Abiding in the Word...

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." - John 8:31-32 ESV

How much different are we then the Jews during the life of Christ? They always thought they were "getting it right", when in reality that were messing up the simplest of God's instructions. If we are honest with ourselves, I bet we could think of ways we do exactly the same thing. Case in point, I've been having conversations with friends lately about how much we seem to forget the Bible (aka His Word). This is especially prevalent with many "hipster" pastors and movements. We try to point to God, without ever truly using the best tool to identify Him

Two weekends ago, I challenged our high school students to truly embrace Christ's Great Commission. Going and making disciples of all nations, races, backgrounds, and communities. Since these were some of His last words here on earth, I would guess they are probably important. So, how can we make disciples IF we are not even disciples ourselves...

The above scripture speaks directly to this dilema. If we FOLLOW God's Word, we are His disciples...If we don't, we are NOT. So, how do we call ourselves Christians if we are not using the Bible to lead our daily walk with God? There are a lot of voices around us that do not lean entirely on scripture and that, to me and to God, is a scary place to go.

In Case You Missed It...

I really really hope you got to see this on Super Bowl Sunday. Might just be the best commercial ever...from a Star Wars fans perspective of course!

and this might be even funnier....

Starting to Ask The Right Questions?

Not sure how much I endorse this book, but an interesting conversation to be had on Comedy Central...

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Sean Dorrance Kelly
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog</a> Video Archive

Oh Super Bowl Halftime Shows...

So, did anyone else hear that loud THUD last night during the halftime of the Super Bowl? Yup, it was the sound of another musical act falling flat on it's face and connecting to no one! Was it the singers...maybe? Was it the music...maybe? Was it the lack of substance...I truly think so!

Looking back over the last 20 years or so, only one band has been universally accepted as a great halftime. What band? U2. Their performance came at a time when our country was still healing from the tragedy of 9/11. So, what did they do? Well, they didn't have people in LED body suits, or flashing TRON-inspired costumes, or even cameo from so-called rock legends. Instead, they brought a message. Until the NFL finds a band to fill our needs beyond consumerism, we will continue to see crappy band after crappy band. And, it's really not the talents fault...it's just the lack of something bigger.

Case in point...

I Finally Have a Motive...

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night the display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

~ Psalm 19:1-4

So, it's been awhile (sorry Matt) but I think I finally have found my motive for maintaining a weblog. If you know me, then you know how much I seek out God in my love for all things artistic. I love watching movies, tv shows, listening to music, or reading to find God's fingerprint all of over the place! Many times the author is not focused on glorifying God, but somehow Truth manages to shine through. God is the Original Creator (OC), and everyone else just robs from Him!

Each day of the work week, I will be posting an article focused around my passions...

Mondays - Music

Tuesdays - Television (Current Events)

Wednesday - Literature

Thursday - Theology

Fridays - Film

I will do my best to keep up on this. I want to make it something that I am passionate about, and a part of my ministry. See you Monday!!!

The Greatest Cleveland Athlete of All Time...

...nuff said.

Nailed It...

So, last night I experienced a major milestone in my love for things music related. I saw Needtobreathe at the House of Blues in Cleveland, and I must say that it gave a run for the #1 spot on my all-time list! Now if you know me, that is a huge thing to say as I am quite the stingy music snob sometimes. From the very first song ALL the way to the last, the energy (and sometimes worship) never stopped. I believe the one singular thing that might make it #1 was something that (randomly) I predicted...BECAUSE it was so out of the realm of any possibility. As they finished their first set, and we were waiting for the curtains to open back up for their encore...I leaned over to Luke Williams and said, "I so want to see a full acoustic set right now!" Less than a minute later I was treated to something like the video shown above...wow. Because of this silly blog, I can now share the musical things that make me so very, very happy. :)