All posts tagged: smcintos

Human Origins: What are scientists saying about cave men?

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A few stories get into the news, and stay there. Right now, that is mostly COVID and vaccinations, and violence in South Africa, and you can add to the list … We are flooded with news stories, all day and every day, and it’s impossible to keep up. In all the news-noise, it’s easy to miss some interesting stories. For example; did you know that “Just 7 percent of our DNA is unique to modern humans”? I expect that busy people everywhere will skip that piece of news. It’s more important to argue about a pandemic, or violence in the streets. What we might miss is something about God, and how we got here. If there is a God, and if we can live under His care, our problems become smaller. If we are evolved from something that formed when lightning struck an ancient pond filled with mineral water, we have to cope on our own, somehow. That is not a small story. Recently, some scientists published research about human evolution. They have evidence that …

What happened to religion? Does anyone believe?

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I was raised in a very religious family. As a teenager, in a tough high school, I tried being a member of the tribe. We had a co-ed physed class, and I remember sitting out for the dance lessons. The teacher made me sit in the bleachers and watch, and my friends thought I was strange, but I thought I was holding up the flag for my faith. In our home, we were never allowed to go to dances. I tried to keep my strict religion because I thought it was important. My friends were OK with my strange habits, and they had their own family traditions. People believed in religion in those days, more than they do today, and we tried to live out the beliefs of our families. As we got older, it seemed like we cared less and less and everyone was busy with important things. After a while I stopped caring. Now I understand how someone could become an atheist. I also understand how someone could follow Jesus. I started my …

Photo: Flickr/Miroslav Petrasko

Bruce the Bunny and Bratislava Frowns

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You may have heard about this; a news anchor in Florida, John Brown, had a loud tantrum on the set when he had to report that Kylie Jenner had a pet rabbit named Bruce. Kylie is a half sister of the Kardashians, and she just turned 18. The tantrum is now world news, and John Brown is a hero. He wanted to report news and he believes the Kardashians are not newsworthy. John Brown made it clear; some in the media will publish any nonsense that improves ratings. And we should know that we, the public, will consume anything that entertains. A British journalist once reported from Bratislava Slovakia, about the local news headline “Bratislava Frowns.” Citizens of Bratislava may have been mildly concerned about some obscure item in U.S. foreign policy, and this generated a headline. I pity the journalist assigned to a charming European country. Some days there is no news, except for comments on the bad reporting from other bored journalists. Even serious stories on important issues become old news in about …

The Cult of the Victim

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A few days ago I saw something that shocked me. I was walking near a large supermarket, when I saw a distraught young woman. She was very drunk and holding the remains of a beer six pack, and she kept shouting at people and falling down. I saw my neighbors passing her as they went for groceries, some with children, and I immediately took out my phone and called police 911. The police dispatcher promised to send a car and I waited for a while, but that never happened. Thinking back, the woman became less drunk when she saw me on the phone. She walked in a straight line off the property and onto a public space. I stayed shocked and appalled until the next day, when I realized that I and my neighbors had been scammed. The police weren’t interested, because they knew. The young woman was just acting out in a public place, we may never know why, but she was not seriously drunk. My question now is, why did we believe her, …

So You Hate Your Job, Chapter Two: Free the Slaves

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[by Sandy McIntosh] Are you afraid of losing your job? Are you unhappy with work but you see no way out? Would unemployment be the end of life as you know it? You may have a career disease called “lack of agility.” This sickness is not always terminal, but it is chronic and debilitating. And the freedom that God gives to Christians does not include this depressing dysfunction. These are the symptoms: you are not happy where you are, but you can’t move. And there is no place in your life for dreams and visions of greater things. And you fear losing your job. There are different treatments for this disease, including bank therapy. In my experience, most Christians and most churches need a dose of personal financial medication. I have been there.

So You Hate Your Job, Chapter One: Just Quit

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[by Sandy McIntosh] Christian, there are two ways to quit your job. Choose one. Jesus told about persecution “When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another.” (Matthew 10:23) I believe when a workplace becomes dysfunctional and stressful, you need to move. God doesn’t call most of us to live in a toxic mess. And if you can’t quit, just quit. With financial and family commitments, maybe we can’t just move on and maybe the situation is not totally toxic. The Bible, in Ephesians chapter six gives instructions to slaves, who could not move: “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people.” (Ephesians 6:7). Quit that boss, in your heart, and start working for God. The boss will probably thank you. We have more freedom than we know.