Archive for the 'Church' Category
- Conversations with God (2006)
Click on Reviews in the header menu for an overview of how I approach film reviews.
These “conversations” are based on the best-selling books by Neal Donald Walsch. Canadian actor Henry Czerny (”The Exorcism of Emily Rose”) plays author Walsch, who was at his lowest point when he found a new purpose for his life.
According to [...]
- I’m a Heretic
Jerry Falwell recently proclaimed from his self-appointed papal pulpit that limited atonement is heresy. Then I guess I’m a heretic. Sorry I let you down Dr. Falwell.
Of course if I believed everything else that Dr. Falwell believes I would be correct to say that limited atonement is incorrect. If I believed that Christ’s death [...]
- A Beautiful Analogy
I can only wish that I wrote this. I have in fact thought it before. However, I lacked the time, talent, and knowledge of beer to write it myself. With that being said, enjoy this great analogy between beers and theological persuasions by Erik Raymond (a.k.a. The Irish Calvinist)
People have described some of the contemporary [...]
- Sanctity of Human Life
Yesterday in my church we observed Sanctity of Life Sunday and while the large focus was upon the atrocity of abortion we also looked at embryonic stem cell research. But as I thought about it the sanctity of life covers so many issues. When we realize that every person is created in the image and [...]
- Are We Just Yelling?
As a Christian, and especially as a pastor, sometimes I feel like I’m not reaching anyone, not impacting or engaging anyone. Most of the time I feel like I’m just yelling. I was reading some old articles from one of my favorite church marketing sites, BetaChurch.org, when I ran across this article.
Its focus is [...]
- News Update
As most of you know, I recently resigned my position at First Baptist Church of Archer to pursue my Masters Degree at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. We were planning to move to Kentucky around the first of the year. However, recent developments have made us reconsider. One reason is that I’ve personally never driven [...]
- Is Joel Osteen Fascinating?
Tonight on The Barbara Walters Special ” Most Fascinating People of 2006″ The man with the most annoying smile in the world was #8. There is much more that annoys me about Joel Osteen than his grin. His teaching is just awful, yet week in and week out millions of people tune in to hear [...]
- Christmas Icons in Public Places
Yesterday, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport removed their 25 year tradition of displaying Christmas trees after the threat of a lawsuit from a single passenger. A rabbi asked that a menorah be placed in the display as well, and instead of meeting this seemingly simple request, they decided to turn off and disassemble their fifteen holiday displays. [...]
- The Effects of Pornography
I grew up in church, a fundamentalist church nonetheless. And I attended my youth group faithfully, and every February, around Valentine’s Day, our church would participate in “True Love Waits,” an abstinence before marriage campaign. But it couldn’t just stop with a simple urge towards chastity, these talks had to run the gamut; sex, abstinence, [...]
- Church: The Lost Art
The following is an excerpt of a commentary on the modern church written by an unbeliever.
It would be wonderful to imagine these places as sites where people gather to appreciate great art, music and poetry, and experience the best of religious history. Think again. A typical church service is a few hymns, a harangue from [...]
- The Lost Virtue of Cooperation
It doesn’t take much searching on the internet to find out what many Baptists believe is going to be the next big battle. Many speak in apocalyptic terms about this “evil” and fear that if something isn’t done soon, our convention is going to fall apart. In their opinion, this Trojan Horse is the dreadful [...]
- Tips Speak Louder Than Tracts
Daniel Holland of Relevant Magazine and Greg Koukl of Stand To Reason have both recently posted on this topic, but I thought I could add to the discussion.
I have never been a waiter, nor do I ever want to be. It’s not that I don’t like to serve people, it’s for this very reason. If [...]
- What Did Spurgeon Think
I could easily see this become another recurring post. Basically I take a theological or philosophical argument and using the magic of public domain and search engines find out Charles Spurgeon’s view on that particular issue. This is basically what I read this morning over at OldTruth.com. Jim Bublitz writes in “Did Spurgeon Create Converts [...]
- Should Dressing for Church be About Fashion or Family
Mark Driscoll, one of my favorite people to quote, posts his reflections on a recent question posed in a Dear Abby column. This question touches deep to the heart of what it means to be intentionally relational with non-Christians. How are we supposed to reach them if all we ever do is alienate and confuse [...]
- Christianity and the Arts
While up here in Louisville, I went to a coffeehouse discussion thing and the discussion topic was on Christianity and the Arts. Seminary professor Dr. Steve Halla delivered an excellent presentation on the topic and I spoke to him and shared my heart for this topic and it all got me very excited about coming [...]
- Preach the Word
I read an excellent post by Dan J. Phillips from TeamPyro on preaching the word. Read the whole post here.
And so it is the preacher’s burden to open up the Word — not as if opening a museum, but a picnic basket. My goal isn’t for my hearers to stand at a distance and [...]
My Movie Reviews
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2008-10-24 15:24
With DeNiro and Pacino I expected much better. But it was dry and predictable the whole way through. Better than 88 minutes, but not by a lot.
0.3 -
2008-10-24 14:09
I hate horror movies, but this one surprised all of the critics and did great at the box office, so I had to see it. And despite the lame acting and predictable plot, it was creepy! I had to watch another movie after it to get to bed.
0.3 -
2008-10-24 14:06
Acting was superb. Expect posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger. Great action and twists. Can't wait for Christopher Nolan's next.
0.3 -
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of...
2008-10-20 20:00
The movie was okay. But Indiana Jones and aliens (sorry, interdimensional beings) just don't mix. They should have left well enough alone. Most of the movie was goofy and campy, especially the monkeys and groundhogs.
0.3 -
2008-10-20 12:00
I had high expectations of this move going in, and it lived up to them. The acting was fabulous, especially by the supporting roles, Martin Landau, Tim Robbins, and Bill Murray. Read my full review here.
0.3