Lessons I learned from Poison

So I'm out mowing the lawn yesterday and listening to the radio (I'm iPod-less). All the sudden the DJ spins "Something to Believe in" by rock band Poison. I'm thrown back into my teenage memories of when the song was released on MTV. This was during the time period when hard rock bands were battling it out to see who could write the coolest ballads.

Back in those days, I was a mind-wondering Preacher's Kid that was always thinking about things the church does and wondering if there was always a biblical reason for what the Church does, and even wondering if the Church does enough of the right things.

Consider the opening lyrics to this Poison tune:
"Will I see him on the TV
Preachin bout the promised land
He tells me to believe in Jesus
And steals the money from my hand
Some say he was a good man
But lord I think he sinned, yeah"

There are a couple of issues I could have with a person expressing these thoughts.

1) I hope the Church has not been found pan handling or soliciting funds for herself. There is a biblical precident seen in the New Testament where the Apostle Paul taught congregations to gather funds for two reasons. One, to honor God by placing your faith in him and giving a gift to God so that He knows you know where your providence comes from. Two, to provide resources for those that cannot provide for themselves. At the time that was typically widows and orphans but regardless, Paul instructed that men selected by the congragation should decide where that money can best be used.

2) No one is "good" but God. While Jesus' lifestyle is sought after by the believer, ALL BELIEVERS ARE 100% SINNERS. There is a presumption some times that a church attendee has all his or her issues worked out. The longer they attend, the better they should be. The only difference the between the unbeliever and the believer is that the believer accepts the gift of God's Salvation through all that Jesus Christ accomplished. The believer is no less a sinner than the unbeliever, but he will live differently because he is trying to follow Christ's commandments and because he has a peace about the future of his life. When someone brings an unbeliever to church they should impress the idea that the other people there struggle with the same sin and temptations of life. The only difference is Christ but, man, what a huge difference He makes!

The song lyrics continue down a list of sad life stories and the chorus continues to demand a response:

"And give me something to believe in
If theres a Lord above
And give me something to believe in
Oh, Lord arise"

And while there are many optional religions to choose from, Poison seems to have Christianity in mind with tips from other lyrics. The truth, not the answer most want to hear, is that Christ did arise... from the dead. The Bible is full of the truth of Christ's events and declaration of His identity. Also the answers of how to live the peaceful life (and live free from sin) are also included. There is no secret to this wonderful life... it has always been preached and taught since the day Jesus was here. And it is even more available ever since the printing press was invented. But there is a difference between believing in truth or seeking evidence for what you want truth to be.

I have learned that many times the Church could learn more about what she should be doing if she would listen to the sincere cries of the world more often. I wrote about the peace of the believer and this is the downside... for the American Christian it is easy to take that peace and turn a blind eye to the needs of the communities within our country. We rely on our government to provide for the needs of its people. Hmm, but that is the behavior that Christ taught us to do as a Church, and Paul further instructed the Church to provide specific minitry opportunites to for these needs of the community. But the American Churches sit back in peace and let the government do the dirty work.

I'm not spotless here (remember, I sin). But I can't break out of this typical American lifestyle and just live a life of service. Sure, I serve people real well when I am getting paid. But I don't spend a lot of time doing it for free. It makes me wonder where Bret Michaels is today.

What Would Poison Do?

My Apologies, Part 2

Ok, so now on to the rest of the story.

What is up with Television?

Once upon a time MTV started a show called the Real World(now on season 17?!?!). Soon everyone realized that you do not have to be a professional actor to entertain the world. We all became intrigued with seeing the open and semi-unscripted lives of average Joes. We have seen nearly every stage of a person's life unfold before us over network broadcasts.

But then, once again, the "celebrities" had to jump back into the limelight. So they took over. "What would it be like if we had celebrities date and get married on TV?" "What if we 'risked' their lives on Fear Factor" "What if we humiliated them by having to perform in dance or skating when they have never done it before?"

What if? Well there is some intrigue but the reality is that at least in American culture everyone is a star. Just point a camera at yourself and get someone to put it on the air. Does this undermine the Television quality of the future? Will the species of TV celebrity die in the shuffle? Perhaps these people have been getting paid too much for what they are really worth. I always wonder, as I watch a commercial and hear the voice over of Tim Allen or Ellen DeGeneres, do they do that to pay the bills? Poor celebrity folk :( I didn't realize they had it so bad.

To me it seems that "we the people" are taking back control of what we want to see on the airwaves. Celebrities are now our dancing monkeys. Just watch Gameshow Marathon* to see what I am talking about. We just get the monkeys to win the prizes for us. That way we do not have to go on live TV to make fools of ourselves... that's what they get paid to do.

*Actually please do not watch it, just take my word for it.

My Apologies, Part 1

I thought that the MPAA was insane when they began threatening peer-to-peer file share geeks and told the courts that file sharing would ruin the movie industry... they were right.

In the past few years the aches and pains have converted into some of the worst offerings of Hollywood. I won't place all of the blame on the actors. It appears more so as though the writers are all gone and the actors are now left to fend for themselves. Poor filthy rich people (sigh).

So these days we are given the gift of remakes. Poseidon, King Kong, Yours Mine and Ours, The Shaggy Dog, War of the Worlds, You've Got Mail (Shop around the Corner), The Longest Yard, Ocean's Eleven, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Walking Tall, Fun with Dick and Jane, Mr. Deeds (that's two for Mr. Sandler).

Then there are the phenomenal teen flicks. American Pie, Road Trip, Bring it On (and the whole Bring-it-on genre), Dude-Where's my Car? (survey says -- not a title), and the aptly named Not Another Teen Movie. Don't forget Scary Movie 1,2, 3, and 4. We get what you are trying to do... now please stop.

But you say "Hey Matt, there are some pretty cool blockbusters out there recently." Sure there are... and they are all based on comic books. That's right, the only inspirational writing taking place in the movie industry is limited to the studios of DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, and Vertigo. Now I was a comic collector years ago so I can enjoy these films but it is still sad for that to be the best there is to offer.

So that leaves We the People with a new breed of film... Choose Your Own Adventure. Snakes On A Plane is a movie set to release this year. This film was going to have another name but Samuel L. Jackson supported the early "fan base" on this project who cried out for the name to rename Snakes On A Plane. Then fans continued to beg for adjustments to the film including more nudity, more snakes, and poor language to give the film an R rating rather than the PG-13 it was heading for. So when this movie releases we will see what happens when the masses are forced to put their own films together. My prediction? I'd rather see a Scary Movie marathon.

So what is the deficit? How much are we in the whole in Hollywood? Maybe we should funnel our taxes back to Hollywood and bail ourselves out of this sad state of affairs.

Oh, by the way the MPAA hates the baby Jesus.

This is the state of your America. Good night.

Paper Clips

My wife and I recently signed up to get Blockbuster videos through the mail. This is a nice convenience for new parents. Anyway what is cool is the way that Blockbuster helps identify some movies you might be interested in based on your interest in past films. So I blindly added the movie Paper Clips to my queue. My wife isn't all that into documentaries so reluctantly she joined me for the feature after we put Hallie down for the night. The movie had us on the verge of tears before even getting to the end. If you haven't heard about the Paper Clips project, I recommend you watch this film. It really is amazing to view the Holocaust from this perspective. It also is a very inspirational tale that I hope encouraged other school and church groups to find projects that will continue to make a difference in our world. Lessons of tolerance guided by children really show that this is a generation of compassion and truth. All of these good things work together to the glory of my God.