Entertainment and Notoriety
If you were to ask me the dominant idols of this moment, those would be my answers. It so often seems to me like the driving force of so much of this cultural moment is driven by boredom and a perceived need to be known.
I think it’s at the forefront of my generation, with our Netflix binges and desperate attempts to build legacies. And I think these impulses grow stronger with each subsequent generation. It fuels restlessness and discontent. It fuels car thefts by teenagers (the thrill of the event and the celebration on social media platforms like Tik Tok). It fuels so much of the tension and violence that can seem so senseless.
My favorite word these days is reconciliation. It captures every dimension of the Gospel’s work. Salvation is reconciliation with God. Community is reconciliation with others. A right identity is reconciliation with myself. And whole health and flourishing is our reconciliation with the rest of creation. And this need for entertainment and notoriety, at its root, is about a brokenness in these fundamental relationships. When we live without purpose and without the missional understanding of our relationship with God, others, ourselves, and creation, we will chase what we need to pass the time and find cheap, short-term satisfaction. When we live without the understanding that we are most fully known and loved by God, and have a place within his body and people through the reconciling work of Christ, we will chase whatever fleeting fame we can find.
I’m so excited and encouraged by what’s next for the ministry, especially as we develop and grow our apprenticeship and mentorship program at the Cafe and relaunch teen outreach. At the core of everything we do will be this drive to share the reconciling power of the Gospel of Christ!
Please pray with us for:
Strong fall/winter fundraising
Good connections for Jaime Soto and his volunteers with neighborhood teens
Progress in bringing the New City Cafe toward profitability
Guidance and wisdom for the Board for best use of the old Laundromat space