Maurice Broaddus's Blog, page 57

Sometimes We Have to Enter the Cave

"The one great advantage you have as a new church pastor is that you are forced to start small. Nothing is imposed on you. Determine that you will know every person, their names and whatever of their lives they are willing to let you in on. Be in their homes. Invite them into your home in small groups for an evening or lunch. The killing frost in too much new church development is forming programs that will attract people or serve their perceived 'needs,' getting them 'involved.' The overriding

Forgiveness Takes Time

Sometimes I wish I were one of those quick to forgive people. How when I feel dishonored, disrespected, or disavowed, or otherwise holding onto memories of someone's mistreatment of me, I can just go "I forgive you" and all of the hurt and ill will just vanishes. It's like we feel this tacit pressure from other Christians. They hear our struggles with the pain of our situations—the anger, the hurt, the sheer pain of it—and confuse that with not being able to forgive. Almost as if we aren't fo

Walls

I hear so many things from this tower where I live,
there is no door to let you in, from here I see your world.
There is no lock for you to find, I keep my walls secure.
I do not wish to be alone, that is I mean with you..
I like to keep you at a length, for you I do not touch.
I like my cave that I have made, it serves me when you push.
How can I show my walls to you, when all you do is search?
You try to find a way around, to be my shining knight,
When all it is I want from you is a "thanks a bunch! G

Pimping "Pimp My Airship"

You people don't take me seriously when I tell you that my Twitter is basically just the gibberish that floats through my head during the sitcom written by drunken leprechauns that I call my life. Anyway, a few months back, I make this tweet: "I'm thinking about writing a Steampunk story with all black characters and calling it 'Pimp My Airship'."

I forget that editors actually read me. And that they might want to see the story.

Which means I actually had to write it.

It has finally found a home

ER (Season 11) – A Review

Gone but not forgotten, ER continues to roll out the DVD releases of the venerable series (and by "venerable" we mean now creaking along, but not so far gone as to put out of its misery). By now, the show is like an old friend that you don't mind hanging around. We're used to its familiar rhythms:

-unusual cases: we see an aquarium worker with a live shark latched to him, a blind woman and her guide miniature horse, a college boy with an arrow in his stomach, etc.

-notable guest stars: Ray Lio

"Just A Servant"

I'll just tell you right now, I'm frustrated. Certain aspects of our modern culture have insinuated themelves into the fabric of the church, deterring or outright corrupting its ministry. Values such as a corporate policy and philosophy have been bought into by the church, where the ABCs of church reality became Audience, Buildings, and Cash. The pastor becomes the CEO and the elders operate as the board of directors. Offerings or tithes become income, or worse, profit; people become measured

Ponyo - A Review

"The Adventures of Little Jesus"

Hayao Miyazaki's latest animated epic, Ponyo (aka "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea") hits the eye with what at first brush seems to be crude animation. Owing nothing to CGI, and coming after trailers for lush 3-D productions did the movie no favors. However, one quickly settles into the imaginative world we've come to expect from him. The voice talent assembled alone (Cate Blanchett, Betty White, Cloris Leachman, Tina Fey)points to the draw of a Miyazaki producti

Doug Pagitt's A Christianity Worth Believing (Live Occurrence)

When I was in fifth grade, I got kicked out of Sunday School class. It was a simple telling of the story of Noah's ark. The flannel graph had a huge boat on it, several animals popping out of it. A smiling Noah under a now beaming sun; a tranquil boat ride scene, the ark drifting on calm waters. My teacher took issue with me adding floating bodies to the surface of the water.

The second time I was asked to be quiet at the church I was attending, it was because the church was having a debate

Post-Racial Church: The Myth and the Hope Part II: So what can we do?

[click here for Part I:]

David Mills directs us to Larry Auster's comments regarding "The only hope for the betterment of the black race (and the white race)":

"The solution cannot be in the 'horizontal' dimension, that is, in the relationship between blacks and non-blacks, because blacks will always be behind on the level of earthly functioning, leading to unjust racial resentment on the part of blacks and undeserved racial guilt on the part of whites.

"The solution can only be found in the 'vertic

Post-Racial Church: The Myth and the Hope Part I: Coming to You

It would be cool for someone to do a documentary called "Being Black In Evangelicalism" the sub-title would be "The Only Black Person In The Room" (or vice-versa). Evangelicals, as members of the dominant culture, have no idea what it's like for a black person (esp. a black female) to be the only black dude in a room full of whites. It's hard to describe unless you've been in that position but it's always a bit uncomfortable no matter how nice and welcoming people are. I've been at evangelical s