Tag: culture

Bubble Wrap Won’t Save You

February 11, 2026 / / 0 Comments

I’ve been slowly working through The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, and it’s one of those books that makes you stop mid-page and think, Yep… that explains a lot.

The authors argue that well-intended efforts to protect people, especially young people, from discomfort, offense, or risk have reshaped American culture in ways we didn’t anticipate. They call this mindset “safetyism.” It’s the belief that emotional and psychological safety should be prioritized above nearly everything else, and that exposure to difficult ideas or experiences is inherently harmful.

Lukianoff and Haidt trace how this mentality shows up on college campuses and in public discourse: speech codes, trigger warnings, growing intolerance for disagreement, and a tendency to see conflict not as something to navigate but as something to eliminate. They connect these trends to changes in parenting styles, social media dynamics, and a decline in unstructured play. They argue that many kids have grown up physically protected but emotionally fragile, unused to taking risks or handling friction.

One of the book’s most helpful contributions is its exploration of what they call the “three great untruths” shaping modern thinking:

  1. What doesn’t kill you makes you weaker.
  2. Always trust your feelings.
  3. Life is a battle between good people and evil people.

The authors counter that adversity often builds strength, feelings can mislead us, and the world is usually more complicated than simple moral categories. They lean on psychological research about resilience and cognitive behavioral therapy, emphasizing that growth often comes through facing discomfort rather than avoiding it.

You don’t have to agree with every conclusion in the book to find its diagnosis compelling. It’s a cultural X-ray that reveals how quickly protection can turn into paralysis.

My Reaction

What keeps echoing in my mind is that: we cannot protect ourselves from every concern in the world.

And maybe more importantly that trying to do so might be doing us real harm.

There is something deeply human about struggle. About learning to carry weight. About discovering, often the hard way, that you can endure more than you thought possible. When every rough edge is sanded down and every hard conversation is avoided, we don’t become safer. We become smaller.

I see this not just culturally, but also spiritually.

A life aimed at eliminating all discomfort will eventually avoid truth. Growth, and I mean real growth, almost always involves friction. Confession is uncomfortable. Repentance is uncomfortable. Forgiveness is uncomfortable. Loving people who disagree with you is uncomfortable. Yet those are precisely the places where transformation tends to happen.

The Christian story has never been about insulation from pain. It’s about redemption through it.

That doesn’t mean we should be reckless or cruel or dismissive of real trauma. Care matters. Compassion matters. Protection has its place. But there’s a difference between guarding someone and building a padded cell around their life.

If we teach ourselves and our kids that fragility is normal and avoidance is wisdom, we shouldn’t be surprised when courage becomes scarce.

Perhaps one of the most loving things we can do for one another is not to remove every obstacle, but to walk together through the hard things and remind each other: You’re stronger than you think. And you’re not alone.

That feels like a truth worth recovering.

Centrifugal Culture, Centripetal Grace

January 29, 2026 / / 1 Comment

Modern life feels like a spinning wheel.

Everyone’s shouting.
Everyone’s certain.
Everyone’s choosing sides.

And the faster we spin, the farther apart we fly.

Physics has words for this.

Centripetal is the force that pulls inward toward the center. It’s what keeps planets in orbit. It’s what holds motion together instead of letting it spiral into chaos.

Centrifugal describes what feels like a force pushing outward flinging things away from the center when rotation speeds up.

That’s us.

We’ve built a centrifugal culture.

The middle has collapsed. Nuance is suspect. Listening is weakness. If you don’t fully agree, you must secretly be dangerous. Every issue becomes total war. Every disagreement becomes proof of moral failure.

So we retreat to our corners – political, generational, theological, racial, cultural – and spin faster inside echo chambers that reward outrage and punish curiosity.

The tragedy?

The more convinced we are that everyone else is the enemy, the less human they become to us.

And once someone stops being human…
it becomes easy to dismiss them.
mock them.
cancel them.
ignore them.

Not because we’re cruel.

But because centrifugal systems train us to be.

What Gets Lost When the Center Disappears

When there’s no center, there’s no shared gravity.

No common story.
No agreed dignity.
No sacred worth attached simply to being a person.

Everything turns into tribes and algorithms and hot takes.

We stop asking, “Why does this person believe what they believe?” and start asking, “How do I defeat them?”

We stop being neighbors and become opponents.

We stop being curious and become suspicious.

We stop being slow to speak and quick to listen and start being fast to post and quicker to judge.

The middle – the messy, relational, human middle – is where conversations happen.
It’s where tension gets held instead of weaponized.
It’s where people stay in the room long enough to understand each other.

Remove the middle, and all that’s left are walls.

Jesus Was a Centripetal Force

Here’s where Christians have to pause.

Because Jesus didn’t operate centrifugally.

He didn’t sort people into pure and impure piles and shout from a distance. He moved toward people. People like tax collectors, zealots, prostitutes, Pharisees, skeptics, soldiers, sinners, all of them were saints-in-progress.

He pulled enemies to the same table.

Literally.

Jesus created gravitational centers around meals, conversations, healings, stories/ These were places where people who shouldn’t have even shared oxygen suddenly broke bread.

He didn’t flatten truth either.

But He wrapped truth in proximity.

He didn’t abandon conviction.

But He simply refused to abandon people.

That’s centripetal grace.

A force strong enough to hold wildly different lives in the same orbit.

Before We Blame “The World”…

Let’s be honest.

The church isn’t immune.

We can spin just as fast as the culture around us.

We curate our tribes.
We weaponize our pet Bible verses.
We speak about people far more than we speak to them or with them.
We confuse winning arguments with loving neighbors.

Sometimes we baptize outrage and call it faithfulness.

Sometimes we substitute certainty for humility.

Sometimes we forget that the gospel didn’t enter the world as a megaphone…
but as a Person.

Grace in skin.

Truth with a pulse.

What If We Slowed the Spin?

What if we refused to let every disagreement turn into exile?

What if we re-learned how to stay in conversation instead of fleeing to caricatures?

What if we practiced holy stubbornness. The kind that keeps loving, listening, and showing up when it would be easier to block, mute, or write off?

Centripetal people don’t deny differences.

They just refuse to let differences become the only thing that matters.

They believe the center can hold.

They trust that love is stronger than algorithms.

They insist that dignity comes before debate.

The Quiet Revolution of Staying

In a centrifugal age, staying is radical.

Staying in relationships.
Staying in churches.
Staying in conversations.
Staying curious.
Staying human.

Pulling inward toward shared humanity.

Toward confession instead of condemnation.

Toward tables instead of trenches.

Toward a Savior who still says, “Come and see.”

Because the future will not be shaped by whoever yells the loudest from the edges.

It will be shaped by those brave enough to live in the middle…
anchored to Christ,
open to neighbors,
and strong enough to resist the spin.

Tech Takeover

June 14, 2024 / / 2 Comments

How technology has taken over our lives.

The early 2010s were a whirlwind of transformation in the tech industry, a time when the digital age truly came into its own. For many people, this era wasn’t just a phase; it was a revolutionary experience that would fundamentally change how they interacted with the world. From the palm of our hands to the screens in our pockets, technology became an inseparable part of our day to day lives. Here’s a quick peak at the seismic shifts that caused this tech takeover.

Smartphones: Making The World Fit In Our Pocket

Remember the time when your phone was just for calling and texting? Those days are long gone. The launch of the iPhone in 2007 was just the beginning. By the early 2010s, smartphones were everywhere! Not to be outdone, Android devices soon flooded the market, putting these powerful yet affordable mini-computers in the palms of millions of hands worldwide.

These weren’t just phones; they became lifelines. With access to the internet, a camera, and a vast array of apps, smartphones became the go-to device for nearly everything. They quickly moved from a mere luxury to a near necessity in a few short years. Over the years, these smart devices have changed how people communicated, entertained themselves, and even navigated daily life.

Social Media: The New Hangout Spot

If you didn’t post about it, did it even happen? Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat weren’t just websites; they were the new social spaces. These platforms exploded in popularity from 2010-2014, easily becoming the version of the community park for local watering hole for social interaction.

Facebook was where you kept up with friends and family. Twitter became the place for quick updates and news. Instagram turned everyone into a photographer. Did you even eat if you didn’t post a picture about it? Snapchat added a whole new level of fun to these virtual, social interactions that were here one minute and gone the next . For many young people, social media was the key to staying connected, sharing experiences, and keeping up with the Jones’s.

Always On, Always Connected: More Than Can You Hear Me Now

When high speed internet became mobile it was truly the game-changer that put the world in the back pocket of our Levis. With the rollout of 3G and 4G networks, the internet became truly mobile. No more waiting to get home to check your email or load a webpage; it was all right there in your pocket.

This constant connectivity meant young people could browse, stream, click, scroll, and post anytime – anywhere. The internet became an inseparable part of daily life, blurring the lines between our online and offline worlds. Going through a dead spot for cell service felt like you were in some real life Twilight Zone

The App Explosion: There’s an App for That

Remember when you needed separate devices for everything? A somewhat bulky camera for pictures, a Nintendo Switch or Gameboy for road trips, a GPS for directions? The early 2010s brought an app revolution that consolidated all these functions into one device that fit in the side pocket of those yoga pants.

App stores became treasure troves of functionality. Need to catch up on the news? There’s an app for that. Want to play a game? There’s an app for that. Looking to learn a new language? Yep – there’s an app for that too. This app revolution made smartphones nearly essential for daily life! It meant having a tool for every aspect of life right in your pocket.

Time To Cut The Cable: Entertainment On-Demand

Gone are the days of waiting for your favorite show to air or your favorite song to play on the radio. The early 2010s saw the rise of streaming services like Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube, which revolutionized how people, especially young people, consumed entertainment.

With thousands upon thousands of songs, movies and books available at our fingertips, the media world was turned on its head. Binge-watching became a weekend staple, and discovering new music was just a tap of the finger away. These streaming services provided a personalized, on-demand entertainment experience that fed right into our instant gratification generation.

Chromebooks Abound: Education in the Digital Age

But not to worry. Education wasn’t left behind in this technology surge. Schools of all shapes and sizes embraced this new array of digital tools, transforming the learning experience. E-books, online courses, and virtual classrooms became common, thus making education available for nearly everyone at an almost on demand pace.

Not only was this convenient! It meant new ways of learning and engaging with information. The traditional classroom that worked for generations was now filled with digital resources, making learning more dynamic, interactive, and flexible. Technology became a second teacher in nearly every classroom. And it quickly moved beyond a fun addition to a critical component of academic life, preparing students for what was sure to become a digital future.

The Rise of Digital Natives

At the heart of this tech explosion was a shift in our culture as a whole. Those who were young people being raised in the early 2010s weren’t just users of technology; they were digital natives. They grew up with it, adapted to it, and embraced it in ways previous generations hadn’t. The generation known as Gen-Z is a generation that hasn’t known a life without this technology revolution.

The more widely accepted it became the more technology moved from just a tool to a way of life. It shaped how this generation interacted with each other, how they learned, and where they found entertainment. The understanding that technology was pivotal in day-to-day life anchored its role in youth culture (and beyond).

A Decade of Transformation

In short, the early 2010s were more than just a few years with some technology advancements; they would become a new era that ultimately redefined our culture – especially the youth culture. Smartphones, social media, cellular internet, app stores, streaming services, and educational technology converged creating a whole new world of possibilities.

For younger generations, this wasn’t just about keeping up with the latest trends; it was about integrating technology into every aspect of life. The tech takeover of the early 2010s set the stage for a future where technology is no longer an addition to life, but an essential part of how we experience it.

And just think, it all started with that little device in your pocket.

Why Does It Have To Be This Way?

January 22, 2024 / / 0 Comments

I’m pretty sure we’ve all asked this a time or two. Why are things the way they are? Why does life have to be this way?

Now this post will teeter on the edge of being somewhat punchy. That’s not the actual intent but some things have unintended consequences that can be predicted.

We’re in a section of the Bible right now that hits at the heart of the struggles we’re seeing in the world. Paul, in the book of Romans, is addressing a group of Jesus followers and he drives right at the heart of a culture that has walked away from God.

The Roman culture was all about freedom of religion although they didn’t call it that. They had more gods than we have brands of soda. It was kind of astounding if you think about it. Everything and every part of life had a different god to worship. There was a god for politics. One for rain. One for money. One for fertility. One for…well you get the picture.

The only caveat to the whole deal was that you could worship anything or anyone you wanted as long as you didn’t claim your god was the best or only. You see you had to be open and tolerant and accepting of everyone’s beliefs. But they took it one step further than that. You were supposed to be affirming of it.

There’s a difference between loving someone in spite of what they do and encouraging the behavior they’re exhibiting. You can love someone deeply and still offer correction. As a matter of fact, if you really love someone you darn well better offer a correction if they’re showing signs of destructive, uncharacteristic, or improper behavior.

So back to Paul. In Romans 1:18-32, something you can read on your own, Paul hits on the topic of an unraveling society. The first part of the section talks about how the people had done all they could to remove God from the picture. They did things like take him out of schools, off political buildings, remove his name from currency, not allow him to be talked about in places of business.

Ok so I know that all sounds like something you might hear today and some of you are probably thinking I’m talking about today. You’re right and you’re wrong at the same time. You’re right in that it does apply to our lives today. But you’re wrong in that it really was kind of what was going on in Paul’s day, with some modernized language.

Paul is really driving home the point that society, his and ours, has walked away from God in pretty staggering ways. Then he transitions to his closing argument. This is why the world is the way it is.

You see the issue is the unraveling of the world is a direct result of society wanting to push God away. When we exchanged God for everything but God, we shouldn’t be surprised when he hands us over to the unhealthy desires and behaviors that go along with turning our backs on him.

Why is the world the way it is? People talk about same sex attraction and legalized abortion. Stories of kids wanting to change their gender. Some of these conversations make my head spin but they shouldn’t really surprise us. We’re getting exactly what we asked for here.

Actions have consequences, and we’re living our consequences right now. So why does it have to be this way? We’re just getting what we asked for, that’s why.

Context and Culture

November 2, 2023 / / 0 Comments

There’s something to be said about knowing your culture and context. Whether you’re in marketing, sales, public speaking, an author, a song writer, or even a pastor we need to know the culture and context into which we’re speaking.

For some these two words might seem the same but I see them as two sides of the same coin. Both are needed and both are important. Culture is who we are. It’s the systems and ideals with which we’ve been raised and that define our character and personhood. Context on the other hand is the lens through which everything we see is filtered. Our culture is more consistent than our context.

My family of origin and my current household structure are not likely to change a whole lot through the years (aside from the age of my children). But my context is all the other stuff like my neighborhood, financial status, job title, and all those things that can and often do change frequently.

If we don’t understand the culture and context of our audience, we’ll never speak in a way that they hear much less understand. I’m going to take this conversation to my context. I’m a pastor so this applies to me in a very specific way. I need to know how to contextualize the message I preach.

Now some out there will get all bent out of shape by hearing me say something about contextualizing the gospel. They likely think I’m talking about changing the gospel to meet the scenarios of the people around me. But they couldn’t be more wrong. As a matter of fact I don’t change the message, or in your case the product you sell. We do however need to change the way we communicate the value of that product or message.

Take my role again as an example. I need to be able to speak in a contextually applicable way. That is not making the gospel fit into the lives of my hearers by any means. The idea of contextualization of the gospel is about helping my hearers find the end of their current, and future, story in the gospel of Jesus. It’s about helping people see how their lives already are impacted by the message of the Bible.

If you’re in sales or marketing it’s the same thing. You’re not forcing your ideals, product or message onto someone else. Your goal is to help them see themselves and their problems being cared for by the message or product you provide. When I was in car sales I did this all the time. Someone would come with a problem. My car has a problem, doesn’t run, is old, needs replaced.

I didn’t have to convince them to buy the car. I just had to show them how the car I had on the lot actually was the answer to the problem they presented to me in the first place.

As pastors we tend to get stuck in a rut of Jesus loves me this I know, blah…blah…blah. Yes that message is really important and it’s very true! But it’s only part of the story. If we don’t contextualize the message in a culturally relevant way, then people aren’t going to be able to hear the message much less be impacted by it.

Take time to understand the culture around you and the context into which your message or product will be presented. You’ll be far more effective when you do.

Have We Lost Our Voice?

July 12, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Your voice is something that’s easily taken for granted. I mean how often do we stop and think wow I’m sure glad I have my voice today? It’s not until we get laryngitis or a sore throat that we start to think about the sound of our voice. It’s generally not until it’s going away, or even gone, that we start to realize the importance of our voice. But I think we might be losing our voice.

For generations in our history, we’ve had to use our voices. From yelling out the front door that dinner is ready to talking to the clerk at the grocery, we had to use our voices. We had to speak and listen. Conversations were the norm for our society.

But something happened in the not too distant past. We let our voice grow quiet. And I fear some have altogether lost their voice.

It started with the telegraph then the radio and television, but quickly moved on to computers and phones and now all things virtual. You can live much of your life totally on the grid and yet not interact with another human vocally. I get it though. Some days we get that whole I can’t people today feeling. (I actually have a shirt with that quote.)

But what happens when we give up our voice?

When we give up our voice, we let someone speak for us. I remember when my grandparents were struggling with end of life issues related to Alzheimer’s disease. My mom had to be their voice. When one person gives up or loses their voice, someone else speaks for them. And if you don’t trust that person, it can be dangerous!

We’ve given up our voice in so many ways. I watch kids and the tendency to gravitate toward their phones or devices instead of interacting with real, live humans in front of them. I watch as someone would rather send a text or email instead of making a call or stopping in for a visit. When we give up, or lose our voice someone speaks for us and it often doesn’t end well. Even if the voice people hear is an assumption they’ve created!

If you look around you can see it everywhere. Parents have given up their voices to let the schools raise their children. Men and women have given up their voices at the polls because they think their voice won’t count. Even in churches we see people forfeiting their voices to praise teams or choirs.

As a pastor it’s so hard to look at the members of the church and see so many with arms folded and lips held tight. You have a voice! Use it! Or someone will speak for you. And if you don’t speak up, you can’t be mad that the outcome isn’t what you want.

We are in a really important time in history. There will never be another today. The decisions we make today will affect our kids forever. The way we use, or don’t use, our voices in these moments will set in motion the path for the future of society. I know it sounds heavy but it is!

It’s time to stand up for what we believe in. Disagree if you must but do it in an agreeable fashion. Respect other opinions but voice your own. We need to claim the voice we’ve been given and speak. And it has to start today.

No one can take your voice as long as you’re using it. So use it!

A Problem of Identity

June 23, 2023 / / 0 Comments

There is a huge discussion happening in our world these days about identity. Who determines your identity? Is this something we choose? Is it forced upon us? Is it a natural part of the human condition to have an inborn identity? Consider a couple of scenarios that aren’t too far from reality. A young man grows up in a family where the dad is abusive, and he decides that he doesn’t want to be like his dad. A girl is raised by a single mom who is powerful and strong and has it all together, so she decides she will be the strongest woman around and she doesn’t need anyone.

In both of these situations, the young people have determined that their upbringing was going to have an impact on their identity. One determined that their situation was going to make them buck the system while the other embraced the reality.

If we were to push this example just a little bit further, you can see the young man who’s been abused by his dad wanting nothing to do with men. Ultimately, he thinks he can change who he is and form a new identity all because he doesn’t like the example this man has been in his life.

I really believe this issue of identity is a major concern in our culture and we don’t really even realize it. Just 5-7 years ago, ones identity was all but assumed. Not imposed on us but gifted to us individually. There were things we simply did not even consider trying to change. Fast forward to our modern context and it seems as if nothing is consistent if I don’t want it to be consistent.

Where does my identity come from anyway? This is a fundamental question that is answered differently by different camps of people. There are really only two ways of answering this question however. Either our identity is given to us by something outside of ourselves or we are able to freely evolve into whatever identity we desire in the moment. Try as you might to make it more complex but in reality it’s that simple. And once we start individually evolving our identity, there is absolutely no stopping it.

For those of us who are in Christ, who call ourselves Christians, we believe that our identity is found not in our parents or our own self will but it’s in Christ. To call oneself a Christian and not be defined by the things that Christ is about is like having a diesel motor in your vehicle and choosing to put gasoline in it. It just won’t work. And actually you do more harm than you might realize. You can’t be a Christian and not allow the power and presence of Christ to gift you your identity.

Our society is fighting over some massive identity issues. This is the reason for the rise in talk about the LGBTQ movement, among other hot topics of the day. It’s a movement that at its core is about identity. Wanting to self identify as something that runs counter to the natural flow of humanity and nature. Please don’t misread this at all. The intent of this post is not the condone or condemn someone’s lifestyle choices. It’s simply my understanding of the culture in which we live. We are bent on being in charge of our identity.

We think our identity is found in our preferences, sexual, political or otherwise. We think our identity is determined by our position, posture, or possessions. We introduce ourselves by our marital status, job title, occupation, denominational affiliation, political party. You name it, we have imposed identities all around us. But some identities aren’t that easy to just sluff off. We can’t change our identity as a man or woman without some outside force allowing it to be a reality.

I know my thoughts aren’t going to be popular with everyone and that’s ok with me. I know my intent and it’s not to harm. It’s simply to help people see that their identity isn’t found in who they like or if they’re liked back the same way. You don’t need a spouse to be whole. You can be wildly successful in your own right without a PHD or cool title attached to the end of your email.

Your identity isn’t found in the color of your skin or preferred pronouns. Your identity is found in Christ and your perspective in relation to him. You can’t change that. Try as you might to have a more clear picture of yourself through a different title or a change in physical appearance. But deep on the inside you are still the same person with the same identity. You are still someone who God loves deeply. You are still someone for whom Jesus willingly and painfully died. You are someone to whom the gift of heaven was graciously extended.

The world will continue to have an identity crisis until it realizes that its true identity is found in a God who loves through a Son who gives and a Spirit who lives.

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