27Jan, 2010

I was saddened to hear about the passing of Howard Zinn. He was a remarkable man, a remarkable historian and a remarkable advocate for neglected people everywhere. Perhaps best known for his book A People’s History of the United States, Howard saw this country not through the eyes of its leaders but through the eyes of slaves, peasant farmers, textile workers, teachers, bus drivers and average people like you and me. Shortly after 9/11, Mr. Zinn spoke at Reed College. The event hall was filled, of course, and the then seventy-something man came to the podium in his kaki pants and sweater and spoke, without notes for some two hours. And then he took questions. And the time passed like a few minutes. He didn’t just write history books, he was a history book. After the event, at perhaps 11PM Pacific, Zinn was mobbed by students in the lobby. I made my way into the crowd to see him sitting on a bench in the foyer, students already sitting at his feet. I wanted to talk to him too, but there were too many people. My friends and I left Reed and decided to get something to eat. We talked [...]

27Jan, 2010

One of the reasons people struggle so much with life is they expect it to be something it isn’t. They expect to be fulfilled by products, relationships and even religion as though this is going to be the “Act 3 Climax” of life. But Biblically, the complete climax of life doesn’t happen at conversion, it happens when we are reunited with God. Adjusting expectations, therefore, frees people to be happy and grateful for the good things they experience on earth. A study done of the happiest countries named Denmark as the world’s happiest country. I believe America was 32nd on that list. And when researchers took a closer look, they realized the key characteristic that made people in Denmark so happy was, and you won’t believe this, they had generally low expectations in life. They were always pleasantly surprised at how things turn out. So in Christian culture, when we increase our manmade expectations (and trick ourselves into thinking this is faith in God) we are setting ourselves up for emotional instability. But the Bible does not set false expectations for us. The lives of the Apostles testify to this. So ours is a life filled with hope of what [...]

25Jan, 2010

Years ago, when I worked at a small publishing company outside Portland, I’d get together every couple days with a former seminary professor named Ross Tunnell. Ross had left seminary work and was doing graphic design, but was widely considered to be one of the smarter Old Testament teachers in Portland. I made a deal with Ross, saying that if I bought lunch, he’d teach me the old testament. And Ross took me up on that offer. We probably met more than fifty times over two years. It was a terrific arrangement. Ross passed away only a few months ago and I’ve been thinking about those lunches, of all that I learned. But last night I remembered the greatest lesson Ross ever taught me. I was thinking about this lesson because while surfing around on the internet, I saw a minister somewhere speaking very arrogantly about how he had some bit of theology figured out and somebody else didn’t. I think maybe it was a moment of weakness for said minister, but nevertheless it helped me remember something Ross once said. We were driving back from a conference in Salem and I was going off about some bit of scripture, [...]

Nick Thune is one of my favorite comedians and the news Jay Leno was changing things up didn’t have me wondering about what would happen to Jay or Conan, instead I wondered what would happen to Nick. Nick has a regular spot on Leno under the auspices of a philosopher/advice giver helping us all “change our lives.” I hope Leno keeps him, wherever Leno ends up. But with all the talk about Leno and Conan, I thought I’d show you an interview we taped with Nick last month in Los Angeles. It comes in the form of a video podcast I’ve started called All Things Converge. It’s not available yet, but it will be out soon. You’ll be able to subscribe to it on I-Tunes and the like, and can get a free dvd sampler of it’s mother program, convergence here. But for now, here’s Nick Thune talking about life as a comedian. It’s part 2 of a 2-part interview and the rest will be available on the podcast. Here you go: If you’d like a sample DVD of me in this format interviewing scholars, you can order a free sampler DVD here. The DVD is designed to stimulate conversations [...]

New Years Resolutions – All Things Converge Podcast preview from All Things Converge Podcast on Vimeo. Next week I’ll be launching a video podcast called All Things Converge in which I interview scholars and entertainers on various subjects. I’ll give you more information soon about where you can sign up for the podcast, but for now I wanted to share with you a bit of an interview I did with Dr. Henry Cloud in which he talks about New Years Resolutions. Henry Cloud is one of my favorite writers. In this interview he reminds us that people don’t change quickly. Maturity and change take time, and in order to change we have to put ourselves into a context where change can take place. I’ll let Dr. Cloud say it better. Enjoy. *All Things Converge is a podcast based on a DVD series called Convergence. Convergence is a DVD designed to stimulate conversations for small groups. The Podcast, however, will be free, and cover topics not covered on the DVD. New Year’s Resolutions from All Things Converge Podcast on Vimeo.

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