Love Without Agenda » Spirituality

Sometimes real needs are silent, when love looks like a vacuum

Lisa O'Brien-Wentzel — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 03:32:35 +0000

Sometimes.. The way we organize and systematize “Love”, usually in the form of primary care, is not bad, but seems to cause people to go on some sort of “care auto pilot”, and weaken our muscles of empathy and compassion. Sometimes when we think “help” we think of people in certain organizational categories “homeless”, “needy child”, “elderly”. Of course this is true, helping orphans, widows and the like, is good. But it seems that it can become hard to REALLY listen, to someone outside of the “weak box” who is REALLY hurting, and not just send them off to the ‘Democratic Dept of people who help you with our tax dollars’. Because we may get THAT feeling too. The one that cares. The Read more...

A Disney-ABC executive’s Love without agenda

Lisa O'Brien-Wentzel — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 01:03:35 +0000

It was hot, loud and crowded at Cornerstone Festival in Illinois. Young artists lined the streets to play loud but purposeful and passionate music, hardcore stuff. A lot of black clothing, a lot of tatoos and piercings, a lot of life wanting to burst forth. I love young people. The LWA kids were painting on second run t-shirts the word “Stop Consuming..”, when we met “Mama Dawn” A rocker herself, she was in a band called Crumbacher as a young adult. Now a single mom of teens and a Senior Management executive at Disney-ABC in California using her musical talents. The kids that hover around her call her Mama Dawn, she appears to have 20 or so kids. In listening to her amazing story, we found that she got her name Mama Dawn by sharing her “free Read more...

4 Men and a House

Lisa O'Brien-Wentzel — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 06:35:32 +0000

I am super lucky enough to know some great men, very great men, the kind of men that women dream of being around, the kind of men that they think are never to be found. They live with profound purpose and values, they get crap done, they are conquers for good, smashing the bad stuff all around. They protect, they model, they sacrifice, they are patient and disciplined. They are true, passionate and yet faithful. They don’t throw away money and come home drunk, they engage with all people in real ways. They do not lay around on couches with their hands in their pants, they work hard, for others. They do not wear khaki pants and fear making changes and confrontations in life, they are strong in the right way. They are generous. They are not perfect. They do not cover Read more...

Jimmy Spencer Jr. @ Judson University

Jimmy Spencer Jr. — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 18:28:06 +0000

I was fortunate enough to get to speak to the students at Judson University a private Christian school outside of Chicago during one of their weekly chapel services. It was great to get to connect with the students and to talk with them afterwards—very life-giving and encouraging for the future. You can listen to the audio from the service below, and check out some shots my buddy Brad shot from around the chapel. Hope that you enjoy it (and it makes you think some too).

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About The Book: Why Give it Away for Free?

Jimmy Spencer Jr. — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 07:00:12 +0000

As you may know LWA has a book coming out in a little under 24 hours. We wanted to release this last 2 page section on how this book is going to be different with it’s technology and content. We think it’s going to be game changer. Check out the last pre-release “About this Book”

“Since we are in the idea spreading business and not the book selling business—we have decided not to pursue a traditional publisher. While we have friends in the industry and value their hard work, we feel that our admittedly ‘unorthodox’ methods of distribution and creating of content would have put us at constant odds with a traditional publisher. New ways of doing things has some admitted benefits: We can give the book away for free We can write and speak unmuffled It also creates some serious issues: Distribution depends on you LWA may die due to lack of funds But, despite the obvious risks, we are confident we have to take the consumer exchange out of this process. It is the right thing to do for such an important message. We risked Read more...

Lawnmower and Lemonade…2nd LWA book excerpt

Jimmy Spencer Jr. — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 03:32:08 +0000

Here is the 2nd excerpt from Love Without Agenda: My Journey Our of Consumer Christianity. It’s a transitional section called “The Lawnmower and the Lemonade”.

I sat there for a while and drank that lemonade. I finished the whole pitcher. I went back in and filled the pitcher with sweet tea. I drank enough that I wasn’t thirsty anymore. I kept sippin on that tea. Biding my time and stalling. I sat out there drinking and stalling for almost an hour or so. I swear—I probably would have sat there forever and let that grass grow up around my waist.

Click Here to download a PDF of ‘Lawnmower and Lemonade’ Read more...

1st Book Excerpt Release (11/2)

Jimmy Spencer Jr. — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 00:55:23 +0000

Today I will be releasing a short excerpt from our book Love Without Agenda: The Art of Being Christian. A few words on the section: A few words on Truth is in an independent section of the book we call FYI’s. They are little side discussions that I think are relative the whole picture of the book—but dont necessarily fit into the flow of the story. I actually think my Non-Christian friends will stand up and cheer at this book—and this little section. Hopefully the title of the book doesn’t pigeon hole our efforts Here is a little taste…

“This use of truth has historically warped Christian’s ability to see other humans thru the compassionate eyes of their Creator. It sets the stage for a low theological and practical view of people. Because our truths trump other people’s value. Others’ value becomes tied to their accepting of our truth. This blinds us to the inherent value God gives them It gives Read more...

Love threw Cheerios on the ground

Lisa O'Brien-Wentzel — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 18:46:11 +0000

Those little moments of Love without Agenda added up over time weave together a pattern a Love for others to see: a Legacy. My Aunt, Sister Carol Ann reminded me of the legacy my dad has given us, when she told me how she saw great love when he threw Cheerios on the ground. My Dad is a man of little words and lots of actions of love. His large tudor style home hosts all of our family gatherings, beautiful inside and out, built on a former nursery lot. Well kept, he does all of his home care himself, working as an expression of love for all who enter. One holiday as the family gathered around the kitchen table for appetizers, drink and pre dinner chat, my Dad, serving everyone and awaiting my “late as usual” arrival with Jacob-then 1yrs old, took Cheerios and scattered them on the just cleaned floor right in front of the guests. (yes, he cleaned the floor, gramma cooks) “Pat, why are you tossing Cheerios on the floor?” “Oh, Jacob likes to dust buster vacuum them up with me and so when there is no dirt on the floor, I just make some Read more...

Becoming a Heretic (Thanks to Seth Godin)

Brad Siefert — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:44:08 +0000

If anyone out there still hasn’t at least skimmed Seth Godin’s landmark book “Tribes” please run out and do so immediately. Seth Godin has become one of the leading people in the world at seeing how the present is shaping the future—and in his book Tribes, he talks about how small, medium or even gigantic Tribes, are shaping the future. Apple fanboys are a tribe, tv.WineLibrary.com is a tribe, TED is a tribe, the Church is a tribe, shoot even Al Qaeda is a tribe. Tribes happen because “people” (read leaders) see something that can be better, something that is incomplete or something that your passionate about and those leaders (plus a small cadre of friends and like-minded cohorts) laud, sweat, work for, beg, borrow, and or steal to make that change or progress happen. One prerequisite for being a leader of a tribe seems to be being a heretic on at least one level or another. Now I know that the overwhelming majority of people that just read the word heretic, their minds just ran to their favorite Church leader they like to bash or someone who’s theology they Read more...

LWA @ North Park University

Brad Siefert — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:34:34 +0000

LWA cofounder Jimmy Spencer Jr., was a featured speaker at Christian university North Park University in Chicago, IL. Spencer passionately shares his personal & theological thoughts behind his founding Love Without Agenda including: Spencer’s heart for people and their pattern, Spencer’s take on the meaning of life, & Spencer’s observations and perspective about Jesus may shock you. Hear founder of Love Without Agenda talk about his life & ideas towards building a better world for people. Read more...