So-called "mountaintop experiences" are often called "beyond description" by those who are careful about sharing religious experiences. I know. I am one of those people, with podcast episodes like this one being an exception. With a connection to the team building concepts in the previous show on spiritual development, let's go behind the scenes -- metaphorically around the campfire -- at a spiritual retreat or two. Different Drummer: Max Lucado
Mar 01, 2014•58 min
Community building relies more heavily on understanding the stages of spiritual growth than we often realize. Team building does not hinge upon every member being at the same level of maturity and experience. It is crucial, though, to understand the progression and manage those differences with unity as the common purpose. Sadly, this does not describe very many groups in our society today, including churches. Different Drummer: M. Scott Peck
Feb 23, 2014•1 hr 2 min
Storytelling has always been a part of Inappropriate Conversations. Sometimes that involves telling the stories of others to make a point. Other times it truly is personal storytelling in the realm of nostalgia. I learned an important lesson this month about the power of personal storytelling, as if answers to questions I was raising might be coming from the grave. Different Drummer: Frank Capra
Feb 16, 2014•58 min
Whether we can call a church a home if children "must know their place" within its walls?
Feb 05, 2014•37 min
My position on gambling tends toward indifference. I'm less likely to make obvious observations about criminal activity or other societal implications than I am to reject ideas that state-sponsored gambling lowers taxes or drives tourism. In narrow (and largely long past) circumstances, that may have made some sense. Now, it is clearly less sustainable than the average "reality TV" show. Different Drummer: Tom Waits
Jan 31, 2014•48 min
Whether "old" church (pre-Reformation) manages ritual better than church today in more modern or contemporary settings?
Jan 10, 2014•37 min
It's not funny, it's hypocritical, how the same words can sound hateful or not based solely on whether they are heard rather than spoken. Sometimes we only understand the worst aspects of how we communicate when we hear ourselves through the angry words of others. The principle is very simple: if words you hear directed toward you are wounding rather than healing, then those same words directed toward others are hateful rather than loving. Different Drummer: Peter of Bethsaida...
Jan 01, 2014•58 min
Whether there is any one correct style of a ritual, including communion and baptism?
Dec 26, 2013•40 min
From "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" to "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" Rankin/Bass Productions seemingly could do no wrong. Output from there was far less consistent, including
Dec 19, 2013•46 min
Once misinformation becomes "tradition" it is extremely difficult to correct. This is true of a pope 1,500 years ago who willfully merged the identity of several women into one misleading "Mary" to deliver a sermon series on sinful women. More broadly, it is true of those who ignore the way Jesus interacted with women during his earthly ministry. Walk The Earth podcast (6) looked at how these mistaken views of gender impact the local church. This Inappropriate Conversation looks at the impact to...
Dec 14, 2013•1 hr
Whether gender plays a role in the experience of worship?
Dec 09, 2013•40 min
I've been known to sarcastically say "life has dealt you a rotten set of cards" to people who lose track of the blessings they have received in the midst of temporary, and often small, setbacks. For example, I could complain that I've never had the talent to see a musical note on a page and fight the correct tone with my voice. As a music-by-ear singer, I tend to follow others rather than truly joining the choir. On the other hand, I should be grateful for all of the music I've imitated. Thanksg...
Nov 20, 2013•43 min
Whether Sunday School hour is the best type of small group?
Nov 11, 2013•37 min
The animals we've brought into our home have always been more than pets. Truly, they've been family. I wonder if I would have been a different type of father -- less daddy and more disciplinarian -- if I hadn't first forged a relationship and taken responsibility for the growth of a puppy and kitten. Those animals have made their own contributions to the lives of our children, beyond just influencing my wife and me. For many of us, these creatures are a source of great thankfulness. This is the ...
Nov 06, 2013•47 min
Taking the Bible seriously. Different Drummer: Rob Bell Rob Bell answering questions
Oct 22, 2013•1 hr 18 min
Whether the message itself differs inside versus outside of the sanctuary?
Oct 07, 2013•35 min
"I love to tell the story" is a true statement whether the phrase ends "of Jesus and his love" like the hymn or with a disturbing denouement. Through parables or pure mythology, or even by the legends of the locker room, telling stories is crucial part of how we communicate. The best-selling book of all time is full of stories that we've historically taken for granted. What will become of our culture if many of us forget what those accounts relate? Different Drummer: Steve Reich
Oct 01, 2013•1 hr 3 min
Time to respond to feedback, formally, for the third time. The P's and Q's are your points and questions: excellent ideas for me to consider ... hopefully with adequate answers. Thanks! Different Drummer: Richard Matheson
Oct 01, 2013•56 min
Whether a sermon is fundamentally the sharing of Word and Witness?
Sep 14, 2013•38 min
Pride 48 is the weekend of September 6th this year in Las Vegas. I would love to be there, but I can't. Even as recently as a year ago, I'd never considered attending an GLBT pride event before. Why would I, I could have said, not being gay? That, and questioning if there are better ways to defend people from discrimination than going to a meet-up. On the other hand, the absolute best way to tell someone "I am proud to know you, just as you are, and to continue our interactions because I anticip...
Sep 02, 2013•1 hr 33 min
Whether the church is a building and the traditions built there?
Aug 27, 2013•36 min
Elie Wiesel once said: "I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." I believe I've received similar direction in answered prayer. Too often, though, Christians are silent in the face of bullying and marginalization of those on the other side of privilege. More often than we'd like to admit, Christians join the opp...
Aug 16, 2013•51 min
Whether membership at a local church is as eternal as being part of the body of Christ?
Aug 04, 2013•40 min
Treating some in our midst as expendable is, sadly, a very human condition. Taking it as a challenge, though, I've realized that it's nearly impossible to find "pro-life" advocates who are capable of reducing our society's reliance upon abortion. Most seem more devoted to creating unwanted pregnancy than curtailing it. Worse, the focus is less about making a difference in the lives of women and their children and more about self-righteously proclaiming disapproval. It is heartbreaking for those ...
Aug 02, 2013•1 hr 6 min
Next up on Inappropriate Conversations: human sacrifice. Take Him With You #208 has valuable background material.
Jul 29, 2013•12 min
Prior to 2009, documentaries about sports were not that easy to find. I had seen a couple, both related to Olympic years, where the politics were as much in focus as the events or athletes. With its "30 For 30" series, ESPN has changed everything. For the most part, these aren't just good "sports" documentaries; they are great features. Now, in depth and behind the scenes explorations of great sporting events are not just common, they are uncommonly good. I also offer some too quick and too shor...
Jul 16, 2013•47 min
It is possible, from recent shows, that my tastes in music seem a bit soft. I've spoken about easy listening (The Ink Spots) and Christian music (Chris Rice) at some length lately. Truth is, my tastes vary wildly. Most people think they have a broad taste in music; typically, that means broadly within a genre. I cut both across and deep, with examples here that don't include any jazz (Anthony Braxton, for example), and at a length that had to skip things as obvious as Sepultura or Metallica and ...
Jul 07, 2013•1 hr 43 min
The first time I heard "This Is Worth Fighting For" from the World War II era, I remembered a story from a motivational speaker at a seminar. It was about a man struggling to return from an attempt to reach the summit of Mount Everest, and which voice among many ultimately talked him off the mountain. He didn't respond to reminders about his duty and obligation. He didn't react to the fear of friends and family that he might die. If his response was an indication of what was most worth fighting ...
Jun 29, 2013•54 min
One of the ways I know that I lean toward introversion is my experience at reunions. In journals and poetry, I describe those events with both a longing and regret over what I might call invisibility. "Disappear Here" is the name of the poem. No doubt, it was inspired by the "people are afraid to merge" theme in Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis. Some people are afraid to merge; at least, I know one. I also answer the question: how do you know if you are a bigot? Different Drummer: Ingmar Berg...
Jun 10, 2013•59 min
A great deal of what I want from fiction connects with The Sound And The Fury by William Faulkner, particularly the Quentin chapter ("June 2, 1910"). Despite the depressing narrative, I find hope in the connections between characters, including both flawed characters and flawed connections. There are moments in life that we always revisit, whether intentionally or not. I've had friends I haven't seen in years and may never see again, but on occasion it feels like I'm encountering them again thro...
May 27, 2013•47 min
