Adam and Jeremy say: Jesus Is Just Alright With Football Players, but not the Media.

Is the media intentionally editing Jesus Christ out of Sports Stars Story's'? This article takes a look at the medias coverage of out spoken Christian athletes like Superbowl winning Coach Tony Dungy and recent Heisman winner Tim Tebow. Personally we find encouragement in sports stars who give credit to God for the very existence let alone their fantastic successes and so we enjoy hearing what they have to say about God.

Adam Says: Why Work When You Can Just Hide.

Why do I work? Is it for the money or is it something else? I think its for the money. Why do I work for money? Is it for happiness or is it for comfort? It is silly to think that I would work so hard to make myself happy. Some of the happiest moments of my life have come at times when I was poor... or have cost very little... I was happy when I bought a huge truck for $1000 and then beat the living tar out of it for the next three years... I was happy when I lived over a sewing shop and paid a flat $200 a month for all my expenses; which was good because I only made $7000 that year. I was happy when I spent a month sneaking into my friends apartment pool everyday reading trashy magazines and working a tan. I was happy when I was a junior level go-fer in a big government PR office who spent two hours a day playing basketball with old men. I was happy when I went tagging old rail road tunnels with my future wife. So if so many things that came at so little cost gave me such joy why am I now working so hard to make money? Comfort is the only real answer I have, but that's not really the answer. I say that I want to able to do things I enjoy without worrying about money, and I say that I need to work hard so I can rest for a long time at the end of my life, but in reality its more fear than comfort that drives me... Fear that I wont have money to pay the bills... fear that I will get sick and not have money to go to the doctor... fear that my wife may get pregnant and we wont be able to afford to birth the child... fear that I will have to work the rest of my life... this is not good.

God tells me that His eye is on the sparrow and so if He is taking care of a little bird how much more is he taking care of me? He tells me I am to be fearless, and yet I am worried and afraid. It's not like its a new thing for me to be a giant faithless hypocrite... but some times when you realize how hypocritical you have been and how faithless you are it takes you back a few steps. I regret that these past few months I have spent so much time afraid and hiding. I feel as if there has been so much joy around me and I have tried to keep it out. I only let it small doses from time to time... at a family dinner, on a date with my wife, talking to a friend, and better yet talking to God. It's funny how God listens to people he knows are complete fakes and frauds and losers and quitters and sinners. If I even think someone may be lying to me I shun them (i.e. Mitt Romney and Joel Olsteen.) God on the other hand still hears me still loves me and even still talks to me... yeah I know that's crazy evangelical talk and you can discount it if you want, but that's the faith I have and its the faith I want to live.

So my wish this Christmas is not for a new toy, and its not for a new job; because I know that neither will make me happy. Is for Peace, Joy and Courage. In the book of Luke when the Angels appear to the shepherds God says that the angles told the Sheppards to not be afraid, but instead to be joyful because they brought good news... the Savior had been born and he would finally bring peace to earth.

8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch
over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the
glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel
said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be
for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you;
he is Christ[a]
the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths
and lying in a manger."
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly
host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14"Glory to God in
the highest, and on earth peace to men on
whom his favor rests."

I know it's a little cliche to talk about the Christmas story at this time of year. Jeremy and I try to stay away from crusty old religious practices, but the truth is that God has come to bring Peace, Joy and Courage... even to worried cowards like me. So I hope that I can fully accept that peace and courage and experience the full joy of Salvation with Jesus.

I realize this all deviates from the norm for Adam and Jeremy, and I also realize that I just took a very long journey from discontent in the office to Salvation on the Cross, but thanks for reading it, and hope you also have a Merry Christmas.

Adam and Jeremy Say: Christians Can Be Artists Too.

Jeremy and I are always heartened when we hear about people who not only share our "Christian" faith, but also share our love of the arts/culture and don't see a divide between the two. We just stumbled across this young lady; Esther Havens, who is a professional photographer/Christian... and the only thing that rivals the awesomeness of her art work is the awesomeness of what she has to say about her faith.

Esther Havens work and her heart have us really excited; check out her blog for more info... and if you want to see more of her work visit her Flickr account, and then if you really like what you see head over here and buy her work

Adam and Jeremy Say: The Pope Himself Will Not Stop Us.

Despite Adam's somewhat blatant socialist slants we here at Adam and Jeremy are convinced that the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion are two of the cornerstones of this country (USA) that actually make it great (capitalism we have our doubts about (actually Adam has his doubts about.)) The point being we are greatly alarmed about what we are hearing come out of the latest meeting between the World Council of Churches and the Vatican in Europe. The two have grouped together to create a "conversion code;" or a set of guidelines to dictate what Christians can and cannot do in the pursuit of converting people of other faiths. The two groups have decided to create this code out of fear, it appears, fear that sharing ones faith in some countries (mainly Muslim and Hindu countries) is causing negative reactions and even violence (the 23 Korean Christians captured in Afghanistan are an example they are using.)
Obviously we must oppose anything the tries to limit our freedoms of speech and our freedom to practice our faith, and that on the surface was why we initially bristled at this story, but behind that there is a more spiritual cause for our concern. The Christian faith calls its followers to share their faith with others, but it also calls the believers to live without fear; placing their trust in Christ and Christ alone, and this code represents the antithesis of this teaching. Jesus Himself told his followers that people would persecute them, in fact ten of His eleven disciples were murdered for their relationship with Him, so there should be no surprise that people would be angry when a Christian share their faith with them, furthermore they should have full confidence that God is sovereign in the situation and whatever happens they have nothing to fear. It is preposterous to think that the Creator of the universe is in command of every aspect of your life but also think that men of a different faith are a threat to you.
Now don't get us wrong; we do feel that cultural sensitivity is important for Christian missionaries (and for that matter all of us regardless of faith). The Apostle Paul displayed this principal when he gave his message on Mars Hill; during which he spoke at length about the culture of the Greeks and then presented the gospel in the context of that culture. So don't feel like we are two American Christians that just want to run around the world tearing down mosques and screaming the gospel at people, because that is the opposite of what we are trying to say.
What it comes down to is this: people of different faiths will naturally be opposed to each other, and that is fine, but sometimes that opposition can become angry and even violent and that sucks but it happens. Christians however, cannot let the actions of some people deter them from helping to bring people across the globe to Salvation through Jesus Christ.

Adam and Jeremy Say: Jesus Loves Naked Vegetarians

"God's original plan was to hang out in a garden with some naked vegetarians." A few weeks ago Kira and I saw this bumper sticker on the back of some nondescript car, and we loved it, but we could not make out the website at the bottom of the sticker without running into the vehicle so instead I had to do some googling on line with only the catch phrase. What I found is this website for the Restoring Eden Organization/Foundation. Restoring Eden is this organization dedicated to environmental causes in the name of the Creator; which is an idea that may not be catching on too quickly in the Bible belt but my wife and I love it so we figure it is worth you time to investigate.

Adam and Jeremy Say: Texas Church Believes Jesus Would Help Communist

We are super stoked to see this article on Relevant's site today! The story in the Dallas Morning News features North Wood Church in Keller Texas; the church has been sending mission teams to Communist Vietnam for the last decade, which is amazing because Vietnam is closed to missionaries, but they have opened their doors to North Wood because they are willing to come in and build water filtration plants, orphanages and other humanitarian projects because the Church is willing to work there without preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ in word... no words just actions.
We think this is a great example for Christians across the nation... honestly if someone ask you "What Would Jesus Do?" you can now say that he would go feed communist children in Asia and have phiscal proof to back it up. Jeremy and I are really encouraged when hearing stories like this and we hope that you are encouraged as well. It is great that stories like this are getting out there.

Adam and Jeremy Say: They May Hate Us, But Do We Hate Them?

So Jeremy and I wanted to contiune our "They Hate Us and Liberty" Conversation from last week. If you did not catch it here is a link back to it, and I want to appologize in advance for the lenght of these posts, but both Jeremy and I got really into it and we hope that you chime in again with your insights.

Adam: I am really glad people like CJ are willing to hold our feet to the fire and test our faith. We could easily make all sorts of posts about faith, but never actually live out the words we write. I think it is great that people are willing to challenge each other. On some points CJ is right... I have met a handful of homosexual people in my life, and honestly I have always been too afraid to talk with them about their sexuality because I want to act normal around them, and I don’t want to offend anyone. I guess its some twisted logic of mine that I want people who are different from me to feel the same as people who are the same as me... but in that process I learn about jobs, sports, cars, etc. but I never learn about the deeper issues a person is facing. I think the point CJ makes is that we want to be loving and accepting of people, but until we stop “acting” loving and accepting and start getting to know what is going on below the surface then we will never really be able to know and love them... maybe he is right...

Jeremy: I agree. He is right in that Jesus tells us to be loving, and we should definitely do that with everyone including gays. But I also think he makes a good point, that we can say we love them, but if we don't make a little extra effort like "getting to really know one and talk to them about it", then are we really loving them or just simply "treating them normal"? Take for example my brother. I have never had a deep intimate conversation about his sexuality with him (then again, what straight brothers usually have that conversation?). I think he knows I love him, and unlike my dad and sister I have never had an argument with him about it and told him he was wrong. Plus, inviting Gary (my brothers partner) to our wedding I think was an effort of me and Jax to show that we still want them to be part of our lives even though we don't agree. I remember the rest of my family all reacting funny when we told them we were inviting Gary. I’m not trying to buff myself up, but all to say, I think we were making an effort, but I still haven’t gone as far as CJ has described with asking the hard, personal questions.
And the following is probably a good indicator as to why I should ask:
“I don't want to because I know it could make me uncomfortable.”

Adam: I think in some measure you are right in loving your brother and Gary without asking tough questions about their sexuality... I mean you know they are gay... so I don't know if there is a need to go past that... now you may want to talk to your brother about how he discovered his sexuality... or if something like your parents divorce had something to do with it, but I think those are questions about people and not questions about sexual preference... in the end the only difference between you and he is your fondness for the fairer sex right?

It was either Peter or Paul who said that we as Christians should focus on what is good, pure, beautiful, fare, just, etc. in our pursuit of peace, and I think the same holds true with anyone who you interact with... your focus should not be what their sins are or what your differences’ are, but instead your focus should be what is good, beautiful, and pure in them. We are all God's creation and on that level we are all equal.

I don't think we need to speak anymore about Dr. Falwell since that topic has been so overdone of late. So let’s move past that to an interesting point. Several people who commented made reference to living like Christ, and how if we lived like Christ then we would be respected and loved. I have a few thoughts on that. One it is interesting how a conversation about the hateful things people say about Liberty and its students has become so personal to you and I. I think I was originally just ticked at the hypocrisy of people who called themselves open minded but then stereotyped every Liberty student in a negative manner.

I think that people forget what the teachings of Christ where and what they meant... Jesus Christ was killed for his teachings and actions obviously they are not they kind of teachings and actions that make everyone love and adore you. I agree that Jesus tough a great amount about loving your neighbor and doing right and there are many Christians today who do not do anything close to that on a personal level,
However Christ also told us to die to ourselves, to admit that there is a God who created us and is over us and we should obey Him, He taught that we need to sacrifice in order that others can be first, He told us we must serve, all of which runs counter to Americas current culture. Now we want what’s best for us, no matter the cost. We make the rules we decide what is right and what is wrong, we put ourselves first and make others pay. Our society is Greedy, Selfish, and as I said before Shameless. These are all things Jesus preached against, violently at times, just ask the Pharisees in the Temple when Jesus cleaned house. So I don't know if people really mean it when they tell others to follow Christ’s' example or if maybe they just want us to follow the parts of Christ example that are warm and fuzzy.

Finally I think what you and I do in our service to the Lord as far as serving; loving, giving and sacrifice are personal and are not appropriate for this medium. Obviously if someone challenges you on your actions of love you want to respond with a list of all the righteous things you have done, but that defeats the purpose. We are called to love unconditionally not because it makes us look or feel good but because it is what God asks of us. I think Jesus summed it up when told the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (I might have the wrong occupation there) who were both at the temple praying... the Pharisee was praying out loud in flowery language so everyone could see how holy he was while the tax collector prayed silently and was humble... in the end Jesus tells us that the righteous man was the tax collector because he was praying to God while the Pharisee was really praying to impress man.

Jeremy: Good call. I don't want to give a list to prove our piety either. I like what you said on focusing on what is good, pure, and right. The hard part about that is that there is a "sexual preference" wall in between us, and I guess we could just ignore it....or can you? I guess the truth is, we can still love them despite them being gay, and we can even be loving in a conversation about it with them, but doesn't that also mean being open and honest from our perspective? I mean we can always sit there and listen and understand, but shouldn't I also be able to be honest about how I feel about it? Can I still be loving and tell them why I think what they are doing is wrong?

Adam: I think you are touching on an important point there... Dialogue! It does not really matter what the difference is; whether it’s sexual preference, political ideals or your favorite music we should all be open and willing to talk about it. That becomes tough though when dialogue turns into abuse, and it is even tougher to begin dialogue when it begins with abuse, as was the case when we began this discussion. I would like to see a place where people could all hold to the same standard in relation to dialoguing differences... it seems so often that one side is required to be accepting and loving while the other side can become offended and vindictive. You are right in saying that you should be able to be honest about how you feel and in return a person who disagrees with you should be honest about how they feel, but I think that too often we make comments about our feelings without giving concrete reasoning behind our feelings, and that can be a problem.

Take the abortion debate for example. I oppose the practice of abortion, and when I discuss this topic if I stopped there and just told people I was in opposition to the practice then the conversation would not get very far, but I try to take it a step or two further. I explain that I support the use of birth control before conception and that I huge supporter of adoption after birth, but I believe that abortion is wrong because it ends the life of a person created by God. Sometimes this gives me an opportunity to talk about common ground with people who do not agree. For example many who support the practice are also supporters of adoption and are more willing to talk about adoption than wasting time trying to beat each other up over abortion. However there are those who will argue and be hateful no matter what, and I guess it is those types of people who began this whole thing... and while we have yet to come up with an answer that satisfies I do think this discussion has given us pause to think...

Do we understand others? Are we giving them a chance to explain so that we can understand? Are we meeting people’s physical needs? Can we comprehend a person’s point of view if we have not had any real contact with that person’s world?

As cynical as it sounds Rage Against the Machine may have had a point when they sang "Know your enemy" not that I view those who disagree and oppose me as enemies but I think it is beneficial to understand who they are.

In the end the Bible tells us that Christians will be known by there love for one another, and I hope that people can see that you and I are loving

Adam and Jeremy Say: Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid!

So we had this great conversation about fear over the last few days and we wanted to share it with you, and for that matter we want you to share with us... so if you have a point of view feel free to let loose with it.

Adam: Hey so Global Warming is a big deal, right? I mean people are all nuts about it right now, but did you know in the 70's people where worried about global cooling? Could the real problem be that finite man is trying to understand the creation of an infinite God? Or maybe our culture is just addicted to fear... we must be scared of terrorists, hurricanes and criminals and global warming... do they not know that the whole world is the Lords and everything in it? We are under the watchful eye of God the Father and everything that happens; happens because of Him... how can we fear man or the effects of man, but turn a blind eye to the one being that holds the very breath of those men in His hand? How often does the Bible teach us to not be afraid, Jesus said to fear not for he is with us, oh and he said not to worry just like the sparrow doesn’t worry... Paul said that we have not been given a spirit of fear… the angles told us to not be afraid of their celestial presence... I propose a new mantra for Christians... Fear God and nothing else... then maybe we won't get hung up on stupid things like Y2K.

Jeremy: There is a quote from a Caedmon’s Call song that I really love. It says "this world is making me drunk, on the spirits of fear..." then you know it goes on to say that "this world has nothing for me and this world has everything..." but I just love the line of the spirits of fear. It’s like Satan has workers for himself that their whole purpose is just to make people afraid, and unfortunately it’s obvious they are doing a good job.

Adam: You know even as a Christian it is so hard to not be afraid. Sure the big stuff is easy to ignore; so things like Y2K and Global Warming we can just shrug off, but the little every day things I think are more powerful. The fear of failure, or rejection; the fear of losing a job or the fear of losing stuff. I think if people began to look at their lives as they are, vapors that disappear in an instant, then they could start to understand how foolish those fears are. Not that I am innocent... I am afraid of everything it sometimes seems like... most notably I am afraid of sharks, but the point is if we can look to God and see that He is in control and that our fears are burdens to be cast off, and when we cast them off we can have a closer and fuller relationship with our Creator... I mean look at Paul... dude nearly got stoned to death for preaching the gospel in a city, and so what does he do... wipes the dust off rubs some dirt in his wounds and goes right back into the city to preach the gospel... the man understood that his life belonged to God and so he had nothing to fear... and because of that he was closer to God and better able to share the Love of God with others.

Jeremy: Yes. I am guilty of the fear we are talking about. Maybe that's why it seems so evident to me. I was just on my back from visiting a client and I was thinking about the song again. Often we think that we are tempted so often by maybe the spirits of lust or the spirits of greed, or the spirits of hatred. We never even consider that the spirits of fear are running rampant and causing a huge ruckus in the kingdom of heaven. You may have recently heard me say that I am afraid of nothing. Simply because I was thinking of this same issue, and I see how wrong it is to have fear. Unfortunately, though, just saying your not afraid of anything doesn't mean you won’t actually have fear. When push comes to shove, I probably get very worried and fearful about a great many things. I wouldn't mind hearing a few sermons from the pulpit about the devastating effects of fear instead about "don't drink alcohol".

Adam and Jeremy Say: In Light of Virginia Tech...

Obviously the events at Virginia Tech are on the minds of everyone in the nation, and Jeremy and I are no different. We were not sure how to go about expressing our thoughts and feelings, and have taken several days to assemble them together via email. What follows are our insights pertaining to the event… it goes without saying that our thoughts and prayers are with Virginia Tech, and so what follows has little to do with well wishes and more to do with how we each dealt with the situation.

Jeremy: Monday as I was walking into our local grocery store (Ingles), I had been watching the news about the shootings at Virginia Tech and it was heavy on me. It was weighing on my mind and I was thinking about the aftermath of this tragedy and how it might affect everyone. One of the first things that popped in my head was "People are probably going to blame God and ask the default tragedy question: Why would God let this happen?" so I felt like asking God that question. "Why would you let this happen?" Because He loves us.

What?! Letting people kill people seems like the opposite of love. A loving God would protect us. I don't really know how to explain it, but when God created us he knew the only way for us to be truly happy was to give us our own will, and freedom to do as we choose as far as He would let us go. How could He be a loving God if He controlled our every action and did not give us free will? What’s troubling is that our own will is exactly that, and it usually desires to please itself. God wants us to worship Him, which is often the opposite of a self pleasing will. He knew this would happen when he created us and yet, He still did. I have no answer for that, but I'm not going to complain about the opportunity to have a life.

Back to the point: God so loves that He gave us our own will even though we will use that will for evil and hatred towards Him. This is the same selfish will that causes people to self satisfy their life by putting them first.....sometimes that means killing other people. If only they knew the most self satisfying action is to give your will completely to the devotion of glorifying God.

Adam: You know my wife's brother attends Virginia Tech and I have countless friends who have graduated from the school, so when I heard the news I was concerned, worried, shocked, sad, disillusioned, and many other adjectives that I can't come to grips with at this moment. As the news broke my family had no idea if our relatives and friends were safe; which caused chaos in my life, but as I learned that those I loved and cared for were safe I began to think about what, if anything, I could do. Prayer was obviously something I had been doing since the news broke, but as the day wore on I began to search for something more tangible, and so I began to think, do we need gun control? Is there something wrong with our society? Both of these questions were pertinent and both should be discussed in the future, but the problem I came back to was me!

I literally found myself crying in my state van on the way back from Nottoway County as I realized that I had caused the death of more than thirty people. Did I give someone a gun? Did I pull a trigger? Did have anything physically to do with this incident? No, but maybe that is my greatest sin. Jesus Christ taught that the two greatest commandments are to Love God with all you have and to Love Others as yourself, and seriously I think I have fallen short. More importantly I think most people who claim to follow Christ have fallen short. We claim we love God, but we have ignored the hungry and the cold; those who are unloved and forgotten; we have become more preoccupied with our buildings and our lives than we have with people God loves, with the people who need hope.

In another place in the Bible Jesus teaches about the final judgment; He teaches that there will be many people who feel like they should spend eternity in Heaven because the said pretty things and preached pretty sermons in Christ name, but He will say that He never knew them, obviously they will be dismayed and Jesus tells them that when he was hungry, naked, sick and alone they ignored Him, and they will say “but we never saw you this way” and He will say "What you do to the least of these you do to me." What He is saying is that the world is full of people who are cold, hungry, naked, sick, alone and hopeless; and those who truly follow Him will be the ones who meet these peoples needs, the ones who give people hope! So I will repeat what I cried to my Lord in the van yesterday...

I am sorry!

I am sorry that I have not loved, I am sorry that I have not shared my hope. There is no solution to the problems in this world. The world is really without hope... the Lord says that one day the whole thing will be destroyed and replaced by a new Heaven and new Earth. Obviously that does not bode well for this planet, but that doesn't mean that those of us who live on it are without hope, no, Jesus Christ came and sacrificed Himself as God and Man on the Cross so that everyone may have hope. A hope of a life filled with purpose, love and joy. Hope of an eternity in the awesome presence of God. A Hope for the end of the pain and the suffering of this world. I work in Petersburg VA, a desolate, crime and poverty ridden city, and everyday I drive down Washington and Wythe streets in the heart of the city and every day I see the most amazing sight... literally dozens and dozens of Churches, and ministries line the streets. And I ask why? Why are they there? What is the point of having a church or ministry when the people next door can’t pay the rent, and the girl on the corner has turned to prostitution, and a boy down the alley just got shot while dealing drugs? Why even exist if people are living under bridges, drinking away their pain, and waiting for HIV to kill them? Christians have failed! These people, all people, WANT HOPE and these churches and ministries have not given it to them; more importantly we have not given it to them. I could rant for days about the modern church and its worthlessness but instead I will just say... I am sorry.

I have to man up and say that the faith I represent is letting people down. Why can’t we love people why won’t we give them hope? I am no free love hippie, I don’t thing giving out hugs will cure the world of its ills, but I do think that loving the people God loves can stop people from walking into schools and killing innocent boys and girls... and I do think that giving people hope can break them of addiction and stop the cycle of poverty and pain... I think there is a God mightier than all the woes of this earth and I think if we are faithful to Him we can see this world changed, and I will never again have to say I am sorry when more than thirty people are killed by a man who had lost all hope.

Jeremy: Word. I think you have more hope for this world than I do. I confess that I have convinced myself that this world is hopeless and although I may try to reach out, I do so with the grief that my efforts are not going to change the world. I feel like the world has gotten so far from the cross that there is no turning back, and I wish Jesus would just come back and make everything right. Or maybe God could go back on his word and send another flood. Your hope is encouraging, but I will probably always struggle with the fact that I’m hopeless for the world. Don't get me wrong, my personal hope for my future and the future of my wife is based solely on the fact that we have accepted the grace of God and His salvation.....but as for the world....I know God can do miracles, but I feel the world is hopeless. So it’s almost out of sheer discipline that I do the work of the kingdom with the thought that it probably won’t change the world, but at least maybe it will just help this one person. "...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land..."

Adam: Man I am sorry to hear you say that , and I hope that you change your mind and take the Lord seriously when He taught us to pray; “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Let the will of God be done on earth, and let us strive for the Kingdom.

Adam Says: Further Seems Forever and Jesus Christ Superstar

If you spent any or all of your college career from 1999 to 2006 you probably cried last year when Further Seems Forever announced they were disbanding. The band that defined "emo" for me was finally going to let it go (Hope the boys from Fall Out Boy are taking notes.) Well color me excited when Further Seems Forever released a CD/DVD set last week, "The Final Curtain", with all sorts of great acoustic tracks and b-sides, some that even feature original singer Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Conffesional fame, and a video of FSF final show. A way cool disc worth checking out...

With the excitement about a final Further Seems Forever album I had the opportunity to do some memory lane wandering and a little Internet surfing (which led me to find the amazing FSF concert photo from 1999 that you see above), and I came across a great bio of FSF on Wikipedia that actually has a pretty good rundown of the multiple FSF lead singers, and did you ever wonder what happened to the man who would be Chris Carrabba? Jason Gleason got married to Bella Gleason of Element 101 "fame" and they started a group called Action Reaction. They have an album out and you may check it out if you wish, but it does not come with the Adam and Jeremy stamp of approval as "The Final Curtain" does.

Oh and since it is the day after Easter.... I give you the top 12 Jesus' in entrainment history... as presented by http://www.ew.com/... I still don't think you can beat The Caviezel, but I may be biased... yeah I one look at this list and you suddenly realize why we are all under the misconception that Jesus was a slightly feminine white man... sad... I mean the dude cleared out an entire temple court with his bare hands and an whip; lets see Chuck Norris do that!

Adam and Jeremy Say: Easter

Easter has come reminding us of Christ victory for all of mankind. Jeremy and I have been discussing this week what it must have been like for disciples two thousand years ago... Can you imagine palm Sunday from them? Here is a group of guys who have been following Jesus because they think he is the Messiah, and now finally after what seems like forever he is entering Jerusalem like a conquering king! I am sure they had friends and family members who were asking them questions like "Are you serious with this Jesus guy? If he was really the Messiah wouldn't he have done something by now?" and I am also sure that the disciples had personal doubts... these guys were all under the same bad impression that the Messiah would come as an earthly conquer and so this moment on Palm Sunday must have really made them feel vindicated (sing Dashboard now.)

But that feeling didn't last long, because as soon as they wave the Palm branches Jesus refuses the mantel of conquer, and basically calls out all of Jerusalem because they can't see that He is the Messiah, but he is not the conquer they expected. The Bible doesn't say this, but I bet this was the point at which Judas made up his mind to betray Jesus, and I am sure he rationalized it by thinking that doing this would keep the other disciples from wasting their lives with this Jesus freak.

The roller coaster does not stop their for them... Good Friday comes and here is Jesus all super worried and they don't see it... all they can do is sleep... and suddenly people are taking Jesus... arresting Him for being Him, and to make it even more painful one of their own led the mob there; one of their own betrayed him. There is confusion, swords are drawn, others run, and suddenly that feeling of doubt the disciples had when Jesus denied the mantel of conquer is so strong its blinding them. They can't see that this all fulfills the prophecies, all they can see is a man whom they once hoped would be the Messiah is now being taken away like a common criminal.

The masses are gathered outside Pilot's court as he offers them a choice of which criminal to redeem. The disciples where there watching and hoping, but as soon as the crowd begins to scream "crucify" they begin to leave... maybe even one or two of them cried crucify as well.

So here is Jesus on the cross, beaten and tortured, a few have not lost all hope and so they stand by with Jesus' family. As He hangs there He cries out to God, "Why have You forsaken Me?!!?" For the disciples there it must have seen like the darkest hour of their lives... they had all put their trust in Jesus to be the Messiah, but now He hangs on the cross like a common criminal screaming in anguish, and it seems like the end. Final, with His last breath, Jesus cries "It Is FINISHED!" and the world goes dark, the earth quakes violently, the dead walk among the living there is utter confusion. Even brave Roman soldiers cower in fear and awe.

What are the disciples supposed to think of all of this? They don't know the huddle together in upper rooms, because they have become a family and this is a time for family. Day after day they ponder what has happened once again forgetting Jesus' own words telling them that He would rise on the third day. Sunday dawns and they are all together eating brunch (so that's a creative liberty) when suddenly Mary barges in screaming like a woman who has seen a ghost... Peter and John interpret the shrieks first and take off for the tomb as fast as they can. John gets their first, and then Peter... gone, Someone has taken his body, but wait whats this... He is alive? How? Joy and confusion burn inside them as they sprint back to the other disciples. They lock the door, because they don't know if this was all a trick by the Pharisees, but they hope that its the truth, and then it happens, then they see Him right in their midst! He is alive! He is alive!

What a roller coaster that must have been for them, from the peak of Palm Sunday to devastation of Good Friday and then the Ultimate high of Easter Sunday! I am not sure of this but I am willing to bet that even though ten of them died awful deaths for their faith in a risen Savior I think none of them ever came back down from that ultimate high. That's not to say that every believer should always feel great, but I think there would be a joy for those eleven like we can only glimpse and that is the kind of experience that will mark you not just for this life but for all eternity. Praise the Lord, Jesus is Risen! My Savior Lives... I just hope I can do half as much with this joy as those eleven who transformed the world.

Adam and Jeremy Say: Faith Fundamentally

Adam:
I read a rant in Seth Godin's book, "Small is the New Big," today that maligned fundamentalist and tried to marginalize their beliefs by calling them superstitious and equating them to pigeons. This was sort of surprising because Godin normally commentates on "out of the box" business thinking and not on religious beliefs. Now to be fair he framed the whole argument against fundamentalist by pointing directly at the world of business but he did his best to let it be known that he felt the same ill will towards religious fundamentalist.

I say all of this just to give you some background to the line of thought that ran through my head after reading this rant. Godin made it seem that the best way to handle fundamentalist would be to "rationally" question the faith that has led them to be fundamental on any point. In respect to me and Jeremy we are most often called fundamental when it comes to our faith in Jesus Christ as the sole Son of God and Savior of mankind. Does this make us fundamentalist who need be questioned into rationalizing our faith until we finally give up on God all together and admit that man is the greatest being in the universe and deserves all the praise for what he has accomplished? No it just means that I have a faith that guides my actions and thoughts; however, in our society we have allowed labels like fundamentalist and evangelical stunt our thinking about what a person who is labeled one of the terms actually is. For instance Jeremy and I are both Christians, but Jeremy is a capitalist hippy and I am a socialist. Does that fit into the label of fundamentalist? Or evangelical? I think it is interesting how excited the media gets when an evangelical pastor decides to crusade against global warming or poverty or aids... its like just because this type of activism does not fit into the stereotype that society has labeled "Christian" it is suddenly news... never mind that Jesus commanded us to care for the poor and sick... forget that God called us to be good stewards of the planet! Honestly most people go around thinking that Christians are a people who follow this giant list of "Do Not's" Like Do not drink, do not lie, do not cheat, do not kill, do not have an affair with neighbors wife, but in actuality the Christian Faith is a list of "Do's" Jesus said the two greatest commandments are to Love God and Love Others (the Adam paraphrase.) What in that sounds like do not in that? It's Do! Do love your neighbor as yourself, Do watch after the widowed and the orphaned, Do unto others what you would have them do to you. Of course this all sounds like gibberish if do not have a genuine faith in Jesus Christ, because it is through that faith that you truly feel a desire to please God and to do what is right in God's eyes and not your own, but that's okay, because we all start at that point.

So if you want to call me a fundamentalist, and you want to question what I believe please do so. I have no problem with that, but please don't try to hang so bogus stereotype on me when you start labeling me. Jeremy and I would love to tell you what being a Christian personally means to us. I would love to talk about whatever accusation or hang up you have about the faith I hold, but please do not come in with a big long list of preconceived notions... yes I went to a Bible college and yes I am opposed to abortion, and yes I do not support homosexuality, evolution, alcoholism or any other type of addiction, but I do support gun control, my wife and I regularly support environmental causes and the arts with our money and patronage, I have been known to smoke a cigar from time to time, and ever once in a while I may utter a curse word, and probably most shocking... I regularly listen to NPR. So let's throw out all the labels and the negativity and just sit down and talk like civilized adults.


Jeremy:
I completely agree with your thoughts. I think one thing the world gets confused about it is, why do some Christians think its ok to smoke a cigar and then other they think its wrong. Obviously there are many different fundamentalist Christians out there, and when we all start contradicting each other, the world doesn't really buy that. I mean another "do" of the Christian faith is to "do be unified as a body", and when we are not, that just makes us look like hypocrites. Now since everybody in the world is a hypocrite, I don't think that is really a good argument anymore for not wanting to believe something. Everyone has something they strongly believe in and have compromised that belief at some point.

All to say: I think our belief system is set up to still function even with some us thinking its ok to drink and not get drunk while others think it’s wrong to drink. The most important thing we need to agree and be "unified" on the foundational beliefs you were talking about: love your God; love your neighbor, etc.

Adam and Jeremy Say: Vote for God and He will cut taxes

So Berg got an email forward the other day that touted the blatant Christian values that supposedly correspond to the thirteen folds in a American Flag during a military flag folding. The email was littered with images like this

And touted values like eternal life, and Christian Honor; well you can read the whole thing here at the Snopes website who, as it turns out, have proven that the whole thing is nothing more than an urban legend.

The whole thing got me thinking about the issue of national allegiance and religious allegiance... I mean this email is a perfect example of religious zealotry gone way out to pasture, but it highlights a group of religious people who want to make God a political figure who should be elected President of the Untied States, and I have a problem with this.

I mean as an American I am happy to be part of this country, and I do feel blessed but too often I find Americans have this Hebrew complex... like they want to be God's Chosen people, and in fact only the Israelites where chosen as a people/nation specially by to God to represent Him. Now that doesn't mean we are not special because I mos def think that God gave His Son Jesus to "the world" so that none "shall perish but have eternal life;" I just happen to be of the opinion that God sent Jesus to bless the entier world with His message of Love and the gift of Eternal Life... That's why I got so stoked a few weeks ago when I found this bumpers sticker online...

I think it gets the point across that God is not an American entity... He is far larger than that, and as Jesus pointed out, He wants us to Love Him first and Secondly Love others (meaning everyone... even our enemies)

Adam Says: Mars Hill and a New Years Resolution

I wanted to say a big thanks to Tess for dropping this link To the Mars Hill Website.
For those of you who don't know Mars Hill is the community/church begun by Rob Bell who also wrote Velvet Elvis one of my favorite books on the Christian Faith. She pointed out a great series of sermons Rob did on "Peace Makers" that goes along really well with the discussion Jeremy and I have been having about the war in Iraq. Check out the audio series title Calling All Peace Makers and make up your own mind.

On a vastly different side note let me talk about my New Years resolution... "New Years Resolution? Its February!" You may say; and you are correct, but the Chinese New Year is actually on February 18th, which was really convenient for me because I didn't make my resolution until like January 14h.... at any rate my resolution was to take a picture once a day for a whole year.... not of anything in particular and really at any time during the day I want to take it... once again I admit to ripping of the 3191 girls... link to the right... but I thought it was a great idea so I am taking it and running like I stole it... so at any rate this may turn into an interesting photoblog/art experiment or it could turn into a bunch of really bad photos taken by my D50 and D70 either way it should be worth checking out once or twice... so I look forward to seeing some of your comments about my resolution in the coming days weeks months... well YEAR.

Adam and Jeremy Say: Iraq! War! Urgh! Part 3 (The End)

Adam: Dude let me take this in another direction; over the weekend I was reading Mathew 5,6 and 7; Jesus' Sermon on the Mount; and I hit the part about loving your enemies and I suddenly wanted to feel all vindicated... like "that's right we need to love not fight," but then I was given some revelation this morning... we should love our enemies and leave the war stuff the governments.... As Christians we should reach out to those who have been hurt by war, or for that matter bad men like Saddam Hussein. The world is a fallen place and because of that we all have to suffer and to say that we can fix that suffering by causing more suffering is crazy... peace by way of war... you're the Derek Webb fan you know what I am saying there... but I think its interesting how Jesus didn't view the world through a political lens, sure he took on religious leadership but the government he viewed as an institution placed there by God and so he gave it the respect it was due "Give unto Creaser what is Creasers." So I think maybe Christians are looking at this in the wrong way... In Mathew 5 when Jesus speaks about the attributes he wants in his followers he does not say he wants people who strive for justice and equality, he says he wants people who are meek and who want righteousness and peace, he wants people who are willing to suffer and sacrifice in His Name; and I think we lose that when we get wrapped up in government and military affairs... People in Iraq are dieing... at least 75 more were killed in a bomb attack the other day... soldiers from all sides are giving there lives so that there can be peace and I admire that but it doesn't mean I need to support the cause of death... instead I support the cause of Christ... I support those who support the wounded, I support those who support the hungry, I support those who support the homeless, the widowed, sad, broken, and lost. There is an entire country there that has known nothing but pain and suffering for a very long time and I don't think the best way to help them is to send in the army... though sending in the army has made it possible for us to send in the Word of God... we need people who are willing to bare the Cross of Christ to "lay down their lives" for the Iraqi people and I am not saying just going there to give out Bibles or preach the Gospel... I am talking about feeding the hungry, healing the sick, rebuilding schools and hospitals, taking care of the widowed and the fatherless... there is a world there that has known only hate from their leaders and from their religion it is time Christians stood up and showed them what love truly looks like... and maybe it wont do any good... maybe people will try to kill us, maybe people will try to stop us, maybe they will destroy the buildings and burn the food, and kill the women and children, but we are to expect that... Christ told us that would happen, but maybe it is time that Christians, and specifically American Christians, to follow Christ's example and forgo this world with the glory of the next one in mind.

Jeremy: I agree. This goes back to when I use to rant about how Christians shouldn't be a part of the military. Because how on earth could you love your enemy if all you do is train to one day kill them....and then killing them? That doesn't sound anything like love to me. But then I had a long thought out conversation with my fellow brother in Christ who is a US marine (also, an author and strong theologian). He explained it like, how can we love our neighbor if we are willfully ignorant to the fact that evil men (our enemies) are killing people in our own backyard while we are out "loving our enemies"? I think in situations like that, it comes down to choosing the greater love. and no, I don't think we can just sit back and say God is sovereign and will protect who he wants to protect, etc. he made us beings of action, and I think, sometimes the right action is defending the weak against evil men. I think going to Iraq and Afghanistan to love on those people is an awesome idea. Jesus commands us to reach out to the poor and oppressed.
That reminds me of this.....
We usually think of international missions as sending people into the African bush or jungles of South America. however, the facts show that you can travel miles into the jungles of brazil down a remote river and find people doing bible studies in a straw hut, but you can also walk down the streets in the capital of Afghanistan and talk to people who have never hear the name of Jesus. (This comes from a first hand account of the pastor at Rivers Edge church in Lynchburg, VA)

Adam: I am still not seeing it man, but that's okay we don't have to agree on everything, at least we agree on the important issue of loving people. Your comment of about Brazil there brings up an interesting side note... our church has been housing a missionary couple that is leaving this week to go to Brazil... but not go into the jungle but instead is going to one of its metropolitan areas to minister to business men there... because the area is internationally mixed they will dealing with people on their common ground... business... I think that was such an awesome way to reach a community.