Everything That's On My Mind

Whether he knows it or not, Mitch Albom is doing God's work. If you haven't read his recent articles in the Free Press, check them out. I love football as much as anyone, but Mitch is right. It just seems so wrong that all these decadent parties crammed with millionaires are going on in downtown Detroit this weekend when so many homeless are crammed into shelters just a few miles away.

I hope having the Super Bowl here is a great boost for the city of Detroit, but I pray it also raises awareness and lots of money for the folks who care for the homeless. Mitch has started the "Super All Year" campaign to raise funds for the Detroit Rescue Mission. You can donate online here.

Prince Caspian Given Go-Ahead

I'm starting this blog entry without knowing exactly what I'm going to say. It's going to be sort of stream of consciousness blogging. The impetus of this entry it the news of the day regarding the victory of Hamas in the recent Palestinian elections. It's a troubling event for the state of Israel and for world peace in general. I'm troubled because I don't know how this development will affect the peace process, but I can't imagine how it could be a positive change.

The Israeli/Palestinian situation has always created great conflict in my mind. I'm not one of those "support Israel no matter what" Christians. Some American Christians seem to forget that Israel has rejected their Messiah, and that many Palestinians are fellow believers in Christ that are being oppressed and threatened. In their desire to see biblical prophecy fulfilled within their own narrow interpretation, they seem to be willing to sacrifice justice and mercy for an entire group of people. I cannot see how Christ would be pleased with such an attitude. That being said, it is also true that Hamas and organizations like it are a direct threat to the peace and safety of the Israeli people. Bombs and bullets are flying in both directions, and innocent people on both sides are suffering and dying.

Both sides in this conflict have done wrong, and continue to do wrong. We can debate all day long which side is "more right" but in the end that doesn't accomplish anything. The reality of the situation is that both sides deserve to live in a land where they can live in relative peace and safety and have a voice in how they are governed. I don't see how the election of Hamas is going to improve the chances of this happening. Hamas is still an organization at war with Israel and committed to its destruction. They are not likely to repent that position any time soon. Their rise to power will not encourage Israel to continue the peace process, they will likely refuse to negotiate with them altogether. Given the history of Hamas, I can't say that I would blame them.

I belive that it is the responsibility of every Christian to pray for and support peace in the Holy Land, for both Israelis AND Palestinians. No matter what view of end-times prophecy you take, you must admit that God is sovereign and His will is accomplished on earth by His power and in His timing. We do not know how or when He is going to fulfill what He has promised. Trying to push the peace process one direction or another is not going to bring about God's timing any sooner, and may actually be working contrary to His plan. We are called to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before our God. I think many American Evangelical Christians (including myself) need to meditate on this verse and apply it to their politics and attitudes toward world events.

When most evangelical Christians think about the Supreme Court only one word comes to mind: abortion. Most probably don't even know what eminent domain means. This article is enlightening...and frightening. Especially since our church sits on prime strip mall real estate.

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…