Archive for God
Super Bowl Ads 2010 :: Should We Advertise Jesus?
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The Super Bowl has become something so much bigger than a great game, great rivalry and great football. It has become the de facto standard for big-ticket, big-money advertising. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you about the strangeness of watching a great football game and not being able to “check-out” during the commercials for fear of missing the next great ad. It is a unique television viewing experience, for sure! And after an evening of taking in an extraordinary amount of very pricey advertising, I lied down for bed in recollection of which ad campaigns actually stuck.
- Doritos – Their campaign focused on consumer-created hilarity…and all their ads were very funny and memorable.
- Bud Light – Their campaign was, no surprise, all about fun and partying. Many very funny ads.
- Hyundai Sonata – Nothing flashy or funny or cutting edge…just a good-looking vehicle from a company making the move from mediocre manufacturer to premium car builder. It made me turn my head more than once.
And that’s about it. That was my take-away from all the ad blitz. The first two companies were not offering any new product or pricing; they were simply attempting to get their product stuck in viewers’ minds, and it worked very well. The Sonata took a different approach, offering a new vehicle style and build at a shockingly low price. It really got my attention and made me think, “Maybe I’ll check that out sometime.” In both cases, they got what they were searching for. They made me, the consumer, give some of my precious brain time to their product…to the tune of millions of dollars.
All this made me think about those of us who follow Jesus. Read More→
My Reaction to Avatar :: Are You a Culture Traitor?
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Along with the vast majority of our culture, I can now count myself as one who has seen arguably the highest grossing movie of all time: Avatar. And it did not disappoint. Between the outlandish visual effects, seamless 3-D experience and stunning action sequences, I can easily say this is one of the most entertaining movies I’ve ever watched and hands-down the best movie theater experience I’ve ever had. This is a well-made, mind-blowing, special effects extravaganza with a good story and good dialogue. I can’t say great story or dialoge simply because they were good, not great. The entire package, though, is well worth the ticket price and the drive that may become necessary if you don’t have a proper, 3-D enabled theater near you.
All that being said, there are hundreds and thousands of critical, political and religious reviews about this movie floating around web, and I don’t plan to add to the noise. I read many of these reviews before seeing the movie and walked in fully expecting to have some pretty strong reactions to the film. And that didn’t disappoint, either. I had to fight back the blogger in me and simply sit back and enjoy the film for what it is: entertainment. And after all the tension, adventure and emotional reaction subsided, I found myself walking out of the theater with one word in mind. Read More→
God, Fortresses and Rocks :: A Reflection on Psalm 71
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With the snow moving in this past weekend and ruining our Saturday night gathering at Open House for the second time in a month, I’ve decided to post my thoughts on Psalm 71 here for everyone to share in. You see, I really felt compelled to share these thoughts in the hopes that challenge and some introspection might occur. On the positive side, I got to spend the entire day Saturday snowed-in with my wife, forced to rest and just “be” in light of the snow, and I really enjoyed and needed that. I was, however, a bit bummed-out about the fact that I didn’t get to share my thoughts with everyone. Not in a “I love to hear myself talk” kind of way, but in a “I love to hear other people wrestle with thoughts and ideas” kind of way. Let me explain.
Psalm 71 ( <— scroll over to read), at first glance, is just another psalm from David. It is littered with language of salvation, rescue, hope, trust, rocks and fortresses. The message from David is very clear.
Save and protect me God. Life stinks, I need help, and you are the only help I can rely on.
And, as Bible-believing followers of Jesus, this should be our reaction to trouble, right? Cry out to God and wait for His answer. Wait for His action. Wait for Him to kick butt.
Yeah, I said kick butt. Read More→
CBS’ Super Bowl Advertising Dilemma :: Who Draws the Lines, Anyway?
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It’s that time again. The time where advertisers roll up their sleeves to deliver the most creative, effective and long-lasting ad campaigns of the year. The time where we, as consumers, get to sit back and enjoy the simple pleasure of being entertained while subconsciously being swayed towards buying into a product or idea. The time where thirty seconds of publicity dons a net worth of $3 million dollars for the cable company responsible for airing one of the most highly-rated events on television each year.
The Super Bowl.
And while fans and general spectators anticipate the game with different levels of urgency, the consensus question among most American citizens in the next few weeks will be, “So, where are you watching the game?”
You know it. I know it. Just about everyone knows it. The Super Bowl is a big deal. And what largely-publicized event can occur without a few disputes and dramas present?
Watching The Today Show this morning, my attention was nabbed the moment the subject of Super Bowl advertising came up. On the show with Kathie Lee was a man by the name of Donny Deutsch, and the two of them were discussing a dispute that has evolved in the last few days concerning CBS, a commercial with Tim Tebow that voices a Pro-Life message, and a commercial from mancrunch.com advertising an all-male dating service. Check the video after the break. Particularly from 2:15 to 5:45… Read More→
UK’s Big Letdown :: How Do You Face Adversity?
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Rolling into last night’s game at an impressive 19-0, the University of Kentucky’s Men’s Basketball program had finally reached the lofty title of #1. The only undefeated team remaining in Division I basketball. The best team in the country. And after possessing that title for just under 2 days, they found themselves in the hostile, determined company of the South Carolina Gamecocks. Once you’re number one, there’s nowhere to go but down. Nowhere to run. Nowhere you can go and not be a target.
And targeted they were.
Only minutes into the game, I knew Kentucky was headed for trouble. Bad passes, missed layups and general chaos marked the team I had just watched dismantle Arkansas just three short days before. Where there was once a supremely confident, well-oiled machine of a basketball team, there now stood a group of guys that looked as if they weren’t quite sure what needed to be done and exactly who was supposed to do it.
They were in a funk. Read More→
