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What a singles group SHOULD be…
My church does not have a singles group, and to be honest, I don’t think I would fit in with a church that had a typical singles group. Why? Well, churches tend to see singles groups as meet and greets. They’re almost like the dance clubs of the Christian world. Yeah…I don’t do so well in that kind of setting. However, I’m beginning to wonder if maybe a singles group would indeed be a good thing for me. But not the typical singles group – I’m not trying to link up with someone – I’m talking about a singles group based on giving each other the support they need. Let…
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Social Justice, or social mercy?
I’ve recently been bothered by the term “social justice” as it relates to Christian cultures. Don’t get me wrong – the actions that come from social justice: feeding the hungry, helping the needy, caring for the widows and etcetera are all basic fundamentals of Christianity. Jesus himself commanded us to do these things! But according to the apostle Paul. “Mercy triumphs over justice” (James 2:13). So if Paul was correct, shouldn’t we, as Christians, be concentrating on social mercy instead of social justice? Maybe its just a matter of semantics, but maybe not. Consider the following: Mercy implies lenience and compassion. Justice, however, implies retribution not based on compassion, but…
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The Top 5 albums of 2008 that aren’t getting the attention they deserve.
One of my favorite things about this time of year is sifting through everybody’s top 5, 10, 25, and etcetera lists. A particular favorite category is that of the years top albums. This year has produced an excessive amount of great music -so much that I’ve been having a hard time making a list of my own. But while sifting through everyone else’s lists, I’ve found several albums missing that deserve a lot more credit then what they got this year. Most of my picks are mentioned on some lists, if you dig enough, but their merit is somehow forgotten. So, without any further wait, here is my top 5…
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The Dark Night Joker…
With all due respect to the late Heath ledger, I was not all that impressed with the Joker in “The Dark Night.” Why? Well, let me say this…why so serious Joker? Ok, let’s look at the Joker in TDK. He was real. He was very real. He could be the escape convict that lives down the street. So, why is this a bad timing? I mean, isn’t the Joker supposed to be real? The answer is simple: Yes and No. The Joker is supposed to be very real, yet surreal at the same time. While the Joker in TDK did a great job of the former, they forgot the latter.…
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What happened to Starbucks?
I’ve been thinking about how back in the day Starbucks was the best coffee one could buy. I lived on the stuff myself. Now its a bit substandard compared to a myriad of less bitter, less over roasted coffees. So what the hell happened? Well, it was a combination of two things: 1) Starbucks has expanded dramatically! According to seattlepi.com, starbucks has grown from just over a thousand stores in 1997 to over 16,000 stores in 2007. With all mass-produced products, there is always a drop in quality control, and Starbucks is no exception. Point in case, the automated coffee makers they installed circa 2000. As someone who was, at…