Seeking The Orgasmic Now. . . .

Yesterday we sat with some beloved friends in a local Chinese joint eating lunch and talking about - among other things - the state of the church. They were visiting from out-of-town and had just spent the morning worshipping with us at our church. Because I'm a culture-watcher whose travels take him to churches that span the style and substance spectrum, I'm forced to think about these things far more than I'd like to or would ever choose to. But I've learned that thinking about these things is necessary and unavoidable. Far more than we know or imagine hangs in the balance, and if we don't understand that fact now, we'll be leaving it to church history to offer a balanced analysis of our times. . . particularly the mistakes we're making.

Our mealtime conversation began with "what did you think of our worship service?" and continued with some stimulating dialogue about what people look for in a church, and whether or not that's unbalanced or misdirected.


I appreciated the conversation because our friends are extremely thoughtful, and because of some reading I had done earlier in the week. On Thanksgiving I had finished Michael Horton's latest book, The Gospel-Driven Life: Being Good News People in a Bad News World. I blogged earlier this year about Horton's previous book, Christless Christianity. Horton is a deep-thinking theologian and cultural critic who has a great knack for forcing us to ask the questions we need to be asking. Sadly, I'm not sure he's going to get the hearing that he should.

In The Gospel-Driven Life, Horton talks about how we've lost our capacity to wait for things. We want everything quickly in the here and now. He says this has impacted us negatively as individuals, as churches, and as a culture. Because convenience takes precedence over quality, we have sacrificed much in terms of depth and growth. For example, "it takes time to make a good bottle of wine and the better reds may not reach their maturity for years." This bent has found its way into the way that we perceive and live out our Christian life. It has also found its way into how we choose and evaluate corporate worship. . . and even our churches.

Horton says we live in an "exuberant cult of the immediate experience." Perhaps his most eye-opening and accurate assessment of our allegiances, preferences, and commitments is that "every moment must be orgasmic." He says "we are terrified of being bored." How true. I see it in my own life and in the lives of those I know the best.

Here are some related thoughts from Horton's book that I found to be very challenging. As you read them, think about your church, yourself, and your kids. . . .

"Let's face it: a traditional Christian service of public invocation, Bible reading, prayers, preaching, and sacraments is not ordinarily fun. 'It's like watching corn grow,' as they say. There is no excuse for pastors to be so aloof, lax, or distracted from their congregation that there is no connection. Nevertheless, on an average month of Sundays, every believer should find church a little boring. I find marriage a little boring. And raising four children. And going to work every day. I am even bored by travel, although as a boy I went through the 'I want to be a pilot' phase. It's old hat now.

If we all made our decisions based on how highly it scored today on the fun meter, we would never commit ourselves to relationships and processes that take a long time to see any results. Our culture is falling apart over this one. The result is that we demand cargo ships full of meaningful, life-altering, transformative, explosive, and unique experiences every day and are losing our appreciation for the role that a child's smile has in the grand scheme of things. Every date night has to be the Love Boat, every family vacation must fill albums worth of memories, and church can't be church; it has to be a 'worship experience' that alters one's cell structure every time. . . .

Imagine what would happen if we determined what we would learn, teach, or endure on the basis of what William James called 'its cash-value in experiential terms.' Children would not learn the alphabet, the multiplication tables, primary colors, or the basic grammar of the Christian faith. School would be recess all day: filled with games and free play. There would be no great food, friendships, marriages, families, buildings, farms, athletes, or concerts. Ironically, the pursuit of instant gratification and perpetual amusement creates its own self-enclosed world of boredom. Spoiled children (of whatever age) are never satisfied.

The younger generations today have seen it all. They have been to every theme park, have every gadget, and know every band. The expression on a lot of their faces tells it all: 'Been there, done that, got the shirt.' And they are consummately bored. Now growing numbers of them us they are especially bored with the 'contemporary worship experience.' Our fear of God must become greater than our fear of boredom. Making disciples, like making crafts, great works of art, fine wine, a memorable dinner, and raising children, takes a long time. It is like watching corn grow and that's exactly what we are: a harvest whose first fruits have already been raised and exalted. . . .

Like a good parent, God knows that if we had all the cotton candy we wanted, we would not only be sick but would miss out on the dinner he has prepared. . . .

We try to pull God down from heaven or bring Christ up from the dead by our feverish activity, assimilating God's story to the cult of immediate gratification. As with all forms of nihilism, this illness can be remedied only by rebuilding our connection to a significant beginning and future destiny, with our present moment as part of a pilgrimage instead of a frantic zig-zagging from each exciting attraction at the carnival of death disguising itself as life."

I encourage you to read The Gospel-Driven Life. You can download and read Chapter 1 here.

Sex Tails, A Woo Hoo Pt. 3

Remember when I went to Jordan and Egypt? Did I ever mention how horny I was when I got back? I went over six weeks without any type of release. Well I did have sex with the one girl, but other than that, it was like three weeks without masturbating. Needless to say, I was on the verge of exploding.

After being back a few days, I decided to go out after playing some softball with James and Jason. We went up to the Arena (was it called The Last Cowboy still?) and shot pool. I decided to send this girl we worked with, Liz, a text message asking what she was doing.

For those of you that don't know about Liz, let me explain. She was a complete whore. I had sex with her a bunch of times and it was not great, but it was always good if drunk or whatever.

She says that she is over at Gideon's apartment, helping him clean. I then let her know that if she wants to take a break, I could give her a little reward (considering that I am planning on moving into that apartment with Gideon). She says okay, and we meet up at this usual spot. At this point, I did not have my own place in State College yet, I had lived at my mom's for about a semester before going to Jordan.

The nice thing about this girl was, she had no delusions about what this relationship was, there was no talking, no how are you, just lets have sex and lets make it quick. So, we start going at it and after about 45 seconds, I am ready to explode, and I think she can tell. So, she gets down and starts giving me a little mouth action.

I am not some kind of porn star, and when I get off, it does not fly across the room or anything cool like that. However, this time, I looked like some kind circus freak. I shoot, and it must of taken her by surprise because she pulls it out of her mouth, unfortunately for her, I am not done. I shoot another round, and she moves out of the way! It lands like five feet away.

So, I put my pants back on, hop in my car (we were having sex outside at a park by the way) and send James a text message asking him if they are still at the bar. They are, so I go over and go back to pool and beer. Apparently I was gone for like fifteen minutes...

Baseball Wrap-Up

The year of baseball is over. The MVPs were announced and I just wanted to rub it in to everyone who argued for Bobby Abreu (I am looking at you Ryan), that the writers made the smart choice and voted for Joe Mauer. Back when I wrote this post, I made strong points for Greinke, Lincecum, Pujols, and Mauer winning their respective awards and it looks like I was correct.

I also want to point out that, while my friends do not believe in any of the advanced metrics to evaluate players, some writers actually do. Keith Law was on Colin Cowherd talking about how he used the advanced pitching metrics to distinguish between NL pitchers. He also said that he voted Carpenter fourth place because he felt that the Cardinals skipping him in rotation at times to keep him healthy (while smart for the team) hurts his chance at the Cy Young. I just thought that was interesting tidbit.

Now we move to the off-season, and we debate who will sign which free agents and we get excited because the Pirates signed someone. I will ask this question to you all, of the players on this list, which should the Pirates try for? I have some thoughts, but I will discuss them in the comments.

The New Fresh Prince

This video cracked me up.

2:20 and Thanksgiving. . . .

Twelve days ago I issued this challenge to our blog visitors: Let's give glory, honor, and thanks to the God who has given us all things by getting 20 more Compassion children sponsored by Thanksgiving. I want to remind you all of that challenge.

I'm asking you to pass the challenge on to your family as you gather around your Thanksgiving table in less than 48 hours. Here are three things I'd like you to share:

First, as you fill your plates, ask the folks around the table to guess this year's average cost for a Thanksgiving meal for 10 people. It's $42.91. Then, let them know that it costs less than the price of this one meal - $38 - to sponsor a Compassion child for one month!

Second, as you finish your meal, gather your family around the computer and watch this moving little 2 minute and 20 second clip from Compassion.



Third, prayerfully consider pooling your resources to sponsor a Compassion child. If you decide to sponsor a child, click here and then choose the child you'd like to sponsor.

I have seen firsthand what child sponsorship does in the life of a child and his/her family. It is transforming in ways that you cannot even begin to imagine. I know I couldn't imagine it until I saw it for myself. I believe in the work and ministry of Compassion International. I am grateful to God for their work in His world.

Sex Tails, A Woo Hoo Pt. 2

It is time for another scintillating tale about sex. In the last story, I amazed you with how big of a jerk I can be, well this one probably is not much better.

When I first started working at The Place That Shall Not Be Named (for fear that HR will read it and try to punish me again) in the summer of '02 there was a cute server named Jess. One night after a long midnight shift together, Jess, Tom, and I all went to Denny's for breakfast.

It was at this point that we had the brilliant idea to get beer and drink by the pool at State College Park all day. Which we did, and had a great time. Sadly though, we kept drinking all night long, and into the wee hours of the next morning. It started to become apparent that Jess was into me, so I talked to her for a bit and we ended up having sex. This is the reason that Matt K hated my guts at work because he tried to hook up with her, but she turned him down for me.

So for the next few weeks we work together and whatnot, I hang out with her a few more times and once I realize I am not going to have sex with her again, I pretty much stop talking to her. She was hot, but very dumb and very uninteresting.

Anyways, a few months go by and I have since moved into apartment #352 at State College Park with Justin and Jackson. During one of the first weekends, we all go out and get pretty drunk for the Penn State game. Justin and I end up back at the apartment (we think Jackson was banging this girl nicknamed Stop-Sign, mainly because her head was very large and octagon shaped).

I get a call from Jess, she is drunk and over at Snappy's and cannot get a cab. She asks if she can stay at my place. So she comes over and the three of us are drinking some beers and shooting the shit. Jess asks if it is okay to sleep on the couch. Justin (being one of the greatest humans alive) says "so wait, you two have had sex before, right?" She says yes, he then asks if she has a boyfriend. She says no. Justin then basically convinces her that it would be stupid of her not to have sex with me. She thinks about this for a little bit, and says "you are right!"

Next thing I know, we are in my room, and she is riding me like there is prize money involved. So, while we are going at it, I notice something. The light under my door is blocked, meaning someone is standing outside the door. At that moment, I realize that Justin is contemplating on walking in and seeing if he can have a turn or join in, whatever.

Luckily the phone rings, and it is Kim. She wants to come over and have sex with Justin (this is the girl who one time told me that her pussy is made of gold, to which Justin replied "gold, that thing is a cum dumpster, it should say biowaste on the side").

After that night, I never really talked to Jess again, I think maybe once on myspace years later. I will say this about her though, she could ride a dick.

This is a picture of her from that first day of drinking. That is Tom presenting her ass...

New Moon

I did it. I went and saw New Moon with Kacie. It was by far the cinematic masterpiece I had envisioned. Just kidding, it sucked a big, fat donkey dong.

I did not see the first one, but I did read the first book, which I liked so much I never bothered to pick up the rest of them. I cannot even explain how bad this movie was for me. Seriously, if someone would have ran in with a gun, I would have volunteered to be shot first.

Why was it so bad? The acting is awful. Kristen Stewart...AHHH. I am getting frustrated just trying to explain how bad she was. I cannot tell if Bella is the most worthless character ever, or if Stewart is such a bad actor that it feels like Bella has nothing. Why would anyone care if she lost her soul, there is absolutely nothing there.

And, why are all these hot guys (I use that term loosely, since women apparently find Robert Pattinson attractive) trying to get her? She sucks.

As you can tell, I cannot even put into words my hatred for this film. So, I will allow others to do it for me. Check out the filmdrunk collection of reviews.

Also, over at Skepchick, there is a fantastic review of the movie (it is funny and thought provoking). I recommend you go read this review now, here is one of my favorite parts of it.

I maintain: The Twilight series is dangerous. Not because Bella is a brainless, empty, shell of a female character. I don’t have a problem with weak women in the movies. What bothers me is that this tripe is being sold not just as normal but as DESIRABLE. As something that women should aspire to. Young girls around the country are debating whether she should choose Edward or Jacob. Which abuse is better? He’s insanely jealous and stalks me or he can barely control his anger and may physically abuse me at any moment?

Here is a funny video making fun of the movie:


Also, anyone read Memnoch the Devil? Did Stephanie Meyer steal the idea of a vampire revealing himself to the world as suicide from that book? Armand did it towards the end...

I decided to add this clip of Kevin Smith talking about the movie as well because it is hilarious (although, I may have posted it before...)

Time For Some Morbidity

Last week I went to a funeral. Last time I went to a funeral I caused a war, which still has some of the best comments ever. Anyways, after the funeral I started thinking about my own death. I guess that is a natural thing to do, right? What if I die young? I know, I know, that is sick to think about, but anything can happen. Just being realistic.

I decided that I should write down my wishes concerning my funeral and all that good stuff.

1) I do not want to be buried. Cremation works for me. I want my ashes to be spread at PNC Park, hopefully at center field when the Pirates win the World Series (someone might be holding on to those ashes for a very LONG time). Or, I want someone to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and sprinkle my ashes at the top. That should really ruin someone's day.

2) No religious service. I am an atheist. I do not want some priest talking about how "Josh is in the kingdom of the lord." Look, if I am wrong and there is a God, then I am most likely in Hell, I do not want people dwelling on that fact.

3) Everyone should just go and meet up at Champs and just tell some funny stories about me. You dickheads better say nice things!

4) I want a memorial built for me. Not some small little stone thing, I want a giant statue. It has to be huge, and I better be holding a sword. Preferably locked in battle with a Balrog.

5) One person must be designated to go to the statue on my birthday and leave an offering of bacon. A committee of twelve will decide who the person should be each year. I get to choose the first person: Offord.

6) If space travel becomes simple by the time I die, then please disregard the above and just have them bury me on the Moon. I want to be the first person buried on the Moon.

7) If I am killed because of a zombie conquest, disregard the above and please run like hell.

8) If I get eaten by a sparkly vampire, disregard the above and feel free to make fun of me for the rest of my life.

That just about does it. Please respect my wishes...or I will come back more powerful than you can possibly imagine.

Girlfriend of the Week

Since Thanksgiving is almost upon us, I figured this GOTW should go out to the special lady who saved the pilgrims. Pocahontas. This is a photo of her before she retired to Moldavia.


For those of you who know nothing of history, Pocahontas was a female warrior, who defeated the British and Chinese forces at the Battle of Liberty Island, way back in 1821. Without her we would not have many of the things we have today, such as television or crack.

So be thankful that this busty beauty decided to kick some major ass that late summer day, or we would all be speaking a blend of Chinese and English. She helped usher in an age of Americanism.

Fantasy Football Stupidity

I am terrible at fantasy football. I have no problem admitting it. I am good at fantasy baseball, in fact I know that going in each year, I have a very good chance of winning our league. That is not me being cocky, I just know my abilities. I would say that Gideon, Offord, Ryan, and I are all pretty equal at baseball (Ryan will say that he is better than us, because Ryan has a complex about being the best at everything).

When it comes to fantasy football though, I am pretty clueless on who to start each week. I try to look at match ups, but unless you are watching game film, how can you figure out which players will do well? Plus, pro football has crazy things happen all the time. The Chiefs could come out this week and blow the Steelers out of the water, it would shock, but it would not be unprecedented. Sorry, I am rambling.

Last week I decided to sit Steve Smith, mainly because he has not really produced. I lost to Ryan by six points. Smith had 15. Reggie Bush also had a bunch of points, but I had him benched as well.

I guess next year I will have to be better prepared (especially if I am in this league again, which I would like to be).

DVR Madness

Who doesn't love DVR? I mean, how great is it to come home and know that your favorite shows are waiting for you, and you can watch them without commercials. I know I sure love it. I have tried watching shows online, but they still have commercials, which annoy me.

Currently I record the following shows: House, Lie to Me, V, Sons of Anarchy, The League, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Flashforward, White Collar, and Supernatural. For some unknown reason though, my DVR decided not to record V this week, so I will have to watch it online this weekend (that is when ABC puts up the new episode).

I have one complaint about DVR though, well actually about the way networks edit shows. They need to help us DVR-folks out. When you are fast forwarding through commercials, they need to have something to indicate the show is coming back on. For example, the FX shows bring up the TV Rating screen. White Collar (and the other USA shows) usually start with a scene of the city and some music (Burn Notice or Royal Pains usually does a shot of the beach).

Sadly House and Lie to Me do not have that kind of cool cut screen and I usually fast forward past something and then have to rewind. I cannot be wasting valuable seconds doing this, I am a busy man. House might be the most frustrating, they will show a shot of the hospital, yet House will be talking.

So, for all you network execs out there reading this (I think that could be my largest demographic), please figure out a way to accommodate my life.

Do What Just Feels Right. . . .

Youth culture is a map and a mirror. It is both directive and reflective. We watch it to see where it's sending us and our kids. We watch it to see where we are. We monitor, deconstruct, and exegete it to know how to bring the map of the Biblical world and life view to bear on the realities that exist. A world that's not the way it's supposed to be keeps heading in that direction. We're in desperate need of being straightened out, fixed, and made new. That's why we listen and watch carefully.

Looking for a cultural map and mirror to ponder and talk about over the next month or so? Here's one worth engaging.

"You 86 the rules. You do what just feels right. . . "

Levi, Playgirl, and Youth Culture. . . .

My buddy Andy Brazelton from Simply Youth Ministry has been in town visiting us at CPYU for the last couple of days. Since this is his first-time here in Central Pennsylvania and the Lancaster County area, he's got lots of questions about the unique and sometimes unusual culture. It doesn't help that Andy grew up in Southern California - a culture that's just a little bit different from ours here.

When Andy arrived at the office yesterday we stood together in the parking lot. We talked about things like our unique local smells (could be pig farm or it could be chocolate. . . depending on which way the wind is blowing), our local food, how green it is, and the Amish. It wasn't long before the conversation turned to our local celebrities and their now-familiar and empty house that we could see just a few hundred feet from where we were standing. Andy asked about what the madness was like in our neighborhood before Jon and Kate (I don't even have to mention their last names anymore and you know who they are!) up and moved a year ago this weekend. Andy was surprised when I mentioned that there really was no "madness" related to gawkers and paparazzi a year ago.

Think about that for a second. The craziness, fame, spin, tabloid obsession, and personality makeovers the pair are locked in is really only a few months old! As Andy and I were talking, I realized that we are living in some pretty unique times. Theologically speaking, our fallen nature is fed and nurtured by a rapidly changing culture that not only worships celebrities, but allows and encourages anyone who so desires to pursue the creation of a personal brand and celebrity-status through the use (or more accurately "the abuse")of developing technologies. Don't believe it? Just consider exhibit A: the family of "Balloon Boy," who by the way, live in Andy's SoCal neighborhood!(Imagine that. . . . two guys from different sides of the country standing in a parking lot. . . talking about the famous people they live near. That's how common achieving fame is now).


All of this got me thinking about our current publicity-seeking self-made opportunity-grabbing celebrity-aspiring culture that's growing like a cancer and effecting our kids. It also got me thinking about the young celebrity dujour who's all over the news and most likely will be for a least a few weeks during his fifteen-plus minutes of fame. His name is Levi Johnston. He's a nineteen-year-old teenager we first met during the summer of 2008. He was thrown into the spotlight because he was the boyfriend of Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol. Soon after the unknown Palin was thrust into the spotlight, it was announced that Bristol was pregnant to Johnston.

Think about what's happened in the 14 short months since. There's a baby and Levi is out of the Palin family picture. But that doesn't mean he isn't in pictures. All this week the media's been pumping out info on Johnston's photo spread in the upcoming January edition of Playgirl magazine. What it appears Johnston is pursuing more than anything else is celebrity, fame, and fortune. Sadly, a host of people will buy into it and fall "in love" with Levi.

It will be interesting and sad to see how this already-sad story continues to play out. It offers what I think is a clear peek into where youth culture is and where it's headed. It tells us about what our culture and our kids value in life. It tells us just what "image" our kids desire to be conformed to. It also tells us just how difficult it's getting to lead kids to an understanding of the image to which they should aspire to conformity. Those of us who love and minister to kids long for them to go in one direction, while almost everything else in life pushes them 180 degrees in the opposite direction. What was once seen as vice is now pursued and embraced as virtue. I think if we were given the opportunity to stand outside of our culture and see it for what it really is, we'd see just how pathetic we've become.

The NIV translation of the Bible tells us in Acts 17 that when Paul walked into Athens and laid eyes on the landscape covered with idols, he was "greatly distressed." I'm afraid that our kids are living in the midst of stuff that leaves them "greatly impressed." Let's hope and pray that even though we live in the same landscape, we won't lose our ability to see things for what they really are. We have to. . . . for the sake of our kids. Like Paul, our distress should motivate us to serve as signposts pointing to the cross. . . the only source of transformed hearts and lives.

Sex Tails, A Woo Hoo

I was thinking about how many of the times I have had relations with a lady (meaning: sex with a whore)were the result of either too much alcohol or umm, well usually just the alcohol. This usually leads to some funny stories, so that leads me to think that maybe I could share a few of them every once in awhile.

I first started working at the Place that Shall Not Be Named in the summer '02. During the winter of that year they hired a girl, we shall call her Little Princess (LP for short). She was pretty hot, I will not lie, unfortunately she was a bitch, hence the name Little Princess.

At first I tried to be nice to her, in fact I would hang out with her, watch movies, blah blah blah. Sadly that did not seem to work. So I stopped talking to her, mostly because I was done trying and also because I got the sense that she might be a whore. Do not get me wrong, I do not judge girls if they are whores, but that does not mean I will spend a lot of time trying to get some from them.

At some point she gets evicted from her apartment and is at work telling the manager how she has no place to stay, she is crying. The manager says "well Joshy, you live pretty close, why doesn't she stay with you?" Just what I wanted, a freeloader. So, I let her stay with me. And thus begins the destruction of Little Princess.

She sleeps on the couch, and she is such a bitch to my roommates. She yells at Justin one morning for making too much noise. He threatens her with "bitch, I will throw you off the balcony." He gets even though by offering me a ride to work one day because it is snowing, she says "can you guys wait five minutes for me?" Justin responds "nope." And we left, and she walked to work.

So, one very cold night, she is out at the bar, I am at home doing something super cool (sitting in my room, watching Lord of the Rings, and organizing my comics). She comes back to the apartment, barges in my room and starts crying about how some guy was mean to her at the bar. I tell her to shut up, which causes her to start crying. She does not understand why I am so mean to her and why I don't think she is pretty. You can see where this is going right? Do I have to spell it out? Preying on a girl when her self-esteem is lowest...classy.

Do not fear though, after that I allowed her to continue sleeping in my bed and usually had sex with her each night. I was mainly afraid that Justin was going to really toss her off the balcony. She would try to cuddle with me after sex and I would cringe away from her, which I think caused her to turn around and sob herself to sleep.

She eventually got tired of being treated like crap by me and my roommates. If she was sleeping, we would make as much noise as possible. I mean, dickhead things, like banging pots and pans together. Or, watching episodes of Simpsons and laughing obnoxiously loud. She moved back to Altoona, and eventually went to jail for something. Who knows what she is up to nowadays.

This taught me a valuable lesson though, girls with low self-esteem are much easier to bang. If a girl has high self-esteem, just tear it down and she will be begging for a little action. And people wonder why I have the second-in-command seat reserved in Hell.

The Before and After Thanksgiving. . . .

Even though I've discovered it's sometimes incredibly painful, I want to keep being an "after" guy. I look at the "befores" of my life and I'm not happy they were ever there. I'm grateful for the transformational interventions that have exposed my "beforeness" and led me into the "afters." I'm equally aware that my "now" is filled with "befores" that must become "afters." In the realm of theology, this is called "sanctification."

For me, Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate the work of salvation and growth God is doing in my life and in His world. It's a time to thank God for the instruments he uses to expose my "befores" and lead me to the "afters." Usually these instruments are people.

This year I want to give honor and glory to God by inviting each of you to jump into something with me that will allow you to not only express your gratitude to the King for what He's doing in your life, but will allow you to become a person who triggers an amazing before to after transformation in a life desperately in need of such.

Here's the challenge: You and I have been given much in terms of material blessing. In reality, it's been entrusted to us rather than given. The God who's entrusted it to us commands us to use it to further His Kingdom and His glory. Sharing the wealth with those who have none is one way to make that happen. Because of that, I want to encourage you to give thanks by committing to monthly sponsorship of a Compassion child. When Lisa and I traveled to Rwanda and Kenya with Compassion earlier this year, we were blown away by what a simple drop-in-the-bucket gift of $38 a month will do to take a child - and his/her entire family! - from before into after.


I snapped loads of pictures of kids while we were there. The "before" kids rarely smiled, weren't getting an education, hadn't had the opportunity to hear about Jesus and grow in the faith, struggled to live, and were generally locked in a level of poverty marked by extreme lack of health and well being.

What struck us most about the "after" kids who are being sponsored by individuals and families here in the U.S. through Compassion International is that they are happy, are getting an education, are hearing about Jesus, are eating, are getting medical attention, and are pursuing dreams that will release them from poverty and into self-sufficiency for the rest of their lives.
Our sponsored child, Ibrahim, lives in some of the worst conditions I've ever seen but is one of the happiest and most satisfied human beings I've ever met. We asked numerous kids, "Tell me about your sponsor." In each and every instance, the child ran to grab a well-worn photo of their sponsor to proudly share with us. Then, the smiling child would proudly tell us the name and hometown of their sponsor. You can't even begin to imagine what it means to these kids.

Because I'm passionate about Compassion and convinced of the deep needs they are meeting in young lives globally, I'm endeavoring to rally the troops in the hope that at least 20 of you will step up by Thanksgiving to commit to child sponsorship through Compassion. If you are willing to do so, simply click here (or use the Compassion banner on the left side of this page) and you can start the process of choosing the child you'd like to see transformed from a "before" to an "after."

Child sponsorship triggers at least three things. . .

First, God is glorified. His heart is for the poor and He longs for those of us who have been given much to care for those who have been given little or nothing.

Second, a child and his/her family will be radically transformed - RADICALLY TRANSFORMED - from "before" to "after." I've seen it, and it's amazing.

And third, something will happen to you. The "before" to "after" transformation that will take place in you and your family as you engage in sponsorship is incredible. God will instill in you a heart for His world and bring you great joy. I've experienced it, and it's amazing.

Again, my goal is 20 kids sponsored by Thanksgiving. I'll keep you posted on our progress. If you're already a Compassion child sponsor, why not take a few minutes to comment below by sharing what sponsorship has meant to you. And if you're a person who decides to sponsor a Compassion child and join us in meeting the goal, would you leave a simple comment below by telling us why you're taking this step to change a life?

Thanks for considering this request!

Girlfriend of the Week

Continuing with the theme of hot girls from TV shows I watch, this weeks GOTW belongs to Maggie Siff, who plays Jax' girlfriend Tara on Sons of Anarchy.

Apparently she was on Mad Men, but since I have watched an episode this is pretty much the first I have ever seen her in anything.

Drunken Nights

I know most of you have been wondering why I have not posted anything about Halloween or the Ohio State game. Well the truth is, I got really drunk. I will do my best to tell the stories of each night.

Halloween
For about a week, Kacie was bugging me to go to this party on Gill Street instead of going out to the bars. I finally relented and said that I would go. I asked Revan if he wanted to go and he said sure, I then informed him he needed a costume, not his shirt that says "this is my costume."

He picks me up and we head over to State, he is dressed as Elmo and I am dressed as a priest. Insert your child molestation jokes here. We decide to go to Zeno's before heading to this party, shoot a few games of pool, drink some beers (they had Spaten Oktoberfest, mmmm), and then walk to the party. Immediately I realize that having Elmo around is going to be quite interesting.

We walk up to the party and cannot find Kacie, nor can we find anything to drink. We meander around for about ten minutes until we run into the person that makes every party suck: Raj! He talks to us for a few minutes, at which point my brain begins to throb, and I tell Elmo that we need to go find some booze or I might have a stroke.

We head back downtown, to the bar 797 (it used to be Sportscafe). We get a few drinks and chill there for the rest of the night. Nothing insane happened, I ran into some bartenders from Champs, the one was really trashed. The coolest thing about the evening was watching Elmo hit on girls.

The Ohio State Game
The game sucked. Penn State played like shit. Now that we got that outta the way, let me tell you about my day.

I met my brother (his name is Adam for those of you who might be slightly retarded), his girlfriend (Lora, who I had never met before this day), Joe, Jarrod, and Chase at the Lion's Den. They were all pretty well tore up, so I had to start drinking fast to help catch up.

We went over to Baby's to eat, Kacie joined us at that point, and then went to Bar Bleu to finish watching the game. Once we realized it was over, we went back to Philipsburg to drink at the Pub.

Time is like a river, it flows in one direction. Unfortunately after copious amounts of alcohol, my time flow started to hit some choppy water and maybe a few waterfalls. I remember playing pool and darts with my brother. I remember talking to my cousin Tim. I also remember walking home with Chase. I remember the halfway point and explaining to Chase that my brother's place is up that street. I have not heard anything about a missing person, so I am assuming Chase made it home alive.

I can tell you that I felt like death the next day. I seriously wanted someone to put me out of my misery. I think I was still hungover when I went to work Monday.

Unfortunately, I never have pictures from these kind of events, so I just put up the first "drunken elmo" picture I could steal from someone, and one of Adam and Lora. It's basically the same as being there!

l o v e

It's an interesting sensation to be so happy and feel so loved that you can't help but cry. I'm not always sure what to do with it when it happens, but it's worth mentioning that it's been happening on a pretty regular basis lately.

Looking back on the couple of posts I wrote while in California it's hard to believe how far I've come in the past few months. Though I was back in a world of my family and my best friends I was completely lost and, in all honesty, one of the darkest emotional pits I've ever found myself mired in. The nights alone in my apartment in Calabasas I would not wish on anyone. Even to think on them now makes me tear up, to watch the "me" in my memory crying myself to sleep wrapped around a pillow wishing so hard that I could just undo everything and be back in Portland...

Well, not to dwell on the bad times. The end result is that I've been back in my beautiful Pacific Northwest for over a month now and everything makes me smile, laugh and cry for happiness. I can't even begin to comprehend the love that has helped me make it to this point. Love from my family, my friends, my God, everyone and everything. I both can and can't fathom it. The can't comes from wondering how on earth I was chosen to be one of the "lucky ones" and the can from knowing that love is the end all be all. Love is everything.

It's coming up on Thanksgiving and at the risk of jumping the gun I've been counting my blessings. For love, I am eternally grateful for the miracle of grace I've been shown. Life isn't perfect, no, but it's damn close. I couldn't have made it back here without it. I don't know many other families who would drop everything to help their daughter, granddaughter or niece the way you all have helped me. God, I can't believe it! And I'm so overwhelmed by it!

And my friends too, most of all Indy. When I left in August he and I talked for hours on end about what it all meant and how we were going to approach the next chapter. He told me then that when he moved to Portland I became his best friend here and always would be. He is, on top of everything else, my best friend. Not in the same way Brig and Blake are, nothing compares to them, but my best friend nonetheless. And as the days and weeks led up to my departure I found myself praying, and wishing on everything I could from stars, to tunnels to any candles I would blow out, just begging God to let me keep him. And now as I drive to and from work, in and out of the city, to and from his apartment to mine I could just burst from the gratitude and sheer joy of being allowed to be back here with him, to have his goodness, his selflessness, his wisdom, his love and his plain being back in my life.

And Mike! I've often said that if you don't like Mike and Indy there must be something wrong with you. Through this whole ordeal Mike has been amazing. He was always there to talk to me and listen to me when I needed a voice of reason. He never told me what to do but simply offered me a sounding board so that I could make the decision myself. And in return he confides in me and that, well that is something special when someone opens up to you and trusts you. Life would not be the same without him.

I know God doesn't just dole out love and acceptance and friendship to everyone so, knowing that He is reading every word I type here, I can take this time to truly thank Him for this life He has given of me. I want to make Him proud, make Him smile, do right by Him and I know that I have and will continue to stumble but that's the beauty of His LOVE. He is everywhere, everyone and everything. He is the reason I get to keep all of you.

It all comes back to love, doesn't it? It seems to me that love actually is all around.

Now I find myself drenched in tears after writing this not because of sadness but from the all-consuming happiness and thankfulness for everything. It's a wonderful feeling to cry this way, to be so happy that you can't keep it in and know that you shouldn't have to.

I'm not a child anymore and I'm learning a lot about life and at twenty-three I think I'm pretty lucky to be able to go to sleep at night happy, loved and at peace. The world may not be perfect but the simple joys of life, love and happiness are priceless.

If I accomplish nothing else in life at least I have this much figured out.

Below are some lyrics to a Chuck Ragan song called "For Goodness Sake" and a link to him singing it. It's exactly where I am in life right now and I love it. Definitely worth waiting for the video to load because to hear this song is to truly understand its meaning.

Simple backbeats seem to soothe me

If I could hold them I would let's say

Take some rest as if not wicked

And walk around enjoying silence

A world away elders gather speaking their tongues and hardly falter

With words of fun, joy and grievance, simple songs, work and penance

To drown hate like a stone and walk the path overgrown

Never to lie awake and if so for goodness sake

Down the road the deer are crossing

The grass is greener where they're walking

Rattling beasts and heavy movement

Mark them now son, before we lose them

Bear you arms ever so wisely or burn them all if you have no need

And dress to kill but kill so kindly hollow hearts too weak and weary

To drown hate like a stone and walk the path overgrown

Never to lie awake and if so for goodness sake

Now call me crazy but all the old ways of living simple are simply fading

And all we buy is time before we die and lay on down desensitized

A wise old friend recently told me, "an idle mind is the devil's playpen,"

Find the gaps and watch them closely, spread the love and choose your friends wisely

Love yourself to love your family and find the difference between wants and needs

Be sure to stop and count your blessings, smell the roses and fight for something

To drown hate like a stone and walk the path overgrown

Never to lie awake and if so for goodness sake

Now call me crazy but all the old ways of living simple are simply fading

And all we buy is time before we die and lay on down desensitized

Home Run. . . Keller! . . .

Since the release of his bestseller The Reason For God, Tim Keller has been on my list of "be sure to recommend and read everything he writes" list of authors. There are lots of books in the world and lots of people writing books. Because there are so many choices that your head can begin to spin, I've tried to be a responsible and picky filter as a service to those who trust my reading recommendations. In other words, I don't want to recommend just anything. I want people to come back to me and say "thanks for the recommendation. . . what else should I be reading?"

Yesterday, I finished Keller's latest little, easily read, yet meaty new book, Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That Matters. Keller hits it so far out of the park in this one that I'm going to watch the replay (read it again). . . and perhaps again. Because there's so much idolatry in me, there's so much in this book that I've got to ponder, digest, and take to heart. Reading Counterfeit Gods is like eating at Fogo de Chao - the Gauchos just keep coming and piling the feast of meat on your plate!

This is a meaty feast I need to eat. How easily I believe that the things that don't really matter really matter. I am prone to pursue. . . over and over and over again. . . created things rather than the Creator. The only One who can satisfy my deepest cravings is the One who made. While I can enjoy the things He's made, they can never fulfill.

Knowing what I know about Tim Keller, the Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, I don't think he'd be comfortable with my referring to Counterfeit Gods as a "home run." He's not concerned with putting on a show. He's more concerned with communicating a view of life that reflects the true nature of things as revealed in the Scriptures. His desire is to see his Redeemer - not himself - glorified. So, maybe I should just say that this is a book that's got the potential to rock your world, shake up your life, and change your priorities. . . not because it's written by Tim Keller, but because it reflects the deep truths of God's Word about God's rightful place in our sinful and fallen lives.



That said, let me whet your appetite with a couple of quotes from the book:

"The idol of success cannot be just expelled, it must be replaced. The human heart's desire for a particular valuable object may be conquered, but its need to have some such object is unconquerable. How can we beat our heart's fixation on doing 'some great thing' in order to heal ourselves of our sense of inadequacy, in order to give our lives meaning? Only when we see what Jesus, our great Suffering Servant, has done for us will we finally understand why God's salvation does not require us to do 'some great thing.' We don't have to do it, because Jesus has."

"When we are completely immersed in a society of people who consider a particular idolatrous attachment normal, it becomes almost impossible to discern it for what it is."

"Is there any hope? Yes, if we begin to realize that idols cannot simply be removed. They must be replaced. If you only try to uproot them, they grow back; but they can be supplanted. By what? By God himself, of course. But by God we do not mean a general belief in His existence. Most people have that, yet their souls are riddled with idols. What we need is a living encounter with God."

"It is impossible to understand your heart or your culture if you do not discern the counterfeit gods that influence them."

"There is no way to challenge idols without doing cultural criticism, and there is no way to do cultural criticism without discerning and challenging idols."

That's just a taste of some really, really good stuff.

V: Episode 102

Damn, this show has a bunch of hot chicks. Also, did it seem like there was a commercial break every four minutes, especially towards the last twenty minutes?

I enjoy the show, but I have to ask a question: where does it go? I mean, it is obviously not going to be much of a revelation that the visitors are bad and trying to take over the planet. Now we know that there must be traitors living here who could maybe help us out.

Plus, is this going to be a miniseries or a new on-going? As a new on-going, it could be interesting to see how the visitors make us trust them and then start to destroy us. Also, it would be fun to see the resistance build up, but if it is another miniseries, well it just will not have the full effect.

Anyways, it's great to see Juliet back on TV, so I will tune in each week.

Armageddon's Children

Last night I finished reading Armageddon's Children by Terry Brooks. It was an awesome book, and it has definitely sparked my interest in his Word/Void series. For those of you unaware, this new series bridges the gap between Word/Void and the Shannara books.

I have a question for Brooks' fans out there: when you were reading this, what was the first point you realized it all tied together? The book's flap says that it is a brand new series, but then very quickly in the book we meet a Knight of the Word, but still for awhile it just seems to be a continuation of that series and nothing to do with Shannara, until you hit a chapter that starts by discussing the Elves of Cintra and how they guard the Ellcrys tree (which was the subject of the second Shannara book).

I am guessing long time fans would have seen it coming, I remember at one point the King of the Silver River saying something about being a guardian of the Word (I cannot remember which Shannara book that came from though). Just something interesting I was thinking about...

Anyways, I love how well Brooks conceals who the gypsy morph. At any point he leads you to believe it could be almost any of the Ghosts. Early on it leads toward Hawk, but then we see Candle's sense of prophecy. Later, when Sparrow stands up to the mutant centipede, you get a sense that maybe she is the daughter of Nest Freemark.

I know this is going to annoy some of you, but prepare for a bunch of book reviews in the next few days/weeks. I joined Doubleday Book Club, and picked up five books for like $10. These are the titles I will be reading: Armageddon's Children, Elves of Cintra, A Game of Thrones, Clash of Kings, and Dragon Harper (although, I meant to order the original books and not the new one, so this one might sit on the shelf awhile). There are no new movies out that I really want to see, so I am just going to read, a lot.

13 Hours of Musical Ecstasy. . . .

I experienced a wonderful and long overdue musical convergence this weekend. Sitting on either side of my Saturday night sleep were two musical moments that initially might sound like something from opposite ends of the musical spectrum, but were actually quite similar. It's not coincidence that they both took place within the confines of the New England-style meeting house that we call the sanctuary at my church.



Saturday night I stepped out of my musical box to attend a hip-hop concert at my church. I've listened to my share of rappers over the years and I've got loads of their CDs on my shelves. Those albums have sat there unmoved and collecting dust from the moment I finished dissecting them as a part of a research project. The style's just not my cup-of-tea. Which makes what happened Saturday night on the front-end of my weekend's musical nexus even more interesting.





Hip-hop artist Shai Linne was performing. . . and it was good. Shai blew me away and brought great joy to my heart as he rapped the lyrics to his song "Greatest Story Ever Told." I was reminded once again how God is not only the author of an unfolding drama that is absolutely amazing, but that He's written me into the story. I stop to think about that far too infrequently. Here's the words Shai Linne shared and a link to a clip of the song:



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Greatest Story Ever Told

written by s. linne



Verse 1

Alright check it: let’s go back in time, brethren

Divine lessons always keep your mind guessing

The glory of the Triune God’s what I’m stressing

The origin of humankind was fine- blessings

Were plenteous- God is amazingly generous

Crazy benefits in a state of innocence

God told the man what he could taste was limited

Not long after came our nemesis in Genesis

He scammed well, man fell, damned to hell

The whole human race- he represented it

Fooled by the serpent, man through his work

Woman through birth- even the earth ruled by the curses

But instead of a wake immediately

God said her Seed would be the One to crush the head of the snake

Yo, wait what’s this? Whoa, a gracious gift!

In Jehovah’s faithfulness He clothed their nakedness

This was so they would know their Savior’s kiss

And bliss- but first, many growing pains exist

Suffering in the worst form, ugly deeds

Eve’s firstborn seed made his brother bleed

Indeed things got progressively worse

Every section of the earth's been affected by the curse

And though God’s judgments against sin were gory

Praise the Lord! It’s not the end of the story



Chorus:

It's the greatest story ever told

A God pursues foes whose hearts turned cold

The greatest story ever told

Restoring all that the enemy stole

The greatest story ever told

The glory of Christ is the goal, behold

The greatest story ever told

It's the greatest...



Verse 2

Next scene: man’s sin was extreme

God gets steamed, man gets creamed

The Lord is so Holy that He drowned them in the water

Fire in the valley of slaughter- Sodom and Gomorrah

But at the same time, He’s so gracious and patient

That from one man He created a whole nation

Eventually enslaved by the mentally depraved

They cried out to the only One with the strength that He could save

He brought them out with signs and wonders- satisfied their hunger

Then He appeared on Mount Sinai in thunder

Where He laid down the law for God-ruled government

Commonly referred to as the Mosaic covenant

Sin’s imputed- so for man to know he’s unrighteous

God instituted animal sacrifices

This was to show our constant need for atonement

And when it came to sin, the Lord would never condone it

And when His people disobeyed and went astray

He raised up prophets and kings to lead them in the way

But they would get foul with their idolatry- wet and wild

Prophecy- send them into exile

To take their punishment like a grown man

Then with His own hand He placed them back in their homeland

And while in their forefather’s land they dwelt

They awaited the arrival of Emmanuel



Chorus:

It's the greatest story ever told

A God pursues foes whose hearts turned cold

The greatest story ever told

Restoring all that the enemy stole

The greatest story ever told

The glory of Christ is the goal, behold

The greatest story ever told

It's the greatest...



Verse 3

After 400 silent years filled with sighs and tears

In Bethlehem the Messiah appears

God in the flesh- Second Person of the Trinity

At thirty begins His earthly ministry

Baffling cats with accurate, exact facts

And back to back miraculous acts

A stumbling block to the self righteous

But the humbled- His flock, said “There’s no one else like this”

He came from heaven to awake the numb

Demonstrated His power over nature, son

A foretaste of the Kingdom and the age to come

But the reason He came was to pay the sum

For the depths of our wickedness, our wretched sinfulness

Bless His magnificence- He’s perfect and innocent

Yet He was wrecked and His death- He predicted it

Next He was stretched, paid a debt that was infinite

He said that He finished it- resurrected so the elect

would be the recipients of its benefits

Through faith and penitence we get to be intimate

His grace is heaven sent, it never diminishes

Now the Holy Spirit indwelling is the evidence

for heaven's future residents who truly represent

Jesus, the Author, Producer, Director and

Star of a story that will never, ever end!



Chorus:

The greatest story ever told

A God pursues foes whose hearts turned cold

The greatest story ever told

Restoring all that the enemy stole

The greatest story ever told

The glory of Christ is the goal, behold

The greatest story ever told

It's the greatest...





After a night of rest, I returned to the same sanctuary for worship. Our congregation stood together mid-service and with accompaniment from a blaring pipe organ, we joined together to sing William Cowper's famous hymn - "God Moves in a Mysterious Way" - penned in 1774. A man who had suffered great heartache and disappointment in his life, Cowper had also been miraculously invited by God into His story, a reality that sustained him during his ongoing struggles with manic depression. Cowper, a famous poet, found hymn writing to be therapeutic. As the story behind the hymn goes Cowper was out walking in the fields on a January day in 1773 when he was overcome by a great fear that he was soon going to fall into a major episode of depression. He went home, sat down, and penned the hymn. Not long after, he fell into a severe depression that lasted several months.



I don't know about you, but knowing the back story on this hymn that has already ministered to be deeply takes the hymn, my understanding of my Heavenly Father, and my spirit to new heights. Here's what Cowper wrote:



God Moves in a Mysterious Way

by William Cowper



1. God moves in a mysterious way

His wonders to perform;

He plants His footsteps in the sea,

And rides upon the storm.



2. Deep in unfathomable mines

Of never failing skill

He treasures up His bright designs

And works His sovereign will.



3. Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;

The clouds ye so much dread

Are big with mercy and shall break

In blessings on your head.



4. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,

But trust Him for His grace;

Behind a frowning providence

He hides a smiling face.



5. His purposes will ripen fast,

Unfolding every hour;

The bud may have a bitter taste,

But sweet will be the flower.



6. Blind unbelief is sure to err

And scan His work in vain;

God is His own interpreter,

And He will make it plain.



Today, I am grateful to God for the gift of music, and for the inspiration and talents he's given to people who can take us deeper into the very, very real things of life.

i heart portland

Carl's Pick of the Week

I may just post this every Saturday because Carl is my hero.

Girlfriend of the Week

This week's GOTW goes out to Morena Baccarin. You may remember her from Firefly or from the new version of V on ABC (which I watched and thought was pretty damn good).

When Whedon was attached to Wonder Woman, she was brought up a few times as playing the title character. I would have absolutely no problem with that, she is hot and could tie me up with a magic lasso any time. She is also pretty sexy as the leader of the Visitors. If only alien reptile girls looked like that...

Troy: Shield of Thunder

It took awhile for me to get to this book, and not because I was uninterested or anything. Every time I went to a Barnes & Noble, they would be sold out of the second book. Which is why I ended up rereading the Dark Tower series. Fortunately, the State College B&N finally got a copy of Shield of Thunder and I could continue David Gemmell's story of Troy.

As everyone told me, the series gets much better. The first book was good, but this one was great. The story revolves mainly around Banokles and Kalliades, two Mykene warriors we met in the first book towards the end. They have been branded outlaws after the failed attack on Troy.

The majority of the book sets up the reason for the gigantic war of Troy. Without going into too much detail, let me just say that it is a very cool set up. I made some predictions after the last post and most of them were a little off-base.

-Obviously Halysia's baby does not grow up to be Achilles. My favorite moment of the book is the boxing match between Achilles and Hektor. Gemmell does an awesome job of making Achilles unlikeable and Hektor so damn perfect. I also love how everyone seems to think Hektor is such a great guy, but then when he goes into battle he is like a deadly lion.

-It is pretty obvious that Gershom is Moses. The promise to the old guy who cured Helikaon from his stab wounds will be about leading some desert folks out of Egypt. Also, the young assistant to the old guy, his name is Yeshua (Hebrew version of Joshua, the chief lieutenant of Moses) or maybe the Prophet is Moses, but it cannot be coincidence that Ahmose is a prince of Egypt who will go with the desert people, who follow One God...it all makes sense in my head.

-The Xander storyline did not resolve, nor did the girl from the first book, something tells me they will or this could be the unfortunate plot line that is forgotten since Gemmell died during the writing of the third book. I wonder if it was meant as a trilogy, or if he was going to go further...I guess we will never know.

-Interesting thing about Hektor's son, Astyanax. His name in Greek means high king of the city. In some versions of the myth, he is killed by Achilles' son (Neoptolemus). Neoptolemus tosses the kid off the walls. I had one teacher say that it was a Greek pun, "high king" "thrown off a wall". I guess it was one of the ways an orator would remember his death...just something to ponder. Thank you Professor Wheeler at Penn State.

I cannot wait to read the final book and see how everything plays out.

Devil Music? . . . .

Last Saturday I sat in on a very interesting group during the Open Source afternoon at the National Youthworkers' Convention in Cincinnati. One of the participants had suggested a discussion on "Teens and Media" that caught my attention. I wandered over and found the group. I listened intently as they knocked around ideas for dealing with issues of music and media with kids. While I was only in the group for a short period of time, I came away with a sense that we're all over the place on this issue. No consensus. . . either theologically or pragmatically.

Not surprising. Since I got involved in youth ministry back in the late 70s, this has been one of the most hotly debated issues. . . consistently. Back then, it was solely about music. Video games - or more accurately game (singular) - did exist, but I don't remember anyone raising any ethical or moral concerns about PONG. A sizable group of entrepreneurial types made a nice living traveling from church to church trumpeting the evils of rock and roll music, sometimes convincing easily convinced people that there were loads of hidden messages that could be heard when the music was played in reverse. . . . something my turntable (remember those?) and 8-track player (I'm sure you don't or don't want to remember those!) could never do anyway.

Here's the deal: it's a fact that our kids are growing up in a media-saturated world. Not only that, but the saturation gets greater and greater every day with the development of new technologies and delivery platforms competing for time and allegiance. It's a fact that kids are spending an increased amount of time with media. It's a fact that parents and other adults are largely clueless and/or uninvolved when it comes to helping kids wade through this stuff. It's a fact that the greatest power of music and media is it's power to shape young lives. . . .which will eventually become shaped old lives. It's a fact that the messages are getting edgier and edgier. PONG is no more! And, it's a fact that those who are Christ followers need to think seriously and theologically about the proper way to integrate their faith into all of life. . . including their use of media outlets and messages. Wow.

A couple of weeks ago, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a couple of reports that pound all of this stuff home in some compelling ways. First, there's the AAP's Policy Statement on Media Violence. There's also their Policy Statement - Impact of Music, Music Lyrics, and Music Videos on Children and Youth. Both reports serve as a wake-up call and rallying cry for greater involvement in this area of our kids' lives. To not do so, according to the reports, would be a gross oversight that will only contribute to the continued decline in the well being of our kids. You need to read them both.

After reading the reports I decided that it's important to remind you all of a few things. . .

1. This is serious stuff that we can't ignore. Media shapes and molds kids.

2. Because parents and other adults aren't doing what they should be doing in this area, pediatricians are being advised to understand and monitor the role of media in the lives of their young patients, even to the point of asking some very, very specific questions about media use. Read the recommendations in the reports.

3. The AAP issues a strong call to media literacy efforts among parents, schools, and communities "to educate children to be media literate as a means of protecting them against deleterious health effects of media exposure." This is the stuff that CPYU has been talking about for years. Not only that, but we've worked very hard to develop some practical tools for use in fostering thoughtful media consumption habits (media literacy) in kids. We've put together two guides - How to Use Your Head to Guard Your Heart: A 3(D) Guide to Making Responsible Media Choices that's a faith-based tool, and a similar non-sectarian tool we called Minding Your Media: A 3(D) Guide to Making Responsible Media Choices. The former teaches kids to evaluate everything they see and hear from a Christian/Biblical perspective. The latter does so based on timeless standards of character and virtue. We encourage youth workers and educators to use these tools regularly with their kids.

Just last week I took a look at this engaging video from the band Muse. Their song "Uprising" is hot right now. . . .

Muse - Rock The Deuce - MTV Shows

And, just last week we posted this review of "Uprising," a review based on our viewing of "Uprising" as seen through the filter of our media evaluation guide, How to Use Your Head to Guard Your Heart: A 3(D) Guide to Making Responsible Media Choices. If you haven't downloaded our piece on "Uprising" already, I encourage you to do so. You can download it here. Again, I can't emphasize enough how important it is to do this type of stuff with your kids on a regular basis.

Because the need is great, we need to answer the need. We've been collectively silent and/or so divided on this that we've wound up doing little or nothing to help our kids. Now, the medical community is speaking up - and they should - in an effort to pick up a ball that's been dropped by the family and church.