Wondering about our worth

Jon Acuff has an insightful and somewhat humorous post on seeking approval:

"Two weeks ago news broke that Alex Rodriguez, arguably one of the greatest baseball players of our generation, took steroids in 2003. If you don’t follow sports, this was a huge deal. It's the equivalent of say, Samson using performance enhancements or finding out that David had used a pistol on Goliath instead of a sling.

That a professional athlete used steroids isn't that interesting to me, but in his confession interview with Peter Gammons, Rodriguez said something really revealing. When asked why he did it, when asked why after signing the biggest, most lucrative contract in baseball history for $252 million, he risked it all by taking steroids, he replied:

'When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I felt like I had all the weight of the world on top of me, and I needed to perform, and perform at a high level every day. Back then, it was a different culture. It was very loose. I was young. I was stupid. I was naive. And I wanted to prove to everyone that, you know, I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time.'

He wanted to prove to everyone that he was worth being one of the greatest players of all time. That when the Texas Rangers signed that $252 million contract, Alex Rodriguez was worth it. He wanted the fans and the owners of the ball club and people that watch him on television and journalists and anyone that ever came in contact with him to believe he was worth it.

He wanted to know that he was enough.

The unfortunate thing for me and Rodriguez is that no one on the planet is going to be able to tell us that to our satisfaction. Not a stadium full of fans, not every coworker I've ever had. Not a sports journalist. Not my web traffic or technorati ranking or eventual book sales.

That's the problem with asking other people to tell us we're enough. They can't. They didn't make us. They didn't knit us in the womb or imagine us thousands of years before our parents danced at the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance. (That's Back to the Future reference number two for those playing along at home.)

Even our friends and family members, the people that know and love us best can’t satisfy the deep desires of our heart because they didn't put them there. They don't know where they're hidden or even know what this crazy work of art called 'our lives' is supposed to look like.

And when we ask other people to tell us we're worth enough we end up doing crazy things. Like taking steroids or lying in bed awake at night wondering why your name wasn't on a Microsoft Outlook Meeting Invite.

Fortunately for you and me and Alex Rodriguez I went ahead and asked God if we were all worth it. He said 'yes.' He said He sent His Son because He wanted us to know how very 'enough' we all were. He said to feel free to ask Him that same question yourself. Go on, I dare you to. I promise that regardless of whether you're one of the greatest baseball players that ever lived or a stay at home mom that feels invisible sometimes, the answer is going to be yes."

The Uniqueness of the past four generations

Adbusters has an interesting photo piece on four living generations that have set the stage for the political youth of today.

The world needs substance

Billy Joel:

"When you listen to the radio, you hear the canned, frozen, processed flutter being dished to the world as the American kind of music...I need substance in my life. And the world needs substance. The world doesn't need any more hip. Hip is dead. The world doesn't need any more cool, more clever. The world needs more substantial things. The world needs more greatness."

(HT:Ray Ortlund)

Bono trying to make a difference

Sean O'Hagan (with the Observer) recently spent 18 months with U2. He ended up writing this article, and including an interview with Bono. He speaks a little about what sets U2 apart:

"What is most intriguing - and, to their detractors, infuriating - about U2 is that they succeeded by ignoring, indeed breaking, most of the unwritten rules of rock stardom. They didn't - with the exception of the pre-rehab Adam Clayton - do sex or drugs and, as their critics pointed out, neither did they really do rock'n'roll. They were not rebellious, nor angst-ridden, nor did they trade on adolescent alienation or anger. Instead, they did joy. And spiritual joy, to boot. This made them unfashionable in Britain, the irony capital of the world, where sincerity, especially sincerity tinged with spirituality, is seen, at best, as uncool, at worst as downright embarrassing.

'One of the reason's for U2's longevity,' says Brian Eno, 'is that they are not in music for entirely selfish reasons. I don't want to make them appear as evangelists, which, of course, they were seen as by some sections of the music media in the early 80s, but I do believe that they really think that what they do serves some greater purpose than simply filling their bank accounts.'"

Here's an interesting part of the interview that reveals Bono's desire to help change the face of Africa:

"SOH From where I'm sitting, though, a lot of the people that you are bargaining with, and who are undoubtedly helping save lives in Africa, have also, by their actions elsewhere, shown a blatant disregard for human life on a grand scale. Surely, that, too, is their legacy?

Bono "Look, it's appalling and shocking and not ever excusable, the waste of human life. But on our issues, all I can say to you is that there are 29 million children in Africa who were not going to school and who now are. That's just in seven years. Now, that's not an excuse for a wrong-headed adventure. It's not an excuse. But I don't believe Tony Blair is evil. I know him enough to know that he is a sincere and serious person who would in any unserious way make those decisions and, though I disagreed with those decisions at the time, I think it's really simplistic to think that he is anyone's poodle."

SOH So, hand on heart, when you are dealing with these political heavyweights, do you ever think you are being played?

Bono "I don't care if I get the results. You have to judge me only by the results. If there were no results and you saw a picture of me hanging out with George Bush or Tony Blair or whoever, that would be a different matter. But if you see a picture of me and Bush and two years later you hear people saying 'How on earth did a conservative administration start the largest response to the Aids emergency yet?' I understand why people threw tomatoes at me at the time but even the worst critics have stopped."

SOH There must be moments in all this when you stop and think, this is too surreal. What the hell am I doing here?

Bono "All the time. I mean, there's me and Bob [Geldof] at the G8, and there's the Japanese and their plane is parked over here, and Air Force One is parked over there, and there's the French, the Italians, the Russians, the leaders and a tight coterie of advisers. And then there's fucking Bill and Ben the Flower Pot Men who've somehow been let in. And Bush is going, 'Hey, Bono!' And there's Sarkozy and Merkel, who has given us the keys too because she's heard from Tony Blair that we were the right people to let in. Will we see the likes of it again? I don't know. It still feels mad to me, how that even happened."

Read the whole thing

(HT:Looking Closer)

Obama indirectly supporting the porn industry?

President Obama recently nominated David Ogden as Deputy Attorney General of the United States. Al Mohler explains more about who David Ogden is and why this decision is a "dangerous" one:

"David Ogden has been in the forefront of arguing for the unrestricted sale and distribution of any and all pornography by any and all means - and now he will be in charge of prosecuting those who were his clients and arguing against all that he has argued in the past. Are we to believe that this will have no effect on prosecutions against pornography?"

Read the whole thing

Doubt: making hope that much sweeter

If you're like me, and you sometimes wrestle with doubt, you probably feel isolated in those moments. Like you're the only one who has ever thought the things you are thinking, or that a "good Christian" wouldn't have these experiences. Of course, that is not the case.

Jon Bloom, over at the Desiring God blog, explains the story of how Jesus graciously deals with the doubt John the Baptist experienced. And he concludes this way:

"In this age, even the greatest, strongest saints experience deep darkness. None of us are spared sorrow or satanic oppression. Most of us suffer agonizing affliction at some point. Most of us will experience seasons when we feel as if we’ve been abandoned. Most of us will die hard deaths.

The Savior does not break the bruised reed. He hears our pleas for help and is patient with our doubts. He does not condemn us. He has paid completely for any sin that is exposed in our pain.

He does not always answer with the speed we desire, nor is his answer always the deliverance we hope for. But he will always send the help that is needed. His grace will always be sufficient for those who trust him. The hope we taste in the promises we trust will often be the sweetest thing we experience in this age. And his reward will be beyond our imagination.

In John’s darkness and pain Jesus sent a promise to sustain John’s faith. He will do the same for you."

Read the whole thing

The History of Valentine's Day

Like many westernized, consumer-driven holidays, Valentine's Day began celebrating much different ideas than it does today. It seems to have started as a commemoration of the death of a Christian named Valentine who was martyred because of his faith in 269.

Read the rest of the history here.

Interview with Piper

Here's a short interview of John Piper, recently done by C.J. Mahaney, that moves from deep to superficial questions.

I liked this question in particular:

What single piece of counsel (or constructive criticism) has most improved your preaching?

Don’t preach in a way that a Muslim would approve. Preach a divine crucified Christ.

(HT:Abraham Piper)

Calvin and the Economy

I love Calvin and Hobbes. It's hilarious and brilliant. Here's a timely cartoon published 15 years ago. (Click to enlarge)

(HT:Barrett)

Paste's top 17 romantic comedies of the decade

Jeremy Madina, from Paste magazine, offers his list of the 17 best romantic comedies of this decade (Be sure to click the link above for a breif synopsis and a standout quote for each movie). Though I don't consider myself much of a romantic comedy watcher, I have seen 7 out of his top 10 (but none of the last 7). How many have you seen? Do you agree with the list?

1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2. Before Sunset
3. Amelie
4. Wall-E
5. High Fidelity
6. Punch Drunk Love
7. Sideways
8. Knocked Up
9. Juno
10. About a Boy
11. Lars and the Real Girl
12. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
13. 40 Year Old Virgin
14. Bridget Jones' Diary
15. Ghost Town
16. Science of Sleep
17. Waitress

The beginning and impact of Facebook

Yesterday marked the 5th anniversary of the beginning of Facebook. And if you've never looked in to how it started, it's worth checking out. Al Mohler shares his thoughts:

"Today's student generation, the "Digital Natives," know of no existence before cell phones, the Internet, e-mail, and text messaging. Social networking perfectly fits their lifestyle and worldview. They assume 24/7 social contact -- or at least access to this contact just a few clicks away.

Social networking is like any new technology. It must be evaluated on the basis of its moral impact as well as its technological utility. Social networking sites offer unprecedented opportunities for communication and contact -- and that is both the promise and the peril of the technology."

Worldwide persecution of Christians

The Christian Post reports the Top 10 countries in which Christians face the most persecution. They noted that more than half of the list was made of Islamic countries (Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Maldives, Yemen, and Uzbekistan):

1. North Korea
2. Saudi Arabia
3. Iran
4. Afghanistan
5. Somalia
6. Maldives
7. Yemen
8. Laos
9. Eritrea
10. Uzbekistan

And for more information on persuction happening around the world, Voice of the Martrys is a good site to check out.

"Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body." - Hebrews 13:3

(HT:Tim Challies)

Funniest Super Bowl ads

Paste magazine weighs in with their Top 10.

Here's their favorite:

Strobel asks questions of atheists

In Part 3 of an ongoing series at Friendly Atheist blog, Lee Strobel responds to this question:"What argument is most convincing to plant the seeds of doubt (or, rather, faith) in an atheists mind?" He does this by citing several people and questions they have for atheists. I'd encourage to read the whole thing and the comments, but here's my favorite part:

"I didn’t email Alvin Plantinga, considered by many to be among the greatest philosophers of modern times. But based on his assertion that naturalism is self-defeating, we could formulate this question (thanks to William Lane Craig for some of the concise wording): If our cognitive faculties were selected for survival, not for truth, then how can we have any confidence, for example, that our beliefs about the reality of physical objects are true or that naturalism itself is true? (By contrast, theism says God has designed our cognitive faculties in such a way that, when functioning properly in an appropriate environment, they deliver true beliefs about the world.)"

The music of Athens

Today's featured article over at Wikipedia.

The diversity of Indonesia

The Big Picture recently did a piece on Indonesia:

"Ecologically blessed, economically challenged, vast and diverse, Indonesia is a country of contrasts. made up of 17,500 islands (only about 6,000 of those inhabited). Indonesia is populated by over 230 million people, speaking over 740 different languages and dialects within 300 distinct native ethnic groups - it is the fourth most populous country, after the United States. Impoverished conditions amongst people living in an area so rich with natural resources has also put extreme pressure on the environment, as increased mining and deforestation make more of an impact."

The Joshua Project sheds a little more light on these numbers. They report 768 individual people groups. Out of these, 191 people groups (~54 million people) are reported in the unreached category (less than 2% evangelical Christians). There is still much work to be done.

Our True Elder Brother

Somewhat related to my post yesterday, Keller describes Jesus as our true elder brother. He says:

"The point of the parable is that forgiveness always involves a price—someone has to pay. There was no way for the younger brother to return to the family unless the older brother bore the cost himself. Our true elder brother paid our debt, on the cross, in our place.”

And on the cross:

“There Jesus was stripped naked of his robe and dignity so that we could be clothed with dignity and standing we don’t deserve. On the cross Jesus was treated as an outcast so that we could be brought into God’s family freely by grace. There Jesus drank the cup of eternal justice so that we might have the cup of the Father’s joy. There was no other way for the heavenly Father to bring us in, except at the expense of our true elder brother.”

I am an elder brother

This is true in two ways. For one, I'm an older brother to my sister Kara. I'm also an elder brother in Jesus' story in Luke 15. I recently read The Prodigal God by Tim Keller (see sidebar of the blog for more details). In the book, Keller looks at this familiar story and analyzes it a bit. The following quote was probably the most convicting quote in the book for me:

"Elder brothers are under great pressure to appear, even to themselves, happy and content."

This definitely describes how I live a lot of my life. I'm addicted to approval and I want others to think things are going well in my life. He goes on to talk about how elder brothers typically lack a real assurance that God loves and delights in them. He gives three different signs that reveal this lack of assurance:

"1) Every time something goes wrong in your life or a prayer goes unanswered, you wonder if it’s because you aren’t living right in this or that area.

2) criticism from others doesn’t just hurt your feelings, it devastates you. This is because your sense of God’s love is abstract and has little real power in your life, and you need the approval of others to bolster your sense of value.

3) But perhaps the clearest symptom…is a dry prayer life."

Although all of these show up in my life, none is more true than #2. I need freedom.

Piper gives 15 pro-life truths

From Desiring God:

1. Existing fetal homicide laws make a man guilty of manslaughter if he kills the baby in a mother's womb (except in the case of abortion).

2. Fetal surgery is performed on babies in the womb to save them while another child the same age is being legally destroyed.

3. Babies can sometimes survive on their own at 23 or 24 weeks, but abortion is legal beyond this limit.

4. Living on its own is not the criterion of human personhood, as we know from the use of respirators and dialysis.

5. Size is irrelevant to human personhood, as we know from the difference between a one-week-old and a six-year-old.

6. Developed reasoning powers are not the criterion of personhood, as we know from the capacities of three-month-old babies.

7. Infants in the womb are human beings scientifically by virtue of their genetic make up.

8. Ultrasound has given a stunning window on the womb that shows the unborn at eight weeks sucking his thumb, recoiling from pricking, responding to sound. All the organs are present, the brain is functioning, the heart is pumping, the liver is making blood cells, the kidneys are cleaning fluids, and there is a fingerprint. Virtually all abortions happen later than this date.

9. Justice dictates that when two legitimate rights conflict, the limitation of rights that does the least harm is the most just. Bearing a child for adoption does less harm than killing him.

10. Justice dictates that when either of two people must be inconvenienced or hurt to alleviate their united predicament, the one who bore the greater responsibility for the predicament should bear more of the inconvenience or hurt to alleviate it.

11. Justice dictates that a person may not coerce harm on another person by threatening voluntary harm on themselves.

12. The outcast and the disadvantaged and exploited are to be cared for in a special way, especially those with no voice of their own.

13. What is happening in the womb is the unique person-nurturing work of God, who alone has the right to give and take life.

14. There are countless clinics that offer life and hope to both mother and child (and father and parents), with care of every kind lovingly provided by people who will meet every need they can.

15.Jesus Christ can forgive all sins, and will give all who trusts him the help they need to do everything that life requires.

I am Second

Roy just pointed me to this really cool site called I am Second.

This video, from that site, is pretty awesome. It's the ex lead guitarist of Korn sharing his testimony of how he met Jesus.