When we think of technology, we would not likely think of the invention of the wheel or of a written language. However, in the truest sense of the word technology, they are.
Technology is simply the practical application of knowledge. And the human race has been affected by technology from its beginning.
What we seldom think about is how technology changes who & what we are. Not merely what the technology brings us, but also the nature of the technology itself.
Today we continue our exploration of the cultural ocean in which we swim. And we begin our look at the effects of technology.
Neil Postman has said, “[W]hen we admit a new technology to the culture, we must do so w/our eyes wide open.”

-What media do you think of when the word ‘technology’ is used?
-Describe the ‘media wars’ that rage in your world.
-How can we begin to view new technologies w/our eyes wide open?

There used to be a distinction between the movies & television. The movies were called the Big Screen while television the Small Screen.
Today, it would be a misnomer to say that. From the big screen analog to the flat screen High Definition TV’s of today, the television of today is also the Big Screen.
We are continuing our conversation about the effects of culture on our lives & our worldview, entitled Culture Couture. Today we take up the media subjects of movies & television.
What are the messages we buy into, 95% of which are sent from five of the biggest conglomerates in the world? How dangerous is it to mindlessly watch without an element of discernment & awareness.
Join the conversation as we explore the Big Screen(s).

-What celebrity can you not get enough news about?
-Have you ever been moved by the Big Screen? Tell us about a movie or TV show that affected you in some way.
-How does indiscriminate TV & movie watching change our view of normal?

One of the most pervasive media in our culture is the medium of advertising. Several sources I read say that we are exposed to 3,000 messages or images every day. That’s pervasive.
But what are the lasting effects from the onslaught of demands that advertising & our culture place on us?
We are in the midst of a series exploring the culture through which we negotiate every day. Today we are examining advertising. I am old enough to remember when television & radio announcers used to say such things as, “Now, A Word From Our Sponsor.”
A former editor-in-chief of Advertising Age, the leading advertising publication in North America, once claimed: “Only 8% of an ad’s message is received by the conscience mind. The rest is worked & re-worked deep within, in the recesses of the brain.”
Perhaps we need to understand the other 92% that is worming its way into our heads…

-What are your favorite commercials?
-Who or what does advertising say you are?
-In what ways are you & you relationships affected by advertising’s medium & message?

The concept of “Face” is Chinese in its origin. But most languages and cultures have similar if not metaphorically equivalent terms like: prestige, honor, and/or reputation. However, it seems that “face” is much more than any one of these words.
Americans have trivialized the idea of face until our version is simply “Keeping Up with the Joneses.” The young have “peer pressure.”
As we prepare to explore the effects of culture (Culture Couture) on our lives, we are taking three weekends to first understand a bit about ourselves.
Last week we discovered that the deep longing inside of us is “Paradise Lost.” This week we question our motivations in our need for Saving Face.

-Grasshopper or Ant?
-What kinds of rituals does your family endure to “save face?”
-If you were brutally honest, do you care more about how you look in the eyes of others or about how you feel on the inside? Explain.

Inside of each of us there is a longing for significance and a sense of “something more.” Where does this come from?
Unfortunately, most of us seek to fill that longing with “stuff.” But we are disappointed, aren’t we? Nothing we try, nothing we buy, nothing we achieve seems to fulfill the need.
In his book The Weight of Glory, C.S. Lewis said, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” 17th Century English poet John Milton coined the phrase “Paradise Lost.” It describes what we, as God’s greatest creation, feel. Author Sam van Eman said, “Adam and Eve were given full identity and worth, as well as perfect harmony with God, each other, and the created order. When sin entered, they lost the reality of this flawless world, and to this day, our collective memory knows what it was like. Somehow, albeit with confusion, we remember Eden.”

-Which motivates you more: Love or Fear?
-When do you feel the lack of your own significance most acutely?
-What do you call it when you ogle other gods while walking arm in arm with your Creator?

“Multitudes will gladly set aside their strong convictions - that people don’t rise from the dead - in order to be amused with stories about the “undead” like Twilight, The Crazies, or even Thriller while ignoring the claims of Easter”
The above was Jeff Taylor’s Facebook status update during last week. It garnered a few comments & several “likes.” However, what I had hoped is that it would cause people to think about how quick we are to be amused, despite the premise, & yet how slow we are to embrace other things preternatural.
On this weekend of worldwide Easter celebration, we are exploring the Resurrection of Jesus & its effect upon our daily lives.
Have you considered joining the copious life in the ranks of the “UnDead?”

-What is your favorite version of the mythic undead?
-Do you believe God can & does do supernatural things? Explain.
-How does the resurrection of Jesus effect your everyday life?

Three years ago, Paul Young authored a book that has sold more than 4 million copies. ‘The Shack’ is a combination of tragedy & fantasy that takes the reader deep into the heart of God.
Young stirred up quite a controversy by first depicting God as appearing to the book’s main character Mack as a large black woman. In fact, Many in the American Christian subculture banned the book for this reason alone.
However, the Bible is clear. God is not a man. Neither is he a woman. But we need an understanding of who & what God is in human terms we can comprehend.
Join the conversation as we feature the Rob Bell Nooma video “She.”

-Do you think of God as male or female?
-Who are some women you see reflecting the creativity, diversity, & variety of God?
-What human attributes do you assign to God that He/She doesn’t deserve?

From forced conversions by burning at the stake in the middle ages; to preachers shouting in the streets with a bullhorn today, the word “evangelism” doesn’t elicit a good picture for many people. Who can blame them?
In our desire to obey the Great Commission from the Gospel of Matthew, we have thought it worthwhile to do so by any means, & feel justified.
As our closing weekend conversation regarding the vision & mission of Agora, we tackle this controversial subject w/all the tenderness & compassion of Christ. And we look at a familiar word picture from Jesus w/new eyes.
By the time we’re done, may we hold our candle “upright” in every sense of the word. Today we “Light a Candle.”

-Tell us about a story hungry pet.
-What is your experience w/candles, wax, & fire?
-Have you ever been confronted w/an evangelistic appeal? If so, how did you feel?

Tony suddenly had an idea. Instead of running off, he sat & waited until the woman left, & then he asked the guy at the counter, “Do they come in here every night?”
“Yeah,” he answered.
“The one right next to me,” he asked, “she comes in every night?”
“Yeah,” he said, “that’s Agnes. Yeah, she’s here every night. She’s been coming here for years. Why do you want to know?”
“Because she just said that tomorrow is her birthday. What do you think? Do you think we could maybe throw a little birthday party for her right here in the diner?”
A smile crept over the man’s face. “That’s great,” he says. “yeah, that’s great. I like it.”

This is part of the story as told by Tony Campolo.
The film we are watching today “The Least Of These” is based on Tony’s own experience.

-What kind of church do you belong to?
-Does the man who used the term, “whore,” offend you? Why?
-How can we reflect this kind of love & acceptance?

Most sermons on money seem to have one objective: to make you give more of it. The same pastor who will tell you we are no longer “under the law” will also tell you we are “robbing God” by not paying at least 10% of your income into “the storehouse.” (Read: My Church.)

The New Testament, and especially Jesus, teach that everything (not just 10%) belongs to God. And, that a practitioner’s stewardship (the responsible management of something entrusted) is deciding what to keep.

The Stradivari Society is the finest example of true stewardship I have encountered in modern times. They match deserving young players with million dollar stringed instruments made by Italian Masters. It is a win-win, because the great instruments increase in value for the investors when played rather than shelved.

Life is a Stradivarius on Loan from God.

-What have been your experiences good and bad with money and the church?
-What do you have that you hold onto too tightly?
-Why and how do you give your money away?

Each year, at this time, we remind ourselves and each other that we were created for relationship. The God who created us all, is a God of relationship. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. Yet, they are one and in perfect relation to one another.

Then Jesus, when he walked among us, showed what it was like to live in relationship by choosing the twelve to be with him.

In order to illustrate our being made for relationship, we use the Lego®. Legos aren’t worth anything alone. They don’t even make decent blocks. But used with other Legos, the possibilities are endless.

Join the conversation, as we explore what it means to “Come Together.”

- How are we like or unlike a Lego piece?
- Tell us about a relationship that has affected your life.
- How do you connect with others here at Agora or in the Marketplace?

Week before last, Vicki and her friend and partner were able to provide the work of making curtains for several rooms in the Tulsa Extreme Makeover House. Their work will be part of the reveal in March on the TV show.

But what would it look like if the Church were to go through an Extreme Makeover?

Today we explore that idea and try to debunk what I call the Myth of the Three Story House. Most of us who live West of Asia Minor make a rather dubious distinction between the sacred and the secular, the spiritual and the profane.

It is a distinction we make at our own peril. In fact, it is such a distinction that makes for some really bad theology. Join the conversation today as we do an Extreme Makeover: Church Edition.

- What are the good things and bad things about a multi-story house?
- What would it look like to you if there were no distinctions between the sacred and the secular?
- What would you do if you saw your neighbor’s mailbox all over the yard while you were on your way here?