on fasting

this lent i have chosen to forgo fried foods. so far it has definitely been a physical blessing. by the simple fact that there is no fried fatty goo going into my body. however, today was especially hard. the office had fast food for lunch. not altogether uncommon given the variable of time crunch that can happen in the business of dealing with people. as i smelled the unmistakable wafting scent of french (i mean freedom) fries my heart sank. and then i remembered the point of fasting. to stop and pray. to remember. sacrifice of our God. it in no way compares to french fries. but it represents so much more. fasting is an action of willing giving up something that we would often take for granted in our lives in order for self discipline and to bring glory to God. so may we remember and pray that God would be glorified in all we do.

red letter here to stay

Tony Campolo, a long time Christian teacher and political activist made an awaited appearance on the Colbert Report last night.  It was a great appearance for Christians in a place where relevance and acceptance in love is needed.  I am attempting to embed the video feed here.  So we shall see how it works.
A while back, in Feb of 2006, I was able to attend the National Pastor's Convention in San Diego California.  While there, I got to be a part of several sessions with Tony Campolo.  Red Letter Christians are those people who believe in making the 'red letters' or the words that Christ spoke, a reality in our world.  They are for non-violence, grace, the environment, and typically just making our lives and world better as they seek to follow after Christ.  While I wasn't sure that this was separate from 'normal Christians', I am a fan of the active political role they are wanting to have.  What do you think?

For video click HERE

Super Week!

As an avid Giants fan.  Those who know me are highly encouraging this week - the first full week in Feb.  Think about it?  The New York Football Giants are in the big game.  In just a few hours they will kick off and attempt the impossible - defeat the "undefeated" New England Patriots.  Now, we all know that nothing good can come from New England.  Nothing.  It's much worse than Nazareth.  Remember the Salem Witch Trials?  Samuel Adams? [I guess we can make exceptions for things like the great Bambino and Roger Clemens - though he started in Toronto, which is a whole other country]  Anyway, this week is Super Week for many reasons.

Yesterday was Groundhog's day. And yes there will be six more weeks of winter.  But it was also my sister's 27th birthday and my dad's 50th birthday!  So, first we celebrate groundhog's day and six more weeks of winter, my old man and sister getting old - then the team of all teams in the Super Bowl today.  However, if that wasn't enough... on Tuesday we will celebrate Super Tuesday were the tightest primary campaign in history is taking place.  The week is capped off with my own birthday before all is said and done.  So as I sit here on my back patio in the 77 degree winter weather I am forced to endure, I believe this week is indeed super.

Did you know people pay $90,000 per second of ad time during the Super Bowl?  Suppose there was a total of one full hour of ad time. [most likely a conservative number]  It adds up to $324 Million.  With that same amount of money 900,000 children could be fed for an entire year.  Of which, statistically, all will be dead within just over a month.  Sobering to know that this team and game of which I love seems to have surpassed the ability to be 'larger than life'.

On a lighter note, I now have a new website for my old blog.  It's in the process of being redone, but you are welcome to check it out HERE.

state of the nationals

if you missed the state of the union address, you missed not a whole lot.  at least, not compared to last years address.  i am purposely not capitalizing this post out of sheer laziness, of which is a tribute to the non action taken by congress over the last year.  you may have missed that i am a contributor at a community blog...  for my latest post, click here.  there are several things that should probably be addressed in politics.  however, i will re-watch the speech before i give all of my commentary about it.  there are just a few things that need to be spoken of now.  

1. just like the major league baseball team the nationals, washington politics are broken.  why do i say this?  clearly the agenda and promises that the president gave to us eight years ago and even four years ago - have not come true.  now this may be because not often do the promises ever come true... but, i think it is because we cannot come together as a group of people that have not only divided interests, but selfish interest, earmarked interest, and so much more.  in our church we are working on  coming together as a community to impact and change not only our own lives, but the very community and world around us.  what we realized, i would potentially like to take to a national level - we don't make change or affect our world unless we come together in what the scripture calls koinonia.  koinonia means literally, 'fellowship' but it it much deeper and richer than that.  it is translated in other places as sharing, partnership, and communion, but implied in other places throughout rabbinic literature as coming together, common goals, for the good of all, marriage relationship and others.  is it possible to actually come together like this as a body of people on the national level?

2. what is it that makes is two party?  the categories for democrat and republican no longer work for a new generation of people who realize that the polarization of the parties only lead to further breakdown of politics in general.  will we add a party to make it a three party system?  can we overcome labels and party agendas to the betterment of everyone.  did you see that majority of the time only half of the chamber where the speech was held stood to applaud?  it was the republican side in case you couldn't figure that out.  still, several people on both sides stood on several issues.  we all stand as americans... can we not do that in congress?

much more to come.  

the force is with them

While I had originally set out today to post some material on Martin Luther King and the fact that I pray the Rosary, instead  the topic will be something in the news:

Two guys in Wales [lets just call it England's Canada] are starting a brand new church - The Church of the Jedi.  Since my own church background is in The Church of the Nazarene, any church that puts 'of the' in their name has to be interesting.  This is no different.  Robes, the mete-chlorians floating about - it makes perfect sense... actually, more sense than scientology.  Did I mention that Tom Cruise just got a Scientology award?  Wait, we are talking about Jedi.  Don't get me wrong.  I fully believe that Samuel L. Jackson is completely a part of a religious right that have power over minds and can will the world with their awesome 'one-ness' with everything.  Even snakes on planes.  It just seems as though we have no sense of balance with this.  Is Scientology going to become the church for the Dark Side of the force?  Will people actually be given light sabers?  It is just all to much to take in on this glorious day.

In all reality though, I have to say that I did and do like Star Wars as stories.  There are some serious parallels from scripture and a story of good and evil that has likely never quite been duplicated.  It is even fascinating to our creative sides, titillating to my synapses.  Still, we have come to the point in a ever relative world where there is little left to protect as sacred.  Now we have a church of the Jedi.  We make movies out of our religion, why not make religions out of our movies?  What is it that truly allows us to take reality this far?  What grounds us?  Can we continue to take organized religion seriously?  I believe we need to be grounded in relationships.  Religious beliefs of all kinds are held by people who see themselves as part of a new reality found in that religion.  Philosophically and psychologically it might be more of a cultural and situation understand than a true change of heart.  As a Christian, or a person who follows after Christ, I believe that there is a substantial difference in the practical message of Christ who asks us to tear down the walls of insiders and outsiders to create a reality known as the Kingdom of God.  It IS different than a 'religion.'  It IS a reality that can be lived out here and now as the commands of Jesus and teachings of Jesus are taken to the streets.  Why are there so many different understandings of Jesus?  Religion has gotten in the way.  Religion has also helped advance Jesus' teachings.  It's a fine line.  

So I ask that we see the beauty in people who want to be unified in the force.  And beauty in religion.  Most of all, beauty in relationships with people that help us bring about a better here and now.

For more on the Church of the Jedi click HERE.

if that didn't work: news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/7200531.stm

cravings, meetings, and cold

Today has been a different day for me.  First of all, I met several people that rocked my world - in the sense that I can be excited about my work through them all over again.  It is interesting to me that though I didn't get my morning java this morning - I didn't crave it.  We all crave something, for me its usually coffee.  However, today - like I said before - was different.  Perhaps, it was who I met while in district meetings.  My hope is to start contribute to a group of people who are an emergent group of people in Fort Worth Texas.  It starts with Pastors Michael and Amy Scarlett.  They are fantastic people who actually want to live out what they believe and it is so refreshing to me.  Most meetings, especially ones that are required are a drag.  This type of meeting is no different... it's usually sit around for several hours only to be in a meeting some ten minutes.  While that drives me crazy in the efficiency department, the company seemed to pass the time without me even realizing that it had gone by.  In the mix of the day is the bitter cold that has seemed to possess Fort Worth in the past few days.  I am not a cold weather person if there is wind.  There is always some sort of wind here - so try wind with below zero temperature - not fun.  So, what can take some of the drag away from cold and meetings - new friends that refresh attitudes.  Meet someone new today.