Willis: "Set Fame on Fire"

Do you ever dream of being famous? Of getting recognized by strangers on the street? Of having people around the world know your name and your accomplishments? I guess that’s part of the appeal of shows like “American Idol,” but fame sometimes comes with a high price.

Actor Bruce Willis -- about to add to his fame with the upcoming DH4, "Live Free or Die Hard" -- recently told Vanity Fair that he’s not a fame fan. "It's really ... weird to be famous. It gets you into restaurants easier than other people, but beyond that, personally, you could set fame on fire."

I wonder if it matters what you’re famous for. Willis, of course, is known for his acting skill and all the likable heroes he’s pretended to be in the movies. He’s also famous for marrying Demi Moore, having three oddly named kids with her, and continuing a famously friendly post-divorce relationship -- even after she married the young star of "Punk’d."

A quick word search reveals several people from the Bible were famous in their day. Joshua became famous in the Promised Land as the leader of God’s army, a small group of warriors well known for defeating much larger enemies. (Joshua 6:27) Later, King David was said to be quite famous as the battle-tested king of thriving Israel. His fame made Israel’s enemies shake in their combat boots. (1 Chronicles 14:17)

By far the most famous of his era was David’s son Solomon. His claim to being a household name: wisdom. In 1 Kings 4:31, we’re told he was way more wise than a lot of guys you’ve never heard of. The Queen of Sheba, quite famous in her own right, heard of Solomon’s famed wisdom, and made a big trip to "test him with hard questions" (2 Chronicles 9:1) and talk with him about ”all she had on her mind.“ The world knew Solomon as the wisest of all men.

So what did Solomon say about fame? He wrote all kinds of stuff about the value of wisdom -- and he would know -- but he didn’t really urge his readers to go out and "get fame," "acquire celebrity," above all else, "get your face on TV." (Proverbs 4:7) In fact, he spent much of the book of Ecclesiastes dissing the results of achievement, power, and pleasure -- and the momentary fame that came with them -- as ”meaningless.“ I wonder if he would have joined Willis in saying "you could set fame on fire."

The question for us: Do we care more about being known -- or about knowing more of God’s wisdom? Want a life that matters? Start with Solomon’s teaching in Proverbs 4.

How Should We Pray After Virginia Tech?

Great, practical, insightful post from the Dawn Treader blog with prayer ideas from a believer who survived a shooting similar to what happened at Virginia Tech last week.

Christians Killed in Turkey

This story about evangelical Christians in Turkey being murdered for their faith in Christ reminded me again that the price of following Jesus is much higher in many parts of the globe than it is here for me. Yes, there’s plenty of high-voltage bickering in Western culture about Christian beliefs being “dangerous” or Christians being stupid, but very few of us are being beaten or killed simply for who and how we worship.

Historically and globally, it’s not uncommon for Christians to become targets. Spend a few minutes at sites like Voice of the Martyrs or flipping through dc Talk’s book Jesus Freaks: Martyrs, and you’ll see that it’s happening right now in many parts of the world.

What can we do about it?

1) Thank God. Throughout history, He has used the persecution of Christians to grow the church deeper and wider. Peter was talking to persecuted Christians when he said, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” (1 Peter 3:15) People don’t get it when Christians under the gun still live with hope and joy, so they investigate to see what these “crazy Christians” have that they don’t. And the truth spreads.

2) Pray for them like family. Because they are our family. Pray for courage and comfort and relief. Hebrews 13:3 says, “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” Here’s a site with a few good ideas about how to pray for persecuted Christians around the world.

3) Be challenged. In many places hostile to Christ, it would be easy to avoid persecution by simply having nothing to do with Him. Christians in Sudan and and parts of China suffer because they refuse to walk away from Jesus. Instead they take up their crosses and follow Him at the risk of great pain and suffering. We would be willing to endure that? Are we even willing to be called “dangerous” and “stupid” for our beliefs?

Does your church and/or youth group ever talk about the issue of Christian persecution? Are you doing anything to try to help?

New Earth-like Planet

According to a story on Yahoo news:

For the first time astronomers have discovered a planet outside our solar system that is potentially habitable, with Earth-like temperatures, a find researchers described Tuesday as a big step in the search for "life in the universe."

Amazingly, when NASA trained their most powerful space-based telescopes on the planet, they found three Starbucks already in place and doing brisk business.

40 Things that Only Happen in the Movies

From thatwasfunny.com, a list of unlikely events that happen all the time on screens big and small. A few good ones:

25. You will survive any battle in any war UNLESS you show someone a picture of your sweetheart back home.

29. One man shooting at 20 men has a better chance of killing them all than 20 men firing at once (this is known as Stallone’s Law).

35. During all police investigations it will be necessary to visit a strip club at least once.

That last one is especially true during TV ratings periods. What's with that?

(via EvangelicalOutpost.com)

Why Are You So Hungry?

Maybe it's because you're seeing so many ads for food everywhere you turn. This study from the National Academies of Science says that teens like you see around 17 food ads a day (or 4,400 per year). You might think that advertising doesn't work, but those guys spending millions to stick pix of their products under your nose every ten minutes would disagree.

I know a well-done commercial at just the right moment in my hunger cycle is likely to send me reaching for a bag of chips or a spoonful of sour cream. How about you?

Here's a question. If we are what we eat and we eat what we see, how can we control what we see so we eat what we need? You think about that. I'm going for a cheeseburger.

(via Kottke.org)

Shooting Victim's MySpace Page

Yesterday's Christianity Today Weblog traced several religious connections to the mass murders at Virginia Tech. Among other things, it's come out that the killer once attended to a Presbyterian church with his family, but rejected repeated outreach attempts from a Korean Campus Crusade group. Several victims, however, left behind no doubt as to where they stood on the issue of Jesus.

If Cho's faith remains something of a mystery, Christianity is front and center in much of the memorial. Stories of the victims are trickling out. The Myspace page of Lauren McCain, 20, now continues her testimony. "The purpose and love of my life is Jesus Christ," she wrote. "I don't have to argue religion, philosophy, or historical evidence because I KNOW Him. He is just as real, if not more so, as my 'earthly' father."

What a challenging testimony. Have you ever wondered what would be left behind on your Myspace or Facebook page if something happened to you? What would be your online legacy?

We continue to pray for the friends and families of everyone hurt by this attack. We can also pray that God will, as He so often does, take something clearly meant for evil and use it to draw the hurting and angry and spiritually hungry to Himself through the testimonies of those pointing to Him even in their darkest moments.

Lindsay Lohan: Sobriety Rocks!

Okay, I know it's easy to pick on Li-Lo, but I couldn't pass up this headline-grabbing observation from Entertainment Weekly.

The 21-year-old, who sparked a media frenzy in January when she checked into a Los Angeles area rehabilitation center for undisclosed treatment, claims that abstaining from drugs and alcohol has sharpened her skills as an actress. ''I noticed how much better I was,'' Lohan tells Entertainment Weekly. ''How much more clear my thoughts were, too.''

Her statement of the obvious aside, perhaps the starlet is arriving the hard way at the same conclusion Solomon came to: "Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise." (Proverbs 20:1) If media reports (and some of her own interviews) are to be believed, Ms. Lohan is no stranger to being led astray by assorted substances.

Don't get me wrong. Solomon wasn't anti-wine; he just said that partying (with wine and "folly") is a dead end in the search for life that matters. Check out Ecclesiastes 2:1-11. Then check out Mark's book about the rich and famous guy who had it all and tried it all before giving up hope of finding anything worth living for "under the sun." Lindsay probably has more in common with Solomon's wealth, status, and power than most of us ever will. Maybe we could pray that she'll gain some of his kind of wisdom about the one place to look for true meaning beyond this meaningless life.

4500 Hungary Bunnies

Is it just me, or would this real-life news story make a great Nick Parks movie? Or maybe something darker by one of those trippy Japanese animators. (It's probably not a Tarantino flick.)

A truck with 4500 rabbits on the way to the slaughterhouse overturns in traffic, sending bunnies scurrying in every direction. A family of rabbits previously separated into different cages dodges tiny Hungarian cars while desperately trying to find each other in the crowd. Just when they think they've been spared, the rabbit hunters show up and start re-snatching bunnies and loading them onto new trucks. Will our rabbit heroes get away? Will they stay together? In the end, the story reports, 100 rabbits found freedom. Now what will become of them? It's a built-in sequel!

Does anybody know an agent? This could be big. The merchandising tie-ins alone would cover the distribution. Who can we get for voice talent? Hmm . . .

Anti-Inspirational Quote of the Day

Why are you trying so hard?

"Only the mediocre are always at their best."

--Jean Giraudoux

Nobody Looks Like That

Interesting beauty quote from gorgeous actress Kate Beckinsale from a Glamour magazine interview. Even people in Hollywood don't look like the Hollywood fashion ideal.

"I don't think you can aspire to it, nor can I. Everybody is retouched, stretched, lengthened, slimmed and trimmed. I could look at a picture of myself from the past and think, `Why don't I look like that now?' It's because I never have!"

Even if we don't admit it to ourselves, everyone is influenced by the Hollywood look -- either to punish our bodies into unreal submission or to shame ourselves for being too fat, too blemished, too greasy, too awkward. It gets in our heads from the time we're kids, but we've got to fight it. It's such an illusion.

Some of the most gorgeous women in Hollywood come off as really ugly when you listen to them on a talk show for five minutes. All the botox and push-up apparatus on the west coast can't overcome the inner ugliness of someone who lives only for self. Solomon said it better: "Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion." (Proverbs 11:22)

But real beauty is irrepressible in a woman focused on looking like Jesus.

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful." (1 Peter 3:3-5)

Amazing Talents

The promo materials for next year's PlanetWisdom tour are being assembled right now, including lots of interviews with students. Here's an example of the kind of talented people you can expect to meet at a PW conference or one of this year's 86 Hours camps this summer:

By His Wounds

When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

--1 Peter 2:23-25

(image courtesy of vmgbackgrounds.com)

Rock, Paper, Scissors, Fire, Monkey . . .

A guy with way too much time on his hands has "enhanced" the reliable rock-paper-scissors game with 98 other options to throw and a complicated chart of how each option beats or gets beaten by all the others. Much more practical for anyone with enough time on their hands to actually play the game (say, a van full of students on the way to 86 Hours Summer Camp) -- the 25-throw version. You'll need the chart, lots of practice on the hand positions, and it wouldn't hurt to check out this Flash version of the game to figure out how it works.

Or, you know, you could just play rock-paper-scissors.

Timelapse Digital Painting

You'll find lots of timelapse paintings now on YouTube. This one is cool. And a little sad.

Praying the Psalms

“Whoever begins to pray the Psalms earnestly and regularly will soon take leave of those other light and personal little devotional prayers and say, ‘Ah, there is not the juice, the strength, the passion, the fire which you find in the Psalms. Anything else tastes too cold and too hard.’”

--Martin Luther, in a booklet about prayer for his barber

(via Between Two Worlds)