I have been thinking alot about my facebook account.
I love the fact that I have reconnected with some of my high school and college friends. I love it that my kids grandparents can keep in contact with their grand children. I love some of the funny things that friends post. I think it is funny that I can post a manly question and it gets so many responses immediately (it is the old "Seinfeld" truth that people really want to just talk about nothing).
What drives me crazy about facebook are all posts about what you are doing every minute of the day-- like everyone really cares. It drives me crazy when someone posts, "Having a bad day :(" --because you know everyone wants to know why your day is so bad and you put a frowny face up. It drives me crazy that people are becoming fans of everything under the sun, especially the becoming the fan of stuff that is a paragraph long. And seriously, your not in a real mafia, have a real farm, own a cafe and there is no such thing as festive fish (I am embarassed to say that I have learned this from my own experience). I wish I could really make the money I have made being in a mafia, raising produce, owning a cafe and raising fish. I keep waiting for the facebook version of churchville so we can see how many people we can pile into a building on the corner of Main and Prospect.
Here is what I really hate about facebook and why I am thinking about ditching the whole thing:
I hate the fact that people are bold enough to say things to people they would never say to someones face. I hate the fact that people bring all their drama to their wall. I hate the fact that the divorce rate has gone up as people are rekindling old high school and college romances. I hate the fact that it has become another avenue for gossip and a place that promotes half truths. Random thoughts were never meant to be made public, we should be slow to speak because when we post exactly what we are thinking things are taken out of context, people get hurt and we become more divided.
With all that said, I will continue to have a Facebook page, I will just be more selective in how I engage on the social network.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
The King! And I Don't Mean James!
As I left for the office this morning I passed a pile of Lebron James posters torn up lying on the floor beside the garbage can. Last night I went up the street to see a neighbor who was burning a Lebron James t-shirt. The emotions in Northeast Ohio are high. For those who do not live in Northeast Ohio this is one of the most sport crazed places I have ever lived. I don't understand it because it is not very often that Northeast Ohio has a lot to cheer about (I call our Browns Backers at the church the "Browns Backer Support Group").
I have been by Lebron, I mean really close on several occasions. The closest I was ever to him was on the field at an Ohio State/Penn State game. As he walked by I called his name and tried to get him to shake my hand. One of my friends, a coach at Ohio State said, "He's just a man." I pulled back almost embarrassed because he was right and I had gotten caught up in the frenzy (today I would want to get close to him, not to shake his hand but to . . . tell him to pull his britches up, they were down almost to his knees). You thought I was going to say something else didn't you?
The attention this whole betrayal is getting is nuts. As we have been going through the book of John on Suunday mornings there have been several times the theme for the day has been fitting for what is going on around us. This Sunday is no different.
We are in John 12 where Jesus enters Jerusalem for the last time. He comes in riding on a donkey and people gather around him and call him the "King." He is a man, but he is more than a man. He is the Messiah, the redeemer and the one who will bring salvation. He deserves the worship that is presented to him as he comes to fulfill his mission for the world.
That is the point here--worship. Man is has never been created to be worshipped, but to worship. We were created to lift our hands to, bow before, dance before and shout out the name of Jesus! He is the only King that deserves such a frenzy.
His decision should be noted as "The Decision." He decided to come, to die and be resurrected so we could have life.
I love one of the things Dan Gilbert wrote in his letter to the fans of Cleveland after Lebron decided to leave for Miami: "Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there. Sorry, but that is simply not how it works."
To get to heaven there has to be death. Jesus had to come and die the way he did so we can experience life. But not only that, we must die to ourselves and not desire to be worshipped but to humbly fall before our "King" and worship him with all our hearts, souls and minds.
Lebron is just a man who plays basketball really good. A man who will be around until another superstar takes his place.
Jesus, the real King will be around forever, he is the one who deserves to be worshipped. Everybody else is just a man--including me and you.
I have been by Lebron, I mean really close on several occasions. The closest I was ever to him was on the field at an Ohio State/Penn State game. As he walked by I called his name and tried to get him to shake my hand. One of my friends, a coach at Ohio State said, "He's just a man." I pulled back almost embarrassed because he was right and I had gotten caught up in the frenzy (today I would want to get close to him, not to shake his hand but to . . . tell him to pull his britches up, they were down almost to his knees). You thought I was going to say something else didn't you?
The attention this whole betrayal is getting is nuts. As we have been going through the book of John on Suunday mornings there have been several times the theme for the day has been fitting for what is going on around us. This Sunday is no different.
We are in John 12 where Jesus enters Jerusalem for the last time. He comes in riding on a donkey and people gather around him and call him the "King." He is a man, but he is more than a man. He is the Messiah, the redeemer and the one who will bring salvation. He deserves the worship that is presented to him as he comes to fulfill his mission for the world.
That is the point here--worship. Man is has never been created to be worshipped, but to worship. We were created to lift our hands to, bow before, dance before and shout out the name of Jesus! He is the only King that deserves such a frenzy.
His decision should be noted as "The Decision." He decided to come, to die and be resurrected so we could have life.
I love one of the things Dan Gilbert wrote in his letter to the fans of Cleveland after Lebron decided to leave for Miami: "Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there. Sorry, but that is simply not how it works."
To get to heaven there has to be death. Jesus had to come and die the way he did so we can experience life. But not only that, we must die to ourselves and not desire to be worshipped but to humbly fall before our "King" and worship him with all our hearts, souls and minds.
Lebron is just a man who plays basketball really good. A man who will be around until another superstar takes his place.
Jesus, the real King will be around forever, he is the one who deserves to be worshipped. Everybody else is just a man--including me and you.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Seriously Lebron?
What in the world is going on? Lebron James is going to do an hour long show on ESPN just to announce where he is going to play next year. ESPN is giving him an hour of primetime (9 pm) and he is going to raise money for the "Boys and Girls Club of America."
Seriously Lebron, do you think the world is going to stop and watch this self-glorifying announcement hidden behind raising money for the Boys and Girls club of America? How about doing us a favor, just tweet everybody with your new twitter account and donate some of the cash your going to get from this huge contract to the Girls and Boys.
As a Cavs fan and Lebron fan I wish you had played up to the level in the play-offs that would warrant this type of announcement. Is this just the way you want to draw attention to yourself because you laid an egg in the play-offs? Does this make you feel better about yourself and the way you played in May?
Seriously Lebron, I would rather pay to go to an Indians game than sit at home and watch your version of "The American Idol."
Seriously Lebron, if you leave Cleveland, your home town team, you will never be the superstar that you believe you are, you will just be another player who couldn't get it done on his own and had to go somewhere else and ride the coat tails of another superstar.
Now I feel better, thanks for letting me rant.
Bake
Seriously Lebron, do you think the world is going to stop and watch this self-glorifying announcement hidden behind raising money for the Boys and Girls club of America? How about doing us a favor, just tweet everybody with your new twitter account and donate some of the cash your going to get from this huge contract to the Girls and Boys.
As a Cavs fan and Lebron fan I wish you had played up to the level in the play-offs that would warrant this type of announcement. Is this just the way you want to draw attention to yourself because you laid an egg in the play-offs? Does this make you feel better about yourself and the way you played in May?
Seriously Lebron, I would rather pay to go to an Indians game than sit at home and watch your version of "The American Idol."
Seriously Lebron, if you leave Cleveland, your home town team, you will never be the superstar that you believe you are, you will just be another player who couldn't get it done on his own and had to go somewhere else and ride the coat tails of another superstar.
Now I feel better, thanks for letting me rant.
Bake
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
The Purpose of the Bible- John 5:31-47
The other day Rhonda wanted me to hang a curtain rod in the kitchen. I got my drill out and the hardware contained in the packaging. I drilled the holes and started to push the plastic screw anchors in the newly drilled holes. One of them was not going in as easy so I began to search for the hammer. I could not find it, but I did find a pipe wrench.
You may be wondering what I needed a pipe wrench for when hanging a curtain rod. Simple, I used the back of it to drive in my screw anchors. Then I used a butter knife to screw in one of the screws until it bent the tip of the butter knife. I finally found a flat head screw driver to finish the job but I never found the hammer.
Life is much easier when we use tools the way they were designed to be used. What about the Bible? How is it supposed to be used? Is it a tool to point out how much better you are than the pagan down the street? Hammering away at their sin quoting Bible verses to show that they are going to burn in hell. No, that's not the purpose. That is like using a pipe wrench for a hammer.
Is it a tool to manipulate someone to do something that you want? Do you twist scripture to fit your own personal desires? No, that's not the purpose either. That is like using a butter knife as a screwdriver.
What then is the purpose of the Bible/scripture? Look at what Jesus said: “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life” (John 5:39-40).
He is telling the religious leaders you have it all wrong. You are looking at scripture as a tool for living under the law. You look at it as a bunch of "do's" and "dont's." You think that righteousness is found in how you live by these "do's" and "dont's."
Scripture is not about "law" it is about "grace." They testify concerning Jesus who came so that we could find righteousness through him. He came to testify how we should live in relationship with God the Father so we could experience grace, mercy and love.
Look, your pagan neighbor does not need to hear about how much of a sinner he is. The church has done a good job letting the world know about sin(the law). What the Church has done a poor job of is telling those far from God about grace, mercy and love. We have not used the Bible as a testimony about Jesus. We have used it as a way make ourselves look better than the pagan down the street.
We all need to do a better job of living like Jesus. This will happen more often if we read the Bible the way it was intended to be read. We need to use it as a tool to testify about Jesus not as a tool to point out sin.
By the way, the cutains look great in the kitchen.
You may be wondering what I needed a pipe wrench for when hanging a curtain rod. Simple, I used the back of it to drive in my screw anchors. Then I used a butter knife to screw in one of the screws until it bent the tip of the butter knife. I finally found a flat head screw driver to finish the job but I never found the hammer.
Life is much easier when we use tools the way they were designed to be used. What about the Bible? How is it supposed to be used? Is it a tool to point out how much better you are than the pagan down the street? Hammering away at their sin quoting Bible verses to show that they are going to burn in hell. No, that's not the purpose. That is like using a pipe wrench for a hammer.
Is it a tool to manipulate someone to do something that you want? Do you twist scripture to fit your own personal desires? No, that's not the purpose either. That is like using a butter knife as a screwdriver.
What then is the purpose of the Bible/scripture? Look at what Jesus said: “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life” (John 5:39-40).
He is telling the religious leaders you have it all wrong. You are looking at scripture as a tool for living under the law. You look at it as a bunch of "do's" and "dont's." You think that righteousness is found in how you live by these "do's" and "dont's."
Scripture is not about "law" it is about "grace." They testify concerning Jesus who came so that we could find righteousness through him. He came to testify how we should live in relationship with God the Father so we could experience grace, mercy and love.
Look, your pagan neighbor does not need to hear about how much of a sinner he is. The church has done a good job letting the world know about sin(the law). What the Church has done a poor job of is telling those far from God about grace, mercy and love. We have not used the Bible as a testimony about Jesus. We have used it as a way make ourselves look better than the pagan down the street.
We all need to do a better job of living like Jesus. This will happen more often if we read the Bible the way it was intended to be read. We need to use it as a tool to testify about Jesus not as a tool to point out sin.
By the way, the cutains look great in the kitchen.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
July 4th 1776
I just finished my teaching for Sunday. I plan to read part of the Declaration of Independence. I am not sure I have really read it before, I am sure I have but I don't remember when. The last line before 56 men signed may be the most powerful words ever written in our nations history. When I read this last line it allowed me to understand why the men who founded this great nation could win against the powerful British.
"And for the support of the Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of the divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor."
What would happen if followers of Jesus would have the same tenacity as these 56 men who put into motion a revolution for the ages? What if the leaders of the church could come together and pledge to Jesus their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor?
It tell you what would happen. The kingdom of God would advance and the gates of hell would not stand a chance. People who are far from God would know God. Lives that are on the brink of destruction would be transformed. It would not be an easy battle but victory would be inevitable!
Because like these 56 men we would live with the same firm reliance that brought this great country into existence. This reliance would not be on ourselves. It would not consist of our own power or position. It would be a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence. It would be founded on the mission God has given the church and although difficult the war would be won--the war has been won!
Jesus has already been victorious!
So when we come together and celebrate the fourth, the birth of this nation, let's not forget the passion this country was founded on and let's apply it to our faith and the church.
"And for the support of the Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of the divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor."
What would happen if followers of Jesus would have the same tenacity as these 56 men who put into motion a revolution for the ages? What if the leaders of the church could come together and pledge to Jesus their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor?
It tell you what would happen. The kingdom of God would advance and the gates of hell would not stand a chance. People who are far from God would know God. Lives that are on the brink of destruction would be transformed. It would not be an easy battle but victory would be inevitable!
Because like these 56 men we would live with the same firm reliance that brought this great country into existence. This reliance would not be on ourselves. It would not consist of our own power or position. It would be a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence. It would be founded on the mission God has given the church and although difficult the war would be won--the war has been won!
Jesus has already been victorious!
So when we come together and celebrate the fourth, the birth of this nation, let's not forget the passion this country was founded on and let's apply it to our faith and the church.
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