I'm usually not into the dumb criminals caught on tape stuff, but this is too ridiculous. Learn from this folks. Graduate from high school, get your degree, and get a job. Whatever you, don't rob a liquor store.
13.12.06
Have you ever asked someone what they wanted to do? Most of you have...if you haven't, be more considerate of others. The most common response I get when I ask this question has some form and use of the word "fun". This always perplexes me, because fun really doesn't tell me anything. All it says is that you want to enjoy yourself, which we should all hope for our lives. So I'm posing the question to you today: What is fun?
For myself I have fun when I'm reading a book, watching football, and cooking a nice meal for my wife. However, I doubt that's how everyone else defines "fun". With so many different conceptions of fun, there is bound to be many people disappointed when it's your purpose for a group of people.
I ask the initial question of this post quite often to get the input of others and I most often get the typical response of something "fun". Although not always, but many times I sense that what people are really trying to tell me is that they want to be entertained in some way. Herein lies a problem. I'm not an entertainer, I'm a youth pastor. I'm not that good at entertaining people. That's why we have movies, television, and video games...so you won't be tortured by people like me with abnormal senses of humor. Hence, why you will probably never see my mug on YouTube.
So does anyone think we are little entertainment-obsessed? I do. Why is an Ipod or cell phone necessary at school again? Oh, it's not required for any class. Why must everything be entertaining? It doesn't need to be, but we perceive it as a necessity.
The funny thing about all of this is that I've never seen a group of friends that didn't have fun together. "Fun" happens anytime that you get together with a group of friends regardless of the activity. The problem that we have with entertainment is that it's fleeting. It's great for the 2 hours it lasts, but then it's over and gone. You have a memory, but you didn't learn anything or grow in any way.
This is where I lose most people. I love "fun" and it will happen at every youth event because youth are surrounded with friends. I do not see the need to entertain. If you want to go to Disneyland or the beach, go with your family or a friend. I haven't found in the Bible yet where the disciples and apostles use entertainment as a core value of sharing the gospel with people. Instead they focus their energy on teaching the truth and sharing experiences with other people. It's all about relationships and truth. And yes, they all had "fun" doing it.
Okay, fire away with the comments.
For myself I have fun when I'm reading a book, watching football, and cooking a nice meal for my wife. However, I doubt that's how everyone else defines "fun". With so many different conceptions of fun, there is bound to be many people disappointed when it's your purpose for a group of people.
I ask the initial question of this post quite often to get the input of others and I most often get the typical response of something "fun". Although not always, but many times I sense that what people are really trying to tell me is that they want to be entertained in some way. Herein lies a problem. I'm not an entertainer, I'm a youth pastor. I'm not that good at entertaining people. That's why we have movies, television, and video games...so you won't be tortured by people like me with abnormal senses of humor. Hence, why you will probably never see my mug on YouTube.
So does anyone think we are little entertainment-obsessed? I do. Why is an Ipod or cell phone necessary at school again? Oh, it's not required for any class. Why must everything be entertaining? It doesn't need to be, but we perceive it as a necessity.
The funny thing about all of this is that I've never seen a group of friends that didn't have fun together. "Fun" happens anytime that you get together with a group of friends regardless of the activity. The problem that we have with entertainment is that it's fleeting. It's great for the 2 hours it lasts, but then it's over and gone. You have a memory, but you didn't learn anything or grow in any way.
This is where I lose most people. I love "fun" and it will happen at every youth event because youth are surrounded with friends. I do not see the need to entertain. If you want to go to Disneyland or the beach, go with your family or a friend. I haven't found in the Bible yet where the disciples and apostles use entertainment as a core value of sharing the gospel with people. Instead they focus their energy on teaching the truth and sharing experiences with other people. It's all about relationships and truth. And yes, they all had "fun" doing it.
Okay, fire away with the comments.
War is a popular topic today. It's the headline nearly everyday on the evening news and dons the front page of nearly every magazine and newspaper once a month. It doesn't stop there. It's the basis for multiple movies and even finds its way into the monologues of late-night comics.
So we are bombarded by the coverage of the "war against terror" and the "jihad" holy war. It's a reality that we have settled for even though "jihad" doesn't even translate into war...it actually means to strive or to struggle, although it is understandable how it's mean can be twisted to declare a holy war. I think the excess of discussion and information regarding the war is more detrimental as opposed to helpful. We are so overloaded with information from the past month that we forget what actually occurred a 6 months ago.
Another thing that happens with this excess of information is that we are allowed to focus on minute points and build them up while ignoring the most important aspects of the war. We have seen this happen many times during this war in Iraq with instances such as Abu Grab, Guantanamo Bay, and torture/questioning of enemies. While these issues shouldn't be hidden, they are not most important when it comes to war. Not to sound redundant, but isn't it a bit absurd to expect full civil rights for people trying to kill us in a war zone?
War is not pretty, fair, and there are no rules. Regardless of the Geneva Convention, war is still about killing more of the other guys and winning. People die in war and not all of them are soldiers. Atrocities happen in all of these situations. There is no congeniality award in war, just a winner. I'm not saying that this is wonderful or that it's the way war should be, but it is. It's the way that war always has been and always will.
I've never served in the military and have never had to fight in a battle for my life and hopefully I won't ever have that experience. However, I do think our troops believe in what they are trying to accomplish. I think they deserve our respect, care, and encouragement of all Americans. They are doing a job that I don't want to do...and for that I'm thankful and will encourage them to the end.
So we are bombarded by the coverage of the "war against terror" and the "jihad" holy war. It's a reality that we have settled for even though "jihad" doesn't even translate into war...it actually means to strive or to struggle, although it is understandable how it's mean can be twisted to declare a holy war. I think the excess of discussion and information regarding the war is more detrimental as opposed to helpful. We are so overloaded with information from the past month that we forget what actually occurred a 6 months ago.
Another thing that happens with this excess of information is that we are allowed to focus on minute points and build them up while ignoring the most important aspects of the war. We have seen this happen many times during this war in Iraq with instances such as Abu Grab, Guantanamo Bay, and torture/questioning of enemies. While these issues shouldn't be hidden, they are not most important when it comes to war. Not to sound redundant, but isn't it a bit absurd to expect full civil rights for people trying to kill us in a war zone?
War is not pretty, fair, and there are no rules. Regardless of the Geneva Convention, war is still about killing more of the other guys and winning. People die in war and not all of them are soldiers. Atrocities happen in all of these situations. There is no congeniality award in war, just a winner. I'm not saying that this is wonderful or that it's the way war should be, but it is. It's the way that war always has been and always will.
I've never served in the military and have never had to fight in a battle for my life and hopefully I won't ever have that experience. However, I do think our troops believe in what they are trying to accomplish. I think they deserve our respect, care, and encouragement of all Americans. They are doing a job that I don't want to do...and for that I'm thankful and will encourage them to the end.
8.12.06
About a month ago I sent out an email with a link to www.freederekwebb.com. If you haven't been there yet, you can get a free CD. This guy used to be part of a band called Caedmon's Call. He has some good music with some incredible lyrics...they will definitely make you take a different view of life. Go check it out!
5.12.06
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