Salvation

The Last Minute

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

FullSizeRender-12There are some of you reading this right now who are panicking.

It’s less than 48 hours until Christmas. There’s still one or two gifts you need to buy. Someone just popped into your head you realize you didn’t purchase anything for.

Look, I’ve been there. We’ve all been there. And honestly I’m right there with you right now.

It’s no sin to buy a present at the last minute. The act of giving a gift – even if it’s one picked up at Christmas Eve at Rite Aid – is a beautiful thing.

The best gifts though, the ones we truly cherish, the ones we remember for years and years are the ones someone plans out for us. Continue reading →

The Salvation Of Seinfeld

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

SeinfeldI don’t think Jerry Seinfeld is worried about his salvation

I’m not talking about Jerry Seinfeld the man. It’s hard to say if the current Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee host thinks much about his eternal future.

I’m talking about Jerry Seinfeld the character from the classic show Seinfeld which turned 25 years old this year.

While I imagine Jerry Seinfeld is a kind, generous, thoughtful and loving person in real life, his television counterpart was nothing of the sort.

Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer were self-centered, egotistical, perverse, and sometimes downright despicable. And for 9 hilarious seasons the world loved them for it. Continue reading →

Why Sequels Suck

/ Alex Doriot / 4 Comments

terminator-2-1991-28-gTerminator 2: Judgment Day is the best sequel of all time.

You may argue otherwise. But you would be wrong.

The first Terminator movie is a decent 80s action flick. It’s more focused on Sarah Connor, Kyle Reese, and their struggle to protect her unborn (and unconceived) son than it is the Terminator trying to kill her, played in an almost comically wooden fashion by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In fact, the famous “I’ll be back” line from the film is just a throwaway line the Terminator offers as he assesses how to break down a doorway to get to Sarah Connor. (Also, dig that rad 80s synthesizer score!) Continue reading →

Throwback Thursday: Black And White God

/ Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

the-artistWith such loud and showy movies as “Gravity”, “The Wolf of Wall Street”, and “American Hustle” battling it out for Best Picture at The Academy Awards this year, it’s amazing to look back at the big award winner of 2012.

2 years ago “The Artist”, a black and white (and mostly silent) film took home Best Picture at The Oscars.

“The Artist” was a true throwback to the golden days of Hollywood. It was the first black and white film to win Best Picture in 50 years.

Black and white films resonate with people in ways color ones never will. Black and white speaks to something in the soul. It sparks memories of the olden days when life seemed simpler.

Black and white is simple. It is story and beauty at its most basic. There is something true in it.

Yet black and white movies are intimidating to some people. Some people won’t watch a movie if it’s in black and white. They think it’s outdated. As if a movie needs to have color and sound and CGI to be worth watching. Continue reading →

The One Phrase The Church Needs To Retire This Christmas

/ Alex Doriot / 2 Comments

394824_10152361249895427_1009312309_nIf a bell rings and no one is around to hear it, does it still make a sound?

If a Salvation Army bell ringer stands outside a department store all day and not a single cent drops into the bucket, was it really worth the ringer’s time and effort?

If a church holds a rally and not a single soul gets saved, was it worth the church’s time and effort?

Many of us have been to a church-sponsored camp, revival or other event where we heard a speaker attempt to rouse a reluctant crowd, saying, “If only one person chooses to follow Christ tonight, then all of our work here will have been worth it.”

But what if no one came forward that night? What if no one chose to give their life to Jesus at that rally? Was the work still worth it? Continue reading →

Han Solo, Ron Burgundy, and The Insufficient Resurrection

/ Alex Doriot / 3 Comments

Hollywood is obsessed with the resurrection right now. And I don’t mean a sequel to “The Passion Of The Christ”.

I’m talking about the resurrection of past successes. Take a look at just a few of the movies and tv shows getting ready to relaunch after years of dormancy:

Star Wars Episodes 7/8/9. Anchorman 2. A Dumb and Dumber Sequel. The Boy Meets World continuation Girl Meets World. The Veronica Mars movie. A new season of 24. Another new season of Arrested Development. Seriously – that’s just a sampling of the classics Hollywood is resurrecting.

You’d think I might be uncontrollably excited about a few of these. Anchorman is probably the funniest movie of the past decade. Dumb and Dumber is my favorite comedy of all time. But I’m pretty much dreading these sequels. Continue reading →

The Song Of The Summer

/ Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

ipod-peopleSometimes you can’t escape a song. You hear it one day on the radio on your way to work. The song is pleasant enough.

Then you hear it on your way home. You begin to sing along a bit, bobbing your head to the beat.

Next thing you know you can’t take a drive without hearing the song. Watching tv you hear it on every commercial and movie trailer.

Soon enough even the out of touch middle-aged adults in your life can teach you the dance moves to the song. You frantically spin the radio dial anytime you hear the first chord from the song. You carry a pair of earplugs with you at all times. You start to consider soundproofing your house so you don’t hear the song as someone drives down your street.

What was once an innocent earworm has now infected your brain. By the end of August you’re locked in a steel chamber underneath your house blocked off from all society just to escape the song of the summer. Continue reading →

Give Thanks For Youth Camp

/ Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

Earlier this morning a dozen teenagers were baptized in the ocean on Daytona Beach.

It was incredible to witness. But it’s not unique.

Week after week and day after day all summer long tireless youth pastors, parents, college students, and other volunteers are pouring their lives into students. Because of their passion, and because of the grace of the Lord, teenagers across the world are being rescued.

It’s called Youth Camp. It looks a little something like this:

This is a taste of the Youth Camp I’ve been serving with this past week as a game and recreation leader. I’m completely spent from the whole process. And I can’t stop smiling.

In just a few weeks I’ll be taking ten of my own students to Big Stuf camp in Panama City Beach. I pray (and I have faith) God will work in their lives as well.

Today let’s give thanks for Youth Camp. Let’s give thanks for the bands, the speakers, the skit leaders, the rec leaders, the cooks, the nurses, the janitors, the sound techs, the small group leaders, and everyone else who works to bring a life changing experience for teenagers every day across the world this summer.

Let’s give thanks for the students who will never forget these camps.

Let’s give thanks for the real salvation Jesus brings through the beautiful chaos of Youth Camp.

Lift up a prayer today for everyone at Youth Camp today. Lift up a praise knowing in full confidence God is moving in students across the world. Rejoice.

Happy Friday.

Everything Is Amazing And Nobody Is Happy

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

(Click Here if you can’t see the video above.)

Where has the joy gone in our lives? We live in a most incredible time, and yet we find ourselves complaining and worked up over the most menial problems.

The technology we have in this time is beyond incredible. Yet, as Louis C.K. perfectly puts it, if our phones take a minute while going to space we become ungrateful brats. The miracle of flying through the air has become an incredible burden.DSC_0068

Think about this: if all the “things” in your life were taken away, all of your possessions, everything you have, even all the people you love, would you be able to be joyful? Would you still be grateful?

God has called us to be joyful always. But how? How can we exhibit joy in all situations? Continue reading →