Things are not...

always as they appear...

I'm back

With a little tasty gem from Ben...

iDyllic

Lots of people have been posting, ranting and rave about this new iPhone from Apple. So I collected a bunch of them and well here they are for your enjoyment:
iParody
here is a post about the iBible
here is a commercial in a similar vein
iComedy
an SNL bit
more iJobs
iCommercials
here
iRant
from a good friend who says:
“I confess that, aside from my philosophical objections to the ways in which we are conditioned by the technology we use, I still fail to understand what’s so special about these iPhones.” Read more here
iWonderings
here “Our social fabric is in danger of being ripped to shreds”
iTraffic Report
Michael Krahn gets some shameless iTraffic here and cites a few more iOpinions
iTalk Show
A little Craig Ferguson here
And here


Now back to work?

more scandrette

To go with my comments over here about decision making here is what I read from Scandrette this morning:
“Are we apprentices of Jesus when we say we are, or when we begin to do the things he taught? Are we willing to take Jesus seriously as the kind of teacher he intended to be? Hearing the message of Jesus in a way that can be good news for us in the here and now begins with an appreciation for the fact that he spoke with authority. Very simply, Jesus expected to be obeyed. He did not present an esoteric theory of God or the afterlife merely to stimulate the intellect. He believed he held the words of eternal life and that people would ignore his teachings at their own peril.”

Just Worship

Ok so before I go on please remember that:
I have been, am, and will be a ‘worship leader’ (shiver shiver)
I think music is hard core great stuff and important for our spiritual lives.
music is a gift.

I found this post on Think Christian the basic gist of both was: stop b$%^&ing about lousy ‘worship’ music. SUCK IT UP – And just worship!
Quote: “I think what we need to do is just worship.”
So that’s it eh? Just give yourself an intellectual spanking for being so critical and do some worship. Sorry that just does not work for me on almost every level. I understand that having a default attitude of criticism is wrong but…
I just think it is crucial to sing, write, perform, ask other people to sing songs that are theologically honest. On top of that – while I don’t think arrogant perfection and showmanship is an admirable quality in a ‘worship’ leader, we do need to recognize that leading people to sing something together requires certain skills. And on top of all that – the spiritual maturity to lead songs that most people will feel good about participating in is immense. Given the diversity of musical tastes in most congregations – I would suggest that this is nearly impossible even with most skilled leader.
I think the only answer is to make music a special feature of our gathering times and not so much of a staple in our ‘worship’ diet. The other place for group singing is where the group is more homogeneous in musical tastes and singing preferences.

Some quotes and thoughts

On Scandrette’s Soul Graphitti which I am just getting around to completing beside the pool this week.
“As I think about it now, there is more than a little irony in the fact that we sat passively in a regal sanctuary listening to messages based on the adventures of a homeless bearded prophet who wondered the cities and countryside caring for the poor and healing the sick and inviting people to follow his example.”
Next he compares a sentimental approach to faith and cynical one:
Sentimental ‘folk’ religion: Jesus often functions as a ghost or lucky charm.
“In some Christian traditions, children are hurried along to embrace Jesus as personal saviour without the space for genuine curiosity... People raised in such practices are often robbed of a genuine inquisitiveness about Jesus-because they know too much too soon.”
A cynical approach to religion: Jesus is the “warmongering Christmas tree icon of America, a fairytale god only believed in by the simple, uneducated, or politically conservative.”
“Although they prided themselves on being open minded, my classmates were nevertheless blinded by the intolerance of inbred cynicism.”
Lots to chew on here: hurrying kids in ‘personal salvation’ and out of a genuine wonder is something I see us still doing in some ways (even with programs like VBS – gulp!).
Default cynicism can be equally as preventive in discovering the real essence of the Gospel.

Do some Christians want to be hated?

Dan Kimball over here lays out some very good smack on this 'they will hate us" rhetoric.
I think sometimes it seems that for some Christians it is important to make faith so:
- -confusing
- -obnoxiously confrontive
- -idiotically simplistic
- -naively promising
- -methodically 'step by step' dull
- -hypocritcally judgemental
- -religiously conformist
that people can't help but HATE it all.
And instead of becoming (or refining into) something distinct and true. We have become repulsive and stained the beauty of the gospel...

to go with the previous post

things to do this week...

-change oil on both vehicles
-get them both booked in for repairs
-finish Briercrest courses
-rent a transit to get started on 'front of the house' deck and walkway
-Get record of employment stuff sorted out
-apply for EI
-get VBS float ready for the parade
-VBS band practice
-get dog groomed
-get started on bathroom reno
-pack away books from office
-cut and stack firewood (borrow chainsaw)
-take boys to swimming lessons
-marriage prep. session
-book tickets for U-20 World cup game in Edmonton on Sunday
-prep Mom and Dad's 40th Wedding Anniversary party
-confirm speaking engagement for July 21st
-help Jared prep for Learners...
-figure out more VBS songs for Jesse on the sax
-get costumes for VBS mascots and stuff...
-make espresso till I get it right

the black button

This video makes me think about how we use cognitive decision making in religious endeavors (I mean: making the mental decision the most important part of our faith).

The reality is that we are rarely faced with momentous decisions like the variety that this video suggests.
The 'snap' theory (the idea that people just one day snap and do terrible horrible things) is not supported at all in any field of study.
People make big - life changing - decisions all the time but they are rarely if ever made 'right-out-of-the-blue'. Whether it's deciding to get married, buy a car, change jobs, or lose weight - all these decisions are made with a truck load of background support. It's the same way with sin. We are never faced with these monumental temptations that overwhelm us into commiting these horrible things.
What is interesting is how we pressure (maybe this is especially in the past) people into deciding to follow Christ (accept the plan of salvation). If we realize that a momentous decision requires so much support in order to make. How can we actually think that a one time response at an alter call or other similar occasion is really meaningful in the grand scheme of things?
I think that changes how we approach these 'talks' or sermons. I think we need to remember to challenge people to consider the opportunity to make a decision but be careful not to make it so trite that we think an entire life can be magically reversed with one simple prayer or raising of a hand...