Luke's Frog

Tuning Out TV

My family canceled cable TV at the first of the year. We did this because we noticed that the TV was becoming an easy default when there was "nothing to do". Our kids would watch it any chance they had (after homework was finished of course) and Misty and I would channel surf just to "see what's on".

The TV in our home was like the snack cupboard in the kitchen, you're not really hungry, but when you walk by it you are bound to eat something. Our family "ate" a lot of TV.

So we made the decision to get rid of cable TV (our objective was to get rid of "useless" channels, cut some excess spending, and stay connected through the free TV aired by the major networks). Down-grading would be easy, after all, we would still get local channels right?....nope. Rabbit ears were useless in trying to tune in our favorite network shows.

So here our 50 inch plasma sits...virtually useless since January 1, anxiously awaiting those few moments it gets to fulfill its calling through the Wii or a DVD (those elements aren't off limits...just monitored for time).

I remember when Misty and I first told the kids we were canceling cable TV; they cried...yeah, really (Sponge Bob junkies going through withdrawal). We missed elements of it as well (no more Today Show with coffee in the morning and no more LOST in HD).

Yet since we've tuned out TV we've noticed several things change in our daily living: our kids no longer beg us for the "latest and greatest" that is advertised to children a zillion times a day, we spend more time reading and playing together as a family, and we find ourselves going to bed getting up earlier (giving us a more productive day).

There may come a time when we decide to re-connect our cable TV, but for now we are enjoying being tuned out to TV and tuned in to family.

What are other "snack cupboards" we should try and limit in our life?

Meaning and Suffering ("Man's Search For Meaning" pt. 1)

"Man's Search For Meaning" is Victor Frankl's most notable published work. In the 1958 book Dr. Frankl recounts his experience lived out in the Nazi concentration camps from September 25, 1942-April 27, 1945. While there are several vivid stories of life (if one could call it that) in the concentration camp (stories of excruciating labor, humiliation, and beatings) the focus of the book is to point beyond the suffering in such a way as to find meaning.



Frankl writes on the use of suffering: "I consider it a dangerous misconception of mental hygiene to assume that what man needs in the first place is equilibrium or, as it is called in biology, 'homeostasis,' i.e., a tensionless state. What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for a worthwhile goal, a freely chosen task. What he needs is not the discharge of tension at any cost but the call of a potential meaning waiting to be fulfilled by him.



We are taught to avoid suffering at all costs...it is the American way. Yet is is the American pursuit of comfort and ease (pursuit of the "tensionless state") that does little to develop a greater sense of purpose within our own human existence. Although not always welcomed, it is through suffering, pressure, and trial that one's meaning can truly develop and strengthen.

Island Retreat

For the next 12 days my family and I are "getting away". Thanks to some friends from Chicago, we are staying at a condo on an island surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico (Don Pedro Island to be exact).

On the island we pack our days full of sun, relaxation (running, reading, playing), dolphin watching, lizard catching, and body surfing (rough, I know). The best part of this trip is that we completely "unplug"

...no cell phones, no internet, no distractions...

We have made this our family vacation for the last 3 years and have some of our best family memories (our kids love hanging out with Captain Red Beard). This island get-away is an opportunity for us to refresh ourselves, re-calibrate, and rest in what is most important: each other.

How do you refresh yourself? What do you do to keep your family connected in the midst of a busy life?

Green Day Tour

On July 13th Misty and I will be rock'n out with the punk-trio Green Day as they make their stop in Chicago for their 21st Century Breakdown US Tour. The last time we saw them was on their Warning tour at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. Although the Aragon is a more intimate setting than the United Center I'm still just as excited (seriously, I'm like a 10-year-old girl with a new "Teen Beat" magazine).

What are some of your most memorable concerts?

New Green Day Release

Green Day is one of those bands that I could listen to over and over and over again. I was a senior in high school when their single Longview hit the radio...then it was Basketcase. I ran out to pick up their 3rd album (1st major release) "Dookie" and soon discovered a whole new love: Punk Rock.

Green Day was an entry point for me into the world of punk rock. I picked up Green Day's other two albums and then went on a punk rock bender and soon became hooked on bands like: the Sex Pistols, NOFX, the Clash, the Queers, TILT, Screeching Weasel, the Groovie Ghoulies, the Offspring, the Ramones, Rancid, and the Gadjets.

I've seen Green Day numerous times and have all of their albums (American Idiot is a must for any record collection). So, needless to say I am looking forward to Friday, May 15th, when Green Day's newest albums hits the stores: "21st Century Breakdown".

Any other Green Day fans? What are your favorite Punk Rock tunes?

Relating Beyond Our Differences

In her 1984 work, Sister Outsider, author and poet Audre Lorde writes:

...we have all been programmed to respond to the human differences between us with fear and loathing and to handle that difference in one of three ways: ignore it, and if that is not possible, copy it if we think it is dominant, or destroy it if we think it is subordinate. But we have no patterns for relating across our human differences as equals. As a result, those differences have been misnamed and misused in the service of separation and confusion.

How has the Church responded to human/cultural differences in these three ways (ignore, copy, destroy)? How might the Church develop new patterns by which relationships between different people groups can be fostered?

Cigarettes and Corporate Responsibility

I recently read a story in this month's Business Week featuring the CEO of Philip Morris International (PMI) Louis Camilleri. Camilleri is working quickly to increase profits abroad before international restrictions and anti-smoking movements gain footing (read the full story on PMI's potential overseas market/profit).

The World Health Organization shows that 5.4 million people will die from smoking this year. Even Camilleri admits that cigarettes are "a very harmful product" and that "smoking causes disease".

Camilleri says that PMI's objective is not to create new smokers, but to win over those who currently smoke (although I don't think PMI would object to an increase in smokers if it helped their bottom line). Camilleri admittedly defends PMI's position, claiming to have taken the "higher ground" when it comes to advertising abroad. PMI heavily promotes their product abroad at concerts, and sporting events, while using young/attractive people to promote the "cool" factor. Through all of this Camilleri says they are playing well within the rules...and, they are.

The question needs to shift from: "Are the tobacco companies playing within the legal framework?" To: "Are the tobacco companies operating in an ethical manner?"

It may be legal to promote smoking using attractive young people at an Alicia Keys concert, but is it ethical?

Where does corporate responsibility end and individual responsibility begin? While countries are known for the goods they export and contribute to the world market, what kind of damage is done as the United States becomes known as one of the chief exporters of cigarettes? Should the government play a role in legislating (or outlawing) goods that can only cause harm to the people who use them (as well as those who choose not to use)?

Toys "R" Us and Church Relevance

Just last week Toys "R" Us announced that they would be adding a new element to their stores by introducing "R" Market in 260 of the company's 585 stories. "R Market" brings in an assortment of household goods and consumables (snacks, mac 'n cheese, paper towels, windex, etc.).

Toys "R" Us execs see this as a necessary move to keep business afloat and profitable in an economy where "want items" (like toys) are scarcely being purchased. Others think that the toy company giant should stick to what they do best...selling toys (for more on this story see the recent article in TIME).

Regardless of what you think Toys "R" Us should do, Geoffery and his associates are feeling the economic pain and are looking for ways to stay relevant, causing them to venture out in areas that have nothing to do with toys.

Churches have done this too. Churches and worship services have curtailed their structure, style, even their theology to stay more accessible and marketable in an ever increasing "de-churched economy". While I am all for innovation and creativity when it comes to the people of God (it is important that we find ways to contextualize the Gospel) is there a point at which the pursuit of "relevance" leads us away from the pursuit of God?

In what ways have churches/worship services departed from their main focus in an effort to stay "competitive" in our world?

Is there a difference between ingenuity/creativity that honors God and gimmicks?

Has the pursuit of "relevance been helpful or harmful to the Church?

New Tat

I went up to the Morg on Tuesday afternoon to have Jason put some fresh ink on my forearm. I drew up a "Day of the Dead" skull to remind me that no matter how dark things may get, life can still find a way.

My boys got inked as well, but theirs is with henna and will wash off in two weeks. When my boys asked me why they couldn't get a real one now, I simply said: "If you still think a Sponge Bob tattoo is the coolest when you turn 21, then be my guest."

Meaning Beyond Nihilism

Race Matters was written one year after the Los Angeles riots of 1993. In his book Professor Cornel West addresses issues of race relations that still need treatment today. West gives sharp assessment of racial distictives in America as well as the systems, morality (or lack of), and history that have perpetuated a discord between different people groups.

While many factors pose a hindrance to race relations, West underscores the destructive nature of Nihilism to the person and to the larger community.

West writes: Nihilism is the lived experience of coping with a life of horrifying meaninglessness, hopelessness, and (most important) lovelessness. The frightening result is a numbing detachment from others and a self-destructive disposition toward the world...In fact, the major enemy of black survival in America has been and is neither oppression nor exploitation but rather nihilistic threat-that is, loss of hope an absence of meaning. For as long as hope remains and meaning is preserved, the possibility of overcoming oppression stays alive.

What does it mean for someone to say that their life "has meaning"? How is "meaning" found? As people of hope, how do we live lives so that meaning is preserved of all people?

Creative Involvement

Today Renovate is partnering with the Morg in giving tattoos to raise awareness and funds for Every Woman's Place of Muskegon.

The idea for Ink for a Cause came when tattoo artist Jason Morgan told me that he would like to find a way to give, but didn't know what he had to offer. I asked him to tell me what he was good at and passionate about and he replied, "I'm good at tattoos". Before I could reply he eagerly said, "We could give tattoos and donate the money!"

As a church community our job was easy...support Jason with whatever he needed (contact EWP as well as provide banners, invite cards, and newspaper ads to get the word out) and let him do the rest (Jason contacted other tattoo artists and body piercers to partner with him).

I love it when people use their gifts and talents (whatever they may be) to make a difference in the world around them. I believe that the most creative ways of engaging the world come not from church boards or tired church programs, but from the people. The job of the church organization should be to help support and empower the work they are feeling led to do.

When the church and its leaders listen well and keep their eyes open they will begin to see unique and creative ministry opportunities all around.

What are some creative ministries you have heard churches being involved with? How does the church become more aware of the unique opportunities around them?