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    Barcode Jesus Monday, May 21, 2007 |

    So as a statement about how we've commercialized a man that was a freakin' bad ass revolutionary, this guy created a giant picture of the face of Christ out of bar codes. Crazy.

    So I've been spending some time on this lately, how we've made Jesus a product, not unlike detergent or shampoo or Old Spice Red Zone deodorant (yes!). And then we deliver catchy marketing slogans about said product, things like "You've got a God shaped hole in your heart that only Jesus can fill." At that point we hope market savvy consumer says "Hey, that sounds like a great product that might offer something I don't have. My boyfriend sucks and my meditation time has been sorely lacking, so I might as well try this Jesus guy."

    And maybe something amazing happens. Maybe the Spirit fills market savvy consumer in a way that blows their mind, and their life is never the same. Or maybe religion seeps in, and after a while they look at their life and say "Wow, not what I expected. The guy I met in my single's ministry still tries to get in my pants, and my heart still hurts. This product must be defective, like that dandruff shampoo I tried. Still got little white flakes, and my life still sucks." So like any good consumer, they move on and sample other religious products, seeing if there's another one that might meet their need a little better.

    Why do we do this? Are we so desperate to replicate popular culture that we are afraid the story of this radical won't be relevant unless we make him trendy? So I look at this picture, and smile at this dude's creativity, and wonder why I ever feel it necessary to make Jesus into anything other than what he is...the Son of God.

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    Thought O' The Day... Tuesday, May 15, 2007 |

    When Jesus said "Love Your Enemies" he probably meant "Don't Kill Them."

    I'm embarrassed how simple that statement is, and at the same time how profound. Thank God for grace (literally).

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    Our USPS... Sunday, May 13, 2007 |

    Good true story. I'm 26, so what use do I have for the USPS? Basically none. They fill my mailbox with mortgage opportunities and life insurance offerings, and not much else. I can't remember the last time I used a stamp. Anyway, not too long ago I left my watch in Columbus at my parent's house. Mom calls, says she's put it in the mail and insured it, so I should get it in a few days. Cool. Thanks Mom. So I wait. Columbus is about 2 hours from Cincy. A week passes. No package. Hmmm...USPS, where is my watch? A second week passes. Wow! Had I known how long this would take, I'd have driven up myself. Finally I receive a little card in my mailbox alerting me I have a package and to come to the post office to pick it up. Great! My watch has arrived.

    So Rachel heads over to pick it up one day...the lady brings the package out and hands it to her...Rachel gives pause, and asks "Are you sure this is it?" See, the package was empty. Rachel turns it over a the package has been torn open with a perfect little hole that my watch conveniently fit through. Yea! My watch got stolen. But have no fear, 'cause my sweet mom bought insurance! Hurray! Since we file a claim at that post office, we go the main branch. It's there the story gets really good. See, when you buy insurance for your package, it doesn't really matter. That's just a way to prop up our dying mail carrier system. The lady at the counter (who was SOOO excited to be working for the USPS) informed me the white package WRAPPED IN SHIPPING TAPE was the wrong type of package to mail my watch in...and the receipt I had from the internet purchase may not WORK because it wasn't a REAL receipt.

    What! Are you kidding? Am I being filmed right now? So let me get this straight...not only do you not make a decision right now, but I have to fill out paperwork, then you write on my paperwork that in your opinion is the packing wasn't "secure enough," then you tell me my printout from Overstock.com verifying the purchase date and value of the watch may not work because it's not a "real" receipt? And now you're going to mail all this information to St. Louis, where someone in a cubicle somewhere will make a decision on my claim within 6-8 WEEKS and then may or may not fulfill the claim.

    Don't worry...lest you wonder whether I can check to see how this decision is going...there's no tracking number or claim ticket that I can follow up with to verify what the decision is...it'll just be like Christmas someday if a random check shows up in the mail.

    Guess what...Christmas comes once a year, and it's not in June. So thank you USPS...I rest in peace understanding the myriad of ways your bureaucracy wastes billions every year. Good luck with your next rate increase...I'm sure it'll bolster you for at least 6 months. Good riddance. I'm using FedEx.

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