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Statements<br />
Have something to say? Send us an e-mail at ec@lifeway.com, write ec letters at One Lifeway<br />
Plaza MSN 174, Nashville, TN 37234-0174, or stop by ec<strong>magazine</strong>.blogspot.com.<br />
Reader wants to share<br />
her talent<br />
I have a few poems that I would like<br />
you to read, but I don’t know how to<br />
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out on Facebook today. My dream<br />
is to have a poem featured in the<br />
<strong>magazine</strong>.<br />
Lindsay on Facebook<br />
(Lindsay, thanks for finding ec’s fan<br />
page on Facebook and taking the<br />
time to write on our wall. We would<br />
love to read your poetry. Getting<br />
it to us is actually pretty easy. You<br />
can e-mail us at ec@lifeway.com<br />
or godlifefun@gmail.com. If you’d<br />
rather send us hard copies and use<br />
the U.S. Postal Service, just send the<br />
Overheard<br />
poems to Mandy Crow, One LifeWay<br />
Plaza, MSN 174,Nashville, TN 37234.<br />
Include your contact info when you<br />
send us the poems, including your<br />
mailing address. If we like your work<br />
and decide to use it in an issue of ec,<br />
we’ll send you a letter and other information<br />
in the mail. Keep writing, and<br />
please, share your talents with us!)<br />
Fan offers article ideas<br />
I don’t want to sound like a wannabe,<br />
but the blog you posted about my<br />
problem [with anxiety] was so helpful.<br />
My friends thought it was great,<br />
and we were wondering if you would<br />
do some article about that topic for<br />
people who read the mag but don’t<br />
have Facebook. I want everyone who<br />
has this problem to have inspiration<br />
to keep going with this wonderful<br />
advice. Thanks so much!<br />
Madison on Facebook<br />
(ec: We are so humbled that you<br />
turned to us for advice about dealing<br />
with anxiety and that the post we<br />
put on the blog featuring Scripture<br />
passages spoke truth into your life.<br />
It’s humbling to be used by God!<br />
Your idea about doing an article in<br />
an upcoming issue of ec is a good<br />
one. We’re currently planning several<br />
months in advance and always want<br />
to include articles about stuff you’re<br />
actually dealing with. So let us know<br />
if you have more ideas for articles,<br />
because we crave your input!)<br />
just in from the Facebook fan page:<br />
<br />
“I love your <strong>magazine</strong>s! Our church orders them<br />
every month, and they inspire me.” —Nikki<br />
<br />
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I would really like to know that Web site.”<br />
—Michaela*<br />
things we wonder about: “I love the new cover and<br />
everything in it!” —Jennifer, on Facebook<br />
*Michaela’s right, guys! On page 5 of the March issue, we printed a Web address that no<br />
longer works. We’re trying to find out what happened to www.thirstnomore.org. Sorry!<br />
Question of<br />
the Month<br />
What’s your favorite<br />
way to serve other<br />
people?<br />
“I like just to be their friend and<br />
then when they need someone<br />
I am the first one to give them<br />
some help. ”<br />
Rebekah, on ec’s facebook<br />
fan page<br />
“My favorite ways to serve others<br />
is just random acts of kindness!<br />
They’re so much fun and people<br />
don’t expect them, so I love<br />
seeing their faces when I do a<br />
random act [of kindness] for<br />
them!”<br />
Anna, on Ec’s Facebook Fan<br />
Page<br />
“By helping with anything I can<br />
do.”<br />
Clayton, on ec’s facebook<br />
fan page<br />
Read more answers at:<br />
http://cli.gs/S5LShn<br />
Next month’s question:<br />
What’s the worst<br />
assignment you’ve ever<br />
gotten at school?<br />
So just what are you thinking? Here at ec<br />
<strong>magazine</strong>, we want to know. Each month<br />
you’ll find a question we want your input<br />
about. So check it out and e-mail us with<br />
your thoughts! We can’t wait to hear from<br />
you!<br />
© istockphoto / Scott Griessel<br />
Living<br />
the Truth<br />
God is Three. Three in One. The<br />
Father loves the Son who loves the<br />
Holy Spirit. There is a relationship<br />
involved. We, created in God’s<br />
image, have been made relational<br />
beings as well. We were made to<br />
connect not only with God, but with<br />
other people.<br />
Just the Facts<br />
Josh Corlew cares a great deal about living in<br />
rich, soul-satisfying community with others.<br />
He isn’t famous, and he doesn’t have all the<br />
answers. But he’s trying to take Jesus’ words seriously,<br />
and he has experienced a different way<br />
of living because of it. For one year Josh lived<br />
with two families and two other single guys.<br />
The nine of them shared the space of half of a<br />
quad-plex. It wasn’t very roomy. They each came<br />
Word study<br />
Trinity. A word meaning<br />
threefold; the way we<br />
have chosen to refer to the<br />
relationship between God<br />
the Father, Jesus the Son,<br />
and God the Spirit. The word<br />
does not appear explicitly<br />
in Scripture, but the concept<br />
is clear. The Trinity is<br />
difficult to understand, but<br />
at its very core it helps us to<br />
understand that God loves<br />
community and wants to<br />
relate to us through relationship<br />
rather than religion.<br />
god the connection<br />
from wealthy backgrounds but chose to live as a<br />
racial minority in a low-income neighborhood.<br />
Why?<br />
“I used to live according to what most people<br />
consider the American dream. I aimed for a<br />
high-paying career so I could have my own<br />
place and complete control over my surroundings.<br />
I spent all my time and money in ways<br />
that were self-indulgent.”<br />
Though that’s the way many people live,<br />
Josh realized it wasn’t in line with his faith.<br />
He’d been living a decent Christian life by most<br />
standards, but when he examined himself, he<br />
wasn’t pleased. Investing everything into himself<br />
just left him empty.<br />
So Josh and some other people decided to<br />
find a house, move in together, and share everything,<br />
similar to what the early Christians did<br />
in the Book of Acts.<br />
“Can you really put nine people together in<br />
that small of a place and still love each other<br />
and call yourself Christian at the end of it? The<br />
answer was a resounding yes. Spiritually, I grew<br />
the quickest and most I’d ever grown.”<br />
They didn’t have to plan a worship service or<br />
Bible study meetings. Around the dinner table,<br />
conversation would naturally turn to Scripture<br />
and how it related to life. Living with people<br />
who cared about God, love, and their neighbors<br />
motivated Josh to embrace a radical faith.<br />
“I’m effective in my walk if I’m with people<br />
doing the same thing. For me to really grow, I<br />
have found that I need the constant interaction<br />
with other people who are also trying to live out<br />
their faith. Left to my own, I sit back and ignore<br />
all the problems that are around me.” <br />
What about you?<br />
getting started • By chansin bird<br />
◼ Are there people in your life with whom you can<br />
be completely honest and who will be honest with<br />
you? How might you foster such a relationship?<br />
◼ Think of someone you admire who has a strong love<br />
for others. How is that person living out his/her<br />
faith, and what can you do to follow the example?<br />
◼ Do you know what Jesus said about loving other<br />
people? Look through the Gospels for examples.<br />
◼ How have you watered down God’s Word with<br />
excuses and rationalization? What changes will you<br />
allow God to make in your life this week?<br />
Read<br />
The Irresistible<br />
Revolution:<br />
Living as an<br />
Ordinary Radical<br />
Shane Claiborne<br />
(Zondervan, 2006)<br />
“Seeing Claiborne’s<br />
interpretation of<br />
Scripture . . . and of<br />
the current inclination<br />
of Christianity<br />
in America was<br />
encouraging and<br />
convicting.” Josh<br />
Browse<br />
⊲www.rebaplace<br />
fellowship.org,<br />
⊲www.thesimple<br />
way.org, and<br />
⊲www.churchofthe<br />
sojourners.org<br />
All of these are Web<br />
sites of organized<br />
intentional Christian<br />
communities.<br />
Listen<br />
Mockingbird<br />
Derek Webb (INO<br />
Records, 2005)<br />
“He is one of the most<br />
prophetic musical<br />
artists I’ve ever<br />
heard. It is about<br />
re envisioning the<br />
Church.” Josh<br />
Send us your answers! Find us on Facebook<br />
6 | jul 2009 ec <strong>magazine</strong><br />
or visit ec<strong>magazine</strong>.blogspot.com.<br />
ec <strong>magazine</strong> jul 2009 | 7