Go On - A Family of Misfits

 

NBC's freshman sitcom Go On is both deep and deeply funny!  Ryan King (Matthew Perry) is a sports radio personality who joins a support group after the death of his wife.  The strange members of the group are all very different but the one thing they do have in common is that they each need help.  They commit themselves to sticking together and the results are both hysterical and heartwarming.  They throw birthday parties, cat-sit and dress up in ridiculous Halloween costumes just to support each other.  They even show up at Ryan's house in the middle of the night when they know he's lonely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        When I watch Go On's group of misfits, I cannot help but think of my own experiences with other Christians.   Have you ever been around a group of Christians?  We are a weird, mismatched bunch!             

             

             

 

 

 

 Think about it...the central message of the Bible is that ANYONE and EVERYONE can accept the salvation that God offers through Jesus.  So Christians are people of different ages, appearances and pay grades.  People with different kinds of lifestyles, different family situations and work histories and many with extraordinary life experiences and sometimes criminal backgrounds.  We're all different but the One Thing we do have in common is that we know we need help: our Savior Jesus.  So take all of these strange characters and then put them into an environment where everyone is supposed to be accepting and loving.  It's amazing and strange and I love it! 

 

 

 

God tells us over and over in the Bible that Christians are a family.  Brothers and sisters!  He commands us to commit ourselves to sticking together no matter what.  So we should be more like the goofy friends of Go On and be so supportive that it's ridiculous! 

 

John 13:34-35

"So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other.  Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.  Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." 

 

Side Effects

   Dizziness, fainting, blood clots, stroke, heart attack...  These are just a few of the possible side effects of the many prescription drugs that are advertised every day on TV.  Whether you sit down to watch a shark week special, a mini marathon, your favorite drama or the news; you will probably see a prescription drug ad or two.  Sprightly music plays while cartoon animals have a picnic and the voice over announcer uses a hushed tone to warn you about what could possibly go wrong if you take this medicine.
            The Bible talks about side effects. Galatians 5:22-23  "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!"
            Love, joy, peace, patience...  This is what Jesus offers.  These are the side effects of having Jesus as your Savior.  And these side effects don't occur in rare cases.  This is what you have when you have Jesus.  If you sincerely accept Jesus as your Savior, you get the Holy Spirit.  And the Holy Spirit gives kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control...  A world of unimaginable wonder and purpose.
            Christians still disobey God and do stupid things sometimes but if a person sincerely accepts Jesus as their Savior there will be... side effects.  If Jesus is your Savior and you're letting yourself get in the way of His side effects- stop it!  If you don't know Jesus, don't go another second living without Him.  You need Him to rescue you from God's punishment.  The joy and fulfillment He will give you isn't available anywhere else!  You don't have to talk to your doctor- ask God to prescribe Jesus this very instant and start living like you never could before!

Finding Nemo: Just Keep Swimming

        I love the movie Finding Nemo.   It's a fun, engaging story full of endearing characters and it's computer animation makes it beautiful to look at.       
        Marlin (who is actually a clown fish) is a very protective father but his son Nemo craves adventure.  When Nemo takes a silly, disobedient risk, he gets lost and ends up in an aquarium.  So, naturally, Marlin sets off on a long and involved journey to find his son.
             Along the way, Marlin meets many of the sea's colorful characters, including a very helpful, very forgetful and very blue fish named Dory.  From the first second she hears that Marlin's son, Nemo, is missing, Dory is determined to help.

            Dory has a problem with her short term memory.  She forgets things almost instantly but she keeps moving forward on their mission to find Nemo.  Every time Marlin and Dory face a setback on their trip, Dory stays upbeat.  She forgets what just happened and keeps going.  She tells Marlin, "You know what you gotta' do when life gets you down?  Just keep swimming." 

     The Bible tells us that we Christians need to be a lot like Dory! 

     God used a man named Paul to write the letter to the Philippians.  First Paul reminds them- and us- that we can't be friends with God and get to Heaven someday by being good. We can't accomplish enough things, or be nice enough, charitable enough or good-looking enough to get to Heaven. Only faith in Jesus and the fact that He died to take our punishment for sin and rose from the dead to prove His power, can save us from Hell and give us Heaven.  But it is our job after we have become friends with God through Jesus, to try to be like Him. Not because being good enough could get us to Heaven- we could never be good enough for that- but because knowing Jesus and living the way He wants us to is amazing!
     Philippians 3:13-14 says "No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven." 
     In other words: Just Keep Swimming!  When you accept Jesus as your Savior, you admit that you are not good enough and God washes all of your guilt away.  He chooses to forget it and so can you.  Now, you need to focus on just being like Him, telling others about Him and just all around enjoying the new life He's given you.  You need to be excited about someday joining Him in Heaven where you will finally be perfect.
     God wants us to let go of shame and pride.  We Christians often get bogged down by focusing on these things.  If you dwell on all the good things you do and how "awesome" you are, cut it out!  Jesus already took care of being truly awesome and you could not ever possibly compare to Him.  And if you dwell on your mistakes and how "terrible" you are, knock it off!  Jesus already took care of forgiving all of your sins and He's makes up for the new ones every day.  We need to "forget the past and look forward to what lies ahead"- Jesus!  We should just enjoy being with Him and look forward to living with Him in Heaven someday.
     We need to be like Dory the forgetful fish and JUST KEEP SWIMMING!!!

Person of Interest: The "Irrelevant" List

          CBS's new crime drama, Person of Interest, is an action packed bundle of fun!  Complex cases, big reveals, exciting fights, plenty of gunplay and an intriguing premise keep my attention (unless I'm blogging at the same time!). 
          Mr. Finch (Michael Emerson) is a computer genius.  He is responsible for building "the machine", a government controlled supercomputer that takes in and analyzes surveillance footage, phone calls, emails and more in order to anticipate potential terrorist threats.  But the machine recognizes more than just large scale threats.  It predicts any violent crimes.
          Without the resources to address every alert that the machine gives out, Mr. Finch created the "Irrelevant List"; a program which separates the small crimes from the public safety threats.  When the machine gives alerts for potential murders and other individualized crimes, they get sent to The Irrelevant List and are deleted every day at midnight.
          The guilt of ignoring so many tragedies that may have been prevented weighs on Mr. Finch's conscience.  Even though he is no longer involved in the government project which utilizes his technology, he decides to take action.  Mr. Finch hacks into his own machine to access The Irrelevant List.  When the supercomputer deduces that a crime is likely, Mr. Finch receives only one hint.  A social security number.  The person may be a victim or a perpetrator but either way a dangerous situation will probably develop.  Together with former soldier, spy and general action hero, Mr. Reese (Jim Caviezel); Finch fights to save those he had once dubbed "irrelevant".
          This totally fun, fast-paced, action drama makes me think about the things that Christians sometimes view as "irrelevant".  2 Timothy 4:1-2 says "I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching."  God commands Christians to share the good news of Jesus with everyone we can! 
          John 14:6 reads "Jesus said to him,  'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."  Jesus is the only way to Heaven.  Which means that people who don't know Jesus as their Savior are headed for Hell.  Christians can sometimes forget the urgency of our job.  Yes, our job.  "Preach the word!"  God may not want us all to be pastors but it is our job to serve the Lord and share Jesus.
          Christians are often, let's just say it: Cowards!  Myself, one of the biggest cowards, I have to admit.  We tend to think:  "I love Jesus.  God is great.  I'm going to Heaven.  I'm safe.  That's all that matters."  When we let ourselves get so complacent, we're putting everyone else on The Irrelevant List!  
          We can do this with other issues too.  "God's not going to send me to Hell for it, so I can enjoy a little gossip."  You can let your marriage slide, get lazy about talking to God, form a judgmental little Christian clique... 
          Jesus has taken care of the big, terrifying threat in our lives- we're not going to Hell!  Praise the Lord!  But when we stop there, we're denying ourselves the honor of being God's soldiers, spies and general action heroes!  We could be fighting for the desperate, lonely souls who need Jesus and representing the all-powerful name of our holy, infinite God. 
          God doesn't need our help with anything, He's God.  And good works will not get you to Heaven.  But don't you want in on the action?