Your Year for Social Media?

Have you started "tweeting" yet? What are you waiting for? Perhaps 2011 will be the year you look to engage the wonderful world of social media. A couple thoughts on that...

Social Media (aka "SM", might include sites like: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Myspace, YouTube, Digg, blogs, etc.) is everywhere and used in lots of different ways. Whether you're a grandparent or a '20 something', use it for business or personal, these are 3 tips I suggest keeping in mind when engaging social media.

1. Be Yourself
a. Don't try to be someone or something you're not.
b. Strive for authenticity & genuineness.
c. If you're not an expert, don't feel like you have to be one (or worse yet, claim to be one).

2. Be Social
a. The point of social media is connection so don't be afraid to engage the content of others, you get out of it when you put into it (my dad use to tell me that when I would whine about church growing up).
b. Try to avoid being a "lurker" (one who follows or reads other people's tweets, blogs, facebooks, etc but never interacts).
c. Remember, quality over quantity. Don't sweat it if you only have a few Twitter followers or a handful of LinkedIn connections. Having quality people interact with your content is key and in turn can create quality social networks.
d. Provide content that others will find interesting or want to engage with...but don't force it!
e. Depending on what you are looking to get out of social media, try to be disciplined in providing content on a regular basis...but remember, (c.) quality over quantity.

3. Be Smart
a. This should be a "no-brainer" but NEVER post things like social security numbers, passwords, etc etc.
b. Avoid engaging the content of others that you in turn do not wish to engage your content.
c. Social media can, at times, be somewhat addictive. Establish boundaries to keep it from replacing face-to-face relationships.
d. Some people are very open and vulnerable in their interaction with social media, which in itself is fine. However, don't ever post anything, whether personal or business, that you do not want to be read by your boss, parents, friends, co-workers, church, etc. Social media can be personal but it is not private. For example: 1 time I had a post from my twitter account (@mattlipan) that was published in the magazine "Family Circle" (8/09 issue) that I was not aware of until one of my co-workers pointed it out after reading it. Post and engage content with the mindset that it will be read by the world, because it's better to be safe than sorry.

What tips do you have or use for engaging social media?

Confusing Christ with the Church

I have never really heard of author Anne Rice (@AnneRiceAuthor) before this week and must admit that I have never read any of her writings but I have talked to plenty of people who feel the same way she does. On Wednesday she wrote on her Facebook fan page that as a Roman Catholic she was "quitting Christianity" because she was troubled by the scandals that have plagued the Church and its response to such abuse, as well as issues of being anti-birth control and anti-feminism (CBS News article here).

A blog post from friend Andrew Schleincher (@AJSchlei) about Anne's decision got me thinking...Is it possible that people confuse Christ with the Church?

Here's what I mean, people think that the Church and Jesus are the same thing and as a result, wrongly associate things like hypocrisy, being judgmental and hate-filled with Christ. The Church, which is made up of imperfect humans like you and me, is striving to be like the perfect person of Jesus and unfortunately falls short on a regular basis. This fact does not negate the love of Christ or the significance of being a Christian, it does however, remind us that only He is perfect and we are merely trying to be and because of this, the Church is not perfect and won't be until in Him all things are made complete. I hope and pray that people can and will find the perfect Christ through and despite of, the imperfect Church and realize that when the one fails miserably, He never does.

Do I think we, as the Church, unfairly give Jesus a bad rap sometimes...Yes.
Do I think that regardless, He not only loves but uses the Church...Yes.
Do I think this adds a weight of responsibility to the Church today and that we must continue to strive to become more like Jesus...Yes.

A Not-So-Friendly Stroll

We are watching a neighbors dog for the next couple days and so my wife and I decided to take it for a walk earlier tonight. The neighborhood we live in is older where the garages are behind the houses accessible through narrow alleys. So for our walk tonight we decided to step out the back door and stroll down the alley.

I'm not sure why it hit me so hard but an interaction we had with a guy down the block left me speechless.

Tomorrow is trash day. Everyone sets their trash bins out in the alley to be emptied in the morning. As we were walking, an older guy was putting trash in his bin. There was a clear moment of eye-contact, and inside that moment my wife and I both said "hello". The guy simply stood there, looked at us, said nothing, turned and walked back into his fenced yard. We kept walking despite being completely dumbfounded.

I'm not sure I've ever had such a blatant display of rudeness. Or maybe I have but for whatever reason this one got to me. I couldn't help but start to wonder what has happened or is happening in this guy's life that would cause him to be so mean. I say this because this is not the first time I have had an encounter like this with the same guy but this one was the most blatant.

The other thing I started to think about...what do my interactions with strangers tell them about me, my life or more importantly my faith? What about yours?

Let Freedom Ring...(for me)

As Americans we love our freedom. The freedom to do what we want, say what we want, live where we want, act how we want...as well as to tell others what they should do or say, where they can live or how they should act.

Sometimes I wonder if the Church is much different.

As Christians we love to hear about, talk about and be reminded of the freedom we have in Christ...when I'm the one being set free. When it comes to the idea that Christ gave everyone else access to that same type of freedom, well, I'm just not sure how I feel about that. We want to tell others what to think, believe, how to vote, etc. if they are going to be truly "free" in Christ.

Is confined freedom still freedom?

Please don't misunderstand me. I am speaking only of the freedom that is found in and through the person of Jesus Christ and is to be lived out in his body called the Church. It is within this context and community that I wonder if we give others the freedom to be free in Christ. Paul's words in I Corinthians 13:12 remind me that we don't quite have this freedom thing figured out...yet. I hope my freedom isn't keeping someone else from being free.

Control Freak

Are you? Do you find yourself needing to be in control and having a hard time when you're not? How do you handle things that are beyond your control?

During my run this morning a song by Modest Mouse came up on shuffle that talks about God being a control freak. This got me thinking a little bit...do you think He is? What does the relationship between faith and control look like for you? I'd be curious to hear your thoughts.

Facebook Purgatory

Be honest, if you use Facebook, you have certainly left things in what is called "Facebook Purgatory". The page where an invite to a certain event shows up, a friend request or suggestion you don't know what to do with, or that page suggestion that ends up sitting there for days, weeks and beyond. That is "Facebook Purgatory".

You know when you get that suggestion or request and aren't sure what to do with it, you don't want to say 'No' because that seems mean and yet you're not really willing to say 'Yes'. You tell yourself you'll come back to it tomorrow thinking that maybe something will have changed and your response will become much clearer. Next thing you know this suggestion or request has been sitting there for weeks with no response, just waiting.

So I'm curious, do you keep a "Facebook Purgatory"? How long do you typically leave requests, suggestions, invites, etc. hang in limbo?

P.S. - Feel free to add me...if you dare.

Ways to Follow and Connect

I know it has been a few days since my last post, for that I apologize. I am currently taking an Inductive Bible Study class through the Gospel of Matthew that is eating up a decent chunk of my time. I always have delusions of grandeur that I will post more often, which is still my goal but it has suffered lately. There are a couple ways that will make it easier for you to follow what's happening here:

• You can subscribe to the RSS feed of posts and comments (which you can find to the left or click here) and get updates automatically of new content
  
• You can follow through NetworkedBlogs on Facebook
• You can follow through Google Friend Connect
• We can be friends on Facebook or Twitter
• If you want to get "old school" you can email me: matt.lipan@gmail.com
  
• If you are a blogger, you can share comments so I might connect with your blog

I hope to be posting more often and to be connecting with you soon. Thanks to all of you that take some time to check out A Journeyman's Catalog!

Clipping the Religious Wings

There are a number of different political groups or labels we hear about in the news as the presidential primaries keep rolling on and if I may, I'd like to share some thoughts surrounding two of the more popular labels that are used to describe the Left Wing and Right Wing as they relate to faith and religion.

The "Evangelical" "Right"
evangelical: "1: of, relating to, or being in agreement with the Christian gospel especially as it is presented in the four Gospels 2: Protestant 3: emphasizing salvation by faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ through personal conversion, the authority of Scripture, and the importance of preaching as contrasted with ritual 4 a capitalized : of or relating to the Evangelical Church in Germany b often capitalized : of, adhering to, or marked by fundamentalism 5: marked by militant or crusading zeal". (definition from Merriam-Webster online)

Right or Right Wing: "7 often capitalized a: the part of a legislative chamber located to the right of the presiding officer b: the members of a continental European legislative body occupying the right as a result of holding more conservative political views than other members 8 a often capitalized : individuals professing support of the established order and favoring traditional attitudes and practices and conservative governmental policies b often capitalized : a conservative position". (definition from Merriam-Webster online)

Looking at definitions 1, 2, and 3 I see myself as being described as evangelical but what is scary is how often this group of people can seem rather fundamentalist and I'm not sure I want that guilt by association. In our country, the Right is associated with the Republican party as it is known as the more conservative of the two major political parties but does the label "evangelical right" mean that there aren't or can't be evangelical democrats? Is it a conflict of interests to be a conservative Christian but not a Republican?


The "Religious" "Left"
religious: 1: relating to or manifesting faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality or deity 2: of, relating to, or devoted to religious beliefs or observances 3 a: scrupulously and conscientiously faithful b: fervent , zealous". (definition from Merriam-Webster online)

Left or Left Wing: 3 often capitalized a: the part of a legislative chamber located to the left of the presiding officer b: the members of a continental European legislative body occupying the left as a result of holding more radical political views than other members 4 often capitalized a: those professing views usually characterized by desire to reform or overthrow the established order especially in politics and usually advocating change in the name of the greater freedom or well-being of the common man b: a radical as distinguished from a conservative position". (definition from Merriam-Webster online)

I can see myself as being described as religious though I would like to think I have some zeal about my faith I certainly wouldn't call myself, good or bad, a zealot. The Left Wing is considered to be the "wing" of the Democratic party and would be considered liberal compared to the Right. The Religious Left focuses on social issues that concern the poor and oppressed, which as I understand the Gospel, should be the concern of Christians regardless of which "wing" we use to fly our politics with. Does this mean that the "Evangelical Right" doesn't care about the poor or oppressed or social issues that may impact both or either? Is there a difference between being "evangelical" and being "religious"? Are evangelicals not considered religious or vice versa?

I think these are important questions to ask and think about before we claim to favor one "wing" over the other or even worse, claim that the "other wing" has it all wrong, stands for nothing good and shouldn't even consider themselves Christians. Maybe that's why there is so much imbalance in the Church, because we find ourselves trying to fly with only one "wing" and can't figure out why we keep going in circles.

Out From Amongst The Tombs

I was reading through Mark's account of Jesus' ministry around the Sea of Galilee (3:7-6:29) for our church's Lenten Devotional and the story of Jesus healing a demon-possessed man in 5:1-20 really struck me in a couple of different ways as I think about the Church in general, and the United Methodist Church specifically.

1. Jesus intentionally went to the place where the unchurched and de-churched (the word "Gentiles" is used here) resided. He was willing to go where few others were willing to go, places that "traditional church-people" might call unclean. We talk about being willing to serve the least and the lost but are we? Are we willing to adapt and change our approaches to ministry in order to engage the unchurched and de-churched?

2. When you spend time around death and decay, their stench begins to stick to you. Here we see a man who was cast out by his society and left to live among the dead. This could really mess with a person's head and I would imagine easily create a sense of worry, fear and despair. Is it possible that the Church has lived among the dead long enough and now it's time to come out from amongst the tombs? I wonder what difference it could make if we stopped looking at all the ways we are dying and focused instead on new ways to convey the message of Life.

3. Having an experience with Jesus changes people. After his experience with Jesus, this man would never be the same. Not only had Jesus brought him from death to life but Jesus gave him life with purpose. Notice how the man went into the "Ten Cities" telling others about his life changing experience with Jesus. I know and agree that the Church must move and adapt with culture but not at the expense of experiencing the One who makes life transformation possible. 'Jesus' seems like a decent marketing plan to me. Eventually it goes viral because as people see their lives changed, they can't help but tell others about their experience with Him.

More Than Meets The Eye

One of the things that God has reminded me of over the past few months (and more recently the past few days) is that you and I often have no idea what kinds of things people are dealing with in their lives. This lack of knowing the whole story can result in doing or saying something that is unintentionally hurtful and insensitive or cause us to feel an unfair sense of frustration and anger toward someone.

The store clerk that seems to hate you specifically...just found out someone in her family is starting a battle with cancer.

The driver who cut you off and follows it up with a flip...is trying to cope with a relationship at home that is falling apart.

The individual at your church that seems to have everything put together...is working through an addiction that is on the verge of taking over his life.

Remember the story of Jesus talking with the woman at the well (John 4:1-26)? Jesus interacted with this woman in a way that was sincere, respectful, and full of grace...despite the fact that He knew the rest of the things this woman was doing and dealing with in her life, things that were not worthy of respect or grace. Think of the difference it could make if you and I were to approach people, conversations and situations with an attitude of humility and grace because chances are, we don't know the rest of the story.

Top 5 Posts of 2009

Here are the top 5 posts people checked out in 2009 on A Journeyman's Catalog. If you had a particular favorite, let us know. Thanks so much to all of you that take a moment to read my thoughts along the journey, I look forward to hearing yours and connecting with you even more so in the upcoming year!

Happy New Year's!!

1. "I Am the Vine"

2. Secular Music in Worship

3. 2 Questions: Part I

4. By Your Bootstraps

5. Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations: Radical Hospitality

A Voice of Reason

We have all heard plenty about the unfortunate decisions Tiger Woods has made in recent years and can add his name to a growing list of celebrity types who have fallen, in one way or another, as a result of choices each of them has made. I can't help but be reminded of the importance of accountability in one's life and wonder if Tiger would have had someone to confide in and hold him accountable, that just maybe an individual like that could have been the voice of reason Tiger so desperately needed to hear from before making such poor choices resulting in hurt, shame and embarrassment for him and his family. I think this whole tragic situation can serve as a reminder of a couple important things...

1. Do not think you are above doing something stupid that can cause hurt, shame and embarrassment. The moment we convince ourselves we are above or incapable of a particular sin is the moment when we make ourselves the most vulnerable. This is precisely the plan satan has in mind and exactly why he is called the Father of Lies. This is the curse of having a sinful nature and if we think otherwise we become liars ourselves (1 John 1:8).

2. Do not think you can stand up to, avoid or resist temptation and sin on your own. God created us to be in community with Him and each other, use that community to your advantage. Avoid as much hurt, shame and embarrassment as possible with the help of your brothers and sisters. Satan is described as a lion that prowls around looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). It only takes a couple hours of the Discovery Channel to know that lions love to prey on the isolated animals of the herd, the ones that fall away from or are somehow get disconnected. You and I on our own are easy pickings to be chewed up and spit out.

3. Find someone to be your voice of reason. In Christianese it's called "an accountability partner". Find someone in which you can confide so that you can share your deepest struggles and most vulnerable weaknesses so that s/he can help you avoid them, that's the whole point of accountability!! You can't do it alone and you don't have to! You and I need people to speak truth and reason into our lives so that when our judgment gets clouded we have someone there to give us spirit-filled guidance and clarity. If you don't have this in your life, you need to ask God who that person might be for you and for whom you might be the very voice of reason that might keep someone from making an unfortunate decision that results in hurt, shame and embarrassment.

If you have questions about what an accountability relationship might look like, how weekly meetings go, or I can be of help in any way just let me know. Comment or email: matt@castletonumc.org

American Music Awards

First, let's not forget about the likes of artists such as Cher, Madonna, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Shakira, etc etc that have repeatedly pushed the envelope in live performances on various award shows before we get too wound-up about Adam Lambert's closing act of the American Music Awards last night.

Of course I found Lambert's "in the moment" choreography to be not only played out but offensive though what may have offended me even more (or at least the same amount) was the fact that he sounded awful. It's one thing to dance around "all suggestive-like" and sound decent, but it is a completely different thing to do so (quite poorly I might add) and sound horrible. Typically there is some sort of redeeming aspect of a performance that can be pointed out but in this case, everything was bad: costumes, set, theme, music, lyrics. I found myself wondering two things as I watched this disaster unfold; 1) Why in the world is this guy performing at the AMA's on the same stage as people like Whitney Houston? 2) Does he really have an album coming out?

As best I can remember, this is the first AMA's I've ever really watched and I must say that overall it was pretty bad. Most of the performances were not very good and everything sounded the same, whether it was the live performances or the nominees. I guess I never realized that the AMA's were so lame or maybe that's just because I'm picky about my music.

By Your Bootstraps

I know it's been a while since I've posted, my apologies. Work at the church combined with my schoolwork has kept me pretty busy the past week or so. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to the down-time that is coming along with Thanksgiving.

6 weeks ago a person walked into our church on a Sunday morning for the first time. This individual was very different from the majority of the congregation, in more ways than one. He did not have a job, a car, a valid driver's license, a computer, a phone, money or friends. He was living with his parents and had no idea how to use a computer, let alone navigate the internet to find a job. He did have a felony record and a past that went with it from 20yrs of street life.

I've had the opportunity (and honestly the blessing) to befriend him and witness firsthand some of the things God has been doing in his life over these past 6 weeks. He recognizes that the life he was leading is not the life he wants anymore and he's been willing to do what it takes to become "legit", not only in the way he earns money but in his relationship with Christ. I am being reminded how significant even baby-steps can be...

...but this is not the biggest thing that has hit me so far from my relationship with him...

...I think I have come (or am quickly getting there) to the conclusion that the cycle of poverty, speaking specifically about the United States because that is where I live, is virtually impossible for an individual to break unless someone else steps in to help. How can we tell someone who not only has nothing in his favor but actually has things stacked against him that he has to "get out there and make it happen"? So many people don't even have a way to "get out there". We are telling people to pick themselves up by their bootstraps when in fact THEY DON'T EVEN OWN BOOTS!

Sure, my friend made some bad choices but so did you. Last I checked, the meaning of grace is getting something you don't deserve and if I remember correctly, that is exactly what Christ has called the Church to be about. We as Christians must step in the gap and be that grace by finding ways to break the cycle of poverty. James (2:14-18) reminds us that it is no longer enough to simply say "Good luck!" or "I hope that works out for you." because acknowledging someone's need is not the same as helping him fill it. This is a perfect time of year for God to remind me of exactly this.

Britney Spears, MGM Grand & Sin

For some unknown reason, Britney Spears' new song "3" ended up on the radio in my car the other day. Despite a tired beat, forced rhymes and being a pretty horrible song overall musically (in my humble opinion), what really disgusted me was the message of the song. While the topic is played out, there was one particular line of lyrics that stuck out to me...

"Are - you in
Livin' in sin is the new thing (yeah)"

Fast forward to later that same day (or maybe it was the next) and @andrewconard makes me aware of an article through Twitter from MediaPost Publications entitled "MGM Twitter Campaign Asks People To Tweet Sins". The point of the article is to have people tweet their sins and MGM Grand will randomly select a winner of a free night stay in Las Vegas each day for the next 30 days. The sins that people tweet will be displayed on their website as well as the sides of buildings like the Staples Center and the Nokia Theatre in LA. Does this seem crazy to anyone else or is it just me?

So let me see if I've got this right...living in sin is actually the "new thing" that all the cool kids are doing and can even get you a free night stay at a hotel in Las Vegas?!? Since when have we made such a joke of the concept of sin that we've decided it just isn't that big a deal anymore? Paul tells us that sin results in nothing but death (Romans 6:23) but hey, at least we might get a free hotel room out of it.

I wrote an earlier post talking about sin you might want to checkout entitled "rethink: Sin"

For the Record...

Growing up, I was not a big reader, unless of course I was working on getting a gold star toward my Book It! pizza but when I would checkout a book from the library, it was not uncommon for it to be one of the "Calvin and Hobbes" (created by Bill Watterson) comic books.

I feel as though I need to say something in defense of your friend and mine, Calvin. I was driving downtown the other night to go duckpin bowling and couldn't help but notice a giant truck in front of me that had the sticker of Calvin peeing on *fill in the blank*. Of course, like you, I have seen this image countless times plastered on the back of this or that vehicle (usually some sort of pickup truck, though I don't want to create a stereotype) but for whatever reason this time I started thinking about how Calvin is getting a bad rap. For the record...through all of my time spent with Calvin and his pet tiger Hobbes I do not recall a single time when Calvin, or Hobbes for that matter, ever peed on anyone or anything.

So, I think it should be known that though Calvin would find himself in some occasional trouble, he would never go so far as to pee on something or someone. These images are an inaccurate portrayal of a boyhood friend. That and they are simply rude.

New vs. Renew

I know this is a question that has been around for a long time. Is it better to start something new or attempt to renew something that has been going for a while? Whether it's a brand, a business, a ministry...it's a tough call to know when to scrap something and start over or when there is enough of a foundation in place that renewal is the way to go.

I've been thinking about this issue a lot lately as I hear about more and more new churches that are starting when there are a large number of churches that currently exist but are dieing. Hence the question, is it better to start something new or attempt to renew it? I can see value in both but I wonder when is one approach better than the other especially when it takes so many resources to build and start something from scratch. Where is the line between fulfilling the mission of the Church and filling our egos? Is the reason that it is "easier" to start a new church/ministry rather than renew an already existing one enough?

I certainly do not claim to have the answers as I can clearly see how both options could be viable but I do believe we need to be checking our motives as we ask ourselves this very basic question. I also understand that each situation/church/ministry is different and can be unique but it seems like the general philosophy of people (church leaders) is to opt for the 'new' option over the 'renew' one. I'm not saying this is necessarily wrong but I'm not convinced it is necessarily right either.

So, what do you think...whether you are a church leader, pastor, someone who attends church regularly or not at all, what makes the decision for you to go New or Renew?

Drive Much?

I'm sure you've heard recently that the Department of Transportation is hosting a Distracted Driving Summit in Washington D.C. yesterday and today with one of the main topics being the issue of texting and driving. I must confess before I go any further that I have been guilty of texting and driving but a few weeks ago decided I would not do it again for two main reasons; 1) safety and 2) annoyance & frustration.

1) Safety
Clearly I am not being as safe a driver as I could be if my attention (and eyesight) is taken off the road because I am texting. I think there is a significant difference between talking on a cell phone while driving and texting while driving. Talking on my cell phone requires very little attention from my eyes resulting in them remaining fixed on the road whereas with texting, I have to keep looking at my phone as I type and not at the road as I drive.

2) Annoyance & Frustration
I am originally from Michigan. It has been said that Michigan drivers are more aggressive than others. So, my second reason for not texting and driving might have something to do with my motherland but I think it also has to do with the fact that, on an almost daily basis, I encounter an individual who's driving is annoying and frustrating to say the least. Whether I'm heading into the office or going home it is almost a given that I will be driving the speed limit (or at least around it) while listening to NPR and have to either a) hit my brakes or b) go around an individual who is messing with his/her cell phone. I do not experience road rage but this drives me crazy! I refuse to be one of those drivers who drives under the speed limit because I am distracted by my phone or drifts from lane to lane because of that all-important text I just got or sent (which probably looks something like "omg nw. idk my bff jill?")

So, if you drive around the Indianapolis area and could do me a favor, stop texting and driving because I would feel really bad if I got annoyed or frustrated with you. Don't make me a bad guy.

"Self Help"

Our culture provides us with so many ways of dealing with stuff before we end up leaning on God. It's as if society wants to keep us from realizing our desperate need for God and make fools of us by tricking us into thinking that we can somehow take care of things on our own.

Take the whole concept of "self help" for example. I mean, if you really think about it, it doesn't even make sense. The idea that we can somehow help ourselves get out of the mess that we more than likely created in the first place but didn't help ourselves get out of before we realized we could "self help" ourselves out of is absurd.

Even when we look at the two words separately...

Self - What would ever make us think that we would have the ability to get ourselves out of certain situations, habits, patterns, etc.? We've already seen what happens when it depends on us, we end up in some sort of messy situation, habit, pattern, etc. When left to our own devices, we're only going to experience despair, frustration and sorrow.

Help - Isn't the very notion of 'help' getting assistance from somewhere or someone else other than ourselves? Otherwise we wouldn't need 'help' in the first place. If we truly think we can help ourselves than we're only going to experience disappointment, confusion and pain.

I don't think it's until we realize that we can't make it on our own, that the only thing we really have to fall back on is the strength and grace that God provides, that we'll begin to experience the kind of help that will make any sort of difference in our lives.

9/11

I was on my way in this morning to play basketball with some guys (at 6am! if you know me, you should be impressed by that...i'm just sayin') and saw a sign that was hanging off one of the overpasses on I-69 that read, "All gave some, some gave all." with the date 9/11/01 in the middle.

I'm wondering now 8yrs later, how we have changed as Christians and as the Church. Like other times of crisis in our lives did we fall on our faces before God seeking His presence and guidance only to have Him see us through so we could get back to "our" lives? The Church was reminded of its relevancy by people who were in need and despair. The need and despair still remains, does the relevancy of how we meet those needs and calm the despair?

I would be curious to hear about how the events of exactly 8yrs ago from this morning impacted your faith. Are there stories of how your faith was shaken or strengthened as a result? Did it cause you to have feelings of doubt and despair? Or was your faith solidified because you were able to see God's presence through it all? I think it could be meaningful and helpful for others to hear how the tragic events of 9/11/01 have impacted your faith, possibly even still today 8yrs later. Thanks for sharing!