A Letter to Me but... I'm Not a Hunter!

The letter from Susan claims a lot for me; the one I can confirm is that I chose to sample a video game called Duck Hunt, the Wii version. I have never hunted in my life, although I am a fisherman.

Sometimes a game is just a game; not a single living thing was hurt, and much of the game is actually composed of animated targets, balloons, and skeets. A very challenging game though.

Related to this is my post on visual violence.

Your Beginnings Invitation

This 8 week series explores spiritual “habits of the heart" and the Christian experience of the Holy Spirit. This study engages a different form of prayer each week. The Preview gathering is Wednesday, March 25, 2009, 6:30-8:15 p.m. at A Moveable Feast, 9341 Katy Freeway. Hope you can join us!

Topics include:

• Where is the Spirit in Spirituality? (Preview)
• How much am I willing to risk?
• What is most important to me?
• How can I find balance in life?
• What do I want to be when I grow up?
• How do I keep the things I own from owning me?
• What can I do with my doubts?
• Can a change in me change the world?


Each session begins with a meal, followed by a talk by Associate Pastor Scott Endress, and small groups. The Beginnings format is relaxed and informal. For more information or to RSVP, contact Scott Endress, (713) 354-4470, sendress@chapelwood.org.

More Empty Platitudes

In yesterday's sermon on Avoiding Spiritual Relapse (Matthew 12:43-45), I mentioned some of the results of non-reflective living, one being repeating empty platitudes that may do more harm than any possible good.

I meant to add: "There but the grace of God go I!" If we say this knowingly, we betray how puny our experience and understanding really is. To say we have the grace of God because we avoided some sort of suffering or evil or misap and someone else does not have God's grace because they didn't escape trouble is what that platitude really means.

Spoken vacuums can be avoided if we looked at the meaning of what we're saying before we say it. If we repeat garbage that we have heard without thinking about it, that's just as bad. Then we misprepresent our experience and understanding.

Keep in mind that we've all spoken stuff and heard stuff we shouldn't have. Other empty platitudes (stuff we don't reflect on):

• "God won't give you anything that you can't handle." OK when speaking for yourself, but not generally helpful when trying it out on others. Speak for thyself.
• "You'll get over it." It depends on what the "it" is. Often this is preceeded by "You're young..." Just think the trouble we would get into when we preceeded empty sayings with "Your old..."
• Worn out: "My bad," "Not a problem," "Hard-wired," and any hyphenation with "driven." Driven as adjective is badly shop-worn.

Happy P-Day!

Do You Agree with Joel?

"Happy people gravitate toward happy people." Joel Osteen

Agree, disagree, or uncertain?

How is this statement relevant to the Christian Gospel?