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It seems like even creation is somehow living more biblically than we are. #laydownyourlifeforafriend

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."

 Romans 1:20

This expression of worship is soooo good..... Thank you Isaac Wimberley for your spoken word pointing to the truth, to the Word that has a Name.

"The Word has a Name.
Hope has a Name,
Joy has a Name,
Peace has a Name,
Love has a Name
and that Name is Jesus Christ,
Praise His Name forever!"

I like the idea behind this. I see it as an example of where business and social responsibility might meet.... almost like a kind of social entrepreneurship, where your product or service doesn't just exist to make a profit.

This leads me to ponder about what should drive innovation. It's not simply, "Can I make a lot of money?" but "Can I help a lot of people?" And rather than asking "Can I make something new?" regardless of utility & luxury, entertain the question, "Can I create something useful that meets a real need?"

Obviously Samsung is still a money-hungry company, but I like the message in this video and believe it shows a glimpse of what kingdom-guided business might look like.

Dear Kitten

After discovering the great evil that is dry cat food, I switched Simon to my favorite advertised wet cat food brand [see funny video]. I am happy to report that after only a few days of the new diet, he is already more playful and his coat is even softer/shinier.

I had happened upon a youtube video channel [cat mojo] that first opened my eyes to the importance of good nutrition for your cat. It recommended a raw meat diet since that is what cats have been evolutionally designed to eat. So I investigated that a little bit more, ultimately realizing how expensive and impractical it is. I kept researching about wet vs. dry food and found that many veterinarians themselves are untrained and uneducated about this subject, which doesn't surprise me because medical doctors for humans also do not typically have nutrition as a major component of their training. Ever since I started my public health program, I have become a firm believer that most of the diseases that plague us stem from our poor diets. The same should not surprise us when it comes to the animal kingdom. I learned that cats who are fed dry food are consuming far too many carbohydrates (which they don't nutritionally need at all), receiving far too little water (10% moisture vs 78% in wet food) and contrary to popular belief not actually benefiting in terms of their dental health. To me, I would say dry food is essentially the McDonalds of cat food. Too much junk, very little nutrition. I found that there were many other people saying the same kinds of things on other websites, blogs and youtube videos. I specifically looked for veterinarians who were educated in this area and came across this one. Once I decided that I should definitely switch Simon's food, I began another search for quality, affordable wet food. That was a task unto itself, but eventually I found a comprehensive list of acceptable brands on the cat doctor's website here. This was a God-send because reading competing comments on the internet about this topic can get a bit confusing and frustrating. I share all of this not just to document my own journey, but as a reminder about the importance of inquiry, doing your own research and taking action whenever you discover something you are doing is unhealthy (for yourself or others). Sure, Friskees may not be top of the line canned food, but it is way better than dry food and it's not gonna break the bank to feed my cat. Plus, he is consuming more protein (which he nutritionally requires) and less carbs. His kidneys and other body systems are probably rejoicing, and I will hopefully enjoy many more years with a non-obese, non-diabetic cat. I'm all about disease prevention and proactive healthy living for the sake of the public's health, and I don't see why that shouldn't extend to our furry friends as well. After all, that's just part of being a good steward of my little part of creation :)

And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”  Genesis 1:24-26

Plus, I have heard the horror of what can happen when someone doesn't properly educate themself about an animal's specific dietary needs..... in this case, it was a poor bunny that had to be put down because it suffered intestinal blockage as a result of being fed an inappropriate diet. Smh.

The Debate - Relationship or Power?

“For many years now, people who seek justice and healing have engaged in a debate about whether a relational approach or a power-based approach is most effective in addressing class and ethnic disparities. The relational camp reminds us that we are called to be the family of Christ. Various reconciliation passages in Scripture focus on broken trust between individuals and the need for forgiveness. Relational advocates, then, claim that the gospel calls us to relate to one another in regular, authentic ways. These high-trust, redeemed, integral relationships will provide a solution-from-within for injustices within society. The idea is that better relationships will result in greater compassion, truth, equity, justice, and ultimately, peace in our society. Sometimes the approach of this relational group is very emotional or very conciliatory.

                The power-based group seeks up-front commitments for power sharing between dominant and underrepresented or oppressed groups. Sometimes this conversation leans toward reparations and the need for immediate decisive action. It is on the basis of such actions that relationship can begin or be restored. Sometimes this approach is advocated graciously, other times with a rather aggressive and confrontational style. A popular slogan is “No justice, no peace.”

                There are gradations within each approach, but many people or groups fall solidly on one side of the fence or the other. But the fence seems to me a useless divide, like so many other divisions among believers today. The church should be about being family across ethnic and class lines. All should be welcome, and as believers we should be marked by forgiveness and authentic love for one another. The church should be about resolving substantive power issues in economic terms, in decision making, and in civic inequities within the believing community and in the world. We should have a corrective prophetic voice and presence in our society where that is necessary. The Scripture offers all of this. There is no separation in the Bible, and there should be no separation among us. All of this is part of our birthright and our marching orders as believers.

                Warm, fuzzy feelings between people are of such fleeting presence that after they have passed one might wonder if they were ever genuine. They are only ghostly shadows of real love. They evaporate when the light of real life hits and are worth little in the real world. Heightened emotions and verbal promises left in limbo serve only to deepen animosity between people. Love must be proved in substantive action, as Scripture shows us in 2 Corinthians 8–9. Jesus’ love – by which the world is to know we are believers – was costly and sacrificial. It meant a relinquishing of power; it meant humility; it meant a coming and dwelling among people. It was relational. But warm feelings alone are the sentiment of love without the courage or thoughtfulness to give it substance – a cowardly lion or thoughtless scarecrow in the light of the kingdom.

                If the civil rights movement, Reconstruction and the Civil War should teach us anything, they should teach us that you cannot make someone love you by waging war or passing legislation. Such efforts may help to restrain evil, but they do not engender love between people. Truth be told, they either expose and exacerbate open animosity or force it underground. They may be right and necessary; they may be needed to improve the life of some. However, they are but hollow shells of real love. They are the form of love without its lifeblood – a tin man with no substance, no heart.

                In pursuit of justice, we must have both a relational and a power-based approach. We need to have actual love for both oppressor and oppressed, and we need to not be satisfied with hugs and handshakes. Since we live in a fallen, sinful world, we will need law and such, but they cannot substitute for kingdom love. In truth, if we all loved with God’s love, there would be no need for the huge legal system we have today.”

Excerpted from Practical Justice: Living Off-Center in a Self-Centered World by Kevin Blue

"We’re not all in the same season of life. We are – or should be – diverse image bearers of a Divine God."

http://www.faithit.com/why-we-dont-need-womens-ministry/#.VMCGSiXbh95.facebook 

Reminds me of a conversation I had just last night with my good friend, Joanna, as we discussed the UG Core Conference seminar selections. I'm glad to have a kindred soul who is on the same page as me in this long, complicated epic novel called Life.