40 Inspirational Speeches in 2 Minutes

Hat tip to ysmarko for the video and the transcript, to which I only added the first bit. The video below is inspirational speeches from 40 different movies, all edited together into one two-minute speech. See how many you can recognize! Transcript is below.



Shame on you. This could be the greatest night of our lives, but you’re going to let it be the worst. And I guarantee a week won’t go by in your life you won’t regret walking out, letting them get the best of you. Well, I’m not going home. We’ve come too far! And I’m going to stay right here and fight for this lost cause. A day may come when the courage of men fails… but it is not THIS day. The line must be drawn HERE. This far, no further! I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. You’re going to work harder than you ever worked before. But that’s fine, we’ll just get tougher with it! If a person grits his teeth and shows real determination, failure is not an option. That’s how winning is done! Believe me when I say we can break this army here, and win just one for the Gipper. But I say to you what every warrior has known since the beginning of time: you’ve got to get mad. I mean plum mad dog mean. If you would be free men, then you must fight to fulfill that promise! Let us cut out their living guts one inch at a time, and they will know what we can do! Let no man forget how menacing we are. We are lions! You’re like a big bear, man! This is YOUR time! Seize the day, never surrender, victory or death… that’s the Chicago Way! Who’s with me? Clap! Clap! Don’t let Tink die! Clap! Alright! Let’s fly! And gentlemen in England now abed shall know my name is the Lord when I tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take our Independence Day!

A Red, White and Blue Christmas

The White House Website is featuring the ornaments sent in by all 50 states to adorn the 2008 White House Christmas Tree. The link above will take you to the list by state, where you can click through to view each state's contribution. I particularly like the eagle ornament sent in from Wisconsin's 8th district.

Hat tip Rightyblog.

Boldly Protecting Christmas!

Hat tip and link to The Dave Casper Experience for this week's (slightly early) Friday Funny.

Ray Boltz "Comes Out"

I was saddened to see in my feed reader this morning a post from Slice with a link to this article from The Washington Blade, a gay newspaper. Yep, Ray Boltz, famous for such songs as "Watch the Lamb," "Thank You," and others, came out to his family almost four years ago, the same day of the deadly tsunami in the Indian ocean. While I'm not a fan of Ray's music, I am saddened by this, but I must take issue with a few things.

First and foremost, Ingrid turns this into an indictment against the CCM industry as a whole, especially the incidences of Christian and gospel singers coming out as either gay or having committed other infidelities. I don't think that's fair. Yes, there is a lot of emotion in CCM, but there is a lot of emotion in all music. If there wasn't emotion, it wouldn't be music; it would just be noise. Even the great hymns of the past and present appeal to our emotions, to the very nature of who we are (for lack of a better term), and speak to us on a deeper level.

Next, I have to take issue with the Blade's conclusions about CCM. They publish a quote from Joe Hogue, a former CCM producer who found himself with no job offers after he came out, who says that there are "a lot of closeted people in Christian music," and yet nothing is offered to back this up. Forgive me, but with no evidence, I find that hard to believe. They also hit on the allegations against some prominent figures in the Christian world, who have been questioned about being gay because they are still single, such as Mark Lowry, although they did admit it's not fair to assume such people are gay just because they're still single. Not all of us get married, and not all of us intend to or have the desire to. That doesn't make it a sin. Jesus Himself addressed this in Matthew 19:12.

In the end, I do think it's sad that Ray Boltz chose this path. And yes, I do think it is a choice. He could have gotten help, and he chose to simply push this under the rug and let it fester for years. That's never a good choice to make. And, now, we've seen where it's led him. Pray for Ray, pray for his family (he and his wife split amicably, and are still on good terms), and pray for those who will be affected by this announcement.

Fri... er, Saturday Funny

Cross posted from According to Coop (my political/current events blog), with a tip of the hat to marko, here's a mashup of Home Alone and I Am Legend. If you remember the former and have seen the latter, you may understand the humor I found in this.

Side note: This marks post number 75 for While Rome Burns. 100, here we come!

To those who criticize "The Social Gospel"

Speak out for those who cannot speak,
for the rights of all the destitute.
Speak out, judge righteously,
defend the rights of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31.8-9

Hat Tip: Mike King

Please understand, this is not meant to be a "drive-by" post, however, there are those who feel that social work (for lack of a better term) is taking on too large a role in the church. Your thoughts are welcome, but please, keep it respectful.

Church on the Move! No, seriously...

Hat tip to ysmarko.

Paul was a Platonist? Well...

As often happens here at While Rome Burns, I am going to respectfully disagree with Ingrid's assessment over at Slice of Laodicea. In this case, we're looking at a video posted on YouTube (embedded below for your convenience) of an interview between Tony Jones and Jerry Johnson, president of Criswell College.




The folks who put this video together seem to think that Jones is elevating the writings of Augustine to the level of Scripture, and stating that Paul was a Platonist. I really don't think that's an accurate assessment, and here's why. First of all, he doesn't say Paul was a Platonist; he *does*, however, say that Paul was versed in Platonism, which would imply he was extremely familiar with it. This would make sense, as Paul talked about being "all things to all men," and his various writings show that he adjusted his message based on who he was speaking to in order to convey the message in a way his audience could understand. Second, Tony doesn't say that Augustine's writings are the same as Scripture; he simply states that a strong knowledge of Platonism came through in many of his theological writings, and uses that to draw a parallel. Finally, Tony doesn't deny the inspiration of the Scriptures, which Johnson implies at the end of this video. I think I would really like to get my hands on the audio of the entire interview, because it seems to me that in the video above, Tony got cut off. I've got a busy week ahead (I really shouldn't even be on now!), but I'll see what I can do. Stay tuned.

Feed Me, Seymour, Feed Me!

Great post over at CRN.Info today in response to an article by Jim Bublitz at OldTruth.com. First, I want to post the comment I left at CRN.info, and then I want to expand on this a little more, so here goes:

It was not so long ago, in our College and Career age Sunday school class, that one of the ministry leaders (ministry is led by a husband and wife team who are not paid by the church, but do receive financial assistance from the church for things related to the ministry) made the point that the Sunday (and possibly midweek) services should not be the only times you get fed. They should be, as she said, “the icing on the cake.” Yes, we are referred to as sheep, and sheep need to be taken to a place where they can eat, but the shepherd can’t eat for them. As the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. Same principle applies here. The pastor is called to act as a shepherd and feed his sheep, but at the same time, the sheep need to do the actual eating. Not only that, we are told to “grow up in our salvation” and move from milk to meat.

I’ll say it once more; the pastor can put the spiritual food in front of his congregation, and show them where to find more, but they have to make the choice to actually eat it.

I also wanted to expand on this, because the point that seems to have been made by Jim and others at Old Truth is that sequential exposition is the *only* way to properly preach the Word. However, as Rick Frueh (one of the commenters at CRN.info) pointed out, even expository preaching is topical on some level, because there is a topic to the sermon, and honestly, there has to be, or the sermon won't make sense. Go read the original article at Old Truth, and then read the response at CRN.info and the comments. There are some great points made on both sides.

Miley Cyrus: Two Responses

I invite you to compare and contrast these responses to the dustup over Miley Cyrus' photo shoot for Vanity Fair.

1st Response

2nd Response

Which of these responses is seasoned with grace?

Pastor's Draft

With a tip of the hat to my old friend and former coworker Danny Clayton, I present you LarkNews.com's "Pastor's Draft," a humorous spin on the NFL draft. Enjoy!

What do Gays and Lesbians Hear?

This is the question asked by Michael Spencer (aka the Internet Monk), who has also earned a place on my blogroll. Go read the whole thing; you'll be glad you did.

How fast can YOU name all 50 states?

In 2m 57s

Click here to Play

[h/t ysmarko]

Willow Creek Changes Course

After several years and multiple millions of dollars spent, Willow Creek discovers that it's still the basics that are the most effective; prayer, study, and fellowship. An interesting read, to be sure, from the Out of Ur blog of Leadership Journal at Christianity Today, which I am adding to my blogroll.

As the Deer... So I Long

Great post by nakedpastor over at his blog today, which I have also (officially) added to my blogroll. I've been reading his blog ever since his dustup with Slice, but never put it in the sidebar. Anyway, go read.

Big Mac's Birthday and Self Control

Great post by Matt B over at CRN.Info, one that is definitely worth reading. There is a lot of talk about self control in the church today, but most of it focuses on sex and alcohol. Self control can be applied to so much more, which is what Matt explores in this article.

Addicted to Blogging?

60%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Mingle² - Dating Site

HT: ysmarko

From the "Lack of Foresight" Department...

...comes this gem from Mark Oestreicher at ysmarko.

Did anyone on the church board let their mind wander just a little bit before they went ahead with this name?

Wrong on several levels, but still funny.

Side note: this is my 50th post at While Rome Burns. So do something celebratory!

Punk'd By The Devil

No comment needed here; just head over to Reverend Scottie's blog to see how he proved the point so many of us have been trying to make about Slice of Laodicea; they're not interested in the truth, they're interested in their version of Christianity. A form of Godliness, denying its power...

HT: Monday Morning Insight via CRN.Info

CRN's Sour Grapes or When did "Relevance" Become a Dirty Word?

I simply couldn't let this post over at CRN go by without comment. In it, we are directed to this year's list of the 50 most influential churches in America. The list includes several of CRN's "usual suspects" (their words, not mine), including Joel Osteen (Lakewood Church, Texas), Rick Warren (Saddleback Church), Bill Hybels (Willow Creek Community Church), T. D. Jakes (The Potter's House), and others. Mind you, I don't think that any of these men are infallible, and of those whom I have listed above, I don't know enough about what they teach to be able to pass judgement on them, nor would I want to. So why this post?

The reason is two-fold. First, the mysterious "Editor" at CRN chose to title this post "More Buffoonery?" Interesting title, and interesting heart condition, to be labeling brothers in Christ (and their congregations) as "buffoons." OK, I could let that slide. Really, I could. But it is the manner in which they point out that John MacArthur (pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA) was *NOT* included on the list, going so far as to call it a "relevance parade." Sour grapes, perhaps? Second, exactly when did "relevance" become a dirty word? It seems to me that if the church becomes irrelevant, it will die. It will have no place in American culture, and will simply fade into nothing. Dictionary.com (a great resource, by the way) defines relevance as:

1. Pertinence to the matter at hand.
2. Applicability to social issues

As I stated above, if we are not pertinent to matters at hand (namely, many of the issues which CRN writes about), and if we cannot apply ourselves to social issues in a relevant matter, then what point is there for the church to exist? It rather reminds me of Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 13, in which we are told that though we speak in the tongues of men and angels, or do great things, but have not love, we are nothing. I believe the same principle applies. If we seek to exist in a vacuum, we will get exactly what we want, but it won't last. Like it or not, we are in this sinful, fallen world for the long haul, and we need to make the most of it. We need to be willing to engage those around us, not simply tell them they are lost and going to burn for all of eternity.