A Katy Perry discussion????

This is how low I've sunk in my blogging inspiration. I'm writing a blog about Katy Perry... I hang my head in shame.

For those who have been living under a rock for the last few years Katy Hudson (stage name Katy Perry) is your typical Pastor's kid gone bad. Other's might say she has has sold her soul to the devil to be famous- and famous she is. With songs like "I kissed a girl", "Hot and cold", "California gurls", "Teenage dreams" and "hot and cold" you are unable to find one positive lyric. However these are the songs on teenagers lips. It has caused me great amusement when, one of my housemate who is obsessed with her, if I am in the room and a song of her's come on, he will switch off the tv but leave the sound on as he knows I'm gonna stir him about the pretty much soft porn of her video clips. However the lyrics are just as bad. And these are played every sat morning and her catchy melodies are sung by millions of children, teens and obsessed young men.

But did you know she Toured with Phil Joel back in the day?

Or she sings on one of my favourite P.O.D. songs "Goodbye for now" a song which I think really looks towards the hope we have for the future. (she is at the end of the song)

But anyways Why am I posting about her? Well I heard a song of hers that made me think and I'm guessing will cause some interesting discussions. Most of them will probably be by teenagers and Isaac Andrews claiming "Look at this song she is a christian, therefore her music isn't bad" Well it is worth having a look at.

The Song is called "Who am I living for?"

Good question.

It seems to have some great religious content e.g.

So I pray for a favour like Esther

I need your strength to handle the pressure
I know there will be sacrifice
But that’s the price

or

I can see the writing on the wall
I can’t ignore this war
At the eh-end of it all
Who am I living for?

But as I had a quick look around some of the forums there were some fascinating discussions about this song. Some are proclaiming that this is why we teach our children religious things young because you never know if they are coming back to them.

Others would say that the song is really about the occult. The Vigilant Citzen says this here

Is it a song about occult initiation? Some might interpret the song as a religious song, perhaps about Christianity. But the terminology used however strongly points to occult mysteries: reference to a phoenix (a metaphor of man’s spiritual rebirth), a sacrifice, light growing from inside (illumination), duality between heaven and hell, etc

Still other theories are still out there including Dan Brown's Favourite- the Illuminati. If you are unaware there are many Conspirator's theories about this sort of thing. This comment was found here

I know someone of you will be completely unknown to this "theory", but a lot of people (including myself) believe there is this secret society that has been around for centuries, they're called the Illuminati. Alot of very successful artists practically sell they're soul to the devil for stardom, and they're usually granted their wishes; because of the immense control this group has on the movie and music industry.

I think the song was written about that. How Katy Perry is so strong in trying to resist the powers of this group. There is alot of religious undertones to the song.

Still others in the same discussion argue that she is indeed part of the group and this is describing her struggle/cries for help

Well I'm not sure about either theory. But I do point out that whilst this seems to kinda have a christian message- after she had released this song she still made videos prancing around in almost nothing and defiantly not living like a christian. So what do you think? I hope that when Isaac does come running to you with this song you have a rebuttal.

Lyrics to Katy Perry's "Who am I living for?"

I can feel a phoenix inside of me
As I march alone to a different beat
Slowly swallowing down my fear, yeah, yeah
I am ready for the road less traveled
Suiting up for my crowning battle
This is test is my own cross to bear
But I will get there

It's never easy to be chosen
Never easy to be called
Standing on the front line
When the bombs start to fall
I can see heavens
But I still hear the flames
Calling out my name

I can see the writing on the wall
I can't ignore this war
At the end of it all
Who am I living for?

I can feel this light that's inside of me
Growing fast into a bolt of lightning
I know one spark will shock the world, yeah, yeah
So I pray for favor like Esther
I need your strength to handle the pressure
I know there will be sacrifice
But that's the price

It's never easy to be chosen
Never easy to be called
Standing on the front line
When the bombs start to fall
I can see heavens
But I still hear the flames
Calling out my name

I can see the writing on the wall
I can't ignore this war
At the end of it all
Who am I living for? (x2)

(At the end, at the end)
Who am I living for?
(At the end, at the end)
Who am I living for?

Heavy is head that wears the crown
Don't let the greatness get you down
Heavy is head that wears the crown
Don't let the greatness get you down

I can see the writing on the wall
I can't ignore this war
At the end of it all
Who am I living for? (x2)

(At the end, at the end)
Who am I living for?
(At the end, at the end)
Who am I living for?

Balance or lack there of.

Well tonight I failed. I had agreed to catch up with someone after my futsal game. My problem was the game got delayed and then the game lengths got extended. To make a long story short I stood up that person although it wasn't entirely my fault. Turns out that person has some kinda serious things they wanted me to talk through with them. I feel terrible and apologise hugely. I feel selfish. To make matters worse men's A futsal is now moved to Sunday night which means I miss church. I feel just as bad about that. Problem is my men's futsal games are stress relief as well as much needed fitness for me. I miss catching up with people after church. So what is the answer? Do I drop futsal (I do go the 11am morning service) what tips do you guys use when balancing things out?

Oh dear

I've had a bit of Trudy moment- after ages of looking at our church roadside Pulpit (message board) I finally got it. This is the sign here.
Now I just took it on face value- yes "God is watching over me" (as bombarded on TV with the Phill Joel song) but only just recognized the Avatar reference- This taken from our church website.
In the movie Avatar, the Na’vi greet each other with ‘I see you’. They dont merely mean I see you with my eyes, but the concept is borrowed from Sanskrit meaning ‘The god in me sees the god in you’ or ‘I see myself in you’. While we don’t subscribe to buddhist or hindu philosophy of divinity in all or all being part of the divine, the greeting is an apt picture of Jesus’ approach to us. He says to us: ‘I know who you are and everything about you. You are made in the image of God, and I want restore your relationship with me’. His expected response from us is also ‘I see you’, but this time ‘I know you are God, I wish to restore my relationship with you, so I place my trust in you’.

It also talks about Jesus being the Real avatar.
Pretty cool- but subtle? Too subtle? What do you think

Hello is anyone out there

Well due to lack of comments I thought I'd try get a cheap plug/comment. I found this on Izaac's blog about how apparently Google alerts this guy Soulfan (who I'm not going to link to just to see if this makes a difference) whenever some one types in the words Guy Sebastian. Apparently it works. However Andrew Finden isn't too sure. However to make it worth Soulfan's while I'll tell a story about Guy.
I wasn't into Australian Idle at all and was going to AGMF (Australian gospel music festival in Toowoomba) with my sister (who is a big Guy Fan). It was announced he was going to preform but only 3 or 4 songs. I felt quite ripped off as apparently it was a big cost but as Bethany was hugely excited we were there very early (AGMF sold out that day) and had a good view kinda on the side of the stage. Guy arrived in a limo and did a couple of songs and whilst he had a good voice, wasn't too inspiring. He then blew me away announcing- "Well since this is Easter we have to sing some Easter songs that remind us about Jesus our Savior who came to earth to die on a cross for us..."
Now where we were sitting we could see his manager or someone with him and he didn't look too happy about this change of plan. Guy then sent off his guitarist and invited us to join him as he launched into some of my Favourite Hymns. Now I didn't expect him to know The old rugged cross and a few others off by heart but he sang them perfectly. His voice really bought out the emotion in the old Hymns hitting the notes right on. After a few songs he then sang Where angels or whatever that song was called and then went his merry way.
That gave me a huge amount of respect for him and his singing. Firstly that he was prepared to disobey his plans/set and then how well he did know those songs. His short message reflected far better the Easter event we were there for than many of the 'Christian' artists who were there as well who have millions of 'Christian Praise and worship' Cd's sold.
I just thought I'd put that out there- I also enjoyed seeing Jason Stevens in the clip for 'like it like that'
P.S. other people who read my blog need to post more too- if anyone does

Follow up on Tim Tebow

I thought I would write a follow up on Tim Tebow. I was just going to post a video but Aaran gets cranky about that. Tim Tebow seems to be a polarising sort of person. People either Hate him or love him. There are some people who are filled with hate whenever he is mentioned. Articles like this one have been written. The irony is he hasn't played past College Level. But I do say he seems to impress me immensely. He has put religion back into discussions, speaking the word of God with his voice and even his face paint and all he does is throw a ball around.

But can I just say I was disappointed by the softness of the Focus on the Family add at the super bowl. But it is well worth going to the Focus on the Family site and watching their full story. I think they have set up the website well.

Now Didn't Jesus tell us "All men will hate you because of me" ?(matt 10:22) Well I had to say I searched for a video of where Tebow got a concussion in Kentucky as refereed to in the video and it took me a while to find a decent one- all the rest celebrated that "That Christian Preacher quarterback finally got what he deserved. " I reckon good on him for preaching what he believes and not backing down. For daring to tell people about a God who gives Hope to the needy, love to the broken. If more of our Christians did that it would be a vastly different place- so I put the challenge out to you- how many of your work colleges know you are Christian? Are you setting opportunities for faith discussions. Or are you quietly sitting back hoping some one might ask you something about the cross you wear hidden under your shirt- or the fish on your car? I see the media attack people who do. How have you been persecuted this week because of your Faith?

Paul Washer's Shocking Message

There seems to be a return to the shocking sort of preachers. This guy Paul Washer seems to give a welcome rebuke to the churches of today. In the little I've heard and seen of him he is attacking the False prophets of today, and challenging us to repent and believe. Now I don't know much about him but from what I understand he became known through a message he preached at a youth conference. This is a shortened version of it- set to music to make us connect more emotionally (not done by him but by some one else)

Thought provoking post

Quite an interesting post here on as Christians encouraging people who are having a tough time. I think we do it badly...

Taking your trolley back

Something that annoys me terribly is when people don't take their trolley back at shopping centres. Today I saw a lady leave her trolley against the rails of the trolley return. IN THE CARPARK SPOT NEXT TO THE TROLLEY RETURN..... honestly 2 movements and it would have been in it. Now I know sometime places don't have easy to see trolley returns but- as Christians could this be causing a brother to stumble- I know I've said a few not nice words as I've finally found a parking spot only to find a trolley in it - meaning I had to get out and move it with my car in the middle of the intersection. Poor form I say poor form. In fact it is even worse than those people who don't throw their rubbish in the bin at hungry jacks- and please before you give me some rubbish about helping people to do their jobs- following that same logic I'll go out and kill someone so the policemen have something to do...

Lack of bloggage

Well I've decided to bow to public pressure (who am I kidding???) and follow my esteemed peers Joel and Phoebe (who am I kidding- I just write a blog to try be like them) and write a blog appologising for my blogging or lack there of. I realise I am making a number of assumtions in this statement. Firstly I am assuming people actually check this or haven't deleted me off their google reader. Secondly I am making the assumption that they are actually my friends. Finally I am making the assumption that I will blog more. One or more of these assumptions may be incorrect. Now onto the obligatory excuses for not posting.
Well in all seriousness I've been struggling a fair bit. I guess the closest thing I could call it is depression but I'm not sure if it has been that. Maybe Aloneness (it isn't a I need to find a wife right now- its more of a I feel like my life is on a different orbit to everyone else) might be the better word but it is hard to track down. I've been struggling with this for about 2 years now and it comes and goes. Most people will not have noticed this. Do not feel bad if you haven't- this isn't aimed at you it is me who has needed to open up to people and I've had amply opportunity but haven't.
This affected my life in many ways--- and all of them are inter-twined and I'm sure I've missed noticing some but here are a few.
Firstly when I get depressed I eat- I know its bad for me but... this has meant I've put on more weight. This has impacted the amount of physical activity I do making more depressed and not to mention all the other issues that go with that.
Secondly I'm Kinda like a volcano or a high tensile (sp???) metal rod. I internalise many things and take heaps until I snap- or explode and some of the people I have snapped at haven't been the people I've been annoyed at- for this I appologise deeply. My behavior towards some people towards whom I've snapped mentally (not a big explosion but only in my mind) there has been no excuse for and against every type of behavior a christian should be living for. Again most of you who read my blog probably will not have noticed but I appologise deeply to anyone I've hurt, physically or emotionally, gossiped about or not been more friendly towards.

What this has ment is also an high level of apathy towards many things (especially my blog). Some one told me that I'm willing do do anything to help some one else but unwilling to help myself. I'm not meaning in a greedy way but am not looking after myself either physically, mentally or spiritually. I write this not as a cry for help but rather a step on the road to recovery. A public (again I delude myself) acknowledgment of my failings and a pledge to keep relying on God rather than this world or my emotions.
So hopefully this will mean some more blogs- I realise this will be a change from my usual lack of anything significant, preachy rants and humorous rubbish which I was posting to appear to be cultured. I also wont be hurt if you stop reading my blog if it is getting you down- please mail me if that is the case- as I can be very self absorbed in that or often say things I don't mean.

Listen to me, you islands;
hear this, you distant nations:
Before I was born the LORD called me;
from my birth he has made mention of my name.

He made my mouth like a sharpened sword,
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me into a polished arrow
and concealed me in his quiver.

He said to me, "You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will display my splendor."

But I said, "I have labored to no purpose;
I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing.
Yet what is due me is in the LORD's hand,
and my reward is with my God."

And now the LORD says—
he who formed me in the womb to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
and gather Israel to himself,
for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD
and my God has been my strength-

he says:
"It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth."

This is what the LORD says—
the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel—
to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation,
to the servant of rulers:
"Kings will see you and rise up,
princes will see and bow down,
because of the LORD, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."

This is what the LORD says:

"In the time of my favor I will answer you,
and in the day of salvation I will help you;
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people,
to restore the land
and to reassign its desolate inheritances,

to say to the captives, 'Come out,'
and to those in darkness, 'Be free!'
"They will feed beside the roads
and find pasture on every barren hill.

They will neither hunger nor thirst,
nor will the desert heat or the sun beat upon them.
He who has compassion on them will guide them
and lead them beside springs of water.

I will turn all my mountains into roads,
and my highways will be raised up.

See, they will come from afar—
some from the north, some from the west,
some from the region of Aswan. "

Shout for joy, O heavens;
rejoice, O earth;
burst into song, ¹³ O mountains!
For the LORD comforts his people
and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.

But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me,
the Lord has forgotten me."

"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are ever before me.

Your sons hasten back,
and those who laid you waste depart from you.

Lift up your eyes and look around;
all your sons gather and come to you.
As surely as I live," declares the LORD,
"you will wear them all as ornaments;
you will put them on, like a bride.

"Though you were ruined and made desolate
and your land laid waste,
now you will be too small for your people,
and those who devoured you will be far away.

The children born during your bereavement
will yet say in your hearing,
'This place is too small for us;
give us more space to live in.'

Then you will say in your heart,
'Who bore me these?
I was bereaved and barren;
I was exiled and rejected.
Who brought these up?
I was left all alone,
but these—where have they come from?' "

This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
"See, I will beckon to the Gentiles,
I will lift up my banner to the peoples;
they will bring your sons in their arms
and carry your daughters on their shoulders.

Kings will be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers.
They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground;
they will lick the dust at your feet.
Then you will know that I am the LORD;
those who hope in me will not be disappointed."

Can plunder be taken from warriors,
or captives rescued from the fierce ?

But this is what the LORD says:
"Yes, captives will be taken from warriors,
and plunder retrieved from the fierce;
I will contend with those who contend with you,
and your children I will save.

I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh;
they will be drunk on their own blood, as with wine.
Then all mankind will know
that I, the LORD, am your Savior,
your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob."

Isaiah 49

Sunday Trade

I grew up in an interesting culture in PNG. It wasn't a Christian culture as such. However the Lord's Day was always Sacred. No work was to be done on that day. I'm not meaning like the jews of old where you couldn't carry stuff or go somewhere. But if it was the normal work you did in the week you kept Sunday free. If you were travelling somewhere you could have a line out the back trawling for fish but you didn't go out for the specific purpose of fishing (Fishing wasn't a fun sport to these people it was a means of getting enough food to live hence work). This time was spent at church and then socialising with other people deepening their relationships with each other. My View of the Sabbath is different but now caught up in the hectic life we live in I'm starting to wonder if the people of Tubetube had it right. You see with my Sundays being busy and working Saturdays, I don't have a day off and I think I'm starting to suffer for it. I read this story on the Sun about one of the top BBC sports commentators who refuses to work on Sundays because of his Christianity. I also think of the movie Chariots of Fire- another guy who refused to run on sundays in the olympics. These guys have caused discssion about beliefs and Christianity which I think is good... I'm really starting to think about setting aside a day off in my week.
What do you think? Do you take a day off or I just need to Harden up and go to bed earlier.

Christian Leadership is Lonely

I've been thinking about this for a while and just thought I'd write a few things down to kick start a discussion- Now it may be this doesn't apply to you or you have such close friends that it isn't an issue but I think at some time in our lives it is a huge issue and one that is worth thinking about.

A few months ago I asked the question what does the word Leadership mean to you? Now the majority (if not all) of the people who reply are involved in active christian leadership (as are the people who are most likely reading this blog, but loneliness wasn't really mentioned. Leah did mention sacrifice however and self sacrifice was mentioned but it isn't something people often think of when thinking of their leaders. Now just to make a side point here- I'm not really talking about about team based leadership- I think being on the Christian union leadership team (the exec) or Impact or adventure club leadership teams are quite different from solo leadership e.g. church pastor, small group leader, chaplain, or any other group where you alone are answerable to people. Now our churches/organisations do often mention the need for accountability in leadership but I think if we filled the loneliness hole we wouldn't have so many christian leaders crash and burn.

Now why is it lonely? well A.W. Tozer gives an answer I like with relation to Christians being lonely in the world :
The loneliness of the Christian results from his walk with God in an ungodly world, a walk that must often take him away from the fellowship of good Christians as well as from that of the unregenerate world. His God-given instincts cry out for companionship with others of his kind, others who can understand his longings, his aspirations, his absorption in the love of Christ; and because within his circle of friends there are so few who share his inner experiences he is forced to walk alone.

The unsatisfied longings of the prophets for human understanding caused them to cry out in their complaint, and even our Lord Himself suffered in the same way.

The man [or woman] who has passed on into the divine Presence in actual inner experience will not find many who understand him. He finds few who care to talk about that which is the supreme object of his interest, so he is often silent and preoccupied in the midst of noisy religious shoptalk. For this he earns the reputation of being dull and over-serious, so he is avoided and the gulf between him and society widens.

He searches for friends upon whose garments he can detect the smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia out of the ivory palaces, and finding few or none he, like Mary of old, keeps these things in his heart.

Now I think that in a Leader this is amplified. For me personally I find it very hard to admit faults or struggles to people I am leading. I think that if people realise how much i am struggling with something they will look down upon me as a leader. Now if our entire network are people we are leading we find that we isolate ourselves very quickly. Thus you withdraw and fill your life with things running away from the loneliness.
Also leaders feel like they are pulling in a direction and no one seems willing/ enthusiastic to go with them. I'm sure as a church pastor it must be draining to preach a real get up and evangelise sermon when the first comment to you at the door is 'Man those cowboys are terrible aren't they...' ' Appreciated the sermon- gotta get home for lunch' 'thanks for that- would you mind locking up for me- just gotta do something'
Often our pastors are the first ones there and the last ones to leave. Your emotions push you from the high of having some many people listen to me to the depression of no one actually listened to what I said tonight. And yes I said Depression... I think many of our leaders do have incidents of depression- most burst out of it but what happens if they don't.
Andy Rau comments in his blog

...depression is the ultimate incurvatus se. You are turned inward, and emotions that are focused outward (like anger or love) are barely on the horizon. Everything is turned inward. So while the good preachers go through themselves in terms of understanding the human condition to preach the Gospel, the depressed person can’t go through themselves. They get stuck. They are in the black hole of their own doubts and fears, and rather than expressing them (theologically in confession, pastorally in preaching, and psychologically in counseling), they simply stew in their own juices so that nothing can come out.

I might also add that in dealing with depression, it is also incredibly hard to take anything in. Reading, meditating, discussing the texts of Holy Writ are almost impossible. So if the depressed pastor… is forced to continue preaching, in pretty short order he will be running on nothing, stuck saying words he doesn’t mean, recycling sermons or copying others’ words.

Yikes—that’s something that can affect the health of the entire church body.

I guess what I'm trying to say is When was the last time you took the time to encourage your leader/pastor etc. Have you ever asked them how they are doing? Be prepare though- they might not give you a straight answer as they are leading you. If you are a leader can I encourage you to seek out someone who isn't in your group- to build a friendship with. It took me a while to realise that my small group (who I love dearly) was made up of most of my friends whom I did open up to and so when i became leader over them it became hard to have the same relationship with some of them as before. I'm conscious that being single it is vastly different being married especially the friendship area but now I'm turning it over to you guys: what do you think about loneliness affecting or being a part of ministry- how has marriage changed that?

note: something that helped me work through things was this link, encourage everyone but especially singles to read it-It helped me a fair bit over the last few years

The Shack

I just finished the Shack by William P. Young and was intrigued. On the surface it was a real heart warming but sad book which made you wanna cry at the depths of God's love for us. However the more I thought about it the more disturbed I became. If you haven't read it it is receiving rave reviews in the secular world, was on the New York Times best seller list for a long time and has Christians jumping up and down raving about it. The cover ha a message from Eugene Peterson "This book has the potential to do for this generation what John Bunyan's Pilgrim's progress did for his. It's that good." Wow that's a big claim. Then there is Micheal W smith on the back cover "The Shack will leave you craving for the presence of God..." seems like it tick all the right boxes... Well Chuck Colsen doesn't think so- he wrote an interesting article called "Stay out of The Shack"

Stay Out of 'The Shack'

Chuck Colson

BreakPoint.org

May 5, 2008

When the prophet Isaiah and the apostle John caught glimpses of God, they were overcome with despair at their own unworthiness in the light of His glory. The same could be said of Daniel or Paul, or any number of figures from Scripture.

But when the protagonist of a new book called The Shack is introduced to the Father of heaven, he is greeted by a "large, beaming, African-American woman" who goes by the name of Papa.

If you have not heard about The Shack, there is a good chance you will soon. A novel self-published about a year ago by William P. Young, the book has gained quite a following in Christian circles. It is still among the top ten sellers at Amazon.com. And when it receives a glowing endorsement from a scholar whom I respect, like Eugene Peterson, it is not a phenomenon that discerning Christians can ignore.

The story is about a man named Mack, who is struggling in the aftermath of the brutal murder of his young daughter. One day he finds a note in his mailbox-apparently from God. God wants Mack to meet Him at "the shack," the place where his daughter was killed.

When he arrives, the shack and the winter scene around it transform, Narnia-like, into a mystical mountain paradise, perhaps meant to be heaven itself. Now dwelling in the shack are three mysterious figures-the African-American woman, a Middle Eastern workman, and an Asian girl-who reveal themselves as God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The rest of the book is basically a discussion between Mack and the three persons of the Trinity. While the discussion is mostly on the deep topics of creation, the fall, freedom, and forgiveness, too often the author slips in silly lines that, frankly, seem ridiculous in the mouth of the Godhead. Jesus, looking at Papa, says, "Isn't she great?" At one point, Papa warns Mack that eating too many of the greens in front of him will "give him the trots." And when Jesus spills batter on the floor and on Papa, Jesus then washes Her-or is it His?-feet. Papa coos, "Oh, that feels sooooo good." Ugh.

Okay, it is only an allegory. But like Pilgrim's Progress, allegories contain deep truths. That is my problem. It is the author's low view of Scripture. For example, Mack is tied to a tree by his drunken, abusive father, who "beats Mack with a belt and Bible verses." The author reflects derisively in another spot that "nobody wanted God in a box, just in a book. Especially an expensive one bound in leather with gilt edges, or was that 'guilt' edges."

The Bible, it seems, is just one among many equally valid ways in which God reveals Himself. And, we are told, the Bible is not about rules and principles; it is about relationship. Sadly, the author fails to show that the relationship with God must be built on the truth of who He really is, not on our reaction to a sunset or a painting.

That is not to say The Shack is without merit. The centrality of Christ and God's breathtaking, costly love come through loud and clear. But these truths are available everywhere in Scripture, everywhere in Christian literature. You do not have to visit The Shack to find them.

As Papa warns Mack, God is not who Mack expects He is. But He is also not what our creative imaginations make Him to be, either.

He Is, after all, Who He Is.

I felt that kind hit the nail for me in my thoughts. I was really disturbed by the insinuation of the many roads to God and the lack of God's awesome fall at his feet. But in one scene he sees his daughter playing at God's feet- Happy. What parent wouldn't want that? But God never promises to do this- "Instead we are called to live by faith trusting in the bible. After all isn't that what Job is all about" (Dave Mac)- and I think Dave does hit it on the head. Mark Driscoll also posts regarding this book (yes don't die of shock I'm quoting driscoll- in reality it is just to get Chris to agree with me for once)

Both Colson and Driscoll would tell you not to bother reading the book- but I'm not sure if I'd go that far. I think you should read it because everyone else is reading it. In the same way I think people should read the DaVinci code- read it. enjoy it but distance yourself from your emotions. Just because the book made you cry doesn't mean its right- Charlotte's Webb make me cry still but it is fiction. Just because it answers a deep yearning within your soul doesn't make it from God- Grants book of Fishes answers some deep yearning in my soul but it isn't from God. Read it, and I hope it does make you think about you and your relationship with God BUT DON'T take it as the Word of God. Because it isn't and neither is it Pilgrim's progress (which everyone should read). You can only find that truth from one source where there is only one path.

Every day survival kit

I found this on-line and really liked it and so made one for me :) even got the hershey kiss for it. An Everyday Survival Kit Here's an Everyday Survial Kit: Toothpick Rubber Band Band Aid Pencil Eraser Chewing Gum Mint Candy Kiss Tea Bag Here's Why: Toothpick- to remind you to pick out the good qualities in others...Matthew 7:1 Rubber Band - to remind you to be flexible, things might not always go the way you want, but it will work out...Romans 8:28 Band Aid - to remind you to heal hurt feelings, yours or someone else's...Colossians 3:12-14 Pencil - to remind you to list your blessings everyday...Ephesians 1:3 Eraser - to remind you that everyone makes mistakes, and it's okay...Genesis 50:15-21 Chewing Gum - to remind you to stick with it and you can accomplish anything...Philippians 4:13 Mint - to remind you that you are worth a mint to your heavenly God...John 3:16-17 Candy Kiss - to remind you that everyone needs a kiss or a hug everyday...John 4:7 Tea Bag - to remind you to relax daily and go over that list of God's blessings...1 Thessalonians 5:18

Web site: eDevotions.org - art illustrated Christian devotions
Original image credits: www.corbis.com, www.photostogo.com

Where's the Light?

'"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." -Matt 5:14-16
*A Car with a bumper sticker that reads, 'Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven," speeds down the highway cutting someone off. As the other Driver scrambles for control of her car, she sees the bumper sticker and yells in frustration, "Does being forgiven give you licence to run me off the road?"
* Two teenagers meet for lunch. One wears a shirt that announces "Jesus is the reason for the season," and the other a jacket with the words "Jesus Rules." Their lunch conversation centres on the latest church gossip. A husband and wife seated nearby and exchange glances. The wife says "If that's the way they talk about each other, I certainly wouldn't want to go to their church."
* A busy executive spends many hours leading the men's ministry at his church and teaching a bible study, but he never seems to have time for his family and constantly loses his temper when he is at home. Each week his children sit in the back of the room where the bible study meets, listening to him teach the scriptures and thinking 'Hypocrite.'
*A demonstrator stands at the fresh grave of a murdered homosexual, holding a sign saying 'He's burning in hell.' Relatives and friends, who have come to mourn their loved one, stare in shock. "If that's the way God really feels," the victim's mother says, "I hate him."
The Driver, the teenagers, the busy executive and the demonstrator all have something in common. They believe they're shining the light of Christ to the world.
If you had encountered these people while you were unsaved, what would you have learned from them? Would you have found their words and actions attractive- or would you have been repulsed by them?
If some one was to give a description of the Gospel based on observing your life, what do you think that person would say? What message is your life proclaiming?
(Taken from 'Shine' by the newsboys)