Oh Rob Bell...

Through youth group and summer camp, I was exposed to the popular Nooma videos and Rob Bell as a result. I've always been intrigued by Rob Bell and found his videos to be pretty solid spiritually, but with the upcoming release of his book, "LOVE WINS: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived," my confidence in his ability to rightly divide the Word of Truth has been done away with. As I watched this video, it amazed me how heretical some of the things were that he was saying. It amazed that someone who is considered a figure point of modern day Christianity could be so far from the truth. As I further contemplated on the message of the video it reminded me just how necessary it is to be anchored to the Word of God regardless if we "like" what the Bible has to say about God's redemptive plan for mankind.

                                                                             

Tenth Avenue North has been my favorite band for the last few years. I love their musical style and their purpose behind each of their albums. Out of every band that I have listened to, they have some of the greatest, real to life lyrics that speak powerfully and clearly to the Gospel. The song I attached is entitled, "Times" and it discusses the plethora of situations and experiences we as believers face throughout our lives. I remember listening to this song for encouragement during times of sadness, struggle, or even joy and being reminded of the immutibility of Christ and His unconditional love. Hopefully you can read it, but I also posted what is listed inside the CD cover for what the band's purpose is for their two albums.  

I'm not a fanatic when it comes to the movie Inception, but I did really enjoy the film and thought there were some interesting truths behind it. The whole concept of an idea having great power is really intriguing, and is something I've been thinking about the last few days. Not to make a clique or watered-down analogy, but when we as Believers are thoroughly captivated with Christ it can be a powerful thing that drives us to make choices some might view as outlandish or absurd. The notion that life apart from Jesus has no value has the capability to (and should) underpin all that we think, say, and do.

The Office has been one of my favorite shows for a long time now. I love the humor that it contains, and the characters are always hilarious. Thursday nights episode was pretty funny, but the thing that stood out to me was how the theme of "Rags to Riches" was very present in the character named Andy. Andy is the worst salesman in the office, and literally is in a position where he could lose his job. Andy comes up with the idea of teaching a business seminar with the hopes of selling his "experties" to the would be business men and women. Towards the end of the seminar, Andy realizes that things are actually going well and that people might want to buy what he is offering. Despite the success looming over his head, Andy gets scared and almost backs out of his sales pitch. With the help of his boss (Michael), Andy picks himself up, conquers his fears, and makes not only one sale, but three altogether. Whether or not this is directly related to the American ideal of working hard and getting what you want, I'm not sure, but I definitely found this episode thought provoking and insightful.

For this first blog, I decided to search on youtube for the most popular music of the week. One of the first songs that came up was "Firework" by Katy Perry. I had heard of this artists, but honestly couldn't tell anyone which songs she had written/sang. After watching the video and reflecting on the lyrics of the song, I was both saddened and surprised at how the video portrayed the individuals who were "fireworks." Multiple characters were emphasized within the video, but three in particular stood out to me. The first was a young, teenage boy who was comforting his younger sister while their parents were verbally and physically fighting each other. The second character was a young lady who appeared to be insecure about her size/weight who was attending a pool party. The final character was a quiet young man who kept to himself while at a club. Each of these individuals were portrayed as if facing some sort of "challenge" which if they did the "right" thing they would be praised/heralded as being a hero via Fireworks bursting out of their chest. Sounds pretty crazy, right? Just watch the video and it kind of makes sense. The thing that saddened me however is that unlike the young, teenage boy who was praised for his courage in stopping his parents fight, the other two characters were praised for conformity and homosexuality. It's eye opening that our culture places equal admiration on defending the needs of the weak with issues that are contrary to God's intentions for mankind. Not only is this eye opening, but it's scary that teenagers (some even younger) are being exposed to a worldview that praises sin, and belittles obedience. I attached the link below, and I encourage you guys to check it out and evaluate what it is that we praise and applaud within society.