Google trolls Russia
Besides the US version of its homepage, Google is also running it in other countries, including the Russian version of Google.com and its results pages.
Don't be evil, y'all.
Naked Face
But I never had the satisfaction I expected to feel when I was temporarily part of the girl crowd. Instead, I was uneasy with the change. What if I got used to seeing this every morning? Would I start to hate my face in its natural state, and put on makeup even when no one was looking?
Great story. Worth a read on your Thursday evening.
Where to watch the debate (Bill Nye & Ken Ham)
If you're interested in watching the debate between Bill Nye and Ken Ham in tonight, it will be streaming live at DebateLive.org.
I (Geoff) will not be, because I'm already cringing.
So, you know, let me know how it goes...
Bill Nye vs. Creationism
"While Nye acknowledged that he probably won't be able to change any creationist's mind, he said it made sense to challenge creationism in a public forum."
Indeed.
Welcome to Kentucky, Mr. Nye. Good Luck!
Sermon Podcast: Where Jesus May Be Found
Jesus announces a new order of things in which the anawim—a Hebrew word applied to those who are the very lowest in society, the huddled masses, the wretched refuse, the homeless, the tempest-tossed, the folks who live out next to the garbage dump of life—a new order of things in which the anawim occupy the places of honor, finally get to sit at the big people’s table, no longer handed the crumbs and the leftovers.
Jesus proclaims a new realm—unlike the kingdoms of this world with which the Tempter enticed him out in the wilderness just a few verses prior—kingdoms where some have and others are left holding the bag, where a few get to steamroll their way to the front of the line and everyone else gets flattened, where some have food, and others are left to starve. Because the reign of God does not exist where some are welcome and others are not.
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What I Learned about Leadership from Being Stuck in an Airport
By Derek Penwell
As I sit in the Dallas airport, 25 hours into my version of the airport story from hell, I cannot help but think about the way something as simple as a flat tire on an airplane can put a serious kink a person’s faith. Apparently—and I did not know this—the FAA doesn’t consider Fix-a-Flat a suitable repair for a damaged airplane tire … at least that’s what the kind woman at the American Airlines gate told me when I walked up after seven hours to make suggestions about how we might possibly, “if-it’s-all-the-same-to-you,” move this along.
I’m going with a group to Mexico to do work on water purification, which is neither here nor there, except to draw attention to the competing impulses of a group that both urgently wants to get down to Mexico to do what we’ve been planning to do, while still remaining committed to the prospect of sidestepping the temptation to act like turds. They’re actually doing great, but nobody could blame them if they did spike the sphygmomanometer.
The thing about being stuck in airport is that not only is it exhausting staring at the same patterns in the industrial carpet for hours on end, but the uncertainty can tax even the strongest spiritual constitution. What lies ahead is uncertain, with just enough hope to keep you from wandering away from the gate and down to the bar to lay in liquid stores for the duration. And so you sit—miserable to be where you are, but with not information to provide you with the incentive to go somewhere else.
Which misery sounds like a lot of congregations I know. Life in declining congregations often mirrors the nightmare of being stuck in an airport. They don’t know what the future holds, and nobody can give them enough information to act on, so they sit on their hands, vacillating between the anger that nobody knows anything and the fear that whatever it is that nobody knows will materialize without warning and cause the whole journey to veer off into the ditch.
But the other thing I learned about being stuck in an airport is that good leadership can be the difference between communal thriving in a less than optimal situation and a spiraling descent into a band of mutant circus geeks on the prowl in search of the heads of airline personnel.
Here’s what I learned about leadership in a declining congregation from being stuck in an airport for 26 (now) hours:
- Being calm is contagious. If the person in charge is wound too tight, everyone gets anxious. Tranquility sells.
- Anxiety over things you can’t change isn’t merely a waste of time; it also robs you of the joy of the adventure. You can expend a great deal of energy worrying about things you have no control over, which leads to anxiety (see above). Anxiety causes the mind to race, limiting options and impeding creativity. But just as importantly, it blinds you to the fact that adventures are adventures precisely because of the challenges … not despite them.
- Being a jerk to people who can’t do anything about the situation doesn’t change anything but the atmosphere. Not only does being an overbearing fussbudget fail as a strategy for making things better, it also helps to create overbearing fussbudgets of others (see above). Remember: You have to live in the climate you create.
- Laughing makes everything a little less crappy, and can help bind a community together. In addition to the fact that laughter helps to relieve the tension of a difficult journey (see above), it also helps to draw people together. Any adventure is not only better with companions, it also makes survival that much more likely … just ask Frodo Baggins, or Harry Potter, or Jesus—although survival in Jesus’ case apparently required stretching out on a stone slab for a couple of days—which is sort of like airport furniture, if you think about it.
Being a part of a congregation in decline (or stuck in an airport) isn’t, generally speaking, high up on anybody’s list of things to do before they die. But if you stick around long enough, chances are pretty good you’re going to find yourself staring adventure in the face. You might just as well do it with a little grace and style.
Your band of traveling companions will thank you.
Is "evil" a thing?
'Indeed recent developments demonstrate that evil remains a stubborn concept in our culture, resistant to attempts to reduce it to pure "physicalism." To read the mainstream media commentary on the Breivik case, for instance, is to come upon, time after time, the word "evil." Not just that the acts were evil, but that he, Breivik was, as a Wall Street Journal columnist put it, "evil incarnate."
But what exactly does that mean? The incarnation of what?'
Evil was, like, so last decade anyway.
If Jesus were a folksinger
“I have sung for Americans of every political persuasion, and I am proud that I never refuse to sing to an audience, no matter what religion or color of their skin, or situation in life. I have sung in hobo jungles, and I have sung for the Rockefellers, and I am proud that I have never refused to sing for anybody."
Before someone decides to condemn me for calling Jesus a Commie (which I'm not, although a case could be made), it should be understood that, while Seeger's political affiliations didn't always align him with good company, his intentions, and methods were always genuine and, in my estimation, beautiful.
Pete Seeger's vision of the world was one in which we all cared for each other—greatest and least. He believed that we are all accountable for the world where our brothers and sisters live, breathe, play, and love.
What's more, he was unwilling to remain silent about such things. Seeger's politics got him publicly silenced. But his message of peace, love, and goodwill transcended him as a beacon for those marginalized and hopeless. He was a voice for those who had none. And, despite being banned from the airwaves for many years, he has become one of the most iconic and revered activists and humanitarians of our time.
Sounds pretty familiar.
If asked how to pay tribute my guess is Pete would say, support a cause, join a movement, sing a song or just go chop some wood. -@ajsfour
— Newport Folk Fest (@Newportfolkfest) January 28, 2014Monday evening, he passed away. The phrase "a great loss" is being used by folks who admired him and his life. I'm inclined to humbly say that they may be missing the greater point. For 94 years, Pete Seeger lived. And the world is better for it.
I bet Jesus was awesome on the banjo.
Priests and Protests in Kiev
Amidst burned buses, tear gas and barricades, however, there is another sight that stands out on the frontline: The strong numbers of Orthodox priests who have turned out, not to protest, but rather to pray.
Absolutely stunning.
There and Back Again: The Fellowship of the IKEA Meatballs
So, the youth room, depleted of its furniture, needed to restock. What better place to go for youth room furniture than IKEA?
On Sunday afternoon, the brave souls set out for West Chester, Ohio: Land of... things from Ohio... and the nearest IKEA to the Louisville Metro Area.
3 lamps, 2 tables, a number of oddly shaped pillows, a shelf, a couch, and roughly 45 "Swedish" meatballs later, they returned a tired yet successful fellowship from the Northern Lands of Cincinnati.
With all of these new additions, and the big screen coming back from it's short retirement, the new youth/media room is will soon be back in business.
Notes on the week.
Lots of things to think about this week...
We remember the life of a great human being:
We anxiously watch our leaders deal with decisions of liberty, security, and privacy:
And we await relief and resolution for our friends in the West Virginia:
It has been a heavy week.
It's weeks like this that I like to sit listen to Louis Armstrong and ponder.
Just ponder.
Have a wonderful weekend, and peace be with you all.
Letters from a Birmingham Jail
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."
Everyone should read it. We all know the quotes. But, man oh man, how much better is the whole thing?
Happy Birthday, Dr. King.
Career advice for an 18 Year Old
"So what do you do on this scary, lonely, exciting path? That’s totally up to you — you are empowered to figure things out on your own."
It seems like at 18 (or 21, or 35, or 60), everyone is telling you how much time you have to figure things out. I never bought that anyone really meant that when they said it. I don't begrudge them. It's the "right thing to say" in those obligatory moments of insight an wisdom asked of us without consent as though we know what the $@&! we're doing.
Leo Babauta's response hits less on the "what to do" as on the "who to be" of the question, which is the part I've always been a bit more intrigued with.
Also, he's awesome.
Do Gay People Control the Weather?
"Whenever there is extreme weather, some religious leader gets airtime for blaming someone. Whether it's a tsunami, an earthquake, a heat wave or a drought, someone will say it's God's way of getting our attention and therefore it has to be someone's fault."
For all future weather requests, please email Rev. Derek Penwell.
Sermon Podcast: Bringing Forth Justice
And don’t you think the church—among the inheritors of this promise to Isaiah—is always in danger of missing this point, convinced as it often is that the reign of God will be established only when the church gets everything right?
It’s easy to forget that the church isn’t an end in itself; it’s a tool, chosen by God to bring about God’s purposes. We find it easy to believe that God’s work will be accomplished by the force of the church’s charismatic personalities or through the power of its innovative programming—when in reality, God’s work very often gets done in spite of what the church considers its strength, rather than because of it.
Why?
Because, according to Isaiah, the glory of God shines in bruised reeds and dimly burning wicks. If you want to do the work of God, recognizing your brokenness is a good place to start.
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Fairness in Kentucky: The Poll Results
"But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everlasting stream" (Amos 5:24).
Escaping the cold...
In the spirit forgetting just how miserably cold it is outside, you may either close your eyes and dream of paradise...
... marvel at how amazing and possibly delusional these guys are...
... or be glad we all don't live in Northern Ontario.
Stay warm, folks!
Sermon Podcast: On the Way
It’s so easy for us to believe that our lives are defined by those events we call significant. The truth of the matter is . . . we live most of our lives in the in-between times.
Most of our lives are spent returning to our “own country by another road.” The problem with living from milestone to milestone, however, is that we’re always in grave danger of missing God on the way.
The magi looked up, saw a star, and launched their boats in the desert. They had their eyes focused on Bethlehem, on meeting the special child.
But once they’d finally reached their destination, they were almost immediately sent again on their way. Because, you see, for them, as well as for us, Bethlehem is not the end of the journey, but the beginning—not home, but the place through which we must pass if ever we are to reach home at last.
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Sermon Podcast: There's a New Kid in Town (Guest Preacher: Darla Bailey)
Sermon Podcast: God with Us
With everything going quickly to seed, we needed a sign of God’s salvation. We needed a God who wasn’t afraid to jump in and get dirty hands. We needed a God who wasn’t ashamed to walk the roads we walk. We needed a God who wasn’t afraid to be with us.
And that’s something I think we still look for. With the sands continually shifting beneath our feet, with the uncertainty of facing life in our precarious world, we need a God who’s not afraid to be with us.
We need a God who embraces our humanity, and not only our humanity, but a God who embraces us in the midst of each of our weak and fallen humanities.
When we cry out in the dry night of our shattered existences, we need a God who hears.
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