SNL

If you didn't see SNL this past week, here is one of the skits from it. It is one of the best I have ever seen. Truly a laugh out loud moment.

brad

A Felony Ring of 10 Year Olds....

Did you see THIS ? I didn't even have a computer in 4th grade. How do kids do this. I still haven't found out all the functions on my ipod and these guys are making money...literally.

brad

Turning Into A Liberal.....

No, I'm not turning into an American Political Liberal. Let me see if I can explain. A few days ago, I was reading in Hosea (an Old Testament Prophet) and I came across on of those places where God is talking about how His people are always turning from Him and prostituting themselves with other things that His love. As it goes on, I see that there is a place where God is making things right and turning the hearts of the people back. What gets me it that I saw a description of what is happening in the person whom God changes...

"I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD." (Hosea 2:19-20)

What I keep seeing is righteousness, love and compassion (evangelical conservative values) and then, once more, I see the value that is so common in Christian liberal circles and a value of scripture...JUSTICE.

Then I wake this morning and read this article about what TIME magazine said about Bono and Bill and Melinda Gates.
"For being shrewd about doing good, for rewiring politics and re-engineering justice, for making mercy smarter and hope strategic and then daring the rest of us to follow, Bill and Melinda Gates and Bono are Time's Persons of the Year...."

I am not on a talking point about how an "evangelical" should have been on the cover of TIME, but I observe...what if some follower of Jesus "let their light shine before men so that they could see the good works and glorify God in heaven?"

Again, I am reminded about how I have dropped the ball and seem to care about things that are oppossed to the things that Jesus loved. If being honest about social justice means that I am an evangelical liberal...ok.

brad

Has to be a white kid...

THIS STORY has to be about a white kid in the suburbs. My mom and dad didn't want me to fail but I don't remember ever being this scared to bring a report card home.

I don't know what is better birth control...working with teenagers personally, or reading stories like this.

brad

Remembering Mike

Today I was re-reading parts of Mike Yaconelli's book "Dangerous Wonder." Every time I read anything by that man, I am challenged.

In the introduction, he talked about meeting the guy who started Compassion International. He described the guy as a long haired, quiet, seemingly gentle guy who at some point had his life ruined by Jesus and he has never gotten over it.

You see, that seems to be my story and that word (ruined) always gets my attention. Central to my faith is this idea that somewhere along the way, my life intersected with this Jesus and he completely ruined everything so that I could not survive without Him and I have spent several years now trying to shake him.

I mean really, if you have experienced this too....you actually spend a lot of time trying other things. If it were a marriage, it would be something like adultry. And yet, even after turning to lovers less wild, we are welcomed back by a Jesus who loves, forgives and even calls us pure and spotless.

And so it goes...day after day...a prostitute...loved...accepted....declared beautiful.

So the way to describe this life intersection with Jesus is wild, dangerous, fearful, compelling, doubtful, crazy, and extremely messy.


brad