The Phantom Menace Passes Star Wars!

Like it or not, The Phantom Menace is now the 10th highest grossing film of all time worldwide. It has grossed over $1 billion dollars. Only 11 movies have ever done this. Brace yourself for number 11--It is...The Dark Knight! OUCH!

But wait it gets worse. On the domestic front Episode 1 moves up a notch as well. It is now number 4 of all time in the United States. What movie did it pass? Star Wars: A New Hope. Although I love all of the Star Wars films, this is disheartening news.

I blame 3D for this travesty. It is the same reason Avatar did so well financially. Prices for tickets are $13 compared to the $3 ticket price for Star Wars in 1977. This means that a whole lot more people went to see the original back in the day.

The only thing that makes me smile is that when the list is adjusted for inflation the top five movies are:

        1. Gone With the Wind
        2. Star Wars
        3. The Sound of Music
        4. E.T.
        5. The Ten Commandments

Avatar is 14th and The Phantom Menace is 16th. Take that 3D!

Anyone can come up with a gimmick to make money, but only a truly moving story will bring people out in droves. I believe that even with my love for Star Wars there is even a more gripping story. If you attend a church, I want you to seriously consider inviting someone to attend with you on Easter. If you don't you can message me and I will recommend one in your area.

Mark your calendars for April 8th. You won't even need to by a ticket to attend "The Greatest Story Ever Told."

What is your opinion of the 3D craze?
Will you be in church this Easter?


You may also enjoy:
7 Problems With the Star Wars Prequels

7 Not So Serious Ideas for Lent

Lent is the time of year that threatens to bankrupt Starbucks, Russel Stover, and McDonalds.
It has officially begun and people all over the world are giving up something for the 40 days leading up to Easter.


Here are a 7 ideas if you haven't thought of something yet:


1. Jelly doughnuts, but not jelly. To do this right you need to find a large straw such as one used for an Icee. Hold the doughnut in your hand and insert the straw as if it were a Capri Sun. Slurp and enjoy!


2. Lint of all kinds. 
      Dryer lint: Air dry all of your clothes (this will not work in colder climates). 
      Naval lint: Fill your naval with pliable wax to prevent lint from forming.
      Pocket lint: Wear no pockets for 40 days. That's skirts for the women and kilts for the men     
            (do not mix the two up).


3. Feeding your cat (although I do believe more men will take me up on this one than women)


4. The remote control. I do not mean give it to someone else. I mean give it up completely. Get off of your lazy behind and change the channel every so often.


5. Pinterest or at least posting your latest pinnings to Facebook. It seems like the news feed has recently become a inspirational greeting card aisle.


6. 24 hour news networks. There are plenty of places to get news from besides the three ring circus (CNN, FOX News, MSNBC).


7. Shaving. Wouldn't it be cool if every third guy in church on Easter actually looked like Jesus. We have 40 days, lets get going (please ladies do not take this one and apply it to your legs or Easter dresses will be something to dread)!




Whatever you do for Lent please remember that it is all purely voluntary and symbolic. If you feel you must sacrifice, you have missed the entire point of the Easter season. Fat Tuesday reminds us of this as people go out and party because on Ash Wednesday repentance begins. It does not work that way.


Hebrews 10:26 tells us, "If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left."


Christ was the FINAL sacrifice for sin. Let's use this Lenton season for what it really is--A chance to reflect on what Jesus did, and show our gratitude by putting an area of life on hold to spend with God instead.

President Obama on the Resurrection of Jesus

I have no formal opinion about the transcript from the White House Easter Prayer Breakfast.  It speaks for itself.  I cannot judge one's heart, but I hope that these words are felt deeply, and not crafted by a speech writer. 

One of our roles in government is to pray for our leaders.  I recently bought the bobble head doll pictured above.  It is my hope that this doll be a reminder to me of my obligation to pray for our president.  I can only hope that the words spoken by our President at the prayer breakfast are fueled by the prayers of you and I.  If you are not praying for President Obama then now is the time to start.

I have left off the beginning greeting as it does not pertain to his Easter address. 

This is the speech verbatim:

One of my hopes upon taking this office was to make the White House a place where all people would feel welcome. To that end, we held a Seder here to mark the first Passover. We held an Iftar here with Muslim Americans to break the daily fast during Ramadan. And today, I’m particularly blessed to welcome you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, for this Easter breakfast.



With us are Christian leaders from all across America, men and women who lead small-town churches and big-city congregations, and major organizations in service of others; folks whose sermons are heard and whose examples are followed by millions all across the country. So I wanted to join you for a brief moment today to continue the Easter celebration of our risen Savior, and to reflect on the work to which His promise calls all of us.


I can’t tell any of you anything about Easter that you don’t already know. (Laughter.) I can’t shed light on centuries of scriptural interpretation or bring any new understandings to those of you who reflect on Easter’s meaning each and every year and each and every day. But what I can do is tell you what draws me to this holy day and what lesson I take from Christ’s sacrifice and what inspires me about the story of the resurrection.


For even after the passage of 2,000 years, we can still picture the moment in our mind’s eye. The young man from Nazareth marched through Jerusalem; object of scorn and derision and abuse and torture by an empire. The agony of crucifixion amid the cries of thieves. The discovery, just three days later, that would forever alter our world -- that the Son of Man was not to be found in His tomb and that Jesus Christ had risen.


We are awed by the grace He showed even to those who would have killed Him. We are thankful for the sacrifice He gave for the sins of humanity. And we glory in the promise of redemption in the resurrection.


And such a promise is one of life’s great blessings, because, as I am continually learning, we are, each of us, imperfect. Each of us errs -- by accident or by design. Each of us falls short of how we ought to live. And selfishness and pride are vices that afflict us all.


It’s not easy to purge these afflictions, to achieve redemption. But as Christians, we believe that redemption can be delivered -- by faith in Jesus Christ. And the possibility of redemption can make straight the crookedness of a character; make whole the incompleteness of a soul. Redemption makes life, however fleeting here on Earth, resound with eternal hope.


Of all the stories passed down through the gospels, this one in particular speaks to me during this season. And I think of hanging -- watching Christ hang from the cross, enduring the final seconds of His passion. He summoned what remained of His strength to utter a few last words before He breathed His last breath.


“Father,” He said, “into your hands I commit my spirit.” Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. These words were spoken by our Lord and Savior, but they can just as truly be spoken by every one of us here today. Their meaning can just as truly be lived out by all of God’s children.
So, on this day, let us commit our spirit to the pursuit of a life that is true, to act justly and to love mercy and walk humbly with the Lord. And when we falter, as we will, let redemption -- through commitment and through perseverance and through faith -- be our abiding hope and fervent prayer.

Many of you are living out that commitment every day.

The full speech is available at: Easter Prayer Breakfast

Unsolved Mysteries of Easter

Well, Easter is tomorrow and I for one am excited.  I am anxious to see my children's faces as they rummage through their basket of goodies.  I'm looking forward to playing Lego Indiana Jones for the Wii with my son Luke.  (Is it really fair that I secretly hide a gift for myself in his basket even if it was on sale for $10?)  However, I am most excited to be celebrating the resurrection of Jesus and the salvation he brought to an undeserving populace that includes myself.

I was reading the final week of Christ this week in the Gospel of Mark and I noticed a couple of characters that I usually overlook.  People that I would love to interview in a church setting, newsroom, or my front porch (I'm not picky).  The first are the casual observers of the grand theft donkey that the disciples pull off without a scratch.  Get this, Jesus tells them where a donkey will be hitched.  Then he tells them to take it.  If anyone tries to stop them they are to say that the master needs it and will bring it back shortly.  Wow!  They are going to treat someone's animal like a library book.

So, the first thing I notice is that the donkey is not in a stable.  Why is this important?  Well, if it hitched out front someone is still using it.  When the disciples untie the animal there is a group of people who ask them what they are doing.  They respond with the answer Jesus said to give and they actually go for it.  Now I know God is omniscient and knew that this answer would suffice, but why?  What reason do these people have for letting this happen?  I want to know!  That would be a fun interview.

Then a couple of chapters later the disciples are to walk through town until they see a man carrying a water pot.  They are told to follow him to whatever house he goes to and ask for the owner.  That specific guy would have an upper room furnished and ready for a passover feast.  They were to tell him that the teacher wants it for him and his disciples.  He was fine with that.

First off why was the feast prepared?  Did Jesus know that somewhere a party had canceled and it would be open.  Why did this man let them come for free?  They did not even say that the teacher was Jesus.  It is also a good thing that they saw the right man with a water pot (although not many men carried water pots as it was looked on as a woman's job).  Well, God is sovereign.  I know he knew what the people of both situations would say.  All I am wondering is why they would say it?

You have either never thought about this, noticed it before, or lose sleep each night in a deep quandary of thoughts and questions.  All I'm saying is that the final week of Jesus' life holds a lot to be explored.  Have a blessed Easter!  I hope you grow closer to Christ or discover him for the first time during this season.  Regrettably, I do not have time to write about why the Cadbury Bunny lays eggs.