Check out this great new website on the gospel called the6c.com. Chad Nuss has put together a really helpful resource for anyone who is curious about Jesus Christ and how he influences our lives and this culture. I invite you to take a look at the various videos, articles, and helpful information and to point others to this website as well.

(HT: Z)

Sorry about the pun. But I love this video by the folks from Chick-Fil-A. The church can learn a lot from these guys and their focus on serving with kindness and treating people with honor and dignity. My friend, Micah Childs, owner-operator of a store in Louisville, pointed it out to me.

If ever you are so much engrossed with any enjoyment here that it takes away your love for prayer, or for your Bible, or that it would frighten you to hear the cry, Behold the Bridegroom cometh—then your heart is “overcharged”. You are abusing this world.

R. Murray M’Cheyne, Watching Unto Prayer

This is an old clip from a prayer conference I attended in February. But after doing a funeral this past week I was struck with the reality of eternity again. What really matters when it’s all said and done? Let’s listen to God this week and “set [our minds] on things above” (Col. 3:2).

When given a copy of this book, I was prepared to have several critiques, but the opposite happened.  I felt the author did an excellent job of telling his son’s story without appearing to be exploiting him for money or fame.  While still not 100% convinced that Colton (the little boy from the story) went to heaven and back, I am convinced that this family loves Jesus and wants others to know Him.  Upon finishing the book, I recommended it to both believers and unbelievers (who I knew I would follow up with). I think it’s a great conversation starter and a pointer to the Bible, not a detractor from it.  I wouldn’t build my theology on it, but I thought about heaven more.  I know of another person who searched out Scripture passages on heaven after reading this book.  And I don’t think that the high volume of sales says anything other than we live in a fallen world.  People are curious.  Most people are looking for hope and a quick fix.  They want to hear heaven is real, but most want it to be for everyone.  This book clearly states that it is for those who have a relationship with Jesus Christ. The Jesus Christ of the Bible to which this book points.

We should not assume that those people who are attracted to our church have been captivated by the message of Christ and his alternate view of life …. We should be more truthful with each other here. They come because their high school kid likes the youth program, or because their children don’t get bored, or because they like the music, or because the pastor preaches the Bible the way they believe it should be preached, or because they happened to be greeted by a smiling face one day, or because the worship leader looks like Brad Pitt.

This is the hard, raw reality of life in the North American church. The people who come to our churches have been formed into spiritual consumers. This is who we are. It is our most instinctive response to life. And you can hardly blame us. Almost everything in our culture shapes us in this direction. But we must become deeply convinced that this is contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ, the one who invited us to deny ourselves and lose our lives in order to find them. If we do nothing to confront this is in our churches, we are merely putting a religious veneer over consumerism and nothing is changed. We offer no real, viable, attractive, alternative way of living. And what is worse, our churches become part of the problem. By harnessing the power of consumerism to grow our churches, we are more firmly forming our people into consumers. Pastors end up being as helpful as bartenders at an Alcoholics Anonymous convention. We do not offer what people really need (p. 68).

Given the power to create anything the mind can conceive and given the power to defend the universe is more than a human can handle. Comic book heroes will always remain a myth because human saviors will always fall short. That much power in the hand of any person will be tainted with corruption, selfishness, and evil. Jesus said that out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander (Matthew 15:19). In the real world, Hal Jordan wouldn’t use his power to save the universe; he would use his power to rule the universe. You cannot fix evil and sin with an evil, sinful person. The only one with the power to create and the power to save must be perfect. This one must have no corruption that would distort power to his own ends and must be all powerful in order to overcome all of the brokenness of the universe. Jesus claims to be a man without sin (Hebrews 4:15) and the sovereign God who upholds the universe with his very words (Hebrews 1:3). If he is neither of these things, then Jesus is nothing more than a mythical comic book hero as well.

The Green Lantern will be released in theaters on June 17.

(HT: Brent Thomas)