Category Archives: Videos

Ads: tempting our minds.

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This Sunday you may be watching a Big Game … or waiting to watch the commercials between plays. Super Bowl ads have become a cultural icon for our nation, with ad agencies seeking to make us laugh … and tempt our subconscious to remember them.

Here’s a fascinating video of a 5-year-old girl’s reaction to some of the major “brands” from corporate America. Graphic and identity designer Adam Ladd interviews his daughter on brand recognition for a weekend project. Watch:

Our son easily recognizes Target, for whenever mom is out of town I somehow automatically go there and buy him something.

 

The Reality of the Resurrection.

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For the rationalist, relativist, religious, reservationist, resentful, and realist in all of us:

“… the perfect life Jesus lived is imputed to us, and we are declared righteous. God looks at us, and instead of seeing our sin, He sees Jesus’ righteousness.” —Greg Gilbert

Jesus is the One by whose risen life justifies. Repent and believe. Christ is risen indeed.

(A Spoken Word piece written by Odd Thomas for Trinity Church of Portland.)

 

Shortcuts to getting into college.

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Some college admissions departments are now asking prospective students to provide 25-word, Tweet-worthy college essays.

I remember having the option to write my entrance essay on a “word processor” and save it to a 3.5″ floppy disk and mail it back to the admissions office. It was that or a hand-written version.

Wut do ya think — are these questions too silly?

http://www.hulu.com/embed/olBoxB4Jj2y0Spu2nZTjiA

“I’m At Ur Admissions Site, Writin’ My College Essay”

 

How to fight your fears.

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How shall we fight our fears?

Pastor John Piper gives five steps that are not always easy: A.P.T.A.T.

  1. Admit honestly — I can do nothing without Christ.
  2. Pray. (“God, help me not to be afraid. Please help me! Jesus, be near me.”)
  3. Trust. (In what? Preach the Gospel to yourself on this specific fear.)
  4. Act in obedience to God’s word.
  5. Thank God for whatever good comes.

“By the work of the Holy Spirit, God defeats temptation by awakening joy through belief in the word of God which is at work in us. And that word is most centrally the good news that Christ died for us so that all the promises of God are Yes in him.”

This is how we live.

—John Piper, sermon “The Word Is At Work In You,” video excerpt posted as A Tool To Help You Live.

 

My 7 Daily Sins (& yours too).

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“Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” —Mark 7:15

Perhaps you’ve heard of the Seven Deadly Sins:

  1. Lust
  2. Pride
  3. Greed
  4. Gluttony
  5. Envy
  6. Sloth
  7. Wrath

These are seven categories of sin; ways we creatively disobey God. But they don’t just reside “out there” in the world. They live in us.

The seven deadly sins aren’t just things we do—they’re who we are every day. Author Jared C. Wilson’s study Seven Daily Sins examines the good news that Christ offers a way to deal with these sins once and for all.

The bad news is we carry around sin inside of us every day.

The good news is, through the gospel of Jesus Christ, we can not only identify our daily sins … but kill them.

Let’s stop managing our sin and start experiencing freedom in Christ.

“What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” —Romans 7:24-25

 

The Story behind today.

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St. Paul’s Arts ‘n’ Kids tell the story of Christmas (2010). (Presented at GLOW Carols by Glowstick on 12 December 2010 at Vector Arena, Auckland.)

Now consider the implications of The Incarnation, spoken word by Odd Thomas:

“Man’s maker was made man,
that He, Ruler of the stars, might nurse at His mother’s breast;
that the Bread might hunger,
the Fountain thirst,
the Light sleep,
the Way be tired on its journey;
that the Truth might be accused of false witness,
the Teacher be beaten with whips,
the Foundation be suspended on wood;
that Strength might grow weak;
that the Healer might be wounded;
that Life might die.”
—Augustine of Hippo (Sermons 191.1)

Enjoy a special FREE Christmas song, written and sung by Aaron Sternke: “Our God, Here to Save Us”

The paradox of Jesus come as the God-Man shows the great creativity of our Creator, and the lengths to which He has gone to bring us back to Himself:

”He was poor, that he might make us rich.
He was born of a virgin that we might be born of God.
He took our flesh, that he might give us His Spirit.
He lay in the manger, that we may lie in paradise.
He came down from heaven, that he might bring us to heaven….

That the ancient of Days should be born.
that he who thunders in the heavens should cry in the cradle….
that he who rules the stars should suck the breast;
that a virgin should conceive;
that Christ should be made of a woman, and of that woman which himself made,
that the branch should bear the vine,
that the mother should be younger than the child she bare,
and the child in the womb bigger than the mother;
that the human nature should not be God, yet one with God

Christ taking flesh is a mystery we shall never fully understand till we come to heaven

If our hearts be not rocks, this love of Christ should affect us.

Behold love that passeth knowledge!”

—Thomas Watson

 

Wisdom: How do I protect my kids from consumerism and envy?

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As a father or two little ones, and a pastor to a few more, I appreciate Ken’s wisdom and grace as he responds to this urgent question (as a father and pastor):

Ken Wytsma, President of Kilns College and Pastor of Antioch Church in Bend, OR, talks about the effects of American consumerism and envy on children. [via :redux]

 

23 & 1/2 hours: What is the single best thing we can do for our health?

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A Doctor-Professor answers the old question “What is the single best thing we can do for our health” in a completely new way. Watch:

  • How active are you?
    Can you limit your sitting and sleeping to 23-1/2 hours a day?

—
Dr. Mike Evans is founder of the Health Design Lab at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, an Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of Toronto, and a staff physician at St. Michael’s Hospital.

 

How are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard?

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In the Christian (reached) world there are 2,100 full-time Gospel workers for every one million people.

In the unreached world there are six foreign missionaries for every one million people.

This video from the Beautiful Feet Project:

Beautiful Feet Project from AsiaLink HistoryMaker on Vimeo.

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
—Romans 10:14-17

 

Advent: God with us.

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Advent: God With Us from The Village Church on Vimeo.

Christ is coming. He has come, and He will come again. This is the message of Advent.

But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. —Galatians 4:4-5

Lyrics of GOD WITH US

Poem by Isaac Wimberley

The people had read of this rescue that was coming through the bloodline of Abraham

They had seen where Micah proclaimed about a ruler to be born in Bethlehem

Daniel prophesy about the restoration of Jerusalem

Isaiah’s cry about the Son of God coming to them

So for them—it was anticipation

This groaning was growing, generation after generation

Knowing He was holy, no matter what the situation

But they longed for Him

They yearned for Him

They waited for Him on the edge of their seat

On the edge of where excitement and containment meet

They waited

Like a child watches out the window for their father to return from work—they waited

Like a groom stares at the double doors at the back of the church—they waited

And in their waiting, they had hope

Hope that was fully pledged to a God they had not seen

To a God who had promised a King

A King who would reign over the enemy

Over Satan’s tyranny

They waited

So it was

Centuries of expectations, with various combinations of differing schools of thought

Some people expecting a political king who would rise to the throne through the wars that he fought

While others expecting a priest who would restore peace through the penetration of the Pharisee’s façade

Yet a baby—100% human, 100% God

So the Word became flesh and was here to dwell among us

In His fullness, grace upon grace, Jesus

Through Him and for Him, all things were created

And in Him all things are sustained

God had made Himself known for the glory of His name

And this child would one day rise as King

But it would not be by the sword or an insurgent regime

It would be by His life

A life that would revolutionize everything the world knew

He would endure temptation and persecution, all while staying true

Humbly healing the broken, the sick and hurting too

Ministering reconciliation, turning the old to new

A life that would be the very definition of what life really costs

Saying—if you desire life, then your current one must be lost

And He would portray that with His own life as His Father would pour out and exhaust

And Jesus would be obedient to the point of death, even death upon the cross

So just 33 years after the day that He laid swaddled in the hay

He hung on a tree suffocating, dying in our place

Absorbing wrath that is rightly ours, but we could never bear the weight

So He took that punishment and he put it in the grave

And He died

And when I say that He died, what I mean is that He died

No breath, noheartbeat, no sign of life

God is a God of justice, and the penalty for our sin equals death

That’s what Christ did on that cross

Then… On the third day, in accordance with scriptures, He was raised from the grave

And when I say that He was raised, what I mean is that He was raised

Lungs breathing, heart pumping, blood pulsing through His veins

The things that He promised were true

He is the risen Son of God, offering life to me and you

Turning our mourning into dancing

Our weeping into laughing

Our sadness into joy

By His mercy, we are called His own

By His grace, we will never be left alone

By His love, He is preparing our home

By His blood, we can sing before His throne

Jesus paid it all

All to Him I owe

Sin had left a crimson stain

He washed it white as snow

So now we, as His bride, are the ones waiting

Like the saints that came before, we’re anticipating

He has shown us that this world is fading

And He has caused our desire to be for Him

So church, stay ready

Keep your heart focused and your eyes steady

Worship Him freely, never forgetting

His great love for you

Immanuel, God with us

 

My friend is depressed: what should I do? :-(

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What do we do when a friend or family member is depressed? I’ve heard too much advice that is “just get over yourself and be happy!” There has to be better advice, right?

As someone who is given to periodic, short bouts of depression — “a normal abnormality” — and a pastor who hopes to effectively and lovingly help others find their joy in Christ, I found this short vodcast helpful. It’s a first-responders guide for those who desire to minister effectively to depressed friends and family members.

David Murray, author of Christians Get Depressed Too gives solid advice on helping others who are depressed:

He gives a more detailed explanation of eight guidelines for dealing with depressed Christians:

  1. Be prepared: anyone can get depressed
  2. Don’t assume depression has been called by personal sin
  3. Check the depth, the width, and the length of the symptoms
  4. Don’t rush to medication, nor rule out medication
  5. Be holistic
  6. Give hope; we can glorify God as we cling to Him in the darkness
  7. Involve family and friends. (Give them 5 R’s: Routine, Relaxation, Recreation, Rest, and Re-prioritizing in their lives.)
  8. Help the depressed person re-prioritize spiritual disciplines. Keep them short and simple; think training more than trying. Point them to the objective truths of Scripture, because honesty is best (character of God, work of Jesus, justification, our security in Christ), and the subjective feelings will follow. Point your friend to Jesus, our sympathetic High Priest who alone can conquer all our fears. He is able and willing to walk with us through every season of life, and He is able to bring us out of our depressed state.

I have not read the two books he recommended, but I have read Murray’s book Christians Get Depressed Too and highly recommend it.

The Apostle Paul has some summary thoughts on dealing with all kinds of people:

And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle [unruly], encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.
—1 Thessalonians 5:14

Notice three categories of people needing care: 1) the unruly, 2) the fainthearted, 3) the weak. They each need a different approach (admonishing, encouraging, helping). We can easily crush a fainthearted person if we unceremoniously admonish them, or can enable an unruly person if we are soft and use kids gloves. This takes grace, wisdom and patience to know how to treat people we are responsible to lead.

Sometimes we can become impatient with others though we wish they would be patient with us. We must not treat every person the same, but we can be patient with all.