Teen Riding Wave of Amazing Grace
Remember Bethany Hamilton, the 14 year old girl who lost her arm in a shark attack in late 2003? Well guess what? God has used this experience to shape her faith in some amazing ways. Check out this article.

Commentary
Just in case you find yourself kinda worked up over something I've posted, I've added a new comment feature. Look for a link at the end of each article. Click on it and say whatever you'd like! (Within the limits of the law and good taste, of course!)

A Word About The Other Team
I suspect anyone reading this blog (all two of you) probably have an opinion about gay marriage, gay rights, gay men, gay women as well as the Gay Nineties. Just so you'll know (as if you care) here's what I think:

1. Scripture seems clear that it's wrong.
2. I don't mind if my children have gay friends or gay teachers but I wouldn't want them to date them.
3. I don't think gays deserve special rights but I don't think they should be discriminated against either.
4. It bugs me when people compare the struggles of the gay community to the suffering that African Americans have endured (and still endure) in this country. It ain't anywhere close to the same thing!
5. Most Christians care a TON more about this issue than they do about something else the Bible is much clearer about: Divorce.

I have more thoughts as well, but that will give you a bit of an idea of where I'm coming from. Even better are comments by Joe Bob Briggs in a recent issue of The Door. His thoughts in "Are There Homosexual Saints?" provides a lot of food for thought. Check it out . . .

Lunatic? Heretic?
I don't know about you but I think most televangelists are crooks. Especially Benny Hinn. I just finished reading an article about his "ministry" in The Door. If you ever wanted to know more about him, check out this article.

This Just In . . .
Washington (AP) - Pentagon officials believe they have been unable to locate Bin Laden because he has found a place to hide out where:

(1) it is easy to get in if you have the money;
(2) no one will recognize or remember you;
(3) no one will realize that you have disappeared;
(4) no one keeps any records of your comings and goings; and
(5) you have no obligations or responsibilities.

Pentagon analysts are still puzzled, however, as to how Bin Laden first learned about the Texas Air National Guard.

Not That You Care . . .
. . . but I am in Seattle for a few days for the NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament. That probably means I won't post a whole lot in the week ahead but you never know!

The Passion of The Nutballs
Are you ready for Messiahville? No? Well, me either! But apparently that's not enough to stop Pastor Tommy Moore. He "envisions amusement rides, a 34,000-square-foot Noah's Ark and miniature golf from Jerusalem to Jericho as good, clean fun for families — injected with a biblical message." At least according to this article in the Broomfield, Colorado Daily Camera.

Gumby Jesus?
An article in the LA Times titled "Gimme That New-Time Religion -- a Play-Doh Jesus" may be thing I've read yet about The Passion of the Christ. It's written by David Kuo, who was "special assistant to President Bush and deputy director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives."

If you're not sure you want to read the full article, at least check out the following quote: "The biggest problem I have with "The Passion," however, isn't the violence. It is with the protagonist. The guy on the screen is nothing like that insipid, tunic-wearing, lamb-carrying, two-dimensional, felt-faced Jesus from Sunday school. That Jesus was easy."

Nuff said . . .

Ya Think?
Check out this opening paragraph from the fine folks at the New York Times: "As the overwhelming success of "The Passion of the Christ" reverberates through Hollywood, producers and studio executives are asking whether the movie industry has been neglecting large segments of the American audience eager for more openly religious fare." For the complete story, you can read "Hollywood Rethinking Faith Films After 'Passion'"at the Times Web site. (Registration required.)

Top Ten - Part Two
A few days ago I posted the Late Show with David Letterman's Top Ten Surprises In "The Passion of the Christ." Well, the Late Show always runs a contest for fans to come up with even better Top Ten items and last week they encouraged folks to come up with additions to the list. Some are even better than the original! (Like #s 10 and 3.) Here they are . . .

10. Surprising similar to plot line of "Weekend At Bernie's"
Adam S., St. Louis, MO

9. The words "shizzle" and "fa-shizzle" constantly being thrown second
B.A. "Sandy"., Sanford

8. The Kenny Loggins theme song
John R., Cooper City, FL

7. All the line dancing
Chris H., Pittsburgh, PA

6. The way the Apostles call each other "dude"
Christopher G., Providence, RI

5. The Back to the Future car is spotted in one of the mob scenes
Stu R., Eureka, CA

4. Last Supper catered by Olive Garden
Kealapua B., Hilo, HI

3. Jesus' new catch phrase: "Whatcha talkin' bout, Judas?"
Yury K., Columbus, OH

2. The controversial scene where Jesus says he's more popular than the Beatles
Nate M., St. Paul, MN

1. The Last Supper? $2500 a plate.
Richard O., Slidell, LA

This Just In From Variety: Jesus Does Boffo Box Office!
Just in case you've been wondering how well The Passion of the Christ has been doing at the box office (and if God has blessed it as the biggest money maker of all time - cuz that's just like Him, isn't it?), here's a site that compares TPOTC to LOTR: ROTK, SW-TPM and Spiderman. (Sorry, no clever abbreviation for that last one . . .)

The Baby . . . Again!
I ran across another online article about the creepy baby. It was on a blog by a woman named Barbara Nicolosi. She is a Catholic writer who works in the movie industry. This doesn't really help understand it any better - but it is kinda funny!

At the roughcut screening I attended back in June, THIS was the scene that threw the Evangelical minister also in attendance into a hissy fit. (I went home that night and wrote the conversation down, but some of what follows is paraphrasing.) The minister kept pressing Mel to delete from the film, "Anything in the movie that isn't in the Bible."

Mel said, "Like what? What in my movie isn't in the Bible?"

Mel's confusion here comes from the fact that he, like any devout artist, doesn't see artistic license which is consonant with the spirit of the Scriptures to be "not in the Bible." I think he would say, "What I made is in the Bible - between the lines."

Anyway, the pastor guy said, "It isn't in the Bible that Satan talked to Jesus in the Garden."

Mel responded, "Don't you think Satan was there?"

Minister retorted, to the effect of, "It doesn't matter what I THINK. It matters what is written in the Word of God."

At this point, I burst in to the exchange. "Where in the Bible do God and Adam touch index fingers?" The pastor didn't say anything. I think Mel laughed. I stomped all over my point as usual, "The fact is, that image is one of the most enduring and powerful sacred images in human history." I turned to Mel. "Don't change your movie to please the sensibilities of any particular sect in Christendom. Change the movie if you think you are being somehow untrue to the Scriptures."

The minister was not happy with me. He waited a few cold seconds of silence and then talked past me to Mel. "And that scene with the ugly baby. What was that?"

Mel said, "I dunno. I just thought it was really creepy. Didn't you think it was creepy?"

Minister guy: "But what is it supposed to mean?"

Me: 'Satan brought a friend. He wanted to share it with a friend."

Mel laughed. "Yeah, he brought a friend!"

Minister guy persisted with exasperation, "But WHERE did you get that from?"

In other words, "You DIDN'T get it in the Bible, because I KNOW the Bible."

Mel, at this point was getting just as exasperated, "I dunno. I guess I just pulled it out of my ass."

FABULOUS! It still makes me laugh! The minister was appropriately horrified. I just thought it was perfectly appropriate.

Is there a better synthesis of the experience of the devout artist who stands back and looks at the work of thier hands, very aware that what they have wrought has come from they don't know where. The Pope speaks about artists as being conduits of Divine revelation. I have experienced every so often getting into a zone with my writing - especially fiction writing - in which the words all of a sudden pour out of me, and I only know "afterwords" that I didn't start writing with anywhere close to the ideas/formulations that suddenly appeared on the page.

Yeah, What's Is Up With that Ugly Baby?
I don't know about you, but for the life of me I could not figure out what the deal was with the 40 year old baby in that scene in The Passion of the Christ. The symbolism just went right over my head. Well, the fine folks at Christianity Today have gotten to the bottom of it all. Although I'm still not quite sure I get it even after reading this article . . .

Baptism for the Dead Jihadis!
Philip Graham at The Morning News has a great suggestion for combatting terrorism. Check out this article titled, "The Mormons: Our Secret Weapon in the War on Terror."

Woof! Woof!
Maybe it's just because we got a puppy last summer (Rudy - a Black Lab / Golden Retriever mix) that Da Dogs Church made me laugh. Or maybe it's because I've always enjoyed the work of William Wegman, but nevertheless, you should check it out!