See, you're an idiot for wearing those crazy toe shoes!

I'm still wearing my Vibram FiveFingers and I'm not stopping anytime soon.  Yes, I've seen the articles.  It seems everyone who knows of my VFF obsession has messaged or posted on my Facebook about articles like this one that tell of the lawsuit Vibram is settling.  So here's my take.

There are two stories going around and so I'll address both.

First.  This story came out showing that Vibrams are terrible for you feet.  According to this report, it is harder on your feet to transition to minimalist running shoes than it is to wear shoes with two and a half inches of padding underneath them.  DUH!  Is this a surprise?  Yes, transitioning to Vibrams for running takes time and your feet need to adjust.  This is not news.  But here are some real flaws in this study:

• 19 people were in this study running with VFF's.  That isn't a large enough group to make any real claims.
• Though the claim is that 10 of the 19 were injured, there were only 2 that had actual stress fractures.  (And there was 1 in the control group of 18 running in regular shoes.)  Again, this is not indicative of anything.
• There are no studies of people who use minimalist shoes long term, just transitions.  I wear Vibrams almost exclusively and have for 2 years.  Even when I go a few months without running, I can take off for 3 miles with no pain or injuries.

Second. So some random lady buys a pair of Vibram FiveFingers shoes because they claim that they'll strengthen her feet and decrease injuries.  And they don't magically make her fit and strong; they must be lying.  This kind of litigation drives me insane.  Vibram makes a common sense claim that using your feet the way nature (God) intended will be better for you and are sued because they haven't done years of studies to back up the claim.  It's ridiculous.  I understand why VFF settled the lawsuit and are paying out millions; since they'd probably get worse publicity and spend more defending themselves against such a frivolous suit.  (And don't get me wrong; I don't believe VFF to be a nonprofit who hasn't made a bundle off of these shoes.  They are financially motivated to convince you their toe shoes are a good idea and worth the $100 you can often pay for them.)

But I'm still wearing them.  I got my first pair planning to use them canoeing and fishing in Canada.  The first time I tried running in them, I went way too far and ended up with fist-sized knots in my calves for a week.  (Though no bone injuries.)  But even that first run was easier and less painful than the shin splints and lower back pain I always got running with regular shoes.  After getting used to my VFF's, I didn't want to wear other shoes anymore.  Even my beloved flip flops were a chore to walk around in compared to my toe shoes.  So no I wear them everyday.  I have kangaroo leather ones for the office and even for preaching on Sundays, I have casual ones that look like vintage tennis shoes - with toes, and I have trail runners for harsher grounds.  And I love all of them.  I'll keep wearing them cause I feel good in them, and love how they feel.  (My wife and our boys will continue to wear them too.)  To me, it's simple.  God made our feet to be used a certain way.  Instead, we shove them inside shoes that make us walk and run completely differently, and then we wonder why we have bad backs, knees, and hips.   Maybe someone should sue Nike, Reebok, and Adidas for all the knee replacements and chiropractic appointments from a lifetime of use.

Ordination Song

What song should I sing for Scotty's ordination?  It took me a few tries, but I think I found the right one.  But there's a few rejects that give some advice to a young minister.

What do we do with Membership?

In multiple talks, I'm finding that membership is going to be a challenge going forward.  While I find it to be essential to the work of the church body, it probably can't continue to look the same as it always has.  As usual, Fitch hits it on the head with his article.

Membership Has It's Practices.

Not-so Quick Review: "God's Not Dead"

Hold on.  Stop.  If you saw this movie, loved it, felt encouraged, even blessed by it; that's great.  Maybe you sent "God's Not Dead" texts to all your contacts like the movie encouraged.  That's good.  It was, after all, a big Christian pep rally by the end.

And I don't want to rain on your "God's Not Dead" parade, so maybe just be happy with the movie that you liked and move on.  My only warning for you is to be careful not to become a Christian victim, believing that everyone is against us and we must debate them into submission.  We still live in a country overwhelmingly open to Christianity compared to every other nation in most of the history of the world; so we need to be careful not to be over dramatic regarding our minor "persecutions" in today's culture.

"God's Not Dead" movie lovers, read on at your own risk.

---------------------------------------------------------

I get embarrassed by movies like this.  I know I should be happy that there are Christian movies in mainstream theaters for everyone to go see, but I am almost hopeful that non-Christians didn't go see this one.  Have you ever watched a mainstream TV show or movie that has a Christian character in it?  Almost every time, the Christian character is one of two things: a hypocrite or a hick.  They are either a super conservative believer who's secretly picking up prostitutes at night - showing how ridiculous their belief really is; or they're some stupid brainless Christian with faith based only in Sunday School teachings from their childhood.  I hate when I see these characters because they are caricatures of reality.  If I were not a Christian, I would feel the same about how the characters are portrayed in this movie.

So let's get into it.  (Spoilers below)

It feels to me like this movie was created to be similar to the Garry Marshall movies like "Valentine's Day" or "New Years Eve".   There are multiple character that are seemingly unconnected that eventually show their relation to each other.  Unfortunately, in "God's Not Dead", the characters are terribly shallow and extreme versions of themselves.

• There's the "liberal blogger" with a car covered in liberal bumper stickers - like "I love evolution".  She tries so hard to ambush the Duck Dynasty stars with her desire to make them look bad for killing ducks and praying to Jesus.  And she's in a relationship with the typical high powered lawyer who responds to her terrible news casually and selfishly; ultimately breaking up with her over her illness.  So cliche.  
• There's the overbearing girlfriend of the hero of the story who, though she met him at a Christian rock concert, forbids Josh from debating his philosophy professor over God's existence.  (The only reason I mention the concert is cause the movie makes sure you know it.  Clearly, she is supposed to be a Christian just like he is.)  And though she supposedly attends her third choice college to be with him and has their life planned out, she dumps him over disobeying her mandate and throws away their 6 years together.  OVER SOMETHING THAT HAS NO EFFECT ON THEIR RELATIONSHIP.  So stupid.  
• Then there's the demonized professor of Philosophy.  He walks into class with one purpose; to make all students into atheists, even requiring them to write "God is dead" and signing it.  Is this what Christians think all atheists are like?  He's arrogant, biased, and even treats his girlfriend like crap.  Did I mention his girlfriend is a Christian?  (Yeah, a die-hard atheist who can't stand having a Christian student would date one?  Give me a break.)  And ultimately, of course, the real reason our professor is an atheist is because he's mad at God, not because he's convinced God doesn't exist.  Again, this is what I think most Christians think about atheists, but I'm not convinced this is the reality for many.  (If I were an atheist, I'd be offended at this extreme portrayal.)
• Of course, there has to be the strict, authoritarian Muslim father as well in the movie.  What kind of Christian movie would it be if there weren't some portrayal of another religion's adherent showing why Christianity is better.
• There is also the duo of ministers; pastor and missionary, who just can't make it to Disneyworld cause God keeps their car from starting in order to keep them in the right place for the right time of encountering many of the above characters.  I can't figure out why God never forces me into right circumstances for ministry using unbelievable methods.  I guess I'm not a good enough pastor.

I'm sorry to be so hard on a movie with good intentions, but my fear is that it does more harm than good.  For Christians, it gives us a victim mentality and the thinking that we can argue someone into faith in Christ.  (Which I've never seen work.  Ever.)  It also makes us look at anyone that isn't a Christian as an opponent who is seeking to destroy our faith or take our freedom to believe away.  That just isn't the case.  Jesus certainly didn't teach us to see His created people as enemies, but as deserving of love.  (Remember, it is through love that people see God's hand at work.  Not debate.)

The debate ends with a climactic scene as Josh interrogates his professor, badgering him into admitting his hatred for God.  This leads to Josh getting in the final blow: "How can you hate someone who doesn't exist."  The audience gasps and Christians let out a celebratory cheer.  But I'm afraid it just wasn't the mind-changing hit to me that it should have been.  Catching his professor in a logical fallacy isn't really making the case for God; it's just making the professor look silly.  (And any professor should have seen that coming a mile away.  I did and I'm not that smart.)

Finally, I was amazed at how flippantly the movie dealt with death.  I guess we can smile at death or the prospect of dying as long as the person knows Jesus.  Yes, we can rejoice in the eternity Jesus offers us when we know Him, but that doesn't erase the sadness and loss that death brings to those left behind.

On a positive note, the arguments made by our young student are well articulated and spark thinking by the audience.  (Honestly, I love apologetics and debate.) I was glad to see respected Christian philosophers and scientists quoted in the debate.

Ultimately, I think most of my criticisms are simply my own and that most people will come out of seeing "God's Not Dead" feeling encouraged in their faith.  And that's okay.  But please beware of how you think of and treat those who disagree with you.  Cause it's the love of Christ that will lead people to Him, not harsh words of debate or short-sighted caricatures of them.

Flame on...

Superhero (as told by the Stoops family)

With 3 boys, our house is full of superhero toys, costumes, and weapons.  We love to play but sometimes our superheroes combine into new and different guys.  So here's the story of our life.

Quick Review: "Son of God"

Before I get into discussing "Son of God", let me start by saying that I don't really like most Christian movies.   Whenever they come to town,  every church-goer around begins moralizing about how we should support any movie with "Christian values". Too often they're poorly written, poorly acted, with terrible special effects, and often bad theology.   (Don't get me started on the prosperity theology of "Facing the Giants".) So I was skeptical when "The Bible" came to History Channel and even more so when they made their Jesus footage into a full length movie. But as I drove by our local theater this week and saw that the movie shows at 7pm on Wednesdays, I thought this might be a good thing to do for our youth group time.  After all,  we can discuss the movie, whether good or bad at our next group time.

I'm not movie critic but here's what I thought of "Son of God" after watching tonight.

To sum it up. Not bad. Overall, "Son of God" did a good job of telling the story of Jesus' life allowing the watcher to connect with the characters and the drama within it. I found myself with goosebumps as Jesus performed miracles, stood up to the religious leaders, and certainly when He appeared to Mary at the empty tomb. There were even moments when I couldn't help but think,  "Dang, Jesus was BA." I think the movie is good enough to tell an important story without taking too much away from it.

But, yes, there were some issues.   First, the English accent Jesus has annoys me. Is there a reason that a first century Jew that spoke Aramaic should be British in a movie? Is American English not as "Jesus-y"?  (I won't go into the issues with a super white Jesus.) And there were moments where Jesus descends into very cliche lines almost straight out of the KJV, many of which were poorly placed. For instance, as Peter gets into an altercation, Jesus says, "Peter, turn the other cheek." Peter hadn't been slapped and Jesus hadn't taught that lesson. It happened again when Peter cuts off a soldier's ear at Jesus' arrest. Jesus spits out a very cliche, "Those who live by the sword, die by the sword." And it's enough to make Peter drop his sword on the ground.  Ugh. (Yes, it's part of what Jesus says to Peter in some gospels, but was not said alone and in such a cliche way.)

I also had a bit a hard time with the effects.  The Temple looked like a toy model and so did the city of Jerusalem. Most miracles look decent, but the beating and crucifixion were a little less than realistic. Maybe the violence and realism of "The Passion of the Christ" make anything else look lame, but after almost 40 lashes, Jesus' back was in too good of shape. (Though, honestly, it was probably the right choice to reach a wider audience, so I'll give them a pass.)

When it comes down to it, there were moments that I recognized issues, but it's a worthwhile movie. I can't recall any major eye-rolling, and I felt very satisfied with the movie. My youth loved it; many were moved to tears. There is no perfect Jesus movie. Every one of them will fall short of the reality of God's Son coming to earth, but this one is worth seeing, talking about, and using as a slightly out-of-focus picture of the Gospel story.

Oh, and there was one great moment! SPOILER ALERT! Jesus goes to the tomb of His friend Lazarus who died 4 days earlier to raise him from the dead.  Jesus walks around behind Lazarus who's lying on a slab on his back. Jesus bends down and kisses his friend on the top of the head, suddenly opens His eyes, and then so does Lazarus. It was a powerful moment and a great way for them to show an amazing encounter.

My 2 cents...

Too much Walking Dead?

I used to be scared of my bedroom.  There, I said it.  When my family moved to this new town and new house, for the first time I got my own room.  At 10 years old, I was excited to have my own space where my brother couldn't lay his wet towels on my bed any longer.  But there was a problem.  In this particular house, the way to the attic was in my closet.

Let me paint a picture for you.  You open the door to my nice walk-in closet and see space for clothes as any other closet would have, until you turn to the right.  To the right in the closet are large steps leading up to a square hole in the ceiling that would take you into the attic.  But that area wasn't covered with a door.  Instead a styrofoam piece about 3 inches thick fit into the ceiling doorway to the attic.  And on a windy day, I could open my closet door to see that styrofoam lifting up as if some axe murderer was getting ready to make his way down to me.  It. Was. Terrifying.  So most nights I piddled around until my brother's bedtime so I could go and sleep in his room.

Needless to say, I was not a fan of scary movies either.  We weren't allowed to watch the classics like Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, or Friday the 13th; and that was fine by me.  I'd get nightmares from watching the trailers for those movies on television.

So when The Walking Dead came to AMC I had no interest.  Even as an adult I have little interest in gory horror movies, and still don't understand people's obsession with being scared.  But more and more, people told me how great this show is.  And I began to feel a bit tempted to try it out.  So through the magic of Netflix, Katie and I sat down to begin the first season of TWD.  Long story short: we watched 2 episodes and were done.  Too gory, too terrifying.  (I mean, this is a worst nightmare scenario.  Disgusting looking zombies eating you alive.  No thanks.)  

A few months passed and the lure to try TWD again was strong; more of my friends and family were hooked and I was missing out.  So I decided to try again, but with a catch.  I only watch during daylight.  Otherwise my sleep is too affected.  

I watched three and a half seasons in about three weeks.  (I would have gone faster but the sun kept setting every day.)  And something crazy happened; I stopped being grossed out or afraid of zombies.  My friends and family were right that the show is phenomenal.  It is fascinating to watch what happens to people when the structures of civilization fall apart.  The zombies are an important part, but they are more the cause that allow you see the effects on human characters.  And no matter how gory and tense the episodes, I find them affecting me less and less.  

I've gotten used to zombies!!  

Is this what happens with sin in our lives?

Those things that we used to think were abhorrent become the norm when we let them little by little into our daily lives.

I've read that in support groups for broken marriages they call this "the fog".  This term refers to the way that living in the midst of sin begins to fog up a person's ability to see right and wrong.  When sin makes its way into our lives and goes unchecked, it begins to change us.

Have you ever experienced "the fog"? Have you been desensitized by sin?  Don't worry, there's a way out.  Encountering Jesus has a way to cut through the fog so you can see reality.

It worked for Zacchaeus.  A tax collector, traitor to his own people, cheat, and sinner; one encounter with Jesus and the fog was lifted.  (Luke 19)

I love that story.  This "wee little man" must have known that something was different about Jesus because he was determined enough to scurry up a tree to see Jesus walking by.  The Bible never says if Jesus even mentioned Zacchaeus' sin, but almost immediately the man was changed.

It may not be that sudden, but reconnecting to Jesus will always get through the muck so you can see clearly again.