Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry released this, uh, amazing ad entitled “Strong.”
I find it remarkable that in just 30 seconds, he can tweak my sensibilities in so many ways. Thankfully, Jesus responded with his own video:
They Didn’t Eat Me! Photos from Our Mormon Adventure
Kay developed an online friendship with a Mormon couple, and last month we traveled to Salt Lake City to meet them. Here are some photos from our trip…
Family Book of Mormon
Remember big, heavy family Bibles, with pages at the beginning to record family information? This is like those. Except that it’s not.
With Kay outside the Temple
Temples play an important role in the Mormon faith. Among their “ordinances” (what we would call “sacraments”), some can be performed only in temples, including:
- Sealing: Binding a married couple to each other for eternity.
- Baptism on behalf of the dead: That they, too, might be saved.
Undiscovered Advent: The Second Coming of Christ
Advent has begun! For most people, however religious or irreligious you are, this just means it’s time to prepare for Christmas. …But there’s a whole side of Advent that we’re missing.
Advent 2: The second coming
“Advent” means “coming,” referring of course to the coming of Christ. But the Advent season calls us not only to look back to the First Advent, but also to look forward to the Second Advent: namely, the second coming of Christ.
Holy Rapture, Batman! Didn’t we just get past end-of-the-world silliness? Well, it was silly. And part of the silliness is treating the second coming of Christ as “the end of the world.” I blame fire-and-brimstone preachers, and bad movies. Why is it the end of the world? Why not the beginning of the world?
Off to Mormonland!
Kay & I are flying off to Utah. Salt Lake City. Kay became close friends online with a Mormon couple and has been in extended conversations about their life and beliefs. She read the Book of Mormon, cover to cover.
We’ll get to meet our new friends face-to-face for the first time. I’m expecting to
- Hang out with the couple (and their kids)
- Meet their extended family
- Eat with them
- Visit Temple Square
- Go with them to their church, for three whole hours!
I’ve no idea how we’re going to fit that all into such a short visit. It should be an adventure, like visiting a foreign land where everyone speaks American English and is perfectly groomed.
If you happen to be in Salt Lake City this weekend, we’ll be the ones desperately seeking a coffee shop.
Photo by More Good Foundation (license)
The Jehovah’s Witness Who Refused Tea
A special treat! This is a guest post by my lovely and feisty wife Kay. She writes, “Names were changed… for obvious reasons.”
My doorbell rang and I opened the door to find Doug. He was an older gentleman, well dressed and carrying a briefcase.
“Hello, I’m with the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Have you ever read the Bible?”
Ummm… Okay. I should be nice to this guy. After all he has a sweet manner and it’s cold out here. Besides, it can’t be fun getting doors slammed in your face all the time.
Her assumption is that I will quietly read along with her, I guess. Oh boy.
“Sure, I read the Bible regularly but I would love to hear what you have to say. How long have you been a believer?”
“Since the 90′s.”
Oh. Not a lifer. Interesting.
“So what made you convert?”
“I grew up Southern Baptist. And all they taught us was that God kills everyone and we are going to hell. But that’s not how it is at all. God doesn’t kill us. We do that ourselves. You see what the world around us is like.”
Oooh… The guy has a story. Even more interesting.
“Would you like to come in? It’s cold out here.”
The Kingdom of God is Like a Virtual Choir
If you ever love to sing, as I do, I think you’ll find this amazing. Composer and conductor Eric Whitacre had a crazy idea: He’d post a video of himself conducting one of his vocal pieces, but without a choir. The virtual choir would be provided by individuals replying with their own videos of themselves singing.
How had I not heard about this? I happened to stumble across a TED talk where Whitacre explains his first such project, uploaded to YouTube on in May 2010:
Stop LGBT Bullying: Wear Purple for Spirit Day
I wear T-shirts to work every day. So why am I wearing this purple, buttoned shirt? The buttons have no significance, but they help me highlight a special day. It’s October 20. I’m wearing purple for Spirit Day.
A number of gay teenagers committed suicide in September 2010 after being bullied. In response, teenager Brittany McMillan started Spirit Day. It’s as a way to show support for LGBT youth who are bullied and harassed. Wearing purple is a simple gesture, but I hope it sends a message: “You’re important to me. You’re important to a God who loves you.”
Friends I Thought Of Today
Today I was reminded of two friends — one a long friendship, and one a brief encounter.
Mike and Shane in 2006
Mike Abrahamsohn came to mind because I went to Google, and this was their doodle for the day:
It’s Mike’s alter-ego Gumby, and pals! (This is now in the Google doodle archives.)
Shane Claiborne came to mind because I received a letter from TheOOZE. The Simple Way is up for a $50,000 grant if they get enough votes. It only takes a second, so please vote for The Simple Way!
Salvation: Do We Have It All Wrong?
What does it feel like to be saved?
Are you saved by what you believe?
I use the term “saved” cautiously, knowing that it won’t communicate what I mean to many, especially (but not limited to) my atheist friends. But I want to be clear: Living into the Way of Jesus is neither a set of beliefs you subscribe to, nor a set of actions you aspire to.
There’s a longstanding see-saw debate among Christians: Are you saved by what you believe? Or saved by what you do?
If I may I be so bold: No. And no.
My Encounter with God
Like I said, I had a knockout encounter with God this past Sunday. It all started innocuously enough: I sat down in the morning to see what was new in my Google+ circles.
I’m gradually starting to use Google+ more, especially as a way to follow people who teach me. Jamie Arpin-Ricci is one of them, and he had just shared a new posting about The Four-Fold Pattern of Franciscan Prayer, which I’d never heard of.
I started to read… but was utterly captivated by the image he used of St. Clare and St. Francis. I read the post but kept coming back to the image:
The heart-filling awe. The joy.
