What Does It Mean to Walk Worthily? @TheHighCalling

The Church as Parable and Witness, part 3 in the Missional Series w/ Princeton Theological Seminary Professor Darrell Guder.

Fourteen years after World War II, Laity Leadership Institute Senior Fellow Darrell Guder began doctoral studies in Germany.

“My experience there was actually the experience of the trauma of the whole society realizing, after two horrible wars, that Germany was a country in which the traditions and structures of Christendom were disintegrating,” said Guder.

This revelation started the missiologist on a pathway that eventually led him to study how the church in the post-Christian west can regain its missionary footing. …

Read the whole thing here. It’s really good, IMHO.

 Posted on May 3, 2011 by

 church life, Community, Culture, Faith, History, Leadership, Redemption, Social Action, Theology, Vocation

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Avenue Takes Top Prize at Chef’s Challenge @LongBranchPatch

Tre Amici Executive Chef Matthew Zappoli at Chef's Challenge, Long Branch, April 2011

Chamber of Commerce hosts second annual Chef’s Challenge at Ocean Place Resort.

Seafood was the dominant theme at the second annual Long Branch Chef’s Challenge held last night at the Ocean Place Resort and Spa.

Executive Chef Dominique Filoni of Avenue took the top prize. His wild black sea bass with maitake mushroom, bok choi, and sesame oil in a lemongrass ginger fish broth won the judges over with its simplicity, texture, and flavor.

“It was perfectly cooked. You wanted to go back for more,” said judge Debbie George who is account director for Food & Wine magazine.

“Simplicity and flavor and texture were the three components to success,” said judge Chris Brandl, chef and owner of Brandl restaurant in Belmar.

“I’m not a big a seafood person. Even the fish had nice crispy ends and soft insides,” said judge Michael Sirianni, director of the Culinary Education Center in Asbury Park. …

For a taste of this fun event, go to Long Branch Patch.

My favorite city restaurant won, but the braised veal breast with porcini marascapone polenta from Sirena RistoranteSirena Ristorante entry, Chef's Challenge, Long Branch, April 2011 and the black grouper over Asian coleslaw with a smoked mango puree from White MarlinWhite Marlin entry, Chef's Challenge, Long Branch, April 2011 were delicious too. I also enjoyed a couple of beers from 21st Ammendment Brewery that were being featured by West End’s Court Liquors: the Back in Black black IPA and the Monk’s Blood Belgian dark ale. I’m generally not a fan of microbrews, but these were both delicious.

 Posted on April 29, 2011 by

 Capitalism, Community, Culture, Food, Public Square, Travel

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High School Social Studies Classes Confront Islamophobia @LaceyPatch

I’ll be dealing with some of the issues raised in this lecture in my next NJ Shore Patch column. I didn’t have the opportunity to do so in this article.

Lacey Township High School is attempting to break cultural boundaries as guest lecturer Engy Abdelkader, a Muslim American, spoke to students about Islamophobia.

Social Studies teachers Julie Ferenc and Joe Humenick hosted Abdelkader in an effort to increase tolerance and reduce bullying, Humenick said. Although previous classes have learned about intolerance and a holocaust survivor is scheduled to speak before the school year ends, Abdelkader is the first person invited to speak on the topic this year, he said.

Abdelkader is a Monmouth County attorney of Egyptian descent. She was born, raised, and educated in the United States. Her goal for the event was to reduce conflicts, misunderstanding, teasing, and bullying, and to build trust and supportive relationships so that a more effective learning environment is created for all students, she said.

Abdelkader opened the discussion by asking students what stereotypes they have heard about Muslims and/or Arab Americans.  …

To learn more and to see how Lacey residents are responding, go to Lacey Patch.

 Posted on April 29, 2011 by

 Community, Culture, Democracy, Education, Faith, Family, Friendship, History, Islam, Leadership, Public Square, Race, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

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What Is Scripture for? An Architect Wrestles with His Calling @TheHighCalling

Rick Archer was a rising architectural star in Washington, D.C., when some fellow believers challenged him: “You’ve always chosen what was best, but have you chosen what was right?”

For Archer, what was right was synonymous with what was best for his career, and he had just been offered the opportunity to rise further in his field through a two-year all expenses paid fellowship to study in Florence, Italy. His friends advised him instead to take a sabbatical so he could learn about Jesus and what it means to be his disciple.

“The story of the rich young ruler who went away sad because he wouldn’t follow Jesus hit me like a ton a bricks,” said Archer. …

Find out what happened next and why at The High Calling.

 Posted on April 25, 2011 by

 church life, Community, Culture, Ethics, Faith, Leadership, Public Square, Redemption, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

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Brookville Community Church Celebrates Easter @BarnegatPatch

Tiny but devoted congregation meets monthly in historic one-room church.

Easter 2011 at Brookville Community Church, Barnegat, NJEaster service at Brookville Community Church in Barnegat began at 11:30 a.m. At 11:20, Dave and Tammy were sitting in their car chatting with Bill, who was leaning into their window. My husband and I pulled up and said hi.

Tammy and Dave have been attending the one-room church for almost two years. They live in Beachwood, but park their motor home at Brookville Campground down the street, said Tammy.

“We saw this little church. We’re very fond of it. We love it. It’s just beautiful, ” she said.

The little building reminds her of an old Victorian chapel, she said. She’s equally fond of Brookville’s pastor, Eileen Murphy.

“She’s a wonderful speaker,” said Tammy.

At 11:25, I pushed open the church door and Bill turned on the light. He lives in the neighborhood and had the keys to the church. Dave began searching for a brochure that would tell me about Brookville’s history. He gave up a few minutes later when three women arrived.

One woman sat in a chair at the front of the sanctuary facing the congregation – eight of us altogether. She asked if anyone had joys to share.  …

Read the rest at Barnegat Patch.

 Posted on April 25, 2011 by

 church life, Community, Culture, Faith, Family, Friendship, Theology, Walkin' the Talk

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Eating in South Jersey Is Better Than They Thought @LaceyPatch.com

John and Lisa Howard-Fusco’s food blog helps locals and visitors find the best of the South Jersey food scene.

Eating in South Jersey isn’t what Forked River residents John and Lisa Howard-Fusco expected.

The blog they launched in 2008 grew out of their surprise at finding great food in South Jersey when they moved from North Jersey to be closer to their families. The couple never expected their hobby to catch the attention of The New York Times and New Jersey Monthly, but Eating in South Jersey has.

More importantly, the blog has become popular with local readers, many of whom look to the site to find out what’s going on in the South Jersey food scene.

“People read us. Let me tell you, we were pretty surprised,” said Lisa.

“A lot of the New Jersey media doesn’t give South Jersey its due at all,” she said. “We would go to all these wonderful places, but they wouldn’t stay open because nobody knew about them.” …

To learn about South Jersey’s hidden foodie gems, read the rest at Lacey Patch.

 Posted on April 22, 2011 by

 Blogging, Community, Culture, Family, Food, Public Square

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What Does It Mean to Live a Missional Life? @TheHighCalling

A Christian radio station commissioned a listener survey and learned that less than 100 people were tuning in to its programming. Instead of being concerned, management’s response was to say that it didn’t matter because their sole responsibility was to get the station’s message out.

Hearing this story in a Consumer Behavior class at Wheaton College was a defining moment in branding expert Karen Dougherty’s vocational journey. “They didn’t care how the receivers on the other end actually connected with the message,” said Dougherty.

The story illustrates a problem that Laity Leadership Institute Senior Fellow Darrell Guder and his colleagues tackled in their 1998 landmark book, Missional Church: A Vision for Sending of the Church in North America.

In the introduction, Guder identified these crises in the Western church: “diminishing numbers, clergy burnout, the loss of youth, the end of denominational loyalty, biblical illiteracy, divisions in the ranks, the electronic church and its various corruptions, the irrelevance of traditional forms of worship, the loss of genuine spirituality, and widespread confusion about both the purpose and the message of the church of Jesus Christ.”

I talked with Guder at Princeton Theological Seminary, where he is the Henry Winters Luce Professor of Missional and Ecumenical Theology, about what it means to live out the Christian faith in light of these crises.

Read the rest here.

 Posted on April 19, 2011 by

 church life, Community, Culture, Faith, Leadership, Public Square, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

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Evil Through the Eye of the Lens @NJShorePatch

Jewish Federation of Monmouth County hosts documentary screening and discussion on Nazi-era progaganda; honors Congressman Christopher Smith.

April 11 022What do a Congressman, a documentary about Nazi filmmakers, and a 10-time Emmy Award winning director have in common?

A discussion about propaganda and human rights, of course!

Evil Through the Eye of the Lens, an event held at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Monmouth County in Deal Monday night,  combined a 100-minute subtitled documentary about Nazi filmmaker Veit Harlan, a talk on the difference between propaganda and art by acclaimed filmmaker David Grubin, and humanitarian awards for United States Congressman Christopher Smith and executive director of the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education Paul Winkler.

Harlan: In the Shadow of Jew Suss is the compelling story of the only Nazi filmmaker who was prosecuted (and acquitted) of war crimes for the Nazi propaganda films he made. More than this though, it is the story of his family’s complicated relationship with its legacy. …

 Posted on April 15, 2011 by

 Art, Community, Culture, Ethics, Faith, Family, History, Public Square, Redemption, Social Action, Vocation

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Q&A: Will Graham on Preaching Hell and Why He Doesn’t Believe in Mass Evangelism @Christianity Today

The son of Franklin Graham and the grandson of Billy Graham discusses his family and ministry.

William (Will) Franklin Graham IV is the grandson of Billy Graham and the son of Franklin Graham. CT contributing editor Christine A. Scheller interviewed him when he was in Red Bank, New Jersey, on March 25 preparing for the May 20-22 Jersey Shore Will Graham Celebration that will be held at the historic Great Auditorium in Ocean Grove. Graham is an associate evangelist at the evangelistic organization his grandfather founded and assistant director of The Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove. He is a graduate of Liberty University and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He preached his first 3-day Celebration in Leduc, Alberta, Canada in 2006. Graham and his wife, Kendra, live near Asheville, North Carolina and have three young children.

Last year Harvard professor Robert D. Putman published a book called American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us. He and his co-author found that Americans’ doctrinal commitments are weakening and they don’t believe God is going to send “Aunt Joanie” to hell. How do you preach the gospel to a generation that questions the eternality of hell?

I always go back to the Bible. It’s what the Bible says, and oftentimes as Americans— and this is not just in religion, it’s in a lot of things—we try to design stuff, today we call it designer religion: “I’ll take a little bit of this and take a little bit of that” and so on, and we kind of come up with our own little religion. We try to make our own God, our own idol in a sense. This is what our God is going to be: he’s going to be more compassionate, no more hell. But always I go back to this is what the Bible says; not this is what Will Graham says, but this is what God is saying through his Word.

But you have a generation that is not biblically literate and doesn’t necessarily respect the authority of the Bible the way society did in the past. And people like Rob Bell are communicating that it hasn’t always been clear that Christians believe in the eternality of hell. The fact that CNN, ABC News, and all these other secular outlets reported on it tells me that Bell is tapping into something. …

To find out his answer to this and other questions, go to Christianity Today.

 1 Comment

 Posted on April 8, 2011 by

 Christianity Today, Culture, Faith, Family, History, Leadership, Public Square, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

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Clarence Clemons Asks: Who Do I think I am? @Manasquan-BelmarPatch

Documentary on E Street Band’s ‘Big Man’ premieres at Garden State Film Festival.

Clarence Clemens Garden State Film Festival 016Clarence Clemons had dispersed a crowd on the Great Wall of China so a filmmaker could record him playing his saxophone when a member of the crowd demanded, “Who do you think you are?”

The accusation can be heard off camera in theWho Do I Think I Am? documentary that emerged from the encounter and that Clemons premiered at the Garden State Film Festival in Asbury Park Saturday night.

Clemons narrates the story himself.

It was 2005 and he had gone to China in search of rest and alternative medicine after a grueling tour took a toll on his body. Instead his accuser’s question became both the title and subject of his film and a catalyst for a spiritual quest. …

To find out where his quest leads, go to Manasquan-Belmar Patch.

 Posted on April 5, 2011 by

 Art, Beauty, Culture, Faith, Family, grief, Medicine, Redemption, Theology, Travel, Vocation

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What Makes Those Roller Girls Skate? @NJShorePatch

Jersey Shore Roller Girls season opener gives this longtime fan a glimpse into what propels so many of us to love roller derby.

Jersey Shore Roller Girls 2011 Season OpenerIt was a standing room only crowd for the Jersey Shore Roller Girls season opener at Convention Hall in Asbury Park Saturday night.

The Anchor Assassins scored a decisive win (163-134) over Murder Beach Militia. It was redemption after losing to the team by five points in the 2010 championship bout. …

The bout was fun, but what I really wanted to know was what motivated these women to pursue the flat track version of a sport I vicariously competed in when I was watching bank track bouts on Saturday afternoons back in the 1970s. …

Find out what keeps them and us hooked at NJ Shore Patch.

 Posted on March 30, 2011 by

 Community, Culture, Family, Friendship, Public Square, Vocation

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The Catholic Community of Saint Joseph’s Celebrates Its Patron Saint @TomsRiverPatch

More than 250 gather to observe the Feast of St. Joseph

St. Joseph's Day ShrineHe was humble, a good father, the “perfect husband” —  and Saint Joseph is also the patron saint for one of the area’s largest Roman Catholic Churches. …

In the short homily, [Rev. John] Bambrick said St. Joseph is the patron saint of the whole Catholic church and is particularly beloved among Italians. He joked that his Italian mother and his Irish father tussle over who is the greatest saint, Joseph or Patrick.

Images of St. Joseph can be found beside those of the Virgin Mary in Catholic Churches throughout the world, Bambrick said, even though Joseph never speaks in the gospel narratives and disappears early in their stories.

“A lot of women would say he is the perfect husband,” Bambrick joked in regard to Joseph’s silence in the scripture. He said he is often depicted with a staff and lilies to symbolize his virtue and purity as a model husband and father. …

To learn more about this Holy Day of Obligation everywhere but the United States, go to Toms River Patch.

 Posted on March 19, 2011 by

 church life, Culture, Faith, Family, Theology, Walkin' the Talk

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