Sky Links, 2-2-14

Photo: Spacebridge by longobord CC 2.0

Mommy Wars?

I read this post by Matt Walsh that garnered three million views and over twelve thousand comments on his blog.  In his follow-up, Matt wrote:

"To stay-at-home moms:

Once, several months ago, I wrote this post about you. It was a simple expression of gratitude for stay-at-home moms, particularly my wife."

I'm going to take Matt at his word, that he was not trying to pit people against each other.  It is funny how some people interpret it that way.








Who Are You Doing It For?

Have you ever done something that was complimented, then you were tempted to do it again; and if you did it again, you might have felt weird that you did it to get attention, or you were baffled that lighting did not strike twice?

Regi Campbell wrote about The Laws of Applause:

Everyone likes positive feedback. Everyone. Some take it in stride, some feel so bad

about themselves they can’t receive even the smallest compliment, and some soak up applause like the desert does rainfall. When Andy Stanley talked about this at a recent Catalyst Conference, he said, “there’s a ‘Lady Gaga’ in all of us.” He went on to share the “laws of applause”…

1. What’s applauded as exceptional the first time will be expected next time

1. Those most applauded for feel most entitled to

1. Applause is intoxicating and “applause-intoxicated” people don’t make good decisions

1. Applause is addictive. We start looking for it…we’ll even manufacture it

Once you get a little applause, there’s an appetite for more. I know because I’ve sought it forever....

God's Pleasure In Your Gift

Jeff Mc Q wrote about this same thing in a post called,  Feeling the Smile of God:

...there are truths in Chariots of Fire that are timeless. Like what Eric Liddel says in this clip (yes, I actually found a CLIP):

Within this clip is my favorite line in the whole film, a line I still remember even though I haven’t seen the film since I was in my early teens. Eric Liddell is explaining why he’s putting off a missions trip to China to run in the Olympics:

“I believe God made me for a purpose…but He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.”

Liddell goes on to say something even more , “To give it up would be to hold Him in contempt.” What an insightful statement....

Christianese?

Do you speak Christianese? I found a website called Dictionary of Christianese, where they research the origins of salng we use in Christianity.  One example is EGR (not the valve on your car).       EGR: Extra Grace Required.  Actually, EGR is 'Pastorese', something pastors or ministry leaders say about people.  The EGR entry reads:

A person in church whose ongoing spiritual and emotional needs frustrate the efforts of others to interact with that person or minister to that person.

Credit for coining the term is sometimes attributed to Carl F. George, but the originator of the term seems to be Dale Galloway.
• 1991 George Prepare Your Church for the Future, p. 105:

Some of these hurting members are bottomless wells who can siphon off all the love, interest, and energy an entire group can offer. If a church offers no technique or system for dealing with these people, whom Dale Galloway has called extra-grace-required (EGR) people, they will kill the group. Some won’t be satisfied, and they require more care than the leader can provide.

Many other authors have used this term, including Rick Warren, in his Purpose Centered Life (2002, p. 149). ECR stands for extra care required and VDP stands for very difficult person. I had a preacher friend who used the term EBH: emotional black hole, or black hole, for short. There is also VDP: very draining person.

Frozen Chosen

Did you see the movie Frozen?  I think that the reason I liked it so much, is that it had redemptive themes.  Colin Garbarino, a history professor at Houston Baptist University, wrote about Frozen's value as an allegory: Exploring Dante's Inferno in Disney's Frozen.

Facebook The Mercenary

Derek Muller does a great job in this video of explaining why Facebook is failing, while YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram are serving users better.  Facebook is over-using the user.  In Facebook's eyes, we are all advertisers, to be monetized.