Let’s be honest. Most of the time, IMs are for impromptu movie references and swapping LOLs.

But, every once in a while, you actually have a deep, useful instant message exchange that gives you an idea or helps you see something in a new way. I had one of those conversations with two friends this week….

We started out poking a little fun at the typical “inspirational women’s ministry speaker.” We ended up with a sad and true observation about how we all love inspiring stories of grace…as long as they’re not in the present tense.

The project of learning has changed fundamentally in the past few decades. Not too long ago, much of education was a matter of learning how to find information. That’s no longer the case.

Thanks to the advent of the Internet, locating a wealth of information on any topic is as quick and easy as tapping a few words into your web browser.

Finding information is easy. Figuring out what to do with it is the new challenge. What sources are trustworthy? How do I prioritize what I find? What is the difference between fact and opinion? These are the kind of questions a contemporary education must prepare the learner to answer.

It’s true for academic subjects…and it’s true for the Bible, too. I can google “Jesus,” for example, with a few keystrokes. But fitting what I find into a helpful framework? That requires teaching:

“Perhaps it has not fully dawned on the preachers of our time that preaching needs to be preceded by strong programs of teaching. The preacher’s words fall on barren ground where the people have not first been taught how to…listen, how to weigh and evaluate, how to interpret the lines of Scripture that apper in the sermon — all these “how to’s” are the product of careful preparation, of teaching.” – Locke Bowman

Quoted in Effective Bible Teaching p. 38

That’s a good reminder. What learners really need from us as teachers is context. With a bird’s-eye perspective, students can filter inferior bits of info, map out the facts, and grasp the meaning.

“This life…is not righteousness, but growth in righteousness, not health but healing, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it; the process is not finished but it is going on. This is not the end but it is the road… — Martin Luther

Owen: No, I’m good. Just taking a photo….

Me and a couple of guys from seminary are launching a Western-themed church. These sheriff / usher badges are just what we are looking for.

CBE: Umkay.

Owen: Do they come in “Pastor” and “Organist?”

It’s happening.

I opened up this banjo, tuned it, and recorded a little sample with my iPad. I don’t know many chords yet, so I picked something simple in honor of olde tyme church….

I’ve always liked the punchy twang of the banjo. It’s got a drum head. And strings. And it doesn’t take batteries or light up. Nothing says “I’m kickin’ it old school,” like lickin’ it on five strings of folk fun! You didn’t see much banjo work in mainstream music for a while, but the sound is coming back with bands going for that vintage-y sound. Mumford & Sons is one of my favorite examples.

For me, this banjo is a journey back to my roots. Simple life. Simple folk. Simple faith. There’s an honesty in the sound that resonates with my thirst to approach life with authenticity and energy and to abandon cynicism in favor of hope.

Question is, what do we do with that event?

There are some things you can just shrug about and move on without forming an opinion. The resurrection of Jesus isn’t one of those things. It happened or it didn’t. It’s either a crazy myth or it’s a paradigm-shifting historical event.

The idea that Jesus is God and literally came back to life is a lot to swallow. I have my reasons for why I believe this to be true, but I’m not coming down on those who doubt.

It’s the believers I’m worried about.

See, people who don’t believe do a really good job of reflecting their view of the resurrection in the way they live. They go all out, stay in the moment, and live like there’s no tomorrow. Because, let’s be honest. If Jesus didn’t come out of that tomb under his own power there really isn’t any tomorrow. I get it.

On the other hand, those of us who do believe in Jesus’ resurrection seem to have a hard time reflecting that belief in our moment by moment conduct.

For the religious crowd, it’s easy to project the meaning of Easter to the far-off future. We know the resurrection means that we’ll see our loved ones again and that we’ll live forever in the sweet by and by. However, we forget that the message of Easter is firmly attached to the here and now.

When Paul crafts his remarks about the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15, he wraps up his discussion with a concluding statement. He’s talked about the historic event, he’s theorized about the what ifs and he’s expounded its eternal benefits of the resurrection.

Then comes the short conclusion. It’s short, but it packs a punch.

Paul doesn’t say, “Since Jesus is alive, hole up somewhere until he returns to take you out of this crummy world.” He doesn’t give us believers a free pass to day dream about heaven all day or to cluck our tongues at sinners who will get their just reward when an angry Jesus returns to kick butt. Far from it!

What Paul does say is “so what” of Easter. It’s the very practical bottom line:

“So then, dear brothers and sisters, be firm. Do not be moved! Always be outstanding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord”
(1 Corinthians 15:58).

One way or the other, Easter isn’t just something we celebrate — it’s something we do. How we live the Monday after reflects how we really view the Sunday.

The hope we have isn’t just a distant insurance against death — it’s a very present assurance that what we do in this life matters now and in eternity.

Easter is the kind of hope that makes you roll up your sleeves on Monday “knowing that your labor is not in vain.”

This Monday, let’s be outstanding…what do you say?

Joel, this is Marty. I’m calling you from a cellphone, a real, handheld, portable cellphone.

Martin Cooper, speaking the first words ever said over a mobile phone. A Motorola engineer, Martin used his newly invented device to call Joel Engel, a rival at AT&T, on April 3, 1973. Many would say that the mobile phones have been rude and annoying ever sense.

See: This story from the BBC and this one from CNN for more

Children enjoy the simple gifts – sunshine, zip lines and chickens – without embarrassment, fear, or pride.

Children trust that the rope will hold. They hang on tight and enjoy the rush of risk, wind and adrenaline.

Such is the kingdom of heaven.

How often to you blame a lack of success on a lack of talent?

A recent project at IFL…