Tag: Jesus

No, We Aren’t the Center of the Universe…

Posted on by Alan

One of the advantages to working for Dartmouth College for a couple years was that I could attend one course free per quarter. I did not avail myself enough of that benefit, but I did take one class that reviewed motion picture portrayals of Native Americans. As you can probably imagine, much of the curriculum's focus was on negative depictions of America's indigenous population including "white savior" plot lines. If you are unfamiliar with the term "white savior," have you seen "Dances With Wolves"? Kevin Costner (as John Dunbar) is a white savior. How about "Avatar"? Sure, that movie isn't a western and the Na'vi aren't Native Americans, but Sam Worthington (as Jake Sully) is a white savior. Regardless of whether some of these films are positive in that they represent indigenous people as having more wisdom (or greater spirituality or better character) than the evil racist white man ("Dances With Wolves") or the nefarious greedy corporation ("Avatar"), a pale-skinned male of European descent ends up saving the day.

The reason this comes to mind is because today my son Mikey, his friend Chris, and I attended "The Green Lantern." If you aren't familiar with that comic book hero, one important tidbit is that the Lantern's ring chooses the wearer, not visa versa. After some initial "introduction to key characters" scenes, the three of us saw how the imminent death of another alien Green Lantern led to Ryan Reynolds (as ace pilot Hal Jordan) being selected for the honor…and responsibility…of bearing the ring. The soul-seeing piece of jewelry detected something in Jordan that even Jordan didn't know he had.
Continue reading “No, We Aren’t the Center of the Universe…”

Even Doofuses Need Jesus

Posted on by Alan

After an article has formed in my mind, I try to think of a catchy title—something that will make the average person at least wonder what the piece is about (while at the same not being a bait-and-switch). As this one continues you will probably be able to guess what I intended to have in the place of "Doofuses" in the title, but it just wasn't meant to be. Although as an elementary school child I used the now-personally-banished term as a form of "jerk" (and a mild one at that), a little research on the web confirmed my fears about its origin. It was actually a bit more worrisome to find that another replacement I might have chosen also originally referred to the same body part. I'm not sure what is worse, the fact that people don't hesitate anymore to use curse words or that (even in the more "innocent" decade of the 70's) a goody-two-shoes grade schooler was unwittingly a potty-mouth.

Either way, one would have to be pretty insulated from all forms of media to not have heard of the Twitter behavior of a soon-to-be-former U.S. Representative, Anthony Weiner. What I did not expect to see in the aftermath of his reprehensible actions (both in the tweets and in the lies that followed) was someone as respectable as Dr. Albert Mohler being dragged into the conversation. Strangely enough, it too was a tweet that got some people a bit cranky with him. Continue reading “Even Doofuses Need Jesus”

Donne on the Brain

Posted on by Alan

May 21

A couple of recent events…on national, one local…are the genesis of this sermon. Well, I should probably say one non-event, and one tragic event…birthed these words. Perhaps the incidents will cause you to consider some of the same things I did.

First, the national non-event. As most of you are probably aware, non-believers (and quite a few Christians) had a field-day as May 21 approached because an aging preacher, Harold Camping, was predicting the Rapture on that Saturday. As the complete lack of an increase in missing persons reports attests, Mr. Camping was mistaken…something he even admits. However, he is convinced his error was only in thinking something physical was going to happen that day…instead it was a spiritual Judgment Day…

But he is sticking by his prediction that the world completely ends on October 21.

Boy, I can’t wait for the ridicule to be repeated weeks leading up to that Friday…as we Christian believers are often lumped in with that false prophet, even if it is only implicitly…

Continue reading “Donne on the Brain”

The Prayer of a Child

Posted on by Alan

Michelle, Augie, and I were returning from Bible Study yesterday, and (as is quite often true) I had my iPod playing on shuffle through the car's stereo. I believe were were enjoying a song by Christina Anu when Augie made a simple request. (If you are not familiar with Anu, she's an Australian singer whose largest hit was, "My Island Home.")

What was Augie's entreaty?

From the back seat he said, "Augie's church music?"

Christina Anu shouldn't be insulted at the little guy's request for a change of genre—Augie knows that I have quite a few of his songs in my library, and it's good that kids like hearing other kids sing. What was surprising was that just after he asked…within a couple seconds…VeggieTales came on.

A little blonde curly-haired boy petitioned, and the Lord delivered. God blessed our music-loving munchkin. Continue reading “The Prayer of a Child”

Poof!

Posted on by Alan

Within some Seventh-day Adventist circles there is a joke connected with how strict Adventists are unlikely to wear jewelry (even a wedding band is avoided). The only jewelry allowed has to be functional—for example, a watch. (To be fair, although I might come to a more tempered conclusion, they have valid reasons for their aversion to bling.)

So…the story goes…these Adventists get to heaven and everyone gets a crown but them. Obviously they are a bit perplexed, but God quickly explains that they get a special one.

And then He reveals crowns with a clocks in their centers. 🙂

Now, for some reason that joke comes to mind when I think of another humorous hypothetical celestial situation. We all know that pride is one of the seven deadly sins (see Proverbs 6:16-19)…so one time I was thinking of a scenario after a saint arrives in heaven. He's really, really excited to finally see Jesus face to face…and (of course) he isn't disappointed. Continue reading “Poof!”

Running on Empty

Posted on by Alan

Last week I mentioned the sermon's title, "And Then There Were None," was unintentionally the same as a book by Agatha Christie. This week, I chose "Running on Empty" fully well knowing that there was a song and record by Jackson Browne with the same name. Now, that's not my favorite Jackson Browne song—if I had to choose one it would be the combo of "The Load Out" and "Stay" on the same record…although if I was going to choose my favorite song about touring, nothing beats the live version of "Turn the Page" by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band.

Although I'm sure you all wish we could keep talking about 70's music, just like last week's talk didn't parallel the Christie novel, this one really has no connection to the Jackson Browne song. I just like the title. 🙂

And Then There Were None

Last week's sermon wrapped-up like a television show's season finale. It ended with Jesus "yielding up his spirit" (Matthew 27:50)…but that really wasn't the worst of it. Instead, before His end…

Continue reading “Running on Empty”

And Then There Were None

Posted on by Alan

Agatha Christie & Martin Niemöller

Little did I know when I chose the title, “And Then There Were None,” for this sermon that Agatha Christie actually wrote a book by that name. It is a mystery where ten unpunished murderers are invited to an island where, one-by-one, they are knocked off. I can’t really say it’s original title in a public setting, but it was “Ten Little” N-word after a nursery poem of the same name (the deaths in her plot paralleled those in the poem). It was also published and filmed under the title “Ten Little Indians.”

I do not know how it turns out since I haven’t read the book; whether anyone actually survives (and who the murderer is…or I suppose…who the murderers are)…but let me assure you that the novel does not parallel my sermon…not to mention that those of you sitting before me won’t suddenly meet some terrible doom, one-by-one. 🙂

Continue reading “And Then There Were None”

The Demons Shudder

Posted on by Alan

The belief of demons

This sermon is going to be both normal and abnormal. Normal in that we'll return to looking up a good number of scriptures together—abnormal in that we'll spend quite a bit time talking about demons. As a whole I don't think it's good to focus on the Devil and his angels. They are plenty interesting…but that's the problem…they can be too interesting, and they can pull our eyes off the One we really should fix our gaze upon.

The One who, when compared to the entire evil host, is light a beach compared to a single grain of sand—and that's still exaggerating their significance.

Continue reading “The Demons Shudder”

Are both Satan and Jesus the morning star?

Posted on by Alan

I have been the webmaster for a religious publisher since 1998, so I get email with questions now and then. Generally I point them to our e-mail discussion group, but today I got a query I figured I’d go ahead and try to answer myself. My response is below (minus names, correcting one tense, and removing a “[a]” in one of the verses that pointed to a footnote in that Bible). First, what she asked:

i have heard ______ say that Lucifer was also Jesus name..does he get that idea from the Hebrew or do you know if there is a direct quote somewhere in the bible

My response… Continue reading “Are both Satan and Jesus the morning star?”

Earthquake map

The End

Posted on by Alan

Earthquake mapIf you click on the image, you’ll see that the “10-degree Map Centered at 40°N, 140°E” (generated Saturday, March 12, 15:22:22 UTC) says, “255 earthquakes on this map.”1 First, imagine having lived through the original estimated 8.9 magnitude quake—one that appears to have shifted Japan’s main island by 8 feet and the earth’s axis by 4 inches.2 Depending on where you were in Japan when the quake hit, you watched anything from books falling off shelves to a 30-foot high tsunami “that swept across rice fields, engulfed entire towns, dragged houses onto highways, and tossed cars and boats like toys.3

Then, as you continue to listen to the news of evacuations around nuclear power plants (and of a large explosion in the building that houses the reactor at one), 5.57 million people without power (and 1 million without water), “the coastal city of Rikuzentakata…virtually destroyed by [the] tidal wave,” four missing trains (with an unknown quantity of passengers), 3,400 buildings either completely or partially destroyed, and 200 fires…4
Continue reading “The End”

What You Need

Posted on by Alan

Battle of the Bands

This week I had a singer named Aloe Blacc playing on my iPod…probably because Augie really likes one of his songs and asked for it earlier. The title is "I Need a Dollar"…but Augie refers to it as the "Hey Hey Song" since he likes doing that phrase in the song with me:

I need a Dollar
A dollar is what I need
Hey, Hey

I like that song quite a bit myself, especially when Augie is accompanying it. 🙂

But that wasn't the tune that inspired this sermon, instead it is one named "Miss Fortune," where Miss Fortune's dad is discussing her with a suitor…and admitting he has messed her up by spoiling her just as he did her mom. This line in the song jumped out at me:

But the problem with having everything you want
Is you never really know what you need1

[ Repeat a second time ]

Now, I'd played that song before…but I have a habit of really only listening to the music…not the words…although I'll often pay some attention to the chorus. I'm glad this time I was actually aware of what he was singing…there seemed a lot of wisdom in such a simple statement (and in the tune itself…where the suitor doesn't listen to his soon-to-be father-in-law and sure enough, daughter turns out like mother).

Continue reading “What You Need”

What’s in a Name?

Posted on by Alan

This week I spent a couple days off-the-grid in East Millinocket, Maine with Mike, my father-in-law (a retired truck driver who dabbles in used car sales). During one trip (to plain-old Millinocket) I saw a sign for an oil and propane supplier—one I'd never noticed before: Dead River Company. I told Mike that it seemed a regrettable choice for a business considering the environmental-catastrophe concerns people have with removing crude from Mother Earth. Especially after last year's Gulf disaster, it would appear that whether or not it originally made sense to name the forest products company in 1909 after a river that flowed through its land in western Maine,1 in 2011 it has to be a bit of a hurdle for Dead River's Marketing Department. Little did they know in 1936 when they expanded into petroleum products (anyone remember Esso?)2 that 75 years later some would consider them part the second most nefarious industry (only behind tobacco)…and that their name would be a constant reminder of the worst-case scenario for their trade.

However, the sub-optimal naming up in northeast Maine didn't stop there. Enjoying more of that beautiful area's flavor by reading the Katahdin Region News, I saw an ad for Rob's Oil Burner Service. Nothin' too bad about that; well, except that they put the initials above the company in bold capitals: R.O.B.S. I don't know about you, but I'm not sure I want someone coming into my home with R.O.B.S. on their uniform. 🙂

Yet, Dead River Company and R.O.B.S. only receive an honorable mention when it comes to the prize for unfortunate name selections. Continue reading “What’s in a Name?”

Prayin’ Like a Pagan (Part 2)

Posted on by Alan

Quick Review

Before we jump into "Prayin' Like a Pagan (Part 2)" (otherwise known as "Winslow's Sermon on the Lord's Prayer (Part 2)"), let's quickly review the highlights of part 1. Although we are reviewing eleven verses (Matthew 6:5-15), we only made it through three of them two weeks ago when I last preached. I suppose at that rate I should do another three weeks :-)…but we'll go ahead and try to wrap it up today.

Other than everyone learning that if you compliment me there is a ka-ching in heaven as money is removed from my celestial bank account (just kidding!), the easiest way to summarize what we learned in verses 5 through 7 is by listing the people we should not pray like.

Verses 5 and 6 taught us not to pray like hypocrites whose words were selfish and for show. There is no heavenly reward for that kind of supplication.

An by looking at 10 different translations of verse 7, we generated a much longer list of people we should not mimic in prayer:

  • Don't pray like Gentiles
  • Don't pray like pagans
  • Don't pray like heathen
  • Don't pray like idolaters
  • Don't pray like people of other religious
  • Don't pray like ungodly people
  • Don't pray like people who don't know God

And…turning "don'ts" around to a "do"…

Ultimately we are to pray like people who know God.

Continue reading “Prayin’ Like a Pagan (Part 2)”

Diane's Miracle

Diane’s Miracle

Posted on by Alan

Diane's MiracleIn the "we took way too long to start it" category are the monthly church prayer meetings that began in January (and will repeat every fourth Sunday at 10AM instead of Bible study). Although other items were also brought before the Lord, one request especially stood out—Diane’s need for an operation that might finally stem the tide (actually reverse it) when it comes to the progressive damage multiple sclerosis has been doing to her body. Over the past couple months, Rick has been sharing the amazing results of a new treatment called the Liberation Procedure, and after one recent service Rick explained how this is one case where they just cannot "go it alone." The Davis family needs our help.

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Prayin’ Like a Pagan (Part 1)

Posted on by Alan

A.K.A. Winslow’s Sermon on Prayer (Part 1)

I have asked folks to let me know if there is anything they’d like me to preach on, and a few weeks back Winslow delivered by requesting a sermon on the Lord’s Prayer. I postponed doing it because it’s far less simple than it sounds…and although I still feel like I am not going to do the Prayer justice, here is my first attempt at that important task. I say "first attempt" because, as uncomplicated as the Lord’s Prayer seems on the surface, it actually provides plenty of material to do many sermons.

So, if I fail miserably on this one I know I’ll have ample opportunity to do another. 🙂

Dive Right In

Let’s dive right in by reading the entire section we’ll be going over today and two weeks from now (Rick is preaching next week since I’ll be in California). The only thing I’ll add before that is a reminder this is part of the magnificent Sermon on the Mount. It is fitting that within all the other golden words of advice directly from Jesus lips He would include guidance on praying. Without further ado, let’s look at Matthew 6:5-15:

Continue reading “Prayin’ Like a Pagan (Part 1)”