By Natalie Aho Almost every receipt given to you these days has a survey link printed at the bottom. Businesses are so desperate for your feedback, they will waste paper and give away cash in exchange for your opinion. And…
Baptists, Vatican agree: Social media is worth the effort
By Jeff Brumley The Roman Catholic Church is committed to social media despite the hassles — ugly criticism, vicious arguments, inappropriate photos — a Vatican official said this week. While Facebook, Twitter and other platforms often bring out the worst in people,…
wonder
Now that I’ve been at this for well over a year, I’m beginning to realize a few things about publishing my thoughts for people to skim on the internet: 1) It is most definitely as glamorous as you think it is. There…
Baptists and Catholics together–Twitter edition
What do Baptists and Catholics have in common? That sounds like the set-up for a joke of some sort–or at least for a very brief response, given the anti-Catholicism that has marked much of the Baptist tradition (even when we…
Is a funeral selfie appropriate?
It was the funeral selfie heard seen around the world. British Prime Minister David Cameron, Denmark’s Prime Minister Helle Thorning Schmidt and President Obama took a selfie during Nelson Mandela’s (funeral) memorial service. To the right, Mrs. Obama does not…
Does facebook reveal my compassion or my passion?
A few weeks ago, a friend challenged me about my posts on my personal facebook timeline. It seemed to this person that a lot of what I post I do so because I feel I have to. I do post…
Social media atonement
Would you ever tweet, blog, or Facebook your sins? Is social media the place for confession and atonement? Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement for Jews, occurred last week. Yom Kippur is the day of repentance for past sins, to…
Goodbye, unfriend?
By Mary Miller About a year ago I resigned the pastorate of a church where I had served for 13 years. As I prepared to resign, I faced the usual list of not-so-pleasant tasks: compose a resignation letter, figure out…
The currency of God’s kingdom
The Currency of God’s Kingdom 1 John 5:1-6 In the past, I have volunteered as a coach for various YMCA youth sports teams. The last team that I coached was a K-1st grade soccer team. In the YMCA league, they…