Why be part of a faith community?

I hear more and more people tell me that they are "spiritual" but just don't want to or feel the need to join a church or religious organization.

Without getting in too much trouble, I agree. It's tough to talk about reasons for being a part of something when we're unfocused and unsure about the necessity for such involvement.

I'm a joiner, I'll admit it. But even in the church, I'm not sure if joining is necessary. Too often it feels forced. We recently had someone come to our church asking for help with rent. Without getting into the details, the request we necessary and legit. She said she hadn't received any support from other churches because, "Each place she asked said they only helped people who were members of their congregation."

Wow.

I can't think of any worse reason for someone to have to join a church.

Is this what happens in most places? Are we still stuck in the "bread for Jesus" mentality of the mid 1800's?

What do you think? Why have you or have you not joined a faith community?

We're back on at Short's on Thursday nights at 7:00 pm. We're meeting on the couches in front of the stage in the overflow room. Hope to see you there,

Andrew and Corey

Spirituality and Opium

Karl Marx once famously stated that "religion is the opiate of the masses." What Marx meant by that is that religion is a place that people flee in times of hardship instead of actually doing something about it.

Do you think that is true? Does religion hinder social progress? Does faith keep us sated while inequality runs rampant? Are we too doped up by spirituality to see the reality around us?

Join us at Shorts Brewing tonight for an interesting conversation on whether faith inhibits or initiates positive societal change.

What is Our Nature?

Some people believe that we are all born with a sin nature, while others are sure that we are in fact not. What do you think? Tonight we will be examining these questions and more at Shorts Brewery in downtown Bellaire. I hope you can join us!

Shorts Review

Shorts received some well deserve praise. Read about it here. Also, we hope to see you this Thursday for unTapped!

Doors, doors, and more doors

Last night's meeting at Short's Brewing Co. began with a question about regret and doubt. How often do we make decisions and then go back and wonder what would have been if you'd made the other decision?

Someone compared it to walking through a door. Once you've gone through that one door, you will always wonder what was behind the other doors. Then someone else in the group said, "There are other doors?!"

How much fate vs. free will, or destinity vs. chance is there in our decisionmaking process? Better question, what is the place for regret and wonder in these decisions?

Change in values?

I have two friends who recently posted pictures on Facebook that I appeared in. The first picture is from 1998, my freshman year in college,

and the second picture is from two years ago, right before I graduated from seminary.

And for a point of reference, here is a picture of me now -

My point in showing these "fantastic" pictures of me is to note that I can remember those times like they were yesterday, yet I know how much of a different person I was then compared to now. I can't quite put my finger on how and why I think of myself as a different person, but I know that what I thought, what I believed, what I wanted, and what I hoped for were entirely different things in each of these three snapshots of my life. In addition to looking different, I just feel different than I did then.

So what is the concrete, immutable me? Is there a part of us that doesn't change? Are we the same person and it's just our external pressures and environment changes, or are we truly a million different people from one day to the next?

Who are we and who are we going to be? Do those things have to be mutually exclusive?

What is our true identity?

Discuss: Art, Kids and God

Tonight for unTapped we will continue our discussion about art and beautuy as well as discuss the legitimacy and reality of childhood spiritual experiences.

hope to see you at Short's, tonight at 7:00pm