As a kid growing up in the 70's and 80's, one of the highlights of my week was watching the SuperFriends & the Justice League. As the name suggests, they really were Super and friends, and they were all about justice. Righting wrongs; being good role models; bringing hope to the hopeless and giving help to the helpless. Every week during the program there was always at least one segment that encouraged us kids to take care of our environment, befriend a new kid at school or some sort of health tip that made us take pride in ourselves.
In the last year or so, my 4 year old son, Hunter, has discovered the SuperFriends thanks to the Cartoon Network. It's been really fun seeing him enjoy some of the exact same stuff I enjoyed. We Tivo every episode to this day and sit down as a family to watch something positive together.
For the last week or two a new Justice League Movie has been advertised, and let me tell you, our house has looked forward to the release date about as much as we look forward to Snow Days. Hunter has been ecstatic as "Justice League: The New Frontier" became more and more of a reality. Well yesterday was the day. We were probably one of the first families in Paducah to watch the new movie. And now, I am going to be the first parent in Paducah to contact DC Comics and Warner Bros. to express my extreme disgust for this video piece of garbage.
Let me tell you what I saw:
1. The opening scene shows the future Green Lantern blow a Korean Soldiers brains out. It doesn't allude to the shooting, it graphically shows it, blood and brains and all. Explain that to a 4 year old.
2. It doesn't actually show the suicide, it fades to blood oozing over the screen, as an unknown person sticks a gun, which we do see, to his head and BOOM! Explain that to a 4 year old.
3. Tons, at least for the SuperFriends cartoons, of profanity. By the end of the movie I would not have been surprised if SuperMan dropped the F-bomb and flipped off Aqua Man. He didn't, but it wouldn't have shocked me if he did.
4. The sexual innuendo was pretty thick too. Granted, alien/mutant's wearing next to nothing is not a new scenario to the SuperFriends, but the New & Improved Justice League seemed to be pretty concerned with hooking up with one another.
To the films credit, after further inspection I notice it has a PG-13 rating for Violent Content and images. Here's my problem: I never dreamed it would be necessary to check the rating for the SuperFriends. I hope Warner Bros. don't get their hands on Peter Pan, because there no telling how low they might sink with Peter and the Lost Boys.
Final Comment: If you are a parent, don't buy this crap for your kids. The SuperFriends have always been a little New Agey, but now they're just downright disgusting and disappointing. For the same money, you can just cuss your kids out yourself and let them watch as you slaughter the family pet.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
One Way...
It was a cold day in 1993 when we first met. Larry had recently had a heart attack. His finances were drained, his recovery wasn't going as smoothly as he'd hoped; but he took a minute out of his time to stop and talk to me. What started out as an extremely humbling day became more and more humbling as it went.
I was living in Memphis and had written a bad check to the Zondervan Christian Bookstore in one of the Malls. (MY ONLY BAD CHECK...EVER!!!!) They called me on the phone and I just couldn't believe it. I told them I'd be there within the hour, cash in hand to take care of my mess. They were used to dealing with this sort of thing, but I wasn't. How embarrassing.
I made my way into the store and pathetically approached the counter to re-right my wrong. I guess they could tell by the way that I was trembling that I was embarrassed, ashamed and belittled by my mistake...they waived the "bad check" charge. I groveled for a few more minutes and headed towards the door. That's when I met Larry.
Larry Norman, the godfather of Christian Rock and Roll.
He spoke to me like we were old friends. I knew who he was and I was already a fan, but our meeting was void of anything that resembled "He's famous, I'm a groupie." I told him I was in Seminary and he told me not to lose sight of the real Jesus that had called me there. I had heard that statement before from pastors and from those on my Committee on the Ministry, but never from a dude with long hair and leather biker jacket. Larry was cool. He was burdened with the Gospel and somewhat grievous over the current state of affairs in the music industry, particularly the Christian side of it. Larry was natural. We could've gone to Sbarro's and had the most normal lunch ever, except for the fact that we only had about 20 bucks between the two of us. He gave me a copy of his current new release, "Stranded in Babylon" and that was that. My encounter with a hero of the faith.
I had forgotten about that encounter until learning yesterday that Larry's heart finally gave out on him. Larry Norman went to his reward and I praise God for him, his music and his relationship to Jesus Christ. Tomorrow, the pastor's office of at least one church will be reverberating the tunes of Larry Norman, God's Servant; and the pastor in that office will probably look towards heaven with a smile, right arm held high, finger pointing up, proudly agreeing, "ONE WAY!"
I went to Larry's website to find whatever details were available. These words, written by Larry the day before he died, are what greeted me. What a testimony:
I feel like a prize in a box of cracker jacks with God's hand reaching down to pick me up. I have been under medical care for months. My wounds are getting bigger. I have trouble breathing. I am ready to fly home.
My brother Charles is right, I won't be here much longer. I can't do anything about it. My heart is too weak. I want to say goodbye to everyone. In the past you have generously supported me with prayer and finance and we will probably still need financial help.
My plan is to be buried in a simple pine box with some flowers inside. But still it will be costly because of funeral arrangement, transportation to the gravesite, entombment, coordination, legal papers etc. However money is not really what I need, I want to say I love you.
I'd like to push back the darkness with my bravest effort. There will be a funeral posted here on the website, in case some of you want to attend. We are not sure of the date when I will die.
Goodbye, farewell, we will meet again.
Goodbye, farewell, we'll meet again
Somewhere beyond the sky.
I pray that you will stay with God,
Goodbye, my friends, goodbye.
Larry
For more info on Larry Norman, the Righteous Rocker, go to www.larrynorman.com
I was living in Memphis and had written a bad check to the Zondervan Christian Bookstore in one of the Malls. (MY ONLY BAD CHECK...EVER!!!!) They called me on the phone and I just couldn't believe it. I told them I'd be there within the hour, cash in hand to take care of my mess. They were used to dealing with this sort of thing, but I wasn't. How embarrassing.
I made my way into the store and pathetically approached the counter to re-right my wrong. I guess they could tell by the way that I was trembling that I was embarrassed, ashamed and belittled by my mistake...they waived the "bad check" charge. I groveled for a few more minutes and headed towards the door. That's when I met Larry.
Larry Norman, the godfather of Christian Rock and Roll.
He spoke to me like we were old friends. I knew who he was and I was already a fan, but our meeting was void of anything that resembled "He's famous, I'm a groupie." I told him I was in Seminary and he told me not to lose sight of the real Jesus that had called me there. I had heard that statement before from pastors and from those on my Committee on the Ministry, but never from a dude with long hair and leather biker jacket. Larry was cool. He was burdened with the Gospel and somewhat grievous over the current state of affairs in the music industry, particularly the Christian side of it. Larry was natural. We could've gone to Sbarro's and had the most normal lunch ever, except for the fact that we only had about 20 bucks between the two of us. He gave me a copy of his current new release, "Stranded in Babylon" and that was that. My encounter with a hero of the faith.
I had forgotten about that encounter until learning yesterday that Larry's heart finally gave out on him. Larry Norman went to his reward and I praise God for him, his music and his relationship to Jesus Christ. Tomorrow, the pastor's office of at least one church will be reverberating the tunes of Larry Norman, God's Servant; and the pastor in that office will probably look towards heaven with a smile, right arm held high, finger pointing up, proudly agreeing, "ONE WAY!"
I went to Larry's website to find whatever details were available. These words, written by Larry the day before he died, are what greeted me. What a testimony:
I feel like a prize in a box of cracker jacks with God's hand reaching down to pick me up. I have been under medical care for months. My wounds are getting bigger. I have trouble breathing. I am ready to fly home.
My brother Charles is right, I won't be here much longer. I can't do anything about it. My heart is too weak. I want to say goodbye to everyone. In the past you have generously supported me with prayer and finance and we will probably still need financial help.
My plan is to be buried in a simple pine box with some flowers inside. But still it will be costly because of funeral arrangement, transportation to the gravesite, entombment, coordination, legal papers etc. However money is not really what I need, I want to say I love you.
I'd like to push back the darkness with my bravest effort. There will be a funeral posted here on the website, in case some of you want to attend. We are not sure of the date when I will die.
Goodbye, farewell, we will meet again.
Goodbye, farewell, we'll meet again
Somewhere beyond the sky.
I pray that you will stay with God,
Goodbye, my friends, goodbye.
Larry
For more info on Larry Norman, the Righteous Rocker, go to www.larrynorman.com
Monday, February 25, 2008
The Flu (Vomit Discourse Warning!!!!)
Much has been said recently about the flu; every newscast, podcast, paper and periodical is saturated with information concerning this years flu epidemic. None of that means anything when you are face down in the commode, hoping against hope that you are taking you're final breath in this world. At least that is my current theory. Brian Williams & Matt Lauer have nothing to offer in the heat of the regurgitating moment.
For the first time in my 38 year life I have experienced the flu. It is perhaps the single-most, worst event of my life. I have only puked one other time, that I can remember. It was a sympathy barf when Miss Bert was pregnant with Hunter. Not one of my more manly moments, but humorous now. At any rate, puking being a sort of new phenomena to me, is unbelievable. Hands down, it has got to be the most violent action the human body is capable of producing. While I hope to never experience the throes of illness again, I am dismayed at that the fact that I didn't capture my "upchuck moments" on tape. For those of you more experienced barfers, objects (i.e. veggie soup) being propelled from the nostrils at light speed may be something you are familiar with, but not me. I still cant believe it. Surreal is about the best I can get to describing RNVSE (Reverse Nasal Vegetable Soup Ejection)!!!!
Oh, I despise the flu.
I did have a question that just revealed itself to me as I was face to face with the Tidy Bowl Man: Is it necessary to wash your hands after a bathroom experience when you've already got the flu? Antibacterial soap would seem, at least to me, to work against the processes of the immune system. Not only that, but if the germs are inside already, what good does it do to wash the outside. I think Jesus said, in my words "first clean the inside, then outside just needs a quick wiping down."
All foolishness aside, in my light and momentary affliction, I did have a more spiritual thought. My mind was directed towards those who undergo chemotherapy treatments. This sort of thing is a daily experience for them. I can't imagine trying to keep a positive mental attitude with a deep internal sickness. As a pastor in an ever increasing cancer-present world, I hope my prayers and my presence will communicate hope and encouragement to those in this state of being, in such a way that a little personal, daily revival might be kindled within them. My heart and my prayers go out today to all who fight cancer. May you draw strength from the words of Jesus Christ who said, "In this world you will face many troubles, but take heart, I have overcome the world." (And so will the rest of us who dare to trust in Him.)
Tired of feeling Queasy, yet on the road to healing,
He Has Made Me Glad!
jeff
For the first time in my 38 year life I have experienced the flu. It is perhaps the single-most, worst event of my life. I have only puked one other time, that I can remember. It was a sympathy barf when Miss Bert was pregnant with Hunter. Not one of my more manly moments, but humorous now. At any rate, puking being a sort of new phenomena to me, is unbelievable. Hands down, it has got to be the most violent action the human body is capable of producing. While I hope to never experience the throes of illness again, I am dismayed at that the fact that I didn't capture my "upchuck moments" on tape. For those of you more experienced barfers, objects (i.e. veggie soup) being propelled from the nostrils at light speed may be something you are familiar with, but not me. I still cant believe it. Surreal is about the best I can get to describing RNVSE (Reverse Nasal Vegetable Soup Ejection)!!!!
Oh, I despise the flu.
I did have a question that just revealed itself to me as I was face to face with the Tidy Bowl Man: Is it necessary to wash your hands after a bathroom experience when you've already got the flu? Antibacterial soap would seem, at least to me, to work against the processes of the immune system. Not only that, but if the germs are inside already, what good does it do to wash the outside. I think Jesus said, in my words "first clean the inside, then outside just needs a quick wiping down."
All foolishness aside, in my light and momentary affliction, I did have a more spiritual thought. My mind was directed towards those who undergo chemotherapy treatments. This sort of thing is a daily experience for them. I can't imagine trying to keep a positive mental attitude with a deep internal sickness. As a pastor in an ever increasing cancer-present world, I hope my prayers and my presence will communicate hope and encouragement to those in this state of being, in such a way that a little personal, daily revival might be kindled within them. My heart and my prayers go out today to all who fight cancer. May you draw strength from the words of Jesus Christ who said, "In this world you will face many troubles, but take heart, I have overcome the world." (And so will the rest of us who dare to trust in Him.)
Tired of feeling Queasy, yet on the road to healing,
He Has Made Me Glad!
jeff
Saturday, February 16, 2008
The Blind leading the Blind.
Dr. Ben over at www.benwitherington.blogspot.com in his Feb 15, 2008 post, has something fairly interesting to report about Oprah that speaks to where we are at in our Sunday Night Study. It's kind of long, but worth the read.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Not sure about Georgia, but the lights were out here!
Just moments after I posted my last blog last night, the ice that we'd been playing in, the very ice that beat up my kid...wreaked havoc on the powerlines in the tri-state area. Our house was no exception. The lights went out. In the country, when the electric goes, so goes the water thanks to the electric pump on the well. Thankfully, we've got gas heat. But alas, it requires the use of an electric blower.
So long story short, our house looked like a cross between redneck seance and a scene from "The night before Christmas." The living room was wall to wall blankets and pillows and candles. The kids were acting out WWE raw, since the satellite was out. I was huddled around the battery operated TV hoping to find news of when we might expect our power back. And mom fell asleep. I dont know how, but she did. About 12:30 she woke up and asked, "did I fall asleep?" NO, YOU JUST TIME WARPED 3 HOURS INTO THE FUTURE!!!! I wanted to ask her to try it again and see if she could go find out when the lights would come back on and then warp back and tell me if I needed to be more conservative with the candles, but thought better of it.
Anyhow, it is now 3:20 and the lights are back on. We made it. And just so you know, it was really fun. Probably the best night the whole family has had in the last year or so. In fact, I'm thinking of flipping the breaker and doing it all over again tonight.
So long story short, our house looked like a cross between redneck seance and a scene from "The night before Christmas." The living room was wall to wall blankets and pillows and candles. The kids were acting out WWE raw, since the satellite was out. I was huddled around the battery operated TV hoping to find news of when we might expect our power back. And mom fell asleep. I dont know how, but she did. About 12:30 she woke up and asked, "did I fall asleep?" NO, YOU JUST TIME WARPED 3 HOURS INTO THE FUTURE!!!! I wanted to ask her to try it again and see if she could go find out when the lights would come back on and then warp back and tell me if I needed to be more conservative with the candles, but thought better of it.
Anyhow, it is now 3:20 and the lights are back on. We made it. And just so you know, it was really fun. Probably the best night the whole family has had in the last year or so. In fact, I'm thinking of flipping the breaker and doing it all over again tonight.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Nothing says "Daddy Loves Me" like...
My daddy loves me. He took me outside to play in all the ice that has fallen at our house. It's tons better than snow. You get to go so fast. Unfortunately for me, to get better speed you have to sacrifice a little bit of control. That's how my face got all scratched up. But I'm a really tough kid. As soon as mommy got all the blood out of my eye, I went back outside for more fun. Dad's new 4-wheeler is awesome, and I'm the best sledder in the whole world. Thanks for loving me so much daddy!Love Hunter
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Politics...........................
I am struggling for a name to give to today. Granted it already has one...Ash Wednesday, signifying the Lenten Season has begun. but my mind is in other places.
Yesterday was SUPER TUESDAY!!!! Yipee, huh? Much ado about nothing as far as I'm concerned. I usually try to stay away from political issues. Mostly because I'm not all that informed in the world of politics, but also because politics just seem to be so divisive. And since I'm a pastor, the one thing I try to steer away from is divisiveness. I know God has some pretty severe consequences for those who stir up dissensions in the Church. Or to borrow from Mr. T, "I pity the fool who tries to split up my little brothers and sisters."
At any rate, yesterday was super Tuesday. But did you notice the weather across the nation that seemed to coincide? Storms, tornadoes, flooding, etc.... Could it be that for once, me and God were in agreement? Maybe He feels about all this political nonsense the same way I do.
I read where Dr. Dobson stated that he may or may not vote for a presidential candidate, depending on who the candidates ultimately are. Of course, that wont really change anything. The one with the most votes still wins, even if only 12 people in the whole nation vote. But what if....
What if election laws were changed so that if enough people didn't vote for any of the candidates of a specified office, a non-election could be declared and the whole process started over, with say a 3 or 4 month period for campaigning?
I know, never happen! And I'm sure there are tons of legal issues why that can't happen. But I currently feel like this election is choosing between:
A) Getting punched in the face
B) Getting my toes stomped on
C) A good swift kick to the nether regions
None of the options sound very good to me. Sure, at this point I do have a presidential candidate that I like better than the others, but to be honest, I'm sure even he isn't as completely on the up and up as he lets on to be. Let's face it, they're all politicians, and not a one of them has made it this far by being decent, honest and trustworthy. (Gosh, its sad to read that in print, but in this tooth, fang and claw culture of American Politics, good guys dont win, at least not without sacrificing a whole lot of their goodness in the process.)
So here I sit, elated by the fact that I was born an American; thankful I dont live in any other nation of the world, but discouraged at the thought of what we have become.
Yesterday was SUPER TUESDAY!!!! Yipee, huh? Much ado about nothing as far as I'm concerned. I usually try to stay away from political issues. Mostly because I'm not all that informed in the world of politics, but also because politics just seem to be so divisive. And since I'm a pastor, the one thing I try to steer away from is divisiveness. I know God has some pretty severe consequences for those who stir up dissensions in the Church. Or to borrow from Mr. T, "I pity the fool who tries to split up my little brothers and sisters."
At any rate, yesterday was super Tuesday. But did you notice the weather across the nation that seemed to coincide? Storms, tornadoes, flooding, etc.... Could it be that for once, me and God were in agreement? Maybe He feels about all this political nonsense the same way I do.
I read where Dr. Dobson stated that he may or may not vote for a presidential candidate, depending on who the candidates ultimately are. Of course, that wont really change anything. The one with the most votes still wins, even if only 12 people in the whole nation vote. But what if....
What if election laws were changed so that if enough people didn't vote for any of the candidates of a specified office, a non-election could be declared and the whole process started over, with say a 3 or 4 month period for campaigning?
I know, never happen! And I'm sure there are tons of legal issues why that can't happen. But I currently feel like this election is choosing between:
A) Getting punched in the face
B) Getting my toes stomped on
C) A good swift kick to the nether regions
None of the options sound very good to me. Sure, at this point I do have a presidential candidate that I like better than the others, but to be honest, I'm sure even he isn't as completely on the up and up as he lets on to be. Let's face it, they're all politicians, and not a one of them has made it this far by being decent, honest and trustworthy. (Gosh, its sad to read that in print, but in this tooth, fang and claw culture of American Politics, good guys dont win, at least not without sacrificing a whole lot of their goodness in the process.)
So here I sit, elated by the fact that I was born an American; thankful I dont live in any other nation of the world, but discouraged at the thought of what we have become.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Book Reviews: Lucado & Singer
Finished a couple of books in the last few days and thought I'd provide a little feedback on them.
This weekend I finished "3:16" by Max Lucado. All in all I felt it was a prety good book. The last few chapters seem to get less and less informative, but there were some amazing insights in the first few. I guess to make up for the crummy ending, Lucado includes a devotional to get you through a month of quiet times.
The other book that I finished up about 2:30 this morning was a little more interesting. "The Cross Examination of Oliver Finney" by Randy Singer. The basic story is that proponents of the major religions of the world are sequestered on a secret island in Survivor fashion, for a reality show to see how their religions hold up under scrutiny and stress. Each "contestant" has some sort of legal background and much time is spent examining and cross examining one anothers belief system. To thicken the plot, they all have some sort of life threatening illness. I dont in any way feel closer to my Christ after reading it, but it was an exciting read and did have some beneficial material used by the Christian of the story, Oliver Finney, as he tried to make his case for faith to those representing other beliefs. After two chapters I almost put it down, but it quickly became the action/thriller that I never dreamed it could be. 2 thumbs up, mostly for entertainment value.
That makes 2 down, and about 14 to go. I dont know why I do it, but I am a compulsive book buyer. Thankfully, the Randy Singer book was a loaner acquired in a trade with someone at church. I traded out the Peretti/Dekkar book, "House," for this one. I guess my "career" as a student still has me a little gun shy when it comes to reading "smart" books. I remember back in school there were always books I'd see that I thought I'd love to read. Unfortunatley, there were always a ton of books that I HAD to read. 12 years later and I'm still making up for lost time.
This weekend I finished "3:16" by Max Lucado. All in all I felt it was a prety good book. The last few chapters seem to get less and less informative, but there were some amazing insights in the first few. I guess to make up for the crummy ending, Lucado includes a devotional to get you through a month of quiet times.
The other book that I finished up about 2:30 this morning was a little more interesting. "The Cross Examination of Oliver Finney" by Randy Singer. The basic story is that proponents of the major religions of the world are sequestered on a secret island in Survivor fashion, for a reality show to see how their religions hold up under scrutiny and stress. Each "contestant" has some sort of legal background and much time is spent examining and cross examining one anothers belief system. To thicken the plot, they all have some sort of life threatening illness. I dont in any way feel closer to my Christ after reading it, but it was an exciting read and did have some beneficial material used by the Christian of the story, Oliver Finney, as he tried to make his case for faith to those representing other beliefs. After two chapters I almost put it down, but it quickly became the action/thriller that I never dreamed it could be. 2 thumbs up, mostly for entertainment value.
That makes 2 down, and about 14 to go. I dont know why I do it, but I am a compulsive book buyer. Thankfully, the Randy Singer book was a loaner acquired in a trade with someone at church. I traded out the Peretti/Dekkar book, "House," for this one. I guess my "career" as a student still has me a little gun shy when it comes to reading "smart" books. I remember back in school there were always books I'd see that I thought I'd love to read. Unfortunatley, there were always a ton of books that I HAD to read. 12 years later and I'm still making up for lost time.
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Snow Days!!
Thursday & Friday were snow days here in Western Kentucky! Mom didn't have to go to school so we stayed home and played in the snow. We didn't get nearly the accumulation that the experts said we were going to get, but we got enough to have a little fun. Hunter and Baylee both enjoyed being pulled behind the 4-wheeler, and mommy proved to be exceptionally good at hanging on, even when daddy tried to sling her off.
Hopefully this wont be our total snowfall for the season. But around here winter is pretty unpredictable. Today, it is 50 degrees and yesterdays snow is todays mud. I wish there was a way to sled in the mud and still be able to go as fast. I'll work on that and keep you posted to our progress. I am certain Hunter & Baylee will be all for it. Maybe this spring when getting soaked wont be as hazardous as it is now we'll give it a shot.
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