe and sound / Never gonna die again.” But CT insists this isn’t a Christian band. Huh?
- Dana at Upwrite kicks around the idea that while Jesus is considered the center of our faith, He actually didn’t preach about himself as much as He preached about the Kingdom.
- The thing that stood out most from Rachel Held Evans’ article on Complementarians was the part where John Piper gets asked by a guy if it’s okay for him to listen to Beth Moore. Nothing like a practical question, right?
- You can’t read Outreach Magazine articles on line, but D. J. Chuang has listed the names of their 30 Emerging Church Leaders from the latest issue with links to their websites. You have to subscribe to Outreach to learn how and why they were chosen. (Wonder how long that print paradigm will work for Outreach?)
- Also re. Outreach, Cathy Lynn Grossman snags the top five list of the largest churches in the U.S. On the subject of ‘big,’ be sure to click the 300+ comments.
- Women’s Department: Elrena Evans realizes she’s not so concerned about swearing in front of her children as she is concerned about getting found out. (Not writing about it would have helped, perhaps.)
- With 17 years of history providing help to low-income families in the U.S., Angel Food Ministries has ceased operations laying off 90 people.
- Daniel Jepsen catalogs six classic Stupid Statements about Religion.
- Blog Discovery of the Week: Christian Faith at Work – Integrating Faith With Business.
- And another, an anonymously authored blog, Bible Translator Foibles. I heard about it from Eddie Arthur who also provided the link to this Bible translation disaster story.
- Three worship leaders from three multi-site campus locations join together on DVD to teach their congregations a new song.
- A different ending this week, appropriate to where our thoughts have been this weekend:
God remains our source of courage when we’re traumatized by terror.
When we’re haunted by the headlines and the violence everywhere.
Hear God whisper in the silence, “Don’t despair, I’m in control.
Hurting hearts and broken cities will at last one day be whole.”
God recalls that tragic Tuesday when twin towers disappeared,
when 3,000 people perished and our hearts were numbed by fear.
Yet God whispers 10 years later, “Justice will in time be done.
I will stand with those who need me ’till my Kingdom fully comes.”
God invites us to be trusting when we find that faith is hard.
When we’re fearful for our safety and our nerves are frayed or jarred.
Still God whispers in the silence, “Even when your faith is weak,
I will keep your feet from stumbling when your way is dark and bleak.”
Greg Asimakoupoulos as quoted at Pilgrim Scribblings
