Showing posts with label Resources. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Resources. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Resources on Muslims and the Qur'an

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Hey all! A few of us have mentioned that while we're reading our current book A Deadly Misunderstanding, we'd like to get a little more background information on Islam. Several resources have been mentioned in our discussions - Salafia's and Schroeder's, I'm referring to you! - so please comment away on this post with alternative resources people can check out - books, movies, podcasts - all are welcome!

Saturday, July 4, 2009

No Gathering This Week & THE NEW BOOK!

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ALRIGHT!! Just to get it up here on the blog as well... There will be no gathering tomorrow (Sun. July 5th) due to rampant out-of-town-ness and holidays, etc.

We will be meeting next week out in Gilbert for our final week of free-flow conversation before we dig into our new discussion book. (Heather's dad, Bryan, is graciously opening up his house + pool for our cohort while we allow the Schroeder's a chance to get their feet under themselves following their travels). More details to come...

Speaking of our new book - it's been decided!:

A Deadly Misunderstanding by Mark D. Siljander

After 20 votes (way to go everybody!), Siljander's book came out on top by a narrow two-vote margin. So, if you're interested in reading along with the cohort, go ahead and pick-up/order your copy soon as we plan to kick-off the book discussion during our July 19th gathering.

It also seems like it would make sense to declare Bell & Golden's, Jesus Wants to Save Christians, our "next-next" book so that we won't have to go through this whole process again in a few months:-) Objections/comments?

See you next week in Gilbert!

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Let's Vote on Our Next Book!

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Alright! Building on Sarah's post from a few weeks ago, let's go ahead and vote on what our next discussion book will be. We've got four books to select from here (and if anybody would really like to add another, let me know).

PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE IN THE POLL ON THE SIDEBAR TO THE RIGHT: --->

In no particular order...

Everything Belongs by Richard Rohr


A Deadly Misunderstanding by Mark D. Siljander



Jesus Wants to Save Christians by Rob Bell & Don Golden

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

easter tree

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Check out this creative idea by Magpie Girl about how she celebrates Easter in her home with her children in particular.

It may be a little late for some of us to do something like this, but I thought it was a great idea. Perhaps you could start this Easter and have decorations for next year?

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Recap - 2.15.09

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Hey everybody,

Good discussion tonight even though we missed a number of the regulars (even the Macs couldn't make it due to Jacob's hefty school workload [Jake, I can't decide between a "dweeb" joke or a "geek" joke here. Boom! Roasted.)

In line with our agreed-upon meeting rhythm, this week was centered on another one of our "free-flow" conversations. We mixed things up a bit by starting off with a collective listening of a recent Third Way Faith Podcast by Shane Hipps & Zach Lind entitled, The iGeneration (Archive Episode #7 1.6.09). This particular podcast explores the rise of narcissism [excessive interest in oneself] in our popular culture, especially as it relates to our digital-lives. Shane Hipps generally proposes that the wide-spread crazes of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, blogging, etc. have serious implications on how we as individuals view ourselves, as well as how we as Christians live humbly and relationally.

Hipps points to a study that was conducted across multiple university campuses that tracks the levels of narcissism among our culture over time. The study reportedly saw a remarkable rise in narcissism beginning with the generation that was born in 1982 and thereafter. The correlation is then made between these generations' adolescent years and the launch of these wildly popular social networking Web realities that are now woven into the fabric of everyday life for millions around the globe. During the podcast, Zach offered the observation that "... everybody has that [self-focus] whether you're aware of it or not, and the blogs that I like the least are those that don't know that shadow's there."

The range of our ensuing discussion went something like this:

- Various folks shared their own encounters/experiences with the rise of narcissism among some of those around us who are heavily engaged in these online mediums (another example was even raised regarding pastors whose pious Twittering seems to clash against their role of being a humble leader)

- A number of folks provided countering views that described the many benefits that have been made possible by these Web 2.0 forums. (Take the emerging church movement for example, which has been sustained, promoted, and catalyzed largely in this digital realm)

- The point was made that while Hipps did make strong statements regarding the downsides of these digital mediums, he did not contend that they are categorically harmful. Rather, he is arguing for believers to be mindful of the subconscious effects these mediums carry so that we can be intentional in how we approach them.

- Another point was made about "intentions"... that examining our intentions for engaging in these forums is helpful in tempering our involvement and/or adjusting how we view our participation.

- All agreed that these digital mediums are no substitution for face-to-face interaction, and that by acknowledging this, we are called to be doubly focused on fostering in-person relationships as a community of believers.

- The conversation later shifted to applying the concept of narcissism to the emerging church, which is apparently a common critique from social conservatives. (Parallels were made to the social-gospel adherents...)

- We wrestled with the question, "Can narcissism extend beyond the individual and exist among a collective body of people?", i.e., is their a distinction between "I" and "we" views? [I missed a good portion of this part of the talk, and I'd love to hear more from somebody on this].

I know I've left out A LOT of points that were raised (sorry!). Please jump in the comments, and fill in the gaps that I've left open...

ON THE HORIZON:
- It's not too late to register for the Emerging Church Conference being held in Albuquerque, NM in late March. If you want to jump in at the group rate, you need to let Debbie know by this coming Wed.

- Next week, we're back with Jesus for President. Our discussion will be based on the remainder of Section 1.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Rob Bell resources

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Hey guys,

I stumbled across this resource a few years ago and just remembered it so I figured I'd share it with you all. This guy has been compiling online Rob Bell resource for awhile and regularly edits this post (the post says 2006, but was updated only a few weeks ago) so I check back regularly.It's got pretty much every interview Rob has ever done and some extra goodies.

I highly recommend the videos of Rob's guest messages at Willow Creek (about halfway down, right underneath the big video of his face in the Video section). Every one of them is mindblowingly awesome. These are some of his best messages, and a lot of ideas for the Noomas (and The Gods Aren't Angry) have come out of them. I think my two favorites are Between the Trees and A Day of Atonement. Watch them when you can and let me know which ones you liked best!

And before I forget to copy the link:
Rob Bell - Solar Crash

For those of you who have already stumbled across this, I apologize =)