My car is back with me. I received a call from the Sunnyvale Police Station saying they had located my car around noon today. graceygoose gave me a ride there. The car was on a grass lawn. So here's the story. A cop spotted the stolen car being driven and attemped to stop the driver. A chase ensued through residential streets until the thief slowed down and bailed out of the car (the car subsequently went up the curb and ended up on a residential lawn). The thief eluded the officers for about twenty minutes and was seen running on foot about two miles away. He was finally apprehended.

As for my car, there were stolen goods in the car (shoes, car woofers), marijuana, and marijuana paraphernalia. I'm assuming the guy is Hispanic and a cholo; there was a stash of cds all of which contain the phrase "SUR XIII  Tokey". Reminds me of high school.

Interestingly, the guy had what looks to be an original key of my car. I don't know how that could be. I have all my original keys accounted for. I need to investigate where this key came from. Is this Honda's fault? I'll find out.

I'm glad I got my car back. It's seen its best days but that's okay. At least now I don't have to buy a car and lose money.

The thief is now in serious trouble. This is at least one felony count. I'd like a chance to speak to him. What would you guys say to him?

I'm currently preparing for a sermon based on Romans 1:1-6. It stresses God's good news, namely that Jesus is the Messiah (the concept of the Jewish Messiah is that he is king not only over Israel, but over all other kings) and Lord (i.e., Jesus, not Caesar, is the one true God). Jesus' resurrection from the dead (a foretaste of what awaits all followers of Jesus) gives credibility to these huge statements. Because Jesus is the Messiah and Lord, our true identity is only found in him. Because Jesus is the Messiah and Lord, we are full-time emissaries of this good news. This is what it means to truly live.

Now for Willow Creek's Arts Conference, featuring Erwin McManus and Donald Miller...

Erwin's words: "Is it possible that the potential that God sees in us, the creative potential, the unqiueness he has placed in us, is being lost by our inability to see the beauty he has placed within us?" "There's something inside of us that longs to find it's uniqueness, something inside of us that seems to haunt us, that whispers into the recesses of our minds, that our lives were intended for something extraordinary."

Donald preached at Willow's Wednesday night service. His point was basically this: "Live a good story."

When I compare Erwin's and Donald's sermons in their entirety, not just quotes taken out of context, to the message of Romans and Scripture overall, something bothers me. Nowhere in the Scriptures, in the narratives, law, poetry, prophets, apocalypses, the stories of Jesus, parables, or epistles, can I find support for this general idea of living to the fullest. Nowhere can I find a message about the "human potential" waiting to explode. Nowhere can I find a teaching about generally living a good story. After Donald's message, in the benediction Bill Hybel's felt the need to fill in the HUGE piece missing from Donald's talk: Living a good story comes from PARTNERING WITH GOD IN FURTHERING THE MESSAGE THAT JESUS IS LORD OVER ALL. What are Erwin and Donald talking about? I think if we asked them to explain, I think they would clarify with a more biblically grounded answer. So I'm not calling them false teachers. However, in their attempt to come across as creative and meaningful to a post-modern audience, they have left out the good news that Jesus is Christ and Lord, and yes, that is meaningful for post-moderns as well. I don't want to paint Erwin and Donald in black and white. I know they believe in more than just the "human potential in all of us." I would just like to see them be a bit more careful when preaching/teaching, especially since they attract so many people, including me. I admire their ability to connect with an audience. But we can never disconnect our stories, our our "human potential" from the story of Jesus, the Messiah and Lord. We cannot.

I've been mesmerized for the past thirty minutes.
The rain, lightning and thunder started tonight as I was pulling onto
the side of my street to park. I was talking to my mom about random
things when I had to change the subject to the piercing thunder. After
lightning struck barely four houses down the street, I
yelled...frightened. I quickly grabbed my backpack and soaked my socks
as I dashed across the street and into my apartment. Still on the
phone with my mom, I felt like a little boy with all the excitement in
my voice. I must have held the phone outside the balcony screen door
twenty times, and then following it up with, "Mom, did you here
that?!!" I've been completely mesmerized.

Like a good seminarian, I can't help but think about all the times God
is mentioned as appearing in the lightning and thunder, torrential
rains, and whirlwinds. We often talk about God's love and Jesus'
humility. Rarely do we talk about how frightening he is. Yet God has
been appearing in storms since the beginning. Genesis 3 talks about
how Adam and Eve heard the thunder of Yahweh God going back and forth
in the garden in the wind of the storm, and they hid from Yahweh God
among the trees of the garden. He appears in storms in the end. In
Revelation 4:5, John writes, "From the throne came flashes of
lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder."

In the spirit of our summer theme, I leave you with Psalm 18. The
psalm was so good, God included it twice. Check out 2 Samuel 22.

Psalm 18:12 "Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstorms and bolts of lightning.
Psalm 18:14 "He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies, great bolts
of lightning and routed them.

Our God is loving and Jesus his humble, but let's get something
straight. God is a force to be reckoned with. For me, this is a bit
frightening. But it also makes me feel proud of our God. Our God is
truly awesome. He mesmerizes me.

-abel

Abel the Film Critic:  So here is what I think of Gibson's "Passion."  Anti-Semitic? No: remember, almost all of Jesus' followers were Jews and the movie brings that aspect out.  Bloody and gory (or "bloody gory!" if you're English?  Yes.  Appropriate?  Yes.  I'm a big fan of war and mafia movies where there is plenty of blood splattering the set.  When a soldier's leg is blown off you see it flying everywhere and for a few minutes you see the soldier in complete agony.  The gore in the "Passion" is worse: it's in your face almost the whole time with the camara three feet away.  Add to that the strong emotional connection we have with the story line, it left me shell-shocked.  HOWEVER, having said that, I think it is realistic and appropriate and so I don't mind the violence.  When someone is whipped, scourged, beaten, nailed, crucified, and stabbed, what else does one expect?  Thus, the movie captures the intense pain that Jesus most likely felt.  Also, the movie is not just about blood spilling.  There is good character development, e.g. Jesus, Pilate, the high priest. 

How did the movie affect me?  I was stunned by the brutality; it's one thing to read it, another to see how it would have been visually.  It left me with a great appreciation for Jesus' willingness to suffer.  Lastly, it left me extremely motivated: since Jesus endured his lot, I can endure my lot, whether that be temptations to sin, emotional/physical pain, rejection, or if I ever find myself in this predicament, my own martyrdom.

Would I recommend it to my non-Christian friends?  Absolutely.  Jesus' love and the gospel message (of which the beating/death is a big part) are evident throughout the movie.

How many stars?  I give it a 4.8 of 5.

your co-laborer

abel

This is my first xanga post.  This is all I have to say for now.