Most of our college students have finished up the spring term and filled out a survey, “How Would The Bible Be Different If It Had Been Written By College Students?” Below are the top ten differences:
#10. The Last Supper would have been eaten the next morning – cold.
#9. The Ten Commandments would be only Five, double-spaced, large font.
#8. Rarely would there be a new edition of the Bible. This way, students could
always find a cheaper used copy.
#7. The Forbidden Fruit was eaten simply because it wasn’t cafeteria food.
#6. The Letter to the Romans would become e-mail, congregation@Rome.org.
#5. The reason Cain killed Abel? They were roommates.
#4. The place where the end of the world occurs? Finals, not Armageddon.
#3. No mules, just mountain bikes.
#2. The reason Moses and his followers walked in the desert for 40 years? They
didn’t want to ask directions and look like freshmen.
#1. Instead of God creating the world in six days and resting on the seventh, God
would have put it off until the night before it was due and pull an all- nighter.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Pastor's Column May 16, 2010
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.” (- Mt. 6:39)
It seems to me that if we live by this saying we don’t have to get so upset with those who slight us in some way. We can take it in stride as opposed to going ballistic.
We don’t have to get mad at customer service representatives who mistreat us. Maybe they’re just having a bad day. Or maybe they truly are rude or inept at what they’re doing, but why should we allow it to ruin our day? What kind of people are we when we get upset about inconsequential matters?
Of course, if the person who slights us is a person with whom we have dealings daily as opposed to once in a life time, and if the insults are routine, we may need to point out to the person what he or she is doing and how we feel about it. Jesus isn’t telling us here to be a doormat.
What is the context for this teaching? “If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also,” is preceded by, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not respond in kind.” (My translation)
Jesus is giving us a better way of handling insults than responding in kind. Take it in stride. Walk awayt. Forget and forgive. Choose the better way.
It seems to me that if we live by this saying we don’t have to get so upset with those who slight us in some way. We can take it in stride as opposed to going ballistic.
We don’t have to get mad at customer service representatives who mistreat us. Maybe they’re just having a bad day. Or maybe they truly are rude or inept at what they’re doing, but why should we allow it to ruin our day? What kind of people are we when we get upset about inconsequential matters?
Of course, if the person who slights us is a person with whom we have dealings daily as opposed to once in a life time, and if the insults are routine, we may need to point out to the person what he or she is doing and how we feel about it. Jesus isn’t telling us here to be a doormat.
What is the context for this teaching? “If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also,” is preceded by, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not respond in kind.” (My translation)
Jesus is giving us a better way of handling insults than responding in kind. Take it in stride. Walk awayt. Forget and forgive. Choose the better way.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Pastor's Column May 9, 2010
The following is important information for women contemplating motherhood. The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 years of age and came up with $160,140 for a middle-income family. Sounds like a lot, but it’s not bad if you break it down - $8, 896/year, $741/month, $171/week, $24/day, $1/hour.
And what’s the return on your investment? Naming rights – first, middle, and last. Giggles under the covers every night. Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs. A hand to hold, although it’s covered with jelly or chocolate. You also get to upgrade your skills at finger-painting, pumpkin carving, and playing hide-and-seek. You have an excuse to watch Saturday morning cartoons, go to Disney movies, and read the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh.
You get endless artwork to attach to the refrigerator with magnets, hand prints set in clay for Mother’s day, and the opportunity to coach a soccer team that never wins. You can be a hero simply for removing a splinter, filling a wading pool, or retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof. You get a front seat in history for a first step, a first word, and the first time behind the wheel.
You receive the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground this child forever, and love him/her without limits, so that one day, this kid will, like you, love without counting the cost. Quite a deal for $160,140. But understand, this doesn’t include college.. -DJ
And what’s the return on your investment? Naming rights – first, middle, and last. Giggles under the covers every night. Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs. A hand to hold, although it’s covered with jelly or chocolate. You also get to upgrade your skills at finger-painting, pumpkin carving, and playing hide-and-seek. You have an excuse to watch Saturday morning cartoons, go to Disney movies, and read the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh.
You get endless artwork to attach to the refrigerator with magnets, hand prints set in clay for Mother’s day, and the opportunity to coach a soccer team that never wins. You can be a hero simply for removing a splinter, filling a wading pool, or retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof. You get a front seat in history for a first step, a first word, and the first time behind the wheel.
You receive the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground this child forever, and love him/her without limits, so that one day, this kid will, like you, love without counting the cost. Quite a deal for $160,140. But understand, this doesn’t include college.. -DJ
Monday, May 3, 2010
Pastor's Column May 2, 2010
Sometimes Jesus calls us to go against the flow.
Jackie Robinson was the first black man to play major league baseball. In his first season with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Robinson faced hatred nearly everywhere he traveled. Pitchers threw fastballs at his head. Runners spiked him on the bases. Racial epithets were sent to him in cards and spoken during games from the opposing dugouts.
Even the home crowd in Brooklyn saw him as an object of reproach. During one game the taunts and racial slurs seemed to reach a peak. To make matters worse, Robinson committed an error and stood at second base humiliated while the fans insulted him. Another Dodger, a Southern white man by the name of Pee Wee Reese, called a timeout. He walked from his position at shortstop toward Robinson at second base, and with the crowd looking on he put his arm around Robinson’s shoulder. The fans grew quiet.
Robinson later said that Reese’s arm around his shoulder saved his career. On behalf of Jesus, maybe we can help save someone in the days ahead. -DJ
Jackie Robinson was the first black man to play major league baseball. In his first season with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Robinson faced hatred nearly everywhere he traveled. Pitchers threw fastballs at his head. Runners spiked him on the bases. Racial epithets were sent to him in cards and spoken during games from the opposing dugouts.
Even the home crowd in Brooklyn saw him as an object of reproach. During one game the taunts and racial slurs seemed to reach a peak. To make matters worse, Robinson committed an error and stood at second base humiliated while the fans insulted him. Another Dodger, a Southern white man by the name of Pee Wee Reese, called a timeout. He walked from his position at shortstop toward Robinson at second base, and with the crowd looking on he put his arm around Robinson’s shoulder. The fans grew quiet.
Robinson later said that Reese’s arm around his shoulder saved his career. On behalf of Jesus, maybe we can help save someone in the days ahead. -DJ
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