Real Talk

"People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness."

- 1 Timothy 6: 9-11 (NIV)


"I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

- John 10: 9-11 (NIV)


Peace and blessings,


When I normally think of slavery and its manifestations, I usually only think along race and class lines. Most of us know about how various peoples throughout history were enslaved based in part on their skin color. Similarly, many people are also aware of many corporations who operate sweatshops where people work in inhumane conditions and get paid next to nothing. There is another form of slavery, however, that I tend to overlook when I consider matters of love and justice: sex slavery. I mean I've heard of the term before and I am aware that it exists in the U.S. and throughout the world. However, for some reason it wasn't on my "radar" like other forms of slavery were. Could it be that sex is so heavily promoted through music and media that I'm sort of subconsciously desensitized to the idea that sex slavery is just as prevalent as race- and class-based slavery? Regardless of the reason, I appreciate the video (see below) sent to me a month ago by this one person, asking that I address this issue on the blog. Come to think about, given that the devil's primary purpose is to distort and corrupt the things God created (because the devil has no power to create things), it makes sense that the devil would distort one of the most the sacred things God created for a man and a woman, and associate it with greed and lust, things that Jesus often spoke out against and warned us of.

In addition to the video, here is an article on a

potential sex trade business in San Francisco. CA

Two organizations that are heavily involved in the fight against the evils of sex slavery and its dehumanizing effect are

Not For Sale

and

Standing Against Global Exploitation.

Let's continue to pray against all forms of slavery, and for the power and love of Jesus Christ to heal the hearts of those involved, and bring an end to this corruption of God's creation. Take care and speekonit...

Labels: 1 Timothy, class, devil, evil, God, Jesus Christ, John, race, sex trade

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved."

- 1 Corinthians 10: 31-33 (NIV)


Peace and blessings,


Below are a few news updates. The first link discusses Brittany Spears' pics for her new album, which includes in seductive positions with a man acting as a Catholic priest. I want to make a couple of brief comments about the pics and why I have issues with them. For one, despite what the headlines say, it should be assumed (unless evidence proves otherwise) that the man in the pic is merely acting as a priest, and is not actually a priest. I know on the surface this disctinction may be seem unnecessary to make (e.g. A real priest wouldn't put themselves in that position to begin with), but I felt that I had to put that out there. Second, I feel that another disctinction must be made between the notion of human susceptibility to temptation, and how that temptation is portrayed by forms of media such as these pics. My problem with these pics is not based on a belief that priests are too "holy" to be tempted. On the contrary, I believe that we are all tempted, and to the extent that we are earnestly trying to follow Christ through our living, we are tempted more. However, the problem with how temptation is portayed in these pics is that Brittany and the priest are positioned in a way to where Britanny (via her "seductiveness") is in control, and the priest is at her mercy. Therefore, people who look at these pics first glance may only see a priest being seduced, and this pic alone is powerful enough to influence some viewers' perspective on God and faith more broadly. In particular, these pics may further contribute to the growing perception of Catholicism as "suspect" given the incidents of the sexual molestation of children. While these incidents are evidence that even priests can succomb to sin, the "big picture" doesn't end there. The big picture is that our susceptibility to sin is more proof that we need God, and that even if there is a time where we succomb to temptation, that God can, in the words of Marvin Sapp, make us "stronger," "wiser," and "better." It's funny how when it comes to people of faith, the moments of weakness are always heavily publicized, but the examples of righteous living (e.g. promoting social justice, representing the faith, healing hearts, minds, and souls, loving and caring for others) rarely gets media attention. But it's cool, because as Jesus' prayer told us what to expect:

"I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one."

-John 17: 13-15 (NIV)

Furthermore, whether or not it's true that

Brittany Spears actually claimed to be the anti-Christ while attempting to commit suicide,

the constant media headlines "detailing" her life shows that she is really going through some personal, spritual warfare and need to kept up in prayer. I also find it ironic that the same media what kicks her when shes down is the same media she is in turn using to "get back up."

The second clip is about a mathematician who claims that through a mathematical formula, he can characterize marriages and "predict," with extremely high accuracy, whether a marriage will succeed or fail. I found this funny and interesting. What do you think? Take care, have a blessed day, and speekonit...


1)

Brittany's pics stir controversy

2)

Marriage formula

Labels: 1 Corinthians, Brittany Spears, Catholic, God, Jesus Christ, John, marriage, priest, temptation

"These three characteristics - one, contagiousness; two, the fact that little causes can have big effects; and three, that change happens not gradually but at one dramatic moment - are the same three principles that define how measles move through a grade-school classroom or the flu attacks every winter. Of the three, the third trait - the idea that epidemics can rise or fall in one dramatic moment - is the most important, because it is the principle that makes sense of the first two and that permits the greatest insight into why modern change happens the way it does. The name given to that one dramatic moment in an epidemic when everything can change all at once is the Tipping Point (Gladwell, p. 9)."



"While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests, the captian of the temple, and the Sadducees came to them, much annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming that in Jesus there is the resurrection of the dead. So they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who heard the word believed; and they numbered about five thousand(Acts 4:1-4)."


"But among them were some men of Cyprus and Cyrene who, on coming to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists also, proclaiming the Lord Jesus. The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number became believers and turned to the Lord (Acts 11:20-21)."


"But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift....The gifts He gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers...(Ephesians 4:7-11)."


Peace and blessings,

I just wanted to follow up with my thoughts of Malcolm Gladwell's (2000) "The Tipping Point." Last time I briefly touched on two main ideas of the book. The first was the idea that social epidemics occur in pretty much the same fashion as biological or medical epidemics. This point is illustrated in the first quote above. The other idea was his argument that in many if not all social epidemics, the three types of people who are essential to the movement spreading are Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen.

In this follow-up, I want to share my thoughts on how I think these two ideas can be applied to our understanding as Christians of the roll all of us play in the Great Commission which Jesus outlined for us in Matthew 28:18-20. I am going to begin by highlighting what I think are some general connections between the gifts God has given us and the three types of people described by Gladwell (2000), and conclude by drawing similarities and distinctions bewteen Gladwell's "Tipping Point," and what I believe to be the Christian equivalent.

In the last quote, Paul lists a few gifts that God has given us, to be used in the spreading of Jesus' ministry. Like Gladwell's (2000) descriptions of Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen, the gifts that have been distributed among believers each play a specific role in the movement. For instance, the gift of teaching may embody certain skills, dispositions, and temperaments that differ from the gift of evangelizing. Now of course these gifts do not have to be independent of each other, because I believe that we are all born with multiple gifts. Further, I believe that which gifts are able to "sprout up" and which ones are "shut down" has a lot to do with our environmental influences, but that's a topic for another time, lol. In addition to this idea that we as individuals play an important role in bringing about movements or social epidemics, Gladwell and Paul (or someone writing in the name of Paul) are suggesting that humans are inherently social, therefore understanding our gifts, skills, and temperaments is to understand the great movements or social epidemics of our time. Indeed, Stiles (1995) echoes this notion of social influence in his book "Speaking of Jesus," where he talks about the significance of divine appointments and how the most minor or casual conversations can lead to monumental changes in people's lives.

In addition to these three types of people, Gladwell (2000) argues that there are three rules to social epidemics. Further, he argues that the third rule, which is that change happens in one moment dramatically and not in incremental moments gradually, is what he refers to as the "Tipping Point." Before I go on to talk about his notion of a Tipping Point, I first want to comment on his belief that change occurs dramatically and not gradually. I would have to disagree with this assertion, because I think that most instances of major change is a result of both gradual and dramatic moments. In many of the examples he gives in the book (e.g. the popularity of airwalk shoes, teen smoking, and teen male suicide), I would argue that underlying those "dramatic" changes are slower, gradual changes. In other words, I think that it is because of incremental changes that dramatic change is possible. Ok, back to what I was saying before, lol...

In the two instances in the book of Acts that are captured above in the second and third quotes, the Great Commission was being carried out in major ways. Large groups of people were experiencing and coming to Christ in notably dramatic fashion. In Acts 4:1-4, about five thousand people came to Christ. Now talk about a social epidemic! Similarly in Acts 11:20-21, large numbers of people also came to Christ. What could have "caused" these dramatic changes? What accounted for the spread of this "epidemic?" As mentioned earlier, Gladwell (2000) and the author of Ephesians agree that we are social beings, and thus have an important role in bringing about major change. Where I think the difference lies is in their views of what the Tipping Point is. For Gladwell (2000), the Tipping Point can come about due to a certain number, context, or action. For Christians, the Tipping Point is something different. It is true that in both of these instances in Acts, there were dedicated, influential, people of God teaching and proclaiming the gospel to massess of people at the time these major changes were taking place. However, I'm certain that it was not the teachers and proclaimers themselves that caused all of those people to encounter Christ and come to believe. The Tipping Point which led all those people to come to Christ was none other than the Holy Spirit Himself. Sure, the preachers and proclaimers played a role, just as all of us as Christians play a role in sharing the love and gospel of Jesus Christ. However, I strongly believe that the roles we play are only to "set up" the situations to where God will move, bring about His will, and get all the glory in the process. Now, I'm not saying God needs us to set up these situations, because He doesn't. God will do what He's going to do with or without us. Because He loves us and calls us into a relationship with Him, He also calls us to take part in His reaching the world. This is an ongoing theme in many of Brux Cavey's messages, who is Pastor of The Meeting House in Canada. Isn't God amazing?

I know this is a lot to throw at you, but I would really appreciate your thoughts on this issue. Until next time, stay blessed and speekonit...

Labels: Acts, change, Christ, Ephesians, gifts, Gladwell, Great Commision, Holy Spirit, Jesus, John, Lord, Matthew, Peter, Sadducees, Tipping Point

Peace and blessings,

The following is a link and video of a person who risked his life to save another's at a New York subway stattion. With all of the bad things we here about us doing to each other, it's a breadth of fresh air to hear about the good things. Especially an act of this magnitude. God is good, all the time. Until next time, speekonit...




http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/commuter-saves-man-on-subway-tracks/20070103091809990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001


"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command."
-John 15:12-14 (NIV)

Labels: commandments, John, love, man saves a life, New York subway station, videos