Category: Uncategorized

Donald Haynes always has great stuff. Don’t miss his column on Methodists and Black History.

Thanks to youtube, there are probably more of these sorts of videos out there than can even be counted. Yikes.

In the post below, I described my experiences at the Heifer ranch in Arkansas. Here’s a video about the global village, though it was filmed in a far different season then when we were there. You couldn’t even end up in the refugee camp when we were there because it was too hot.

I think I’m going to be really glad when this Presidential campaign is over. It’s ugly. The news media pays attention to ridiculous small stories (What do the pastors of these candidates say!?) while ignoring the major stories of Afghanistan and the economic crises. We have pundits and politicians of both sides saying using double standards. Bring on November. At least we have Jon Stewart to help us through it.

Daily Show Catches Rep. Double Standards (yes they also make fun of Democrats, just not in this clip)

Thanks to the UM Reporter blog I am now looking forward to a film biography of John Wesley. I’ve seen one before, and it may was probably this 1954 version which has the redeeming quality of at least being accurate, if not entertaining.

That’s a shame, because John’s life is interesting and full of good drama, so I’m hoping that this film will raise some interest in his life. I wish that it had been completed a few years ago, when the church was celebrating the 200th anniversary of his birth, but October is good too. Taking the church to see it would make a good church trip for All Saint’s Day.

You can watch the preview here: Wesley

Someone named Andrew Miller took this pic, which was up at geezmagazine.org, but the one who truly deserves the credit is either whoever booked the movies or set up the sign.

So far, I’ve posted religious music on Saturdays. Today however, the song that’s stuck in my head is an old one, but it’s really fabulous. The video is just a still image, but the song, The Girl from Ipanema, is classic. To view it, go to the youtube link.

Youtube: Girl from Ipanema

Also, this week marks the 42nd anniversary of the day that changed rock music.

From the time of childhood to the death of Opryland, I’ve always lived within easy driving distance of an amusement park. Now someone wants to build one near my in-laws in Rutherford County, TN. The theme of this park will be the Bible.

Maybe I’m overreacting (now that I think about it, that should probably be the title of this blog, because it’s usually the case) but this is a horrible idea. Why do we, as Christians, feel the need to have a Christian equivalent to every secular form of entertainment? When will someone start a Christian casino? We have Christian books, Christian music, Christian greeting cards, Christian t-shirts, Christian ring tones, and the list goes on and on.

Is Six Flags over St. Louis somehow anti-Christian? Does all of our entertainment have to be Christian based? Is everything that’s not explicitly Christian then anti-Christian?

I should add that the planners are saying that it will not offer Biblical interpretation, it will an entertainment park with a Bible theme. (Christian Post article) At the same time, people in the area are promoting its possibilities.

Here’s one person who is in favor of the new theme park:

But this park may help some peoples souls. This park could be the one thing that changes peoples hearts back to loving God the way we need to. If we save once [sic] young soul we have profited more than all the gold.

It’s possible that someone could learn more about Christ through one of these theme parks. But if this amount of work and money was spent on things specifically intended to nurture God’s kingdom, how many more would learn?

In a recent blog post about Bible story murals, “Prodigal Jon” calls for a mural with the story of Elisha and the bears:

From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. “Go on up, you baldhead!” they said. “Go on up, you baldhead!” He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.

Sounds like a good ride for the kids.

Aside from the basics of food, clothing, shelter, insurance and orthodonture, the thing I probably spend the most money on is books. So I’m always interested to see what “great books” people have in their lists. There are a lot of books that I’ve read in this top 100, and many that I’ve never even heard of. It’s a subjective list of course, but it’s fun skimming through what others like.

The Essential Man’s Library

Granted, the Bible doesn’t make a direct appearance until page 4, but the authors of the list do realize its significance:

…half the books on these lists make Biblical references that must be known by the reader for them to understand the message of that book. If a Western man desires to understand the culture that surrounds him, he needs to have a thorough understanding of the Book that has shaped that culture.

That photo is from a light display at the Washington National Cathedral that took place this weekend. You can look at other photos on the flickr stream: Cathedral though I have no doubt that photos cannot possibly do justice to seeing the illumination in person.

Here’s some info. on the project:

For three memorable nights in May, Swiss lighting artist Gerry Hofstetter brings his artistry to Washington National Cathedral for a spectacular exterior illumination of the south and west sides, in celebration of the Cathedral’s centennial. Numerous vivid images will be projected directly on the Cathedral sunset to midnight on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, illustrating its mission of reconciliation, spotlighting its role as a spiritual beacon for the nation, and proclaiming hope for all humankind.