"A WINNER IS YOU" The grammar is so terrible, but somehow satisfying and endearing. You really think, "Self, you is a winner." This funny phrase according to KnowYourMeme.com comes from the 1986 game Pro Wrestling for the NES...
...wherein the player was given a short congratulatory message after beating the match opponent. Similar to other poorly translated videogame messages, its broken English grammar certainly stuck with those who’ve seen it and continues to be celebrated today.
We all like to win, but if there is a winner there is usually a loser. There aren't many win-win situations in life. When they come around it's something really special. I mean the worse that could happen is that a winner would be you. And that ain't bad.
This is a HOT video on Youtube right now. Do you guys remember this science guy called Bill Nye? I do! Man, I loved his show. It was fun, interesting, and helped me learn quite a lot about science.
From an early age my parents equipped me with an evolution antenna. When I heard evolution spouted from the TV or radio, whether Bill Nye, Discovery Channel, or others, all I heard was, "Blah, blah, blah..." When they got back to the science I was back on board.
I grew up with my dad having loud conversations with the Discovery Channel. He would call out their inconsistencies and quote scripture at them. It's as if he thought they could hear him. But there was always this nagging question if our TV had a secret microphone inside. I don't think so, but I never checked. I liked to believe they were getting an ear full of pastor wrath.
I'm not really the, "shout at the TV" type. I like to listen, think, and respond. Well, this video has changed me. I've turned over a "scream at the screen" colored leaf.
Bill Nye this week was interviewed by Big Think. Big Think is a website that is trying to consolidate ideas that will change our lives (That's a summery of their mission statement... you can read all about them at the link).
They interviewed Mr. Nye on evolution. There was something about this interview that grated me the completely wrong way. I like Bill Nye, as I said, I grew up with his show, but this made me lose a lot of respect for the science guy. This was the part that really got me.
So, once in a while I get people that really—or that claim—they don't believe in evolution. And my response generally is "Well, why not? Really, why not?"
And I say to the grown-ups, if you want to deny evolution and live in your world, in your world that's completely inconsistent with everything we observe in the universe, that's fine, but don't make your kids do it because we need them.
When you watch the video you'll see he is saying a bunch of things and just hoping no one ever fact checks him. He speaks as if those who believe in the Bible don't know anything about science. How about all the great scientist that came before Darwin and his theory? Were they not capable of discovery and progress? Nah, they were idiots like me. Bill then has the audacity to say our world view is complicated... What planet is this guy living on? Evolution is the definition of complicated. Someone get me the duct tape, my heads about to explode.
When did he become Bill Nye the evolution evangelist guy? When did he become such a man of misplaced faith?
I always liked Beakman's World better anyway.
What do you think about this interview with Bill Nye the Science Guy? Agree, disagree, or don't care?
UPDATE:
The always awesome Creation Museum responded to Mr. Nye's video. You can watch it below.
And what kind of response would it be with out Ken Ham the Creationist Guy?
I wanted to make sure I got all the Camp Kinetic videos up on my blog. If you want to come watch them at any time, this is a convient place for them to be found.
This was the final day of camp. In this video you'll not only get a taste of more awesome games, but you'll also get to take a peek at the moving worship times. As much fun as the games are... most of the students will remember to experiences that had in worship. Enjoy.
Fred Randall: Hey, Commander, were you ever afraid of monsters under your bed? When I was little I used to think there was a baker under my bed. William Overbeck: No. Fred Randall: You ever look? William Overbeck: No. Fred Randall: Then how do you know there wasn't a baker under your bed?
That's one of my favorite quotes from the hilariously stupid movie Rocketman. But it serves as a funny reminder that we'll never know if there is life on Mars if we never look.
I don't know if you've heard, but we landed another rover on Mars. This one is called Curiosity. NASA took out all the stops with this mission. I guess you could say Curiosity is kind of a big deal. The other rovers were about the size of a large remote control car, but this newest one is the size of a Mini Cooper and weighs around a ton. NASA wasn't playing around this time! If there is or was life on Mars they're going to find it. At least that's what they're telling us.
Day 3 of camp is when everything started coming together. Students were actually getting into the worship time and responding to the Gospel.
The video that you're about to watch has an intro to it. One of the games we played on Day 2 was called Zombie Apocalypse (Everyone is into zombies these days). So in honor of that I tried to mimic the Walking Dead intro. It's meant to be funny... enjoy!
This is the first day everything started coming together. Uncharted was one of my favorite games to film during the week. Uncharted is a game that Allie and I developed by taking cues from the actual video game Uncharted 3.
The golden bleach bottles they are carrying were filled with about 25 pounds of uncured concrete. They were rather heavy. The game was exhausting and intense. For the roars at the beginning I dropped all their voices about 3 octaves. It was all quite fun. I hope you enjoy!
It is really difficult to put in words what happened last week, but I'll try. Last week's camp was, in my opinion, the best camp I've ever been a part of. We had a great time during the games. We enjoyed just hanging out during free time. But the best part of the week was the time spent with God.
On Tuesday and Wednesday nights we had worship times like I've rarely been a part of. The students were singing, dancing, and yelling. I believe that all of it was an out pouring of the Holy Spirit.
Lives were changed. On the second night 12 came to the Lord! That's something to celebrate. That usually doesn't happen until the end of the week. When people were surrendering to Jesus that early in the week I knew something special was going to happen.
Zombies are a big deal these days. They’re on TV shows like The Walking Dead, and they have been all over video games and movies for decades. Games like Plants Vs. Zombies and Resident Evil are top sellers. There has also been a rash of real life flesh eating people recently. I don’t know what’s up with that, but maybe the Bible does. So, in an effort to gather more blog views I’m shamelessly writing a blog about...
THE TOP 5 ZOMBIE BIBLE VERSES
5. The Walking Dead Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in a new way of life. Romans 6:4
The Bible is full of examples, illustrations, and figurative speech about being dead and brought back to life. This passage is one of those. It talks about spiritually killing off our old sinful self. It’s only after we’ve killed off our old self that Christ spiritually raises us back to life. This is what happens when you make Jesus the leader and forgiver of your life. This is also what immersion baptism represents. Dying to the old sinful self and being raised again in new life. Pretty cool stuff. I encourage you to go and read all of Romans 6 to get the full understanding of the passage.
4. A Dead Army Back to Life I prophesied just as I’d been commanded. As I prophesied, there was a sound and, oh, rustling! The bones moved and came together, bone to bone. I kept watching. Sinews formed, then muscles on the bones, then skin stretched over them. But they had no breath in them.
He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath. Prophesy, son of man. Tell the breath, ‘God the Master, says, Come from the four winds. Come, breath. Breathe on these slain bodies. Breathe life!’”
So I prophesied, just as he commanded me. The breath entered them and they came alive! They stood up on their feet, a huge army. Ezekiel 37:7
This is a fantastic prophesy about how God is going to raise up Israel, His people, again. I wish I could have been there. It would have been really creepy, but also really awesome. Again, no flesh eating or anything like that, but it’s a great example of the dead being brought back to life, and this time as an army. An undead army.
3. Back From The Grave The tombs were also opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And they came out of the tombs after His resurrection, entered the holy city, and appeared to many. Matthew 27:52-53
There is no denying that Christ’s death was powerful. It shook the earth and opened tombs. Then we also see how powerful the resurrection was. Those who were, “Asleep” came alive again at Jesus’ resurrection and walked out those opened tombs. In the strictest sense I guess these aren’t zombies either. It seems they came to life and acted like normal people. There was no flesh eating happening. What is interesting is their rising from the dead from out of their graves... Maybe they weren’t zombies in the strictest sense, but they seem to at least have a case of the undeads?
2. Rotting flesh, a Plague, and Enemies of the Lord This will be the plague the Lord strikes all people with who warred against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. Zechariah 14:12
This passage points forward to the second coming of Christ. The beginning of the passage talks about all the evil things the enemies of God are going to do to Israel. In an act of punishment God sends a plague against His enemies that causes their flesh to rot while they walk around. Their eyes and tongues will also rot. Interesting factoid: Common punishments of the day included the flaying of skin, the gouging out of eyes, and the cutting out of the tongue. Zechariah points to all this happening through a plague and not with the hands of people. Sounds a lot like the undead to me.
1. Sorry, No Dying [The locusts] were ordered to torture and not kill... When this happens, people are going to prefer death to torture, look for ways to kill themselves. But they won’t find a way--death will have gone into hiding. Revelation 9:6
A common theme in most zombie flicks is the inability of the undead to die... again. A zombie’s arms can the ripped off, legs can be severed, and they can even be decapitated, but they still don’t die. Imagine a horrendous car wreck where the person CAN’T die. They feel all the pain, but would walk/crawl around for five months without dying. Boom! Zombie. If you combine the Zechariah verse with the understanding that this happens right in the middle of the apocalypse, we get what seems like a real five month zombie apocalypse.
Next time people say that the zombie apocalypse isn’t going to happen maybe you’ll want to point them to some of these verses. I’m going to give you a pro-tip: If you’re a Christian you won’t be a part of the zombie apocalypse. You’ll already be in Heaven. Maybe today’s lesson could be: Become a spiritual zombie through Christ so that you don’t become a physical one.
This is the first in a series of post where I'm going to break down each section of camp and explain why we do what we do.
GAMES:
Here is how camp works. We rush around like raging mad lunatics trying to get everything settled. We eat dinner, go over all the rules, and then send all the students outside to spray paint their flags. The designs range from awesome to, "And what is that?"
If you're one of the three people who haven't seen The Avengers don't feel bad. It's probably because you had a really busy weekend, or maybe you were just being a good parent and you weren't sure if it was right for your kids. I can't do anything about your busy weekend, but hopefully I can inform you on whether or not The Avengers is right for your family.
As a movie I thoroughly enjoyed The Avengers. There were zero moments where I felt bored. The whole flick is a ride. I also laughed out loud during several parts. My wife told me I was laughing so much I was embarrassing her (and it takes a lot to do that). Maybe it was just my type of humor, but I really appreciated the lightness of the film. If you've ever read and Avengers comic this movie has the same tone. Sarcastic humor mixed with intense fighting and incredibly high stakes.
The best movie Hulk ever
I was also pleased that Marvel has finally figured the Incredible Hulk out. I've seen both recent Hulk movies and I wasn't fond of either of them. Hulk was so much fun to watch. He steals the scenes he is in. And as an added bonus Hulk is not embarrassing to look at. In the two prior movies hulk fell way to deep into the uncanny valley. I don't know what they did different, but it worked!
If the only thing keeping you from this movie is whether or not it's entertaining, stop reading. Go see it.
Last night my Facebook and Twitter feeds were blowing up about The Fray butchering our national anthem at the NCAA championship game. I like The Fray and they're a Christian band, so, I decided to see how they desecrated on the national anthem.
When I watched the video I thought I was going to be bombarded with complete disrespect and awfulness. I was greeted with an unconventional version of the Star Spangled Banner, but it didn't appear to be disrespectful. A drum similar to one that might have been played by a drummer boy during the revolution was beating, two acoustic guitars were harmonizing, and the singer was pretty straight forward in his interpretation of the melody.
For my blog this week I am reviewing The Hunger Games movie. I realize that many people will have already watched the film by the time this review is out, but if you're up in the air about whether or not you or your children should see the movie I hope this review will help. I have read the books and watched the movie. Hopefully that perspective can help you make an informed decision. Maybe this review is for the parent in limbo whose kids are begging them to see it this weekend, and hopefully it will start some interesting discussions.
Is The Hunger Games A Particularly Christian or Anti-Christian movie?
No. In the books and the movie spirituality is almost completely absent. The most spiritual the film gets is a use of God's name by way of the expletive, "Oh my God." The lack of spirituality is good and bad. The good thing is that you don't have to worry about the director or writer trying to shove their theology down your pie hole. You can avoid awkward conversations about the theology of Katniss Everdeen (The protagonists of the film). There will be no need to combat the evils of witchcraft or the demonic nature of vampires.
This should be a given but... This article is my opinion. There are great people who believe different from me. You are free to disagree with me, and I'd like to hear your point of view.
There is a huge debate going on in our country about contraception and abortion. Everyone is missing the point. My biggest issue is that the government can't tell a religious organization to go against their beliefs. In this case it happens to be the Catholic church's rights, but I would do the same for Muslims. But that's not the topic of this blogpost. Is birth-control wrong? I'm going to give my short opinion and then encourage you to watch a very insightful video from the pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, John Piper.
Contraception is not a sin if it's not destroying life. I believe that life starts at conception. So if the means of contraception is destroying a fertilized egg then I think it's wrong. Birth control can happen many ways, and even the Catholic church has two approved forms of contraception. They are the rhythm method and abstinence.
The real question we need to ask ourselves is why are we not having children? Is it for selfish reasons, or is it for God's reasons? As long as the contraception is not destroying a fertilized egg then I believe it is every couple's personal decision how they are going to determine when they have kids. Some don't even try and I'm fine with that. The world needs couples like that. If you do practice contraception, as per the guidelines above, in my opinion, you are not in sin.
Here is the video:
Here are the scriptures John uses in the video. Please go to the passages and read more on your own.
Don't you see that children are God's best gift? the fruit of the womb his generous legacy? Psalm 127:3
Happy is the man who has filled his quiver with them [sons]. Such men will never be put to shame. Psalm 127:5
Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper as his complement." Genesis 2:18
I say to the unmarried and to widows: It is good for them if they remain as I am. 1 Corinthians 7:6
What do you think? Please give me your opinions in the comments below.
Ps> Do you know what we they call people who practice the Rhythm method of birth control? Parents.
Good enough. I bet any dad who reads this wishes to be a good father. The good enough policy is, well, good enough in a lot of life's areas, but fatherhood is not one of them.
I'll confess I strive to be a great father. I fail far too often. Sometimes I come home and I want my alone time. I veg on my ipad or watch my show on TV. I've worked hard that day and I deserve it... so I think.
I'm always hearing older fathers tell me that, "They'll be grown and out of the house before you know it." I usually smile and nod politely dismissing their wise words. But they are too right.
If a Dad spends an average 6.5 hours with their children every day week, as research shows, that means in a year they will spend 338 hours with their kids. That comes out to a grand total of 2 weeks out of the year with their kids. During the first 18 years of a child's life the father will spend 254 total days with their kids... That's not even 1 whole year before they leave the house. Wow, that sucks. No wonder they're gone before we know it. On average we don't spend a whole year with our kids before they're gone. [Compare that to almost 3 years will be spent with our TV during that same 18 years period, ouch.]
Courageous Movie Trailer
As fathers it is time we start to bump that number WAY up. Come on guys let's at least get an hour a day in (And much more). The time we have to invest in our children is extremely valuable and apparently quite rare. Don't go home a ignore the kids. Go home and invest. The difference that we can make as a father is incredible.
Here is your homework- Go see Courageous in theaters. Get a baby sitter for the kids (This time away from them will be well worth it) and you and the wife go out and see this movie. It might give you a swift punch to the stomach, but sometimes we need that. You'll cry, you'll laugh, and you'll leave changed.
Have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching [them] from the fire; have mercy on others but with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.Jude 1:22-23
I'm not cursing... if you're freaking out, calm down. I really just wanted you to click on the post. It worked! Thanks for the click. There is a point to my rather crass title.
Need a laugh? Here is a great montage of people being scared.
God has called us to reach out to those who are destined for eternal separation from God, and as Jude states, the fires of Hell. Hell isn't something people really like to hear about. Because of that in our culture many preachers don't like to preach about it or even say the word. Hell has to be preached about. If we don't warn people about it who will? No one.
Oceanside's main goal is to reach out to the lost. We desire for people to come to know Christ as their leader and forgiver. We work in all kinds of ways to help people make that decision: Block parties, Sunday services, small groups, podcasts, and street preaching (to name a few). This Halloween we're extending our reach and hosting, what many people might call, a haunted house.
Haunted really isn't the best term. It won't be full of ghosts, witches, or anything like that. But it will be a house filled with death. Death that is caused by sin. Suicide, drugs, prostitution, and serial killings are just a few of the themes.
So, what is the point? We're trying to remind people that this life will end, and we'll ask them if they're ready. The point of our, "Haunted house", for lack of a better term, will be to scare the Hell out of them and fill them with Christ. We're looking for people to be a part.
So how can you use this awesome opportunity to reach people for Christ? Well, I'm glad you asked.
We need: Actors, Makeup artist, costumers, builders, crowd control, and counselors. It will be an awesome event for you to help at, please join in.
Do you want to know what gets on my nerves? When biblically ignorant people make a point using the Bible to invalidate our faith. Do you know what really gets on my nerves? When equally biblically ignorant Christians get stumped by it.
Ok, I'll calm down and try to write a coherent post today. I believe that Christians in America have a huge problem. We don't know our own Holy Book (The Bible). Many Christians are swayed and shut up by
arguments that are not only irrelevant, but often times false. We need to learn to not only deflect these arguments, but crush them as it says in Philetus 1:3*.
Those who doubt the Bible often pull verses out of context and misinterpret passages. Then they use those passages to prove their points. Many of those arguments and questions would be easily squashed or answered with some basic Bible knowledge. For some, studying the Bible may seem beyond your abilities, but let me assure you that it is not. If you can read and write you can study the Bible.
1) Today I can't give you all the answers, but I do want to encourage you with this. Start actually reading and studying the Bible. It will mean a little hard work, but in the end it will be worth your effort. Read, study, and meditate on God's Word. It will not only transform your life, but it will strengthen your faith. When questions are asked and lies are proposed you'll recognize them easily.
2) Research the claims people make. If someone throws a verse in your face don't just believe what they say. Look it up! Many times people don't even know the verses they are referencing and their
ignorance will quickly bubble to the surface if you look up the passage. What about Pastor Trey and myself, should you double check us? Absolutely. Both of us encourage everyone to double check the passages we quote. Make sure we're correctly teaching the Word of God (2 Timothy 2:15).
Get into the Bible, build your confidence, and blow your mind! The Bible is a supernatural book. Check out some free Bible study tools at YouVerson.com.
You can check out this video that will lead you through some simple questions to ask when studying the Bible.
*Philetus isn't a real book... I made it up. I hope you figured that out and didn't just soak it in without question.
In Closing: Carowinds: We have very limited space, and I have to order the tickets Thursday. The full price of the trip (Carowinds ticket, lunch, and transportation) is $55. Get your money to me this Wednesday.
Haunted House interest meeting July 31: We're looking at doing a Halloween haunted house without all the witches, ghost, etc... Ours will actually be scary. The point would be to show people the reality of their mortality. We would end off the tour with a Gospel presentation. TAKING BACK SATAN'S NIGHT! #KSITT
Every year for the past 6 years Oceanside has taken its youth to camp. This will be our seventh year doing youth camp.
Camp 2006
I think sometimes people get confused why we go to camp. Some think we go just because it's the best time we'll have all summer. Some people think it's because we love hearing Johnathan Elrod play music. Some think it's because it gives us a vacation (obviously those people have never gone to camp with us). Still others think we go because we're just trying to keep middle and high school students busy during the summer. Yes all of those things are accomplished, but none of them are the goal.
Face plant! Camp 2007.
Everything at Oceanside's youth camps are designed with purpose and meaning. Games are played to build community, illustrate points, and wear students down. The location is picked to get students out of their comfort zones. The food is great to nourish their ravenous appetites, because a hungry student is a student that isn't paying attention. All of these things are to point students to one person, Jesus Christ.
She cooks a mean tube steak. Camp 2010.
If we went to camp and just had a blast, and only sang a lot of music, and ended it all off on an emotional high it would be a waste. We bring students to camp and great things happen. Most of the fruit that happens through Oceanside's Reality ministry is harvested at camp every summer. Please, support our students the best you can. They need some money (We do it as cheap as we can), but also need your prayers.
Peanut butter isn't just for sandwiches. Camp 2009
Specific prayer points:
1. The Holy Spirit is already moving in the lives of the students going
2. God will give Pastor Trey and myself the words to say as we speak to the students
3. We'll be safe on the trip and while there.
4. The students on the edge of life change will take the step of faith and make Jesus their leader and forgiver.
5. Pray that those who can't decide if they should go will decide to go
In some serious prayer. Camp 2009.
Some Camp Needs:
We need someone who will be willing to drive the van to Lake Greenwood and back to Charleston. This person won't stay at camp during the week, but will pick the van up from Budget Rental and return it on Sunday, June 26 (when we leave) and Friday, July 1 (when we return). This is a tremendous need. It helps with cost and transportation. Click here to let me know if you're interested in helping. Or leave it in the comments.
Tweet
As promised, here is the message from Steven Furtick about being grateful for what you have. Watch it, enjoy it, and comment your thoughts below. Thanks Seacoast for getting this video up! My favorite line, watch for it, is about people being crap factories.
Did you think it was as powerful as I did? What are your thoughts? Comment below.
