Winston Churchill

Several months ago we decided to update the youth web page.  In doing so, we also started a blog, which from what you can tell is not very active.  Part of me does not know what to write, but a bigger part of me is afraid to post what I have written.  Anyway, about a month ago I came across booksneeze.com book review bloggers program.  So I thought about it which went a bit like this: I like to read…I like free things…I want something to have to blog about.  When I found a place that will help combine those things I thought it was a win-win situation: Free books to read that I have to review…I’m on board with that.  Then I reserved my first book from Thomas Nelson Publishers.  Now, just because this was a free copy does not mean I will review it any differently then if I paid any money for the book.  Here are my thoughts from and about about the book:

I have always been interested in the life of Winston Churchill.  Actually, that is a lie.  When playing a board game with some close friends I was asked a question about English Prime Ministers and the only one I could think of was Churchill.  The only problem was that the question related to either the current or previous Prime Minister so I was dead wrong…kind of embarrassing.  However, When I came across booksneeze.com, a book review program for bloggers from Thomas Nelson Publishers, I was immediately intrigued.

Yes, the book was free, but my opinions will be the same as if I had bought it.  Honestly, if I had paid for it I probably would not have gotten through the first chapter before putting it aside so I am thankful that I had to finish it. Author John Perry is good at getting facts, but I didn’t think he was great at putting the story together.

The author describes Churchill as “a man of action, who seldom stopped for introspection or careful analysis, even about deep subjects” (p. 45).  On the next page he writes that Churchill thought that “too much religion ‘of any kind’ was a bad thing” (p. 46).  And, because of that he really did not care about tying the head and heart together in matters of faith.  It just did not matter to Churchill.

Even though he is regarded as one of the most influential men in history, he does not seem to be much different than the average Christian.  This book, in the Christian Encounters series, does delve into the spirituality of Churchill a little bit.  It can be summed up best by none other than Churchill himself when he said, “I therefore adopted quite early in life a system of believing whatever I wanted to believe, while at the same time leaving reason to pursue unfettered whatever paths she was capable of treading” (p. 51). John Perry’s comments are not only true about Churchill, but many who profess Christ.  According to Perry, this attitude gave Churchill all the benefits of Christianity with none of the liabilities because he did what he wanted when and how he wanted only to call on God when he was in trouble.

Was Churchill a great man?  I believe he was very influential, but it appears that his faith in himself was much stronger than his faith in God.  I would encourage you to read this book and ask yourself this question: Am I using my influence (no matter how large or small) to unite others in following God, or am I using it for my own glory?  Imagine what he could have done from a Christian perspective if he gave his life totally and unreservedly to serve God and not his own ego.  He should have applied John the Baptist’s firm belief: He [Jesus] must increase but I must decrease (John 3:30).

Formatting errors

Sorry about the formatting errors on the events page. I recently switched from IE to Firefox. Although, it was a great move, I am still getting used to some differences and think that may be causing the formatting errors. I am working on trying to figure it out. I am hoping I do not have to redo the entire page, but may have to.

W.I.R.E. Winter Olympics Couples Figure Skating

Well, you may have to use your imagination a little on this one. No ice, no professionals, but a lot of comedic talent. This was probably the highlight of the night for our events. I know it is a bit later than I wanted to post it. Anyway, here it is although the sound might not be synced up perfectly. It is still humorous. So, who is your favorite judge?

Human Curling

This is the second video from our Winter Olympics night.  I have a couple of other videos that, unfortunately, will have to wait a couple of days to be uploaded. Since one curling stone can cost up to $300 more (yes I Googled it), we decided that human curling would be the way to go. Plus. we didn’t have any ice.

Special thanks to 10 to Impact for allowing us to use their music in the background.  Hope you enjoy.

W.I.R.E. WINTER OLYMPICS

Our first Olympics went great!  We had several different “countries” represented from Australia, Great Britain, the United States of America, the United Arab Emirates, all the way to Kermit the cookie monster. Well…you will just have to watch the video for this “special appearance.” 

Please excuse the quality errors in the video.  I am still trying to figure out this editing software and hope that future videos will work better.  There will be some more videos coming soon.  And, yes, Brock, you crossed the finish line 10 feet ago.

Thinking Critically (and Christianly) about Super Bowl Commercials

A recent Wall Street Journal study found that a typical NFL game only has about 11 minutes of action and yet we spend about 3 hours or more watching a single game.   Please don’t get me wrong.  I enjoy watching a good football game.  It is one of the few professional sporting events that I will watch on television.  However, if there are only 11 minutes of action what fills the rest of the time slot?  According to the article…

…if you tally up everything that happens between the time the ball is snapped and the play is whistled dead by the officials, there’s barely enough time to prepare a hard-boiled egg. In fact, the average telecast devotes 56% more time to showing replays….So what do the networks do with the other 174 minutes in a typical broadcast? Not surprisingly, commercials take up about an hour…

And this Sunday will be no exception.  Many companies will be shelling out upwards of $100,000 per second for a Super Bowl ad.  Marketing strategy aside (even though it will be the most watched sporting event), that is a lot of money, and that is just for the air time!

So the question remains: How do we as Christians approach that hour of the game?  Do we simply switch to another channel, run to the bathroom, grab some more food, or turn off the tv?  Yes, I know the last one is a bit dramatic, or is it?  The fact remains, that what we allow our minds to consume and then dwell upon does have an effect on us no matter how big or significant we may perceive it may be. 

So I ask again…do we run to the hills screaming and crying like…well, I’ll stop the word picture there since I think you get the picture.  Or do we take an active approach to viewing these commercials?  I do have to admit, though, that I am looking forward to some of them.  Walt Mueller, president of CPYU (Center for Parent/Youth Understanding) has posted a great article on thinking critically and Christianly on his site that gives a few questions for us to think through.

The Simple Seven

What product is this ad selling?

What, besides the product, does this add sell? (ideas, lifestyle, worldview, behaviors, etc.)

What’s the bait, hook, and promise?

Complete this sentence: “This ad tells me, use _______ (the name of the product) and _________ (the result the ad promises).

Does the ad tell the truth?  What? How?

Does the ad tell a lie (s)? What? How?

How does this ad and its messages agree or disagree with God’s truth and what does it mean for me?

Check out the rest of the article here.

Snow Camp 2010

Here is the video from our weekend up at Barakel. I was trying something new, and was not sure how it would turn out. I must say, it came out pretty well.