How to Have a Productive Conversation

Yesterday I posted a rant to my Facebook page. Usually I reserve these for Twitter, that seems a more apt place for rants. They are more likely to get lost in the general attitude of contempt there. This particular rant was a little long for Twitter. At one point I thought that I might make it into a blog, but I like my blogs to be more thought out than a rant. So it went on Facebook.

What's ironic (and a little bit sad) is that my rant involved me criticizing people for not wanting to have a conversation. But this is the pull that social media has on us. Sometimes it feels like we have lost the art of good conversations. We are quick to judge, quick to anger, and slow to listen. We don't really care about what the other person has to say. All we really want is to prove to the world that we are right.

The Gospel According to Kanye

I have a confession. Prior to the last week or so I hadn't really put much thought into Kanye. Sure there was his visit to the white house, his outburst at the 2009 VMAs, and his hit song Gold Digger. So I want to say upfront that I am not an expert on Kanye. I don't have 15 years of background to compare to. I am not a 'Ye fan. At least I wasn't two weeks ago.

The past week I have been listening to JESUS IS KING on repeat. I have seen his Airpool Karaoke video with James Corden. I have listened to Jesus Walks off his debut album. I have even watched his two hour interview with Zane Lowe in its entirety.

I've spent time thinking and praying. I've read article after article about the album. Yet there is one single fact I keep coming back to. What Kanye is now preaching IS the gospel. Everything on that album is the gospel -- from the emphasis on freedom for slaves to the counter-cultural statement that Jesus (and none other, not even an orange president) is king.

Teardrops on the Floor

Elevators are sacred spaces. For the last nine months I have been volunteering as a chaplain at a hospital in Philadelphia. Part of being a chaplain is recognizing sacred spaces when you walk into them. Its not always easy, and often I have to rely on the leading of the Holly Spirit, but sometimes you can just tell. As I stepped onto the elevator today, I again noticed a clear sign of a sacred space. There were teardrops on the floor.

When Doubt Grips You

Are you struggling to have faith today? Maybe you are reading this and in the back of your head you have doubts. Maybe you feel God calling you to something, but you are scared because you don't know the details. Maybe you are faced with crippling anxiety and doubt even though God just provided for you.

Usually, when I write these blogs I am writing from the other side. I have just learned something or have just gone through something. I write from a place of knowing. I write from a place of complete understanding. That is not the case today. Today I write from the unknown. I write not knowing how everything will play out.