For the longest time, I’ve been meddling with a good phrase to capture some of the blog posts, articles, or random stuff I enjoyed reading this past week I think I finally found one that I’ll keep using: Stuff Eugene Liked This Week.
Why? Because it’s so darn original. I’m really skilled at reading and exegeting Culture and I speculate that there will soon be hundeds of copycats that will use the phrase, “Stuff _______ Like.” Remember, you read it here first.
Without further adieu, here’s “Stuff Eugene Liked This Week”:
- This dude [Darwin] read this post [and video] on my blog and decided to leave his job at Microsoft. Is he stupid? No, but conviction is a beautiful and scary thing.
- Bill Hybels and Willow Creek Responds to Critics [video] – I don’t know about you but I am appreciating Hybels and Willow Creek more and more.
- Tim Keller writes “The Gospel in All its Form” - Keller pastors Redeemer in NYC and one of most influential leaders. A great read.
- Another person joins the Blogging Community at Quest – Teresa speaks from the heart and walks the walk. Subscribe to her blog especially if you want to keep updated on the situation in Burma.
- A Letter From the Depths of the Soul [Jesus Creed] – “Over 10 years ago I had cancer. The treatments I went through were very difficult, but effective as I am cancer free to this day. Not too long ago they found that I have scarring in my lungs…”
- Brian McLaren responds to his critics – Whether you like or dislike him, you have to appreciate his willingness to listen and his posture of humility.
- Racialicious gives some commentary to a Korean-American female comedian, Esther Ku, who recently appeared on Last Comic Standing. I love seeing Asian-Americans break into larger mainstream pop culture but the self deprecation of Asian stereotypes and identities are getting very old. It’s not funny.
- We enjoyed hosting a gathering at our home last weekend for first time and expectant parents. Lots of poopie diapers. We must have had at least a dozen babies join us the past six months and there are about 10 expectant parents including two on our church staff. Here’s one of our new babies. I’m biased here but I love naturally curly black hair.
Filed under: religion
it never hurts to read more great stuff. i am glad you are doing this.
I am not interested in criticizing Bill Hybels or Willow Creek, but I am a little surprised by your glowing praise of this interview.
While I am pondering the VALUE of being missional in a post-modern world, Bill is still centralizing everything around his Sunday service experiences. Instead of entering people’s worlds in their ’safe’ zones, we work so hard to get them to come to the ‘temple,’ such an unfamiliar world to the truly unchurched/non-believing.
There are so many ways to earn trust outside of so-called ’sacred spaces.’
And his comment on the need to “thrill” Christians on Sunday morning so that we will see people as Jesus does….? Gosh. There’s something about that that just doesn’t jive with me. sincerely.
From Esther’s “comedy routine”:
“Asian girls are going out with everyone. White guys, black guys, ya know? Everyone BUT Asian guys. What’s going to happen to Asian guys, are they going to go extinct or something? Are they gonna just sit at home and play video games? I feel bad they’re all single… but not bad enough to date them. I mean, last week this Asian guy asked me out, and I was just like “Geez, when are they gonna realize that Asian girls are just way out of their league?”
Sounds to me less like comedy and more like self-hate. It was painful to watch this girl… it was like an almost pathetic desperation to reach out to audience using tired jokes about Asians that cater to the kinds of covert, racist ideas some people have still.
Welcome to Babylon!
@amy: thanks for your thoughts. fwiw, i wasn’t praising the interview. i actually thought it was mediocre considering willow creek is known for their top notch productions.
i was simply saying that so many are quick to criticize willow creek but it’s clear that they are not going away anytime soon. they are doing good work and while there are many things that don’t personally resonate with me, they are preaching christ and reaching people.
I admire Darwin for following his heart. It’s still questionable to me to leave a job without something concrete lined up, but I can understand the unfathomable desire to do some good in this world.
I went to a Willow Creek megachurch near Chicago several times in the past. They do a good job of sending a message on Sundays that can be accessed on multiple levels of faith. However, I agree with Amy that their focus is a lot on presentation, and I always got the sense of being in a concert or performance of some sort from the way they do service. Part of me wants to forgive them because their method does draw a lot of non-believers to the Church based on that auditorium familiarity; but when there are too many cameras floating around, dynamic background displays, full-set band performances, etc., then I tend to start feeling like sitting back and being entertained, rather than being engaged in worship and seeking the sound of God in the sermon.