Friday, June 20, 2008

Margaret Feinberg has done it again. I just received a review copy of her latest book, The Sacred Echo, and I am astonished at the transparency of her stories and depth of her spiritual insights. "The real beauty of prayer is not just in the request but in the repitition. Something enchanting happens when we ask God for something more than once, as if with each request our heart aligns itself a shade closer to God's heart." she says. "We also become more sensitive to the sacred echoes of God in our own hearts."

If you read her last (wildly popular) book, The Organic God, you know how warm and rich her words can be. It is hard to be consistently great, but this book hits just as hard as The Organic God and resonates with experiences that are common to us all.

I can't say much more because I am already committed to review this book for a magazine, but I can tell you that if you have not already placed a pre-order for The Sacred Echo, you shouldn't wait. Pre-order it now, and discover the "sacred echo" that God is speaking into your life.

Monday, June 16, 2008

A new community for twentysomething women has launched, called EtL Cafe. Several men and women--including authors Margaret Feinberg and Sarah Howell--have contributed wonderful information that makes this site very promising. I also was able to contribute an article as the Special of the Week: "Green Like God."

This article profiles Emma, a 23-yr. old college student who has a heap of emotional baggage due to parental neglect. The question posed is "How many of us shirk our responsibility to take care of what God gives us?" In fact, many human beings do an embarrassing job of stewarding God's creation. Just like Emma's parents, we are guilty of neglecting creation and causing irreparable damage.

I challenge you to do what I have done. Take a moment to quietly reflect and evaluate your own life. Making small changes can make a huge impact and will help put us on the road to healing His magnificent creation. As Christians, we have no other choice but to be green like God.

When you inventory your life, are you doing a good job of taking care of what God has given you?

What more can you do that would make an impact on this earth and those who inhabit it?

Sunday, June 1, 2008

This morning, the New York Times released an article entitled "Taking Their Faith, but Not Their Politics, to The People," which touches on something I have been speaking about on this forum for some time: the de-emphasis of partisan politics in the American evangelical community. The article makes some interesting and truthful points stating that young evangelicals are still resolute in their support of the sanctity of human life and traditional marriage, but they are also broadening their support to include issues like the environment, human rights, and care for the poor and people with AIDS.

The Times piece features interviews by Darrin Patrick, David Gushee, my good friend Dean Inserra, the director of Acts 29 Network, and yours truly (that's me, in case you were wondering). I think it is correct in its analysis and fairly written. It is definitely worth a read.

Anyone want to chime in on whether or not you think this analysis is correct or agenda-driven?

How do you think evangelicalism will look differently in the next 5, 10 or -- years?