Altruism: Why is It Hip Now?
By Marc | March 6, 2009
Okay, it’s been a little while since I’ve been back to the site, but I have something that’s been sticking in my craw for a few months now. That’s right, I said “craw”.
If you remember my post a few weeks ago about celebrities bowing down and offering servitude to the president while yapping about saving electricity and committing time to causes we all know they are never going to remember the next day. That’s just a small taste of the new fad going around: atruism.
It seems everywhere you look, someone with a soapbox or a box office presence is talking about giving back in some way. It’s hip, it’s new, it’s the thing to do to show you care!
I’m all for volunteering. I’m all for trying to make this world a better place for not only this generation, but for future ones as well. But why the sudden push? It’s almost like for the last several years, famous people haven’t figured out a few things about themselves:
- I have lots of money and free time.
- I don’t need all of this money for myself.
- I need something useful to do with this abundance free time.
Is it all political? Is it because the people in Hollywood finally got a liberal president, so they want to make him look good for history? Is it to get our minds off the fact our children and grandchildren will have to pay off the stimulus packages that have already sunk us hundreds of billions of dollars more in debt?
I’d think giving of ourselves is something we don’t have to be pushed into doing. It’s instead the invisible ribbon or rubber bracelet. “What are you involved in?” “What’s your cause?”
MySpace has a section called Impact which has all sorts of ways people can create “change” and try to make things better. Should we really advertise what we do or keep it secret?
Has giving, taking action, volunteering, helping our fellow man become a status thing? How long will it last before it’s back to business as usual and we get more stories about drugged-up media princesses? Hollywood’s kind of fickle like that.
As Christians, we are called to love all, especially the ones who spit on us. We are to give of ourselves and expect nothing in return, then we see it as all about us and we become vain.
Why is it suddenly hip to give when it should be a part of who we are?
Topics: Life and Living | 2 Comments »
Brand New Baby!
By Marc | February 17, 2009
The time has come. Julie has finally given birth to a new baby boy. 6 pounds 15 ounces of pure manly man at a stunning height of 20 inches, born at the manliest time of the day: just after 2am. Truly a spectacle to behold.
We’ll be taking it easy for a little while to get the family acquainted to a new family member. So posts, if at all, might be a little on the light side for a bit.
Topics: Site News | 2 Comments »
Let’s Go Life Typecasting: Fishing for Stereotypes
By Marc | February 16, 2009
If you ever watch a movie or television show that features a church scene, there are some things you pick up on. They are things I don’t think I would have picked up on before I became a Christian.
What are these things? Read on; I’ll get to them a little later.
But, I noticed a lot of us get our non-racial stereotypes from TV and films. If I followed most of these about myself, this is how it might go:
Topics: Life and Living | No Comments »
A Valentine for My Sons
By Marc | February 13, 2009
I made another Valentine video using Anime Studio, this year just a quick one for my boys. They love watching the one I made for Julie last year over and over, so they’re sure to get a kick out of this one. I didn’t spend as much time on it and I reused their heads from last year’s video, so just imagine adding another year on to their faces.
The song this year is another Eddie Cantor song, “How Ya Gonna Keep ‘em Down on the Farm”, from 1917.
And if you want to see it, here’s last year’s:
Topics: Art, Crafts, Holidays | 1 Comment »
Abe Lincoln’s 200th Birthday
By Marc | February 12, 2009
On February 12, 1809, President Abraham Lincoln was born in Hardin County, Kentucky. 200 years is an awesome milestone.
How are we celebrating?
Our city, which is named after him, is holding a celebration, which started yesterday and will go on until Sunday. There are photo exhibits, lectures, PBS specials, music, theater, and other stuff.
Springfield, Illinois is holding festivities also, but they have much more to offer, since they have the historic locations and even his tomb. Lucky Springfield.
The state of Indiana even gets in on it, since that’s where he grew up.
Topics: Awesome People, Miscellaneous | No Comments »
How to See God Work in Your Life: Live Expectantly
By Julie | February 11, 2009
For the past couple months a theme keeps repeating in my life: Live expectantly and you will see God work in your life. It was the topic of a sermon at church around Christmas time. It has come up in several sermons I’ve heard on Bott Radio. Different people in my life have said essentially the same thing in conversations… “Well, Julie, God could be at work in all those areas. Maybe you don’t see it, because you don’t expect it.” It’s come up so many times that I was a little freaked out at first, how had all these unconnected sources conspired to tell me the same thing? Then it hit me, if these unrelated people are telling me this, there is one thing connecting them: God. Since it must be something God is communicating to me, through tons of different outlets. After all, God knows I’m dense sometimes and need constant reminders.
Topics: Encouragement, Faith | No Comments »
Not Bread Alone, but Every Word
By Marc | February 10, 2009
This last Sunday at church, one of the speakers made comment about a verse, Matthew 4:4, we’ve all heard in some form or another. The setting is this:
Jesus is fasting for forty days in the desert. Obviously he’s hungry. Satan tempts Jesus to prove his divinity by changing some rocks into bread.
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” – Matthew 4:4 (NIV)
The speaker made special emphasis on the word “every“, something I’d never even paid attention to.
Topics: Faith | No Comments »
Love Covers Over a Multitude of Sins
By Julie | February 9, 2009
In honor of Valentines Day week, we wanted to do a re-post from something written last year. One of the ultimate proofs of love from the Bible…
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. – 1 Peter 4:8 (NIV)
That is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. It’s a verse I’ve always liked. It’s short and easy to remember, so it’s always stayed with me. But for a long time it was just a nice verse. Then a couple years ago something struck me as I read it, something I hadn’t taken into account earlier: the author. That verse came from Peter! You-will-betray-me-three-times-before-the-rooster-crows Peter. Changed-his-voice-and-used-foul-language-to-disguise-his-alliance-to-Christ Peter. If anyone could understand “love covers over a multitude of sins” it was this Peter. Not because of his great sin, he wasn’t Judas; he didn’t sell Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. No, the reason I believe Peter truly understood was because of his incredible guilt for having betrayed, not only an incredible man, and friend. But Peter knew he betrayed God himself. Things may have gotten a little shaky that morning in the Garden of Gethsemane, but in his heart, Peter knew.
Topics: Faith | No Comments »
Dean Rankine: HOLY COW! Christian Comics
By Marc | February 6, 2009
Today there won’t be a comic, but I thought I’d take this time to talk about a creator who unknowingly inspired me to start “One of a Hundred”: Dean Rankine.
Take a little time and read through some of his stuff in the above link. There’s quite a lot there to peruse. Go ahead. I’ll wait right here.
…
Topics: Art, Awesome People, Comic | No Comments »
A Few Nagging Questions
By Marc | February 5, 2009
When will Matt finish the 2008 Advent Calendar?
Is the creator of this game, 6 Differences, from Lincoln? It includes the Nebraska state capitol building, the lesser-known abandoned Kmart on 56th and Highway 2 that has had a “For Lease” banner on it since 2003, and other locations that feel eerily familiar.
I thought Lux died years ago.
Why doesn’t Nintendo’s site have hardly any information on even their last generation system, the Gamecube? The only stuff you can find is about the Wii and the DS. Well, they still have some customer support info.
Why haven’t I heard of Ravi Zacharias until only a few weeks ago? I know he’s been around for a while, but I can’t get enough of him.
Why do we need a 4 month extension on the switch to digital television? I can understand the government ran out of money for coupon cards, but that was only within the last month or two. That said, the American public has still had information about the switch crammed down their throat on every single television station since last January. I guess a year wasn’t enough time to apply to save 40 bucks, and “millions of people are still unprepared”.
Topics: Miscellaneous | No Comments »
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