Trans-Siberian Fun

We went recently to Greensboro to enjoy the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Christmas concert. And it was thrilling! The guitars wailed, the violins danced and the drums thundered for a riveting 2.5 hour show.

As I understand it the TSO uses the largest set up of lights, lasers, pyrotechnics and effects of any major traveling act.

And I'd believe it!

To introduce the principal guitar and violin players, they were lowered on platforms as they played seemingly out of the sky onto the stage. Even the large metal frames that were hanging above the stage supporting other lights were movable. They were laced with lights and often moved up, down, tilted and curved in different directions to add to the show (see left).









My favorite part was probably the fire (see upper right). At one point is was so hot you could feel the heat way back in the upper section where my wife and I were seated.

We got really cheap tickets so it was definitely worth the money. I would recommend The TSO to just about anyone and I hope to see them again!

A "good message"

Growing up in the Bible belt I was exposed to a healthy portion of good o'le Southern Baptist doctrine. And one of the staples of southern conservative Christianity is Evangelism. Few faith groups in America are as good at sharing their faith and message to gain converts as Baptists. (However, as I understand it, the Mormons have us beat.)

As I have made my way through seminary I have gotten a taste of the more moderate flavors of the Baptists pie. One thing I have noticed is that Evangelism looks quite different in a moderate Baptist church. You might say that moderate baptists have shied away from 'traditional' Baptist evangelism for fear of appearing to be Southern Baptist. And this trend has impacted me in one way or another. I have found myself more removed from teaching about evangelism or faith sharing. I have even found myself keeping away from the "E" word all together. and this is regrettable.

However, recently I have found a renewed appreciation for euaggelizo. We get the word "evangelism" by transliterating the Greek word seen above. When taken apart, the Greek word euaggelizo is made up of two parts.

The first word, "eu" is a prefix meaning "good." It is the same as the "eu" prefix in the word 'eulogy' (meaning "good word") or 'euthanasia' (meaning "good death").

The second part of the word, aggelos, is the word from which we get "angel." It literally means, "messenger."

So when put together "good" and "message" become "the good message" or "good news." The verb would be "to share the good news."

I don't know how or why, but somehow this understanding of the word helps me to come back to a healthy respect for what evangelism is. I helps me to disassociate evangelism with overly anxious Bible thumping street preachers that preach more condemnation than grace and re-associate it with a genuine telling of something that is good and worth while.

If you have been like me and strayed away from traditional evangelism, perhaps you can join me on the shore of genuine faith sharing that isn't concerned with counting baptisms or one-hit-conversions .

In my opinion, meaningful evangelism is done through life giving relationships with people and with Jesus the Anointed One rather than through reciting a prayer or walking down the Roman Road. From Jesus' own mouth we know that faith sharing is important, but I hope we can hold an honest picture of what that looks like.

However we do so, let's be sure to share the good message.

Dog Theology, part 2: Learning to Swim

For many dogs swimming, as well as the desire to swim, just comes naturally. Not so with my dog: Dakota. However, there was a time, once, when I did successfully get her to swim.

While camping at Jordan Lake during a hot summer my wife and I took Dakota to the water. Getting her to splash and trot around with her feet in the water was easy. But to get her out any deeper than her belly took a bit of coaxing. Dogs seem to instinctively know how to swim, but ours only knows how to instinctively be a wuss.

Being a hound breed she is very food motivated. She'll do just about anything for a tasty morsel. And that's just what it took to get her to swim on her own. I put a treat in front of her curiously sniffing snout just out of reach and slowly lead her step by four-legged step into deeper water. With this tactic the two of us walked all six of our legs into deep water. There were a number of times when she abandoned the treat and turned around. But with enough motivation and encouragement from her dear o'le doggy dad she swam on her own.

Yay!!!

Isn't that just how growth happens? Most of us have not gotten to where we are in life by jumping into the middle of our vocational pool. We gradually took steps toward the deep water and who we would become. We may have turned back due to fear, but this slow gradual process seems to be the way in which God chooses to grow us emotionally, spiritually, and even vocationally.

Whatever morsel is in front of you right now, giving you reason and inspiration to move deeper, let me encourage you to step back and take in the big picture of your life. Sometimes it might be helpful to turn back, look at the shore where you began and notice just how far you've already come, instead of focusing on how far you still have to go.

This has been my own experience through grad school. If at the beginning of seminary I had seen where I am at now, I would have thought there is no way I could grow so much or swim so far. But I must credit those who walked out there with me and encouraged me along my path.

Step by four-legged step as I come to the end of seminary I, too, am learning to swim.

Follow Me

I have added a feature to my blog at the bottom of the page. It allows anyone to sign up as a "follower" of this blog. If you have a Google account, feel free to sign up and let me know who's reading.

Best.

"Shabbat"

A friend of mine at Campbell who is also a pastor told a story once. He was mowing his lawn on Sunday afternoon one day, when a member of his church drove by in the car. The church member stopped and greeted his pastor kindly. However, during their short conversation the church member asked what the pastor was doing mowing his grass on a Sunday? “Keep the Sabbath holy” was behind this question no doubt.

We get the word, Sabbath, from the Hebrew word שַׁבָּת (shabbat) meaning "cease." After six days of creation, God 'ceased' his work during the seventh day. Like wise, the fourth commandment is a command to take a day of rest and honor it, because rest is simply important.

I recently read a passage in John where Jesus is "caught" healing on the Sabbath and getting into trouble with those wily o'le Jews. Jesus responded to them by saying, "My Father is always at work, to this very day, and I, too, and working."

But when Jesus healed on the Sabbath the Pharisees, or religious leaders, paid the healing part no mind. They were too concerned that Jesus had "worked" on the Sabbath and thus broken Jewish religious tradition. Jesus had not broken a commandment, but simply religious convention. Over time, the Rabbinic oral tradition had made the Jewish laws even stricter. They had set regulations about what you could and couldn't do on the Sabbath so as to avoid doing work. These were regulations such as how much weight you could carry and even how many steps you could take on the Sabbath. What Jesus did was not forbidden by the Torah, but by tradition.

The Sabbath is supposed to be a time of rest. Got rested on the seventh day and so should we. For many of us it is also a time of worship. It ought, however, to be a break from the daily grind. (Get it, God took a break from the "day-ly" grind!) My guess is, whether you mow your lawn or not, the Sabbath should allow you adequate rest before you resume work.

Americans are probably the worst for never taking a Sabbath. We quit working at our regular job on Friday, but then too often fill up our weekend with other obligations and other forms of work. This often leaves us drained for work come Monday morning. That is not a Sabbath.

Perhaps you need to take a time for quality restful rest. When is the last time you took a Sabbath: time to rest for rest's sake? If you can't remember, it might be that time.

Rest well my friend.

DOG Theology

There's an older but familiar bumper sticker that reads, "God is my co-pilot." Soon responses to this sticker began appearing on car bumpers. One response was written trying to one-up it saying, "If God is your co-pilot, switch seats." Another was written looking to make a clever come back: "DOG is my co-pilot."

As a dog owner and lover I have often had the opportunity to reflect on the strange yet profound connections between dog and man, and man and God. Over the years I have noticed parallels in these two relationships. And at times they have been a bit eerie, but sometimes they are teachable moments.

My dog, Dakota, is a hound. And any hound owner knows that hounds are driven by their noses even more than other breeds. Her sense of smell is amazing...and frustrating. It causes her to get into anything and everything.

Her two favorite places to stick her elongated snout are bathroom trashcans and our house plant's dirt. Dakota knows she is not supposed to do this; many punishings and time spent in her cage have taught her this. And so she never gets into them while we're around. But often, when my wife and I come home we find little bits of dirt scattered playfully around our plant, and oftentimes bathroom tissue in various rooms of the apartment. Mostly she tells on herself when she happily greets us at the door with dirt on her nose.

Grrrrr.........!

Isn't if funny how sometimes we people think we can 'get away' with certain things when God isn't watching. Mark 13:35a says, "Therefore, be on the alert-- for you do not know when the master of the house is coming." We may be able to fool other people about what we do, but God sees us even when no one else does. Dakota doesn't know when we're coming back, and too many times we have caught her "dirty snouted."

I wonder if that's how God sees us sometimes? We come running to Him in prayer or to church and all he sees is dirt on our snouts. The neat part is just like I always forgive my daughter dog and end up rubbing on her floppy velvety ears, God will always forgive us too.

And lastly, Dakota has never stopped being cute. I wonder if sometimes, to God, we just look cute?!

A step in the right direction

Recently, for her birthday my wife was given a Wii Fit pad and game. Anyone who knows the two of us knows that gift would probably better suit me than her. Just to be clear I did not give this to her as the stereotypical male attempt to get something for myself out of her birthday. No, I'm not so think as you dumb I am.

When the Fit first arrived on the market I was skeptical at the potential for variety. I knew the Fit would be a novelty and sell out just like all of Nintendo's Wii products. However, I wonder if the Fit pad is something that can reach longevity in usage. But now I can see for myself.

Video games have had a history of doing two things, 1) entertaining both youngsters and oldsters with games that tap into scenarios only attainable in the digital world, and 2) causing long time gamers to spend hours on a sofa engaging in no more exercise than rigorous thumb work. For years, video games have been a contributing factor to childhood obesity. They keep kids indoors gaming when they should be running and getting dirty.

Dance Dance Revolution was the first modern game to incorporate physical movement into the gaming scene. (I do recall a track and field game for the original NES that utilized the same concept.) But the Nintendo Wii provided the perfect marriage between physical movement and gaming. This is something overweight gamers can benefit from.

With its newest product, the Wii Fit Pad, Nintendo has taken a step in the right direction towards physical activity for gamers. The game that accompanies the pad is very health conscious. When you first turn it on the computer gathers your weight and height to calculate you Body Mass Index (BMI). Then gamers are encouraged to set a fitness goal involving how many pounds to lose within a time frame. Health facts and tips are sprinkled throughout the tutorial. Actual game play involves yoga, aerobics, strength training and other balance games to help build stronger muscles. The game also promotes good posture, something most lazy Americans could use.

All in all, after only having played it once, I give the Wii Fit Pad a thumbs up. There are too many fat Americans that aren't getting healthier playing video games. I doubt American teenagers will ever be weened fully off of their dependence on gaming media and get outside to exercise instead, but Wii Fit sure is a good start.

As good as it gets

The comic book movie gengre has taken HollyWood movie makers and audiences by storm over the last 8 years. Since the dawning of the 2000 release of X-Men, directed by Bryan Singer, a new standard has been set for the gengre. No longer would viewers tolerate the movies of the abomidable quality that was Batman Forever.


When Spider-Man 2 burst onto the movie scene viewers thought comic book movies had reached the pinacle of their potential as the second installment of the wall crawler's heroics dazlled audiences with scenes like the airborne fights with notorious villan Doc Oc. Things only got better as Chris Nolan and a team of dedicated comic lovers created an origin story that topped all origin stories: Batman Begins.


At this point we were convinced comic book movies were as good as it gets. This new approach to movie making used a serious approach bringing a sense of belieability to our favorite childhood characters. In the summer of '08 Iron Man flew onto the scene as Robert Downey Jr. took on the befitting role of Tony Stark with all kinds of pinash. The movie is only good things. Like most first super hero movies it is an origin story, and it follows the typical hero movie plot line.


But I've never seen it done better.


I will admit, there were aspects to Batman Begins that I liked as much or better, but over all Iron Man rocked! Moving at a fast pace the story gives adequate attention to character development, plot motive, special effects, and all around fun. Audiences love soaring through the air with the metal hero, struggling to create the perfect gold alloy suit, and moving ever closer to a love interest with protagonist Tony Stark. The movie is fun and thats all she wrote.


In my opinion, Iron Man nudges the movie making bar a little bit higher to a new starndard of exellence. I can only wonder if this is now as good as it gets for comic book movies. If so, then I'm happy with the high quality they've reached. But I do hope movie makers will continue to push themselves to get even better.


Is Iron Man as good as it gets? I hope not.

I'll Never Forget It

"There's a first time for everything," so the saying goes. This past Monday, Sept. 29th, I had another first opportunity. Yesterday, for the first time, I conducted a funeral. Recently, a patient whom I have been seeing in the hospital, passed away. For confidentiality purposes I will withhold his name. During his time in the hospital I had the pleasure of building a relationship with his wife and family. The day following his death the family honored me by requesting that I preside over his funeral. What a compliment!

Problem: I've never done a funeral before.

After a weekend of calling those ministers wiser and more experienced than me and speaking for long periods of time with the family, I stepped into my first funeral home pulpit.

The experience was a blessing. I've heard pastors say, "I'd rather do a funeral than a wedding." I've never done a wedding, but I've been around a few. And there is a qualitative difference between the two scenes. Mostly, I appreciated very much the genuine atmosphere around the funeral, and the openness to their feelings that people displayed.

The experience helped me to re-focus on the eschatological promises of God. We know that God is a great promiser and a perfect healer. And we can rest easy in the strong promise that this man doesn't need anymore healing. He doesn't need anything this world has to offer. This is the comfort that we can have at a time of such sorrow.

Due to the deceased's service in the Army, it was a full military funeral including full uniform pall bearers, a bag piper, and a 21 gun solute. For me the most intense moment was when the soldiers folded the flag for his wife. Out of respect and honor for their fallen countrymen they made sure the flag was perfect before the presentation.

I'll never forget this first experience. It was a moving experience as well as an honor. I look forward to the next time I have the opportunity to be blessed by offering a blessing for those hurting. I wish the family well, and may he rest in peace.

I TUBE, DO YOU TUBE?

Like many others I have recently been frustrated with the lack of content on one of the internet's favorite video sites: YouTube. If you're familiar with this statement: "Sorry, this video is no longer available," you know what I mean.

As internet connections speeds sped up across the nation in the mid to late 90's, the opportunity for information proliferation increased to the nirvana-like plane known as 'video feed.' YouTube was born! It's like watching America's Funniest Home Videos forever.

For many years we have enjoyed funny videos of fainting goats to favorite comedians. But recently more and more videos are being removed from YouTube. When searching you can still find specific videos, but when you click to play them up comes the glaring message putting a quick stop to our state of humorous nirvana that comes from watching TV on the computer.

Apparently, most of the videos are removed due to some sort of copyright infringement. This I can understand. If someone isn't getting their money for their product, you can believe there's going to be a stink about it. But I have searched for videos that are very "home video" in nature and found them to be removed. This isn't right! I want my mindless entertainment back!!!

I would rather not be able to find a video on YouTube than deal with the false hope I receive after excitedly clicking on my favorite funny video only to find it "REMOVED"! It's time for the people to rise up! It's time for the crowd to affect change! We want the goats, the rednecks, and the accidents back!

We want our YouTube back.

A Thinker

During my chaplaincy internship at the hospital I was recently asked one of those deep seeming theological questions that most people couldn't give a whip about but nerdy divinity students love to consider: At what point does the soul leave the body? Like the great statue by Auguste Rodin portrays, I was forced to ponder.

Because of today's advances in medical technology we are able to keep a person alive using machines when 100 years ago that person would expire. Often because of this technology peoples' bodies are given adequate time to heal and they are able to recover. The difficult reversal is that sometimes these machines keep a person's heart beating when he or she has otherwise passed away.

Many religions, Christianity included, teach that the physical body has a spiritual counter part: the soul. When our body no longer works, i.e. we die, the soul passes on to another realm of existence. Christians believe that if a person has a relationship with God then his or her soul goes to be with The Creator in a place we like to call heaven. But when does this spiritually divine transaction occur? When a person is brain dead his heart is still beating and supplying blood and oxygen to his organs. Medicine teaches that when a person is brain-dead he is actually dead. From this there is no coming back.

So when does the soul leave the body? A brain dead person's body can be kept functioning for days, even weeks, on enough aid from machines. But realistically and medically the person has died. When faced with this question my answer was as best as I can figure, "That is something we just have to leave with God."

If you can find me the verse in the Bible that answers this question please let me know. I invite theologians, which is all of you, to consider this and respond. Until then, we'll just have to trust God to take care of us as he has throughout human history.

Thank you God for receiving our souls no matter when they come to you.

Death Race

Recently I caught my wife in an unusual mood when on a Saturday evening she suggested, "Why don't we go see that Death Race movie?" Knowing I could not pass up this opportunity we ventured to the theater to see the poorly anticipated newest installment of what is sure to become a part of Jason Statham's "B" movie legacy.

I have never seen a outstanding Statham film where he played the main protagonist. Some people call this the "Van Dam syndrome." Statham has played in a myriad of films as the main character all of which payed off very mildly in the box office. But he continues to be cast in new films such as Death Race, released August '08. I have nothing personal against the actor, but as I see it he continually churns out really great "B" quality movies. I don't forsee an Emmy with his name on it anytime soon.

I must say, the movie is quite entertaining. Action-packed from beginning to end is an accurate expectation. It's kind of like Mad Max meets The Shawshank Redemption. Thought the plot is for the most part disclosed in the previews there is one small twist at the end which may catch the non-thinking viewer off guard. The stunts, special effects, and CGI are all incredibly well done and keep you on the edge of your seat. The cheese factor is also kept to a minimum if you can get past the premise that convicts are given sedan-like tanks and forced to race for their lives and freedom. There is a small bit of gore and bad language, but mostly the movie recieved an "R" rating due to the intense violent action.

Joan Allen did an expected excellent job playing the stone cold, refined, high-heeled prison warden. You might remember her as "Pamela Landy" from the second and third Jason Borne movies. Also, I don't know his name but the casting director found perhaps the best Al Pacino look-alike I've ever seen.

Over all the movie is good. It's not award winning but definitely worth a rent if you're looking for quality action. It was of course a remake of an old David Carradine and Sylvester Stalone movie, Death Race 2000, released 1975. I haven't seen that one yet...but I intent to.

Couldn't Pay Me Enough

I recently began an internship as a chaplain at UNC Hospitals. Thus far the experience has been wonderful and insightful. I am charged with the care for roughly 40 beds within the hospital plus sharing the responsibility of responding to the trauma pager when someone in bad shape comes to the emergency department (ED). Some of a chaplain's primary functions are to provide a calming presence, support, and grief counseling to those in need of it. Another function is to act as a liaison between the family and doctors when a trauma comes into the ED.

In a recent experience I met a family who's loved one was in the ED and in bad shape. The family was abrasive and short with me and the other chaplain present. However, as the hours passed and news steadily flowed in from doctors we bonded with the family. By the end of our time together they were telling us "we love you," thanking us, and all but kissing us goodbye. I can only hope that we made a positive impact on that family.

When trying my best to explain my role as chaplain to my "Chicago-ite" brother he earnestly responded, "man, you couldn't pay me enough to do that job." Luckily the hospital is hardly paying us at all.

But comments like that make me think back to my motivation for choosing this path. Being a chaplain this semester is going to be a difficult job, and I don't know if I'll choose to pursue chaplaincy as a career. However, I am thankful for those individuals in any hospital who have chosen the route of chaplaincy. There is little fame, glory, stature, or monetary gain for a hospital chaplain, but these people have chosen to submit themselves daily to helping others through difficult times often found in hospitals. That takes a special individual. Grieving over a lost child or hurting relative is not pleasant. As a chaplain for a semester I hope I can offer at least a bit of support to individuals such as these.

I plan on learning a lot during this internship by way of a unique experience and the counsel of those more experienced that I. Full time chaplains are surely remarkable people.

Go get'em Chappy!

The Dark Knight

Saturday night we joined the crowds flooding into movie theaters across the country to see the Sony and Legendary Pictures' release, "The Dark Knight": the second installment of a well-resurrected comic book franchise.

In one word the film was excellent. And box office numbers are backing me up. The long-awaited sequel sold roughly 153 million in tickets this past weekend making it the highest grossing opening weekend ever. However, one news article was keen to point out that when considering ticket price inflation the 2007 release of Spider-Man 3 still beats The Dark Knight by a thin margin of 170,000. "Go spidey, go!" So of course the film took #1 for the weekend in the box office not closely followed by Mamma Mia at 27 million and Hancock at 14 million.

Much of the hype for the movie was due to anticipation of a new Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger who died in January 2008 due to a drug overdose. Simple previews told audiences that the new Joker was going to be done well, but Ledger's performance was outstanding. I have typically seen him playing the pretty boy with an easy smile in chick flicks, but Ledger seemed to lose himself in this role. I found myself no longer watching a talented actor but the Joker himself. The previous Joker, played by Jack Nicholson was as much about the character as the actor. Though Nicholson did great, I'm afraid he must tip his hat and bow out to a better Joker, played by Ledger.

The film did not follow typical super hero format--a clear problem arises that can only be resolved by the hero who struggles yet ultimately succeeds. The Dark Knight went beyond this familiar approach and called the audience to question what is right and wrong in a number of situations. Morality was a major theme, and how far can a super hero go before it becomes too far? Batman himself becomes a bit darker as a character, and he is made to question why he is Batman and when he will no longer need to be.

As expected the action in the movie is exciting and well thought out. The hand-to-hand combat is much more followable (one criticism of Batman Begins). Of course Batman shows out with new toys and gadgets which caused me to feel like Sergent Gordon from the first film when he exclaimed, "I gotta get me one of those."

Lessons from the Grocery

The Saturday after I turned 16 I had a job at my local grocery store, Ingles, in Asheville, NC. For 2.5 years I worked there through high school. Now in grad school while in need of a little extra cash I'm working at a Harris Teeter in Chapel Hill. In my roughly 5.5 years of grocery store experience I've come to learn several lessons while providing (sometimes over-zealous) customer service.

Grocery store work is repetitive and high energy. There is always a customer somewhere needing help or something needing to be done. Employees remain on their feet at all times and are required to maintain a cheerful and welcoming attitude toward everyone. If you're ever tired or just having a rough day, grocery store work can be difficult.

Lesson #1: People carry their anger around with them.

If you've ever been a regular shopper you've probably run into a slight hold-up at the checkout line: a check not reading correctly, a price check, or a cashier needing a manager's help at the register. If you don't know it yet, these hold-ups are simply part of the grocery store business. Yet sometimes people get all bent out of shape about them and too often take their anger out on the cashier. That's because we carry our anger around like handbags. All it takes is one more push, and we explode. It is almost comical just how angry I've seen people become over something so little at the check out.

Don't unload the stresses of your day on the cashier! The cashier is possibly having a stressful day as well, and if not then you're making it one. A grocery store cashier deals with hundreds of customers during any given day. That's a lot of people to keep happy. And some will simply never be satisfied, because they are angry when they walk through the door.

So this lesson is to say: watch your anger and where it comes from. Don't take it out on the wrong person. The cashier is probably not the reason you're angry. Don't give your bad day to someone who doesn't want it.

Lesson #2: You don't have any servants.

Harris Teeter is especially known for its high level of customer service which, I must admit, sometimes resembles butt kissing. Because of this service, some customers have confused with something we're not: servants.

At many grocery stores, especially up north, you are required to bring your own grocery bags, unload your items for the cashier, pack them yourself, and carry them out yourself all while the cashier chews gum and talks to his or her friend behind you. At Harris Teeter the moment you approach the register we do everything for you including engaging you in conversation and taking your groceries to the car (no tips required).

Because of our high level of customer service, some people think we are their servants. When this happens they begin to treat us like lowly, unimportant, uneducated house servants who can be ordered around and never directly addressed or looked at in the face. In another word: disrespect.

Ironically, it takes a big person to serve others, be it for a job or otherwise. Though we serve people that does not make us their servants.

So this lesson is to say: respect all other people. Look your cashier/bagger in the face, smile, and say thank you, because they are trying there best to make YOU happy.

Good Movies

Recently I've had the privilege to see some of Hollywood's recent releases, and I must say, well done, bravo and kudos.

On May 22, opening night, my wife and I, as two big fans of the franchise, went to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. This movie has received so much publicity before it came out from attractive trailers to advertisements on Dr. Pepper packs and M&M's. Everyone knew about it, the advertisers made sure of that.

I'm no movie critic, but as an avid movie goer and somewhat of a movie buff, I'll give a review a shot. Harrison Ford, though 60+ years old, looked very comfortable back in his ond costume of a gray button up shirt, shoulder bag, leather jacket and iconic Indiana Jones hat. He took the role in stride, and apart from a few well placed jokes about his age the almost senior citizen simply did great.

The plot reflected the past movies and took viewers to a myriad of different exciting locations. The only plot complaints I've heard regard the supernatural turns toward the end of the movie, "they went just a little too far for an Indy film. " If I do recall, Raiders of the Lost Ark included a scene where spirits flew out of the Ark of the Covenant and killed a small militia. In the Temple of Doom Indy drank mystic blood which bewitched him beyond his control, and another mans heart was removed by hand. In The Last Crusade they discovered a Templar night centuries old guarding the cup of Christ which gave eternal life when drank from. That says it, the supernatural is part of Indiana Jones.

Overall, the move was a strong finish to the story of the adventurous archeology professor. It didn't blow your hair back or change your life, but it was nothing but fun and thrilling. Definitely worth the watch.



Prince Caspian in the Chronicles of Narnia series was also a hit. The same four children from The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe are brought back to Narnia for another adventure. Upon their return the find Narnia 1,000 years older and quite different from when they left it before.

The movie follows the book fairly well. There are some changes in the basic time line of the book in a few places, but overall everything that happens in the book happens in the movie...and then some. Like in the first movie the filmmakers embellished a bit and added to the story. Personally, I thought this was less than desirable, but it did add some interesting aspects to the character dynamics.

Overall, the move was exciting, and is a must see for anyone who has grown up reading the Narnia series or read it as a grown up.

AVPR

Being a movie buff, I've seen some bad movies in my time. The trick to watching a bad movie is simply knowing before hand that it is bad. A low expectation often makes a bad movie suddenly seem reasonable.

If you are a fan (like me) of the old Alien movies, and if you are a fan (like me) of the old Predator movies, there is a good chance that you enjoyed the 2004 release Alien vs. Predator, directed by Paul WS Anderson. The movie played on strengths of both the Alien and the Predator franchises. Though I can't say it was a world changing movie it was pleasantly entertaining for fans of the dark horror monster genre.

Because the movie makers profited enough from the first "verses" film they decided to make a second--AVPR. The "R" stands for Requiem, though it ought to stand for "rubbish." I must admit, after reading the reviews and hearing other opinions I wasn't expecting much of the movie, yet I got even less.

In one word the movie is--horrible.

The plot, and acting are equally sub-par. There was a moment during the film when I was ready to reach the remote and turn it off. It seems to have been a cheap attempt by some in Hollywood to make a quick buck off the success of the first AVP movie, which was itself a stretch but satisfying in the end. Luckily we only paid $1 to rent it.

So if you're an Alien and/or Predator fan thinking of indulging your love for the tenured monster genre once more, save your money and time. The movie had the same effect on its viewers as Billy Madison's speech (about the puppy who lost his way) had on its hearers. The school's principal replied, "we are all now dumber."

Worst Foods in America

I recently ran across this article that might interest you. It certainly makes me want to cook at home a little bit more. Enjoy.

Restaurant food is bad for us. You may assume that anything you order at a drive-thru is less than sterling in a nutritional sense, but, in fact, the majority of what we eat at restaurants — even ones with helpful waiters and real tablecloths — is worse for us than we might ever imagine.

A study from the University of Arkansas that found the average diner in this country underestimates his or her caloric intake by up to 93 percent when eating out. Translation: Every time you eat at a restaurant, you're probably eating twice as much as you think.

The scariest part is that it isn't our fault. By expanding portion sizes, spiking our foods evermore with added sugars and dangerous fats, and slapping misleading labels on menus, the restaurant industry has made it nearly impossible for consumers to accurately gauge the caloric heft of, say, a plate of spaghetti and meatballs or a tropical fruit smoothie.

Some studies even show that nutritionists — the PhD-packing "experts" — can't get their calorie counts right. So how can you be expected to?

In researching our book "Eat This, Not That," and to help combat the problem and give people a better idea of how perilous a simple dinner out can be, we spent months reading nutritional info, analyzing food, inspecting menu boards, and, yes, even eating some of these industrial-strength calorie bombs to come up with a list of the restaurant industry's worst individual offenders. Our primary criterion? Sheer caloric impact. After all, it's the top cause of weight gain and the health problems that accompany it. We also factored in other key nutritional data, such as excessive carbohydrates and fat, added sugars, trans fats, and sodium.

The result is our first annual list of the worst foods in America.

Worst Drink
Jamba Juice Chocolate Moo'd Power Smoothie (30 fl oz)
900 calories
10 g fat
183 g carbs
166 g sugar

Jamba Juice calls it a smoothie; we call it a milk shake. In fact, this beverage contains more sugar than 2 pints of Ben and Jerry's Butter Pecan ice cream.

Worst Supermarket Meal
Pepperidge Farm Roasted Chicken Pot Pie (whole pie)
1,020 calories
64 g fat
86 g carbs

The label may say this pie serves 2, but who ever divided a small pot pie in half? Once you crack the crust, there will be no stopping.

Worst Mexican Entree
Chipotle Mexican Grilled Chicken Burrito
1,179 calories
47 g fat
125 g carbs
2,656 mg sodium

Despite a reputation for using healthy, fresh ingredients, Chipotle's menu is limited to football-size burritos, overstuffed tacos, and gigantic salads — all of which contribute to a humongous waistline.

Worst Kids' Meal
Macaroni Grill Double Macaroni 'n' Cheese
1,210 calories
62 g fat
3,450 mg sodium

It's like feeding your kid 1½ boxes of Kraft mac 'n' cheese.

Worst Fish Entree
On the Border Dos XX Fish Tacos with Rice and Beans
2,100 calories
130 g fat
169 g carbs
4,750 mg sodium

Perhaps the most misleadingly named dish in America: A dozen crunchy tacos from Taco Bell will saddle you with fewer calories.

The Worst Food in America
Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing
2,900 calories
182 g fat
240 g carbs

It's the caloric equivalent of eating 14 Krispy Kreme doughnuts, before your dinner arrives. Even if you split this "starter" with 3 friends, you'll have downed a meal's worth of calories.

For a complete list of the 20 Worst Foods in America, and details on how to disarm the restaurant industry's weapons of mass construction, check out these rankings and nutrition secrets.

Bring'n the music back

The South Point Mall in Durham is the largest mall east of the Mississippi River. And one of the mall's greatest attractions used to be the local street performers that often populated the outside portion of the mall. Yet recently, since the mall came under new management the street performers were canceled. This meant that the South Point faithfuls would no longer get to enjoy Juggle Boy, the magic kid, or my personal favorite and good friend Gary Mitchell, musician.

"With a background in percussion, piano and guitar, Gary graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill, a man with a mission. Yet another local musician fed up with the low quality and horrendously immoral message of popular music, Gary strives to create and perform great music, played very well, that celebrates life and points people to their loving Creator in a way that makes you groove and sing along."

Gary has been a church worship leader, youth minister, and he voluntarily leads a Bible study at one of Chapel Hill's local high schools. He regularly plays gigs around the Triangle area and has recently put out a new demo, Enough for Me, which I bought as soon as it came available. It's awesome. You can find it at CDbaby.com.

This is one inspirational dude.

The good news is that the project manager at South Point Mall is currently working on a contract to get the street performers back out doing what they do best.

Hopefully this will happen soon. The place just isn't the same without Juggle Boy, who is always sweating profusely from juggling anything from swords, fire sticks, or 7 balls at once while doing a balancing act. Don't forget the young kid who does magic tricks: he looks to be about 11 years old from my perspective and mostly entertains other youngsters, yet is doing a great job and keeping the streets fun. It's also not the same without ol'e Gary who keeps the groove alive with a twist of what I like to call "spiritual funk."

SMILE

Studies show that people who smile more are happier. (What a surprise?!)




There's something about a cute animal picture that always brings a smile to your face, even when you're down. So here's a few.




This was sent to me by a friend. It's a good'n, because I used to love Pez.




Some of my favorite cute pet pictures are, of course, of my own dog, Dakota. Heather and I "adopted" Dakota when she showed up in my driveway almost three years ago. She was only 12 pounds when we found her.

But she's gotten bigger.


A few others for your enjoyment. Hopefully, these will serve their purpose: to make you smile.

Regular day clothes.

Super hero cape!

Which Bible translation do you use?

Recently, as a project for my Greek class, I have been translating the book of Colossians. To say the least this is a tedious and arduous process that requires more patience than I generally keep in stock. But nonetheless, I shall persist. After struggling through many theologically dense and grammatically...well...long, Pauline sentences I began to get the joke that all Greek professors must be playing on their students: I'm never going to be a Bible translator.

You may have stumbled across at some point one of those silly little articles called "If kids wrote the Bible," or "If college students wrote the Bible," or some other sorts of Bible jokes. These are usually good for a chuckle and typically lighten my day. But here's a new question, What if Greek students wrote the Bible?

While trudging through Colossians I have translated a number of verses that don't exactly match the NRSV...or KJV...or any other translation for that matter. Feel free to check my translation against your own Bible, you might just have a laugh.

What follows are a few verses that I for some reason just didn't get.

"In order that in him might be good pleasure all the fullness to dwell." Col. 1:19

"And you at one time were being alienated and an enemy of the mind in the works in wickedness, but now he reconciled in the body of his flesh through the death to stand beside you holy and faultless and blameless in his sight, but if you might continue in the faith being grounded and steadfast and not being moved from the hope of the gospel which you heard the one having been preached in all creation the one under heaven which was made I Paul a servant." Col. 1:21-23

"For if and in the flesh I'm absent but in spirit I'm together with you rejoicing and seeing you the dignity and the steadfastness of in Christ your faith." Col. 2:5

To quote the words of Paul of Tarsus:

"Εἰ οὖν συνηγέρθητε τῷ Χριστῷ, τὰ ἄνω ζητεῖτε, οὗ ὁ Χριστός ἐστιν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Θεοῦ καθήμενος."

Yep, I don't know what he's saying either.

Needless to say, even though studying Greek has been fun, I think I'll just stick to my NIV for now.