Lost

10 Feb , 2010 No Comments

Like many other people right now, I am fascinated by the show Lost. In case you aren’t up to date on it, the show is in it’s sixth and final season. It is a show that creates exponential amounts of questions for every few answers that it gives…but they tell us that answers are coming. Season five elevated a new focus of light vs. dark that has added an exciting new element.

For those of you that are fans of the show, click here to check out a website from a guy who writes all about the show Lost. He writes from a Christian perspective, so in addition to having someone help explain things to you, he adds an insightful commentary to what you see on TV. He even does a recap of every episode thus far in case you are hopelessly behind or just in need of a good refresher. For any fans of the show, I recommend you check it out.

Also, here is a video from the producer of the show, J.J. Abrams. This is from a speech he gave at TED where he talks about mystery and it may give us a hint at what we are in for in the weeks to come. This guy is brilliant.

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Which is in our nature?

03 Feb , 2010 No Comments

I’ve often heard parents talk about how selfishness doesn’t have to be taught to kids. The illustration is usually given about kids using the word “mine.” The point is that they learn this concept naturally and parents have to teach them how to not say it.

So I’ve been waiting for those types of moments with Gavin. But surprisingly, I realized that there is a different phase that comes before the “mine” phase. Gavin loves to go around and give people his toys. I can be sitting in a chair reading and in a matter of moments half of his collection of toys will be in my lap. Even as I write this he is handing me things.

So my parental question is: which is truly in our nature if this is what comes first? Now, maybe not all kids experience it in this order, but it has got me thinking. I wonder if we are naturally selfless but we unlearn that as we get older?

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OTR – Stephen Mansfield

01 Feb , 2010 No Comments

I recently read the book The Search for God and Guinness by Stephen Mansfield and was absolutely enthralled by it. Stephen is a New York Times bestselling author with a long list of books including: The Faith of George W Bush, Ten Tortured Words, The Faith of the American Soldier, Never Give In: the Extraordinary Character of Winston Churchill, and The Faith of Barack Obama to name a few. As a former pastor, Mansfield now spends his time analyzing trends with spirituality and the world around us.

Jeremy: Tell us something odd/unique about you.

Stephen: I grew up largely in Berlin, Germany, during the Cold War. My father was the senior U.S. Army intelligence officer in the mid-1970s and so I had an unusual upbringing behind the Iron Curtain.
Jeremy: In a sentence or two, what is the most profound aspect of the connection between God and Guinness as you’ve unpacked it?

Stephen: The connection that means the most to me is that John Wesley should preach to Arthur Guinness’s church in Dublin, Arthur would be inspired to build a company along the lines of Wesley’s social teaching, and the world would be changed as a result. The other interesting connection for me is that the company sold beer. You could hardly find an item so “secular” and “unspiritual.” And yet, by being faithful before God, Arthur was allowed to use beer to change the world. It should inspire us to believe that we all can change lives no matter the profession we are in, no matter how “secular.”
Jeremy: Do you think people are born leaders or develop into leaders?

Stephen: Leaders are made. Human beings might naturally want to follow the good looking and the tall and the commanding of manner, but true leaders are fashioned by suffering, devotion and experience.
Jeremy: How can people put themselves into a position to influence culture?

Stephen: Be willing to take responsibility. Be willing to “own” problems. Be willing to take the slings and arrows that come from being out front and making your vision known. Changing culture is easy. It is the beating you take while you do it that keeps so many hunkered down in irrelevance.
Jeremy: Why are you a follower of Jesus Christ?

Stephen: Because He chose me.
Jeremy: What do you do personally to fuel your spiritual life?

Stephen: Digest the Bible, inspiring music, great literature and stirring movies. Also, I choose my friends wisely. I want to be with those who fuel my inner fire rather than dowse my flame of hope.
Jeremy: What is your hope for the future of the Church in America?

Stephen: That we regain confidence in the power of the Gospel, articulate that Gospel in culturally relevant terms, and live what we believe.
Jeremy: Should we abandon the use of the word “Christian” for a better term?

Stephen: No, but we should make it an honored term again.
Jeremy: What blogs/websites do you regularly check?

Stephen: Drudgereport, Wallbuilders, Realclearpolitics, Delta, Seatguru
Jeremy: Which books have shaped your thinking?

Stephen: The Light and the Glory by Peter Marshall/David Manuel, The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer, Lincoln’s Melancholy by Joshua Wolf Shenk, The Celtic Way of Evangelism by George Hunter and Wild at Heart by John Eldredge.
Jeremy: What music moves you?

Stephen: Rowdy Celtic music. Old Rock and Roll. Anything my wife is singing around the house.
Jeremy: Any other thoughts or advice?

Stephen: Live everyday as though it were your last, for one day you are sure to be right.
Click here to read more Off the Record interviews.

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God and Guinness

28 Jan , 2010 No Comments

I recently finished a fascinating book, The Search for God and Guinness, from Stephen Mansfield, connecting the dots between one of the largest beers in the world and the God that I happen to follow after. It was a great read and I suspect that the content would be pretty shocking to the typical person. We often hear about alcohol in a purely negative light, and obviously it gets abused, but this book sheds light into the moderation and enjoyment of one of God’s blessings in a very healthy way. It also shows the amazing connection these two seemingly opposite things have in common. Click here to read my interview with the author.

Here are some of the quotes that stood out to me that will give you a little of the flavor of the book.

“Arthur Guinness founded the first Sunday schools in Ireland, fought against dueling, and chaired the board of a hospital for the poor.”
“Henry Grattan Guinness, grandson of brewery founder Arthur Guinness, was a Christian leader of such impact that he was ranked with Dwight L. Moody and Charles Spurgeon in his day. He has been called the Billy Graham of the nineteenth century.”
“Beer is not simply a means of drunkenness nor is it merely a lubricant to grease the skids to sin. Beer, well respected and rightly consumed, can be a gift of God. It is one of his mysteries, which it was his delight to conceal and the glory of kings to search out. And men enjoy it to mark their days and celebrate their moments and stand with their brothers in the face of what life brings.”
“Many historians have noted that this positive Christian perspective on alcohol probably even encouraged brewing, because it both sanctioned a temperate love of beer and welcomed beer as an alternative to more high-alcohol drinks. This theory is supported by the fact that beer is so intertwined with the history of the Christian faith that it is tempting to believe that Christians discovered it. Perhaps in its holy and moderate use, they did.”
“Do not suppose that abuses are eliminated by destroying the object which is abused,” [Martin Luther] once wrote. “Men can go wrong with wine and women. Shall we then prohibit and abolish women?”
“The truth is that most post-Reformation Christians believed as their first-century fathers did–that drunkenness is sin but that alcohol in moderation is one of the great gifts of God.”

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The Hatred of God

27 Jan , 2010 No Comments

I spoke at our Men’s ministry group called Ironman last week. My topic was “A God of Hate vs. a God of Love.” I’ve never said anything before that has caused that much spiritual vertigo (to my knowledge). If you’re interested, you can give it a listen by clicking here.

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Let the Nail Go

25 Jan , 2010 No Comments

A few weeks ago I messed up my index finger pretty bad while I was cutting a piece of wood with a miter saw. The next day, the nail turned purple and my finger began to swell. Unfortunately, I didn’t take a picture of it from the beginning (probably because it would have made me pass out to look at it long enough to take a picture). It was so bad that I ended up draining the blood out of it twice.

Since that time I’ve been watching my nail slowly begin the decaying process and make its exodus from the rest of my finger (see picture below). There was quite a bit of debate originally as to whether or not I’d keep my nail or lose it. I was arguing that I’d keep it and that I didn’t need to lose it. Really, I just didn’t like the idea of thinking of what was to come if I did lose it.

My wife has accused me of staring at my nail too much and of constantly talking about it. I can’t help it. It’s fascinating to watch each day’s development (not to mention the fact that I have to answer all the accusations about whether or not I’ve gone Emo and have started painting my nails black). And all of that time reflecting on my sad little nail has caused me to think about my approach to areas of growth in my life.

There are probably a handful of things in my life that need to die off so that something new (and better) can grow in its place. But how often do I try and save the nail and keep the new growth from coming? The biggest reason for this is fear. How much more would I develop into the man God has created me to be if I simply fostered a conducive environment for new growth without holding onto the old things?

Is there an area of your life that you are fighting new growth because you are unsure of what it would mean? Is fear causing you to be overly cautious and resistant to new opportunities? Let the nail go and embrace new growth.

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