:: [ex]changed.life ::

:: Friday, February 27, 2004 ::

Passionate Concern

Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ brought in $23.6 million on it's opening day yesterday. According to an article on E! Online News - "Passion" Opens Big, Pass the Tums. The movie brought in another $3 million through private showings for churches on Monday and Tuesday of this week. That's a lot of dough.

When I first heard about how much the movie made, I was excited. Then, my excitement waned and turned into concern. $23.6 million is a lot of money (so is $3 million for that matter). I'm concerned that the Christian community will interpret this as a way to "prove something" to Hollywood--that "we" would go see movies if they fit a certain criteria. While that may be true, I have a deeper concern...

What about the AIDS epidemic in Africa?
What about the homeless people down the street in Atlanta?
What about need for ESL classes and soup kitchens?
How about a response to those who are hurting and dying in Iraq?
Bibles for China, anyone?
How about planting a church in Boston--one of the most un-churched cities in our country?

Yeah, $23.6 million can go a far way. What if each individual who went to a private screening on Monday or Tuesday of this week gave the same amount they paid for a ticket to help one of those needs I mentioned above (remember, that's $3 million)? We have so much--and we spend it on our entertainment, even when the One who is entertaining us commands us to help "the least of these."

Here's how you can help... right now!

I checked out World Vision's site today. Tell me this isn't ironic (from their site):

More than 14 million African children have lost one or both of their parents to AIDS. Oftentimes, these children must care for younger siblings, as well as sick and dying parents. Food is often scarce, and hunger is widespread.
Together, we can do something. World Vision has received $63.1 million in food from the U.S. government. We must raise an additional $3.1 million in support in order to deliver this food to 2.1 million children. (Emphasis mine.)

How ironic. 3.1 million bucks can help deliver food to 2.1 million kids. I'm just letting that sink in my head right now...


Here's how you can help right now. A mixing of both entertainment and help. You can make a $20 donation to World Vision at THIS LINK and receive a copy of In the Name of Love (a compilation CD of U2 songs recorded by Christian artists). You don't have to buy this CD online, you can also go pick it up at the store. Some of what you spend there will still go to World Vision. I have a copy of this CD--not a big fan of "remakes," but some of the songs are great.

How else can you help?
How about tithing to your Church? No joke. Find out if your church supports missionaries or has a community outreach program. By giving to the general budget of your church, you can help people. And, hey, if your church isn't currently supporting any of those initiatives, get off your rear and do something about it!

Let's open our eyes...

:: Adam 11:12 AM link ::
::.. ..::

Pleasant Surprise

I woke up this morning to "snow." I say "snow" because it is mostly sludge and ice, yet the newscasters are intent on referring to it as snow. Nonetheless, it's semi-white outside and that puts me in a great mood. It reminds me of my old stomping grounds in Maryland. *sigh* Anyway, schools are out today. I attribute it to two things: 1) The general unrealistic snowphobia that most Southerners have, and 2) Last night was Wednesday night and many, many youth groups were meeting across the state, undoubtedly praying for snow. I'm in a good mood.

Peace and hot chocolate...

:: Adam 9:49 AM link ::
::.. ..::

The movie

I thought I was prepared. You know, coming in with a wad of toilet paper in my pocket and a bottle of water in my hand. But, shortly into the opening segment of The Passion of the Christ I quickly realized I had no idea what I was in for. Then again, how do you prepare for something like this?? Kim whispered to me as the lights went down, "We should have prayed."

The movie... wow. I can't begin to tell you how "well done" the film is as a piece of art. Amazing. Don't listen to anyone who says the subtitles get in the way. I didn't even "see" them after the first 5 minutes.

Emotionally, I was [and still am for the most part] a basketcase. I don't think I stopped crying once I started. (The closest I ever got to weeping like this was during Shindler's List.) The best things you can do when you see this movie are: don't go alone, and agree not to talk until you've sat through the entirity of the credits. You need that time to begin processing what you've just taken in... you may also need that time to say quite a few humble "Thank Yous" to the Lord.

I literally didn't say a word from the moment the movie began until I said goodbye to Kim at her car. All I could say as I drove home amidst misty eyes was: "Thank You.... Thank You.... Thank You.... It seems so unbelievably shallow to say that. But, that's all I have to give You right now."

:: Adam 11:03 AM link ::
::.. ..::

HERE I AM!

Wow. Sorry about that. I made my last post on Sunday, but for some reason blogger didn't refresh/publish it. hmph. So, anyway, I've been out of town (in case you didn't guess). Had a splended soul break. I'll post something about it tomorrow. I'm heading out the door for a little dinner, some coffee @ the Bou and then on to Mel Gibson's Passion (yeah, I'm bandwagonning w/ a local church who snaged 1,800 tix).

Peace and coffee...

:: Adam 5:28 PM link ::
::.. ..::

soul.break.february.04

I'm leaving this afternoon for a time of personal reflection and spiritual restoration. I call these times "soul breaks" after my pal Rob coined the phrase over a conversation seasoned with pints of Harp Lager and Bass Ale. (My soul.break.november.03 and soul.break.july.03 are also on-line.)

I'll "see" you all on Tuesday! In the meantime, check out some of the blogs I listed in my last post...

:: Adam 1:01 PM link ::
::.. ..::

Getting the word out! (deux)

Last week I asked you to send me blogs you like and that should get attention (see the post HERE). Here are a few blogs you guys mentioned that you enjoy, plus a few that I also check out but haven't added to my blogroll, yet...

Kim (Little RunOn) likes morning coffee. "In the meantime, one of my favorite blogs to read goes completely against your reason number 1 for doing this, because she spends a lot of time reflecting on her own life. But the reason I like morningcoffee.blogspot.com is because alana sees the beauty of God even in the most mundane tasks she performs as a wife and mother. I find her to be inspiring (and pretty funny)."

Melissa (Melissa's Journals from Life's Journey) digs somechristianguy because he "has some pretty thought provoking posts."

Melissa also likes finklink.

Okay, here's my list:
Theophany's Theojournal - A blog I should read more often, but tragically do not. Theo presents life as it is--raw and sometimes painful. He's had an interesting journey over the past year...

ireneQ • unravelled - She writes from personal experience, the highs/lows of the Christian journey. Great sense of humor and love for life...

maggi dawn - A blog I stumbled upon recently (because she left a post on my blog about my upcoming trip to Europe). Rev'd Dr. Maggi Dawn is an Anglican priest, and Chaplain of King's College, Cambridge, England. Some great thoughts on her site...

e~mergent kiwi (steve) - Wow. 'Nuff said. Church planter, and great emergent thinking...

Simple Complexities (Joe Boyd) - Apex Church network in LA... inside the mind of one of the leaders.

Seeking His Face (Shiela) - Mostly personal poetry, about a love for the Lord and the written word. Infrequent posts, though.

The up-the-sleeve blog (Andy) - Not sure what to think about this blog, yet. I found it recently because Andy is a student @ my undergraduate alma mater, Carson-Newman College. So... be prepared for the thoughts of a college student!

So... go check 'em out! Feel free to "nominate" more blogs. I'd like the list to continue expanding...

Peace and coffee...

:: Adam 9:20 AM link ::
::.. ..::

Da Vinci Code

Minnesota Public Radio (huge NPR affiliate) produces a segment called Speaking of Faith. Anyway, on Jan. 29 they broadcasted an interesting segment on the DaVinci Code and the increasing interest in our culture over New Testament/Early Christian works. It is pretty interesting--I listened to it online today (link provided below).

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the segment was the interview with Luke Timothy Johnson (R.W. Woodruff Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins in the Candler School of Theology at Emory University). He explains that the growing interest in spirituality in the US is narcissistic in nature--"What can this encounter do for me?"--which, is in direct contrast to Christian spirituality--"Am I encountering the Holy Other?" Likewise, Johnson criticizes the developing perception that (and I quote him): "Information is transformation... and it's not." Along these lines, the most intriguing perception he offers is commentary on the role of media in developing spirituality. He points out that most people go to a Barnes & Noble or Borders and pick up a book like DaVinci Code and accept it's syncretized history/fiction as though it were truth. He issues a challenge to all educators and churches to point out the flaw in this sort of "education."

Johnson also fields questions about the canonization of the Bible. He points out that if we choose to reinvent a standard (canon) today, our children will have nothing to base their faith on... thus we have irresponsibly reinvented history. (I should point out he refers to himself a postmodern and a premodern... thus accepting traditions/mysticism and discerning how to incorporate them into faith/life today.)

You can check out the broadcast here (you need RealOne Player): Deciphering the Da Vinci Code. For those who live in Atlanta, our NPR affiliate, WABE, will broadcast the segment tonight at 7PM.

:: Adam 1:05 PM link ::
::.. ..::

Mel Gibson is responsible for Jesus' death

And so are you and I, according to Gibson in his Primetime interview last night. However, his name spelled backwards is Nosbig Lem. Wha--?

Such was the absurd nature of Diane Sawyer's interview with Gibson last night. She would ask pertinent questions about his faith and his upcoming movie... then ask a seemingly unrelated question (i.e. questions about whether or not his dad was anti-semitic and if this has influenced Gibson--dispite Gibson saying about 6x's previously that he wasn't and loved Jewish people... even casting a Jewish lady as Mary!). Or, ABC would incorporate "experts" who intentionally held a perspective different from Gibson (come to think of it, did they interview anyone who supported or agreed with him??). All of which seemed to be distractions or diterents or methods to "prove a point." For instance, they included the ever-so-often-interviewed "Historical Jesus" founder: John Dominic Crossin. Does anyone still listen to this guy? He went on and on about how "Passion" fails to explain who Jesus was. I loved Gibson's response: (my paraphrase) "You should be able to figure it out. Unless you're some kind of martian."

Anyway, I was impressed with Gibson's interview for a few reasons:
1) His presentation of his faith. Very articulate, consistent and passionate. We've been going through a 3 week series @ Crosspointe on "evangelism" (sharing your faith). He taught me more in a 1 hr TV show about unashamedly sharing your faith than I learned from 3 messages (and I preached one of them!).
2) He's sticking to his convictions. Perhaps the most powerful thing Gibson said was related to Sawyer's question: (paraphrased) "Did anyone almost deter you from making this film?" Gibson's response was quick and calm: "No."
3) Humility. He was a broken man (spiritually and emotionally) when he found his faith in Jesus. He's willing to share that because it is his personal encounter with Jesus' love and grace.

This leads me to another thought... Gibson is doing what every "roaring lamb" should do. Using his God-given gifts and talents to "do" creative/quality work, all the while unashamedly answering questions people may have about who he is (including his faith). I admire him for sticking with the project despite many of his friends and the media harping on him about it. It's classic: "kill the messenger for the message." Perhaps many more of us would experience this very real and potent form of persecution (and, it is persecution) if we were so bold as to follow God with radical obedience. (Not that you must experience this kind of persecution in order to be a Christian or a "good" Christian... rather, it shouldn't come as a surprise to hear these stories or to experience it ourselves.)

This further convinces me that "Passion" may be a watershed experience for our society...

:: Adam 8:25 AM link ::
::.. ..::

Conspiracy Theory: February 14

This year I am even more convinced that Valentine's Day is nothing more than a world-wide conspiracy developed by women. I was hounded, drilled, shamed and hawk-eyed by numerous women this year--all of them asking: "Do you have a gift, yet?" "Do you need help planning something?" "You got her something, right??" (No joke! Even the checkout lady hounded me about flowers... despite the fact that I was purchasing flowers at that very moment!)

I felt like screaming: "Look, I've got it under control! Just because I have a beard and can't understand your 'fem-ese' language doesn't mean I'll forget Valentine's Day!" In reality I'd throw out a "yuh," and then mutter under my breath something to the effect of my previous statement. (Actually, one woman hounded me on Saturday morning [Valentine's Day] not once, but twice... not accepting my answer as evidence that I understood the gravity of the day.)

What happened? Was it a world-wide evolution of men moving from chivalry to chauvinism that caused the opposite gender to develop this bur-in-the-saddle-of-a-holiday? Perhaps some ladies were just feeling underappreciated and started valentine's day (I refuse to capitalize it any more) as a means to secure a breakfast in bed at least once-a-year. Or, maybe it's a deeper consipiracy than I first thought. Yeah. Maybe it's not a pseudo-holiday created by women after all! It's a marketing scheme created by FTD (have you seen some of their prices!?).

I guess it really doesn't matter whatever the origin of this pagan-ritualistic-pink-and-red-overkill-of-a-pseudo-holiday was. Nonetheless, I'm sure that once-a-year the real St. Valentine (if such a guy ever existed) receives mental high fives from women all over the world... all the while muttering under his breath to us men: "Hey, don't blame me! You've got four-and-a-half months of NCAA football to this one day for her! Get over it."

Then again... every 4 years we fellas get a "Sadies Hawkins Dance." Wha---??

In the meantime...
Check out this ridiculous article: 5000 couples set kissing record. (SEE!? It's a world-wide conspiracy!)

:: Adam 9:51 AM link ::
::.. ..::

Getting the word out...

Time for a community project! I got this idea from Darren (LivingRoom). Last summer he carried out a campaign to recognize 100 "underblogs" and get them out to the public. I'm proud to say that my blog was recognized as one of the 100. (It's true! Check it out here: Celebrating the Underblog - Final Entry.) Anyway, the campaign really helped get my blog out into the blogsphere, and some of you are reading this entry because you found my site that way.

So, now it's time to "pay it forward." Why?
1) I think too often bloggers get self-centered or self-focused... writing only to a selected audience or rarely mentioning other blogs. (I'm guilty of this!!)
2) Too often folks who read blogs read only a handful, rarely venturing out to read other blogs. (Mainly becasue they don't know how to find them!)

I'd like to carry out my own mini-me, rip-off, not-a-creative-bone-in-my-body campaign to recognize those blogs you and I read, and should introduce to everyone else. (I'm not sure what I'll call it yet... any suggestions?) You can already view the blogs I read the most by checking out my blogroll to the left. However, there are quite a few that I don't have linked, but check out on a semi-regular basis. I want their blogs to get out to you as well!

So, here are the "rules:"
1) Nominate a blog via my comments section below or via e-mail: provide the name of the blog and URL.
2) Provide 1-2 sentences on why you like the blog, and why anyone else should check it out.
3) Self-nominations are not permited! (They're akin to reason #1 for doing this campaign, as listed above...)

It's that simple! I'll be taking nominations throughout the weekend and plan to post a comprehensive list at the beginning of next week...

:: Adam 12:59 PM link ::
::.. ..::

Thanks. Thanks a lot. Part 2

Okay. So, I was driving down Hwy. 92 this week and saw the latest "oh my goodness" phrase on "that church's" sign:

"Be an organ doner, give your heart to Jesus!"

Despite the fact that the phrase totally minimizes the life-transforming conversion experience of "giving your heart to Jesus," it's just pathetically embarassing at the expense of attempting to be witty.

(Click HERE to see my previous Thanks. Thanks a lot. rant about "that church.")

:: Adam 1:39 PM link ::
::.. ..::

The Passion

Lots of hype about Gibson's Passion out there. I'm really interested in seeing the film, if for no other reason than that of expanding my imagination in considering Jesus' death on the cross. I've made plans to see it with both Christians and non-Christians. I believe the dialogue with my friends will be mutually beneficial and challenging. It's encouraging to see Churches all across the nation partnering with Gibson and the producers of this film. This kind of partnership/interaction with media should happen more frequently, even if the movie isn't blatently about Jesus.

:: Adam 10:31 AM link ::
::.. ..::

Art, the connection

Had an opportunity to share the message and Person of Jesus Christ with a good friend of mine this past Thursday. We were hanging @ the Metanoya Coffeehouse reading each other's poetry and viewing some of his artwork. He read a poem I had written about the crucifixion of Christ. It provided an informal and natural opening to an important conversation about what Jesus has done for all of us. A potent reminder that God can and will use anything to reach the people he died for...

:: Adam 4:57 PM link ::
::.. ..::

Europe

I'm in the midst of planning a trip to the UK with my brother. We're planning to hit it in May/June. Anyone have any tips on...
* "Must see" places
* Helpful hints or "I wish I had known this before I went over there..."
* Off-the-beaten-path spots
* Pubs, resturaunts and pubs to check out
* Resources (i.e. books, websites, etc.)

Thanks in advance for your help...

Peace and coffee, chap!

:: Adam 10:14 AM link ::
::.. ..::

Light roast

I feel like my most recent posts have been too heavy. I need to lighten up this blogsphere a bit and post some mindless stuff...

This morning I got some Columbia light roast @ the Bou. It tasted too sweet for some odd reason. Alison (one of the morning baristas; John and Marion being the other 2) kindly swapped it for some dark roast Mocha Java. And it was sooo good...

Also, I dialogued with one of my fellow AM companions @ the Bou, John, about the deadly car accident involving some teenagers from the local high school over the weekend. The student I meet with on Tuesdays shared with us his take on the grief/mourning process going on at the high school. I challenged him to consider how the Christian community can step up in the high school to be a source of hope, love and support to fellow students...

Back to John. Apparently, the Bou is displaying one of his paintings. I was much impressed. Not just with the painting, but the fact that a franchise, Caribou Coffee, would display local artwork. This just heightens my desire to open a coffeehouse someday...

Finally... I found out the other day that Caribou is owned and opperated by Saudi Arabians. Despite the fact that my $1.50 purchase of coffee may in some long-shot, random, round about way help fund some terrorist organization, I'll still be a Caribou fan... At least they aren't mobilized to take over the world like that other place...

Peace and coffee...

:: Adam 9:05 AM link ::
::.. ..::

Then there was half-time

My thoughts on the Super Bowl...

The actual game was awesome. Now, I wasn't pulling for any one team (I could care less about NFL teams), but the excitement of such a close game was worth the 4 hour investment.

Half-time was another story. For one thing, I'm definately not into the whole teen-pop stuff. So, when I heard who the half-time performers were, I was prepared to check out. But, I was totally unprepared for Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake's, uhh, "performance(?)." For one thing, I found myself looking away from the television while the two, um, danced(?) together. Then, the whole ripping off of the bra act... well, "inappropriate" doesn't even come close to describing it...

Some thoughts on it:
1) Does Janet think that'll help her image? How about her brother's? (I guess sexual peversion runs in the family?)
2) Justin~ His action reinforced 2 lies: First, that it's okay for guys to use women and do with them whatever they please. And, secondly, that the girls who idolize him now have a new desire: for their boyfriends to rip their clothing off just like Justin did to Janet.
3) Have we stooped this low as a society?? Time to read Romans 1 again...
4) Will there be any consequences for this action? Will this simply "pass on by," or will there be some sort of consequence? If there is a consequence, how is it issued and by whom? This can't go "silently into the night"... if it does, it'll just lower the bar for more peversity on network TV.
5) The half-time show from 2002 will never be topped (BONO!!), so get over it. (My opinion is that they used shock-value to try to win over the audience.)
6) Once again, good 'ole America pumped out some quality TV to the rest of the world... thus, reinforcing their opinions of us.
7) One question: "Whatever happened to entertainment?"

:: Adam 11:13 AM link ::
::.. ..::