Wednesdays in the World - Ebay Me

As I was counting my large piles of Scrooge-McDuck style cash this afternoon, I realized that swimming in money is rather painful. You wouldn't know it from the show, but you can't actually dive into a pile of gold coins and do the back stroke... deceptive I know. It seems I can't get all my information from cartoons, which might require a substantial change in strategic thinking.

Anyhow, while I was clogging my snorkel in dolla-bills, I came across this article about this lady that is selling all her possessions on ebay. First of all, she's crazy. I don't think you could get me to sell all my stuff. And if I did... it would definitely be to some museum that was being established to show how I great I was. But then I remembered that ridiculous story in the Bible where this guy Jesus told this rich guy that he should go and sell all his stuff and follow him in order to get into heaven.

It says when the rich guy heard this that he was sad. I'm pretty sad about it too. I love my stuff. If Jesus walked up to me and told me to sell all my stuff... I'd probably walk away sad too.

Here's where I start nit picking though. The story says she's selling all but her pets and a few photos. I understand the pet thing, that's like selling your children to some people. But the pictures really interest me. What are they pictures of? What's so important about the pictures that she sells all her stuff except those? Seriously, she's a few snapshots short of being on her way to heaven (yeah, I understand she might not be doing it to follow Jesus, but just work with me here for a second) and she's holding on to them. Are they of her kids? Maybe her pets (which would be ironic considering she's keeping them too) or maybe a vacation? Or maybe her school photo from 3rd grade?

The thing is, for me, even if I could manage to sell my sweet tv and my truck, there's going to be something that I can't part with. Like my wedding ring, or a tiny picture of a banana that I've kept in my wallet for years. Or the photos of my daughter at age 5 seconds. And I guess this is what Jesus is getting the young rich guy to figure out. He can keep all the laws, but there's just some things he can't give up.

So the lady keeps her photos, I keep my wallet banana, and the rich young ruler walks away sad.

So I'm thinking about that this week. And I'm thinking about how I might not have my stuff, it might have me. And I'm thinking about camels squeezing through sewing equipment. And I'm thinking that if I can just give up my wallet banana I might be free of something and get a yoke that is light. But what if I can't? I'm hoping that Jesus will pry it out of my cold dead hands.

Wednesdays in the World - 300 Reasons to Give Up

It's been a few weeks since I've chimed in here, so please forgive me. I've had a bit of business to take care of...

Speaking of experiences that get your heart going, have you seen this movie 300? From what I hear (and I'll admit that my movie going days are not what they used to be, so I'm basing this entirely off of what senior high school guys are saying until I can get out to see it) this is pretty much the greatest thing to happen to movies since they started moving. Admittedly, it's not going to win an oscar for best writing or picture (although you never know.... I'm looking at you, Jamie Foxx...) but it apparently "makes Gladiator look like a figure-skating tryout."

Now, I'm not going to get into whether violence in movies is good or whether the movie is a plot by the US to stir up anti-Iranian sentiment (Iran=modern day Persia, Ancient Persia=the "bad guys" in the movie). I'm not even going to get into whether or not high school guys should go see a movie that basically consists of one impressive fight scene. All I can say from my exposure here is this: People who have seen the movie come out of the theater hyped up beyond comprehension. If they handed out swords instead of popcorn, there would be no curtains left in your house. (or whole fruit for that matter). For some reason, this movie inspires.

Now, there are different kind of "inspires". Silence of the Lambs left me inspired.... to lock my doors and turn on all the lights. But here I'm talking about the "get off your hiney and yell something loud and rip a phone book in half and run through a plate glass window and then conquer some ancient civilization.

Why? What do you mean why? It's a movie about 300 soldiers defending their land against a MILLION (historical accuracy aside) Persians! 300 vs. 1,000,000! Seriously? Who wouldn't get excited about that! That's like 3,333.33 pps (persians per spartan). There's something there folks, that when faced with unbelievable odds, makes us just want to stand up and fight. It's the colonies vs. England. It's US Hockey vs. the USSR in the 80 Olympics. It's Braveheart vs. England (boy, is there a trend vs. Britain here?) It's Daniel LaRusso vs. Johnny Lawrence and the Cobra Kai boys. It's the mighty ducks vs. those rich kids. It's Macaulay Culkin vs. those robbers in Home Alone. It's.... well you get the point. It's [insert underdog] vs. [overwhelming odds].

Why does victory against overwhelming odds get me so excited? I mean, why does my heart race at the thought of that? I think it comes from God. I think He built that into every man. I think it strikes that bone that is tuned to the victory and glory of the Lord. Something inside us longs for glorious victory. And every day, I sit in my office and wonder how I'll be able to live like that. To run headlong into an army of persians and not care about death.

Here's what I realized. 1.) I'm no spartan. I don't even really like fighting. Giving up is easier. 2.) God always wins. (just read the Bible, any part) 3.) If I'm on God's team, then I win without having to do all the fighting.

See, I find myself stirred by victory. I find myself unable to be victorious. I find God not only able to win, but unable to be defeated. I want to be on God's team. He has superior warfare techniques, the "flying V", spikey christmas ornaments all over the floor, the "crane kick", etc.

So I'm thinking about that this week. And I'm thinking that maybe I shouldn't keep trying so hard to be a hero. And I'm thinking that maybe I should depend more on the One who Can. And maybe then I'll get to live one of those stories that makes Braveheart seem like tap dance class.

Wednesdays in the World - Nerdy Love

This Valentine's Day, let's talk about love. Not just "love", but "looooovvvveeee." (In my head I can hear a 3rd grade boy teasing another 3rd grade boy about his crush on a 3rd grade girl with whom he's never spoken. Don't ask me why that popped into my head. Probably because I never spoke to my 3rd grade girlfriend. It was mostly notes. And awkwardness.) The kind of love that makes you weak in the knees... romantic love. The squishy kind of love.

Love is something intangible, right? You "just know" when you're in love? Well, not according to science! Apparently, scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (I'm not sure if having Einstein's name on that school is good or bad in this case... He is smart, but I don't recall him ever being a doctor...) have figured out that love is in your brain.

There's this part of your brain that "floods the caudate with dopamine" when you are near someone you love. From my limited medical background (read: none), this basically amounts to a good feeling pumped through you when you see or relate to someone you love. Ironically, doctors say it's bascially the same thing that happens when you do drugs.

Now - here's where it gets interesting. It turns out that doctors have figured out that there is a difference in your brain between love and lust. The reaction you get when you're in love is different than the one your get when you are in lust. They are connected in some ways, in that the reaction of love makes the reaction of lust easier and more frequent. But they are very different feelings.


What's important is this: "In the end, Drs. Fisher and Brown say what they learned from lovers' brains is that romantic love isn't really an emotion -- it's a drive that's based deep within our brains, right alongside our urges to find food and water." Oh man. If science has ever served up a slow pitch - here it is. Scientist have proved that the desire for love is deeply seeded in our being.

So why would I care so much about this? We'll, I really want to love and be loved. I feel that deep urge within me every day. Why? Is it really just my evolutionary urge to maintain the species? I don't think so. There's something deeper there. Something that seems to be missing from my soul. It's God. Not the trite "There's a hole in my heart that can only be filled by you" talk. It's that my soul is incomplete because I have been separated from from something that I am meant to be one with.

Flashback - Adam in the garden, pre-sin. He walks with God. There is unity there. He is fully known. Love. Flash-forward - Adam outside the garden, post-sin. There's a gap there. He's been kicked out, severed from being fully with God.

See, we were designed from the start to have that fullness. But we lost it. So when we get a glimpse of love, it's not so much that we love that love, it's that it gives us a pinch of what God intends for our souls.

Problem is, I settle for regular old human love. I try to fill up my void with anything and everything. Science would say I'm just desiring dopamine in my caudate. But I think it's something more. I keep loving things that don't satisfy. There's not enough dopamine in the world! I keep thinking that that next love will be the thing that works. But my desires are too weak. I settle.

So I'm thinking about that this week. And I'm thinking that maybe science is right - I need love deep down in my being. And I'm thinking that maybe there's nothing that can give that to me here on this earth. But maybe God can. I'll go pass him a note after study hall.

Wednesdays in the World - Old People Kissing

Ever seen an old couple kiss? (By the way, I'm defining "old" here as older than you by at least 30 years....) We'll, it's gross. Seriously. As far as I can remember (and I blocked out a lot growing up) my parents never kissed. Because parents kissing is wrong. I'm pretty sure there's some part of 1 John that says something about that. Now, I have child who's going to be born here in a few weeks, and that'll make me a parent. And I realize that me kissing my wife will contradict my argument here. But that's different. Because it's me. And me kissing isn't gross. But my parents kissing - super-dry-heave-gross. The stork brought me. End of story.

My wife sees an old couple holding hands or hugging and she says "Oh, that's sooooo cute." I don't know why being old automatically makes you cuter, but most girls, from what I gather, think old people doing anything that we "young" (and by "young" I mean your age....) people normally do qualifies as cute. For example - me holding hands with my wife - not cute. Old man holding hands with his old wife - cute. Me dancing - definitely not cute. Old people dancing - cute. My checking my email - not cute. My grandma checking her email (true story) - cute as a button on a teddy bear held by a 2 year old girl with pig tails.

I hope to be a crotchety old man. I want to yell at dogs from my front porch call people "whipper-snappers." Holding hands and slow dancing is for sissies.... right?

Well.... it turns out that the older people get, the more the simplist act carries weight. Take this for example - Prehistoric Lovers Found Locked in Eternal Embrace.


They found really old skeletons in Italy that were fossilized while they were hugging. Now, without getting into a debate about creation vs. evolution and whether or not they really are 6,000 years old and blah blah blah, this image carries a ton of weight. I mean this is old people kissing on steroids. Set for all time in rock - this man loved this woman. He is off the cute scale because for the last 6,000 years, he has cuddled with his wife (I'm going to assume here that because they literally beat the "'till death do us part" thing that they were married...").

I'm trying to be a crotchety old man with God. I wish I could grow cold and stop thinking about Him and how He has pursued me. If you take the obvious analogy here, with the church as the bride of Christ - Jesus has us in a 6,000 year hug, and He won't let go. Earthquakes, tectonic plate movement, nothing can separate us from the love of God. He knows I have tried to pass it off as gross - it's not cool for old loves to show it. But God blows off cool and gross and draws me close and holds on while I kick and scream. He tells me, "get over yourself - I love you." I wish I were more comfortable being hugged. But God doesn't change. He holds on. Even for thousands of years.

So I'm thinking about that this week. And I'm thinking that maybe old people kissing aren't so gross after all. And maybe I should stop trying to be cool and let Him in. And maybe I'll go hug my wife and kiss her in front of my almost born child. And maybe my parents do kiss. - No. No that can't be.

Wednesdays in the World - Death Rays and Prayer

Face it. Lasers are cool. Everyone, at some point in their lives has held out their hand with their pointer finger towards a target and their thumb skyward and fired a beam of imaginary energy complete with sound effects. (My personal sound effect was a sort "chzew" sound).

Well, the future is here people. According to CNN, the military has a ray gun. Now, never mind the fact that it's basically a glorified microwave oven strapped to a metal dish glued to a hummer. It's a RAY GUN. It can make you feel like you're going to CATCH ON FIRE. It works from 5 FOOTBALL FIELDS AWAY. How can this not fullfill every 9-year old boys greatest desires?

Now, here's the deal - it's non-lethal. That's right - the army makes a ray gun and then they go and make it non-lethal. I understand about the value of human life and all, but seriously - did God make Payton Manning and leave off his throwing arm? It's a gun that shoots beams of energy from a hummer! By sheer principal it should at least be able to knock cans off a fence post! Let alone melt some sort of hole though a bank vault door or breach the space time continuum and warp us somewhere. I mean really? A hummer mounted ray gun that can't kill anyone.....

My prayers lately are non-lethal, if you will. They are benign beams to God that say, "I know you can do it, God. Your will be done." But deep down they really mean, "I'm expecting nothing, because then I won't be let down." I am a ray gun that can't kill.

See, God invented this super huge weapon from the future - it's called prayer. It givens us a direct beam of holy spirit right to our target. It'll go through walls, armor, bank vault doors, etc. But most of the time, I use it like a garden hose. I'm going to sprinkle some prayer here and there and hope that something grows. But the real idea behind prayer, I think, is that God has given us direct access to His power and wisdom. Prayer should almost be dangerous. Like "Watch where you point that thing" dangerous. Like "You'll put someone's eye out" dangerous.

I never think of prayer that way. The Bible's pretty clear about prayer. People in the Bible prayed some dangerous stuff. David prayed in Psalm 68 that God would crush His enemies. He literally prays that they be blown away like wax before a fire. Seriously. David prays for God to Ray Gun (the cool lethal kind) His enemies. I don't pray like that. My prayers are non-lethal.

Now, I'm not saying that we should all pray for bad things to happen to those we think God opposes. I'm saying we should pray with the knowledge that prayer is a serious weapon. It's the A-Bomb of the spiritual world. And 2 things happen with A-Bombs: 1) A small demonstration of their power is enough to convince people of their potency. and 2) No one casually tosses one around.

So I'm thinking about that this week. And I'm thinking that I should pray expectantly. And I'm thinking that maybe my prayers mean more than I think they do. And maybe I should pray with a target in mind and hope to see a small demonstration of power. Hopefully it'll sound like "chzew! chzew!"

Wednesdays in the World - My American Idol Isn't Good Enough

I submit for your perusal this: 'Idol tops itself again, sets record'

The ratings are in - American Idol had 37.5 million people watching the season premiere. For reference, Sunday's 24 premiere had less than 20 million. That's right - more people actually watched bad people sing than the Jack Bauer Power Hour(s). And you thought water-cooler talk was an indicator of what's popular.

I guess America wants an Idol more than a Hero. Let me say that again. America wants an Idol more than a Hero. On the surface, it would seem America wants someone to worship more than they want someone to save them. But I think the reason American Idol is more popular is because I get to judge them. I am America after all. And do you really watch American Idol for the good singers? I sure don't. I watch it so I can judge people. So I can say, "Man, that guy stinks and he doesn't even know it!" It makes me feel better because I'm better than they are...

If you read that article, you'll note the comment about too much focus on bad singers. It seems the most watched show on TV has a flaw. It zooms in on the William Hungs. And not all of them are pathetically endearing. So people looking for an idol are upset that they have to sit through a bunch of non-idols.

It reminds me of how I relate to God. I want an idol more than a hero. I want to judge for myself what's worthy of my praise. And finally, I get upset when those idols don't measure up.

See - I deep down inside I realize that idols don't satisfy. I'm frustrated because I'm looking for the real deal. And what I don't realize is that it might be on a different channel. So I sit for hours waiting on something to be worth it. And it turns out - nothing is. Except for the hero.

So I'm thinking about that this week. And I'm thinking that maybe God is the hero. And maybe He's more satisfying than William Hungs or Golden Calfs or even my self. So maybe I'll go watch 24.

Wednesdays in the World - Boise St. and the Unfailing Will of God

If you were anyone in the world this past Monday, Jan. 1... then you were watching the Fiesta bowl. Boise St. vs. Oklahoma. Now, if you haven't seen this game - you missed quite possibly the best bowl game ever (with the exception of the BCS title game last year - but just because that was for the title...). If you have it on TiVo or something and are planning on watching it later... STOP READING NOW! Because here is what happened:



Boise St. wasn't supposed to win. They were supposed to get trounced by a bigger, better, faster, stronger, more talented, richer, better coached, big name Oklahoma. But Boise had faith. And Boise won. Even when all seemed lost. Even when every time the Sooners touched the ball they scored points... No one thought they would. But they did. Boise pulled out the ole' statue of liberty fake, tricked all of Oklahoma, and got into the end zone. The guy who scored the winning point even proposed to his girlfriend (a Boise cheerleader... of course) on the sideline after the game and she said yes. It doesn't get better than that.

Now - this was a nail biter. I was standing on my couch. My wife woke up (this is 1:30am) People all over the country were freaking out over this game. Especially the last play - the 2 point conversion. This was it - win or lose - this was the play. Everyone's on edge... but.... the Boise coach. If you saw the broadcast, he was chillin' in the sidelines laughing. He couldn't have looked more relaxed. He was joking and looking all content to be resting the whole bowl game on a 2-point conversion in overtime.

If that were me - I wouldn't have taken the risk in the first place - But if that were me... I'd have my eyes closed and I would be hiding under the bench.

After the game they interviewed the coach. They asked him about why he was so confident in making risky calls. He simply replied "Because we knew it would work." He was relaxed because in his mind - that last play had already worked. They had already won...

Now - I live my life biting my nails over every point scored. I get upset when my enemies have victories - and I doubt my play calling skills. But here's the deal - the Boise coach has bigger faith than I do - he knows when the victory is won. See - God has already won the victory - that was that whole Jesus thing a while back. Now - he's just chillin' on the sideline laughing it up. No matter how many apparent victories are won by the other team.

I long for the faith of Boise St. - not so I can win a football game - but so I can live expecting my God to win in dramatic fashion, to run over and wed its bride, the church, in celebration. If I watched that game again - I would never break a sweat - because I know the outcome. The bible tells us the outcome of all time - our team wins.

So I'm thinking about that this week. And I'm thinking that I should relax a bit. And I'm thinking that I should paint my chest for my team and make a sign that says "Undefeated - Still Number 1!". And I'm thinking that I shouldn't be so very concerned over what seems to be a loss, but in reality is just another bit of evidence that God deserves all the glory for the win.

Wednesdays in the World - Too Rich to Spend It

Okay, in true Christmas spirit... I'm going for classic films that remind us the the holidays... namely: Lazy Sunday, FunTwo's Canon in D, and Some Guy's Christmas Lights.

What? You mean those aren't classic holiday films? Oh, well they are for Steve Chen and Chad Hurley. See, those are the guys that started YouTube, that website that everyone knows about. You see, those videos are a few of the ones that made YouTube famous. Steve and Chad didn't make the videos, they just let other people share them. See, YouTube lets you post videos and see other people's videos. All with no downloads or plugins or what nots... It's huge, if you didn't know... Steve and Chad started it for fun 2 years ago, and just recently, they sold it to Google for 1.65 BILLION dollars.... Yes, that was BILLION.

There's an interesting Time magazine article about Steve and Chad. Read it Here.

There are a few things I'm learning from the YouTube guys this Christmas.

1. I'm totally jealous that I didn't think of it. Seriously... 1.65 Billion? In two years?
2. Chad and Steve are filthy stinking rich, but they don't act like it.
3. I'm not.... Or am I?
4. If I'm rich like Chad and Steve, why don't I act like it?

Okay, let's explore. YouTube is a great idea. It let's people share anything. People are putting stupid things on YouTube, and people are sharing the gospel on YouTube. Unlike some community websites, it doesn't pretend to replace person to person interaction. It's like a blog in motion... for better or for worse. It's now a multi-billion dollar website. I didn't make it.

In the Time article, we read that Chad and Steve are now rich. But they fly coach, and they drive beat up mini-vans. Let me tell you right now: If I had 1.65 billion dollars, I wouldn't be driving a mini-van. I'd be driving an Aston Martin Vanquish (in British Racing Green) or something else off this list.

See, they're rich. But they can't spend it. There's all sorts of reasons why - legal stuff, potential lawsuits, etc. They should be able to buy anything that they want, but they're squeezing in next to you and me in the back of the plane.

There's something there that strikes me... I mean these guys own the world. But they're not living like it. Now, I'm certainly not rich, but I have something of incredible value - the imputed righteousness of Christ. Now, you might argue that it's no Aston Martin, but what that means is that I've essentially got the keys to the kingdom of heaven. All cheesy Christian cliches aside, I stand to inherit all the riches of God because of what Christ has done on my behalf. Google has bought my company for a bazillion dollars. But here I am driving a Ford Aerostar. I live day in and day out like I have nothing. I fly coach in my daily decisions. I exchange mud pies for a holiday at sea.

Why do I do that? Biblically, I have something more that Chad and Steve, but I don't act like it.

So I'm thinking about that this week. And I 'm wondering if I really am rich. And I'm wondering why I'm constantly replacing riches for trash and settling for coach. Maybe Monday will bring something more than more trash. Maybe it'll bring an awareness of the riches I already have.

Wednesdays in the World - My Space is better than Your Space

Okay, Wednesday again... that means we look around the world and find.....

My Space got more web traffic than Yahoo. Seriously. Read it on CNN.

My Space, for those who have lives, is this online "community" where users set up web pages and post thoughts and pictures. It sounds a lot like a blog, but the difference is that you have "friends" on My Space. And from what I gather (I'm not a big my-spacer, so forgive my inaccuracies here), you have to be someone's friend to do certain things on people's pages, and there is some sort of status to be had in having a bunch of friends.

I'm thinking to myself, "Why would anyone want to spend all their time doing that?" But here we go, apparently last month they did it 38.7 BILLION times. That's like everyone in the world looking at My Space 2 times a week. Church doesn't barely happen 2 times a week for a small portion of the planet that claims Christ as their Lord.

And that's when it hit me. People are on My Space to have community. Or at least some representation of community. I mean, if you had really fulfilling relationships in real life, you'd never look for 2D cutouts of friends on a screen. Right? Well, it turns out that people that have tons of real-life friends are on My Space too... And that's when it really hit me. People love My Space because it give them community that they control. It's MY space after all. Not yours. I can click "No" on you being my friend. And because I'm not face to face with you, I don't have to deal with all the ramifications of that. I define My Space. It's mine.

Now - where's the worship? Well, Christians in America tend to forget that Christianity is a community thing. God's chosen people. His people. We're in His Space. And by default we're connected in Christ as the unified body of believers. So that guy who I walk by in the halls of my church and say hi to but don't really want to spend any time with is just as much in the community as my best friend next to me.

But I'd much rather be alone in Christianity. Why? Because then I can control my community. I can have my church and my God and my friends and no one else can come in unless I let them. I won't get dragged down by all you fellow sinners out there. And that, my friends (if I allow you to be), is worship. Of my space. It's me telling God that his idea of a bride of the church stinks compared to my idea of what Christ's bride should be. Because deep down I think I'm better than God. My space is better than yours, his, and ours. Isn't it?

But it turns out that God designed us to need one another. For some reason (paraphrasing U2 here), sometimes we can't make it on our own. In America, we call that weakness. In the church we call that community. I need that guy in the hall, and I need my best friend. Otherwise the body of the church is incomplete. I'm no theologian, but maybe God designs us to need others as an example of how we need Him.

So I'm thinking about that this week. And I'm wondering why God mushed all us believers together in a community when we clearly don't really like each other or really want to be grouped together. And I'm wondering, will I ever like His space more than mine?

Wednesdays in the World - The Tradition of Sufjan Stevens

Many of you May have noticed a quote on the front of your bulletin this week. (For those of you who weren't there, it'll be there again this week...) It was a quote from Sufjan Stevens' "In the Devil's Territory" from his album Seven Swans. (Worth buying if you don't own it... he has alot of other good stuff too...)

If you've never heard of Sufjan Stevens, don't fret. You're not alone. He's a quirky songwriter that might be one of the greatest post-modern troubadors yet. If you didn't know better, you'd assume he was on drugs (his last concert tour consisted of an entire orchestra wearing butterfly wings). His songs are weird, sometimes with ridiculous titles (like the "To the Workers of the Rock River Valley Region, I Have an Idea Concerning Your Predicament, and It Involves an Inner Tube, Bath Mats, and 21 Able-bodied Men" which yes, is really a song title.)

But how is this related to worship? Well, Sufjan might not come out and say it... but his songs sure do. They tend to be allegories of his spiritual journey, or pictures of The Savior. He has remarkably good theology buried in orchestras and banjos and songs about Illinois. It's artists like him that are the new hymn writers. He writes of of his own depravity in "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." and of his journey from slavery to freedom in "Chicago". His songs are poems, hard to understand without thought (which in pop-music is pretty rare) and beautiful snippets of a life with God.

The bottom line for me is this: Sufjan redefines what worship music is. I tend to get stuck in tradition, such that tradition itself becomes the thing worshipped. If you don't sing "Come Thou Fount", then I can't worship. Some churches have organs, some have drums, some dance in the aisles. They each have their own traditions. Especially at Christmas. You wouldn't believe the angry mobs churches get for trying something out of the ordinary during December. I'm right in there, with my torch and pitchfork, calling for someone's head for thinking about singing "Silent Night" without candles. I love my traditions. But Sufjan reminds me- he makes me pause and say, "Maybe God is bigger than my traditions.... Maybe God can be worshiped just as well in a song by someone wearing butterfly wings."

This Advent season, I'm thinking about traditions. And I'm trying to think about them less. Maybe then I can think about the reason for the traditions more.

Wednesdays in the World - Why I Want to Want

Last week the Playstation 3 debuted. If you don't know what that means, well, you're not missing that much. It's basically a hugely anticipated video game system. And I mean hugely anticipated. Witness below people camping out at a Best Buy eight days (that's 8!) early to get in line.



This was 8 whole days before it was available. Seriously.

There are two basic ways to react to this:
1. Those guys are nuts. I mean, it's a video game.
2. I really envy them.

For me, it's both 1 and 2. You see these guys quit their jobs, lied, put it before relationships, health, comfort, b.o., etc. just for a chance to spend $600 on a hunk of plastic. (Yes, it really costs $600.) So they are certifiably nuts. However... something about this makes me think about what Peter and some other fishermen would say if you walked up with a video camera. "So, Peter, aren't you supposed to be fishing?", "Well, this guy said to follow him. So we quit our jobs and gave up everything for a chance to hang out with him." Peter, you are nuts. You might as well as left your fishing job for a video game.

You see, I'm actually jealous that those guys know what they want, gave up stuff for it, and they're living for what they believe. It's very evident - they are disciples. They aren't worried about people making fun of them, they aren't worried about food (there's a biblical allegory for you...); as grey-shirt-dude says, "We're getting a PS3." I wish it were that clear. These guys have worship down.

Me? Most of the time I'm either not in line, or I'm like that last guy in the video. Number 10 in line with only 6 games to buy. I saw some other dudes sold out for their cause, and I jumped on the band wagon. But I'm not really dedicated.

So - they're nuts for sure, but I envy them. Peter was nuts too.

Wednesdays in the World - Episode 1

Wednesdays in the World is a new column for the worship well blog. Each Wednesday I'm going to chime in here and take something going on in the world - media, culture, etc, and I'm going to find some worship in it. "Worship in the World," you say? Well, yes. Right in the middle of the world. Not the Christian world, but that one out there, over that wall, outside that building with a cross on it. Like outside the woods in The Village.

For Example:
I saw the new movie Stranger than Fiction. It's the story of Harold Crick, and how he starts hearing the voice of a narrator in his head. Turns out he's in someone's book. Without giving away the film's secrets, there is present in it a tension between our desires, and the need to fit in a larger plan. Harold comments, "Do you even feel like you're a part of a bigger narrative?"

I'm really taken by this idea. I want to be in a bigger story. I want that to be a great story - like Dicken's-level epic. Somehow my petty thoughts and desires seem to pale when put in context of the larger tale. I'm really concerned right now with my little tiny decisions and my little tiny problems, and I'm not really looking at those in light of the big picture - that God is sovereign. Some times the purity of God's divine plan demands that I don't always get what I want for me. Harold began to realize that maybe he isn't as important as the book he's in. And maybe his sacrifices are worth it in light of the masterpiece of literature developing around him. So I'm thinking about that this week. I just wish The Narrator would talk a little louder.