Everybody is Somebody’s Heretic

30 Mar , 2011 No Comments

[I]’ve heard the word heretic thrown around a lot lately in light of Rob Bell’s new book. You can read my previous posts about that here and here.

But after you determine whether or not you agree with Rob it then becomes about what your definition of essentials are. Even if you disagree with him, can Rob still be a Christian with those views? Can he still be someone that we listen to? If not, why?

I recently heard a terrific message that my friend Hal Shrader gave at his church. Hal is part of the Mennonite community and offers a unique historical perspective to this discussion as well. One of the best lines from his message is that “everybody is somebody’s heretic.” I know that I’ve certainly found that to be true in my own life.

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Something to Celebrate

28 Mar , 2011 No Comments

We went to a dueling piano bar this weekend to celebrate a friend’s birthday party and this was what the request card looked like. I couldn’t help but observe the “odd” nature of their list of things to celebrate.

While that’s pretty funny, I think it speaks to our natural craving to celebrate. Whatever the occasion.

That’s also what’s amazing about the Bible. It is a detailed story of God telling us that there is a reason we want to celebrate, that we were created for it when we embrace the Spirit of God in our lives. And it’s a little more meaningful than a dueling-piano-song for your recent plastic surgery.

Take some time this week to celebrate the goodness of God in your life!

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Creative Matters eBook

23 Mar , 2011 No Comments

One of my unfulfilled career desires is to write books. I’m excited to announce a small step in that direction. Today the Creative Collective released a free eBook called “Creative Matters.” It is a compilation of perspectives on how to maximize your creativity written by a handful of people influencing the Church today creatively. Yours truly wrote a chapter in it.

Click here to download the eBook for free!

Here is a summary of the purpose of the book:

We reject Copy and Paste.
We reject settling.
We reject excuses.
We reject creative atrophy.
You were created for more.
You were created to create.
You matter.
Your work matters.
Creative Matters.

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5 Year Blogging Anniversary!

22 Mar , 2011 No Comments

Wednesday, March 22, 2006. That was the day I officially became a blogger. I’d like to think I’ve come a long way since that first post.

Today marks 5 years that I have been blogging on this site. I’m amazed to ponder that. It’s gone through many different looks and features during that time.

I am continually in awe with how many faithful readers show up here time and time again and many of them add to this site through their comments. My passion for blogging has only increased during this time and I’m grateful for the opportunity this site provides me. I’ve even had the chance to help and encourage other new bloggers on their own journeys.

Here are some fun facts about tomorrowsreflection.com (in case you’ve ever wondered). As of this writing there are:

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Love Wins – Rob Bell

19 Mar , 2011 No Comments

I wrote that tweet a few days ago after the excitement had already been building. Since I first posted about the promo video for this book and watched 55 comments erupt afterward I’ve been eagerly anticipating reading through it for myself. I’m referring to the now infamous book “Love Wins” by Rob Bell.

Universalism

Every time I’ve seen him interviewed or heard it talked about someone immediately asks him if he’s a Universalist (all roads lead to God). And every time I’ve watched him say no. It’s an ineffective question since a word like that is supercharged and we all might define it slightly different. While I believe he’s answering truthful, the problem is that he’s redefined universalism. Where as traditionally it is the idea that all roads lead to God in this lifetime, Rob is a believer that all roads lead to God in the afterlife (that’s the part about love ultimately winning). This is the big point of the book and the reason why it’s so controversial. My thoughts on that at the end.

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Problogger

16 Mar , 2011 No Comments

I recently finished the book Problogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income by Darren Rowse (problogger.net) and Chris Garrett (chrisg.com). These two guys are studs in the blogging world and have earned the credibility to teach others the craft.

I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting (an entire book on blogging?) but I was mostly pleased by it. It covered much more of the basics than I’d expected and didn’t really get into as much of the hands-on side of stuff. They did help me to think through some of the philosophy of how my site is built though.

I’m asked a lot about blogging from others now, so if you have a blog of your own or are considering it then I think it would be a helpful read for you. I definitely walked away with a more solid grasp of the subject.

One of the obvious ingredients needed for blogging that they state is:

“For a blog to be successful, your content needs to be useful and unique to your readers.”

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