I finished another book today

Let me repeat the subject line.

I finished another book today. It was "Traveling Mercies" by Anne Lamott. It was very good.

I formulating some ideas and plan on writing a longer review.

Wide Open Spaces...to vomit

So I recently finished reading Jim Palmer's Wide Open Spaces and I have to be honest. I did not like it. Palmer offers a unique take on just about every aspect of the Christian life. Some of these views are challenging and eye opening. Others are so unique that I have never heard them before...anywhere...like the Bible.

Palmer is a former pastor who has left organized church and is starting to meet with people in his home for worship. I have nothing against this per say, however in the midst of his "Different Strokes for Different Folks" approach he definitely shares the positives of his approach and the negatives of organized church. He is saying that we can worship how we want...but his way is best.

Of course he also believes that "the devil" is simply being negative and believing your negative thoughts. Which means that Jesus had split personality and was talking with himself in the desert.

He also has an interesting take on what the world would look like if everyone loved. He thinks that there would be no crime (I would agree), no courts (I kind of agree), and of course no hospitals (I do not agree). It is a far fetched idea that there will be peace before the return of Christ, but even if it happened...we would still need hospitals. Palmer's basis is that sickness is based on not being loved. My opinion is that when someone loses control of their car and wraps it around a tree it is not because they are not loved.

I do want to make it sound like there are no redeeming qualities in the book. There are some challenging ways of looking at how we interact with people of different faiths that I think every Christian should hear. But on the whole the book is lacking.

Palmer sums up his book which I think will point to why I left the book with a bad taste in my mouth. He ends it with a quote from a band that claims that if everyone loved that nobody would die. It is as if death has become a bad thing. Paul said that to die was gain. It is not something to fear, it is not something that would go away if we all met in South Dakota for a big group hug.

Not only that but the band he quoted was...Nickleback...oh depravity.

procrastination is a sneaky ninja

I really need to blog more...maybe tomorrow

The challenge

I would like to issue a challenge to all parents...I am going to do this at my church.

I am going to work with our children's minister to challenge parents to put $20 in a savings account every month for their kids. If they start this when they are born and continue it every month until they graduate high school you will have saved enough money to send them on a mission trip.

I think this would be the best possible graduation present that a student can receive. Knowing that their parents care not only about how their faith shapes their behavior, but also that they put their faith into action by serving and sharing the gospel with others.

I hope they take me up on this.

a new blog...for Zak

I have not posted in a long time...since before Christmas...and now it is past my birthday.

If the blogging world were an ice cream shop I would be the cup of water they rinse the scoop out in.

Since my last blog I have gotten a new job.

I am now the High School Pastor at New Life Evangelical Free Church in Aurora. There are some great students in my group and it is my hope to not mess them up to bad before they go to college.

We are getting ready to start a new series on injustice and poverty and looking at what the Christian response to this should be. It is a very different response than the American way.

For more on this subject you should check on Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. If you are like me any you need a visual aid in looking for books as you walk the aisles in your local Barnes and Nobel you are in luck. I have gone the extra mile and stolen an image of the cover of the above reference book. Here you go...



Have a good one