Tag Archives for loneliness

Web Stew September 2013

Here’s a mixture of articles and videos that I’ve recently appreciated and thought they were interesting and helpful enough to share again.HM Web Stew graphic

  • healthy!  Chris Lazo calls us to find our place in the gospel story and serves up a good summary of why biblical theology is so important utilizing the illustration with the famous TV series Lost.
  • sweet!  a fascinating and well-produced video on the loneliness that social media reinforces. This video demonstrates how we humans are wired-for-community.
  • discerning taste!  here was an informative article from the Atlantic on the science of how to make perfect coffee.
  • non-microwaveable! A life-rhythm that is beginning to ebb in Italia and go the way of the drainage pipes as in America is the great August break that happens every year. Check out The Demise of August. It personally took us a decade to figure this one out. For some, this is culturally distasteful, but it’s worth thinking about. How idolized is our desire to achieve?
  • spicy! I always enjoy including something from Mez in the mix. In this article, Mez meets an American who believes he knows better how to attract people to church in Scotland. No, I wasn’t that American, thank goodness. This Americano caught Mez on a really generous day — otherwise, it might have been a situation that called for some spicy, Irish grace. Read Mez’ article on why church isn’t just about making the services look good.
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Get off the Wall

Two new and insightful articles that I wanted to share with you all about the Gospel, loneliness, and the walled-garden of Facebook. Understanding that not all aspects of social media (specifically FB) are bad or problematic, my wife and I are collaborating on a future post about redemptive practices of social media for the church. I think it’s fun just to write that my wife and I are collaborating. I’m sure there will be hundreds of thumbs-up on that one.

Article 1 – by Tim Chester; Pastor – Sheffield, UK

Get off the Wall

The first article is actually a post in a 7-part series that Tim Chester is doing on the impact of Facebook on people’s thinking in the light of the Gospel. Tim always gives us a clear and salient view of the Gospel in his writings, so these articles are spiritually healthy perspectives on the tensions between social media and Gospel practices.

Article 2 – by Stephen Marche; Atlantic Magazine

This article closes with the astute observation that Facebook is preventing us from dis-connecting; not allowing us to literally forget-about-ourselves for a little while. The author of this post (from what I can tell) is not a follower of Christ. However, Marche has very keen insights into the sociological aspects that I found myself nodding in agreement on many quotes. It’s a bit lengthy but well-worth the read as one of the most insightful treatments of this subject that I’ve seen.
Here is the intro:
Social media—from Facebook to Twitter—have made us more densely networked than ever. Yet for all this connectivity, new research suggests that we have never been lonelier (or more narcissistic)—and that this loneliness is making us mentally and physically ill. A report on what the epidemic of loneliness is doing to our souls and our society.