Postmodern Renaissance Culture Revolutionary

I love comic books. I've been reading them as long as….well as long as I've been reading. I remember some of my earliest comic books were when I was in the second or third grade. And superhero comics are a big part of my collection. Yes, I collect comic books also. Spider-man has always been one of my heroes. And the Avengers were my favorite superhero team. But there is only one comic book series that I have collected almost every copy of and the accompanying toys (yes, I collect dolls….erm, action figures). When G.I. Joe hit the shelves in the early '80's, I grabbed the first copy. I still have it. Nope, it's not worth anything, so don't come looking for it. It is ripped and stained and frayed on the edges. It has no monetary value. But its condition should tell you where its value lies. I read and read that book over and over. This was not the story of G.I. Joe, the soldiers of World War 2. This was not the story of G.I. Joe, the toy soldier and adventurer ...

Yesterday morning I was out on the back porch, drinking my coffee and enjoying E. Stanley Jones. For those who are not familiar, E. Stanley Jones was a Methodist preacher and evangelist in the middle part of the 20 th Century. He was also what may be considered a prolific devotional writer. I am currently collecting and reading through his writings. Most of ESJ's writings were devotional books that were structured to be read completely through (and could be done in one sitting…if you were only reading in a shallow manner), read thematically (he broke the writings into themed sections and not chapters), or daily (each page gives a daily reference). As a frame of reference, think about the Upper Room devotional or Our Daily Bread. Only chewier. What I mean by chewier is that ESJ wrote some real serious thinking and introspective material. He was writing for life change, not just simple devotion. He wasn't trying to give people a brief "time with God" kind of moment. He...

In February and March I asked the Turpin congregation for questions. This is a practice I started where I get questions from the church and then preach on the subjects of their questions. I have been working on them from March until now. This week I will begin to answer those questions. The first series will be Tithes, Taxes, and Tips. We will examine the biblical subject of tithing and what that means for modern followers of Christ. The question that sparked this series was: Do you go with 10% of your gross income or do you give to Caesar and then tithe on that? Here are the other sermon series that I will be preaching based on the questions that I received. Do pets go to heaven? - what happens to our beloved companions Stereotypical or stereotyped Christians - how do we respond to being lumped together The Return of the King - what does the 2nd coming mean and when will it happen Mysteries of Genesis - creation, Cain's wife, Nephilim, Tower of Babel, Sodom and Gomorrah Faith in F...

So I'm back with absolutely nothing enlightening to say. Or do I??? Annual Conference is the most frustrating and most rewarding most-of-a-week I have every year. It is frustrating because of the amount of 0 interactivity that is involved. Come on. I'm a web geek and RPG computer gamer. I don't like the complete lack of interactivity. I know that the stories and progress reports are signature feature of the conference experience. But there is so much sitting and listening that I lose all sense of reality. But AC is also the most rewarding because we there is interactivity, it is usually lively conversation about pressing topics with good friends and colleagues. I've seen conferences where factionalism reigned supreme. I have seen people eye each other with skepticism and a lack of charity. But I try to avoid those circles of interaction. Instead I look for chances where people of differing opinion and world view can sit down and really express their opinions with respec...

There are some days when the past just haunts your every move. Today it is music. I've been wandering around the house with old favorite country CD's in the stereo, '80's metal hair bands on VH1 Classic, and now this. This is Ralph Macchio doing for guitar music what he did for karate and the martial arts in "The Karate Kid". This from "Crossroads", an excellent movie about a Julliard-trained guitar prodigy who wants nothing more than to be blues guitarist. This is the climactic guitar duel scene.

Lisa's Dad died at about 7:30 April 1st. His funeral will be Monday at 10:00 at 1st United Pentecostal Church in Ada, OK.

Lisa's dad, Marvin, is in serious condition. He had quadruple bypass surgery about 4 weeks ago in Oklahoma City. Since then, he has remained in ICU. His current condition seems to be multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. He is having problems across many of his bodies systems. His heart is not operating properly, he is on dialysis because his kidney's are not functioning, his lungs are not processing oxygen into his cells, and the doctors are claiming he also has leukemia. There is fear that his brain functions have been compromised as well. The doctors are not confident about any reversal. They wanted the family informed of how serious Marvin's condition truly is. Lisa's mom, Lois, also needs prayer. She does not handle a crisis well. Lisa is struggling emotionally and spiritually. She is currently at the hospital and we don't know when she will come back home. Our desire is that Marvin will be blessed with a miracle. He needs an intervention and we hope for God...

What would you get if Jesus was the Good Shepherd and meant it in a techno-junkie way:

As part of the preaching series on life, death, heaven, and the Resurrection the subject of the Rapture became quite the conversation starter. As part of that conversation, we had a talk-back debate one Wednesday night. Here is the audio of that conversation.

There are just some songs that need to be spoofed: It's not that I hate Carrie Underwood. I just like fishing more.

The world is probably now well aware of the passing of the Stimulus Bill. That bill will be heading to the President's desk with all expediency. Hmmmm. That word reminds me of something. What was it? Oh yes, I remember now. As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man -- a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience sake. These were words spoken by President Obama upon his inauguration. The words struck me as biting and cutting to the outgoing President at the time. They were words meant to point at the decisions of President Bush to restrict freedoms to preserve security. But now those words strike me as being hollow and devoid of meaning or substance. This stimulus bill has been pushed, at break neck speed, through th...