Twenty eight years ago I saw Star Wars at a theater in downtown Tacoma. I was blown away by how cool, exciting and fun it was. For the first time someone got a sci-fi movie right. I ended up seeing it 13 more times in the theater - and a few zillion more on VHS and DVD. And then the Empire Strikes Back came along and I managed to only see it once the year it came out. By the time Return of the Jedi premiered I was obsessed and had to take the afternoon off of work to be in line for the first showing.
Six years ago (as a 44 year old) I slept in line overnight to get tickets to the first showing of the Phantom Menace. When Attack of the Clones came out, my oldest son, Jake, got our tickets and skipped school to stake a claim in line for the first show. This year it's time for my youngest son, Jeremy, to spend the day in line for the 12:05 AM showing of Revenge of the Sith. With any luck, Jake is even coming home from college for the day to go with us. My wife and daughter - well apparently they have more sense than we do - they'll be sleeping . . .
Saturday, April 30, 2005
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Church is Highly Overrated!
"Church" in the 21st century bears no resemblance to church as it was in the first century. While I regularly attend weekend worship services - and sometimes even kinda like them - I don't really think it's what God has in mind for us when it comes to fellowship. I am fortunate enough to be part of a small group that has been together for a number of years. We are open and honest about our lives and our faith. All of us feel that our small group is more like church than church. Without it my faith wouldn't be nearly as real and dynamic. You just can't underestimate the power of being together with a few others and sharing your faith (or lack thereof) in an honest manner.
And, if you're looking for a book or two that deal with faith and doubt in straightforward honest ways, check out Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller and/or Messy Spirituality by Mike Yaconelli.
For what it's worth . . .
And, if you're looking for a book or two that deal with faith and doubt in straightforward honest ways, check out Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller and/or Messy Spirituality by Mike Yaconelli.
For what it's worth . . .
But Thank Heaven They'll Let Us Have Their Oil!
While freedom fighters like Jim Dobson are working hard to raise the awareness of Christians in America about the repressive and intolerant tactics of the Democratic party, they don't seem to be too concerned about Christians being detained for praying in Saudi Arabia. Yep, we got our priorities straight all right!
Monday, April 25, 2005
You Too?
I saw U2 tonight for the first time in my life. I only wish I had gotten my act together to see them years ago! (AND that I could see them someplace with better acoustics than Key Arena in Seattle.) They were as amazing as I expected them to be. They have a knack for making a huge, honkin' muthah arena seem intimate somehow. Even after a technical glitch caused the lights ringing the stage to not work properly, they still performed so well that most people hardly noticed the problem. Two-plus hours of great music and memorable moments that should linger for some time to come. I can't wait to see them again sometime soon!
Saturday, April 23, 2005
One Nation Under Your Belief System
Ever since I found out that "under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance many years after it was originally written, it was hard to get excited about the controversy about taking it out. Not to mention that I don't really think God cares all that much about the Pledge in the first place. He'd rather just like the opportunity for us to get to know him better. On the other hand, I know there are plenty of people who give the whole thing WAY too much thought - including a counselor at a middle school in Colorado who thought she'd make a small editorial change. Check out this article from the Washington Times that tells the whole sad story.
Lame Joke Du Jour
A man and his wife were having an argument about who should brew the coffee each morning.
The wife said, "You should do it, because you get up first, and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee."
The husband said, " You are in charge of cooking around here and you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee."
The wife replied, "No, you should do it, and besides, it says in the Bible that the man should brew the coffee."
The husband replied, "I can't believe that, show me."
So she fetched the Bible, opened the New Testament and showed him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says..........
"HEBREWS"
The wife said, "You should do it, because you get up first, and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee."
The husband said, " You are in charge of cooking around here and you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee."
The wife replied, "No, you should do it, and besides, it says in the Bible that the man should brew the coffee."
The husband replied, "I can't believe that, show me."
So she fetched the Bible, opened the New Testament and showed him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says..........
"HEBREWS"
Friday, April 22, 2005
Pope Beanie XVII
Oh good grief. This time the folks at Ty have gone too far. Check out the Holy Father Beanie Baby. And, as I read somewhere else . . . Tiny miter sold separately . . .
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Virgin Mary Underpass Stain
Hey Sicko! That's "underpass stain" not "underpants stain"! Okay, maybe an underpass stain is just as tasteless. In any event, there is a new shrine to the Virgin Mary that has spontaneously sprung up in a Chicago area underpass. Check out this story - and picture - from CNN.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Rick Warren's P.E.A.C.E. Plan
Rick Warren and Saddleback Valley Community Church recently celebrated their 25th anniversary. Warren took the opportunity to announce his latest endeavor - a "global P.E.A.C.E. Plan." The acronym stands for "Plant churches, Equip servant leaders, Assist the poor, Care for the sick and Educate the next generation." As a bleeding heart liberal, it's encouraging to see a ministry the size and influence of Warren's going after things like poverty, disease and education. (While weasels like Benny Hinn, Paul Crouch, Joyce Meyer and others are only focused on bilking as much money out of their supporters as they can.) For more, check out the article, Rick Warren, at 25-year point, launches global initiative.
Heaven Less Opulent Than Vatican
Leave it to The Onion to come up with this "exclusive" report. Check out this article: Heaven Less Opulent Than Vatican, Reports Disappointed Pope.
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Handicapping The Cardinals
I know that trying to figure out who the next pope will be is a precarious enterprise, so take this all with a grain of salt. BUT, here's an interesting NY Times article that gives an overview of which cardinals may wield the most influence and/or may have an edge in the balloting which begins tomorrow. Check out: Cardinals Align as Time Nears to Select Pope.
The First Jesus Freak
Back in the 70s a few pioneering folks were responsible for reaching out to members of the counter culture, er, hippies, er, Jesus Freaks, er, oh geez, I dunno quite how to describe that time and those folks. In any event, there is a new documentary about one of the key people of that time, Lonnie Frisbee. Okay, you probably thought I was gonna say, Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel. While you can't minimize Chuck Smith's impact, Lonnie Frisbee makes for a more interesting documentary. You can read more about it all in this article in the Orange County Weekly called, The First Jesus Freak.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Tom DeLay Is A Liar
Wanna know what I hate? (Thanks for asking!) It's people who use their "faith" as a means to lie, cheat and steal. Paul Crouch. Benny Hinn. And now, the fabulously weaselly Tom DeLay. This guy has gotta go and I won't be satisfied unless he leaves in disgrace - 'cuz that's what he deserves. Check out this Newsweek article With Friends Like These...
Left Behind: Because It's Boring!
Did anyone else watch Revelations on NBC the other night? To be honest, I was looking forward to it - if for no other reason than I was sure Tim LaHaye was gonna be ticked about not picking up a royalty check of some kind. (After all, he did invent the whole end times thing, right?) I don't know about you but I thought the whole thing was painfully boring and I ain't going back for another episode. Thankfully Lost is back with new episodes starting next week . . .
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Aww Crap! I Didn't Get Raptured!
The announcement from Britney Spears Official Site regarding the upcoming birth of her first child is certainly a sure sign the Apocalypse is just around the corner. (And please, don't ask me if I really keep up on the latest Britney Spears gossip!)
Monday, April 11, 2005
Temple Mount Attack Soon?
There are more than a few rumors that groups of extremist Jews are planning to flood the Temple Mount with thousands of like-minded supporters sometime soon. Check out this article in the Israeli news daily, Haaretz or this one in the Jerusalem Post.
Saturday, April 9, 2005
Monday, April 4, 2005
The Pope's Last Minutes
I came across this interesting account of the last minutes of Pope John Paul II life on MSNBC's Vatican Watch site . . .
In his last minutes, Pope John Paul II stared from his bed at the window of his airy, sparsely furnished Vatican bedroom, looking toward the crowd gathered below in St. Peter’s Square and whispered “Amen,” according to accounts of the pontiff’s last moments.
While the Vatican has not confirmed either story or given its own version of John Paul’s final words, two accounts claim the pope’s last utterance was “Amen,” the traditional close of a prayer. Amen is Hebrew for “may it be so.” It was not clear, however, if the story originated from more than one source.
The Rev. David O’Connell, president of Catholic University in Washington, D.C., told CNN on Sunday that a cardinal, a friend whom he did not identify by name, recounted that just before the pope died at 9:37 p.m. Saturday he grasped the hand of his long-serving private secretary, Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz.
And looking out the window, the curtains were not drawn, he was looking out the window. And he said, ’Amen.’ And then he passed on — beautiful, touching communication, a sense that it was finished, it was over,” O’Connell said.
The Italian newspaper La Repubblica quoted the Rev. Jarek Cielecki, a Polish priest, as saying that the 84-year-old pope raised his right hand as if to offer a blessing to those reciting the rosary in the square.
“Once the faithfuls’ prayer ended the pope made a huge effort and pronounced the word ’Amen,”’ he said. “An instant later he died.”
In his last minutes, Pope John Paul II stared from his bed at the window of his airy, sparsely furnished Vatican bedroom, looking toward the crowd gathered below in St. Peter’s Square and whispered “Amen,” according to accounts of the pontiff’s last moments.
While the Vatican has not confirmed either story or given its own version of John Paul’s final words, two accounts claim the pope’s last utterance was “Amen,” the traditional close of a prayer. Amen is Hebrew for “may it be so.” It was not clear, however, if the story originated from more than one source.
The Rev. David O’Connell, president of Catholic University in Washington, D.C., told CNN on Sunday that a cardinal, a friend whom he did not identify by name, recounted that just before the pope died at 9:37 p.m. Saturday he grasped the hand of his long-serving private secretary, Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz.
And looking out the window, the curtains were not drawn, he was looking out the window. And he said, ’Amen.’ And then he passed on — beautiful, touching communication, a sense that it was finished, it was over,” O’Connell said.
The Italian newspaper La Repubblica quoted the Rev. Jarek Cielecki, a Polish priest, as saying that the 84-year-old pope raised his right hand as if to offer a blessing to those reciting the rosary in the square.
“Once the faithfuls’ prayer ended the pope made a huge effort and pronounced the word ’Amen,”’ he said. “An instant later he died.”
Sunday, April 3, 2005
It's a Flat World, After All
Thomas Friedman always makes me think. In Sunday's New York Times Magazine there is a lengthy excerpt from his new book, The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century. Here is a small portion that I thought was very interesting:
"These are some of the reasons that Bill Gates, the Microsoft chairman, warned the governors' conference in a Feb. 26 speech that American high-school education is ''obsolete.'' As Gates put it: ''When I compare our high schools to what I see when I'm traveling abroad, I am terrified for our work force of tomorrow. In math and science, our fourth graders are among the top students in the world. By eighth grade, they're in the middle of the pack. By 12th grade, U.S. students are scoring near the bottom of all industrialized nations. . . . The percentage of a population with a college degree is important, but so are sheer numbers. In 2001, India graduated almost a million more students from college than the United States did. China graduates twice as many students with bachelor's degrees as the U.S., and they have six times as many graduates majoring in engineering. In the international competition to have the biggest and best supply of knowledge workers, America is falling behind.''
"We need to get going immediately. It takes 15 years to train a good engineer, because, ladies and gentlemen, this really is rocket science. So parents, throw away the Game Boy, turn off the television and get your kids to work. There is no sugar-coating this: in a flat world, every individual is going to have to run a little faster if he or she wants to advance his or her standard of living. When I was growing up, my parents used to say to me, ''Tom, finish your dinner -- people in China are starving.'' But after sailing to the edges of the flat world for a year, I am now telling my own daughters, ''Girls, finish your homework -- people in China and India are starving for your jobs.''
If you want to read the entire article you can check out It's a Flat World, After All.
"These are some of the reasons that Bill Gates, the Microsoft chairman, warned the governors' conference in a Feb. 26 speech that American high-school education is ''obsolete.'' As Gates put it: ''When I compare our high schools to what I see when I'm traveling abroad, I am terrified for our work force of tomorrow. In math and science, our fourth graders are among the top students in the world. By eighth grade, they're in the middle of the pack. By 12th grade, U.S. students are scoring near the bottom of all industrialized nations. . . . The percentage of a population with a college degree is important, but so are sheer numbers. In 2001, India graduated almost a million more students from college than the United States did. China graduates twice as many students with bachelor's degrees as the U.S., and they have six times as many graduates majoring in engineering. In the international competition to have the biggest and best supply of knowledge workers, America is falling behind.''
"We need to get going immediately. It takes 15 years to train a good engineer, because, ladies and gentlemen, this really is rocket science. So parents, throw away the Game Boy, turn off the television and get your kids to work. There is no sugar-coating this: in a flat world, every individual is going to have to run a little faster if he or she wants to advance his or her standard of living. When I was growing up, my parents used to say to me, ''Tom, finish your dinner -- people in China are starving.'' But after sailing to the edges of the flat world for a year, I am now telling my own daughters, ''Girls, finish your homework -- people in China and India are starving for your jobs.''
If you want to read the entire article you can check out It's a Flat World, After All.
Fundamental Liberals
“In my opinion, if you hate somebody because they are different from you, you’d best get on your knees and repent until you can say you love them, until you have gotten your soul right with Christ.
“I can’t say this clearly enough: If we are preaching a morality without Christ, and using a war rhetoric to communicate a battle mentality, we are fighting on Satan’s side. The battle we are in is against the principalities of darkness, not against people who are different from us. In war you shoot the enemy, no the hostage.
“. . . It is obvious in reading scripture that what you and I commonly think of as morality is thin in definition. Some Christians, when considering immorality in culture, consider two issues: abortion and gay marriage.
“. . . I realize there are people reading this who will automatically dismiss me as a theological liberal, but I do not believe a person can take two issues from Scripture, those being abortion and gay marriage, and adhere to them as sins, then neglect much of the rest and call himself a fundamentalist or even a conservative. The person who believes the sum of his morality involves gay marriage and abortion alone, and neglects health care and world trade and the environment and loving his neighbor and feeding the poor is, by definition, a theological liberal, because he takes what he wants from Scripture and ignores the rest.
“. . . I suspect any lack of love or feelings of anger we have toward the culture around us are not feelings that come from God, but rather our souls arising again to cast rocks at women caught in adultery. We should not expect Christ to respond any differently to us than He did to the moralists of His day:
“They dropped their stones and walked away, feeling ashamed that each of them had been proved a sinner too. And Jesus went over to comfort the woman, telling her, ‘Go and sin no more.’ (See John 8)”
Searching for God Knows what by Donald Miller (Excerpts from pages 190 - 195)
American evangelical Christians have hijacked our faith. While I believe that any kind of killing is wrong and that Scripture seems to be clear that homosexuality is wrong as well, I am stumped about why Christians seem to focus on these issues over others that Jesus seems to spend a lot more time discussing. For example: Divorce. Could Scripture be any clearer that divorce is just not at all what God has in mind for us? Yet Christians in this country have, by and large, accepted divorce as part of life and that God will forgive them if they leave their wives or husbands and become involved with someone else. But two people of the same sex who are committed to each other for their entire lives are going to burn in the depths of hell.
It’s just nuts. Jesus grieves just as much for the person who is divorced as the person who is involved with a person of the same sex. He is just as outraged by capital punishment as he is with abortion. And he’s really frustrated that we spend a heckuva lot more time focusing on how we can make more money while most of the world is focused on where their next meal might come from.
Lord, help me to see where my sense of morality is screwed up. Help me to see things through your eyes. Help me to focus on the kinds of things that you really want me to be doing – not on whatever cultural agenda happens to be fashionable right now. Help me to know what Jesus would do – beyond just wearing a What Would Jesus Do bracelet.
“I can’t say this clearly enough: If we are preaching a morality without Christ, and using a war rhetoric to communicate a battle mentality, we are fighting on Satan’s side. The battle we are in is against the principalities of darkness, not against people who are different from us. In war you shoot the enemy, no the hostage.
“. . . It is obvious in reading scripture that what you and I commonly think of as morality is thin in definition. Some Christians, when considering immorality in culture, consider two issues: abortion and gay marriage.
“. . . I realize there are people reading this who will automatically dismiss me as a theological liberal, but I do not believe a person can take two issues from Scripture, those being abortion and gay marriage, and adhere to them as sins, then neglect much of the rest and call himself a fundamentalist or even a conservative. The person who believes the sum of his morality involves gay marriage and abortion alone, and neglects health care and world trade and the environment and loving his neighbor and feeding the poor is, by definition, a theological liberal, because he takes what he wants from Scripture and ignores the rest.
“. . . I suspect any lack of love or feelings of anger we have toward the culture around us are not feelings that come from God, but rather our souls arising again to cast rocks at women caught in adultery. We should not expect Christ to respond any differently to us than He did to the moralists of His day:
“They dropped their stones and walked away, feeling ashamed that each of them had been proved a sinner too. And Jesus went over to comfort the woman, telling her, ‘Go and sin no more.’ (See John 8)”
Searching for God Knows what by Donald Miller (Excerpts from pages 190 - 195)
American evangelical Christians have hijacked our faith. While I believe that any kind of killing is wrong and that Scripture seems to be clear that homosexuality is wrong as well, I am stumped about why Christians seem to focus on these issues over others that Jesus seems to spend a lot more time discussing. For example: Divorce. Could Scripture be any clearer that divorce is just not at all what God has in mind for us? Yet Christians in this country have, by and large, accepted divorce as part of life and that God will forgive them if they leave their wives or husbands and become involved with someone else. But two people of the same sex who are committed to each other for their entire lives are going to burn in the depths of hell.
It’s just nuts. Jesus grieves just as much for the person who is divorced as the person who is involved with a person of the same sex. He is just as outraged by capital punishment as he is with abortion. And he’s really frustrated that we spend a heckuva lot more time focusing on how we can make more money while most of the world is focused on where their next meal might come from.
Lord, help me to see where my sense of morality is screwed up. Help me to see things through your eyes. Help me to focus on the kinds of things that you really want me to be doing – not on whatever cultural agenda happens to be fashionable right now. Help me to know what Jesus would do – beyond just wearing a What Would Jesus Do bracelet.
Saturday, April 2, 2005
Hammer Time
If you're like me (and I know you're glad you're not) you may have heard that there is a longstanding tradition to determine that a Pope has died and isn't just sleeping. His camerlengo (or chamberlain) calls out his name and taps him on the forehead with a silver hammer. Ever since hearing that a day or two ago, I've told a slug of people about it. It turns out that I might not be quite right. Check out this information from the folks at Snopes.
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