Reality Check

This video may disturb you but it is certainly a good reality check.

http://www.bradcooper.us/?p=1577

Book Review: Uncharted by Angela Hunt

I sat under Angela Hunt for four days at a fiction writing class last May at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. You can see my post about the conference and a picture of Angie and me here.

Since Angie has written over 100 books, sold over 3 million, and won tons of awards, I thought it would be good to not only sit under her tutelage but to read some of her work too. So I've collected several of her books to add to my stack. Beth read Uncharted early in the summer and I read it at the beach a few weeks ago.

Publisher's Weekly described Uncharted as a blend of the movies Castaway and The Big Chill, with a touch of the TV series, Lost, creatively thrown together with the biblical story of the beggar Lazarus and C.S. Lewis's The Great Divorce.

Five long-time friends from college take time off for an adventure of a lifetime to complete a mission project in the South Pacific to honor the memory of their friend who recently died. But when a storm rocks their plans, they find themselves hurled onto a desolate island, and relief fades to fear. Nature rules with a vengeance. The lone shelter from the raw conditions is a sinister cave. Are they victims of a bizarre psychological experiment? Or could this godforsaken place have the power to maroon them forever?

By the time you put down Uncharted, you will be amazed at the spiritual lessons you learned.

Final Vision photos

Great photos by Mike Adams from our Dunk'd service last Saturday. Click here

What a Weekend!

TrueNorth Church celebrated its 5th birthday in a big way this weekend. Saturday night at the Riverwalk Amphitheater we worshiped and celebrated the baptism of 43 people. As usual, most of our baptizees were adults. All totaled, TNC has seen 578 individuals baptized in its first five years.

That is an amazing statistic.

Most new churches don't even make it to the five year mark. Not only has TNC made it for five years, we've made it in a BIG way!

And as if that weren't enough, this morning we made a big announcement. We have the opportunity to purchase 16 acres on Martintown Road. What a beautiful piece of land! Each service responded wildly when Stevie D presented it to us via video. What a memorable day! What a ride! What a weekend!

What's It Like to Die?

I wrote this for a funeral that I'm conducting tomorrow. Thought you might like it.

I can't fully describe heaven to you. The Bible describes it in colorful language. Revelation 21:21 says that heaven is so great that our most valuable asset here on earth, gold, is what will be used for pavement in heaven.

I think that moving from this life to heaven maybe similar to our being born here on earth. When you were in your mother's womb, you were completely comfortable. You had a warm, comfortable little spot. Food was delivered to you automatically via an umbilical cord. You had no need for clothing. You didn't worry about food, clothing, and shelter when you were in your mother's womb. You didn't know what a mortgage was, or a job, or school, or any of the challenges that we all face. You had it made.

But one day, something happened. The walls around you began to rumble. Things were changing fast and before you knew it you found yourself in a cold, brightly lit room full of people in hospital gowns gathered around a weeping woman. You had no idea what was ahead of you.

If somehow we could communicate with an infant in his mother's womb and describe what was to come after birth, the infant might say, "No, thanks. I'm completely comfortable here in mom's belly. I'll just stay here."

You didn't know what was to come. You couldn't comprehend what was in store for you during your lifetime. But aren't you glad you were born?

I believe our transition from this life to eternal life might be like that. Just like you couldn't imagine or comprehend life on the other side of your mother's womb, you can't imagine or comprehend life on the other side of the grave.

Book Review - Tuesdays with Morrie

Mitch Albom's book, Tuesdays with Morrie, has been out since 1997. It's one of those books that I'd heard about over the years and put on my "must read" list. I finally read it yesterday. As expected, it is an introspective book and true story that causes you to evaluate life and death.

Mitch is a successful sportswriter who reconnects with an old college professor, Morris "Morrie" Schwartz, when he learns that Morrie has ALS, i.e., Lou Gehrig's disease. Mitch lives in Detroit. Morrie lives in Boston. But Mitch makes it a point to become a student once again under his favorite teacher. Mitch flies to Boston to meet regularly with Morrie on Tuesdays for their final class together and he learns about what matters most in life through a dying man.

It is a refreshing story - funny, sad, reflective, and inspirational. Morrie's wit and wisdom engages you and Mitch's writing style makes you feel like you are in the room with them.

A few quotes:

Morrie about regrets: "The culture doesn't encourage you to think about such things until you're about to die. We're so wrapped up in egotistical things, career, family, having enough money, meeting the mortgage, getting a new car, fixing the radiator when it breaks - we're involved in trillions of little acts just to keep going. So we don't get into the habit of standing back and looking at our lives and saying, 'Is this all? Is this all I want? Is something missing?'"

Morrie about dying: "Everyone knows they're going to die, but nobody believes it. If we did, we would do things differently."

"To know you're going to die, and to be prepared for it at any time - that's better. That way you can actually be more involved in your life while you're living."

Morrie about money and status: "If you're trying to show off for people at the top, forget it. They will look down on you anyhow. And if you're trying to show off for people at the bottom, forget it. They will only envy you. Status will get you nowhere. Only an open heart will allow you to float equally between everyone."

Mitch wrote that Morrie was a "religious mutt." Morrie's insights came from his Jewish heritage, Christianity, and even some Eastern religions. While this book isn't from an absolute Christian point of view, it is definitely worth the read and its insights are valuable for us all.

The Breath of Life

This appeared today on www.christiandevotions.us. Thought I'd post it here too. You can subscribe to this service and receive a brief devotional thought each day. I recommend it!


The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Genesis 2:7

When I was in college I was a lifeguard at a local swimming pool. Prior to the summer season, I was certified in Water Safety, Life Saving, and CPR. Because it is dangerous to practice CPR on a person, we had to perform our techniques on a mannequin. We laughed about having to put our mouths on our artificial victims and we made sure to swab the areas clean with plenty of alcohol before passing them on to the next student.

It was hard to be serious about it because we all felt a little silly administering mouth-to-mouth to a plastic person.

However, a few months later, during a hot, humid, and busy July 4th weekend at the pool, I learned the value of knowing CPR. A swimmer passed out while standing atop a diving board ten feet from the ground. I rushed to his side, as did a Registered Nurse who happened to be nearby. The victim was unconscious and we immediately began administering CPR. It was definitely no laughing matter. It was critical.

The nurse and I were able to breathe life into our patient. He began breathing again and, in a few minutes, he was transported to a local hospital. Unfortunately, I learned later that afternoon that the young man died from injuries sustained from his fall.

I learned the value of life that day. I learned how quickly life can pass and how important it is to live each day to the fullest. I learned that God has breathed life into each one of us and that we have been given something very special. Do you realize that God has chosen to breathe life into you? It is a precious gift that we must use for His glory each and every day.

We only have one life to make an impact. One life to make a difference. One life to be a positive influence for Christ. What will you do with your one and only life?

by Gene Jennings