This is a very personal piece about the war in Afganistan after 9/11.
Five days after 9/11 I found myself enjoying my 18th birthday in the post office registering for the selective service. I began to wonder, if I went to war, could I really pull the trigger? Can I value my life more than someone else values theirs? Is the greatest love really to lay done one's life for a friend?
Here's the link to "Broken Rifle". Aprox read time is 55min.
"Broken Rifle" will be preformed on PLTS' campus in Berkeley, CA on April 16th, 2010.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Fantasy Football '09
From time to time I get asked for input for someone's fantasy league. Here are my lists as of August 12th for the upcoming fantasy football drafts.
Different colors represent different tiers of players. The overall idea is that you don't want to take the first guy in the same tier, but get value when drafting similar players. Plus, this year there is a bonus list of the top 60 from four different sources.
Enjoy! And draft wisely.
Fantasy Football Offense.
I have defensive lists, but I don't publish them. Drop me an email at LCMDAN@aol.com if you'd like more info.
Different colors represent different tiers of players. The overall idea is that you don't want to take the first guy in the same tier, but get value when drafting similar players. Plus, this year there is a bonus list of the top 60 from four different sources.
Enjoy! And draft wisely.
Fantasy Football Offense.
I have defensive lists, but I don't publish them. Drop me an email at LCMDAN@aol.com if you'd like more info.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
The Simpsons Bible Study Seriese
Now that The Simpsons and the 10 Commandments have been employed in Arizona, California, Texas and North Carolina, I have decided to write down the second series, The Simpsons and Society, in case others find it useful.
The Simpsons is one of the most popular television shows of all time. In the world of the Simpsons, a faimily of yellow cartoon people deal with the same issues that we confront in the real world.
The Simpsons and the 10 Commandments is a 10-week bible study in which each Commandment is paired with a 22 minute episode. This is a great way to introduce the 10 Commandments to people of all ages. All of these episodes come from the first 5 seasons. You can always rent a disk a week from Netflix. Follow the link:
The Simpsons and the 1o Commandments
Once you've got 'em hooked, I suggest you switch from bible study to hot-button issues and discussion. In this gathering time, you can get another 10 weeks out of The Simpsons in which each week you tackle a new issue. This covers things like gun control, gay marriage, evolution in schools, environmental issues, etc. I find this seriese to be very benificial for young people and old people alike. The episodes do come from various seasons, so let me know if you're having trouble tracking one down. I wouldn't suggest this for groups younger than high school aged.
Follow the Link:
The Simpsons and Society
Again, I don't have expressed writen consent from anyone, these are merely study aids. They have had some powerful results in the past, so use with care!
God's love,
Daniel
PS: I'm working on a book called: The Simpsons and The Bible: From Pre-Monarchy to Post-Modernaty. Look for it in bookstores by the Summer of 2019!
The Simpsons is one of the most popular television shows of all time. In the world of the Simpsons, a faimily of yellow cartoon people deal with the same issues that we confront in the real world.
The Simpsons and the 10 Commandments is a 10-week bible study in which each Commandment is paired with a 22 minute episode. This is a great way to introduce the 10 Commandments to people of all ages. All of these episodes come from the first 5 seasons. You can always rent a disk a week from Netflix. Follow the link:
The Simpsons and the 1o Commandments
Once you've got 'em hooked, I suggest you switch from bible study to hot-button issues and discussion. In this gathering time, you can get another 10 weeks out of The Simpsons in which each week you tackle a new issue. This covers things like gun control, gay marriage, evolution in schools, environmental issues, etc. I find this seriese to be very benificial for young people and old people alike. The episodes do come from various seasons, so let me know if you're having trouble tracking one down. I wouldn't suggest this for groups younger than high school aged.
Follow the Link:
The Simpsons and Society
Again, I don't have expressed writen consent from anyone, these are merely study aids. They have had some powerful results in the past, so use with care!
God's love,
Daniel
PS: I'm working on a book called: The Simpsons and The Bible: From Pre-Monarchy to Post-Modernaty. Look for it in bookstores by the Summer of 2019!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Why Jesus doesn't throw rocks
If there is one reoccurring theme on this sporadic blog, it is that nothing I say should be confused with scholarship.
Why Jesus doesn't throw rocks is a phrase I've been working at for a while. In the gospel of John, Jesus is attempting to save a woman from being stoned. He writes something in the sand and says, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." The men drop their rocks and walk away. I've been struggling with this text for quite a while- and here is why.
The Simpsons
Almost everything in life goes back to a Simpsons quote for me. The one I am thinking about involves Homer stealing Flanders' air-conditioner. When Flanders confronts him, Homer quotes the, "let he without sin" line. He is interrupted by a bludgeoning rock that hits him in the face. "Got 'em Dad" says Todd Flanders.
The idea that Flanders' kids are without sin is comical. Flanders would have sinless kids. And he would throw a rock. Jesus chooses not to throw the rock. Why wouldn't he? That got me thinking... is Jesus sinless?
Someone reading this is more well read than me may be able to shed more light on this. But this Simpsons' gag had led me to believe that Jesus was not putting himself in the sinless category. Jesus didn't throw a rock. Now that seems contrary to the line he gave before it, since it seems like "let he without sin" would be Jesus referring to himself in the 3rd person, rather a trade-mark of JC. But he doesn't throw rocks. Jesus never doles out the punishment that he reserves for the sinless.
Now the first time I came to this conclusion I was distraught, for obvious reasons. No I don't think the text is perfect, nor do I believe that Jesus is accurately portrayed in the gospels- especially John.
A few weeks ago I heard a sermon by a person who is more learned than I, and he talked about the nature of Sin as something corporate. No, I'm not talking about some stupid band. Corporate sin is bigger than the individual. In our day and age where corporations are caught up in greed so profoundly, this concept is easier to accept.
This sermon addressed the issue that we ask for forgiveness often for small sinful offenses, and we ignore some of the more dangerous ones. We do not often sit down and ask for forgiveness for things like war, pollution, oppression, consumption of natural resources, and hatred of foreign people. We get preoccupied with sins associated to money, sex, greed, jealousy and things that exist in our own minds, often only acted out by us.
In confirmation class I once asked if I'd be a sinner if I slept all day and didn't have a bad thought or harm anyone. I didn't get an answer that satisfied me. Now I realize sin as corporate. See being human is living in sin. It's part of our nature and our nurture. We live in a sinful society and that's never going to change. Being in sin is like being in skin.
I think you can see where I'm going with this. I believe that Jesus was fully human- sin and all. Otherwise, would he really be human? If Jesus never had to deal with temptation, with addiction, with selfishness, and with pride, then he sure as hell wasn't fully human! And if that is hard for you to swallow, it would be hard for you to assume that Jesus didn't eat food that came from slaves, or live in a country that supported war, or break the Jewish laws.The guy was a guy in a society- as part of a society. Does Jesus make the society perfect or does the society make Jesus imperfect?
Thus, his sin is inevitable. He is not the one without sin to throw rocks.
But the beauty of Jesus Christ is that he didn't want to throw rocks. He could have. The other guys were doin' it. Here Jesus can serve as fully human and fully divine. He does the right thing knowing it won't be popular. Jesus rarely let himself have fun. He knew a thing or two about delayed gratification and the piety to say all the right things.
Jesus can still be the best at avoiding sin in the history of the world, and not be perfect. That's all I'm saying.
Why Jesus doesn't throw rocks is a phrase I've been working at for a while. In the gospel of John, Jesus is attempting to save a woman from being stoned. He writes something in the sand and says, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." The men drop their rocks and walk away. I've been struggling with this text for quite a while- and here is why.
The Simpsons
Almost everything in life goes back to a Simpsons quote for me. The one I am thinking about involves Homer stealing Flanders' air-conditioner. When Flanders confronts him, Homer quotes the, "let he without sin" line. He is interrupted by a bludgeoning rock that hits him in the face. "Got 'em Dad" says Todd Flanders.
The idea that Flanders' kids are without sin is comical. Flanders would have sinless kids. And he would throw a rock. Jesus chooses not to throw the rock. Why wouldn't he? That got me thinking... is Jesus sinless?
Someone reading this is more well read than me may be able to shed more light on this. But this Simpsons' gag had led me to believe that Jesus was not putting himself in the sinless category. Jesus didn't throw a rock. Now that seems contrary to the line he gave before it, since it seems like "let he without sin" would be Jesus referring to himself in the 3rd person, rather a trade-mark of JC. But he doesn't throw rocks. Jesus never doles out the punishment that he reserves for the sinless.
Now the first time I came to this conclusion I was distraught, for obvious reasons. No I don't think the text is perfect, nor do I believe that Jesus is accurately portrayed in the gospels- especially John.
A few weeks ago I heard a sermon by a person who is more learned than I, and he talked about the nature of Sin as something corporate. No, I'm not talking about some stupid band. Corporate sin is bigger than the individual. In our day and age where corporations are caught up in greed so profoundly, this concept is easier to accept.
This sermon addressed the issue that we ask for forgiveness often for small sinful offenses, and we ignore some of the more dangerous ones. We do not often sit down and ask for forgiveness for things like war, pollution, oppression, consumption of natural resources, and hatred of foreign people. We get preoccupied with sins associated to money, sex, greed, jealousy and things that exist in our own minds, often only acted out by us.
In confirmation class I once asked if I'd be a sinner if I slept all day and didn't have a bad thought or harm anyone. I didn't get an answer that satisfied me. Now I realize sin as corporate. See being human is living in sin. It's part of our nature and our nurture. We live in a sinful society and that's never going to change. Being in sin is like being in skin.
I think you can see where I'm going with this. I believe that Jesus was fully human- sin and all. Otherwise, would he really be human? If Jesus never had to deal with temptation, with addiction, with selfishness, and with pride, then he sure as hell wasn't fully human! And if that is hard for you to swallow, it would be hard for you to assume that Jesus didn't eat food that came from slaves, or live in a country that supported war, or break the Jewish laws.The guy was a guy in a society- as part of a society. Does Jesus make the society perfect or does the society make Jesus imperfect?
Thus, his sin is inevitable. He is not the one without sin to throw rocks.
But the beauty of Jesus Christ is that he didn't want to throw rocks. He could have. The other guys were doin' it. Here Jesus can serve as fully human and fully divine. He does the right thing knowing it won't be popular. Jesus rarely let himself have fun. He knew a thing or two about delayed gratification and the piety to say all the right things.
Jesus can still be the best at avoiding sin in the history of the world, and not be perfect. That's all I'm saying.
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