June 16, 2004
Dallas Willard on the Broken Church
(Filed under: Spirituality)"The greatest challenge the church faces today is to be authentic disciples of Jesus. ... That's one reason why the statistics on Christians generally don't differ from the statistics on non-Christians. We're not living a different life."
-Dallas Willard, author of The Divine Conspiracy and Renovation of the Heart. (Source: RelevantMagazine.com, June 2004)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:02 AM
June 10, 2004
Shark Victim Bethany Hamilton on Courage
(Filed under: Inspiration)"Courage doesn't mean you don't get afraid. Courage means you don't let fear stop you."
-14-year-old shark victim Bethany Hamilton, who lost her left arm to a tiger shark while surfing. Read her autobiography, Soul Surfer for the whole story. (Source: Guideposts for Teens, June/July 2004)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:55 AM
June 3, 2004
Thrice's Riley Breckenridge on Belief
(Filed under: Spirituality)"We're definitely not a Christian band. We've never been into being preachy, never been into spreading any kind of word. It just came from [lead singer Dustin Kensrue] singing about issues that he was having--a lot of those were faith-based. Some people are turned off by that. Then there are a lot of people who are like, not even from a Christian standpoint, [and they say,] 'Dustin's lyrics have helped me start exploring why I'm here, what I'm doing here, justifying my existence and stuff.' I think that's a good thing. I'm not a Christian, and I'm not exactly sure what I believe in. But I do believe in looking for answers and being open to a lot of different things."
-Thrice drummer Riley Breckenridge (Source: Relevant Magazine, May/June 2004)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:35 AM | Comments (3)
Social Distortion's John Maurer on Jesus
(Filed under: Spirituality)"The work of Christ to me is very important. I strive to be Christ-like, you know ... in my walk and like I said, just striving and working on being Christ-like."
-Social Distortion bassist John Maurer (Source: Relevant Magazine, May/June 2004 and Rock Stars on God)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:28 AM
Nickelback's Chad Kroeger on Jesus
(Filed under: Spirituality)"I believe in Jesus Christ, but I also believe in a lot of different things ... I'm more like -- if you're a good person and you got a good soul, there is life beyond earth, and I don't think they just have to go through Jesus Christ."
-Nickelback vocalist/guitarist Chad Kroeger (Source: Relevant Magazine, May/June 2004 and Rock Stars on God)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:26 AM | Comments (8)
Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello on Christians
(Filed under: Spirituality)"Maybe I would have a more positive view of religion if I was impressed by the behavior of those who preach it, not meaning preachers, but anyone from the heads of government to the people I know in the school who confessed to be Christians. Some of those Christians were the biggest (expletive) who mistreated their fellow man in the worst ways. Religion is so tied up with political manipulation that it is hard to see if there could be a nugget of spirituality in there that can genuinely influence your life. It's hard to find."
-Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello (Source: Relevant Magazine, May/June 2004 and Rock Stars on God)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:23 AM
Halle Berry on Men
(Filed under: Relationships)"I'm OK all by myself. A man does not complete me."
-Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry, who starred in X2 and Monster's Ball. (Source: USA Today, May 26, 2004)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:13 AM
Hoobastank's Doug Robb on Cocaine
(Filed under: Substance Abuse)"None of us do drugs. I've never even smoked a cigarette. Never smoked pot ... But we've been around heavy drugs, and it always trips me out. The first time I saw someone do cocaine, I was staring with my mouth open, like, 'Oh, my God! Dude's doing cocaine! I've only seen this in movies.'"
-Doug Robb, singer for rock band Hoobastank. (Source: Rolling Stone, June 10, 2004)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:08 AM | Comments (17)
Avril Lavigne on Growing Up
(Filed under: Adolescence)"When you're younger, you're growing faster, and you're changing your mind all the time. You feel this way one day, and you feel a different way another day. You're trying to figure out who you are and you're becoming who you're going to be."
-Avril Lavigne, who just released her sophomore album, Under My Skin. (Source: MTV.com, April 30, 2004)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:03 AM | Comments (1)
Bow Wow on Satisfaction
(Filed under: Materialism)"I found out the hard way that you can have everything in the world and still not be satisfied."
-Rapper Bow Wow (Source: Teen Vogue, June/July 2004)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:00 AM
George Parker on the Raging Sea of Teenhood
(Filed under: Adolescence)"I've always thought childhood was like an idyllic cruise on a luxury liner across a tranquil ocean, but when we cross that imaginary dateline into the teenage years, it's akin to being thrown overboard into a raging sea of uncertainty."
-Author George Parker (Source: PRNewswire, May 12, 2004)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:57 AM
Anne Hathaway on Drinking
(Filed under: Substance Abuse)"I was very lost and very lonely in high school ... I didn't drink because I disagreed with it at that point in my life. People didn't understand that, and they made fun of me for it. They were always putting a beer can up to my lips and being like, 'Come on, you know you want to.' And I was like, 'No, I really don't. That's not what I want my life to be about right now."
-Actress Anne Hathaway, who starred in The Princess Diaries. (Source: CosmoGirl!, May 2004)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:53 AM
Morrissey on Being a Teen
(Filed under: Adolescence)"I think [being a teenager] is a time in your life when you gravitate toward a somewhat dark realism, and you want people to stop talking to you as if you were a child. You want people to give it to you straight."
-Morrissey (Source: Spin, May 2004)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:48 AM
Michelle Wie on Being a Teen
(Filed under: Adolescence)"Everyone is saying that your teenage years are really hard, but they're actually really easy. You're not working, you're not paying taxes, you just have to go to school."
-14-year-old golfer Michelle Wie (Source: Sports Illustrated, May 3, 2004)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:46 AM
Chris Rice on Religious Paraphernalia
(Filed under: Spirituality)"One of the biggest blind spots we have in the church is that we've got so many resources and even so much entertainment and religious paraphernalia focused on ourselves. All of that can get built up into an imaginary wall that separates us from our culture. We've gotten real comfortable behind that wall. But, ultimately, it can't be about being comfortable and being around people who are like us."
-Chris Rice, whose best of collection, Short Term Memories releases next week. (Source: CCM, June 2004)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:41 AM
Third Day's Mark Lee on Imagination
(Filed under: Spirituality)"It's so easy within the confines of the church, to take the imagination and throw that out in the place of the 'facts.' And any sense of story, any sense of mystery, gets stifled by folks who feel that literalism is the only approach to the Scriptures. If you really look at the way Christ lived and taught -- through the parables, for one example -- you see how he entrusted these truths, at times actually hid them, in stories so people could discover them on their own, which is powerful."
-Mark Lee, guitarist for Third Day who just released Wire. (Source: CCM, June 2004)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:28 AM
Third Day's David Carr on Religious Fluff
(Filed under: Spirituality)"The church is really in need of that kind of reality. We get together, and we have Bible studies and study groups; and it's all good stuff. But if the purpose is just to increase our knowledge of biblical history and not to get to the heart of what God is trying to say to us through these characters and stories, it's all just religion to me. That doesn't really connect with me, and I don't think it really connects with most people. Same thing goes for our music. If the goal is not to really connect to people's real lives, then I think it's just religious fluff."
-David Carr, drummer for Third Day who just released Wire. (Source: CCM, June 2004)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:23 AM
Joe Rogness on the Church
(Filed under: Spirituality)"I love the church, but we need to meet people where they're at, love 'em and build trust with them. Jesus hung out with the prostitutes and the tax collectors and sinners. It's about more than just putting up a sign that says 'Easter service here.' In the church we spend a lot of time talking to each other about each other. We need to get outside of that."
-Minneapolis singer Joe Rogness (Source: CCM, June 2004)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:15 AM