jack bauer I ain’t…

We are minutes away from the end of an era.

After tonight, Jack Bauer will no longer be saving America by going rogue, disarming the bomb, killing the terrorists, stopping the deadly virus, and revealing the mole in CTU.

After 9 years (only 8 seasons, but even Jack Bauer couldn’t defeat the writer’s strike a few years back), we will have to rely on our own dangers to get the adrenaline pumping. You know, the heart-racing moments we all live through, such as waking up late for work, making our paychecks last until the 30th of the month, avoiding foods that will surely give us acid reflux, and stressing about the upcoming class reunion.

In other words, we have a lot of real stuff to deal with. But Jack Bauer gave us some escape, an hour at a time.

Does this have any connection to church stuff? Probably somewhere. I could pull out a verse or two that would make the secular-spritual connection work.

But right now, all I can say is that I’m gonna miss Jack. Mostly because now I’ve got to live in the real world.

Well, at least until the next Star Trek movie comes out!

when a media guy listens

Gotta be honest. Most services, I’m so intent on listening for cues and making sure the next slide is ready to go, I don’t get to listen to the message. Oh, I hear it, I’m just not listening.

So, the first time I listen to it is usually on Monday when it’s up on the podcast. And even then, I’m sometimes distracted by the mechanics, and not the content, of the Word.

But last week, I listened. And then I listened again. And it was one of those messages. And you know what I mean by one of those. It was one of those that hit me right where I was at that very moment. It dug deep into my soul, and scooped out the junk that I was living with. It released me from a bunch of the stuff that I think has been holding me back.

But my point here isn’t the change it made in me. The point is…I wish everyone that was hearing the message would listen to it.

We live in a world where folks are Facebooking, and Twittering all the time. We are so busy with what’s going on that we aren’t paying attention. And I’m not talking about the people tweeting and posting during the service. Heck, I’m one of them! It’s so cool to see a status update that says we have the coolest church around, and looking up to see the poster in the third row!

I’m talking about the way we are submersed in the everyday crap that takes our attention away from what really matters: each other.

Take a few moments today or tomorrow. Put down the iPhone, blackberry or Android. Put the iPod away. Step away from the computer and turn off the TV. Be in the moment. Listen to what’s going on.

Don’t just hear it.

help

I have always been self-reliant.

I would never ask for help…with anything. Homework assignments in college, projects at home or work…anything. I used to think this was an admirable trait. But recently, I found out that it was the trait that has been holding me back.

God put us on the planet with other humans for a reason: to interact and be part of a community. It’s that community that brings us closer to Christ, and brings us closer to each other. We are hear to support each other, and help our fellow man to achieve greatness; to become the people that our Creator meat for us to be.

If we can’t rely on each other, then we are but an island. And, as the old saying goes, no man is an island.

After 43 years on this planet, I finally get it. It’s easier to lean on a thousand shoulders than stand on your own.

why do christian movies stink?

O.K., the title to this post may not be fair. But, if you love the movie industry, you must agree that a vast majority (95%-99%) of Christian films stink.

Now, I’m not talking about the big budget Hollywood extravaganzas, such as The Ten Commandments or Passion of the Christ. I’m talking about the movies made in the past two decades produced specifically for the “church going” market. Duds like “Time Changers” and “Facing the Giants.”

Those are all well-intended flicks, but they’re awful because they are not relevant and in order to appeal to what they feel is their target market, they use dialogue that only Ned Flanders could appreciate!

Mother’s Day, Speed Racer, and the such…

As we prepare for our annual Mother’s Day service at LifePointe Church, I am becoming very nostalgic. Not prohibition-do-the-lindy-buy-bonds nostalgic…just recalling-the-great-things-about-my-mom nostalgic.

I have to ask myself “would I do the things for her she did for me?”

The answer: It’s hard to say.

Would I give up the last slice of pie? Probably not…but in hindsight, I should have!

Would I work for the government for 35 years so that I could have a spoiled kid squander the paychecks I brought home? Probably not.

Would I go to stupid plays, baseball, football, soccer and basketball games, boring PTA conferences, and the likes, without complaining…once?  Absolutely not.

You know, this list could go on forever, but I just want it on the record that I’m not half the person my Mom is.

Oh, yeah…and I saw Speed Racer this weekend and it kicked butt!

Thanks, Mom, and I hope you have a great Mother’s Day!