The Flaw of Postmodernisem

This clip is from a recent episode (17/01/08) of ER entitled “Atonement” in which a postmodern chaplain is talking to a man dying of cancer:

Blue heaven.

For posterity sake I must mention that the baseball season is now going. The Dodgers played and won today. They are in first place. Hopefully they will be in first place at the end of October as well. Between now and then I will be a nervous wreck every day because of them. GO BLUE!

The Real Ultimatum

Expelled the Movie

Home. From sun to snow.

So I just got home a few seconds ago. Back from two weeks to sunny So. Cal and family. 650 pictures and a bunch of fun. No cell phone, no internet, no cable. Not bad. I'll write more in a bit. How have you all been? Still alive?

How To Have Revival...

Warning: video contains country music that some viewers may find cheesy.

Jeremiah Wright Gets the Elephant from Under the Carpet

I think the Jeremiah Wright controversy is the ultimate opportunity for a nationwide collective inner healing session. Really. This stuff-- hostility between black and white-- is usually swept under the carpet. But now we've got

an elephant under the carpet, and it's time to deal with it.  

What's interesting is FoxNews broke the story, and the dividing line between right and left can so be seen more clearly. Barack was on Foxnews the other day, and it was like a revisit to a 1950's McCarthy trial. "Mr. Senator, were you baptized

by this un-american man on this date in 1994" type of garbage.

For me, I'm still a Barack supporter. At least he sees the racial divide in america, and can deal with it better than a republican right wing who is ignorant of it, and a competing

democrat who's husband has played the race issue unfairly.

Quote of the week...

The delay of your mercies is really to your advantage….The foolish child would pluck the apple whilst it is green, but when it is ripe, it drops of its own accord, and it is more pleasant and wholesome - John Flavel (1627 - 1691)

Sickness.

So somehow I've observed everyone around me getting sick all winter with the flu, colds, weird strains of viruses. We've had a heck of a time with staffing in our homes and people being out sick. I've even seen my son get sick 3 times and I've made it through ok. Wouldn't you know it though, 2 days before the first real vacation our family has had in the last 3 years and my turn finally has come up. The nose, the throat, worn out lazy feeling. The worst part to it is that I already suffer from altitude problems. Even in top condition as the plane descends and the cabin pressure changes I generally feel like my head is in a vice and someone is sticking knives into my forehead. Then I walk around the first week after the flight waiting for my ears to pop. Not fun, and the thing is now I have to fly with sinus and congestion issues to begin with. No amount of chewing gum will help. I'm expecting my head to actually burst at about 10,000 feet filling the cabin with brain matter and snot. So, there is my blog for the day. Even if the previous occurs, I'm still really excited about going on vacation!

Since David didn't do a quote of the week....

The task of a leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been. -Henry Kissinger

(Taken from my Aquanique inspirational water bottle given to me at the un-inspirational work conference I was at the last two days.)

New stuff.

So I fooled around with blog a bit this weekend. Probably as a way to take my mind off my vacation that is coming up this Friday. Two weeks in So. Cal with the family! Any how, I'm off this morning for a 3 day conference for work. Exciting stuff!

Obama and The Jesus Smile

A few weeks ago I watched the Ohio CNN Democratic debate on my Macbook Pro,  at like 8am 'cos I live in the UK and didn't want to be watch the live broadcast at cnn at 1 in the morning.  

So I'm watching Obama and Hillary and I've got this grin on my face.  I'm like, "this is awesome- would it not be great if Obama was actually going to be the next president of the US, leader of the free world, king of the new world order?"  

And I realized I was not just grinning, I was smiling. And not just any smile--  I had The Jesus Smile.  

The Jesus Smile is something I would get right after a Toronto Blessing meeting or a time when the presence of God was hieghtened.  One time after a worship meeting  I got back to my house, and a friend said to me, "Dude you've got the Jesus Smile!" The term was birthed at that moment.  

The Jesus smile means the kingdom of God is a reality-- it comes from the sense that life is about Jesus, and that's the most important thing.  I heard a great teaching recently about how Jesus caused a sense of ecstasy when he spoke to his disciples-- at least that is what the original language says. 

But why the Jesus Smile for Obama? 

Obama is no messiah,  but I think there's something to what Obama is about which fights the status quo, challenges authority and calls for a biblical viewpoint to the poor and oppressed. There's something akin to Jesus storming the temple and overturning the money changers' tables-- a fight against the last decade in politics and culture.  Maybe-- just maybe-- the guy is called to be a leader for this particular generation.

A cynic would say Obama is only about good vibes, false hopes and fainting followers, and that my Jesus smile is no different from the tears of the old ladies at a campaign rally. 

But brothers and sisters, after eleven straight wins, some frustrating losses, and a gain in super delegates..I'm still smiling. 

Thursdays with David

So it's that time again. We ask ourselves... what are they teaching these young people at the bible college? I think there are two bible colleges in the world, one in Jerusalem and one in Abbotsford BC. I am fortunate that I know a guy that has been to both.

So I'm going to take advantage of that and ask Dave, What did you learn today at bible college?

And I ask whatever readers there are out there, all 3 of us, what do you think he learned?

I flipping knew it.

Obama heals 100's.

From www.larknews.com

AUSTIN — Ginny McCallum, 43, who has been confined to a wheelchair for much of her adult life, came to hear presidential candidate Barack Obama speak at the University of Texas. Afterward she found herself in a wheelchair access breezeway as Obama and his entourage exited the arena. The candidate spotted her, came over, grabbed her hand and pulled her up. She found herself standing for the first time in eleven years.
"He smiled at me and said, ‘Yes, you can,’" she says. "I was so stunned I didn’t know what to do."
McCallum is among hundreds of people who say they have been healed by the Democratic candidate, in one of the most surprising and little-acknowledged aspects of his campaign. Reporters have shied away from the story, chalking it up to "Obama-mania" and people’s feelings of elation.
"We don’t talk about it a lot, but yeah, it does happen," says one staffer who says he has seen multiple people healed on a rope line. "We don’t know exactly how or why it’s happening, and the Senator won’t talk about it. He usually insists that people keep it quiet and just report it to their pastor or priest."
Greeting supporters after a rousing speech in Houston, Obama stepped into the dense crowd and spontaneously began touching people: a legally blind woman, a man deaf in one ear, a cancer sufferer and a lame man.
"Yes, you can," Obama said as he laid hands on afflicted bodies.
The people’s reactions were so joyous as to be almost frightening. They jumped and shouted and wept. Before they could thank or embrace the candidate he was well down the rope line healing others. Their excitement was lost in the general din of the crowd.
Aides acknowledge that the phenomenon is occurring with greater frequency.
"His power goes beyond simple inspiration," says one aide. "There is something developing here that I’m not sure any of us fully understands."
They say Obama has told them privately that his time has not yet come, so it would be inappropriate to talk about the healings right now. He says he will wait until the convention to speak publicly about the "special calling" he believes he has to lead the country. They do expect him to start alluding to "the providential nature of what is happening on the campaign trail" in an upcoming address, mostly because word is getting around.
People have begun bringing relatives by the score to campaign events in hopes of a healing touch.
"It’s not the speeches that are drawing people anymore, as good as they are," says a senior staff member. "It’s people wanting to get better, and wanting their friends and relatives to get better. It’s the belief that there’s something more here." •

On my birthday.

So on my old blog, I used to have a feature where I showed a "LARP" video once a week. That would be some video that documents "Live action role playing". I can think of few things in life that is more amusing to me. Anyhow, being that this is my day I post this wonderful clip. Please take time to enjoy!

Quote of the Week

Every thing that a man leans upon but God, will be a dart that will certainly pierce his heart through and through. He who leans only upon Christ, lives the highest, choicest, safest, and sweetest life. – Thomas Brooks (1608 - 1680)

Jasøn

In other big news, for the month of March to celebrate my norwiegan heritage, I'll be spelling my name Jasøn instead of the more roman, Jason.

Brian McLaren

This may come as a surprise to some of you...(who know all my inside jokes) but I found a very interesting, albiet long, article from the very non-controversial Brian McLaren. I guess in his past life he was an acoustic guitar singing worship leader. Makes sense. Anyway, he wrote an open letter to songwriters that is a good read and I agree a lot with. Take a read.