Follower of Jesus & family man. I help regulate & teach emotionally impaired middle-schoolers through Kent ISD. Led faith-based non-profit for 21 years. Writer.
Grand Rapids
Joined January 2009
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Sentiments and Soapboxes: Dave Ramsey, America's Housing Crisis and the Applying the Golden Rule joelashaffer.substack.com/p/…
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Trump’s policies on tariffs, the Iran war, etc. are extremely unpopular, but his defenders say they must be pursued anyway. Then in the next breath they say that Trump can’t advance the pro-life cause because it’s too unpopular. Pro-lifers, stop getting played by these phonies.
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I find that a large majority of what churches call disciple-making or discipleship is primarily giving people more information w little practice toward obedience. This too often leads to disciples of content and ideas but not disciples who know and obey Jesus in everyday life.
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Christian unity does not mean that we will agree on every policy, candidate, or political strategy.
For years, I assumed I would be the first in our family to die. My early years in urban ministry sometimes put me in dangerous situations, and I learned to live with that uncertainty.
I never imagined I would bury my son at 26.
@joelashaffer joelashaffer.substack.com/p/…
"The darker the night, the brighter the stars, the deeper the grief, the closer is God" Apollon Maykov
Even from Heaven, Jalen continues to teach us...
The Old Soul Who Ran Ahead: What My Son Jalen Taught Me About Wisdom, Faith, and Finishing the Race, by @joelashaffer joelashaffer.substack.com/p/…
The problems were real. But so were the unintended consequences. Check out part 2 of "Beyond the Managed State."
When the “We” Started to Become Washington, by @joelashaffer joelashaffer.substack.com/p/…
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The main problem I have with AI writing is that once I recognize that a piece is AI written, the AI style becomes so distracting that I can't concentrate on the content, even when the content is really good.
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So the Pacers basically traded Keaton Wagler and Isaiah Jackson for Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown.
It's been eleven weeks since Jalen met Jesus face-to-face in heaven. This is a small window into the life of "my dearly beloved son who brings me great joy." (Matt. 3:17 NLT)
All the Small Things, by @joelashaffer joelashaffer.substack.com/p/…
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TGC recently shared its policy for writers and the use of AI. Christianity Today did the same. In this article, I reflect on a new institutional/individual divide and consider how, just like blogs democratized influence, AI might democratize competence. challies.com/articles/tgc-ai…
I've been marinating on parts of this for a while (actually since COVID), but I finally wrote part 1 while I was on vacation in response to all the political theatre in our nation, including last week's Michigan primary.
@joelashaffer joelashaffer.substack.com/p/…
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One of the worst things about Trump is that he’s ushering in more corporate welfare, cronyism, and socialism while parading it under the banner of capitalism, so we end up with all the failings of those ideologies but with a generation of young people blaming the market economy.
@joelashaffer open.substack.com/pub/joelas… "Rethinking Life" asks an important question: What does love require of us?...for that question to lead somewhere meaningful, it must be grounded in...orthodox theology, honest history, & an accurate understanding of those being critiqued.
Always Something There To Remind Me, @joelashaffer open.substack.com/pub/joelas…
For a grieving family, you can’t just turn that feeling off. In our eyes, the world is permanently stamped with Jalen’s presence, & there is no escaping the reminders. They are both a blessing & a curse
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Tu quoque, the genetic fallacy, ad hominem, poisoning the well. X is a veritable treasure trove of logical fallacies.
My Broken Business of Lament, by @joelashaffer open.substack.com/pub/joelas…
Since Jalen’s death on June 13th, my family and I have been swimming in a messy, heavy landscape of grief. This essay is an honest window into that internal battlefield.
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Pet peeve: Online folks who handwring that "we've lost the Republic" or "It's the end of democracy" every time a court case or policy fight or election is lost. Give me a break. This country endured a civil war. Our grandparents fought the Nazis and Communists and won. Let's have more faith in the country.
Thankfully, this is an online phenomenon among people who cash in on cynicism for clicks. Rank-and-file normal people are busy living their lives and don't think the sky is falling.