@lukedsimmons The Crossing in Columbia, MO was founded by two co-pastors. 25 years later they’re still both leading together healthfully and fruitfully. Outlier maybe, but definitely worked.
An edifying practice: convert anxiety about the state of the world to prayer for the advance of the gospel, the thwarting of evil, and the speedy return of Christ.
One of the things I’ve learned over many years of interest in politics and caring about elections: it never turns out as bad as I feared when the wrong candidate wins. It never turns out as good as I hoped when the right candidate wins. And there is always another election sooner than you think. So just take a deep breath.
@revchadbrooks Do you have any specific examples of “development/next level” things that you stretched to make happen that you’d not do if you went back? Our church is 3.5 years old and I feel this tension in me.
🧵 With the news that TNT might lose the NBA, it’s time to share the story about Ernie Johnson and the @NBAonTNT halftime show he made for my Bar Mitzvah.
It began w my dad and ended w me being called a drug addict & ballhog (fair, tbh) in front of family & friends
(1/X)
The entire Christian religion rides on this one day, Easter. Paul wrote this roughly 20 years after Jesus’ death and resurrection. The equivalent of someone writing today about the events of 2004.
Believer or not, you have to deal with the resurrection of Jesus.
We often look at previous generations and are baffled at their blind spots, failings, and hypocrisies. How could what is obvious to us not be to them?
Then I ask: what are our blind spots that future generations will baffled by?
I am increasingly convinced of one answer:
Tower of Babel & Digital Tech:
Genesis 3-11 is both a record and a warning; they are true stories that confront us. The story in Genesis 11:1-11 about Babel goes like this:
1. new technology [bricks = good]
2. new tech facilitates possibility of new social structures [towers = good]
3. new social structures are ordered away from God's design [lets not spread out = bad]
4. humans use new social structures to attempt to rob God of glory [let us make a name for ourselves = bad]
5. ultimate result is alienation and confusion [net = bad]
Embedded within the story is this warning: "this is generally what sinful humans will do with technologies."
We should expect to see Babel's pattern in digital technologies like TikTok, X, and Instagram and we do:
1. new tech is exciting and entertaining [not bad]
2. new forms of connecting with others [good]
3. the sin nature directs tech towards evil ends [bad]
4. human pride wants to use tech for selfish ambition [bad]
5. ultimate net result is poor mental health, poor social skills, hyper-sexualization, confused echo-chambers, alienation, and overall foolishness
@drantbradley@Cwoolf316 The book you recommend is excellent. Bought on your rec. halfway through.
How would you handle kids and teens who are interested in Jesus, who don’t have parents who are? Or who are just frankly bad parents? Or single moms just doing the best they can?
I am not making definitive statements on the pure legitimacy of his beliefs, I haven’t read much about it and don’t know him.
But his words on shame, hope, moralism (“managerial skills” as he puts it), and the Gospel is beautiful and worth your 90 seconds.
I don't think I've ever said this publicly and directly but I think the West is absolutely screwed if it loses Christianity.
Explaining this in full would require an entire book. But I've thought about it a lot over the years and reached this conclusion.
It's like removing the foundations of a building but pridefully expecting it to remain standing forever... All while enemies both inside and outside are trying to knock the building over.