Rant of the Exiles

I love his music and when I first watched one of his videos, I was surprised. Ed Sheeran looks remarkably similar to my neighbor across the street. I would mention it to him but I'm confident people pester about it all the time. They're both in their early twenties, about 5'8", stocky, with bushy hair and completely unremarkable features. The main difference between them is Ed Sheeran is a global pop sensation with millions of adoring female fans and I'm pretty sure my neighbor is not.     So what does Ed Sheeran and my neighbor reveal about the nature of sexual attraction?  Women value emotional connection over physical appearance. Both men and women are designed for relational connection but women are especially responsive to heightened emotional expression and sentimentality. The ability to display empathy and communicate passion is huge. And it's not enough for man to merely posses the ability, he must put be able to put it on display. That's wh...

Fresh off the Boat (the book not the show): A prophet in exile rants against injustice. I'm not gonna lie - I'm jealous of Eddie Huang. I'm not jealous he has a prime time TV show inspired by his life. I'm not jealous of his award-winning  restaurant. I'm not jealous of his popularity, or that he's written a book, or his sharp sense of fashion. I'm jealous of his courage with words. Because Eddie Huang is a prophet. A prophet speaks truth without compromise. Isaiah was commanded to speak to a persistently unfeeling people. A prophet is not afraid to call out the establishment on issues of social injustice. Amos proclaimed judgment on "those who trample the heads of the poor" . A prophet employs symbolism to make his point. Ezekiel cut his beard off with a sword and set it on fire as a witness against Israel. A prophet is offensive and persecuted for his views. John the Baptist got his head chopped off for calling Herod ou...

Our church theme for this year is Come Follow Me. It's the first three words of Jesus's statement in Matthew 4:19 - Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men.  In a message by Jim Putman on discipleship , he talks about this verse. Following Jesus means transformation. Before meeting him, the disciples were fishers of fish but after encountering the carpenter, they will become fishers of men. Their identity will change.  Pastors and church leaders often encourage involvement in programs such as small groups, bible studies, and worship services. We do this to help people become disciples. Our language can imply relationships are the means for spiritual maturity. If you join this group or do this activity, you will grow spiritually. If you lead a bible study, it will grow you spiritually. If you serve other people, you will grow spiritually.  But Jesus never indicates relationships are the vehicle for spiritual maturity. They are not the side show, they...