prosperity.

Dear Prosperity Preachers,

You know who you are, I don't have to call anyone out by name or be rude at all. I just wanted to say a gospel that preaches you'll eventually be blessed financially if you become a Christian is pretty much idol worship. Most of you probably didn't intend to stir up greed and lust, but empty promises based more in a consumer culture than in scripture can't be very good.

Sure, David said, "I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread," in Psalm 37:25. But don't skip over the less sexy verse 16, "Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked."

If Jesus is our true example for a perfect life, then we are in for a treat. He was lied about, lied to, only had a few real friends, didn't own property, worked a regular job until his ministry started, homeless, falsely accused of a crime and eventually murdered.

Being rich isn't a sin. Rich people are great. It's just not for everybody.

God wants to bless us, and it's usually not in ways we were expecting.

whip it.

I saw that movie Whip It the other day and thought it was really good. I thought you should know that. Sorry I don't have any funny quips or witty observations on this one. Ellen Page is boss. And kudos to Drew Barrymore on making a movie without a male hero.

vma.

As I watched the Video Music Awards this year and then bits of them again numerous times over the past couple of days, I have gained a sense of wonder and appreciation for them. For as many evils as MTV has shoved down my generation's collective throat, it can still put on one heck of a performance. Think about it. Here was a place where pretty much every important entertainer of our time was located: Madonna, Kanye, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Taylor Swift, Jack Black, Green Day, Alicia Keys, etc, etc. I'm almost reluctant to admit to myself how incredible their performances were.

Yet what do we take away from the night? What do we gain?

I won't discredit any of the performers. I won't decry the artistry of any of them. But I can't help but feeling like a robot right about now. Like there's a larger, more sweeping plot at work, whether intentional or not. What gives this moon its gravity? What causes these few to swell the tides of emotion in all of us?

Does anyone else feel that there are greater powers at work here? Pleasure is god. MTV is one of its churches. All of these people were in prayerful reverence for a pop cultural icon, whose legacy will go on for what, a few decades before fading away into the halls of obscurity? Corinth had its temple prostitutes, we have our own.

I pray that we remember there are more important things in life than being entertained. And I hold onto the hope that one day the word Christian will be more than a punchline for most people.

celeb look-a-like 2.0

I wanted to do one of these for a long while now. So, after much waiting, here is one new celeb look-a-like.

This celebrity might be recognizable to young parents that watch the Disney Channel early in the morning.




















I think my friend Becca (r) looks just like Wendy Calio (l) from Disney's Imagination Movers. There you have it. One more CLL 2.0 for the books.

spare me.

Sometimes you read blog posts or tweets or myspace whateverity doodads and you have the thought... "Why don't you just get a journal?" I guess there are inside thoughts and outside ones, and deciding which is which can be complicated in this techno age of instant updates yet deep disconnection. As communication becomes more immediate, it seems the quality of discourse is cheapened. Go read a letter from the Civil War and tell me my blog is well written. Bah! This only comes up because I was in one of my introspective moods and was about to write a whiny open letter to anyone who cared to read it. Fortunately, you were all spared the frustration.

I blame Alexander Graham Bell of course. We were getting along just fine with the telegraph, thank you very much.

But seriously, it would be pretty awesome if I knew Morse code.

You can go read some Civil War letters if you're in the mood. I found a site that has that sort of thing. While reading I came across this quote, "We can't get any news here - do not know what is going on in the outside world. The boys will all write as soon as they get chance to send them off." Is it ironic that I used the power of the internet to find that quote?

I am thankful for the instant gratification of google and facebook. It's incredible that whatever pops into my head, be it Civil War letters or midget boxing, I can immediately find more information on the subject than I need. I'm in love with technology, and if I had more money I might have more of it. The thing is while part of me loves being able to skype with my parents, the other part wonders what life would be like minus all the distractions.

For now though, I think I'll just try to navigate through my inside and outside thoughts.