Adam L. Feldman's Blog, page 14

Before You Tweet: Despair

Take a moment to scan your Facebook or Twitter feed and you’ll probably notice posts reflecting how awesome someone’s life is. Such as, how “awesome” of a time he is having, or how “awesome” a meal is that she is eating, or how “awesome” a meal is that he cooked, or how “awesome” their kids are, or how “awesome” her job is…

Posts about “awesomeness” create a virtual Petri dish of despair in social media.This is because such “awesome” statuses and photos display only an edited moment in time. T...

“Prayer for Compassion”

ISIS. Boko Haram. Pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong. Ebola. Ferguson, MO…..

There is certainly a lot to be concerned about in our world today. Sometimes just thinking about how big these issues are reveals how little you are. Can you really make a difference? Can you really affect change and bring about some sort of healing, reconciliation, or peace?

As a pastor, I get asked a lot: “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Sometimes its just simply: “Why do bad things happen?”

Its a hug...

Before You Tweet: Voyeurism

It used to be relatively straightforwardto identify a “Peeping Tom”—you caught him or her staring in your window, looking under or over the bathroom stall, or some other sneaky, nefarious, disgusting behavior. The scary thing about social media (and the Internet in general) is that Peeping Toms are both everywhere and nowhere; they are both public and anonymous.

This is because online voyeurism—looking lustfully after another person with sexual interest—is easily practiced at low risk of being...

True Color

Without a doubt, fall is my absolute favorite season.

I love the crisp scent of cool air, layering my clothing, the shortening days, and, of course, football on TV. Fall is a great time for my family since my wife and kids celebrate their birthdays in the fall. Its also a contemplative time for introspection and thoughtfulness, hiking and feasting, starting and ceasing.

Fall Colors

Fall is a time of special colors like orange, yellow, black, brown, and grey. They dominate the landscapes of groce...

Before You Tweet: Quarrelsomeness

Admit it: you’ve used the “edit” or “delete” function on Facebook (or Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, LikedIn, etc). You wrote something in the heat of passion or without thinking, and you ended up being a massive jerk. So, you rectified the situation by deleting or editing.

The internet is a tricky place. Everything you post online—photos, statuses, links, location check-ins, videos, blog posts—isimmediately,publicly, and foreveravailable to potentially 7 billion people. Even if you t...

3 Aspects of Stewardship

We recently started giving our 6 year old daughter, Abby, an allowance. Its not much, but to her its a pretty fun deal. I received an allowance as a child, and learned a lot about the roles that responsibility, generosity, and planning play in creating a healthy understanding of stewardship.

Here’s a quick look at how these three things—responsibility, generosity, and planning—help us have a holistic approach to the spiritual discipline of stewardship.

Responsibility

Since our goal is to help Ab...

Crafting Ministry for Maturity

I recently had a conversation with a friend who is a church planter in the early stages of starting a new church community. He asked me what our church does to ensure that our members are “maturing” in their faith.It is an excellent question, and one that every ministry practitioner should consider for the ministry that he or she oversees.

But, even more important than this question is howyou define “maturing.”

Start with the end in mind

Here’s a simple truth when it comes to (any) church minist...

5 Non-religious Reasons You Should Read the Bible

A little over 2 years ago, popular astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson (Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space, and host of NOVA ScienceNow and Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey) was asked the following question on reddit.com: “Which books should be read by every single intelligent person on [the] planet?”

Here’s a list of the 8 booksTyson suggested along with links to free versions online. He also offered a 1 line explanation for “why” each book s...

Listen Up: Speak Up

We’ve covered a lot about “listening” in this series—from hearing (and obeying) the voice of God, to listening in prayer, actively listening during corporate worship gatherings, and deepening friendships through active listening. We’ll finish this series with a few thoughts about listening in an often one-sided conversation: evangelism.

So… what role does listening play in evangelism?

Listening for worldview

One of the best ways to love someone is to know them. One way you know them is understan...

The Practice of Discernment

Everyone who has experienced the frustration of incorrectly cutting a board or some other construction material knows the importance of this phrase:“Measure twice, cut once.” The idea is make your measurement twice to ensure it is correct before you do the irreversible act of cutting.

Discernment is the equivalent of “measure twice, cut once” in the spiritual life. This is because seemingly small, subtle errors in belief about God can result in massive, devastating consequences.

The Call

The Apo...