About Us
Mission Statement
Making sense in today's world is important; and the only knowledge that really makes sense--reading, meditating, applying, and sharing God's Word, and building on that foundation through contrasting viewpoints--is key. But time is one of our most precious commodities, so where and how do we invest some of that valuable asset into finding answers to our daily concerns?
Our goal is to encourage faith in God’s Word, share testimonies, and help build lasting friendships by providing
– A quiet place for busy people to find spiritual input from a variety of Christian sources;
– A comfortable setting for fellowship with like-minded people;
– A friendly venue for thought-provoking discussion; and
– A place to suggest materials that you feel may inspire others as they have you.
Vision Statement
As stated in our Mission Statement this website is set up to be a place where individuals can go for spiritual input and fellowship with like-minded people. It is intended to be a place to find materials that others have found stimulating or encouraging in their times of quiet and devotions, and meant to be a place for considerate discussion about one’s thoughts and feelings, life and lessons -- especially in the midst of the fast changing world around us.
Knowing we’re among friends should make for a safe environment to broach topics that you feel may be too sensitive to talk about in another venue. Though not exactly easy to hear, the verse: “If a good man corrects me because he loves me, he is being kind to me; if he shows me that I have done a wrong thing, that is like special oil on my head. I would not refuse it (Psa 141:5 ERV)” may apply.
This online platform intends to provide a way to exchange ideas, experiences, testimonies, prayer requests, appeals, etc, and may occasionally even serve to jump-start fellowship and collaboration on the ground.
Thank you.
The following has been excerpted from Tim Keller's article, "Social Media, Identity, and the Church" because of how it outlines some of the founding principles of discussion this website has been built upon. (Find the full article here.) We agree these principles encourage persuasion rather than polarization both within Christian discussion and public discourse.
1. Listen long and hard. (cf. James 1:19–“Be quick to listen and slow to speak”) Don’t engage someone right away. Follow them and listen to them for a while. Try your best to put the best construction of their views so you can find some things of value in what they say.
2. Use their own vocabulary and authorities. (cf. Acts 17:23, 28) In Paul’s speech to Stoic and Epicurean philosophers in Acts 17, he quotes their own thinkers, Epimenides and Aratus. In John 1:1, the gospel writer also uses the Greek philosophical term, the Logos.
3. Agree to something inside their worldview as you critique them. (cf. Acts 17:29; 1 Corinthians 1:22-24) Use arguments that build on and ‘resonate with the worldviews of the people you are trying to persuade’ (110). Rather than saying, “I am all right and you are all wrong,” say “You believe this. Great! But then why don’t you also believe this? It seems to follow…” Notice how Paul does this in Acts 17:29 when he argues in verse 29 (to paraphrase) “If, as your own philosophers say, God created us, how could he be worshipped by idols we create?” See also how he presents the gospel to both Jews and Greeks—identifying and affirming their cultural goals, challenging the idolatrous way they are pursuing those goals, and then re-directing them to fulfill their deepest cultural aspirations in Christ.
4. Be willing to be self-critical. (Matthew 3:2: [John the Baptist] Repent!) Don’t defend everything you or your party or tribe has said or done. Don’t take a stand to die on every hill.
5. Loosen the links between your ideas and your identity. (cf. 2 Timothy 2:24-26) Don’t make your ideas into an identity such that any disagreement feels like an attack on your very being. Here, I’m afraid we can see Christians being ‘conformed to the pattern of this world’ (Romans 12:2) by letting the social media prism forge their identity. Christian identity is not a performance—it is a free gift of God’s unchanging love and regard on the basis of Christ’s perfect performance. This is why Paul can say in 1 Corinthians 4:3-4:
See how Paul does not get either furious or deflated by what others think of him. But it is not based on his own self-assessment, either. Jesus was judged in Paul’s place and now he can know God accepts him in Christ (see all of Romans!)
Paul (and Jesus too) can speak sharply to opponents, but it is never out of lost temper, or threatened identity. Christians, however, often get sucked into social media tribes and allow the prism to assign them a distorted identity. But as Paul says, we have the resources for a profoundly secure identity and self-worth that makes us able to speak gently or sharply to opponents—not based on our own anger or offendedness but strictly on the basis of what they need.
How to be changed by the Gospel
Read moreHow will we know when Jesus is coming back?
He is very clear, similar to C.S. Lewis. (I am not so sure how he comes to those conclusions about the meaning of the darkening of the sun reddening of the moon verse in Isaiah.) Read more