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Super: Samson is the Incredible Hulk

10/9/2012

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Hulk: The Engine of Destruction

If you've seen any Hulk movie or read any of the comics, you know what the Hulk does well.  SMASH!  In Marvel's Avengers, we saw this as the Hulk chased down Black Widow in SHIELD's flying fortress and ended up wrecking the whole place.  There are Hulk comics that end with the Hulk being the only living person left on earth after nuclear fallout has killed everyone else.  It's just him and the cockroaches.  There's an animated movie called Planet Hulk that starts off with Hulk being locked in a spaceship and shot into outer space because the Avengers realize the Hulk will destroy everything on earth. 

When it comes to superheroes the Hulk is definitely Super but the jury is out on the hero part.  He's just as likely to make things a hundred times worse as he is to save the day.  His blinding rage and anger consume him.  That's why almost all of the Hulk's stories end in disaster.  There is a man in the Bible who fits this description.  His name is Samson.

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Processing Benghazi

9/14/2012

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Benghazi.  A few days ago, if you had said that word I might have replied with "God bless you."  Now its a word I'm hearing all over the place.  If you haven't kept up with the news, a US consulate (sort of like a small embassy) was attacked on Tuesday night in Benghazi, Libya.  Four Americans are dead including the US ambassador to Libya while more were wounded.  I don't have all of the facts and I won't pretend to, but there are two things I'm hearing floating around Facebook and the internet that I'd like to respond to. 

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Theology Tuesday: Passive or Agressive?

4/17/2012

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Turn the Other Cheek?   

Its one of the most quoted verses in the entire Bible.  But what does it look like in real life?  Should Christians never stand up for themselves?  Should we allow others to harm us and take advantage of us?  Should we let people cut us in line, cheat off of us at school, and bully us?  Is it ever OK for a Christian to fight back with words or fists?  Must we always be pushovers?  What does the Bible say about this?

Well, the Bible tells us that one of the chief goals for us in God's eyes is that we would be conformed to the image of Christ.  So let's look at Jesus.  Was Jesus passive with His words and actions or was He aggressive with His words and actions? 

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Responding to "7 Guys Jump Asian Man" on Youtube

1/17/2012

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My Facebook newsfeed blew up today and last night with a Youtube video showing what looks like 7 high school boys jumping a Chinese boy.  Comments were mostly directed against the attackers saying things like, "I hope they get whats coming to them in prison" and "They deserve to burn for this."  It was absolutely brutal to watch and for this reason I won't link it here and don't recommend you watch it.  To think that people would actually treat someone like this is heart-wrenching.  My prayers go out to that poor kid.  This video has prompted so many different kinds of responses though, that I'd like to weigh in a bit and give my thoughts on how a Christian should respond to such a terrible thing.
  
Angry

People might expect a pastor to say the Bible says anger is a bad thing.  Let me say the opposite.  In this case, you should be angry.  For so many reasons.  You should be angry that an image bearer of God was violently attacked.  You should be angry that he was attacked for no good reason.  You should be angry that an innocent person was beaten.  You should be angry that seven people thought that ganging up on one person was not unfair or wrong.  You should be angry for the racism behind this as some of the attackers mock the Chinese kid for not speaking English.  You should be very angry about this.

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One reason I love Psalm 145

1/5/2012

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When I'm driving the speed limit and I get tailgated, sometimes I think to myself, "I should just slam on my brakes and it will go down as their fault...that'll teach them!" 

When I got home from the airport last week, Michaela was crying and everyone was talking while grandma was trying to buckle her into her car seat.  We were parked for too long at the pickup curb and the lady came up and told us to move.  I snapped at her quite rudely.

I got a huge and unexpected bill yesterday.  When I went in to dispute it and things didn't go my way, I thought about throwing my documents in the lady's face for a second... just for a second. On the outside, I smiled and thanked her.

Do you get angry?  Do you punch walls?  Do you lose your temper?  Do you yell at people?  I'm not the only one right?

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Slow to Speak and Tweet

11/11/2011

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You probably know this guy.  You may have seen him on commercials, follow him on Twitter, remember him from That Seventies Show, know him as Demi Moore’s husband, or watch him now on Two and a Half Men.  You may not have heard about the recent trouble he got himself into on Twitter.  

Penn State recently fired football coach Joe Paterno.  Ashton Kutcher read a headline about it and, without knowing the full story, he put his opinion up on Twitter.  Kutcher said, “How do you fire Jo Pa? #insult #noclass as a hawkeye fan I find it in poor taste.”  If you’ve been following the news or are really into college football, you know what a mistake this was.

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Dealing with Anger

7/29/2011

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"In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold."  Ephesians 4:26-27

A friend of mine was recently caught in the middle of drama.  We'll call this friend Jim.  Sally told Billy a lie about Jim.    As a result, Billy is now mad at and not really speaking to Jim.  For the moment, this lie has wrecked that relationship. 

Jim and I talked about it for a while and he finally asked, "Is it okay that I'm mad?  Is it wrong for me to be angry about this?"

The answer?  It is perfectly normal for you to be mad, disappointed, hurt, and angry when somebody wrongs you.  It is not a sin.

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    Mark has been happily married for five years, has a year and a half old daughter, and serves as a youth and children pastor in Oak Park.

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