Failure To Launch Explodes on Takeoff

Friday evening, Pat and I joined David and Mary Glick for dinner at Tony's in Findlay. Pat and I shared the Rothlisberger, a huge hamburger with the number 7 cut out of the bun, which costs $7 and for an extra 7 cents you can have cheese on it. I'm glad his jersey number is only 7. Afterwards we went to the Bluffton theatre to watch "Failure To Launch." The movie is a romantic comedy about 35 year old Trip who still lives with his parents. Before the movie started, I noticed a lot of 5th through 8th graders at the movie. I chatted with many of them, giving high fives to all. But after the movie I was feeling kind of sad for the younger kids who watched the movie. First off, the movie really isn't for kids. But I was most disappointed with the message of the movie. Remember that pop culture is both a mirror and a map. The movie reflected a definite trend in our culture where more and more young people don't see the need for marriage. You fall in love and live with that person. The movie is also a map in that it gives direction on how to live. It showed that older couples are married and younger couples live together. Comedy also makes what is viewed seem more acceptable. This definitely reinforced the need for a Biblically based model of dating and marriage be given to our younger
generations. This needs to be done first through our modeling of marriage to kids and then through messages directed at their hearts. If your child saw the movie, use it as a springboard to discuss why Jesus would direct us to marriage. It's important we show kids another map.
So what do you think? Doesn't it seem our culture is rushing into relationships without marriage and not even considering the drawbacks of such an approach? Failure To Launch explodes on takeoff for presenting love that excludes marriage. These are the days my friend.
Jim "Train"

Death and Resurrection - Easter Reflection

Easter - the Christian high point on the Church calendar. This year, Easter was extra special with the death of Barb Cherry. It was on Good Friday that Barb passed away. She left the arms of her husband Kent and into the arms of Jesus Christ. This truth was radically displayed during the Easter weekend and the funeral on Tuesday. While death brings temporary separation and grief, Jesus brings life and celebration. Celebration it was at the funeral on Monday with colorful balloons released at her gravesite. This celebration in the midst of grief is caused by the radical One we know as Jesus. In John 11:25, Jesus tells those at the tomb of Lazarus and we who stand by gravesite, that "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies." This is why we can be comforted by Psalm 23 :4 - "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for You are with me..." Some great truths are presented in that short line. We'll all pass through the valley of death. Doesn't matter who you are. We all face death. It's this reality that should force us to contemplate how we spend our time and our priorities in life. Just think another second just went by. Another second closer to death. This isn't meant to be morbid, but a reality check to make sure each and everyone one of us lives for Jesus. Then it the verse talks about the "shadow of death." In Jesus we only experience the shadow of death. Death, that final enemy defeated by Jesus, doesn't have a full impact on those who love Him. Just think in these terms... Would you rather be hit by a truck or the shadow of the truck? In Jesus we get hit only with the shadow! Psalm 23:4 also tells us that God is with us. Our hands can be joined with His as this life continues on into another realm. Wow, doesn't that just give you goosebumps!! In the meantime, the verse also tells the loved ones left behind by this momentary separation have to walk through the valley of death. That's why it's so important that we pray for the Cherry family and continue to meet with and encourage them. It's so human nature to want to stay in the valley. Yet we can help them walk through their grief and pass through this rough terrain. Take a moment and reflect on what Jesus did and is doing for you because of Easter. May you live a life of resurrection. These are the days my friend!!
Jim "Train"

Judas Meets Mary Magdalene

Last week the papers, radio, and television were all a buzz about the translation of the Gospel of Judas. Along with the leap of The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown into first place on best selling book lists after 500,000 paperback copies were sold in one week, the Bible and what's not in it is hot news. It's important that we who believe in the inspired Word of God - The Bible - know why we can trust that what's included in the New Testament is what's supposed to be there. Dan Brown in his work of FICTION, The DaVinci Code, mentions the Gospel of Thomas which claims Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. The Gospel of Judas portrays Judas as an accomplice used by Jesus to help Him shed His earthly body. So in this light, Judas becomes a hero. What are we to think about this? And THINK is the key word! We cannot be followers of Jesus without loving Him with all our minds. First of all, both "lost" Gospels contain what is called gnosticism. This is the belief that Jesus did not actually appear in the flesh or wanted to shed His skin as soon as possible.
The Gnostics believed only a select few would truly understand this. Then there's a good reason only one copy of the Gospel of Judas has been found. That's because it wasn't recognized as Scripture by the early Church. It wasn't copied and circulated like the NT we have. We have hundreds of copies of the New Testament which we can look at and compare. We see that the copies are remarkably the same and that the scribes did an excellant job of coping them. Let me challege your brain and offer two books to read. One is "Are the Bible Documants Reliable" by F F Bruce. This is a classic. You all need to read it. It's short and helps you to understand how the NT was placed in the canon of Scripture. Then there's the book "Breaking the DaVinci Code" by Darrel L. Bock, which helps us to understand the errors of the fictional book by Dan Brown. A must read with the movie starring Tom Hanks to arrive in the middle of May. People are talking about the Bible. Be equipped to provide answers to those in search for Jesus. These are the days my friend! Jim "Train"

Duke Lacrosse Feelin Blue

I hope you are following the news concerning the Duke Blue Devil lacrosse team. At the end of March, the lacrosse team captains held a party that featured two female "dancers" for entertainment. Evidently the entertainment got out of hand and the black female dancer reports she was sexually assulted and raped. The University has taken the assult seriously and has shut down the lacrosse program until an investigation is completed. This story unfortunately mirrors (remember culture mirrors or reflects what's happening in our society) how sex is viewed and misused by many young people growing up today. After all, we could ask ourselves, are we surprised that this could happen? Doesn't our culture teach that women are sex objects to be misused for men's sexual desires? From the girls at Hooters to the Swimsuit Edition of Sports Illustrated to online pornography and worse, women are placed before us as bodies to be used and abused. So let us who know the design and worth of every person created in the image of God, uphold all in honor and respect. It just seems this gets more and more difficult in the culture we find ourselves in. These are the days my friend!
Jim "Train"