Roddick

If you haven't seen Roddick's interview after he lost to Federer a few days ago, it's well worth your time. Click here

Allen's wedding

Congrats to Allen and Rachel! Allen is a good friend who I met as my youth pastor the last two years of high school.

From Winter

My sister, Kara, and I

From Winter

my good buddy Justin and his cool wife Andrea

From Winter

Abortion

The following video (from Justin Taylor's blog) is quite sobering. I urge everyone to watch it, but know that it is very graphic and disturbing. It's good to get a reality check sometimes to understand how horrific abortion really is.

Book plug

I just got finished reading What's so amazing about grace? by Philip Yancey. It's a great read (props to my boy Bailey for recommending it). The book really does a great job of showing how free grace really is. If you're like me, you've run into times in your life where you feel like the disciplines of the Christian life are THE goal, and somehow serve to make God like you more. Yancey does a great job of breaking through all the legalistic practices, as well as all the wounds from legalism, and expounding on the idea of God's accepting us wholly on the work of Christ.

He speaks mainly at his days at a Bible college that was beyond legalistic. He says:

"When I attended a Bible college, I observed people who followed the rules and missed God, and people who broke the rules and missed God. What burdens me, though, is that group of people who still believe that they missed God BECAUSE they broke the rules. They never heard the melody of the gospel of grace."

So, do yourself a favor and check out the book. It's a good one.

Blood Diamond

Last night, some friends and I went to see this movie. It started at 10:05, which is usually past my bedtime, but I went out on a limb and saw it anyway. I was not disappointed. I want to recommend this movie for a few reasons (also see Bert W blog).

For one, it was so incredibly sobering to think about how much oppression and violence is happening all over Africa. I read every so often about the situation in Sudan right now, or over in Uganda, but I never becomes very real to me. And the sort of oppression and slaughter in this movie is particularly sobering because of how the American consumeristic lifestyle that I am very much a part of is helping fuel it all. Greed plays a huge part in this movie on both sides. As more wealthy nations desire cheap diamonds, the rebels of West Africa slaughter thousands of their own people to gain power and wealth themselves by controlling the market of selling the diamonds. I came out feeling pretty disgusted with myself in how materialistic I am, and how little I do or even think about doing something to help out with the cruelty going on over there.

Another great reason to see this movie is for the beautiful story of a father (Solomon) pursuing his son who has now been corrupted. ***Spoiler alert*** The son once has ongoing fellowship with Solomon, but is soon separated from him and brainwashed by the rebels in the area. He is brainwashed to the point of not even recognizing his own father, and calling him an enemy to be killed. But Solomon's relentless pursuit of his son soon comes to fruition. Solomon, stern yet weeping, looks deep into his son's soul and says to him, "I am your father...you are my son...and I love you so much." The son's will is broken and his eyes are then able to see that it is indeed his father. Finally, reconciliation...freedom.

This was to me an incredibly moving reminder to me of how God has pursued me, even when I was his enemy. So, coming out of the theatre, I was filled with humility and thankfulness for God's undeserved gift to me, as well as shame for not caring more about the cruelty happening every day in this world.

As a pastor pointed out earlier this week, we see the opposite of love in 1 Cor. 13 is not hate, but pride. Being so consumed with self to the point of neglecting others is the essence of what it means to be unloving. I am encouraged by this movie to step outside of myself and help bring healing to this broken world.