Month: March 2004 (page 2 of 2)

Happy Birthday…
…to everyone’s favorite Canadian and �berBlogger, Jordon Cooper!

Happy Birthday…

…to everyone’s favorite Canadian and �berBlogger, Jordon Cooper!

Loneliness…
From Donald Miller’s Blue Like Jazz, page 173…

“Loneliness is something that happens to us, but I think it is something we can move ourselves out of. I think a person who is lonely should dig into a community, give himself to a community, humble himself before his friends, initiate community, teach people to care for each other, love each other. Jesus does not want us floating through space or sitting in front of our televisions. Jesus wants us interacting, eating together, laughing together, praying together. Loneliness is something that came with the fall.

If loving other people is a bit of heaven then certainly isolation is a bit of hell, and to that degree, here on earth, we decide in which state we would like to live.”

Loneliness…

From Donald Miller’s Blue Like Jazz, page 173…

“Loneliness is something that happens to us, but I think it is something we can move ourselves out of. I think a person who is lonely should dig into a community, give himself to a community, humble himself before his friends, initiate community, teach people to care for each other, love each other. Jesus does not want us floating through space or sitting in front of our televisions. Jesus wants us interacting, eating together, laughing together, praying together. Loneliness is something that came with the fall.

If loving other people is a bit of heaven then certainly isolation is a bit of hell, and to that degree, here on earth, we decide in which state we would like to live.”

“The New Face of Church in America: A Tool of Satan?”
I’m reading Donald Miller’s Blue Like Jazz. Now I know that I’m an old geezer at 43, but some of Donald Miller’s book sounds like “I’m writing this because I want you to know how cool I am.” I may be way off-base, but that’s the way some of it reads to me.

Having said all that, there is some pretty good stuff in the book. I just finished reading this passage, on page 111:

“A friend of mine, a young pastor who recently started a church, talks to me from time to time about the new face of church in America – about the postmodern church. He says the new church will be different from the old one, that we will be relevant to culture and the human struggle. I don’t think any church has ever been relevant to culture, to the human struggle, unless it believed in Jesus and the power of His gospel.”

Now, look at his next couple of sentences…

“If the supposed new church believes in trendy music and cool Web pages, then it is not relevant to culture either. It is just another tool of Satan to get people to be passionate about nothing.”

Passionate about nothing. Passionate about nothing? Passionate about nothing! We talk a good game, when we talk about our passion. Our passion for reaching the culture. Our passion for being relevant. Our passion for making a difference. Our passion for whatever….

Does our – does my – passion lead me to be passionate about the things Jesus is passionate about? Is my passion full of action that really costs me something? Or is my passion empty words and clanging cymbals?

“The New Face of Church in America: A Tool of Satan?”

I’m reading Donald Miller’s Blue Like Jazz. Now I know that I’m an old geezer at 43, but some of Donald Miller’s book sounds like “I’m writing this because I want you to know how cool I am.” I may be way off-base, but that’s the way some of it reads to me.

Having said all that, there is some pretty good stuff in the book. I just finished reading this passage, on page 111:

“A friend of mine, a young pastor who recently started a church, talks to me from time to time about the new face of church in America – about the postmodern church. He says the new church will be different from the old one, that we will be relevant to culture and the human struggle. I don’t think any church has ever been relevant to culture, to the human struggle, unless it believed in Jesus and the power of His gospel.”

Now, look at his next couple of sentences…

“If the supposed new church believes in trendy music and cool Web pages, then it is not relevant to culture either. It is just another tool of Satan to get people to be passionate about nothing.”

Passionate about nothing. Passionate about nothing? Passionate about nothing! We talk a good game, when we talk about our passion. Our passion for reaching the culture. Our passion for being relevant. Our passion for making a difference. Our passion for whatever….

Does our – does my – passion lead me to be passionate about the things Jesus is passionate about? Is my passion full of action that really costs me something? Or is my passion empty words and clanging cymbals?