40 Days

Images are by Si Smith, an artist in the UK.

It's An Awesome Youth Moment. . .

. . .when a youth comes up to you. . .looking all nervous, like you might actually answer "no" to his question. . .and says, "_______ told me you did a Bible study with him. I was wondering if you would be willing to do that with me."

This Wednesday I had one of those moments. I had already been meeting with this teenager one on one, but not as a scheduled sort of thing. It was more random (although still intentional), meeting for a snack type stuff.

I can't wait to start the Bible study with him!

More Church Projector Images, Again

Playing with shadows (again as per Nate's suggestion). I may have played a little too much with the shadows. I'll keep working at it.

More Church Projector Images

Another design I played with (same look with different looks). Notice the title is at an angle (as per Nathan's suggestion).

Another Church Projector Image

Was playing around in Photoshop. I'm not totally sure I'll use this one. . .or I might do some more work on it. Got any ideas?

Being Judgemental

At a recent gathering of seminary professors, one teacher reported that at his school the most damaging charge one student can lodge against another is that the person is being "judgmental." He found this pattern very upsetting. "You can't get a good argument going in class anymore," he said. "As soon as somebody takes a stand on any important issue, someone else says that the person is being judgmental. And that's it. End of discussion. Everyone is intimidated!"

Many of the other professors nodded knowingly. There seemed to be a consensus that the fear of being judgmental has taken on epidemic proportions. Is the call for civility just another way of spreading this epidemic? If so, then I'm against civility. But I really don't think that this is what being civil is all about.

Christian civility does not commit us to a relativistic perspective. Being civil doesn't mean that we cannot criticize what goes on around us. Civility doesn't require us to approve of what other people believe and do. It is one thing to insist that other people have the right to express their basic convictions; it is another thing to say that they are right in doing so. Civility requires us to live by the first of these principles. But it does not commit us to the second formula. To say that all beliefs and values deserve to be treated as if they were on a par is to endorse relativism -- a perspective that is incompatible with Christian faith and practice. Christian civility does not mean refusing to make judgments about what is good and true. For one thing, it really isn't possible to be completely nonjudgmental. Even telling someone else that she is being judgmental is a rather judgmental thing to do!

- Richard J. Mouw, Uncommon Decency, pp. 20-21.

Church Projector Image (Re-Worked)

I'm touched up the brown border around the title. I still feel like it's not quite right, but I do think it's doable, so I'm going to go with it!