I’m not a big NASCAR fan, but I do love pranks. Brian Vickers and his crew get my seal of approval for pulling of this pit stop in the middle of Times Square.
Author: Nick (Page 19 of 24)
This segment on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon last night was incredible. Mark-Paul Gosselaar showed up for an interview in full character as Zack Morris from Saved By The Bell.
The hair, the rolled up jeans and hi-tops, Malibu Sands, Stansbury, time out/time in, the drop-down Kelly Kapowski poster, Johnny Dakota, the gigantic cell phone, a Zack Attack song… So many great memories.
Ya gotta give Mark-Paul credit for doing this. I don’t think most actors would revist their old roles like this.
Bring on the reunion.
“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.
-John 15:1-2 (NLT)
Here we find Jesus comparing himself interestingly enough to a grapevine. He adds that God, his father, is the gardener, and his believers are the branches. Jesus then points out that the gardener (God) makes two distinct types of pruning cuts.
First, any branches that are grape-less are immediately cut off at the trunk. That makes sense. Branches that are aren’t producing are simply stunting the growth and goodwill of the entire plant. They are nothing more than worthless twigs, and should be removed.
That made me think though… I wonder what points of my life I wasn’t bearing any Godly fruit, satisfied with being a Christian in title only. If God ultimately wants to use me to produce, if that’s my purpose, if that’s how I was designed… Then that’s impossible for me to do if I am disconnected from God, the grapevine. Spiritually speaking, I was as good as dead. Ouch.
And next, Jesus says, any branch that is doing well and full of grapes is pruned as well, but pruned back.
I certainly don’t have much of a green thumb, so this statement caught be a bit off guard initially. Something is growing well and producing fruit and you are going to prune it? But, from a gardeners perspective, it’s a common practice. When a healthy branch is cut back, it actually promotes growth and maximizes its fruit-producing potential. So what does that mean to me, a branch, a Christian?
Even when things seem to going well, sometimes I will have to be pruned. And that will be painful, discouraging, and frustrating. But those difficult times will strengthen my faith and character, allowing me to bear Godly fruit to the best of my ability.
God, if it produces the results you want with my life, here are the shears. Prune away.
I share his frustration.
Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men.
Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.
-Proverbs 4:14-15 (NIV)
While on my honeymoon in Cancun, Mexico, an epidemic of swine flu broke out in central Mexico, and quickly spread into other countries including the United States. During our stay, all we saw on the news programs were image after image of of Mexican people running around with surgical masks on, desperate not to contract the virus.
Even though Mexico is over 750,000 square miles in size and the closest confirmed case of the outbreak was hundreds of miles from where we stayed, my wife in particular was worried about how we would be treated upon our return. Would people not want us around? Would they be afraid to hug us? Would they expect us to wear masks? Would be be allowed to go back to our jobs?
This is life or death after all, so every possible precaution has to be taken, right?
It all got me thinking: I wonder what it would be like if we, as Christians, treated sin/temptation/evil the same way we treat an infectious disease such as the swine flu?
I will not be dishonest in this business transaction… Small often leads to all.
I will not visit that website… I know I’ll see something that would cause me to lust.
I will not go to that party tonight… The temptations there will be very strong.
Are we treating the “disease” of sin the same way? Are we doing everything we can take make sure we don’t get infected? As the Proverb says, are we staying away off that road, turning from it and going in another direction?
When it it comes to obvious evil and clear temptation in our lives, we must be quick to avoid ’em like the plague… Or swine the flu.
This is life or death after all, so every possible precaution has to be taken, right?
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