2008-06-10

Dishing Out Thank Yous

FYI - this is my 600th post...
And in honor of such a glorious event I'd like to dish out some thank yous (before I pass out in my bed - it's late I tired)
T'anks to Rachel, Kristi and Taylor.
I was trying to think how I could repay for their help tonight and is there a better way than giving them my 600th post!
What? No? That's not good enough? Okay how about just a public thank you?
They know what for.
Now I'm going to sleep.

Turning the Upside Down Right Side Up

This past Sunday our campus pastor preached on the Beatitudes and the Kingdom that Jesus came to establish. The message was okay, it took three listens for me to really understand a couple of his ideas, but that may have been my lack of focus over his lack of clarity...who knows.
And I think he took too much time trying to blow our minds with a radical approach to reading the text than just serving up the actual meat of the Jesus' words (although I can't really say it was that radical and some of the Greek word insights may have been just too much of a stretch - and maybe the cause for my lack of focus...again who knows).
His big idea of the message, I think, was that Jesus establised a kingdom that compared to the world was upside down. But rather than an upside down kingdom Jesus established a kingdom that turned upside down things of this world right side up.
And I believe that and I can deal with my other issues, that stuff doesn't bother me. Where I do think this message failed, and where I think my church struggles to embrass Christ's Kingdom mindset, is in application.
If Jesus called us to His kingdom of turning the upside down right side up how do we live that out?
I dare say it's not by doing nothing.
We won't build into lives of students, turning their upside down lives and relationships right side up by doing nothing for them.
We won't turn the upside down world of the elderly woman, who cannot go to the grocery store on her own, right side up by doing nothing.
We won't care for the young family, turning their upside world of childhood diseases and absences of local family, right side up by doing nothing.
We won't turn the upside down world of the single father, who doesn't have the life skills to adequately care for his children, right side up by doing nothing.
I might be on a personal soap box here but this is something I've had real difficulty with lately.
My church axes a lot of ministry ideas and opportunities under the banner that we are simplifying ministry. But I have heard and experienced on several occasions now stories of people being overlooked (some after direct pleas for help).
There is a fine line between simplicity and laziness, and I'm wondering if we taken a flying leap over it.

That's enough...I'll get off my soap box now and try to get up off my duff and do something.

Maranatha,
Come Lord Jesus.

Talk About a Series Promo

I'm sure that there are some out there that will just criticize LifeChurch for having the gall to produce something like this, but I'm rather impressed. I think the use of the Christianize catch phrases is brillant too.
Enjoy.

Worthy of the Time

J.K. Rowling gave the commencement speech this year at Harvard.
Despite having endured numerous graduations other than my own, I still felt the need to press play [as demonstrated by the almost 2 full minutes of applause afterwards].
It's worth the listen. Sorry I first found it in three parts.
Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Fat Guy Falls on Hot Ball Girl

No, seriously, that's what this clip has been titled.

Notice at the end, two (count them - 1, 2) Rangers are contending for the Triple Crown.

The Sweetest Swing

600!
Way to go Junior.
You truly had the greatest swing ever to enter a batter box.