If you love playing video games you have probably experienced the tension of explaining yourself (and your time management) to others. Most people just don’t understand the passion. Especially most women. My friend sent me a link of a video that hits way close to home. If you have a significant other in your life you should make her watch this too. Click here to watch it.
Last thursday I spoke at our church’s weekly bible study for men with 200+ guys. I spoke on “The Helmet of Salvation” from Ephesians 6. It’s fun whenever I get the opportunity to be involved with things outside of just the student ministry. If you feel so inclined you can find the download link here and listen to it. Just click on the message from 4/06. I’d love to hear feedback on it.
I was asked to speak today to my second most intimidating/awkward settings ever. I talked for a bit at our 55+ ministry’s luncheon. It is amazing to me how much an audience affects how I speak. Even more ironic is that I’m far more intimidated to speak to the elderly than I am with a group of junior highers.
What’s even better was what I had to follow. Before me, a lady was giving an entire lecture on the significance of a hug. I never knew that there was so much research out there on the science of hugs but I’ll admit I was rather intrigued with her information. I now know how to great someone with a “hand hug”…so watch out!
I started reading Brian McLaren’s third book in his trilogy, The Last Word and the Word After That, and have already read some comment-worthy ideas. He explains about our desire to know all the facts as we learn and grow in our relationship with Jesus:
Clarity is good, but sometimes intrigue may be even more precious; clarity tends to put an end to further thinking, whereas intrigue makes one think more intensely, broadly, and deeply. Jesus’ teaching on the kingdom of God is a case in point; his parables don’t score too well on clarity, but they excel in intrigue.
This is a very encouraging thought. Often we get frustrated when we can’t put all the pieces together but as McLaren points out, that can cause us to be very productive with our faith. If we have everything “figured out,” then we lose our drive to learn more and get closer to Him. It sounds like we should be grateful that God is far too big for us to fully understand.
It seems like the majority of my conversations this last month have had to do with Chuck Norris. In the last few weeks I have gotten into discussion about Chuck in Mexico, California, and Arizona. I have learned about a new genre of humor dedicated solely to emphasizing Chuck’s strength over mankind. Here are a few of my favorites:
So here is my question. What is the origin of the Chuck Norris jokes? My guess thus far is the Conan O’Brien late night show but I would love to hear any insights into how this has become a phenomenon or another aspect of Chuck that you know of but that I might not be aware of.
Many die-hard Beatles fans will be thrilled to learn that they may not have heard the last from John Lennon. On April 24, iN DEMAND pay-tv service will host a seance to contact the late Beatle for a paying audience. A recent article tells all about the pay-per-view show that will certainly create controversy. The shows producers did not get consent from Lennon’s estate but came up with their newest idea solely on what they think would attract viewers.
Hearing this reminds me of a time when a desperate man named Saul had realized that God was no longer with him as a result of his bad choices. What did he do when he needed to hear from God yet God was silent…he took it into his own hands and had a seance to call back the recently deceased prophet of God named Samuel (1 Samuel 28:3-25). After Samuel comes back and gives Saul a message from beyond the grave it says that “immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel’s words” (28:20).
It strikes me as sad that we feel the need and the right to take matters into our own hands despite what it may take to get there. Yes, I do believe that mediums can summon “spirits” from the beyond the grave (but I would suggest that it isn’t God giving them the ability to do this) despite the fact that the producers of the show had tried this idea before with a show in which they attempted to contact Princess Diana from beyond the grave only to fail in the connection (although they still managed to make a hefty profit in their failure). What is our society willing to pay to get what we want?
