tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51242717240655903112024-03-05T16:20:28.514-06:00Mental Flighterichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052747443651552980noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124271724065590311.post-67625247344457018792008-07-08T12:13:00.004-05:002008-07-08T12:31:34.314-05:00I love Craigslist, BUT...Man, I really dig Craigslist. I've sold things so easily, and even just recently my wife and I bought a great above ground pool for half the price that we would have spent at Academy. It's local dealing, it's free, and it's so easy.However, several months ago I read a disturbing article in the New York Times about Craigslist being an easy venue for prostitution. I checked it out, and even hereerichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052747443651552980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124271724065590311.post-34866887691235798012008-07-08T11:36:00.004-05:002008-07-08T15:17:32.824-05:00Modern Day SlaveryLast night I was talking to some buddies about their recent trip to Nepal. As we talked the reality of sexual slavery came up. It reminded me of a book I read about a year ago called "Not For Sale" by David Batstone. This is not an over exaggeration. The statistics are incomprehensible, and the reality is so well documented by so many agencies and organizations.Here's a video interview with erichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052747443651552980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124271724065590311.post-13713717523600766782008-07-04T22:04:00.003-05:002008-07-05T00:51:46.821-05:00An Interview with William P. Young, author of "The Shack"William Young sounds like a genuine believer in this interview, and I'm sure he is. However, this doesn't mean that his book is sound. His book still needs to be scrutinized because it teaches theology. And although he wants to communicate an emotion, he ends up communicating dangerously weak ideas.erichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052747443651552980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124271724065590311.post-55806262833820499812008-07-03T17:32:00.005-05:002008-07-04T16:31:22.251-05:00God's Not Asking us to BELIEVE ANYTHING?!On page 119 of "The Shack", God (Papa) makes a stunning response to Mack.Mack says, But you're asking me to believe that you're God.God responds: I'm not asking you to believe anything...Would the God of the Bible ever tell anyone that He is not asking them to believe anything?- Romans 1:5 "Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the erichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052747443651552980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124271724065590311.post-43986539275511154522008-07-03T17:16:00.004-05:002008-07-04T13:45:49.002-05:00Is Jesus Really "the Best Way" to the Father?On page 110 of "The Shack" Jesus says to Mack:I am the best way any human can relate to Papa or Sarayu.(Papa = God the Father, and Sarayu = the Holy Spirit).John 14:6 says:I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.- to say that Jesus is "the best" way presupposes that there are other ways to have relationship with God. In other words, to say Jesus is erichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052747443651552980noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124271724065590311.post-68806803654328465762008-07-03T17:00:00.006-05:002008-07-04T22:58:00.007-05:00The Matrix v. The Shack: The Oracle or The Father?Please understand that this post is a personal perspective. It's simply my perception.The discussion on p. 94 about fate vs. freedom strikes me too much like the Matrix. The Oracle tells Neo not to worry about the vase before he ever knocks it over. He then says, "what vase?" as he turns and then accidentally knocks it over. So the question arises whether Neo would have knocked the vase over erichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052747443651552980noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124271724065590311.post-21170003608755233682008-07-03T10:43:00.003-05:002008-07-03T17:58:18.858-05:00God the Father according to "The Shack" Part IIRead Part I for background.Derek Prince has some of the best Biblical teaching on Fatherhood. You can view one of his teachings at derekprince.orgYou can also download the teaching in pdf format.Contrast Derek's teaching with Young's teaching. Which one lines up with biblical teaching?erichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052747443651552980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124271724065590311.post-3862116188642856082008-06-19T23:20:00.005-05:002008-07-04T23:19:22.727-05:00True or False? Fact or Fiction?I just ran across this great video by Bill Moyers dealing with our visual culture. It is inspired by the teachings of Neil Postman, a brilliant cultural and mass media critic. His writings and theories are extremely important, and prophetic.What Moyers and Postman are getting at is the same point that most concerns me with "The Shack" by William Young. Fact and Truth are no longer relevant. erichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052747443651552980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124271724065590311.post-87944628607328224862008-06-19T16:11:00.008-05:002008-06-19T22:24:17.026-05:00Decoding "The Davinci Code", I mean "The Shack"We live in a world where fact and fiction blur. As a matter of fact, our postmodern world doesn't care about fact or fiction.Earlier today I was thinking about the book "The Davinci Code." The Christian world was in an uproar over this book because of its challenge to scriptural authority. Book after book was written by Christians to decode the Davinci Code. The book is a well spun piece of erichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052747443651552980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124271724065590311.post-41621011542106517102008-06-19T09:36:00.008-05:002008-07-04T22:55:14.526-05:00God the Father according to THE SHACK(This is only based upon the 1st 94 pages of the book)On page 94 of "The Shack" by William P. Young, Mack says to God the Father, who is at this moment a woman who goes by the name Papa:"But then... why is there such an emphasis on you being a Father? I mean, it seems to be the way you most reveal yourself.""Well," responded Papa, turning away from him and bustling around the kitchen, "there areerichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052747443651552980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124271724065590311.post-83166987135346184862008-06-16T15:47:00.007-05:002008-07-04T23:11:47.227-05:00Be CAREFUL with the word "Heresy"So far, in Young's "The Shack" I have found nothing that I would consider heresy (as of p. 95). Questionable yes, heresy no. I would be careful to use the word heresy. Oftentimes Christians throw that word out when there is a difference of opinion regarding theology. We all have bad theology to some extent. And I believe that heresy can only be reserved for transgression of the most basic erichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052747443651552980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124271724065590311.post-76141230409453743032008-06-09T21:51:00.004-05:002008-06-16T22:26:42.373-05:00"The Shack" by William YoungThe Shack by William Young is a literary phenomenon as of late. I've heard a wide range of views on the book, so I decided I'm going to go on ahead and read it myself. I must admit that I have some reservations about the theology of this book. At first, when I heard about it, I thought, "what's the big fuss? Why do people always get so worked up over something a little different?" But the erichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052747443651552980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124271724065590311.post-34753075644690641202008-06-04T23:48:00.002-05:002008-06-04T23:58:55.100-05:00John Eldredge, The Way of the Wild HeartThis video is an interview with John Eldredge, author of "The Way of the Wild Heart". He hits on some points even in this video that weigh heavily upon my heart. The idea of rites of passage for boys has almost vanished from our culture, and its consequences are terrible. I am pained when I see how easily our adolescent boys slip off into the oblivion of inflated ego, peer worship, impulsivityerichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052747443651552980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124271724065590311.post-26311340878257007902008-05-31T09:21:00.001-05:002008-06-01T15:38:04.725-05:00Pagan ChristianityLast night I read Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola and George Barna. I must admit it was interesting, and I am inclined towards some of the ideas. However, I believe that the author fails to examine some of his own assumptions. Let me preface this with the fact that I do not love the "institutional" church, and I often long for a more simple expression of Christian community. I understand erichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052747443651552980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124271724065590311.post-38058548879766632522008-05-31T09:00:00.000-05:002008-05-31T15:56:12.380-05:00Lifehouse's Everything SkitA good friend of mine pointed me to this video awhile back. Let me know if this moves you.erichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052747443651552980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124271724065590311.post-29986462712149631262008-05-31T08:29:00.003-05:002008-05-31T13:51:49.328-05:00Youth MinistryI post our Wednesday night youth discussions on the LifeChurch Blog. Check out some of the posts to see what kind of stuff I teach: “Worship in Spirit and Truth”“Eternal Whoosh“Youth are Honest About Prayer”“Praying to Know God”“Personal Prayer Tips (Video)”“Ephesians 1:17 Jam”erichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052747443651552980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124271724065590311.post-69831745004540708722008-04-03T12:26:00.000-05:002008-05-31T12:28:03.741-05:00Male Rites of PassageI am devouring research about male initiation. I truly believe that this accounts for so much of the social disarray among our young people. And I am enamored with the possibility of rallying the men of our church to first of all submit to God our Father’s initiation process for our own lives, and secondly, to take our young men on a journey into manhood. If we do not fill this role, then theyerichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052747443651552980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124271724065590311.post-16382595155104212762008-04-01T12:15:00.000-05:002008-05-31T12:16:11.254-05:00Sacrifice and The Local ChurchChurch is a dangerous place often enough. I don’t know any honest person who hasn’t been burned by the church at one time or another. And I certainly know a lot of people who would never set foot back into a church for that very reason. Yet I find there is a sinister irony at work. On the one hand, many people complain that the church is just an institution. Some follow Christ but aren’t part of erichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052747443651552980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124271724065590311.post-61180195051526266102008-03-29T12:10:00.000-05:002008-05-31T12:12:45.796-05:00Bill Moyers Interviews Newark Mayor, Cory BookerI just saw a great interview with Cory Booker, the mayor of Newark, NJ. INSPIRATIONAL! I think I might go back and watch this one several times. He spoke like a man who truly understands the responsibility of freedom. No blame-shifting and empty promises here. At one point he said, “We have the statue of Liberty, but I believe on the other side we should have the statue of responsibility.” erichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052747443651552980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124271724065590311.post-35178015143281192262008-03-23T12:08:00.000-05:002008-05-31T12:10:20.069-05:00FatherlessThis is burning on my heart. I just can’t shake it. Ever since I made the connection, there is a growing fire within me. Malachi 4:5-6 See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, ad the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse. With erichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052747443651552980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5124271724065590311.post-52000948061209562762008-03-22T12:06:00.000-05:002008-05-31T12:07:41.967-05:00Accountability Partners or Warriors?Thanks to the men’s movement the church understands now that a man needs other men, but what we’ve offered is another two-dimensional solution: “Accountability” groups or partners. Ugh. That sounds so old covenant. “You’re really a fool and you’re just waiting to rush into sin, so we’d better post a guard by you the keep you in line.” We don’t need accountability groups, we need erichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12052747443651552980noreply@blogger.com0