Month: May 2006

  • Saw DaVinci Code

    Da_vinci_code_2Bob and I went to the 10:30 showing of The DaVinci Code starring Tom Hanks today.

    Some initial impressions:
    It was a better movie than I figured it would be. The reviews were bad but I found it well done and following the book pretty well. They did change 1-2 things from the book, but that’s the case with every adaptation.

    Will this destroy Christianity? Um, no. It could actually open some dialogue since it offers some pretty powerful accusations against the church but since it’s not based on much fact, it’s just a good discussion starter.

    Should I let my kids go? Let me be blunt. This isn’t the type of movie that you can go drop your kids off at the movie theater and know that they’ll just get good entertainment. While it’s really not that graphic and there is only a little bit of cussing and no exposed nudity… thematically it is so powerful that parents need to talk to their kids about after seeing the movie.

    I’m not saying students shouldn’t see this film. But I am saying that you shouldn’t just let them go without you. It would be a perfect movie to go to with your kids and then go out for ice cream or something and talk about the themes. There are a lot of great resources that address the movie from a biblical perspective, check them out and take one with you.

    Christianity Today review
    Josh McDowell Interview

  • Romeo on Primetime

    I got an e-mail this morning from my mom telling me she had seen Romeo on Primetime last night. I’m still looking for the video of the show, but I did read the story on their website.

    One day, there will be some stories about this day from my students that have not yet been processed. In a small town most people knew both the boy and the girl in this story. Hopefully, it’s a reminder to parents to get nosey with their kids. Of course this implies that parents are actually caring about what’s happening in their kids lives when over and over again kids are telling me "My parents don’t want to know the details."

    We all know this isn’t true. Parents desperately want to be there for their kids and kids desperately want to have their parents there for them. The issue is that neither is comfortable with the details… How do we make this happen?

    Two things you need to read/do in follow-up to this entry.

    1. Read the Primetime story
    2. Watch the video The Secret Lives of Teens

  • No teeth, but still laughing

    I just got back from our first church softball game of the year. We got beaten up, mugged, slugged, banged around, and kicked in the teeth. But it was pretty fun too. The final tally was 30-6. (Yes, you read that correctly.) I am very disappointed in my level of play. I can honestly say that I didn’t make a single good play. So… I’m not feeling "bad" about myself but I know I certainly have plenty of room for improvement.

    First time playing competitive softball overall. First time as a player on a diamond since 7th grade. So, 18 years later I still suck at baseball type sports, but I still think it’s a good time. Here’s to laughing at myself in a whole new way.

  • Cedarville guys at Romeo

    CedarvilleracingThis weekend we’re playing hosts to the Cedarville University Jackets racing team. Basically, these are engineering students who design, build, and race a F-1 car. I hoping to run over to the Ford Proving Grounds a few miles away and check them out later today.

  • Loyalty Tested

    Tonight at Light Force we’re exploring the idea of true loyalty and the high cost of disloyalty. Here’s a quote from Donald Trump’s blog that I’ll be using in my introduction.

    On a recent episode of The Apprentice, some people were
    surprised that I didn’t fire Rebecca after a rather contentious meeting
    in the boardroom. Rebecca had broken her ankle the week before and set
    out to prove, despite her physical setback, that she was still capable
    of leading her team. She volunteered to be project manager, but
    unfortunately for her, the women’s team failed.

    There was a lot
    of finger pointing for the loss, and most of those fingers were aimed
    in Toral’s direction. But instead of immediately picking Toral to
    return with her to the boardroom, Rebecca opted to let her return to
    the suite. Apparently, Toral had helped Rebecca with her ankle, and
    Rebecca held Toral in high esteem for her educational background (my
    alma mater, Wharton) and for her business background.

    Even when I
    personally suggested that Rebecca reconsider, she remained steadfast in
    her decision. It was either a really stupid move or a really smart one.
    Fortunately, for Rebecca, there are few qualities I value more than
    loyalty.

    When employees and employers, even coworkers, have a
    commitment to one another, everyone benefits. I have people who have
    been in business with me for decades. I reward their loyalty to the
    organization and to me. I know that they’ll always be dedicated to what
    we’re trying to accomplish. The reason I have so many loyal people in
    the Trump Organization is that the loyalty is reciprocated. A lot of
    companies feel that dedication is a one-way street, but I think that’s
    an easy way to lose good, talented people.

    In Rebecca’s case, I
    was impressed by her steadfastness. (I still think she made a stupid
    decision, and I fired Toral the following week.) Nevertheless, I was
    moved by her dedication.

    I’m not saying that "The Donald" is nearly the leader that Jesus was and is… but it needs to be very clear from anyone claiming to be a leader that they demand and respect loyalty.

    That said, the true test of loyalty isn’t in proclaiming it… it’s in living it out when that loyalty is tested. When the one you are being loyal to isn’t living up to expectations, are you still loyal?

    I’m in the process of re-evaluating myself, my ministry, my direction (heck, I do this every day don’t I?) and I know I clearly reward those who are loyal… but I wonder if I’m really fostering loyalty? Am I worth someone being loyal to?

  • Richard Hatch Got It

    RichardhatchThe naked gay guy finally found out he had to obey some rules. Richard Hatch, winner of the first Survivor, got sent to prison for 51 months for failing to pay taxes on his $1 million winnings. Oops. [Here are the gory details]

  • Pew project complete

    This isn’t one of those life-altering things, but the pews are now 100% sold and they have been removed. 25 pews went to a small church in Southern Florida while 11 pews are en route to Rochester, NY.

    The best part is that I won’t have to move, lift, or think about them ever again.

  • Audio of last week’s message

    Since there was such a clamoring of people wanting to hear it, here’s a link to the mp3 of Sunday’s message. [mp3j track="Listen now@http://fbcromeo.org./audio/service_060514.mp3" volslider="y" style="outline"]

  • Caedmon’s Call Review

    Caedmon16I am continually impressed by the success of YMX. Not only has the site continued to add members… we’ve also continued to get excellent articles and resource reviews submitted by our members.

    Amy’s review of the new Caedmon’s Call CD is the perfect example. Not only are we happy to give it "top billing" on the site, it’s also got a link directly on the Caedmon’s Call website. (Of course, I love the new "listen now" feature on the site. Having streaming audio rocks!)

    It’s very exciting to be a part of people find their voice in the world of youth ministry. It’s my position that some of the greatest minds in the church today serve adolescents… I hope that continues for a long time to come.

  • The Cliffhanger Completed

    Yesterday I had the pleasure of filling in for Bob while he and Rachel finished their much needed and well-earned vacation.

    I started my message with a story about a trip and fear [read that here] but I never finished the story. So, here goes.

    After a long series of small turns we finally turned into a driveway and headed towards their house. When we got there, we were immediately reassured to see a house and not a "killing fields." Of course, the whole idea that these people were serial killers and not normal people was silly all along! But needless to say I was relieved to find that they had a normal house.

    Our hosts were normal enough for country people. The husband never really warmed up to us but his wife was very friendly and nice. We had a nice visit and we have some fond memories from that trip. Most notably…

    1. Who needs blinds? The room in the house that we slept in on the first floor didn’t have blinds! This bugged Kristen to no end… she was really worried that she’d wake up and their 12 year old son would be staring at us. It never happened and having no blinds made for a nice way to wake up.

    2. Megan got bit by a goat. I can’t explain it, but I’ve had a long-standing fascination with goats. I was really happy to learn that their next door neighbor had a large herd of goats that he raised for the Hmong population in town. So on our visit I took Megan over to the goats to check them out. Megan was very pleased to see them and was happily feeding them when a little one chomped on her little finger! She screamed and cried… but it was just a little nip. Another fun memory.