Jolanda Howe

Here's an update--I've tried it, and I like it! Fresh, interactive art, and stories that are faithful to the text. There aren't very many Bible stories yet, but the app indicates that more are coming. What are your thoughts?

It is very interesting to see a list of some topics that have been important and interesting to us this year!

Interesting, when I lived in New Jersey I found it was customary to say "How ya doin'?" when walking past someone on the sidewalk that you did not know. The appropriate, expected response was also "How ya doin'?"--I found it confusing at first, having grown up in midwest where people do not ask a question as they walk swiftly past someone. Soon though, I realized that it wasn't that people were being rude--quite the opposite! They were speaking up to acknowledge my presence. Though they didn't intend to have a conversation with me, neither did they want to walk past as thought I didn't exist. I wonder if that is also the intention behind some flippant greetings you've described. Maybe there is a genuine desire to make people feel valued despite the lack of an established relationship or the time that would allow for an extended conversation.

Wow, I have never heard of "ugly laws"--how shocking. This is an important exhibit, I wonder if it will travel? 

Welcome Norm!

Interesting article. It is really nice when a new song is repeated over several weeks so that everyone has the chance to become familiar with it.

Talking about tough issues together came up in a recent faith formation team meeting at my church. Someone pointed out that many of the issues that turn teens off to the church are the same issues that adults in the church are struggling with--how does the church respond to homosexuality, climate change/environmental issues, science and creation, etc. We expect that our church would be quite divided on these issues and wondered if it would be helpful to have an intergenerational time for teens through adults to sit around tables and discuss tough topics.

First, though, we would need to focus on creating sacred space and preparing ourselves to listen to others and value their perspectives, acknowledging that we are all trying to figure out how to honor Christ and love our neighbors in real life. We would need to be deliberate about helping people learn Christian civility--how to agree and disagree while still remaining calm and having mutual respect for one another. We thought that bringing together teens and adults might open everyone’s eyes to real situations we are facing as individuals and as a church, and help both teens and adults learn how to wrestle with these topics in a health way that strengthens their faith instead of harming it.

I'm not sure where we will go with this, but I'd be interested to hear if others are doing something similar and how they have approached it.

I agree, Al. When I was in college I spent a semester in LA where I had an internship with West Angeles Community Mediation Center. I took a 30 hour mediation training course and have found it helpful in personal relationship. I've often wondered how mediation could be more fully applied to church life and dissagreements. The principles involved in seeking win-win solutions, common ground, compromise, and reconciliation all amount to loving your neighbor as yourself and seek his or her best while resolving conflict. Training in mediation could greatly benefit pastors, elders, and congregations.

I've been reflecting on work lately and reading Every Good Endeavor by Tim Keller. In it he describes the importance of work in our lives and in the bigger picture of God's world. It is part of the cultural mandate and one of the ways we join God's creative and redemptive work in the world. It provides us with a sense of meaning and purpose--though not ultimate meaning and purpose. Our public policies should make it easier for people with disabilities to find ways to use thier gifts and passions to do meaningful work too.

Thank you for this reflection, Greg. Your last paragraph is especially important. Hospitality and love are the marks of a Christian.

Interesting conversation here! I agree that determining whether worship is the intention is a big factor in understanding when images of Jesus are or are not appropriate. But we also can't underestimate the power of images to make helpful or harmful impressions about Jesus. When Christ is portrayed on screen or in pictures it can affect the way we think about him. From the smile or stern look on his face to the color of his skin or the friendliness in his voice, these details do make an impression for better or for worse. 

In a best case scenario art and film that depicts Jesus could help stir the curiosity of people who don't know Jesus (like the man that Bill Vis mentioned in his comment) and prompt them to take a look at what the Bible has to say. And for those of us who read the Bible, it might challenge us to wonder about God in new ways and take a fresh look at the stories of Scripture. Art can certainly reflect the beauty and truth of God in ways that speak to our imaginations. I wrote about this in an earlier blog when we talked about using art in Sunday school. But in a worst case scenario, depictions of Jesus could make God seem more distant or set in our minds an image of God that we hold as true even though it isn’t accurate.