The write-up for the retreat said the following: "The Christian life readily embraces paradox. The life and ministry of Jesus often introduced paradox into the situation. Lent is the annual season of paradox. The Lenten season invites Christians into the paradox of emptiness. Accept the invitation. Risk nothing! Experience, explore, and endure this paradox and what do you get? Plenty! How can this be? Come and find out."
The retreat will be led by Alan Kolp who holds the Moll Chair of Religious Studies at Baldwin-Wallace College. 9:30 am at Euclid and 71st Street.
Here is the weekly round-up of the most interesting thoughts and reflections that I found in the last seven days.
Is Elvis A Mormon?
Maureen Dowd, New York Times
"When he talked about his beliefs in his last presidential run, it sometimes provoked confusion, like this explanation to an Iowa radio host about the second coming of Christ: that Jesus would first appear in Jerusalem and then, “over the thousand years that follow, the millennium, he will reign from two places, the law will come from Missouri, and the other will be from Jerusalem.'”
Click for more here.
What Is It About That Number 40?
Sarah Robinson at AlterNet
"One hundred fifty years of research proves that shorter work hours actually raise productivity and profits -- and overtime destroys them. So why do we still do this?"
Art Matters
Karla Vasquez at Sojourners
"Time and experience has allowed me to say that art is indispensable. It is the key foundation of what it means to be human. With art we tell our stories, we share our pain, our triumphs, our history – with art we learn what it means to live and what it means to have been created by an artist. To save art classes from extinction is to save the need for humanity to create."
Click here.
Most Interesting Church Blog Of The Week
Scott R. Peath
"Clearly both Bass and Jones see some hope in the Emergent Church movement, which is attempting to reconfigure Christian community in ways that are more meaningful in a contemporary context. And this is all to the good. But I'm also always reminded of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's "religionless Christianity" when this subject comes up."
Against The Stream
The GOP Budget vs. Jesus of Nazareth
Washington Post
"The choice between the biblical values of “good news for the poor” as announced by Jesus, and the “good news for the rich” of GOP fiscal proposals should be an easy one for Christians across the spectrum from liberal to conservative. But it’s not, as is clear from many polls. Why not?"
Click here.
Best Biblical Study
John Dominic Crossan
"The vision of Jesus that changed Paul from a Pharisaic Jew to a Christian Jew happened, says Luke's Acts of the Apostles, on the road to Damascus. That event is so important that Luke records it three times for maximum emphasis: first, as it happens (9:1-19); next, as Paul tells it to the Roman officer in Jerusalem (22:3-21); and, finally, as Paul tells it to the Jewish king, Agrippa II at Caesarea Maritima (26:1-18). But that triple account, written around 50 years after Paul's death, has two major historical problems."
What Really Happened To Paul On The Road To Damascus?
Best Spiritual Practice - Just Say No!
Nadia Bolz-Weber
"I’ve had the weirdest thing happen recently. People have thanked me for saying no to them. Let me explain:"
Learning To Say No
Best Learning For Folks In The Pew From Folks Who Do Not Attend Church (Make sure you read the comments section!)
Rachel Held Evans
"I left the church when I was twenty-seven. I am now thirty, and after trying unsuccessfully to start a house church, my husband and I are struggling to find a faith community in which we feel we belong. I’ve been reluctant to write about this search in the past, but it seems like such a common experience, I think it’s time to open up, especially now that I’ve had some time to process. But let’s begin with fifteen reasons why I left:"
15 Reasons Why I Left Church
Most Viewed Post On John 13:34 Blog This Week
The Church and The Arts
Click here.
Always End With Children or Animals
Late Night With David Letterman
Jack Hanna and David Letterman
Love One Another - Brian
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