The Tower of Google

Have you seen google translate? It's amazing!  The program will instantly translate between more than 60 worldwide languages.  While the technology has the potential for significant positive benefits, I cannot help think of the Tower of Babel event (read the account here).

Could it be that this new technology could virtually undo the linguistic boundaries that God put into place?

While technological advancements can be used for good, we have to realize that in general the hearts of mankind continue to strive for self-sufficiency, self-aggrandizement, and a resistance to submitting to the authority of our Creator. Technology will continue to change, but people are people, and our hearts will only find satisfaction when we place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

What do you think?

5 Guys & a Whole Lot of Fries!

Last Monday, my family and I came across a wonderful burger joint.  I had noticed signs for 5 Guys Burgers & Fries, but this was the first visit.  It will not be the last!

The menu is simple, some may even say minimal.  You basically can choose between a burger, a hot dog, or a veggie sandwich. The burgers are available in two sizes.  We opted for the "Lil", and it was quite filling.  The free peanuts at your table while you wait is a fun touch.  Having the food prepared in sight was different...kinda like Subway, making burgers.  I found it somewhat odd that a chalkboard displayed where the potatoes were from for that particular day.  It should have been a bit of foreshadowing that we were about to be defeated by the most-delicious-closest-thing-to-homemade french fries we had ever experienced.  There are 6 of us, so I ordered a large fry, thinking we would all get a little taste.  WRONG!

The large fry came in a big, brown, paper bag.  We ate, ate, and ate as much as we could, but still there was more. It was a bag of never-ending fries, and they were delicious!

Do yourself a favor: Get to 5 Guys and prepare yourself for fries.   

What is good?

The word good is often over-used.  

"Have you heard that new song by... It's really good." 

"How was that movie?"  "It was good!"

"Did you have a good weekend?"

"How was lunch?"  "You guessed it... it was good."

I recently read an interesting blog post by Kevin DeYoung.  In the post, Kevin challenges us to think about the entertainment that we choose to consume or not.

I found it profoundly simple to use his suggested test before I declare whether something was good or not.  Here's the test... after listening, watching, or otherwise, can I truly say, "Thank you Lord for giving me this good gift." ?

Thanks for the thought, Kevin.

What's a Crook?

I've always heard of criminals referred to as crooks.  Recently, I was studying the role of the elder or pastor as shepherd and was struck with this thought.  Jesus is the Chief Shepherd according to 1 Peter 5:4.  Not only has He ordained leaders of the church to shepherd, but He has also ordained the governing authorities (Romans 13:1).  When someone is caught breaking the law, it is God's mercy at work.  Through the governing authorities, He is catching the wayward with the crook of the staff and pulling them from a destructive path.  Unfortunately and far too often, many crooks harden their hearts and view this as punishment and not mercy.  Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and His desire is that all would turn from our sins and turn our hearts toward Him.

2 Peter 3:9

⁹ The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

The Marks of a Fool

Last week, I caught part of a radio program about fools.  Fool is not a word we hear too much about these days. The guest on the radio program (Jan Silvious) has written a book titled Fool-Proofing Your Life. I have not read the book, so I am limited as to what I will write here.  I do, however, want to share what she suggested as the three marks of a fool.  1) A fool is never wrong (in his own mind). 2) A fool uses anger to control. 3) A fool always follows his own heart.

Something rings true about this three-part definition.
Once we identify a fool in our lives, we would do well to follow the instruction given in Proverbs concerning our interaction with him or her.

Here's a link to her book: http://www.amazon.com/Foolproofing-Your-Life-Effectively-Impossible/dp/0307458482/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309318068&sr=8-1

Maybe the Best Free Download You Will Find

In the midst of a hectic week, I visited the Rabbit Room and glanced at Pete Peterson's review of Josh Garrel's lastest album. The word FREE caught my eye, so I commenced with a download. I don't remember ever hearing of Josh before, but with two days of 5 hours in a car ahead of me, I figured it was worth a shot. Wow! What a shot!

Love & War & The Sea In Between is lots of things, but easy to describe is not one of them. So let me fire off a few descriptors: 18 tracks, eclectic, atmospheric, joyful, intense, lyrically-solid, haunting at times, fresh.

If you have enjoyed the music of Norah Jones, Coldplay, Doug Burr, Bob Dylan, The Church, Dave Matthews, Johnny Cash... ok, do you see where I'm going? You'd never list those artists together, right?

Do yourself a favor and get it while you can (for free). Listen to it three times, and you'll be back at Josh's website leaving a tip!

After a few listens, let me know what you think.

Are You Pulling My Leg?

Don't you love an epiphany? Sometimes I can go months without noticing that my wife has moved a framed picture in the house. I will say, "when did you do that?" She'll laugh and say, "about six weeks ago." Sometimes it takes me awhile to notice what one would think obvious.

A couple of weeks ago, while I was studying the account of Jacob and Esau in Genesis, I noticed something for the first time. I was looking at Jacob's name and how it conveyed his character. If you have read much about Jacob, you know he was a trickster, a schemer. We are also told that his name means "one who grasps the heel." This is obviously in reference to his holding of his twin brother Esau's heel when they were born.

I grew up hearing the expression "Are you pulling my leg?" This means "Are you trying to trick me?" Could it be that this expression dates back to Genesis? Seems completely reasonable to me. What do you think?