But it's deeper than that for sure. 

Sir Ken Robinson makes a compelling case and challenges the way we challenge our children. He wants us to rethink an environment than cultivates (rather than undermines) creativity. But the BIG question is how this affects creativity in your own life, ministry, etc. 

Watch and give me your thoughts!  VIDEO NOT DISPLAYING CORRECTLY? Click here…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Today, December 3 marks the birthdays of two influential people in the culture of my life. I've sent them both birthday wishes…

Ozzy Osbourne, rock icon…

and Jim Richards, Executive Director of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention
 

To bring balance to the Force, take time to view lyrics to Ozzy's Bark At The Moon, and those of the Baptist Faith and Message .  

I originally found this video at TED and it blew my mind. Footage from the Hubble telescope… pictures that our ancestors only dreamed of… and the crazy possibilities that only a Master Creator could come up with. 

Watch and have your head swirl and your picture of the Creator exponentially expand. 

Click here to view the embedded video.

For those of you who may not know, Fight Club is not really about the physical act of pummeling another human being. It's built on the frustration against the system of a consumerist society, the disillusionment of a generation of men who have been raised by women to misunderstand what it means to be a man. Real manhood, according to the movie, begins with knowing yourself and authentically knowing others in a community of authentic living. The dream of stripping away everything we hide behind, and standing knuckle-to-knuckle with others who aspire to rebuilding ourselves from the bottom up. 

When the question rises in the movie, "if you could fight anyone, who would it be?', it's a step towards really knowing yourself ("How can you know yourself if you've never been in a fight?") and really knowing another person. 

When I tweeted my question, I got a multitude of answers: 

"The Pope (cuz he's old and I think I would win).

Ghandi.

Buddha.

Tammy Faye Bakker (she already looks like she's had the crap beat outta her).

Tim LaHaye. 

Sarah Pailn.

Joel Osteen.

Tom Cruise. 

Al Sharpton. 

Ann Coulter. 

And, of course, Jesus. 

Each answer was great in it's own right. I'd love to know each of those a little more, for different reasons. I never see eye to eye with anyone of those listed 100% of the time. (Yes, I even disagree with Jesus at times. I don't always like when He's right about everything..) 

Jacob wrestled with (the pre-incarnate) Jesus. He ended up being blessed, but he forever walked with a limp because of it. Was the limp worth the experience? I think Jacob would say it was. I have a hunch that the vast majority fight him regularly. I want to know him. I think I know him…but there's always more. And He always pushes me to let go of things, take up other things, and give still more things away. Quite honestly, I expected the winner to be chosen because he/she cited someone other than Jesus. I really wanted to send the box of goodies to someone who had good reasons for fighting and getting to know someone like Osteen or Buddha. Really I did. 

After tallying the votes in my super-scientific, quadruple-blind survey, the winning tweet goes to  Michael McMinn for suggesting we fight with Jesus. It sounds trite and all Sunday-Schooley, but I challenge you to ask yourself one question: "How would my life change if I stood toe-to-toe, knuckle-to-knuckle with Christ, fullly engaged, fully attentive, and let him chisel me into His image? To spend enough time with Him to be able to know when He would move? How he would move? And the manner in which I should react to his movements?"  Ok, that's actually 4 questions..but you get the idea. 

Maybe I've been drinking the Fight Club kool-aid too long. 

Or maybe I've been fighting with Jesus long enough. And yet not long enough. 

Maybe there's still more to come. 

For example: 

Question from peoplesworld: 40 years of military confrontation hasn’t brought security to Israel, why is this different?

Answer from israelconsulate: We hav 2 prtct R ctzens 2, only way fwd through neogtiations, & left Gaza in 05. y Hamas launch missiles not peace?

EhsanAhmad: you didn’t get my point that Hammas is an elected govt and if u keep attacking them they got right to attack you

israelconsulate: if hamas’s goal were 2 btr the lives of its cit. they wouldn’t target IL. they would invest in edu/hlth not in bombs

explore4corners: How many attacks have there been against IS in the last 6 months? How many casualties? The MSM doesn’t report that here.

israelconsulate: ovr 500 rockts Hit IL in the 6 mts of CF. per the last 72 hrs mre thn 300 hit IL. kiling 4 ppl & injuring hndrds

carrotderek: On what conditions would Israel consider a ceasefire?

israelconsulate: CF must ensure no more rockets on IL+ no arms smuggling. btw crossings for Human Aid r open and trucks are entering

backlotops: 1 side has to stop. Why continue what hasn’t worked (mass arial/grnd retaliation)? Arab Peace Initiative?

israelconsulate: we R pro nego. crntly tlks r held w the PA + tlks on the 2 state soln. we talk only w/ ppl who accept R rt 2 live.

shahidkamal: Your nation has been disgraced on Twitter. This inverted Nuremberg Trial will not rescue your image.

israelconsulate: the point of this was to hear what ppl say and to share our POV with fellow twitters.

Read more, then follow me on Twitter.

It’s like watching a plate fall from the cabinet across the room. You know it’s going to happen, you can’t stop it, yet you just sit and watch it unfold.

With two boys of my own (and a baby on the way…), there’s no way I’d let them live the life of the boy on the right side of the screen. Why would I let one of my boys live the life on the right side, so the other can blissfully exist on the left?

For those of you out there who don’t watch MTV…(gasp!), you need to check out this video, set to Radiohead’s ‘All I Need’. And for those of you over 40, the lyrics are below. I’d love to hear your thoughts and reactions…

Click here to view the embedded video.

I am the next act waiting in the wings
I am an animal trapped in your hot car
I am all the days that you choose to ignore

You are all I need
You are all I need
I am in the middle of your picture
Lying in the reeds

I am a moth who just wants to share your light
I’m just an insect trying to get out of the night
I only stick with you because there are no others

You are all I need
You are all I need
I am in the middle of your picture
Lying in the reeds

It’s all wrong
It’s all right

For more, you can watch the Story of Stuff if you dare.

Her name is Sarah. Not Mary.

I gotta admit, there’s only about two shows on television I watch with any commitment, so when the announcement came that my one-of-two favorite shows, Heroes, would NOT be aired beginning in January, I fell into a panic.

But God is good. FOX announced the upcoming Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

 After viewing several trailers online, you’ll see why this one is my favorite.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you want more of the plotline, watch this.

It seems as though our inconsistency has been dragged out of the comfortable darkness into the cursed, revealing light.

Not too many years ago, the Christian community was pretty outraged that JK Rowling’s books (and subsequent movies) were hitting the big time and seducing all our children over to the dark side of witchcraft and sorcery. We/they protested. Boycotted Barnes and Noble. Pickted theaters. Meanwhile, Rowling raked in the free press and the big royalties.

So, what about the second in the ‘Pirates of the Carribean’ sequel, “Dead Man’s Chest”? Here is a thought-provoking article about our inconsistent outrage towards Hollywood.

As the article states, “If we’re going to pick on Potter, we’d better pick on Pirates.”