Turn Off Your Gaydar

Lest any Christians get their panties in a bunch about the recent news coming out of California involving gay marriage, I really hope they weren’t laughing last night when Dwight swept Angela off into an office and got hot and sweaty the very night she got engaged to Andy.

Or every time Michael says, “That’s what she said.”

Or laughed when Kevin said, “I am totally gonna bang Holly.”

Or look the other way that Jim and Pam are living together.

I mean that just wouldn’t be very consistent, would it?

Eric Bryant had a great post yesterday called Why Homophobia Is So Gay.

Filed under: Adultery, Christianity, Eric Bryant, Ethics, Homosexuality, Love, Religion, Sex, The Office, Tolerance

PFP Reviewed: Chapter Six

Peppermint-Filled Piñatas
Chapter Six: White Men Can Jump (Just Not as High)
Seeing Past Stereotypes

Stereotypes exist because we do not form friendships with others who differ from us.

This is really what this whole book is about. Moving past tolerance, and political correctness, and into true relationships with those who don’t look or think like we do. I’ve been extremely guilty of this for most of my life. No, I’ve never been one you would call a racist, but I’ve stereotyped people in my mind and with my actions.

Nowadays I love exploring new cultures, and learning more about people that aren’t like me. Where I live that isn’t the easiest thing to do because this may very well be the whitest county in the world. But we need to take every opportunity to dive head first into relationships with those around us that don’t remind us of ourselves. Not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because you’ll be amazed by what you’ve been missing!

As a global community, we need to break through tolerance and embrace love. We need to move from meetings that just talk about racial reconciliation and actually create communities that show the world we are reconciled.

Related:
PFP Reviewed: Introduction
PFP Reviewed: Chapter One
PFP Reviewed: Chapter Two
PFP Reviewed: Chapter Three
PFP Reviewed: Chapter Four
PFP Reviewed: Chapter Five

Filed under: Books, Eric Bryant, Love, Peppermint-Filled Piñatas, Reviews, Tolerance

PFP Reviewed: Chapter Four

Peppermint-Filled Piñatas
Chapter Four: A Fellowship of Freaks
Finding a Common Cause to Create Community

To move out of our rut and routine, we should look to connect with others through a cause, hobby, or area of passion. Because cause creates community.

When I read this chapter all I could think about was my dad (and Paul), and all the different hats he puts on with the sole purpose of connecting with someone on a deeper level. He’s well known for working on peoples cars just to create a more inviting environment for others to be real. And just recently he told of a story how he was trying to develop a relationship with a bee keeper, so he dove in head first and learned everything he could about keeping bees. He even dawned the appropriate gear and had his own bee colonies.

For many of us, our cause remains too small. Survival binds some of our churches together, yet in order to thrive we must change our priorities. When our cause focuses inward, we develop unhealthy relationships.

This cuts pretty deep for most churches. We need to be constantly looking for opportunities to connect with others that aren’t a part of the body of Christ. Jesus spent most of his time with people like that. Why do we act just the opposite?

What are your causes that foster relationship development?

Related:
PFP Reviewed: Introduction
PFP Reviewed: Chapter One
PFP Reviewed: Chapter Two
PFP Reviewed: Chapter Three

Filed under: Books, Eric Bryant, Jesus, Love, Peppermint-Filled Piñatas, Religion, Reviews

PFP Reviewed: Chapter Three

Peppermint-Filled Piñatas
Chapter Three: Peppermint-Filled Piñatas
Partying to Expand Our Influence

This is one of my favorite chapters in the book. I mean who doesn’t enjoy a call to party more? Eric challenges us to throw more parties, as well as to accept invitations to more parties. It actually reminds me a lot of what my buddy Brandon talked about in this post. He hosts events at his house at least twice a month where he invites a broad spectrum of friends—college students, photographers, theology majors, working professionals, elders, and preachers all come together in an informal setting. In his words, “…its been our experience that when we do that, really good things happen.”

The world too often sees the invitation to connect to the church as irrelevant or at best as involving a cumbersome process. People have to learn our religious language, sing our songs, and discuss our topics. For those who make the effort to connect with us, we reward them with rules, traditions, and conditional acceptance, yet Jesus offered grace, forgiveness, and love. Rather than religion, Jesus offers relationship. As part of the body called the church, we need to strive to eliminate barriers that keep others from connecting with our community and connecting with Jesus.

The story at the end of this chapter will change your perspective about accepting invitations to things you really don’t want to do. As a matter of fact, just tonight my wife Tonia was considering backing out of an invitation to hang out with some friends and their friends this weekend because we’re getting a little backed up in house work. I would have nothing of it because this application is still fresh in my mind. I am now actively pursuing opportunities to hang with people I don’t know. To build and strengthen relationships.

Ultimately, we need to reorient our lives so that we begin to invest in the people we already know and start investing in people who need a friend.

Related:
PFP Reviewed: Introduction
PFP Reviewed: Chapter One
PFP Reviewed: Chapter Two

Filed under: Books, Eric Bryant, Friendship, Jesus, Love, Parties, Peppermint-Filled Piñatas, Relationships, Religion, Reviews

PFP Reviewed: Chapter Two

Peppermint-Filled Piñatas
Chapter Two: Bounce Houses in the Neighborhood
Getting Off the Couch to Make Friends

One of the more convicting chapters in this book for me personally. We’ve lived in our little house on Burton Street for five years now, and I still can’t tell you the names of my immediate neighbors. I can spout off excuses such as being too busy with life, or not being an extroverted person by nature, but in all honesty it’s just because I haven’t made the effort.

I was so inspired by this chapter that Friday after work I went outside to shovel my sidewalk with the expressed intent of going over to talk to my neighbor when I was done. Even after shoveling it three times, I still hadn’t mustered up the courage to go next door. So I prayed as I went for another pass that God would make this easier for me. Then behind me I hear my neighbor walking his dog. Opportunity knocks.

We had a great talk and agreed to hook up many times during the Spring and Summer for cookouts. I am honestly giddy about the prospects of getting to know these guys in the coming months.

Do you know your neighbors?

Related:
PFP Reviewed: Introduction
PFP Reviewed: Chapter One

Filed under: Books, Eric Bryant, Friendship, God, Peppermint-Filled Piñatas, Relationships, Reviews

PFP Reviewed: Chapter One

Peppermint-Filled Piñatas
Chapter One: Curry Favor
Winning People and Influencing Friends

It’s all about love…

The most effective apologetic is love.

Early christians were respected because they emanated love. They became the embodiment of the phrase ‘God is love.‘ Love requires us to be vulnerable. It requires sacrifice. It requires action. And it shouldn’t ever be confined just to those that can give you something in return.

..and relationships.

Rather than simply looking for ways to develop new strategies and programs, we must hone the skill of developing relationships. We need to go back to the beginning and capture the essence of interaction with the world around us. Our future depends on recapturing our ancient past.

Eric dives deep into the idea of building authentic relationships with those around you. Becoming all things to all people while loving them unconditionally. Too often we build up walls with the outside world because they aren’t like us. He encourages us to develop relationships without hidden agendas. To simply love.

Would people say you embody love?

Related:
PFP Reviewed: Introduction

Filed under: Books, Eric Bryant, Friendship, God, Love, Peppermint-Filled Piñatas, Relationships, Reviews, Tolerance

PFP Reviewed: Introduction

Peppermint-Filled Piñatas
Introduction: The Art of Woo
Overcoming the Christian Stereotype

A negative Christian stereotype is prevalent and spreading, and we’ve helped cause this by being judgmental, irrelevant, mean, and hypocritical. Too often we just prove to the world that we have nothing more to offer than they are already experiencing. As a result, more and more people see Christianity as part of their past rather than as a guiding force for their future.

Eric wonders what we are currently doing or not doing that will cause us to feel ashamed in the future, and calls us to be part of the solution in our divided world rather than part of the problem. To live a life that embraces the people that Christians generally love to hate. To be agents of change.

This is something I have been trying to do myself for a few years now. I have re-examined my entire world view and have started building it again from the ground up. When people think of a Christian, something always pops into their head, and it’s usually not genuine love for others. My goal is to paint a new picture for our culture about what it really means to be a Christ follower.

What are some ways you’re trying to change our image?

Filed under: Books, Change Agents, Diversity, Eric Bryant, Friendship, Love, Mosaic, Peppermint-Filled Piñatas, Reviews, Sterotypes, Tolerance

Peppermint-Filled Piñatas

There’s nothing more exciting than receiving a book in the mail that you’ve been wanting to read for a few months now. Oh wait, there is. It’s freaking awesome when that book was sent to you by the author himself, with a personalized message on the inside flap. Yeah, that pretty much rocks!

And to top it all off, it’s a book by Eric Bryant, who serves as an elder, speaker, and navigator overseeing the leadership team at Mosaic in Los Angeles, alongside my man Erwin McManus.

The book is called Peppermint-Filled Piñatas: Breaking Through Tolerance and Embracing Love, and needless to say, you’re going to be hearing a lot about this book in the coming weeks. I’ve decided to forgo the typical full review after reading the book, and instead review each chapter as I go. Hopefully that will generate a little more discussion along the way.

Here are the chapters we have to look forward to:

Introduction: The Art of Woo
Overcoming the Christian Stereotype

1. Curry Favor
Winning People and Influencing Friends

2. Bounce Houses in the Neighborhood
Getting off the Couch to Make Friends

3. Peppermint-Filled Piñatas
Partying to Expand Our Influence

4. A Fellowship of Freaks
Finding a Common Cause to Create Community

5. Uncivil War
Proving That God Is Real

6. White Men Can Jump (Just Not as High)
Seeing Past Stereotypes

7. The Untouchables
Learning to See Those We Overlook

8. Compassionate Conservatives and Loving Liberals
Reaching across the Ideological Aisle

9. Lots of Sex in the City
Engaging Others in a Post-Sexual Revolution World

10. The Mosque Next Door
Building Relationships with the Religious

Conclusion: Apathetics Anonymous
Activating Personal Change

You ready to join me?

Filed under: Books, Eric Bryant, Erwin McManus, Faith, Hope, Love, Mosaic, Peppermint-Filled Piñatas

Eric Bryant

Eric Bryant serves as an elder, speaker, and navigator overseeing the leadership team at Mosaic in Los Angeles. A sought-after speaker, Eric is one of the co-authors of The Uprising Experience, a workbook developed for Promise Keepers based on Erwin McManus’ book Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul, and has written several articles for Group and Relevant Leader magazines. His book, Peppermint-Filled Piñatas: Breaking Through Tolerance and Embracing Love, was published with Zondervan in June 2007.

Do the Mud Puppy a favor and head over to his website or his blog and sign up for his newsletter. At the appropriate prompt tell them that I referred you and maybe I can win a little prize!

You’ll be hearing a lot more about Eric on this blog in the coming days. I’ve joined a team to help him spread the word about Peppermint-Filled Piñatas. I can’t wait!

Filed under: Books, Eric Bryant, Erwin McManus, Mosaic, Newsletters