Sorry it's been so long on a post, guys. We've had some personnel changes around here and life has been a little crazy. Anyway...
I came across an interesting blog post this morning about the recent rise in "sex sermons." If you're not familiar with this, many churches, especially ones with younger congregations, are creating series of sermons dealing with sex and all the issues surrounding it. They're also promoting these things without shame (read more here). Granger Community Church developed an entire Web site to promote it, mylamesexlife.com (which my internet filter at work is currently blocking). Of course, this approach has created a legion of critics, which is what the author responds to in that first blog post.
While I think he dismisses some legitimate objections a little too quickly, I do agree with the author's main point that this is a topic on which the church can no longer be silent. With the proliferation of sexual sin in our culture, we need to be able to deal with this topic in the open, not just during our accountability time. Is it uncomfortable? Yes. Can it be exploited? Yes. But is it essential for proper understanding and healing? Yes.
In order to fight a war that the enemy is currently winning, the church needs to have the proper ammunition.
Fridays should be happy days. Obviously with March Madness now in full swing there is plenty to be happy about (especially if you picked VCU over Duke ). But that's just entertainment.
This story in Newseek is the kind of thing that just makes you want to praise God. It's about an autistic Jewish man and his experience in a Pentecostal church in Milwaukee. The story is told by his sister, who isn't a Christian but was profoundly moved when she visited the church with her brother. I wont' go into details, just recommend that you read it (it's not very long).
And don't worry, this isn't one of those uber-sappy stories you get in a chain email. It's just a simple story about how the Holy Spirit can change a life and a look at the church in its finest form. Very refreshing.
Now it's time for Random & Enjoyable, our other new feature that is fairly self-explanatory. We're going to pick out our favorite pointless things from the Internet for your enjoyment. On tap for today: willitblend.com
So much more than an advertisement for ridiculously powerful blenders, Will It Blend? is one of the best time-wasting sites we've ever come across. In this series of videos, the amazing Tom Dickson proceeds to blend anything you could think of in one of his suped-up blenders. From rake handles to golf balls, (almost) nothing can stand up to these blenders. If you ever wanted to know what would happen if you put light bulbs in a blender, this is the place for you.
New Man's top videos: the glow sticks, the golf club, the toy cars, the marbles and the real time compilation (in case you think they're faking it).
Note: if you have trouble wasting time at work, we recommend checking out this site at home. It's addicting.
Sorry for the lack of posts recently, I'm going to make up for it this week. Today we're starting a couple of new features for the New Man Report: Manly Men and Random & Enjoyable.
Manly Men will look at men in the news who are acting particularly manly, which means they could be doing something that takes courage and integrity or is just stupidly macho. Today's Manly Man falls into the latter category. He's the man who could out-Eldredge even John Eldredge: Wim Hof, the Dutch Iceman!
This crazy Netherlander is planning on tackling Everest wearing just boots, shorts, gloves and a cap (check out the full story here). What kind of idiot would risk death to climb the world's tallest peak in his skivvies you ask? This kind of idiot.
The Iceman is ridiculous. He recently ran 13 miles barefoot above the Arctic circle in Finland. He claims he can resist frostbite. He makes rugby players look like Care Bears. Plus, his name is Wim Hof. Needless to say, the New Man staff loves him.
Interesting blog post by Mark Batterson on Evotional.com yesterday. If you're not familiar with Batterson, he is a pastor in the D.C area with one of the best Christian blogs on the Web.
In this post, he writes: "a lot of our confusion about masculinity traces back to our view of Jesus. I think the church, by and large, has celebrated his feminine qualities and ignored his masculine qualities. In the words of Patrick Allen, Jesus is portrayed as a bearded lady."
I've heard this idea before and I'm not sure what to make of it. I'm all for bringing Godly masculinity into the church, it's one of the reasons I enjoy working for New Man. But I guess I just don't understand what about Jesus' "feminine" characteristics we emphasize and what about his "masculine" characteristics we ignore?
Sometimes I feel that because masculinity is under attack in American culture, Christian men tend to go overboard and view everything in terms of masculine or feminine. It just seems a little over the line if you're telling me that what I have been taught about the Son of God is the little girl's version.
But maybe I'm wrong and most of the church does view Jesus this way. I'd love to hear any feedback you guys have on this topic.
The latest issue of New Man ships tomorrow, and we've got Dwight Howard, the ridiculously athletic forward/center for the Orlando Magic, on the cover. Howard, a born-again Christian, talks with us about the challenges of living his faith in the NBA and the importance of growing up in a strong family.
If you follow the NBA, you know that Howard recently took part in the Slam Dunk Contest at the All-Star Game. His second dunk was absolutely sick. While catching an alley-oop with his right hand and jamming it home, he reached nearly to the top of the backboard and slapped a sticker bearing his face onto the glass with his left hand. The sticker was 12 feet, 6 inches off the ground.
Unfortunately, the judges weren't all that impressed, and Howard failed to move on to the next round, meaning he didn't get to do the dunks he saved for the end. However, we found video of his practice session on YouTube, which has the dunks you didn't get to see in the contest. There's one in here... well, let's just say that if Dwight had a girlfriend, she would be jealous of the rim.
Here's the video of the practice session and the Dunk Contest:
By the way, if you're wondering what he wrote on the sticker, it says: "All things through Christ" Phil 4:13
Check out our feature in the March/April issue of New Man. If you've never read New Man, click here for a free issue.
