Wednesday, October 20, 2010

LIFE IN MICHIGAN // Days in Cape Town

My brother-in-law is in Cape Town, South Africa, attending the Lausanne 3 conference this week. [What is Lausanne? Click here.]  He and some friends are hosting a blog and podcast while there. [You can read and listen here.]

In today's podcast, Dr. DeLonn Rance made the following comment in response to the ongoing discussion of proclamation vs. social justice:

"The greatest act of social compassion is to plant a local church. Because if you plant a local church, that church understands what that community needs. They know where the literacy problems, work problems and feeding problems are. [The local church knows] what the issues really are and can respond in a direct and immediate way that communicates the love of Christ."

Of course, then it becomes a matter of getting the pastors and leaders of the local church to understand the need to reach out to the community to discover and respond to those needs......

Thursday, October 14, 2010

LIFE IN...WHEREVER I AM THIS WEEK // Taking it too far?

I got an e-mail during work today; a press release from the Christian NewsWire service. This can be one of my favorite things as someone undoubtedly says something that fires me up every week.

The release is a response to a comment that First Lady Michelle Obama made on the "Tom Joyner Morning Show." She was talking about the prayer circles and people that pray for her and the President, etc., and how those people are "keeping the spirits clean" around them.

The release quickly jumps to a conclusion that questions whether the First Lady is into some brand of animism. [Read the release in its entirety here] What? Really?

Here's her clip from the show: [The Tom Joyner Morning Show w/ Michelle Obama] It's around the 6:30 mark.

How can you immediately suspect that the First Lady is into animism? And how many people actually know what that means in America? I do but I studied it in seminary.

Could she just be referring to the good kinds of spirits (the Holy Spirit, angels, God's messengers) around them? That prayer is keeping the evil spirits at bay? That the prayers of believers are keeping the clean spirits at work around them? Why do you people have to be so suspect and divisive and stir up trouble?

Monday, October 4, 2010

LIFE IN MICHIGAN // 5K Run/Walk in Support of Dearborn Assembly

Some folks from my church here in Dearborn (Dearborn Assembly) are walking in the 5K Run/Walk portion of the Detroit Marathon on Sunday, October 17.  Since I've just recently arrived and found out about this, I'm jumping in last minute.

Our church is part of the Marathon Mission Team, which is a non-profit community and faith-based umbrella whose participants raise financial support for a Marathon Mission charity of their choice. Ours happens to be Dearborn Assembly (obviously), a church plant in downtown Dearborn that is currently raising money for its building renovation of Harry Miller Flowers into its own church building. It's both an exciting time for the church to have a place of its own but a stressful time in that it needs to take occupancy of the new location by December 31.

Would you consider supporting our endeavor? One-hundred percent of your gift will go to the church and is tax-deductible. Checks can be made payable to Dearborn Assembly. You can send them to my attention and I will deliver them to the church. I wish we had an online fundraising page but alas, the way fundraising is set up through the marathon website did not allow for specific donations to the church.

Let me know if you would like to contribute and I will send you a mailing address. Thank you!