More Things That Make Baby Jesus Cry Part II
Current mood: wow

So I've always been honest about my disdain of the following things:

1. Using little kids in your song
2. Awkward youth group rap
3. Taking popular secular ideas and putting God flavor on them.
4. Uncomfortable Christian dance moves

And I have finally found a video that combines all four. I am of course talking about the church that took Justin Timberlake's song "Sexyback" and changed it to a song about volunteering called "Serving Back." They took the lyrics "I'm bringing sexy back, those other boys don't know how to act" and instead said "I'm bringing service back, you can't deny it cause it's a fact, I think you're special, keeping the church on track."

But my favorite line is "Dirty babes, you see this diapers all over the place." Is it cheesy? Without a doubt! So that makes it awesome for this blog


The woman doing sign language is pretty awesom. She had to be thinking, "If I had a dollar for every time I had to do sign language for a Justin Timberlake parody..."

9:42 PM - 10 Comments - 11 Kudos - Add Comment

shameless promotion
Current mood: adventurous
Category: Religion and Philosophy

So we are trying to start a Sunday Evening service in another part of town. It is  at a cofee shop or Pub as they call it. I would love if everyone who can would come to it. It is a bit different than Sunday Morning, the message is the same as the morning service except that it is much more interactive, people ask questions, we take communion every week and Jitters straight up has the best Cofee in town!

 Sunday Nights!

Generation Church">

4:44 PM - 5 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

wow
Current mood: wow
Category: wow Religion and Philosophy

Thanks Judy

10:34 AM - 6 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment

I Love This Guy (Have I told you this?)
Current mood: antagonistic :)
Category: antagonistic :) Religion and Philosophy

For those of you who do not know me, I must inform you that I like people who can "stir the pot". Those kind of people inspire me to think outside of everything I have known. After I heard this clip, I was pondering why Tony Campollo speaks to my soul so much? This is what I have figured out so far.

Many Christians do not like Tony Campolo.....

Many Jews did not like Isaiah.....

Those prophetic types rub us the wrong way with truth




Generation Church Oceanside

Currently listening : Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings By The Police Release date: 1993-09-28

11:22 PM - 13 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

The Prayer of a True Saint
Current mood: inspired
Category: Religion and Philosophy

Every now and then I read something that inspires me to become more like Jesus.

By Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic, Serbian bishop who spoke out against Naziism, was arrested, and taken to Dachau.

Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them. Enemies have driven me into your embrace more than friends have. Friends have bound me to earth; enemies have loosed me from earth and have demolished all my aspirations in the world.

Enemies have made me a stranger in worldly realms and an extraneous inhabitant of the world.

Just as a hunted animal finds safer shelter than an unhunted animal does, so have I, persecuted by enemies, found the safest sanctuary, having ensconced myself beneath Your tabernacle, where neither friends nor enemies can slay my soul.

Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless and do not curse them.

They, rather than I, have confessed my sins before the world. They have punished me, whenever I have hesitated to punish myself. They have tormented me, whenever I have tried to flee torments. They have scolded me, whenever I have flattered myself. They have spat upon me, whenever I have filled myself with arrogance. Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.

Whenever I have made myself wise, they have called me foolish. Whenever I have made myself mighty, they have mocked me as though I were a [fly].

Whenever I have wanted to lead people, they have shoved me into the background.

Whenever I have rushed to enrich myself, they have prevented me with an iron hand.

Whenever I thought that I would sleep peacefully, they have wakened me from sleep.

Whenever I have tried to build a home for a long and tranquil life, they have demolished it and driven me out.

Truly, enemies have cut me loose from the world and have stretched out my hands to the hem of your garment.

Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.

Bless them and multiply them; multiply them and make them even more bitterly against me:

So that my fleeing will have no return; So that all my hope in men may be scattered like cobwebs; So that absolute serenity may begin to reign in my soul; So that my heart may become the grave of my two evil twins: arrogance and anger;

So that I might amass all my treasure in heaven; Ah, so that I may for once be freed from self-deception, which has entangled me in the dreadful web of illusory life.

Enemies have taught me to know what hardly anyone knows, that a person has no enemies in the world except himself. One hates his enemies only when he fails to realize that they are not enemies, but cruel friends.

It is truly difficult for me to say who has done me more good and who has done me more evil in the world: friends or enemies. Therefore bless, O Lord, both my friends and my enemies. A slave curses enemies, for he does not understand. But a son blesses them, for he understands.

For a son knows that his enemies cannot touch his life. Therefore he freely steps among them and prays to God for them. Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.

Currently listening : Rockin' the Suburbs By Ben Folds Release date: 2001-09-11

10:34 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Things that make baby Jesus angry
Current mood: full

Testamints.... Sending bad breath to hell! Something tells me that when Jesus died for our sins he knew that some person was going to invent "Testamints" Thank you Lord for saving our sins, thank you mr tetamints inventor for saving our breath. Testamints are one of God's top three favorite candies. I've never had a Testamint but I have had a mint and I have read the Bible



Christian Jeans..... Saves your A** from hell... If these were around 10 years ago Dogwood would have been sponserd by them. We did anything for free clothes even if they were stupid



Disciples Action Figures: Move over "A Team" the "C Team" is here! (C is for Christian)



Christian Beads... I wonder if Martin Luther would have taken back the Reformation if he knew prodistantism would amount to this?

8:59 PM - 17 Comments - 17 Kudos - Add Comment

Who Said White Kids Can’t Dance?
Current mood: Proud

We had a dance party at our house the other night. This is the blackmail material for later years

5:38 PM - 13 Comments - 12 Kudos - Add Comment

Irony
Current mood: Rocking
Category: Rocking Religion and Philosophy

I find it ironic that I am a pastor and one of my favorite bands of all time is "Bad Religion"

I think one of the reasons I love them is because of how they challenge my faith (not to mention their infectious melodies , ferocious guitars and 5 part harmonies) I find that many times my faith is strengthened more by listening to people who question faith than those who might be Christian artists (whatever that really means).When all is said and done I find Music like this to be like junk food or candy... It is fun to listen to, sounds good but if you take too much in it rots the soul

This is a song he does unplugged called sorrow.... I love the lyrics... He obviously is singing them tounge and cheek or he is losing his faith in athiesm... (hopefully the latter)

8:35 AM - 8 Comments - 7 Kudos - Add Comment

Theory of Personal Development
Current mood: cantankerous
Category: Religion and Philosophy

In my years in ministry I have come across some of the best and the worst people that humanity has to offer. I have always been interested in what makes a person "whole" or "emotionally healthy" or "NORMAL" as one might say. Why is it one can be a highly integrated person and another person can be so broken and dysfunctional? (I know we are all broken and dysfunctional to a degree) 

Obviously we are all weird… I know what you are thinking "what is normal?" But lets look at a little theory I have been developing about personal and spiritual growth…

If you were to take a section of senior citizens that you know, one might notice that some can be quite extreme. Some are the sweetest and best people you could ever meet. Many of those are people whom we wish to emulate. I have met countless older people who are so loving, patient, kind, encouraging. They carry the character qualities that I can only pray to have…. There is a lady in my church named Irene Lee who is 97 years old and hands down the sweetest person I have or will ever meet. Another great example is actor/comedian Jerry Stiller….. This guy is 80 years old and he gets cooler and funnier every year. (I don’t know Jerry really he could be crazy)

But then you have other older people who are for sure the craziest people you know. They take the word "bizarre’ to new heights. It is almost like their craziness or bitterness has been magnified over the years……  they have become a cartoon character of who they once were in a previous era. (remember this does not apply to all old people) Hmmm we may be on to something here….

Or Al Davis (owner of the Oakland Raiders)


Or this crazy old guy wearing a Wal Mart bag

How is it that these two (Davis and Rivers, Wal Mart bag guy excluded) go from being trailblazers, pioneers and very successful, to being considered the laughingstock of their perspective industries? With every year they get more and more weird…. Not irrelevant… But freakishly weird? Their decisions and actions continue to puzzle people more and more….

 Maybe I am crazy, but I have a theory…..

Here is what normal looks like…. It is a straight line….. if you follow this path of spiritual, and emotional health you end up "Normal"  (normal meaning respected and admired for your personality and character). These are the older people that you could spend hours on a porch captivated by the fascinating stories of their life. You walk away form conversations with them wiser and feeling as if you are a better person.

The question I ask in this theory is why some people at the end of their life are bitter, cantankerous, acrimonius and straight up weird while others are sooooo loving, compassionate, full of grace.

Lets focus on the bitter ones.....You know the kind of person where you think "Who in the world would marry them?" (At 20 they were just quirky… Quirky is cuteat 20  but at 65 it has morphed into unbearable person"

At 20 Years of age a person is labeled by their friends as "Quirky" They have subtle differences from the norm…. For the most it is barely noticeable. But if that person does not make the necessary adjustments they become "Different" by their 30’s

By the end of their 40’s they are showing extreme signs of being "weird" (note if you are already weird in your twenties you are certifiably crazy by the time you are 40) (I am screwed)

Anyways if you do not make adjustments by the time you are considered a senior citizen  you are so far from normal emotional health that there may be no return....

The application to my theory…. Your personality and character will magnify with age.  This can be very good or very very bad!!!! Act like Jesus not like this guy….

10:03 PM - 19 Comments - 15 Kudos - Add Comment

Why did I not know about this show and how can we petition to get it back?
Current mood: I pitty the foo

Apperently the greatest show in the history of TV was on TV land in 2006..... We need to unite to get it back on the air. Here is a comercial from it and a clip


and a piece from the show...

11:12 AM - 11 Comments - 11 Kudos - Add Comment