Mythbusters: Duct Tape Island

So the other day I came across the most charming thing that I’ve seen on TV in a while.  It was a Mythbusters special placing head Mythbusters Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman on a “deserted” island with only the clothes on their backs and a pallet of duct tape.  The challenge was to accomplish as many of the standard "survival" tasks as possible.

It was hilarious and amazing.  Along with a very serviceable hat and two pairs of sandals, they managed to make rope, a water bag, hammocks, a small table and chairs and an outrigger canoe!  And that's just some of the things the duct tape was good for! 

It was fun to watch how useful a roll of tape could be when Adam and Jamie put it to work in different situations.  It might even be able to save your life.

This reminds me of the Bible.  The Bible is God's own Word and is useful in every situation you could find yourself in.  God gives us His ultimate wisdom to help us with relationships, family, kids, work and everything else.  He gives comfort for sadness,  anger, loneliness and pain.  God knows everything about everything and everyone and He wrote a Book for us to help us with everything in life!  

"For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires."  Hebrews 4:12

"All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right." 2 Timothy 3:16

And the Truth God offers can not only save your life, it will save your soul if you let it.

" Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one can come to the Father except through me.' "  John 14:6

"so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him."  Hebrews 9:28

Here's a link to the Gideons International website where you can see Bible verses for specific situations:  http://www.gideons.org/ReadTheBible/Helps.aspx

Or you could read the entire Bible here:  http://www.biblegateway.com/

You can Listen to audio versions of the Bible right on your computer by clicking the link below:

http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/audio/

"Jesus replied, 'But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.' "  Luke 11:28

Manly Man

     BASE Jumping.  Rock climbing.  Skydiving.  These are what they call "adventure sports".  You've probably seen tv specials showcasing videos of people crashing and burning (sometimes literally) when attempting the extreme. 

Why do these adventurous people take such big risks?  I can only guess that it's because they love what it feels like to cheat death, to tiptoe to the edge of injury and disaster and live to tell about it. 

            Doing something that the average person is too scared or too weak to do or doing something that no one has ever done before means they are strong.  Tough.  And no one can argue with that.  (Although we can argue that they're a bit crazy.)

  Now I want to talk about Jesus, as usual.  I think that there are a lot of assumptions about Jesus floating around out there and that one of the big ones is that He is weak.  When people picture Jesus Christ, they picture someone quiet, kind and gentle.  And He is those things of course.  But He is so much more!  He is strong, tough, brave and powerful beyond our wildest imagination.  He is good and He always wins.  Jesus is infinitely more tough than Chuck Norris, Jack Bauer and Seal Team Six all rolled into one.

 If surfing is tough, what do you call walking on water? (Matthew 14:25)  Or controlling the weather? (Mark 4:39)  Or willingly submitting to crucifixion?!!! (John 10:18, Matthew 26:53) 

     And strength?  Jesus is the image of the invisible God, He created the universe, He is eternal, He is self-existent and He holds all creation together. (Colossians 1:15-17)  He didn't just cheat death.  He beat it.  He kicked it in the teeth and then shot it in the heart!  Jesus Christ rose from the dead and never died again!  He's alive this very moment. (1 Corinthians 15)

              And He deserves to be respected and taken seriously.  If His power alone doesn't convince you then maybe your eternal destination will.  He died to pay for all of your failures and mine.  All you have to do is admit you need Him.  "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” John 3:36

      Jesus Christ is the MAN!  And you can be proud to serve Him!

Fiction Is Rosier

               Smallville.  My absolute favorite TV show.  A ten season, Sci-fi smash hit chronicling the early years of Clark Kent.  Before he was Superman. 
               The majority of the first 4 seasons took place in the halls of Smallville High.   And when I say halls, I mean halls.  It seems that the Smallville High student body spent a large part of their collective day between classes.  Our favorite characters were blessed with many school dances, sports events and the occasional field trip.  But even though we hear talk of tests, tutoring and study sessions, we only see our stars in class if a hugely plot-essential incident is about to happen or if the teacher will soon be revealed as the villain.  So, at a glance, it seems that our beloved characters live lives of juicy social interactions and exciting action sequences while wearing backpacks. 
               It makes perfect sense that our favorite fictions cut out the boring stuff.  I wouldn't have watched the show if it began with Clark listening to a twenty minute history lecture, followed by a trip to his locker, then standing in the lunch line and concluded with him bent over an important math test.  That's not entertainment.  That's life.
               Sometimes I think my life is less than it should be.  That I'm not interesting enough, that I'm not ambitious enough or that there's some wonderful, exciting thing out there that I should be doing.  But the reality is always rosier on the other side of the screen.  So when you find that life doesn't measure up to fiction, don't adjust your TV set, adjust your mindset.  Enjoy fiction as fiction and enjoy life as life.
               And if you have Jesus as your Savior, you have the best reality a person can have.  A reality of hope and purpose.
               "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  Hebrews 13:5