Rick Nier...Woo!

It is no secret that Hollywood is out of ideas. For all the money exchanging hands out west, we are still presented with reality shows involving Vanilla Ice and Amish people. You'll have to search for that yourself as I refused to do that to my search engine.  But I am actually okay with this when it means that a classic gets remade into something genuinely awesome. Of course, being who I am, I didn't discover this while it was actually happening. But back in 2010 a new version of Scooby Doo was being made.  My kids just recently discovered  Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated ,  a series that takes what was most laughable from the 70's version and combines it into something that is actually watchable. This version gives us a lot more information about Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby, perhaps more than we ever wanted to know. Instead of each show being a stand-alone, this series connects and has overarching themes and plots.  And the villains ...

People might look at me and laugh. -That's the point. But I don't want them to laugh. - But they won't be laughing at you. They'll be laughing with you. No.  And that's where the conversation with my 6-year old ended that day. A stubborn refusal to stand out and an unwillingness to be laughed  at . Or  with , as I was trying to convince her.  This was Crazy Hair Day at their elementary school, meaning the choice had no long-lasting implications. I did encourage her to not worry about what other people think. In this way, it is interesting to note how different three children can be, even when they share the same mom and dad.  On a day when crazy hair was the goal, our oldest daughter still strove to stand out and be noticed. Our son, always a bit quieter in crowds, went halfway. A couple of faux-hawks adorned his melon, something crazy but replicated by several boys. But the 6-year old would not be coerced into being a stand-...

A while I ago I ranted about the speed of ketchup . You probably figured I got that out of my system and was done pointing my ire at the ketchup industry. I know they hoped so. But I'm not. After all, they don't just put ketchup in bottles now, do they? Nope. When you want to be somewhere and feel less like home, they give you these travel packages of ketchup. Think fast food. Fast being the key word. You're at the fast food restaurant for speed and convenience. It's not for your health. It can't be for your health. So when it comes to ketchup distribution, speed and convenience should also be of primary concern. This, of course, is why they don't use the bottle. Most packets have a perforation. This saves you time in knowing not only where to tear, but in being able to tear. But I have seen an increasing number of ketchup packets that have no pre-perforated tearing point. This must not be tolerated. Ketchup packets that have no perforated ripping poi...

"Who wants some pizza?" Since the dawn of time, every youth pastor has proclaimed these words to their youth groups. But once the dodge ball game was over and the pizza was gone, the youth pastors would say something else. "You must own your faith!" To be clear, this probably originated when Aaron the priest said this to Joshua.  "You will have to own your faith, Josh. After all, Moses goes along with too many things that his brother and sister do. It's gonna get him killed." Every youth pastor has said things like.... Your parents can't believe for you. Someday you will move away from home. Then what will your faith look like? Your childhood Sunday School answers won't suffice for real life. Any youth pastor could have written a book about this. But it was Ryan and Josh Shook who did write this book. And they did a great job of making the case for a firsthand faith, which is where the title comes from.  Firstha...

This is not so much a fellow blogger's post, but a sermon illustration provided to me by one of the many newsletters I receive. Many of them I file away for a sermon yet to be prepared, but this one fit the main thrust of my blog, I wanted to share it directly with you.  Woo! Matthew Eldridge has appeared in numerous high-profile movies, but you'll never see his face or hear his voice. That's because Eldridge serves as a "body double." Recently, for instance, his hands, feet, and body were used as stand-ins for the actor Jason Bateman in the film  Identity Thief . But Eldridge doesn't mind that Batemen gets most of the attention and fame. Here's how Eldridge explained how he sees his role: Bateman has become a household name, growing up a child star and moving on to lead roles in  Arrested Development ,  Juno ,  Horrible Bosses , and others, but you've certainly never heard of me, Matthew Eldridge, though you may have seen my hands on screen....

This one goes out to all my youth worker friends out there. It seems we share a common problem. No, it's not too much pizza. That's not a problem for me. It's not late nights and teenage drama. That's what we signed up for. It's our desire to see teens get interested in the Bible. The problem, clearly, is not our desire. We want to see teens open up God's Word and actually be excited about doing so. Solutions abound, from teen Bibles and devotionals to reading plans and even prize motivators. But I have an idea that I think trumps them all. You won't need to plan an entire lesson around it. You won't need to make it a special focus for a month. Just plan what looks like an unintended tangent in an otherwise normal lesson. Oh, and use the word 'emasculated'. That's right. Emasculated. Intrigued? Here's how it works. I was teaching on healthy relationships when we started talking about the unhealthy examples we see around us and por...

7  But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.   8  What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ   9  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.   10  I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,   11  and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. ~Philippians 3:7-10 It would be really easy to get my preacher on and just take off, ranting about all the things in this life that we find value in. After all, who doesn't enjoy their stuff and look for an opportunity to add more to t...