This Week on Trans·formed (9/29)

Featured Articles on Trans·formed This Week

What’s With All the Bones? What exactly is a skeleton going to do to you? They don’t have any muscles, so I’m guessing they can’t run very fast. (Actually, without muscles they shouldn’t be able to move at all, making them even less scary.)…So why are skeletons supposed to be scary? I think it’s because skeletons represent a human person without life—no flesh, no spirit, no warmth—an empty person. And that’s scary.

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Duty vs. Desire. As we finally made our way to the parking lot, I thumbed through the pamphlet and realized that the eager art lover was actually an eager art patron.  I read his name as one of the benefactors of the museum and learned that he owned the pieces on display.  This didn’t make me appreciate the prints any more or less, but it did surprise me that this wealthy patron chose to visit the museum on a Saturday morning and that he’d taken time to introduce our family to his passion.

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All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Hospice. 1. Physical death always wins. 2. Life is always too short. 3. All families are dysfunctional—it’s simply a continuum. 4. He who has the most toys does not win. 5. Tears celebrate life and love.

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Other Posts of Interest from around the Web

• Preachers and Their Critics. There are no perfect preachers. We all need iron-sharpening dialogue with hearers about both our content and delivery. So don’t read this article as a whining complaint from a beleaguered pastor who can’t take it anymore. I don’t want people in my congregation to stop giving critical feedback for fear of bruising my ego.

• The Contested Color of Christ. If these two Christ icons could stand side-by-side, their differences could not be more startling. One is huge and authoritative; the other reserved and contemplative. One showcases power, the other suffering.

• Why Early Childhood Parenting Is a Gospel Priority. That comprehensive flourishing envisioned in Isaiah cannot happen without flourishing families. If all other social institutions are restored, and the family remains in ruins, a community cannot thrive, because the family is the lynchpin of character formation, skill development, and cultural transmission.

• Different Takes: Should We Abandon the Idea of Hell? The new documentary “Hellbound?” explores Americans’ ideas about hell. We asked two prominent Christians who featured in the film to give us their very different takes on hell.