i should have posted this saturday but i didn’t see it until today so that wasn’t really an option. anyhow if your a fan of the bill murray film “groundhog day” you’ll like this. jamie zawinski has figured out that it would take at least 4 years worth of february 2nd’s for bill murray to do all the things that he does within the movie. here’s the post.
halftime
no commentary here but it would be really nice if the giants could win. sorry debbie but i can’t pull for the patriots. it’s an underdog thing. i have to pull for the underdog (unless, of course, its’s against one of my teams).
guiding voters where?
i love the church that i preached at today so please don’t take anything i am about to say as a statement concerning the church. the church body didn’t have anything to do with the “voter guides” that i am about to discuss. one individual decided to pass these things out – he was a nice guy i just disagree with the “voter guides.”
these guides are from a website called wall builders. as stated on their website the organization’s goals are to …
exert a direct and positive influence in government, education, and the family by (1) educating the nation concerning the GODly foundation of our country; (2) providing information to federal, state, and local officials as they develop public policies which reflect biblical values; and (3) encouraging CHRISTians to be involved in the civic arena.
my main probably with the voter guides is that i believe they have much more to do with a certain political persuasion than they do with a “GODly foundation.” I’m not sure that many of the topics that the “voters guide” addresses are in line with what the JESUS of scripture would. more importantly than the issues that it includes are many of the items that it ignores. if you use the “voters guides” as your source you would come to believe that GOD cares nothing for the weakest of our society because the “voters guides” never mentions them. Seriously, do any of us really believe that JESUS is more deeply concerned about the presidential candidates committing to not raise taxes (which is on the guide) than HE is concerned about the candidates committing to fight poverty (which is left off the guide)? or do we honestly think that JESUS is more concerned about a federal marriage amendment (which is on the guide) than HE is about reforming welfare in such away that it encourages marriage rather than penalizing it (which isn’t on the guide)? i doubt seriously that most of the items on the “voters guide” have anything to do with the kingdom of GOD. It seems more like an organization trying get churches to vote there way.
thankfully the church i was at still sees that JESUS is very concerned about the weakest of our society. one lady carried so much about it that she had to say as much in the middle of the sermon i was delivering. i like it when that happens.
super no
i just thought i would let everyone know that they should not watch the superbowl at a church with a screen larger than 55″ because it’s against the nfl’s copyright. here’s the washing post article on the nfl cracking down on churches showing the superbowl (churches that don’t charge a dime or use the event as a fund raiser). the article says:
for years, as many as 200 members of immanuel bible church and their friends have gathered in the church’s fellowship hall to watch the super bowl on its six-foot screen. the party featured hard hitting on the tv, plenty of food — and prayer.
but this year, immanuel’s super bowl party is no more. after a crackdown by the national football league on big-screen super bowl gatherings by churches, the springfield church has sacked its event. instead, church members will host parties in their homes.
i actually think it’s great that the church is getting people to invite others into their homes to watch the game BUT the nfl probably needs to get over this. i know they have the right to do this but it is a little ridiculous. if the nfl sees no harm in sports bars showing the game legally (sports bars are specifically excluded within the copyright) then i think they probably wouldn’t be harmed by churches doing the same thing.
anyhow here’s the article.
photographic lies
a friend, brad,, mentioned something awhile back that has stuck with me. he talked about how deceptive photographs are. they look like a slice of reality but they aren’t. i read susan sontag’s “on photography” soon after brad’s statement and began to understand a little more of what he meant. that’s why i thought i would share this article today. it is about one of the best known photos of the vietnam conflict. to quote the article.
Adams wrote in Time magazine, “The general killed the Viet Cong; I killed the general with my camera. Still photographs are the most powerful weapon in the world. People believe them, but photographs do lie, even without manipulation. They are only half-truths. What the photograph didn’t say was, ‘What would you do if you were the general at that time and place on that hot day, and you caught the so-called bad guy after he blew away one, two or three American soldiers?’
if you have a minute and you’re into photography it is well worth the few minutes it will take to read it.
february prayer
here’s the monthly prayer email i send out for tapestry. if you do not receive this and would like to just let me know.
1 corinthians 11:17-34
the second message in the “robert terrell winter preaching tour” happens this coming sunday at fellowship baptist church in waupaca. this is our sponsoring church (i.e. the entity that makes it possible for us to be tax-deductible and get insurance) and therefore it would be nice to do a good job. it’s not like i ever really want to bomb in front of a group. after all this is GOD’s word that is being dealt with and therefore it should be life changing anytime we dig into it. still on a personal side i would like to do a really good job when it comes to the church that is sponsoring tapestry (i would hate to leave with them thinking “what type of reject have we sponsored?). since, i desire to do i good job i’ve turned to my second best resource … you (obviously the first is the HOLY SPIRIT and we’ve talked already and continue to).
if any of you are interested in reading the passage that i will be dealing with and then sending me any thoughts you have i will gladly steal all the credit from your great input. 🙂 actually, as i have said before i have always tried to bounce passages and ideas off a group of people i trust. sometimes theirideas are amazing and sometimes just the act of asking someone questions helps me out a ton. i have pam and she is one of the best exegetes i have ever been around but i’m also hoping to expand the group a little. so if anybody is interested the passage is 1 corinthians 11:17-34.i would love to steal … i mean use your thoughts.
a couple of you did this last time and i was very thankful for your thoughts.
the shack
one of my weaknesses is that i typically will refuse to look into something that is getting a ton of hype. for example, i will often refuse to read a modern book when i hear every body and their moma talking about how that book is the greatest book around and should be read by everyone. i know it’s a stupid reason not read something that might actually be good but it’s a weakness of mine. i recognize it and i’m working on it.
of course, i’m still working on it and therefore i have ignored the book “the shack.” apparently it is all the rage within CHRISTian circles now. according to one friend (hi drew) it has even been called the “pilgrim’s progress” of our time (of course, drew feels similar to i on this and he made the great observation that john bunyan didn’t have a marketing machine behind “pilgrim’s progress” while “the shack” has a full court press of marketing telling us how life changing it is). it’s really pretty sad because several people that i know, love, and respect have highly recommended the book to me. one of my friends, who i think the world of, even went so far as to give me a copy of it.
still i’m shallow enough to let me desire to buck the system keep me from reading the book. i have at least put the book in my pile of books that i have committed to be read in the near future. it’s probably about eighth on that list right now.
has anyone else read this book?
woohoo!
since tapestry does not formally (i.e. legally) exist yet we don’t have members (it’s kind of hard to have members in something that doesn’t yet exist) but as of today we have our first person joining us on the journey whose last name is terrell. i’ve been meeting people for the past four months, talking and listening with people concerning what they believe the bride of CHRIST (the church) is supposed to be like, and sharing with them what i feel called to do. a couple of weeks ago i asked a few people to pray about joining us on the journey. today the first one said “yes.”
woohoo!
there are a couple of other people who are thinking and praying over things at the moment and a bunch more that i am continuing to talk with. within the next three weeks pam and i are going to start meeting with, eating with, praying with, reading the acts of the apostles with, and discussing with a group of people who will hopefully commit to joining with us on starting the church that we believe GOD has called us to start. we’ll do this on sunday nights for 5-6 weeks and then start taking our next steps.
SIDE NOTE – at present the terrell family is living through its first classified blizzard ever. the wind chill outside is presently -25º and is supposed to reach as low as -45º tomorrow. thankfully i’m inside.
i like these days better
some days i get pretty disheartened about how we’re going to start tapestry. some days i spend all day praying and trying to meet someone new who might be the next person that GOD leads my way that will help or join in starting the church. some days i spend all day trying to explain what it is that i believe GOD is leading our group to do only to look at them stare blankly back at me or even worse say something like “you’re kidding, right?” some days i spend all day doing stuff that doesn’t seem to matter at all and i am left sitting in the evening wondering how we’ll even get the church started when i am able to get so little done. some days it’s so cold outside that it’s impossible for me to meet anyone and share what i believe GOD is going to do because everyone is trying to stay home where it’s warm. some days it seems like i’m not cut out to help plant a church and i was wrong in thinking that GOD wanted me to.
of course, today was not one of those days. in fact, today was the exact opposite of one of those days. today was about as good as it could possibly get and if i have four more of these days tapestry will be planted and healthy by saturday. it was a great day.
i like days like “today” a ton better than days like “some days.”
SIDE NOTE – don’t worry mom i’m not depressed thankfully there aren’t very many “some days.” of course, there aren’t a ton of “todays” either. most days are just normal.