New Atheists

Science and Faith

Onthecity.org

I am really excited about the upcoming 'The Gospel Coalition' conference in Chicago, IL. I have been working with a group of guys starting a regional Gospel Coalition in the Bay Area. I have been in contact with one of the guys, actually the only guy, working for the Gospel Coalition on a project started by Mars Hill called "onthecity.org".

It is essentially a facebook like environment for community groups. It moves a step beyond just being a part of a group on facebook and allows you to dive into your community life a little bit more and also has some fun tools for growing deeper in your faith. It has been fun playing around with it a little bit. I am excited to see a few more people there as they expand their network. You can check out the website above for some demos.

Wrestling with God

I have read so many stories lately about random acts of violence. I am not really sure if there is an increase in random acts of violence or the news agencies are just reporting it more. There definitely is a communal rise in tension and stress. The impact emotionally, physically, and spiritually is revealing itself more and more as this recession/ depression continues forward. Even if you are not directly impacted it is demoralizing to watch your country fail financially and then in turn watch your family and friends suffer.

I have been thinking about Jacob wrestling with God in the desert. This confrontation between man and God epitomizes the battle that we all have to engage in with God at one point or another. In our relationships with one another we can begin the process of knowing each other, but we can never be fully known except by God. He is the only one who can offer us the gift of being truly known in all aspects of who we are as a person. All other relationships are a mere exercise in the pursuit of being known by the one.

Furthermore, God is the only one who knows what we are suppose to look like. We are built in his likeness, yet sin has corrupted us from attaining this standard. So we need to look into the word of God, to understand how he built us, so we can move down the path of conforming to his likeness each day.

I am trying to loose some weight for a triathlon and I have hit a wall. I went to a site on wrestling to understand a bit of the mind of a wrestler in his process of loosing weight (I know this is not a good idea, but...). I read one site that said, "DON'T EAT SUGAR, SUGAR HAS NOTHING GOOD FOR YOUR BODY." I laughed and then followed. I have already noticed a difference after two weeks, but here is the point...

The only thing good for us is striving towards the wrestling match with God. Money, possessions, family, success, or any of the other of the millions of distractions that face us each day has no replacement for the wrestling with God. This recession shows us sadness towards an idol that we have lost, we can't make it on our own prosperity forever, everything has a course. The only eternal gift we have is our relationship with Jesus and our wrestling match with him needs to continue today.

Homeless

In Danville I heard that 40% of the homes on the market is due to foreclosure. I know many friends, myself included, that have faced a difficult time watching our home values plummet. I was passed on this news story from a friend chronicling what is becoming of those people who have begun losing their homes in places like Sacramento. 


via videosift.com

The Covenants

This next month I am going to be taking our Family bible study group through the covenants of the Old Testament. I am excited for the opportunity to spend my weeks pouring over some incredible moments in the lives of men with almighty God. That God would come and make a promise with us and then continuously fulfill that promise through our unfaithfulness is humbling and worthy of consideration by those who do not know God. It is amazing how much we can do to our bodies and our minds and Jesus can wipe it all away and make it clean. The multiple shades of Jesus never cease to amaze me in my walk with him.

Preaching