The Dawn Treader

My wife and I have close friends who recently faced a cancer scare.  The wife (we will call her Susan even though that is not her name) was told that something showed up on recent a mammogram.  Breast cancer runs in Susan's family. 

In case you have been living under a rock for the past week, the Don Imus story has reached the tipping point and beyond.  The Cliff Notes version of the story is that shock jock made a sorry attempt at humor by denigrating the Rutgers women's basketball team with a racial slur.  It wasn't funny.  The moral outrage was immediate and justified.

Is there a silver lining?

Imagine you are driving down a busy thorough fare in your home town.  Your son in the back seat yells, "Daddy, look at that!"  You look out your car window and see this 72 foot monument.  What is the first thing you would think?

I can't open up my Yahoo! mail these days without seeing some new headline having to do with churches and gays.

Last month I posted on a Pigfest discussion relating to how Christians should engage panhandlers.    I was reminded of that discussion as I read Steve Wagner's excellent post on how to be a winsome ambassador when engaging panhandlers.  It is a great read and an excellent reminder of how we ought to view and treat others.

Continued from part 2.

When he realized that I actually wanted him to answer my question, Jim responded.

"I think that what Jesus said was truth."

Continued from part 1 of The Neighborhood Christmas Party

I wanted to ask Jim about his church background, but before I could, Jim spoke.

"Have you read a book called A Course in Miracles?"

"Hi, I'm Jim" said the tall silver haired gentleman.

"I'm Jeff, nice to meet you," I replied, reaching out to shake Jim's hand.  I saw that Jim was wearing a name tag.   I asked him where he got the name tag and he showed me.  I picked up a tag and wrote my name on it and stuck it to my sports coat.

It was the neighborhood Christmas party.  For an introvert like myself, these things can be painful.  It is awkward talking to people you don't know.   My relationship  with most of these folks consists of a wave and a smile as they walk their dog past my house.

For men, the conversation at these things usually revolves around sports.  I can do the sports thing especially during college basketball season.  But it is not exactly the most redeeming way to spend an evening.  The neighborhood party is the last place one would expect to have a worldview conversation.  Until last Friday night, that is.

Me: "We are having a supper for six at our house next Thursday and we would like you and your wife to be our guests."

My friend: "Thanks.  A supper for what?"

Me: "A supper for six.  It is just a name we made up.  On the last Thursday of every month, we have some friends over for dinner and some purposeful conversation."

My friend: "Sounds nice.  Purposeful conversation?"

Me: "Yeah.  You know, something besides the weather or sports.   We try and talk about something going on in our culture.  Could be a current event.  Could be pop-culture.  Could be religion. Anything that will spark a good conversation."

My friend: "Ok.  Sounds dangerous (laughing), but we accept."

I had finished my power point presentation on intelligent design and was taking questions from the audience.  I spotted a hand raised near the back.  It was Drew, the fellow I had met shortly before my talk.