epexegesis

ep·ex·e·ge·sis /ˌe-ˌpek-sə-ˈjē-səs/
n. (pl. -ses /-ˌsēz/) the addition of words to clarify meaning.

duty is doodie

short and decisive

I just read this. It was the thought of the moment over on the anagram server.

The belief in the possibility of a short, decisive war appears to be one of the most ancient and dangerous of human illusions. -Robert Lynd, writer (1879-1949)

This must be true. But why does it FEEL like short and decisive and war should go together?

This feeling accounts for a lot of misery and confusion in the church that meets at my house, and among some other friends, I think. Just like America felt like "shock and awe" in Iraq and Afghanistan would do the trick, everyone feels like God could just fix things by a little shock and awe smackdown on evil. Two thousand and some years later we're still embroiled in this thing. Maybe that's just not how things work.

So who is spinning this illusion? Our own laziness?

tempora mutantur

tempora mutantur, nos et mutantur in illis

times change, and we change with them

the control deal

If you control a man, you control everyone that deals with him.
- Frank Delaney

best christmas

This may be the best Christmas gift I've ever received…

These are still available online here: http://www.lifetoday.org/site/PageServer?pagename=out_missionFeeding, and you can still get these in time for Christmas if you have that last minute gift you need to get for that guy, girl, or family who has everything. And if they're American, chances are they really do already have everything. And then some. Of course there are other ways of feeding the hungriest children in the poorest places. Not lots of other ways, but other ways no doubt. I have always liked James and Betty Robison because I know they could have easily been those shiny teeth televangelists with a huge national stage and lots of money, but they chose to drill clean drinking water wells and feed hungry children in the third world instead. Not because it proves their faith is superior, but just because it's a good thing to do.

To me, outreaches like the FEED 100 bags and Life Today are brilliant. To me, it's simple. They have a way to get food to starving people, and I have a way to get them the money to do it.

I believe and want to support lots of world-changing causes—everything from politics to education to spreading the gospel. But it's frankly a joke if I would do all that walking past starving people along the way. A dirty joke.

Thanks, Brent and Kindra. Thanks for riding along side us. Thanks for sharing our passion. Thanks for listening to our hearts. Thanks for accepting who we are.

sinners rule

Sinners need lots of rules. Have you ever noticed this?