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No Good Samaritans at 26K?

A couple of days ago I read this story about a man who died on his descent from the summit of Mount Everest. The startling point of the story was how many people passed this man on their way up or down and did not stop to offer aid or the much needed oxygen.

Those who passed this man offered many reasons why they did not help him.

• The risk of dying by using up their personal oxygen supply.
• He was already going to die.
• It is too hard to keep myself alive, let alone someone else.
• There was no hope.
• He got himself into this mess by not being properly prepared.
• Helping would keep me from achieving my goal of reaching the summit.

I choose not to judge those who did not help. I do not know what they were experiencing and what they encountered based on a short description of the events.

However - the reasons they offered for not doing something sounded familiar to me. They sound a lot like what Christians say or think when it comes to helping those in need. Especially those in need of Jesus.

Sure the person may be destined for Hell, or broken and desperate,  and I would like to help but...

• I don't want to risk losing what I have.
• I'm not willing to give up my life for someone like that.
• He is beyond help.
• I have my own problems.
• She is hopeless. It would be pearls to swine!
• These are the consequences for his sin and actions.
• Helping will really get in the way of fulfilling my goals.

The result of course is that the person desperately needing a breath of Jesus is passed by, and left to a lonely spiritual and relational suffocation.

Jason McElwain

What happens when autism and basketball collide? Read and watch the inspiring answer here.

Items that caught my attention this weekend

Jesus is on trial in Italy. Hmmmm.

Lynn Swan is referred to as a rich white guy. Article. Video.

Google-China. Jesus Christ turned up 10 hits. US version of the same search nets 166,000 hits. For more about this check out Junkyardblog.

Speaking of China, apparently there is a big run on diapers. Adult diapers. Find out why here. Yikes!

101 Dumbest Moments in Business. Thanks Will.

This guy will probably end up being the best ever!

Wow, what a random list of attention catching items.

Before Making Those New Year's Resolutions

Before making 101 new (or probably REnewed) resolutions for 2006, consider the words of Dorothy Sayers:

Work is not primarily a thing one does to live, but the thing one lives to do. It is, or should be, the full expression of the worker's faculties, the thing in which he finds spiritual, mental, and bodily satisfaction, and the medium in which he offers himself to God. 

What was Christmas Like for....?

How are you preparing for Christmas? Scott McKnight in his own preparation for Advent, is taking a daily look at how various individuals encountered the first Christmas. Check it out here. 

'tis the Season - to Boycott and File Suit?

Some well intended (I think) individuals sent me emails today telling me why I should boycott Target. Also today, I read about Jerry Falwell and his group and their plan to file suit against those who would try to restrict the celebration of Christmas in public schools and public spaces.

Merry Christmas?

I too get frustrated at times with the antagonism toward Christianity and Christmas. But are boycotts and legal threats really the best and most Christlike approach in dealing with the situation? I say Christmas cookies for Target employees everywhere! What kind of statement would that make?

I appreciate Will Samson's take on the issue in his post Two Quotes and a Question.

Harry Potter and Jesus

Harry Potter is huge. He is global. He and his powers and his story are known by almost everyone everywhere and iinterest continues to grow. The proof is in the bazillion books sold, and highlighted this weekend by the opening of the latest movie, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

The anticipation was great for my 16 year old daughter Bethany who went to the opening last night (this morning) and made it home about 3:30 AM. This is on a school night and her mom is out of town. Is dad a softy or what?

Anyway. Despite his incredible popularity around the world and in my house, despite all that has been written, what I could tell you about Harry Potter would not even fill up a blog post. Why? Because I do not really have much interest in Harry, his magic, or his story. I don't have time, I don't consider it real and it has no relevance for me.

So what does this have to do with Jesus? I believe that there are a lot of people in this world who view Jesus the same way I view Harry. Jesus is not considered real and more significantly in some ways, He is not seen as relevant.

This made me ask the question, "what would it take for me to become interested in Harry Potter"?

I would need to be compelled to hear his story. I think this would happen through someone who is crazy about Harry telling me the story and taking the time to answer my questions. Maybe giving me my own book or taking me to the movie and explaining to me what I am about to see. Then after I've seen it answer my questions.

I don't know. It seems like I am on the verge of being very cliche. Maybe none of the above really applies or makes sense. However, thinking through this has given me greater insight about how some people may choose to ignore Jesus even though they are surrounded by His story.

Kyle Lake

Tonight, after being away for the weekend, I was catching up on my reading and I was saddened to read that Kyle Lake had died after a tragic accident while leading a baptismal service earlier this morning. Although I did not know him personally, I am familiar with his writing and ministry as pastor of University Baptist Church in Waco, Texas. (David Crowder's home church.)

Please be in prayer for his family and the people of University Baptist.

Powerball Mania

Tonight I picked my daughter Elise up from praise band practice and headed home. On the way it was imperative to stop and get some Diet Pepsi, because the Kelly household was on empty. The Kelly's without Diet Pepsi transform from a nice well adjusted family to a family that is somewhat diabolical.

Rather than go to the grocery store I thought it would be quicker to stop at my neighborhood Conoco. Big mistake! Apparently tonight is was the big drawing for the 240 million Powerball Lottery, and dozens of people were coming to Conoco to get their tickets.  I don't play the lottery so I don't know much about how it works. So, at the risk of offending lottery players everywhere here are my observations from watching those in line.

1. People who wait in line to buy Powerball numbers are not happy - I did not see any smiles.
2. The bigger the payout the more people who play - Does this really make sense? Think about it.
3. A $10 bill means ten tickets - nobody gets change. "All I have is a twenty, I might as well get 20 tickets"
4. Apparently everyone who buys a lottery ticket also smokes. Out of about twenty people I observed buy their Powerball numbers, only two did not also buy a pack of cigarettes. To me that seems really odd. People are playing the lottery to "better" their life and yet they smoke? I can hear it now "Good news, you won the lottery. Bad news - you have lung cancer". Is this really ironic or is it just me?
5. Diet Pepsi is worth the wait!

And...

• The odds of winning the big Powerball Jackpot are 1 in 146,107,962. Think of it this way; it is almost 70 times more likely to die as a rider in an animal-drawn vehicle than it is to win the Jackpot!

Pass Right

I read this story today. You should too.