Hello again and welcome to
Friday's episode of "What in the world was that dude thinking?" on this
August 19, 2011. Some of the birthday greetings I received the other day just knocked me down. While I appreciate folks and their respect and love for me, let me just say, like the Apostle Paul, I know better than anyone that I have not arrived yet. (Philippians 3:2) Again, I appreciate the wonderful words but I am also very much aware of me, myself, and I. For those folks who think you can work your way into heaven, perhaps I could show up with a couple of those greetings and because of those beautiful sentiments, He would let me in. Like a get out of jail free card, or I would get to pass go and collect my $200. Sorry. We are not talking about Monopoly but rather it's eternity, and getting to be in the presence of God doesn't work that way. The Bible clearly teaches that we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23), therefore, we must have a Savior, because we cannot do enough on our own. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Yes. I do greatly appreciate folks and their thoughts towards me. At the same time I also know the risk when me, you, or anyone else begins to think more highly of themselves than they should. (Romans 12:3) It reminds me of that line from the old country tune, "It's hard to be humble when you are perfect in every way." Not me, not now, and not ever in this life, but this doesn't mean that we are not trying. With God's help we can do right. With God's help we can overcome some of our baggage. With God's help, through Christ, we actually can deal with any and all things, good, bad, or indifferent, and still bring honor to His great name. (Philippians 4:13)
My wife often sends me a note to give me a thumbs up on what she calls 'my sermon for the day'. As I tell her, maybe the 'sermon' is more for me than anyone else. Yeah. Personal self help therapy. I think I could get a consensus on me needing some of that, no matter how you define it. And, if we are getting it from God's Word, we can always know it will be the right stuff.
Amen to that! I've never watched one episode of the TV show 'Jersey Shore'. I know it's some type of reality deal with a bunch of young adults, and I use that term advisedly, acting up and mostly acting badly. It has been heralded as a cultural phenomenon. However, I did see a headline where a designer had offered to pay the stars on that show not to wear any of their clothes. Here again, I know next to nothing about that program but that headline just seems to make sense to me. We've got this culture in decline all around us and it would seem those who are the most depraved are getting the most press and publicity. I do know there are stories out there all the time about the people on that show. I also know they have huge ratings. But, the snippet I read said the clothing people were concerned that the cast wearing their products would damage their image. Given that the company is Abercrombie and Fitch, that is saying a lot, folks. These are the people who are accused of portraying young people, some very young, as sex objects in the ads they plaster in their stores. For them to say their image could be further eroded, it's time for someone to wake up and smell the coffee! Here's what the reviewer from Focus on the Family said about this show: "
This program marks the current low point in the broad genre known as "reality television"—a show so engrossed in its own self-absorbed inanity and depravity as to become a parody of itself and, oddly, a cogent touchstone of the culture at large. It makes Survivor look like Shakespeare, the Osbournes seem like the Cleavers, The Hills appear passably redeemable. Watching it made me want to take antibiotics to ward off whatever infections were being pumped through my flat screen"
This reminds me of a fellow I used to work with who said he actually was able to convince his wife that he should subscribe to Playboy magazine to read the articles. I'm not trying to tell people how to live their lives and what they should and should not choose for entertainment. But, if anyone looks around, we, as a nation, are in pretty bad shape folks. I have said consistently that these daily reports of crimes against children are perhaps the most disturbing sign that something is badly wrong in our culture. These recent riots in England caused a huge amount damage and they have stirred the people there to outrage. The assessment of many of the leading authorities says the young people involved in these crimes, some that cost people their lives, for the most part have no moral compass. I can remember Prime Minister Tony Blair proudly announcing how that the UK had officially reached a threshold of being a mostly secular nation. Meaning? Religion was no longer a major factor in the life of their nation. Scary. Downright frightening. I don't want that for my grandchildren. I don't want that for our nation. It has been said that we here in the states typically follow the patterns first seen in the UK. I pray that God will intervene. I pray that we all will pay attention to these matters because they do matter, not only for today, but even more so as I we make our way forward. I know. You don't tune in to get some alarmist rhetoric that sounds so negative and I try not to dwell on these types of subjects that often. But, I give it to you as it comes to me, each day, and I pray that we all will just do our best to make a better world for those who will live in the future. May God help us is my prayer.
Amen. See you next time and may God bless you and may God bless America.
Amen. .....More later.
My wife often sends me a note to give me a thumbs up on what she calls 'my sermon for the day'. As I tell her, maybe the 'sermon' is more for me than anyone else. Yeah. Personal self help therapy. I think I could get a consensus on me needing some of that, no matter how you define it. And, if we are getting it from God's Word, we can always know it will be the right stuff. Amen to that! I've never watched one episode of the TV show 'Jersey Shore'. I know it's some type of reality deal with a bunch of young adults, and I use that term advisedly, acting up and mostly acting badly. It has been heralded as a cultural phenomenon. However, I did see a headline where a designer had offered to pay the stars on that show not to wear any of their clothes. Here again, I know next to nothing about that program but that headline just seems to make sense to me. We've got this culture in decline all around us and it would seem those who are the most depraved are getting the most press and publicity. I do know there are stories out there all the time about the people on that show. I also know they have huge ratings. But, the snippet I read said the clothing people were concerned that the cast wearing their products would damage their image. Given that the company is Abercrombie and Fitch, that is saying a lot, folks. These are the people who are accused of portraying young people, some very young, as sex objects in the ads they plaster in their stores. For them to say their image could be further eroded, it's time for someone to wake up and smell the coffee! Here's what the reviewer from Focus on the Family said about this show: "This program marks the current low point in the broad genre known as "reality television"—a show so engrossed in its own self-absorbed inanity and depravity as to become a parody of itself and, oddly, a cogent touchstone of the culture at large. It makes Survivor look like Shakespeare, the Osbournes seem like the Cleavers, The Hills appear passably redeemable. Watching it made me want to take antibiotics to ward off whatever infections were being pumped through my flat screen"
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