This Strange Land

No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one's laughing at God when they're starving or freezing or so very poor

No one laughs at God when the doctor calls after some routine tests
No one's laughing at God when it's gotten real late and their kid's not back from that party yet

No one laughs at God when their airplane starts to uncontrollably shake
No one's laughing at God when they see the one they love hand in hand with someone else and they hope that they're mistaken
No one laughs at God when the cops knock on their door and they say "We've got some bad new, sir"
No one's laughing at God when there's a famine, fire or flood

But God can be funny
At a cocktail party while listening to a good God-themed joke or
Or when the crazies say he hates us and they get so red in the head you think that they're about to choke

God can be funny
When told he'll give you money if you just pray the right way
And when presented like a genie who does magic like Houdini
Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus

God can be so hilarious
Ha ha

No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one's laughing at God when they've lost all they got and they don't know what for

No one laughs at God on the day they realize that the last sight they'll ever see is a pair of hateful eyes
No one's laughing at God when they're saying their goodbyes

But God can be funny
At a cocktail party while listening to a good God-themed joke or
Or when the crazies say he hates us and they get so red in the head you think that they're about to choke

God can be funny
When told he'll give you money if you just pray the right way
And when presented like a genie who does magic like Houdini
Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus
God can be so hilarious

No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one's laughing at God when they're starving or freezing or so very poor

No one's laughing at God
We're all laughing with God

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HT Z

Everything went great. Jack was excited to watch Dora the Explorer before surgery. Woke up in a great mood after and immediately was asked by the nurse if he would like a Popsicle. Leaving the hospital with a smile is the best way to leave! Thanks for praying.

Just a quick reminder to everyone who frequents this blog to pray for Jack. He is getting his 4th set of tubes put into his eardrums tomorrow (July 1st). For those who don't already know Jack has suffered from chronic ear infections his entire life. Each time he has this surgery it only works for a little while. This time we are moving ahead with what is considered a bigger, more permanent set of ear tubes. Lord willing these will be more long-lasting and effective. There is a small risk that these tubes can create permanent scar tissue which in turn can cause some permanent hearing loss. Please pray that this will not happen. As always pray for Jack's surgeon to have a sure and steady hand and that this procedure will help him in the long-term.

P.S. The picture above was taken shortly after Jack got a new pair of goggles.

I read this story this morning after checking my google reader feeds and had to pass it along. If you've ever wondered how church discipline can work and actually bring about repentance and restoration read this story from Grace Baptist Church, Cape Coral FL. Here is an exceprt:

So many churches today do miss out on experiencing the kiss of extraordinary grace and celestial joy when the gospel not only reconciles sinners to God but also to one another in the context of a repenting and believing community who is covenanted to be a pure witness as the bride of Christ. So many pastors miss out on one of the greatest blessings of seeing Christ rescue fallen sheep because they do not hang around long enough, or aren’t willing to do love deep enough, to embrace fallen sheep and see Christ rescue them from their prodigal ways. So many wayward sinners wander into the hidden paths of prolonged rebellion without the legitimate discipline of a loving church because there is no commitment either on the part of the member to pursue holiness or the church to pursue those who fall in trespass and sin.

When I hear reports of God-moments in churches, I often hear of x number of people professing Christ, being baptized, etc., and they are all praiseworthy. But how often to we hear church members walk away from the gathered congregation with a God-moment where shameful acts of sinful rebellion is renounced in humble hearts of repentance and the forgiveness of Christ is communicated with joy and gratitude to God?

You can also read Michael Spencer's (aka iMonk) commentary on this story here

No frills here. I just spliced together two quick videos of the boys talking over a breakfast of doughnuts and yogurt.

Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD. The LORD bless you from Zion! . . . May you see your children's children!

– Psalm 128:1–6

Note to self: Find out what it means to fear the Lord. This seems to be important!

It took me about 30 seconds in this video before I got ridiculously choked up watching this. Beautiful, and challenging.

Happy Father's Day Dad!



HT Luke Gilkerson

This picture was featured on the front page of Chicago Tribune's Webpage today.

....Our precious little old McDonald singin'--ball carryin'--sweet seeking--"bike" ridin'--snack begging-snuggly tackler has been a happy joy since the day he arrived...and is one of the 3 things in this life that we are most proud of.....Happy 2nd Birthday, Honey....

One of the websites I have grown to love recently is called The Art Of Manliness. Their most recent post is a great reason why you should read this site if your a man or possibly if you are raising boys. They list 50 must read books for men and boys (some of which I have linked below) I've linked to some because I have read them and recommend them or because they peaked my interest. One of the greatest things my parents did for me growing up was instilling a deep appreciation for literature. Mom and Dad read to us nearly every day for nearly 18 years of my life. Many of the books listed in this post were books they read or insisted I check out from the library before a long family vacation.

They list 50 in random order I have copied the first part of this long list below:

"Nothing speaks to the heart of man like a good tale of adventure. Whether in the form of a bedtime story read to young boys or a nail biting page turner that keeps you up at night, the adventure story is one genre of literature that stays with you for a lifetime. The very mention of such novels brings to mind images of buried treasure, hidden deep in the jungle of a deserted island, protected by dastardly pirates and the local cannibal population. Or perhaps the mind jumps instead to the image of a forgotten world, complete with lost civilization and monstrous creatures of a bygone era."

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

A tale of survival, Hatchet traces the story of young Brian, who is left stranded in the Canadian wilderness when his plane crashes. Forced to survive with little food or gear, Brian’s will to live is put to the test.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Easily the best known adventure novel, this is Stevenson’s masterpiece. The son of an innkeeper, young Jim Hawkins finds himself thrust into the world of piracy as he joins Long John Silver in the search for buried treasure.

Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss

Stranded on a desert island as a result of a catastrophic shipwreck, a family is forced to survive with nothing but the natural resources available. Eventually, they are able to create an impressive compound within which they are able to live at ease in their jungle surroundings.

Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling

Follow the adventures of Harvey Cheyne, son of a railroad tycoon, as he is thrown overboard on a steamship journey, only to be rescued by fishermen who eventually mold him into a true seafarer.

She by H. Rider Haggard

A college professor and his young apprentice follow instructions on a broken pottery shard that lead them to a fabled lost city in the jungles of Africa, where they encounter She Who Must Be Obeyed, the seemingly immortal ruler of the land.

Ayesha: The Return of She by H. Rider Haggard

Set sixteen years after the events of She, this novels follows the same characters as they travel to the far reaches of the earth seeking out a reincarnation of She Who Must Be Obeyed.

King Solomon’s Mines by H. Rider Haggard

Adventurer Allan Quatermain is drafted into a search and rescue party that leads into the great unknown of unexplored Africa, where entire civilizations are discovered and rumors of the location of the mines of King Solomon lead the team on one of the greatest adventures in all of literature.

Out of the dark we came, into the dark we go. Like a storm-driven bird at night we fly out of the Nowhere; for a moment our wings are seen in the light of the fire, and, lo! we are gone again into the Nowhere.

Southern Mail/Night Flight by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

A two for one deal, this book chronicles the dangerous lives of the early mail pilots as told by Saint-Exupery, author of Wind, Sand and Stars and himself an accomplished pilot.

The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle

This timeless classic by Arthur Conan Doyle inspired the imagination of countless young boys and spawned what is now known as the Lost World genre. Inside its pages the protagonist, Professor Challenger, plays tour guide on an undiscovered plateau in South America, filled with dinosaurs and other mystical creatures that time seemingly forgot.

The Man Who Would Be King by Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling’s famous short story about two wandering British adventurers who somehow manage to become kings of Kafiristan, only to suffer a drastic fall from power.

Get all 50 over at The Art of Manliness

I often excuse some of my entertainment habits by looking at others who are far more immersed than myself. Reading this transcript from John Piper really encouraged me to not compare myself and to really evaluate if I need to change some of my liberties in regards to my consumption of media. Here are a couple of bullet points from the broadcast.

1. Recognizing it is a huge step in the right direction.
2. Seek the Lord earnestly about it. Pray like crazy that God would open your eyes to see wondrous things out of his law.
3. Immerse yourself in the Bible, even when you don't feel like it, pleading with God to open your eyes to see what's really there.
4. Get in a group where you talk about serious things.
5. Begin to share your faith. One of the reasons we are not as moved by our own faith as we are is because we almost never talk about it to any unbeliever. It starts to feel like a kind of hothouse thing, and then it starts to have a feeling of unreality about it. And then the powers of entertainment have more sway in our life.

*One last suggestion: think about your death. Think about your death a lot. Ask what you'd like to be doing in the season of life, or hours or days, leading up to meeting Christ. I do that a lot these days. I think about the impact of death, and what I would like to be found doing, and how I would prepare to meet him and give an account to him.

If you think this is a weak area at all for you then I would encourage you to either read the article or listen to the broadcast. The whole thing takes 3:30 minutes or less if you read it by clicking the link at the end of this post.



Download MP3 file

Read the whole transcript over at Desiring God here.

Subscribe to the Ask Pastor John Podcast in iTunes by clicking here

Subscribe to Broadcasts from This Strange Land in iTunes by clicking here.

Some of you know I recently purchased a new computer, namely, a Mac. I'm just getting started using some of the video editing software, iMovie '09. One of the great things about this software is that I can throw a bunch of clips into it and literally push two buttons and it's spliced together with nice transitions in a thematic fashion. I did this yesterday with the clip of Jack swimming. Since it is so easy to do this I thought I might as well make this a regular thing here. Hopefully most Mondays I will have a fresh little video of the family. For those out there who are not directly related to me and there are more than a few feel free to skip over these posts unless you desperately need a Watson boys fix!

My boys are just learning to ride the sweet bikes my Mom and Dad got them last year. Here are a few minutes from this past weekend when my Mom was visiting.

Saw this movie tonight. I have been a big fan of all three X-Men movies up until now. That being said I can't think of another movie I have seen recently where I have been so disappointed. From the opening credits where Hugh Jackman and his enormous muscles are fighting in every war recognizable to a Westerner to the end (which you already know before it starts). This movie was unintentionally funny. Look if I'm laughing at the storming of the beaches of Normandy somethings a little off. I kept trying to see if the guys from Mystery Science Theatre 3000 were going to pop up and start some funny voice-over.

Here are some quotably quotes:
Wolverine to himself "They killed her just to put adamantium in me" .
Wolverines brother to Wolverine "Nobody killls you but me."
Love interest to Wolverine "I feel so cold Logan"

Here is the formula the makers of this movie used:
One part Hugh Jackman's Muscles
Two Hundred Million Dollars
Every Computer Graphics Special Effects Guy in Hollywood
40 Common Movie Cliches'
...and stir for two hours and out pops this movie.
I'm not given to rants like this usually, however I have 3 young children and don't get out much. So when I plunk down 20.00 for two tickets on a Friday Night and smuggle in my own water bottle the show better not make me laugh when its trying to be so serious. Why couldn't Wolverines awsome blades just sliced through the screen so I could get my money back.

P.S. My wife loved it...

(It better not have anything to do with Wolverine's muscles)

In regards to the whole Miss California situation Kevin DeYoung writes:

I don't understand why Christians are so quick to hitch their star to the latest celebrity Christian. Ok, I do understand why, but it's still a recipe for disaster. I admit I haven't been following the Miss California--almost Miss USA--traditional marriage thing very closely. I know she said that marriage should be between a man a woman and now some racy pictures have come out--some which may be doctored and some which aren't, I think. I don't want to rag on the young lady, but rather on the Christians who were so ready to give her an honorary evangelical degree for anything and everything. She gave a good answer (after meandering a bit). Good for her. But she also does swimsuit competitions, which may or may not be demeaning to women, but are very unhelpful for men and, frankly, a bit hard to justify from Ephesians 5. Back to the main point: we shouldn't rush to put famous Christians in front of our causes before we know anything about their maturity, history, and theology. Again, I'm not criticizing Carrie Prejean for saying the right thing. Lots of kudos to her for her courage (though "persecution" is a bit much). I'm questioning those who are ready to put her in a position of evangelical spokeswoman that she, and we, may not be ready for. Let's be happy for her answer and let her get back to her life and finish college.

Here is the first 13 minutes from the film Collision, a documentary about a debate involving Christoper Hitchens and Douglas Wilson. Can't wait to see the whole thing.

COLLISION - 13 min VIMEO Exclusive Sneak Peak from Collision Movie on Vimeo.

I thought I would throw out a quick podcast. Today's audio is taken directly from one of my favorite podcasts: The Kindlings Muse. They bill themselves as "A thoughtful, intelligent, hospitable conversation about ideas that matter in today's culture." If you wanted to know a bit more about Dan Brown and his book Angels and Demons before the movie comes out; listen to this round table discussion about the scholarship or lack there of that goes into one of Brown's novels. Especially interesting is to hear these different people discuss Brown's use of "fact" or pseudo-facts in his books.

As usual you can listen by clicking play below or download the mp3 file to listen on you mobile device. I am also listed in the iTunes store. Just search for This Strange Land.



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Myself and a friend of mine, James Mosely performed this song at our Church's talent show. We adapted the song from Flight of the Conchords song "The Most Beautiful Girl." It''s meant for the humor not excellence in music ability. I hope you enjoy.