Of Hammers, Pickles, and Nickelback

Whoa! I don’t think Josh Gross likes Nickelback very much!!! Maybe, JOSH finds them GROSS (corny, I know, but I’m laughing hysterically!). You know, there are people you just can’t tolerate. Like that guy who every time you see him makes some joke about how you look. He always says, just kidding, but you know he’s not. Or, like Josh, there’s a band whose music you just cannot stomach. Or, there’s an ex-friend, ex-spouse, ex-someone! When you see them coming, you hide your face and quickly move in the opposite direction. Come to think of it…maybe I’m somebody some else can’t stand! Maybe someone hates me! (My mom said never to say “hate.” OK, Mom, how about “dislike intensely.”)

Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone. Hebrews 2

Well…here’s some good news. Jesus came to save the world…meaning everyone and anyone. He didn’t come to please the religious crowd. He didn’t come to pander to the social crowd. He came to save the guy who makes jokes at your expense. He came to save all your exes, even the ones in Texas. He came to save you and me! He reached out to men and women, the young and the old, the powerful, the weak, the forgotten, the intensely disliked. All shapes, sizes, colors.

And, today, Jesus is still saving people. He’s still offering the same lifeline to anyone who will reach out and grab ahold. To you…even to Nickelback and Josh.

What do you think of Nickelback? Take a listen.   http://youtu.be/4OjiOn5s8s8

Facebook Losing Ground?

Things in the computer and online world change with blazing speed! Desktop, laptop, hand-held devices…what’s next? Who knows? Yes, how we use the internet changes quickly and often. A recent article I read said teens are beginning to leave Facebook and use other social media because Facebook is their parents’ thing. Could Facebook go the way of MySpace? And we already have Twitter and Tumblr waiting in the wings. I guarantee somewhere in the world right this minute someone is working on some huge change in the way we deal with computers and the internet! And, it’ll be here soon!

Life can be like that. Changing quickly, moving at the speed of light. Do you ever feel like life is a raging river and you just fell in? You’re being tossed head over heels. And you can’t get back to solid ground. You reach out but all you get is a handful of water. Any minute you feel like you will drown.

Here’s some good news. There is some solid ground. Jesus. He doesn’t change. He is constant, steady. He’s unswerving and reliable. His waters are not raging, his are the calm waters of a lake…smooth…glassy…still.

(Jesus speaking) “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.”  Matthew 7