Read Immediately

This may be one of the most awesome things I've ever read.  Read this immediately:


"The Alot Is Better Than You at Everything."

This kid is pretty slick.

Anyone else think he's maybe got some Nickel Creek influences in there?

Kyiv Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

Дуже хороше ранковий!


Or, for all you non-Ukrainians, Good Morning!


Yesterday, we had the distinct privilege of listening to the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and later, over 30 families in our church hosted the 80 person orchestra and chorus and their staff.  They travel on tour for two months, raising money for the Music Mission Kyiv, which ministers the widows and orphans of the great city of Kyiv, Ukraine, along with many professional musicians who call Kyiv home.  Check out the promotional video for more info.



The Ukraine has a tremendous artistic tradition, with some of the best opera and ballet houses and music conservatories in the world.  To hear some of their professional musicians in our own church home was an honor. God has blessed this particular company richly, as they are constantly invited to primarily Muslim counties to sing many of these great classical works, which are often based on Biblical texts.  Bach's "Magnificat," for example, is based on the early chapters of Luke!

The Kyiv Symphony and Orchestra performing in the Ukraine.

In a word, the concert itself was...magnificent.  I think I often forget the great majesty music can evoke when proclaiming the glory of God.  From their opener of "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" to Beethoven's "Halleluiah" to previewing some of their Christmas music in "O Holy Night," their voices filled the whole place, swelling to grand crescendos that reverberated in every pew and wall. It was truly majestic.  This is not to discredit most church worship services today, but it was certainly nice to be reminded the majesty that can be found in music.  After intermission, they changed to the tone a bit, singing some Ukrainian folk music, American folk, and then getting down with Benny Goodman, who was in fact, Ukrainian! 


That night, we hosted four of the chorus and one staff member of the organization, and they were some of the lovliest people I have ever met.  So kind and despite some language barriers, so easy to talk too.  It was such a blessing to be apart of their ministry for this one night and to know them.  I do hope to stay in touch.


By the way, if you'd like to brush up on your Ukrainian, that greeting above would sound like "DOH-bry RAN-ook" in English. :)


Here are some more links with more information:
http://www.musicmissionkiev.org/index.cfm


http://www.kievsymphonytour2010.org/  When you check this link out, check out the Sample Music and scroll until you get to "Hallelujah." 


You won't be disappointed.

How Crazy Is This?

"Jesus' saves Broward storekeeper from a robbery," The Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/30/1753002/jesus-saves-a-storekeeper-from.html

3D Sidewalk Art

These are pretty slick.  I saw one once last year, and it was pretty darn impressive.

http://news.cnet.com/2300-1023_3-10004269.html?tag=mncol

NCAA Football 11

I LOVE that Timmy is on the cover of the latest college football game.

Jesse Jackson. Sigh.

so...remember the time Jesse Jackson was ridiculous?



http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5372266



Wow. Really?  Now, I'm not saying Gilbert spoke with a lot of class or even made a whole lot of sense in his rant (it seems like hell will be hosting a fleet of ice dancers before the Cavs get a championship before James).  But...a slave mentality?  Really?  I suppose, Mr. Jackson, that you'll just lump the rest of Cleveland in with Gilbert, huh?  Since you know, I don't think any Cavs fan, black or white, will be welcoming back for a visit with open arms...


Just FYI, here is a much more articulate look at James' situation, from a rather good sports analyst I read from time to time.


I wonder if Gilber has a case for slander here...


(p.s. on a personal note...if I've spent at least $80 on a jersey, chances are I'm not going to burn it.)

Grammar Nazis

Ah, this resonates strongly with the English teacher in me. Avoiding dangling modifiers can save lives!

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Etched in Time

So this fella, George Vlosich, makes portraits out of Etch-A-Sketches. That's right, I said Etch-A-Sketches. And not the kind I made as a kid, in which something like this here on the right would have been shooting for the moon.

Nope, this guy makes honest-to-goodness works of art:






Apparently you can get your own for only $525!

http://www.gvetchedintime.com/

How Fun!

From the Rutherford Institute:

http://www.rutherford.org/articles_db/press_release.asp?article_id=827

Soooo...promoting virginity is offensive... wow.

Finally.

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

Thank heavens for satire. Very funny. But too often true.

Pure Genius.

How cool/smart is this?

2010 NFL Draft

So apparently Denver's Josh McDaniels is a guy who values character. As a "quarterback guru," all eyes will be on him as he's good-and-well staked his career on his 1st round, 25th pick of Tim Tebow.

And it's a nice bonus to see that Timmy will still be wearing orange and blue. Love.

Read one article at ESPN here.

Panel Discussion on Brian McLaren at SBTS

21 Accents

This is pretty darn impressive.  Much thanks to my student Josh for the heads up!


21 Accents, Amy Walker

Wake Up Call

How about this for a wake up call?

Two articles by Robert Samuelson, who apparently tries to stay so objective that he doesn't vote in elections.  Not voting at all is not where I would fall, but I appreciate the attempt at impartiality.  Samuelson writes for the Washington Post and for Newsweek, among other major papers, primarily about business and economics.

All that said, the first article chronicles the "mirage" that has become the health care issue/debate.  Samuelson notes several claims by proponents of "universal health care" and with evidence, debunks these claims.  The naysayer might say, "How irrelevant!  Universal health care isn't on the table!  Just the public option! That's all!"  To which I would cock an eyebrow and ask just how closely said naysayer has been following this debate at all.

The second article is more of a gut-check, as it highlights China's growing "stash."  A $2.4 trillion stash to be exact.  So...yeah.

Good thing I believe in the sovereignty of God, no matter what happens.  Otherwise, I would be having a slight panic attack....  Instead, I'm just going to read this cartoon.

Totally. Creepy.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=37339934.

What's worse is that it sold out.  That's right, SOLD OUT.

Sigh.

Tebow's Super Bowl Ad

I've been meaning to write about this for some time now, but just haven't had a chance.  In honor of the big game tomorrow, the topic, is of course, all the controversy of Tim Tebow's appearance in what is apparently a pro-life, Focus on the Family-sponsored ad during the Super Bowl.  If you've read any of my previous posts, you will probably (and correctly) assume that I am in no way a supporter of abortion on demand.  I believe that as soon as the sperm meets the egg, life begins.  If you want to get really technical, I'd even say that that particular life began in the mind of God, well before that sperm and egg ever met. But I digress.


I realize that topic like abortion cuts deep into the recesses of people's core beliefs, and that passions inflame on either side when the topic is brought up.  So, I'm not surprised that Tebow's ad would bring up such controversy.  This is America, and people are free to believe AND say whatever they like, no matter what side of the fence you fall on.


Except, of course, when it comes to the National Organization for Women (NOW).  Since news of the ad broke, NOW has aggressively been attacking CBS and pressuring them to not air the ad, since, you know, the women of NOW have apparently never heard of a little thing the framers of the Constitution called the 1st Amendment.  I know I must sound casual as I write this, but believe me when I say that when I first heard NOW's response to this situation, my blood boiled.  I was furious.


How dare NOW presume to think that they have the market cornered on what women in America want.  How dare they.  In fact, I even believe that much of NOW's extreme view of feminism not only hampered but also severely damaged the actual liberation of women.  And so, what, because I disagree with NOW, I apparently have the mental capacities of a four year old?  Or am I just some backwoods, fundamentalist-carrying on hick.  Or maybe, JUST maybe, NOW isn't as "pro-choice" as they claim.  Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post has a really engaging, rather objective take on this matter.  In this past Tuesday's post, she writes:

"Tebow's 30-second ad hasn't even run yet, but it already has provoked "The National Organization for Women Who Only Think Like Us" to reveal something important about themselves: They aren't actually "pro-choice" so much as they are pro-abortion. Pam Tebow has a genuine pro-choice story to tell. She got pregnant in 1987, post-Roe v. Wade, and while on a Christian mission in the Philippines, she contracted a tropical ailment. Doctors advised her the pregnancy could be dangerous, but she exercised her freedom of choice and now, 20-some years later, the outcome of that choice is her beauteous Heisman Trophy winner son, a chaste, proselytizing evangelical."

She goes on to say that

"Pam Tebow and her son feel good enough about that choice to want to tell people about it. Only, NOW says they shouldn't be allowed to. Apparently NOW feels this commercial is an inappropriate message for America to see for 30 seconds, but women in bikinis selling beer is the right one. I would like to meet the genius at NOW who made that decision. On second thought, no, I wouldn't."

The article is well-written, and she makes a point that I made several posts ago - that sports needs a lot more Tebows, 

"Collegians who are selfless enough to choose not to spend summers poolside, but travel to impoverished countries to dispense medical care to children, as Tebow has every summer of his career. Athletes who believe in something other than themselves, and are willing to put their backbone where their mouth is. Celebrities who are self-possessed and self-controlled enough to use their wattage to advertise commitment over decadence."

You know what the kicker is?  Sally Jenkins herself is pro-choice.  But at least she's honest enough to recognize the hypocrisy that NOW perpetuates with every attack on CBS with this matter and similar.  NOW, if you are so offended, you know what you should do? 


MAKE YOUR OWN FLIPPING AD.   


I have several more thoughts about this matter in particular and the pro-life/pro-choice debate in general.  But, for the sake of at least an appearance of brevity, I'll address those later and leave with this:

Seriously, NOW, quit yapping about people celebrating life and make an ad opposing it, since that's what you're really advocating, and since, you know, you have every Constitutional right to do that.  And even though I disagree with you, I support your right to do so, a luxury you won't give others.  And hey, while you're at it, would you do something about all the Super Bowl ads that objectify women and have them strutting around in next to nothing just to sell a big of chips? Oh wait, what's that you say?  You don't mind that?  So much for liberation.

Surprise, surprise.

For further reading,another engaging and objective article by a pro-choice journalist:
"The Abortion Distortion: Just how pro-choice is America, really?" 

By Jennifer Senior, 

Published Nov 29, 2009

Scary Clown

Funniest. Commercial.  Ever.

One of My Favorites...

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
   whose trust is in the Lord.
He is like a tree planted by water,
   that sends out its roots by the stream
and does not fear when heat comes,
   for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
   for it does not cease to bear fruit.
- Jeremiah 17:7-8 (ESV)

Avatar Plot Draft - Spoiler Alert!

Courtesy of Nikki Finke at www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com. Heh.

Drew Barrymore Interview

I came across this clip the other day, and I had apparently forgotton how funny Will Ferrell can be.  It made me giggle.

As We Walk Through the Valley

A friend recently raised a discussion about 2009: If you had the choice, would you do it all over again, just the way it was? Or, are you just glad to be rid of it?

The question runs deep. As Christians, we are promised trials in this world, and we can rest in the promise that our Savior has overcome the world (John 16:33). And though we may believe the truth in that verse, though we may have intellectually assented to the truth in that verse, the hurt and pain resulting from the trials we face is not necessarily diminished. We know what it means to feel sorrow in the loss of a loved one, heartache from a rift with a friend, fear in the face of the unknown.

As a result, then, the question immediately made me think of three things. The first, a quote from Ravi Zacharias, in The Grand Weaver:

"You cannot always live on the mountaintop, but when you walk through the valley, the memory of the view from the mountain will sustain you and give you the strength to carry you through."*

The second, a beautiful song I came to know through a friend of mine, by singer/songwriter Ginny Owens. Here's a live performance and a stanza or two:

It may not be the way I would have chosen

When You lead me through a world that's not my home,

But You never said it would be easy

You only said I'll never go alone.

So when the whole world turns against me

And I'm all by myself

And I can't hear You answer my cries for help.

I'll remember the suffering Your love put You through

And I will go through the valley

If you want me to.

The third, a favorite psalm of mine, also highlighted in The Sound of Music. I'm using the KJV, just because I like the poetry of it:

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,

from whence cometh my help.

My help cometh from the LORD,

which made heaven and earth.

Psalm 121:1-2

A friend and I once talked about this verse, and he pointed out that the very fact the psalmist needs to lift up his eyes means that while in the valley, he had been looking down, away from the Lord.

At the very least, we know this: In His grace, God reveals to us that the grief we suffer in our trials may prove our faith genuine and result in praise and glory to Jesus Christ (I Peter 1:6-7). The thing is, we're never going to be able to escape the valleys in life. That we know.

But what mercy the Lord shows us in that we'll never go alone.

Zacaharias, Ravi. The Grand Weaver. Grand Rapids, 2007. pg. 41

The End of an Era

Last night, senior Tim Tebow played his last football game at the University of Florida. Urban Meyer coached his last game before taking an rather vague leave of absence. Charlie Strong coached his game as the Gators defensive coach before heading off to don the cap as the head coach of Louisville.

And boy, what a way to go.

As of now, the SEC hasn't been doing so well this bowl season when matched up against some of the other conferences (granted, S. Carolina, Arkansas, and Alabama still have to play), but Florida certainly strutted its stuff last night as it trounced the #3 Cincinnati Bearcats 51-24. Tebow arguably had his best game ever, with 482 yards and four touchdowns, and he and this senior class will be fondly remembered by Gator Nation for years to come. The end of an era for all Gator fans.

That said, I'm always surprised at the rather visceral level of hate directed at the Gators, who are now the first team in FBS history to have back-to-back 13-win seasons. It goes beyond the regular hate reserved for rivalry games; as a friend noted, there just seems to be an across the board hate from many who are not Gator fans. I'm even more surprised when individuals elevate this hate past a team and drape it across Tim Tebow. It's no big secret that after the Gators' devastating 19 point loss at the SEC championship, the camera found Tim with two minutes left, face red and eyes wet. Almost immediately, Facebook groups sprouted up, defaming and mocking Tim for showing his passion. Then, over the following three weeks, I had at least eight or ten people make it a point to find me and gleefully point out his humiliation, reveling in his heartbreak. Of course, I'm sure those folks would would do SO much better if they had put their everything into a team, only to watch its defense crumble on a national stage against an Alabama team clicking on all cylinders.

But I'm sure these persons have good reason. After all, who wants their kid to grow up to have the character of a guy like Tim Tebow? We'd much rather elevate individuals like Kobe Bryant, Michael Vick, Michael Phelps, Marion Jones, and now Tiger Woods, who has more recently added his name to this illustrious list of stand-up athletes. For goodness sakes, guys like these are just ATHLETES and happen to be particularly skilled at throwing around a ball or swimming a couple of laps. But we follow their every move, can recite their every statistic, and pay them like they are gods. They may be physically at their best, but they have no obligation to be the moral lighthouses society often expects them to be. It's not like the kid down the street has a picture of Sir Alexander Fleming on his wall. No, he has Mike Tyson, who bit part of an opponent's ear off, served time for rape, and dealt with domestic violence charges.

So please forgive me if I fail to understand why some who hate the Gators channel their energy to a complete vilification of Tim Tebow. He will go one as one of the greatest players to every play the college football game. And if he's not considered the best college QB of all time (with his 2 national championships and Heisman trophy spearheading the list of his many record-breaking achievements), he'll certainly be considered in the conversation. He was put on a pedestal of expectation by the media and the college football world, and he has been subjected to more hype, coverage, and pressure than few else in recent college football history. And even despite all of that, he still chose to stand unashamedly for the truth in a world and in a particular sector of society where it is so easily rejected. Whether you believe in God or not, he's a man who has used his position and relative fame to minister to those in need, to serve others, and to inspire others to be better. If you do believe in the saving power of Jesus Christ, you should be praising God that He has placed a man in such a position to spread the Gospel and to boldly speak the name of Jesus.

Don't get me wrong; Tim Tebow is a sinner just like the rest of us, and I have never once heard him boast about his merits as though they were the result of his own effort. In fact, I never once heard him boast about anything he's done. He was asked in last night's post-game conference what he hoped people would remember about him. He said he hoped they would remember how much he loved his team and coaches, that he loved other people, and that he loved the Lord.

I'm not naive; people will continue to hate Tebow after all this. But I wonder, at the end of the day, whose poster they'd want on their kid's wall.