Author: Wick

So here’s a cheesy youth pastor illustration, that you’ve probably already heard, so you can skip it. But it hit me last night.

Ever read a really great book, and then went to see the movie, and became a bit disappointed? Maybe it was exactly the same, but just different than you imagined. Maybe it was cut a bit shorter in order to condense into a movie’s length. Maybe they changed the story in large ways, just to fit whoever was making the movie’s desire to bring it to life.

Whatever the case, if you’ve ever read “Jurassic Park”, and then watched the movie, you know what I’m talking about. The book is pretty much always better than the movie. The more a movie stays true to the book, usually, the better the movie.

As Christians, we are a people of a Book. The Word of God. We are called to live out those transforming words – the calling back to a covenant relationship, the proclamation of His Kingdom, loving others, being involved in new creation, mercy, grace, life, etc…

Our lives can become illustrations of the Word of God. Examples for others to watch and interact with, that point them to the amazing story God continues to write with His creation.

I know that there are days in my life where if someone was watching, they’d say, “Man, that was nothing like the book.” Thankfully, even those days are exactly why the Word of God exists.

I guess that’s where the illustration falls apart/becomes beautiful. It’s as if a Book was written that actually talks about the movies that will be made from it, and those movies continually point back to that Book for anything worth watching.

So maybe it’s not an easy illustration to talk about. But still – I pray my life reflects much of the grace/life/redemption/new creation/Kingdom stuff found in the Book that I desire to draw my life from.

On April 7th, 2009 – Decatur, IL will be having an important set of local elections. We have a Mayor to elect, along with 1 2-year council seat, and 3 4-year council seats.

If you want to know more about the basics on each candidate, check here for their bios. Seriously, take a minute and meet each of them (via their submitted info) at least. Chances are you don’t know much about them, like me, and might as well begin with the basics.

Interesting/easy to do to find out where who is getting what money: Go here. Enter “Decatur”, “Illinois”, and then “2009”, and leave the rest blank. 13 people or so will show up….many of them candidates. Check out who’s getting what from whom.

Should be enough to keep you busy for a bit…put together a list of who you’ll be voting for….and mark April 7th on your calendar!!

It was 7th grade. I was at my locker between classes. I looked down at my feet briefly – dark socks. I always wore dark socks with my tennis shoes and jeans. Looking back, I can’t remember why. Maybe they were more comfortable? Maybe they were cheaper? Not sure why I even remember looking at them, unless the symbolism of me looking down was important to this memory. That’s when I heard her…

“Hey Chad (that was my name at the time), I like your shirt. Girbaud, huh? (pronounced “jah-boh” or something like that) Where’d you get it? Those can be expensive, eh?

In that split second of response time, I had choices. Here was a semi-attractive, popular-crowd type female complimenting me. But she was also asking the source of her own compliment. Do I answer honestly?

Do I tell her, “well, I go to a clothing bank once in a while, and we’re allowed to take a certain number of shirts. I had no clue this “Girbaud” (I pronounced it gerr-bawd) was anything other than a slick foreign word. I liked that it was long-sleeved, and blue/black. But now that you complimented it, I’ll probably wear it at least once a week until there are holes in the cuffs.”

Or do I make something up? “Eh, I had a few bucks left from Christmas still, and thought I might as well get a decent shirt to wear. (shrugging it off)

Ooops, she was still waiting on a reply.

“Um, can’t remember. A gift I think. I’ve had it for a while, I’d just lost it.”

“that’s cool”

ah, memories of teenage drama in a boy that was probably nothing more than a gumball for the girl.