After an intriguing conversation via Facebook comments regarding the introverted-churchgoer book I just finished , a friend of mine posted a link to a blog post reviewing a book called Deliver Us from Me-Ville. (It was not something he’d written, but it was relevant to the discussion.) Part of the post read: I remember when Dave started his Loud Time blog , and I thought it was a cool name and idea, as an alternative to evangelical quiet time. He said something about how Christian spirituality tends to prioritize the contemplative introvert who encounters God in solitude and silence, leaving extroverts at a loss as to how to connect with God in ways that fit them. So, while in some of the Christian circles I move in it’s de rigueur to lift your hands during corporate worship and otherwise manifest your spirituality in groups, in other Christian circles it’s more respectable to be the silent prayer warrior and hermit-like meditative person. In other words, extroverts have their ow

Lest my dear readers think I’m going off the deep end in my consideration of introversion and church-going , I present one final quote from Introverts in the Church : I do not intend to create yet another target audience for a church culture that is already marinating in consumerism. We should not cater our worship services to introverts any more than we should to extroverts. There are times when introverts should feel uncomfortable in worship, though we should be cautions as to the degree of discomfort. But if we are always comfortable, our faith goes stagnant. Introverts need to be challenged to experience God in ways that stretch us, and we need to be in situations that help us grow in love for others. Introverts may need to keep struggling through greeting times in church, because we need the constant reminder that the Christian life is never lived in isolation… Because introverts understand what it’s like to be on the outside of a community looking in, we can relate to people

Want to know what I do during the linguistics class in which I could almost see myself falling asleep? Well… This past summer I linked to an article helping introverts find their place in church. Guess what? There’s a whole book about introversion and church-going, called Introverts in the Church by Adam S. McHugh ( Evangelical Outpost review here ). It was on the new-books display case at my college library so I picked it up. The paperback isn’t too big so it fits right on top of my linguistics notebook, and I read it for, oh, the first forty or so minutes of class, while the monotone professor goes over the homework. I got through over a hundred pages that way (while still participating in some of the class homework discussions). However, it’s now spring break and I can read it in more extended segments. I’ll likely finish the book tonight. But before I forget (or get sidetracked by other parts of the book), I wanted to comment on what I just read a few minutes ago: Some int

I don’t usually have any sort of theme to these links, but this week I’ve had precious little time to read much—except that I’ve been kind of curious about the whole Rob Bell/universalism brouhaha surrounding his latest book, Love Wins . Rob Bell isn’t really my type; I don’t have the patience for the artistry (so they call it) of the NOOMA videos he’s produced, and I’d rather sink my teeth into something forthright rather than postmodern (and something written rather than videotaped, for that matter). My pastors back home are no aficionados of his works, and I respect their reasons for it. But I know some big fans of his, and some of these fans are people I respect too. So I’ve read a few links about it: How I first heard about this controversy: from a staff member at my college. This staff member has written several posts about the whole deal in the last few days, and is definitely taking a side, as you can see. (FWIW whenever this guy speaks in chapel, he may as well be Rob Bel

Yup, for the first time today, I sent a text message smack-dab in the middle of class. I stared at my little glowing screen on my tiny little phone, ignoring what was going on at the front of the room. Mostly because it was an unscheduled showing of a Monty Python video. It was supposed to illustrate some point about logic. It was a tenuous connection at best.

Whoops…. missed a few weeks there! One week I was gone for a friend’s birthday, and the next week it was newspaper layout plus a ton of homework (which I got done just in time to watch 1776 with a few musical-loving friends!). Man, the weeks have flown by… And then there was this week. At least I did post something, right? But it’s been pretty busy, plus I’ve not slept very well almost every night (I got barely 3 1/2 hours last night, for no apparent reason). But this weekend has been lovely so far, including some fine weather! And now for your sort-of-weekly dose of Sarah’s strange link collection: Being bilingual is great for the brain – so they say, anyways. It helps your brain process & distinguish important vs. irrelevant information faster. (Yay for me!) Oh my goodness. I love maps. The Measure of America project is fantastic—lots of data made very, very visual. Doesn’t this look like a really fun (or maybe interesting) endurance marathon? Well, not technically a mar

I woke up and decided to wear one of my favorite skirts. My outfit looked just right. The weather greeted me with sunshine and a slight breeze when I exited my apartment. My e-mail told me I was tentatively approved for funding for my summer internship. Someone played a cajón in chapel. That is my absolute favorite percussive instrument. My friend delivered to me some cookies I used to relish during my semester in Central America. You can only get them at certain specialty food places, so she got some for me over the weekend when she made a trip to one of those places. I did some work in the Mac lab, where a Spanish class is held, so I got to sit in on singing a couple Spanish worship songs. Broccoli cheese soup was served in the cafeteria for lunch. One of my fellow Spanish majors, with whom I'd studied in Central America, told me I made her day when I gave her a small packet of my cookies. Everyone in newspaper practicum was excited for the next issue of the student newsp