The last few weeks have absolutely flown by as we have launched back into a very busy season of the year here in Chicagoland!
Probably the most one of the most exciting things that has happened in the last two weeks was a recent weekend seminar called "CLD: Tier 2" led by sociologist and author Dr. George Yancey! As a part of our continuing look at what it means to be a "Kingdom Citizen" here at Westbrook, Dr. Yancey spent time with us discussing "The Multi-Racial Church & Kingdom Citizenship".
Using his newest book Beyond Racial Gridlock as a starting point of sorts we spent Friday evening taking a look at:
1) How We Got to Where We Are (in terms of racism) &
Secular Approaches to Racism
On Saturday morning we examined:
1) A Biblical Response to Racism
It was an eye opening experience and a great challenge to us all! One of the most intriguing things that Dr. Yancey shared with us is the powerful catalytic, pace setting example that the church in the United States could set for the rest of our society if Christ-followers would truly commit to creating multi-racial and multi-ethnic churches all around our nation!
We hope to have him back in our area soon perhaps as part of a regional Mosaix conference within the next several months!
If you are interested in finding out more about our recent event here at Westbrook, drop me a line and I'd be glad to share more with you about this fantastic Tier 2 event!
20.9.07
Not the time for Hide-n-Seek.....
Do you have anyone in your life that ask you the "hard" questions? i mean those questions that strike at the heart of being a person of character and depth... questions that regularly expose your own predisposition to be a self-centered, selfish, sinful person?
If your answer is no.... bad answer.
Here is the deal, most of us mistakenly believe that somehow we can hide from the people around us and others... that somehow no one will ever uncover the behaviors that have the power to destroy us.
That is just not true, it's not true at all.
As a matter of fact, if no one in your life is asking you hard questions or if you are "hiding", when your "stuff" finally does come to light, you will find yourself begging, pleading for relief from the pain of exposure and embarrassment.
Yes... i am talking about being laid bare from the inside out!
Why?
Because we were made to be known by others... it's one of the ways we navigate this sometimes treacherous thing known as life. Unfortunately for most of us, it will take being "caught in the act" before we stop engaging in potentially destructive habits.
When i was a kid, i was intrigued by cigarettes,yet in my head i also knew they weren't good for me, but i would steal them from my mom or my uncle (who lived with us at the time) and go someplace and smoke them. i did this for a few weeks and always managed to not get caught but i also got more and more brazen (or maybe careless) about the whole thing.
One day i decided to steal the cigarette AND light it up before i snuck out of the house... as i came down the steps to head to the door i was confronted by my uncle at the bottom of the steps... who asked me..."what is that smell?" (i'm sure he knew exactly what that smell was... he was a cigarette smoker for heaven's sake!).
As i tried to hide the evidence behind my back (can't you just see it now... little kid, standing there with a cloud of smoke trailing from behind him, smoke encircling his head his head... trying to act all calm and cool), the lit cigarette proceeded to burn my little kid fingers, upon which i dropped the lit cigarette, tried to step on it to further hide the evidence but was summarily busted... and it was probably the best thing for me... to get caught that is.
The fact is, it would have been even better for me to have never been messing with that stuff in the first place... if there had been someone who i thought i could talk to about my unhealthy fascination with smoking, the tempting open cigarette packs around the house, my desire to be seen as cool by friends on my block... but then again i was just a kid... maybe six or seven at the time...
Can i ask you a question.... what's your excuse?
If your answer is no.... bad answer.
Here is the deal, most of us mistakenly believe that somehow we can hide from the people around us and others... that somehow no one will ever uncover the behaviors that have the power to destroy us.
That is just not true, it's not true at all.
As a matter of fact, if no one in your life is asking you hard questions or if you are "hiding", when your "stuff" finally does come to light, you will find yourself begging, pleading for relief from the pain of exposure and embarrassment.
Yes... i am talking about being laid bare from the inside out!
Why?
Because we were made to be known by others... it's one of the ways we navigate this sometimes treacherous thing known as life. Unfortunately for most of us, it will take being "caught in the act" before we stop engaging in potentially destructive habits.
When i was a kid, i was intrigued by cigarettes,yet in my head i also knew they weren't good for me, but i would steal them from my mom or my uncle (who lived with us at the time) and go someplace and smoke them. i did this for a few weeks and always managed to not get caught but i also got more and more brazen (or maybe careless) about the whole thing.
One day i decided to steal the cigarette AND light it up before i snuck out of the house... as i came down the steps to head to the door i was confronted by my uncle at the bottom of the steps... who asked me..."what is that smell?" (i'm sure he knew exactly what that smell was... he was a cigarette smoker for heaven's sake!).
As i tried to hide the evidence behind my back (can't you just see it now... little kid, standing there with a cloud of smoke trailing from behind him, smoke encircling his head his head... trying to act all calm and cool), the lit cigarette proceeded to burn my little kid fingers, upon which i dropped the lit cigarette, tried to step on it to further hide the evidence but was summarily busted... and it was probably the best thing for me... to get caught that is.
The fact is, it would have been even better for me to have never been messing with that stuff in the first place... if there had been someone who i thought i could talk to about my unhealthy fascination with smoking, the tempting open cigarette packs around the house, my desire to be seen as cool by friends on my block... but then again i was just a kid... maybe six or seven at the time...
Can i ask you a question.... what's your excuse?
5.9.07
I Think I Have Avoided This Long Enough.....
This week i had someone that i love, appreciate and loves a good verbal joust (but i would never say his name er... my little brother) in a light-hearted way give me a bit of hard time for seemingly to steadfastly avoid discussion of a several issues that have hit our nation's news wires and airwaves pretty hard over the past several weeks... the fact that i wasn't kicking these issues around for conversation here on this blog seemed to be a bit out of place for me he said.
i agreed... i have been avoiding a couple of "hot-topics" of late... in particular the one topic i have truly been loathe to talk about is the entire Michael Vick catastrophe.
What is there to say? As far as i am concerned, to borrow an idea that i read in a recent e-letter this week... "we should have seen this one coming...."
i mean think about it.... all around us we have people who think brutality to one another (UFC), brutality on celluloid (Saw IV... gimme a break) and brutality in music (misogynist lyrics, b**ch, H*'s, et al.) is perfectly okay as a matter of fact...it's big...no scratch that.... HUGE business.
Don't misunderstand, it in no way, shape or form makes what he has agreed that he did...right... i just wonder who are we kidding... is this unfortunately, what we have become?!?
So... let the conversation really begin....
i agreed... i have been avoiding a couple of "hot-topics" of late... in particular the one topic i have truly been loathe to talk about is the entire Michael Vick catastrophe.
What is there to say? As far as i am concerned, to borrow an idea that i read in a recent e-letter this week... "we should have seen this one coming...."
i mean think about it.... all around us we have people who think brutality to one another (UFC), brutality on celluloid (Saw IV... gimme a break) and brutality in music (misogynist lyrics, b**ch, H*'s, et al.) is perfectly okay as a matter of fact...it's big...no scratch that.... HUGE business.
Don't misunderstand, it in no way, shape or form makes what he has agreed that he did...right... i just wonder who are we kidding... is this unfortunately, what we have become?!?
So... let the conversation really begin....
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