Month: July 2007

Notes from Aboveground

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So I have been doing a lot of reading these days (which is nice), a good mix of fiction, non-fiction and periodocal. One of the magazines I read is Touchstone www.touchstonemag.com and I came across a great article on the dangers of "relevant" preaching. The authors warns against simplifying Christian language to the point of meaninglessness. He says:
 
"…the first answer to the problem is not to simplify and replace the language and therefore distort the message, but inside the Church to explain, and outside the Chruch to live, so that those who think Christianity irrelevant will so desparately want to be a part of our community that they will happily learn to speak in a new tongue."
In other news I preached on Doubt the past two Sundays as a two-part series. Part one was entitled – The Dark Side of Doubt and part two – The Sunny Side of Doubt. I found part one the more difficult of the two to speak on but it was an enjoyable experience none-the-less.
 
That’s it for now.

Blessings? Still Counting…

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So this week I have been working on my sermon for Sunday – it’s the first part of a two-part series on Doubt…Sunday’s title: The Dark Side of Doubt. Now the thing about preparing to preach on the dark side of doubt is that you can’t avoid confronting it, wrestling with it and realizing how powerful and how subtle it can be all at the same time. What I’m saying is it is a tough subject and I’m not sure how it’s going to turn out because I have found that people like to avoid doubt (including myself) as a way of dealing with it. It’s been a dark week from that perspective.

The good news is I come home today and get to jump in the pool with the kids and enjoy the perfect blue sky.

The antidote to doubt for me today? It’s not the family or the pool or even the great weather – it’s God taking hold of me and saying – “take a look around you, you are blessed.”

The antidote to doubt for you? It’s not family, kids, weather, or pools…its you letting God take hold and say “take a look around you – you are uniquely blessed where you are. To find our blessing not in our surroundings but in the value God vests in our surroundings…and in us (although it can be easier to see this under blue skies…).

Funny Geek Humur

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Pentecost Lost

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I have a friend
who wonders
where the friends have all gone
why the feast tables
have overturned
and the food has rotted
                                 on the floor
and no one comes into
their space anymore…
except by accident
 
joy was the fuel
that drove the celebration
but the tank is empty
 
next station – 400 miles
 
and our wheels are spinning
in ground that is soaked
with a million un-wiped tears
 
so much to do
that nothing gets done
 
FEED! CLOTHE! VISIT! HEAL!
 
vanished in this day’s whirlwind
while the people cry
"where are you!"
and you respond –
 
I AM.
 
whispers in a gray face
bruises in a dark place
loneliness seeking grace
 
I AM.
 
I have a friend
who wonders
why we gather anymore
what we seek
as we chase after the wind
that chases after us
 
look –
fire looms over our heads
let it fall
           let it consume
don’t hide
 
too great a cost
this Pentecost lost
 
 

Our Upcoming Trip to Florida

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Satan Reviews the Bible

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So I am searching the net for book reviews (cause yes – sometimes that’s what I do for fun…) and what do I find but a book review of Michael J. Behe’s newest – The Edge of Evolution. Behe previously wrote a book entitled Darwin’s Black Box and has continued in his latest book to argue against evolution and for Intelligent Design.
 
Now the review was in the New York Times Literary Supplement and who do you think they chose to objectively walk through Behe’s latest book? None other than God-hating atheist and evolution champion Richard Dawkins! You know this sort of says where the Times literary editors stand. Having Dawkins review Behe is a little like asking Satan to review the Bible. Craziness.

Transformers – An Uncritical Review

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What can I say? In the history of film making you have the Lumiere Brothers, Orson Welles’ Citizen Cane, C.B. DeMille’s Ten Commandments and a few other bright lights – above them all rises – Transformers. Ok. Maybe I am exagerating a tad. I am really speaking as the 10-year-old version of me who used to watch Transformers religiously as a kid. The kid who would sometimes wonder where Optimus Prime was always hiding the trailer for the 18-wheeler that magically appeared out of nowhere everytime he transformed from Autobot to truck.
 
The movie successfully delivered in pretty much every area I was hoping for. The effects were out-of-this-world and absolutely believeable. Incredible action that hardly ever relented. The opening sequences were pretty hardcore in fact.
 
So what if the story was a little light. Who cares if the scenes between some of the human characters were a little lame? You know what? I don’t! This is a movie made for action and for the little kid that never grew up that I keep trapped inside of me. I think I literally shivered when Optimus Prime spoke for the first time – LITERALLY shivered… The best part was they used the original voice from the cartoons – Peter Cullen.
 
I am fully aware that I have fallen for the brilliant marketing tactics of Hasbro and Michael Bay’s genius tapping into the original series characteristics like Cullen’s voice to suck me, people like me and our progeny into the theatre. I am happy for doing it and creating a whole new generation of Transformer fans.
 
So – did I like it? Guess who’s lining up for the DVD when it comes out?
 

CRITICALLY IMPORTANT!!!!

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You NEED to see this!!!!