I'm going to Disney!

[Ben E Lou]

Every four years, all of our staff from around the world gather for a big humdinger of a conference, and it is that time again. SWMBO and I will be leaving tomorrow morning, and returning late Monday night. I don't know how much 'net access (and free time) I'll have, but I'd imagine I'll be checking in some.

Here are a couple of blurbs about this thing:

http://www.younglife.org/ASC/main.html

http://mnn.gospelcom.net/article/5494

[Ben E Lou]

Ahh....something rather funny/ironic...

Young Life has grown rapidly in the past 8-10 years. The word is that if our staff continues to grow at this rate, we will outgrow Disney, and there's really only other one place feasible to continue having this gathering....

Las Vegas.





I'm just trying to imagine some of our staff in small towns in the South explaining why they're going to be spending almost a week in Vegas on the company's dime.

[CamEdwards]

Someone at the gym was wearing a Young Life t-shirt last night... first time I'd seen a reference to it in Oklahoma.

Have fun in Disney World. Here's a tip: don't make love while wearing Mouse Ears. It tends to creep the wifey out.

[sabotai]

A christian youth group in Las Vegas...I'd pay to see that.

[kcchief19]

They need to update the web site ... check out the quote at the bottom of the page.

http://www.younglife.org/pages/whatisyl.html

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by kcchief19
They need to update the web site ... check out the quote at the bottom of the page.

http://www.younglife.org/pages/whatisyl.html

Heh. Literally our entire staff will be at this thing, including whoever maintains that site. I'll have to look 'em up. We can't be getting football info wrong!

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by CamEdwards
Someone at the gym was wearing a Young Life t-shirt last night... first time I'd seen a reference to it in Oklahoma.

Have fun in Disney World. Here's a tip: don't make love while wearing Mouse Ears. It tends to creep the wifey out.

I know YL in the past has been pretty strong in Tulsa and Norman. Haven't heard much about OKC though.

That mouse ears comment is one of the more disturbing things I've heard in a while. I'm going to have nightmares picturing Cam's bald pate hidden inside a pair of mouse ears as his libido rises...

EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

[CamEdwards]

well, at least you don't have to worry about having sex while you're at Disney. That mental image alone should keep you impotent for a good 3 to 6 months.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by CamEdwards
well, at least you don't have to worry about having sex while you're at Disney. That mental image alone should keep you impotent for a good 3 to 6 months.

There is no safe response to this whatsoever.

[Ksyrup]

We were invited to meet some friends to go to Disney this weekend, but decided against it.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by Ksyrup
We were invited to meet some friends to go to Disney this weekend, but decided against it.

Too many youth workers there for ya this weekend?

[Ksyrup]

More like a pregnant wife who was none too thrilled about walking around the park and not getting to go on any rides.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by Ksyrup
More like a pregnant wife who was none too thrilled about walking around the park and not getting to go on any rides.

Makes sense.

[Tasan]

I totally forgot about him going on this. I guess this is why all the Denny/Dennis Green stuff got through the last few days.

[Desnudo]

Strong, positive influences in young peoples' lives. Sounds suspicious to me.

[Ben E Lou]

Hey y'all:

Just checking in real quick. Add these two things up and whaddya get:

1. Large gathering of 3,000+ youth ministry workers.

+

2. Mel Gibson about to release a movie on the death of Christ.

Yup, you got it. We're getting a sneak preview/pre-screening of The Passion. Pretty cool.

--Ben

[JeeberD]

I was gonna guess a huge, drunken orgy...

[Franklinnoble]

Originally posted by JeeberD
I was gonna guess a huge, drunken orgy...

They're not Cowpies fans...

[JeeberD]

And they're certainly not Foreskins fans. Everyone knows that those people are afraid of the opposite sex...

[Passacaglia]

Watch out for the lightning.

[Ben E Lou]

Interesting movie.VERY brutal.

James Caviezel, the actor who plays Jesus, came and spoke to us. It was fascinating to hear his perspective on the whole thing. It turns out he is close personal friends with Michael W. Smith, who made a surprise appearance this afternoon as well.

[CamEdwards]

So in your opinion, is the brouhaha about the movie just much ado about nothing?

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by CamEdwards

So in your opinion, is the brouhaha about the movie just much ado about nothing?

Well, the "problem" as I see it is that a large number of people are (blissfully) unaware of a number of the "harder" teachings of the New Testament. For a Hollywood production, it is very true to the New Testament--and the New Testament isn't always the "feel-good" writing that somehow it has been made out to be. Two "offensive" points could be:

1. Jesus says "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me." That isn't a very "inclusive" statement, but it is straight from John 14:6, and one of the pivotal points of the Gospels.

2. The movie places the responsibility for the crucifixion almost solely upon the Jewish leadership at the time. Again, there have been cries that the movie will promote anti-Semitism. I can understand where those saying that are coming from, but it is impossible to escape the fact that the New Testament places the responsibilitiy for the crucifixion almost solely upon the Jewish leadership:

Matthew 27:24-25: So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves." And all the people answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!"

The movie actually softens this one, by having Caiaphas (the High Priest) make the declaration on his own. Also, according to Acts, after the Resurrection, Paul stood in front of the Sanhedrin and declared, "God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom YOU crucified!" (Acts 2:36). The latter point isn't presented in the movie, but I write it simply to point out another example that in reality the N.T. indicts the Jewish leadership for Jesus' crucifixion much more than this movie does.

Mel Gibson endeavored to base this movie on the New Testament. He really can't be true to the N.T. without presenting it the way that he has (at least in the cut that we saw today. I have heard that because of the controversy he may end up cutting out "His blood be on us and on our children.")