Lookin’ Good for Jesus

Really? I mean… Really?

(HT: Kinsley)

Weekends Are For Kids

Knowing that the subject could potentially open up a can of worms, it was time to tell Joshua and Andi that we’re going to have another baby. Andi said she would give him/her kisses. Joshua? Well, not so smooth…

Adult: “Guess what, guys? We’re going to have another baby in our house.”

Joshua: “Today?”

Adult: “No not today. Not for about 8 months.”

Joshua: “How long is 8 months?”

Adult: “It’s past your birthday, past mommy’s birthday, and past Christmas.”

Joshua: “Why’s this taking so long?”

Adult: “Well, it takes time for the baby to grow big and healthy enough to be born.”

Joshua: “What’s born?”

Adult: “Born is when the baby comes out of mommy’s tummy and into the hospital room and then comes home.”

Joshua: “How does the baby get into your tummy?”

Adult: “Umm…….”

Joshua: “Is it in there now?”

Adult: “Yep. Sure is.”

Joshua: “Well how’d it get in there?”

Adult: “Umm….”

Joshua: “Did you eat a baby?”

Adult: “Something like that. Hey! Sesame Street is on!”

Fridays Are For One Question

Given that Sunday is Father’s Day, here’s the question of the day:

“Who is the greatest TV father?”

**The goal of “One Question Friday” is simple: To show that everyone has something funny, engaging, creative, and worthwhile to say. So comment away! Be real. Be creative. Think hard. And check back to see how others answered the question.

Responding in Faith to Mistakes

I made a mistake at work this week. And by mistake, I don’t mean “Oops. I accidentally embezzled thousands of dollars.” Nothing sinful, just a mistake. But whenever you make a mistake, there are consequences.

Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody fails. But I spent alot of time thinking today about how you respond to mistakes from a perspective of faith. Here are a few reflections on how the gospel can influence your perspective the next time you find yourself trying to recover from a mistake.

1. When you make a mistake, you make an error in judgment or a moment of forgetfulness. The gospel reminds you that your self-worth is not tied to your ability to perform perfectly.

2. When you make a mistake, you are tempted to hide, blame, or ignore. The gospel gives you the confidence you need to own up to it and accept responsibility.

3. When you make a mistake, you start to focus on yourself, thinking that the whole world is looking at you. The gospel reminds you that you are not the center of the universe – Jesus Christ is.

4. When you make a mistake, you find yourself wanting to do anything you can to avoid the potential of failure. The gospel encourages you to take risks instead of burying your talents in the dirt.

5. When you are around someone who has made a mistake, you can easily slip into judgment in order to make yourself feel better. The gospel reminds you that you have the responsibility to fulfill the law of Christ by bearing another’s burden.

6. When you make a mistake, you look for ways to redeem yourself in the eyes of your bosses and peers. The gospel reminds you that you have nothing to prove to anyone since Christ has proven Himself on your behalf.

7. When you make a mistake, you become afraid. Afraid of what people think, afraid of doing something wrong, afraid of the consequences. The gospel drives out fear with perfect love.

A Review of “Up”

I love Pixar films. In my opinion (and in pretty much everyone else’s), they haven’t missed yet. Finding Nemo was incredible. Toy Story 2 was even better than Toy Story 1, and that’s really saying something. And that kid in Monster’s Inc. is so cute I want to punch myself in the face.

So I had high expectations for Up.

And it was good. Really good. I mean, the animation alone was incredible (the scene where the house actually lifts off the ground is particularly amazing). But the story is captivating, heart-felt, and moving.

Here’s the interesting thing about the movie though – some animated movies try to sort of sit in the middle of between kiddie cartoon and adult humor in an ambiguous center ground. I would say lots of other animated films do this. Think about The Lion King for example. It’s clearly a kids movie, but it’s not really “kiddie.” I mean Mufassa gets trampled for crying out loud. But it’s not really adult either. The movie treats adult themes in kid-like ways.

But Up does it differently. It seems like to me that there’s a wide gap in the film.

For example, for the kids, there is the very kiddie idea of dogs with collars that enable them to speak. There’s lots of gags with dogs flying planes, tripping on themselves, and chasing rubber balls.

But then there’s the first 15 minutes of the film, which is very, very adult. It’s about growing older, having to make sacrifices out of dreams, and eventually, great loss. And it’s done well enough to where I was fully, totally invested in Carl, the old man, inside of 20 minutes.

Carl and his wife dreamed of being adventurers and eventually living in South America near a waterfall. But life happens. Over and over again. And Carl turns around one day to find that his wife is gone and they never really did anything. So he decides to float his house (he’s sold balloons for his career) all the way to South America.

The amazing part about Up is the commentary it makes about the nature of dreams. Carl, along with another character, are contrasted in their approach to dreams and adventure. Both are obsessed men of a sort, but Carl has the choice about whether he’ll allow his failed dreams to consume him or whether he’ll embrace what is life is. And what is his life?

His life is good. Sure, it’s not what he originally thought it might be, but it was, and can still be full. It’s just a different adventure than he had in mind all along.

And there is the very adult portion of the film. Anybody with kids, family responsibilities, and an electric bill knows that along the line, certain sacrifices have to be made. Rarely do our lives turn out just as we thought they might, and when they don’t, we have the choice about whether we wallow in the “what might have been,” or whether we accept from the hand of God what has been given to us. And, as most everything in life is, the decision is about faith.

Do you really believe God has a plan?

Do you really believe God is ordering your steps?

Do you really believe that He is wise?

Do you really believe that He has charted out the way you should go?

If the answer is yes, then come what may in life. We can still choose joy and hope in the midst of it. At least that’s what I walked away from Up thinking about.

Zach is Back!

Children of the 90’s unite! Here’s Zach Morris on the Jimmy Fallon show.

No… really. It’s Zach Morris.

(HT: Sarah)

Faith Instead

Instead of fear, choose faith.

Instead of despair, choose faith.

Instead of lust, choose faith.

Instead of legalism, choose faith.

Instead of self-deprication, choose faith.

Instead of arrogance, choose faith.

Instead of judging others, choose faith.

Instead of gluttony, choose faith.

Instead of anger, choose faith.

Instead of slander, choose faith.

We can always choose faith—that which makes much of God and reaffirms our confidence in His wisdom, goodness, timing, and provision. Choose faith.

Fridays Are For One Question

Today is my 30th birthday, so I’m taking notes here on the One Question Fridays:

“How would you celebrate your 30th birthday?”

**The goal of “One Question Friday” is simple: To show that everyone has something funny, engaging, creative, and worthwhile to say. So comment away! Be real. Be creative. Think hard. And check back to see how others answered the question.

Happy Blog-iversary, “Forward Progress”

One year ago, I started this blog. Thank you guys for reading, adding to, and interacting on it. I’ve tried to have a healthy mix of stuff on here, from theological reflections to movie reviews to stories about my kids to the occasional Zoomba class. All told, there have been 284 posts, 1217 comments, and some great interaction. In celebration of the 1-year-blogging milestone, here’s a list of the most popular blog posts over year 1 of Forward Progress:

1. What the Church Can Learn from Dunkin Donuts – Why is Dunkin beating Starbucks? It’s about the simplicity of the coffee. Maybe the church has something to learn from its success…

2. Barak Obama and Mark Driscoll - In one of my more clever blogging moments, I was able to tap into all the searchers trying to pair these guys to see what Big Mark might be saying about Big O. Answer? Nothing. But this post does have a video from each totally unrelated to each other.

3. The Future of the Church Choir? – Here’s a great video of a senior adult choir who knows how to get jiggy wid it.

4. Dave Ramsey on the Current Financial Crisis - Because I get Dave’s newsletter via email, I was able to cut and paste some of his answers to questions regarding the financial crisis.

5. Moses and 40 Long Years - A post reflecting on 4 decades of being a nobody, and how God uses those times to help us “become…”

6. Tithing is About Faith – Some reflections on why God, who doesn’t use an ATM card, likes the tithe.

7. Believe, Become, Behave – Here’s an examination of three elements of Paul’s theology, as taken from his writing style in the New Testament.

8. The Wisdom of God and Sea World (Part 2) – This is the conclusion of the story of Joshua’s Make-A-Wish trip, and what we learned from a stay on the leukemia floor of the Orlando Children’s Hospital.

9. Redemption - A simple video of a powerful church service about the things God buys back in our lives.

10. The Wisdom of God and Sea World (Part 1) – The story of how our trip to Disney landed us in the hospital, and what God had in store for us there.

Bring Your Gun to Church

From MMI:

A Kentucky pastor is inviting his flock to bring guns to church to celebrate the Fourth of July and the Second Amendment. New Bethel Church is welcoming “responsible handgun owners” to wear their firearms inside the church June 27, a Saturday. An ad says there will be a handgun raffle, patriotic music and information on gun safety.

“We’re just going to celebrate the upcoming theme of the birth of our nation,” said pastor Ken Pagano. “And we’re not ashamed to say that there was a strong belief in God and firearms — without that this country wouldn’t be here.”

The guns must be unloaded and private security will check visitors at the door, Pagano said…

Read more here.

I’ve got to wonder a few things. The most obvious is, “Is this really a good idea?” But secondly, if you think this is a good idea, what do you name the sermon for this week? Maybe something like:

“The Gospel Will Blow You Away”

“Galatians: Shooting From the Hip”

“Gangsta Jesus”

Your thoughts?