Age of Ultron and the unlikely heroes

There has been a lot of hype about the upcoming release of the new superhero movie, Avengers: Age of Ultron.  I am not a huge fan of these movies, but I will probably see it when it comes out on Blu-ray.  My son-in-law keeps me in the know.  I AM a big fan of Donald Miller.  Donald wrote a book called Blue Like Jazz that I read several years ago, and I had a chance to meet him when he spoke at our church before he got all big and famous.  I also have a loose connection to him through some common friends.  Donald continues to write books and shorter essays on his blog.  After doing some analysis of heroes in movies, he came up with a list of six characteristics that most heroes have.  You may be surprised to find out who the unlikely hero is.  Click here to find out.

Whose Voice

I have to admit that I am a fan of the live music reality shows.  I started watching the third season of American Idol when Diana Degarmo made it to the finals.  Diana went to school in Snellville with my daughter and the personal connection got me hooked.  I believe the level of talent continues to improve as more good singers decide to compete.  This season on The Voice, another small-town-Georgia-girl is trying to make her mark.  Deanna Johnson is from Hazelhurst, GA.  I don’t think I have ever been to Hazelhurst.  Or maybe I have, and didn’t know it.  You might pass through it if you take the backroads from Atlanta down towards Brunswick.  This week, Deanna performed Oceans, a Christian song made popular by Hillsong United.  It was satisfying to see a young singer have the strength to pick a song with a Christian message.  I was underwhelmed by her performance, but the fans voted to save her using the new “instant save”.   I usually like what coach, Adam Levine, has to say.   He has proven that he knows what a lot of people want to hear.  This week, however, I got really annoyed with him.  A common theme for coach’s comments in general goes something like this:  “Technically, that was a great performance, but I didn’t feel like you really connected to the lyrics. I want to feel something.”  In trying to defend Deanna’s selection of a Christian song,  Adam’s comments went something like this:  “Even though this was originally a Christian song, I think all people should be able to relate to this in their own way.”  What I heard was, “Don’t hold it against Deanna for picking a Christian song.”  It was sad to me that he felt it necessary to practically apologize for the song selection, and dilute whatever statement Deanna might have been hoping to make.   Would it have been so hard to say, “Deanna has picked a song with a message that reflects something that is very important to her”?

Bunnies and Eggs

For those of you that celebrate Easter, I am sure you have had your fill of bunnies and eggs.  I know I have.  I had an exchange with one of my pastors about Easter and Good Friday and learned a few things.  Easter began as a pagan celebration of Spring.  The word Easter is believed to be derived from the goddess Eostre, which means spring, and she was worshiped in Northern Europe as the goddess of fertility.  The same virtue was worshipped in the goddess, Ishtar, in Babylonia.  No surprise, her symbols were rabbits and eggs.   Apparently, there are some Christians who are offended by this and are very defensive.  I don’t think there is any need to be offended.  I believe that once Jesus came and was resurrected, believers thought they would rather worship Him than a sex goddess.  There was already a celebration going on in the Spring, so they just decided to make it about Jesus.  Jesus taught a lot of great lessons while He was here.  On the Thursday before his crucifixion, he taught his disciples that no matter who you are, you were put on this earth to serve, not to be served - and then He washed their feet.  Here is how one artist depicted that scene (graphic violence).

Happy Mother's Day

I know I’m is a little premature, but I couldn’t wait until Mother’s Day to talk about Moms.   We love having my mom living next door to us.  We get to see her or talk to her almost every day, and she continues to take good care of us.   Caroline’s mom passed away when we were seniors in high school.  She died suddenly of a brain aneurism.  We miss her a lot, especially around this time of the year.  I get to learn a lot about her from knowing Caroline.  I am sure that some of Caroline’s best qualities came directly from her.  I also get to know a lot about her from our kids that Caroline has poured all of her love into for 31 years.  We now have another generation to watch and learn from.  Michael and Emily have two boys of their own, and I am excited to announce that Lizzy and Trey are pregnant with their first.  No doubt, that baby will be one of the luckiest on earth with Lizzy as her mom, Caroline as her grandmother and my mom as her great grandmother.  Happy First Mother’s Day Lizzy and Happy Mother’s Day to all of the amazing Mom’s in my life.

The Deadliest Sin

In the third section of CS Lewis’s Mere Christianity, he explores Christian behavior.  And just to clarify, he is not talking about how all Christians behave, but how we should behave if we are following Jesus.  He spends time on several of the things that many of us struggle with, but then he lands on what he calls “The Great Sin”, and I have called “The Deadliest Sin”.  That sin is pride or self-conceit.  He talks about pride as being the only sin that is competitive.  It’s not “look at how much I have” or “look how good looking I am”, it is “look how much more I have than Joe” or “look how much better looking I am than Betty.”  Regrettably, this competitive nature applies to how we view our religiosity as well.  “I go to church every Sunday and go on a mission trip every summer.  I wish all Christians were as committed as I am.  Bless their heart.”  Looking down on other people has the terrible result of making it harder to look up to God.  And Lewis leaves us with an ominous warning:  as soon as you start feeling like you have conquered pride, achieved humility and begun to think good of yourself, you better take a closer look at what just happened.

Celebrating March 17th

On March 17^th, there was a lot of green beer consumed in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, but my brother, Craig, and his wife, Carolyn, were celebrating something different  - their 36^th wedding anniversary.  Just staying married for 36 years is cause for celebration, but  Craig and Carolyn have a lot more to celebrate after successfully raising 6 children and getting them all to or through college.   Their home is not what you would call a quiet place.  And that is because it is almost always filled with family and friends who laugh a lot.  I am envious at how much laughter is in their house and know that it is primarily due to the spirit that Craig and Carolyn have nurtured in their home.  I am also very proud of their Christian witness within their family and their community.  Both of them have led/are leading groups in their home that gather to learn more about Jesus and give thanks for what He has done and continues to do.  I am proud of the example that Craig and Carolyn have set for their family, for others and for me and know that there will be many more anniversary celebrations to follow.  I love you both.

 

An Investment That Pays Off

My workload was doubled up this week due to Michael being on vacation.  Instead of taking his family to the beach or  Disney World, he is in Nicaragua leading a group of college students on a mission trip. This is his third time to take the trip and the first time that his wife, Emily, has been able to go with him.  That means that Caroline and I, in addition to Emily's parents, are able to spend some quality time with the grandkids while they are gone.  I am so proud of both of Emily and Michael for their passion for service.  I know that the investment they make there  will pay off for everyone: those they are serving, those they are leading, themselves, and most important, the Kingdom.