Living in an interconnected world is here to stay. One cannot claim ignorance any longer on some parts of the world with 24/7 cable networks visually reporting the recent news and images from around the globe. Couple this with Twitter updates, texts messages, and online updates: information is not our problem. Engagement with that information is another story. How does something like news impact us emotionally? Part of our emotional engagement comes when we actually allow ourselves to be immersed or exposed in a fresh way to people and their stories.

So, to become more emotionally connected rather than mere information collection, here are a few suggestions....

1) Read books written by foreign authors.....don't simply read a book by a Western author about a different part of the world, but truly read a book by someone who does not live here and who has written a book for people who don't live here. Spending hours and days, not sound bytes and minutes, will help with emotional engagement.

continue reading

I bought a sweater once that was "one-size-fits-all," but I quickly discovered that "one-size-fits-all" is a bold-faced lie. When it comes to clothing, one size most definitely does not fit all. I am a size four, and the sweater practically swallowed me whole. It was supposed to be one of those items that stretched and retracted to accommodate its wearer, but instead it was bunchy and bulky and unflattering. It quickly moved to the back of my closet, only to be donated to Goodwill for some other gullible shopper to get suckered into buying.

One-size-fits-all is a lie when it comes to clothing. And, I am coming to learn, it is a lie in pretty much everything else. When the IAM staff first got our iPhones, mine felt clunky and large in my smallish hands, while my coworkers who are men with much larger hands did not find it awkward at all. When I go somewhere, I slide easily into my Nissan Sentra, but when I recently gave my friend Allen a ride, his height and girth made my small car a bit of a challenge. For him, a truck or larger sedan would fit much better. The more I think about it, one size does not really "fit" all. Rather, "all" adjust or accommodate or simply get used to using something that doesn't fit all that well. The more I think about it, life depends on "all" adjusting to the "one-size." I suppose, in some backward way, that is how manufacturers can get away with saying that "one size fits all."

continue reading

Has anyone else noted that Christian’s seem to be getting a little . . . touchy? I don’t know, maybe some are still simmering over the election (though most of the Christians I know voted for Obama). Maybe because of the economy? Maybe Darwin’s recent birthday.  Somehow Christians seem to feel a little defensive. A little “us against them,” like during the “culture wars” of the past.

The headline jumped out at me as I looked up to the Conversant Life site on my screen: “Can Christians be Darwinists?”  I was surprised. Do people somewhere in America still actually use the term “Darwinists?” What would happen if I casually walked up to a group of my friends and asked “hey, any of you guys Darwinists!?!” With all due respect and honor, I just honestly don’t get it. I noticed that the “Darwinist” blog stayed in the “most discussed” list for weeks, so it must be important to people. But I wonder, who do we think we are?

continue reading