A poem by James Kim
I am under a dark complexion.
Day by day, my heart turns farther from perfection.
Darker and darker my perception seems to be,
Of these streets that my eyes see.
The 21st century “real” world seems so unreal to me.
Like the Matrix, an illusioned reality,
To the black suits and ties,
Our knees bend and the soul dies.
Towering skyscrapers, the new tower of Babel,
Overly pompous we become, of what we can now able.
A new metropolitan, a new Babylon,
Overshadows us from the Son.
The Light now perverted by the towers,
Just look at the internally …

“The Baptism of the Holy Spirit” is an intimidating theme for a spring retreat—for those who don’t know the Spirit is a mighty but gentle person who is ever eager to show up in our everyday lives.

And that’s exactly what the group of Seedlings who went on the weekend trip to Pennsylvania quickly found out, so the daunting task of decoding the Spirit’s operations soon became an opportunity to learn just how to cooperate with this Wonderful Counselor.

What if you spent an entire year living as Jesus did? Chances are you would like a lot like the person on your left. He is Dr. Ed Dobson, retired pastor of Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and author of the new book, The Year of Living like Jesus (Zondervan).

The self-confessed lover of bacon describes in vivid detail the agony of keeping kosher, a feat especially troublesome when eating out. Dobson encountered circumstances that were not only challenging but also surprising. A non-drinker, Dobson sometimes found himself in a bar consuming alcohol, discussing spiritual matters. “When you’re sipping a beer, it’s disarming,” he muses. After all, Jesus did consume alcohol. (read more)

Our friends at Rutgers University present: The 2nd Five Loaves and Two Fish Chamber Orchestra Benefit Concert on February 27, 2010, 7:30pm @ Kirkpatrick Chapel in Rutgers University in NJ.

What are they sorry for? Corporate fraud? The bad economy? Subway fare hikes? High tuition costs?

These placard-toting do-gooders in Washington Square Park are continually asked, “What are you sorry for?” In response, passers-by are quietly handed a card that reads, “Have you ever felt pushed away or like you didn’t fit in at church? As Christians, we are sorry. That was people, not Jesus.”

It’s an effective message that has touched many. About once a month, members of the The Awakening Church (www.theawakeningnyc.com) appear in the park to tell members of the community — atheists, agnostics, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Christians, old, young, every race, every class, those with tattoos and those without, essentially EVERYONE — that they are sorry if anyone has ever felt pushed away from the church.

And the members of the church do not claim to be morally superior or have all of the answers. “The Awakening Church is in the heart of The Village brining spiritual Truth through cultural relevance,” the card reads. “Jesus never candy-coated life and neither do we. We are spiritually messy people following a perfect Savior.”

No hidden messages — just a simple “We are sorry.”