JanetInLA's Comments

Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff : Saying "you're called to that."

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:38:41 +0000

Great post. And yes, it is a twin to "That's not my gift." Jon, I'd love to see you post on the flip side of this: People saying "I'm called to that." As a Christian working in Hollywood, I see a whole lot more of that: People come out here convinced God has called them, then crash and burn (and often walk away from God as a result). So often these people are like those painful auditioners on American Idol who are convinced they can sing because mommy always told them they could, when every bit of evidence says otherwise. They really need a Simon Cowell in their lives, early on, saying, "No, darling, you can't sing." Love this post, would love to see that one, too!

Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff : Debating whether God is a Mac or a PC.

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:51:00 +0000

Can we please acknowledge that much of what Windows now runs was blatantly stolen from Apple? (Graphical-user interface anyone? Windows 96 = Mac 85, etc.) Who is it who cannot create anything new of his own, but only corrupts that which God has already created? I think we can make a very good case that PC is satan.

Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff : Debating whether God is a Mac or a PC.

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:49:06 +0000

Not surprisingly, the reasons above that don't work are all PC reasons-- #6. PC commercials are equally smug. "Windows Vista was my idea"? Really. (And btw, those commercials were created on Macs.) #10. Some people used to treat Jerry Falwell as God, too. If the behavior of the followers is used to judge the reality and goodness of that which they follow, God Himself is in trouble. Sorry, this one can't be used to condemn Macs. #12. Yes, the Mac's outward appearance is cool. But Macs are not *all* about outward appearances, as #7, #8, #9, #11 and more on this list point out. Another point for the PC that doesn't hold up. #14. Yes, God paid the cost for our salvation, but it was an incredibly expensive cost. Mac all the way, baby...

Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff : Shameless Saturday!

Sat, 9 Jan 2010 16:49:23 +0000

I blog about screenwriting, movies, being a Christian in Hollywood, and Harry Potter over at www.quoththemaven.blogspot.com.

Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff : Looking for Goliath.

Wed, 6 Jan 2010 17:09:53 +0000

" (A recent survey showed that something like 80% of the millennial generation felt like they’d be famous when they grew up.)" That is a scary sentence. As Christians, that is a sentence that should send chills through our heart, because a good chunk of that 80% must be Christians. The desire to be famous, to be *important,* is a trap. The desire to be famous points out that we don't think God is doing it right. It's a desire to draw attention to ourselves, rather than to God. It is an insidious, soul-sucking poison that causes us to think about me, me, me. (As Lawrence Olivier said when asked for the three reasons anyone becomes an actor: "Look at me. Look at me. Look at me.") Looking for Goliath because you want to prove something is spiritually dangerous. Looking for Goliath because you want other people to see how cool you are is even more spiritually dangerous. "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it...." A great post, Jon.

Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff : Being single during Christmas at church.

Mon, 4 Jan 2010 16:52:14 +0000

How about the pity invite for Christmas Eve or even Christmas Day? (Living in L.A., where everyone *leaves* at Christmastime rather than coming home here for Christmas, we try to keep our eyes open for anyone who's going to be on their own, single or married,.... but I'm always worried it'll come across as a pity invite when I don't mean it that way!)

Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff : Free book giveaway with Craig Gross.

Sat, 2 Jan 2010 17:26:42 +0000

"Jesus loves me, this I b'lieve He will never want to leave..."

Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff : Struggling with new.

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:47:34 +0000

Perfect meditation for New Year's Eve Eve! Thank you, Jon!

Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff : What should we do on Stuff Christians Like in 2010?

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 17:05:00 +0000

Yes to more archiving -- past post 500. I read SCL archives on my iPhone when I'm grabbing a bite to eat or standing in line, and once I reach 500, don't know what I'll do! No to more video posts -- too much of a pain for those of us reading on mobiles. What about an SCL forum so convo could continue on reader-driven topics? Also think you should do a giveaway of that awesome balloon thing you got your kids for Christmas. Although I guess the winners would have to sign something promising not to sue you....

Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff : Welcome to the 8 most dangerous days of the year.

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:05:42 +0000

The *real* danger of starting something new on January 1 is that once you fail, you have 350+ days to go before you can start again.

Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff : Saying Merry Christmas.

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:45:20 +0000

I truly *hate* the "War on Christmas," which I consider to be utterly bogus, invented by various pundits to get themselves some air time. I mean, do we really want to let Christmas be defined by what people are told to say to get us to buy more stuff? Really? And what I hate most about it is that it has made it a political statement to say "Merry Christmas." Grrrr...

Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff : Saying Merry Christmas.

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:42:38 +0000

Well, of course Jesus celebrated Hannukah. I mean, what's not to love about a holiday that features potato pancakes and jelly doughnuts?!

Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff : Saying Merry Christmas.

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:39:00 +0000

If you read the letters of C.S. Lewis, you'll see that he abbreviates "Christian" as "Xn" or "Xian" all the time... If it's good enough for C.S.....

Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff : Inviting people to church.

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:50:59 +0000

We have people come to church with us in two ways: (1) We brag on our church so much that they ask to come... And (2) We invite them to big events. Sometimes this is our kids: My daughter just invited non-churched friends from school to come to Pumpkin Olympics last month. And after that, it's easy to invite them to other church activities (she's even invited kids to retreats -- they always come because they know how much fun it will be, and what an environment of love they'll be stepping into).... I suppose this is the middle school version of #6 above... And our church makes it very easy once a year, because we hold our Easter services at the Hollywood Bowl. Easy to invite people to the Bowl -- if they're nervous about stepping into a church building and not knowing where to go, etc., well, that's all gone. And with everyone snacking and hugging and waving hi and wearing casual clothes, it's just comfortable all around. And then if you want to invite them to "real" church, well, it's now seen as something cool.

Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff : Soul City Church

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:41:24 +0000

Yup. Total agreement. I'll be happy to forward it after they fix it. It's just a little harder to believe they'll follow through with their vision, and follow through well, if they don't bother to proofread something so simple (esp. with the number of eyes that had to have seen the video before it was released).

Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff : Subtle worship distractions.

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:41:51 +0000

Spell check doesn't do it. Every time I see "It's" instead of "its" or "You're" instead of "Your," I cringe. I can't help but think of any visitors watching the spelling errors and wondering, "Are they stupid? Or are they sloppy?" The worst outright spelling error I ever saw was "crucifiction" instead of "crucifixion." A spelling that would only be used by an atheist debating a Christian over the historical truth of the resurrection. ...Sometimes I drop a note in the offering box to point out spelling errors... But I never remember what they were, so I can't tell if they've been fixed. They drive me crazy, though. Crazy.

Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff : Subtle worship distractions.

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:37:30 +0000

Poinsettias are native to Mexico. I don't think they need the AC... (The Christmas trees, on the other hand....)

Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff : Judging who is poor enough for our charity.

Wed, 9 Dec 2009 16:11:20 +0000

I've been on both sides of the Judgy McJudgerton debate. I've been horribly judgmental about people whom I thought didn't deserve my help, and I've been treated like crap when I needed help desperately. It's like Carrie's comment a few comments ago about the person drinking Starbucks every day, but doing it on a gift card. You never know what's really going on with someone else. Here's what I think fuels it, to a large degree: The weekly paycheck. (Monthly, biweekly, whatever.) Most people in the U.S. know how much money they're going to make next year. Next month. Next week. They can plan. And they come to expect that money. They earned it, after all. And it's a very small step from "I earned it" to "I'm entitled to it." It's very easy to put your faith in the monthly paycheck, because it's always faithful to you. It's always there, right on time. But the phenomenon of the regular paycheck goes back only a little more than 100 years. Throughout history, most people in most places have *not* been able to anticipate how much money they would have in advance. Think of a farmer: If the weather is good, he can survive. If the weather is bad, he can lose everything he's ever had. His entire livelihood is dependent on something he cannot control. I work in a business where I do not know how much money I will make from year to year. Sometimes I work very, very hard for a very long time and make nothing. Nothing. And sometimes I make boatloads of money -- but with no idea how long I need to make it last. I have not had a job with a regular paycheck for over 15 years. Sometimes that has been wonderful, and sometimes it has been intensely painful -- and the McJudgerton family has been sure to make themselves known on either end of the spectrum. When you work in this kind of business, what you cannot do is plan. I've sat down with the various financial counselors, planners, etc., and the first thing they ask is, "What's your anticipated income?" And when your answer is "I don't know," they simply don't know what to do. Even the Dave Ramseys of the world base their work on the presupposition of a regular paycheck. With the recession, plenty of people are learning that faith in a regular paycheck is misplaced faith. They're learning what we've always known, those of us who work in businesses where we cannot plan. They're learning that work, that income, is a gift of God, not something we are entitled to, even if we are the best possible person for the job. They're learning that it's so much easier to say "God will provide" to someone else in need, but it can be an excruciating test of your faith when you have to say it to yourself... or to your kids. So, sure, I've done my share of judging people as to whether they deserve my charity. But once you remove the concept of a paycheck from the picture, I think you slide much more quickly from "Who do they think *they* are?!" to "There, but for the grace of God, go I."

Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff : The shelf that holds your Bible in the bathroom. A love letter.

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 16:44:33 +0000

When I woke up today, I thought it was Wednesday. Reading these posts, clearly I was wrong.

Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff : The shelf that holds your Bible in the bathroom. A love letter.

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 16:39:04 +0000

So let's just call it a "lobby."