edge

 

Dude looks good!

Mom says, "no!"

Dad finishes the cut.

my son

 

Chicken pecked

 
His smile didn't last.

he's getting better now.

we still haven't found the offending chicken.

Striker

 

Don't confuse the flirty look for mercy. This girl is a killer. she'll cut through the defence and make you regret running a 4-2-4.

How to get rid of your Pastor

Len Sweet posted this today on Twitter and Facebook.

Richard W. De Haan of "Radio Bible Class" once introduced "4 Ways to Get Rid of Your Pastor." Here are the ones I remember . . . Can you think of any other ways?
1) Look your preacher straight in the eye and say "Amen" periodically. They'll soon preach themselves to death, they'll be so excited.
2) Pat your pastor on the back and brag on his/her good points. They'll soon work themselves to death, they'll be so happy
3) Rededicate your life to the Lord, and ask your pastor for a project to do or a mission to accomplish. They'll die of heart failure.
4) Sponsor a congregation-wide prayer fest for the pastor. They'll become so effective in ministry, some larger church will take them off your hands.

Great intro to a pretty complex discussion

The folks at Thomas Nelson continue to put out resources designed to challenge and inspire people in their faith journey.

I've just finished making my way through their study on Faith and Pop Culture

As a small group study resource I was generally impressed.

The study is designed to examine the intersection between faith and the arts and or modern forms of entertainment. The first 4 chapters cover art or entertainment as it comes to us in the form of Movies, Literature, sports, and television. From there the study shifts to ask questions about the moral content contained in various forms, with a chapter devoted to violence. In the second to last week of the study your group can consider the potential of Christians to influence Hollywood. It’s not until the last week that your group asks what may be the defining question of the book; how does this culture of entertainment affects our inner lives.

I was impressed with the length of the studies. There are pages of questions that thoroughly interact with the article that the chapter is based on.

On the design / layout side of things, I think this book specifically, would have benefitted had it’s format reflected a more artistic look. Talk about art is insufficient. Why not design it as a magazine. Give examples of art, modern and historical or classical. Include pages of ads that demonstrate the positive and not so positive potential of visual advertising. Include a DVD or web links to various media clips.

It also bears saying that while this study seems to encourage the assembling of a small group of people to consider and discuss the affects of of various forms of art, media and entertainment on the individual, there wasn’t a great deal of time spent considering how these various forms of media affect us socially or relationally.

All in all it’s a study that my small group and I would probably enjoy and find stimulating.