Ginormous Resurrection?

I love this ginormous 12' x 40' mural that artist Ron DiCianni took two years to paint, oil on canvas, called The Resurrection. In it, using his sanctified imagination, Jesus is surrounded by a cloud of witnesses that includes Moses, Elijah, Esther, and John the Baptist. This mural was commissioned by the Museum of Biblical Art in Dallas, Texas. Click below to see. Enjoy!

Does He Care if We Care?

In Revelation 14:7, God sends three angels to tell "every tribe, nation, language, and people" to worship He who "made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them." Significantly, THAT phrase is a quote from the 4th commandment (Exodus 20:8-11) which begins with "Remember the Sabbath day...six days you shall labor but the seventh day is the Sabbath" but ends with what's quoted in Revelation 14:7 "...the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them." Apparently, the Lord has a day and still cares if we care (if He didn't, why would He send heavenly angels to say so in a loud voice to everyone on earth?) But why does He care? Because He SO loves us (like crazy)! And always has!

That's why hundreds of years earlier God said Sabbath was not just for Jews in Isaiah 56:2 "Blessed are those who honor my Sabbath days of rest and keep themselves from doing wrong. I will also bless the foreigners (Gentiles - like us) who commit themselves to the LORD, who serve him and love his name, who worship him and do not desecrate the Sabbath day of rest, and who hold fast to my covenant."

But what about the rejected and marginalized and those far from God? Isaiah 56:4-5 says, "I will bless those eunuchs who keep my Sabbath days holy and who choose to do what pleases me and commit their lives to me. I will give them—within the walls of my house—a memorial and a name far greater than sons and daughters could give. For the name I give them is an everlasting one. It will never disappear!" No wonder Isaiah 56:7 says that one day, God's house would be a house of prayer for "all nations."

What's kinda cool is we're living during the time when some of this is taking place. Various tribes and nations and languages and people of faith or no faith are beginning to see the significance of the Sabbath. In this clip, a Presbyterian minister shares how she observes Sabbath in her home on Saturdays. Kept right, it's a delight (Isaiah 58:13-14)! To God and to us. Shouldn't we care if He cares?

Watch Keeping the Sabbath on PBS. See more from Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly.

Silence in the Sanctuary?

Reverence cannot be limited to silence in the sanctuary. Yes, Habakkuk 2:20 says, "LORD is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him." But Psalm 68:24-26 also says, "Your procession has come into view, O God— the procession of my God and King as he goes into the sanctuary. Singers are in front, musicians behind; between them are young women playing tambourines. Praise God, all you people of Israel; praise the Lord, the source of Israel’s life." Apparently, God loves instruments of all kinds, percussion, and women worship leaders in the sanctuary!

1 Chronicles 25:6 adds, "They made music at the house of the LORD. Their responsibilities included the playing of cymbals [percussion], harps, and lyres [stringed instruments like guitars] at the house of God." So pleased was God with the instruments and music and singers and even the loud volume of praise (2 Chronicles 5:11 says they raised their voices and in unison praised the LORD with these words: He is good! His faithful love endures forever!) that, "At that moment a thick cloud filled the Temple of the LORD. The priests could not continue their service because of the cloud, for the glorious presence of the LORD filled the Temple of God" (2 Chronicles 5:12-14). Wow. God liked it so much they couldn't continue! I bet God LOVES the lyrics to Redeemed by Big Daddy Weave. Take a listen. And check out these other rarely quoted references to reverence in worship.

Seems like all I could see was the struggle
Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past
Bound up in shackles of all my failures
Wondering how long is this gonna last
Then You look at this prisoner and say to me "son
Stop fighting a fight it's already been won"

All my life I have been called unworthy
Named by the voice of my shame and regret
But when I hear You whisper, "Child lift up your head"
I remember, oh God, You're not done with me yet

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I'm not who I used to be
I am redeemed, I'm redeemed

New Movie in Maumee?

Whenever Hollywood actually makes something thought provoking and wholesome, I think the body of Christ should commend and support them! And since there's a new movie called Hell and Mr. Fudge coming to Maumee Indoor Theatre APR 19-25, I was hoping you could help pass out invitations and support it!

MacKenzie Astin stars in this warm, thoughtful, and sometimes humorous story of the trials and tribulations of evangelical scholar Edward Fudge as he challenges an ancient tradition and shakes up his own core beliefs. Whether you change your mind (like evangelicals John Stott or Clark Pinnock or Philip Edgecumbe Hughes or Edward William Fudge) about whether God burns people in eternal torment forever and ever or not, this film will touch your heart and undoubtedly spark study and conversations about what you DO believe. Which is always a good thing. Either way, thanks for helping Hollywood know there is a demand for good Christian feature films.

This family friendly film won the 2012 Houston International Film Festival award and is showing in Maumee Indoor Theatre APR 19-25 @ 7pm. All shows are $4. See you there!

God Loves Scumbags Like Crazy?

Phil Robertson, the Duck Dynasty reality TV star, knows God loves Him like crazy. Even though he's a self-described "scumbag." You have GOT to watch this 4 minute vid!!!

Coexist with Technology?

"It is my phone. I bought it. I pay for it. I am loaning it to you. Aren't I the greatest? I hope that you understand it is my job to raise you into a well rounded, healthy young man that can function in the world and coexist with technology, not be ruled by it" Janell Hoffman wrote. This mom loves her 13 year son. And to express that love, she gave him an iPhone5 for Christmas in December 2012. An iPhone / iPad Mini is an extravagant gift for a teen. But what made me think she loves her son like crazy was her 10 Commandments she gave next. Actually, she gave him 18 Commandments. Here, from her original blog post, they are:

1. It is my phone. I bought it. I pay for it. I am loaning it to you. Aren't I the greatest?
2. I will always know the password.
3. If it rings, answer it. It is a phone. Say hello, use your manners. Do not ever ignore a phone call if the screen reads "Mom" or "Dad". Not ever.
4. Hand the phone to one of your parents promptly at 7:30pm every school night & every weekend night at 9:00pm. It will be shut off for the night and turned on again at 7:30am. If you would not make a call to someone's land line, wherein their parents may answer first, then do not call or text. Listen to those instincts and respect other families like we would like to be respected.
5. It does not go to school with you. Have a conversation with the people you text in person. It's a life skill. *Half days, field trips and after school activities will require special consideration.
6. If it falls into the toilet, smashes on the ground, or vanishes into thin air, you are responsible for the replacement costs or repairs. Mow a lawn, babysit, stash some birthday money. It will happen, you should be prepared.
7. Do not use this technology to lie, fool, or deceive another human being. Do not involve yourself in conversations that are hurtful to others. Be a good friend first or stay the hell out of the crossfire.
8. Do not text, email, or say anything through this device you would not say in person.
9. Do not text, email, or say anything to someone that you would not say out loud with their parents in the room. Censor yourself.
10. No porn. Search the web for information you would openly share with me. If you have a question about anything, ask a person ? preferably me or your father.
11. Turn it off, silence it, put it away in public. Especially in a restaurant, at the movies, or while speaking with another human being. You are not a rude person; do not allow the iPhone to change that.
12. Do not send or receive pictures of your private parts or anyone else's private parts. Don't laugh. Someday you will be tempted to do this despite your high intelligence. It is risky and could ruin your teenage/college/adult life. It is always a bad idea. Cyberspace is vast and more powerful than you. And it is hard to make anything of this magnitude disappear -- including a bad reputation.
13. Don't take a zillion pictures and videos. There is no need to document everything. Live your experiences. They will be stored in your memory for eternity.
14. Leave your phone home sometimes and feel safe and secure in that decision. It is not alive or an extension of you. Learn to live without it. Be bigger and more powerful than FOMO -- fear of missing out.
15. Download music that is new or classic or different than the millions of your peers that listen to the same exact stuff. Your generation has access to music like never before in history. Take advantage of that gift. Expand your horizons.
16. Play a game with words or puzzles or brain teasers every now and then.
17. Keep your eyes up. See the world happening around you. Stare out a window. Listen to the birds. Take a walk. Talk to a stranger. Wonder without googling.
18. You will mess up. I will take away your phone. We will sit down and talk about it. We will start over again. You & I, we are always learning. I am on your team. We are in this together.

Isn't that like God? Who gives us extravagantly good gifts? And is "in this" together with us? Who knew how we coexist with technology could remind us of how we should coexist with God? Who loves us enough to give us some good advice on how to live? No wonder everyone who loved God like crazy before and after the cross also loved His law. Psalm 119:97 says, "Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long." 1 Timothy 1:8 adds, "We know that the law is good if one uses it properly."

For your enjoyment, click here to see a vid of Lydia receiving on her birthday an iPad Mini (we gave her the rules after!!!)

Shoot Christians Say?

WARNING: You might need a twisted sense of humor to enjoy. Like mine. Because I think this is THE funniest parody of Christian verbiage I've ever seen. Enjoy!!! What's your fave? (Will you echo that?!!)

Last Words?

His doctor later conceded he had a less than 1% chance of surviving his life threatening Acute Aortic Dissection even with surgery. But he did PTL! Later he sent me this video clip he made (with some help from life flight helicopter paramedics) of what he thought would be his last message to his family on his iPhone. At this point in his experience, death seemed acutely real and imminently close. But he was trying to be courageous...

Some of the apostle Paul's courageous last words can be found in Acts 20:24 NLT, "But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God." What will your last words be?

Hymns Reinvented?

Page CXVI is a band out of Colorado that reworks, re-imagines and sometimes reinvents classic hymns. Their band name is drawn from a page number in a particular copy of The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis, the brilliant passage where Aslan begins to sing Narnia into creation out of a black void.

Here's the quote: "In the darkness something was happening at last. A voice had begun to sing. It was very far away and Digory found it hard to decide from what direction it was coming. Sometimes it seemed to come from all directions at once. Sometimes he almost thought it was coming out of the earth beneath them. Its lower notes were deep enough to be the voice of the earth herself. There were no words. There was hardly even a tune. But it was, beyond comparison, the most beautiful noise he had ever heard. It was so beautiful he could hardly bear it." - C.S. Lewis, The Magician's Nephew p. 116

In March, they are giving away their entire catalog for free as a way to celebrate their 7th anniversary. Check 'em out. I LOVE THESE GUYS!!!
Check out their stuff online
http://www.facebook.com/PageCXVI
http://pagecxvi.com/
http://youtube.com/pagecxvi

Or get a taste below

Helen's Home?

Haven of Hope makes over the homes (and often lives) of people one at a time in NW Ohio. Check out Helen's video we showed during Intermission of Valentines for Toledo concert benefiting Haven of Hope. And save the dates JUL 28-31 if  you want to help Haven of Hope with their next make over!

Evangelist Dry Cleaner?

Steve Martin is a riot in this sketch as a Evangelist Dry Cleaner. Enjoy!!! S

Happy Families?

"We have our jobs. We work on those. We have our hobbies. We work on those. We have our bodies. We work on those. We know from research that families are central to our happiness, but we spend precious little time working on them. What we have just realized is if you take small steps, you can actually make your family happier."

That's the line from the this 15 minute interview I heard the other day on the radio (click below to listen to the interview in its entirety) that made me buy the book The Secrets of Happy Families by Bruce Feiler. He breaks down families into the things we all do—love, fight, eat, play, fool around, spend money, make pivotal life decisions—and tried to discover ways to do them better. I hope you enjoy this book as much as we do. We're reading a few pages every evening after supper. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Enjoy!!!

Click here for more info about the book.

True Unity?

Nine sermons in two days at the 1Project Chicago FEB 11-12 all celebrating the supremacy of Jesus? Yes please! My standing-O fave was from day 2 with Brandy Kirstein who talked about what unity is. Quoting the book Adventist Home p.179 she said, "The secret of true unity in the church and in the family is not diplomacy, not management, not a superhuman effort to overcome difficulties—though there will be much of this to do—but union with Christ." Aw yeah. Love that.

Search iTunes for "The 1 Project" app with all the sermons from previous gatherings plus Brandy's to be added soon. Or click here for The One Project Facebook Page or website. YOU WILL BE BLESSED. Below is a video recap from Chicago better than a slice of Giordano's deep dish!