This Week In The News - May 14, 2014

photo © 2011 Jon S, Flickr

"This Week In The News" is just a bunch of helpful, entertaining, beautiful, or otherwise interesting stuff we've found around the internet. Most of the time it will have something to do with the Church, but not necessarily. Also, just because we posted it here doesn't mean we always agree with or endorse the views and opinions expressed in the content posted below. We hope you enjoy!

500-year-old mystery: Wreck off Haiti may be Columbus' flagship Santa Maria
Is a sunken shipwreck off Haiti the long-lost remains of the Santa Maria, Christopher Columbus' flagship from his first voyage to the Americas?

How Do You Deal With Feeling Unloved?
Everyone feels the basic needs for love, security, and significance. But we should be wary of these psychological needs.

‘Bring Back Our Girls’
DOZENS of heavily armed terrorists rolled into the sleepy little town one night in a convoy of trucks, buses and vans. They made their way to the girls’ boarding school.

Why do we Abandon Reading Certain Books?
There are many books we all intend on reading someday and even go out of our way to buy, in the hopes we might read them. Sometimes they are a classic like Catch 22, War and Peace or The Republic.In other cases its published recently and we hear about it in the media, such as 50 Shades of Grey, The Casual Vacancy or the Goldfinch. What makes us abandon books after a few pages or never quite get into it?

If It Weren’t for Jesus, I Might be Pro-Death Too
Southern Baptist leader Albert Mohler wrote a piece this week defending the death penalty. In his 1200 word argument for why Christians should support the death penalty, he does not mention Jesus a single time.

MIT Secular Students Successfully Lead Charge for Non-Religious Invocations at Graduation
On Friday, students at MIT received an email letting them know that their graduation ceremonies would no longer have a religious invocation.

Weekly Devotional - A Joyful Solution

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." - Matthew 5:6

When I first read this verse, I imagined a straight laced, uptight, Bible-toting church boy. That kid who never let anyone see him do something wrong, and was always ready to call out sin when he saw it.  But I don't know if that's an accurate picture.

This is the girl who has lost a loved one to cancer. This is the boy who's father beats him every single day, for no real reason. This is for the victims of the Boston Marathon Bombing, who wonder why someone would hate them so much. This is for those of us who have been oversees to third world countries, and seen the most abject poverty, and wonder who these people can still smile. These are the people who have come face to face with the brokenness of the world, and can't deny it. And they thirst for this brokenness to be fixed.

Enter the Gospel.

Jesus promises that one day they will. On the cross, Jesus dealt the death blow to Satan, sin, and death. And we look forward to the consummation of that victory at his second coming. Until then, He invites us into the joyful solution. Jesus has come to save the world, and as his Church, we're called to be his hands and feet. If you call yourself a Christian, you need to know that we're his plan.

So, echoing the words of Jesus, I invite you today to look out into the world, find something touched by unrighteousness, and do something to fix it. However small your action, it doesn't matter. Choose today to go be the Church.

Sit Down And Shut Up

Our culture is obsessed with talking. We love to hear the sound of our own voices. We love to tell the best stories; we enjoy having our opinions heard; we love being asked for advice. And those aren't always bad things. But sometimes we talk too much.

Matthew 5:5 says this, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." But the word meek doesn't mean much to us these days. It's just not a common word. So let’s look at another place in scripture where the word "meek" is used.

"Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." - James 1: 19-21

Here we have this example of a person who is a good listener, he thinks before he speaks or becomes angry. And then James sums up these characteristics by using the word meek.

Are you a better listener than you are a speaker? Next time you're hanging out with your friends, try listening instead of speaking. Don't think about what you're going to say as soon as they stop talking. Listen. Next time you're hanging out with one of your best friends, ask about their life. And again, really listen.

Why? Because the meek shall inherit the earth.

Weekly Devotional - The Teacher Speaks

"Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." - (Matthew 5:1-4, ESV)

Picture it. Set the scene in your head.

Jesus has just started his ministry. People are just starting to listen. He's gained the ear of the Jews. And the crowds have started to amass, to come and hear this new, courageous teacher of Scriptures. He climbs a hill, followed by his disciples. He sits. His disciples sit around him, waiting. The people gathered around fall silent, waiting as well. The teacher speaks...

And so begins the Sermon on the mount - an epic collection of Jesus' teachings in which he shows us what it means to live in the Kingdom of Heaven.

He begins with a seemingly contradictory statement.

"'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

How is it the poor end up inheriting a kingdom? What does it mean to be poor in spirit? Do I have to be poor in spirit to gain the kingdom of heaven? It sounds like being poor in spirit means I can't own a flat screen TV or a swimming pool.

Here are five short devotional thoughts from these two verses.

This Is An Invitation
Jesus isn't writing pithy one-liners to put on bumper stickers or hallmark cards. He's giving us an invitation. He's asking us to become poor in spirit. He wants us to inherit the kingdom of God.

Being Poor In Spirit Has To Do With How We See Ourselves
It's that beautiful moment when we're relieved of the burden of self-reliance. It's understanding we're broken. It's realizing our own inability. It's knowing we're powerless, and unworthy of the love and affection of a God who is the opposite of all that. Poor in spirit means we see how deeply we're screwed - which is something that's easy to see when we look at humanity as a whole, but it's a hard thing to own up to personally.

God Cares For Those Who Turn To Him
Some might say it's unhealthy to look at ourselves as fundamentally flawed creatures. But I would simply ask which is more unhealthy, being sick and refusing to acknowledge it, or being sick and calling a doctor? Jesus says those who mourn shall be comforted. The only comfort which has any meaning is the Gospel. The only comfort which lasts is the love of Christ - that tangible, self-sacrificial, never-ending love which was the impetus of Christ's death on the cross. It's the only kind of love which comforts those who mourn.

We Must Live In A Contradictory Manner
Just like Jesus' first statement, we who seek to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth must live in a contradictory manner. This goes beyond not using swear words, smoking, or watching R-Rated movies. It means loving people in a radical (and tangible) way. It's understanding the self-sacrificial and never-ending love of Christ which drives us to love others with that same kind of tangible love. If you want to read a practical book about learning to love people in our day and age, go pick up Bob Goff's book "Love Does." It's a short and easy read packed with awesomeness based on the idea that love is a verb. These are the kind of people who inherit the kingdom of heaven - the ones who love like Jesus loved.

Being Poor In Spirit Ultimately Looks Like Humility
All of this combines to give us an attitude of humility - the poor in spirit are humble. They know they need help. They know it's not all about them, it's about Christ. And they want to help others in any and every way possible.

How can you seek to be poor in spirit this week? How can you show others a tangible and self-sacrificing love?

Weekly Devotional - Remaining Faithful, Even Through Hard Times

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.  

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Colossians 4:2-6, ESV)

Paul, the author of the book of Colossians, was a man well acquainted with suffering. He was beaten, whipped, betrayed, and was even shipwrecked. The book of Colossians was written from a prison cell. Paul was imprisoned for spreading the Gospel.

And yet Paul's main concern was still spreading the Gospel! He asks the Colossians to pray for him, that he would be able to leverage his current imprisonment to share the Gospel.

Often, when we face hard times, our first instinct can be to blame God. Maybe not directly, but we ask questions like, "God, why would you let this happen to me?" But to Paul, the answer to that question is clear. God let him be put in prison so he could share the Gospel. 

Paul goes on to ask for prayer, that he would be able to make the Gospel clear. And then he exhorts the Colossians to do as he does. To leverage their current situations to share the Gospel clearly.

Our circumstances, good or bad, are opportunities to speak of Christ's saving work on the cross. Your ability to remain faithful to Christ through hard times may be the strongest testimony of all.

What Would Kanye Do?

photo © 2009 editrixie, Flickr

Today I watched an interview in which Kanye was wearing one of those old WWJD bracelets popular when I was in 3rd grade. Kanye West has listed Jesus Christ as one of his biggest inspirations on more than one occasion. And it got me thinking. It's not like I can fault the rap artist for finding inspiration in the historical Jesus. Christ was an inspirational person with a radical message who changed the world. But it's telling when Kanye West is more inspired by Jesus Christ than many Christians I know.

Reading the gospels, the stories of Christ, it's captivating. The way he spoke, the way he taught, the stories and parables - I can't tear my eyes from the page. The way he loved people, the poor and the rich, the marginalized and those in power, it makes me nervous. It makes me think maybe the world doesn't revolve around me, and that's scary (I guess Kanye missed that part). It's like I become torn between wanting to keep reading and this desire to go out and BE like Jesus.

I mean, it's not always like that. There are a million distractions just waiting to stifle inspiration. I'm a nerd, so I'm always catching myself reading the Bible from an academic point of view rather than an awe-inspired point of view. Or I get busy with life, and simply fail to pay attention to who and Jesus actually is, and what he did and is doing.

So maybe we Christians need more a little more inspiration. Maybe we could spend a little less time discussing doctrine, political parties, and gay rights. Maybe instead of slinging verses at our opponents like fiery darts we could take a new look at Christ. A good look. One which moves us.

I think sometimes its easy to say we "Love Jesus." But isn't the lover of someone a person which has been deeply inspired by another? Kanye's bracelet was a reminder to me, today, to find inspiration in Jesus again.

This Week In The News - February 28, 2014

photo © 2011 Jon S, Flickr

"This Week In The News" is just a bunch of interesting, entertaining, or otherwise awesome stuff we've found around the internet. Most of the time it will have something to do with the Church, but not necessarily. Also, just because we posted it here doesn't mean we always agree with or endorse everything posted below. We hope you enjoy!

5 Things Christians Should Know About Depression and Anxiety

Depression and anxiety tend to be some of those touchy subjects that are tough to tackle from a Christian perspective. It's not complicated just because the illnesses themselves are so complex, manifesting themselves in myriad ways, but also because perspectives about mental disorders vary greatly throughout the Church.

4 Reasons To Ban Solitary Confinement

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) touched on a controversial topic at its annual annual meeting this month — solitary confinement. University of Pittsburgh law professor Jules Lobel spoke at the conference about his role as lead counsel in a proposed class action lawsuit against Pelican Bay State Prison in California. Lobel is seeking to represent more than 1,000 prisoners there who spent at least a decade in solitary confinement.

Kerry slams N. Korea as 'an evil, evil place'

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday called for global attention on North Korea, denouncing the isolated Asian nation as "an evil, evil place." "North Korea is one of the most closed and cruel places on earth. There's no question about it. There's evil that is taking place there that all of us ought to be deeply and are deeply concerned about," the top US diplomat said.

I'm In It To End It: #EndItMovement

Around the world, there are presently almost 30 million people in slavery—a truly staggering number, quite possibly the largest number of slaves the world has ever known. You can see where they are held right at this Washington Post article.

Egypt’s Miracle AIDS Cure is Probably A Hoax

By hoax, we mean it looks like a complete sham. We don’t know what the Egyptian military is thinking with their latest attempt at making the people of the country, pro-armed forces. According to the military’s leader, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, engineers have created the perfect cure for AIDS and hepatitis C.

Lip Sync Battle With Paul Rudd