LifePointe and U.S. Ain't So Bad, After all...

Anyone who claims Christianity has to many rigid rules is, with all due respect, nuts!

Has anyone been following the case in the Sudan of the British school teacher who let her class name their Teddy Bear mascott? The kids chose "Muhammed" (after a popular student in class), and subsequently, the teacher was arrested for "insulting" Muhammed, a major offense in those "advanced" countries.

She could have recieved 6 mths in prison and 40 lashes, but luckily only recieved 15 days and then will be deported. Unfortunatelty, the "enlightened" and forgiving people of The Sudan have been protesting outside the jail for days demanding her execution. Her execution over the naming of a Teddy Bear.

A little lesson on the Sudan. It has had militaristic, Islamic based governments since Britain left in 1956. There have been numerous conflicts within the borders over the past 4 decades, including the most recent one in 2003 which killed 400,000 in Darfur. The borders are so strongly guarded that humanitarian aid cannot get in. Khartoum is the capital of this largest African nation. They can't plant anything because of the eroded terrain and massive droughts, and they can't hunt because they have killed off every species native to the country. 400,000 citizens live with AIDS, and 23,000 die annually from it. Unemployment is over 18%, and over 40% live in poverty. Human trafficking is a huge industry in this country, with young boys kidnapped and taken to neighboring nations as camel jockeys (no joke), and young girls sold as sex slaves.

But right now, their biggest issue is with a British school teacher who let a group of 6 year olds name a teddy bear "Muhammed."

Makes Christianity look like a piece of cake, huh?

LifePointe Media Guy Mourns Evel

Evel Knievel was everything that was the 70's.

He was daring. He was fearless. He was foolish. He was the definition of excess.

Now, he is dead.

He was a symbol of what was great about this country. Danger. Fearlessness. All out showmanship.

He was what boys wanted to be.

He was what girls dreamed of.

He was Evel.

If you were born after 1970, you won't get it. But if you were blessed to be born before 1970, you understand.

The failed jump over Snake River Canyon.

The jump over the fountains at Caesars Palace (leaving him in a coma for 29 days).

And, the jump over 14 Greyhound Buses at King's Island.

He's in Guiness for breaking the most bones in the human body.

And, he's burned in our memories forever.

The best memory of all? When he accepted Christ with Robert Schuler. The Video Is posted to the right....please watch it.

Evel, we barely knew ya...but we knew enough. You will be missed.

LifePointe: a LifeRaft

Judd Nelson, Speedos and Klingon Christmas wishes aside, I gotta tell you...LifePointe is becoming a big liferaft for me.

I always get in Jamey's stuff about taking up all my time with church junk...Sunday service, sunday baptisms, Starting Pointe, Lifegroups, other classes, Staff meetings and misc lunches. But the truth is, it's not the LifePointe junk that's the burden. It's all of the other crap in life.

There are very few people I know that walk up to me and say "My job makes me the happiest person in the world." And even less can say to me "You know, every single person I deal with on a daily basis brings complete joy to my life."

Then add the other stuff: bills, yardwork, traffic, rooting for crappy teams (i.e. Bengals, Reds, Notre Dame, etc), bad weather, medical problems, death, walking the dogs/cats/turtles/ferrets, etc., politics, the nightly news, and brussel sprouts.

All those things (and more) combined really, truly stink! It comes down to one thing, and one thing only...

Life is hard. God is easy.

If it wasn't for the hours and hours of stuff every week Jamey packs into my schedule (including the occassional book he makes me read), I'd probably be looking for a cliff to jump off of. Thank "You Know Who" for LifePointe.

How do people that don't spend all the time they can volunteering, serving, being in Lifegroups and fellowshipping with everyone else at LifePointe, survive? I truly don't mean for this to be a commercial for Louisville's coolest church...but it is. Live with it!

Now, pardon me while I practice pushing the spacebar for this week's service.

LifePointe Media Guy May Have New Job!

Well, so far, the poll shows that you people believe I should become a Speedo Model. It's the obvious choice...everyone knows how much I love beach volleyball and sand between my toes.

Above are the three choices of Speedo swimwear that I am deciding upon should that be the winning job.

I believe any of the above choices are a win-win for all involved!

Judd and Stuff....an d LifePointe?

The year was 1985. LifePointe Church Wasn't Even a Dream.

I belonged to a generation that was just coming into it's own. Disco was dead and buried. The Glam bands and pop idols of the 80's were now in control of the air waves. Rumors had it that our massive tape collections were going to be replaced by mini-records called cd's (fat chance!). New Coke was p***ing people off. Member's Only was the jacket to wear. I had a new collection of OP clothes (Ocean Pacific). Crockett and Tubbs were shuttin' down the bad dudes. And in movies like the Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire, Judd Nelson was showing us that our unchanneled angst could be put to good use by stickin' it to the man.

Why Judd Nelson today? Well I just noticed he turned 48 today. And why does that mean anything to me?

I was 20 years old in '85. Judd was cool (yet creepy at the same time). He was that loner with an attitude. That "Ends Justifies The Means" guy. That "I Can Be A Jerk And Still Get The Babes" guy. He was that guy. And I wanted to be him for a brief time during that year.

Flash forward 22 years. I see his birthday announcement and suddenly realize "Holy Cow! He's 48 years old! In 6 days, I'll be 42! Our 20-something angst has turned into near middle-aged apathy! Aaaaaaarrrggghhhh! (A Charlie Brown reference).

It's just one of those moments when you're own mortality slaps you in the face. Then backhands you, and re-slaps you. Then sucker punches you in the gut, finishing off with a flying roundhouse.

They say you're only as old as you feel. But then they say "Act your age." I'm so confused! Which one is it?!?

Well Judd...I don't know how old you feel. And, I don't know if you're acting your age. However, i do know this: I was doing okay until I saw it was your Birthday.

Thanks alot, Judd.

Now, excuse me while I go to my room to listen to my mix tape of Flock Of Seagulls love ballads. Alone.

A Klingon Christmas Message From Kang....

nuqneH . qaStaH nuq? qaleghneS. tlhIngan Hol Dajatlh'e'?

Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam! ghIj qet jaghmeyjaj.

pot'hbe'chug yay qatlh p"eghlu'. Duj HvoqtaH. Cha Jamey Toh'gah-nah lo Pre'tOk.

DaHjajaj QaQ Daghajjaj. toDwI'maj qoSyItIvqu'.

Qapla'!

(Man...I need to dork it down a few notches!)

30 Days and Out

So some people get bored.

Apparently, when a person changes jobs avery 30 days or so, there seems to be a "stigma" attached to him. Some would say he has A.D.D. Others would say he has no committment. Still others say "He must just suck at everything!"

I would say " Hey...maybe this person just happens to be so brilliant that he gets everything he can out of a particular job in 30 days, and feels like the mission is accomplished!"

Truth is, who really knows why a new job appears on this particular resume every month? It could be any of a dozen different reasons. In fact, one of the greatest icons of the 50's/60's based his greatness on job jumping ("The Great Impostor").

The only thing that really hurts is when the staff of a certain church (get the Pointe?) runs a pool on what day of the month will be his last day on the job. Well, as long as the winner tithes the winnings, I guess it's okay.

Now, I have to go. I've got a date with Monster.com.