Barry Sanders used to juke defenders out of their shoes...

Greetings and salutations!,

From dictionary.com: “Gullah, the English-based Creole language spoken by people of African ancestry off the coast of Georgia and South Carolina, retains a number of words from the West African languages brought over by slaves. One such word is juke, "bad, wicked, disorderly," the probable source of the English word juke. Used originally in Florida and then chiefly in the Southeastern states, juke (also appearing in the compound juke joint) was an African-American word meaning a roadside drinking establishment that offers cheap drinks, food, and music for dancing and often doubles as a brothel. "To juke" is to dance, particularly at a juke joint or to the music of a jukebox whose name, no longer regional and having lost the connotation of sleaziness, contains the same word.”

I’ve also heard ‘juke’ used as a verb meaning to fake out a defender in football….

I’m listening to music on my new juke phone (see pic) while I write this. I’ve found it to be quite a fun phone. As I do chores around the house, I’ll have it playing music while sticking out of the pocket of my jeans. It certainly makes laundry a lot more fun. But I’m discovering that there is also a downside. I sort of miss the quiet. I find that my mind doesn’t explore and reflect on as many things during the course of my day…because I’m being distracted by the (albeit good) music playing from my new phone.

I wonder, do you spend enough time…or any…without distractions? When was the last time you took the time to drink in quietness…and simply listened to your thoughts and to the rhythm of life going on around you? If it’s been awhile I urge you to give it a try. Schedule yourself some silence before going back to work or school after New Years. You may just find that you dig it.

Have a happy and safe New Year’s. I’m excited about 2008 – I think it’s going to rock!

Peace,

Kevin

Rowan Williams is cool!

Merry Christmas Everyone!,

Let me shoot out of the gate strong, here: the popular mainstream media loves to find problems. And if they don’t find any problems, they create them so they’ll have something to talk about. Good news really bums them out, and NOTHING is better than controversy. Another example of that happened this past week when people went a bit nutty thinking that the Archbishop of Canterbury (Rowan Williams) was trashing all of Christian tradition.

That’s simply not the case. You can read parts of the actual interview here. I’ll try to address a couple of the things the mass media drooled over…and inaccurately so.

1. ‘Christians don’t have to believe in the virgin birth!’ What the archbishop actually said was “I don't want to set it as a kind of hurdle that people have to get over before they, you know, be signed up”. And then he went on to say that he does believe in it. The bottom line is that Christians fall all over the spectrum on lots of tidbits from our tradition. Admittedly, usually when people disagree with something from the tradition it’s because their god is science (which is as much salesmanship, theory, and faith as it is fact…if not more). But there’s still a lot of wiggle room for people to find an understanding of Christianity that fits where they are on their journey.

2. ‘The wise men were legends!’ What the archbishop actually said was “Well Matthew's gospel doesn't tell us that there were three of them, doesn't tell us they were kings, doesn't tell us where they came from, it says they're astrologers, wise men, priests from somewhere outside the Roman Empire. That's all we're really told so, yes, 'the three kings with the one from Africa' - that's legend; it works quite well as legend.” Let me throw in that the gospel account has them visiting Jesus when he was around 2 yrs old, so the nativity scenes you see with the wise men are inaccurate.

And there is more. I recommend that you read the interview. I also recommend that you don’t believe what the mainstream media tells you on face value. Always try to search out the truth for yourself…don’t believe it just because someone tells you.

Have a blessed Christmas my friends – our Savior is born!

Grace and Peace,

Kevin

Christmas isn't just green and red.

Advent Greetings everyone,

“And when those blue snowflakes start falling
Thats when those blue memories start calling
Youll be doin all right, with your christmas of white
But Ill have a blue, blue blue blue Christmas”

These are lyrics from the song Blue Christmas, made famous by Elvis Presley in 1957. While the song may be slightly cheesy (just my personal opinion), there’s a significant message in it: not everyone is happy during the holiday season. Whether it’s the passing away of loved ones, the ending of personal relationships, or just knowing that past Christmas joys will never come again, there are a lot of people during this time of year that identify with “Bah Humbug!” more than they do “Merry Christmas!”

Most of the time there is not a real cultural expectation of happiness. At least I don’t get that sense when I walk the streets of New Jersey 10 months of the year. But for the last six weeks of the year or so, there IS a cultural expectation of happiness. You see it on TV, you hear it in the music on the radio and in the malls, you see it on websites. You are to be happy! So those who do not feel particularly happy have to deal with not only their current struggles, but also with being ostracized by their environment.

So be aware these days that the person you’re talking to might be putting on a front, and may need some extra kindness and prayers. And if you are one of those living a blue Christmas, know that you are not alone, and that you are loved and being prayed for.

If you are local on Wednesday the 19^th, there’ll be a worship service at the church specially tailored for those struggling this season. Feel free to come and to spread the word to others who might benefit from it.

Peace on earth, goodwill towards all,

Kevin

Elections, BCS, and the Church

Young Adults!,

Well, it’s happening again. Arguments. Controversy. The strange fruit of an obvious imperfect system. During this time of year, we’ve come to expect it. Am I talking about the insanity of our two-party system of government and the election craziness that we can’t get away from?

NO! I’m talking about the BCS (Bowl Championship Series)! After much bally-hooing (look up the term here), it’s going to be Ohio State and LSU in the NCAA football championship game. Are they the best two teams in the nation? Maybe not. Are they the two hottest teams right now? Definitely not! Are they the two teams that deserve to play for the championship based on the BCS system? Yes. And that’s an indictment of the BCS system.

There’s a parallel here for the earthly institution of the church. Now, I’m not talking about the theological concept of the church as the Body of Christ. That’s alive and well and very cool. I’m talking about the very earthly human construct that involves a lot of buildings with steeples and such [Important thing to note: These two “churches” are NOT mutually exclusive. Neither are they wholly synonymous.]

Is the earthly institution of the church focusing enough on what goes on outside the walls of the church building? Maybe not. Is it up to speed with the culture of the day and the context of the current generation? Definitely not! But is it the best option we have at the moment? Yes. That doesn’t mean you should be comfortable with it. God is well pleased with every step forward you take, but God is never satisfied with where you are. Similarly, we should celebrate each step the church takes to improve itself, but we should never be content with the state of the church. So don't give up on the church. But also don't lower your expectations for it. Be part of the change. Revolutionize the church. Transform the world. I dare you. Amen.

Peace,
Kevin