CultureFeast

Spirituality

Topics about faith, belief, tradition, and how spirituality influences and integrates with every other aspect of American culture.

Feasting Imagery Is Our New Theme, Aaaand Also Our Old Theme

By Daniel Dessinger on · Follow: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
raising a glass at sunset

When I launched this website in the Fall of 2005, I thought I was preparing the way for an online bookstore. I’d acquired hundreds of books and was entering their data into a database for the purpose of selling online. The feast was originally a feast of knowledge, as made apparent by my bookstore’s selection of great works.

Imagine a bookstore brimming with Baudelaire and Camus, Hess and Goethe, Hemingway and Eliot, Herodotus and Eusebius, Hawthorne and Whitman, Fukuoka and Shephard.

Then the site transitioned into a culture blog, and the “feast” represented a savory sampling of pop culture topics and trending ideas.

Then the site died. Literally died. Poof! It was gone and nowhere to be found. For years.

Then it was reborn. And the Feast is now a vision. It’s a prophecy. It’s a bold prediction of a future we wish to see.

We are not doom and gloom. We are not fear and panic. We are preparation and eager anticipation.

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Success happens when preparation meets opportunity. One of the greatest sayings of all time. There is a feast being prepared for those who love the Lord, who trust in Him, and who are called according to His purposes.

There is a feast, and it is coming. And I want you to be a part of it with me.

The Feast Is Coming

By Daniel Dessinger on · Follow: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
wedding feast

O Lord, I will honor and praise your name,
for you are my God.
You do such wonderful things!
You planned them long ago,
and now you have accomplished them.

You turn mighty cities into heaps of ruins.
Cities with strong walls are turned to rubble.
Beautiful palaces in distant lands disappear
and will never be rebuilt.
Therefore, strong nations will declare your glory;
ruthless nations will fear you.

But you are a tower of refuge to the poor, O Lord,
a tower of refuge to the needy in distress.
You are a refuge from the storm
and a shelter from the heat.
For the oppressive acts of ruthless people
are like a storm beating against a wall,
or like the relentless heat of the desert.

But you silence the roar of foreign nations.
As the shade of a cloud cools relentless heat,
so the boastful songs of ruthless people are stilled.

In Jerusalem, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
will spread a wonderful feast
for all the people of the world.
It will be a delicious banquet
with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat.

There he will remove the cloud of gloom,
the shadow of death that hangs over the earth.

He will swallow up death forever!
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears.
He will remove forever all insults and mockery
against his land and people.
The Lord has spoken!

Isaiah 25:1-8

In Jerusalem, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will spread a wonderful feast for all the people of the world. It will be a delicious banquet with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat. ~ Isaiah 25:6

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Wake Up, Church! The Time Has Come for Pastors of Online Ministry

By Daniel Dessinger on · Follow: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
man watching a presentation streaming on the internet

Have you noticed that the larger churches have made some serious upgrades to their website in 2009? Churches now have Twitter accounts, Facebook fan pages, and blogs. Their members who are getting it done in the workplace are stepping up and bringing their local churches kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

Content that used to be impossible to find is now making it to the Web. Sermons, skits, teachings, music, conferences, testimonies, signs, and wonders are nudging their way toward mainstream availability.

How Do You Measure Success?

What is the measure of your success, and where will you devote your time and energy online? Is it good enough to have a thousand sermon views per month? Is that success? What happens to those people afterward? Who is shepherding them?

Who is loving them in lieu of a brick and mortar church? Is your purpose to scatter seed? To evangelize? To administer healing? To deliver prophetic words? To disciple? What is your goal, how will you know when you’ve accomplished your goal, and what will you do to keep from diluting your efforts on unnecessary avenues?

Who Will Man the Webz?

This is perhaps the scariest question of all. Organizations that implement online strategies well may draw significant attention to their websites and social media profiles, resulting in hundreds of comments and questions. Who is manning the interwebz, Church? Whom have you given the authority to respond, answer, pray, and minister to the online sheep? Or do you just want to wildly cast your seed out into cyberspace and hope some of it lands on good soil? Is that what a faithful steward does with the talents God has given him?

Assuming you’ve graduated to the point of actually allowing comments on your site, fan pages, and profile pages, who is handling responses? Have you dumped these responsibilities on your pastoral assistant? Your receptionist? Your youth pastor? Who is qualified to do this? Who understands the Web well enough to not insult people by acting against standard social media community protocols? Who can afford to dilute their current focus?

It’s the same problem businesses without a solid understanding of social media are facing right now. They have no employees qualified or available to man the sails. Social media profiles and blogs become virtual ghost towns neglected by those who had the idea but not the calling to see it through.

The Time Has Come for Pastors of Online Ministry

The fields ARE white with harvest. And some of those fields are virtual. Entire ministries could be built RIGHT NOW ministering God’s grace and love to people online who don’t attend a church, or whose church doesn’t offer the type of ministry you can provide online.

Right now, people are ministering prophetically through Twitter. People are mentioning their needs and their sorrows online. You can find them with real-time search. Someone could reach them.

Prayer. Encouraging words. Words of knowledge. Words of wisdom. Teaching. Discipling. It’s all possible. It’s all right there. You just need a vision for it and equip your local body of believers to do the work.

And let’s get to it. It’s time for some churches to hire Pastors of Online Ministry. These are web savvy people mature in the faith and trustworthy who can be sent out and supported by the church to minister to the lost online.

It’s time to catch the vision, pastors! It’s time to gather to yourselves those members of your flock who are faithful and equipped and to release them into the virtual highways and byways.

My Grandfather’s Radio Show Now Online

By Daniel Dessinger on · Follow: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I hope you are well and taking this time to cherish your loved ones. Whether they be family, coworkers, or lifelong friends, give thanks to God for the people He has blessed you with.

If you find some time this holiday weekend and would like to listen to something out-of-the-ordinary, my grandfather’s radio messages are now online. Lennard Darbee was a healing evangelist from the 1950s to the 1980s. His Pacific regional radio broadcast, Rays of Faith, touched the lives of many.

I am making these 15 minute talks available via podcast at LennardDarbee.com. Please take some time to check them out. I plan to post one per week, and I have several hundred, so we should be adding new content for quite some time.

To Have, To Hold, and To Submit?

By Lisa Pawlowski on

One afternoon, when my husband and I were watching my son’s soccer game, a woman I had never met before was eager to share with me something she had just discovered.

“I tell you what. I never knew happiness until I learned to submit to my husband.” At first, I tried to politely ignore her and act like I was really into the game, even during those times when my son was sitting on the bench drinking water. But she persisted.

“Yep. It’s just the way the Bible says. A woman is meant to submit to her husband.”

At this, I couldn’t resist. “Submit? Submit? Where in the Bible does it say that?” She quoted the book and verse and I forgot it after she told me. Also, I have never felt compelled to look it up since then. It’s been my experience that people who are familiar with obscure Bible verses, and have them at the ready, are the same ones who can extrapolate the oddest meaning out of the simplest phrase.

I looked around for my husband to see his reaction to all of this. Mercifully, he was prowling the sidelines watching the game and hadn’t heard any of the conversation. “It’s so freeing when you submit to your husband,” she continued.

I snorted, “Yeah, that way when he messes up really bad, or misjudges a situation, you can sit back and say it’s all his fault.” To show her displeasure, the woman gave me a very un-Christian-like glare and moved her chair a few feet away. 

The word submit has never been in the wedding vows and it’s an antiquated notion anymore to even have the word obey remain. Most brides bristle at the word and have it taken it out. I don’t know why the woman was trying to sell me on her idea that women should be submissive to their husbands.

My thought on the subject was, “If you’re happy with it, good for you. But don’t get into my business and tell me I’m wrong.” Generally, the way my marriage works is, which ever one of us wants something the most, that person is usually who wins out. If we disagree on something, we debate it and try to convince the other why we’re right.

After the game, as we were walking back to the car, I told my husband about the woman’s gall. He said he liked the way our marriage was like a partnership. He didn’t want to be married to someone who was willing to keep her mouth shut and go along with whatever whim came to his mind, precisely for the reason I’d mentioned to the woman. If we both made a decision that went horribly wrong, we both would have a share in the blame.

Life’s too complex and stressful to have just one person in charge all the time. A marriage works better when both have equal say in what happens.

“The Secret” vs Christian Faith

By Daniel Dessinger on · Follow: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter

How does The Law of Attraction apply to Judaism and Christianity? A proclaimed universal principle does not corroborate other faiths. “Your thoughts become things.” A thought has a frequency, and that frequency is transmitted on a consistent basis. Whether it’s magnetic or some other compelling force, the law is that like attracts like. It can sound like a convoluted mess.

Some might say that disciplined thoughts seem to draw similar realities because focused thoughts steer our actions and lead us to accomplish what we want. They would say that disciplined thinking is more about removing the hindering lies that keep us from pursuing a truth or desired result. The Secret tells us to think and speak about what we want, rather than what we don’t want.

It seems like such a meaningless shade of difference between “I don’t want to be poor” and “I want to be rich.” Most of us think that these are the same thought. We don’t even consider how words or thoughts of negation affect our attitudes every single day.

While it is possible to find a thread of similarity between the Bible and The Secret, this is also true of most every religion in existence. A thread of similarity implies nothing. The Bible makes it very clear that God is the source of blessing, not us.

It does call us into account, however. Each person is responsible to think on good things and to ask their heavenly Father for the desires of their heart.

The Secret has absolutely nothing to do with God, per se. You are essentially sending out a signal into the universe every time you say or think something positive, which will echo back to you with blessing somehow. Where does it come from? Who knows. The whole point is that you make it happen.

Many disgruntled Christians have looked into The Secret in hopes of finding the answers to getting what they want. Unless you want a Joel Osteen lifestyle, you won’t find enough common ground between Christianity and The Secret.  

False Christ Causing Waves in Orlando

By Daniel Dessinger on · Follow: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
Dr. Jose Luis De Jesus Miranda

Dr. Jose Luis De Jesus Miranda, a 61 year-old Puerto Rican, is claiming to be the second coming of Jesus Christ. A recovering heroine addict and an ex-con? Seriously?

Despite his outlandish claims that millions of followers and 30 countries acknowledge him as god, only 100,000 followers can be verified by the press. But do the numbers really matter? Sure, a number in the millions would be more likely to cause some people to pause and consider why so many have believed. But this guy is far from the image of the Son of God. It’s more than laughable. It’s “Springer does religion”.

I heard a televised statement made by Miranda this morning. His exact words were: “Jesus of Nazareth, on a scale of 1 to 10, he’s a 2. I’ve performed many many more miracles.”

Wonderfully unfounded and unproven. And honestly, even if he people were healed around him, that is no verification of godhood.

Scripturally speaking, this is just a case of yet another false christ. He tries to undo the Scriptures and start from scratch.

Wait and see what happens.

Tarrant County Prays More than Dallas

By Daniel Dessinger on · Follow: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter

I don’t know if it’s in the water or what, but my personal experience has proven that people in Tarrant County pray over meals more than people in Dallas County. We can’t really include Collin and Denton Counties in this comparison. Denton County is perhaps the most bizarre in Texas, and Collin County is full of overachieving business types – and we know they don’t pray much. ;)

To the point, I cannot count how many people pray before their meal in restaurants all over Hurst, Euless, Bedford, Arlingtonn, Fort Worth, Grapevine, Southlake, Colleyville, etc. As we speak, I’ve seen two of four tables nearest me pray before their meal.

My parents would probably say how sad it is that so few people pray in comparison to when they were my age. I, on the other hand, do not expect to see people pray in public ever, and it continues to startle me and make me feel oddly uncomfortable.

When did this become a problem for me? I realize now that I have slipped out of the habit of praying over every meal. It is a habit I kept for ten years, and only in the past year have started forgetting. The discomfort of public prayer for me has been largely that of making public something that is very personal.

Despite the fact that I blog, which is perhaps an extroverted activity, I do not like having my personal details aired in front of everyone.

I admit it – I am still self-conscious and concerned about what others think.

But this article isn’t about me. Or, at least, it wasn’t supposed to be. Maybe Christians just gravitate towards Starbucks and Panera Bread. Whatever the case, I am amazed that so many people still pray. I don’t know why I am so pessimistic, but I tend to assume that most people attending church are Sunday Christians only, and any expression of faith throughout the week is unintentional.

Keep praying, Tarrant County. I don’t mind being wrong.

How To Choose What To Wear To A Church Service

By Daniel Dessinger on · Follow: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter

It occurred to me the other day that I wear different styles of clothing to church based upon my expectation of the service. When I first accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior ten years ago, I began attending church in a t-shirt and jeans because they were all that I owned.

I found that I could engage more completely in worship because I had no expectations of being viewed by other people as cool or attractive. I was able to leave my self image at home and participate with total focus.

As I should have expected, that reality did not last very long. I inevitably gained more clothing through birthday gifts and sheer necessity, and Sunday morning church became an opportunity to attract the opposite sex. Honestly, if one is to look for a partner, there is no better place to look than one’s own church or university (as applicable).

But the simple truth is that the moment I dressed in nice clothes for church, I knew I would get more attention from people. I expected more attention.

I could no longer worship at the front of the sanctuary because I was sure that I was being watched and I worried too much how I looked – if my hair was in place, my shirt tucked nicely and unwrinkled, etc. Even after marriage, self image wasn’t automatically thrown out the window.

Image consciousness morphs a little to make sense (hence the soccer mom image in the nice SUV). We no longer try to send out the message to the opposite sex that we are both available and desirable, but there is still something within us that wants our peers to know we are living a good life.

We want their respect for our lifestyle choices and even their admiration for our tastes in fashion, architecture, art, decor, and music. The question remains: What is your primary purpose for attending services? Is it to mingle? Is it to walk the runway? Is it to worship?

There will always be exceptions to every rule. While this is true, most people will always be self conscious in public if they spend too much time and attention preparing their clothes, hair, makeup, etc. No one wants to spend a lot of time getting ready only to have their hair flop over or stick up, or to have their shirt bunch up at the sides.

We want what we took the time to make right to stay right. Unfortunately, that means we often are too distracted to participate in corporate worship. How can we really focus on the majesty of God when Guy X or Girl Z two rows back may be wondering why we chose this outfit?

I’ve found that for me personally, it’s best to go au naturale… No, not without clothes. I just go to church wearing the same normal clothes I wear each day.

It may be a little boring, but I don’t dress on Sunday to entertain. I need that corporate time in worship. I don’t have time to waste on what other people think of me, and the best way to avoid that problem is dress in such a way as to guarantee I won’t draw attention.

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