Engaged in Culture
Being a Christian in a non-Christian world.
Related topics: Activist Faith, Ministry, Missions, Outreach
LATEST POSTS
how get #elfontheshelf to preach it!
Like many other families, the Christmas stuff comes out and get set up almost immediately after Thanksgiving. We get the artificial tree out, light up the festive candles, and turn up the Christmas music channel on Pandora. One thing you need to know about us is...
what’s the deal with the faith at work movement?
There's a movement beginning to stir. Literature being published on this theme is on the rise, conversations and initiatives on college campuses are becoming more frequent, and media coverage (traditional and digital) is broaching the subject more often. What kind...
3 lessons from a year of activist faith
The Activist Faith project has been more than a book project for me. It's been part of a process of discovering a way of life. The process started in my heart several years ago, and it's hard to believe that it's already been a year since the book was released. In...
how to do social justice while you work
I got to introduce someone to the wide-open world of Google. It was a few years ago, but still... it was around the time the word "google" was being added to the dictionary in verb form, meaning "to search the Internet to find information." I forget her name, but I...
15 steps to raising selfish kids
Raising selfish kids is easy peasy. Follow these simple steps: 1. Stay home. 2. Buy items you don’t need. 3. Forget about chores. 4. Refuse to discuss world events. 5. Encourage comparing. 6. Talk about all the things you don't have. 7. Reject...
praying for those in transition
Today I'm thinking of my friends in transition. Because sometimes I think God waits in places that smell of bleach and Hamburger Helper. Places that house women without a place of their own who wear red, fuzzy slippers and children who sport sleeveless pajamas in...
serving others with hearts, glitter, and unicorns
A rag-tag group of elementary students sat at a table and hand-crafted Valentine’s cards. The cards would be delivered to shut-ins of the church. In the pile of crayon smears and scratchy writing lay my daughter’s card. She has a flair for the dramatic, so the card...
3 traps which line the way to growing giving hearts
Traps line the way in serving others, and even the well-meaning, may lose their footing. As you look for ways to serve, I urge you to avoid these nasty distractions. The gold star trap. Growing a servant's attitude doesn't earn you extra gold stars. God instructs...
canned lima beans taste bad and other lessons from the grocery store
A couple of weeks ago, our church's bulletin contained a blurb about the new, permanent food pantry going up in our lobby. Members have the opportunity fill the pantry weekly, and then, the contents of the pantry are donated to a local public school. Nice. However,...
serving those with dirty feet
Recently, while I was supposed to be serving, I judged a mother of twins. It was easy to judge this woman. Her babies’ clothes dirty, tufts of hair ratty, noses runny.The twins didn’t babble. They were old enough to talk in baby speak. I know these things. I have...
serving others with prayer
In the book, Praying for Strangers, River Jordan discusses her ambitious New Year’s resolution. Jordan commits to pray for a complete stranger every day for an entire year. Jordan takes readers with her as she encounters a variety of people: a bruised teen, angry...
coconut sprinkles, chocolate pudding, and a buffet of service opportunities
When I was a child, Shoney’s Buffet was a big deal. Where else could you get a sundae bar, slabs of roast beef, and apple fritters all under one roof? The endless opportunities Shoney’s offered were a child’s dream, and no one took advantage of the goodness...
when election day looms
In you, Lord my God, I put my trust. ~Psalm 25:1 (NIV) We stopped at a dingy dive somewhere along the Illinois River where a group of locals played cards at a back table. My husband ordered a fish sandwich, and even he who can eat everything could not stomach the...