Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Most popular boys names of 2011:

1. Aiden

2. Jackson

3. Mason

4. Liam

5. Jacob

6. Jayden

7. Ethan

8. Noah

9. Lucas

10. Logan

Sadly, in 2011, Michael dropped to #16.  If more parents would name their sons after me, Michael could reclaim the top spot.  C’mon parents! Let’s do this thing!

Most popular girl names of 2011:

1. Sophia

2. Emma

3. Isabella

4. Olivia

5. Ava

6. Lily

7. Chloe

8. Madison

9. Emily

10. Abigail

5. The Descendants
George Clooney is hot.  At least that’s what many women think.  In this movie, he plays a hapless, passive father who is trying to hold his family together amidst a tragedy.  He’s not very hot in this film, but his acting is superb.  The movie is labeled a comedy but the themes it explores are deep and sometimes very serious.  Funny and emotionally moving.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

4. X-Men: First Class
This is my one guilty pleasure movie.  Not realistic.  Not really a movie where characters are explored and developed (although some of that does exist here).  But this was a very good movie that gives the background to all the prior X-Men  movies.  Ironically, I haven’t even seen all of them!  Special effects are great.  Story is good.  Movie is fun.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

3. Win Win
I love Paul Giamatti. He’s one of my favorite actors, and he stars in this simple yet profound film about a man whose career is washed up who meets a boy whose life is a mess.  The acting is excellent; the story is engaging; and the message about the importance of family and parental love comes through loud and clear.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

2. The Beaver
This movie cost $21 million to make and earned less than $1 million in the U.S.  When it comes to box office ranking, it was #209.  A box office flop – probably because it stars Mel Gibson (not a very popular man these days) and is about a man who communicates with his family and friends using a handheld beaver puppet. However…this is a powerful story about living with someone who is mentally ill and the power of family.  Mel Gibson shows that despite his off-screen woes, he is a superb actor.  I found the film to be profound, powerful, and moving.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

1. Moneyball
I love baseball, and I was already familiar with the story of Billy Beane and the Oakland A’s, but this was much more than a baseball flick.  The smart story and excellent acting made for a movie that was incredibly interesting and engaging from beginning to end.  I had to convince Michelle (a nominal at best professional sports fan) to see it with me, and even she said that it proved to be one of her favorite films of the year.  It probably didn’t hurt for her that Brad Pitt was the star, but regardless…this film is excellent.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM OF 2011: The Debt
Wow, does the trailer make this film look good.  I was hooked after watching it and anxiously awaited it’s arrival in theaters. Maybe it’s just me, but I thought the casting of the main male characters when they were older did not match up with how they looked when they were younger.  As a matter of fact, I felt like they should have flipped the older characters which would have made more sense.  Because of this, I was confused and had a hard time following the film at the end. And speaking of the end, how can such a smart film end in such a gruesome, unrealistic way? I’ll not ruin the ending for you, but I felt like the movie (which hailed itself as a smart film) ended in a ridiculous fashion.  Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed at the end.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

My 2010 Top Films
My 2009 Top Films

But I don’t hoard like that.  I’m not like them.  I throw things away, and I even give things away to those in need – sometimes.  Plus, I’m married to a woman with the gift of hospitality, which is accompanied by the gift of housecleaning. She has taught me well!  Hoarders have a problem.  I don’t.

Or do I?  Obviously the kind of hoarding featured on the show is the extreme, but after reading this quote by one of my Christian heroes, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, I’m not so sure I don’t have a problem myself.  He wrote these words in his benchmark book, The Cost of Discipleship:

“Earthly goods are given to be used, not to be collected. In the wilderness God gave Israel the manna every day, and they had no need to worry about food and drink. Indeed, if they kept any of the manna over until the next day, it went bad. In the same way, the disciple must receive his portion from God every day. If he stores it up as a permanent possession, he spoils not only the gift, but himself as well, for he sets his heart on accumulated wealth, and makes it a barrier between himself and God. Where our treasure is, there is our trust, our security, our consolation and our God. Hoarding is idolatry.”

I’m not convinced that having a savings is sin, nor am I convinced that I should give everything I own away and expect God to replenish me anew every morning with the things I gave away the day before.  Many of the things I have are things God has given me that I need for the sustenance of me and my family.  However, I have many things I don’t need.

I’ve moved my family 11 times in the 18 years I’ve been married.  I’ve hauled a lot of things from place to place to place.  I’m also well aware that there are many in my scope of influence who do not have what they need.  I have dabbled in hoarding, and I don’t think I feel very good about it after all.  May the Lord continue to press on us the truth that He has blessed us in order to be a blessing to others, and may He remind us often of these words penned by the Apostle Paul.

I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness.  As it is written, “Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.” (2 Corinthians 8:13-15)

Michigan police say it all started when an officer pulled over a man in his late-twenties for loud music.  The officer suspected he had drugs, cuffed him, and frisked him.  The officer then found suspected marijuana, so the man took off running.  As he jumped over a nearby fence he lost his pants, underwear, and shoes.

In the buff below the belt, he then braved a barbed wired fence.  That’s where he lost his shirt.  Then, the completely naked man (except handcuffs) sprinted into the sanctuary of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church.

One parishioner said, “He asked for it wearing his pants below his knees. I know they wasn’t tight. I know they wasn’t secure.  So when he went over that fence he lost everything.”

My first though after reading this was: “Pants on the ground. Pants on the ground. Looking like a fool with your pants on the ground.”  My second thought was (as one born in Columbus and an avid Ohio State fan): ONLY IN MICHIGAN!

Last year, the Dallas Cowgirls (I mean Cowboys, excuse me) revealed a jumbotron to top all jumbotrons in their new stadium.  Its dimensions are staggering: 72 feet tall and 160 feet wide.  If you’ve seen it on TV, you know that the screen is just massive.  It hangs in the middle of the new stadium and has been known to block punts.  No one could have ever fathomed a screen that large, and the thought of yet a bigger screen was simply unheard of…until now.

The Charlotte Motor Speedway decided to one-up the screen in Dallas with a screen that will measure 80-feet tall by 200-feet wide – nearly 30 percent larger.  The screen will be made up of 158 panels consisting of 9 million LED bulbs, and the entire structure — which will weigh 650,000 pounds when complete, will reach more than 110 feet in the air.  Always bigger.  Always better.  After reading about all of this, I’m just not sure my 42-inch screen is adequate.  I’m praying that God will give me the money to buy a larger screen soon.  Will you join me in praying?  I think He’s all for the American way of bigger and better.

Isn’t He?

PETA, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, is calling for a more animal-friendly update to the Bible.  The group is asking translators of the New International Version (NIV) to remove what it calls “speciesist” language and refer to animals as “he” or “she” instead of “it.”

Bruce Friedrich, PETA’s vice president for policy, told CNN that “language matters. Calling an animal ‘it’ denies them something. They are beloved by God. They glorify God.  God’s covenant is with humans and animals. God cares about animals.”  Friedrich is also a vegan and suggests the Bible promotes vegetarianism.

So, I called my wife back and told her that I enjoyed a delicious chicken soft taco from a local Mexican joint for lunch today.  I told her that HE was very good.

Afghan Christians live in fear of jail, exile, or worse
Guinea’s president says former coup leader may return from exile
Exiled Islamist party leader set to return to Tunisia after 20 years

Exile has been a common punishment over the years. Consider these two famous exiles…

Victor Hugo (1802 – 1885)
French novelist (Les Miserables, Hunchback of Notre-Dame), playwright, poet, human rights campaigner. In exile from 1851 – 1870 after declaring Napoleon III a traitor to France; returned to France in 1870 and was celebrated as a national treasure until his death in 1885. He was away from France for 20 years, but he still remained very much French during that time.

The Dalai Lama (1935 – )
Head of the now-defunct theocracy that ruled a formerly independent Tibet. He’s been in exile since 1959 after the failure of a Tibetan uprising against Chinese occupation. He now lives in India, but he has established a Tibetan government-in-exile in India. He’s been away from Tibet for more than 50 years, but he’s still very much Tibetan.

As long as there have been people on earth, individuals, people groups, and entire nations have suffered the banishment of exile. And though we may not understand it fully, the Bible says that God’s people have been and even are today living in exile. We are not at home. We are living in exile as aliens and strangers, but many of us don’t realize it. And many of us are living as if this land, this kingdom, this culture we are living in is our own…but it’s not.

The book of 1 Peter was originally a letter designed to instruct believers on how to endure persecution without wavering in their faith. It also speaks to the believer’s position in Christ and their future hope as citizens of God’s kingdom – a kingdom that will never end. Peter wrote the letter to remind Christ-followers that we are merely sojourners here on earth. This is not our home; we’re just here on a layover, so we mustn’t get comfortable.

Peter addresses this letter with these words: Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion…(1 Peter 1:1). He calls the recipients “exiles” even though none of them were literal exiles. He was writing to a mostly Gentile church who were scattered all over northern Asia. He calls them exiles right from the start to make a point that God’s people will always live in exile as long as they live on this earth.

Are we living as exiles here or not? Are we living as citizens of God’s kingdom while here on earth, or are we imbibing the culture, customs, beliefs, and practices of the kingdom in which we are living? Victor Hugo and the Dahlia Lama both set for us good examples of what it should look like to live in exile while at the same time maintaining loyalty and allegiance to their country (culture, customs, beliefs, and practices) from which they were in exile. Hugo never lost sight of being a Frenchman, and after 20 years in exile, he returned as a national hero. And after more than 50 years in exile, the Dahlia Lama is still very much Tibetan as he has established and leads the government of Tibet while being exiled from his homeland. Are we doing the same? Are we living like citizens of another kingdom and followers of another King or not?

1 Peter 1:17 says, And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile… In other words: “If you call Jesus your King, then subject yourself to Him while you are living in exile on this earth.”

We see examples of those who did this and those who didn’t when we look at the nation of Israel in exile in the Old Testament. Daniel 1 records the first wave of exile into Babylon, and Jeremiah 52 and 2 Kings 24-25 record other waves. Thousands of Israelites taken into exile in Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar. Ultimately, the exile was God’s discipline on His people for their unfaithfulness to Him, and when they arrived in Babylon, God instructed them to prepare for the long-haul there:

Jeremiah 29:5-7
Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

The exiled Israelites were going to be in exile for a long time, and so God instructed them to live life, marry and have more God-following children, and even pray for the Babylonian Empire knowing that their welfare would be connected to its welfare. However, God did make it clear that while there, they were not to forget their true King and His kingdom.

So, how’d they do? Well, Ezekiel 14 and 20 reports that many people forgot their King and His kingdom while in exile. And the root cause of this was materialism. Many became successful and wealthy while in Babylon, and their devotion to materialism led to conformity to Babylonian customs. Many adopted the Babylonian language, and many began worshipping their gods and idols. The historian Josephus records that when King Cyrus released Israel from exile years later that many did not want to leave because they didn’t want to leave their possessions behind. They had become assimilated into the Babylonian culture.

Daniel 1 and 3 reports a different story, but unfortunately, it seems that this was not the norm for the exiles in Babylon. In Daniel 1:8, it says that Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank… Daniel – along with men like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – resolved not to become assimilated into the Babylonian culture. They came to a definite or earnest decision not to conform. They determined that they would stay strong no matter what, and here’s how that resolve played out over the years:

Daniel 1:12-16 – They respectfully refused to eat the king’s unclean food.

Daniel 2:36-45 – Daniel boldly and bravely spoke of the coming judgment of God to the king.  In essence, Daniel told the king that another kingdom is coming that will trump his.

Daniel 3:12 – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to worship the king, thus risking their lives.

Daniel 6:10 – Daniel refused to pray to the king, thus risking his life. Instead, he continued to pray to God.

These men – along with others, I’m sure – stood strong while they were in exile. They fought off the temptation to be assimilated into the Babylonian culture and continued to worship, serve, and remain loyal to God their King the entire time. This did not mean that they did not exercise some allegiance to the Babylonian king as I’m sure Daniel did during his 66 years of service to him, but Daniel never lost sight of who his true King was. He continued to worship Him and remained true to Him the entire time he was in exile.

So, what will it be for us? Will we be like the majority of the Babylonian exiles of Israel? Will we allow the materialism of our time to lead to assimilation and compromise. Will we allow our ultimate allegiance to be shifted from God the King and His kingdom to the kings and kingdoms of our time? Or will we be like the minority of Babylonian exiles of Israel – like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – and resolve not to cave into the pull of materialism that will lead to assimilation?

As Christians, this is not our home. We’re just here on a layover, and we must hold onto everything here loosely. Our allegiances, our loyalties, and our hearts must remain with our King and His kingdom while we are in exile here. May God strengthen us to live lives loyal to Him while we live in exile here.

In the midst of our culture crying out to know what love is, a band called The 77′s recorded a song in 1990 called “This Is the Way Love Is.”  Whether they meant to or not, the song seems to serve as a response to the cry of the culture.  They compare the way we – as humans – often love to the way God loves us.  Take a read…then take a listen.  It’s a good one!

THIS IS THE WAY LOVE IS by The 77′s

When I gave up, you held up
When I ran out, you filled me up
When I kept runnin’, you kept up
When I let you down you lifted me up

This is the way love is

When I couldn’t find the words, you understood
When I didn’t find the time, you were in no hurry
When I wouldn’t make ends meet, you tied them together
When I cheated you kept to the rules
Well, this is the way love is

This is the way love is
When it’s a one-sided double-minded mirror with no reflection

When I was keepin’ it in, you were givin’ out
When I was losin’ out, you’d let me come back
When I was holdin’ back, you were holdin’ on
When I was losin’ my cool you were keepin’ your love warm
Well, this is the way love is

This is the way love is
When it’s a one-sided double-minded mirror with no reflection

When I kept it all to myself like a miser holds on to his last dime
When I closed up myself like a desperate hand on a lifeline
Well I was bled, I was dried, all wrapped up in my pride
This is the way it is when you’re on the wrong side
Well, this is the way love is

This is the way love is
When it’s a one-sided double-minded mirror with no reflection

When I gave up, you held up
When I ran out, you filled me up
When I kept runnin', you kept up
When I let you down you lifted me up

This is the way love is

When I couldn't find the words, you understood
When I didn't find the time, you were in no hurry
When I wouldn't make ends meet, you tied them together
When I cheated you kept to the rules

Well, this is the way love is
This is the way love is
When it's a one-sided double-minded mirror with no reflection

When I was keepin' it in, you were givin' out
When I was losin' out, you'd let me come back
When I was holdin' back, you were holdin' on
When I was losin' my cool you were keepin' your love warm

Well, this is the way love is
This is the way love is
When it's a one-sided double-minded mirror with no reflection

When I kept it all to myself like a miser holds on to his last dime
When I closed up myself like a desperate hand on a lifeline
Well I was bled, I was dried, all wrapped up in my pride
This is the way it is when you're on the wrong side

Well, this is the way love is
This is the way love is
When I gave up, you held up

When I ran out, you filled me up

When I kept runnin', you kept up

When I let you down you lifted me up

 

This is the way love is

 

When I couldn't find the words, you understood

When I didn't find the time, you were in no hurry

When I wouldn't make ends meet, you tied them together

When I cheated you kept to the rules

 

Well, this is the way love is

This is the way love is

When it's a one-sided double-minded mirror with no reflection

 

When I was keepin' it in, you were givin' out

When I was losin' out, you'd let me come back

When I was holdin' back, you were holdin' on

When I was losin' my cool you were keepin' your love warm

 

Well, this is the way love is

This is the way love is

When it's a one-sided double-minded mirror with no reflection

 

When I kept it all to myself like a miser holds on to his last dime

When I closed up myself like a desperate hand on a lifeline

Well I was bled, I was dried, all wrapped up in my pride

This is the way it is when you're on the wrong side

 

Well, this is the way love is

This is the way love is

When it's a one-sided double-minded mirror with no reflection

When it's a one-sided double-minded mirror with no reflection