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- Mikel Del Rosario
- Welcome to The Table, where we discuss issues of God and culture. I'm Mikel Del Rosario, Cultural Engagement Manager at the Hendricks Center, and our topic today is preparing Christian teenagers for college.
And I have one guest via Skype today. My guest is Jonathan Morrow. Jonathan is the Cultural Engagement Director at Impact 360, and he's an Adjunct Professor at Biola University as well.
Jonathan, welcome to the show.
- Jonathan Morrow
- Hey, it's great to be here, Mikel. This is – I've been looking forward to this for a while.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- Well, it's pretty cool. We have a couple of different ways that we've connected together. Tell us about your DTS connection first of all.
- Jonathan Morrow
- Yeah. You know, I spent several years at DTS and studying there, had a great experience, even getting to take classes from Dr. Bock and everyone else.
And – but I spent two years serving with the Center for Christian Leadership there as a Spiritual Formation and Leadership Fellow, and just had a wonderful experience at DTS on my way to finishing up at Talbot and everything else, as God kinda tweaked some of those passions of mine to pursue a Master's in Philosophy as well, and some different things along the way. But loved our time at Dallas.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- Awesome. Well, tell us a little bit about what you're doing now at Impact 360. What's your role there, and what's it like?
- Jonathan Morrow
- Yeah, it's great. So, I'm the Director of Cultural Engagement, and so it means a couple of different things for Impact 360 Institute. We're just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. And so, I oversee all of our summer experiences. So, we have worldview, and leadership, and apologetics experiences for high school students. One and two-week experiences: Propel and Emersion.
And then I'm also – I'm faculty for our nine-month fellow's experience, which is a gap year for 18 to 20-year-olds. And so, we teach them worldview, and vocation, and ethics, and calling, and everything else along the way, kind of helping them launch in the next season as they head into the college years.
And so, it's a blast. I get to oversee a lot of our courses and digital stuff and some studies I'm sure we'll get into in a minute.
So all those ways about how do we, as Christians, be a faithful ambassador to the Lord Jesus in our culture today, and how do we equip teenagers to really follow Jesus for a lifetime in the midst of that.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- Mm-hmm. So, today you help Christians defend the faith. But it was not always so. You didn't become a Christian until you were a teenager, is that right?
- Jonathan Morrow
- Yeah. I was actually 17. I was – I like to say I was baptized in the Catholic Church and confirmed in the Episcopal Church, but I had no idea what the gospel was until an aquaintance of mine had been praying for me. I'd made his top five most wanted list, and he was praying for me, and he shared his faith with me during high school when I was a junior. And that was really the first time I heard and understood the gospel, and that just kinda changed everything for me.
And then kinda went into the college years, and that's where, for me, a lot of those challenges came was, "Is this real? Is this true? Is this reasonable?" I remember I even took a religious – well, like, Bible as literature course. "Hey, what could possibly go wrong with taking a Bible as literature course? You get to study the Bible and get a class credit for it."
A lot of challenges, and some of those questions, over a lifetime, were kind of the fruit of the book that I wrote called Questioning the Bible and my passion for defending the Scriptures. But yeah, so, that was part of that journey of coming to Christ at 17 and then kinda growing and growing from there.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- Hmm. Well, you've also done some work with Barna, a research group, and taking a look at this generation – Generation Z – that's up and coming and in college now, and some of them heading into college.
We're finding a lot of people now who are people more easily – it's easier for them to say that they are either religiously unaffiliated as one of the nones – N-O-N-E-S –
- Jonathan Morrow
- Correct.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- – or agnostic, or atheist. How much of that are we seeing in Gen-Z?
- Jonathan Morrow
- Yeah. So, one of the things that we're seeing over the last – basically, as a backup, you know, at Impact 360 Institute, we know the questions that we get from students and teenagers every day. Gen-Z, that's the primary group we work with. But we wanted to see that as a national scale. And so, we worked with the Barna Group and had a fabulous experience working with them.
And so, one of the insights from them, around that question you asked, was about 34 percent of Gen-Z have no religious affiliation – the N-O-N-E-Ses as you were talking about. And in particular, atheism has doubled as well.
'Cause one of the things you're seeing, as I interact with students – and the research bore this out as well – is even ten years ago there was probably cultural and social pressure for people to say, "Well, I guess, yeah, I'm a Christian rather broadly. I go to church." Now that's not the case.
So, if someone doesn't have a reason to identify as a Christian, they don't. And it's not like, "Hey, you know, I like apple pie, and I like baseball, and I'm from – you know, whatever, sweet tea from the South." It's none of that.
And so, in many ways, you're seeing students more of a blank slate. In fact, one of the surprising things, when we looked at this study, was only about four percent of Gen-Z had a biblical worldview. When Barna's been tracking this for the last 20-25 years, you know, boomer's about 10 percent, and then Gen-X about 7 percent, and millennials about 6 percent, and then Gen-Z about 4 percent of answering about 10 to 12 of those questions that puts them in a category of having a biblical view.
And again, that's a minimal baseline. So, in many ways, Gen-Z is very much a post-Christian blank slate in some ways. And millennials would react against the Church, and many Gen-Z are like, "Why? What's the whole thing with the Church? What's this whole thing called Christianity you're talking about in the Church?" And it's a lot more like that than it is they had a bad experience they're reacting against.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- Hmm, hmm. What makes it difficult for people in this – well, first of all, what ages are we talking about here? Is there a definitive age cap?
- Jonathan Morrow
- Yeah. Sociology's always interesting on that. But the broad range is pretty much Gen-Z, the tip of the spear, they're heading into college this year or maybe even last year, kinda the 1999 to 2015 range. So, if you have a child under the age of 18, then congratulations. You have a Gen-Zer in the house in regards to that.
And so, they'll be a very large generation, about 69 million or so. They'll be the most ethnically diverse generation in American history. That'll present some really wonderful opportunities for them and challenges as they navigate those conversations.
And I think that's one of things I'm most hopeful about is that they'll be able to have better gospel-centered conversations around a lot of things that our country has wrestled through. And some of that's been even more visible recently in the last few years. But that's just kind of a snapshot around Gen-Z.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- Mm-hmm. What do you find, working with these students, makes it most difficult for them to actually have respectful conversations about moral issues, about religious truth claims?
- Jonathan Morrow
- Yeah. So, one of the things that was interesting is whether it was the focus groups we did – 'cause we did focus groups with the Barna Group – whether in the South or the West Coast, and we did some with Christians and those who are not religious or atheists – and in every situation, there was just confusion. I mean it was the highest response rate of a Barna study where the response was, "I don't know. I don't know." It was almost – it was – like they didn't know what to say on some of these categories.
And because there's so much – the world that they've inherited has really essentially told them, "Hey, real truth doesn't exist on questions of morality and spirituality." And so, they don't want to be judgmental. They don't want to impose on anybody. And they've been raised as a generation that's kind of been taught to believe that how I feel determines what's real. And that is kind of a default.
And so, even with a group of Christians, who they knew everybody in the room were Christians – this focus group – they almost relativized statements as soon as it came out of their mouth. It's like, "But that's just, you know, my opinion. That's just what I believe." Right?
- Mikel Del Rosario
- Mm-hmm.
- Jonathan Morrow
- And so, I think there's this lack of confidence. They don't want to offend, and, in just general confusion, assume a category's a moral and spiritual truth. Just one example: statistically, we were like, "Okay, let's find the baseline in our study." And lying is morally wrong. And only 34 percent of Gen-Z could agree with that statement. That wasn't even a hard one; that was a soft – before we got to pornography or homosexual behavior or whatever it might be; that was more complex.
And so, just basically a fourth of them said that moral absolutes, there's no fixed nature to it; it changes over time in a society. And so, again, they don't have this kind of core when it comes to moral and spiritual truth. And so, they don't have really confidence or clarity to engage those conversations well at all.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- Mm-hmm. I think we're finding more and more that we have lost that Judeo-Christian net, if you will, where most people could just kind of assume that a lot of people would hold to moral values that line up with the Scriptures.
And so, kids are finding it more and more difficult, nowadays, to engage with their friends who see things differently than them, whether they hold to objective truth. "Can I say that? I don't want to come across as offensive or judgmental." And so, I think the work you're doing there at Impact 360 is really, really important to reach this demographic.
Now –
- Jonathan Morrow
- Thanks.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- Go ahead.
- Jonathan Morrow
- No. Yeah. No, I agree. I mean I think – and that's one of the things that's so important, and we can talk about maybe some different ways we engage them. But we found that giving them clarity and confidence to actually make some of those truth claims and realize that just making a truth claim doesn't make you intolerant. So, that's even just helping pull those pieces apart, defining what tolerance is, some of those kind of things, helping them see that.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- That's right – that they can actually be respectful to people that they disagree with, and we don't have to pretend we all believe the same thing.
- Jonathan Morrow
- Right.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- That's clearly false, and there's no need to pretend. You can just be real with someone and say, "You know, I disagree with you on that," but still have a respectful conversation with them.
Well, you had mentioned students who were walking away from the faith; kids, who grew up in the Church, walking away during college. And I want to explore that a little bit. What are some of the reasons that you've found are the most common reasons that people walk away from the Christian faith, or step away from church once they get to college?
- Jonathan Morrow
- Yeah, for sure. So, probably there's – I kinda put it in categories. There are about three different kinds of students who walk away. And one is the category I'll call the Christian relativist in a way. They're kinda raised in a Christian home; they're raised going to church. But they've also been raised in a culture where they relativize everything.
- And so, I kinda use this example
- if any of your listeners or viewers have ever been to The Waffle House. Right? I used to – I worked there for a summer, and you don't leave The Waffle House without taking a little bit of The Waffle House with you. Right? I mean it's kind of this _____ _____, this battery goodness gets all over you, and you smell like waffle for three days. Right?
And so, in many ways – and I get to teach Christian students. Private school, home school, public school – it doesn't matter – their default is that relativism.
And so, when it happens with Christians, in many ways they're raised – and so, they're like, "Well, Christianity is true for me," but they put it in that category as they get raised, and then it just becomes quieter in their life as they go because there's no conviction to it. And then, when they leave the home, when they have pressure, they either wilt or they just kinda – yeah, maybe it was sentimental or something like that.
And then the second kind of student who I engage or find is – they disagree is they have questions and doubts about Christianity along the way, or there's tension points for them and they try to express those things, but they learn pretty quick that you're not supposed to talk about doubts and tough questions in the Church or the family, or we're all supposed to pretend that everybody has this locked down and no doubts ever.
And then what they do is they learn not to ask those out loud, and they go underground, and then those come out later. They walk away much earlier, even though outwardly they look like they're present longer.
And then the third kind, I think, are those that go, "You know, hey, this is exhausting to believe something I don't believe, and they'll just disengage more visibly and publicly along the way, where they, "Look, this is not true. I've not been given reasons for this." Relationships are strong.
I mean we'll talk about technology. Technology is huge with this generation on multiple levels because they're constantly getting narrated to about reality in a way that if they don't have a counter voice to that, then they're gonna go, "Well, that seems reasonable to me. That seems plausible." And – or, "Christianity's not good, and it's not true." You know, they don't care about either one of those categories in some ways. And so, students will disengage for those reasons.
But a lot of times, as I talk to parents and different people on this, it's like, "We wish we could choose for our kids." We can't, right?
- Mikel Del Rosario
- Yeah, that's right.
- Jonathan Morrow
- But what we can do is we can influence certain things along the way. And in many ways, I think we've got to move – and we'll talk more specifically about this, I'm sure – we've gotta move categories of apologetics and defending the faith and giving some reasons out of the special category for those who need that sort of thing and fold it into a larger vision of discipleship to the Lord Jesus – one among many things we need to be doing, especially as our spiritual formation and everything else.
And so, those are the kinds of students as I see them disengage, but that's why I think it's so important that we equip them to really walk well and actually know that there is truth, and you can actually live that out.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. I think just talking to high school students and doing youth ministry, and even my own experience, that for Christian students, college is really the time where many of them say, "Is this just my parents' tradition? Is this just a cultural thing?" For me it's like, "Am I a Christian just like I'm Filipino? Is that just a thing in my life that – or is this really a real relationship I have with Jesus? And am I going to get into the car and go to church on my own, even if Mom and Dad aren't driving me?"
- Jonathan Morrow
- Absolutely.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- "You know, I'm not sitting in the backseat." And so, I think this is really important to really understand why students are taking a step away. Now, when I was in college, I wish I'd had a book like this, which is a book that you wrote called Welcome to College: A Christ-Follower's Guide for the Journey. In here, you pack all kinds of really practical things about campus life and these kinds of apologetics worldview issues as we respond to the culture, as we figure out what we believe as Christians and why we believe it.
- Tell us a little bit about how this book came to be – and it's in the second edition now, kinda what the updates were.
- Jonathan Morrow
- Yeah, for sure. So, as I shared, I came to Christ as a 17-year-old that went off to college at a large state school in Tennessee. And I seemed to have every anti-Christian professor there – you know, everything from, "The Bible endorses slavery," to, "How can the Bible be trusted; it was copied," and all those kind of things.
And I was like, "Surely there's answers for this." And the more I investigated, there was. But there was a lot of other things I didn't know about. So, there was things like, "Okay, well, what does it look like, and what does dating look like well?" There was a lot of things in my – if you think of a blank book, a notebook of that transition from high school to college, there was a lot of blank pages, especially from a Christian perspective, for me.
And so, I remember telling my wife Mandy that I was like, "Hey, if I ever get a chance to write a book, the book that I want to write is Everything I Wish I Would Have Known in the College Years." And so, that became Welcome to College, which was different. And I'm glad the publisher took a chance on it, because it wasn't just kind of a real thin – and there's nothing wrong with those, just kind of encouraging, kind of inspirational kind of thing. But that stuff tends to evaporate real quick on a college campus.
And so, I was like, "What if we had 40-41 short, little chapters and everything from how to do you respond to relativism, to the problem of evil and suffering, to how do you study, to what about sex and dating, and everything in between?" And so – and what do you do with doubt on a hard day?
So, even if they stuck it under their bed or a doorstop, and they took it off to college with them – I mean they could flip through and find something that would help them that day in getting further resources. So, I try to pack as much as I can in there and then give them resources at the end of it so that if – when they're done reading Welcome to College, they can read other resources that go deeper in all those areas.
And so, it was just one of those things that – you know, students, they won't read a ton of things, but they'll read some. And if you can get them on to the next thing with – that they're either feeling pressure around or tension around or interest around, then that's what I'll kinda do is I'll kinda whet their appetite.
So, that was why I wrote Welcome to College, and it's been fun to see people use it and parents use it with their kids, and youth pastors give it away as gifts at churches. And I've heard from students that – you know, from Clemson to Oklahoma State to everyone else leading Bible studies at FCA. It's been so encouraging 'cause there's discussion questions in the back.
But the newest edition has – I updated the chapters on sexuality, and some of those things were even bigger issues that students wonder about. It's not a matter of if but when someone's gonna press you on some of those questions, as well as updating some of the just recent conversations around some of the ethical questions or different kind of things like that.
So, basically making it as accessible as possible for students. And, again, for Gen-Z as they head into the college years that Welcome to College hopefully will be a great resource for them while along the way. So, it's been fun to get feedback on that, and I'm so glad it's been helpful to people.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- Yeah. Well, if you take a look at the students that you're working with right now, and as they're entering into your program and then going off to college, and those who have been through the program. What would you say are some of the top social challenges that we need to be preparing our Christian youth for, regardless of where they go to college?
- Jonathan Morrow
- Yeah. So, great question. So, social challenges, a couple of categories. One – what I call the tyranny of tolerance has kind of descended on the college campus. And it's – these are issues when it's not a matter if, but when your student, your son or daughter will encounter these, and they're gonna feel a lot of pressure to conform to those around them.
And because the new definition of tolerance is, "All must be equally true and valid." And to dissent from that means you're being intolerant or bigoted or whatever, when in reality, true tolerance is giving the other people the right to be wrong, like to give us the right to be wrong. We treat 'em as – in our case, we treat 'em as image bearers with respect and dignity no matter where they're coming from.
And so – but one of the biggest ones is sexuality and gender by far. So, in the Gen-Z study that we did with the Barna Group and Impact 360, this one statistic alone – and there's lots of different ones – but 33 percent of Gen-Z agree that gender is based on feeling rather than biology. So, that's a full third. And that happens so fast in this generation – that's the narrative.
And so, there's a lot of confusion, and then there's a lot of, you know, kind of movement on the moral claim that somehow Christianity doesn't have a vision for sexuality. And the way that I would encourage talking to students about this is to put it in the broader narrative. So many times we dive into particulars too fast. Like, "Hey, what about homosexuality," or, "What about these things?" It's not that the Bible doesn't address those things, but in our world, it doesn't make sense; it doesn't register.
So, the way I usually talk about it is like, "Look, if God really does exist – and I think there's good reason that He does – and He created all there is, then He's got a reason or a design plan for the way things ought to be.
And so, a Christian – as we Christians, we believe that God does exist, and He has spoken, and He does have a good plan, the way things ought to be, and there's lots of ways that you can depart from that.
And in the category of sexuality, for example, you know, sex before marriage or outside of marriage or same-sex relationships or something like – there's lots of pornography; there's lots of different ways to fall short and outside of God's good design, but there's only one way to flourish according to God's good design. And that's what we want to say yes to that makes sense of everything else. But many times the conversation is, "Hey, here's what we say no to Christians are against people." And we want to treat people with kindness and respect and dignity, and that's what we do; they're made in the image of God. But, we also don't have the authority to say things that God has already clearly spoken on. And that's the attention that our students need.
- And so, when we help them – so, for example, on the topic of sexuality, three quick things. There's three different questions; we need to make sure we're answering the right question in the right way.
The first question is, "What does the Bible teach about homosexual behavior?" That's a factual or understanding question. The second question is, "How do I deal with those who struggle with sin in general, sexual sin in particular, and those who struggle with same-sex sin in particular as well?" Well, that's a different kind of conversation. And then a third – as they're pursuing holiness or following Jesus or trying to do that – and then the third question is, "Well, is same-sex marriage good for society?" That's a public policy type question.
But sometimes Christians answer the wrong questions in the wrong order. They give a Bible verse to, "What do I do when I'm struggling," or they give a Bible verse to a culture that, "Hey, I don't agree with the Bible, what else do you have?" You know?
And so, I think one of the things we need to do and that we've found to be helpful for students is give them some framework about, "What's the question that you're being asked right now and in your class? Is – and do you understand what the Bible teaches?" Well, that's a factual question. "How do you engage people with the gospel and remind them of what's good news for them as they struggle with sin?" That's a different kind of conversation. And then, "How do you engage the public?" Loving your neighbor, seeking the welfare of the city, seeking my neighbor's highest good, being salt and light kind of question; that's more of a public question.
So, even on that one, that's one of the main ones that we need to prepare students for. Because, again, it's not a matter of if, but when. And it's not because Christians are making it the primary issue as much as our culture has. And so, we need to be ready. This is our cultural moment, and God's not surprised by that, and we need to be faithful in the midst of that. We need to love and serve people well, but we also can't say things that God didn't say either.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- Yeah. I think we've found, for some people who don't even have a concept of sin, especially as we're talking about relativism and just, you know, "true for you but not for me" kind of a thing, that we've found that talking about the idea of dysfunction is helpful for some people to begin thinking in that kind of category and to say that much of the dysfunction in our world is arguably traceable to what God calls sin in the Bible.
And then here's a different way to live – that there is another way to live and a way that God has set up to help humans flourish. And rather than just giving people, like you said, just a Bible verse to go along with something when they no longer – many people don't see it as an authority, to help people to understand that it's not true because it's in the Bible; it's in the Bible because it's true. And this really is a better way to live. It is a better way; it's how God designed us to flourish is by living according to his moral commands. And so, this whole idea of identity, tolerance, sexuality – we see this all the time; you're absolutely right.
What about this idea of identity brought into the world of social media, of online gaming, of technology? How do you see those things working together?
- Jonathan Morrow
- Yeah, those are massively important. Every one of us has to answer that question, "Who am I really, and what is my purpose?" And we don't want the culture and the people around us to frame those for us; we want to frame those ourselves.
And so, working with students, especially here at Impact 360, one of the things that I've seen is it's so important to help them see that they are not defined by how other people perceive them. And that's really important, because in the world of social media and technology, they're constantly on their screens. I mean our study found this – I mean Common Sense Media – I mean eight, nine, ten hours a day. You know, just – that's an amazing amount of shaping influence.
And then students find themselves in this weird situation of one of competing for likes by the people that they want to be liked by. And so, they're trying to find approval, and then that's exhausting. And then there's online bullying, which is different than old-school bullying, which was like you had to be physically present to be shoved in a locker – right? – whereas now that follows you home. People include teenagers – they include each other on text messages just to harass each other and make fun of each other and leave people out, and tag them in posts and leave them out.
And so, that bullying finds themselves into their bedroom at home, you know, and everything else. And so, this digital world has created no space for them to really find freedom from a lot of that anxiety and depression and pressure.
And so, now more than ever, it's so important that we remind them of the good news. It's like, "Your gospel-centered identity is who you are in Christ, that you are perfectly loved in Him, created in God's image. And because of that, you're now free to do these things. But other people don't define you."
And that is a paradigm shift, and now – needed now more than ever in a world of kinda digital saturation, where there's screens everywhere and at every turn, and that social media pressure to, "Hey, I must perform for likes."
And so, they're just in a very challenging situation that, quite frankly, is new. That's not something that you and I had to deal with growing up in many ways. All of our mistakes weren't out there on social media for everybody to see. Thankfully, they weren't there with cameras and everything else and all that stuff – whoops – but that's their world.
And so, there's a ton of pressure there, and I see where that's playing out with unprecedented depression, unprecedented suicide rates, and anxiety and everything else among this generation. So, identity is core to helping them navigate that well.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. What about areas of mental health, people struggling with anxiety, with depression? Do you see that more in Gen-Z now as they head into college?
- Jonathan Morrow
- Yes. Yeah, unequivocally so. I think the studies are bearing that out. I think our experience is bearing that out.
And I think one of the things that's always correlated – maybe not causing it, but it's always correlated – is the screens. That there's a definite correlation between, you know, when the iPhone shows up, and then the trend lines begin to increase, and smartphones and everything else, and their use of that. Because some of it's neurological in the sense of, you know, there's the high, the dopamine hit of the notifications and everything else, and then there's always a crash.
And there's an addictive nature of that, where you find yourself – you know, if you're gonna try to break free from addictive behavior, there's a cue, a trigger, and a reward. Right? And what do you have to do? You have to break out of the environment. So, therefore, you don't have the cue, trigger, and reward.
The problem is, you know, if you've got your phone – right? – and – but this is always with you, then the environment's always with you. And if – I think, by any objective standard, the phone is an addictive substance. I mean it's – people are addicted to their phones. Common Sense Media found 50 percent of students – teenagers – self-said, "Hey, I'm addicted to my smartphone. I'm addicted to this." And that's producing anxiety and all those kinds of things.
And so, the cauldron of normal teenage insecurities, amplified by technology and social media and constant screens and what that's doing, I think has led to the rise of anxiety and depression in this generation in ways we haven't seen to date.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- So many new things that we have to begin to deal with, not only with technology, but the effects that are new, that these things are being induced by technology use.
What about transitioning from the social challenges now to the more intellectual challenges? You talked about some of these things in terms of relativism. What about challenges to God, Jesus, and the Bible on college campuses? What are you seeing that we need to prepare students to be able to engage with?
- Jonathan Morrow
- Yeah. So, I think definitely a couple that are – that stick out to me. One is it's underneath the surface, but it's basically how we know things. And why I say that is there's an underlying what's called scientism, which assumes that all I can know is what the hard sciences tell me, or at least that's the best way to know something.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- Yeah.
- Jonathan Morrow
- Now, most people would never articulate it that way. They wouldn't use the word "scientism," but the smuggled in assumption is that science is king. And what's interesting, in our culture, until my feelings trump science. 'Cause right now that's the hierarchy. You've got moral and spiritual beliefs down here, you've got science, and then up here you've got my feelings whenever these things don't fall, and boy, they don't want to. That's just how it typically plays out.
And so, what we need to help people see is get Christianity and religion back in the conversation of reality. And so, like earlier, when we were talking about students disengaging from the faith, what I'll ask students, "Hey, why are you a Christian?" If there's any other answer than some form of, "Because I think it's actually true," then they're not gonna be on a solid footing. If it's, "Because I was raised in a Christian home," or, "Because I go to church," or, "Because of my grandpa," or, "Because of my friends," or what – it's like those are all powerful, good influences. I'm not discounting any of that.
But usually that plank – that part of ownership comes when they go, "No, this is actually true and real."
- Mikel Del Rosario
- Mm-hmm.
- Jonathan Morrow
- You know, I'll come in, and I'll speak to audiences sometimes, and then the people that invited me in get nervous for a minute, 'cause I'll ask everybody a question. I'm like, "Hey, how many think Christianity could be false? Raise your hand." And nobody raises their hand. "How many think Christianity could be true?" And everybody raises their hand. And I'm like, "How many false? True?"
And then it's like, okay, so, if Christianity can't be false, then it can't be what either? It can't be true. And if it's neither true or false, then what is it? It's kind of just emotion or opinion.
Now, I don't think Christianity is – so, I actually think it's true, and I think there's really good reasons for it, but until we get Christianity back on the rational playing field and out of the category of Sunday morning for only two hours or when I put my faith hat on, then students are gonna live in these two separate worlds. And the world for Christianity and religion gets really, really small, as they get older, and the rest of the world gets really, really big.
And what we need to do is help them go, "Here's why Christianity is true." We need to help them see truth exists, and you can know it. There's good reasons to believe God exists, right? Beginnings require beginners, design requires a designer, moral laws require a moral lawgiver. We could talk about that like with God. Well, it turns out – and you're doing this great work on this in your studies as well – well, it turns out there's a guy named Jesus of Nazareth, who claimed to be the Son of God, the Messiah, the Son of Man, and he predicted His own resurrection, and there's historical evidence that He actually rose from the dead. You can investigate that. So, that narrows that down, and then you can talk about the authority of Scripture, that it hasn't been corrupted.
But those challenges – the big-picture challenge is just getting Christianity back in the terms of rational discussion, where faith is not blind, and it's not this leap of kind of faith against reason. And then you get in the particulars of getting some big rocks in here first, like truth and the existence of God, and who was Jesus, and can the Bible be trusted? And then you can have better conversations.
But I think there's lots of challenges today. A lot of students don't know Bart Ehrman, but they know the slogans and arguments related to his work, that he's been working at undermining the Scripture, about misquoting Jesus, or the Bible's been changed. And they've seen YouTube videos and all these kind of things.
So, lots of work has to be done there as well. But I'd say the biggest thing, at first, is getting Christianity back on the table as something that's actually true or false, and you can actually know that it's true or false.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- That's true. Very, very important. You have this kind of immature Christian faith that a lot of students are walking into college with, and they're being challenged by these more mature grown-up challenges to the Bible. And a lot of the kind of attraction-based programming that we have, great as all that is to bring people into the youth group, oftentimes isn't giving them the space where they can ask some of these difficult questions.
Tell us, practically speaking now, for ministry leaders and pastors, youth pastors who are listening to our broadcast or watching us, what are some creative ways that you've been able to help students think christianly about these areas as they are preparing to go into college?
- Jonathan Morrow
- Yeah, for sure. So, some of the things we do here at Impact 360, and one of the things that we wanted to be is an ally for churches and pastors and youth pastors and parents is we want to come alongside the great work you guys are doing in your homes and in your churches, but provide them some kind of catalytic experiences.
And so, for example, take our two-week immersion experience. One of the things that we do there is we talk about these things, which is we need good instruction. But then you also need experience and the opportunity to do these kind of things.
And so, we talk about Islam as a worldview, but then we actually take them to the largest mosque in Georgia, and they – on a Friday when they are the minority there. And they get to see everyone having prayers. And then we have the imam present to our students why Islam is true, and they get to ask questions. And then we debrief all that with them.
And it's amazing how theology comes alive when they've seen a respectful interaction, number one. But what they believe about Jesus and we believe about Jesus are very different things; what they believe about the Quran and we believe about the Bible are very different things. And then it's like, "Oh."
And then we train 'em. "Hey, we're gonna have some spiritual conversations like seven days from now. We're gonna go on Georgia Tech's campus and get into conversations." And then they do. And then they come back, and they're so alive because they realize – I've got 14 and 15-year-olds who, in talking to a senior in quantum mechanics at Georgia Tech, realize that this person has thought more about – that they've thought more about the conception of God than the senior studying quantum mechanics at Georgia Tech has.
And like, "Well, look, if I can have a conversation about my faith there, then I can have a conversation back home in my church, and this is real." And so, it's experiential. We keep all of our experiences small enough so we can actually do these kinds of things. Because – and this is what's challenging, and I think this will be a paradigm shift that'll need to happen in our post-Christian culture as churches think about this – you can't mass produce training and equipping. You can't do that with a thousand people in a room. You just can't.
And so, but you can take smaller groups and give them experiences in coaching and mentoring and training and then kind of a test that make them rise to the occasion. And we found those things to be amazingly helpful and just ignite a student's faith. It's so fun to see 'em, and they're like, "Yes, I want to share my faith with my friends now, 'cause I actually can talk about this. This is actually real. You know, I don't need to be embarrassed by that." But that's just some of the kind of things that we're doing. I mean even today on our campus, our fellows, which is our gap year, we're training them in theology and tactics and different kind of things.
But some of our Mormon friends are coming today to kind of share their testimony, and then our students will interact with them and talk about why they believe what they believe and what's different. And what's amazing about this – and you know this – is when you actually get off the book of – like just the text on a page into an actual real conversation, then you're like, "This is either real or it's not." Right?
- Mikel Del Rosario
- Yeah, yeah.
- Jonathan Morrow
- "And I'm either gonna go in this direction, or I – I have to say something. Like five minutes from now, I'm actually gonna have to talk about this." All right? And that makes a big difference, because then we don't let students just kinda sit in the background when they want to get in. But then they actually do, and then they realize, "This is fun. This is – there's good reasons why I believe this. This is – and this matters. These people don't know Jesus, and that breaks my heart when I see them – prayers, and I see these little kids going forward and praying. Man, they need Jesus, right?"
So, that's – those are some of the kind of things we've got to do to help to give them training and information, but also opportunities to experience these things through worldview experiences. And that's some of the things we do here at Impact 360.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- That's awesome. Yeah, getting people outside the classroom, getting their hands in it, getting it to come out of their mouths, to really have experiences with people – with other people. It helps them to see other people not just as a Muslim – quote-unquote – like that's a whole category.
But look, here's an actual person. He's Steve – it's Debra – whoever it is – and I'm having a real relationship with this person right now; it's a real engagement, and God really loves this person. And so, how can we engage in a way that's respectful, in a way that can be a good ambassador for Christ to them?
- Jonathan Morrow
- Yeah, and He's gonna actually use me in this process. Imagine that. You know? It's like how awesome is that? So, and then just the light bulbs come on. One of the most fun things we do is I just love getting to see students come alive when they actually get to see – it's like, "I can actually talk to people about my faith and talk to them about Jesus, and this is real. This is not fairytales for grown-ups."
- Mikel Del Rosario
- Yeah. It's wonderful to see that when they have this kind of confidence, that they can go out and, one, not have their faith shaken by hearing an objection for the first time, 'cause you've already prepared them for a lot of these things where they can engage with courage and compassion as well, and see people as made in the image of God, and people who Jesus died for really.
- Jonathan Morrow
- Absolutely.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- Now, you've talked about things students need, and you've talked about these three Rs that you say students really need. Tell us what those things are.
- Jonathan Morrow
- Yeah. So, over the years, just working with students was like, "What are those things that we can directly influence?" And I began to just see more of a pattern. And so, the three Rs that I've developed for this of a worldview formation for students are reasons, relationships, and rhythms. Because as I said earlier, we can't choose for students as much as we want to. As a dad of three, I would love to be able to choose for my kids, but I can't.
- So, what are those things I can influence? And how do I help them shape what they love and what they care about? Well, I can't choose what they love, but I can influence those things by helping them have reasons why Christianity is true. I can help them have wise relationships. You know, Proverbs 13
- 20 says, "He who walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools suffers harm."
- Mikel Del Rosario
- Mm-hmm.
- Jonathan Morrow
- And, you know, 2 Timothy 2:22, "Flee the evil desires of youth, but pursue faith, righteousness, and love alongside those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." Right? They need wise relationships. 'Cause, you know, we've all experienced this. And during the teenage years, magically parents know nothing, and then friends know everything for the season. Now, most of them come back in their early 20s, and they're like, "Mom and Dad really did know something."
But in that meantime, they need other people speaking into their life, and those relationships form them and influence them in ways that are profound. And when you go to romantic relationships – a boyfriend or a girlfriend – those are even more influential and cause a lot of worldview shifts because they want to be liked by that person. Right?
So, they need wise relationships. They need reasons why Christianity is true, but they also need rhythms which helps form them. And this is – you know, sometimes people – sometime critical of worldview and apologetics, 'cause they think it's only this rational thing. Like it's just this intellectual, disembodied sort of quantifiable thing.
And that's not – its this holistic thing where the rhythms, those practices form us. The book of Hebrews talked about this, having our senses trained. And Paul says this is Philippians 4, "Practice these things." Because that's how we grow and change.
- That's how our affections and desires and loves change is by practicing. Not to earn God's love and favor – and this is always really crucial to make sure students understand
- God does not love you more when you read the Bible; He couldn't love you more than He already does in Christ – right? – but you will not grow outside of reading Scripture and praying and participating in sharing your faith and being in community with other believers on a regular basis, 'cause that's gonna shape your worldview.
Because if you're not practicing your worldview, then your worldview just kind of withers and goes away. And for many students, what I see happen is they don't – to some of them, it's like it's not – there wasn't this one question, and it was – you know, at some point, Christianity ceased to do any meaningful work for me in this next season of life.
It's like if I only have a backpack to go hiking in Yosemite, and I can only put what'll fit in that backpack, I'm only gonna take stuff in there that I think will help me survive. And Christianity, if it's not been real and true and doing work for them, they'll just kind of set it aside as sentimental, back when they were a kid and they sang the songs at camp and all that. But – you know?
And so, they need those formational things of rhythms, relationships, and reasons. And I think those things – as parents, as mom and dad, as youth pastors, pastors, educators, we can kind of build those kinds of things in to help them be formed in a way that they can have a lasting faith.
And I think those three Rs will make all the difference – of course, by the power of the Holy Spirit and by God's grace, assuming that, and assuming that we're praying for them as we go. But those three Rs are things that we can tangibly and practically do our best to invest in with the next generation.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- Yeah. I like to say when it comes to discipleship, you can't just think stuff; you have to do stuff, too.
- Jonathan Morrow
- Yeah.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- It's not something you can actually even just do by yourself in a room, that you have to be around other people. You need your brothers and sisters in the Church. Of course you need the Holy Spirit; it gives us that enablement to actually engage and grow spiritually and develop our relationship with God.
What would you say to parents now who have those high school juniors, seniors who are looking at moving away, maybe for the first time being away from the family? What would you say to them? What can they do to help prepare their child?
- Jonathan Morrow
- Yeah. A couple of things. And the first one's that – is you can never start too early preparing your kids for the real world they're gonna face. I remember talking to David Kinnaman, the President of Barna Group at the beginning, and one of the questions that kinda came up, as we were interacting around it, was is it possible that we are preparing kids and students for a world that no longer exists?
And what he meant by that – what he meant by that was there's a world that is and there's a world we wish it was. And sometimes in the church and the home, we prepare them for a world we wish it was rather than the world that it actually is. And so, we don't introduce certain conversations as early as we might need to.
But what happens is is the culture and social media is already narrating on those big questions of life. What our young people and our kids need to know is "Is there a Christian narration of those events as well, narrating reality?" Like how do we think about that?
And so, the sooner we can do that the better. They need reasons. They need to know what they believe, why they believe it, and categories along the way. That's the first thing.
The second thing is is ask a lot of questions around mealtimes and dinnertimes, depending upon how – and bedtimes – depending upon how young your kids are. Bedtime, kids are always ready to stall. They're gonna ask, "Daddy, where did God come from?"
- Mikel Del Rosario
- That's right.
- Jonathan Morrow
- "You know, a great question. I know this is bedtime, but let's go." You might as well. "Let's go have the conversation." So, they're a captive audience then. But when they come back from church, especially in middle school and high school, ask them what they learned, and then kinda push back a little bit against it, "Well, why would you believe a thing like that," and kinda see what they say. You know?
Just, "Well, do you agree with that? Why or why not?" Kinda use some of those questions and don't resolve some of those tensions for them right away. The reason why is we've got to introduce some challenge to see if they're actually going to own things, not just pretend to say the right answers.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- Mm-hmm.
- Jonathan Morrow
- So, push back a little bit, and that's okay. You'd much rather have them doubting in your presence, when they can ask you questions and other people who know stuff than never ask those things and then get in a situation where they are really blindsided by stuff that they'd never heard about all along.
And then in high school, if you're a parent, and they're about to transition, maintain that relationship at all costs before them. You know? I mean I think Josh McDowell is the one who famously said, you know, "Rules without relationships lead to rebellion." You know?
And I think there's a lot of truth to that, because you can be right and distance your kids. You can be – not like – being spiritual – like being a jerk is not a spiritual gift. Being a know-it-all is not a good idea.
I mean we want to help our kids know why they believe what they believe, but we also want to love them and pursue their heart and ask them questions like, "Hey, has anybody hurt you today? Has anybody disappointed you? Has anybody broken a promise – especially a Christian?" Because then that stuff gets in there and comes out sideways as well, too. "So, what do you wonder about? What do you think about?" You know, the rational questions.
And then media and social media and technology and movies. "What are you watching these days? Hey, can we watch a show together on this and let's talk about it?" You know? Because don't assume that they're gonna naturally come to good biblical conclusions on their own. You're gonna have to narrate them. And we can't outsource those things. As wonderful as our youth pastors are and our churches are, they get 'em an hour a day – or an hour a week at max. Right?
- Mikel Del Rosario
- Mm-hmm.
- Jonathan Morrow
- Or two hours a week. And so, we've got to narrate some of those things along the way. And so, take those moments. Don't assume that you're always gonna have time later; it goes quick. Maintain those relationships; create safe space for doubt and questions for your kids.
And insecurity – share your own insecurities and where you've wondered about things. Like, "Yeah, I don't know. I mean this is a question I've wondered about." And it's good for them to see mom or dad – and this is a big one. And then go on to something else.
Apologize to your kids when you mess up. Like this is huge. Especially dads, if you're watching this, you're gonna mess up. But your kids especially – sons and daughters need to hear you say – their dad say, "You know what, buddy? I'm sorry for …" – be specific about what you did – "Will you forgive me?" Don't try to rationalize or justify, just, "Will you forgive me?"
They know we're not perfect. Right? They just need to know that we're pursuing discipleship of Jesus, too, and the gospel and everything else. So, they need to hear when we blow it, when we lose our temper, when we've had a long day and we're impatient and that response had nothing to do with them and everything to do with us, that we can – you know, we can own that, too.
So, that's part of the ways we create a real relationship with them, and then we also put those reasons in their rhythms and relationships along the way.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- Yeah. It's really coming alongside your own kids, being that spiritually mature influence in their life. Kids need dads, kids need moms, kids need those adult influences as well. You don't have to be the cool, 20-something, youth pastor guy. You need to be their dad; you need to be their mom – be the parent.
And then just to help kids know, as well, that college is not a big, giant, scary monster thing that you need to get over as a hurdle, but it can be a wonderful time, an incredibly fruitful time where you can deepen your relationship with God. You can make your faith your own and find those answers for yourself. You can share those answers with others and really connect with people, engage with people who you would never have an opportunity to meet otherwise. So, it's a tremendous opportunity for them.
- Jonathan Morrow
- Yeah.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- Well, thank you so much, Jonathan, for being with us today. We appreciate your time.
- Jonathan Morrow
- Absolutely. It's been great being with you. And a big fan of Dallas Seminary and everything you guys are doing there. So, thanks for the great work and keep it up.
- Mikel Del Rosario
- You, too. The book, once again, is Welcome to College by Jonathan Morrow. You can pick that up; give it to a high school student, or parents of high school students, or even kids who are already in college.
And we thank you so much for being with us today and joining us here on The Table. We hope you'll stay with us and be with us again next week, on Tuesday, here on The Table Podcast, where we discuss issues of God and culture.
Preparing Christian Students for College
In this episode, Mikel Del Rosario and Jonathan Morrow discuss preparing Christian students for college, focusing on Generation Z.
- 00:15
- Morrow's background in preparing students for college
- 03:28
- Who is Generation Z and what do they believe?
- 10:03
- Why do students leave the Christian faith when they go to college?
- 14:06
- How can Christian students navigate college?
- 17:23
- What are the top social challenges facing college students?
- 27:21
- What are the top intellectual challenges that college students face?
- 31:52
- How can church leaders prepare students for college?
- 36:43
- Preparing students with reasons, relationships, and rhythms
- 40:54
- How can parents prepare their own children for college?
Jonathan Morrow is the Director of Cultural Engagement and Immersion at Impact 360 Institute where he trains high school and college students in Christian worldview, apologetics, and leadership. He also serve as an adjunct professor of apologetics at Biola University. He holds an M.Div. and an M.A. in philosophy of religion and ethics from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University. He also completed a Doctorate (D.Min) in Worldview and Culture at Talbot School of Theology.
Mikel Del Rosario is a PhD student in New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, Project Manager for Cultural Engagement at the Hendricks Center, and Adjunct Professor of Apologetics and World Religion at William Jessup University. Mikel co-authors The Table Briefing articles in Bibliotheca Sacra with Darrell Bock, manages the Table Podcast, and helps Christians defend the faith with courage and compassion through his apologetics speaking ministry. He holds a Master of Theology (ThM) from DTS and an MA in Christian Apologetics from Biola University.


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I am now convinced the snow gods are with us, we have just left Utah after days of snow with a forecast of calm milder and sunny weather, only to turn up in Calgary with -15c temps and loads of snow, Sun Peaks our first destination in Canada has just had half a metre of the white stuff in the last 36 hours so it all looks pretty good.
Lindsay the girls Russ and Sue arrive tomorrow and we are both really looking forward to seeing them.
There are some things you do in your life that you feel are almost guided by a sixth sense, knowing Lindsay and co had to be at Heathrow for 9.00am and having to park and so forth I felt just in case the car played up or the weather was bad, why not go for hotel and park deal that gets them there the night before and no rushing in the morning, seems like a good idea.
Guess what the bloody car broke down, fortunatley only a few minutes from their final destination, was booking a hotel a good move or what!!
Our journey was less traumatic in fact boring, it's hard to believe that getting into an aeroplane and travelling at 600mph could be less stressing than driving to the airport.
The hotel we are in is having problems with it's internet connection, this short entry has taken best part of 30 minutes all ready, so I will conclude for now but be back tomorrow.
Friday, 8 February 2008
Posted by Peter Killin at 21:59
1 comment:
Hey Pete
Your entry for thursday 7th Feb is spooky especially the pic of the dude in the yellow suit. It's an absolute spitting image of me togged up. Now you know why I am never missed on the piste.
Hope family arrives OK and you/they still recognise you both.
Have continued fun
- 9 February 2008 at 10:09
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

subset: commoncrawl


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The latest edition of Cosmopack and Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna, which was held on 19-23 March 2015, has come to the end with record numbers. According to the organisers, 248,000 visitors attended the event (+20% compared to 2014), and among them 79,000 came from abroad (+30% compared to 2014). Around 70% of the 2,493 exhibitors came from abroad. Cosmopack, the section dedicated to suppliers of the beauty industry, hosted 420 exhibitors from 33 countries.
Cosmoprof Cosmopack 2015, Bologna
31 March 2015


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The beginnings of a library abstracting access to the two databases
used for storing wanetmon measurements. For now, takes a query string as a parameter. Based on the given 'unixstamp' values, accesses either the OPS "buffer" db, or the Datapository db.
parent f162dff9
Showing with 115 additions and 0 deletions
pelab/libwanetmondb.pm 0 → 100644


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- looseheadoF9:07sept19pBe
- justaduder:pornstuffnXV
- ihateyou121si:passwordHBB
- Mark55yC:DEureka1x
- BoSoxFan31JHp:seek23upXj5
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Remo Bloom (1-4-6), Liter
Want better pricing? →
Remo Bloom (1-4-6), Liter
Remo Bloom brings quality and simplicity to your garden. Remo brings their award-winning experience to this proprietary blend of macro and micronutrients provide your plants with the foundation needed to achieve maximized yield. Remo uses only pharmaceutical grade minerals, marine extracts, and the finest chelates to ensure consistency and pH balance.
Remo Bloom has a 1-4-6 base NPK with boron, molybdenum and chelated copper, manganese, and zinc. The molybdenum helps to reduce stress on plants by converting nitrates to amino acids. The amino acids release aromatic flavors and improve pollination and fruit formation, giving you better and tastier yields at the end. Remo Micro can still be used throughout the flowering stage in equal parts with Bloom so ensure your plant is getting all necessary elements.Features:
- Can be used in soil, soilless and hydroponic gardens
- Proprietary blend of chelated micro and macro nutrients
- Provides a balanced foundation for maximized plant flowering
Use the Remo Nutrient Calculator to calculate optimal product quantities for your unique growing set-up!


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Several embassies, delicious restaurants, a vibrant cultural scene, the bucolic greenery of Koellnischer Park and you, right in the middle. This 81-sqm apartment on the 4th floor is a comfortable and elegant haven in an inspiring environment full of possibilities. The unobstructable views of Köllnischer Park are among the many highlights. With two bedrooms and bathrooms, one with a bathtub, you have many options to get away from it all and relax. The perfectly designed floor plan offers enough space, especially for families. Intelligent storage concepts ensure a spacious and tidy ambience. The premium bathrooms feature a timeless design that invites you to feel good at any time.
- Two bathroom, one with a bathtub
- Storage room
- Unobstructable park views
- Blinds
- Approx. 2.75-m ceilings
- Underground garage
The quarter around Koellnischer Park, which is situated close to the River Spree in Berlin-Mitte, offers residents a combination of exciting contrasts: a vibrant art and cultural scene, stately embassies, a charming, historical center and some of Berlin's most iconic sights. All of which underscores Embassy's exemplary location. The quarter can truly be described as an insider tip: Thanks to the green oasis of Koellnischer Park and the almost sacral walls of Maerkisches Museum, the immediate neighborhood is quiet and almost village-like yet situated right in the center of Berlin. Koellnischer Park was built in the 18th/19th century on the site of a former fortress and is almost one hectare in size. The park is surrounded by architectural marvels from across the centuries. The quarter also possesses a touch of international flair, home to numerous embassies and their staff. Relaxation can easily be found with a pleasant jog along the banks of the Spree River or a quiet walk in the nearby historical park. The district is on the up and has already been discovered by new restaurants and hotels. Over the next few years, this could well become one of the most sought-after locations in Berlin-Mitte. And, with direct links to Berlin's extensive transport network, Embassy is the ideal starting point for exploring the whole of Berlin.
Floor: 4. OG
Rooms: 3
No. of Floors: 6
Living Area: 81,32
Old/New Building: New building
Condition: First occupancy
Completion Date: Q3/2020
Balcony/Terrace: No
Property Type: 1-floor apartment
Energy Pass Type: Bedarfsausweis


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What's the difference between kitchen crown molding and scribe molding?
Kitchen crown molding can add a very finished, elegant look to your kitchen cabinet installation. Scribe molding can also give a finished look to your kitchen cabinets. Kitchen crown molding is installed between the top of the upper cabinets and the ceiling. Crown molding comes in various designs, wood types and thicknesses.
Scribe molding is the molding that is installed on the sides of the kitchen cabinets, both upper and lower between the cabinets and the wall. This gives the cabinets a very finished, professional look. The molding is usually chosen to closely match the materials of the cabinets.


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Real estate firm pays its forward
Within the same location, the Sales and Marketing Division lent its helping hand. The group donated sets of ceiling fans to Brgy. Calulut Day Care Center and financed the construction of its new comfort room. The kids also experienced a one-of-kind yearend party where parents and children enjoyed exciting activities. They all took home toys and other gifts.


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Rihanna is putting her own spin on the holiday spirit. Heading to Los Angeles' Watts neighborhood last night for Top Dawg Entertainment's Holiday Concert, the superstar delivered a fashion moment for a great cause. The event — which also featured Kendrick Lamar and SZA — also doubled as a toy and clothing drive for children. Arriving in all-white, Rihanna sported a sleek white Tom Ford jacket worn over a mini-skirt. She projected cool, especially with the addition of reflective Gentlemonster shades and Off-White's cheeky "For Walking" boots. Though her outfit was monochromatic and relatively subdued, the layers of blingy jewelry made for a striking look.
All-white may be perfect for daytime, but evening called for something a little sultrier. Switching gears from nice to naughty, Rihanna and stylist, Jahleel Weaver chose head-to-toe black Christian Dior for her trip to the final date of Jay-Z's 4:44 tour. Hitting up The Forum in Inglewood wearing a skintight leather dress beneath a billowing matching coat, she was in her sartorial element. Sexy, attention-grabbing, and accessorized to the hilt with a mini-crocodile bag and Giuseppe Zanotti sandals, the look was everything we've come to expect from the bad gal.
Watch Rihanna on Her Game-Changing Met Gala Red Carpet Look:


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Leeds MPs
DAWSON, Richard (1855–1923) Conservative. Barrister.
Originally from Limerick, he stood in the 1885 election for Leeds East. About a quarter of the electorate here were Irish. Two days before the election Charles Stewart Parnell, leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party, urged all Irishmen to vote against the Liberals in protest at Gladstone failure to support Home Rule. It was said the Liberals resorted to underhand campaigning, including threatening voters their property would be damaged if they failed to vote for them. Parnell's dictum, however, held sway. Dawson won by 345 votes no doubt helped by his assertion that if elected he would raise the problem of unemployment and propose introducing public works to alleviate the problem. His gift for oratory and his 'strongly diluted Conservatism' may also have played a part, as well as support from the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches and the brewers. Once in Parliament he became private secretary to Rt. Hon. Henry Chaplin, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Gladstone then changed his policy, Parnell now advised support for the Liberals and in the general election of 1886, John Gane romped home defeating Dawson by 1,110 votes. For further reading see Yorkshire Post, 29 June 1886; Alumni Oxoniensis (1715–1886) vol. I.


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It is a good move to offer a group health insurance to your employees. In fact, your group health insurance will not only help you keep your employees motivated, but it will also help you save taxes. While it is beneficial to have a group health insurance for your employees, there are some ways through which you can negotiate the best price for group health insurance for your employees=
- If the number of your employees is large, you can ask your group health insurance to offer you discounted premium rates. Most of the group health insurance companies would be keen to offer you group mediclaim policy in case there are good numbers of employees
- Though ailments can strike even a young person; you can ask for easy group health insurance premium rates if your workforce consists of people below 40 of age. Young people may not fall ill frequently, and therefore, there would be a fewer number of health insurance claims. This fact can help you get easy premium rates
- There are various group health insurance companies in India, and each one of them is offering different health plans with varied features. In order to negotiate the best price for group health insurance for your employees, make sure to make a proper comparison among the available options in order to find the best. To choose the right insurance policy from the available options, you can exercise any of the following options-
- Compare on your own= If you exercise this option, you would have to approach different group health insurance companies on your own and ask them to submit their quotes. Then you would have to compare them and find the apt plan as per your needs.
- Take the help of corporate insurance advisors= You can approach the corporate insurance advisor like SecureNow who would help you choose the right group health insurance from the available options. You would only need to submit some basic details about your requirements, and SecureNow would recommend some good options as per your need. It will not only save your time but would also help you find the right group health insurance policy as per your need.
Case: 1
From the last five years, R.J Automobiles has carved a niche for itself in the automobile industry. Backed with more than 500 employees, the company has its offices situated in different parts of India. Last year, the company bought a group health insurance policy from the Insurer A.
Before buying the insurance policy from the Insurer A, R.J Automobiles carefully compared all the available options. As the company was buying insurance for its 500 employees, it was looking for an affordable option.
The HR department of the company asked for insurance quotes from different group health insurers in India and then compare all of them to find the right group health insurance policy for its employees. Considering the number of employees, the Insurer A agreed to offer low premium rates. The HR department of the company scrutinized the features of group health insurance policy offered by the Insurer A. Only after satisfying with its feature, R.J Automobile bought the group health insurance policy from the Insurer A. It was the number of employees' due to which R.J Automobiles was able to get low premium rates on its group health insurance policy.
Case: 2
Though, its been only one year that L.S Digital Company has come into existence, the company has successfully managed to grab the attention of big brands. Running on the 'young' blood, the company is now planning to offer group health insurance to its employees.
Read More: What is Family Floater Sum Assured in Group Health Insurance?
Since most of its employees are young, the company can negotiate with a group health insurance company and go for low premium rates on group health insurance policy. Though there is no guarantee, however, young people usually do not fall sick frequently, and therefore, they would not use the insurance policy frequently.
Here, the age of the employees would play a major role, and L.S Digital Company would be able to easily find a group health insurer offering easy premium rates on group health insurance policy.


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'Cowboy' Chef-Owner Luigi Diotaiuti of Al Tiramisu Upholds Old Italian Tradition of Transumanza, Driving Cows to Cooler, Higher, Greener Pastures
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'Cowboy' Chef-Owner Luigi Diotaiuti of Al Tiramisu Upholds Old Italian Tradition of Transumanza, Driving Cows to Cooler, Higher, Greener Pastures
— http://www.altiramisu.com —
WASHINGTON, July 31, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Not only has Chef-Owner Luigi Diotaiuti burnished the Al Tiramisu brand as the most authentic Italian restaurant in Washington, DC, but he also traveled to Italy to help his brother Antonio uphold the ancient Italian tradition of Transumanza, which was a way of life in Italy for some 3000 years that's in danger of dying.
Transumanza means "crossing the land." It's the nearly disappearing, twice yearly migration of cows and sheep from winter-appropriate lowlands to cooler, high-altitude, lush pastures and back again. It has the full support of the Italian government. Each cow has ID "papers" to make this journey—number, date of birth, and health information including vaccines.
It's not exactly like the cattle drive in the popular American film "City Slickers," starring Billy Crystal and Jack Palance. There are no Italian cowboys on horseback to herd the cattle—only men on foot both herding and shepherding hundreds of cows up and down hills, through pastures, gorges, valleys, refuges, glens of trees, rural villages and towns, and even down paved two-lane roads.
Even though he is fit and has participated in dozens of marathons on multiple continents, "Cowboy" Chef Luigi had his work cut out for him as he walked 120 kilometers, or 74 miles, with a crooked stick and helped herd 170 cattle, including little calves, for four long days starting from Tursi in the province of Matera, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata, and ultimately through his birthplace on a farm near Lagonegro until he finally left the cattle to graze in summer pasturelands in Monte Sirino, a ski resort in winter.
Walking to the ancient rhythm of cowbells and a different time, Chef Luigi had no reception much of the way for his beloved iPhone, which documented the journey on Al Tiramisu's Facebook page through photos and La Transumanza 2012 photo album.
The trip is not surprising because Chef Luigi believes in upholding traditions and helping family and country—both Italy and the USA. Last year, he marked the joint 150th anniversary of Italy and the 15th anniversary of Al Tiramisu with cooking classes featuring not only the food and paired wines of the 20 regions of Italy but also the history, culture, and people.
And how do you top that this year other than herding cows? Inspired by handsome actor director George Clooney who has dined at the restaurant some 20 times—three times with his parents—Chef Luigi debuted a four-course "Superstar Dinner" to mark the restaurant's 16th year in business. It seems appropriately named because Superstar Clooney—with his vacation home, Villa Oleandra in Laglio, on the shores of Lake Como in northern Italy—calls Italy his second home.
Proclaims Chef Luigi, "Now you, too, can dine like a Superstar with an Italian feast at Al Tiramisu."
Al Tiramisu, 2014 P St. NW, Washington, DC 20036. Reservations: 202-467-4466. Valet parking seven nights a week 6-10 PM.
SOURCE Al Tiramisu


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Contact Us
Feel free to contact us with your order and/or any questions you may have about our saddles & other products we have available… If we don't have it on hand, we can get it for you!
- Phone: (406) 285-3459
- Toll Free: (866) 318-2371
- Email: email@example.com
- Address:
P.O. Box 28
221 South Main Street
Three Forks, MT 59752


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Factors to Consider When Selecting the Best Auto Repair Service Today
Looking for a mechanic that can handle one need concerning the car is very important. Usually, it 's nice to find someone who will ensure proper functioning of the vehicle regardless of the different usage regarding the length of the time it has been driven. With different individual personnel dealing with auto repair services, there is a need to consider the most qualified one. Thus, below are the factors that should guide a person when selecting the best deal in auto repairs.
One should aim at getting a well-trained mechanic in the village. Having skilled mechanics for the auto repair services will assure one of the appropriate services that are relevant to the car. Thus it is good to inquire about the knowledge of the dealer towards such services to avoid any inconveniences of poor services. It is clear that having the best auto service dealer; one will not be incurred extra charges for the repairs.
It is important to have the idea of the amount to be charged by the auto service mechanic. Getting the correct cost of the services from the mechanics or rather from the various village shops is very crucial. A green light of the energy and the material cost should be enquired properly.
It 's nice to find the term of length one has served in the auto repair services. Dealing with individuals who have maintained in the auto service and repair center for quite long will increase more confidence in getting the most qualified services and ease in handling difficulty sections. Wide exposure will also build trust with the customer.
The client should aim at getting the auto servicer who has created a positive repute to the society. The best servicer should be very famous due to the high level of the services provided to the many individuals. Having different clients for the same mechanic; there will be the simple way of finding whether the given individual is indeed qualified. No chances of disappointments by the relevant individuals since they don't require supervision hence the client can build trust in them.
It is appropriate to look for personnel who are well-situated. A careful note should be taken when it comes to the site location to avoid inconveniences. Chance of having problems when going out to look for the auto dealer is minimal since they are in good site that is quite accessible to the different clients. Also, safe transportation means will ensure customer have humble time when going out for the relevant consultations. Thus great care should be ensured while looking for the best auto servicer in the village.
Interesting Research on Services – What No One Ever Told You


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I love young adult literature and read 2-3 titles a week This blog was formerly found at ashbyreads.blogspot.com
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
The Project by Brian Falkner
Luke and Tommy believe that their English teacher has assigned them the most boring book in the universe to read so they decide to play a prank instead. When they are caught their principal make them a deal - prove that the book is the most boring in the world or face punishment. When they begin to investigate they find that a title named Leonardo's River has been described as so boring that the printer couldn't even keep awake while making it. The book has been missing for over a hundred years and an eccentric man has offered to pay millions of dollars for a copy of the book. While helping to clean out the basement of the local library during a flood, the boys see a copy of Leonardo's River and make plans to steal it. Unfortunately for them, they are not the only ones who are trying to get the book and the other people are willing to do anything to get it before Luke and Tommy. Like Falkner's other books, this one has lots of action and complicated schemes driving the bad guys. People who have enjoyed his other titles will also enjoy this one.
Posted by Mrs. Ashby at 1:10 PM
Labels: action, science fiction
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Service Automation isn't rocket science, instead its the need of the hour with Business and Customer Service. Service Automation is your Holy Grail to providing the kind of Customer Service expected and demanded of by any Business in the Digital Space. Businesses struggling to achieve high Satisfaction Ratings from Customers will find that Automation is their key to bringing down response time and improving the quality of interactions occuring between customers and a service representative.
In the current scenario, Businesses can't afford to miss a single customer interaction, let alone offer low quality, feeble fixes to customer queries. The slightest discrepancy can be seen and leveraged by competitors as a major shortcoming in the Level of Service provided by the Business. Service Automation eliminates roadblocks to providing exceptional Service and the following steps will help you set up intelligent Automation :


text: From the moment a network outage is reported, to the moment network connectivity is restored, operators are fighting against time. Each passing minute plays a part in how customers will react. If an organization manages to swiftly identify and rectify a problem, it is widely praised by customers and commentators alike. However, the longer the outage, the worse the backlash is.


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A sound and effective democracy demands responsible behaviour from both ruling and opposition political parties, which means the opposition should make constructive criticisms of the government activities and the ruling party should respect opposition criticisms and suggestions. However, in Bangladesh we have been experiencing the politics of confrontation for a long time.
In a democracy, it is usual that political parties vie for power. However, political parties in Bangladesh always try to remain as the ruling party. They don't have that tolerance which is necessary to remain in the opposition. When they lose the election they raise different allegations against the election even though the election is extolled by the local and international observers as well as communities.
Given the bitter experience of 1/11 where the leaders of the political parties were the worst sufferers, it was expected that we would get rid of the confrontational politics and an environment would be created where all political parties would show their tolerance for the development of the country.
However, things started to happen differently even after the ninth parliamentary election, when the losing party raised their allegations about the manipulation of the election result even though the election was highly extolled by the international communities. In point of fact, the opposition law-makers have given legal recognition to the election result by taking oath as member of Parliament.
Another issue which is an indication of the confrontation politics is the boycotting of Parliament by the main opposition. Most importantly, the most important budget session remained unattended by the opposition.
It is a matter of great regret that the opposition did not offer us any convincing reason for their absence from Parliament. The reason they argued (one seat in the front row of the opposition bench) is not at all persuasive to take a harsh decision like boycotting Parliament. They could have expressed their discontent on the floor of the Parliament if they really considered themselves deprived.
Even the role of the ruling party in this regard is not at all praiseworthy. Since the ruling alliance has brutal majority in the existing Parliament, people's expectation from them is mammoth as compared to the opposition who literally have no power to influence the parliamentary affairs considering their strength in Parliament.
The ruling party could have given the opposition an extra seat. Of course there was no guarantee that the opposition would have joined Parliament if they were given one extra seat since they extended their demand lists from time to time. Even then, the ruling party could have earned much appreciation from the general mass if they were responsive to the opposition's demand.
If we consider the issue of Tipaimukh Dam, there is no doubt that Bangladesh will be affected if the dam is built. Now we need a consensus among the political parties in order to put up a strong resistance to building the dam. However, we have noticed both the main parties are at the opposite ends on this issue. We did not experience any sort of initiative to come to consensus on the issue. Both the parties are playing a blame game with Tipaimukh.
Very recently we have witnessed consensus among the political parties on an issue relating to preservation of their interest. One such example was the consensus of all parties in the ninth Parliament when an amendment was passed on the Upazila Parishad Ordinance, which was intended to strengthen the power of the members of Parliament in the Upazila Parishad. Since the issue was related to their individual interest, all parties came to a consensus on the issue. Although such consensus building is atypical in the context of Bangladesh, but still it can be presumed that political parties can come to general consensus.
The ongoing debate on the issue of the parliamentary committee's report on the charges of corruption of the immediate past speaker, deputy speaker, and chief whip of the last ruling party deserves special mention here. Of course, the initiative to explore charges of corruption against those who manipulated their constitutional power for personal interest is a praiseworthy effort.
Such inquiry would send a strong messages to those who are holding offices at present. They would definitely learn a lesson from this case. However, given the confrontational political culture, the issue would have received much appreciation if it would have been solved through proper channels of law since the BNP has already identified the initiative as ill-motivated.
Politics in Bangladesh has increasingly become confrontational and unstable. The problem largely stems from lack of commitment by the political parties to basic norms of democracy. For the sake of sound and effective democratic culture, political parties should free the country from the trauma of confrontational politics. Only then the objective to build a poverty-free Bangladesh would come to reality.
Political parties should consider the fact that the awareness level of the ordinary citizens has increased to a great extent. They are in a position to adjudicate what is good and what is bad for them. The result of the ninth parliamentary election is an indication of the level of awareness of the voters. Thus, political parties would do well to respect the verdict of the voters.
A sound and effective democracy demands responsible behaviour from both ruling and opposition political parties, which means the opposition should make constructive criticisms of the government activities and the ruling party should respect opposition criticisms and suggestions. However, in Bangladesh we have been experiencing the politics of confrontation for a long time.


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Payton Cake Smash
Payton tears it up at her 1yr old princess themed cake smash session. I adore doing these. ❤
Payton tears it up at her 1yr old princess themed cake smash session. I adore doing these. ❤
I like to consider myself a crafty person. I virtually live on Pinterest, compiling numerous boards on DIY projects and crafts (as well as everything else under the sun). In between editing and the seemingly endless amounts of back-end work that go into running a photography business, I'll browse for ideas for the studio. A few… Continue reading A Post About Posts…
So, once upon a time in the land of Jade, before I became a portrait photographer, I was what I like to call an Urban Decay photographer. I used to scamper around in old buildings, no doubt filled with asbestos and god knows what else, and try to find captivating pictures out of the piles… Continue reading Before I was a portrait photographer and the meaning of my name.


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Planet Fitness has gone public. The company's long-expected Initial Public Offering began Thursday, trading on the New York Stock Exchange with a starting price of $16 a share.
The company is looking to grow, and quickly - right now Planet Fitness has just over 1,000 locations, but it says it sees the potential for more than 4,000 in the future. But while the company's profits have grown along with its footprint, so has its debt, to the tune of $500 million.
Thursday's initial public offering, putting the company's stock up on the New York Stock Exchange, could help fund such expansion. However, Bob Sanders of the New Hampshire Business Review, speaking on NHPR's The Exchange Friday, said the money raised in the IPO is likely to go to investors first rather than to adding new locations.
Meanwhile, the company may also run into other obstacles as it looks to grow. Industry analyst Sara Turk of IBISWorld, Inc., says more and more low-cost gyms are looking to court the same consumers Planet Fitness has gone after for years - "tapping into a customer that is budget conscious and may not be utilizing the gym that frequently," Turk says.
Along with adding more locations, Planet Fitness plans to raise more money by moving more of its 7 million members from $10 a month basic accounts to upgraded memberships at a monthly cost of about $20.
Ahead of its IPO, Planet Fitness said it would move company headquarters out of New Hampshire if the state didn't cut taxes on companies that go public. Governor Maggie Hassan vetoed such a measure in June, but offered to restore the cut as part of a new budget plan last month.
CEO Chris Rondeau told the New Hampshire Union Leader that Planet Fitness that "right now there is no plan to move," though he added "we'll have to see" what happens in state government.


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TZ Release Date
US Release Date
AU Release Date
Screen Caps
Unable to stem the tide of surprise attacks by Klingons with invisibilty screens, Burnham, Tyler and Saru attempt to modify a beacon on the planet Pahvo…
The Trekzone Review
Well, that felt a little original series-ish with a mystery on an alien world that looked a little like Earth with just enough set dressing to suspend the disbelief. I'm still not comfortable with Saru, I want to know what his deal is – and why we never see his kind again in Starfleet.
Elsewhere, in the opening act, we got our first taste of starship combat in this new era and boy it was nice even without phasers, photon torpedos and ships that look like the Connie. There was the right balance between a crew that aren't pure warriors and action out in the void of space and for the first time in a long time the toll of the losses on our characters faces are there for us to see. They want to mourn the dead at the right time.
The episode has me counting down to the mid-season finale with Staments delirious from all the spore jumps, Saru lamenting his actions on the planet and Lorca, Burnham and Tyler on the bridge preparing to fight the sarcophagus ship.
Cast and Crew
Jason Isaacs as Gabriel Lorca
Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham
Doug Jones as Saru
Shazad Latif as Ash Tyler
Anthony Rapp as Paul Staments
Mary Wiseman as Slyvia Tilly
Guest Cast
Jayne Brook
Mary Chieffo
Wilson Cruz
Kenneth Mitchell
Emily Coutts
Story By
Kirsten Beyer
Directed By
John S. Scott


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