Have you ever been to a NASCAR race? I have ..... they're exciting, scary and just plain ridiculous. If you've never been, let me give you the run down. About 40 drivers line up and start driving around a track ... getting faster and faster with each lap ... Not sure what may happen next? Here it is .... They're gonna turn left, then turn left, then turn left, then wreck, then start over, then turn left, then turn left, then turn left ..... on and on for 500 miles ending up exactly where they started.
It's the only sport I know where you can change the channel or leave the track for over an hour, come back and ask what happened and realize you haven't missed a thing ..... Still driving in circles!
Wonder what's gonna happen next? Another left turn.
If you've been to a race, I'm sure you noticed the people sitting around you are only seen at the fair and Mardi Gras .... where are these people during real life?
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Top Gun 2
Goffywood not Hollywood
Years ago, the most creative artists in America flocked to Hollywood and produced great films. Unfortunately, this era is over and what comes from Hollywood these days shows a complete lack of creativity and respect for moviegoers.
Hollywood is now obsessed with remaking cult classics regardless of how it may affect their reputation. You'd think they got the message when Will Smith's new remake of The Karate Kid was a box office failure? Not Goofywood .... they're continuing to remake other classic films.
In various stages of production are these remakes: Russell Brand is reported to be remaking Dudley Moore's 80's comedy, Arthur! Rodney Dangerfield's Back to School is being remade for Cedric the Entertainer. Footloose, Short Circuit, Meatballs and the Rocky Horror Picture Show are all in various stages of production.
The worst example of Hollyweird's fascination with remakes has been announced in the form of a sequel. That's right, a sequel ... that's worse.
Are you ready? Top Gun 2 has been announced. How stupid? There's no chance to surpass the original so why try? These guys are idiots! Have you seen Ice lately? He'd never fit into a flight suit ... if he did he'd look like a Navy weather balloon filled with helium. They don't make cockpits big enough for him!
What a ridiculous idea! C'mon Hollywood .... give us something worth watching.
Years ago, the most creative artists in America flocked to Hollywood and produced great films. Unfortunately, this era is over and what comes from Hollywood these days shows a complete lack of creativity and respect for moviegoers.
Hollywood is now obsessed with remaking cult classics regardless of how it may affect their reputation. You'd think they got the message when Will Smith's new remake of The Karate Kid was a box office failure? Not Goofywood .... they're continuing to remake other classic films.
In various stages of production are these remakes: Russell Brand is reported to be remaking Dudley Moore's 80's comedy, Arthur! Rodney Dangerfield's Back to School is being remade for Cedric the Entertainer. Footloose, Short Circuit, Meatballs and the Rocky Horror Picture Show are all in various stages of production.
The worst example of Hollyweird's fascination with remakes has been announced in the form of a sequel. That's right, a sequel ... that's worse.
Are you ready? Top Gun 2 has been announced. How stupid? There's no chance to surpass the original so why try? These guys are idiots! Have you seen Ice lately? He'd never fit into a flight suit ... if he did he'd look like a Navy weather balloon filled with helium. They don't make cockpits big enough for him!
What a ridiculous idea! C'mon Hollywood .... give us something worth watching.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
God Does NOT Want Willing Hearts
There are many popular myths, urban legends and false teachings circulating within the Church. Too many Christians have had their faith derailed because of these myths and false teachings. One common myth is the false belief that God is looking for willing hearts! Believing a willing heart is all that is needed to follow Christ is completely unbiblical. Nothing could be further from the truth! Jesus called His disciples to sacrifice everything to follow Him. The Christian life is about sacrifice ... NOT a willingness to sacrifice. It takes more than a willing heart to follow Christ.
Let's face it, if having a willing heart was all it took, it would be too easy. Anyone can be willing to give up everything to follow Christ. Jesus NEVER called anyone to be willing ... He called them to ACTION. Abraham was called to leave his homeland and follow Christ to an unknown country. Moses, Joseph, David, Esther, Paul, Peter ... the list goes on and on.
The call to follow Christ takes ACTION ... NOT a willing heart.
Let's face it, if having a willing heart was all it took, it would be too easy. Anyone can be willing to give up everything to follow Christ. Jesus NEVER called anyone to be willing ... He called them to ACTION. Abraham was called to leave his homeland and follow Christ to an unknown country. Moses, Joseph, David, Esther, Paul, Peter ... the list goes on and on.
The call to follow Christ takes ACTION ... NOT a willing heart.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Christians and Reincarnation
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Psalm 19:1
There is nothing quite like Autumn, is there? The colors of the leaves are vivid and magnificent. Driving down the road seeing the reds, yellows, oranges, and brilliance of the season should remind us of God’s amazing creation. Doesn’t the season take your breath away? Autumn isn’t the only display of God’s creativity in nature. From the lush green valleys, to snow topped mountains, to turquoise oceans and gorgeous sunsets, his workmanship is seen. Even a powerful thunderstorm, despite the devastation, points to His majesty.
How could anyone live through autumn or look at nature and not believe there’s a God?
Wait, it isn’t about believing in God. Almost everyone believes in God (Read James 2:19). So, if almost everyone believes in God, what’s the difference between Christ followers and others who may only believe in God?
The tragedy is that in our American culture we have failed to pass our foundational beliefs to the next generation. We are now in a situation in which those who call themselves Christians have almost no distinguishable worldview than those who are not Christians.
Recent surveys taken of Christian young people show the following:
1. 23% of Christian young people do not believe in miracles.
2. 33% do or may believe in reincarnation.
3. 48% believe that many religions are true and point to God.
Are you kidding? Nearly half of Christian young people believe there is more than one way! Jesus said He was the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Him!
Psalm 19:1
There is nothing quite like Autumn, is there? The colors of the leaves are vivid and magnificent. Driving down the road seeing the reds, yellows, oranges, and brilliance of the season should remind us of God’s amazing creation. Doesn’t the season take your breath away? Autumn isn’t the only display of God’s creativity in nature. From the lush green valleys, to snow topped mountains, to turquoise oceans and gorgeous sunsets, his workmanship is seen. Even a powerful thunderstorm, despite the devastation, points to His majesty.
How could anyone live through autumn or look at nature and not believe there’s a God?
Wait, it isn’t about believing in God. Almost everyone believes in God (Read James 2:19). So, if almost everyone believes in God, what’s the difference between Christ followers and others who may only believe in God?
The tragedy is that in our American culture we have failed to pass our foundational beliefs to the next generation. We are now in a situation in which those who call themselves Christians have almost no distinguishable worldview than those who are not Christians.
Recent surveys taken of Christian young people show the following:
1. 23% of Christian young people do not believe in miracles.
2. 33% do or may believe in reincarnation.
3. 48% believe that many religions are true and point to God.
Are you kidding? Nearly half of Christian young people believe there is more than one way! Jesus said He was the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Him!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Marx vs. Paul
Brilliant people aren’t always right. They aren’t always wrong either. Two brilliant men lived long ago yet were polar opposites when it came to their understanding of humanity. The first was Karl Marx, the father of communism. Marx had developed many economic, social and religious concepts but there’s one I’d like to mention. He said mankind was homo faber; which is Latin for man the creator or workman. In contrast, the Apostle Paul said man is autos poiema; which is Greek for man the workmanship of God. Think of that distinction. One side says man is the creator. The other says man is the workmanship of God.
Isn't that intriguing? What an observation! This is what Paul wrote.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV
Poiema
I’m not a Greek scholar so forgive me if I butcher this attempt to explain Paul’s concept. People are God's workmanship, His poiema - a term that can also be translated artistic rendering. We are artistic creations rendered in God's image, not our own. According to Paul, people could not be farther from being man the creator as Marx taught. Our works cannot even save ourselves, much less be the prime creative force Marx claimed. Our works are accomplished by the grace of the Creator God; who has even prepared the things for us to accomplish.
The implications are obvious and very significant. If Marx's concept is followed, frustration will follow. The burden of being Creator is heavy and people saddled with it will surely find themselves overwhelmed. This may explain the concentration of power in those command economies based on Marxism. People are unable to carry the heavy yoke of godhood and defer to the most powerful who play god by attempting to tightly limit all aspects of life. Perhaps this also helps account for amazingly low productivity in Marxist cultures that lies in contrast to the high output in those places operating with a biblical world-view.
This contrast is explained by the simple truth that Paul's model brings creativity. Grace is necessary precisely because we are not gods. Made in God's image, we are His workmanship. Living out who we are, we naturally do good works. We are creative not because we're trying to be the Creator, but because we're acting in response to being His workmanship.
Isn't that intriguing? What an observation! This is what Paul wrote.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV
Poiema
I’m not a Greek scholar so forgive me if I butcher this attempt to explain Paul’s concept. People are God's workmanship, His poiema - a term that can also be translated artistic rendering. We are artistic creations rendered in God's image, not our own. According to Paul, people could not be farther from being man the creator as Marx taught. Our works cannot even save ourselves, much less be the prime creative force Marx claimed. Our works are accomplished by the grace of the Creator God; who has even prepared the things for us to accomplish.
The implications are obvious and very significant. If Marx's concept is followed, frustration will follow. The burden of being Creator is heavy and people saddled with it will surely find themselves overwhelmed. This may explain the concentration of power in those command economies based on Marxism. People are unable to carry the heavy yoke of godhood and defer to the most powerful who play god by attempting to tightly limit all aspects of life. Perhaps this also helps account for amazingly low productivity in Marxist cultures that lies in contrast to the high output in those places operating with a biblical world-view.
This contrast is explained by the simple truth that Paul's model brings creativity. Grace is necessary precisely because we are not gods. Made in God's image, we are His workmanship. Living out who we are, we naturally do good works. We are creative not because we're trying to be the Creator, but because we're acting in response to being His workmanship.
Friday, October 1, 2010
The Scary Month
My favorite time of the year has finally arrived – OCTOBER. The scary month. When I was a kid my dad always set up a haunted grave yard in our front yard. We spent Halloween night scaring kids. Most Halloween nights were hysterical. My sister laid in the grave yard like a zombie and when she moved kids would nearly lose control – crying, screaming, running …. Those were the days.
One year, we put a box at the street next to the trash cans so no one suspected it had someone inside it. Wes Rush hid in the box and he jumped out to scare a group walking down the street …… not so scary when he leaned over too much … toppling the box onto the street.
Needless to say, we still carry on the tradition …. Last year, Ashlyn dressed in black and sat next to the graveyard behind a bush. All she had to do was say hello and little kids ran away scared to death – HYSTERICAL!
I look forward to Halloween every year.
Thinking of Halloween makes me wonder what scares you.
Otters, heights, floods, Jerry Springer, turning on the TV and NOT finding an episode of Law and Order, faith, spiders, your boss, snakes, church, death ….. Many things scare us; some legitimately and others because of our misconceptions. I like scary movies but I wouldn’t want to live in one.
Fear can be a powerful force causing intense reactions. God is not the author of fear so how we respond in fearful situations is the key. Maybe the best way to counter fear is to be prepared with scripture. Hide His Word in your heart and you’ll be ready when fear lurks through your grave yard.
Another Halloween tradition started in high school – stealing, I mean collecting pumpkins. Late Halloween night we drove around taking pumpkins from people’s houses. Hey, it wasn’t stealing we were helping them throw them away! We loaded the bed of a truck every year with 30-40 pumpkins. I remember one time I snuck through a front yard creeping toward the porch with my prize in sight. A large jack o lantern with a bright flame flickering through the crooked smile and jagged eyes. After the snatch, I took off across the yard as fast as I could run. Something trailed … it was right behind me. Fearful I was being chased I looked back. It was an extension cord …. Looking at the pumpkin I realized it was ceramic and the flame was electric. I kept running with a 100 ft extension cord flopping on the ground. I’ve always wondered what those people thought when all the sudden their extension cord spontaneously tightened, jumped from the outlet shooting across the room … Come to think of it … I still have that cord.
Happy October, Happy Halloween … start early and scare someone tomorrow.
One year, we put a box at the street next to the trash cans so no one suspected it had someone inside it. Wes Rush hid in the box and he jumped out to scare a group walking down the street …… not so scary when he leaned over too much … toppling the box onto the street.
Needless to say, we still carry on the tradition …. Last year, Ashlyn dressed in black and sat next to the graveyard behind a bush. All she had to do was say hello and little kids ran away scared to death – HYSTERICAL!
I look forward to Halloween every year.
Thinking of Halloween makes me wonder what scares you.
Otters, heights, floods, Jerry Springer, turning on the TV and NOT finding an episode of Law and Order, faith, spiders, your boss, snakes, church, death ….. Many things scare us; some legitimately and others because of our misconceptions. I like scary movies but I wouldn’t want to live in one.
Fear can be a powerful force causing intense reactions. God is not the author of fear so how we respond in fearful situations is the key. Maybe the best way to counter fear is to be prepared with scripture. Hide His Word in your heart and you’ll be ready when fear lurks through your grave yard.
Another Halloween tradition started in high school – stealing, I mean collecting pumpkins. Late Halloween night we drove around taking pumpkins from people’s houses. Hey, it wasn’t stealing we were helping them throw them away! We loaded the bed of a truck every year with 30-40 pumpkins. I remember one time I snuck through a front yard creeping toward the porch with my prize in sight. A large jack o lantern with a bright flame flickering through the crooked smile and jagged eyes. After the snatch, I took off across the yard as fast as I could run. Something trailed … it was right behind me. Fearful I was being chased I looked back. It was an extension cord …. Looking at the pumpkin I realized it was ceramic and the flame was electric. I kept running with a 100 ft extension cord flopping on the ground. I’ve always wondered what those people thought when all the sudden their extension cord spontaneously tightened, jumped from the outlet shooting across the room … Come to think of it … I still have that cord.
Happy October, Happy Halloween … start early and scare someone tomorrow.
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