Everything That's On My Mind

Reading this article reminded me once again that Hurricane Katrina hasn't stopped affecting people and churches. It also reminded me of one of the benefits of a fellowship of churches like the A/G. Lately, many churches have left their demoninational structures or have been started outside denominational structures. While in some ways it's attractive to be unencumbered by bureaucracy, there are definitely benefits to the structure provided by a fellowship of churches working together. Especially in times of crisis, it's good to have a safety net of other churches caring for you.

That being said, I'm sure there are many churches like the one mentioned in the article above that don't have those support structures and they still need help rebuilding. I did some Googling and unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any central place where support for non-denominational churches is being coordinated. If I find one later, I'll post it. In the meantime, you can contribute to the A/G Disaster Relief Fund for rebuilding A/G churches.

We made our annual pilgrimage to the NAIAS today. Since I'm turning 40 this year, I've already decided how I'm going to handle my mid-life crisis. One of these would do it quite nicely...



Lori found a nice little number for herself, too. As usual, her choice is much more practical and within the realm of possibility. How boring!



Of course, Bekah picked out a vehicle of her own. She's operating under the foolish assumption that I'm actually going to let her drive someday. Silly girl.

This is great news!

Warren to buy Saints

P.S. Note to the comically-impaired...this is a joke.

My wife was teasing me last night about not having written a new blog entry since Friday. Boy, she can be demanding. Seriously, I don't know how some guys find the time to write as much as they do. For example, Mark Roberts, who seems to blog a dissertation every day. I'm glad he has that kind of time, though. I've been enjoying his series on biblical inspiration.

I received my alumni magazine from Anderson University the other day and found a great surprise. Some of my fellow alums are the creative minds behind the new movie “Hoodwinked”! So I had to take Bekah to see it tonight. Gotta support da homies. The verdict? Great script (loved the “Fletch” references), good score (John Mark Painter!), but an undersized animation budget. Not Oscar material, but a good start for these 30-somethings. I’ll be on the lookout for their next effort. 

As a life-long fan of the cinematic arts (yes, I own copies of "Citizen Kane" and "Casablanca"), I’m excited to see Christians finally getting back into this business. I believe that the decline of morality in Hollywood movies is partly the fault of the church, which abandoned the industry for years. Christians retreated into their sub-culture and created sub-standard fare only for themselves, just like we did in the music industry. Lately, we’ve seen a resurgence of quality movies made by Christians or informed by the Christian faith. I hope this trend continues, and I hope the church wholeheartedly supports these movies. Hollywood is controlled by box office receipts. If family-friendly and faith-based movies do well in the theaters and on DVD, they will make more. 

I’m encouraged by people like Philip Anschutz, a Christian billionaire who has invested his wealth in creating such films. One of his companies, Walden Media, is developing the “Chronicles of Narnia” movies, as well as other family-friendly films based on great books like “Charlotte’s Web”. His other company, Bristol Bay Productions, was involved in the movies "Sahara" and “Ray”, which wasn’t necessarily family-friendly but was a very worthwhile film.

Another example is Every Tribe Entertainment, who created “End of the Spear” which is being released next week. This movie tells a different perspective of the story made famous in the book “Through Gates of Splendor”. Next month brings the release of “The Second Chance”, a movie directed by one of my personal heroes, Steve Taylor. I just hope and pray Michael W. Smith can actually act. 

We cannot reach our culture with the gospel by hiding from it. Jesus did not come so that we might have our own sub-culture and have it more abundantly. He commanded us to be salt and light IN the world. Christian doctors don’t treat Christian patients exclusively, why should Christian artists be restricted in such ways?

Now if someone would just have the courage and vision to make a Stephen Lawhead book into a movie…

Here's another good article on prayer from John Piper. Thanks to Adrian Warnock for the link.

I don't think I can add anything to Dan Edelen's post today at Cerulean Sanctum. Just read and be challenged. It goes right along with what we're talking about on Sundays in January.

There's a good entry today over at Out of Ur concerning the practice of hospitality. Unfortunately, I think the author goes out of his way to get in "digs" at the seeker-sensitive methodology. Once again I feel the need to say, "We're all on the same team, people." Despite the negativity, I think his positive point is well taken. Hospitality is a biblical imperative that is often neglected, and I include myself in that statement. As a natural introvert, hospitality does not come as naturally to me as it does to others. Add to that the demands of being a bi-vocational pastor and you end up with something resembling hermitage at times. Excuses are useless, however, and I need to find ways to set a better example on this topic.

So I guess this is my first "confessional" blog posting.

What Dan Edelen writes here today is so true, not just for the "Godblogsphere" but for much of modern Christianity. Some of us are so busy proving our own "rightness" that the mission is forgotten. Judgments are made based on "doctrinal purity" or how someone voted in the last election or any number of other trivialities. Rick Warren gets accused of heresy because he tries to explain the Gospel in terms the average non-Christian can understand. Bono gets vilified for dropping an f-bomb here or there, despite the fact that he's done more for the sick and needy in Africa than any other Christian leader I can think of. Just because someone's docrine isn't exactly the same as ours doesn't mean they need to be attacked.

Doctrine is good and necessary, but without faith-driven, compassionate action it's empty. It's too easy to become modern Pharisees, neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness. May we repent and follow Christ's example. Let's know what we believe, put our beliefs into action, and be merciful with fellow Christians.