Category: Evangelism - Nerdy Nicodemus

Nerdy Nicodemus

Feature Friday: John Carter and a Whole New World

3/30/2012

*Warning: Minor spoilers below (Very minor)*

Chances are you haven't seen John Carter. There was a lot of hype and many trailers building up the latest sci-fi movie. But sadly, very few people were lured into the theaters to watch the man on Mars. In fact, its been reported that Disney expects to lose $250 million dollars on the movie!!! As a movie, I thought it was pretty good and entertaining. However, a lot of the women are scantily clothed so depending on your maturity and weaknesses in that area, you may want just want to avoid seeing it.

Represent Jesus in ALL You Do

1/27/2012

I was at a Denny's last Friday with a friend and we got to talking about the tip. That's when I shared something I had heard before. If you go out to eat at a restaurant and you aren't going to tip well, then don't you dare pray before you eat your food! One of my favorite pastors, Mark Driscoll, said that. Do you know why? He says that Jesus is generous and loving and the church should be too. And when the waiter sees you bow your head to pray before you eat, he will connect the dots and realize you are a Christian. Then when he gets no tip or a lousy single dollar tip from you, he will connect the dots (consciously or subconsciously) that Christians are selfish jerks.

Rick Perry and Choosing Your Words Wisely...

1/6/2012

I have to admit, I haven’t been following the presidential campaign as closely as I should. However, I did catch this golden nugget from Rick Perry through my regular perusal of the news. If you haven’t seen it yet, take a look.

As soon as I saw that, I knew his campaign was about to take a major hit. Its not even so much about what he said, but how he said it.

A Good Dose of Thanksgiving

11/15/2011

Thanksgiving is coming up pretty quickly. We all have a lot of things to be thankful for. Our family, friends, jobs, homes, full refrigerators, cars, church, toys, and so much more. A lot of times, we say we are thankful for these things because it is the right thing to say, even when we don't necessarily feel very thankful. But think about some times that you really, truly have felt thankful. Maybe it was when you were younger and your parents bought you a video game system for Christmas that you had been dying to get all year. Maybe it was when your spouse surprised you with an incredible day all about you. Maybe it was when someone stood up for you or defended you in front of others. Can you remember a time you were truly thankful?

Feature Friday: Terranova

11/4/2011

Have you been watching Steven Spielberg's new masterpiece? If you catch Terra Nova on Fox, you're in for breathtaking nature scenes, futuristic technology, and, best of all, dinosaur-packed action!

In the not so distant future, mankind's use of industry, cars, factories, and more has left the world extremely polluted. Combined with over-population, the human race doesn't have long before its too late. Laws limit a household to two children and purifying devices called re-breathers are needed to breathe outside air. But there is hope.

Scientists have discovered a rip in the space-time continuum (Great Scotts!). Using futuristic technology, they have been able to open a portal that will send people 85 million years into the past. A plan is devised to send earth's best, brightest, and wealthiest back in time to give humanity a second chance before the earth has been polluted and crowded. Sadly, only a few can go through and the rest of humanity will die. With the knowledge they have, they must start over and avoid the mistakes of the past...er...future.

They name their settlement Terra Nova which means New Earth. In many ways, it is a paradise. The air, water, and soil are pure and clean. The wildlife and forests are gorgeous and fascinating. But in many ways, it is filled with danger. Savage dinosaurs roam free outside the walls of the city, prehistoric diseases wait to plague the new earth pilgrims, and a group of rebels called "Sixers" are out to destroy everything Terra Nova stands for.

Enough Sci-Fi, did you know the Bible talks about a Terra Nova?

Theology Thursday: Is Swearing a Sin?

10/27/2011

** Last week I covered the topic of homosexuality. Username Richard the Atheist commented on my article to argue against me. If you'd like to see my response to him, which is long (I warned you!), then CLICK HERE.**

Is swearing a sin? The D word, the S word, the F word. Do we offend God when we use this kind of language? Should Christians use them? My opinion may not be the clear cut answer you were looking for. As a youth and children pastor, believe me, I wish I could say definitively that all swearing is bad. That would keep the parents at church happy with me. But, at the risk of drawing their wrath, let me share my honest thoughts on this issue with you. Let me caution you, this article will get a bit explicit.

10 Years Since 9/11

9/9/2011

I was a freshman in high school. I left the locker room with my gym shirt and tight gym shorts on. Why do they always make them too small? I lined up with the rest of my class and we were cracking jokes about something or other when Coach Murry walked in. He seemed a little shocked about something and with a shake of his head and a half grin he said, “Did you hear what happened?” We all shook our heads no. “Some idiot crashed a small plane into the Pentagon.”
Well that’s strange I thought. We finished up PE and I thought nothing of it. But by the look on my algebra teacher’s face when I walked into my next classroom, I could tell something was really wrong. She turned on the TV and we watched in horror as smoke poured out of the towers on live television.

That Which We've Seen and Heard

8/16/2011

Evangelism is a scary word for most of us. We feel frightened at the thought of sharing our faith with others. Factoring family and friends into the equation can actually make us even more nervous and embarrassed.

As a pastor, I've sat through quite a lot of evangelism classes and seminars that offer steps to sharing your faith. I've heard recommendations ranging from memorizing the Romans Road to wearing Jesus memorabilia like buttons or crosses. I've studied the tactics of soap box preaching and seeker based Bible studies.

All of those things have merit and can be incredibly beneficial. But sometimes its the simplest things that work.

I Love Generous People

8/9/2011

Do you know anyone who is really, really, really generous? I don't mean the kind of person who gives you a few dollars when you're a bit short at the movie theater. I'm talking about the kind of person who just buys people nice gifts out of the blue. Don't you just love them?!