Glorious Mud

I am a huge fan of the preaching, writing, and church planting activities of Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. I find that Keller can say complex, paradigm-shifting things in simple, memorable ways. That is good for a simpleton like me. Needless to say I was thrilled to find that another Keller fan has posted links to a ton of Tim Keller resources. Take a look - it is well worth your time. I posted a link to the Reformissionary blog on my links section. Check it out.

When I heard U2 was coming out with another movie, I have to admit I was a bit skeptical. I actually enjoyed (and have owned for many years) a copy of Rattle and Hum, but I have long felt that the this era marks the closest they have come to jumping the shark. The more I heard about it, though, the more excited I became. I became especially intrigued when I heard it was filmed in IMAX 3D. So, today was finally the day we got to see it for ourselves. Lauren and I and our oldest daughter (her first U2 concert) went to see U23D tonight. Simply put, it was incredible. Lauren and I were able to go to this concert when they came through St. Louis and we had a discussion afterwards which (the concert or the movie) was better. The live concert won, but only with certain concessions. So, first the concessions. Watching the movie was like watching the concert in high definition HD (or HD squared). The detail and camera work was, for the most part, incredible. When Lauren and I were at...

What could MTV, the inventor of such kid-friendly shows as Beavis and Butthead, and George Barna, the famous Christian researcher and author of Raising Spiritual Champions , possibly have in common? In what universe could these two culturally polar-opposites possibly agree - especially about the American family? For once they may actually agree on something. When MTV conducted a survey of people aged 13-24 asking them what makes them happy, you would naturally expect to hear about things that are the glory of MTV: money, sex, drugs, and fame. The results, though, were surprisingly (or, maybe not so surprisingly) in line with what Christian researchers like Barna have been telling us for years: parents are the single most important factor in a child's happiness and sense of well-being. Nearly 3/4 of those surveyed said that their relationship with their parents was a significant source of happiness. When asked about what activities made them happy, the respondents li...