Integrating Missionally

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From the Pat Robertson Haiti debacle, Jeffrey Weiss has a story entitled “Haiti and the Pat Robertson Paradox” Great thoughts on religion in America (HT: Len Sweet)

From the election on Tuesday

Massachusetts Voters Backed Brown to Show Opposition to Democratic Agenda, Poll Says

“Nearly two-thirds of those who voted for Republican Scott Brown in the Massachusetts Senate race said their vote was at least in part to make clear their opposition to the Democratic agenda in Washington.”

Now What? Democrats Struggle to Make Sense of Losses

Between Republican Scott Brown’s surprise Senate victory over Martha Coakley in Massachusetts Tuesday night, the Supreme Court’s decision to lift campaign restrictions on corporations Thursday, Obama’s Transportation Security Administration nominee stepping down, Federal Reserve Chief Ben Bernanke’s nomination coming under fire, and even progressive radio station Air America going off the air, Obama had just come through the most bruising five days his administration, his party, and his progressive base had ever seen together.

From Science this week

Neurons Developed from Stem Cells Successfully Wired With Other Brain Regions in Animals. Why does this matter?

In this study, a team of neuroscientists led by James Weimann, PhD, of Stanford Medical School focused on cells that transmit information from the brain’s cortex, some of which are responsible for muscle control. It is these neurons that are lost or damaged in spinal cord injuries and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). “These stem cell-derived neurons can grow nerve fibers between the brain’s cerebral cortex and the spinal cord, so this study confirms the use of stem cells for therapeutic goals,” Weimann said.

Human Brain Uses a Grid to Represent Space. Why read this? Well, these cells correlate with Alzheimer’s. Fascinating read.

The parts of the brain which show signs of grid cells — the hippocampal formation and associated brain areas — are already known to help us navigate our environment and are also critical for autobiographical memory. This means that grid cells may help us to find our way to the right memory as well as finding our way through our environment. These brain areas are also amongst the first to be affected by Alzheimer’s disease which may explain why getting lost is one of the most common early symptoms of this disease.

From Health, Wellness, & Food

Unraveled? Here’s How to Knit Yourself and the World Together. Okay, get past the Buddhist quote and you’ll find some great thoughts:

Have you ever looked into the mirror and wondered who is staring back at you? Or longed to unite the many parts within you? The friendly one, the angry one, the resentful one, the sad one, the calm one, the impatient one, the confused one – that are all jumbled up behind a public persona that’s buffed and glossed – but tends to crack when you’re angry or upset.

27 Fitness and Fat Loss Tips. “These 27 Fitness and Fat Loss Tips will get you on the right track for this New Year”

How To Reach Your Goals By Keeping A Journal. Great suggestions for record-keeping!

Cook Pizza in a Cast-Iron Skillet. A great suggestion.

Think you need a pizza stone to make some great homemade pizza? Megan from DIY home weblog Not Martha suggests trying your trusty cast-iron skillet before shelling out for a uni-tasking pizza stone.

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Several Articles I found worth a read recently:

Life/Work

How to stay productive during the winter holidays

It’s December and one side of my brain is already thinking about presents, imagining the warmth of home, and preparing a list of “must-buys” for Christmas entertaining . The other side ois stuck with the reality of my daily life: me, at the office, dealing with day-to-day tasks. My attention has been divided and this can be seen in my results. It’s not the best situation you want to deal with, especially when the boss has clear expectations from you and reminds you that holiday starts only on  the 24th of December. Therefore, we all most refocus and get concentrate to get things done in time. If this sounds like you, the tips listed below might help.

5 Tips to Help Reignite Your Passion

You’re bored. Tired of what you do. You’re not even close to where you hoped your business would be by now. You feel like you’re losing ground and don’t know how to get energized and ready for the next round.

It happens to nearly everyone. Even though we know it takes most people two to four years to get a business off the ground and making money, we somehow believe we will be the exception to the rule. Or we just forget how long two to four years actually is. It doesn’t help that every time we turn on the news, echoes of the declining economy ring in our ears.

Plenty of people are thriving, even in this economy, and you can, too. More important, you can regain your passion for what you do. Follow some of these suggestions to boost your flagging enthusiasm

The Surprisingly Deep Benefits of Walking

Walking is a form of exercise – in fact, it’s one of the best forms of exercise that you can possibly do. In 1997, Professor J Morris and Dr. Adrianne Hardmann called walking ‘the nearest activity to perfect exercise.’ Why? Consider the following health benefits of regular walking:

ADHD and Time

The most authoritative study on the question of brain development and ADHD was led by researchers at the NIH, NIMH and McGill, and published in 2007 in PNAS. The scientists scanned the brains of 223 children with ADHD and 223 control subjects, from a variety of different age groups. They analyzed these anatomical snapshots for “cortical thickness,” which served as a proxy for brain development.

They found that ADHD is largely a developmental problem: the brains of kids with ADHD develop at a significantly slower pace than normal.

Ministry/Theology

The Small Dying Urban/Suburban Church Vs. The Small Country Church as a Training Ground For Mission

I recommend the small church as a place of ministry for young pastors and seminarians. In difference from Dr Tim Keller however, I recommend the small urban and/or suburban church (as opposed to the country small church). Most often, these urban/suburban churches are in a death spiral amidst the vestiges of post Christendom urban/suburban centers. The small country churches are in many cases hanging on and in some cases thriving in a still largely Christian friendly rural culture.

Why is the Emergent/Missional Church So White?: Soon-Chan Rah’s Next Evangelicalism and Why It Doesn’t Go Far Enough (in Exposing White Western Cultural Captivity)

The lack of diversity in the Missional Church (and for that matter the Emerging Church) is a main topic at this year’s Missional Learning Commons coming up here the first week of January in Ft. Wayne. On the Friday night, we’ll be discussing Soon Chan Rah’s book The Next Evangelicalism: a book that deals expressly with the problem of diversity in evangelicalism. The book has received a good bit of attention. I think it voices the consensus approach to the problem most often articulated among these same groups – evangelicals and emerging Christians. It’s worth a read for that reason alone.

Shutting the Doors for Good

Death is a reality all pastors have to deal with. After a few years, we get used to dealing with the dying, the dead, and those left. But what about when a church dies? No one talked to us about that in seminary and while there is precedent for shutting down factories and warehouses and businesses, there isn’t much written about shutting down a church. I don’t think there was even a mere mention of it in “Theology of Ministry 101”. But it’s happening…churches are closing, and my friend had to do it.

“Didachists” to Avoid – The Dishonest Type

There are plenty of teachers, “didachists,” on these interwebs that like to warn the Christian sub-culture of those to avoid and fear. Yet, here is a book reflecting positively on the benefits of a “rule of life” addressing simple living in the Way of Jesus and nary a word.

Economics

Is it time to rethink Capitalism?

Umair Haque is Director of the Havas Media Lab, a new kind of strategic advisor that helps investors, entrepreneurs, and firms experiment with, craft, and drive radical management, business model, and strategic innovation.

In an article this year on Harvard Business Review, he suggested that the question, “Is it time to reboot capitalism?“, should be at the top of agenda of every decision-maker across the economy. Why?

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Here are a few articles I found extremely interesting recently.
Ministry

No One Can Keep Us From Helping Each Other by Rick Davis

There are other pastors or staffers with a spare room in the house. I urge you to make these available to persons in need of a retreat. I make my spare room available to you. You can come and we can talk. Or you can some and fall sound asleep in the back bedroom and be bothered by absolutely no one.

The Loss of Community by Rick Davis

Tell me, what is harder. Is it harder to get a church member or to get a church member back?

Who Takes Care of the Minister? by Rick Davis

Please understand what happens to a Free Church minister when he or she is suddenly unemployed, for whatever reason. Do not sugarcoat your dismissal of this person. In so doing, you ruin his life.You do not do this thing for him or for his good. You simply ruin his life.

When Jesus AIDS Others – World AIDS Day by Todd Littleton

“Do you see this woman?”

My cousin died of AIDS before we knew much about the disease. Emaciated and wracked by the disease he was a shell of his former self. He died in relative obscurity. No doubt his family felt stigmatized.

Several years later I would sit in an Ethics class in seminary. By this time, the latter 1980’s, churches were scrambling to understand what to do and how to protect themselves. One fellow, a member of a large church in the DFW area, brought the church manual designed to help inform people and protect themselves.

Anticipation – First Sunday of Advent by Jamie Arpin-Ricci

As we consider the Advent of Christ’s birth, can often get swept up in the romance of the story. The beauty of the nativity as we portray it is deeply moving. Few hymns of praise are more universally enjoyed than those we sing during this Christmas season. The majesty of the angels, the quaint and simple reverence of the shepherds, and the mystic devotion of the magi from distant lands. What magical story! After all, we know that this tiny child will be the salvation of all Creation.

Life

Focus On What You Control. Let Go Of What You Don’t. by Dumb Little Man

The average person starts the personal development journey in order to gain more control over his or her ability to make changes in their lives. But, somewhere along the journey they forget that there are certain things we really don’t control.

Twelve Surprising Uses for Vicks VapoRub by Dumb Little Man

Vicks is an age-old mentholated topical cream intended to relieve head, throat, and chest stuffiness. It uses menthol to elicit a response from receptors in the nose and chest and can work wonders on children with colds or chronic bronchitis. Vicks has been around for over one hundred years and is one of the most widely used over-the-counter decongestants. Lately, there’s been a lot of buzz about unique and unconventional ways to use this odoriferous ointment. You’ll be surprised to learn that Vicks VapoRub is a supposed treatment for so much more than just a congested chest.

Viewpoints

It’s time to reconcile science and religion by SHELLEY EMLING of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE

Exiting the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., a few weekends ago, I found myself caught in a science-religion crossfire.

A handful of Christians had gathered across Constitution Avenue, most carrying placards imploring the museum’s visitors to forgo the evolutionary leanings of Darwin. A spirited gaggle of museum visitors had decided to take on the Christians, standing on the steps of the museum while chanting Darwin’s name over and over.

For several minutes, the two sides traded insults and it wasn’t long before the hoots and hollers reached a frightening crescendo.

Enjoy the reads…

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Here are links to articles I enjoyed online this week…

Ministry:

Who takes care of the pastors? by Rick Davis

Who takes care of ministers?

Well, no one, really. In the Free Church, whose genius is its congregational autonomy, the minister is defended, supported and beloved, until he/she is not. Then the minister is reviled, condemned, cast forth into outer darkness. He/she has little hope of professional redemption.

More to the point, who helps the minister get the 10,000 hours he/she needs to be competent in what he/she does? Who points to the reading, study, prayer, fellowship and work habits he/she needs to be competent at his/her craft?

Well, no one. Free Church ministers go largely unevaluated, alone, unprotected. The Free Church minister lives the life of the soccer goalie: quiet and settled while the ball is in the other end, followed by moments of sheer terror when the ball approaches his goal. He can never win. He can only hope to not lose, though he knows, for certain, he is not perfect and the ball will finally settle in the goal behind him.

Life:

How to want very little at Zen Habits

There are two challenges that people face when choosing to live a more simpler life: owning little and wanting little. Yet people fuse these challenges together into a larger “live simply” goal. Unfortunately, they’re two different beasts that need to be tamed in their own ways.

Owning little requires a practical approach – systematically decluttering your life and eliminating the unnecessary. Wanting little on the other hand is focused on the way in which we think, a far more blurred aspect of simplicity.

News of the Weird:

How a woman delivered a baby while cooking Thanksgiving Dinner

Think you’re an experienced multi-tasker? Think again. A Boston woman has succeeded at one of the all-time greatest Thanksgiving Day juggling acts when she managed to cook a turkey while helping deliver her baby granddaughter.

The woman, Patricia McCalop, was in the middle of preparing the meal when her daughter suddenly went into labour two weeks early. She called 911, and a dispatcher talked her through the delivery and helped her confirm that the baby girl was breathing. Paramedics arrived shortly afterward and took the new mother and the newborn to the hospital. Both are in good health. McCalop said she kept running between the kitchen and her daughter because didn’t want the turkey to burn while she helping her child deliver the baby. One can only hope she didn’t mix up her tool kits while doing double duty.

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