The word cool is an interesting word to me. To be honest, I’m not even sure what it means. Dictionary.com has 28 different definitions for the word, but none of them say what cool is; they don’t explain what qualifies as cool. Perhaps it’s odd that I’m thinking of such things, but I am. I think there is a phenomenon surrounding the word, something really interesting to me. For lack of creativity, and/or intelligence, I’ve named it The Phenomenon of The Cool.

Basically, The Phenomenon of the Cool is that every man and woman wants to be just that, cool. I know what you’re thinking, but just hear me out on this. I believe that everybody desires to be part of something, they want to feel wanted, accepted. They want to belong, they want to feel safe, loved, cool. Donald Miller described the phenomenon as a boat in the water that represents cool, he said something along the lines (I don’t have the book in front of me) that everybody wants to be in the boat, so much so that they’ll even throw others out just to get in. I think that’s a good assessment. Imagine a moment in time when a person you just met tells you how good they are at something, or when a person you know puts down somebody else just to be accepted by their present company. Or even better, imagine a moment in time when you have done either of those yourself. It happens, and, personally, I think it happens because everybody wants to be cool.

Now I know what some of you are saying. You are saying you could care less about the cool boat. You are saying that if there is a boat - which perhaps you don’t believe there is - you don’t really care about making sure you’re in it. I think that’s a good thing. But I imagine it is because you already feel as if you are in the boat. You feel accepted, loved, wanted. You feel as if you belong. But imagine if I said you were not in the boat. Imagine if I told you your present company did not accept you as you, you aren’t wanted. Do you still not care?

Of course, the boat isn’t real. I don’t believe in the boat, I just believe that we, as humans, have created a boat in our minds and have begun to believe it matters. What I do believe is that when God created us he did so by instilling those desires in our hearts. At the time, when God was fully present on Earth, when Adam and Eve had direct contact with God, all those desires were met…by Him. They were accepted and wanted. They belonged and felt the greatest of loves. But perhaps after the fall of man, when that direct link was taken away, we, as humans, became as fish out of water…or better yet, as humans out of the cool boat. We began to flop around looking for acceptance, hoping to get back in the comfort of the boat.

The problem is we’re looking in all the wrong places. We’ve looked for those desires to be met by other human beings when the only one who can fully realize all those desires is God. Perhaps that is why when a man or a woman fully accepts and realizes the scope of the Lord’s love, when they fully realize what Gods love is and means and can provide man, their heart settles. No longer do they try as hard as they can to get in the boat, they realize the water aint that deep anyways. The challenge then is to continually remember that what the cool boat has to offer isn’t all that great. Acceptance by other human beings isn’t what life is about, being cool isn’t cool. As a human being I know I can forget that concept. I can feel as if I’m drowning in the sea of uncool and start panicking. Not until later do I realize the cool boat is not so cool after all. I can stand on my own.

But let’s say, perhaps, that you really want to be in the boat. Maybe you often find yourself in the sea of uncool and the boat looks pretty nice. If so, I don’t blame you. We all do. Being cool may not be cool, but being uncool is worse. Or let’s say, perhaps, that you’re already in the cool boat and are beginning to see the leaks. Maybe it isn’t as nice as you once thought. Either way, we shouldn’t forget the other boat. As we all flop around in the sea of uncool, as we try our darndest to get in the cool boat - which I imagine as a little life boat directly in front of us - there is another boat lurking in the waters. It might be harder to see, it might seem like an illusion, but it is very real. This boat, of course, is God’s boat. It’s a yacht with all of life’s necessities: love, hope, comfort, belonging. And the best part is, there is always room. In fact there is a rope waiting for you grab ahold of so you don’t drown in the sea…uncool or not.

Selected from sermons delivered by C. S. Lewis during World War II, these nine addresses offer guidance and inspiration in a time of great doubt.These are ardent and lucid sermons that provide a compassionate vision of Christianity.

I’ve always been a fairly big fan of Chuck Palahniuk. In fact, if I had to give credit to any author for my reading habits, it might just be him. At a time when I didn’t read at all, nor had the desire to, I saw a book titled Choke at an airport bookstore and decided to buy it so I would have something to keep me company during my travels.

During his ministry on Earth, Jesus Christ performed a number of miracles. Everywhere He went people approached Him asking, or at least hoping, for a miracle. Many times, these miracles were what caused people to believe He was the Messiah. But before Jesus began his ministry, and miracles, He was a child who grew up under the close watch of His mother. It wasn’t until a wedding in Cana when things began to change. This is where Jesus performed His first of many miracles: turning ordinary water into the best wine around.

Every week in my Biblical Interpretation class we have to write a short analysis on a certain passage in the Bible. Sometimes they are on a parable, sometimes on a narrative, sometimes on an epistle, etc… I figured I’d share some of my papers here, not because I think they’re great but because I think it’s good stuff to think about…

Most of the stuff is based off of research, I don’t come up with all of it. I wish I could, but I’m just not that smart…

So, here’s my first analysis. It’s on David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17). I’ll share others as the days go by…

The other day in the gym, my Ipod happened upon an MxPx song that took me back to the high school/college years. Back then I listened to a lot of Christian “Punk” and “Ska” music. I’ve been reminiscing ever since, playing a lot of the old jams, so I thought I’d share some albums that I listened to religiously (no pun intended) when I was younger.

Here they are…

Biblical interpretation for both beginning and experienced Bible readers. The primary task of Bible study is to determine what the Scriptures meant at the time they were written and how that meaning applies to us today. This vital guide focuses on the historical contexts of the Bible and explains differences between the Old Testament narratives, the Epistles, Gospels, Parables, Psalms and more.

I received an invitation on my Facebook page the other day that said, “Come help the Republicans win the battle against the Democrats!” This made me chuckle a little bit. Is it really a battle? Is there a war going on between the Republicans and Democrats? I’ve never been into politics much, but this year, this time around, I am. And what I’ve found it is that I, as a Christian, am automatically made to feel as if I should support the Republican Party. Well, I don’t agree. I mean, why? Was Jesus a Republican?

Donald Miller’s fresh and original voice may change the way Christians view the “status quo” faith and build a bridge to seekers who believe that organized religion doesn’t meet their spiritual needs.

I’ve been trying something different lately. Instead of just reading the Bible, taking it from point A to point B and letting that be that, I’ve been trying to actually study the Bible. I’ll read a short passage, think about that passage, and then try to understand not only what took place, but what it means and what I can learn from it. It’s been going pretty well, I think, and although I know I won’t be able to just read a passage and know everything that there is to know, I still feel as if I’m learning a lot. The Bible study that I’ve been involved in has helped too.