Rick Nier...Woo!

Why Jesus? It sounds like a very callous question, especially written by a pastor. But there it is and I’ll ask it again. Why Jesus? After all, we live in a world that offers us many choices, especially for those of us who live in the U.S. And since we have so many freedoms, I have to ask...why Jesus? Why would someone choose to submit their lifestyle to a Jewish Rabbi from 2,000 years ago? Why would anyone decide that the teachings of Jesus make sense? This is the guy who said we should turn the other cheek if we are hit. This is the guy who said we should love those who hate and despise us. The same guy who said that less of me means more of Him also said my life should be lost. Why would anyone choose Jesus? Jesus, the same guy who claimed to be God, an absurd thought for the people He came to serve. This is the guy whose own generation didn't seem to get Him, whose own people group didn't really like Him. But what if referring to Jesus as 'some guy' is a dangerous a...

Can you please just tell me what I want to hear? Puh-lease?!? I’ve already given at least 5 seconds of thought to this. Clearly I know what I’m doing. So when I ask for your opinion, you are supposed to understand that ‘your opinion’ is code for ‘just sign off on this.’ I do this mostly with my wife, Jennifer. After being married for almost 15 years, I figured she understood the code. (I say ‘almost 15’ even though we just celebrated 14 a month and a half ago. I think 15 sounds more impressive.) Despite our many years together, she doesn’t understand the code. She insists on giving me her true thoughts, much like Brainy Smurf reminding the other Smurfs of what Papa Smurf always said. But, much like the other Smurfs, I do what I want. This inevitably leads to any number of conversations that end with Jennifer saying, ‘I told you so.’ Supposedly she doesn’t find great thrill in that. I’m not so sure. Predictably she’ll remind me of when I originally asked for her opinion. Geesh! Some wom...

I'm trying to figure out which kind of childhood star to tell you to imagine. Should I give you someone like Drew Barrymore who was first seen in E.T.? It seems like it would be more fun to poke fun at Danny Bonaduce. Not that the Partridge Family wasn't top-notch. Everything else has come back. Why not that family? But if we are to actually talk about this book, you're going to want to imagine Gary Coleman or Todd Bridges, you know, poster children for troubled childhood stars. Because that seems to be the mold that author C.B. Shiepe has gotten Clay Grant, childhood star from the fictional Little Guy Mike. Clay Grant is as troubled as they come. Used and abused by adults who should know better than to view a kid as a cash cow, Clay grows cynical. And why not? He doesn't know who he is or who he even wants to be. The description on the back was enough to intrigue me. In a world where entertainment has become our religion and religion our entertainment, Cliff Falls wre...

So in the midst of the story that never ends, between hearing Job's friends accuse him and Job proclaim his innocence, a thought occurs to me. Job's friends weren't all wrong. This story is too often painted with a hero named Job and 3 guys who could have been better friends. Ok, maybe their theology was a little too simplistic and Job wasn't the mass murderer that they may have considered him to be. After all, God did tell Satan that Job was righteous. but God never did say Job was perfect. In Job 22, Eliphaz makes some good points. Are any of us actually innocent? In fact, Elihu, that young punk of a man, makes the best points when he accuses Job of placing his own self-righteousness above the righteousness of God. After all, if we aren't the ones in the wrong, then someone else must be. And in this story, who is left? Do you really want to blame God? Job took awfully great pains and many, many words to convince his friends he was blameless in all this. We often d...

Why is the book of Job so long? Seriously. This is the book of Job in short form. God was chillin', ya know, doing what He does, when the angels and Satan show up. God: Check out Job. I like him so much better than you, Satan. Satan: You know I could put the hurt on him and he'd hate you. God: Try it. The Satan beat down on everything Job had, killing his animals and children. Job's Wife: Your life really stinks. Job: I love God. I'll deal with it. Job's Wife: Whatevs. Back up in Heaven, God and Satan raise the stakes. Satan: I've got this new beta-test of a disease I'd like to test out on Job. God: You're so full of yourself. Go for it, but prepare to be owned. So Satan makes Job actually regret the day he was born. Job: I regret the day I was born. Friend 1: You probably did something wrong to deserve this. Job: No I didn't. Friend 2: I'm with Friend 1. I think you're a sinner. Job: I'm telling you, I didn't do anything wrong. Frien...

Sometimes what you expected and what you get are two different things. Take for instance, this book I got called Coffeehouse Theology; Reflecting on God in Everyday Life , by Ed Cyzewski. I know you can't judge a book by its' cover, but... On the cover is a cup of coffee and some napkins with doodles on them. On the back cover we read quotes like, 'Theology should breathe life and unity among God's people...' and 'Whether in a community, in a coffeehouse, or by e-mail, discussion and application of theology is essential. Joining the conversation is easy.' According to Ed, ummm....no it's not. Not unless 13-step processes are easy. What I expected was a discussion on pressing issues of our culture today and how different viewpoints can coexist. What I got was a very in-depth study on how to do contextual theology. Ed tells us, quite correctly, that none of us have a corner on truth. We can know and value truth, but we must acknowledge that we don't ha...

So Reggie Bush gave back his Heisman Trophy. I don't want to get into the ins and outs of USC and how they did or didn't break the rules. But when giving it back, Reggie said that it wasn't an admission of guilt. It sounds to me like he got advice. 'Give it back and you keep people off of you either way.' I could be wrong. But I'm not sure what else makes you give back an award you won if you believe you won it fair and square. In Job 27:5-6, Job is speaking back against his good friends who keep telling him to admit he's a sinner. Job remains stubborn. 'I will not deny my integrity.' Good for you, Job! If you didn't do it, don't admit to it. I realize that the guilty people aren't prone to admit their faults either, but that proves nothing here. If someone says they didn't do it, we should at least acknowledge the possibility that they are saying that because...they didn't do it! I'm not a college football fan. I'm no fan...