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As I remain seated in my car, I instantly return to the twenty-first century in my mind. It is the year 2015 and I have been invited by friends to go to this church with them this particular sunny, late-autumn day when frost has coated some of the fallen tree leaves. I have heard rumors that the congregation here has swung even more fundamentally and become strictly literal in their biblical interpretations in recent years, having even departed from their recognized denominational affiliation for fear of becoming too unbiblical in church practice. I wonder what the congregant gathering to worship God will be like today when I enter through the doors.

Are these the final seconds of mankind?

The sound track of faith always matters, but never more so than during the period between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. This month expresses through music much of what we hold to be true.

Join filmmaker Kip Andersen as he uncovers the most destructive industry facing the planet today – and investigates why the world’s leading environmental organizations are too afraid to talk about it.

Fun and inspiring music video for the kids! This video asks: “Can you imagine a world where everyone grows their own trees?”

Alan Watts discusses choice and the thoughts process behind it. Our choices are fundamentally what shape our character, and more importantly our life as a whole.

MICROAFFECTION: a subtle but endearing or comforting comment or action directed at others that is often unintentional or unconsciously affirms their worth and dignity, without any hint of condescension

For thousands of desperate refugees, the dangerous first step on their journey to Europe could be their last. Samaritan’s Purse teams are stationed at several primary stops across Europe distributing necessary supplies.

You may think you are an ally, but you are wrong. You cannot be an ally. You can only act in allying ways, or you can avoid doing so. There is a big problem in progressive circles; often, you see people prioritize being seen as an ally more than acting like one. This is only possible when we misconstrue the word “ally” into an identity.

The labels “Nones” and “Dones” miss the point. People who aren’t in churches on Sunday aren’t saying No to God, No to Faith, or even No to Church.

In less than 3 months (as of July 2015) Actor / Filmmaker Matthew Cooke’s social justice commentaries have been viewed over 46 million times on FaceBook — shared by the ACLU, Huffington Post, World Star Hip Hop, Adrian Grenier, RYOT.org, FilmingCops.org, The Anti-Media, The Free Thought Project, and many more.

Being at dis-ease with injustice is why progressive Christianity seeks to be engaged in the world in order to transform it. “Accepting what is” may be a generic spiritual value, but moral quietude is not a Christian value.

That said, progressive Christians would do well to be a LOT more discerning about what we choose to be outraged about. Over the past week, the progressive Christian vanguard reacted in hyper-vigilant lock-step as they expressed their collective outcry against the *idea* that conservative Christians in the U.S. were *apparently* in a dither about Starbucks simple red coffee cups for this year’s holiday season. We got hot and bothered, red in the face, and showed-off the twitching veins in our faces to each other — to point out how “we’re not like *those* sorts of Christians!”

Physiologically, anxiety and excitement are quite similar (sped-up heartbeat, shallow breathing, sweating), but they are also quite different (the former often features uneasiness in the stomach, while the latter has raised eyebrows and open eyes). Enthusiasm with furrowed brows: This runs a bit counter to the “KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON” signs that were so prevalent just a few years ago.

Telling ourselves to “keep calm and carry on” when we are anxious is damaging to our spirits as it denies our experienced reality. We can transform anxiety into excitement using the mental trick of telling ourselves that we are excited and not anxious.

Moreover, and this is key, the study reported that instead if you tell yourself that you are excited, new possibilities opened up. It has something to do with arousal congruence.

I have long known that physiologically there is no difference between anxiety and excitement. Both can include sweating palms, shortness of breath, and other symptoms with which you might be familiar.

I have made a study of my mood. And, what I discovered is that when I am feeling excited my eyebrows are up, when I’m anxious, they are down.

Might it be that simple?

Last in a 3-Part Series on Politics and Religion A pdf copy to print or read is HERE. Preface   This series began with the premise it was fair game to consider the mix of politics and religion as …

Asking the question about how to be “church” to the Millennials, however, presents somewhat of a conundrum. How is one “church” to those who are not religious? After twenty years of working with and ministering to the needs of this audience, I believe there is a solution. I have learned that in order to support the spiritual needs of the Millennials, benefit from their inherent gifts, and prevent the ultimate demise of the Church’s mission, we need to think outside the box of traditional religiosity. Instead of expecting them to seek us out, we are invited to meet them where they are at.

“I don’t come here to hand out a sandwich, that is just a tool. I come here only to show my love for a fellow human being. To recognize them as a person, to recognize them in their dignity, in their god given dignity that is in them. And no police and no force in this country can stop me from loving them. And that’s why I’m here.”

Any human enterprise can succeed or fail. Silicon Valley startups, marriages, mall stores, schools, and churches — there are no guarantees, no reliable formulas, no ideal preparation.

The recipe for failure tends to be predictable. Conditions change, but for reasons ranging from sloth to distraction to inadequate resources, leaders don’t change with them. Early success teaches the wrong lessons. Leaders dread failure more than they want to learn from it. Worthy ideas implode from lack of support, while bad ideas develop loyal followings.

“Two-Lane Theology” answers the question: If I took a slow drive across the US and looked for God along the way, what would I see? Don’t pretend to be John Steinbeck “searching for America.” Just be myself, meandering some days, stopping here and there, going random. All in a fresh search for God.