Monday, March 31, 2008

The Power of the Gospel...

Check out these facts as they scroll across the screen, then listen to the challenge issued by Tony Campolo to me and to you:
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The original video has been taken down. It scrolled numbers about the billions of dollars spent on church "stuff" by Christians, compared to how much it would cost to end hunger, and disease on our planet. This was followed by a sobering challenge by Tony Campolo for Christ followers to stop living like an image of the culture around us, and to really follow Christ by investing our money into better choices. In the absence of that video, I can at least offer this video of the song:
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It's Friday ... But Sunday's Comin'

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Jesus Christ, Superstar 2000 Trailer

The rock opera, Jesus Christ, Superstar is a powerful piece of art based on the last seven days of Christ before his crucifixion. This intro to a "Making of..." video is included on the DVD I recently purchased. I think it serves as an excellent trailer for the show itself:

Monday, March 10, 2008

Three Laws

After living a few years and pondering on this universe we find ourselves immersed in, I've decided there are three great laws at work here and much of what we're about is learning to deal with these.

The first Law is the Law of Chance. Stuff happens. Much of it is beyond our control. Earthquakes shake, accidents occur, and you or your loved one just happens to be on the wrong street corner the morning someone with a 45 cal. weapon goes postal. It's awful. It forces us to realize how far we are from being in control. The bible says somewhere that "time and circumstance happens to everyone" (I'll find this and post it later)...

The second Law is the Law of Consequence. We actually do have some small control in some areas of life. Pretty much this is limited to that realm we each occupy called "the self." That's were my little kingdom pretty much begins and ends - yours too. So, because I do have authority over how I think, what I do, when and how I do it, I also have to be responsible for the outcomes. The Consequences. If I do a crappy job of building my house, it'll probably fall down sooner rather than later. If I treat people around me poorly, I'll probably have fewer and fewer people around me - or vice versa. The choice is mine.

The third Law is the Law of Love. This is the over-riding, and most powerful law. It always trumps the first two. It's the law that allows us to live in a world of happenstance and not go nuts worrying about it - and recovering and growing even when "bad things happen." This is the law that provides for God's grace towards me and you, and likewise our grace towards one another. It's the law that releases us from the tyranny of an eye-for-an-eye justice that leaves the whole world blind. It's the only hope ultimately that the human race has for any kind of future that we'd actually want to live in. It is the law that Jesus came to make more evident, although like the other two laws, it has always been in effect.

Or so I believe.