I ran across the video on YouTube™ and found it extremely funny. The Onion News does some hilarious stuff. Check it out…
My question then becomes: Is God a ninja?
We’ve all heard the analogy of God to the wind: (You can’t see the wind but does that mean it doesn’t exist. You can still feel it and see it’s effects.)
Well, we may not always see God but sometimes we find candy in our pockets…does that mean God is a ninja?
Think about it.
I Didn't Even See Him
One of my favorite sketchs on SNL (Saturday Night Live) is Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey. It is just my kind of humor, I suppose.
Well, in honor of those deep thoughts, I have some deep thoughts of my own. Stay tuned for Deep Thoughts from a Theologian.
Deep Thoughts from a Deep Thinking Theologian
http://www.miniclip.com/games/stop-swine-flu/en/
Remember when your parent’s used to fuss at you for not covering your mouth when you sneeze? Well, apparently there is a reason for that. The sneeze is a powerful weapon with devastating effects!
Someone thought that the best way to illustrate the anatomy of a sneeze is by creating a game. Seriously, check out what the makers of the game SNEEZE (link not for the faint of heart) have to say:
“Help to prevent the spread of the swine flu by catching your sneezes with a tissue and then washing your hands. This educational software/game illustrates the consequences of allowing the flu to spread in an interactive graphical simulation. It is intended to inform people of the reasons to take measures that will help prevent further spreading of the flu.” -biomedical research charity
I’m not trying to make fun of the current Swine Flu outbreak, but seriously a game? I was browsing my favorite free internet game site www.Miniclip.com and there it was.
The object of the game is to infect as many people in a given area with only one sneeze. No joke, you get one sneeze to infect three groups of people: childern (5 pts), adults (10 pts), and elderly (15 pts). Notice the point system…apparently we do gain something with age…we’re worth more points! The game is a top down view.
I know…a disgusting image. And it only started with one sneeze. If you are brave, check out the game. The moral of this story:
COVER YOUR MOUTH WHEN YOU SNEEZE!
War Paint
I was beginning to wonder if it was really a wise move. I was pinned behind a sticky barrier covered in the residue of previous battles as a barrage of tiny brightly colored balls of paint soared overhead. My heart was racing with adrenaline and I felt completely trapped. If I go left I get nailed. If I go right I get nailed 3 times. So what did I do? I stayed exactly where I was and before I could make any other move the whistle blew and the match was over and not surprising, my team lost.
So what does my Saturday venture into the sport of paintball have to do with anything? Well beyond the reminders offered by the welts in various places on my body, I found myself pondering the idea of fear. Fear has a paralyzing effect upon us. It convinces us of the illusion that we have nowhere to go, no hope, no promise, and no chance. When fear sets in our natural reaction is to shutdown.
As I camped behind my barricade I was of no use to my team and I gave myself no opportunity to advance. Why? Because I was scared. To move required me to take a risk. It potentially offered pain. My fear offered me contentment, but not victory.
Tiny Multicolored Balls of PAIN!
As a believer in Jesus Christ I believe that I am called to step out from behind my fear and take a risk…a risk we happen to call faith. Like my paintball excursion, there may be pain involved, but if we aren’t willing to conquer our fear we are merely stuck behind a paint-covered barricade.
As the Church we are required to take risks in faith. Life offers many opportunities to be afraid. Maybe it’s the financial crisis. Maybe it’s the loss of a close friend. Maybe it’s uncharted territory. Maybe it’s the Swine Flu. Our fear may offer contentment for a moment, but in the end it offers nothing more than stagnate defeat. If we can overcome our fear we can do far more than we could ever imagine. But we must take those steps…we have to leave the refuge of our cover…our safety net.
The difference between paintball and our life is that God is there to offer us assistance and guide us. God will never abandon us…especially when our steps are toward him.
