...its Christmas time in Hollis Queens, Mom's cookin' chili and pinto beans...

...I just got off of the phone with Mindy; so, now I have clear details for this Saturday's CHRISTMAS AT WILMORE, SLUMBER PARTY, CHILI EATIN', GOOFIN' OFF, PROCRASTINATION CELEBRATION!

We will be going the funnest Christmas party in Central Kentucky: Christmas in Wilmore. You have to see it to believe it. Its surreal at first and then its AWESOME.

Here's the DEALY-oh...

We'll be meeting at the U.K. Wesley Foundation at 5:00 P.M. From there we'll go to Wilmore for Chili dinner ($4.00 if you have it). Later on we'll be hanging out in fellowship late into the night for movies, games and general silliness. The ladies will be sleeping at Mindy 'the diabolical' Stewart's house; the men will be staying at Luke 'the duke' Syfert's pad. The next morning we will bravely atttend church at La Roca (some of y'all go there already; so, you know the drill). We will then return safely and in one piece to the WF after the 11:00 service! Voila!

Please RSVP to me by Saturday morning or so, so that we can get a head count for food and rides! Much Luv! Also, this is an open invitation to ALL that you know. If you'd like a mini-retreat from campus, here's your opportunity. Bring a buddy!

Science and Jesus

....so I got sick yesterday. It was the kind of sick that puts you into bed for two days straight; the kind of sick that feel like death but is called the flu (I thought it to be the Plague). I had to speak at my home church in Atlanta; so, I had to get going. As I woke up and I took an Aspirin, two Bayer pills, something prescibed to my Dad a while back and three Advils. I don't know if they worked or it was just adrenaline but I was able to keep moving a little bit better until noon, when I crashed

I like to think it was the pills...that's science in action!

So what about science? How does Jesus Christ feel about science. I know some people are certain that medications are temporary fixes for a more semi-permanent problem. I heard of Christian Scientist that refused medications until death as a result of their faith that GOD would heal them without medications.

....and what about science in general. Are we merging with intelligent design through the "wonders of science?" Where is the line? What about cloning? What about stem cells? What about birth control?

Our society is shaped by SCIENCE more than we are often willing to accept...

Dr. Joel Green will be speaking at the well about "Science and the Christian Faith" tomorrow (Tuesday) at 7:30 p.m, Room 230. We look forward to the conversations!

We seek truth...we seek real life...we seek Jesus Christ!

Bowling...

We're going bowling this week...

We will be meeting at Student Center Room 230 at 7:30 as always.

SIDEBAR: I used to work in a bowling alley when I was a teenager. I learned a lot about the world in a bowling alley. I was propelled to bowling greatness at the ripe age of 17 when, as a Junior in high school I was promoted from my 5.00/hr wage as a pin chaser to a lofty 5.25/hr wage as, yes, MANAGER of the whole place. They didn't serve beer there so I was in the green to do that. I was the boss of an 50 year old lady in the kitchen, a 40 year old pin chaser and was the host of multiple leagues and birthday parties.

...Oh, and I also got to clean the place. Its was all perfect until my DAD pulled rank and made me quit because I wasn't getting home until 2:30 in the mornings on school nights (what was HIS problem!?!).

So, lets go and play the game of KINGS and QUEENS...and President Nixon!

Cultic Christianity...who is the REAL Jesus anyway!?!

One morning, when I was about ten years old I was at home watching the latest rental on VHS, "Spaceballs" and eating the previous night's left-over pizza when suddenly there was a knock on the door...Nobody was home except for me and usually nobody usually cared to come down my long driveway anyway so this was odd. So, I mosied to the door to find two skinny men about 20 or so with black suits, ties and propping up some sweet bicycles....you guessed it, Mormons!

The question they posed to me irritates me to this day. The leader of the group said "if you were to die today would you spend eternity with the almighty creator in Heaven?" I was ten, y'all! Well, I kept a stiff upper lip and answered yes to all of their incriminating questions. Then my mom returned home and laid some serious protestant smack down on them. There is nothing that I am any more leary of than overzealous, pushy, and even worse cultic churches!!!

In many ways this is the kind of thing that led me to embrace ask deeper questions at an early age. I never wanted to get caught off-guard again. God is not one to confuse or one to complicate things. But what exactly is Mormonism and further what exactly are Jehovah's Witnesses...what is CULTIC CHRISTIANITY in general.

We live in a culture that is Biblically illiterate. As a result we (starting with me) tend to not really know anything about CULTS or what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

DR. STEVEN TSOUKALAS, a guest professor at Asbury Theological Seminary and professor at Center College will briefly address Cultic Christianity for discussion tomorrow, Tuesday, November 8th at 7:30 p.m. (Student Center, Room 230). I can't wait to see you all!

...We seek truth, we seek real life, we seek Jesus Christ.

serving our GOD...@ the Catholic Action Center

Saturday, November 12th (A WEEK FROM TOMORROW), we will be serving some of Lexington's disadvanted and homeless at the Catholic Action Center, just north of downtown. We will meet at the Wesley Foundation around 10:00 a.m. We will plan to leave the Wesley Foundation at 10:30 am to go to the Catholic Action Center. I am told that we will be serving lunch to about 150 people it should be great.

This is an opportunity for us to open our eyes to the realities of many people that live in our town, daily. This is also an opportunity to offer the love of Jesus Christ to others. Be prepared to learn a lesson or two (I always do).

RSVP to me thorugh this e-mail by Wednesday so we kind of know how to drive there. See you next Saturday morning!!!

Our best days are ahead of us!!!

God in Politics

Jesus Christ was not a Republican...or a Democrat...or a member of the Green Party. However, there are many, many women and men of God (Jesus) that ARE!

Martin Luther King, Jr. comes to mind straight away as a formidable Christian that shaped policy and politics for the betterment of the Kingdom of God through his non-violence stances in the name of equality and proper social worldview. He was a DEMOCRAT.

Abraham Lincoln comes to mind as a REPUBLICAN with a hope and desire to see out the abolishment of slavery and the reconsiliation of a nation torn apart.

But we as American....are we as humans overlooking the ULTIMATE politician: JESUS CHRIST? After all, this is a man that stared into the face of Israel and the Roman Empire and spoke to them as though the thousand upon thousands of years of societal viewpoints and laws were for nil. This is a man that faced down the Pontius Pilot, a crony to Tiberius Caesar. This Jesus is the man that stood before King Herod of Israel...and of course the entire Temple rabbinical structure.

So what is the politics of Jesus Christ. Is it pro-abortion...pro-tax cuts....pro-big business...anti-poor? Does Jesus care about privatization of water? Does Jesus prefer a bi-partisan system? What about the judiciary of our nation and what about our understandings of JUSTICE?

THIS TUESDAY AT 7:30 IN UK STUDENT CENTER ROOM 230, Peter Matthews will be bringing this discussion to the table for CONVERSATION.

let me set aside any fears about this topic. IT WILL BE A CONVERSATION AND NOT A DEBATE. Our intentions are to stir up our hearts for the KINGDOM OF GOD and not to do so for our world, alone. We wish to, above all else, keep this civil and HOLY.

We seek truth, we seek real life, we seek Jesus Christ.

Our best days are ahead of us!!!

gambling...

So, this morning I was talking about 'the well' with somebody that remains anonymous about tonight's topic of discussion, GAMBLING. They told me "HEY, I NEED TO HEAR ABOUT GAMBLING! I CAN GAMBLE LIKE A MADMAN!!!"

...and it reminded me of all of the things that I see almost daily in my walks around campus. I'm reminded of the countlless card games I've witnessed and all of the silly dares that I've taken. But more seriously I'm reminded of the men I know that used to spend hours online gambling thousands of dollars. I'm reminded of one of my best friends in my undergrad experience that had to drive home to get the $3,500.00 that he owed a fellow fraternity brother because a high risk STUPID game of poker. I'm reminded of those men in my life that would attend football and basketball games in college and run books (OFFER BETS) in the concourse and the aisles of the stands.

Whether you see these things around you or not, they exist LOUDLY. It can be addictive, destructive and ULTIMATELY CAN SEPERATE US FROM JESUS.

Tonight we will discuss GAMBLING and its realities...

...we seek truth, we seek real life, we seek Jesus Christ