nywc: inspirations from a walk to eat lunch

Why are these guys yelling at people about how they shouldn't eat Cinnabons? They were looking over the escalator, using a megaphone to do so.

If you know these people, there is help available. Perhaps even prescription drugs.

Anyway, we eventually found a place to eat - a Chinese Restaurant called the Golden something or 'nother. Which I find it odd that the Asian theme is following me last night, this morning, and at lunch.

I haven't eaten in a Chinese sit-down, order off the menu restaurant in quite some time. You know how it goes - most of them are buffets these days. Probably because it's easier for Americans to pick Chinese food they want to eat by sight versus by words.


It was good, but the best part was the Lazy Susan built into the table. Clearly, you are intended to eat in community in this place... which is quite a powerful concept in a buffet world.

One is about sharing with the group - the other is about piling your plate.

I wonder... which represents how you are living today?

Then on the way back I saw an odd picture on a truck and had to take a picture. Because, yes - it would take a literal goat offering me coffee to ever get me to drink it.


And that ain't ever happening, slappy.

(Now, don't plan on staging something like this... because I would only accept it as genuine if it was the goat's idea and not yours... and I'd know the difference.)

perhaps this once was cutting edge

Please... hold on to something tight.

You're about to "get jiggy with it."

As the kids say.

you asked for it: 'cuz i gotta have faith

My buddy Doug has a juicy topic here: "People a little more in the Pentecostal camp than I like to "proclaim things in faith", saying that they believe that God is going to do X or Y. When X or Y doesn't happen. Then what? Did they not have enough faith? Did God fall through on them? Did they have no business asking for X or Y in the first place? Is God not supposed to be our sugar-daddy in the sky? D-Fresh"

I covered some of this in the miracles post, so let me add a short story and additional thought at the end.

Just after my wife and I were married, we served in a little church in a little city in the middle of nowhere Indiana. (Sorry about that, Derek)

In the process of signing on we learned that the senior pastor's wife had cancer... something that was very sobering for many in the church. It was obviously something that at times was conversation, while on other occasions very much an elephant in the room. It was rare that we would see her on a Sunday morning, even though the house/parsonage was located on the property.

One day in the middle of it all, the pastor proclaimed that his wife would be physically healed - that her cancer would go away and she would come back to a normal life as she had before. Well, let me tell you something, sir... suddenly that little country church seem to take on a life it never had as his loud voice echoed a hope that we all wanted to taste the reality of... "certainly God will do this."

We prayed... we believed... we prayed some more... we believed some more. If only we would have enough faith... "certainly God will do this."

We busted out the oil... the elder board came and prayed over her... we sang songs about God's healing... "certainly God will do this."

Only... He didn't.

One day Carol passed away and on to be with God.


For quite a few, there was this nagging question... "Why?" Those older in the faith had an "I knew it," in the spirit, while others younger in their faith asked, "Does God even care? What does that say about prayers and faith?"

Then the explanation came.

God "had" healed her, but it was by taking her on to be with Him in heaven.

This messed with everyone even more.

By the way, this wasn't a Pentecostal church. (Maybe that was our problem.)

I share that story because the running theme I see in this area with God is that whether it's the issue of miracles or grace, God always gets to make the final call. That doesn't mean He doesn't desire the dialogue or our request in prayer, but we have to remember that there is a goal He has in mind for all of creation and at times someone's loss may mean another's gain. We see this in everything from how one person's death who is a biological donor can save many, many lives to how those attending a funeral can place their faith in Jesus Christ.

Perhaps the difference is instead of saying, "God will" we should say "God can, as He wills." For instance, I "can" drive my kids to Disney World today... will I? That's another story. Even if my kids claim that I am with all the passion, I still get to make the final call. Sometimes their persistent asking wins out (mostly for Chuck E Cheese and Smoothie King - we haven't yet been to Disney World with them). This happens not because they guilt me into it or nag me, but because I love them and truly do want to see them maximized in all their joy.


Sometimes, though, that money/effort is earmarked for something else... something better, even if they can't see it, and so as a loving father I have to say no.


Many who argue the "name it/claim it" stance often quote this passage from Matthew 18:18:

I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Another way it reads in the original Greek, though, is as follows:

I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.

You will often find the former listed in Bibles with a footnote that the latter is "another way" of reading it. So whether or not the original language indicates the tense here as periphrastic-eternal (meaning, all that's been "bound" already has) or should be taken as literal-present (meaning all that is to be bound is dependent upon us asking for it), in either case the intention is to say that Peter is to act according to heaven's instructions.


By the way... yes, that's a Bible verse involving something said to Peter.

Perhaps we can still pray in the same context with the same hope and God-empowered/Jesus-provided/Spirit-guided authority, but that was a conversation with one disciple in particular.

Perhaps a whole other topic just started right there. ;)

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)

games christians play

Well, apparently we've won.

Whatever that means.

I've seen in several news reports that Christian t-shirts are selling better than anything else out there. Yes - this means that the majority of Americans will choose to buy something with a snappy spiritual slogan on it versus an Abercrombie logo or a shirt honoring the NBA team of their choice. Maybe our "In Case Of Rapture This Shirt Will Be Empty" thinking has finally caught on... or maybe the fact that the shirts are often marketed by smiling girls in relaxed poses has something to do with it.

I know I should be happy, because I've been a part of this madness over the years. I have a couple of shirts hanging up in my closet that I bought at a Christian concert or convention, not to mention the "Poop On Satan" shirt I made myself back in 1999 to promote a youth ministry I led. In fact, even though I don't buy very many Christian t-shirts these days I still support the heart of the concept... given the choice to promote Jesus or an overpaid athlete, I'll always go with the Savior.

I just am a bit bothered by how commercial it's all gotten.

While I look forward to the Narnia movie, for instance, I am not a fan of seeing my local Christian bookstore sold out to Disney. By the way, it is there (as well as on-line) where you can find many of the products that I would like to spotlight to you:

The iBelieve iPod Shuffle Cap: Now you can protect the coolest toy on the block by turning it into a cross. This allows you to not only listen to some cool tunes but will make you wonder if your playlist is random or somehow predestined by some higher power. Some assembly required... if the chain breaks you may be required to carry your own cross.


The Official "Jesus Hates It When You Smoke" Ashtray: Why not think about your eternity as you go to reach for that next death stick? After all, "Heaven is non-smoking, so you might want to get used to it now."

Argh.

Maybe there's a better way to share our faith.

Oh, yes! There is!

The Salvation Challenge: Forget passing out tracts... that is so 20th Century. Now it's time to roll the dice on a board game to save your loved ones. Each player starts with one million in "kingdom cash" with the goal of handing it all away. However, players need to get "saved" by landing on Calvary and making the salvation call, “Jesus save me”, before they are able to carry out certain activities. Just think - now you can trick Uncle Fred the atheist into heaven because of a forced confession of faith.

Or not.

Man, I feel like this is starting to wear on me. I feel like I gotta get moving...

Dance Praise: That's right - no longer do you have to put up with the crazy tunes of Dance Dance Revolution. Instead, you can jump around to DANCE PRAISE - the NEW interactive dance game that turns your PC into a dance arcade with over 50 top Christian hits! If you're non-Pentecostal, though, don't worry. Because you're told where to step it isn't actually official dancing but can be categorized at "strategic choreography."

Whoah... I think we need to slow down a bit. Maybe be still and get all postmodern for a second...

His Essence: Apparently someone got the fragrance of the Messiah into a candle. The company was inspired by Psalm 45:8 - "All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia..." - to create a candle that smelled like what Jesus will be wearing when He returns. "The result is a scent, which serves as a reminder of His Presence."

Hmm...

On the "okay, I won't make fun of this one but I'll still put it into my post" list:

• White Knight Games: They have some innovative ideas about how to merge cool graphics and 3-D gaming with faith. Worth a look.
• King's Call: Not quite so cool, but still kind of fun... a short game that gets you to think.

Did you know...

• The retail clothing store Forever 21 has the verse John 3:16 printed on the bottom of its bags?
• Starbucks will be printing quotes from Rick Warren's book Purpose Driven Life on its cups in the spring?

In Rob Bell's book "Velvet Elvis" he writes:

"The word Christian first appears in the Bible as a noun. The problem with turning a noun into an adjective and then tacking it onto words is that it can create categories that limit the truth."

Is it possible that in winning the war of Christian marketing...

Switchfoot on secular radio...

The Passion Of The Christ setting box office records...

The Purpose Driven Life selling twenty-three million copies...

that we have lost a significant piece of the Gospel along the way?

"It is written," [Jesus] said to them, "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'" (Matthew 21:13)