I'd been wondering  how things are going with the churches that were once called Mars Hill Church in Seattle. Lo and behold, Relevant covered the topic this month: relevantmagazine.com. I'm heartened by the news of what is happening with these churches since the time of Mark Driscoll's resignation. I'm also reminded of a principle: When a spiritual leader speaks truth into our lives, and later his/her flawed and sinful human nature is revealed, the truth he/she taught does not change one iota. ‪ I've been around the church block enough times to witness moral failures, control, Continue Reading

Christians are a funny bunch. We have our own subculture, complete with terminology  and social habits.   Once we've been in the club long enough, we think all this stuff is normal, and we forget that our behavior might be scary to a new person -- perhaps most of all, our  über-friendliness.   Friendliness is scary? What?   This idea would have sounded quite strange to me even a few years ago. Maybe you can relate.   I've always gone to church. I've always been taught to be warm, friendly and inclusive. I can't count how many thousands of services I've sat through Continue Reading

We've been examining nine values common to our culture which negatively affect our relationships. These values hugely influence how we relate to others and cope with emotional pain. I hope you're beginning to recognize these patterns so you can live counter-culturally. Just a reminder: You’ll find most of these paradigms in “The Immersion Experience,” a curriculum by Dr. David Eckhart and Tim Rule.  Find out more at aphesisgroup.com.   The list: Consumerism — getting stuff and using it up Materialism — choosing things over people Pleasure-dependency — gotta be Continue Reading

Last week, we looked at how consumerism, materialism, and love of pleasure affect our relationships. Today we'll tackle three more negative cultural traits that can undermine your sense of connection to other people.   Remember the list of traits? Here are all nine: Consumerism — getting stuff and using it up Materialism — choosing things over people Pleasure-dependency — gotta be entertained Pain-avoidance — don’t want to hurt Image-sensitivity — looks are everything Information addiction — craving to know it all now Productivity-driven — accomplishments matter Continue Reading