I want to add a new part to the adage "We become like the god we worship." We are most likely to emulate our god’s bad attributes.
Tag: God
JJ Heller’s “Who You Are”
I think it came out yesterday or the day before…but here is JJ (and Dave) Heller's new video, "Who You Are": [youtube=http://youtu.be/F8jilr8qsYU&rel=0&w=512] A great couple who I wish all the success of the world without any of its trappings…
Oops There Goes Another Rubber Tree Plant
Clouds on a sunny day I’ll admit I’ve been feeling guilty lately. It seems to me that most of my recent bulletin articles and sermons have been less-than-positive. For instance, after a recent talk a young man’s mother told me that it scared him. And although she said afterward it was good to be scared…I…
Tempted by Half a Billion Dollars
Do you remember the 1993 movie, "Indecent Proposal," where Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson's characters (married in the film) are offered $1,000,000 by Robert Redford's character if she will just spend a single night with him? Or perhaps 2009's "The Box," where the couple played by Cameron Diaz and James Marsden are offered an equal…
Is free will an illusion?
Interesting video about free will (hat tip to Hot Air): [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q40PfsLxMzY&w=420&rel=0] During college I watched a debate between a Calvinist and a…well…I guess you would say a “non-Calvinist.” In it the Calvinist spent a little time waxing philosophical about free will, and whether it actually exists. Ultimately, he was arguing, you cannot do anything outside…
Why I Am a Heretic
I am no longer going to update this post. Instead please see the Beliefs page to read the most up-to-date list of what I believe. AKA, "What I Believe" I had an interesting conversation with a Twitter friend, and after he agreed to an uncomfortable implication of his belief system I commended him on being…
“Not for Me”
AKA "Slash's Advice for Christian Living" Messages from Secular Songs If any of you have spent time on-line looking at (or listening to) my sermons before arriving here in Pleasanton, you'll notice a good number that are based on songs by secular groups. For instance "What You Need" was based on Aloe Blacc's "Little Miss…
God is Dead (Again)
Space.com had to know they were going to grab some attention a tile like this for an article: “The Big Bang Didn’t Need God to Start Universe, Researchers Say” And the beginning of the piece doesn’t disappoint: SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Our universe could have popped into existence 13.7 billion years ago without any divine…
Pacifiers and Hearing Aids
Captain Francesco Schettino Has anyone here heard of Captain Franscesco Schettino? Why he is famous…or rather…why he is infamous? It is because he was captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship that sank of the Tuscan coast this past January…a captain who decided to save his own scalp and hop into a lifeboat instead of…
Facing God and the Face of God (Part 2)
Quick Review For those who weren't here last week…or who have an MTV generation attention span :-)…let's start this week off by doing a quick review of "Facing God and the Face of God (Part 1)." I started off by sharing some pretty disconcerting scriptures, the first of which was Hebrews 9:27: And just as…
Facing God and the Face of God (Part 1)
Seeing What We Haven't Seen Before I just wrapped up a four-part series at the Pleasant View Church of Christ…and after it I find myself returning over-and-over-and-over again to one Scripture in the Bible. It's a verse that I've read multiple times previously without it fully registering in my psyche. I'm assuming that experience is…
What If’ing the Lord Almighty
The Book of Ezra starts of with some great news: Cyrus (king of Persia) proclaimed that the exiled Jews can return to their homeland and rebuild their temple. Not only that, but he encouraged those around the Israelites to donate everything from gold to animals "for the house of God that is Jerusalem" (Ezra 1:4,…
What Finally Worked
What Finally Worked Quick Review Before I begin the third talk in my four-part "What" Sunday-evening series, I figure it makes sense to quickly review the first two sermons… #1 was "What Went Wrong"…where we learned that sin didn't start here on earth and that what originally went wrong up in heaven (and then went…
What Was Tried
Dispensationalism How many people here have heard of the term "dispensationalism"? My short definition of it would be "God dealt with people differently through the ages." However, I don't have the intelligence gained from a Masters of Divinity, so I suspect that won't show up in any scholarly work, whereas this definition from There Really…
What Went Wrong
Lame Movie Plot Devices Friday night Barry Junior joined me watching a movie that Barry Senior had brought up after I did my sermon, "Heaven…This is Heaven." For those who caught that, you may recall my mention of the Valkyries (val-`keer-ees)…babes on white horses who collected those who died on the battle field. Barry Senior…