Archive | January, 2008

An Inspiring Message

26 Jan

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to hear Max Lucado preach at Southeast Christian Church. I’ve read several of his books, plus a daily devotional and a Bible Study on Jesus. But, I had never heard him speak.

I like Lucado for several reasons. The first one is simple. Lucado has this ability to create word pictures. To give you an idea of what I mean, I have included an excerpt from “A Gentle Thunder” below. Take a look…

Come and see the pierced hand of God touch the most common heart, wipe the tear from the wrinkled face, and forgive the ugliest sin. Come and see. He avoids no seeker. He ignores no probe. He fears no search. Come and see.

Lucado also has this ability to take a complex theology and teach it simply. This past Sunday he shared what his favorite verse in the Bible is. Most can recite it without the help of Scripture. It’s John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Lucado then asked a question. “What’s your favorite word in that verse?” Love? Eternal? One and only? His favorite word was “whoever”. He went on to explain that God has a whoever policy. And we can see this policy reinforced throughout Scripture.

…whoever confesses and renounces (sins) finds mercy. – Proverbs

“Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. – Matthew

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life… – John

Whoever means the invitation is open to all. Gender does not matter. Race does not matter. Status does not matter. Salvation is available to whoever you are, however you are; wherever you are; and whenever you are.

It was a good reminder that we are all equally human. We are all equally unworthy. And, we are all equally able to believe. The choice is ours.

The Good News

14 Jan

I got my car back early! Hooray!! I thought they had added a reflector, making the bumper extra shiny. Well, I went back and looked at the pictures of my old bumper and as it turns out, the reflector was always there. Apparently, I just needed to wash my car. Ah ha ha ha!!

Now that I have my car, I probably won’t be watching as many movies. Well, that’s not true. The only reason I won’t be watching as many movies is because American Idol is premiering on Tuesday. These are happy times. Speaking of American Idol, I sang karaoke for three hours one night last week. American Idol may be in my future. My roommate may think otherwise. Haha…whatever!

…if you’d like to submit a karaoke request, simply leave a comment below. I’ll let you know once your dedicated song has been posted on YouTube.

Mr. Brooks

6 Jan

I watched a movie today. I have time now that I don’t have a car and am stuck at home. It’s a rough life, I know.

Anyway, Mr. Brooks stars Kevin Costner, William Hurt and Demi Moore. I’m sure there are other recognizable stars I could mention, but I’m not going to.

It’s an action-filled drama about a serial killer/man of the year (Costner) and a soon-to-be divorced detective/millionaire who won’t rest until all her cases are solved (Moore). Hurt plays Costner’s alter ego…you know, the one that’s constantly encouraging murder from the back seat. The premise was less than original and yet I found the film to be intriguing at times and it kept me engaged for over two hours, which is always an accomplishment for my A.D.D. mind.

I found myself liking Mr. Brooks (typically I’m not a fan of Costner). But, I guess I’m drawn to folks who out-smart everyone. So, perhaps that was a cheap trick on the writer’s part. The scenes between Costner and Hurt were interesting. It was a not-so-subtle reminder of how crazy Mr. Brooks really was! I was annoyed by it at first, but then the two of them grew on me.

I didn’t really understand Moore’s character. There was just too much going on with her. We find out that she’s extremely wealthy and yet she’s opted to be a cop. She’s in the middle of a divorce. A convict (aka The Hangman) has escaped from prison and is after her…for putting him away, of course. Oh and she’s tracking the Thumbprint Killer. In the end, all things are loosely tied together. But, it was a bit of a stretch.

Speaking of a stretch…the other thing that bothered me was the fact that serial killing is apparently genetic. We find out halfway through the film that Mr. Brook’s daughter has dropped out of school not because she’s pregnant, but because she’s killed someone with a hatchet. Hmm.

BUT, even after the ridiculous plot twists, I still liked it. I almost can’t explain it. Like I said before, I’m usually not a fan of Costner. But this role worked for him. Perhaps it’s because you have to be emotionless to be a serial killer. So his mono-tone script reading made his character believable. I don’t know.

It’s worth a look.

My New Year’s Resolution

4 Jan

So, I’ve never really done the whole new year’s resolution thing…but I’ve decided to give it a try. Why? Well, I was inspired by the Christmas gift that I gave my mom.

SO WHAT’S MY RESOLUTION?

I have given up Diet Coke. I realized…after much self reflection (one of my favorite things to do)…that I drink too much of it. Caffeine plus artificial sweetener can’t be good. My day begins with massive amounts of coffee, as I’ve already discussed in a previous post. By afternoon I’m ready for my next fix…this time, Diet Coke. And by dinner I reload again. It’s sickening.

Not only am I consuming alarming amounts of caffeine, I can’t help but think about all of the other chemicals I’m ingesting. Seriously, it’s artificially blackened water, filled with synthetic chemicals. Gross! Anyone familiar with the ole artificial sweetener called Aspartame? I’ve read some reports on toxicity caused by Aspartame and quite frankly, they’re disturbing. Symptoms involve memory loss, loss of vision, loss of coordination, depression, anxiety, fatigue and the list goes on! Some even think it causes cancer.

That was enough for me. I’m going to try to give up artificial sweetener altogether. Aspartame, like I said, has been the first to go. Splenda (or sucralose) may be next. Reports aren’t as alarming…but there are some conspiracies out there. I’m not convinced Splenda is a “healthy” alternative.

There’s always Mountain Dew…I hear that contains orange juice.

…okay, maybe I’ll just stick to water.

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