Friday, December 30, 2005
What Character are you?
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Bono, and the greatest rock band of ALL time!
Ff you're like me and interested in U2 and their spirituality check out Dan King's blog http://danking.blogspot.com/2005/12/bono-tumbles-off-pedestal.html
Monday, December 19, 2005
Thursday, December 15, 2005
All I want for Christmas
I knew that these things were going to be a hot seller. I just heard that stores are now sold out of the xbox 360 and I'm kicking myself! I should have bought one and put it on ebay. All those parents who will buy they kid whatever they want, no matter how much it costs. The price is going to sky rocket, they've already gone up two hundred bucks on ebay! It reminds me of that year when a tickle me Elmo cost 400 bucks. Oh well, next Christmas I'll know what to do :D
Alumni Soccer
So Alumni soccer is coming up soon... this picture really makes me wonder if it's worth it.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Pop Religion??
Interesting news story on Christian pop culture take a look.
http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?g=e1c05174-a351-4ea9-ba08-22e9f965d8c5&f=copy
http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?g=e1c05174-a351-4ea9-ba08-22e9f965d8c5&f=copy
Friday, December 09, 2005
AMAZING GRACE HOW SWEET THE SOUND
The following is an excerpt from the Vision and The Vow by Peter Grieg (an incredible book that everyone should buy!!) This portion is about the grace of God. If you only ever read one thing on this blog make sure you read the following.
To set this up you need to know two things.
First Judas Iscariot was about as bad as they get, and also the only one of the twelve never to call Jesus Lord. He called him rabbi but never Lord.
The Second thing you need to think about are these three questions that are asked:
- What if, having betrayed Jesus to death, Judas had somehow managed to wrestle his demons a few more hours?
- What if Judas had not hanged himself that day from that tree?
- What if Judas had just help on, in living hell, for three more days on earth?
“What if he (Judas) had waited a weekend? That’s all that would have been needed. I love to imagine Jesus on Easter morning deliberately seeking out the disciple more lost than any other. Perhaps now, at last, he might be found! When Judas first sees Jesus, I imagine him wondering how this tumult of madness could now be conjuring up the rabbi in his tortured mind. Slowly Jesus approaches, but Judas is frozen in disbelief. Closer. Closer. Jesus is unbearable close – so close now that Judas can feel His breath of his cheek. And then it happens: Jesus greats Judas. With a kiss.
He is carrying three questions for Peter. He has scars to show Thomas. But first a kiss for Judas. And some time within those moments, I imagine two words- just two- being exchanged very quietly between the men. Jesus looks deeply into the unblinking eyes of His betrayer, who is too dumbstruck even to avert his gaze in shame. And then he utters a single syllable, upon which eternity will surely swing. Jesus whispers: “friend.” Do you hear the echo? It was another day, another kiss, perhaps another Judas, too. But in the garden that night, Jesus had greeted his betrayer in just the same way. “Friend,” He had said, “do what you came for.” And Judas had done it, and he had not been able to undo it. And Jesus had been to hell and back as a result. And for the twelfth of His disciples: “Friend.” He, too, had done what he came for. The sound of that word somehow echoes to reach Judas, lost as he is in another eternity. He hears the greeting. He feels the breath. Life to Dust. Ashes to ember. A kiss for a curse. As if slowly waking from a nightmare, Judas Iscariot replies to his victim, the victor, with a single word, surely more meaningful than we can ever know: “Lord.” It’s a whisper, barely audible. And yet the sound of that word resounds like a gunshot around the halls of heaven. “Lord.” The angels gasp in recognition: “Not rabbi – Lord! Even Judas, even Judas.” They say. And then perhaps Judas, in those awkward, awestruck moments, moves to reciprocate the kiss, as one should. Should he? Could he? Would Jesus allow it once again? And his lips touch the cheek, it is as though a pin pierces his stupor – his body just crumples upon Christ’s, shuddering with the greatest sobs of redemption history. Somehow the irreversible sin has become the very door of salvation – even for him, the twelfth, the last, the least, the thief, the greatest traitor of them all. With those tears the angelic realm erupts in praise. “Rejoice with me,” cries the Spirit, His voice echoing through heaven, “for I have found my lost sheep!” and there is always “more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who don not need to repent” (Luke 15:6) Praises ring to the Lamb that was slain for the sins of the world- even this, the greatest sin of them all. Truly He loves His enemy and does good to His persecutor. He is the Alpha and Omega who takes the twelfth brother and makes him first, lifting his name as the ultimate example of grace – insurmountable and eternal proof of the power of love to conquer sin.” (Grieg, Peter. The Vision and the Vow pg. 48-50)
To set this up you need to know two things.
First Judas Iscariot was about as bad as they get, and also the only one of the twelve never to call Jesus Lord. He called him rabbi but never Lord.
The Second thing you need to think about are these three questions that are asked:
- What if, having betrayed Jesus to death, Judas had somehow managed to wrestle his demons a few more hours?
- What if Judas had not hanged himself that day from that tree?
- What if Judas had just help on, in living hell, for three more days on earth?
“What if he (Judas) had waited a weekend? That’s all that would have been needed. I love to imagine Jesus on Easter morning deliberately seeking out the disciple more lost than any other. Perhaps now, at last, he might be found! When Judas first sees Jesus, I imagine him wondering how this tumult of madness could now be conjuring up the rabbi in his tortured mind. Slowly Jesus approaches, but Judas is frozen in disbelief. Closer. Closer. Jesus is unbearable close – so close now that Judas can feel His breath of his cheek. And then it happens: Jesus greats Judas. With a kiss.
He is carrying three questions for Peter. He has scars to show Thomas. But first a kiss for Judas. And some time within those moments, I imagine two words- just two- being exchanged very quietly between the men. Jesus looks deeply into the unblinking eyes of His betrayer, who is too dumbstruck even to avert his gaze in shame. And then he utters a single syllable, upon which eternity will surely swing. Jesus whispers: “friend.” Do you hear the echo? It was another day, another kiss, perhaps another Judas, too. But in the garden that night, Jesus had greeted his betrayer in just the same way. “Friend,” He had said, “do what you came for.” And Judas had done it, and he had not been able to undo it. And Jesus had been to hell and back as a result. And for the twelfth of His disciples: “Friend.” He, too, had done what he came for. The sound of that word somehow echoes to reach Judas, lost as he is in another eternity. He hears the greeting. He feels the breath. Life to Dust. Ashes to ember. A kiss for a curse. As if slowly waking from a nightmare, Judas Iscariot replies to his victim, the victor, with a single word, surely more meaningful than we can ever know: “Lord.” It’s a whisper, barely audible. And yet the sound of that word resounds like a gunshot around the halls of heaven. “Lord.” The angels gasp in recognition: “Not rabbi – Lord! Even Judas, even Judas.” They say. And then perhaps Judas, in those awkward, awestruck moments, moves to reciprocate the kiss, as one should. Should he? Could he? Would Jesus allow it once again? And his lips touch the cheek, it is as though a pin pierces his stupor – his body just crumples upon Christ’s, shuddering with the greatest sobs of redemption history. Somehow the irreversible sin has become the very door of salvation – even for him, the twelfth, the last, the least, the thief, the greatest traitor of them all. With those tears the angelic realm erupts in praise. “Rejoice with me,” cries the Spirit, His voice echoing through heaven, “for I have found my lost sheep!” and there is always “more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who don not need to repent” (Luke 15:6) Praises ring to the Lamb that was slain for the sins of the world- even this, the greatest sin of them all. Truly He loves His enemy and does good to His persecutor. He is the Alpha and Omega who takes the twelfth brother and makes him first, lifting his name as the ultimate example of grace – insurmountable and eternal proof of the power of love to conquer sin.” (Grieg, Peter. The Vision and the Vow pg. 48-50)
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Sunday School??
So what is the point of Sunday School? In 1780 Robert Raikes and Thomas Stock established the first Sunday school for the poor and orphaned in Gloucester in 1780 (there was Sunday school before this, however Raikes, and Stock are recognized as the originators) the purpose was to, “Teach reading, writing, arithmetic and catechism to the 'deserving' poor (McGill University).” In less than a hundred years the number of kids attending Sunday school rose from 200,000 to 2,000,000.
Why did Sunday school do so well? Because it met a basic need of society at that time. “The Sunday schools caught on quickly and were effective because they were simple, became a diversion for the children, and a means for parents to socially elevate the family as a whole. They were often also a means of education for adults, who occasionally attended the schools; children were actively encouraged to take lessons and books home to share with their parents. The Sunday school also became an important hub of social interaction for a class of children and parents who were rapidly moving away from small, close-knit, rural communities to large, over-populated, urban centres. Lastly, the schools taught catechism to a population that, until that time, only learned it via a rote memorization system with the priest reciting the Lord's Prayer one line at a time, once a week, during the service (McGill University).”
Sunday school was a success because, it gave poor kids something to do, it educated, and gave whole families a time of social interaction.
Another purpose for Sunday school was to give children something to do. Sunday was often the only day that these children didn’t have to work, and as a result the streets were crowded with kids who were busy fighting and swearing. So Sunday school was an evangelistic tool used by laypeople to reach out to the non-Christians.
Clearly our world has changed since the industrial revolution, which begs the question what about Sunday school today? Clearly we are an extremely educated society where every child has the opportunity to learn how to read and write. We have hundreds of programs that teach kids about God, and Sunday school is certainly no longer a place where parents and kids interact together on a social level with other people. So the old goals of Sunday school no longer apply to us today. Are we beating a dead horse by trying to keep Sunday school alive? I believe that as long as we keep Sunday school the way it is today the answer is yes.
It is interesting to see that once youth are of the age where their parents let them decide if they want to go or not many of them stop coming until they are married and have kids of their own to bring. We force our kids to come until they can choose for themselves and then they stop, until they have kids, and then they force their kids to come until… To me this is a pretty fair warning sign that Sunday school no longer meets the need that it used to. There are churches all over North America who are seriously questioning the value of Sunday school, as they should.
Does this mean that there is no longer a need for a program on Sunday mornings for kids? No, but I think that it is time for a radical shift. I have trouble seeing how a ministry that is hurting across North America is bringing God glory. It seems to me that when a ministry is on track and bringing people to Christ there is excitement and growth, it has been a long time since I’ve heard those two words used in the same sentence as the words Sunday school.
Sources:
McGill university http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/sunday/hist1.htm
http://www.thewordsofeternallife.com/sunday_school.html
Why did Sunday school do so well? Because it met a basic need of society at that time. “The Sunday schools caught on quickly and were effective because they were simple, became a diversion for the children, and a means for parents to socially elevate the family as a whole. They were often also a means of education for adults, who occasionally attended the schools; children were actively encouraged to take lessons and books home to share with their parents. The Sunday school also became an important hub of social interaction for a class of children and parents who were rapidly moving away from small, close-knit, rural communities to large, over-populated, urban centres. Lastly, the schools taught catechism to a population that, until that time, only learned it via a rote memorization system with the priest reciting the Lord's Prayer one line at a time, once a week, during the service (McGill University).”
Sunday school was a success because, it gave poor kids something to do, it educated, and gave whole families a time of social interaction.
Another purpose for Sunday school was to give children something to do. Sunday was often the only day that these children didn’t have to work, and as a result the streets were crowded with kids who were busy fighting and swearing. So Sunday school was an evangelistic tool used by laypeople to reach out to the non-Christians.
Clearly our world has changed since the industrial revolution, which begs the question what about Sunday school today? Clearly we are an extremely educated society where every child has the opportunity to learn how to read and write. We have hundreds of programs that teach kids about God, and Sunday school is certainly no longer a place where parents and kids interact together on a social level with other people. So the old goals of Sunday school no longer apply to us today. Are we beating a dead horse by trying to keep Sunday school alive? I believe that as long as we keep Sunday school the way it is today the answer is yes.
It is interesting to see that once youth are of the age where their parents let them decide if they want to go or not many of them stop coming until they are married and have kids of their own to bring. We force our kids to come until they can choose for themselves and then they stop, until they have kids, and then they force their kids to come until… To me this is a pretty fair warning sign that Sunday school no longer meets the need that it used to. There are churches all over North America who are seriously questioning the value of Sunday school, as they should.
Does this mean that there is no longer a need for a program on Sunday mornings for kids? No, but I think that it is time for a radical shift. I have trouble seeing how a ministry that is hurting across North America is bringing God glory. It seems to me that when a ministry is on track and bringing people to Christ there is excitement and growth, it has been a long time since I’ve heard those two words used in the same sentence as the words Sunday school.
Sources:
McGill university http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/sunday/hist1.htm
http://www.thewordsofeternallife.com/sunday_school.html
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Killer Squirrels of the world Unite!!!
I think I'm going to take up writing scripts for horror movies. And my first one will be based on this real life story (After all aren't the best horror films based on reality?)
From Yahoo UK news:
"A pack of Russian black squirrels is reported to have piled into a dog mob-handed, bitten it to death and then eviscerated the unfortunate animal after it ill-advisedly barked at them, the BBC reports.
That, at least, is according to journo Anastasia Trubitsina who told Komsomolskaya Pravda: "They literally gutted the dog," before adding that the canicidal tree rats scattered when they caught sight of some people. Chillingly, according to the three witnesses to the outrage, some were "carrying bits of flesh".
Locals in the town of Lazo attribute the savagery to a lack of pine cones. One said: "The little beasts are agitated because they have nothing to eat."
mmmhmmm I can see it now a whole bunch of killers squirrels running all over people and eating their flesh... that's enough to make anyone's skin crawl.
From Yahoo UK news:
"A pack of Russian black squirrels is reported to have piled into a dog mob-handed, bitten it to death and then eviscerated the unfortunate animal after it ill-advisedly barked at them, the BBC reports.
That, at least, is according to journo Anastasia Trubitsina who told Komsomolskaya Pravda: "They literally gutted the dog," before adding that the canicidal tree rats scattered when they caught sight of some people. Chillingly, according to the three witnesses to the outrage, some were "carrying bits of flesh".
Locals in the town of Lazo attribute the savagery to a lack of pine cones. One said: "The little beasts are agitated because they have nothing to eat."
mmmhmmm I can see it now a whole bunch of killers squirrels running all over people and eating their flesh... that's enough to make anyone's skin crawl.
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