A few weeks ago, Ben, my young padawan from a time long ago, left a comment in which he pointed out this video. For those too lazy to click the link, it is a worship leader who has taken the 80's hit You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) by Dead Or Alive and changed it into a worship song. I do not even know where to start with this. Did nobody in his band pull him aside and ask about the logic behind this? "Uh Rick, are you aware that this originally was a huge hit in the 80's, including a big hit in the clubs frequented by people our church despises? In fact, the lead singer probably wrote this about a relationship with another man. And if that is not bad enough, Eiffel 65 and Jessica Simpson have covered this song too." "Yeah, but by switching 'baby' to 'Jesus,' it will change everything. Plus we will have everyone take off their feet because it is 'holy gournd.' And for extra kicks and giggles we will have them wave their 'socks around in the air, like they just don't care,' cause that is the way we roll."
I could write so much about this, but this guy's video does a good job summing it up. Instead, I figured I would take some time to rewrite a few classic songs for other people who are more about the show than the heart of the message.
I must confess that my loneliness is killin' me Now don't you know I still believe That you will be here to give me a sign Love me Jesus one more time. (Britney Spears)
Come on Jesus, light my fire. Come on Jesus, light my fire, You can set my heart on fire. (The Doors)
I'm in love with you God 'cause you're on my mind, You're the one I think about most every time. And when you make me smile in everything you do, I know you understand, God, this love is true. (Milli Vanilli)
Your love is the best medicine Your medicine is what I need Shake it up, just like God's medicine You're the Great Doctor that can Cure my disease. (Bon Jovi)
Ooo, Jesus, I love your way, everyday Wanna tell you I love your way, everyday Wanna be with you night and day. (Peter Frampton)
Doing it all for my Saviour Because He's as fine as He can be Doing it all for my Saviour For everything He did for me. (Huey Lewis & The News)
Say we can sing, we can pray Everything's in His control We can sing, we can pray They're doing it from pole to pole We can sing, we can pray Everybody fold up your hands We can sing, we can pray Everybody sayin' the prayer The sinner's pray'r The sinner's pray'r The sinner's pray'r (Men Without Hats)
Please say a prayer for me now, pray it till the morning after Please say a prayer for me now, pray it till the morning after. (Duran Duran)
His mind was on faith and love and healing some. Because he loved us so much he had to die young. But He made His mark in history. Still ev'rybody says: Rock me Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah,Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Oh oh oh Hallelujah. (Falco)
Go, evangelize and listen, God sent you out on his Great Commission... (Vanilla Ice)
Wow, that was pretty easy, and I am especially proud of that last one. I think I might have to go into the '80s worship revival business. I just need to get me a backup band. Sadly, I think I probably could get a couple gigs with these tunes. But in the end, it would all be in vain. True worship is not about the crowds, it is not about the flashy music, it is not even about the cool worship leader in the front. Worship is really about the heart of those involved. Again, there is someone else who can say it better. In this case it is Jon Foreman in his song, Instead Of A Show.
There have been several things I have thought about posting about, but due to a drop in temperatures the last few weeks, I found myself trapped on the island. A week ago last Friday night the entire lake froze over. The ice was too thin to walk across for most of the week, yet almost too thick to bust through with the boat. I did not feel like taking any risks, so I found myself wandering around in circles for over a week.
Here are a few news items I am late to the party to post about, but better late than never, right?
The local news earlier this week said that Sudden Infant Death Syndrome can be reduced greatly by using a fan in the baby’s room. While there might be some research that proves this could work, I don’t think the scientists have considered that it would only put them at risk of the dreaded Fan Death. I am betting most of my readers have never heard of this deadly killer, but to those who believe it is no laughing matter.
I have seen a few clips about people being trapped at the Bangkok airport for the last week. As one who has passed through that airport, my heart goes out to those stranded. While I found most of the people of Thailand I encountered to be a friendly, this was not the case at the airport. A couple years ago, a friend and I had a layover there. As we passed through passport control, I was sent out towards baggage claim, while my friend was directed to the transit area. The guards would not let him follow me, or even send someone to find me, as it was my first time in the airport. Due to the time, I actually had to run to get to the gate, only to be told by the lady behind the counter that I needed both the boarding pass (which I had) and the receipt (which was in my friend’s possession). They were very unhelpful, not allowing me to page my friend or even have them find him themselves. I returned to the counter several times to see what I could do to make sure I was on the flight out, only to be told on my last visit that they were paging me. That was funny, as I was within eyesight of them the whole time, and never heard my name announced. Luckily, I was able to get to the plane, where my friend had been waiting for a while.
The media has been telling us lately that the economy is so bad that people are not shopping. Guess that was proven wrong on Friday, when not only did people go shopping, but they did it with lethal force. It is sad to think that people are capable of trample a person to death in order to get a good deal on a television. Hopefully those involved will spend more time behind bars than they will spend paying for that television.
And how in the world can you plead not guilty to shooting yourself in the leg? Seriously, it was his gun, in his possession, and the bullet ended up in his leg. Can we not save the tax payers' money on a trail? Perhaps this is yet another reason why our country is a little messed up.
I am beginning to think that if Ted Kaczynski had a YouTube account he might not have gone the route he did. All I know is that after spending over a week completely trapped on that island one of the things that prevented me from going on some crazy binge was making stupid videos for you all to see. There are more where this one came from.
As I watch the evening news, I am constantly reminded that our economy is not doing so well. Last night, the local news reported a car dealership and a major hotel that was closing for the last time. Everyone is pointing the finger at everyone else to point the blame. The real problem, as people see it, lies with the fat cats on Wall Street, the crooked CEOs at AIG, the government, the banks who told us we can afford the biggest house in the neighborhood, etc... Few are actually standing up and taking a little blame for their current situations. But deep down, a lot of this problem falls on the individual. I was taught a lesson a long time ago about money and spending. It might sound simple, but if you want something, you should have the money to buy it. If you don't, you really should not buy it. Now, I know there are some things like houses and college educations that you might need, but don't have the money in hand to make that purchase, but those are exceptions. Yet, the house or college education you purchase don't have to be the top of the line, just the one you can afford on the means you have.
Sadly last night on Nightline, they reported that lottery ticket sales have been one of the few things that have actually increased in this current economy. They had one family who spends hundreds of dollars a week to purchase tickets, including driving across state lines to buy different tickets. They have had to make cuts to their family's spending, yet will not forgo the lottery tickets. Ironically, the guy just lost his job as a financial planner. Yet, they are not alone, if ticket sales are increasing like they are. Some people are just stupid, spending money they don't have on things they don't need. (I did however learn on the program my odds are better of dating a supermodel than winning the lottery, so I got that going for me.)
I passed this sign several times when I was out in California. It pretty much sums up part of the problem with the mindset of many Americans.
Really, if you can not afford to buy a pet with the cash in hand, I doubt a payment plan on a pet is your best option. Not only are you going to have a monthly payment for that pet, but you will also have extra expenses like food, shots, and the pet sitter. Sure, no money down on a dog sounds like a great deal, but in the end, it will probably just bite you in the butt.
So to sum up, if you can not afford it, go without it. It reminds me of this SNL skit.
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