Obsessed with Ringtones?

So here's a useless post as far as deeper things are concerned, but I must go on. I have provided a link (look down the right side of my page under other blog links) that will take you to a website where you can upload songs from your computer to a website which will then send you a text message to your phone. For each different phone brand you may have, there are instructions on what to do with that text message so you can receive your ringtone. An added bonus to this whole thing, is that when you upload your favorite songs, you can choose which 20 second interval of the song you want to put on your phone to play as the ringtone. Thus, no more buying ringtones with the useless parts of the songs playing. What's the catch? Well, there is none really...except that when you sign up with this unbelievably cool site, i get free ringtones as well. So uh, let's all work together, right? Anyways...if you are interested, there you go. If not...welp...sorry for the lame-o post.

Flower Pelting

Indeed we were pelted with flowers. I was not able to see the culprits, however I am positive that there were several handfuls of petals that were deliberately hurled at my face rather than sprinkled upon us from above. You wouldn't think that flower petals hurt at high speeds...and you would be right in thinking so, because they didn't. So, it really just makes the guy throwing them look a little foolish. But I digress...

Needless to say there are many things different in my life now that I am married. A short list might provide insight as to what I mean:

-I sleep with a woman (not just any woman, namely Bethan).
-I wake up with a woman (see above).
-Bethan cooks me breakfast.
-Bethan cooks me dinner.
-Bethan drives me to work (we only have one car).
-I talk to Bethan a whole lot (and I enjoy it).
-I live with my best friend...who is a woman.
-I share a bathroom with Bethan.
-Bethan uses the toilet after I have used it (and doesn't complain).
-The dishes are washed, all the time.
-My clothes are washed, all the time.
-Bethan knows where everything is.
-It smells better here now.

And the list goes on. All of which are newfound joys in my life. And because this is so new, about every six seconds there is a teachable moment. And this is a good thing because I need to learn a lot of things; namely, how to show Bethan that Jesus is everything he says he is without letting my sin get in the way. I think she would agree as well that there are many teachable moments for her too....teachable moments that must be posted and shared. Therefore, at the risk of adding another web space to the already jam-packed blogosphere, the Rogers family (that has a nice ring to it) will soon be launching a co-published blog for the purpose mentioned above. And also to post funny pictures, cool quotes, and other random things from our new life together. I'll make another post soon with the site information.

As if we don't have enough problems with bumper stickers, t-shirts, jewelry, music, etc....video game makers have come out with "Left Behind: Eternal Forces". Straight from the popular Christian fiction series comes a related video game. I saw a clip on it off of CNN.com which includes an interview with the games designer. The man explains his heart for the game, which consists mainly of reaching a wider market with video games (thank you for the honesty...he could have pulled the "I felt called to do this.." line). What is the game all about you ask? Well, it just so happens that in the game you are part of a coalition force that is fighting a bloody war against the forces of the evil world leader during the end times. In the game, the player is equipped with body armor and a machine gun to annihilate the opposition. But wait! This sounds just like a normal video game! Indeed, it does...and it is. However, along with the power of grenades, missile launchers, helicopters, machine guns, and platoons...the player can also hit the "pray" button. That's right...the pray button. When this button is pressed, the soldier kindly stops killing people, and prays right then and there, thus resulting in renewed strength required to continue killing. Without addressing further the silliness of this game, I think one can gain a good insight into what our culture's view of Christianity is from this. I know it got me thinking.

"What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his life?" -Mt. 16:26

I had some thoughts on this verse this morning. It has been a struggle for me to amass hours at work lately. It's summer time and 30,000 students have left our small town; therefore, business is depleted. This is a bad thing seeing as how I am supposed to support a wife in the near future (12 days). The possibility of a second job is well within contemplation and my prayers have been filled with "Jesus, I trust in you to provide." And this is a good thing I suppose, for he does indeed promise to do so and by his grace he has given me faith in his promises.

However, I was thinking today about when he does provide, will it merely serve to meet my physical needs? Hopefully not, but I can see how I would let it do just that. God could provide in sovereign ways that astound me, yet I could reduce his actions to the base level of my met phyical needs, rather than seeing the provision and gazing upward into the eyes of my holy Creator and becoming enthralled with such a Being. If we reduce the provision of our God to its most base level, we miss out on meaning. And that is when the aforementioned verse applies I think: "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his life?" What good is it if our physical needs are met if we don't see meaning and love behind it? What good is the provision for our soul if we are not awestruck by the sovereignty of God in it? We must make the tranlsation from the physical level, to the spiritual in a very real and understandable way. Otherwise...I think we strip our soul of what it needs to survive.