Don't we all love the prayer scene from Talladega Nights?httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7pco3TTV5kOK, maybe not all of us. But, I sure do. What strikes me is that today is the day when we all celebrate "sweet baby Jesus". On Christmas Eve we watched a full slate of classic Christmas movies for kids and all of them dealt with skepticism regarding the existence of Santa. At the end...
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
I Can See Clearly Now...
...the rain is gone,I can see all obstacles in my wayGone are the dark clouds that had me blindIt's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)Sun-Shiny day.It's funny how clarity can change things. After the first big winter storm the schools were all closed and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader...
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Watch Your Language!
Sa a se bagay ki pi enpòtan ke ou te ka janm li. Ou ka li li l '? Si ou pa kapab alò ou pa pral kapab konprann. Ou dwe konprann! Frape, frape! Ki moun ki la a? Ou. Ki ou? Oh pa kriye, li jis yon blag!I think that I have heard the words, "Watch your language!" more than I could ever imagine. It turns...
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Destruction or Construction?
I was 18 or 19, the room was jammed with more than 1,000 college students and we were enthralled by the man on the stage. He was thick necked and spoke with power and authority. When he got passionate the veins in his neck bulged. As a young man, I found in him the embodiment of all...
Friday, December 17, 2010
Can You Understand Me?
One of the most powerful feelings I have ever had was the time that I landed in Germany and realized that I had no idea what the signs said. It was remarkably uncomfortable. I had no idea what he ads were saying, I had no idea what the people around me were saying, I could not understand a thing. I...
Thursday, December 16, 2010
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Aretha sang, "Find out what respect means to me". Respect is a simple word. It is one which causes people to get into fights, feel good, or get loud. Respect is something that is intangible and yet is required.Today I interacted on a blog where some people were critiquing a friend's...
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Community and Christmas
What is the meaning of Christmas? That was the question that NBC's Community asked last week in an incredibly creative stop motion animation episode that left me laughing. The episode was full of hat tips to great Christmas specials of the past and a few nice shots at the Christian faith.Shots at Christianity...
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
What are you thankful for?
What are you thankful for? This is the question that was posed by the boys at Professional One a "boutique of awesome" or also known as one of the best real estate firms in the country run by Mike and Todd.Ever since the question was asked I have been thinking about it.This is a question we ask...
Monday, November 15, 2010
The Paradox
When you find out that most if not all of your preconceptions are misconceptions it leaves you reeling. The first time I woke up in Israel I struggled to believe all that I was seeing. I felt as though I had stepped foot out of the Matrix and into "The Real". There was nothing that was what...
Friday, November 12, 2010
Preconceptions, Land Mines, and Explosions
Any time you visit a new country there are always preconceived ideas that you have coming in. When I left for Israel I had a picture in mind of sand, mountains, and camels. Of course I also had the thought of one or two surface to air missiles and maybe a suicide bomber. I could tell...
Monday, November 1, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Figuring It Out...
[caption id="attachment_1246" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="It's not good if the baby goes with..."][/caption]For the last few years I have been on a journey. It's a journey that has cost me friendships. It's a journey that has caused me to look pretty deep and it has caused me...
The Rest of the Story
[podcast]http://danielmrose.com/wp-content/uploads/Grace-101024-reduced-64kbps.mp3[/podca...
Monday, October 18, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Why Weren't They There?
"You keep saying you've got something for me.something you call love, but confess.You've been messin' where you shouldn't have been a messin'and now someone else is gettin' all your best.These boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll doone of these days these boots are gonna walk all...
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
A Minute to Win It, or, How YouTube Changed Media
A little over a week ago a group of high school students gathered at Grace Chapel, EPC in Farmington Hills, MI. They were there to play "A Minute to Win It". They played a ton of different games, laughing, and trying to win, and then laughing some more. One of the volunteers in the crowd...
Monday, October 4, 2010
To Think or Not to Think
What does it mean for a Christian to think? I don't mean the kind of thinking where one tries to figure out a problem. I am talking about the kind of thinking where one struggles with their core beliefs and tries to determine what is real and true.We as Christians believe that the Bible is special revelation...
Friday, October 1, 2010
Activity or Experience?
Rick Devos asked a simple question during his presentation at TEDxDetroit: When you plan an event are you thinking about activity or experience? This is a profound question. One that I think those of who are in the church need to think deeply about. We must ask ourselves what we are...
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Detroit, May You Be a Phoenix
The Phoenix is a mythical beast which lives and dies by burning itself into a heap of ashes. From the ashes rises the next generation Phoenix. I look around at the Detroit Metropolitan area and realize that we have become a heap of ashes. The fire began to blaze in 1968 with the riots. From...
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Mini Me...
One of the greatest characters in film is Mini Me from the Austin Powers series. Now, granted for many of you reading this blog you are already offended just with the mere mention of that film series, sorry, but keep reading it might come full circle (maybe). Have you ever wondered how Mini Me...
Monday, September 27, 2010
Hey, hey Hockeytown!
The Lions are 0-3, the Tigers are out of the playoffs, U of M is undefeated but it looks like they probably won't win a Big Ten game, that can only mean one thing: Hockey. That's right we are ten days away from the start of the NHL and most importantly the Red Wings. Last season was frustrating....
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Do You Hear What You Want To Hear?
Pew Research posted a recent study looking at how people's religion effects their understanding of various social issues. What I found interesting is that on many issues even though people hear their pastor speak on issues it does not effect the way they think about them.I think this study highlights...
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Wednesdays are Wright (and sometimes Thursday): Authority
As I read this text, I am writing and responding. You are getting my fresh thoughts, ones which are rather raw. So, hopefully, this means that we will end up in conversation where we can interact over them and flesh it out a bit. Up to this point I have been wrestling with how Wright...
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Wednesdays are Wright: Narrative, Story, History
As I continue to work through The New Testament and the People of God by N.T. Wright, I was struck by this statement: "history...is rather the meaningful narrative of events and intentions.(82)" Wright is arguing that history is not simply the subjective interpretation of events and ideas. It...
Friday, September 10, 2010
Lead, lead, lead...
Yesterday I committed myself to watching The NINES leadership conference. I set up the laptop with the projector and big screen and kicked back in our youth room. I was impressed with the variety of speakers and the depth of insight that was being presented. I was less than surprised by...
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Where do we go?
My good friend Damon Reiss and I will be spending some time reading and writing together on the issues raised in N.T. Wright's New Testament and the People of God. This text is the first in a five part series that Wright is doing on "Christian Origins and the Question of God". Wright is...
Friday, August 27, 2010
We love Detroit. An Open Letter to Dan Shaugnessy
Dear Dan,In a recent edition of the Boston Globe you had this to say about Detroit:Think about it: For the next five weeks, you could live in downtown Boston and your wife could shop on Newbury Street. Or you could live in downtown Detroit, amid the boarded-up buildings and the proverbial skeleton...
Thursday, August 26, 2010
I am Proud to Be an American...
[caption id="attachment_1048" align="alignleft" width="239" caption="Hilarious!"][/caption]...where atleast I know I can buy, whatever I want, when I want it, and nobody can stop me.There are few lasting images in my mind like that of September 11, 2001 and the days that followed. I remember where...
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
I believe in the Spirit! Well sort of.
In my experience the evangelical church has a bit of an integrity problem. No, I am not talking about the issues that just popped in your head. I am talking about the Holy Spirit. The last time I checked he was still part of the Godhead, you know the Triune God we Christians believe...
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Your image or mine?
"If God is not the defining center of our faith, life, and identity, then who or what is? (58)" Now there is a question. The Hirsch's continue to challenge our thinking in relation to the center of our faith in chapter 2 of "Untamed". There is nothing more central to who we are than what we worship.Missional...
Monday, August 16, 2010
Is your Jebus ‘Untamed’?
Last week I spent some time reading Alan and Debra Hirsch's newest offering, Untamed. It was so worthwhile that I thought I would take a few days to post a summary of each chapter. While there is nothing necessarily "new" in the book it is a really well done text that brings classic missional...
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Unity, Liberty, and Charity
I am really enjoying the ideas that are being put forth as part of the Big Tent synchroblog. I think that one of the things I am noticing is that there continues to be one thing lacking in all of our posts, a center. It seems that each of us would say "Jesus" is the center. But, which...
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Scattered, Gathered, and Beautiful
This my third post for the Big Tent Synchroblog dealing with these questions: What are your hopes and dreams for the Church? More specifically, what does “big tent Christianity” mean to you? And what does it look like in your context?I want to deal with the first question: What are your hopes and dreams...
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Big Tent or Single Issue?
As I mentioned in my previous post, I am on a study leave this week and a big part of that is preparing for the year that is to come. I am enjoying the time to think and plan. The Big Tent Synchroblog has been stimulating some of my thinking and has been a welcome distraction to punctuate...
Big Tent Christianity 1
So, I am a day late to the Big Tent Christiaity Synchroblog. Here is the theme that we will be discussing this week: What are your hopes and dreams for the Church? More specifically, what does “big tent Christianity” mean to you? And what does it look like in your context? Oddly enough...
Thursday, July 29, 2010
What does it look like to be on the Way?
Hebrews 13:1-19[podcast]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1556882/Grace%20100725%20reduced.mp3[/podca...
How do I stay on the Way?
Hebrews 12:14-29[podcast]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1556882/Grace%20100718%20reduced.mp3[/podca...
Monday, July 26, 2010
Silence is Golden
[caption id="attachment_983" align="alignleft" width="288" caption="I love that saying!"][/caption]I have been conspicuously absent in writing recently. This is partly due to a technical glitch when the most recent Wordpress version was installed (which broke me of the writing habit), this is...
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Turn. Turn. Turn. No, not that song.
In Matthew 18:3 Jesus says, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."The word for turn is straphēte. The idea here is "to experience an inward change, turn, change (BDAG)". Jesus is not calling them to "repent", in Matthew that idea is expressed by the word, metanoeō. However, he is calling them to change. They...
Friday, June 11, 2010
Kids are annoying, sniveling, little...or Theology of Youth Pt. 1
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.“Whoever receives one such child in my name...
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Theology of Youth
Whitney said, "I believe the children our future..." I think that song begins to run through the minds and hearts of people when they begin to hear people talk about children or youth in the church. They immediately think "future". Oddly enough many of us ignore the second line, "Teach them...
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Review: Jesus Manifesto by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola
http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=danielmroseco-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&asins=0849946018 Jesus Manifesto by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola, published by Thomas Nelson. Jesus Manifesto brings Jesus to the front and center. Sweet and Viola seek to highlight Jesus' sovereignty and...
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Dude, that ain't cool. Objections answered.
It has been difficult to post recently as life and ministry have been very busy and margin continues to get swallowed up. However, writing is a necessary output for my own spiritual formation, so I am taking some steps to build this into my schedule. Thanks to all of you who have inquired as to the missing blog posts in your RSS feeds. It does my heart good to know that both of you...
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Jesus Manifesto: Restoring the Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ
http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=danielmroseco-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&asins=0849946018 I received a copy of this book and will be reviewing it here soon. Keep your eyes open for ...
Monday, May 24, 2010
You did what to your baby?
I remember the day well. It was a Friday night, November 2001, the night before Michigan was to play the evil Ohio State Buckeyes. Ethan, our firstborn, was reclining in the stroller and I was chatting it up with other college missionaries. Then it slipped (well it did not actually slip, I was waiting for just right the time), we had baptized Ethan, AS AN INFANT! It was pretty funny...