A Lost Art: Special Effects vs. Straight Story Telling

Has our society lost the art of story telling without the use of special effects? Don't get me wrong, I like CGI, but there have been things made, albeit most many years ago, I can watch because the story telling is just so good.

For example, recently Andy Griffith died, I can still sit down and watch the Andy Griffith Show and be completely entertained. Another example would be The Cosby Show. How good was the clean humor and story telling in that show?!?

We have lost something by improving ourselves, if you want to call it improving.

What are some of the best non-special effects stories you have ever seen, either on the silver screen or on the tele?

Dear God,

So I always tell my kids when they pray that they aren't writing a letter, so instead of starting their prayers with Dear God, they usually start with something like, thank you God for today, or something like that.  Today I thought I'd actually write a letter to God here on my blog.  Seeing as God is omnipresent and omniscient I think He will get it.

Dear God,

I love you.  I feel like I always have, although I haven't always shown it.  I'm having a hard time down here.  I'm guessing that has to do with me not with You.  But it doesn't change the fact that I'm a mess.  I'm getting old, feeling old, I'm poor, weak, I have anxiety, and I'm trying to walk in faith when sometimes that feels like I'm walking in the dark.

Where are you?  Are you with me?  Maybe the better question is, "Am I with you?".

I'm tired.  I need your strength.  I need your help.  I need to feel you show up.  I need to know you're there.  Is that my lack of faith showing.  Well I am pathetic.  You know that.  So would you help my faith be more faithful?

You are the God of the Universe.  If that's not true, none of this matters.  But I believe You.  I believe You are Holy, Awesome, Majestic, and Powerful.  I believe You are able to do anything You have set your mind to do.  Please Do Your work in me.  Please let that work be so evident that people will have to say, "Only God could do that!".  Please.  And when You do, I will point to You.  I will make sure people know it's You, and definitely not me.  Please.

This is my cry, literally me crying out to You.

I love you,

Pink

Ten Things I Like

Here is the contrasting top ten, Ten Things I Like!

1. Drumsticks
2. Rocks
3. Getting in the car and seeing over a half a tank of gas.
4. Naps
5. Apple
6. A Change Jar
7. Making someone smile or laugh.
8. The Holidays
9. Fresh hair cuts, especially by my stylist Kimberly Harris!  She's awesome, you should go see her.
10. The word Bombastic.

What do you Like?

Ten Things I Hate

My mom always said hate was a strong word. As a matter of fact it seemed to be the only real cuss word in our house. But I thought I'd pull it out and give you a list of ten things I hate.
So here goes:

10.  Heat.  Anytime the temp gets above 85 I hate it.

9.  Gas.  Actually, I hate being so dependent on transportation that uses gas.

8.  Sticky stuff that gets on my hands.  I hate it when my hands get sticky.

7.  Tube TVs.  What did we do before flat panels?  Tube TVs are just so dad-gum heavy!

6.  When dirt gets on my new pair of shoes.  I know it has to happen, I just hate it when it does.

5.  Flies.

4.  Greed.

3.  Fat, on me, not on steak, I love fat on steak.

2.  The game Marco Polo.

1.  Raisins.

Five Solas

I have a new shirt.  If you see me wearing it, the below explains. These are Latin phrases that were used during the Protestant Reformation to give distinction between themselves, reformers, and the Catholic Church.

"The five solas articulated five fundamental beliefs of the Protestant Reformation, pillars which the Reformers believed to be essentials of the Christian life and practice. All five implicitly rejected or countered the teachings of the then-dominant Catholic Church, which had usurped divine attributes or qualities for the Church and its hierarchy, especially its head, the pope."  Wikipedia

Sola Scriptura = By Scripture Alone
Sola Fida = By Faith Alone
Sola Gratia = By Grace Alone
Solo Christo = Through Christ Alone
Soli Deo Gloria = Glory to God Alone

The Problem With Me

The big problem with me is that I think I can say or do enough to change someone else's life. That isn't my place. My place is to live in such complete dependance on Christ that His power transforms me. That transformation is then a testimony to His work. As this transformation occurs I will say and do things that will be used to change other's lives, but it is still His power that transforms and changes others.

It's all Him. His power. His Love. His transformative work. 

Not me. I have no power. I have no love. I have no way to transform myself...without Him.

The Cost of War

Now before you get your knickers in a twist, I am not posting this as a commentary about not ever going to war. I'm not here as some pacifist trying to say that we need to give peace a chance. Although I wouldn't be opposed to the whole world just getting along and all of us living in peace. I've been curious recently about how much the war has cost America since 2001 and found this site. I'm sure someone could find something wrong with it but it's my blog and I found it interesting.

http://costofwar.com/en/

I have also read that there has been some economic damage done to our economy besides just the actual cost of war. This has made me understand that we aren't talking about where we can place the fault for our deficits. This has been a series of unfortunate events that has led us to our economic woes.

"We're nominating a President, not a Pastor."

I have done a pretty good job staying out of the fray, until recently.  You see, as a pastor I really don't have a dog in the hunt.  To be more specific, I am independent.  But here over the last several years I have become truly independent.  Not someone who says it for attention, but one who actually means they are independent.

(Is "dog in the hunt" an actual saying?)

Anyway, I digress.  Over the past several years I have defended Bush, defended Obama, even in some regards defended Clinton.  Generally I believe some people who have gotten into conversations with me think when I speak of these Presidents that I am for them.  And believe it or not, I am.  All three of these men say they believe in the God of the Universe, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  They have all claimed that Jesus is their Messiah.  I want that to be true.  They have all done things and said things that are contrary to what it means to be a Christ follower.  Haven't we all.  I want all men to know Christ and follow Him.  So if I want all men to know Christ, I want all Presidents to know Christ.  If I want all Presidents to know Christ then I want them to show that in their lives.

Some people have said to me in the past, "We're nominating a President, not a Pastor."  I get where these people are coming from, but I guess what I really want is a President who knows Jesus, follows Jesus, and in every aspect of His life is being affected by Jesus.  Knowing Jesus would naturally spill over into his Presidency.  If Jesus is the life changer, shouldn't this be what all Christians want?

Alas, most believe, including the Presidents themselves, that being Christian and being President are two separate compartments.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that Presidents should set out a decree that all people have to believe in Jesus.  That's ridiculous.  But I do believe that Presidents who claim Christ should make Christ the central focus of their life and that should reflect in the decisions they make.

So as we go further into this election year just know that I want all involved to know Christ, the real Christ.  "Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord."  (Philippians 3:8a)  I want all to know the Truth.  I want all to be speaking Truth.  Because Christ is the Truth.

There is Nothing More Important than the Worship of God

I shared this yesterday morning during our service.  "There is nothing more important than the worship of God."  It's hard to make it meaningful enough using just my voice or this place where I type simply words.  How do I go about really helping people understand that they were made for worship of God?  Too much stuff is in the way.  Too many voices in our heads.  Too many other things to worship.

I guess I can start with this one place, in this one moment, if you are reading this right now just take a moment and tell God how Awesome you know He is.

If you don't believe God is Awesome, or don't believe in God at all, and you find yourself here on this blog wondering why you are looking at this, please take sometime to think about your eyeball and how that super mega computer in your head was built.