Despite winning the last two games in a row (I guess that's as good a winning streak as we hoped to see this year), Buccaneers football coach Raheem Morris has had to field questions about his job security. There are many rumors suggesting the Bucs are interested in bringing in Bill Cowher, former Super Bowl winning coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. But Raheem has repeatedly confessed he is simply going to work as usual and will coach as though he'll be around longer.
This is really the same kind of attitude Christians are to have in regards to the Return of the King (Jesus). In regards to when Christ will return, since we'll know neither the day or the hour (Matt 25:13), we're to be busy discipling others (25:15-ff) and working hard in our jobs.
Uncertainty of the future shouldn't make us stop working, become slothful or sensational, but keep working hard until the end. Even though I'd love to see Cowher, Raheem does set for us a great example.
Snooki From 'Jersey Shore' Gets The Business On 'Saturday Night Live'
We've talked a lot about the shortcomings of this season of "Saturday Night Live," but this past weekend's show was as funny and provocative as the series was at its peak. It was helped along by host James Franco, who has experience with comedy and improvisation. But the writing on Saturday night (December 19) was also top-notch, with a delightfully deranged digital short, the return of Andy Samberg's Mark Wahlberg impression and the funniest "Weekend Update" in ages, thanks mostly to Bobby Moynihan's turn as Snooki from "Jersey Shore."
As Snooki, Moynihan discussed "Jersey Shore" with "Weekend Update" host Seth Meyers. He was dressed in a terrible poof wig, was covered in orange make-up and was exposing his chest hair for the duration of the interview, which made for a very funny physical gag. But the jokes were great too, including the incredible kicker, which saw Snooki suggest that Meyers call her "Garfield" because she's orange and loves lasagna. The segment also featured a cameo by the Situation (played by Bill Hader), who showed off his "back abs" in another surreal moment.
They say that you're not really famous until you've been spoofed on "Saturday Night Live," which means that Snooki has finally arrived. Perhaps her new reality show "Snookin' For Love" (which she pitched to Conan O'Brien on "The Tonight Show" last week) is just around the corner.
A little while ago I wrote an article for the Bradenton Herald about David Goldman and his quest to bring his son back from the Brazilian captivity. Well he finally brought his son back (this picture is way old by the way). In an interview today on "Today," he called his son's return a "Christmas miracle," and that "somebody's definitely up there." He's right. Someone is definitely up there, and finally brought justice to this complete travesty of justice, much less travesty to common sense.
Apparently his son, still doesn't call him "Dad" yet, which breaks my heart. But the kid is now 9 years old (been away for 4-5 years), and David believes it will take a little time.
What a good example of the pursuing love a Father has for His son, even when the son doesn't seek him out or even call him "Dad." He just never gave up no matter how bleak it seemed. I don't know David Goldman, but I sure would like to meet that joker and rejoice with him. Maybe we could talk about God's pursuing Fatherly love (which I reflected on in the article which is lost in the Bradenton Herald cyberspace). Since Amy and I have been following this story, we are really stoked about this homecoming. If you read the article here, I think you will rejoice and also want to pray imprecations on these Brazilians (but please resist because Jesus says we can't!).
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I don't know, it's amusing, and the dancing is funny, but I would have liked more drama between the characters (and a bigger bang) instead of fizzling out down to the water and dancing gags at the end.
I think I'm going to make it one of my Christmas traditions to reflect on this quote from Bono. I put it up last year, but to me it never gets old. Just like the Christmas story. Every part of it seems counter-intuitive to me: God in flesh, the use of shepherds (sketchy fellows), magi (also sketchy), that Jesus was laid in a manger. How crazy is that? Where dirty animals feed. The king of the universe laid where animals feed. I hope we never fail to realize how crazy that is. Blaise Paschal hit it on the nose in his Pensees(I'd love to give the reference but all the books are packed up!) when he said it is not that God has hidden this message so high so that folks can't understand it, but so low, as many will look over it.
Here's Bono's quote:
“The idea that God, if there is a force of Logic and Love in the universe, that it would seek to explain itself is amazing enough. That it would seek to explain itself and describe itself by becoming a child born in straw poverty, in shit and straw…a child… I just thought: “Wow!” Just the poetry … Unknowable love, unknowable power, describes itself as the most vulnerable. There it was. I was sitting there, and it’s not that it hadn’t struck me before, but tears came streaming down my face, and I saw the genius of this, utter genius of picking a particular point in time and deciding to turn on this.”
Yesterday I saw a church marquee marquee that reads, "Merry Christmas, not Merry Xmas." Now that is by no means in the same category as this "Eat me Jesus Hater's Trollcat (that's seriously what the picture is called!). But I have recently noticed a bit of confusion on the origin of Xmas from a number of well meaning Christians. Or I should I write "Xians" to save space? I can.
In fact that's what I did on my resume to save space. During one of my interviews, one woman actually asked me why I put on my resume "Xmas" instead of "Christmas" to refer to my "Xmas Outreach parties" that we hosted at our house.
Now I found it incredibly counter-intuitive (to put it nicely) to think I was embarrassed to put Jesus name when it was He who our youth would be proclaiming during the gospel presentations! Needless to say, all doubt was removed in regards to my desire to not work for this church.
I explained to her that "Xmas" saved space on a one page resume, and that "X" is the first letter in "Christ" in the Greek spelling of it. Here's a helpful explanation by R.C. Sproul of why you may with good conscience write "Xmas" to save space on a resume or Xmas card. It is not dishonoring to Jesus in the least.
So please don't put "Xmas" in the same category of the I-don't-want-to-offend-anyone-"Happy Holidays"-even-when-Hanakah-is-over category.
On a side note, Good Morning America introduced the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir this morning as singing a "Holiday Medley." The beautiful irony of it all was that "Holiday" was said not to offend anyone, yet the choir sang nothing but Xmas carols, and concluded with a singing something to effect of "I'm not ashamed to proclaim His name...Jesus, there is no other..." I love irony!
Just about every year for the past 20-25 years or so, my mother has put on a neighborhood Christmas pageant. Now my folks and I have lived in 4 different neighborhoods since the onset of the pageant, so the play has changed a bit over the years. At times, there were animals like sheep and donkeys, and at times there were professional musicians (of course no one could forget my "Silent Night" on electric guitar where I missed every other note). While the central message of the drama doesn't change, lines have been tweaked and added/subtracted throughout its, and my lifetime (I'm only several years older than the pageant myself).
Last year Connar was baby Jesus, but this year he outgrew the part and my brother's son Ben starred as the Savior. Having been to nearly 15-20 of them, I routinely notice line changes. The story is always first contextualized with narrators, and then the drama unfolds. And this is the part where I could tell my mother changed some lines up.
This year's pageant began with 2 kids at the bus stop fretting over their 401 K and homeowner's association (this one can be extremely anal and "fine happy" at times). Then it ended with the same conversation continued, where one kid said to the other, "That's why we can have hope despite what may happen with our 401 K and association issues. But I still wouldn't open that envelope till after Christmas if I were you!"
Everyone laughed. But it was more than funny. The gospel story was connected with real life, offering real hope, to real problems. It wouldn't have been nearly as funny with our first neighborhood in South Tampa. Different audience with no strict HOA and different socioeconomic group.
This is a fine example of healthy contextualization. The message doesn't change, but what parts of the gospel are emphasized (new record, new heart-in this case it was "new heart" and the ability to live at peace in an unstable world-new world, new family......) will and must change to reach different people.
My Mom will be on TV this Wed on CTN at 1 pm to discuss the neighborhood pageants and will have some pictures of the most recent one.
A little while ago I wrote an article for the Bradenton Herald about David Goldman and his quest to bring his son back from the Brazilian captivity. Well he finally brought his son back (this picture is way old by the way). In an interview today on "Today," he called his son's return a "Christmas miracle," and that "somebody's definitely up there." He's right. Someone is definitely up there, and finally brought justice to this complete travesty of justice, much less travesty to common sense.
Yesterday I saw a church marquee marquee that reads, "Merry Christmas, not Merry Xmas." Now that is by no means in the same category as this "Eat me Jesus Hater's Trollcat (that's seriously what the picture is called!). But I have recently noticed a bit of confusion on the origin of Xmas from a number of well meaning Christians. Or I should I write "Xians" to save space? I can.
Just about every year for the past 20-25 years or so, my mother has put on a neighborhood Christmas pageant. Now my folks and I have lived in 4 different neighborhoods since the onset of the pageant, so the play has changed a bit over the years. At times, there were animals like sheep and donkeys, and at times there were professional musicians (of course no one could forget my "Silent Night" on electric guitar where I missed every other note). While the central message of the drama doesn't change, lines have been tweaked and added/subtracted throughout its, and my lifetime (I'm only several years older than the pageant myself).
