Yep, I agree (along with Shop class) with Ruth Graham: WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOUNG PEOPLE today? It’s a perennial question, but a certain pattern can be detected in the concerns being aired right now. There’s health and nutrition: Almost a third of Americans under age 19 are now overweight or obese, habituated to a diet of cheap processed food. There’s financial literacy, with debt spiraling up to unsustainable levels as students juggle increasingly complex burdens of credit payments and student loans.... Read more

From Autoweek: So the Secret Service decided to design and then build the car from the ground up. “The car may say Cadillac,” explained one agent, “but very little in that car is Cadillac.” Indeed, it is built by an R&D arm of General Motors in Detroit. But “even the Cadillac emblems on the hood and trunk are supersized. The car is really a truck that looks like a limo. And it drives like one, too.” — The fuel tank... Read more

From the Celtic Book of Prayer: Blessing May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors. + In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen Read more

This clip comes from Humble Stumble, who attended an Act Like Men Conference, and I have some questions: What to say? What’s a better approach? What’s a better story to tell? How can men be most what they are meant to be? I entered Friday night knowing that I would not agree with everything taught. I have an egalitarian view and advocate for gender equality. The conference leaders do not.  Knowing my belief, I had chosen to be aware of... Read more

From the Celtic Book of Prayer: Canticle Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Christ... Read more

Jesus at the Margins- Meals as Maps When Jesus broke bread, he broke Israel. With his meal-time habits, Jesus was boldly speaking a new language and scandalously introducing a new world. USAmerican culture has gutted the social significance of daily meals. With innovative TV dinners and ubiquitous fast food chains, we eat like we live: with a sound and fury signifying nothing. Occasionally we are seated at a table with 3 forks, 3 glasses, two spoons and two knives and... Read more

Driscoll calls pacifists pansies, failing yet again to comprehend what pacifism is and how best to approach the question at hand: What about the Christian, the state and violence? What does it mean to live the gospel in a world of violence? Three recent posts about pacifism are worth your read and at the bottom I have a brief response myself: Preston Sprinkle: I actually really like Mark Driscoll. He’s a former ball player, and so am I. He loves... Read more

Several years ago I wrote a post on ambition asking if ambition should be considered a virtue or a vice. Reflections on my series on the book of Job lead me to revisit the topic – and probably not for the last time. The Merriam-Webster dictionary online defines ambition as (a) an ardent desire for rank, fame, or power (b) desire to achieve a particular end. This is viewed as a virtue in much of our culture – certainly in... Read more